[ He couldn't stick to one genre even if he wanted to. The perpetual need for music, to fill his head with something else than the constant, thought-piercing ringing in his ears meant that without as much music as he could get his hands on, he would go crazy.
And he never was given much of an option, anyway. He got the music he could find, and that was it.
Her rant makes Baby think of a number of people, but she doesn't need to know. This place doesn't need to know. So he just nods, slowly. ]
Try living life while being called Baby. People always know what's best.
[ There's something close to a venomous frustration in her voice, so she runs a hand through her hair and cuts her gaze to the window, watching the streets around them blur. She doesn't want to think about Jace, or the Shadow World right now.
She just wants to be a normal girl. ]
So, were you like an Uber driver back home, or did you see a gap in the market here and decide to make the most of it?
[ Well, at least she's hanging out with a normal boy, right now. Well, a normal boy with a fake name and some heavy baggage, but still - unlike so many people around this place, he has no powers, no special abilities, besides being an excellent driver.
Which leads to Clary's question. ]
I was a driver, yeah. But not - Uber. I was working private events, usually.
Good. Uber sucks now. They pulled some shady shit and Lyft is the way to go.
( Things she wouldn't have said if he was an Uber driver, probably. )
So, like a chauffeur? ( Looking away from the window, she gives him a once over, a smile toying at the corner of her lips. ) Did you have a hat? Did you have the whole outfit?
( Genuine, maybe accidentally flirtatious. The Clary Fray life. )
I have to admit, I don't really know very much about cars. I have a driver's license but I never really saw the point in New York. The subway was easier and parking's a bitch, you know? In Eudio a friend gave me a car though, bright pink. I raced it. ( She gives him a grin - remembering the thrill of it all. ) Badly, but whatever. I was kind of looking forward to getting more used to it.
( Is she just assuming someone who drives is into cars? Yes. Hopefully that's not super insulting. )
[ Well, he's no mechanic, but it's not insulting. After all, Baby loves cars. But he's more of a 'donuts in the parking lot' kinda guy than a 'elbows in grease all day long' kinda guy.
But when she says 'race', Baby immediately perks up. ]
You raced? Any good at drifting?
[ It is his favorite thing to do when racing. Of course, most of the races he's been a part of were him against the police, not 'real' races. ]
That's the one where you go all crazy and coast along like you're in a spy movie, right?
( The answer is a clear no on that front, Baby. But she is unperturbed. ) I did say badly, didn't I? ( Grinning again. ) It looks complicated. And I can barely parallel park. We had some magical assistance in making sure we didn't just all die, you know?
( Thank you, Magnus Bane. )
Though maybe I'll work my way up to it. I can't resist a challenge.
[ Clary's response makes Baby grin, more to himself than anything else, and after checking that the street is empty of other cars around them, he pushes in the clutch quick and hard, flicking the steering wheel all the way to the left as he pulls the handbrake. The next second he's releasing the clutch and switching to push on the gas, going full throttle for the car to do a neat U-turn, the engine loud and covering the music for a moment.
Baby laughs as they settle back onto the road, now facing the other way, and switches to third gear, like nothing happened. ]
I can teach you, one day. Once you know how to parallel park.
( For a minute she can't breathe. The adrenaline catching in her throat, pulse jumping in her veins. )
Oh, my God.
( But she's not angry, or even frightened. Instead she's letting her head collapse back against the seat, her laugh joining his as she closes her eyes. ) Okay, so you're a bit of a daredevil, got it.
( She rests a hand on her chest, dramatically. ) Now if I could maybe not go into cardiac arrest, that'd be great.
[ His smile falters just a tiny bit, his eyes going back to the road. ]
I learned how to do this stuff young, as a necessity.
[ As a kid boosting cars with an early growth spur and not enough adult supervision, learning to drift in the middle of Georgia fields had been some of the only times where he'd truly had fun.
He forces himself to relax, his smile growing bigger as the next song starts up. Appropriate, that one is. ]
( Oh, but she notices that. Part of her wants to ask, despite being a stranger. She doesn't know why. Maybe he looks better when he smiles. )
Well, necessary stuff can still be fun.
( Like learning to kick ass. While she knows people's lives depend on it, she still has a good time getting Izzy to teach her. And she supposes that's a thrill of adrenaline too. ) Though if you ever meet Alec, don't tell him I said that. He thinks I spend too much time trying to show off. Apparently I'm not serious enough.
( Tapping her foot lightly against the floor of the car in time to the song. )
I just think if you're going to do a backflip, you do it with style.
[ Fun. Learning to drive had been fun. He'd started with automatics, of course - why try to learn how to run before you could walk? And then upgraded to gearshifts. Which was, by far, superior.
He raises an eyebrow. ]
You can do a backflip? Also, this Alec guy sounds boring.
[ He asks, voice soft, before performing another 360 turn on the empty road to get them back on the way to town and her apartment building. He's not in the business of kidnapping people. ]
Because I find it amazing to keep cool. But also you could give Woodkid a try. Or Jack Johnson. Singer-songwriters types.
I don't think you need help, really. Do you? How would you like me to help?
[ Because he's always willing to broaden people's horizons, but he hardly ever thinks they're in desperate need of 'help'. That's not how music works. ]
You know I don't mind your company one bit, right?
( She waggles her eyebrows his way, smiling as they pull up outside her apartment. It's helped, getting out and away from the situation. She's much calmer, and she can now add Baby to the list of people she'd like to get to know more. He's intriguing.
And it helps that he's cute. )
Well, that's good. Because I might be demanding more of yours from now on. ( Unhooking her seatbelt, Clary pauses before getting out. ) See you around?
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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And he never was given much of an option, anyway. He got the music he could find, and that was it.
Her rant makes Baby think of a number of people, but she doesn't need to know. This place doesn't need to know. So he just nods, slowly. ]
Try living life while being called Baby. People always know what's best.
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[ There's something close to a venomous frustration in her voice, so she runs a hand through her hair and cuts her gaze to the window, watching the streets around them blur. She doesn't want to think about Jace, or the Shadow World right now.
She just wants to be a normal girl. ]
So, were you like an Uber driver back home, or did you see a gap in the market here and decide to make the most of it?
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Which leads to Clary's question. ]
I was a driver, yeah. But not - Uber. I was working private events, usually.
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( Things she wouldn't have said if he was an Uber driver, probably. )
So, like a chauffeur? ( Looking away from the window, she gives him a once over, a smile toying at the corner of her lips. ) Did you have a hat? Did you have the whole outfit?
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Chauffeur fits. But that was my outfit, generally.
[ Nondescript clothes, black sunglasses, earphones. Trying to look as inconspicuous as possible for the radar pictures. ]
My client cared more about substance than style. [ He smiles. ]
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( Genuine, maybe accidentally flirtatious. The Clary Fray life. )
I have to admit, I don't really know very much about cars. I have a driver's license but I never really saw the point in New York. The subway was easier and parking's a bitch, you know? In Eudio a friend gave me a car though, bright pink. I raced it. ( She gives him a grin - remembering the thrill of it all. ) Badly, but whatever. I was kind of looking forward to getting more used to it.
( Is she just assuming someone who drives is into cars? Yes. Hopefully that's not super insulting. )
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But when she says 'race', Baby immediately perks up. ]
You raced? Any good at drifting?
[ It is his favorite thing to do when racing. Of course, most of the races he's been a part of were him against the police, not 'real' races. ]
Maybe we should race, one day.
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( The answer is a clear no on that front, Baby. But she is unperturbed. ) I did say badly, didn't I? ( Grinning again. ) It looks complicated. And I can barely parallel park. We had some magical assistance in making sure we didn't just all die, you know?
( Thank you, Magnus Bane. )
Though maybe I'll work my way up to it. I can't resist a challenge.
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Baby laughs as they settle back onto the road, now facing the other way, and switches to third gear, like nothing happened. ]
I can teach you, one day. Once you know how to parallel park.
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Oh, my God.
( But she's not angry, or even frightened. Instead she's letting her head collapse back against the seat, her laugh joining his as she closes her eyes. ) Okay, so you're a bit of a daredevil, got it.
( She rests a hand on her chest, dramatically. ) Now if I could maybe not go into cardiac arrest, that'd be great.
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I learned how to do this stuff young, as a necessity.
[ As a kid boosting cars with an early growth spur and not enough adult supervision, learning to drift in the middle of Georgia fields had been some of the only times where he'd truly had fun.
He forces himself to relax, his smile growing bigger as the next song starts up. Appropriate, that one is. ]
Don't you love the rush of adrenaline, though?
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Well, necessary stuff can still be fun.
( Like learning to kick ass. While she knows people's lives depend on it, she still has a good time getting Izzy to teach her. And she supposes that's a thrill of adrenaline too. ) Though if you ever meet Alec, don't tell him I said that. He thinks I spend too much time trying to show off. Apparently I'm not serious enough.
( Tapping her foot lightly against the floor of the car in time to the song. )
I just think if you're going to do a backflip, you do it with style.
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[ Fun. Learning to drive had been fun. He'd started with automatics, of course - why try to learn how to run before you could walk? And then upgraded to gearshifts. Which was, by far, superior.
He raises an eyebrow. ]
You can do a backflip? Also, this Alec guy sounds boring.
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Of course. Don't be fooled by the fact I look like I trip over my own feet regularly. I can do a whole bunch of sick gymnastics.
( She may be a little bit competitive, when it comes to being around the other Shadowhunters. So she's ended up dreadfully showy. )
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[ He smiles back, just as the song switches to something a lot calmer, but that Baby can't help humming to. ]
Seriously. Where should I take you? We could drive all night, but we'll run out of gas.
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( She didn't really have a destination in mind anyway. And Baby's settled her soul a little more than she would have managed on her own. )
But you have to tell me what I should listen to when I get there. To keep my zen going or something.
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[ He asks, voice soft, before performing another 360 turn on the empty road to get them back on the way to town and her apartment building. He's not in the business of kidnapping people. ]
Because I find it amazing to keep cool. But also you could give Woodkid a try. Or Jack Johnson. Singer-songwriters types.
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( She leans her cheek against the headrest, watching him drive. )
Woodkid's the Assassin's Creed song guy, right? I like that one. It always makes me want to learn parkour and go for a run.
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[ He shrugs, because he's never seen anything Assassin's Creed related. Oops. ]
Dunno, but I can play you some, if you want. He does have a song called 'Run, Boy, Run' so it sounds accurate.
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( Listen, she's a bit nerdy. )
I liked it. But I never checked out the other stuff. I didn't find the time. ( She has it in spades now, though. )
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[ Baby's pop culture gaps are wide and sometimes placed strangely in the path of his life. ]
You should, it's good. Quite a unique style.
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( Ignoring the fact that he might not care for them. )
Then I'll feel better about hassling you. Because it'll be a mutual learning curve.
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[ Because he's always willing to broaden people's horizons, but he hardly ever thinks they're in desperate need of 'help'. That's not how music works. ]
You know I don't mind your company one bit, right?
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( She waggles her eyebrows his way, smiling as they pull up outside her apartment. It's helped, getting out and away from the situation. She's much calmer, and she can now add Baby to the list of people she'd like to get to know more. He's intriguing.
And it helps that he's cute. )
Well, that's good. Because I might be demanding more of yours from now on. ( Unhooking her seatbelt, Clary pauses before getting out. ) See you around?
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[ Because he's had a good time, and he'd like to see her again. ]