Back on the Doghouse Again...

[velesdonnersen]

 [The doghouse in the backyard of 1126 Taylor Road is turning into Tarvek's personal little corner.  He sits on the roof, with just enough shade from a shade tree, and just enough sun, and the doghouse has a flat peak, so he can sit comfortably cross-legged. He's there, today, far more sober than he's been in awhile, in more senses than one.]

[The

Comments

[ooeeooahah]

[ She notices him on the doghouse from the street, and enters by the gate. ]

[ When he pauses in his drawing, she speaks. ]

Please tell me you haven't moved out here.

[velesdonnersen]

Very good, m'Lady Ilsa.

Show me what this clanking monster can do!

[ooeeooahah]

This is also your chance to get used to the ground speed, you know.

[ At the end of the highway, she smoothly accelerates, leveling out at about 55 mph, scanning for a posted speed limit. ]

So, sometime in the next dozen miles or so, there's supposed to be an edit blip in the loop.

[velesdonnersen]

Edit blip?

[Giggle-snort.]

Ok. Edit blip. [smiles... while hanging onto dash and door frame with white fingers.]

It's not the speed, exactly. It was all the movement around us. Here -- it's almost like flying, or skating. Fast, but not terrifying.

[ooeeooahah]

I don't suggest you try higher speeds until you're comfortable with your control.

[ She hasn't seen a speed limit sign yet, but she has seen the white knuckles in passing.

[ When they get back to town, she pulls over. ]

So, the highway seems deserted enough. Care to give it a try?

[velesdonnersen]

[If only the man knew the right 50s car-songs. He'd be singing about "Oh, Maybelline," and "Hot Rod Lincoln," and "Baby Won't You Ride My Car." He's ready for a machine, oh, yeah, baby...]

Yes!

[Slips out of his seat like a hot-wired weasel, scoots around to open her door, and as she slips out -- the Hand Is There, waiting for the keys like a bell-hop waiting for a tip. As soon as he can he eeeeaaaases his way into the driver's seat. As she gets into her seat...]

I checked the tires and the exterior as I walked around, and looked for rocks, toys, mimmoths, maxi-mimmoths, velociraptors, animated hay-stacks, clanks, mechanical squid, and anything else in the way.

[Carefully and contemplatively checks all mirrors, tests his leg-room (isn't it good they're both tall?), finds the pedals...]

[Cheerful snark....]

Yes. I see. Definitely.

So... tell me, madame-teacher, what does what? It's going to take more than turning the key, and turning the wheel, isn't it?

[ooeeooahah]

Right - the pedal on the right is the accelerator. The pedal on the left is the driving brake.

Way over on the far left there are some more controls you should know about from reading the owner's manual.

[ She gives him a cheeky smile.

Take it easy with both on this first run-through.

[ She settles in, exuding calm relaxation. ]

[velesdonnersen]

[Ooooh, she's put him on his mettle. A challenge, eh? Fortunately he has been reading his manual, and has further looked long and hard at all the widgets and levers and such. He sets his feet carefully, sets one foot on the brake for extra security, turns the ignition, and, as the engine revs, eases lightly on the gas.]

[He smiles at the rumbling response, and he plays for a second, seeing how the gas revs the engine, and slacks off as he releases pressure. He nods to himself. He releases the safety brake, checks in all directions, puts the car into drive, and, with a sly look from under his lashes, eases out onto the highway. He plays gingerly with the speed, wobbles the steering wheel to test response, pulls over, carefully pulls out again, this time turning to go the other way... and pulls to the side only as they're returning to Mayfield again.]

[Looks sidewise, and smiles.]

I do confess: that's the simple part. I need to practice more before I attempt traffic. But I didn't kill us yet.

[ooeeooahah]

Another reason to choose the sedan was the automatic transmission. The convertible is going to need a weekend or so to get used to it.

[ She hasn't made a move to exit the car.

So, late afternoon, light traffic, where do you want to drive?

[velesdonnersen]

[Gneep. Ok. He's game. But he has no place he needs to go right now... and he's too Europan mannerly to just suggest he go to her house. He takes the manipulative route, and lets her choose...]

Nowhere in particular. I'll let you navigate, while I worry about the traffic.

[ooeeooahah]

[ She chuckles, ] Fair enough. Think you can make it to your office building from here?

[velesdonnersen]

[Fortunately Mayfield is not exactly a complex layout. He thinks he might even be able to manage it without her help... not that he's going to say so. He reviews all the little rules in the booklet he found in the library... one of the few useful bits of printed material he's found there. Takes a deep breath.]

Yes. I think I can manage.

[Starts the car, eases into his lane, and proceeds cautiously. He has a bit of trouble timing his stops -- he gets honked at once or twice, to his dismay. But he does well, and they end up at work.]

Would you like to come in? I've told them I have someone working part-time for me, as a light-labor secretary. I can introduce you, and then if you need to come in some time they'll know who you are.

It's a drone office. They're not much company, but they do insist on minding the rules.

[ooeeooahah]

Someone will be in the office this late?

Or is this the place you've been doing your printing?

That reminds me, I could do with another couple of maps. I've given away most of my blank ones.

[velesdonnersen]

I've been using the mimeograph here, yes. Once they showed me how.

It's ingenious -- and it gives me a headache when I try to figure out how it works. [Sigh]

People will be here. They... I hate to say they pretend to be slaving hard over intense cases, but the truth is I can find very little law actually being practiced in Mayfield. Most of what they are doing is the same work they did the day before, but they seem to have forgotten they did it.

[He does a full check of the car, including the hand brake, slips out, opens her door, and offers his arm.]

In any case, they always have a person or two "burning the midnight oil" as they say, "working on a major contract for a big client." [Shrugs.] The good part is I have the same client come in every day to see me about a will. The bad news is I'm getting more and more tempted to start saying insane things just to entertain myself.

[ooeeooahah]

Hmm...

[ Yes, it's an office. The equipment is antiquated by her standards. But it's easy enough to locate the supplies needed to make the copies. ]

I'm afraid you'll have to show me how to use one of these things, they were being phased out before I was born.

[ She continues in a quiet undertone ]

The maps are making getting the new residents settled easier. I haven't been putting all of the annotations on them, just most of the public locations and the offices. Well, and marking their home locations for them.

[velesdonnersen]

[He's quiet and competent as he shows her where he's stored the master stencil of his drawing of the map. He takes it from its file folder, fits it in place on the mimeo drum, explaining as he goes how the stencil is cut with a stylus, how it's protected when not in use, how the mimeo machine forces ink through the tracings onto paper