[R] Shiny Bike (Luke/Sydney) FIN

[Syusaki]

Perched on her skateboard, Sydney casually rolled through the streets. She lazily weaved through the sidewalk, entertaining herself by swerving past the few people that strolled around the ghost town of Destiny City. Perhaps it couldn’t quite be considered a ghost town, but compared to its usual sea of pedestrians and vehicles it may as well as have been empty. Rather than the urban city that it was, these days it gave off the feelings of a calm suburban town. Bleck.

She pouted, shoulders slumped and head listlessly lolled to the side as she forced herself to drive deeper into the city. Most of the stores were pitch black inside, unmanned and abandoned until the so-called illness lifted up. Her thoughts flashed back to her henshin pen. The string of people now in the hospital wards was probably due to all this senshi and Negaverse business. It was already a circus of weird, so why not just add on comatose patients? Sydney had yet to prove this, though.

Passing by a display window, she put her foot down and stared up at the glass wind chimes that hung inside a store. A far off look in her eyes, Sydney immediately stumbled off her board to cling her face to the window, admiring the chimes. “Hmm. If the shop was open I’d walk in and take those chimes to put in my room!” she whined, her breath fogging up the glass.

A glare in the reflected glass catching her attention, she turned around and immediately turned googly-eyed.

Motorcycle. Across the street.

Scooping up her skateboard, she waddled across the road without a second thought and oblivious to any possible oncoming cars (there were none, thankfully). Enchanted by the vehicle, she energetically examined it, moving from the front to the back to the left to the right. Even going as far as plopping herself in the seat. “Woahhh~ Screw my driver’s license, I wanna ride a motorcycle instead~”  

[revenant aria]

"Haha, I think that'll be hard without keys, don't you?" Luke asked the unknown female with a raised eyebrow, a cheerful smile and wave. In the distance, he had thought the girl might be investigating the motorcycle to steal it but on a closer look, it turned out to simply be a curious bystander. (He would have tried to knock the girl flat otherwise. Female or male--attempted thievery was a no-go.)

He hooked his bag of items to the handle of his motorcycle, the inevitable conclusion that the girl had been caught by the owner of the motorcycle. One might term it as rotten timing if said owner was horridly possessive of their motorcycle and it's rider. Apparently, he wasn't. "You know, it might have been a hard situation to explain to a cop if he asked why an underaged girl like yourself is riding on a motorcycle without a driver's permit." Luke pointed a thumb to the street behind them, indicating the obvious state of Destiny City and it's 'heightened' security.'

"His name is Zephyrus by the way." He looked pointedly down at the sleek black motorcycle and back up at the female.

 

[Syusaki]

Without skipping a beat she casually held out a hand at the blond and unassumingly stared at him, smiling. “Then why don’t you give me the keys? This motorcycle must be yours, is it not?” Her skateboard gripped in one hand, she stretched out her arms and legs, balancing on the bike seat.

Pouting, Sydney puffed out her cheeks, clearly distressed at his logical reasoning. “B-But I can drive a car! I’ve had my driver’s license for a few months now,” she defended, awkwardly crossing her arms so her board wouldn’t plop to the ground. “The rules for driving a motorcycle and driving a car can’t be too different, can it? I mean, there’s an accelerator! Somewhere . . . and . . . a clutch . . . thing . . .” Her voice grew more and more unsure as she continued to speak. Sydney really was clueless about working a motorcycle.

“After the wind god? That’s cool, and pretty fitting,” she mused, firmly planting her bottom to the seat and making herself comfortable on the bike. “Oh, my name’s Sydney, by the way. Sydney Martin,” added the redhead, clicking off her helmet and snuggling it beneath her arm.  

[revenant aria]

Luke grinned, wondering if the girl spoke in jest of taking his keys. He soon realized she wasn't. "That's asking for my soulmate to drop off a cliff. Oh Romeo, won't you stab me while I lie here in the moonlight? Oh, art thou Romeo!" Luke made an exaggerated gesture with his hands, speaking with a Shakespearean accent, holding up a hand towards the sun as if it were the inconsistent moon that Romeo swore his love upon Juliet.

Obviously, the seed of doubt were heavily sown into Luke's mind. The conclusion that this girl who didn't even know the bare workings of a motorcycle would destroy his baby was absolute. Her next words didn't help to assure his slightly panicking insides, only reaffirming his worst fear.

AND WHY WAS SHE MAKING HERSELF COMFORTABLE ON HIS BIKE. Luke was truly baffled. "Miss Sydney Martin, did you ever learn the moral story of 'Finding Nemo?' Why Nemo shouldn't swim his way up to the 'butt?' If a five-year girl can get it, I'm sure that you, having at least a ten year advantage, a smart girl like yourself can." Luke reached out to lift the skateboard from scratching the side of his bike, offering his hand out to Sydney as he did so.

"So let me rephrase that. I love cute girls on me. But not on Zephyr."

 

[Syusaki]

“And what’s so wrong about that? Who needs soul mates?” she replied with a questioning look, but the twinkle in Sydney’s eyes told otherwise.

Swinging her legs back and forth she could see the wheels whirring in the blonde’s mind, even if his face didn’t reveal much she could easily guess the thoughts trampling around in his brain. He wasn’t going to let Sydney ride his motorcycle, not until she actually figured out how one worked. The answer was obvious from the start, but what’s the harm in trying?

Noticing the look on his face she grinned, jokingly draping herself over his bike for a few seconds before the awkward position sent her sitting back up. “Why no, no I didn’t!” Sydney chirped out the lie with ease. Later she admitted, “Well, it’s more fun this way, don’t you think?”

Softly commenting on his gentlemanly ways, she grabbed onto his hand and finally hopped off Zephyr, stretching out to her full height of nearly six feet. “Why, Sir! Are you implying that I’m cute?” Sydney asked jokingly, though the startled surprise was evident on her freckled face. She had never thought of herself as cute, and most people would agree with that statement. How could a tomboy be cute? Right?  

[revenant aria]

Luke thought he was missing a screw. This Sydney was missing several. But the world wasn't perfect. (A few screws missing was much more amusing than none.) Luke shook his head, chuckling at the girl's antics. He was surprised to see the girl's height unfold though, taking the chance to seat himself as soon as the girl left Zephyr's side.

"Hon, you've still got some ways to go-- but girls always have potential. Cinderella did it. If a disney character can do it, real people can do it too!" He grin, making a encouraging gun motion at Sydney. "My name's Luke, by the way. You'll make me feel five hundred years older by calling me sir."

 

[Syusaki]

People often commented on Sydney’s unusual behavior. She was incredibly silly and childish, to the point that it bordered on “not quite right in the head” despite the fact that yes, she could be logical if she felt like it. But the world just wouldn’t be as interesting if she conformed to being “normal”, correct? Retrieving her skateboard from his grasp, she let it drop to the pavement and stepped on it, calmly teetering on it.

She chuckled. (Though of course she looked more pleased at his compliment than she should've.) “That’s a nice way to put it, and flattering too. In fact—“ Her hand covered her heart a second time and leaned back. “—I think you just stole my heart with that, Sir Luke.” Sydney grinned like a fox. Nothing better than compromise, right? “Heck, since you now sound like a knight, why don’t you take me on your steed and ride off into the sunset with me?” she teased, nodding towards Zephyr.

Obviously, this was code for “I want to ride your bike, please and thank you.”  

[revenant aria]

Sir Luke. That had a nice ring to it. He really did sound like a knight! But that still didn't excuse the damsel in distress in front of him.

"You play a smart game, Lady Sydney. If you hadn't already scored negative points, I might have actually said yes to riding off in the sunset." He grinned but the refusal was still ultimately there. He shook his head, a little wary of playing the "nice guy" with a girl who barely knew how a motorcycle worked. (Did she have any knowledge at all? Besides sitting on it? He wasn't quite sure.)

"No way, no go. I'm not entirely sure of your driving skills and your motorcycle skill's at a negative right now. And your eagerness isn't exactly comforting when you think a motorcycle has a 'clutch thing.'" he shook his head, making an "X" with his arms. "Quite frankly, you make me nervous by just sitting on Zephyr." Luke sighed, taking a seat on his parked motorcycle.

"When you learn more about motorcycles, I might consider it."

 

[Syusaki]

Insert childish pout here. Sydney’s cheeks puffed out, she lowered her head slightly and tightly crossed her arms. Had she been a couple years younger, she would have even added in a foot stamp (but you only see that in movies, right?). “Awww. Not fair! I only want to ride your motorcycle. It’s not like I said I wanted to drive it myself,” she lamented with a disappointed huff. She kept her gaze focused on the pavement, later adding in a low mumble, “Even I know I shouldn’t ride that right now.”

Her face contorted with pain. “Aaaah? Learning? But going to school is hard enough already,” protested Sydney, eyebrows furrowed. How outrageously uncool. She frowned childishly, staring at Zephyr with an intense longing that clearly read “has never ridden on a motorcycle before”. “B-But I can’t even ride in the back?”

Sydney despondently sighed, her body swaying to her left and the grasp on her board loosening. Perhaps it would be best to move along before she bummed herself out even more, but couldn’t seem to budge from her spot. Motorcycleeeee!  

[revenant aria]

"Ditch school." Luke said simply and in a matter-of-fact tone, shrugging his shoulders. He wasn't one to encourage schooling-- in fact, quite the opposite. Luke never played the responsible role and he didn't expect others to do the same.

"I've shilly-shallied and dilly-dallied long enough. No free rides today. I've got groceries that are going to spoil if I dont get home." He pointed to the white bag, the carton of milk and fruits were obvious.

He was inching away from the girl's intense gaze by now, eyebrows raising. He tried to cover the sight of the motorcycle with his body, attempting to be discreet. Quite frankly, he wasn't sure how to deal with a girl's near-tantrum if it happened. (Besides driving off. That solution seemed best at the moment.)

"I--I'm going to uh. drive off now." He took his helmet from his motorcycle to put it on,feet soon triggering the loud sound of the engine starting. He gave an awkward smile to the girl, hesitantly waving. (He was afraid she was going to bash him with her skateboard. That wouldn't be the first time a skateboard had aimed in his direction. It would be a first from a female though.)

 

[Syusaki]

For once, she remained silent as she curiously stared at Luke. Sydney wondered if he was being serious. Every once in a while she had mulled the idea over, tossing and turning it in her head, but ultimately never went through with it. Her parents had hammered the idea of getting a good education into her mind so hard that it was difficult to shake her thinking into ditching school. Ahhh, but if only she could! That would be pleasant, very pleasant indeed.

“Having spoiled groceries would be a darn shame indeed,” agreed the tomboy, grabbing her helmet and strapping it back on. The clasp creating a satisfied click that she knew all too well. Noticing the protective way Luke was obscuring his bike, she laughed. “I’m not going to blow up and steal it. That’s nearly impossible, since I don’t know how to drive a motorcycle in the first place.”

Her skateboard dropped to the ground and she placed a firm foot on it, watching the bike’s engine hum to life. “You don’t need to act nervous. I’m not that bad, am I?” Sydney laughed. “If we happen to meet again, you better let me ride it with you next time!” she added with a grin, though in the back of her mind she highly doubted a second meeting.

Finally turning away, she pushed against the ground and calmly rolled away. “Hope it doesn’t spoil!”