Dante "Inferno" Zaragoza - Death'll find you... (xolotl) wrote in repose, @ 2019-12-01 07:41:00 |
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Entry tags: | *log, dante zaragoza, diego castaño |
[Log] Dante & Diego
Who: Dante & Diego
What: Mechanic’s Shop getting new owners
When: BACKDATED: Nov 6th
Where: Repose Garage & Gas Station
Ratings/Warnings: language?
As soon as she’d found the lead on Spider that directed her to Repose Dante has started scoping out the area with google maps, yelp and any other site that might help her get a better idea about what the town was, or what it might hide. Google had told her about what shops and stores and businesses supposedly were in the town. However, Dante knew better than to trust what google said. Many times growing up she had stumbled across a store that wasn’t on a map or a map that claimed a business ought to be there that had closed prior to her attempted visit. Maybe that was just city life though with things moving too fast and no one ever fully knowing anything that was going on around them. When she’d mentioned to some acquaintances that she was considering moving to Repose it got a number of mixed responses and a critical mind turned them over now. Maybe this was just some dumb, boring small town that was going to be filled with passive racism and people too nosey for their own good…. But… maybe it wasn’t too? If her leads knew what was good for them they wouldn’t mislead her anytime soon. But moving? Well, if it was a legitimate small town or some twisted crazy dark fantasy of a town she still needed work. With only one shop in town, it seemed obvious where she should go but the murmurs in town set her on edge. Some sound byte from a passing stranger seemed to imply the shop was going to be up for sale and… Trying to get work at a shop that was for sale was just about impossible. Why the hell would they want to hire new people when they were trying to get rid of the shop as a whole? Fuck. There was a fleeting thought about trying to buy the shop herself. Realistically, while she had money stashed away from her street racing and could always get in on some more races if she needed to drum up some quick cash… It likely wasn’t enough. Sure, it was no small chunk of change in her accounts but a shop - especially one that was already fitted for mechanics work and had equipment like lifts installed - was gonna be out of her price range and she knew it. Even with the odds stacked against her something internally kept pushing. The incessant internally nagging feeling finally drove her to going to the shop. Even if she couldn’t afford it, at the very least, she could still look around. Diego had been into the garage a few times, usually to buy things he needed, but sometimes when he’d taken on something a little too adventurous for his means and needed to have some space to work with actual equipment- the news that the current owners were selling up had been sad on a personal and professional level. They were planning on leaving town as soon as possible, which meant the process of selling had been pretty quick, and now Diego was standing on the shop floor looking around. He knew he couldn’t afford to buy this place, and they weren’t looking to rent. Washing their hands clean wasn’t a term that had been used- not those exact terms. But he figured maybe there might be a few things he could pick up with what little money he had, things that would be useful that the new owners might not be so willing to let him use. He’d thought of supplementing his income with bar work, and that was looking to be more of a reality now. Hands tucked into the front pouch of his dungarees (more fashionable than practical), Diego surveyed the workshop. Some things had gone already, but the big things were still there. Over to the back was a gentleman in a suit who was probably here on behalf of a larger company, but chains never really lasted long in Repose. Still. People liked risks. There was some guy in a suit, a guy who looked like he probably worked there and Dante was fairly certain she could hear someone shuffling around in back too. The whole thing seemed a mixed bag but at least the guy in dungarees seemed approachable. “Hey!” She’d cheerfully call out to him with a wave and a smile. “You work here?” An eyebrow quirked upwards with the question. Hopefully, he did and worst-case scenario? Hopefully, he could point her in the direction of the owner so that she could get a better assessment of the situation at hand. It took Diego a second to realize that the question was being aimed at him, his eyes had been moving over the wall display of tools that covered a ridiculous range of sizes for so many things. He had one screwdriver with twelve heads, and a fancy set of spanners, but maybe they’d sell this to him- “Huh, oh! Hi!” he smiled at the woman who had approached him. “No, no, I’m just hanging around.” Diego realized then that that probably sounded a little bit facetious. “I’m a mechanic but I work from home. These guys have helped me out a lot. I was just looking around, seeing if I could buy a couple of things from them. I haven’t seen the owners around, but I guess they must be here- I figure-” he nodded to the guy in the suit. “-people are making offers.” “Oh.” The individual word seemed almost disappointed to learn that the man standing by didn’t work there. It would have been nice to have another person who - at least appeared - to be not quite white and in a similar field as her. Though hopefully, machismo culture wouldn’t get in her way on this one. The nod was followed so that her eyes settled on the suit and there was an instant look of displeasure that crossed her face. Yeah, working for a suit wasn’t gonna cut it for her. They were selling though… Perhaps a new approach. “Any idea how much they’re asking for the shop?” And this was - very intentionally - said loud enough for the suit to hear. Dante hated big corporations stepping in on things like this. Being a mechanic was… a very human thing in a world filled with machines and people needed to talk to people. To work things out, to… “I might be interested in putting in an offer.” ‘God damn it self.’ “I don’t know, no. I mean- I guess they’re around somewhere,” Diego replied, though he was keeping his voice lower because he could see that the visitor was trying to make some kind of point, and he didn’t want to ruin that. “But I know them pretty well,” he added, louder. “So I’m sure they’d be willing to work something out.” He wanted to make sure they were on reasonably good terms, himself and this new person, in case they really did have the money to spend on buying the place. Because he was going to need to come and borrow things, hopefully, he could negotiate the same kind of deal- “I’m Diego, by the way. I’m a mechanic, but I don’t work here- which seems kinda dumb, I know,” he shrugged, holding out his hand. “I was looking to buy some of the equipment if they’re selling everything, I usually come here to borrow it, but I don’t want to risk that not being a thing-” “Yeah, hate to see such a personal, family-friendly shop like this not be around for the town anymore.” Her voice was intentionally kept easily hearable for anyone who might be around. “I’m sure everyone would be devastated to not have a friendly face to come ask about their car problems anymore.” If the owners heard her or not? Different story but for now she was mostly focused on having the suit get pissed off and leave. How successful she was being though… Well, the suit seemed completely unfazed. Because of course, a fucking suit would. “Dante, nice to meet you. Same.” A beat before she smiled again. Her voice would lower a bit as she continued on, they didn’t need the suit hearing them talk. “As in I’m a mechanic too and also don’t work here.” The last bit was intended as a bit of a joke and her tone would reflect that. The offered hand would be given a firm shake before falling away. At his next words, her eyes began to look over the equipment in the shop and it was all she could do not to let out a whistle. It was a sexy shop. She could admit it. They had everything you could need for working on any type of car that might come in from what she could see. If it was code readers, smog checkers with relay, lifts, ratchets, sockets, oil pans with drains… The list kept going and honestly it was impressive if maybe a little overwhelming. “Where would you take it?” The question popped into her head and was out her mouth before consideration could be given to how rude that question might actually be. “Whatever you buy that is.” A beat. “It’s not like any other building in town is outfitted for this stuff.” Which from all the looking she did seemed to be a fact. Diego understood exactly what was going on, and he was more than willing to play along. “I think it’s a shame, but it should certainly stay family-friendly, you know? This town is...it presents some unique challenges, you’ve got to really know it to be able to last here-” He gestured out of the open garage doors to the street beyond. “-there’s not a single chain brand out there, because they just don’t fit in. I don’t want to say the town’s in a time warp-” he laughed. “But it’s not the place for big business.” He thought he’d made his point. Even if the suit didn’t look like he was paying attention DIego was pretty sure he was. “I’m not planning on taking the lifts or anything, just some tools, screwdrivers and spanners and the like. Things I usually just come and borrow, but I don’t want to rely on other people- strangers - to lend it to me, you know? I have my own stuff, but sometimes you get things that need a little special touch.” Diego lifted his head as one of the owners came out onto the shop floor, skirting away from the suit and going to some of the boxes that had already been packed up. “He part-owns this place. If you wanted to have a word with him.” “Mechanics should always be family-friendly.” Dante firmly - and loudly - agreed. Admittedly, she wasn’t always family-friendly, but whatever they could work around that. Either way, though she’d continue to listen as he offered more information, making sure her attention stayed visually on him even if her ears kept checking for any words from the suit. At his new commentary about what he was thinking of purchasing from the shop, she would nod with eyes scanning over the wares that had been laid out unintentionally just by being hung on the wall. “I get it.” Dante would finally confirm with Diego’s commentary about what he borrowed. She times borrowed tools from the shop she worked at in the capital for personal projects at home. It was very rare but it happened sometimes. Though when the owner was pointed out there was a brief blip of emotion that passed across her face - uncertainty - before it was schooled away. “Yeah, thanks.” A sincere smile was offered to Diego before she dropped her voice to almost a whisper. “Was mostly trying to scare the suit off.” There was a sort of apologetic smile offered to the man beside her. He seemed nice, she wished she could help him feel a little more secure about his future with the shop but… “Not sure I could afford the place, even if I want to.” She nearly choked on the admission - she hated admitting money to be an issue, ever - it was so hard to get out, but somehow Dante managed in a low volume to keep it just between her and Diego. “I’m sure they want more than I can offer.” A half side-nod of head was given back into the shop with all its equipment to indicate what she meant. “I think even if the suit did buy the place they’re not going to last. I’ve barely been here a year, but I’ve seen a few things come and go because they didn’t fit the feel of the place,” Diego said softly. He didn’t care to keep the conversation public, they’d both made their point. “You’re probably a whole lot closer to owning it than I am,” he added with a chuckle. “I was genuinely just hoping I could use what savings I have to buy up things I might need. That’s as much of an investment as I can make.” He hadn’t really known what his savings were going to be for, he’d just known he was going to need them. He’d considered it was going to be when work ran low and he’d need it for his rent, but this was another thing altogether. “How about I buy all the stuff in here, and then maybe the price will come down to something you could afford?” Diego joked, his brain not quite reaching the simple solution that was right there in his offer. The owner - Diego couldn’t remember if he’d ever actually learned the guys name, they’d just called each other ‘man’ and ‘brother’ and other affectionate, professional nicknames - the owner was looking around, eyeing the man in the suit now on a phonecall and then over to Diego and Dante, giving them a little nod of acknowledgment (even though he probably hadn’t ever met Dante). “Even being a city girl, I’m glad to hear that.” And her tone would completely reflect the sincerity of her feelings. Dante’s own voice had lowered significantly at this point. This was a personal conversation and no one else needed to get in on it. Though his commentary about her being closer to owning the shop earned a good-humored laugh. While Diego might technically be right about her being closer to buying it than him she had her own costs. The upkeep on her leg to assure it was in top shape at all times took thousands a year alone. Nevermind the cost of parts and upkeep for her vehicles: Evade, Dart, Dodge and Eclipse. Then there was her vigilante gear and… Sure, between work and racing and lifting crap off of hits she’d put away a good amount of money but that money would go fast if she got laid up or she needed to replace her leg or her suit or…. “Not so sure about that.” Was offered in reply to him about what she could afford. “I wouldn’t want to insult them with some crappy offer.” Though not having space to work in was going to be a fucking problem. “This shop is incredible.” There was a definite sense of wonder in her words, “Walking up and offering fifteen g’s is like slapping the owner in the face.” The number was tossed out without much thought. Fifteen grand she could comfortably do. It’d still leave her with slightly more than half of her current savings and would allow her to obtain more income too. Though the shop would probably be a money sink for a little while… and then she’d need to sure up housing too. It’d be like settling do- The thought was intentionally cut off as she felt a bit of panic set in. What if spider moved? Either way, Dante shifted, moving to let her eyes roll over the items a bit more that were hanging on the walls. Diego’s next joke earned a smile. It was nice to be having such a casual conversation with someone who - on this at least - seemed to have a similar stance to her. The nod of acknowledgment from the owner would earn a little wave and a friendly smile. Disarm with charm. “Hope whoever buys it up isn’t some bigoted racist, homophobic asshole.” Her words were somewhat passive in tone but still conversational with Diego. “Too bad I can't give the owner a proper offer.” A finger raised pointing to a corner of the building near the bay door. “Bet a gay pride and the flag of Mexico would look great right there.” And god damn would she take pleasure in installing the flag posts and then hanging the flags out. Pipe dreams. Diego worried on his lower lip for a moment. His own offer would be something along the same lines as if it were a thing that could happen. It was still taking a little while for the solution to bubble around in the back of his brain, but at least it had started to. But one simply didn’t ask a stranger to buy a business with them when they knew nothing about each other. Still, Dante had some kind of solid work ethic, solid morals, and if she was into mechanics she’d have put up with a lot of shit from men who knew everything, and she was still persevering. “That’s about as much as I’d spend, so I don’t know if they’d whittle it down- but then again I’d have taken all of your equipment,” he laughed. “So-” And fifteen grand was everything he had. His safety blanket. “You’d be hard pushed to find anyone like that around here,” Diego started, as though there were townsfolk lining up to buy the place. But Repose was the most welcoming town for all types. He’d call it a safe space, but there were a few little things that made that a bit of a lie. What with all the paranormal goings on. Shenanigans. His smile grew as she started to decorate the place, fidgeting in place. “Maybe a trans flag beneath the rainbow,” Diego said softly. “And a Spanish flag on the other. Latino pride.” That wasn’t necessary, he’d shop here regardless, but it was good to know your mechanic wasn’t a bigot. It did attract that sort outside of this town. There was a slight laugh offered at the notion that he would have taken all the equipment. “Yeah, hard to run a shop without equipment even if they’d take the 15 g’s as an offer then. Kinda pointless to make an offer if you’re lifting all my gear.” It was a passive sort of commentary as eyes still searched the shop a little bit but fully intended to be good-humored. Maybe Diego had the right idea. Grab what you could and run before someone else got their way with the shop. Maybe she could get a big house, turn the garage into a mini-shop but then would be certification problems. It was a rock and a hard place and she didn’t like any of it at all. Diego’s commentary about the town not being filled with hate was good, but she’d already seen a few things she’d easily call microaggressions on the network. It was mostly innocent things - clear ignorance - but it grated regardless. However, knowing that her assessment of ignorance and not outright hate was right? That was good to have confirmed. “Oh, I was thinking of that new gay flag, you know, uh…” There was a moment where she lost the words and a hand rolled in the air as if trying to pull the words she was missing out of herself. English, com’mon. “The inclusive one.” Another beat as she tried to remember the proper name of it. “You know, the new one with the triangle and trans colors with brown and black stripes too?” Maybe that one wasn’t as well known as she thought, but as soon as she’d seen it, Dante had loved it. “Are you from Spain?” It was a sincerely curious question and eyes would flit back over to him for a moment. Though maybe he just meant more Central American pride? “¿Habla Español?” How he spoke would easily tell her what region he was from, assuming he spoke Spanish at all and didn’t simply offer the information over. “I mean, I can bring it back. I can store it here-” Diego joked, still a sandwich or two short of his picnic. “It isn’t going to fit in my BnB anyway.” His smile was a little more confused at the mention of the new flag. Not because he didn’t know about it, but because he hadn’t assumed other people thought of it that much. He was okay with the rainbow flag, of course, it still described him, but it was nice to be completely included. “Well, that’ll be even better, huh? It’s jazzier.” Diego laughed, then. “Si, si, mi madre es española,” he replied. “We grew up speaking both. And we grew up in a pretty Latino area. She wanted us to be proud of our roots. And I am. She’s from actual Spain, not South America though, is that points against me?” he asked playfully. He was slightly startled when the owner he had pointed out only a few moments ago appeared at their side. “Are you both okay? Are you…” he paused, not really knowing how to phrase his words. “Here to say goodbye?” “If you’re storing it here why not just stick around?” There was a soft laugh here that almost bordered on a giggle. “Yeah, none of it’s gonna fit in the motel.” The joking nature fell away as she seemed to fall back into pensiveness over the situation in front of them. “Haven’t landed proper housing yet.” Was passively offered to help make it all make sense, and to give the impression that she intended to stick around. “Gonna fix that soon.” Dante tacked on the end for good measure. “I’m not sure a shop needs jazz, but I like it, so it’ll stay.” Not that she could afford this shop still... but if he was taking the tools it would drop the price and she could use her savings to add equipment as she needed it and if Diego was serious about buying it up he’d need space. She could charge him a stall fee maybe? Call it a break-even if she could use the equipment he was buying…? Maybe that could work? At the laugh and the speech in Spanish she was instantly snapped out of all of her thoughts and there was an instant sort of relief and appreciation leveled at the man next to her. “¡Dios mío!” The look stayed plastered on her face. “You have no idea how much I was dreading speaking only in English all the time.” There was a soft and awkwardly relieved sort of laugh to accent her words. Though the playful commentary about if being from Spain specifically? “I’ll let it slide this time, but you’re on thin ice buddy.” Her voice was completely joking, even if there was the faintest attempt at mock seriousness there. The sudden appearance of the owner though? That caused a slight startle from her and Dante would side step so that she could properly get her eyes on the man. A sort of sad smile was offered the owner before a glance was taken at Diego. As she didn’t know the owner, he must be talking to the other man. Dante would fall silent for the moment, allowing them the chance to say their goodbyes. The few moments needed would give her more time to make a game plan on how to approach the owner later on her own. Dante was nice. Diego wished they could have met under better circumstances. This didn’t really seem like the kind of situation that lead to lifelong friendships. But they seemed to complement each other, had things in common, it was nice. Diego hadn’t really made a lot of friends since he’d settled here, but he’d been anxious. He was an anxious boy- “Oh,” he reached out his hand to shake the owner’s, wishing he could remember his name. “Yeah. I was just thinking of some of the things I might need, things I’m going to have to go without now that you’re going. The BnB isn’t the best place to store hydraulic jacks,” Diego joked lightly. “Well, you’re welcome to whatever you like. We can sell it in bits or as a whole. If you tell me your budget- well, I’ll probably throw in everything,” the guy, Edward (Diego genuinely didn’t know that) said with an almost sad laugh, but a serious expression on his face. “I don’t know if I’d be able to house ten grand’s worth of stuff-” fifteen, but it still didn’t give him anywhere to store it. Edward looked at him seriously. “If you can go a bit higher I’ll throw in somewhere to store them, too. If you and your-” he glanced at Dante and decided they probably weren’t a couple. “-friend were looking for a place to keep your tools.” There was a sympathetic look plastered across Dante’s face. It honestly broke her heart when small shops like this had to sell and/or close. They were always so warm, so family-oriented, they always felt like a second home and often the workers - from her experience- banded together to cover and protect each other along with taking care of the vulnerable in the community as well. The conversation would be listened to. It felt awkward to be a stranger hearing the passing of two - she assumed - friends but sometimes that was just life. However the man’s next words, and passive inclusion of her in the talk, immediately caught her attention. “I was going to talk to you later, but if you’re making offers.” A glance was cast at Diego before falling back to the shop owner. Why was she doing this? Honestly? Because what the fuck else was she supposed to do right now? “I have some money I can toss in the pot.” Her gaze drifted to Diego. “If my friend here is willing to keep the equipment in the shop and work with me with it…” Dante would let her words trail off. This was reckless and stupid and she shouldn’t be doing it but her lead had brought her here for Spider and she needed work. Desperate times required high risks. “I can pony up at least 10g’s too.” Edward looked between them. Apparently they weren’t close friends, but on the other hand they seemed reasonably amicable. He liked Diego, he took care of things he borrowed and from what he’d seen, his work was also good. He could trust him to take care of the building and the customers. Diego was staring at Dante with confusion. Or at the very least it was an expression that said he was trying to work out if this was a thing that was actually happening. She looked very serious about it. She was obviously serious about it. “Well, um-” he wasn’t really hesitating because it seemed like a terrible idea, it was just...surprising. “Look,” Edward shrugged his shoulders. “I’ll sell you all the equipment for 10k,” he said to Diego. “And then the shell of this place...I’ll take 10k for that, too,” he added to Dante. “You two can then decide what you want to do with your buys after that.” Diego laughed, running his fingers through his hair as though he couldn’t quite believe this was happening. Well, he couldn’t. “I mean, like I said, I haven’t got anywhere to keep the stuff, so if you don’t mind me keeping it here,” he offered to Dante. “Maybe that’ll work out well for us both?” 10k for the shell? What the…. Was this guy fucking kidding? “Sold.” Her voice was firm, assured and without a single doubt present at all. If the guy was willing to part with the shop for such a low price she could probably even afford to put some tools in it if this Diego guy flaked off and left her in a bind. It wouldn’t be easy but… With an extra 5k not being shelled out? Yeah, that could go to tools. Hopefully she wouldn’t need to though. “If you wanna start working on the paperwork I can go get the cash.” The offer was made to Edward with a smile. “If cash is okay? I’m in the middle of moving into town and I think my checkbook is packed up somewhere still.” There was an apologetic smile offered the man. “I can get a bank check for a better paper trail too.” In fact a bank check sounded like an amazing idea at the moment. “Actually, if it’s okay, I think I’d rather go the bank check route.” It would look better in the books realistically and she hoped Edward would have enough common sense to know that as well. A hesitantly hopeful smile was cast to Diego. “So, guess we need to write up a contract for what we’re doing too, yeah?” The smile remained, her voice remaining positive sounding. “I’m serious about working out a deal with you to keep the tools here too.” It was a risk but what was there in life worth having that didn’t come with a risk anyway? |