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It's Brittany, Bitch | Ερις (eristic) wrote in paxletalelogs,
@ 2011-08-05 20:57:00

Entry tags:

eris, set

All I Need Is A Bike And The Road
Who: Charlie & Idris
What: Charlie stops by Idris' dealership for some parts for her bike.
Where: Idris' car dealership
When: 6:43 pm
Warnings: TBA

It was a beautiful day - bright, cheery sun in a wide, cloudless sky - though Charlie rarely had standards for such things, and what made it more so was what Charlie was looking at. She had the afternoon to herself, having been assigned a later shift in the day, and had taken it upon herself to go pick up some motorcycle parts she'd ordered. Having not had the opportunity yet to collect them, she made a trip of it - first stopping at a local taco place for lunch and now she was lingering in the lot itself, letting her eyes wander over the shapes of various Harleys and other models that were for sale. Already more than satisfied with her own set of wheels, she still was one to stop and appreciate beauty when she saw it.

She was almost tempted to ask to take one out for a spin, just to see how they handled, but she was stuck between choosing. It was doubtful that they'd let her take them all out, but if she whined and argued at the right places, it could happen; though once they realized she was in no position to buy, it might make her less welcome on the lot for future purchases. Not that that particular sentiment bothered her, but then again there was always the thought of coming back and trying one out per week, as a treat for having made it through another seven days of her hellish job.

For the moment, though, she was content to pace around them in slow steps, maybe feel a handle bar there, watch the sun glint off of a gas tank there. So lost in thought, she completely missed the sound of gravel being smeared across the ground, clearly making the noise of a shoe hitting pavement and heading in her direction.

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counterbalance
2011-08-21 03:19 am UTC (link)

He took note of her name ("All right, Miss Fairica, this should only take a few minutes of your time.") and led her into the building, holding the door open for her. Once inside, he headed to his desk and sat down, but not before asking her to take a seat first--if she wanted to, of course. Most people preferred to sit while they waited, however, most people also didn't swear right off the bat. Whichever she chose, it was all ultimately the same to him in the end. Quickly Idris brought up on the computer their most recent list of invoices they'd received. Searching, he found what he was looking for and double-checked Miss Fairica's name. Sure enough, the wires she'd ordered had come in the mail last night and been categorized properly earlier this afternoon. He smiled at the results and then gave that same smile to his customer, his swivel chair moving easily so he could face her.

"Well, you'll definitely be able to work on that bike of yours. Your parts came in today, so let's get you set up and ready to do just that. I'll call down to the shop and see if Tony can't have them ready to go. Excuse me again for one minute." Idris hit the number for the shop on his desk phone, listening to the device ring once, twice, three times. A frown darkened his expression after the fourth ring and he hung the phone up, tapping the fingers of one hand on his desk restlessly. It wasn't that he was opposed to going and getting the parts for her himself--in fact, it'd be a good opportunity to show off the shop to a (hopefully) future, regular customer, but Tony had clocked out early. A little too early, Idris noticed with a glance at his watch. The time had gone by almost without him realizing it.

"Actually, if you'll follow me once more, I'll get them for you myself. The shop's right outside this door." Idris motioned with his thumb at the door behind him, positioned closer to the main manager's office. There was a small hallway leading from there into the shop itself, the walls extra insulated so as to not disturb the business that went on inside of the main building. Idris stood from his desk and led the way again, talking about the positives that came from having such a new shop in a great location, and the weather today was spectacular, wasn't it? He was very glad he'd moved to California, and here's the shop, excuse any excess clutter (there wasn't much, but he felt like he should add that in, nevertheless).

From behind the main counter, he sorted through the boxes of the newer, smaller shipments, finding the right one that held Miss Fairica's wires. Victoriously, he placed it on the countertop and grinned. "I believe I just found what you need."

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eristic
2011-08-21 06:37 pm UTC (link)

She declined to sit, instead hooking her fingers through the belt loops of her pants while she impatiently waited (as denoted by the tapping of one steel-toe booted foot on the tiled floor of the dealership). Was he really this disorganized? Not that she was a paragon of neatness, and anyone who saw her apartment would certainly attest to such a fact, but seriously. It really shouldn't take this long to find a simple order. Military life certainly left her thinking in a certain way, though she rarely applied it to her own life, she found endless ways to critique and criticize others through it. Now was such a moment, and the hard line of her mouth was there to greet Idris once he managed to scrounge up the order.

"Damn right I better be able to, got out here, 'spect to get what I came for since y'all called me to come get it," she more muttered under her breath, watching as he made a phone call to the garage. Apparently not all was in order, yet again, since his expression said something was amiss. Maybe she shouldn't order parts from here anymore, not if this kiss-ass was all she was going to get every time she showed up. But before she could comment on how long all of this was taking, Idris was directing her to follow once more, which she had to, since he pretty much just took off and left her to either exit the way she came or continue on to claim her package. The necessity born of wanting to repair her bike pushed her to follow his fleeting figure through another doorway.

She tuned out his endless speech - was he afraid of silence or something? - instead letting her eyes rove over the garage itself. Memories surfaced, of her dad's garage in Bull Creek, and the endless amount of time she'd spent there when she was a teen. At least things seemed to be in order down here, despite the lack of actual workers; that was a little disheartening, for she recalled her father's garage always bustling with workers. Surprising, that memory, considering how often her father spent with the bottle, but then again, he had hired capable men who managed the company and could have possibly felt sympathetic toward a man who'd lost his wife through strange circumstances.

Pulled away from her reverie, she glanced down at the box and felt relief. Here were the wires, she was in a familiar and somewhat comfortable setting, and for once in this entire event her hackles went down. Digging into her back pocket, she pulled out her wallet.

"How much?" The question was straightforward, lacked any expletives, and certainly wasn't her attempt to haggle - then again, that could all change the moment Idris dropped a number.

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counterbalance
2011-08-31 10:02 am UTC (link)

"Oh, twenty-eight fifty," Idris answered freely, one hand resting on top of the box, the desired wires enclosed within. His grin dulled to a warm smile, though otherwise his good mood outwardly didn't waver. Tony, Mr. Leave Early, had tagged more than one of the boxes Idris found behind the counter with prices. At least he'd done that much, thank the gods or lack thereof for small favors. Idris was feeling upbeat regardless of Miss Fairica's generally sour disposition. He was making a sale despite her attitude, wasn't he? And, he reminded himself, there was always the chance of her brightening after she had what she wanted--and especially once her bike was working properly once more.

Perhaps she'd do business here again (or not). It was all the same to Idris; every dissatisfied customer was certainly a blow to the company in some respect, but overall, there had always been more happy, returning customers rather than the opposite. That was how it had been at his branch back in Mesa and he had full faith in the possibility--no, high probability--that it'd be the same here. Eventually. He wasn't completely satisfied with how everything was being run here in Newport Beach, but given time, things could definitely turn around and their sales would skyrocket reasonably. Dealing with the addition of a garage/shop was exciting as well as frustrating on its own level, but Idris put full faith in things looking up rather than down.

He'd personally speak to Tony on the morrow, which would no doubt be an unpleasant meeting, but it had to be done. Either he spoke to Tony or the main manager would. There was always a bit of sour with the sweet in life. It'd be settled before long.

Idris glanced down at a copy of the invoice he'd found on the computer, this one containing only the information for this particular order, Miss Fairica's name clearly printed on it. Looking back to the woman, he waited for her to hand over the correct amount. Their transaction could be quick and painless; she would be able to go attend to her bike's needs, and he would run through his list of end of the day duties to be taken care of before he locked up and went home. What happened from then onwards was entirely up to him, and he was looking forward to a little taste of evening freedom.

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eristic
2011-09-01 06:25 pm UTC (link)

It would be far too easy to dispute the price, make a huge fuss and get some kind of a discount. She knew the cost was fair - it was the sort of amount she'd been expecting, and as an avid motorcyclist, she was already well used to spending a pretty penny on keeping her bike in good shape - and she was itching more to get what she'd come for, leave, and get back to fixing her bike in order to take it out for an evening ride. The wallet that was produced was a man's wallet, leather and folded in half to hold cash as well as credit cards, of which Charlie only had one. She'd never been very good with numbers, and she figured less was more in keeping herself out of credit trouble. No fancy, huge wallets in purses for her, no, that was just ridiculous and over done and who needed to carry all that shit around anyway?

She pulled out two twenties (she always preferred to pay in cash - credit was a tricky thing, reserved for emergencies, mostly because she couldn't get past the idea that the money didn't belong to her and thus she was always wary of what exactly she was spending) and held them out over the counter for Idris' inspection. As long as he didn't do anything insulting like questioning whether she was using fake bills, this would be quick and painless and she'd be out of here fast. Though she was finding the garage to be very calming - for a moment she wondered why she hadn't gone for a career in car repair or structure, since it was something she was both familiar with and comfortable about. There was just something in violence, either the repression or enaction of, that called to her, making her want to salvage what she'd had in the Marines.

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counterbalance
2011-09-13 05:01 am UTC (link)

Idris palmed the money Miss Fairica offered to him, turning to the small register on the counter. Tony should've been doing this and not him. But no matter. Idris input the amount she had given him and after depositing it, handed back to her the change and receipt, counting the former out for her. Best to not make any miscalculations.

"...and eleven-fifty is your change. Here you go." And that was that, wasn't it? For now, at the very least. One side of his mouth quirked up in a half smile at the thought of the wires somehow not working. Oh, he was certain they would--unless the parts themselves were faulty, or if there was something entirely else wrong with her bike--but in any case, it might lead her back to Cairo Auto. They were having such a good time together, after all.

"Well, these should solve your problem, Miss Fairica. I certainly hope they do, anyway." He paused, letting the words linger on the tip of his tongue before continuing. "If you have any other concerns, feel free to give us a call or stop by; we're open every day but Sunday."

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eristic
2011-09-13 08:53 pm UTC (link)

An open palm received her change, the bills going back into the wide mouth of her leather wallet while the coins were shoved into a tight-fitting pocket. Sometimes Charlie bitched about the fact that women's clothing was so much tighter than men's, and this would have been one of those instances, but she was too eager to take her ordered parts and leave.

But she would have to admit, once she'd gotten back to Pax and repaired her bike, that this Idris guy had made things fairly quick and painless. Maybe if he loosened up and lost the sales-man shtick, there would be something likable about him. But for now it was the garage - potentially one of hundreds in the area - that was the only thing winning him any brownie points in her book.

"I'll keep it in mind," was her only response, picking up the package in her left hand while her right placed her wallet in her back pocket. Without further exchange or preempt, she turned on one booted heel and walked away, moving back through the interior of the dealership until she was back outside again and hailing a cab in order to head back to her apartment building and her bike.

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