fast times & fast nights

It was on the tip of his tongue to call her his parrot, the way he used to as a kid. He'd say something and hear it back, almost immediately, grab her and toss her over his shoulder, joke about how he must have been the only pirate that had to haul his parrot around with him. There were so many moments like that, memories and inside jokes that had been lost to time while he fought a war and then fought his demons. Where once, he would have laughed and shoved her gently, elbowed her in the ribs, thrown her over her shoulder all over again, he instead found himself hesitating… and he hated that.

The moment Windsor opened her mouth, they'd both stopped walking. He probably could've, he knew these woods so well, but Winnie felt so out of place, so uncomfortable. Had they been having this discussion in the garage, maybe she would've kept working and wouldn't have minded this a single bit, but she had to stop walking now, and stopping meant watching Jason right in the eyes when she said all these things. She could see the pain in his face, and while a part of her wanted him to feel everything she'd felt for the past decade, she could also see the pain in his eyes. War didn't pass without taking victims, and she wasn't talking about the men flown back in boxes, it wasn't only physical victims, and she could see that he was one of them. "Hating you would've made this whole situation easier, Jason" She wanted to hug him, to tell him it was okay, but maybe this was a situation they had to go through in order to start rebuilding.

It probably would have been less awkward if a stranger asked to go on a hike, he realized. Because spending time on a trail with the sibling that you had barely spoken to in the past two years that you had been in town, and hadn't talked to in the twenty years that you had been on the road… well, to say the least, he barely knew Winnie at all. Not anymore. And he wanted so desperately to amend that, wanted to get to know his baby sister, what she had done with her life, how things were for her now. Tell her about his time in the military -- as much as he felt like opening up, which was still tough -- and what it was like to live his dream in the state parks, fighting wildfires, becoming a ranger after going to college… but in due time. He knew that pushing too hard wasn't going to help either of them. "Creek, then," he decided as they headed outdoors, making a soft clicking sound to Ghost and starting down one of the dirt paths that was well traveled, away from the lodge.

"Creek then" Windsor repeated after Jason, and it brought back a memory, or maybe way more than one. She used to be his shadow. Where he went, she was there. What he said, she repeated it. It must've driven her parents insane, especially her mother who probably would've liked her to come out docile and ladylike, like Cordelia, instead of a boyish brute like her son. Fuck, she'd really missed him. She'd found a real bond with Theo, something that nobody would take away, but even after all these years of not seeing, not hearing and hardly ever thinking about Jace, she remembered everything all too well.

"Whatever works the best for you," he said with a smile, tapping the hood as well, "the guy's not in any rush for it, trust me. He's got three other classic cars in his garage that are in great working order. He's one of those people who buys up luxury cars, but doesn't really have a clue about what goes on under the hood." Josh had known a lot of those through the years. Same with motorcycles. People who wanted to get on a bike because they thought that it made them look cool, or they enjoyed the rush, but the actual bike? They knew absolutely nothing about that, or the upkeep and care that went into it. "Oh yeah, you know how kids are," he grinned, shaking his head, "I'm sure that you have nieces and nephews in the family just counting down the days." Although Josh shouldn't joke. He had been one of those kids that actually had looked forward to going back to school every year. "Want to order in?" he asked, heading for the office, "figure we deserve to treat ourselves."

Win laughed and let out a sigh "Wonder what that feels, to have money to burn like that, huh?" She said with another chuckle, twirling the keys in her hand. Hearing him talk about kids made her think of her nephews and nieces, and how much she really needed to go visit Cordelia these days, see how she was and if she needed a hand "Oh yeah, I'm... Definitely not cut out for that, certainly not these days, haven't developed enough patience for more than an auntie role" Win joked. Following Josh into the office, the blonde nodded "Oh yeah, we could do that! What are you hungry for?"

"And definitely wouldn't be at all because you actually did get yourself into trouble," he said with a laugh, looking over at Winnie. It could happen, the youngest child was normally the one that ended up getting themselves into trouble, ended up being a little bit of drama, although he didn't want to say that about Winnie. She seemed to have a pretty good head on her shoulders, regardless. "I guess that just means he's a good big brother, though," he reassured her with a smile, lifting his shot glass to his lips and nodding his head. "I am! Right now, one of the girls up front is doing the job, and she's great, but I had to let my last one go, it just wasn't working out, so I've got my nose to the ground. Someone will come along," they always did, with the promise of a good paying job, the chance to grow and learn. "Dog people," he teased, scrunching his nose before laughing. Rafael was probably the only person in town who didn't like dogs, but he could understand why others did. And seeing Winnie light up when she talked about her pups did make him smile. "I do need to get a tune up on my Jaguar at some point soon, think you can pencil me in? She's due for inspection."

At the mention of trouble, Windsor chuckled and rolled her eyes "Nowadays not so much, but when everyone left the house and I was left alone with my parents-" Namely her mother "I definitely did more things I wasn't supposed to do than the ones I was supposed to, let's just leave it at that" She said with a laugh. Hot wiring her dad's fancy cars, drinking when she definitely wasn't supposed to, normal young people stuff... Right? "But he's the best brother, I got very lucky with him" She didn't even wanna think about Jason, how their relationship had crumbled when he left for the army and Theo had been there to help pick up the pieces and finish raising her with Delia. Hearing about his staffing issues, Win pouted for a second before taking a drink out of her water glass, definitely very needed "Well, I'll keep an eye on things, if I hear anyone's looking for a job, I'll send them your way, how does that sound?" She suggested "And about that jag, I'd say call the shop but if you're willing to leave it overnight or for a day, just bring it in whenever you're available and we'll look it over when we've got a pocket. You've always taken such good care of your cars, Raf, I'm sure it'll be perfect as usual" She joked, clapping her hands a little when she set her eyes on the waiter bringing their food.

Cordelia had been the first to welcome Jason back to town, and probably the easiest to reconnect with. Theodore had taken some time, even when Jason had been working at the fire department on a volunteer basis. He hadn't spoken to his parents more than a handful of times, most experiences leaving him reeling and wondering why he had ever tried at all, and then… there was Windsor. Winnie. Win. His baby sister, the one that he had helped to raise, took care of, taught all about the different bugs in the tall grasses, what birds made what noises on a clear summer day. Hell, he was pretty sure that it had been his responsibility to teach her to ride her bike without the training wheels. In theory, it should have been easiest to reconnect with her. In reality, this was the one that was the hardest to crack.

Even though she was inviting him to walk with her, Winnie's stance was nothing if not incredibly defensive. Leaning backwards, arms crossed and the most 'I don't really care if you want to come' look in her eyes, even though inside her, she really did care, and she really did want him to. Was she willing and ready to acknowledge how much of that was real now? No, hell no, but a part of her brain knew it and she at least knew that. The moment he picked a finger up and disappeared back into the cabin, Winnie took in a deep breath, finally dropping her shoulders and watching both dogs look at Ghost, who'd stayed right there. The dropped shoulders didn't last though, because as soon as he came back, they perked right back up, tensing her whole back, from seat to crown. Great.

After the drive to and from his shift, Theo realized his car was dragging a bit to the left. Always liking to keep things in working order, he figured he'd bring it on over to Takato's for a quick alignment. It was his day off so there was no rush and he didn't have anything else to do. Driving it into the garage, he rolled down the window once he saw his baby sister was on shift. "Hm, lat time I checked, I had a baby sister named Winnie," he was only joking, as he hopped out of the car and handed her the keys, "you know, she kind of looks like you too."

The tint on the windows plus the glare played a trick on him, but with Theo's voice coming from the car when he rolled it down, it could've been pitch dark and she would've recognized him anyway "Theo!" She said with a big smile, moving to the side so he could pull the car into the bay and park it, waiting for him to get out, hand her the keys and stand straight before jumping into a bear hug from his brother "Oh shut up, the sun was hitting me right in my eyes, gimmie a break" She spoke muffled by his shoulder before pulling back and looking towards the car "What's wrong with this baby?"

Vince stopped by the garage, having to pick up his car after it needed a bit of maintenance work. “Hey,” he greeted her with a smile. “I’m picking up my car,” he said, glancing over at younger sister who was just there to drop him off, even after he insisted he could just walk over. He dug through his wallet to get his credit card and service ticket. “Don’t be a stranger, Winnie,” he teased. “How’s it been going, though? Long time no see,”

The glare and lack of a cap or sunglasses made it hard for her to recognize his face, but after years of hearing his voice all through school, she could've told him apart anywhere "Hey Vince!" She said with a big smile, waving goodbye to his sister and walking closer to the man "Couldn't see you from the glare- Nah, keep the credit card, I don't deal with money, that's up front in the office with Josh" She spoke before eyeing the ticket "Oh but with this one... Did you bring the house deed? You're gonna need that second mortgage to pay for it" She pulled a face, only being able to hold it for two seconds before cracking up "I'm kidding, the serpentine belt got changed a while ago and the AC was running like a fridge so you're all good to go" Win tried to be funny, nodding her head when he asked and shrugging her shoulders "It's been good, you know... Keeping busy, learning every day here. What about you? How've you been?"

Zarah didn’t particularly enjoy spending time on vehicle care. If she could talk her brother into handling it, she often did. She’d heard a strange sound coming from the engine the last time she’d driven it home from work though and while she didn’t mind other methods of transportation, she didn’t want to end up stranded or with a tow bill on top of needing to get it worked on. She squinted as if recognizing the female employee when she pulled in. It took a second before she placed the girl from family photos she'd seen before. “A Browning!” she said excitedly, as if that meant something to her. She trusted and respected the girls brother so she figured her care was going to be in decent hands. “Hi, I’m Zarah. I work with your brother … actually used to work with both of them. Adore them actually. I think – or you have a doppelganger and I should probably be embarrassed but it's nice to feel like you can trust someone. My car started making this weird noise and I figured you might be able to help me figure it out.”

It's not that the instant recognition as a Browning bothered her, Winnie was immensely proud to share a last name with her siblings and show the world that she was a product of their upbringing, but after a few years, it'd definitely gotten old. "Yeap, that's me! Had you said baby Browning, you would've gotten more points" Windsor joked and nodded her head, walking closer to Zarah "Yeah, no, you got that right, no worries, we're all very similar... You work at the park or the station?" Thankfully her brothers had very recognizable workplaces and professions. Watching her eye the car, Winnie nodded and reached her hand out for the keys "Of course, let me bring it into the bay and we'll assess it inside" She said, getting into Zarah's car and turning it on, the engine noise becoming a steady ticking as she moved it into the garage and turning it off "That sound, feels like engine oil's not there, or not enough. Have you noticed any oil patches on your driveway?" Win asked Zarah when she got inside the garage while she opened the hood of the car.

WHO: Jason & @winniebrowning

Days off were few and far between for Winnie. Not because she was forced to work like a machine every day, but because she loved her job. She liked being there with the cars, finding problems, diagnosing them like a doctor... But with less people. But on the days she did have off, she tried to enjoy and make the most out of them. They usually started or ended with a hike, depending on the temperature and what the plans were, so today, at around four in the afternoon, she packed the dogs into her vintage Bronco and headed out to Merrock State Park to walk the trail for a while.

Closed Starter for: @winniebrowning

Winnie hadn't seen Mariah bring in the truck, but the stickers on the back with Sera and Schuy's names all over the back of it made her happy that she would get to see her friend when she picked the Grand Highlander up. The slip mentioned it'd been dropped off with the overheating light turning on and off randomly, and Winnie was almost done with looking at it before hearing two little stomping feet coming over. Ever so familiar with them because of all her nieces and nephews, Win walked over to him and asked for the tool back, which the boy gave her right when his mom came over "Oh no worries, really. It's not too busy... You know, I may make a car guy out of you no worries" She poked the baby's cheek and then looked at his sister "Or you for that matter too" The words flew out quickly before hearing Mariah's question.

"The brakes... the paint... there's a lot of rust that's going to need taken care of before it's taken out on the road for good. But I think we can work her up pretty well," after all, if someone needed a classic car worked on, they knew to come to Takato's for a reason. His father had worked very hard to get the reputation that he had, and everyone worked hard to show much they cared about the garage in return. "I might leave this one up to you mostly, if you don't mind," he glanced between the car and Winnie, "maybe as a 'when things are slow and you have time' kind of project." After all, there was nothing wrong with keeping busy when able. "The morning's good," he smiled, nodding his head, "Espie's in the thick of everything, with summer and all, I actually just stopped by her place with coffee and donuts. And now here I am... thinking about lunch."

Windsor's hand kept patting at the hood while Josh spoke and her head nodded "Yeah, it's... Gonna take a while, I hope whoever bought this doesn't intend to drive it for a long time" She joked before looking back up at her boss "But yeah, we've got some space in the garage, and if not, I can take it home and work on it during the weekends too" She suggested, knowing Josh didn't like that she worked extra hours, but she couldn't help it sometimes. "That's great, I'm sure she's very eager for school to start again" Winnie joked, happy in that moment that children weren't part of her reality. Her stomach grumbled when he mentioned lunch "Oh, I could do with lunch too, that sounds..." Her wrist turned to check her watch "Still kinda early, but never too early to think of lunch"

"With the sirens blaring and lights going, too," he said with a low laugh, shaking his head. There was probably a joke in there about a hero complex, but Theo really was a good person, and cared a lot about his family, his intentions would be good and pure. "Chicken burrito," he nodded, lifting a hand to catch the waiter's attention and ordering two before lifting the shot to his lips to down it, "I've been good, busy, but... what's new there? And you? Life treating the youngest Browning well?"

It was funny how in this small town, everyone knew who she was. A part of her kinda hated it, but then again, she'd always associated her last name with her siblings and not with her parents, so even if Cordelia had changed it, they'd always be Brownings to her. "Oh yeah, Theo would come without even being called... I think he has some kind of spidey sense when it comes to me being in trouble, which I'm certain has kept him up at night at times" She joked, shrugging her shoulders and offering the waitress a smile when she took their order "That's good... Business running good? I saw you were looking for a PA the other day, that must mean you've got enough work to share" She joked, running a hand through her hair "Me? I've been good... You know me, I'm working at the garage and then at home with some other projects. Got my two dogs, Sully is growing up to be such a goofball" Her dogs had her whole heart and speaking of them made her chuckle "He's at that puppy stage where one of his ears his flopping over and it's the sweetest thing"

After the original tour of the garage, Tristan found himself heading back there. It was the first place he had felt slightly more himself, and while he hadn't worked on bikes or anything of that nature, there was only so many differences with mechanical engineering. As he pulled up in his Ford Raptor he placed the vehicle into park, cutting the engine and sliding out onto the ground. Coming around the front of the truck he spotted a blonde, he hadn't seen her when he had come the first time to the shop. "Hey, Tristan." He knew enough of the blonde given her sister was married to his brother. "I was wondering if Josh was around yet?"

She knew his face... Why did she know his face, why did he seem familiar. "Oh, Tristan, hey" His name rung a bell and she could finally fit him somewhere. Cornelia's husband, his brother... He looked like a Newman too, the same way they all looked like Brownings, this town had that thing at least, you could always kinda tell. "No, he's not here yet, he's out doing a pickup... Some guy bought a very very old truck from an auction and doesn't wanna drive it here, so he's on his way there and back to drive it himself" Windsor explained "Can I help you with something? That Raptor... Those are workhorses, they hardly ever need much, but we can check it if you need to" She shrugged her shoulders, shielding her eyes from the sun to look at him.

"I would think that your chosen vehicle would be a firetruck, with your brother being a firefighter and all," he said with a laugh, looking over at Windsor. Rafael knew the Browning family as well as any others; he had been friends with Theodore for a while, gotten to know Jason since his return to town, and of course, had recently hired Cordelia after years of knowing her as the Newman boy's love. Windsor, a bit younger, was mostly a mystery to him, but he knew her well enough to feel a bit protective in that moment. "Let's get you something to eat, though. I'm partial to their burritos, are you more of a chicken or beef fan?"

With a roll of her eyes, Winnie nodded her head "Yeap, I bet he'd be the one coming to my rescue, let's face it, he was always the one there" She joked, finally placing the glass down and looking up at Rafael "I'll have a chicken burrito, they're too good to pass up here, thanks Raf. How've you been? I feel like it's been a while since I last saw you" She asked curiously to the family friend.

Josh couldn't help his laugh as he stepped out of the car, closing the door behind him and flicking his sunglasses up, onto the top of his head. "It's just me, Winnie, don't worry." He tossed the keys in her direction as he started across the shop floor, "we just picked this car up from a client, someone who was a little overzealous at an auction and is now afraid to drive it without making sure everything's tuned up and spiffed up, the usual. It's not a rush project, though." Josh and Takato often went above and beyond to help out the locals, and thankfully, he had a garage full of employees that didn't mind pitching in whenever he needed it. "How's it been today, slow?"

Her eyes narrowed when she heard a voice she recognized, the glare not doing her any service when the car pulled up as well "Oh, hey Josh!" She said with a laugh, walking up to the now stalled car and taking the keys before running her free hand over the hood "Lovely car, but I was just about to say a little too vintage for how much we know about these cars that have been by the coast this long... Salt air has done wonders for the breaks, right?" She said with a laugh, patting the hood when he mentioned there was no rush "Yeah, so far morning's been good. A few cars have been done, just waiting for them to get detailed by the boys. How's your morning been? How's Esme and the kids?"