This is not fine art on my planet. [Open, see note]

[starbolts]

With enough diligence and care, Starfire firmly believed, it was possible to learn most any skill. She wasn't always as firm with herself as she needed to be about learning things such as preparing palatable food for her crewmates, correctly understanding English idioms, or backing away when someone needed to be cheered up, but for a friend? Anything was worth the effort for a dear friend.

And Peter Parker was certainly a dear friend of hers. Now that he was away on a mission, she had the perfect opportunity to finish her gift to him. The car loss that had upset him so much on the planet would be rectified, she swore. Her method for solving this problem was, naturally, the refurbishing of his very own car.

Unfortunately for Starfire, Cyborg was the team mechanic, and he was conspicuously absent from the ship's crew. That left her and the few volunteers kind enough to assist her to finish the job. They were short on available crew, especially now that so many had regressed to childhood, but with enough effort they would finish! And she would then be free to play with the children.

Those were her thoughts as she continued with her work under the hood, carefully consulting the manual that detailed the connection of the last few wires. This was the necessary configuration for the speed he would want, yes? The tires were in place, the body was placed...after this last bit of wiring and testing, all that would remain would be the polishing and painting.

If she had any luck. In reality, she was the grease-coated alien girl floating in the middle of the Hangar, a welcome target for any and all curiosity-seekers. Even young ones, she worried.

Pushing those thoughts aside, she withdrew from the building fumes and removed sludge (now all over her) with a sigh. "I feel as though I am a regurgitated spudling."

((ooc: Open to volunteers, children, and anyone really. It takes place during the early stage of the Galileo's Burden mission, before she knows Peter is captured and about to be sacrificed.))

Comments

[thewunderkind]

You where in luck Starfire. Someone liked to build things and her name was Lash and she had just recently been feeling a wee bit better about this whole memory thing now that she had figured it out.

...Then again when it came to building things with Lash maybe it wasn't really luck at all. Especially when she was younger than normal. R.I.P. Peter's car.

The wunderkind's voice echoed in the hanger.

"What chu do'n?"

[starbolts]

"Lash," Starfire greeted the friend she hadn't seen in a while, a smile breaking out on her face. Oh, the youth worried her, but it was good to see that she was still out and about.

"I am repairing and improving this car for my dear friend Peter," she explained, snatching up a cloth to polish her wrench. "He lost his previous automobile in an accident on the last planet we visited, and the loss bothered him deeply. I wish to make things right for him."

The car's not exactly hot stuff at the moment, but it's getting to be usable. Give it time and some lasers.

[thewunderkind]

For a moment, there might have been the little bright look in her eyes. A spark. A growing spark. Something about repairing and improving that could have easily warned Starfire it was a dangerous thing to keep Lash around if she valued her friend's car. But it was too late. She was already looking at the vehicle's hood as it invited her to pop it open.

"...I'll be right back."

The sound of feet running to a nearby place where she kept her own tools in the hanger, next to zords. The feet running back to her, and dumping what appeared to be a massive tool chest. But it was nothing compared to when when she pulled it all out the drawers twisting and moving until she had an entire workshop studio right next to her.

She put on a pair of goggles over her head and let them snap to her face with a dramatic flare, before taking one of the wrenches and spinning it with her hand idly.

"Well. Let's see what the problem is." She wasn't even asking permission anymore.

[starbolts]

"Are you certain that the problem requires this large of an arsenal to solve?" Starfire asked doubtfully, floating up to study the various tools in awe. She had been under the impression that they just needed some wiring equipment, a wrench, a buffer, and some paint and polish.

Her eyes grew wide as the tools piled higher and higher. Peter did not need this, she thought.

"Lash?"

Was she even listening?

[thewunderkind]

Nope. She was already under the hood, inspecting it.

"Wow that's a terrible motor," she said in a disappointed voice, clanking at it. "How could you go fast with that thing?" She looked around at some of the vehicles in the hanger. "Starfire, you're going to be my assistant. This vehicle is going to need a motor transplant if it wants to live! Or drive properly."

Overly dramatic? Maybe.

[crazypsychic]

For some odd reason Sabrina found herself in the hangar portion of the ship. Why she decided to explore this particular part of Stacy, was a bit of a mystery to even her. She was not a mechanic by any stretch of imagination and she could barely drive a car. So. Why was she there? And why was an orange-skinned teenager flying around the area?

Sabrina softly cleared her throat. "Hello there."

[starbolts]

A new voice!

Starfire spun in the air to face the person, sheepishly rubbing some of the grease from her cheek.

"Greetings! I would offer you a warmer greeting, but I am certain that you do not wish to soil your clothing," she laughed. Very good, Starfire. She's finally learned that not everyone wants to be dirty. "I have not seen you here before."

[crazypsychic]

Sabrina gave short but afirmative nod. "Normally, no. This sort of place I usually do not visit. However I was... lost. I am Sabrina by the way."

[starbolts]

"And I am Starfire. It is wonderful to meet you, Sabrina!" came her cheerful greeting as she tossed wrench and cloth to the side. She could work on that later.

"Perhaps I can help you find your way? Where were you hoping to go?"

[changelingdude.livejournal.com]

Beastboy had been trolling around the ship looking for something to do that didn't involve children when he stumbled upon this...mess.

"what the heck is..." He didn't get to finish his question because he slipped in some grease and was sent spinning into the vehicle in progress crashing and falling flat on his back.

[starbolts]

"Beastboy!"

Starfire immediately felt guilt for planting her friend in this situation, swooping down to prop him upright. "I am sorry. I have become reckless in my clearing of the waste."

And before anyone could say 'garbage dump, she was gently wiping the sludge from the places it had found on her friend.

[changelingdude.livejournal.com]

"Nah it's cool." Beastboy shook his head a few times to clear it, "Actually my nose was stuffy till then." He joked and laughed rubbing the sore spot.

"What is all this anyway Star? Are you making a Starkart or something?" He shifted into cat form snaking under the creation and around the side coming back out sitting on top of it.

[starbolts]

Starfire rubbed it too, searching for any sign of ice. No, she hadn't brought a first aid kit. Note to self: remember next time!

Before she could help to heal Beastboy's head any further, he had reverted into kitten mode and disappeared under the hood. Oh, there he was again. Always slipping between their fingers, but that was a shapeshifter's talent.

"It is not my own cart," she corrected with a gentle shake of her head. "I am refurbishing a Spider-mobile for Peter, who lost his own on the last planet we visited. I believe he would be happy to have such a mobile once more."

And that was the goal. Making him happy. If that was even possible.

[zouichi.livejournal.com]

Zouichi found himself wandering into the Hangar on occasion, even though his bike was no longer stored here; sometimes it was to examine the Nightmare, and sometimes just to watch the work that went into restoring the large spaceworthy machines that towered over most of the engineers.

Starfire, however, looked a little out of place. For one thing, she was flying. For another, she looked like she was on the wrong end of a fight with a gallon of automobile grease.

He raised a hand in greeting, curious. "Working on something?"

[starbolts]

"Zouichi," Starfire bowed, remembering him from some prior meetings and the omnicomm. "I have taken your advice and begun refurbishing a vehicle for my friend. It is proceeding more smoothly than I expected."

Low expectations? You betcha! But she was happy where she was, making an attempt to clean up the spot for the safety of visitors.

[zouichi.livejournal.com]

He returned the bow. "I can see that. Looks like you're pretty far along, too. Did you do all this work by yourself?"

Because that must have taken an awful lot of time and effort. He hoped the recipient of the car would appreciate it.

[starbolts]

"I have had assistance with installing the components, but I studied and arranged for the items myself. I am hoping to surprise him when he returns."

She looked over her work wistfully, pushing a hand against one of the components to be sure that it was secure.

[azulescarabajo.livejournal.com]

In his search for more clues about the ship, Jaime was naturally drawn to the hanger. The site of a flying orange girl covered in very familiar looking grease was more than enough to attract his attention. Gingerly, her stepped around the grease splattered floor, looking up at Starfire.

"What're you working on?"

[starbolts]

By then, the vehicle's engines and wiring were firmly in place, and the shell pieces were being buffed to the side of the car. It had been difficult to figure out exactly how much strength to hold back when smoothing out the pieces, but she had finally nailed it. The paint coats and spider designs were next! She looked forward to that part.

"This is a vehicle for a friend of mine. He was forced to surrender his automobile on the last planet we visited, and he feels distressed without it."

Peter probably wouldn't want her to disclose that much, but it was the simplest explanation and what she perceived as the truth.

[azulescarabajo.livejournal.com]

"Oh, cool." He peers at the car, curious, and a bit intrigued. He hasn't actually worked on one in a while, thanks to the whole superhero gig, but there was a time when he liked to help his dad out with this sort of thing.

"Do you need any help? My name is Jaime, by the way!"

[starbolts]

"I am Starfire," she greeted in return, very careful to thoroughly clean her hand before offering it for a shake. Grease fights were fun, but only if they were mutually desired.

It would be too much effort to clean her whole self for a hug.

"I have been very fortunate in receiving assistance," she said proudly, "and the work is almost complete! All that remains is to finish and paint the shell. His vehicles bear spider-web designs. If that is interesting to you, you may stay, but please do not feel obligated."

[carrieswar.livejournal.com]

The hangar was one of Jr.'s now-and-then haunts - he trusted the crew enough to leave his Asher docked, but it just felt good going to check up on it now and again. Comforting, that it was there in case he needed it or if any of the Starfighters needed that extra hand.

A sludgy girl in the hangar definitely stood out, so Jr., passing by, leaned himself over to get a peek at the reason Starfire looked the way she did. He let out a low whistle. "What kind of car?"

[starbolts]

Perhaps she should consider investing in a Welcome Committee uniform, Starfire thought upon meeting the next in the line of new acquaintances today. This was hardly the first impression she was used to making on people. The first thing they learned about Starfire was that she was willing to get dirty for hard work. Not necessarily a bad thing, but surely there was more to know?

"It is a powerful automobile," Starfire showed him, admiring the jeep shape, large wheels, and other such devices snuck in by Lash. "I believe it is usually referred to as an off-road vehicle? It is to assist Peter in reaching difficult places while also looking 'cool'."

And it would look cool! As soon as the paint sitting next to her was applied to the shell.

[carrieswar.livejournal.com]

"Peter? So it's not yours?"

Still, Jr. stepped forward to get a closer look at it, and to see what sort of work was being done. He figured he'd let Starfire do the talking.

[starbolts]

"No, I do not drive. My people had little use for vehicles, as we can fly to any location nearly as quickly as a car can travel." She floated up to examine a particular area near the new engines, allowing him room to observe.

"He lost his previous vehicle and became upset with me. I am hoping to make amends. I have been assured that this car has more of the coolness than his previous version."