In the Car

[Beau LaRoux]

Beau sighed, looking into the window of the battered van. He'd had to bring the dang thing back here after it got broke down halfway between Kalispell and the closest town, and now he'd gone and locked the keys inside. He could see them dangling there, still half-stuck in the ignition. He even knew why they were actually inside the car instead of in his pocket: he'd only meant to leave the van running for a bit. He hadn't been sure if it had been this club that he was performing in tonight or one a little bit off the road. So he'd poked his head in and saw that someone else was on for tonight. Which meant that Beau needed to be somewhere else.

He could walk there; Beau knew that much. And he was actually ahead of schedule right now, so if he could somehow get into the car or get to the keys, then he'd actually be able to make it on time. The trick was that the keys were dangling there. And Beau didn't want to have to abandon the vehicle unless he absolutely had to. He had to get the dang thing back to the Academy before the night was over. Plus, he had some of his gear locked inside, though, admittedly, not his guitar, which sat next to him.

"Gosh darnit," muttered Beau, giving the tires a kick and reaching his hands behind his head. He interlocked his fingers and set them against the back of his head, letting out a slow, frustrated breath. Yep, this definitely sucked. Wait, maybe there was someone around with a useful ability. Dang things had to come in handy every once in a while, right? Beau turned, looking around to see if he recognized anyone, his hand already raising to shield his eyes.

[Marissa Thompson]

Waving goodbye to other people in the club, Marissa exited the building with a smile on her face. She had managed to score a Saturday night slot for a performance a few weeks away. She desperately needed the exposure so that the people of Kalispell would remember her name, instead of being a nameless performer with a catchy tune or two. Marissa promised to showcase an original song along with other crowd favourites in order to secure the slot before other hopeful musicians came and took it.

Funny, the town seemed to attract a lot of musicians and singers. Marissa chuckled to herself, the door of the club swinging shut behind her. Now, a free night. Sure, she could always go do homework or go for a job, but Marissa wanted a nice night of relaxation. So, the brunette decided to go club hopping tonight to go watch other shows.

Tucking her hands into the pocket, Marissa started walking down the sidewalk. Her car DeeDee (yeah she named her car) was sitting a block or two away among other parked cars. Kalispell seemed busy tonight and it was the closest spot she could get. A few feet away stood a seemingly frustrated blonde, kicking the tires to a van that had seen... better days. As she approached, Marissa soon recognized the guy as Beau. She'd seen him around in town quite a bit, a performer just like herself. They both seemed to spend their weekends downtown, asking to play at local club, bars... anywhere that didn't mind showcasing young talent. He was damn good, and although Riss wasn't huge on country, she could listen to him play a show and not mind.

Now standing in front of the van and Beau, Marissa smiled with a small wave. "You alright there? Look a little... frustrated." Of course, Marissa could have easily used her ability to see how Beau felt at the moment, but he wouldn't lie. Plus, she could already tell her was upset. "The van finally give out or something?" She asked, chuckling, hoping to cheer him up a little.

[Beau LaRoux]

Beau heard the voice and turned to face the girl coming in. He recognized her, and immediately smiled and pointed: "Hey, I remember you, Marissa, right? Yer good,' he nodded, then realized that she'd been talking about the battered van. The words reminded him of his current predicament, and he sighed, turning once more back to the van. At least the thing was more or less running, so he had that going for him.

"Nah, it already crapped out on me last time I took it for a ride," admitted Beau. He  glanced over his shoulder at Marissa, again smiling, though this time more than a touch ruefully. "Nah, this time it's kinda my fault," he pointed at the window, "gone and left the keys inside," he sighed and looked back at the van again. He took a long, slow breath, slowly breathing in before letting it out in a slightly faster woosh. He drummed his fingers against the back of his head, wondering how exactly he could get out of this mess.

So he again looked over at Marissa, his expression hopeful. 'Don't supposed you've got a knack for breain' into vans? Or maybe some kinda special tool locked away in your car?" he didn't directly ask about abilities, though it certainly popped up in his mind. No, he wasn't going to directly ask about abilities. The query should be enough to get it popping up in their minds.

[Marissa Thompson]

Nodding, Marissa smiled back at Beau with a touch of colour flushing across her cheeks. "Yepp, that's me, Marissa." She chuckled. "Thanks! You're damn good yourself." Turning her attention back to the van, trying to figure out what was wrong with it and why the country boy was standing on the side of the road.

She laughed, shaking her head afterwards after Beau explained the situation to Marissa. Biting her lip, Marissa tried to stifle her laughter. She couldn't help it; it was sort of funny at his expense. "Oh man, that's brutal. Luck is not on your side today." She commented on the obvious, continuing to stare with him at the van. "Should probably get yourself a new van."

Marissa peered into the van, staring at the keys dangling in the ignition still. "I mean, we could smash open the window, turn off the alarm and unlock the van. Course, you got a broken window but..." She trailed off, looking back and meeting Beau's hopeful expression. "Ehh... not really. Unless you don't mind a broken window." Marissa said with a chuckle. "No tool either." She started walking around the van, trying to find a weak spot. Maybe a door that wasn't shut all the way, or an open window she could slip into and crawl to the front.

Concentrating, Marissa closed her eyes, thinking of the van. "Think think think." she muttered to herself. When she opened her eyes, her perspective was different. Now she was looking at a couple of teenagers standing around. Doors were locked...

She blinked, sighing. "Nothing. Just know that the van is locked and we look sort of helpless here." Marissa laughed again. She gestured over to where her car was parked. "Need a ride somewhere? We could call a tow truck or something. Got my little Honda Civic over there."

[Beau LaRoux]

"People keep sayin' that," muttered Beau, ending it with a sigh, "but it ain't my van: it's the ride the school lends out to students an' such," which was likely why it was in this condition. They really needed a technopath to come by and spruce it up or something. There had to be somebody who could talk to machines and get them to do whatever. Of course, they'd have to somehow manage to convince one of those people to abandon their own personal projects and instead move to do something for the greater good. Well, if nothing else, Beau'd be willing to pitch in; he'd just have to get within the prerequisite ten feet or so.

Which he was now, and without really feeling any different. That did happen from time to time, even with other mutants. some people had abilities that weren't quite as flashy as others. Not everyone flung fire from their fingertips or could summon spiders or something. Marissa seemed to be mostly normal, near as Beau could tell. She circled the van and Beau watched, hopeful but not really optimistic just yet. Her words weren't exactly reassuring.

"Temptin' to smash a window," muttered Beau darkly, looking at the thing. He knew there were glass-kinetics about, so a smashed window wasn't something to really worry about. Apparently Marissa couldn't think of any better ideas either, despite a halfway decent Winnie-the-Pooh imitation in there. Beau looked back to her as she spoke, gesturing toward her ride. He sucked in and let out another slow, deep breath, his hands again reaching behind his head.

"Might still take you up on that," he said, looking at the van. "I got a gig to head jus' a ways down the road. Jus' ain't sure 'bout leaving the van here," he gave her a rueful smile, "got some of my equipment in it." He then walked over to the van, tapping it with his knuckles. Maybe they could somehow get in? He circled, looking to see if there were any windows or something. When he'd gotten to the other side, he tried calling over to Marissa. "Don't suppose you got a hanger or somethin' tucked away in your ride?" he was trying to remember if there was any musical equipment that would work, but nothing immediately sprang to mind...

[Marissa Thompson]

"Ohhhh, okay yeah that explains it then." Marissa chuckled. Of course it was the school's van. Not a lot of kids had their own vehicle and the only reason Marissa did was she found it for a bargain. So far, over the past few months, DeeDee had been good to her. "Maybe after a few more shows you'll be able to buy yourself a nicer looking van." That was the first step in touring vehicles. Soon, tour buses and airplanes. Marissa could only hope for those days to come.

"It would work." Marissa suggested again, the shook her head. Knowing the school, if Beau came back with a damaged van they would make him buy a whole new one rather than replace just the window alone. "Really sorry this happened to you." She apologized with a frown, meeting Beau's eyes.

Marissa eyed the driver's side window, the frown still on her face. She was sort of pissed at herself. Normally, the girl could find the solution to any problem. Only, not now. She was drawing a blank and her ability wasn't providing any help either. "Ohhh." Marissa drew out with a nod. "Gotcha." Of course he had a gig tonight, Marissa didn't know why she would think otherwise. All of their encounters seemed to be in Kalispell's small club distract, fleeting moments inbetween shows.

She smiled at Beau with a reassuring and understanding nod. Marissa wouldn't want to leave behind a van full of equipment either. Equipment was expensive. She thought about it for a moment, following him to the other side of the van. "Maybe a hanger? I have weird stuff in my car but I don't know what would help... here, lemme go grab it." She offered, and before he could answer, Marissa jogged over to her car

Illegally double parking next to the van, Marissa turned off the engine and grabbed her keys... wouldn't want a repeat of events... and tucked them into her pocket. She waved her hand around, gesturing for Beau to come over. "Here, come root through my car with me. Maybe you'll find something?" She started digging through her unbelievably messy car, filled with random junk. A pair of dice. Few guitar picks from shows. Random flyers. Pack of gum.

[Beau LaRoux]

Beau chuckled at the thought of buying his own vehicle. "Gonna be a bit 'afore I can afford somethin' like that. Keep wastin' my money on stuff like instruments an' girls." Which was sadly true, though at least Beau was doing better on the girl front lately. He hadn't actually been on any dates for... a while now, mostly since he'd started to get suspiciously close to Liz. Which was definitely not a helpful thought to have right now, so Beau expunged it, instead focusing on the bus.

He gave Marissa a thankful, rueful smile at her apology. He clearly appreciated it, but it wasn't like either of them could have foreseen something like this happening. It was the first time Beau had ever messed up like this, and if he had it his way, it would be the last too. Marissa looked frustrated for a few moments there, which Beau couldn't quite figure out. He just figured he'd ignore it for now, instead focusing on the smiles and whatnot. She was probably just frustrated about the situation, wishing she could help a fellow musician out.

Beau stepped to the side while Marissa got her car over, gesturing and helping her get it situated. As soon as it was settled, he walked up to look through the cab with her. "Man, an' here I thought girls were supposed to be neat," he drawled. Beau knew better, what with having Liz for a best friend and all. But he couldn't help. He pursed his lips as he looked through the stuff, hoping that a crowbar or hanger or something equally useful would magically surface. "Y'know, I know a guy that can do jus' 'bout anythin' with some stuff. Keep lookin' for somethin' useful, I'm gonna give him a quick ring," Beau dug his phone out of his pocket, thankful that he'd at least had the good sense to grab that. He punched in the contact and dragged the phone up to his ear, still looking at the car, hoping that something useful would jump out at him.

[Marissa Thompson]

Marissa laughed, though wasn't sure if Beau was joking around or not. Oh well, she thought it was funny. "Girls sure can be expensive." she joked, as if she had personal experience. "No, but yeah, totally understandable. I only have a car cause my parents sent some cash and I found this little thing. True love ever since." Affectionately, Marissa patted the top of her car.

while searching, Marissa took a break every few minutes to stare at the van next to her car. There had to be someway to get into the van. "Was one of the windows down a little bit maybe? Maybe we can force the window down if we can fit our fingers in a crack." She suggested, snorting at Beau's next comment. Had they been closer friends and not in a serious situation, Marissa would've stuck her tongue out or something of the sorts. Instead, she laughed, shrugging. "Always someone or something out there defying the norm."

Only problem was Marissa didn't know Beau's definition of helpful. She sighed, digging through her shit. "Alright." she replied, concentrating. Think... think... Marissa's hand hovered over a pack of bobby pins. "These close enough to a hanger?" she asked, holding them up. "I've never even broken into a car before, so I'm really sorry. Don't exactly know what I'm looking for." Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, continuing to dig through her car.

Finally, at the bottom of the heaps of junk, Marissa saw it. She grinned, reaching over while laughing. Probably looked a little insane. Gripping it, she pulled out... a hanger. "Yeah! Knew hoarding would come in handy one day!" Marissa fist pumped the air, before taking off the shirt (never worn with tags still attached) and handing the hanger to Beau, with a grin.

[Beau LaRoux]

Beau just chuckled at Marissa's assertion. Girls could be all kinds of expensive, not that he minded much. Some things were worth spending money on. Those words were right on the edge of Beau's tongue, but something kept them from quite falling off. He shrugged the thought aside. Probably just worried about getting into the van or whatever. Yeah, that made sense.

The phone rang in Beau's ear, and soon he heard an accent even thicker than his on the other end. He turned to start a semi-hushed conversation, one interspersed with a few chuckles and eye rolls. Beau did turn as Marissa talked, then glanced at the van. He hadn't cracked any windows, since it was still too chilled, so he just shook his head. She'd be digging around soon enough. And as she turned up stuff, Beau listed it off to the guy on the other end. Beau chuckled a few times, but when he mentioned the bobby pins, he had to actually hold the phone away from his ear a bit.

"Be thankful yer not hearin' this," he drawled to Marissa. "He's suggested I ask you for your bra a few times, claims that they're great at openin' cars. I'm thinkin' he jus' thinks I need help pickin' you up," Beau winked at Marissa, then brought his phone back. Just as he did, Marissa waved her find. "Alright, got a hangar," he said, both agreeing/affirming Marissa and informing his contact. He took the offered tool, then shifted his phone to rest against his shoulder. Soon Beau was twisting it, nodding while he listened.

"He says the hanger's gonna be all junked up by the time we're done," he said, turning to look at Marissa. "You okay with that?" and Beau paused for a bit, still halfway through bending the hanger. He wasn't going to damage it if she wasn't okay, though he figured that the answer was probably gonna be yes anyway.

[Marissa Thompson]

Marissa quieted down once Beau was on the phone, only talking when absolutely necessary. Even then, the majority of the time she just held up several things that would be found in a teenage girl's car. Lip gloss. Chapstick. Old receipts. Several packages of ear plugs. Maybe that was just her. She felt more and more defeated before finding the hanger. Finally, something useful in the hoards of junk.

Quizzically, Marissa tilted her head to the side with an eyebrow raised... until Beau finished his sentence. She laughed in response, turning a bit pink. "A bra eh? Well, probably have an extra laying somewhere around here anyway." She joked, the colour fading from her cheeks. Marissa sat there, waiting for the next instructions. If they were quick, the southerner could still make it to his show only a few minutes late. Maybe she'd follow him and stick around for a bit.

"Yeah, that's totally fine. Had no use for the hanger. Didn't even know it was in here." Marissa chuckled, nodding twice. "Do whatever you need to do. You've got a show to get to." She leaned back in her seat, watching him fold the hanger. Part of her was curious as to how this was going to turn out.

[Beau LaRoux]

"What is it with girls an' havin' extras jus' layin' 'round?" wondered Beau. he chuckled and shook his head, twisting the hangar a few times. Apparently his phone partner heard as well, and Beau had to close his eyes and shake his head at whatever the guy was saying. Eventually Beau just sighed and moved over to the van. "It's an old one,' he muttered into the phone. He then ended up nodding, moving the hangar up to slide down the rubber that held the window in place. He twisted and turned it, jerking the thing.

"Ya know, if this works," said Beau, looking over at Marissa, "you oughta come out to my show. I can get ya in for free, probly get ya some---no, no, it ain't her, an' I am too concentratin'," this last was said into the phone. Beau rolled his eyes at Marissa, then slid the hanger down a little further. He fished for a few moments, then brightened as he felt it catch on something. He grinned at Marissa and jerked, hard.

He heard something bend, and then a familiar sound: the door unlocking. Letting out a whoop, Beau tried to move the hanger out only.... only to find that he'd gotten it stuck in the van's window. "Uh, yeah, everythin's fine. Tell Mom an' Dad I'll call 'em later," said Beau. "Later," he then hung up the phone and took a step away from the door.

"Got any idea how to get that out?" he asked, looking at Marissa, then back at the hanger. "or should I jus' claim it's an accessory? Van could use some touchin' up, right?"

[Marissa Thompson]

Grinning, Marissa laughed at Beau's confusion. Oh the wonders of the female mind. "Because it comes in handy." she stated, matter-of-factly. "See, if us girls didn't hoard, you wouldn't be holding that hanger." She raised an eyebrow when Beau shook her head, but Marissa decided not to ask. If he wanted to share, he would've. Simple as that.

She watched him go over to the van, watching with a hopeful expression. After a few minutes, Marissa decided to join Beau outside. She was still curious as to how to break into a care. Shutting the door, she followed him to the other side, watching.

Marissa beamed, sending a smile in Beau's direction. "Yeah, I'd love to come see you perform." She said, watching the interaction between him and the person on the other end of the phone. Marissa laughed. Maybe she'd ask about the mysterious caller after the whole van ordeal was over and done with. And after his show.

Hearing the door unlock, Marissa grinned and clapped. Ahhh their hard work had paid off! "Yay! Now we can get you off to your show. If we speed a little, we'll only be a few minutes late." She told Beau after taking out her cell phone to check the time. She snorted, looking at the hanger. "Maybe when you get in the van you can roll down the window. Or if it's jammed, then hey, new trendy accessory." Marissa nodded.

"So, Beau, wanna lead the way and I'll follow in DeeDee."

[Beau LaRoux]

Beau wasn't even going to touch how handy a girl's horde was; he knew a minefield when he saw it. besides, there was a van to break into, which Beau managed with gusto. It only made it better when he saw Marissa beaming at him as well. She'd also agreed to come to his show, which Beau always saw as a good thing. The more people he had in the audience, the more likely he was to get to come back (and the more people he'd have the next time, though by now, Beau put quite a few people in the audience when people knew he was performing).

"I'm thinkin' I'm gonna end up with a trendy new accessory," drawled Beau, staring at the thing. He sighed, then nodded to Marissa. "Right, it's jus' the club a few blocks down the road. You know the joint," he pointed in the general direction, though most of the musicians knew the places that could play music. It wasn't Matt's; Beau always remembered when he had a show to play at Matt's. Still, he bet that Marissa could find this one.

"An' thanks again; I'll make sure they let you in for free. Wouldn't be the first time I got a pretty girl into a show," Beau finished this with a wink before hopping into the van. He adjusted the seat and made sure everything was in place. Then he tried the window, only to find that the hanger was determined to hold on for a while. Beau just chuckled and shook his head. Worse things could've happened. He reached down to shift the van into gear, moving the lumbering vehicle out of the parking lot. He'd be at his real gig location in no time, thanks in no small part to Marissa's hanger, which wobbled in the slight breeze.

{if you wanna go ahead and RP them at the club, that's fine by me. Just have them get there in your post. An' if you wanna end it there an' jus' say they went to the club, I'll roll with that too}

[Marissa Thompson]

Perfect. Marissa had been planning on going to the few different clubs in town and scoping out other local musicians. She'd been to a show or two fronted by Beau, but he put on a great show and she enjoyed watching him play. He was passionate and commanded the stage well, necessary to last long in the industry. Marissa knew it was going to be a good one to watch.

"Eh, we can figure it out later if needed." Marissa said with a shrug. "Maybe we can cut it out when we have the tool for it. Or let it be." Whatever worked. She stared at the dangling, mangled hanger, chuckling. What a weird start to the night. Glancing down the road, Marissa nodded before turning her attention back to Beau. There weren't that many places in town that hosted events. "I'll just look for the most crowded joint." She joked, smiling.

"No problem! Glad my mess was able to help you out in the end." Marissa said, still smiling. Part of her still couldn't believe the luck of finding a hanger in her car, just when they needed it too. She chuckled, shaking her head. Oh, Beau. "Probably won't be the last either." Marissa retorted, waving as she watched him drive off. She waited a couple minutes, just to make sure the van wasn't going to break down on the side of the road or anything of the sorts. Grabbing her keys from her pocket, Marissa slid into the driver's side of DeeDee and followed his directions to the club.

Beau had been serious when he said it was just a few minutes away. Marissa noticed the eager, packed crowd outside and the lit up guitar sign. She recognized the place, but never played there. Mostly a country scene that she wasn't a part of. Marissa saw the van parked down the road a little, nodding to herself. Perfect.

Finding a spot had been hard, but she managed to secure a place a block or two away. Marissa walked down the sidewalk, back on location, eyes on the lookout for Beau. She figured he would probably already be inside, rushing to get ready for the delayed show.

(Eh, let's try and see rp-ing it out ^^)

[Beau LaRoux]

The hanger was likely to stay for a while; at least, that's what Beau suspected. He did nod along to Marissa's suggestion, feeling that the girl definitely had a point there. If nothing else, Beau could borrow some tools and attack it himself later, assuming he didn't grow attached to it.

Thankfully, they didn't have to worry about the hanger or door anymore. Beau returned the smile and gestured around, "Looks like there's plenty of people here too, so you must'a been doin' somethin' right," he chuckled and then was off, counting on Marissa to follow. soon enough he saw her in his rear view. He raised his hand up out of the window, making sure to let Marissa know that he knew. That and to kinda signal, since he wasn't positive that the van's turning systems were functioning properly.

They had a spot arranged for Beau, so he was able to get out easily enough. People arrived to help him carry it in, with Beau having to explain the situation, which got plenty of laughs and jibes. Soon he was lugging his guitar off into the bar. He did make sure to stop and let the guy collecting fees at the gate know that he had a guest. Which also involved a moderately awkward conversation where Beau had to explain that no, no, it wasn't the usual blonde, and no, he wasn't cheating, he wasn't actually going out with the blonde, despite what everyone kept saying. And then Beau was off.

He still had a few minutes to go, though that nearly equated to late in show talk. He was hurrying about, practically throwing his equipment around on stage. His guitar was mostly in tune though, so he didn't have to fiddle much with that. And soon enough, he saw Marissa getting accosted by the ticket guy. Which meant some arm waving on Beau's part and awkward signaling across the bar. Beau couldn't say for sure what the guy said, what with the distance, but he got the general gist of things. He ended by waving at Marissa while doing the last few things he needed to for prep.