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Summary: Car Talk with Mik and Mike — In the garage, Mike talks Mikhail out of stealing a car to get to the city. Guest appearance: Rashmi.
Date: January 27, 2010
Log Title Car Talk
Rating: G
Xavier Mansion - Garage
Home to various cars of teachers and X-men, the garage can house at least twenty vehicles. There is also an area that has a auto body shop set up so students and teachers and work on their cars. Almost any tool a mechanic needs can be found in this garage.
There are X-Men and teacher's cars here, and one student HAD to be a special-case and have a mutation that makes him NEED to merge with a vehicle every day at least once. Sorta like how some people NEED to smoke.
So that student, Mike Drakos, is here at the garage, and he's not merged with the red BMW bike his folks gave him for school purposes. No, he's actually got the engine apart and is doing something to one of the valve rods.
He's also wearing a Creamsicle-colored version of the squad uniform.
Mikhail is looking for a car, he has stuff that needs doing, hes dressed in a pair of black shorts but has a pile of clothes folded over his arm and sneakers tied around his neck, hes heaverly bandaged but is doing a lot better then he has been the last couple of days.
Glancing up, Mike flashes his eyes, on-off-on-off, and waves hello with one hand, then returns to glaring at the valve rod. There is. No. Reason. Why. this should be sticking. Nothing hanging. Not too loose, not too tight, no burrs… maybe the problem is in the crankshaft or the valve cover?
At home he would ask his dad, but here? Need a teacher. Where is a this elusive shop teacher?
Mikhail waves at the large talking radio that everyone calls Mike, before turning to look a the bored with the keys to the cars in the garage on it trying to figure out which ones to pick, he drops the clothes and the sneakers on the ground, he then procedes to start pulling of his bandages, as he pulls each one off, the wound its covering heals.
OK, car alarm time! Why is Mikhail getting naked in … eww. That's GROSS. Kinda neat though, how it heals kike that. But it looks to Mike from the way that Mik stared at the board with the spare keys, that SOMEONE has a bad idea. At least the Headmaster's car key wouldn't be just HANGING there, would it?
Mike puts the valve rod down, and wipes the grease off his uniform with a garage cloth. Darnit. It comes RIGHT off. Of course.
He walks over, and plays a sample, a young girl's voice saying "Whatcha DOOOOin?"
Mikhail looks round at Mike and raises an eyebrow at the voice, "Mikhail is looking for car", he then picks up the second pair down from the left hand corner and places it down on the counter in front of him, he then pulls off the shorts hes wearing and pulls on a pair of black boxers and dark blue jeans.
Oh this is going to be SO good. Wait, no. Not good. Other kid in trouble is not good, Mike. So the robot-boy walks over to the currently-empty classroom area, picks up one of the tripod-mounted white-boards and a dry-erase, and comes back over. Quickly. He writes, "Wait a sec," on the white-board and hopes Mikhail reads english.
Mikhail looks round at Mike as he pulls on a black t-shirt, "What a sec?", Mikhail may be able to read english but he doesn't get shortened words yet.
Mike writes quickly. "Second. Why do you want a car?"
Mikhail nods to show he uderstand what a second is, "Mikhail has things to do", he has many things hes planning on doing, things that no one else seems to be doing, he just has to figure out how are car works, is sorta got it figured but hes still kinda confused, hes starts pulling on a pair of black socks.
Mike shakes his head, and writes. "Can you drive a car?" He positions himself closer to the keyboard.
Mikhail nods, "More or less", he begins pulling on a pair of red sneakers, hes been learning how to drive from watching TV.
Mike shakes his head again, "Do you have a drivers license?"
Mikhail shakes his head, "No Mikhail not have licence", he says the word licence in July's voice, he then puts a grey and black checkered emo scarf around his neck, "Why you ask?".
The robot boy writes on the white-board. "And do you own a car? Or do you plan to steal one?"
Mike's wondering in part whether Mikhail realizes what he's planning will get him in trouble.
Mikhail shakes his head, "Mikhail going steal car", he doesn't know nor care if he gets in trouble.
Mike staggers a bit. Exaggerated for effect. "BAD IDEA MIKHAIL" goes on the board. "Owner Will be mad. Teachers will be mad. You could get hurt."
Mikhail shrugs, "No, not bad idea, only good idea around now", hes not realy bothered about making people mad, and its not like he can be hurt for long, when he heals so quickly.
Mike wipes the board, and writes again. "WHY? What will you do?"
Mikhail decides hes gonna try this lying thing everyone does, "Mikhail going for drive to get milk" thats what people hes seen on TV have said, and thats probably whats gonna give him away, because he say most of that sentance in an actors voice.
Mike REALLY wishes he could laugh because that line cracked him up even if it wasn't appropriate. He shakes his head. "Don't lie to me, please. What are you going to do?" still written. It would be nice if this was a world where the guys on the radio came up with the words HE wanted to use that fit that well.
Mikhail sighs, why does the lying thing work for everyone else, "Mikhail going to castle, something need to be done", as no one else seems to be doing anything productive, hes gonna do what needs to be done.
Mike says, "NO", that's spoken, using a very emphatic voice sample, and Mike reaches a hand for Mik's shoulder unconsciously, not intending to restrain, just to touch, so he can try to understand maybe. The usual human thing.
Mikhail replies "YES", in the same voice Mike used, hes gotten better at mimicing voices, he can now say different things in peoples voice than hes heard them say, he got the idea off Dallas who suggested they record him singing "Hit Me Baby One More Time" in Scotts voice, he doesn't remove Mike's hand but he will not let him restrain him, but hes not sure who strong he is.
Mike gently squeezes the shoulder in an attempt to reassure. Hey, he can even pick up eggs without breaking them. Then he takes the hand away because he has to write because he can't talk, and he can feel guilty about that fact later. He writes on the board very quickly this time, the perfect letters getting a little less perfect.
"What would you do at the castle? What needs to be done?"
Mikhail looks round at Mike, theres a dark look in his eyes as he seperates his humanity from himself, "Kill them all", he says it very calmly with a blank expression on his face, he is fed up of all the damage that castle has done to his friends, and he plans to make it's remaining inhabitants pay, then he go after Lucas and Nathaniel.
OK, mad student. This is despair talking though, right? SHIT. What … Only one thing to do, Mike.
The robot … just looks defeated, slumping slightly. He writes on the board, "PLEASE, DON'T do this. You'll get killed."
In reasponce to Mike's consern, Mikhail holds out his arm in front of him and uses one of his nails to slice through his skin and as the blood starts to flow he heals, "Mikhail hard to kill".
Mike writes one more time, "What if they have poison. What if they use fire?"
Finaly there is a flicker of fear behind Mikhail's eyes, "Mikhail dont know, but no one else is trying", hes never had friends or anyone to care about before, and he doesn't want to lose them, hes kind of already lost them, as since being taken to the castle hes lost most of his emotions.
Mike writes again with no apparent emotion except maybe a bit of tremor in his hands as he writes too fast.
"I used to have a human body like you, Mikhail. I feel bad about Coyote dying. Why was she even there?"
New line.
"Killing demons would not bring her back. Killing Lucas won't bring her back and yes I thought about it."
Mikhail sighs and sits down on the floor and leans against the wall, "Then what do we do?".
If Mike could breathe a sigh of relief… He had planned to let Mikhail try to steal a car, and then he'd simply change it into a police car, lock the doors, refuse to go anywhere, run sirens… but this is much better. SO much better.
He pulls the white board down alongside as he sits cross-legged next to Mikhail, erases it, writes.
"Myself? I pray to God and break my best wrench and run because they won't let me leave school or I would go drive somewhere."
Why, yes, Mike DID get detention for helping to fetch Lucas. No driving.
Mikhail sighs, "Mikhail dont understand anything anymore, the world is wrong", he thinks of all the pain hes ever seen and felt, and makes a decision.
Mike puts a hand out for the shoulder again. He writes with his left hand instead. "It is, but we can make it better. But not all at once. I have to show you something."
Mikhail nods, "Ok, what do you have to show Mikhail?"
Mike brings the white board. Gonna have to get a small one of these. He walks over to his motorcycle. "Pretend motorcycle is Lucas. Pretend I am demon, but don't hit me. Watch."
Mikhail gives the closest thing he has to a WTF look he has but goes along with it, "Ok, Mikhail pretend".
Mike draws a picture of people on the white board. Then. The motorcycle is in parts, but Mike ignores that and touches it, and his engine says vROOOOM»» and he fades away INTO the machine, and the motorcycle, a nice innocent BMW street bike that never hurt anyone at all turns black and the engine grows in and growls, the handlebars are now dropback hawg handlebars from a biker gang street bike, the fenders have fangy looking sharp edges, the black leather seats covered in skulls, and worst: it has a TAIL. A metal link tail made out of chains. That moves. It picks up the marker and smears all over the people.
Mikhail stares at Mike in shock as he disappears, when the engine starts to growl he snarls in reasponce, he takes an offencive stance before he comes to his sences and remembers its Mike, he then just watches in confusion as Mike's tail scribbles out the people.
And then the bike goes back to normal as Mike steps out of it. He's still holding the marker. He writes on the board, "The bike didn't mess up the people. I did. Lucas didn't kill people. The demon did."
The problem with Mike's demonstration is that Mikhail just cant see the difference, "It was still Lucas".
Mike writes on the board, "Does Lucas have wings? Does he have a tail? Does he breathe fire?" Cause if he does, then Mike MAY punch him after all.
Mikhail nods, "He has fire".
Mike writes, "Not the hands. That's his mutant power."
Mike hasn't met Lucas in a non-demon state yet, so he doesn't KNOW what he's like. But he's pretty sure that the kid can't be completely worthless or Rashmi wouldn't have bothered with him, right?
Mikhail stands up and hangs the car keys back on the board, hes not going to the castle, hes gonna do something else instead.
Mike looks over at Mikhail, and writes. "Thanks for not stealing the car."
Mikhail shrugs, "Its ok, thank for talking Mikhail out of it", he sits down on one of the workbenches, his mind made up about what hes going to do.
Mike writes out, "So what you going to do now?"
Casual question, not really intending to open more wormcans, but it could always come out badly if we work hard enough at it.
After writing, he starts to put his engine back together. It's always a little creepy merging with a broken machine, and the sticking might go away now that it's been apart.
Mikhail shrugs, "Mikhail is going to find a way to fix things", hes not going to the castle but he will find another way to fix things.
Mike tilts his head, looking over at Mik, then shrugs and erases the board then writes again, "Good luck. Everyone is trying. The teachers, the cops, the avengers, us. We don't know what they're doing. They don't talk to us."
Mikhail nods, "Least they cant lie no more", Mikhail has figured out how to tell if someone is lying or not.
Mike looks up from putting together engine pieces, and writes again. "Who was lying? Why can't they lie now?"
He slips the cylinder heads on, the valves line up as expected. Won't know if they're sticking, though, until the engine is running.
Mikhail shrugs, "Everyone lie, but now Mikhail can hear lies", well he can hear lies if you have a heartbeat.
Rashmi joins RP - so detailed pose setting scene
Mike looks up from the floor (where he's reassembling his BMW street-bike's engine) to where Mikhail is sitting on a workbench, then reaches beside himself, picks up one of the tripod-mounted whiteboards that he lifted from the school area, wipes off the writing (leaving several stick-figure people along the bottom, big red smears over them and x x for their eyes. He writes quickly with the dry-erase marker…
"Some people can make their body not react the same, but is a good test for many."
He goes on with the reassembly. Almost finished.
A shadow falls over the garage floor from the doorway; Rashmi, hefting a small box full of rags, polish, and various other auto-cleaning supplies. "Jono?" she calls, shifting the box in her arms and stepping inside. "Are you the—oh." Coming to a full stop, she stares at Mikhail, face falling into guarded neutrality. "Um… Hi Mike. I… guess Jono's not here?"
Mikhail nods at Mike, "It'll do for now", hes been watching what Mike's been doing and is now able to take apart and put back together an engine even if he doesn't understand what each piece is, that information will come in handy soon, he ignores Rashmi when she comes in, he cant be asked to shout at her right now.
Mike looks up, shakes his head and says in Tron-bit-sample, "NONONONONO." He is wearing his team uniform, having given up on trying to decide if it's prison orange or creamsicle. At least it's not traffic cone. And it protects the paint job.
He hooks up the carburators, the spark plugs go in, the timing is pre-set … that's the part that may throw MIkhail off in future, timing may be done differently. And a little gas, vroom? phakutpow ppppppppbpbpbpbbpbb… OK, it working.
"Oh… okay, then…" Moving carefully toward a nearby counter, eyes locked on Mikhail, she sets the box down, making certain it's stable where it'll be. No sense risking a mess if avoidable. "…Anyway, I should get going. Don't want to bother anyone."
Mikhail goes back over to the board with the keys on it and moves several of them into different places, he then walks back over to where he was sitting and sits back down.
Captain Oblivious! Defender of the Clueless! Mike just looks up and it dawns on him, this is Mikhail who was so vicious attacking the Shmee … (no, not Smee, he's in Peter Pan.) And SHE isn't likely to be doing well after Coyote's … what was that, stupidity, bad luck, curse? Mike refuses to think about it. She didn't deserve it. He would raise an eyebrow at the lack of interaction there, but …
OK, no good time. Mike stands up, and plays the sample he's been saving, the chipper-chirp off the fashion-addict TV show that was in the FM band today, "Howw du I look?"
Rashmi tears her eyes away from Mikhail, who she seems to have almost been waiting for an explosion from, and lays eyes on Mike for the first time. For a moment, she stands there, searching for words. Then, finally, clearing her throat, the best she can summon up is "….It's… very orange."
Mike does his best "tragic puppet" slump. He must practice this at night or something.
Then he kneels down and makes a teeeny tweak to the carburator, and the faintest hint of an 'off' rhythm in the motorcycle engine just goes away. Grab the key, turn off engine, and Mike sits back on the seat, crossing his arms.
"How was your day, dear," he says in a very… MOM sort of voice sample.
Rashmi fights to keep the smile off her face, resulting in a rather amusing sequence of facial movements. "All right… L—" Cutting off, she glances at Mikhail, visibly changing her mind over her wording. "Things are getting a little better… Just, you know, worrying about my friends. Haven't seen many as often as I'd rather…"
Mike smiles inside where it doesn't show. Dammit. Only bad thing about spandex-like unstable molecules? No pockets. Really good thing about spandex-like unstable molecules? Protects paint, and (he reaches down and wipes a big grease stain with a clean garage towel and it comes completely out) it's easy to keep clean.
He writes on the white board a little more. "EXCELSIOR!"
Rashmi chuckles. "I guess they made a new team for you all, huh? I'm on the Paragons…" Here she wrinkles her nose, recalling her own uniform. "…Our clothes are really… well, purple. …Honestly, I think I'd rather they just, you know, stuck with gym clothes."
Mike writes, "Orangesicle » Grapesicle Neener" in small letters that would require coming close to see. And he writes in legible words, "But this stuff doesn't get dirty and it clashes with my paint so well :) :) :) " … and yes, he writes sideways smileys. Robogeek.
Rashmi moves forward, peering at the tiny wording, and wrinkles her nose. "Yeah I guess… Still. Gym clothes don't have to be painted on, and you can just throw them in the wash."
Mikhail is wandering round the room rearranging things as he goes, hes not just bored, he has a reason for doing it, however that reason wont be apparent for a few days at least.
Mike watches Mikhail for a moment, then writes, down the side of the board so as to erase a minimum of prior words, "Mik, what are you doing?"
He knows he's going to regret asking. But then, in a miracle of simultaneity only possible because he uses a white board to do it, he also points out to Rashmi, "Hey, I worked out a lot to get a chassis this hot, right??" He's not exactly humble about his silhouette sometimes.
Almost by reflex, Rashmi's eyes do the down-and-up checking out in response to Mike's subtle brand of humility. A small flush appears on her cheeks, and a rag snatched from the box and thrown at the metal youth's face. "Cute, Mike," she grumbles, looking Mikhail's way and raising an eyebrow.
Mikhail looks round at Mike's question and decides to try the lying thing again, "Mikhail doing nothing, just bored", he gonna try a simple one this time, and hopefully he wont get caugt out this time.
Mike catches the rag, and looks over at Mikhail. Yeah right. Bored. Sure. Awfully systematic boredom. And very like something that Mike did to a teacher once. Moving the first one, two, or three papers in his files to the back, randomly. And hiding little notes that said "HI" inside weird places.
So he shrugs to Rashmi and writes on the board, "Are you guys hungry?"
Rashmi looks skeptical at Mikhail's assertion, but doesn't seem to feel like calling the feral youth out on it. With a shrug, she looks back to Mike, nodding. "I am, sort of… Skipped dinner to finish an Econ essay."
Mikhail looks round at what Mike wrote and shakes his head, "No thank, Mikhail eat earlier".
Mike isn't sure he wants to leave his precious bike all alone with Mikhail-in-weird-mood and unconsciously imitates the headmaster, writing on the whiteboard, "If you mess with my bike, I will know it and I will harm you. Anything else and you're on your own, man."
Rashmi manages a chuckle at this, looking back at Mike. "Oh, um… Can I borrow your pen, Mike? I just need to leave Jono a little note…"
Mike surrenders the implement of writing. It's a dry-erase marker, really, but suitable for notes on regular paper too.
Rashmi smiles her thanks, plucking the rag from the floor and wiping off a bit of the earlier conversations, leaving the 'mess with my bike' swatch alone. [Jono—found cleaning stuff for your bike. Also, thanks. —R]
Mikhail finishes what he was doing then slips something into his pocket, he then gives Mike a wave, "See ya Mike".
he then leaves the garage.
Mike would narrow his eyes and squint but that doesn't really WORK and he doesn't so much care at the moment. He checks his internal meter - full tank of gas, cool, getting great mileage today - and so he just plays a sample, full-on surfer: "Later, dude!"
Rashmi lets out a quiet sigh as Mikhail wanders out of the garage, tension easing out of her shoulders. "So… You said something about getting food?" She blinks, eyes drawing down. "…This wouldn't be about more cupcakes, would it?"
Mike shakes his head, and quickly writes, "I just remembered I'm supposed to do my mile run tonight, so I'll meet you at kitchen. Should be … 10, 15 minutes?" To heck with it if the teacher doesn't believe his times.
Rashmi nods. "Okay… By the way, Lucas is up again. Medical fixed him up all right… But I'm pretty sure it's going to be really hard on him for awhile."
Mike nods. This means he has to meet Lucas. OK. He writes, "Yay, time trials. Gonna try to get up to 45MPH each time." Then he erases after she reads it, and heads out the door, beginning to run.
