[PRP] Time Off (Maritza/Yokka)

[Painted Moose]

Maritza hadn't taken a day off work since she'd returned to Belrea. It had already been several weeks now; time held no relevance for a girl determined to be the best in her field. She was only stepping away from the hanger where the ship was being stored because the Captain was forcing her too. He'd grown concerned about the teenager among them; something about liking her spunk, but failing to see why she'd want to burn it out by working through the night all the time.

So, against her wishes, he'd sent her home where she'd begrudgingly gotten a decent night's rest and now she was out milling around Valmon. Even though it was the largest city in Belrea it didn't hold as much diversity as she had come to expect in a city. After spending so much time on Tendaji Maritza had grown used to a myriad of color in crowds and here, with it's larger population of Lightning earthlings, she found herself feeling...disappointed.

Maritza stuffed her hands into the pockets of her pants and pushed on, making her way downtown to a salvage yard. If she couldn't 'officially' work then she would just pick up a side project or two.  

[Cornetified]

Maritza would not be the first earthling to dig around the salvage yard that day.

Yokka was holding a flat piece of wood close to her face, peering at it with a critical eye. ..Would this make a good steer? Or maybe some sort of stabilizer in the water? ...Or maybe just a nice seat?

She had come to town with her father and brother for the sake of getting out of the house. With the threat still lingering from those bug things, she wasn't allowed out much. Cabin fever was striking in such a full house. While the boys were off doing their boy things, she had chosen to pop into the salvage yard. After all, it wasn't as though she had money for a bunch of new materials to play around with.

Painted Moose

 

[Painted Moose]

Cornetified

She wasn't expecting to see anyone else, but it wasn't exactly uncommon to find a fellow junker among the metallic graveyard. Maritza move past the front gate, tipping her head to the older caretaker, before getting into the real thick of it.

Of course, when she did see the other female it wasn't as if she felt the need to be particularly social. Why should she? They were both here of their own accord and -

-that bit, the one the girl was standing on....

"A Abswerswith-240 firebox?!"

At first she hadn't really been able to see it clearly, but the shape of metal under her shoes, buried beneath mounds of other material....It was enough to make Maritza start to pick her way over, and shove the geian away.

But manners were important.

"Hey kid, shove off! Get your boots off it."  

[Cornetified]

Yokka didn't pay attention when another body entered the yard, or even when that other body approached. The sharp voice right nearby did catch her attention though, and one green eye peered over at the forward and blunt lightning woman. She spared a glance down at her feet, but only saw more scrap. Nothing special there to her. Narrowing her gaze, she looked back at the woman and pointedly braced her legs. "Tell me what's so special about what I'm standing on first, and maybe I'll move," she retorted with a huff.

Painted Moose

 

[Painted Moose]

Cornetified

The geian teen wasn't moving nearly fast enough for Maritza. She impatiently moved her arms in a 'shooing' motion, and when that got nothing, save for a terse retort Maritza felt her hackles rising.

She didn't have time for this. If that firebox was in decent enough condition then she could buff it out, possibly fix any dings in it's exterior shell and sell it all before the night was out for a fair profit. Of course, that all depended on when this stupid girl would move her arse-

Maritza clucked her tongue. "Are you stupid? Everyn Aberswith is the father of the modern steam engine, and that-" She motioned to the firebox, "-is a part of his first creation, the 240. They're an archaic model that isn't run anymore, but the parts alone are worth more than you'll see in a lifetime."  

[Cornetified]

Was she being shooed? What was she, a stray duruf? Yokka felt her own stubbornness rising in response. Aberswith? Oh! She did know that name! Steam engine... Could that be used on a boat?

Yokka broke into a snarky grin and crossed her arms. "Well, since I'm standin' on it, I've claimed it as mine. Was already gonna use some parts and sell others myself, you see? You're gonna have to offer something in exchange if you want it that badly."

Painted Moose

 

[Painted Moose]

Cornetified

This was not happening.

Maritza pressed her lips into a firm line, grinding her teeth upon themselves as her mind raged. It was so close, so friggin close, and this brat was standing in her way! She had half a mind to just shove her off, but the chances of others seeing and calling a member of the Security Sector was just too high.

"You didn't even know what it was!" She shouldn't have said a damn thing. Ritz had hoped that the teenager would have gotten the hint and moved by now, but she'd become too soft lately. Her trip to Tendaji had ruined her.

"I'm not giving you a damn thing. What I am going to do is set your a** on fire if you don't move." It was well known that the lightning folk could use magic that the geian's couldn't; mostly, the magic involved with pistols and blunderbusses. For all this shrimp knew she could have a pistol hidden in the folds of her tool belt, which is what she was hoping for as she slowly started to move a hand that way....  

[Cornetified]

"But I do know what it is," she huffed back, arms crossing tighter. Whether or not she ended up with the special item in the end, she at least had gotten some ideas from it on new things to try.

The the woman shifted to reach for her back.. after threatening to set Yokka on fire.... Part of Yokka was sure that the woman wouldn't do such a thing in a public place. Then again, she had no idea who this was, or what kind of magic or weapon she had. She did feel fear, but it didn't quite take the form that the lightning woman had wanted. Yokka's body tensed up, and she let out a sharp scream of fright before flailing out defensively with the board that she still held. "Don't shoot me!"

Painted Moose

 

[Painted Moose]

Cornetified

"Yeah, now." Ritz groused. She put her hand over a wrench, prepared to knock the teenager out if she needed to. Maybe she really could use some magic, if she put effort into it? Doubtful, since no one in her family thus far had demonstrated any prowess in the arcane arts. Still, even just a little for show would go a long way...

"Shut up! Don't be so loud." Maritza hissed. If they were caught in an argument they might both be tossed out or worse. She wasn't afraid of being locked away; rather, she was concerned about being banned from the junkyard and all it's riches because of some punk kid.

"I won't hurt you if you just move. Final warning.."  

[Cornetified]

Peeking around the board cautiously, Yokka gasped out a sigh. So, she wasn't about to be shot over a piece of equipment? Good. Now her irritation could flare back up. ..She still kept the board up between them, just in case. "You know, maybe I would move if you would just ask nicely! You know? Basic manners? Please and thank you? Sound familiar to you?"

Painted Moose

 

[Painted Moose]

Cornetified

Maritza moved a half step forward, raising one booted foot to step up onto a mound of discarded metal. Her violet eyes flared when she clucked her tongue. "Ask nicely? Do I look like a nice girl, kid?" She clicked her nails against the side of her wrench, making noises that replicated the click of a pistol. "I've been across the sea. I'm one of the first to make contact with Tendaji; I don't have to be nice."

Perhaps she had grown conceited in her time away, or maybe she was just naturally irritable. Either way, Maritza was done playing games. It was going to take enough time just moving the firebox, and the more time she wasted it talking to the geian the less she'd have for actual work.

"Basic manners are dead. The concept of polite conversation is only a means in which to lure idiots into complacency. I'm a simple woman with one goal, and that's to get you to move. Maybe if you have enough mental capacity to process what I'm saying, and actually remove yourself from the firebox I might consider helping you to find an item of equal value. However, if you continue to block my path, I will annihilate yours."  

[Cornetified]

Yokka pressed her lips, leaning away from the intimidating woman. "Really? You. Gosh, it's a wonder that anyone from over there wants to come over here," she grumbled low, eyes flicking toward the hidden arm again. Would.. she really shoot her over this?

"Or manner actually are alive, and saying they're dead is just a lazy excuse for rude people to keep on being jerks," she replied shortly. Concerned that she might be pushing her luck though, she finally took a step back and off the scrap that was so precious to the orange haired lady.

Painted Moose

 

[Painted Moose]

Cornetified

Was she really prepared to attack a teenager over this?

....It wouldn't be the first time.

Ultimately, Maritza wouldn't actually harm her over it, but that didn't mean the other needed to know that. It was valuable, yes, but not so much that Maritza would kill over it.

Lifting her hand away from her belt, Maritza grinned and closed the space between her and the firebox. "That wasn't so hard, was it?" Bending at the waist, she reached forward, brushing some debree away from the top to examine the piece. All in all the structure was still in good shape; the painted lettering on the outside had been chipped away, but that was an easy enough fix.

Reaching back into her belt, Maritza pulled out a pair of gloves and slipped them on before reaching down for the piece. It was large, but hollow. It was light enough for her to unearth by herself, but cumbersome enough that finding a place to sit it after was difficult. Still, she managed to roll it to the side, disregarding exactly where the teenager had moved to and flopped the shell on to the ground. The two of them could have easily slept inside of it if they weren't at odds over the piece.

 

[Cornetified]

Yokka snorted sharply. "I hope you drop it on your toes," she grumped sourly, crossing her arms. Still, she was quite curious about the item itself. Needed to see what the fuss was about! Rather than leaving like she was inclined to do, she watched the firebox get unearthed.

Painted Moose

 

[Painted Moose]

Cornetified

Of course the weight of it was significantly minimized because it was a prototype, and not a functioning piece, but to Maritza that just made the find all the more interesting. Shouldn't this be on display somewhere? Perhaps his descendants hadn't seen the worth of his inventions, and scrapped it? Either way it was in her hands now.

"Look at that, not even a scuff on my boots." She clucked her tongue in a 'too bad, so sad' maneuver. Stuffing her hands inside, Maritza expected to touch the internal elements and all she got....was air? Snarling, she pulled her hand out and stuck her face near the opening.

"What the hell?! Where's the fire grate? The tubes?! They've gutted it!" Thats's why it was so damn light! It wasn't just a prototype; it had been ransacked! "It's worthless!"