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.
It was genuinely interesting to hear how people could fall in love with a place because they had been forced to move there over things they couldn't control. She couldn't wait to get out of Montana, and it was just funny that Bellefonte ended up following her a few years after she left. It made her wonder if she would have liked Oregon just as much were she born in a different state.
"Got no plans to leave." Emmett confirmed easily, taking another swig of the coffee and letting out a content sigh. "I can't think of a reason I'd want to let go of it." For her situation, it was the perfect setup. Her job brought her genuine happiness. "I mean, sometimes when you get something - you just know, you know?"
It was a simple question that had lead into a detailed answer, which Emmett appreciated. She recalled the bright haired girl explaining that she went to school here, and could only assume. A clearer image came to view when she explained that she attended Bellefonte as well. It wouldn't have been a surprise to hear that they attended around the same time, and somehow had just missed one another before Emmett all but decided to skip college.
When she was brought into the equation, it immediately pulled a laugh from the mechanic. "I fucking love it here." She settled with finally, something she thought they could agree on, given the stance Deb seemed to take. "Think you're gonna stick around when you're finished school then?"
Nice was a word that was so easy to throw around when someone lacked other qualities - usually physical. At the very least, Emmett knew that Teddy's new companion definitely didn't lack anything in that department either, so it made the mechanic more curious about her. She couldn't help the grin that appeared at the idea of being liked, head shaking with the statement that followed. "Not sure what you're trying to say about me with that." But really, she didn't care either way.
Emmett laughed at the idea of asking for anything nicely. She was far more the type to just do something and ask for forgiveness later - or hope that forgiveness was never something required at all. Though she had a feeling that the girl sitting across from her already realized that, and instead decided to reach for her own mug, drawing it to her lips and taking a long sip of the warm liquid. At the very least, she knew she could play along.
It was new to be asked so many details of her life. Often, Emmett would already find herself escaping from whomever she had found herself with the prior night, but breakfast and a good attitude offered a strange change of pace. "I grew up in Oregon." Emmett said with a shrug, letting both her hands wrap around the warm mug. "I went to high school in Montana, and after I graduated I decided to come back. This place seemed nice enough of a town to end up in." The corner of her mouth rose up at the memory. "I worked at the shop for a couple years before the owner decided to retire. He thought I'd be a good fit to take over." It really was a lucky circumstance to have fall in her lap.
Quick reflexes made it easy to snag another sample of what was left if the whipped cream. What Emmett wasn't prepared for was the way her digit was taken captive, and although it didn't hurt, her eyebrows shot upwards. Hazel eyes drifted down to the mouth that had her finger, briefly forgetting where they were.
When she was let go of, her hand returned to her side of the table, grin growing wider than ever. "Who said that wasn't the reaction I was hoping for?" Emmett asked in her humor. "I'm not scared. Maybe I like the thrill of it."
With a look like that, Emmett was instantly grinning. If only because she loved a good challenge, and stealing whipped cream from a pretty and hungry girl seemed exactly like something she'd dare to do twice. It only grew when she caught sight of the smile that took over instead, but that didn't change her mind about making a second attempt. Her hands remained still. For the moment.
A clear laugh erupted from Emmett's throat as she raised her hand, pressing a palm to her neck where she was somewhat certain a mark existed from the night prior. "I do know," she teased easily, and she definitely wasn't complaining over the fact. Instead, she drew her hand away and shifted it back towards the cup of hot chocolate, daring to wave a few fingers over the dwindling amount of whipped cream left.
Emmett's eyebrows rose when she was told that this was the best news she'd gotten that day. That was a first, but she'd take it. "Sounds like you've had some shit luck." By no means was Emmett great at comforting strangers, and she was already walking over to the tow truck and setting it up to hook up the vehicle. It only took a couple of minutes, and she had it ready to go.
"Yeah that's not a problem." Emmett shrugged as she looked at the hand offered. "Emmett." The corner of her mouth rose up into a grin as she took the hand offered, giving a firm shake before making her way back to the truck. "Hop in."
That question wasn't as uncommon as it should have been in Emmett's world. Still, it managed to pull a little laugh out of the mechanic as she exhaled, shaking her head. "I'll have to tow it back to the shop. Once I finish the car I got in there, I can do a proper diagnosis, but if it's the fuel pump I'll have to order the part. Earliest it'd be in is tomorrow." It was the realistic world of dealing with mechanical troubles; nothing was instant. "Hope that's alright." Given her less than enthusiastic tone so far, Emmett seriously wondered if she had the patience to wait that long to get her car back.
She closed the hood, bending down to her knees and feeling under the bumper for the best place to put a tow hook. "If you come by later today, I can have an estimate for you."
Unfortunately, given her quick look over and the description provided, it didn't seem good. Emmett's mouth scrunched to the side, nose crinkling as she ran back to her truck, grabbing hold of a handheld voltage meter before returning. Quick, silent work had her connected up to the battery within minutes as she turned the dial to find the appropriate reading setting. As she looked down at the results, she gave a nod. "Was hoping it was your battery for a moment there; sometimes a bad battery will overload your alternator." Though the description wasn't really necessary, given it didn't seem to be the problem in this case.
"But, I think it might be your fuel pump. That'd cause the sputtering." Something that takes a little more time and money to replace than a simple battery.
With the hood up and a quick glance across the engine, Emmett said nothing in terms of a diagnosis for the car yet. Instead, her hands curled around the keys, making her way to the drivers seat and climbing in. As she turned the ignition, she turned her ear towards the steering wheel. The groan of the engine with a couple of following clicks made her eyebrows raise, waiting to see if it would turn over. When it didn't, she tried again only to achieve the same results.
Within moments, she was back at the hood of the car. "When it broke down, did it seem like normal and then the RPMs just dropped out? Or did it make any noises or jerking or anything?"
The woman was relatively quiet on the short drive to her car, even though Emmett had tried to make casual conversation. She shrugged it off though, and once she saw the car pulled over on the side of the road she pulled the truck in front of it, turning off the ignition and hopping out.
Immediately she was walking towards the vehicle. "Can I see the keys?" She asked, turning her attention back to the bright haired woman.
Standing on her toes came easy, and she was glad that the lawyer humored her on that front. A push would have likely done nothing but encourage her teasing behavior, but when the lawyer did speak, it brought the mechanic to her flat feet again. Her usual grin took on a warmness as she exhaled a little laugh.
It was sweet to hear that she had been cemented in the lawyer's life and home. It was the one relationship she felt she could fully trust. She leaned forward, pressing a quick kiss against Teddy's lips. "Thanks." The mechanic didn't offer those words easily, and with them she immediately was on the move again, reaching for the half eaten slice of pizza. "Does that mean you think that Natalie girl will like me? Promise I won't charm her from you."
Really, Emmett wanted to know how things would turn out for her friend, especially considering she had a very biased opinion on it. She considered pushing her for a choice right then and there, but she'd already gotten ahead of herself with her questions.
Rising up on to her toes, she barely edged out the lawyer by doing so. "You could feel that way all the time around me if you bailed on them." She wouldn't dare try to out another pair on after the last time she had. Inching closer to the lawyer, she stretched herself to be as tall as she could, grinning. "I'm the clear choice here."
It wasn't uncommon to hear someone had no idea what was wrong with their car, but it was always worth asking. "No worries, I can just grab it with the truck then." She gestured towards the tow truck outside with her oil rag before shoving it into her back pocket. Her gaze shifted towards the engine she'd been working on, making note to remember exactly where she'd left off.
"C'mon," Emmett said finally with a wave of her hand, making her way outside and closing the garage door before heading towards the red tow truck. "Let's see what's going on."
Of the two, there was far more interest in the news person Teddy took interest in. In part, because somehow she could only imagine Teddy managing to be tied up with two freshly out girls in a city full of gays. And she couldn't have found two that were more different. She didn't need keen eyes to see the way that smile changed, and Emmett's quirked eyebrows we're enough recognition to that.
"Well, I mean at one point you'll probably have to choose." Because unlike herself, she knew that Teddy was a little more invested in the people she chose to spend intimate time with.
She leaned back against the counter, taking another sip of her beer. "And I mean. What's it like to feel shorter than someone all the time?"
