Concepts - [New Enterprise, Riviera]

[allmhadadh]

After a bit of very helpful advice from Commander Spock, Scotty headed onto his tech shift in Engineering.  Of course, today it meant the same thing as yesterday: That there wasn't anything to be done aboard a ship that's just out of drydock.  And that Riley (the native) gave him the same orders as before; namely speaking, to familiarize himself with the ship.  He figured that he could do that at the same time he worked on the intuitive shielding concept.

Needless to say, sleep was something Scotty hadn't been spending a lot of time on.  He sat with the Buick for his four hours, and then he came back after a bite of dinner to sit for a few more, working away with the light of a PADD and the steady scratch of pen on paper.  He talked half to himself, half to the Riviera; occasional commentary on the differences between designs of the original Constitution-class and the new one here, sometimes just random notions that came to mind.  When he was doing something that didn't require much thought, like copying numbers down, he hummed Welsh lullabies.

However, given that sleep wasn't something he was spending enough time on, and given that the Riviera was about the closest place he had to his own -- even belonging to someone else -- he ended up drifting off in the driver's seat, head back, eyes closed.  Back to dreaming of the road.

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[allmhadadh.livejournal.com]

Sleeping in a car seat wasn't probably the best chiropractic move, but Scotty was used to sleeping in about every non-standard place or position possible. He knew that, too; it was why his PADD was set to wake him up in time to go and get a shower in his quarters, and then report to the morning shift in the galley.

He pried his eyes open when the steady, annoying beeping permeated his sleep, then sat forward with a coffeeless, zombie-like groan for a moment, scrubbing his eyes. He dragged the PADD over and turned off the alarm; checked for messages and found none. Back to the daily grind.

But ultimately, his dreams had been pleasant for what few he had; open road, sunlight, the rumble of a gasoline powered motor and that completely incomparable thrill of opening up the carburetor and running. Some road that he guessed almost had to be in North America, given the long broad flat and wheat fields on either side; some vague visual fragment left over from books or postcards long forgotten to the conscious mind, but that seemed to fit handsomely with this car in the subconscious.

Far cry from here. He was pretty grateful for it.

He gathered up his papers and PADD, then kissed the top of the steering wheel in a moment of juvenile, impulsive affection. "Thanks, lass. I'll see ye after work."

The driver's side door seemed to protest when he climbed out of the car. He made a note to find some oil for those hinges, and maybe clean them up a bit. She wasn't his, but that didn't mean he couldn't sneak some maintenance in while he was here as repayment for the one spot on this ship where he felt some quiet stirring of hope.

[buick-riviera.livejournal.com]

Of course, the hinge would be silent as a dream the next time he opened the door. But long after he left, Riviera thrilled to his affection and his promise. It was used to waiting, but knowing someone would return for it made the waiting sweeter. It could dream, in its own fashion, of opening up under him, eating up the miles and showing him its world. So much more open and exciting than this one, whatever it had learned about spaceships from Scotty's welcome ramblings.

[its-oriley.livejournal.com]

Riley walked in just in time to catch Scotty plant a tender, loving kiss on the Riviera's steering wheel. Okay, so maybe that was just a little bit weird. Sure, Riley loved his work, but he never felt the need to kiss what he was working on. "Um...Mr. Scott?"

[allmhadadh.livejournal.com]

Well, that was enough to startle Scotty into bashing his head on the Riviera's door-frame. He wasn't even usually one to whimper when he somehow managed to injure himself, but he did this time; held his head in his hands and went, "Owww..." for a long several moments before looking at Riley wide-eyed, standing up and closing the driver's side door. "Sir?"

[its-oriley.livejournal.com]

"Oh, are you okay?" Riley couldn't decide whether or not he should go over there and help Scotty. He ended up just standing there, awkward.

[allmhadadh.livejournal.com]

"Aye, sir, I'm fine." He realized he forgot his PADD and paperwork and opened the door to grab it, before closing it again and looking at Riley, still all wide-eyed and mildly awkward. Casting about for something non-stupid to say, Scotty asked, "Did ye manage t' get ahold o' the Captain an' figure out yer duty assignment?"

[its-oriley.livejournal.com]

Riley laughed and scratched his head. "Kind of. I was told I have a position in Engineering, but not exactly what my assignment is." His attention was drawn to the Buick. "So, this is it, huh? Beautiful. I'm afraid to touch it; it's like I'll defile it somehow."

[allmhadadh.livejournal.com]

"Sounds a bit like me. Well, nothin' t' do really, what with th' ship just bein' drydocked." Scotty looked back at the car and beamed. "Near as I can tell, she's a 1964 Buick Riviera. Really sound, aside some dings, an' I dinna ken who owns her, but she's a lovely lass."

[its-oriley.livejournal.com]

"Nineteen- holy shit! Is that even possible?" Riley asked, reverence seeping into his voice. He suddenly understood Scotty's urge to kiss it.

[allmhadadh.livejournal.com]

Scotty was chuffed by the reaction and kept grinning, proudly, even if it wasn't his car to be proud over. "I dinna ken how, but she's obviously sittin' here; I dinna ken who owns her, but maybe no one does." He gestured, opening the driver's side door and waving Riley to the passenger's side. "Wanna hear her run, before I have t' run off t' work?"

[its-oriley.livejournal.com]

Riley smiled and met eyes with Scotty. "Hell yeah." So maybe he was a bit over-enthusiastic, but...come on...it was...yeah.

[allmhadadh.livejournal.com]

Well, yeah, it was a V-8 and it ran on controlled explosions; let's face it, the love affair with the car was a rather male thing. Scotty slid into the driver's seat, pushing in the clutch and holding on the brake, then fired the Riviera up.

And not surprisingly, at all, the throaty rumble of a well-tuned engine reverberating in that space made him shiver.

[its-oriley.livejournal.com]

Riley listened to the engine. Yep, that was nice. "Wow. She runs really well for a car that's several hundred years old."

[allmhadadh.livejournal.com]

"Aye, right?" Scotty shut the engine back off, petting the steering wheel absently. "I'd love t' put her on a road. Just... open road, an' a sunny day." Check him out, waxing poetic. He thought to check his PADD, though, and winced. "An' now, I'm due fer work. Uhm... Kevin, right? I mean..." Well, Riley wasn't much older than him, but it seemed not-quite-right to call him sir for some reason. Maybe the shared fascination with the Riviera.

[its-oriley.livejournal.com]

He nodded. "Kevin. And get to work before you're late!"

[allmhadadh.livejournal.com]

"Aye, good thought." He sincerely hoped Riley wouldn't damage his beloved Riviera, but he wasn't about to be late for shift. Scotty tossed one more grin to the other chap, then headed off for work.