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 Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2016 2:50 pm
After a night of hard labor and a few hours of sleep, Samir was satisfied with the car. He'd done more than he'd offered, partially because he found himself so invested in the vehicle's well being, and partially because there was a lady he wanted to impress involved.
Working on cars was cathartic; he found the tension just slipping off of him. The good news, on top of that, was that it was next to nothing out of pocket. They had immense overstock of usable pieces, and more cars just waiting to be taken apart. All in all, he was doing them a favor, getting rid of a few extra pieces.
Or, at least, that was the excuse he'd prepared.
Either way, he was happy with the work he'd done--even if it meant he'd had to spend some extra time in the shower to work off all the grime.
The last thing he had to do was give it a test drive--and so far as he could tell, she ran great. He drove around for a bit, stopped to throw in a few dollars worth of gas, and texted Aubrey that he'd be over to drop off the car soon.
It took him ten minutes after that to make his way back to her house. He pulled in the same place he had the night before, made sure both he and the car were presentable, and then made his way to the front door.
He had to force the bounce out of his step and when he knocked it was with careful, deliberate raps. He was excited, but he couldn't just let her see it.
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Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2016 3:04 pm
Aubrey hadn't been expecting company that day, nor thought that the car would be done so soon, so when she got the text she found herself in the precarious position of making herself and her home presentable before Samir arrived.
She flew about her apartment making sure things were as clean as she could make them in such a short time, she then threw her hair up into a bun and hopped into the shower. 5 minutes later she clean and dried and she pulled on a sundress for expedience sake despite the chill in the air. she ran a brush through her hair in an attempt to tame the curls with minimal success.
By the time the knock sounded on her door she had apartment in order and even had the time to apply a little makeup. Her sisters were out for the moment but were expected to be home soon for dinner. A crockpot in the corner contained the nights dinner and the smell of beef stew filled the kitchen.
Aubrey opened the door with a grin as she saw Samir in front of her. "Hey! I wasn't expecting you so soon!" she exclaimed, happy to see him.
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Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2016 3:21 pm
Samir smiled immediately. "Sorry! I suppose I got carried away. Once I started, I couldn't stop. I ran your car around for a bit--I hope you don't mind. But I put gas in. No weird noises, no engine light. She rode smoother than my car, I think! But you oughta give her a spin and make sure she's handling all right."
He held the keys out, only now taking in her outfit.
Samir wasn't one for fashion, but he was pretty sure sundresses were a summer thing, and at this time of year? It was going to dip into the high forties tonight and even with his resilience to the cold, he couldn't imagine anyone could enjoy it.
He tilted his head to the side a bit questioningly, unable to resist the urge to ask, "Aren't you a bit chilly?"
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Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2016 3:29 pm
Aubrey nodded her head and took the keys from his hand with a grateful smile. "Thanks a lot, I do really appreciate it." she responded before his next question made her blush.
"Well, I wasn't exactly expecting company and its comfortable in my apartment, but the cold doesn't really bother me much. I've been a northerner my whole life so I guess my blood just runs a little warmer than most." Aubrey responded with a shrug. She then opened the door a little wider and gestured towards the interior.
"Would you like to come in?" she questioned with a slightly shy smile. She felt as though her apartment was finally becoming a home, but welcoming a new person into it was still a little frightening.
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Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2016 3:38 pm
"Oh! I'm sorry," Samir said quickly; he hadn't meant to interrupt anything or catch her unawares. Of course, despite his desire not to intrude, the moment she opened a door he caught a whiff of dinner--and then he knew there was no way he could say no.
"Unlike you, I am not such a fan of the cold. I would love to warm up for just a moment. You weren't kidding about the cooking thing, were you? It smells heavenly in there."
He was clearly impressed; he intended to take a bit of a walk and call for a friend to pick him and drive him back to his place, but now the idea of spending a few minutes with Aubrey would have been enough to distract him if he'd had to walk all the way back home.
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Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2016 3:52 pm
Aubrey grinned at him. "you fixed my car, there is no reason for you to apologize for being too good at your job, I was just surprised to hear from you so soon." she responded as she held the door waiting for him to enter.
"Please, make yourself at home, can I get you anything to drink?" she questioned closing the door behind him and turned to face Samir.
"I wouldn't go that far, the crock pot does all the work I just throw everything in there and let it do its thing, it always makes too much though, so if you wanted to stay for dinner it would help for the food not to go to waste." Aubrey offered with a tentative smile.
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Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2016 5:28 pm
The praise left Samir elated and he nodded gratefully towards Aubrey as he stepped into her home. "I wouldn't want to impose," he said of the drink, but there was no way he could deny that he was now strangely desperate to taste more of her cooking.
He glanced around the house for just a second before he half turned to make eye contact with her again. "I'm sure the food wouldn't go to waste anyway. Your younger sisters are still growing! When I was their age, I could eat anything. Everything," he corrected. "And I tried. Though," he paused and laughed sheepishly. "I must confess that I don't think I've grown out o that. I can't refuse food, I'm sorry. I would love to stay for dinner."
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Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2016 5:50 pm
"it's no imposition if it's an offer." Aubrey pointed out as she headed into her kitchen. She cast him a quick smile over her shoulder and opened her fridge. "soda? water? juice? anything you want." she offered.
"My sisters should be home within the hour for dinner if that's not too long to wait, but we will be happy to have you." She told Samir with a grin.
The three girls had been moved in long enough that everything had been unpacked and the usual clutter of a home had started to develop. School books on the table, games on the coffee table, and an easel by the window with a half finished landscape of a snow covered farm painted on the canvas.
"so... besides taking care of my car, how was your day?" she questioned.
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Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2016 6:20 pm
Samir couldnt help but smile as he eyed the little things that made the house a home.
"Soda, then, please. Your house is lovely. And," he assured, "I certainly don't but mind Ann hour wait. Some time alone with you sounds nice. Not that I mind your sisters! I am finding myself fond of them. Though, I am afraid I embarrass you in front of them so frequently. I don't mean to," he said, apologetic anyway.
"...Buti enjoy being in your company. So, I confess, I had a very good day today, even though I was only working on your car. I did that, mostly, and slept. You?"
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Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2016 7:26 pm
Aubrey fetched a Dr Pepper from the fridge and handed it to Samir. "Oh well, Kerrigan tries to embarrass me, but I'm not. I have nothing to be ashamed of but some times it's nice to let her think that she gets to me more than she does." Aubrey shrugged and smiled at him.
"Though I wont deny that a little alone time is nice too, without having to watch what I say or do knowing that my sisters are watching." she shrugged as she leaned against the small kitchen table and looked at Samir with genuine like in her gaze. It was nice having him there, even if they didn't know each other well.
"I had a pretty full day, I saw my sisters to school, went to work, came home and cleaned a bit." she did not mention that she had to mirror walk to work since she was sans car, let him think she took a taxi or a friends car, whatever he wanted to believe.
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Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2016 8:05 pm
"A busy day!" he said, seeming impressed. "Honestly, I'm surprised you manage so well. Though, you seem like a reliable woman, so I doubt you'd let anything get you down. You seem the sort who is ready to care the weight of the world on her back. If she had to. Which," he looked sincere. "I hope you don't. That's a heavy burden. I know you're taking care of your sisters, just make sure you're taking care of yourself, too."
He seemed somewhat serious, though immediately appeared a bit concerned that he'd overstepped his bounds. "I mean--let me know if you need something or there's something I can do to help? I admire you, but I know that too much pressure can wear you thin. There's something about you, when I look at you..."
He paused and shrugged. "...I can't put my finger on it, but you have this fire in you. It's...I want to see it grow. Though, I know that must sound silly."
He shifted positions on his feet, embarrassment creeping up. "...I'm not all that good with words. I should have made you a sword instead."
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Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2016 8:23 pm
"I've been managing for a while, guess I'm used to it now, some days are easier than others, and I'm sure having a working car will make things better." Aubrey pointed out and shrugged as she sat down at the table and gestured towards him to do the same.
She watched him struggle to put his feelings into words and it brought a small smile to her lips. "I take care of myself as best as I can, I paint, I practice a martial arts I do what I can to balance out all the craziness in my life with things good for my soul." she responded as she slowly traced the wood pattern on her little kitchen table.
She glanced up at him when he mentioned making a sword. It was an odd coincidence, but maybe destiny city had a larger community of blacksmiths?
"You make swords? that's an uncommon hobby to have." she pointed out, tilting her head as she looked at him.
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Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2016 8:58 pm
"It is uncommon," he confessed, "But I've got more scrap metal than I can handle, and some of it doesn't sell as well as I'd like. There's not much else to do--let it stack up or try to make something out of it."
He shrugged. "It's an unconventional hobby. Purely frivolous. And not one I can brag about. But...I like the metal. I like the feel of working with it, of molding it. Making old scraps into something new, something beautiful. Well," he promptly cleared his throat. "I suppose that's subjective, but I like them, at least."
But, he was talking about himself too much. "--But, I'm no artist. What about you--martial arts? Most girls take up jogging, yeah? Martial arts is some pretty serious business."
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Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2016 9:11 pm
"I just thought it was interesting, is there like a big medieval community here?" it was still odd to her that two men she met had the same hobby. "I don't think that's true , creating anything is a work of art, and it makes you an artist." she shrugged.
"It was something my brother got me into, he started teaching me Aikido as a way to deal with issues and I guess it just stuck." Aubrey sighed and glanced out the small window lost in thought for a moment before she brought herself back.
"Sorry I don't mean to be so distracted, maybe I need to get to the gym more frequently, the bare minimum doesn't seem to be enough."
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Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2016 9:27 pm
Samir couldn't help but shrug. "I don't know if I'd say it's a big medieval community, but Destiny City's got at least a little bit of everything. And when one rolls through town, it's always packed. I think a lot of people like to pretend, you know? ...Destiny CIty's always so serious. There's all this talk of gang wars, and monsters, and people disappearing...I think sometimes people just like to escape for a little bit."
He was watching her as he spoke, like he was considering something.
"Aikido, though? I've heard that somewhere before. Is that some new, popular thing, or have I just been blind to the whole martial arts world?"
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