date at the boardwalk

who: mickey and eily
where: the boardwalk
when: evening

It was getting dark, which just made the Boardwalk look prettier. All the lights really sold the atmosphere of the place, something Eily appreciated. The Syndicate owned the place, something she only knew through her family ties, not that any of them were alive again. She knew her family hadn't been getting any of the cut of this place, since they'd had other assets. Walking along slowly with Mickey, they headed through the gates into the menagerie of carnival like attractions. "Today has been a good day." she said firmly, smiling.

“Seems like it,” Mickey said glancing at Eily with a bright smile. Things really did seem to be going well. Further inspection of the place had yielded nothing but good things. It would need work, but nothing that they couldn’t handle. “You have an idea for when you want to get things up and running?” he asked her, taking in the lights and the small crowd.

"As soon as I can. I'll need to do a lot of work on the inside before we can open properly and such, but hopefully I can get workers in there to do that, and if you can help, I'll of course pay you." she promised. "And thank you for coming with today, to look at the place. I really appreciated that. I really wouldn't have known what I was looking at with all the wires and pipes and such."

“Well Miles isn’t useless, he seems to have his wits about him,” Mickey said with a shrug. There was the issue of his head injury and whatever Miles had said was affected, but the man seemed to carry his own. “I’m glad I could help though. It’s nice to be useful every once in a while.” He smiled with the comment, obviously just joking.

"...I never said he was?" Eily asked, blinking slightly, not sure where that statement had even come from. So, she was confused, and that was clear on her features. "Where did that come from?" she asked.

Mickey glanced at her, surprised by the confusion. “Just that you didn’t need me completely. You already had someone who could help. I’m still glad you called though, that I could help.” Did he say something wrong?

"Oh...um...okay?" Eily suggested, still not quite sure where that had come from. "It's kind of a big place, and there was a lot to go through, I didn't want to land it all on one person's shoulders. Besides, I've been told by more than one person to be sure I get more than one take on things, just so nothing is missed. I just...I know he's not useless. That's just kind of a harsh way to word things. I know he has some issues, but..." The way he'd said it sort of made her feel like he was putting her in a bitchy light, like she'd only asked him to come in because she didn't believe Miles could do things. She wasn't mad about it, it just left her feeling sort of off and bewildered.

Mickey shook his head. “I never meant to imply it. Sort of thing I’d joke about if there wasn’t anything wrong with him. Sorry.” He touched her arm gently, worried he’d really messed up showing in his eyes. “I don’t think bad of the guy at all. Even if he has issues he earned them serving his country. I wish I could hang my hat on the same. And you did do right, getting more than one set of eyes on the place. I didn’t mean to say the wrong thing.”

"It's okay." she said, forgiving him for it, believing he hadn't meant to say it like it had come off. She smiled at him to show that she meant it. "Saying the wrong thing--well everyone does that sometimes, so it's fine, don't worry about it." she added, to further smooth things over. "And yeah. Tonight, I'm really hoping Ally makes a move, or something. At least talks to the guy."

“Thanks. I think I’m bound to do it more than most though,” he told Eily, smiling a little. “Talk to him...oh really?” That was interesting given the conversation he’d had with Miles. “So she is interested in him as more than a friend. I told him it wasn’t just pity.”

"It isn't just pity." Eily confirmed. Or, it hadn't been. Or something. Ally had needed a talking to, but she'd provided that. "So you two got to talking about her?" she asked, lighting up as she grinned. "Now you have to tell me what was said!"

Mickey shook his head. “I should have kept my mouth shut again,” he teased, drawing out giving her information. “Talk between men you know, can’t go sharing that. You wouldn’t tell me about your girl talk with Ally would you?”

She giggled, amused. "I would give you a version of what we talked about! Aww, c'mon, I promise I won't say anything." she begged. "I just think it's sweet, and romantic, and I really hope it doesn't turn into anything silly. I hope people can forget their pride."

“So what did you talk about?” Mickey asked, eyebrow raised in curiosity. “And by version you mean half of it. Not the good bits.” He laughed lightly and shook his head. “I pointed out that he seemed smitten with her. He said that she was one of his oldest friends, the one who got him. I tried to compare it to Elle, but he talks about her in a way I’d never talk about Elle. He was worried she stuck around out of pity, but I have my doubts. The guy left and she was there when he got back. That’s not pity, not matter how you peel it.”

"Hey--girls have to have their secrets, you know." Eily told him, laughing. "You'd never talk about Elle like that?" she asked. "You two seemed...." she paused, trying to find the right word. "Like a couple who's been married for years."

“I think girls have more secrets than guys,” Mickey said, still smiling before shaking his head about Elle. “No, never. It’s not...it’s not like that. The idea of Elle and I being more than friend is ridiculous.” He laughed at the idea of them being the old married couple. “We’re comfortable with each other, but we’ve been friends since school. She was there when I wasn’t in the best place, didn’t judge me for it.” He shrugged one shoulder. “I don’t have much of anyone from before, she’s the only one. Gives us a different level of understanding I guess.”

"I really had to wonder if you two were together, when she showed up at the diner." Eily told him. "You sort of behave like it? Like with the way you speak to each other, the sort of looks you give each other. Why is it ridiculous?" she asked. Even if they were sort of on a date, they didn't have an official status yet, and she was truly curious.

Mickey opened his mouth once to answer then didn’t find the words right away. “You did?” he managed after a moment. “You should have asked, it’s not...wow going out with you makes me seem like a complete jerk if you thought I was with her.” He ran a hand through his hair, feeling awful about that. Sure, no one had said this was a real date, but it felt close to it. It made him wonder why she’d said yes in the first place. “It’s ridiculous because it’s Elle. It just...It’s not like that. Not sure how else to describe it.”

Eily laughed. "Having a little lunch with someone isn't really a date-date. We never said it was a date, so it didn't make you a jerk, even if it had been true. I just wanted to spend some time with you, honestly, and if it turned out you had a girlfriend, I still would have wanted to spend time with you." she explained. "Just wondering. I mean, she's pretty. She seems to know everything about you, and all."

“She is pretty, but no, not my girlfriend. In fact she’s into some guy she refuses to tell me anything about, just blushes wildly when I asked about him,” Mickey said. “And she doesn’t know everything. There’s still a lot left to be learned.” He smiled, taking a few more steps before turning a little to look at her. “What about this? Where does this fall on the date-date scale of things?” It was a touch bolder than he normally would have gone for, but like Eily had said, it was a good day and since they were on the topic it didn’t seem to outlandish to ask.

She smiled. "I'm not sure yet." she told him. "I guess you'll just have to figure out if you're signing up to be a suitor or not." she added. Which was kind of the truth, really. She could choose accordingly when she got to it, but it would mean they'd need to figure out if there was more going on. "Where did you think it was?"

“You make it sound like there’s a long list,” Mickey teased though there was some truth behind it. He did feel as if she’d be the type to have plenty of suitors. “Where did I think it was?” he asked making a face. “I’ve no idea actually. Been...sort of going with the flow here. I didn’t want to assume anything.”

"Not a long list..." Eily told him, because yeah. Really not. Like him and Jason, and that was the entirety of the list. "I like going with the flow." she told him. "Sort of takes the pressure off on things, and lately that's been a real plus for me." Her life had been full of ups and downs, so having something that was less unstable was great.

“Ah but there is still a list,” Mickey said with a small chuckle. It meant competition which he guessed meant he didn’t stand a chance, but that didn’t stop him from reaching for her hand that didn’t have the cast on it. “I wouldn’t want to pressure you into anything,” he promised, genuine in the comment. “We’ll see where it goes then. I will try not to be a complete idiot.”

"I trust you." Eily told him, and it was genuine. She didn't think he was the kind of guy who would pressure anything. He was too gentle for that. Too good natured. She appreciated it about him. "I'm pretty sure you don't have to try not to be an idiot. So far you're doing just fine. Besides. I like being around you because I like who you happen to be. So, don't try to be someone else. If you're an idiot, you're an idiot." she teased lightly.

He grinned at that, squeezing her hand just a little. “You are one of very few who feel that way,” he told her. “But I appreciate that you like who I am.” It was a bit of a feat given that not many people actually knew who he was. He was close to genuine about his true nature with her, but at the same time there were still things he held back, still things about him that adapted to her. “So what did you want to do tonight?”

"I don't know. Play some games? Ride some rides?" she suggested. "I'm pretty open to suggestion. What do you find fun?" she asked, laying her gaze on him after she looked around them again. What's Mickey find entertaining?"

Mickey considered the carnival type area. “Well I’ve got to say, not sure I can do anything that spins too much. My balance is off enough, doesn’t need more help with being dizzy on top of that.” He grinned with the comment. “Though if I was any kind of guy at all, I’d be trying to win you some sort of prize.”

"Okay, so no spinning things." Eily confirmed. "And you could do that. I wouldn't turn down a prize." she told him, laughing a touch. "Are you going to win me a stuffed rabbit or something?" She looked around and saw the section dedicated to games. "How much do you think it would cost you to do that? Considering I'm sure all the games are rigged..."

“Do you want a stuffed rabbit?” he asked. “You struck me more as the bear with a bowtie type of girl.” Shaking his head. “Well, there’s no proof they’re rigged right? But at the same I do like to think that I can knock those bottles over with a baseball every time.” He considered it for a moment. “Alright what about we put a cap on it. If I can’t win something within a certain price, then we call it a wash?”

"Okay." Eily agreed. "up to you what the cap is, it's your money." she added. "and if you're winning me something, you get to pick what it is I take home." She was interested in his comment, though. "What about me says 'bear with a bow tie'?" she asked curiously.

“Cap’s at two dollars,” Mickey said, pulling the money from a pocket and holding it out to her. “Which you get to hang on to to keep me honest.” He couldn’t help but smile a little, already liking the terms of the game. “Honestly? Not much. What about you says stuffed rabbit? Because I was trying to figure that out myself. Thought maybe you’d correct me and elaborate on why you’d rather have a rabbit than a bear.” He gave a teasing look then made his way over to the booth.

"Everyone has a teddy bear at home. Not everyone has a stuffed rabbit." Eily told him. "But I would take anything, really. It's less about the actual prize and more about how you got it." she explained, walking along and heading for the game where he'd have to throw a baseball.

“So it’s an idea of being different then?” Mickey asked casually. He had a hard time with wanting to be different but that was likely rooted in the glaring fact that he was different. Outside of his disability he spent most of his time trying to blend in those around. “Hopefully when you tell your girlfriends about it, you speak fondly of it then, be it a bear or a rabbit.”

"I'll admit that I like being different." Eily said. "If everyone was the same, life would be pretty boring." she added. She knew. With the society rules she'd painstakingly learned, she knew just how much everyone had to behave the same. How everyone needed to all be on the same page, no one stepping even a little out of line. "But I'll appreciate it no matter what it is, promise."

Maybe life would be boring. Mickey rarely found life boring, but he had a unique view to understand that every day was a gift, but perhaps she was right. If he was the same as everyone else it might not be any better than standing out. “How else do you like being different besides, stuffed rabbits and knowing how to throw a mean left hook?” he asked as they got to the booth. He took a moment to lean against it, waiting on Eily to hand over the money.

"I don't know, it's kind of a new thing with me." Eily admitted. "I've spent a whole lot of time making sure I fit in with a certain crowd. They definitely don't like people who stand out. You're meant to be part of the whole picture, not be grabbing attention from others. Even if it's outright competition in other areas, and people still like to do it? It's all with very specific rules involved." She smirked. "As for my left hook, you don't grow up in an Irish family and not have one." she explained, handing the vendor the money.

“Well new is typically different,” Mickey agreed. “Though I wouldn’t say it’s that the expectations aren’t there when you move to a different social circle. Being different in some ways is more acceptable, but being different in general isn’t always easy.” He kept a casual tone to his voice, but it was an honest admission of what it was like for him. Grinning at the attendant he took the first off the three baseballs and took his first shot cleanly missing even if his aim had been spot on. Right, definitely rigged.

"I get what you're saying, but do you know all that much about high society?" Eily asked, arching a brow at him. "I'm sure being different for you has been difficult at times. But what about the expectations of people around you? Does Elle have to work at fitting in? Or does she stand out? What's it like for her?"

Mickey laughed a little taking another shot and adjusting his aim a little. He missed again, but closer this time. “No, I know nothing about high society. I wouldn’t ever be and wouldn’t claim to know anything.” He shrugged, hoping that didn’t discount things because he wasn’t familiar with what went on in high society. “Elle?” he asked and considered it. “I think she does alright, but there’s more to Elle’s story than where she is now. I know that’s obvious, but she’s gonna know a lot more about high society then I ever would. As for fitting in in Little Haven, I think she does fine, but Elle’s not the type of person that people can look down on. She’s too damn nice.”

"What would she know about high society?" Eily asked. "And you'd be surprised what being nice gets you in certain circles." she added. Like society for instance. It was like sharks smelling blood in the water when people were too nice.

“She comes from better breeding than me. But we don’t talk about it much, both of us somewhere else from where we came from.” Mickey shrugged a little, tossing the baseball up twice in his hand before launching it again. He finally hit something this time, but not enough for a prize, though it helped with where he was aiming for. “Surprised?” he asked, looking back at Eily. “How so?”

That was interesting. Hm. "How much better?" Eily asked curiously, handing over some more money so Mickey could try again, though she was more interested in the conversation, really. "You talk about being nice like it's a good thing, or some shield that would mean nothing bad happened. That's really not the case, in my experience." she admitted.

Mickey thought about it, trying to remember properly. “Her father’s a doctor of some sort. He worked a the mental hospital over near the edge of town,” he said nodding in the general direction of Bedlam. “Still does probably but we don’t talk about her dad much.” There had been some issue, but Elle didn’t get into it and Mickey didn’t push. It wasn’t like it he shared that much about his personal life. “Doesn’t mean nothing bad happens, but I find it hard to believe that it’s a negative quality.”

"Bedlam?" Eily asked. "Oh. That's...interesting." she said. "Why's she not want to talk about her dad?" she asked. "Does she still live at home?" She leaned against the counter, watching him. "Yeah, I don't know that I can fully explain to you why it can be. If you don't get it, you don't get it." she said, not really saying it like it was a bad thing, just that she didn't know how to get it out there in a way he'd understand.

“It’s something,” Mickey agreed, taking the new set of baseballs and nodding to the attendant. He tried another throw, this one aiming away from where his eyes told him the bottles were, but much closer to where they actually were. Again he hit something, but it wasn’t quite hard enough to knock all of them over. “She lives with Shoshannah, the gal who runs the gallery.” He looked back at Eily. “As for her dad, I think something happened. He’s had a few wives and mistresses. I don’t think she got along with the last one well. I don’t pry.” If she wanted to talk about it, she would. “I guess I’ll have to learn then. Or try to.”

"Oh!" Eily said, connecting that. "Was she one of the girls you had to run off and check on?" she asked, smiling at him. He'd been worried about girls the night the place got attacked. She opened her mouth then shut it again, laughing just a little. "You don't pry, even if she's your best friend in the world and that seems like it would be important?" she asked. "I definitely think there's a difference between societies." she told him, amused. "Or maybe it's just me. I'm a prier. If someone's important to me, I don't take any sort of mysteries, I dig til I find out what's up."

“She was yes. Helped her piece the place back together as well as I could afterwards.” He really felt like talking about Shoshannah wasn’t the best idea. When he boiled all of it down, he did still have a crush on Shoshannah, but was developing quite a bit of one on Eily as well. And at the moment he was out with Eily. “I don’t pry because I feel like if she wants to talk to me about it, she will. She doesn’t know everything about me, I’m allowed to not know everything about her.” He laughed a little at her comment, shaking his head. “Guess you’ll be digging into me too huh?”

She nodded, unsurprised that he helped. "Sometimes a girl wants someone to show interest." Eily told him, just a bit of insight. "Sometimes it isn't about just the volunteering information? It's about someone showing they care enough to ask. Which might not be the case there, but just a bit of friendly female insight."

Mickey nodded lining up the next shot, trying to think of how best to send of enough force behind it this time. “I think when it comes to Elle she knows I’m there to talk to, or just there to support her silently. She’s a bit too positive to go into what bothers her when it bothers her, but I think she knows that if she needed it, I’ll be there.” He glanced back at Eily, letting his arm drop a little. “Hopefully you’re starting to believe me on that front as well when it comes to you.”

"I suppose I'm higher maintenance than that. I want someone who's willing to say something, or try to get something out of me than someone who'll just sit passively by and decide if I need something I'll go get it." Eily said, again, not actually saying it like it was a bad thing, just noting that there were big differences. "If it works for you two, then that's good. I'm sure it's nice to have a relationship you don't have to put that much work into."

Taking a moment to focus on the game again Mickey fired off the next ball, grinning as all the bottles fell off the little stand, just like they should. It got a dirty look from the attendant, but he didn’t care. He’d won Eily her gift. “It’s not a matter of it being something I don’t put work into, we just know each other well enough that we can focus on current things.” He nodded for Eily to pick out her prize. “I think what you’re saying makes sense, but you are also someone who does go get what she wants. Though if you’re giving me more friendly advice, I’ll keep in mind that you’re okay with me prying if you need it.”

When he knocked the bottles down, Eily let out a little happy squeak, bouncing on the balls of her feet and she clapped for him, totally ignoring the look they got from the vendor. She waited for him to choose something for her, since that had been the deal in the first place. He won it, he got to choose what she took home. "I'm just saying not everyone is the type who wouldn't take non-prying ways as disinterest." she said. "Like in society, there's a whole lot of that going on. granted, a lot of the time it isn't in a positive way, but it's there. Like Ally. I could see something was going on, so I pushed, because she wasn't going to come out with it on her own. Turned out, she had this whole bit mess that was weighing on her, and she needed to unload. But she wouldn't have done that on her own. She needed a good shove in the 'tell me!' direction."

The grin at the happy squeak was unavoidable, and when she didn’t pick something right away he nodded towards a bright pink rabbit, just like she’d wanted. After the attendant handed it over, Mickey offered it to Eily with another grin. “Maybe I pry some. I did ask her quite a few questions about that new guy until Elle practically shut down on me out of I’m guessing embarrassment.” He took a step backwards, just to get them moving away from the booth. “I can see that though, that might be a girl thing as well.”

She took the rabbit, and hugged it, smiling happily at him. "Thank you, sir. My night is complete." she informed him. It was adorable, and she loved it. Simple things, sometimes, were paramount. Then she started walking with him, not really choosing a specific direction. She laughed when he continued. "See that'd be when I'd pry all the more. When people do that? There's a story there." she told him.

He turned to walk forward, knowing that walking wasn’t his strong point, and trying it backwards was a recipe for disaster. “Then I’ll consider mine close to it as well. Just for that smile.” It was a perfect smile, especially when it was for him. “I pried a bit about him, but I think I’ll just find him my own way. She told me where he’s gonna volunteer at and I think I’ll have to just pop by, see if I can meet him.”

"Find him your own way? Hmm. So you're going to go check him out?" she asked. "How big brotherly of you." she noted, tone approving. "It's sweet. And sometimes a girl needs someone to look out for her like that."

“Well since Elle doesn’t have a big brother, I figure someone needs to do it.” Mickey smiled, glad he was getting an approval for it. “I’ll try and go easy on him, not scare him too much. Unless he deserves it.”

She laughed. "You do that. But having a little fear put into someone isn't all bad. Though...just don't go overboard. My brothers did that." she said, making a face as she thought of Jason. Because yeah. That was wholly un-fucking-acceptable. Not that she could do anything about it now.

“I wouldn’t. Not unless he hurts her.” Even then Mickey doubted he’d go completely overboard, but it wouldn’t be beyond him to throw a punch or two if it fit the situation. “What kind of overboard?” he pried gently, knowing that she’d given him reign to ask.

"My brothers were over the top. They got violent." Eily told him. "What would you do if someone hurt her?" she asked, curious on that. She started heading them towards where she could see some rides.

“What kind of violent?” Mickey asked, making a small face. That sounded far more intense than just a couple of punches and threats. “Not sure. I guess it would depend on how, but I wouldn’t hesitate from giving him a black eye if I felt like he needed it.”

Sighing, Eily looked over at him as they walked. "They shot someone I was seeing because he had a bad reputation. I didn't know about it til much later." she admitted. "They didn't kill him, just to clarify. But he's got a limp." She kept waking for a few moments, before she went on. "A black eye is acceptable." she decided.

Mickey opened his mouth to respond, but didn’t have an answer. The idea of giving someone a limp was just beyond cruel, and that was coming from someone who had a limp. “That is...that’s beyond over the top. I’m sorry.” He was glad his idea for a black eye was acceptable, but considering if shooting someone into a permanent disability was in her spectrum, a black eye almost seemed weak. “What kind of bad reputation?”

She nodded. "Oh, I know. Trust me." she said, tone genuine. "It was unacceptable to the highest degree. But yeah, I really didn't know anything about it. I found out only recently." She walked along with him still, quiet again as she mused things over. Eventually she spoke. "He...let's just say he tended to have quite a lot of girls strung along in his wake. He's very smooth."

“How’d you find out?” Mickey asked, though he guessed it was likely the most obvious of ways. Still he was curious what had the guy even letting himself within ten feet of her. As appealing as Eily was, that had to convince a guy in all the wrong ways to stay far away. “Oh one of those guys,” Mickey said nodding a little. “I guess I can follow why that would be a cause for concern then.” He was quiet for a moment and wound up shaking his head. “Still, even if he was dating three girls at once that doesn’t justify it.”

“He told me.” Eily said. “I saw him out, we sort of kept running into one another, and I asked him what the business was with the cane, and he let me know. I had always thought that he’d merely left me, but that hadn’t been the case.” Blue eyes rolling, she shook her head. “My brothers. ….just...yeah.” she sighed. “And you’re right. No matter what he was doing, that wasn’t called for.”

Mickey nodded, then turned to look at her as the cane comment put a few things together. “He was at the gallery re-opening,” he half asked, half guessed. He’d seen her talking to the guy and had been thankful for Elle to be a distraction since he’d been fighting off being jealous of the guy. Seems like there had been a reason for it.

“Yeah, he was. Do you know him?” Eily asked, surprised. “Dark hair, I was talking to him for a while.” she said, not having been aware that anyone had spotted that. But she supposed, it hadn’t been private or anything, so it wasn’t a big stretch or anything.

“No, I don’t know him,” Mickey shook his head, running a hand through his hair. “I saw you talking to him, that’s all.” And spent a good few minutes thinking that that guy had been the kind of guy someone like Eily made sense with, not someone like Mickey.

“Ah, I see.” Eily said, watching Mickey out of the corner of her eye as they walked. “He doesn’t blame me for what happened to him. Which I find a bit of a miracle, really. I’m not entirely positive that I would have been that forgiving.”

Of course the guy didn’t. That shouldn’t have felt like a small punch in the gut, but the guy’s smile came to Mickey’s memory and he realized, yet again, that he was painfully out of his league here. “Not sure most would. And you’re talking to a church-goin’ man. Most people would at least hold something against you, even if it isn’t your fault.”

She smiled. “I’m aware. I was shocked when I heard, but now and then I still blink a little bit at the idea that he doesn’t hold it against me. Unless he’s just a really, really good actor, and it’s all a ruse. But he’s not really the kind. It’s not his style.” Eily said. “But he doesn’t hold a grudge, I suppose. Maybe you two have that in common. You both have a sweet nature, deep down.” She wasn’t mentioning that they both had a limp. That was strange, really, that the two boys she was courting in some form or another both walked with a limp.

“Seems like a charming guy,” Mickey said, holding onto his light smile, but internally kicking himself. He really needed to stop listening to Elle’s rose colored views on his love life. “Hopefully a sweet nature isn’t a bad thing.”

“A sweet nature isn’t a bad thing.” Eily confirmed for him, smiling as she gently bumped her shoulder against his arm. “I like a sweet guy. I’ve run into too many arrogant types in society. That’s sort of the default setting for a lot of the men who have money--they think they’re all that and everyone should bow down or something. It’s offputting to say the least.”

The small bit of contact helped ease at least some of Mickey’s concerns and he felt slightly more relaxed, even if the only visible sign of it was his smile. “I’ve seen that too. There’s little in the world that’s harder to deal with than being talked down to by some guy who doesn’t even know how his car moves forward.” He shook his head for a moment. “I can see why you wouldn’t want to bother.”

Eily laughed at that. “Oh god, I’m sure you get that all the time!” she said, not having thought of it before, but yes, she imagined no one from higher society actually knew even the first thing about cars. “For me there’s the being talked down to bit because I’m a woman, as well. But it isn’t even that all the time. It’s just...you sit and have to listen to someone brag constantly about themselves. It really is terribly dull and makes me want to tell them where to stick it.”

Mickey found himself grinning at her again. “All the time. Idiots. And they always think I’m trying to cheat them.” He shook his head a little. “Well, if I had to guess, they’re bragging in some attempt to impress you. I know if I had more to my name to brag about, I’d probably tell you all about it just to see if it made me seem more appealing.” There was no doubt that sot of conversation had annoyed her, but it was fun to tease with her a little bit.

“Maybe you should start cheating them. Call it the idiot tax.” Eily suggested, knowing her own family pulled that time and again. If people were assholes they got taken for a ride. “Bragging would impress more if it wasn’t extended and if they didn’t sound like they were the ones who were impressed. That’s the silly part. They’re just so enamored with themselves. I wouldn’t want to date one in fear that I’d have to live in constant competition with them!”

He shook his head. “I couldn’t do that, as tempting as it maybe be. I know some at the garage might, but I do my best to stay honest.” That was just how he operated. “Not sure how any guy could feel like he could compete with you for an instant. Or like he needed to be more important than you.”

Eily gave an amused little smile. “That does not surprise me in the slightest.” she told him. She started up to the line for the ferris wheel. “I’ve found men are a lot like that.” she continued. “They have this need to make sure everyone else thinks they’re great, because deep down they’re insecure. I just don’t feel like I should have to suffer through hours of boorish bragging so they can feel better about themselves.”

“I’m a predictable person,” Mickey said with a shrug of his shoulders. “Guys just want to be better. We get taught that from a young age, you’ve got to be the best at everything. Some of us are worse than others, but even I’m like that.” Though he usually started pretty far down on the scale due to his leg.

“Oh yeah?” Eily asked, handing over money for the ride and she paused their conversation as she was seated, and she waited for him to be. “What is it you’re like that with? I don’t think I’ve seen it at all.” she admitted. It wasn’t something that was prominent, that was for sure.

Mickey joined her, going out on a limb and draping an arm behind her along the back of the cart. “You haven’t seen me at the garage yet. I’m very much like that there. Everyone wants to be the best at what they do right?”

“I suppose so.” Eily agreed. “So you compete with the other guys at the garage to be best?” she asked. “Who would you say actually has the honor? Is it ever blatantly said, or do you just always try to out do each other?”

“Me, of course,” Mickey said with a grin, obviously joking. “A little. The whole place is a grown up boys club, everyone givin’ everyone else a hard time for this or that. Everyone has something to show off, everyone can fix something faster than anyone else. And there’s a long running set of bets on just about anything.”

“What about you?” Eily asked. “What are you best, or fastest at?” she asked. She didn’t know a whole lot about cars so she might be in the dark as to what he said, but she was willing to listen anyways.

He thought about it for a moment, fingers playing along the edge of the cart while he considered it. “I think I’m best at being able to suss out the problem and putting things back together. Pretty often that I’m the one who figures out what’s broken while someone else does more of the fixing before I move on to the next thing.”

“So you’re the guy to take something to when you don’t know what’s wrong?” Eily asked. “Interesting. Sounds like a good skill to have, especially because I know a lot of people who are mystified by cars in general. Me being one, really.”

“For the most part, yeah, I’m that guy. Comes into the handy-man thing too. A lot of people can’t tell you what’s wrong with their things, they just know something is broken. I’ve got a knack for figuring that out.” He smiled at her, leaning in a little more. “If you ever want to learn, let me know. I can show you. Built the truck from bits and pieces on my own.”

"Really?" Eily asked. "Huh. Maybe, sometime." she said, meaning it. It wasn't exactly lady like, but she wouldn't turn down the chance to learn something new. It might be fun, who knew.

“Just let me know. Not really a clean sort of thing, but can’t hurt to know right? Or if you want, I can show you about things around the club,” he offered. “That might be more useful then how to change a carburetor.”

“Please do. I’d really appreciate it if you showed me that kind of thing. I can’t promise that I’ll be any good or anything, but I would love if you’d take the time. You’ll get compensated for your trouble, of course.” she added, since she didn’t expect anything for free.

“You don’t need to be good. You just need to be able to keep it from exploding until I can get to you.” He grinned some more. “Sure, but we’ll call the lessons as me just doing something for you. No need to feel like you owe me for that. It’s a chance to spend more time with you.”

Eily burst out laughing at the thought of anything exploding. "I will try very hard to not set anything on fire." she assured him. "And I'd feel bad about you doing work and not getting money for it. Besides, you don't know how much work is going to need doing! You should be paid in some form, really. So I insist. You'll just have to take something for your time."

Mickey shook his head a little. “Alright, but an excuse to spend time with you is still pretty great.” He brushed his hand across her shoulder, coaxing her a little closer to him if she’d come.

“Call it whatever you’d like.” Eily told him, winking. She did shift slightly closer, relaxing as the ferris wheel crested to the top then started back. “It’ll be nice either way.”

That shift closer was enough to have him doing the same as he nodded. “Definitely nice.” Just like this was. Nothing with too much pressure, but something nonetheless.