;; would you stay if she promised you heaven?

All Andrés could do was laugh, head tilting back while his eyes creased into crow's feet. Rori always had a way with her words, enough to have him laughing. He'd always been reserved, a lone wolf, until those pairs came along. They'd become like the daughters he'd never had. "I swear to god, the man who tames you is going to have the world on his hands." And he meant it with all the kindness he could extend as he walked into his office, using his head to gesture to closing the door behind her.

"Never going to happen," she scoffed at the idea. Tamed, and by a man? No, she couldn't picture it. "I'd be inclined to let a woman try though, they'd still fail but at least they'd look cuter attempting." Musing aloud, she was never one to hold back whatever she was thinking, that much he knew by now.

Freya's smile began to widen as Aurora spoke, only now chuckling lightly as she watched the woman cover her face. "No no, it's okay - completely, I get what you mean, and I promise it won't look cheap." Which was something she could confidentially back herself up with, Freya felt she knew her stuff, she knew how to make things look nice and not tacky, and so as a customer the woman before her would only get the best of the best. In her mind she was already thinking of possible combinations to make the flowers shine, and so as Aurora let on that Freya actually wasn't insane - when it came to knowing one another - her expressions lifted in a pleasant surprise. "Oh no way!" she welcomed Aurora's form of greeting, though she was happy the moment the small hug ended - Freya wasn't one for hugs, though she always managed to conceal that. She laughed softly, "It's nice to see you again, it's been... I don't know, way too many years?" which made her feel old actually, especially to remember that they were both thirty-five. Crazy. "Yeah it is," she nodded, her smiling also beaming, "I actually opened up a few months ago, how are you? What're you... are you back in town to stay or are you visiting?"

"Half our lifetime, literally. Yikes," she laughed. "You've changed, I mean of course you have, and I mean it as a compliment." Just to clarify. "It's so nice to see you too. Coming back here, I didn't really expect to see anyone I used to know. I only talked to you and a handful of others, I guess my brain told me everyone would have moved elsewhere." Aurora wrinkles her nose, realising how stupid that sounded now she'd said it. "Well it looks gorgeous in here, I hope it's going well." Smiling, she was quick to briefly widen her eyes at Freya's next question. "Uh, yeah, I'm fine. I'm back to stay, at least for a while. My dad died and it turns out he left everything to me, so here I am." Waving her hands in a mocking 'ta-dah' motion, it was clear she still didn't really know how to talk about it, or how she felt about it either. "Funny, the man could never remember a birthday card for me but leaves me his house and business. It was unexpected, but I'm making it work." Aurora nods, flashing her a dimpled smile. "I'd love to catch up with you properly if you're free sometime?"

Moving towards the woman he took her keys as she handed them towards him, "If the battery's flat, yeah, if it's dead..." he shrugged, "Anyone's guess." Aiden's trade right now was spraying cars, so whether he knew his way around an engine or not, he wasn't as well versed as his sister. Not that he was going to suddenly decide to play mechanic, especially not at the time of night it was - he could guess for himself that they'd both rather go home. "Yeah you said it." He called over his shoulder as he moved towards the trunk of his own car, grabbing the leads and a flashlight in case they did need them. Once he came back towards the broken down car he opened the driver's door, just to see if he could start the engine - though of course he had no avail. Finally as he opened the hood he looked over towards her as he answered, "Aiden. You?"

"And you can tell which is which?" Flat, or dead. "Now, I'm not a complete airhead, or maybe I am. But I'm thinking that if it's flat, it can be jump-started... no?" Perfecting an expression both confused and hopeful, she watched him curiously. More than happy for it to be his hands that get greasy, not hers. "Hm, you don't look like an Aiden," Aurora says, more like an out-loud thought as she steps a little closer, peeking over the hood to watch what he was doing. "Rori." Puffing on her cig, she nods between him and the car. "What's the verdict then, Doc, has she croaked or is there life in the old girl yet?"

📱 Aurora 🏎️

"Thanks for that mental image. It's going to take a while to get rid to scrub that from my mind...jesus christ, Rori" The corners of his mouth twitched into a smile when he felt the mocking stare she threw in his direction. "Y'know, if it were up to you, we'd all be living in a fuckin' nudist colony, or some shit." his face grimanced at the thought alone. Aurora might've been his by blood, but he felt a deep, protective love for her. Just as he did JJ -- the two of them were his daughters, even if he'd never mention that out loud. There were things he wanted to believe about the two girls, but with how close they'd all grown together...he wasn't delusional. "I look...good? If you try to pimp me out to one of your friends today, I will leave." a wary glance being cast in her direction, taking a slow sip of his beer. He was watching her, closely. "I know a couple, I'm old, but not that old. Next year you might wanna' think about buying me a walking stick though, might come in handy with how much you lot give me whiplash...get it, car joke." the corners of his mouth tipping into a grin.

"That sounds so offensive," she scoffed, though she was clearly amused. She didn't need him to explain himself, she knew why he didn't want those mental images of her. That didn't mean it wasn't hilarious to watch him cringe. "I just like to be free. That's why you didn't see me much for a month after I discovered the nudist beach back in New Jersey. I was living my best life. Beach, sun, sangria's, all with my tits out? Fabulous." Grinning, mostly due to the fact there was some truth to it. "Don't panic, I'm not trying to do anything. Unless the option is there to pimp you out to a stranger? Because just give me the word and I'll find someone." Aurora teased, shutting up just to sip away at her drink. "Miley has my heart, I won't lie." Nodding to herself, she looks over with a pointed glare. "Oh har-har, hilarious. Pull that joke out the trunk did you?" She snickers, finding herself equally as hilarious.

Gia paused mid-stride, her face lighting up with an amused grin as she turned to face Aurora. The vibrant festival atmosphere buzzed around them, a kaleidoscope of colors, music, and laughter, but this unexpected moment caught her full attention. "Hey there!" Gia chimed, her voice lilting with playful curiosity. "Oh my gosh, of course!" She leaned in a bit, her eyes sparkling with mischief as she examined the back of Aurora's shorts.With a dramatic flourish, Gia made a show of squinting and tilting her head, pretending to be a detective on a crucial case. "Hmm, let's see. Nope, no drink disasters here, just an amazing outfit though!" She gave a thumbs-up and a reassuring wink, her laughter bubbling over."You're all good," Gia declared, playfully tapping Aurora's shoulder. "And don't worry, even if there was a mishap, you'd still be rocking it."Gia's eyes twinkled with friendly curiosity as she tilted her head, a cascade of festival beads and flowers catching the sunlight.

Raising an amused brow as she watched her take a good look, she couldn't say she minded at all. With a sigh of relief knowing she hadn't been walking round with a giant wet patch, she falls into a grin. "Thanks! There's a boutique here, I shopped there for these." Patting them down, Aurora falls into a laugh. "Oh yeah, I'm sure. Everyone loves a cute ass that looks like it's been sat in a puddle." Jesting with her, green eyes study the woman a little closer. "I think I know you, I'm..." Pausing as the fear and awkwardness of being wrong rises. "Are you Gia Woods? I went to school with you, for a few years anyway." Smiling, she always remembered Gia as one of her only friends. Or more accurately, one of the few people who didn't bug the shit out of her. "Aurora," pointing to herself in case she didn't remember her, it had certainly been a long time.

If someone grabbed her ass, he was the one breaking their fucking nose. The idea of Rori walking around with everything out to show was enough to have his brows pulling into a deep v, shaking his head in response. No, what she was wearing was perfectly fine. He saw her like a daughter, and had for a long while even if he'd never said it out loud: there were some things he was good at, but talking about his emotions was not one of them. "All these women look the same, carbon copies of one another. You, on the other hand, have class about you. Let's not forget that, hm." It was the best he could do without going off on a tangent. If they had it, flaunt it, was enough for Andrés to crack a smile, head falling back as he burst into laughter. "My legs aren't a topic of conversation. They're old man legs."

"Class?" Practically spitting out her drink, she makes a mocking glance behind her. "You're really talking to me? Wow, how long have you known me?" Falling into a laugh as she wags a finger at him. "That's funny, you're funny. I'd walk around here naked if it was legal, how's that for class?" Aurora couldn't help but cackle a little bit, always admiring that Andres always seemed to paint an image of her much more innocent than she actually was. "Shut up, I was trying to pay you a compliment. You look good." Nodding, she bumps her elbow off his as she leans against the wall. "Do you know any of the artists playing?"

Freya nodded her head lightly as the woman seemed to babble, no she didn't quite understand what point she was getting at, but she could figure for herself that this was clearly private - emotional, maybe too and so she chose not to voice any opinion she may have had. "Yeah I can do, we can do it cheaper too so you don't need to spend that much. Did you need them right now, or will you come back for them?" she asked, wanting to know where she stood with this current sale. Freya's smile grew as she reached for Aurora's hand, "Freya." as she allowed her hand to fall naturally back down, she paused briefly, "This will sound really random but did you used to go to school here? It's just your face and the name... probably a coincidence." she tried to wave off, not wanting to seem like she was batshit crazy or hell, scare her as a customer away.

"Cheaper? Sure, you'll never see me say no to cheaper... But I don't want it to look cheap," she said, quickly lifting a hand in her own defence. "Not that I'm saying anything here looks that way, I just mean... I don't want it to look like I picked it up at a gas station anddd... I'm going to stop talking before I offend you when I really don't mean it like that." Nervous laughing, she covered her face with her hands like she couldn't even believe what was coming out of her mouth. "Nice to meet you, Freya." Aurora smiles, but she's already noting the familiarity before she speaks, her words causing her to break out into an open-mouthed grin. "Dios mio! Freya Hudson!" She exclaimed, opening her arms out to envelope her in a light but tight squeeze. "Yes, it's me," no coincidence, "you were one of the few people I actually fuckin' liked," she chuckled, dimpled cheeks and bright green eyes. "Damn, it's been a while, but I remember you, of course I do. You were one of the two people who were actually nice to me," her friend, she'd never forgotten Freya's kindness and patience. "I can't believe it, and mami look at you, beautiful as ever. Is this your place?"

Aiden nodded subtly in response, thinking to himself how the car was a piece of shit, so it made sense to him how a warning light never appeared. He soon scoffed out a faint chuckle, knowing that he wasn't going to believe her promise and still, he was capable of reading the situation for what it was. "Yeah yeah.." he wasn't exactly going to tell her no, he wasn't a big enough dick to do that. "You have the keys? Does it start? I've got jump leads in my car," he made a small gesture behind him with his thumb, "So I can probably start ya up, if not I can take you home, call an uber, whatever." he figured that way the car could be a problem for her in the morning, not at night when nowhere was open.

"It doesn't start, no." She shrugs, holding out the keys for him to take. It was easier to let him take control than try and say that she was already well-versed and knew what the problem was. Well, not easier per se, but... more amusing, at least for her. "Jump leads could get it to start back up?" Aurora asked, nodding, folding an arm around her ribs as the other held her cigarette. "Worth a try, I guess. Car is a piece of shit though so I won't hold out hope." With a soft laugh, she looked around, checking that nothing was within realistic walking distance. "Yeah, I'd appreciate that, this isn't the ideal place to break down. If it doesn't start up, it'll be fine here until tomorrow and I can get someone to come and tow it." Stepping around to the side, she could only sigh to herself as she looked at what she thought was a good deed, now wishing she never bothered offering to drive it to the yard at all. "What's your name?"

Was he soft? Many would disagree, but Andrés had a way of toeing the line between both. He sought professionalism in every cornerstone of what he did, but that didn't take his love for his found-family. It never could. Leaning back in his chair, stretching his legs out a muffled groan as the aches worked its way out of his body. "Eh, what kinda' person would I be to take money off the people I pay to be here?" but then again, sometimes lessons had to be taught at their expense to make sure this place ran smoothly. His team was great, sometimes they just needed a little reminding.

"They chose to gamble," she shrugs, following it with a chuckle because yes, his reasoning only told her that she was right, he was soft. But then, that wasn't news; not to her. Now, that wasn't to say he was soft all round, no, she knew he was sharp as an axe and as ruthless as a blade when he needed to be, it's something she always admired about him. His ability to balance and apply the right precision to everything he did, business or personal.

Aiden kept his headlights on for better visibility as he got out of his own car and approached the stranger, all in all he thought they probably just had a flat and so came to his own conclusion that he didn't mind helping out. More so considering the time of night. Though as he could see she didn't, there was a small part of him that regretted even stopping once he was hit with that lovely frustration - his own inner attitude was more of a reflection of being snapped at before he opened his mouth, as well as just wanting to go to fucking bed. Mostly the latter. "Yeah I..." he cleared his throat lightly, "Doubt that." he wasn't being cocky, he just liked his eyes and wouldn't willingly stand there and allow somebody to poke them. "You get a light come up?" he asked, gesturing briefly towards her car, wanting to know if anything had popped up on the dash.

"Of course you do." Doubt it. Wheezing out a laugh, there's a raised brow that displays amusement. Clearly, in her mind, she'd assumed he said that because he didn't think her capable of such violence, but she wasn't about to prove him wrong, not when he was the only one out here who could actually help her. Rather his hands get dirty than hers, she thought. "A light?" She hummed, shaking her head. "I don't think so. Feel like I would have noticed, but it just seemed to flake out fast and then I was busy trying not to roll into a ditch." Aurora shrugs, lifting up from the car to stand straight. Of course, she knew exactly what was wrong with it, but he didn't need to know that - it was more amusing for her this way. With a gesture towards the vehicle, she steps back. "Promise not to try and burn your eyes if you'd be kind enough to take a look for me?"