Apriltober 2020 20 "I can drive."

a/n: Lin can drive, honest she can. There is nothing to worry about.

All the good things belong to Monolith Soft.

"I can do it for you," Lin offered.

Doug looked down at the petite Outfitter as if she had suggested that she could amputate his leg for him. He backed a step away, protectively spreading his arms to shield his precious baby, his beauty of a ruby red sports car.

"Why are you looking at me like that? You know I can drive," Lin said.

"You are 13. Thirteen," Doug emphasized. "No way I'm letting a 13-year-old behind the wheel of this."

"I pilot skells all the time."

"And I help pound out the dents afterwards. No thanks. I'll get someone else to drive it back to the parking lot." A shout from the Harrier's camp reminded them both of his problem.

"Look, Doug, those dents are all due to indigen, not my driving. Your team needs to leave now, not later, not even long enough to find this magical someone else." Lin stood firm, hands on hips, and tried to stare him square in the face. It didn't work well, since she'd need to stand on a medium crate to meet him eye to eye.

Another shout, this time slightly panicked and backed by the whine of a skell's engine, was a better argument. "Fine, you got the job," he said, passing her the keys with reluctant fingers. "Speed limit the whole way, full stops at the intersections, park in the upper level away from everything. And one more thing. NO NOPON."

"Meeeehhhhhhh," wailed lin's rotund alien companion. "Dougie xenophobic."

"Cut it with that 20 credit vocabulary. It's a safety thing, and standard for new drivers. No friends when they're driving without an adult."

"Meeeehhhhhh, Unckie Dougie making things up to exclude Tatsu."

"Unckie? UNCKIE?!"

Lin quickly shushed her friend. "No, that's legit, Tatsu. I remember it from Earth. Tell you what: I'll meet you at Sunshine Cafe and we can split a crepe."

"Meh meh, Linly expect Tatsu to bounce as fast as a car?"

"Take the transport 'copter. I have to double back from the parking garage anyway." Lin gave the Nopon a solid push away from the gleaming vehicle. Only when he'd wobbled away in a cloud of "mehs" and other Nopon grunts of disappointment did Doug inch away from the driver side door.

"Speed limit, Lin. Don't even think of..."

"Doug, they're going to take off without you. You can trust me. Honest. I can drive."

A minute later, wind in her hair, singing along to her favorite pop song, blissfully free of Nopon commentary, Lin decided she needed to sweet talk someone into letting her have her own car. Elma and Nagi would say no, Irina and Cross would listen to them, and every one else was too broke. Except for maybe Commander Vandham. Yup, he'd probably give her one, maybe as a present for her birthday. That was a while away, though. No, she thought, a better idea would be to ask for it as a reward for finding the Lifehold. That would work nicely.

a/n: I told you there was nothing to worry about. VULFPECK / Dean Town on loop.

Next up: Drop me a prompt or otherwise it will be me trying not to write yet another Frye-centric piece ... wait, no, I have an idea. Don't worry.