One Piece At A Time [Mikayla]

[Mikayla Southerland]

Mikki brought her hand up to her chin and stroked her non-existent beard as if she were thinking, “Taking things slow could be fun… Maybe I will try it sometime once Juliet has had her wardrobe change, perhaps she would like a sow ride through the country side” she spoke nodding to herself and dropping her hand putting on a mock serious face, “Unless you have any better ideas on how to test your theory?” she asked with mock innocence. Looking up at him through her lashes as her look of innocence turned to a cheeky grin.

“A few dings just add character, doesn’t mean he isn’t still a damn fine machine, he just needs the right person to give him some TLC” she said easily. She kind of sensed a double meaning to his words in a way that wasn’t as obvious as their other teasing flirtations, but was still there all the same and she wondered what kind of ‘dings’ Kal had experienced in his life so far. She laughed as he mentioned keeping her nickname in mind in case he ever got to be a friend, “You do that, and I’ll be sure to let you know if you’re ever allowed to use it”

“That I can most definitely do” she said stepping away from the workbench and leaving her helmet perched on top of it. Before she had taken more than a few steps away she heard his comment about her running and pivoted around to face him again. “Well if you do it right you don’t feel the cold once you’re going” she said with a grin “and I just moved here so I haven’t picked a set running route yet, though this part of town is proving to have some interesting options” she said running her eyes pointedly up and down his body before grinning and spinning around again strutting out the door and too her bike.

The bike was harder to manuvour when you were pushing it from the side and not riding it but she managed it. Taking hold of the handle bars she pushed it upright taking the weight off the side stand and knocking it up and out of the way with her foot. Rocking it backwards a bit first she got it into a better position to be able to push her straight into the garage type shop. Once she reached the entrance she paused holding the bike up with relative ease. “So where exactly would you like her?” She asked ready to push her into place wherever he told her to go.

[Kal Sterling]

"Oh yeah," Kal said with a nod and closed eyes. Smiling and opening his eyes again, blinking with mock innocence, he said, "But it'd be very unprofessional of me to offer suggestions of the nature until after your service is complete." Honestly, he'd love to pick her up, push her against one of the more stable parts holders and see everything she has to offer...but if he had any trait of value now...it was that he got his work done first.

"TLC is putting it lightly. It'll be a miracle if I can get him sold, even after he gets a new paintjob like Jones." Kal hated to sell them, but he wanted to be able to live on something more than basic food options from the grocer. Be able to do fun things occasionally. Not everything was free... "Besides...he just can't do what the newer models can. Most of our business here came from being the best and latest...no one's gonna give him a chance." Was he talking about himself or the motorcycle again?

As Kal finished clearing the area for Juliet's parts, he replied, "I've lived here for years, I know how to keep warm." She couldn't see the grin on his face. If it weren't for a thing called birth control, Kal would have a half-dozen kids with birthdays in the fall. That grin quickly evaporated from his face...would he ever have kids? Did he want them? Looking at his right arm, Kal couldn't help but wonder...could he even be the father to a kid that that kid deserved?

As she came back, he said, "I can give one very good reason to include this as a stop on your run. At least once or twice." Kal wouldn't mind having a running partner again. He hadn't had one in a while.

Pointing (with his left hand) at the center of the main floor, "Right there under the spotlight. She's the star attraction while she's here." Kal stretched his left arm out a little and began sizing up both girls. With a light smirk and a bit of a sigh, he said, "So many nice curves..."

[Mikayla Southerland]

Mikki grinned at his comment and nodded, “I appreciate the professionalism and look forward to learning of your suggestions at a later date” she said wondering what his suggestions might be and feeling excited to find out some time, it had been a while since she had decided to stick around anywhere long enough to flirt with a boy with the knowledge that future flirting could and would happen. Usually she would just flirt for a bit then be on her way to the next stop on the road and the next adventure, it was exciting to think she might be around long enough to see this possibly progress to more than just idle flirting.

“Hey there is absolutely nothing wrong with a classic, even when that classic has a few battle scars, who knows if Juliet and Davy hit it off maybe he will just have to come home with us, Juliet and I can appreciate a good man when we see one” she said with double meaning, it wasn’t totally ridiculous of an idea to her to have a second bike to ride, she had always done things in excess, and as for the double meaning part it could be fun taking Kal home for a bit of fun too.

She heard his comment on keeping warm as she walked out to get Juliet and she thought she knew what he meant by it, he definitely seemed like the kind of guy that would have the ladies lined up around the block. The thought bothered her a little bit and she shook it off, she had just met the guy for crumbs sake and was just messing around having a little fun flirting that’s all.

“Oh yeah? What reason would that be?” she asked as she began pushing the bike into place where he gestured with his left arm. She rolled the bike into position and putting her foot down on the center stand she positioned her hands to help pull the bike up and lifted her weight to stomp on the stand pulling the bike up onto its more stable center stand with a little grunt of effort. It was a big bike and she was only slight herself in comparison but she figured stripping her down would be easier this way as the side stand wasn’t nearly as stable.

“She sure does have some nice curves and she takes the corners like a dream” she said stroking the tank of the bike with affection pretending to have mistaken his comment to be directed at the bike and not at herself as she actually suspected.

[Kal Sterling]

A good man. Even Kal, as full of himself as he was, wouldn't call himself a good man. At least the odds of him getting some action after he spruced up her motorcycle was likely. Kal had to admit, it felt weird to be flirting like this with a customer. At the end of the day, it was part of the business...why else would you have pretty advertisers...but...

Well, he deserved it. This girl was gorgeous, she clearly had money and they could probably have a good time. After the hell that was the last year, he deserved something good. The fact that she might actually buy the motorcycle...he had to close that deal if he could, regardless.

"Well, I happen to own a pair of functioning legs that don't mind the cold. I'm sure they could run if they had another to talk to for the journey. Though I will warn you, they like to be close. Conservation of body heat." Honestly, he ran anyway, frequently. It reminded him that he wasn't fully disabled, that he could still live life.

Standing almost directly behind her as she stroked the bike was enough as it was. If he was ever going to get through the day, he needed her gone. The 20 year old animal was more than ready to pounce. Coughing and putting his left hand behind his head, he said, "Yeah, I bet. Look, as much as I'd like to have you around for longer, if you want to be able to pick her up tomorrow, I'm going to have to get to work."

[Mikayla Southerland]

Mikki turned around leaning very lightly on the motorbike behind her as Kal spoke of running she smiled, “I’m sure I could find a good running route around here especially if it involved a running partner” she spoke easily smile lighting up her face, it had been a long time since she had a running partner and she wondered what it would be like to run with someone else, she was so used to running alone with her headphones in blocking out the world.

She pushed away from the bike and nodded, “No worries I will get out of your hair, wouldn’t want to overstay my welcome” she said with a grin moving to the back of the bike and detaching the saddle bag deciding it would be easier to carry the whole bag home as opposed to having to carry everything inside it individually. “Don’t rush if she isn’t ready by tomorrow it is no big drama to me, just give me a call when she is done?” she said reaching into the saddle bag and withdrawing a scrap of paper and a pen, she always carried paper scraps and notepads with her it was one of her quirks.

Scribbling her number down she tossed her pen back into the bag and picking it up and stepped toward Kal, stepping closer then she needed too she pressed the piece of paper into his left hand looking into his eyes as she did so. With a smile she stepped back “See you around Kal” she said before strolling out of the shop leaving her helmet and bike behind swinging the saddle bag by her side as she went leaving Kal to his day, she walked to the street and turned left heading toward home, she glanced back at the shop with a smile before disappearing from view down the street.