ONCE BURNED was made by MEL. Copying, altering, or stealing any of the site's content is prohibited. All of ONCE BURNED's characters are the original work of their owners and may not be replicated or stolen. All images and graphics belong to their rightful owners and ONCE BURNED does not claim to own any of them.
Have I gone mad? I'm afraid so, but let me tell you something: The best people usually are.
The smile on her face certainly grew. Getting more business was always good. Let her get more practice in, and get paid. "Be more than glad to help." She responded with a wink and a grin all her own.
Then she turned her attention to the other vehicle. She'd only seen a vehicle similar to this once, and that was while it passed by on the road. It was unique, that was for sure, and Deb gladly took the chance to observe it up close. Once the passenger door was open, she scotted closer but looked first. All in all it yelled "retro" to the wild haired girl. The bulkier boxy build. The seating inside. Something like this definitely stood out from modern day vehicles. Much like her own Beetle. She could appreciate that. "Looks like you keep it in awesome condition. Although I guess I shouldn't be that surprised." She smirked and stood back up, facing the other woman.
Though the smirk hadn't gone away. If anything, it had gotten wider. "Though if it's a ride you're offering, I think there's something about getting into a car with a good looking stranger." She doubted that was the case, yet the opportunity to say it was hard to pass up.
The car was her pride and joy, just as much as the garage it sat in was. Sixties vehicles were instantly classic, but there was something about this eighties beast that she loved. Her hand pressed against the cool read surface, giving it a couple taps with her finger as she watched the girl slide into the seat. It was when she stood again did Emmett even realize that she hadn't even put the replacement bulb in her headlight yet.
"Not strangers if I know your name," she said then, dragging her foot back before committing to returning to the Beetle, but that didn't stop her from looking back at the girl, eyebrows rising. "And I meant a place to sit in the garage, but I'll give you a ride too." This time, the corner of her mouth dragged up to match the smirk offered to her before she started to replace the bulb. It was only a matter of seconds before she was reaching for clear plastic and some tape.
Have I gone mad? I'm afraid so, but let me tell you something: The best people usually are.
She couldn't hide the grin on her face even if she tried. What had started out as a bad trip to the grocery store was gaining more and more of a silver lining. Certainly was a way to perk her back up after damage to her most prized possession. "True enough." She acknowledged with a shrug.
"Name's Deb." She answered as she took the offered seat, grin intact. It was nice, and definitely more comfortable than standing. Though she moved so that she'd be able to face the other woman and see her. Meaning she did not miss that smirk. Nor had she forgotten the comment. "And I've got to warn you: I'm terrible when it comes to temptation." And the imagery that had conjured up? Well, it definitely fell into the category.
Emmett. Finally: a name to that pretty face. Deb decided to test it. "Emmett." It seemed fitting somehow. She was no expert on names- even remembering them half the time -but it just worked. Beat her default of "tall, blonde, and handsome." Bit too much of a mouthful, that one. "Well then, thanks Emmett. For the seat and single-handedly turning my day around." She admitted with a laugh and a shrug.
"Mmm," Emmett gave a nod to the name offered to her. Deb. She had been about to say it herself, but a warning hit her ears and forced her eyebrows to raise. She exhaled a short, airy breath that was borderline a laugh. Her hands worked with precision, insuring there wouldn't be any breaks in the seal she made for the makeshift headlight cover, but her eyes wandered back to her. Because she couldn't resist a little temptation, too.
"My pleasure." It was. Really. She double checked the tape around the outer brim of the headlight, insuring that, if it rained, no water would get through until it could be replaced with a real part.
It wasn't like Emmett to stay still, so the moment it was finished she was standing again, walking back to her own car, and the person sitting in it. "How 'bout that ride?"
Have I gone mad? I'm afraid so, but let me tell you something: The best people usually are.
For the next few minutes she was content to watch from her new perch. There was a certain amount of precision that even she could pick up on. It was impressive, to say the least. And comforting. Her Beetle was clearly in the hands of someone who knew what she was doing. If only Deb could learn the tricks too. Would save her a lot of money if she could just repair her own car should it ever be damaged by a careless trucker again. Then again, she wouldn't have met her.
Who, speaking of which, now approached Deb's temporary seat.
The question set Deb to grinning again. A full toothy one that promised mischief as much as it expected it. "Well I've been know to make my share of bad decisions before. But I'm curious what kind this will turn out to be so...Sure." She shrugged her shoulders before raising a brow towards Emmett, eyes alight. "So what kind of 'ride' are you taking me on?"
Emmett wasn't usually so forward to most that walked into her garage, but there was something about that grin that got the better the mechanic. It fueled her own mischivious personality, which almost always lead to bad decisions. At least this Deb approved of it.
She pressed her palms to the car, leaning down towards to the bright haired girl. Close, but not so much that she really invaded her personal space, even if she was starting to believe she was invited into, given the response.
"Let's find out. But first, buckle up." It was too good of an opportunity not to take those words literally. They had just been talking about cars, after all. "I hope you like to go fast."
Have I gone mad? I'm afraid so, but let me tell you something: The best people usually are.
There was nothing but sheer anticipation flowing through her veins at the approach. Probably not the best thing, thinking about it. She was still getting in a car with a perhaps now named but still technical stranger. Yet one look and quick judgement later, and that wasn't sounding like such a bad idea after all.
The buckle up comment did earn a laugh from her. She playfully rolled her eyes, but did reach for the belt with a deliberately dramatic gesture. But the idea of going fast, in whatever sense of the word the blonde was meaning it, did add an excited rush to her heart rate.
"Like to? I think 'love to' is more appropriate. So I guess now it's more a matter of how fast you can go." She threw back, her tone teasingly challenging. Because challenging the car expert was certain to bring a fun result one way or another.
Emmett was - in some ways - a risk taker. But really, she didn't consider the consequences of getting in a fast car with a pretty girl. Her pulse raced for an entirely different reason with the response she was given. Fast - no matter the meaning - was usually how Emmett worked. Her tongue ran the length of her own lips as she considered a witty response, but dropped it in favor of giving the top of her car two quick pats. "Great."
It was great, and with a quickening in her own pace, Emmett went to the drivers seat of the car and hopped in. Seatbelt fastened and keys in the ignition, she put an arm behind the passenger headrest and backed out. Once she insured the garage doors were closed, Emmett hit the clutch, and then the gas. The car could certainly go, because suddenly they were speeding down the road.
"There are tapes in the glove box. Take a pick." She kept the car in good shape, but also never updated the cassette player. Tapes were fun though. She continued zooming down the road for a few miles until they came across a large empty lot where she slowed down. With eyebrows raised, she looked at the bright haired girl with a wide grin. "You ever drift before?"
Have I gone mad? I'm afraid so, but let me tell you something: The best people usually are.
The lack of a witty response took Deb by surprise, but she didn't mind. The little "great" had her grinning all the same. And when Emmett hurried around and slipped into the driver's seat, she was practically buzzing at the suspense.
She didn't have to wait long.
The moment they really got going, a thrilled little laugh escaped her lips. This. This rush she felt from the speed. The way her heart started doing double time from the adrenaline. It harkened back to when she'd first got her own car. The impromptu night drive when she and Alex had tested her Beetle's limits for the first, but certainly not the last time. Deb was no adrenaline junkie- by her own words at least -but she could definitely agree it felt good. She had half a mind to ask if the windows could go down, despite knowing how wild her hair truly would get.
Taking a second away from watching the scenery pass by, Deb popped open the box. Tapes, huh? She went rummaging through them before finally biting the bullet and picking one at random. Already she was taking her chances with someone in a car. Doing it with tapes was nothing by comparison. Either way she was fully enjoying the ride.
Occasionally she'd glanced the blonde's way during the trip, but when they slowed down blue-grey eyes gave her their full attention. A half grin had been consistently etched on the girl's features since they'd started. Now it grew out to its whole length again. "A few times before." She didn't even try hiding the fact. It had been more than a few times, frankly. Yet there was a spark in her eyes now at the prospect. "Though I'd love seeing how the car expert does it."
At the suggestion of rolling windows down, Emmett knew this was going to be better than great. She dragged the tie out of her own hair, letting blonde locks fly as they sped down the road. With the accompaniment of good music and an intoxicating grin, Emmett was thrilled, and when she slowed down and looked over towards the bright-haired girl, she was glad to see she was enjoying herself, too.
It was all the queue she needed, and Emmett was hitting the gas again. She gained as much speed as she could from one end of the lot to the other, nearing a bunch of trees that cut the lot to an abrupt end. At the last moment, Emmett cranked on the wheel, shifting before hauling on the e-break and doing a sharp turn in the car. Within moments, they were already turned around, and she was heading straight for the middle and doing donuts.
"Woooo!" Emmett yelled out in her own excitement, taking the risk of turning her gaze towards the passenger seat.
Have I gone mad? I'm afraid so, but let me tell you something: The best people usually are.
With the wind whipping her hair about, laughter became a frequent feature to accompany her pleased expression. Right then and there she knew that this "bad decision" was anything but. She felt positively alive in that moment. A person without a single care in the world. It wasn't just great. It was downright perfect.
The drifting was only icing on the cake.
Eyes flashing and grip tight, she let out a triumphant laugh at the driver's wonderful timing. The momentum was enough to push her body against the door. None to gently either. Others might have been panicked. Yet the only thing Deb could feel was the wind in her hair and the wild pumping of her heart. Fear? Try borderline joy instead.
She let out a matching yell of pure excitement as they started doing doughnuts in the lot. With her body still forcefully pressed against the door, it let her hair trail outside like a rainbow streak. Probably helped that her head was nearly fully out to watch the world spin around them. She'd managed to get a hand free to so that it could stick out the window and catch the air victoriously. When she felt a gaze on her those blue-grey eyes turned back towards her driver to meet it. Her face was flush with pleasure and a grin wide enough it was starting to make her cheeks ache. But if the happy light shining in her eyes wasn't enough, the ecstatic laugh that left her should have been.
If this was how things turned out, she ought to accept rides from her mechanic more often.
Emmett knew so few people that actually enjoyed this kind of excitement, and it was thrilling to find someone who laughed and stuck her head out the window with such genuine joy. A glance was enough to catch her eyes, and to continue with the joy ride. She maneuvered the car around the lot with skilled hands and a heavy foot. Were they in a different car, she'd throw it in the mud, but this was more than enough enjoyment as it was.
Eventually, she brought the car to a fast halt, her own body jerking from the momentum as she let out a loud laugh, hands leaving the steering wheel and running through her own hair. "Wanna go at it?" She asked, gesturing to the wheel with her own wide grin. Given her Beetle and the shape it was in, she had a strange confidence in this stranger.
Have I gone mad? I'm afraid so, but let me tell you something: The best people usually are.
Her body jerked just like the other woman's as their speed finally hit zero. She had to quickly grab the top of the vehicle to prevent hurting herself, but the laugh was still lingering. Even though her face was obscured by the messy strands of bright colored hair. She was in the middle of fixing it when the offer pressed her pause.
Wanna go at it?
Her eyes snapped back to attention. Judging from that grin she totally meant it. Oh. A disbelieving huff left her before it trickled into more laughter. "You," She stated with a sort of breathless intensity that had her eyes shining all over again, "Are proving to be probably the best thing that's happened to me all week." But if she was genuinely giving her the reins, there was no way that opportunity was getting passed up.
"Lets see how I compare then, huh?" Deb joked, already undoing her seatbelt to switch seats. Time to match up with the car expert.
Her reaction was perfect - if Emmett's grin could grow any wider, it would have in that moment. Breathless, with a single word pointing towards Emmett made the mechanic want to hear it again. What came was even better, because she couldn't hold back the words from escaping her lips. "Just you wait," she breathed. Because what was starting to become something like an impromptu date with a stranger was hardly over.
She unfastened the seatbelt and popped open the drivers side door, slipping out to cross over towards the other side of the car. "Show me what you've got, Deb." It was the first time she tried her name - short and straight to the point. No complaints there.
Have I gone mad? I'm afraid so, but let me tell you something: The best people usually are.
Her face was starting to actually hurt from all her smiling and grinning. But she couldn't help it. That response was simply too enticing. Wait? She hardly could. That was the thrill of it.
She slipped out of the passenger side door and swapped seats. As they passed she dared to playfully nudge the other with her elbow. The smirk she wore was lopsided, but confident. "Well, I've always liked trying new things. So guess we'll see." Because this was something new and exciting, and Deb found she was loving every second of it.
Once she was in the driver's side and buckled up, she took a few moments to situate herself. It was like learning her Beetle's limits all over again. A prospect that made her grin with a devilish sort of delight. Already some roads were coming to mind. Places where the law's watchful eye was not quite so sharp, and the traffic hardly existed.
"Buckle up, babe. Time for a trip." She laughed before grabbing the clutch and taking off. Now that she was in control, the rush felt all the more intense. Especially since she had to relearn how this new little beauty worked. Though she had plenty of time to feel out the kinks and bumps before they got to where Deb wanted to go. By then her expression had filled with a wild type of determination. She chanced a glance over at Emmett, toothy grin in place. There was one simple question she wanted to ask.