Meeting The Mechanic (Diana/Elara)

-Central Georgia, outside the city limits of Dublin, Georgia-

Wearing a new variation of her usual outfit, Diana was dressed in a denim jacket over a purple tank top and denim skirt with white tennis shoes. Some time after her return from Japan Diana had decided to expand her wardrobe a bit so that she did not have to wear the same casual outfit everywhere she went. A few successful deer hunts had provided her with enough money to pay her bills and recoup everything she had spent to travel to Japan. She also had a little left over, so she had went clothes shopping in Savannah, Georgia a month ago and found a nice denim jacket and matching skirt for a reasonable price, so she had bought them and was wearing them today for the first time.

Diana was glad she had worn a jacket because while the sun was out the wind was blowing and it was kind of cold. She had left her home on the outskirts of Dublin, Georgia and was walking east along the highway that would take her to the college town of Statesboro, Georgia if she followed it all the way there. She did not have anywhere in particular she was heading to... she just wanted to do something other than sit at home all day long. She had had her fill of walking in the woods lately, so Diana had chosen to change up things by walking alongside the highway in broad daylight.

The scenery around her was simple... there was a wooded area a fair distance from the left side of the road and on the right was a fenced-off area that was a farmer's field with crops of some kind growing in it. On either side of the road was green grass that was marred by the occasional bit of litter thrown out of the window and onto the ground while passing by. One piece of litter that stuck out from the rest was a college biology textbook in almost pristine condition that looked thick enough to stop small arms fire. On the road itself was the usual detritus such as a short trail of cigarette butts just along the side of the road or the occasional empty soda can that had been flattened by the tires of a passing vehicle.

Her long hair was blowing about as she walked along the side of the highway, but Diana did not care. Even though her face did not show it she was feeling content with the way her life was going because her financial situation was stable and she had traveled to somewhere outside of the United States this year. When her finances allowed it she would make a return trip to Japan and see if she could meet Meninas, Sabriel, Doku, or Stella again.

While walking on the side of the road Diana noted that on this day the highway had been somewhat quiet. That was unusual because normally she would see more vehicles on the road than she had seen. The blonde had only seen ten cars and twelve pickup trucks zip by... the numbers were normally a lot higher, especially on holidays. She hoped that today was just a slow day and not a sign that things were about to get very bad.

Despite that momentary concern Diana continued to walk at a leisurely pace until she spotted someone standing close to a two-wheeled motor vehicle. She slowed her pace and soon noticed that the other person was a dark-haired young woman who was busy trying to fix a motorbike. From the sounds she had heard their efforts had not been successful. Or maybe they had... the blonde was not familiar with motor vehicles of any kind. At any rate she slowly walked up to the young woman and stopped a short distance away in case the other person mistook her for a threat.

"Hi there." Diana laconically greeted the young woman. The blonde kept her distance and waited for a response from the mechanic. She had nowhere else to be and nothing to do, so she had plenty of time to wait.

Diana waited patiently for the young woman to greet her and noticed that the latter was currently busy repairing their method of transportation. The delayed response was entirely understandable because fixing a vehicle was undoubtedly a task that required concentration, so the blonde remained silent and let the mechanic work without further distraction. The blonde's patience was rewarded when the young woman turned and warmly addressed her before asking if the former was in need of help.

"I do not need any help. I appreciate you asking, though." Diana calmly thanked the other person for their concern. Ordinarily she would have asked if they needed her help, but she knew nothing about motor vehicle maintenance, so she would be nothing but a hindrance to the mechanic. Instead Diana decided to keep the conversation going if she could, but if the young woman requested for her to stop talking so that she could focus on fixing the motorbike the blonde would oblige.

"I am Diana." Diana calmly introduced herself in her usual laconic style.

Diana waited patiently for the young woman to greet her and noticed that the latter was currently busy repairing their method of transportation. The delayed response was entirely understandable because fixing a vehicle was undoubtedly a task that required concentration, so the blonde remained silent and let the mechanic work without further distraction. The blonde's patience was rewarded when the young woman acknowledged her greeting and gave her name as "Elara Seraph." Right on the heels of the name came a request to stick around... provided that the blonde had the time to spare, that was.

"I have nowhere to be, so I will stay with you. I am not sure what help I can be since I know nothing about vehicle maintenance, though." Diana agreed to stay but warned Elara that if the latter was expecting help with the repairs than the blonde would not be of much use to her since she lacked the knowledge necessary to make a meaningful contribution. However, if Elara wanted Diana to stay despite the latter's shortcomings then she would remain where she was. In the meantime the topic of the blonde's destination had come up... Diana was quick to give an answer since the other young woman did not seem like she had any hidden motives for asking.

"I do not have a destination in mind, Elara. I am walking to do something other than sit at home all day." Diana informed the mechanic that she was walking for recreational purposes. The blonde knew Central Georgia quite well from years of traveling across it and living in it, so she was almost as familiar with its inhabited areas as she was with its woods. As a result she had little fear of walking alone in broad daylight... however, walking alone at night was a different story.

Diana was thankful to learn that she would not be expected to contribute to repairing the vehicle because she would have been virtually useless when it came to doing that. The blonde would have done what she could to help Elara, but the other young woman would have been effectively working by herself. Now that she knew that she did not have to pick up a wrench herself she focused on what Elara had told her about the growing prevalence of newer models of motor vehicle on the road and went with that to keep the conversation going.

"There are a few collectors of vintage vehicles around here, but from what I know they own only one or two of them. Everyone else around here drives the newer models." Diana gave Elara a local's perspective on the types of automobiles driven around here... not that the latter seemed to need it. She must have already known what the locals drove if she had made the comment about the growing scarcity of work in her particular area of expertise. Diana too had to deal with the occasional lean time when it came to a need for hunting guides, which was why she was considering learning how to become a bartender. She had noticed that the local bars were always busy on the weekends and they tended to be have customers all year long, which meant a steadier source of income for the blonde... if she could get into the field.

"Yes, Elara. I was born in Georgia and have lived here all my life." Diana calmly answered the question of whether or not she was a native of the state.