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Post by Marcus Prasad on Jun 5, 2012 20:36:12 GMT -8
It was a rather irregular day out in the strip of Neutral zone that passed below Dragon territory. Irregular in that the normally empty streets were not in fact so empty. A crowd of curious onlookers had appeared on a street corner, faces wrapped and dressed in flapping ragged cloaks to protect against the floating dust that choked the streets. Even the scorching hot mid afternoon sun did not deter them as they observed the rare sight before them.
The subject of their interest?
A Man and his motorcycle.
Or more specifically, a man and his currently broken down Motorcycle.
What started with a bizarre rattle that sounded much like a hacking cough quickly deteriorated to a loud bang and a plume of oily black smoke.
Luckily the man had acted quick, pulling the vehicle over to the street corner and after throwing a tool belt around his waist, and going to town on the engine, disassembling the guts of the machine and arranging them carefully on the Camo tarp he kept in the saddlebag. Marcus’ hands moved in a blur, pausing only to give the crowd a warning glare and a growl that reminded everyone of a dog protecting its bone.
Honestly, this wasn’t the first time that Lady had gotten sick and despite the steady stream of obscenities that poured from his mouth, Marcus was in perfect control of himself. Unfortunately this was the first time the man had to do field repairs for an audience. The crowd made him nervous, broke his concentration and generally made it harder to work out what was wrong with his chopper. The last thing he needed was to fly off in a rage because someone pocketed a bolt or a valve. These people were beaten down enough without Marcus being added to the sad equation.
The man had to admit, the experiance was giving him a huge bought of nostalgia for his travelling days before comming to California. Back when all he had was Lady, the clothes on his back and whatever supplies were in his saddlebag. The warm fuzzy feeling soon turned into a pang of pain in his heart as a wave of homesickness washed over him.
'God I really miss those days. So much less complicated than the here and now.'
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Post by David B. on Jun 6, 2012 18:50:54 GMT -8
"Yikes....Everything alright?"
David stood off behind the man, having approached on the sidewalk from about half a block down. In his left hand, his helmet, fingers clasping the chin/mouth gaurd area, his other hand resting inside the front pocket of his gray-ish jacket. The black hood attached hung loosely behind him, faded blue jeans blending easily into his navy-colored sneakers. His eyes, covered by a sleek pair of glasses, looked over the apparent damage done to the mans engine.
As he had walked over, he noticed the apparent contempt he had for the audience that seemed to stare and pass. Unwilling to let his first impression be the right one, David thought to give the man a helping voice, or if needed, hand, being somewhat of a motorcycle enthusiast himself. Back a ways behind them was his Kawasaki Ninja, and in his Garage on the other side of town, closer to Crow Territory, he had a chopper parked nearest his Pick-up truck and Chevy Nova.
Add to that the fact that he worked as a mechanic the last two years and well, you had a perfect set of eyes and hands.
"You uh...need help?"
OOC ((Sorry for short length, im posting from my phone))
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Post by Marcus Prasad on Jun 7, 2012 18:20:27 GMT -8
They were starting to edge closer again, giving Marcus no choice but to keep them back once again with a glare and a growl. He felt shame for acting like an irritated pitbull. Before Barker, he would have been overjoyed to have such an audience and would already be showing off for the crowd, working with a flare that would remind one of a drummers tricks.
The man was a notorious showman who loved his theatrics.
But that was during safer times (Relatively) when one could go through thier life confident in the knowledge that the person beside you on the subway was a decent human being. Or at the very least decent enough not to chop your hand off to get at your shiny watch.
Right here, right now though? Well maintained machine parts were in high demand and one could barter a kings ransom for a good supply out here in this harsh new world and the look of desperation in the crowds eyes were NOT reassuring.
"Back it off! 10 feet at least, NOW"
Marcus demanded, projecting his voice with almost physical force as he jabbed a socket wrench towards the crowd like a fencers sword.
The crowd paused for a moment, weighing thier chances before they slowly backed away a few paces, giving Marcus alittle breathing room to back to work.
"What I need is for you guys to give me some god damn spa- Oh!"
Marcus finaly noticed exactly where the voice was comming from and faltered, sheepishly fidgeting with his ponytail before recovering his wits.
"Nah, I'm good man. Though I'd kill for a decent shop right about now. This dust is NOT good for Lady. I- HEY! IS THAT A NINJA?!?!?!? OmigodOmigod it looks like a 900R from what I'm looking at! Is that a 900R? Or it could be a ZX-11, I mean I'm not normally a big follower of Rice Rockets mind you......."
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Post by David B. on Jun 7, 2012 20:32:37 GMT -8
David cocked an eyebrow at the man's antics, tilting his head back a little as the man stuck the wrench in his face. It would have been a simple matter to reach out and snap the man's wrist, take the wrench and bust up his bike with it. Of course, luckily, David wasn't that kind of asshole. Plus, who knows, maybe the dude just harbored strong feelings toward large crowds? Perhaps the last time a crowd gathered about him they threw bird-seed on his cycle, and it took hours for him to clean the shit off. David would probably be wary of gatherings as well, were such a thing to happen to him. The male ended up lowering his arm, however, realizing that either David wanted to help (which was obvious by his statement), or that he was the proud owner of a bike himself. Low and behold, the second option came into play.
Cracking a smile, he turned as the guy headed for his crotch rocket on steroids.
"Actually, it's a ZX-14. I got that baby on early release." He stepped along side the man. "Got an eighty-two cubic inch four stroke engine, six string transmission. Buckles zero to sixty in two and a half seconds. She's a babe." He flipped a thumb over his shoulder at the man's own bike. "You know, I own a garage a few miles from here. They'd bring this thing in so you could fix it up there if you wanted."
He was, perhaps, the best person for this guy to run in to, not because he wasn't into jacking people up for fun, which was also true, but because he actually found some enjoyment in helping people, making new friends. And having a good wrench jock to talk to would make days back at the Crows base a little less...well, less. Things were rather dull there, nobody ever daring to become noticed. It wasn't that he was exactly out to catch Barkers eye, but he sure as hell wasn't gonna run from the prick. David wasn't known to be in these parts anymore, and so they weren't looking for him. Of course, that might have changed after the mission to his old house, but he was in a good mood regardless.
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Post by Marcus Prasad on Jun 9, 2012 19:48:43 GMT -8
More like a work of art. The man wanted to run a hand over it but knew full well how taboo a thing touching another man's chopper without permission was.
"I appreciate the offer."
Marcus replied after a moments thought.
"But right now, unless you're bike can tow mine, I aint going nowhere no how."
First things first though was to put his machine back together again. Twirling his tools between his fingertips as he walked, Marcus returned to his bike and began fitting peices back together again. He had nothing against the helpful man, it was just he was alittle tense for Marcus' taste and that sparked up suspision in his gut. Best to chat him up some and see if he could worm out the mans true motives.
"So, you have a truck handy or something?"
Marcus would ask, keeping his eyes on his work as he spoke.
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Post by David B. on Jun 21, 2012 15:30:17 GMT -8
David smirked.
His bike probably COULD tow his. Of course, not only would that be a disrespect to this mans beautiful chopper, but it would look damned ridiculous. He nodded as he followed the fellow back over to where his two wheeler was, the man continuing to work on his bike as David would speak up.
"Yeah, I got a truck and a tow cable, so if needed we could get this thing outta here."
He actually had a few cars still left over from before the war- of course, none of them were really fit for combat and were therefore useless to the populace at large. Everyone wanted something covered in armor, or with the symbol of their gang on it. David's were simple machines, albeit powerful ones. Add onto that the fact that every road seemed to have some sort of checkpoint set up by Barker...well, nobody wanted to risk getting that mans attention. Bikers like himself and this fellow were some of the few still willing to brave the roads. David saw it as a smallish act of defiance, like he's snubbing the madmans nose in a pile of shit he keeps dragging across the carpet. He would shift the helmet to his other hand, crouching down to watch this guy work. If the man paused to grab a new tool or something of the ilk, he would hold out his hand.
"David Blaze, by the way."
Things were far different than they used to be. Back in the day of his reign, when he was Captain of the school four times over, undefeated in combat, a man of the people...everyone knew his name. Fond memories of his name, in black flame, etched on the back of his jacket came back to mind. Laughing at Leons antics, crushing Gabriel, crossing fists with Amtrum only to be stopped by the paramedics... even throwing Katsuri Katashi through several walls as payback...none of it really mattered any more. Now, everyone stood on even footing, under the shadow of Barker.
Someday, he would fight that fellow, just to see what all the fuss what about.
"You sure you don't want a lift?"
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Post by Marcus Prasad on Jun 25, 2012 21:28:12 GMT -8
{OOC} Warning, short post ahead. Sorry about that.{OOC}
"Have tow cable, Will travel."
Marcus replied with a grin before he set the last peices of his chopper back into place. Rising to his feet, Marcus began to walk towards David while pulling a glove off his hand. Upon reaching the man, he extended it with a friendly smile.
"Nice to meet you Mr. Blaze. Marcus Prasad at your service."
He had to admit, this man David seemed on the level and it was true that Marcus DID need a lift. Besides, this looked like a chance to talk shop with a fellow Grease Monkey.
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Post by David B. on Jun 30, 2012 11:58:07 GMT -8
"Yeah, definitely."
He shook the mans hand, reaching into his pocket with his other to pull out a phone. Putting it to his ear, he called August, the young red-heads voice crackling in from the other end. "Bring down the truck and Tow- got a bike to pull. Yeah. Yup. Later." He flipped the phone closed, stuffing it back down into the confines of his pants with little ado. Not two or three minutes later, August came around the corner.
David cocked an eyebrow, expecting the male to take at least fifteen or twenty minutes. That he was so close just proved that he was never far away from his friend, guarding him on a daily basis. He took the cable off the back end of the bright red truck, hooking it under a bar just below the front tire. He'd let August lift up the front end before turning to Marcus.
"Go ahead and hop in the back. I'll meet you guys there."
He'd walk back around the truck and hop on his bike, leading the way to his shop just a few short miles from where they were. It was a hearty little place, the door open wide and a few men standing about a black Chevy Nova, his other little toy. He'd hop off and signal to the bike.
"Get that thing down, and get the man what he needs to get this thing running."
They nodded, and would move to help Marcus with whatever he needed.
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Post by Marcus Prasad on Jul 21, 2012 16:11:02 GMT -8
The smell of grease, oil and machinery was the first thing Marcus noticed. It took him back, WAY back to when he himself worked in a Bike shop for a friend of his in New York City while in his senior year of 552. It all felt so comfortingly familier to him.
"Oh Mr. Blaze you have the most wonderful toys."
The man exlaimed with a wolfish whistle as he entered.
He definatly would have to keep this place in mind if he ever needed anything for his or Silks Choppers.
Taking a moment to look around, he examined the machines and tools, nodding in recognition as he picked up a wrench here and ran his hand over a half built frame there.
"I think you and I are going to get along just fine, yes I do."
As they unloaded Lady and unchained her, Marcus popped the brake and began to wheel her to a platform where he could give her a proper workover.
"If I didn't thank you before, well I am now. Sorry for being alittle skiddish at first. I dont normaly meet people who have the best of intentions out here in the grey zone."
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Post by David B. on Aug 19, 2012 12:38:53 GMT -8
OOC((Sorry about the long wait. With my quest thread closed and a lack of threads elsewhere, i should be able to continue this. But beware, after tuesday, i'll have to post from my phone again.))
IC:
David turned back and gave a grin.
"Hey, no problem man." He stripped off his jacket, tossing it onto a stool in front of a table littered with different tools, bolts, nuts, and various other parts. "When it comes to people in today's world, you can never be too careful." He would glance back at the men who would be setting up Marcus' bike for repairs. Al took the truck, driving it out around back while another man slid the door closed on the garage. David would gesture for Marcus to follow him as he headed for the door leading to the front room.
"So, I know it aint much but this place is like a second home to me. Your welcome in it, so long as you don't mind grease under your fingernails, swearing, and a few weekend get togethers."
As he said the last bit, they would come out the back of the store, where a large back yard could be seen. People were everywhere, swimming in the built-in pool, chatting it up at a small bar in the corner. There was a massive BBQ taking place today, and while nothing was all primp and gorgeous looking (it was the backyard of a garage for petes sake), it seemed everyone there was kind, and welcoming, many of them calling out to David and Marcus as they walked out. Girls in daisy dukes and Bikini's wandered about as well, some laying by the pool, others talking with some of his workers by the bar.
David, of course, was completely uninterested in them- most were invited by Brad, his assistant manager. David's thoughts and...feelings, were very tied up in another girl. But he knew his men were single, many having lost wives in the war, and he sure as hell wasn't gonna take from them a little bit of physical interaction just to save face. Besides, the ladies knew not to bug him. He would shake brads hand as he approached.
"Hey man- meet Marcus, my new mechanic."
He'd turn back and grin at Marcus. The offer was on the table, and if the guy wanted it, he'd have it.
OOC: Job offered at "Blaze Auto Shop". If taken, will post in "Jobs" section of the board.
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Post by Marcus Prasad on Aug 23, 2012 19:41:12 GMT -8
'MUST. NOT. SQUEE!'
"Y-yeah. YEAH! I would love to! I mean if you'll have me. Of course you will, I mean whats the point of asking if you dont intend to......argh, I'm rambling. Sorry. God, but it's just been so long since I've worked in a decent garage like this one!"
Marcus could NOT wipe that giant smile off his face as he looked about himself at the space, equipment and the temperment of the guys and gals working here. Marcus always fancied himself a damn good judge of character and so far, he was seriously liking the vibe that was flowing from this place. I mean common! A Full bar and grill with bikini gals?
Whats not to like?
Specialy the bikini gals. VERY easy on the eyes.
"Well I do have a few questions though. First off, when do I begin? Second off......Hey I think those ribs are done."
Marcus cut off after giving the air a good sniff or three.
"Anyway, where was I? RIGHT! I-"
And then another bikini babe had walked by. Marcus took a moment to pause, eyeing her up with a smile before immediatly cutting back to David and his friend
"-Was also wondering if the babes come standard or do I need to purchase the optional package?"
He asked with a smirk. Yes, from what he had seen so far, he could easily get used to this place.
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Post by David B. on Sept 9, 2012 15:08:54 GMT -8
OOC((Sorry for the wait.))
David chuckled as Brad lurched toward the grill, trying to stop one of the girls from burning the meat. He stepped up and clapped Marcus on the back, directing him toward the front office.
"Just head in there when you're ready, sign some paperwork, and you'll start Monday."
He smirked.
"It's a speedy process while also being a great place to sign on to. I give full medical, dental, two weeks holiday, one weeks worth of paid vacation a year. 401K, retirement. You could set up here for life." He'd wave at another guy who called out to him before looking at Marcus.
"The girls are another perk- one you can exercise at your leisure. Just be careful- some bite both the skin and the wallet, if y'know what i mean."
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Post by Marcus Prasad on Sept 10, 2012 18:34:32 GMT -8
Marcus tilted his head and frowned for a moment, zoning out for a moment as a thought struck him.
"That reminds me of a few things I need to bring up actualy. Firstly, With the war going on against Barker, I've already made plans to toss my chips in with a few orginizations bent on making that guys life VERY difficult. Now I don't know where YOU guys stand on the issue, but I just want to make mine clear. Which means outside this garage I will offer my services freely to whoever works towards taking Barker down, Be it the dragons or the crows or whoever. This also means I very well might be called for duty during work hours. Now don't get me wrong, I love the sence of normality this place would bring and none of these issues I cropped up will matter once Barker is gone. You can trust me on that."
"Now I hope that despite this, You guys can still find a place for me here. It's just that as long as the war is going on, If I'm forced to choose between the garage and fighting the good fight, I'm gonna pick the fight every time until there's no reason to fight anymore."
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Post by David B. on Sept 11, 2012 13:31:05 GMT -8
David watched the man talk, eyes locked on his face. He had stopped walking as well, listening to his speech. When Marcus finished, he would notice that everyone at the party had stopped walking, stopped talking, cooking, swimming, drinking- all of them were staring at the new guy. It was like someone had turned off sound, the silence was so thick. The only thing heard was the sizzling of meat, but Brad held the spatula down by his side lazily. Nobody was smiling. David let it drag on a moment or two before turning Marcus toward the main office he had signaled at previously, putting his arm around his right shoulder with his left hand and patting the fellow there as he walked toward it. Immediately, once they started walking, everyone seemed to completely ignore them again, instead turning back to laughing, swimming, and cooking. David wouldn't continue the conversation until they were in his office, shutting the door behind him and gesturing toward a chair in front of his desk. The room was quite large, but dirty- parts to cars were sitting on random dressers, covered in grease but wrapped in a hand rag. Papers littered his desk, David walking around it but staring up at the walls. Some of the most famous pieces of art- forgotten after the war, were rested there. The Mona-Lisa. The Scream. Starry Night. He looked them over while he spoke. " You know, following the war, I found many of these in the streets, in a pile. I thought, perhaps, they were a collection from a band of raiders. Portions of our history that men fought over for a hundred years, sitting there like the afternoon trash. It was only later I discovered that Barker was bringing them all to one location to burn, to injure morale." He smiled. " To send a message." He turned toward Marcus, staring at the man. " I liberated them...agressively." He took his seat. " Marcus- This auto-shop is a place people come to try and remember. Other times, it's to forget. Either way, I expect them to do their jobs, to put it one hundred and ten percent for this company. But not at the cost of their principals." He smirked. " Brad is a member of the Dragons. A lower level one. He fought the other day with them, and when Barkers men came by to get an attendance sheet from me?" He leaned in, clasping his hands in front of him. " Well, lets just say all were present and accounted for." He opened his desk, pulling out the paperwork and setting it down in front of Marcus. " Read it, sign it. And welcome aboard." David would lean back in the chair, bringing his hands up behind his head. It would likely be obvious to Marcus that Brad, even though he was gone on a mission, was paid for the time he was gone. See, for expense reports also required by Barker, David had to make the stories match, make his records show that Brad was here, Brad worked and he got paid. David took damn good care of his workers, and he sure as hell wasn't about to turn one in for fighting for freedom. Not when he was doing the same thing. Once Marcus was done, David would stand and shake his hand. " Head out, enjoy the party. We can talk more on Monday, if you have additional questions about duties and the like." |
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Post by Marcus Prasad on Sept 13, 2012 12:23:35 GMT -8
Marcus stiffened as the whole garage went quiet, leaving him feeling like a cornered animal. Perhaps he miscalculated? Looking about himself, he tried to get a read on the crowd, but could not discern anything from thier stoney gazes. He knew he tripped a taboo somewhere, but where? He quickly played out a senario in his head where the entire garage rose up and attacked him. Already he had countermeasures and plans put in place just in case. David would easily be able to feel how tense Marcus was the second he put his arm around him and lead him off.
He quietly listened as David told his story, trying hard to manage his impatience which had been irritated after the cold treatment he recived outside. In fact when the man had finished, sitting at his desk, It had taken Marcus a few minutes of confusion as he tried to unravel what exactly David was trying to tell him. His eyes narrowed as he realized that Barkers troops had been growing bold, trying to exert thier so called authority outside the red zone. It wasen't until he had looked over the ledger a third time that it finaly clicked in Marcus' head. He looked back up at David, a smile on his face that reached his eyes. Reaching out, he clasped Davids hand in a firm grip.
"Done and done then! I hear you loud and clear. I'll stick around for abit but I gotta get gone by the time Lady is done. Actualy, you seem to know the area. D'you know where theres any scrapyard that hasn't been looted yet?"
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