Soon was a matter of interpretation, as far as Jett was concerned. He was going to push things to their limit, but he knew he should probably get to it sooner rather than later. He mulled over the pros and cons of waiting for a while as he worked on his car, finally sighing as he finished up the tuning. At the very least, he should check out this Arcadia place, and see what he could learn about this Octavia person before he approached her.
The black paint on his Camaro reflected the streetlights as he pulled out of the driveway. He paused, just long enough to push a button on a remote in order to close the garage door, before pulling away from the house entirely and making his way toward downtown’s entertainment district. He slowed down as he approached where the club was supposed to be, in order to get a better look at the building and surrounding area.
It wasn’t far from an old dojo that had blown up not too long ago, and near a myriad of other business, though the club itself took up a decent chunk of real estate on its own. There was a line formed around the block, and he grumbled about having to wait to get in. He pulled around to the parking lot and pulled in, cruising for a spot. He spotted someone pulling out from a spot near the door, and managed to poach it from a waiting car, getting the finger for doing so, and returning the gesture in kind.
Adjusting his jacket after he stepped out and locked his vehicle, he headed for the back of the line, and began the long process of waiting. As he waited, he listened to the chatter, and pulled up some reviews about the place, starting with basic sites like Yelp and Google, and also checking out local influencer Bricky’s reviews of the place. Overall it had great reviews, and it got him curious about the place. Looking up, he could see plant life on the roof, but he couldn’t get a good glimpse of it, so he resolved to check it out at some point.
Eventually, his turn came, and he handed over his ID to a burly bouncer with short, cropped salt-and-pepper hair, and who he would personally describe as Italian based on features. After a moment of scrutiny, he was granted admission, and he headed inside. He had expected your typical club, but instead found an eccentric and whimsical place, playing upbeat dance music. He stopped at the bar long enough to order a bottle of beer, and began checking out the place, beginning with the roof, and working his way down to the basement.
The vibe of the establishment felt at once cohesive and all over the place, giving off a sense of child-like wonder, particularly emphasized by the child’s play castle full of children’s books, with nearby stands of NERF weapons. He noted that there was a bar on every floor, and in every room. He took the opportunity to speak to the occasional staff member to ask about the place, and see if he could gain any information about the owner. A lot of them gushed about her, talking about how well they were treated, and so on.
After he felt he’d gathered enough information for the night, he began to head out, but was stopped by a petite, athletic woman with short dark hair, dark eyes, and an inquisitive demeanor.
“What’s with all the questions?” she asked.
“Who’s asking?” he replied.
“I am, and word of your pestering has gotten back to me.” she snarked.
“What is it to you?” he asked, snarking back.
“I’m the head bouncer here, and if you don’t want to get kicked out, you’d best answer me.” she stated, narrowing her eyes somewhat.
He studied her, then sighed. Of course, she was a ghoul, and Marcus had sent him into what was most likely a vampire’s den, though if he had to be honest with himself, he should have suspected that from the get-go. “I’m trying to get to know someone I’m supposed to speak with before I ask for them directly. Is what okay with you?” he asked, trying not to mouth off.
“Since you’re asking about my boss, you bet your ass it’s not. What do you want with her?” she demanded.
“Look, I don’t want trouble. I was just asked to relay a message, to her directly, and no one else.” he explained.
“I’ll be the judge of that.” she declared.
Jett grumbled and reached for a bar napkin, and asked the nearest bartender for something to write with. In short order, he was handed a Sharpie. As he jotted down a phone number, he heard the bartender say, “Hey, Sierra.” She nodded and smiled back. “Hey Carlos.” He handed the Sharpie back, and handed the napkin to Sierra.
“I don’t want your number.” she said, preparing to toss the napkin away.
“It’s not for you. It’s for your boss.” he said.
Sierra rolled her eyes, and she tucked the napkin in her pocket. “Yea. Sure. Whatever.” she said, and walked away.
Jett continued to head out of the building. Outside, he noted a group of religious types on the corner, spouting their doctrine to any who would listen, and approach anyone who came nearby. Someone tried to approach him, and he gave listen long enough to note that they were kooks, talking nonsense about the word of their prophet and other nonsense. As he walked away, they shoved a pamphlet into his hands.
As he wandered toward his car, he pulled out a pack of smokes. Tapping one out, he paused to cup his hand around the end as he lit it, and took a deep drag. He didn’t smoke nearly as much as he used to, but every now and again he needed one, usually when stressed, and now was one of those times. He felt like he was on the verge of some kind of trouble, and that feeling usually wasn’t wrong, though he still wasn’t sure if he was attracted to trouble, or if trouble was attracted to him.
As he was unlocking his car, he heard a noise in the distance. Perking up, he listened intently, and caught it again — the sound of engines revving. He knew that sound. He loved, that sound. Distracted from his goal, he got into his car with the intent of finding the source. It took a little doing, but he found a long section of closed off-street, where some street racers were showing off their cars and what was under the hood.
Cursing slightly for having not known about this sooner, he wished he had some cash on him in order to be able to participate. It didn’t appear as though there would be time to get some and come back. Instead, he found a place to park, and wandered towards the cars. People there looked at him askance, and he guessed it was because they didn’t recognize him. He was treated as an outsider, which was fine for now. He smiled and nodded to those present, and was considered a harmless onlooker. At least until he got close to the cars.
“Whatcha lookin’ at, gringo?” asked a Hispanic man who appeared older than Jett himself looked.
“Admiring the work.” Jet replied, though he neglected to say how he was admiring it.
“Oh yea? What do you know about it?” the other man said incredulously.
Jett sighed inwardly, and went into a basic know-how spiel of the make and model of the car, as well as the most apparent under-the-hood modifications that had been made. He did not, however, mention that some of it was shoddy work, and wouldn’t last long after the first NOS injection.
The other guy whistled. “Not bad, gringo. Not bad. You race?”
Jett nodded. “Not since I moved here, though. Didn’t run into the scene until tonight.”
“If you got the cash, you can roll with us. Name’s Luis, by the way.” he offered a hand.
“Jett.” he responded, giving the hand a shake before pulling away.
“You got the cash to race?” Luis wondered.
“Not tonight. Just here for fun. When’s the next one?” he inquired.
Luis grinned and gave him the information for the next race, and how to find out the underground news, as well as the names of a couple of shops for parts, as well as mechanics who were willing to help.
“Thanks man.” Jett said, beginning to relax as he felt more in his element.
Luis introduced him to some of the people that were there, and indicated who several of the other racers were, before word spread that it was time to roll up and get ready.
“Good luck, man.” Jett said, genuinely, feeling a little bad about not telling Luis what was wrong with his car. But then, he reasoned, he wouldn’t have a leg up when it came to his turn to race.
Jett reveled in the sounds of the engines revving, and the cars racing down the street. The NOS injections accelerating the vehicles, and the cheering of the crowd was like manna to him. Forgetting completely about Arcadia and Marcus’ task for the moment, he became one of the crowd, and spent time getting to know them.
Walking back to his car, he had a smile on his face, the first bit of real happiness in a while, due to having been holed up with Marcus for a while until he left for who knew where. Jett had promptly moved after that, and had ended up in Phoenix after a few short stints elsewhere. Humming, he unlocked his car, climbed in, and headed home. He could worry about other things another night.