InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "No apologies. No regrets."

Jasper McQueen (_resistance) wrote in light_of_may,
@ 2010-09-15 10:13:00

Entry tags:

2009-07-27

I've been drivin' all night, my hands are wet on the wheel
Who: Amelia and Jasper
Where: Local auto-mechanic shop
When: Afternoon

Jasper was so happy that the rain was gone, thus leaving nothing but sunshine and heat outside. It reminded him of back home and he absolutely loved it. Nothing better than working outside in the warmth with a bunch of cars. Hey, he had to keep up a front for the town as long as he could. Well, ok, Erin knew, but it people like that knew he was a cop. No point in hiding it. Especially when she was a clairsentient like him. Oh god, that was a trip on its own. He still smirked on and off about the idea of them meeting up for drinks and just chilling in general. As much as he loved his brother, it was nice to hang out with someone different for a change of pace.

The garage to the shop was wide open with a 1966 Pontiac GTO being worked on for an oil change. Such a lovely piece of work. Not many people were in the shop that afternoon, most of the guys out for lunch at that point, thus leaving Jasper alone working. He didn't mind that much, seeing he could blast the radio and focus on his work. Touching the car with his bare hands never bothered him for the visions he got from the different parts actually aided him. Now he could tell to some extent how long it had been since the last oil change and how the last guy who did it completely ripped off the owner and sometimes went far back as when the car was first made. Ah, good times.

He smirked to himself while changing the oil, not really caring if his tshirt and jeans were getting messed up with he sang along quietly with the music. It didn't hit him that maybe someone would interrupt him that moment, seeing that business the past couple of days had been slow. Maybe that would change soon just to mix things up. Jasper didn't want to be bored all day.

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witchyguardian
2010-09-16 12:06 am UTC (link)

As far as appointments with your oncologist goes, the one this morning was pretty tolerable. Amelia hated that she had to fast for 18 hours, the last bit that she had eaten before her appointment had been with Linnea. Her stomach grumbled as she headed home. Still, it was worth it as getting blood drawn, getting updated CTs and ultrasounds were nothing compared to the damned poison the doctors insisted to pump through her body. Her stomach grumbled again and Amelia immediately pulled off the road over to a drive through coffee shop. Her thoughts flitted to Linnea again and she smiled.

Amelia ordered a large triple shot mocha and a muffin and nearly salivated over the cash she handed the attendant when a light in her dash went off. With a mutter she peered forward and saw her oil light had come on. She glanced up to the sticker in the corner of her windshield and saw that she was well past her time to get an oil change. Great, just one more thing to worry about. As she waited for her order she wondered how she could have let her attention to her car lapse. Of course, when she thought about everything that had happened she wasn't at all surprised to find that her car maintenance was the last thing on her mind.

"Thank you." She smiled to the barista. Before leaving she took a painfully hot gulp of her coffee and let out a satisfied moan. It burned so good and she just didn't give a hoot. She reveled in the chocolate deliciousness for a moment before sighing and deciding that she would need to take her car in. Thankfully she still had her old, and nearly over due, library book in her car. She could relax while it was all taken care of.

Ordinarily Amelia had these things scheduled with a regular mechanic she visited. She always had it scheduled because it was always difficult to get fit in at the last moment. It looked like she'd just have to go somewhere else. At the first mechanic shop she saw she pulled in and parked. Stepping out with the dear coffee in hand Amelia patted her Honda Accord fondly. It was the perfect car for her, she thought, not too fancy but reliable. Hopefully someone would be able to take care of it properly.

The place looked fairly empty though the sounds of music came from the garage so she headed that way. "Hello?" She called in to the garage, hoping they weren't too busy and she could get in and out with little fuss. She tapped her foot to the song with a small smile on her face. This was a song she hadn't heard in some time.

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_resistance
2010-09-16 04:02 pm UTC (link)

The blonde was too caught up in his work to notice that someone was there, thus when a female voice called out into the garage, he flinched and banged his head against the undercarriage of the car. Hissing in a sharp breath of air, he swore lowly before coming out from underneath, rubbing the side of his head. Well, he had much worse happen to his head, so that was barely a dent to him. Jasper stepped away from the car enough to catch sight of the woman standing there, poking around, probably in look for some assistance. Oh, and he was just looking like a dapper gent in his oil-stained shirt and jeans with greasy skin to match. YUp, such a charmer.

Regardless, he flashed a smile in her direction and waved to her. "Afternoon, ma'am!" He briskly went over to the radio and turned the volume down a couple of notches so he didn't have to scream over the music. Though from the look on her face, she seemed to have a bit of a smile on her face, so maybe she was the type who was irritated over loud noises. Countless soccer moms came in with scowls on their faces over the rock n' roll that Jasper and Jameson tended to blast while working. This one at least had good taste.

"Sorry 'bout that. Didn't hear ya come on in. Lost in my own world over there, y'know?" Jasper chuckled while making his way on over to her with that typical, charming, southern smile of his. He finally stopped rubbing his head, not seeming to give a crap that he now also smeared some oil all over his hair. That would come out in the shower after a few rinses. No biggie. "Anything I can do for ya, ma'am?"

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witchyguardian
2010-09-16 07:51 pm UTC (link)

The music induced smile widened at the the man who turned it down. Though her expression was perfectly pleasant and mild she was thinking about how fun his southern accent was. Growing up in Michigan didn't always allow for a variety of accents and his was just adorable, like he was. There was something about him. Like maybe she'd like to pinch his cheek. She held back a laugh at the thought. Maybe she was getting light headed from not eating? The couldn't be good.

"Afternoon." She said back with a nod. "It's no problem at all." She grinned. "I completely know what it's like to get overly involved in your work." She nodded to the car and imagined hanging out beneath the car was probably a bit like going into a different world. A world she'd probably find herself drowning on oil in. Best to leave it to the professional.

At his question she nodded again. "Yes, actually. My car," She reached back to gesture at the silver parked car, "seems to need an oil change or something?" She fought to keep the blush from her face. Amelia, a woman who had her life together, was clueless about cars and frankly it was embarassing. This was why she stuck with the same mechanic. He knew who and what she was and never expected her to treat her car like someone who knew what they were doing. "The oil light came on. I've been out of town for a couple weeks and I think I just didn't take care of it before I left."

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_resistance
2010-10-04 12:55 am UTC (link)

Awesome, this one seemed to have a good air to her. Not like these stuck up ladies that came on by with their feet stomping away. So refreshing. And while Jasper usually rolled his eyes at the whole oil thing and truly wanted to walk over and point at the damn sticker and say, "March isn't the new July, sweetheart," this woman seemed way more genuine. Out of town for a while and probably busy with one thing or another? Definitely acceptable. Besides, he was already in an oil changing mindset, so why not keep it up?

"The oil light tends to be for the oil, yes ma'am," Jasper nodded in her direction. "Last time I checked, it ain't there to tell ya if your brakes ain't working or something." He chuckled lightly while glancing on over to her silver car she gestured on over to. Definitely not his car of choice, but it wasn't like women her age were blazing down the streets in muscle cars either. Actually, that would have been awesome and he would have given her a high five or fist bump... or... something.

"Got your keys on ya? I can bring it over here and give it a closer look." That said, Jasper went on over to one of the nearby tables with a clean towel to wipe off the excess oil on him. No need to dirty up a woman's car. And while that went on, he looked on over to her and raised an eyebrow. "So, welcome back to Scarlet Oak. Here I thought I knew everyone in town, but guess not!" She didn't look all that familiar, so who knew who exactly she was. Not another psychic, for the love of god. I'd like to keep my sanity for one day.

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witchyguardian
2010-10-05 08:57 pm UTC (link)

The mechanic's polite tone amused Amelia. Her regular mechanic would be spitting fire at her if he saw what state her car was currently in. Likely he'd be spitting more fire if he found out she went to a different mechanic. Well, that didn't really matter at the moment. Not breaking down did. "Yes," she said contritely. "I am well aware that the oil light tends to be for that. And I am also aware that I've been a bad, bad owner." She grinned. "You're being surprisingly nice considering how personal some people take these things."

Amelia twirled her keys on her finger and held them forward. "Yep, right here." She followed him over, thankful to see him cleaning his hands off. She may be neglecting her car right now but she'd be pissed if he made a mess inside. Amelia liked to keep her car like she liked to keep her life: clean and runnings moothly. "Thanks for the welcome. It seems that Scarlet Oak keeps getting bigger. You'd think working for the school district would get me in the know with everyone but I seem to meet new people all the time."

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_resistance
2010-10-30 06:34 pm UTC (link)

As much as Jasper was obsessed with cars, he wasn't go up one side of this woman and down the other just over a freaking oil change. Yeah, her car would freeze up and become useless and she would have to buy a new one, but she was a lady and he was a gentleman. If it was a dude? Different story altogether. "Just tryin' to help ya out a lady and all. Don't think ya want to get your hands messy with oil changin'."

Spotting the car keys, he took them politely from the redhead and popped the driver's side door open, staring up the engine, only to catch her mention something about the school district. Oh, Jasper would have a running history of always being linked to school officials of some sort. There was no escaping that. He was simply thankful that he didn't grow up in Scarlet Oak or perhaps this woman would be whacking him upside the head for the tens upon thousands of shenanigans him or his brother or both of them cause in the school.

"School district, huh? That's a big task right there with the kiddos. I'll be honest, wasn't much of the..." He paused for a second and twirled his fingers in the air, like the word would suddenly come to him. "School-ish type-" That would work. "-but ya gotta do what's right in the world."

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witchyguardian
2010-10-30 07:54 pm UTC (link)

"Well that's a refreshing perspective." Amelia said with a laugh. "My concern would be less about getting messy and more about accidentally destroying my car." She grinned. Messiness was never an issue for Amelia. Digging her garden, in the mud and dirt had never bothered her. But it was also a realm that she understood. Cars? Oh no. She'd probably pull a hose and ruin something. That or she'd get no where because she had no idea where to start.

"I'm glad there are people like you, "school-ish" or not, who know how to do these things." She shook her head. "This takes a whole level of intelligence that I simply do not have." She shook her head and looked at the car dubiously before letting out a breath and looking around to see if there was a place she should wait while he got down to business.

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_resistance
2010-11-05 11:26 pm UTC (link)

It wasn't often that Jasper heard compliments from other people regarding what he did. Usually just a nod of the head and off they went. Being appreciated for not being book smart was something Jasper wasn't used and took him aback for a second, blinking his eyes before smiling at Amelia. "Thank you, ma'am. Glad to hear that ya think that. Sadly not everyone does, but..." He chuckled and raised his eyebrows. "That's life these days! Now pardon me one second. Just gettin' your car over there."

He motioned to the garage with his chin, closing the door as he placed the key into the ignition to turn on the engine. Yup, definitely in need of an oil change. Hopefully the car wouldn't stall from there to the garage. At least Jasper could get out and push it. With his hands on the wheel, he took a second to let visions flood his eyes, blinking on and off as he was barraged with various sights, nothing horrible, mostly distracting. It only took ten seconds for it to dull down to something manageable, and then Jasper drove the car on over to the garage.

Killing the engine, Jasper hopped on out and began prepping the car up for the oil change. "So," he called on out to the redhead, motioning for her to come on over, "what kinda work ya do for the school?" He hoped she didn't mind talking while he worked on the car, usually used to having the guys around. Hell, she was kind of like one of the guys, so that had to count for something.

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witchyguardian
2010-11-10 08:59 pm UTC (link)

"You're right." Amelia nodded. "Then again, and I hate to say this, but many people are just ignorant." She sighed and shook her head sadly at the thought. Misconceptions were rampant and no matter what she did they'd remain. Still, she hoped she was a good role model. She'd be pissed if she heard any of her students were disrespectful to someone just because they were doing mechanic work or something similar.

She watched Jasper pull the car in and she looked around the the garage curiously. There were so many things and she had no idea what they were. Hoses wound here and there. Pumps, tools and more. She tried to not to look absurd as she looked around. She'd destroy something if she even bothered trying.

At his voice she turned away and headed over to the Jasper and her car. "I'm actually the principal of the school. So you know, I try</i. to wrangle everyone together." She watched him absently, as he prepped the vehicle and wondered how difficult the process of changing the oil was. Probably more than she could handle.

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_resistance
2010-11-13 11:54 pm UTC (link)

Principal? Did he hear that right? Oh good god, he tried really hard not to laugh. Not that her job was a joke by any means - actually, he'd drink to that position any day of the week - but the sheer irony of the fact that Jasper, the guy who almost got sent to prison for being that guy in school, was now working on a principal's car. And she said he was handy and all! Who would have thought? At least it wasn't back down in Georgia or else this scenario would have been a completely different story.

"Oh lord, excuse me, ma'am, not tryin' to laugh at you!" Jasper waved a hand from underneath the car, definitely letting out a chuckle. "Just know that if ya were my principal back in Atlanta? Maaaaaan! You'd be takin' my wrenches and whackin' me 'round. I opened the gates of hell down there." He paused to snicker. "Accordin' to her, anyways. I swear I'm good, ma'am! Left that rotten bastard behind years ago." Well, for the most part. "Ya wranglin' any tough ones 'round here? Maybe I can give ya some pointers."

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witchyguardian
2010-11-15 08:45 pm UTC (link)

When Amelia heard Jasper trying not to laugh she stared down at his feet in confusion. When he actually did laugh she started to get irritated. What was wrong with being a principal anyway? She crossed her arms and fought the urge to tap her foot. It was an indicater of growing irritation that students and staff alike had grown aware of. She was trying to avoid doing it. No need to give them any clue as to her mood, right?

Jasper's words immediately mollified. "Aaaahhh." She let the vowel sound fall low and long from her lips. "One of those students hmm?" Her smile was broad across her face. "To be honest, this give me hope. I deal with a lot of troublesome students. Most of them move away so I have no clue how they turn out. Others have come back and are... questionable." Her mind wandered to Graham. She wondered what he was doing and how he was. "It's nice to know that there's a good shot that some of those brats grew up into mature adults."

At his question Amelia laughed. "So far things have been good. No overly crazy students. After years of doing this, we figure out ways to wrangle them in." She gave him a pointed look he couldn't see. "But then I bet you're well aware of that." She laughed, delighted by the conversation.

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_resistance
2010-11-16 04:42 pm UTC (link)

Jasper was overly delighted to know that Amelia was taking this all with good humor. There were some teachers out there that let their power get to their head and probably would have smacked Jasper upside the head. Maybe he would have deserved it, too, but the fact she was laughing as a good sign. "Oh, I'm more than aware of it. Think the kids these days are worse than me and my brother were. For us, we had no support system at home. Dad left us the second he knocked up our mom and she was to busy gettin' high on coke to give a damn 'bout us. All we had was each other. And boy, we were lil' hellion, me and Jamie. Still are, to some extent, but your act cleans up when you're given the choice of either jail or military on your 18th birthday."

There was no shame in telling someone that he and his brother potentially faced jail time for the crap they did in their adolescence. He figured at least this principal could see what it was like for him and get an inside look to some degree. So many of his teachers didn't even try to help. Sometimes Jasper looked back on it and wondered if people actually gave a crap, then maybe things would have turned out differently. "These days, kids just don't care. They got lovin' parents, money buys 'em everythin', and they still raise hell." He sighed lightly, still working diligently underneath her car. Every now and then he would have random flashes of visions from past oil chances. Nothing special, but it made Jasper roll his eyes at how sloppy some other mechanics were.

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witchyguardian
2010-12-07 11:02 pm UTC (link)

While the conversation certainly lightened Amelia's mood (for how wonderful was it to meet someone who turned out okay in the end?) his tale dampened the mood. It wasn't that she felt bad for him. She couldn't. How could she feel bad for someone who pulled themselves up and made something of himself? No, only pride could be given there. Instead she hated that his story was one of millions. It was so common. Parents don't care. Communities don't care. People just don't care. It sickened her.

"I think you're right about that. I suppose it dates us though. The older people always say 'Things were so different/easier/whatever when I was younger.' but there's some truth to it. Certainly as far as technology goes with weapons and drugs." She shook her head and clucked her tongue. "I don't even know how kids get ahold of things these days." she let out a long sigh. "Oh well, that's a huge problem with no real immediate solution. My car however..."

Amelia leaned over to try to peak underneath. "I know you said an oil change was needed but it doesn't look like anything else is wrong does it?" Jasper seemed competent enough but she couldn't help but worry that she damaged it by not taking the car in sooner.

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