#rivervale_lodge

"Nope." the satyr answers

"No harder than changing a light bulb and filling a tub."

"Oh cool.. yeah I wanna see this" Zane says

"Well, we'll show you" Bix says with a nod

"Come on." Frank invites, and they head back to the car park.

The wilders go with him, and soon they're getting it done.

"So..uhm Mountain, besides Soothsay which I definitely need, what other art are you thinking I should learn f rom you?" Bix asks as they work

"There you go, always be sure you set the brakes, chock the wheels, and -then- jack the car up. Last thing you want is to have the car fall on you. In our case, Bix, we could probably catch it and hold it but... there's still a danger. " Frank nods approval and then moves to open the hoods. "I have found Primal useful."

"Sounds good to me then" Bix says //Zane is more focused on followign the lead on oil changing and such as it's new to him

But the satyr does ask "You're teaching folks Primal and Soothsay, Sir Frank?"

"Bix is my apprentice." By way of explanation "But I'm open to considering others." He answers Zane. "Ok, each of you get under one of these cars." He gets down too, on his back, carefully pointing out where the oil plug is and where the drain pain goes.

They follow instructions, and Zane says "This isn't gonna fall on us for sure right?"

"Just use your troll strength to catch it if it does" Bix says deadpan

"For sure." Frank is confident. "You have to trust your tools. If you don't trust them, don't use them. Same thing for weapons, which are another kind of tool.

"Huh" Zane says "I guess that makes sense. Dad says doubting yourself during a test can hurt you almost as badly as getting some of them wrong because you didn't know..grade wise"

Frank helps the boys open the oil drains and avoid wearing any of it, getting the drip pan under it. They surface to change the filters while the oil empties.

"Your dad's right."

Zane came this close to getting it on him but thanks to Frank makes it./Bix seems to really know his ways around cars.

Zane nods "Yeah, he usually is. That's my burden" dryly

A soft chuff. "Well. I didn't have my dad for as long as I wish, now. Still, I can remember times when I felt like that."

"Oh, sorry , Mountain" Zane says

"He die early?" Bix says

Frank pokes around in the engine compartment as he says. "Mom and Dad died in a car accident when I was 17."

"Thank you, Zane." he accepts the condolences graciously, with practice.

"Oh," Bix says "Yeah, that's early to lose them."

Zane winces "Geez, won't be long until I'm 17.. okay, it'll be a few years but still"

Frank nods. "It was a dark time."

Bix nods as if he gets it or atl east realizes they've pried enough.

Zane is more chatty "DId anyone take care of you at all? I mean, like aunts or uncles?"

"No other family. I had a neighbor that took me in. It was only a couple months till high school graduation, the judge figured it wasn't worth it to put me in the system if there was someone available and willing, and I didn't mind. I like the idea, actually." He scratches his chin. "My girlfriend's mom, you see. So."

"Oh wow, I mean, sucks you lost your folks, but nice set up" Zane says

Bix shrugs as he works

"Mmm." Frank shrugs. "I have to wonder how strong a hand Da'an played in it."

"Da'an is weird" Bix nods

"Mysterious, Bix, we say it's Mysterious." Frank says with good humor "Weird sounds like we don't understand it, Mysterious sounds like we do but no one else does."

Bix goes "Oh now that makes sense"

"So that's how seer's and folk do it" Zane says

"Sometimes it actually -is- a matter of knowing what others don't, Zane." Frank crouches to peer under the cars and check the drainage. "Mind you, there's nothing wrong with ignorance. Only -willful- ignorance."

"Yeah, Nadeen got onto me about that" Zane sighs

"Who's Nadeen?" Bix asks

"My.. well, she's cool about it now, she's my girlfriend." he says surprised he can say it out loud, the satyr says "SHe's actually decent... and So gorgeous, but she got onto me about not really trying to use my brains since I'll never be as smart as dad"

"What makes you say that, Zane?"

"my dad's a genius. He writes books, teaches college courses, and knows oh, pretty much anything brainy" Zane says "I'm not.. well, I don't get As on things, at least all things... but if a B is as bad as a C, then why not get Cs right? But Nadeen won't see it that way"

Bix sighs at something but doesn't bring it up.

"Your dad's had a few years to learn all those things, Zane. Could be you could too. If you want to." Frank wipes his hands on a rag "I wasn't a stellar student, but I never... I never -settled- you know? I -tried-, and when I did I found I could live with the honest grade I got."

"Yeah, but my DAD can't live with... sorry, you don't need to hear my problems" Zane says

There's a faint smile lurking under that beard. "Need to? No. Available to? Yes. Part of the job, see."

"So.. Sir Magnus using you like a Shrink was RIGHT?" Zane says

A sigh. "I'm not sure he understood how my job works."

"yeah, funny though" Zane says