saveourearth | From Junktown to Around Town [Open Log]

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From Junktown to Around Town [Open Log]

Date: October 10th through the end of the month
Characters: Benjiro and Sadie, then Benjiro and anyone!

[Closed to Sadie]
End of the school day, Benjiro walked out with Sadie to catch a ride he had requested from a taxi service to pick them up and head to their destination. He had not initially planned to drag Sadie along on the excursion, but while continuing to heal from the fight, she had made it clear he would not be going to the junkyard alone. So rather than wait to finish healing, Benjiro had asked her to come with him to find parts for a new project. His mind has been busier than ever before with new ideas constantly springing to mind for machines he might be able to build, but one such idea has stubbornly stuck, and the more he had considered it, the more sense it made to proceed.

One can only rely on public transport for so much before it becomes more practical to have a personal vehicle; or more specifically, a motorcycle that would far surpass industry standards.

Now he would not be able to transport the parts home on his own, but that he had worked out with the junkyard owner ahead of time, and agreed to pay a flat fee to transport whatever he could fit into a trailer hooked up to an old pickup trunk used by the compound. That delivery would happen tomorrow, meaning they have the remainder of the day to find said parts.

So when they arrive, he stops by the office to let them know he had arrived, and both he and Sadie are let inside the gate to the scrapyard. Inside, a few dogs are ready to greet them with tails wagging. Gate people are good people, or so assures the man on duty. Anyone that comes in through the gate shouldn’t get any hassle from the pack. After that, the man points out the trailer parked near the front, and heads back to the office. A man has his soaps to keep up with, and commercials only last so long.

Left to their own devices, Benjiro stands with Sadie as he absently rubs the top of one dog’s head that is eager for attention. There is a lot of raw metal resource here, and every part he can spot sparks a thought towards what it could be used to create. He has a number of ideal components in mind, but he’ll make do with what he can find and salvage from beneath the grime of weathering.

“This…might take a while.”

[OPEN]
Throughout the remainder of the month, Benjiro will dedicate every spare moment he has to the building of a motorcycle that runs cleaner, goes faster, and has balance assistance built into the onboard computer. When he’s building, he can be found in the storage shed on his great aunts’ property when the weather is poor, or out on the driveway for bigger portions of the assembly when the weather permits.

His phone is kept with him while he works, so he’s available for texts and phone calls whenever.

((OOC: Over the next few weeks he’ll be working at this, so depending on when your character drops by or contacts him, he’ll have less or more work done on it.))

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

School had been a much improved experience now that Ben had returned from External Exclusion, and despite some stares from their peers things had returned to normal with them and their small group of friends. Sadie was just glad that she could spend longer with Ben and that he didn't look so run down any more.

As they approach the junkyard Sadie is very glad that she didn't let Ben start pursuing his project without her, the place was a health and safety nightmare.

"aren't you glad I came?" She grins at Ben as she pets the junkyard dog, "After all, only a cruel boyfriend would deprive their partner of the opportunity to pet lovely dogs. Also this place is the nightmare I thought it would be for you with your injuries." Her joking tone making way to the concern she had readily voiced when Ben had announced his new project.

"So what are we looking for?"

Edited 2018-10-11 05:21 (UTC)

Despite a full day at school, Benjiro seems more energetic now than he did in the morning at the prospect of gathering parts and pieces to make his plans into reality. The chance to build his motorcycle is exciting!

He looks over to Sadie as she begins with a joke before issuing a warning that is a clear indication there will be no separating to search for anything. That's fine by him. With a light nodding of his head, he replies with his own humor, "Of course I am. I would have invited you outright, but I figured I could do better than a junkyard as a dating spot." He really does need to look into another place to take her on a more formal date after this...

Sliding his backpack carefully from his shoulders, he moves to put the bag on the edge of the trailer so he could move without being encumbered by it on top of his still healing rib. Answering her about what to look out for, he'll start with the most difficult thing for him to create on his own, "Tyres will be the hardest to come by. Ideally I want to find touring types to handle the cold this winter. It'll be best if they have at least a triple digit load index starting with a 2 or better." He isn't planning on a hefty bike, but he would like to feel confident inviting Sadie for a ride with him. After he figures out how to drive it of course.

"Other than that, a seat pad would be nice to find, and any intact metal framing or engine parts are worth a look," he finishes as he returns to Sadie. Giving the stacks of items another look, he'll start to walk deeper into the junkyard, "May as well go about this systematically. I anticipate the back piles will be less picked over than those at the front, so we can start there."

Sadie's smile regains its previous joviality, "Aww, well if you want to do something romantic we could go back into the caves and go rock hunting? Honestly though that's really sweet of you. You do know I enjoy everything we do together right?"

Looking around at the stacks, Sadie shrugs, "I'll be honest, I don't know what half of those things are, you're going to have to point them out to me."

His cheeks warm visibly at her implication that being with him is sufficient to negate unpleasant circumstances such as these, and he nods softly as he moves closer to her to slip his hand into her own to give it a gentle squeeze. "After this, anywhere you want to go is fine by me," he says with a small grin spreading under his mask, the offer entirely genuine. He could watch paint dry with Sadie and still be content, but searching for mineral samples does actually sound fun.

The admission stirs a soft chuckle from him and he steps a little closer to playfully bump his shoulder against her own as they keep walking, "Not a problem. I'm not limited on much else since I think I can make a range of components cooperate with enough alteration. If you see anything smaller than a car tyre, or if you spot a leather seat of any kind in good condition, I can check it. You looking out for the bigger stuff will make my searching for small pieces a lot easier." Allowing him to narrow his focus and not constantly adjust his field of vision will help him move more swiftly through what he can get to in the piles.

Whatever lies buried deep requires the lifting power of equipment to uncover, so they need only to work superficially.

When they arrive at the back end of the junkyard, where the piles line the fence like a wall of scrap, Benjiro separates from Sadie to start sifting through the discarded parts and hunks of old vehicles after applying a pair of work gloves he brought along. Here in the back is where more of the ancient abandoned military grade equipment has been collected, and there isn't much among that to consider due to age.

Slowly but surely over the next hour, Benjiro picks through back side of the junkyard to find bits to make into treasure with Sadie aiding him by spotting the potential tires and seats. Rather than taking each piece back to the trailer as he removes them from the piles, he makes a small heap in the walking path and carries multiple to the front when he needs a break from digging. His side is aching from the work sorting through it all, but he certainly doesn't act like he feels it as he happily chatters with Sadie.

Benjiro is returning from another trip to the front to put parts into the trailer when he spots something higher in the next pile in his patterned search. Pace more brisk as he approaches, he looks upwards from a second angle to confirm his suspicion. Eager to retrieve it for a closer look, he starts to lift his arms overhead fully to grab it only to stop with a wince. Right. Not going to be able to wrench it out without a better angle. Arms brought down, he looks on the ground for something he could step up onto that would remain steady. Spotting a storage container that has rusted on one corner, he nudges it over with his feet to allow his side rest and avoid bending down to push. Maneuvering the box close, he's quick to step up onto it with eyes fixated on the potential find.

Edited 2018-10-12 09:03 (UTC)

Sadie blushes and squeezes his hand back, "I'll think of something relaxing for us to do together." She promises, since the Numbers had come into full effect things had been a bit hectic. Ben especially could use some TLC.

Ben's plan makes sense and they make a very effecient team as they start combing through the junk, Sadie grabbing herself a pair of gloves from the workers so that she can move and shift herself. She's dislodging a tyre when she hears the scraping of the storage container, abandonning the tyre, Sadie wanders over to Ben as he steps up onto the rusting box.

"Ben, do you need a hand?"

There is only one thing that manages to distract Benjiro momentarily from his labor during that hour, and that is Sadie deciding to pitch in with a borrowed pair of gloves. Just when he thinks she couldn’t endear herself any more deeply, she amazes him…

Standing on the container, he reaches up more comfortably now to grasp ahold of the lightly dented fender. Aware of the limited space he has to step while standing on the cooler sized metal box, he gives a few careful tugs to test where the metal is pinned. Quick to identify the heaviest point of pressure, he lowers one hand to consider how to best twist it free without dramatically shifting the items above. As he is thinking, he hears Sadie come up at his side and offer her assistance.

He turns to look down to her to give his answer only for his breath to catch as he looks down at Sadie beside him, her head on level with his waist. There’s a mild sense of vertigo to the perspective with Sadie so near that makes him feel taller than he really is, and coupled with her words that elicit déjà vu, the Echo hits hard and fast.

Clutching his hand harder onto the metal to try to steady himself as his insides drain away, a rush of warmth overtakes his whole body in a surge outward from that resounding heartbeat that booms in the emptiness. New memories pour through his thoughts, of nights spent digging in junkyards both with someone loved offering a hand and times spent alone with caution haunting every movement. Most of the memories are a blur with the green, three-fingered hands in view, but the last that come in stronger, more vivid, are those with clawed hands with metal covering the palm and forearm. Those claws shove the heavier abandons out the way to reach for something delicate and…

And his attention is snapped into the present as the heat he feels worsens into something akin to a fever. With a groan, Benjiro slouches further as sweat starts to bead at his hairline, and he wraps his arm across his middle he feels his body shifting against itself unnaturally, each subsequent breath feeling ever so slightly more constricted. Caution urges him down from the high spot, but as he moves to step back down off the container, an audible crackle from his strained rib takes his knees out from under him and he drops towards the ground with a grunt of pain.

"Ben?" Sadie prompts again when she doesn't get an immediate answer, standing on her tippy-toes to get a better look at him. Her eyes widen as she sees the thousand-yard stare on Ben's face. The Echo. And Sadie had no way of telling what kind of Echo it would be. Maybe memory it was taking a while?

The groan as she watches his eyes refocus on the rubbish in front of him makes it clear there's more to the Echo than just memories. Sadie can do nothing but watch as Ben's body seems to...distort? It takes her a moment to properly compute what she's seeing, that Ben's body is shifting and getting larger. There was a horrible burn of helplessness in Sadie's gut, she couldn't stop it, only watch as Ben's body shifts, his chest heaves, and Ben shuffles back.

"BEN!" She shouts, alarmed, as his rib cracks and she moves without thinking, reaching out to grab him and stop his fall, something that would have been hard but not impossible before has suddenly become near impossible with Ben's new, added mass and it knocks the wind out of her as she falls over, Ben landing on her chest.

One of his feet hits the ground in a delayed scramble to recover as Sadie snags her arms around him and redirects his fall onto her rather than flat to the dirt and metal bits scattered across the ground. The rush and swing of his orientation relative to the surface of the Earth leaves him feeling dazed, but the contact as he lands on Sadie is unmistakable. She is far softer than the packed dirt, and the realization dulls his notice of his throbbing side as a bolt of fear hits.

Feverish heat wafting from his skin and dizzy, Benjiro croaks out her name in worry, “Sadie…!” Gloved hand planted to the ground next to her shoulder, he shoves downward without hesitation to lift his weight from her chest and pushes through his legs to slide off of her completely to set his hips at her side. His muscles feel oddly stiff and far more sore, so he makes no effort to move further away as he holds himself above her. He doesn’t trust himself to move upright fully.

Within seconds, the fever breaks, leaving drops of sweat running down his back as the heat dissipates as suddenly as it bloomed. His mask presses more in against his face as he stares worriedly at Sadie, straps around his ears pulling faintly. Even from where she lies, Sadie would be able to see that his shirt is far too small to fit him correctly, the middle snug against his skin and the fabric across his shoulders pulled taut with his short sleeves now struggling to barely cover his deltoid muscles despite having his shoulders pulled inward. His proportions have shifted generally vertically with the growth spurt, but his shoulders and chest have visibly broadened.

“ちくしょう, Sadie, are you alright?” his voice is tense and unsteady.

Edited 2018-10-12 22:15 (UTC)

Sadie hisses as Ben's weight drives the air from her lungs, winding her,and her elbows scrape along the gravel. She tries to breathe in but with Ben on her chest the actions are short and ineffective. The moment he pushes himself up, Sadie sucks in a large, deep breath.

"I'm fine, just winded." She wheezes slightly, "Ben you need to lie back down, your rib cracked and you've grown."

And oh boy do his clothes make that obvious, especially the way the shirt is now pulled tight around his chest and shoulders... Sadie's cheeks start burning red as she stares at his chest and she groans internally because it was really kind of, sort of hot, but now was not the time. God damn her brain!

Edited 2018-10-13 08:28 (UTC)

Listening intently to hear her answer and the quality of her breathing as she recovers, his worry relents enough that he manages to process what she says after with only a slight delay. His second arm already bracing his side instinctively, Benjiro is quite aware of his rib, “I think it’s okay, just irritated and...wait, what?”

Benjiro looks down at his hand next to Sadie, now able to attend the pressure of a rather tight fitting glove digging in at the skin between his fingers. His gaze scans from his hand to his torso, the stretch of the fabric and awkward position of the sleeves telling enough. His attention moves further down his body, jeans tight across his hips and now comically short above his ankles. Squirming visibly as he looks at his shoes, the footwear is stretched out of shape with the seams threatening to give and his feet pinching from all sides.

This...this cannot be good.

His skin pales further by a shade, and he looks back to Sadie with bottled alarm. Realizing his position is blocking her from getting up, he remembers her instruction to lie down and carefully rolls towards his hips to fully remove himself from over her with a hushed “Sorry...!”, and reclines slowly to the ground with breath held fast. Only when he is certain her arm is not caught under him does he finally let the ground take his new weight. He breathes deep with his diaphragm and sighs in frustration.

Edited 2018-10-13 11:26 (UTC)

Sadie watches Ben move closely, still concerned about his rib after the noise it made, though she relaxes somewhat when she sees that it isn't causing him much more pain than it was before. Also the shirt. And now Ben's lying down she can see the rest of his clothes.

Slowly sitting herself up, Sadie's entire face flushes as she takes in the full impact the Echo has had on Ben and his clothing. She wouldn't be able to stop herself from staring even if she wanted to, a sentiment enhanced by the low, rumbling purr that's starting to force its way out at the sight of her boyfriend.

Thoughts racing as he digests the fact that he grew significantly larger in a matter of seconds, Benjiro tries to discern the risks. Most apparent is the chance his great aunts will take notice of the change. His clothes make it obvious, so perhaps if he can get inside without them seeing that point of reference, he can dig out the few looser items in his wardrobe to buy himself time. Slouching might help for relative perception with others, however, Sadie watched him get bigger and realized what had happened before he could. If she’s uncomfortable with his new size, then-

The tumbling worries stall as Benjiro opens his eyes at the sound of a now familiar purring. His gaze rises to her face, and he realizes that purr is not one caused by stress. His own cheeks warm and redden visibly from behind his mask as he feels a twist of shyness at the attention that somehow comes coupled with a sense of excitement that only Sadie has ever made him feel. Looking up to her a moment longer, he then brings his hands together over his middle to work one glove off with the once loose fit requiring quite a bit of effort to strip.

Once he has the glove off, he drops it to his midsection and turns his arm to hold his bare hand towards Sadie as he cracks a nervous smile with a lighthearted tone, “...to be honest, I had been hoping to get a little taller before we went to university.”

If it was possible for Sadie to go any more red in the face as Ben quips and offers her his hand she absolutely would have. Instead she makes a sounds that is halfway between a meow and a mewl as she places her hand on Ben's, allowing them both to start seeing just how they now compared.

"Oh my god, kill me now." She whines, "I didn't realise this would be a thing!" And despite that wonderfully embarrassing noise, her traitor brain is still drinking Ben's new height and broadness in, taunting her into reaching across with her other hand towards his mask and unhooking the now tight fabric.

She grips his hand and leans over, resting her forehead against his before leaning down further and capturing Ben's lips in a hungry kiss. She can feel embarrassed about making out with Ben in a rubbish tip of all places later.

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Mid-month!

Weekend of the 20th-21st okay?

Yeah!

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Interesting link: https://www.louis.eu/rund-ums-motorrad/schraubertipps/metall-polieren

A very interesting one, thank you!