The Junk Yard- Tuesday

[alwaysonguard]

 It had been a while since Dwight had been by the junkyard, but he figured it would a good place to get some scrap materials to work with. No point wasting the good wood back in the shop on a lot of tinkering and rough prototypes right?

So there he was with the small cart from his shop already partly loaded with some odds and ends. He would have to remember to stop by and check the place out more often. He had quite the haul already started as it was.







(post is open- expecting one but anyone can pop over if they want!)

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[special_rabbit]

After sticking around the workshop classroom for quite a bit longer than after class had been let out, Amaya was on her way from the school back to the forge and already trying to think of something else to distract her for a bit when she noticed some commotion going on in the scrapyard. Well! Whatever it was (zounds, let it please not be gremlins), that should work just fine, and so she drifted that way. As a regular picker in here sometimes herself, it was hard not to notice the marked difference that a certain pink spaceship being absent from the landscape, although she was going to give a firm little glare into the spot that Summer's ship usually occupied.

Then her attention shifted to the cart and what looked to be some pretty successful picking, and to the person loading it up.

"Ah! Dwight!" She lifted a hand in greeting. "Just the man I was thinking to go see! This'll save me the trek across the island!"

She nodded to the cart. "Any good finds?"

[alwaysonguard]

"Amaya, hey!" he replied as he stood up dropped a couple more pieces of wood into the cart. "Good to see ya."

He glanced down at the cart and gave a slight nod. "Not too bad, actually found some decent wood. Think it might be from the Devil's Nest.... lord knows there's been enough going on there between all the changes Eric and Lucifer have been doing back and forth. But anyways, how are you doing?"

[special_rabbit]

Amaya had never actually considered what some of the environmental ramifications of all those changes to the Nest might have caused, but now that Dwight mentioned it? All those changes could probably keep this place stocked with new junk to pick for months, if not years!

Just how many pianos, she wondered, would end up here by the end of it? There could potentially be more pianos here than spaceships!

"Good!" she answered. "Very good. Just finished up with my class a little bit ago," she hitched a thumb over her shoulder toward the school. "We did sand casting today. You ever tried it?"

[alwaysonguard]

"Ah, sand casting is about the extent of my metal working experience for the most part. And unfortunately it has been quite a while since those few times."

Dwight fell silent for a moment as a memory played out in his mind. "That was how I made the little decorative piece on the music box I made for my daughter all those years ago" he said with a slight smile. "I remember enjoying the process for the most part. I'm sure your class enjoyed it!"

[special_rabbit]

"No loss of fingers yet!" Amaya reported proudly. It may have sounded like a pretty low bar for success, sure, but considering Beaker had been a regular student....she felt it actually said a lot!

"Matter of fact," she then added, "the sand casting's part of the reason I was going to stop by. I have a bunch of those throwing stars in my pocket, just in case either of my kids forgot what they were going to mold."

As ill-advised as it might seem to let Troy Barnes around anything small, metal, and pointy.

"Figured, if you were going to make up some possible mock-up boxes for 'em," she dug into the deep pocket of her skirt to pull out a handful to hand over to Dwight, "you might as well have a few to work with while I had extra."

[alwaysonguard]

"Ah thanks" Dwight said, taking them from her. "Will be perfect for helping me figure out the sizes for the boxes"

He gave her another look and shook his head with a slight grin. "Think first prototype will be a travel sized one for you to use. Gotta be a better way to carry these than in your pocket at least."

[special_rabbit]

"One that maybe won't leave you with a pouch full of clanking metal that'll give away even the stealthiest rogue!" Amaya agreed.

"But, hey, speaking of travel," this was not at all the segue Amaya had planned, but if it was there, you'd better believe she was taking it!, "that reminds me, I've got to get going on getting packed for the school trip next week. Get the lobsters kenneled up at the shelter..."

She stroked her chin thoughtfully, as if going down a checklist, before giving Dwight a curious look.

"You get a chance to hear about those yet? The school trips?"

For Amaya, this was actually stupendously subtle.

[alwaysonguard]

"Heard a few people talking about getting ready for a fall school trip or something. You guys are heading to Boston right?" he asked glancing at Amaya as he carefully stacked the throwing stars into the cart to take back to the shop.

"I'm from East New York, spent most of my life there before enlisting. Only managed to make it Boston once before ending up in Maine though. Is that a normal trip for the school to take this time of year?"

[special_rabbit]

"Oh," said Amaya, "they'll take the kids all over the place! I know there was a trip to Japan recents; we did a tour of parks throughout Europe, too. Iceland and China have been highlights for be, personally, and I got the squirrels all up in arms this one time we were down south somewhere, the Bahamas or the Caribbean, maybe, I'm not quite sure, this planet's too big to bother too much with all ot's geography, but really, all I did was eat Guinea pig on a stick!

"Still," she asked, her head tilting thoughtfully, hand back go her chin, "it's a nice bonus for use teachers to get to go as chaperones. 'Course..." And here was the coop de grace-y, "I suppose most of us tend to use it as a good way to get a friend in on a free trip, too..."

[alwaysonguard]

"Oh nice perk there indeed for the teachers, a great opportunity for the kids too! And it's cool the school gives the teachers a plus one. Makes sense, I know a lot of them have someone they would bring along. Kitty has Clint. Roas has Miguel."

Dwight leaned over the adjust a piece in the cart that was starting to shift and slide out.

"Who are you taking as your plus one?" he asked as he stood back up.

[special_rabbit]

"Well, wouldn't it just figure?" Amaya said, sounding like it was just the darndest thing in the world. "I haven't really got one, at the moment. I used to bunk with Rosa on these things, before she really got together with Miguel, and we did that, for old times sake, with the Japan trip, but I don't think she'd be too keen on mixing it up like that again after the lobsters..."

This was said as if she wouldn't have imagined there'd be any follow up questions about the lobsters, and, even if there was, she didn't pause long enough before giving a grin and a sort of snort-back of a laugh.

"Don't suppose," she said, "you'd be interested in picking up a spot on the trip, would you, Dwight?"

But not at all to save her from eventually feeling guilty enough to give that free spot to a sad and miserable friend, because she wouldn't wish that week on even her worst enemy...

...well, maybe her worst, but...

[alwaysonguard]

Dwight had started to ask about the lobsters, but Amaya seemed in no way to be too keen on giving any more details about that at the moment so he decided not to press. He did raise an eyebrow slightly at the invite though.

"You'd really give me your plus one for the trip?" he asked as a smile crept over his face.

It had taken a while to have the island finally start to feel like home and like he was finally settling in and was shedding the 'new guy' flag that had seemed to follow him everywhere. The smile broadened a little cuz of the handful of people he had felt like he was really getting to know and get comfortable around, one was already going on the trip and the other had just invited him to go with them.

"I'd love to go if you are sure" he said with a nod.

[special_rabbit]

The relief that washed over Amaya at the response was evident, with a small, grateful sigh and a smile to match,b ecause, boy, if he'd said no, the only other option he'd come up with was probably Kyōraku, and that would be....well...

Let's just say that Amaya could just kiss you right now, Dwight. She wasn't going to, because that would be weird and awkward, but she could, were she more the kissing type.

"Sure I'm sure!" she then said, with a small pump of her fist to add the confirmation. "After all, what's the point in having a plus one if it's just going to waste? Good way to get you in on all the action, anyway. I always feel a little bad for the ones staying behind. Apparently, this place turns into a regular ghost town without the students and the faculty running around."

[alwaysonguard]

"Well, considering the entire island and therefor the town itself is kinda built around the school, that is not at all surprising..." he said with a grin. After a moment of thought he brought up the one question, maybe concern, he had based off what Amaya had already said. "But the trip sounds like a great time. And the lobsters are....?"

[special_rabbit]

"I think maybe," Amaya asked with a grin, "you'd best ask Miguel about the lobsters. Or better yet...Rosa."

Come on, now, Amaya, you liked Dwight, why would you do that to him?

"Or next time you're in the shop," she offered, "I'll introduce you to them. But let's just hope, in general, on this trip, no one's putting any in your bed."

[alwaysonguard]

"Ah yeah, hopefully none on the trip... that would be preferable" Dwight said with a slightly nervous chuckle.

"So, do I need to do anything to get in on the tip? I'm assuming Dean Skywalker is heading things up? Oh, and when do we leave and come back so I can make sure everything is squared away at the shop beforehand."

He really wasn't the spontaneous type to be honest. Outside of his time in the military where everything was done when and where you were told to, Dwight was a pretty strong planner and usually had at least a general idea of what he wanted or needed to do within a general time frame. So this level of spontaneity was a bit our of his comfort zone. But he couldn't deny that he was excited about it at the same time!

[special_rabbit]

Amaya shook her head a little, with a lift of her hand. "I'm sure all I'll have to do is drop a note with the moose," she said, "and it'll all be taken care of. Which means all you need to worry about once you get your ducks in a row is being on the causeway when we leave on Sunday morning."

Amaya looked for a moment like she was going to say something more, but hesitated. She wasn't, after all, completely oblivious to the complaints previous roommates had had regarding her snoring, so maybe she should at least give Dwight a head's up?

....nahhhh. There was no way it was really that bad! Everyone else had just been exaggerating, and surely, the sleep apnea machine Rosa had gotten her since helped considerably!

(Spoiler alert: it had not)

Besides, best not run the risk of it causing Dwight to change his mind now that she had him roped in and her plus one spot secured against an inevitably much, much, much, much, much more awkward week...

[alwaysonguard]

Dwight nodded and made a quick to-do list in his head to make sure he would be ready by Sunday.

"Sounds good, I'll be ready. Bout time I dragged the old duffle bag out from under the bed and used it again. Been sitting here collecting dust since I arrived. humm... gotta remember to look up the weather for that week and make sure I pack the right clothes."

Who were you kidding Dwight? You barely owned ten sets of clothes and they were all basically variations of the same shirt and jeans. You were going to be fine with packing, just make sure you grabbed your jacket and you would be fine.