Why Amber had decided to leave the safety of Sanctuary when the sun was still in the sky was beyond her. Perhaps it was a momentary lapse in sanity, something left over from her time spent in the wild. Perhaps her envy of those able to exist comfortably in the sunlit streets had temporarily overwhelmed her more sound reasoning. Or, perhaps, she was just tired of being locked inside all day and wanted to go to the museum.

Amber had, in fact, even managed to get to the museum. While inside the safety of the vehicle, protected by clear windows, her skin was perfectly safe. The walk between the car and the museum doors was short enough that she only experienced momentary discomfort before, once again, being safely inside. Once inside, she greatly enjoyed herself. Dark sunglasses ensured no one noticed her eyes, although she still got her fair share of second glances given how exotic and downright strange she looked, dressed as she was.

While the museum was no dinosaur museum, it was nevertheless a welcome change to Amber's day to day life. She would have gone home perfectly contented in the success of her trip if only she had managed to make it all the way back home to the high walls of Sanctuary. Unfortunately, that was not to be the case. Still 20 minutes drive from the place she felt the vehicle she rode in stutter and then die, right there in the middle of the road. Not a busy road, thankfully, but with the sun still high in the sky and not set to disappear for another couple of hours, it was a real problem. She was left with a dilemma: Either sit in the dead car for the next 2 hours or roam the streets as a dinosaur, neither of which were especially appealing.

The driver turned and explained the situation to Amber, before exiting the car and pushing it to the side of the road. Upon discovery that he had, hopelessly, left his cell phone back on Sancuary, he informed her that he was going to find help and walked off. The driver was a mutant, as all residents of Sancuary were, although Amber wasn't certain of his powers. This was, it seemed, just about the worst possible way to end and otherwise very good day. Why did these things always seem to happen to her? She sighed dramatically, still undecided about her next step.

Jacob was having a pretty good day. After several days of hard work… he had managed to build his new pistol. It was a marvelous piece of machinery, and would suit his needs perfectly in almost every situation he could think of… firing standard 50 caliber slugs, or the custom munitions that he had acquired. He was working with his standard non-lethals right now, being a rubber pellet instead of the hollow points, but he had a magazine of those as well, just in case someone needed a hole. The weapon was safely tucked to a cleverly disguised holster inside his leather jack, and he was planning to take it to the range one of these days soon. Nothing quite like shooting a new gun on your day off… but from the looks of what was ahead on the road, it might be a while before he got to the indoor range he was en route to.

His senses were picking up a car ahead, which was stopped… but something was amiss about it. In fact… as he got closer, he could definitely sense that it hadn’t stopped because the driver turned off the keys. His Impala’s engine slowly grinded slower as he approached, it’s roar growing less intense as he came to a stop behind the car… and prepared to offer some assistance. This was how you got loyal customers… help them out when they didn’t ask for it… it would keep him in business and his Shop thriving. He already was working on the expansion bays to handle the influx of work, and it wouldn’t be long before he likely had to build a second shop somewhere… or perhaps expand again. Either way, it was looking more and more like he wasn’t going to have to worry about work… it seemed to find him.

Stepping out of his old Impala, he noticed there was no one in the driver’s seat, the windows not tinted… and he took a glance towards the back of the car, looking for signs of life. That was when he spotted someone sitting in the back wearing a red turban… female, if he guessed right from his generic glance. Moving to the rear window, he said in his normal, deep voice. “Hey… you need some help, Ma’am?” It was a typical thing for him to do, and he wanted to express that he would be willing to do so without stripping her of her option to refuse should she want to.

It wasn't fun being stuck in a dead car on the side of the road unable to leave for fear of bad things happening. Bad things might either be her skin blistering and burning or humans running panicked from one of her dinosaur forms, but bad was a good descriptor in either case. Why or why had she gone and forgotten her cell at home? Things would at least be a little simpler if she had it with her; she could just call for a ride and her problems would be solved just like that.

“Hey… you need some help, Ma’am?”

Amber almost jumped completely out of her skin at the sound of an unexpected voice at her window. She hadn't been paying nearly enough attention and, in other circumstances, that could have lead to very unfortunate consequences. At least the voice at her window appeared to be friendly and thus, perhaps, her lapse in concentration was acceptable. Damn her dulled human senses anyway.

Amber rolled down her window to make answering easier, judging that not enough sunlight would enter the vehicle to be too much of an issue. "Thank you, I'm afraid my vehicle has broken down. My driver's gone to find help but..." she shrugged her shoulders helplessly. "I'm afraid I'm kind of stuck here until he gets back." Black eyes she hadn't bothered to hide clearly gave away the fact that she was mutant and not human.

Jacob noticed that he startled the woman, and held his hands back slightly. “I’m sorry that I frightened you.” Truth was, he was surprised that he had scared her… he had hovered around the car a little bit, but as she rolled down the window and her eyes were revealed, he had to say he was a bit startled. The pure black eyes looked like something out of Supernatural, when a demon possessed a person… but he let nothing show on his face. Hiding shock was something that he did extremely well, so he was sure that she wouldn’t catch him on that front… but that still didn’t help her vehicle situation. Her pale skin, what little of it he could see, indicated a lack of sunlight… perhaps due to her mutation? That would explain why she couldn’t simply walk somewhere. The fact that she had a driver indicated that she was relatively well off financially… interesting.

“Well… I see three options, Ma’am. I can have your car towed to my shop. I can give you a ride… or I can fix your car here, on the spot, very quickly… on one condition.” He then slowly reached into his inside pocket of his jacket, fishing out one of his cards, and handed it to the young woman. “Bring me some of your business. Maybe I can fix these problems the old fashion way before they become these kinds of problems.” He wouldn’t divulge any other information at the moment, but he waited patiently for her to mull over the options and make a decision.

“I’m sorry that I frightened you.”

"Its all right," Amber answered with a wan smile. It wasn't all right, not really, but the blame in that lay exclusively with her and not him. He hadn't done anything wrong aside from coming over to make a kind offer and, really, there was nothing regrettable in that at all.

As the stranger gave Amber her options, she approved of the fact that he didn't seem to mind her being a mutant; an increasingly rare reality. She noted the man taking note of her eyes and, that was that. There was no recoiling in fear or disgust and hardly a reaction at all, aside from the initial look. It spoke well of the man.

"You're very kind to offer," Amber answered. "If you're able to fix whatever's wrong with this thing I'd appreciate it more than you know. I can pay and I'm sure I could manage to bring a bunch of business your way." Money wasn't an issue. Her ability to contact her driver, who was still away, possibly was but one way or another she was pretty sure that would rectify itself.

Jacob listened to her as she made her decision, and decided trusting a physically apparent mutant with the fact that he himself was a mutant wasn’t all that big of a deal. Who would she tell that could hurt him? Likely no one… if he had to guess, she was a recluse, her pale skin being a surefire sign that she didn’t get out much. Regardless, she had made her decision, so he moved his hands to the edge of her window frame, wrapping his large hands around it for grip, and closed his eyes a bit. “Alright… let’s see what I got.”

His hands seemed to gain about a centimeter of texture from the vehicle… the paint on the outside, metal look, and the leather of the interior. He instantly knew more about that car than anyone, all the kinks and the ‘character’ of the car. Every car was unique… even of identical makes and models… they all had little things that made them unique. After a few moments, a few mechanical clunks and chinks sounded through the car, and it started up without a problem, more smoothly than before. He opened her eyes, and let go of the car, and gave her a smile.

“You are good to go. Can you drive, or do I need to give you an escort?” Either way, it wasn’t a problem. “I can drive in front of you remotely if you need it.” The offer was there, but he gave away quite a bit of the details of his power all in one, without many words.

It was amazing just how quickly the man fixed the vehicle she was sitting in leading Amber to the very distinct impression that he might be a mutant and the fact that she didn't actually see any tools being used reaffirmed that idea. Was it possible to have a mutant power for fixing cars? It seemed like a strange one but she'd met enough mutants and seen enough powers to know they came in all shapes and colours and it was, perhaps, not as strange as some.

"That was quite impressive," Amber stated. "I'm afraid I can't actually drive so an escort might be appreciated. Or maybe just a borrowing of a cell phone so I can call my driver back? I hate to be a bother." Everything was so much less complicated at night when she could actually do normal things like walk around outside.

Amber dug around in her purse for some money, handing it over. "For your time and effort. And, of course, I promise to pass on your name."

Jacob listened to the woman, and instinctively reached into his outside pocket on his jacket and pulled out his simple Nokia flip-phone. Nothing fancy, just enough to send and receive calls and texts, and he presented it to her without hesitation. He certainly could drive the woman’s car behind his own and get her where she was going, but then the driver would be stranded, and likely, out of a job. Considering the amount of money being offered, she was in any short supply of funding, but Jacob couldn’t do something like that. “No no, Ma’am… it’s fine. Free of charge this time.” He paused for a moment, realizing he had never introduced himself.

He presented a hand inside the vehicle, guessing sunlight wasn’t her friend, in an offer to shake her own. “My name is Jacob Corbulo, it’s nice to meet you.” The handshake gesture had been getting mixed reviews lately, with the combination of mutants that had something happen when you touched their skin and the fact that some people just plain didn’t like to shake hands. Still, it was a sign of respect, and Jacob would at least try with anyone he met, regardless of the situation. If she didn’t, or did, either way was fine… but he would give her a moment now to contact her driver so they could be on their way.

Amber accepted the phone gratefully and made two calls with it. The first was to her driver which, of course, went to voicemail. Of course he didn't have his phone on him which was half the problem but she left a message anyway. The second call was to Lisa back at Sanctuary. If anyone had a way to get in touch with her driver to let him know that she had managed to get the vehicle back safe and sound it was Lisa.

"Thankyou," Amber stated, accepting the handshake and handing back the phone. She had never acquired the peculiar habit so many mutants had of shunning such contact. "I'm Amber Thirsis and I'm grateful for your help. Do you want me to remain back here in my car or should I follow you to yours?" It was never pleasant going out in the sunlight, but a couple of minutes wouldn't really hurt her.

Jacob listened to the phone calls, not because he liked to eavesdrop or wanted to be in someone’s business, but because he wanted to ensure that the call coming from his phone was not incriminating him in any way. One could never be too careful, regardless if he was a pretty good judge of character or not. The fact that she shook his hand and introduced herself properly was also a small step in the right direction of Jacob’s list of people he liked more than others. “Not a problem, Ma’am,” he said simply in response to the verbal thanks… another plus to the manners and politeness of the woman, something that was very rare in this day and age. She proposed a question, and he considered it for a moment before responding.

“It is honestly up to you Amber. I can steer this crate here pretty easily regardless of you occupying the vehicle or not… but if you want a ride in a real car,” he paused for a moment, and his car roared to life, it’s custom 350 Cleveland engine thundering under the hood as he used his ability to rev the engine for a moment, causing the car to twist ever so slightly with the stored horsepower, “it can certainly be arranged. I just need to know where to go.” He loved his car, and right now, it showed plain as day. The decision was honestly up to her, but either way, Jacob was ready and waiting.

He certainly seemed to be a polite one and, even if he wasn't, it wasn't like Amber tended to worry much about her personal safety. Of course, if taken unaware that was one thing and in those instances she had only her knife to rely upon for self defense, but if she had even a hint of what was to come few could stand up against an angry dinosaur. Besides, the man had been nothing but a gentleman thus far.

"If you want to show me a real car, who am I to deny you the opportunity?" Amber asked, with a grin. May as well make the best of the situation and actually try to have a little fun in the process. She gathered up her robes and tended to her veil, making sure only her eyes were open to the light of the sun. "Apologies for the odd attire. I can remove my veil when you're safely within you're vehicle. The sun and I don't get along so well."

Jacob smirked slightly, liking the woman a little bit on a personal level due to the fact that she seemed to want to enjoy a car ride in his vehicle, the opportunity to ride in something fun like that a little more tempting than to be sitting behind a car being remote controlled. He would have to make sure to make the ride a bit… fun, but still remain on the safe side as well. She then went through and explained about her issues with the sun, and without a doubt his suspicions had been confirmed… likely a side effect from her mutation, but he wouldn’t probe on that.

“Not a problem Ma’am.” When she looked to be ready, he opened the door for her to exit that vehicle. Once she had exited her own, he hurried to his own vehicle and opened the passenger door, and closed it once she had entered it completely, ensuring none of her clothing was going to get caught in the way. Once she was securely in the vehicle, he remote started her car, and pulled it up so it was directly behind his own. Anyone looking wouldn’t see the driver, but that wasn’t that big of a deal, as they wouldn’t be going slow enough for anyone to realize it unless he got stopped somewhere.

Getting into the car and closing the door, he looked towards the passenger. “So… where to?”

The man was quite the gentleman with the holding open of the door and the constant 'ma'am's' and that was something Amber could appreciate. Living in Sanctuary, gentlemanly types were something of a rarity. It tended to attract the more violent and downtrodden mutants and politeness and old school morals were rarely part of the culture of those sorts. Self defense, violence and often crudity and vulgarity were much more common. And, in some fashion at least, perhaps much more practical.

“So… where to?”

Climbing into the passenger seat and doing up her seatbelt, Amber answered the the address to Sanctuary. She had a feeling this would prove to be an interesting ride. "So, can I assume your mutation was what lead you to decide to become a mechanic?" She didn't want to pry, of course, but it seemed a safe enough direction for small talk. If her life had gone differently, she might very well have decided to become an archaeologist. For that matter, that wasn't an option entirely out of her aspirations even now.

Jacob listened to the address, and instantly recognized it. Not but a few weeks ago, he had delivered a young woman there. “Oh, you stay at Sanctuary. I dropped Aura off there a few weeks ago when she walking home in the rain. We had a good little talk.” He would leave the topic there, but he had a sharp feeling that she was going to ask more questions pertaining to that particular event. That was fine, Jacob had nothing to hide, and this woman didn’t seem the type to go snitching if Aura had done something wrong by inviting Jacob in.

He prepared to take off, and began simply by hitting the gas ever so slightly and getting towards the red light, his passive ability to detect vehicles scanning for any police vehicles, their extra equipment relatively easy to detect in comparison to a regular vehicle. Before he got started though, he did look towards the passenger and ask a very important question. “So… how do you handle surprises?” He didn’t want to suddenly have a laser shoot out of her mouth because he gunned it and startled her, so he would cover his bases first. No harm in being too cautious, and certainly no reason that such a question would be taken as something too personal.

"Aura happens to be my sister," Amber replied, secretly hoping that the 'little talk' hadn't been anything too incriminating. She loved her sister dearly but also knew about her penchant for rampant violence. She was, mostly, able to accept Aura how she was, even if she didn't always understand her, but there were many others who weren't nearly so understanding. Then again, most others didn't have the close acquaintance to death as she had. "I hope she treated you well?"

“So… how do you handle surprises?”

"So long as said surprises don't result in my imminent doom I think I'll be all right," Amber answered with only a slight bit of hesitation. She didn't think imminent doom was especially likely at that moment, but one couldn't be too careful in times like these.

"What did you think of Sanctuary?" Small talk never had been her strong suite.