[b]9PM Shine City[/b]

The day had been fairly productive by Joel’s standards. After Rowan’s five-star breakfast he’d sauntered back to the shop, let it settle and then road out to hit the gym for a little while. After an afternoon power-nap, he was showered and out again only perturbed that the weather had kept him off his bike. No problem though, he’d knocked out some of his neglected grocery shopping and had everything tucked away nicely in the back of his Jeep. The plastic bags whipped in the crosswind that came through the roll-cage as he rolled down the highway. He downshifted and took the exit ramp glancing up briefly at the last gasps of sunlight stretched under the passing clouds. There was only one more stop to make and once again his stomach dictated the direction.

The Jeep Wrangler was one of only three vehicles that Joel had ever bought in his life and was the youngest of the three he currently owned. He’d purchased it not far out of high school in order to put his first car out of the daily-driver category. After a decade of ownership it had grown from its mostly stock form into larger tires, various lighting accessories, an elevated stance and its most unusual “theme”. The bright red base had two black stripes that ran over the front and the back quarters with a number [i]85[/i] cut out from the forward stripe on each side. There were two plates on the back: One on the lower corner, the standard Shine City legal registration reading, [i]RAWR[/i], and in the center of the spare tire, a white and yellow, [i]Jurassic Park i.n. C.R. 85[/i] complete with the logo T-Rex skeleton.

The CB antenna bobbed as he turned a corner into Shine Junction and the neon lights of the city core reflected off the recently polished hood as darkness settled fully beneath the skyscrapers.  He always got a chuckle out of the glances the vehicle drew and tonight was no different as he rode with the doors and the top off. He returned a few waves and nods, but was thankful it was a Sunday night and the crowds were relatively tame. There was ample parking and he found a spot directly in front of [i]Fire It Up![/i]. He hopped down catching a whiff of the pleasant aroma of the fire pit and proceeded inside to collect the order he’d called in.

The interior of [i]Fire It Up![/i] was more Joel’s style than most of the upscale, posh offerings of Shine Junction. Unpolished hardwood floors, exposed duct-work and plastic chairs combined with a more contemporary layout and lighting made it seem like a more refined version of Cornerstone or at least something [i]other than[/i] just a bar. There was a tremendous pride in ownership about the place that was constantly evident which he appreciated. 

Dressed in his standard outfit of shorts and a t-shirt, he had now switched to a black [i]MATCO TOOLS[/i] shirt that had come out of his “nice shirts” drawer. He walked up to the counter looking for the big guy that usually worked the fire pit. Aside from his cooking prowess, the man was normally full of useful diet and workout advice that Joel liked to pick his brain about.

[@Saarebas]