notachocobo: (☁03)
ᴄʟᴏᴜᴅ sᴛʀɪғᴇ ([personal profile] notachocobo) wrote in [community profile] edgeoflife2016-07-23 09:48 am

The Mechanic Life | OTA

Cloud was fairly certain that if it got any hotter, the entire city was just going to start to melt. The lack of power to keep things cool was making Edge a miserable place to be but it was home and while the beach had been a nice break, he couldn't stay away forever. He had work to do.

Work that included making sure his bike--and the one he was preparing for his younger self on the sly--were in tip top condition.

Most of his usual gear abandoned on his work bench thanks to the heat, the blonde was elbow deep in the engine of the bike he was repairing for his younger self, the engine propped up on a few old crates as he attempted to replace the cylinder heads. The thing still fired up, he'd tried it before doing anything, but it didn't sound like it should and the last thing Cloud wanted was for it to break down while anyone was riding it. He frowned softly at the engine block, sweating beading down his face thanks to the heat and he paused to wipe it away with his shoulder. (No easy task when your hands were preoccupied with holding together parts of an engine.)

Finally getting the cylinder head into place, he slipped the bolts back where they needed to go before easing his arms out of the small space. The combination of sweat and grease from the motor was not the most pleasant feeling but this was only a small part of what he needed to do to get his old bike road ready.

Next up, he needed to make sure the timing was right.
backwatertrooper: (tiny happy smile - noogie him)

[personal profile] backwatertrooper 2016-07-23 03:01 pm (UTC)(link)
Peering into the garage before he actually slipped inside and then stopped by the door, Tifa having pointed him in the right direction, Cloud smiled without even thinking about it - small, maybe, but there - when he spotted the bike and then his older self, who looked even worse than how Cloud felt.

Glancing down at the glass in his hands that Tifa had handed him, it was obvious why, now. He hadn't actually thought any work would get done on the bike yet, especially not when the heat-wave hit and the power kept being shut off.

"Hi."
backwatertrooper: (so see sir... - suggestions)

[personal profile] backwatertrooper 2016-07-23 05:05 pm (UTC)(link)
There's things they're good at like picking up huge swords like it's nothing, but words aren't among those things, no.

Now that his older self knew he was here, Cloud came closer, crossing the floor slowly and glancing between the bike and the exposed engine. He shook his head at the question and held out the glass when he was close enough.

"... nothing, really," Cloud said, voice soft, "I think this is yours." Well, Tifa's glass, but meant for Cloud, that was.
backwatertrooper: (smile - yes sir!)

[personal profile] backwatertrooper 2016-07-24 11:51 pm (UTC)(link)
"Yes!" Cloud eagerly exclaimed and then blinked, snapping his mouth shut and looked aside, ducking his head. He was blushing, he just knew it. "... yeah. Please."

There was nothing to blame that on other than he'd been looking forward to it... and not just as a distraction for how out of sorts he'd felt since this heat wave started. It wasn't even anything new, though the constant lack of power certainly was. But maybe it was just that there'd been a late heat wave before the mission to Nibelheim...

"... didn't think you'd start yet, with the heat," he said softly, snagging up the empty glass and putting it out of the way to give himself a moment before he came back, crouching down and, despite lingering embarrassment, absolutely ready.
backwatertrooper: (so see sir... - suggestions)

[personal profile] backwatertrooper 2016-07-25 10:29 am (UTC)(link)
"Summer in Midgar isn't ideal for anything," Cloud mutters with a shake of his head, voice a little dry as he gets up and fetches the indicated wrench. Really, the last few weeks has taught him far more than he wanted to know about what lack of consistent power and air-con can do, and here he'd thought summer in Midgar was terrible enough as it was.

Coming back, he crouches back down and offers the wrench up silently, eyeing the for-now gutted bike and really hopes that being in control of the vehicle will help. And not just because he's looking forward to it, but with the older blond already having put effort into this, he'd feel guilty if it didn't work out.
backwatertrooper: (looking up - alert)

[personal profile] backwatertrooper 2016-07-28 12:14 am (UTC)(link)
Listening quietly with the same sort of determination he'd taken to anything while at ShinRa, Cloud frowned, trying to keep everything separate in his head. When his older self moved out of the way, he let out his next breath softly, bit his lip and nodded.

"Okay."

It was kinda funny, really - the words were different, and it was about an engine, but the sentiment was similar to what he'd (they'd) been told to do quite a lot of times... when it came to rifles.

And assembling or disassembling a rifle, while it'd seemed daunting at first, had fewer parts and bolts than this.

Cloud wasn't sure how far he'd gotten when he was starting to hesitate - it didn't feel long, but maybe that was just the nagging sense of failure that kept bubbling up. After a third try, he let out a frustrated sigh, went back to the last thing he was absolutely sure of, and glanced up at the older blond.

"Not... sure what's next," he admitted quietly and telling himself that actually learning something like this in a single go was unreasonable didn't exactly help. But he'd just... keep at it.
backwatertrooper: (looking up - ready)

[personal profile] backwatertrooper 2016-07-28 01:17 pm (UTC)(link)
The hand on his shoulder and the reassurance make him relax, some tension bleeding out. If it was someone else aside from Zack, he might not believe he was as close as that, but this was his older self talking and why... wouldn't he believe him?

"... oh. Right," Cloud nods, frowning a little as he glances down at the collection of bolts and it's obvious now, but he'd been staring himself blind without figuring out what he was doing wrong. "That makes sense."

Another nod, and the frown mostly disappears for a small smile, one which brightens when that does solve the bump he'd hit. Sure, just doing this once doesn't mean he's gotten it completely, he knows that, but it feels pretty good anyway.

And, aside from the snag, that had been... fun. Glancing to the bike the engine belonged to, Cloud tilts his head.

"Where'd it come from, anyway..?" He nods his head in the bike's direction, trying to blow a sweaty bang out of his face and suddenly hoping it wasn't bought just for this.
exturkishdelight: (goldarmwolf)

[personal profile] exturkishdelight 2016-07-23 04:14 pm (UTC)(link)
Vincent leaned against the garage door, watching Cloud for some time. Even he felt the heat, and was actually thankful of the Turk-required suit. While the leather he wore normally wasn't something he bothered complaining about it did affect him with heat on days like this.

It seemed the heat was getting to Cloud as well. He chose to take a moment to pick up water and a towel from the bar. Carefully so he wasn't caught by anyone else.

He felt odd. This wasn't how anyone had seen him in this generation before.

"Cloud." The water was offered with his gauntlet covered hand so he didn't turn and just see a Turk's suit and assume Rufus's lackeys were coming to bother him.
exturkishdelight: (Default)

[personal profile] exturkishdelight 2016-07-23 04:40 pm (UTC)(link)
Ugh.

Vincent's hand lifted, as if to pull up the collar of his cloak that was normally there. He realized what he was doing as he did it, hand closing into a fist because it was too late to hide what he was doing.

He was embarrassed and now it was more obvious.

"Its.. fine."

He makes a vague motion at Cloud, head turning away.

"You too."

Any level of smooth mystery he had normally was out the door. It was clearly frustrating for Vincent to be unable to hide behind his layers of various types of fabric and animal skin.

"That's not why I'm here."
exturkishdelight: (Default)

[personal profile] exturkishdelight 2016-07-25 01:42 am (UTC)(link)
Vincent gave Cloud a long suffering look. He hadn't meant it that way. Though he took a moment to glance over Cloud.

"...the normalcy of every day life look."

But never mind that. He wasn't here for any particular conversation. Just.. a favor.

"I.. have a request and I require the utmost discretion. You are the only one I am confident in."
exturkishdelight: (goldarmwolf)

[personal profile] exturkishdelight 2016-07-28 12:40 am (UTC)(link)
Vincent nods and sheds the blazer. He finds some corner to hook it on. His sleeve was rolled up over his elbow already. Next comes off the various clasps and buckles keeping that gold firmly locked around his forearm. The metal clanks down onto Cloud's workbench.

The long leather glove underneath was clearly worn, with various points of repair. A single zipper kept it as tight as it was around his arm and he pulls it down. A tug on the fingers of the glove and he pulls his arm free.

It was thinner due to a clear lack of actual skin, the muscles easy to see. They were sinewy with the dark tone of leather, calloused and thick but still mobile. Long, thin fingers ended in bony, wicked looking claws that had clearly filled out the gauntlet fingertips rather easily.

"Could you assist me in trimming these down."
shinra_dog: (Smirk)

[personal profile] shinra_dog 2016-07-24 02:56 am (UTC)(link)
Reno crossed his arms as he lurked, watching Cloud work. It had taken a bit of creative thinking, but he finally found the blonde. When Cloud didn't want to be found, he usually wasn't found. Looked like he'd be staying around for awhile.

"Need a hand?" he offered.
shinra_dog: (Super!)

[personal profile] shinra_dog 2016-07-26 06:25 am (UTC)(link)
Reno laughed and approached with a grin. Yep, that was about as friendly as he could expect Cloud to be. It was actually an improvement.

"Shit, I used t' jack these all the time," he admitted, slipping off his jacket. He wouldn't say more than that on the subject, and of course each bike had their own little quirks. But at the most basic level? Reno knew what he was doing -- primarily because he liked to go fast.
shinra_dog: (Attitude)

[personal profile] shinra_dog 2016-07-28 04:10 am (UTC)(link)
"I didn't always leave 'em in one piece." And, true, taking things apart wasn't quite putting them back together, either. But it was close -- just backwards.

Reno lay his jacket at the end of Cloud's workbench, rolled up his sleeves, and did as he was told. "Aye, boss," he drawled, twirling one of the wrenches in his hand as he brought them over.
shimmer_on: (Pinkie_and_Sunset_thrilled_to_see_--Twil)

[personal profile] shimmer_on 2016-07-24 03:54 pm (UTC)(link)
Sunset had been deep into her own project which was also a motorcycle, but she had the unfamiliarity of certain parts to go by.

When she noticed the noises coming from where Cloud was working, she went over and leaned against the door. "Hey," she greeted. "Working on a cycle?"
shimmer_on: (Sunset_accepts_Vice_Principal_Luna's_tas)

[personal profile] shimmer_on 2016-07-24 11:44 pm (UTC)(link)
"Two? The owner of the second must be a lucky person then," said Sunset with a small smile.

"I'm Sunset, I'm trying to build a cycle for myself, but it's slower going with my income being what it's like lately."
shimmer_on: (Sunset_Shimmer_--I_really_wanna_help--_E)

[personal profile] shimmer_on 2016-07-24 11:56 pm (UTC)(link)
"Huh, well that's a good thing then," said Sunset with a smile. "Cloud huh? Nice to meet you."

She nodded at his mention of work and said, "Yeah, I really did. I'm going to check out the WRO, and see if they've got work in their science division. I'm kind of a former magic student and I'd like to expand on that, since I don't have my magic here."
shimmer_on: (Sunset_Shimmer_--I_don't_understand--_EG)

[personal profile] shimmer_on 2016-07-25 12:54 am (UTC)(link)
She nodded thoughtfully, shifting her weight as she cupped her chin in thought.

"I heard of Materia, at least after I recovered and was given a basic rundown of this place. I'm so used to a magic system that makes no sense compared to my homeworld's magic system, that I'm glad there's a system here that basically makes more sense." Explained Sunset as she circled thoughtfully in place, pacing.
shimmer_on: (Sunset_--can't_expect_her_to_always_be_a)

[personal profile] shimmer_on 2016-07-27 11:44 pm (UTC)(link)
"I'm used to doing the impossible before, so this wouldn't be that big of an issue," said Sunset with a confident smile before tapping her chin thoughtfully.

"Although there's only attack and augmentation materia from what I heard, correct?"
thegreatninja: (Very cute)

[personal profile] thegreatninja 2016-07-24 08:13 pm (UTC)(link)
Yuffie was just watching Cloud. Her chin rested in her hands while her elbows rested on the counter. The toe to her boot lightly tapped the ground as the noises of metal on metal ring through the space. She didn't mind the heat but that was because she always wore shorts and a tight tank top.

"If you take off more clothes it'll be more of a show." Her tone was light and teasing, clearly not serious. "Miss me?" Yuffie grinned at him.

"I found your double and it was weird. Were you at the beach?"
thegreatninja: (easy)

[personal profile] thegreatninja 2016-07-25 12:23 am (UTC)(link)
"Awww, that's means I missed you. Damn it." She wasn't above reminding everyone that she missed them and that she should come and see her often. Not that anyone did but she continued to pester people and see what they were up too.

"Only so much time for fun. So what you up too?"

She swung her legs beneath the counter and then used the momentum to lift herself and sit on top of the counter. It was a fluid motion and easy for the lethal ninja. "Oh, yeah. I don't think he likes me so if you see him again talk me up, kay?"

Mostly she teased the crap out of him, as she did with most people. She also stool his things but it's okay because she returned them.
thegreatninja: (oh shi--)

[personal profile] thegreatninja 2016-07-29 12:23 am (UTC)(link)
Yuffie’s lips pursed as she watched him from her position on the counter. Her feet kicked lazily in the air, her dark eyes studying her friend with a curious and yet passive stare. She clicked her tongue, which she often did when she was annoyed about something.

“Yeah, looks like you’re having loads of fun.” She didn’t mean for that to sound so sharp. “Hey.” Her tone lightened considerably as a through slipped to the forefront of her mind. “You think Tif will be at the bar?” Yuffie had a few places that she was planning to hit up while she was around but she wanted to make sure before she began running around like a chocobo with its head cut off.

Her jaw dropped at Cloud’s last comment. She expected it but that didn’t mean she wasn’t going to be theatrical about it. “What?! Are you saying that I’m not a good character?! That’s so mean! I’ll have you know that I’ve been helping out a lot! Just ask Reeve.” She turned her head sharply to the side.

“This is what I get for coming to see you. You’re such a pain Cloud.” Her tone suggested that she was annoyed but there was a bit of affection beneath that. They really were a strange dysfunctional family.
lookingforhead: (Thoughtful)

[personal profile] lookingforhead 2016-07-27 03:26 pm (UTC)(link)
Going around on foot was terrible. She didn't know why, but she couldn't summon her horse, and while there were perhaps worse things it was against her nature to be so limited like this. She needed the open road.

Her wanderings and a bit of serendipity took her past the garage where Cloud was working. The newcomer, hearing the sounds of someone working on a bike, peered inside curiously. She was silent however, her footsteps and that itching at the back of one's neck over being watched giving Cloud more warning of her company than any normal greeting.

The black clad woman stood in the doorway, half clinging to it. She wore a leather jacket in spite of the heat, and for some reason a hood as well, the front tugged down to obscure her face in darkness, though there seemed to be a faint glow coming from within.
lookingforhead: (Profile)

[personal profile] lookingforhead 2016-08-02 04:29 am (UTC)(link)
She jumped a bit in surprise, embarrassed at being caught eavesdropping. She shifted and turned, at war with herself as she tried to decide if to simply leave or speak to this man. In the end her curiosity about his motorcycle won out.

She walked over, motioning with her arm as if to produce something from her sleeve, but it didn't seem to do what she intended. She paused, and then with the jolt of someone remembering something pulled her phone from her pants pocket instead. Closing the distance she typed something into it and held it up for him to read.

'Sorry. I didn't mean to bother you. Is that your bike?