Bunker's Garage and Salvage
Bunkers's Garage and Salvage sits on a rather large lot in the West Dallas neighborhood. The parking lot is small, and one spot is occupied at all times by a beat-up tow truck. Two fully equipped bays, complete with safety notices on the walls are for employees only. To the right side of the bays is an office, containing a simple desk with a grubby looking computer, and a filing cabinet. Behind the desk is a small whiteboard which lists inspection prices, and those for other services. The walls are decorated with a few small display cases where items available for sale are located.
It's Sunday afternoon. And like the masses of the Dallas population, Hyde has been scheduled to work from the very morning. This sits well with him, though. After all, he wasn't drunk off his ass the morning before. Surprisingly, the day has so far proven to be rather slow in terms of business. And so, Hyde can be found standing outside, having decided to take a break. In his greasy gray overalls, he looks much dirtier than he usually does, but completely at home in the grime. There is a cigarette in between his lips that he's puffing away casually from as he leans against the brick surface of the establishment's wall.
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Ugh.
Hangover.
Scarlett woke up early, and with the worst hangover ever. There is generally a reason why she limits herself to one beer when she's out. After the other afternoon, and the irritation, anger, and use of the magic, the drinking was necessary.
To avoid getting sick, she's been out walking for the last few hours. Trying her best to let the fresh air keep the bile from rising up into her throat. Her walk has taken her past the garage. She stops dead in her tracks, shoots Hyde a look, and… doesn't move.
Awkwardness is best avoided.
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Though Hyde's eyes do end up crossing over Scarlett, she's got another thing coming if she expects for him to even recognize her existence. There is no movement made to wave her closer or even acknowledge her, and though he continues to watch her in a discreet fashion and puff away, he is silent and stoic as a rock. Really, she could continue walking away without having Hyde even bat an eyelid.
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For a moment, she does walk away. Scarlett takes a few steps toward the abandoned lot, and then shakes her head. Twisting about to return to the garage, she stops a few feet away from Hyde, and leans against the wall.
"Hey," she offers. "Thanks for getting me home last night."
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"Whatever. You're a sloppy drunk." Hyde breaths out without enthusiasm, tendrils of smoke curling into the air as it escapes from his mouth. The cigarette is held in between his fingers as the man leans his head back, eyes fixed upon the cloud floating above them. Apparently, he's not in a particularly chatty mood, seeing as that's all he offers her.
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"Generally, yeah." Scarlett crosses her arms over her chest and peers at him. "It's why I don't really drink all that often." A beer here or there, but that's about it. "Either way, I appreciate it. You didn't need to do more than shove me in a cab, but you actually brought me home, put me in bed, and didn't even try to take advantage of the situation."
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Hyde lets out a snort of dry amusement. "Thanks for the play by play, but I think I know what I did. You know, on account of the fact that I was there and all?" His mocking drawl is followed up by the purse of his lips. "If I was in the mood for some self-destructive, drunk ass sex I'd fuck a college girl."
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"No you wouldn't." It's cocky, but Scarlett is pretty sure that if he went through the trouble to actually bring her home, tuck her in, and leave her be when she was incapacitated, he wouldn't wander off looking for a piece of tail elsewhere. "Why'd you come looking for me anyhow? I figured after the incident at the lake, you wouldn't even want to bother being near me."
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Hyde quirks an eyebrow, slowly and with deliberate execution. "Wouldn't I." It's not even a question - just the wryest of statements. Leaving it at that, he then proceeds to lift the cigarette to his lips once again. "Mhmm. Because you're a fucking witch, and I wanted to confirm it. Or something. Maybe some sort of supernatural freak like those vampires - but not human." That's his story, and he'll stick with it.
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"You wouldn't," Scarlett repeats, this time with a bit of a grin. "Ahh, I thought we'd settled on Goddess?" Clearing her throat, she pushes off the building and takes a few paces forward. "For the record though, I am human. A lot of people can do extraordinary things, and that doesn't make them any less human." With a shake of her head, and a mumble that sounds something like it being a bad idea to have stopped, she exhales a long, drawn out sigh. There she stands, about four feet in front of him, back turned, just watching the vehicles move around the area.
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"I'm surprised you can even remember that." Hyde admits when she begins teasing about the goddess bit. He pauses then, before reluctantly turning to face her and set his dark frown in her direction. "Then what are you, exactly? How do you do what you do. Is that all you can do?" The interrogation will not stop - no sir. She has left him with many questions.
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"I may have been drunk," Scarlett replies, not bothering to look back at him, "but I've got a good memory regardless." Moving toward a concrete divider, she seats herself on it and watches him for a long while before answering. "Human, last I checked. Want me to get a DNA test for you?" Rolling her eyes, she rubs her hands over her face. This was so much easier with the Slugger. He never once questioned her. "Throwing water at people? No. I can do more than that." Though she doesn't seem to be very forthcoming with the information. "And I don't know. I mean, it's a genetic thing, but honestly each person is different. I generally work off my emotions. It's not like Harry Potter or something."
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Hyde isn't like 'the Slugger', or 'Park Boy' or any of the rest. Hyde is Hyde. To expect anything beyond difficulty and supreme thoroughness is to expect pigs to fly. "What else can you do." He inquires, hand in his dirty uniform's pocket as he peers down at the woman. "Your emotions? So you can fuck with the weather when you're pissed off or something? Can anyone do it, or are there like…bloodlines or whatever. No magic wands necessary?"
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Scarlett has half a mind to toy with him. To extrapolate on attending a witching school, and how she can only do certain things without a broom, but she just shakes her head at him and rubs her hands over her face again. "I can't change the weather. I can manipulate elements. Earth, Wind, Fire, Water." Staring at the area under his feet, she creates the very minutest of tremors. Earth is hardly her strongest element. "It has to already exist around me for me to use it." Though really, she could have just caused a small rainstorm over Luke's head, but that would have taken more effort.
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The demonstration comes as a surprise. Shocked, Hyde pushes away from the wall and stares down at the earth, as if expecting it to do something else out of the ordinary. But when it doesn't, he merely discards the remainder of his cigarette, steps upon the ashes with his heavy boots in order to extinguish it, and then proceeds to stride towards Scarlett. "I see." And that's all he says. No more questions are forthcoming. No more answers to be dragged out of her. Just silence.
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"That's it? You see… and you're not going off about how freakish it is?" Scarlett supposes that him finding out this way is much better than randomly floating some night. "I'm sorry. I should have told you sooner, but most people…" Don't understand, get freaked out, and there's a reason she doesn't say much about it except to other witches. "To answer one of your previous questions… anyone with the will to do it can learn, but it takes a lot more work than for someone that it comes naturally to."
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"Why should you have?" Hyde counters, looking down to her with furrowed brows. "It's none of my damn business what you can or cannot do. You don't owe me anything." Supposedly, he can no longer argue that he 'barely' knows her. After all, at this point, he's starting to get to know her quite well…her family, her fears, her profession and philosophies… "Don't apologize. I thought we've been over this. Besides, what else can I say?" There's another pause. "Huh."
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"Christ, Hyde, I don't know. You know damned near everything else about me." A lot more than some people she's actually dated. Scarlett clenches her fingers into her hair, and shakes her head. "Fine. I'm not sorry. Whatever." It is what it is. "Some snarlish comeback? A quip? I'm sure you can say a lot, you just really don't have anything to say."
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"But not out of obligation. You don't owe me information into your personal and private, or even professional life. If that comes, so be it. But don't be sorry if you left something out. I'm not." Hyde certainly hasn't told Scarlett quite as much about himself, and it's very likely that he wont volunteer any information. Instead of responding to her expectation of snark, he takes things to another direction. "That pussy back at the bar - the bleeding loser - he knew too. Close friend? I'm assuming you don't go around advertising your…skills."
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There is that, and it's not like Scarlett is offering up a plethora of information herself. "Out of obligation, no, but certain things should still be divulged." Fingers running through her hair, she stretches her legs out. He's… not snarking at her? He's curious about Carter? She'd think it was jealousy if it very obviously wasn't. "Carter? He… yeah. Good friend." That he works with her brother, and that he's also a witch isn't given. "Advertising? Not exactly, no."
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For Hyde to be jealous, there'd have to be something for him to be jealous of. Even if he felt possessive of Scarlett, the display at the bar would be enough to ease him. No competition. "Thought so. The next time he tries to be 'cute' and 'clever', tell him I'll break his fucking nose." That's an easy way to take care of a situation. "I'm assuming that you'll prefer it if I don't volunteer such information either, right?"
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"I wouldn't suggest actually breaking his nose." Scarlett isn't going to give Carter's secrets away, but the guy'd bleed to death if his nose got broken, she's sure. "I'll tell him though." Not that she'll be likely to see Carter again. Not with the attitude he had last night. She'll no doubt be getting a call from her twin, telling her she's a whore and destined to be alone once Monday rolls around. "Ye-ah, I'd actually really prefer that."
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"If he doesn't like having his nose broken, then he shouldn't be running his fucking mouth." That's how Hyde sees it, at least. Hyde watches her, silently, and almost with an element of muted, child-like curiosity. But then, he slowly proceeds to nod his head once in confirmation. "Okay." He decides. It's not an actual vow, but it's close enough - he's giving her his word that he will not go around spreading her witchiness.
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"Was he running his mouth?" Scarlett doesn't recall that, but then she was focusing on walking straight. "I doubt you'll run into him again anyhow, Surly." Chances are Carter will be playing the avoidance game now, so that's one more bridge burned. "Thanks." She glances down at her feet, then asks, "So it really doesn't freak you out?"
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"Should it freak me out?" Hyde returns, quirking his brows upwards in slight curiosity. "Why? Vampires exist and are kicking it. You're more human than they are. You have a pulse, the last I recall. You're not a dead corpse. So you can do a couple of magic tricks; it doesn't change who you are." There's a pause, during which he weighs the merits of two courses. Eventually, he ends up popping a squat beside Scarlett. "It's whatever."
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"It does most people," Scarlett replies. Her knees draw up toward her chest, and she glances over at him. He's given a smile. A soft, genuine smile. It's a sure sign that he actually might like her, that he's not freaking out. Leaning toward him to nudge his shoulder with her own, she gives him a side-glance. "Oh, I'm not the only one that can do a couple of magic tricks. You've got quite a few of your own."
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Hyde does not react to that smile, no matter how sincere and heartfelt it may be. The man is a proverbial rock. However, when she nudges him, he ends up grunting half-heartedly in protest at the jostle - mostly out of custom than actual dislike. "What do you mean, I've got a few tricks of my own?" He inquires almost cautiously, turning to peer at the woman.
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Tossing her head back with a soft laugh, Scarlett just shakes her head at the poor man. "I think you know what I mean, Hyde. Do you think every guy I've been with can do what you can?" There is a reason she's quickly become addicted to him despite his very obvious assholishness. "Besides, underneath that gruff exterior, you're a big softie. Otherwise you would've left me at the bar last night, or just shoved me in a cab."
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"I think you've been with some sorry-ass losers in the past, so I don't doubt the fact most of them couldn't approximate to half of what I do." Hyde admits easily and openly. However, when she teases him as being a softie, he merely rolls his eyes and looks away from her. "Don't be so sure," he gruffs. "I had entirely bad intentions motivating my so-called altruism. It was an entirely selfish act." Except…even if he did have those bad intentions, he never pursued or fulfilled them.
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"Maybe." Scarlett has a fairly decent taste in men, usually. She's just sort of fallen off her path, so to speak. "Though I've got to wonder what keeps you coming back." Chances are if she's been with some 'sorry-ass losers', she's not all that great herself. "Oh, yeah. Totally selfish. I forgot that's what it was. Too bad. For a moment I was going to commend you on being a gentleman, and give you a purple heart or something."
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"Maybe I just want to bang a witch." Hyde offers as the justification Scarlett pursues. But after a moment of contemplation, he sticks his legs out casually and looks to the sky once more. "Besides, I didn't come back this time. You found me." Ahem. "Good thing you didn't. Commend me on being a gentleman and give me your heart thing, then." As always, as forever, Hyde has a reputation he'd like to protect. And since he's been slipping up more and more, blatant denial seems to be the best way to combat it.
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"You already have," Scarlett points out quietly. When he sticks his legs out, she kicks his foot with hers and then leans back to peer up at the sky, trying to figure out what's so interesting. "Destiny then," she says with a shrug. "Yep. Good thing I didn't. One brief flux of gentlemanly attitude does not a gentleman make."
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"What're you doing," Hyde protests, frowning as he turns to face Scarlett. Half-heartedly, he attempts to return the nudge of her leg with his own feet. Once his revenge has been exacted, he can work on moving on with the conversation. "Maybe I like banging witches then." He suggests to her counterpoint. "There wasn't anything gentlemanly about it. It was utilitarian in nature, really."
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"Utilitarian, huh? You going to get all idealist and philosophical on me?" Scarlett nudges him back again. A completely childish, and immature behavior, but she really can't help herself. It's amusing to see him half-heartedly exact his revenge. "Maybe you do. You know many of them then?" There's a wry grin on her lips and lets it remain there for a moment. Then she asks, "When are you off tonight?"
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Brows furrowed, this time all Hyde can do is attempt to move his leg out of the way. Except it doesn't quite work, and he is left once against having to shove her back. "Perhaps. And possibly. If you're a witch, then who knows who else might secretly be a witch that I don't know about. Perhaps everyone'll come out of the witching closet sometime in the near future and I'll be the only human left." Now there's a thought to consider. "Mhmm? Working 'til nine. Why." He knows why - but it's important to ask anyway.
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That would be something. Everyone in the world being a witch, and no one talking about it. Granted there is a lot more out there than Hyde likely knows, so anything is possible, right? "True enough. How many of them can put up with you for more than a minute?" Scarlett winks at him to help denote her teasing. "That's a long day, isn't it?" Especially for a Sunday. "I was thinking of bringing you dinner, actually. Any requests?" He may have thought he knew why, but he likely never would have guessed this reasoning.
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"Not very many. Only the attractive ones seem equipped to weather my sharp tongue." Beat. Hyde pauses. "Pun intended. And yeah. It's how I work. Hard and diligent. It's why I'm the best out there." Holy double entendres. However, all his calm and surprise is thrown out of the window when she presents him with that unorthodox reasoning. "You - what?" He inquires, shocked, as he turns to stare quite openly at her.
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"It's what… a twelve hour shift? I figure you need to eat, right?" Scarlett maybe, just maybe be falling for him. It's not like she brings food to just anyone that's not family. "I like how you work. You've got a far better work ethic than I do. I open the shop whenever I feel like it, and spend most of my time making jewelry or painting."
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"I…uhh…yeah." Hyde offers surprised. "I guess I do…" He's still reluctant. Considerably so. And the honest truth about it - he doesn't know why he's so wary. "I…okay. Yeah. Whatever." He can move onto the topic of his work ethic much more comfortably. "I know you like how I work. Very much so. And - the point of it being called work is that it's…work. It should be hard and long and grating. It makes your free time that much more valuable."
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Maybe it's best that he's wary. After all, she's a big scary witch, right? Never know if she's going to put something in his food to turn him into a toad. Scarlett reaches over to take hold of one of his grimy hands, and then looks across at the bar. "So… food preferences? I can make killer pasta, or I can grab something take-out." Then the topic is back on work, and the Fontane twin just nods. "True enough, but sometimes you get lucky. You can do what you like and profit from it. It's why I chose art. Sure, I take commissions, and they're generally a lot of hard work, but it's still doing something I love."
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Hyde's hands are coarse. They're rough, and harsh from labor-intensive line of work. But above all, they're unbearably dirty at the moment. Streaked with grime, and grease, and all sorts of nasty blackness - Hyde is surprised when she so willingly takes his appendage. Because there's no way that she wont get dirtied up in the process. "Uh…pasta's…good. If you know, you don't suck at cooking or anything. And…yeah. I enjoy cars. But it's still hard work, every day I'm here."
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Scarlett is not one of those weirdly squeamish girls. If she were, she'd never be able to sculpt or get herself full of paint. A bit of dirt is not the scariest thing in the world. "Pasta then. I'd talk up my culinary skills, but I'll let you be the judge of that when I bring the food." Already, she's making a mental list of ingredients, and trying to recall what she already has. "I imagine so. My mechanical skills are only enough to change a tire if I get a flat, and switch out a spark plug. Otherwise, no idea."
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Still, Hyde is staring at their conjoined hands with open disbelief. As if he doesn't quite understand what its doing there, or why. But that's a dangerous thing to bring up - and so, he fixes on the easiest of the topics. "See me. If there's something to be done, I mean. I might even be able to work something out in terms of payment…" Slowly, he tries his hand at stroking the back of her hand with his thumb.
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"Yes, I'm holding your hand," Scarlett says finally. It may not be the safest of topics, but he keeps staring at their hands as though they're fish that just sprouted legs or something. "Hopefully I won't need any work done on the car, she still runs pretty well. But I'll let you take a look at her some time, in case there's something that could potentially go wrong."
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Foul play! Scarlett isn't supposed to mention the pink elephant in the room! With a sullen frown, Hyde tears his eyes away from that to look over to the woman, since she opened that particular avenue of discourse. "Yeah. But why." He inquires. Th other hand is lifted up, so that Hyde can scratch the side of his cheek uncomfortable. Unfortunately, as a result of his work, the action leaves a rather ridiculous looking streak of dirt upon the side of his face.
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The streak of dirt only makes her grin. She'd offer him something to wipe his face with, but she's not in the habit of keeping random pieces of material on her person. "Because I want to." As a silly question, get a silly answer. Scarlett reaches out to try and smudge the streak a little, so it's not so prominent on his cheek.
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Hyde stiffens underneath the hand upon his cheek - completely instinctually. He can't help the tensing of his muscles - but he can control the way he reacts once the initial jump is over with. And the fact that he doesn't pull away or jeer at her for her actions…well, it certainly means something. His cheek is rougher than his hands are currently, as he hadn't shaved in the morning. "Yeah…well. Why d'you want to."
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The stiffening doesn't deter the touch. Scarlett very delicately smudges the streak, until it looks just a shade darker than his skin — more bruise like than anything now. Then she allows her hand to drop to their hands and she smiles at him. "I'll let you figure that one out, Surly. What time do you have your dinner break? Around six?"
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"Five. I'm planning on taking a dinner break around five…" Hyde corrects her, uncertain as he is faced with the brilliance of her smile. Finally, the individual cracks. "Stop that." He protests childishly. She shouldn't be smiling so much when she looks to him. She shouldn't be so comfortable and…well…so sweet to him. "That…smiling thing."
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"Five then," she says with another smile. That it unnerves him a little likely has something to do with it. Scarlett squeezes his hand, though she doesn't go so far as to entwine their fingers. "Can't help it, Surly. I kind of like you like this." She likely shouldn't be so comfortable, but she is. And all because he showed her some respect and courtesy last night when he really didn't have to.
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"Kind of like me like what? Freaked out?" Hyde is fairly sure that that's not the answer to the question, but still. It has to be said, otherwise he wouldn't be himself. Despite all this, despite his whining, he doesn't dare pull away from her, or even resist her ministrations. In fact, he's practically welcoming her.
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"And staring, and looking nervous…" Scarlett's smile softens into a grin, and she reaches her hand up to brush over his cheek. "Maybe I just like you." Which is more likely the case, though she'll never come right out and say so. "I should let you get back to work though, right? See you around five?"
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"I'm not…nervous." Hyde protests, although it's not exactly a very reassuring amount of strength beneath that. But with the extra touch, and the near outright admittance of her interest… "Ahem! Ah, yeah. My break's done. I've got…shit to do." Finally, he takes action. He jumps up to his feet, in the process finally sliding his hand out of hers. "I guess I'll see you later, then. I guess…" He's just a little off his game, what with her sudden shift in mood and behavior when it comes to him.
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Scarlett snickers, and more slowly gets to her feet. Her dirtied hand is wiped on her jeans, and she stretches. Hangover gone, she's feeling quite a bit better now. About, well, everything. "I figured you did, what with this being work and all." With a friendly little nod, and a small wave, she starts off out of the lot of the garage. "I'll be here by five. See you then, Surly." This time, it's not a question, it's a confident statement.
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Hyde nows time for Hyde to scoot off like a good man. Or baby, that is. Scoot scoot.
