Levi and Brody were still in the yard behind Shop Class, training hard. Levi backed off a little from Brody holding up his hands as they took a moment to take a breath.
"Don't you have homework to do or something?" Levi asked him.
"I'm doing it." Brody told him with a smirk. "I'm whipping the new guy into shape!"
"Yeah, whatever you say, we both know we're dead even." Levi responded as he used a towel to mop off some sweat. "No, I mean this business project of yours. The others are all off doing it, but so far I haven't even seen you meet up with your partner."
"My partner's Benny." Brody told him as he took a sip from a water bottle. Levi just looked to him a little curiously.
"Benny?" Levi asked. He was embarrassed to admit that he had no idea who Brody was talking about. He was still new to the school, but he liked to think he had a good grasp of who most of his students were, though there were of course those that just never really stood out in any way. There were those that were always easy to remember. Some stood out for good reasons, such as being exceptional students, those that just seemed to pick up the subject matter with ease and showed not just an understanding but a real mastery of it. There was a girl in his class that was able to play a piano at a level that could get her into any concert hall in the country. There were also those that were notable for…well…less admirable reasons. The class clowns, the sociopaths, and those that seemed to almost exist for no other reason than to test the very limits of a teacher's patience. Those in between those extremes though, those were the ones it was tougher to remember.
"Big kid, red hair, thick glasses." Brody said, rhyming off the most notable traits he could think of about him. If Brody was honest, he couldn't really say much about the kid either. He'd only talked to him as far as he could remember once when he found out they had been paired for their project. With Preston and Sarah choosing to work together and Hayley and Calvin choosing to work together, Brody was left having to talk to pair with someone else in the class, and he didn't actually know anyone else. Mrs Finch had ended up pairing Brody with Benny when both of them had ended up not being picked by anyone else.
"So, shouldn't you both be going over ideas or something?" Levi asked him.
"We did." Brody told him. "We're going to do a car wash."
"Wow…you must have spent a whole three minutes on that idea!" Levi teased him. Brody just threw a towel at his face.
"Hey, I have no idea what he can do, so we had to go with something that doesn't require much start-up or much equipment or anything." Brody explained. "A couple of buckets, some sponges, soap, water, how can we miss?"
"OK, I might have been a little unfair when I said you spent three minutes on that idea." Levi told him. "It's probably more like one."
"Longer than it'll take me to wipe the floor with you again!" Brody said, gesturing back to the yard. Mick stopped what he was doing and watched as they came into the middle of the yard. "Alright, one more point for the match. Winner buys the ice-cream."
"Hope you stopped by the ATM today." Levi said with a smile. "I've got a sweet tooth!"
The two Rangers started circling each other, before leading off with a couple of attacks. Levi found one of his punches caught and twisted to exert pressure into an armlock. He smiled as he looked to Levi.
"I hope you know I don't believe in skimping on the toppings." Brody taunted him. Levi flipped over, rotating his arm to relieve pressure on his shoulder and landing on his back. From there, he kipped up onto his feet, before stepping onto Brody's leg, throwing his other leg over his arm. Rolling forward, his feet planted into Brody's abdomen, he flipped the Red Ranger over to the ground, before cinching in his hold hard. Brody quickly found himself having to tap.
Levi rolled backward to his feet, and picked up a towel, offering it to Brody.
"Now that's how it's…"
"Where did you learn that move?" Brody asked him.
"I'm sorry?" Levi asked him.
"That move, the reversal sequence you just pulled off." Brody told him. "Where did you learn it?"
"I…I don't know." Levi told him. "I've had a couple of different sensei over the years, and I've had time between teachers. Also, I've kind of adapted a few things myself. You know, a little of this and a little of that. It's always good to throw someone off their game if you can hit them with something they haven't seen."
"Yeah, I…I guess that's true." Brody answered, taking the towel. "Hit the showers then off to the ice-cream place?"
"Yeah, I just need to get some stuff from my class." Levi answered. "I'll see you in a few."
As he left, Mick came over to Brody, looking at him curiously.
"I'm not just imagining it am I?" Mick asked him. "I've seen you…"
"I've done that same move." Brody confirmed. "That throw is textbook Wind Ninja Academy."
"You know, some Martial Arts have a lot of crossover." Mick reminded him. "Maybe some other sensei do something similar?"
"It's possible, but the Wind Ninja were always pretty guarded about their techniques." Brody answered.
"Well, where would Levi have learned Wind Ninja techniques other than from you?" Mick asked him. Brody just looked to him.
"That's a good question." He answered. "I mean, I know my dad isn't the only one that left the Academy. Maybe one of them taught him."
"But I thought you said the Wind Ninja were very guarded about their techniques." Mick reminded him. "Why would one teach Levi?"
"That…that's another very good question." Brody answered. "Anyway, I need to hit the shower, then the ATM. I'll catch you later Mick."
Over at the Carnival, Sarah and Preston stumbled out of a haunted house, laughing loudly as they went. There were a few other patrons leaving in the same group who looked genuinely terrified, but for two Rangers who were used to seeing very real monsters, carnival workers in cheap foam-rubber costumes were hardly very intimidating.
"Oh man, that was a blast!" Preston laughed loudly as he came to her side. "Did you see that werewolf?"
"It was so lame! It was so fluffy it was almost cute!" Sarah agreed. "I didn't know whether to run or pet it and ask if it wanted to play fetch!"
"I would so have loved to have seen that." Preston answered. "So, what do you want to do next?"
"How long have you known me?" Sarah asked him, pointing to a huge roller coaster. Preston gulped as he looked at it.
"Um…the…Spine Melter?" He asked, his voice quivering a little as he read the name of the ride out loud.
"Oh, come on Preston, it'll be fun!" She assured him.
"Are you sure you wouldn't prefer I go and try to win you a bear or something?" He asked. "I think I saw a coconut shy around here somewhere…"
"Oh, come on Preston, it'll be no different than riding on my hoverboard." She assured him.
"Yeah, that's kind of what I'm afraid of." Preston answered as she dragged him away. Nearby, Hayley and Calvin were skulking to keep an eye on things.
"Well, they seem to be having a good time at least." He commented. "And props to my boy for waiting until AFTER the rides before eating."
"Yeah, learning that lesson only cost me a really cute pair of sandals." Hayley recalled. Calvin sighed.
"I am NOT going to be allowed to forget that am I?" He asked her.
"They were my favourite sandals!" She told him. "Damn, they're already in the queue, there's no way we're going to get any closer."
"You know, there is a way we can get closer." Calvin told her, getting his backpack off his back. "Brody always said, if a ninja looks like a ninja, he's pretty much doing it wrong."
"I like the way you think." Hayley agreed, getting her own backpack. "You go first, find somewhere to change. I'll keep eyes on them for the time being. The roller coaster lets on and lets off right here, they won't be going anywhere any time soon."
With that, Calvin slipped away to find somewhere quiet to change back into his street clothing. Hayley turned her attention back to Preston and Sarah, who were waiting in line. As she could have predicted, Sarah seemed to be a lot more into the idea of the roller coaster than Preston was, but as she took his hand and spoke to him, he seemed to relax a little.
"Nice job Sarah." She complimented her friend. "Keep this up, we'll be double-dating in no time."
In another part of town, Brody and Levi were arriving at the ice-cream parlour. Levi had made a point to remind Brody as often as he could that he was paying for the ice-cream as per their agreement.
"Well, here it is." Brody told him. "Uncle Ted's Malt Shop."
"This is…something else." Levi said with a huge grin. "This place looks like it hasn't changed…"
"Since it opened in 1956." Brody interrupted him. "Dad loved it here, he'd take me and Aiden here any time there was an excuse. Birthdays, Christmas, Thanksgiving. I had to stop by to check it was still here. Ted's grandson owns it now, but he's still kept it the same to honour his grandfather."
"You know, I can almost see this parking lot full of Chevys and pickup trucks." Levi said as he looked around. The Malt Shop really was like a time warp. It was a small shop with a parking lot that completely surrounded it on all sides. The sign declared it as having opened in 1956, and to say that it hadn't changed with the times was the best way to describe it. The windows allowed a full view into the shop, which had stalls all around the circular exterior that were topped with white speckled Formica and rimmed in stainless steel, with black leather seating. The counter in the middle was in the centre, built around a column which was presumably where the real magic happened. Out front there were numerous coffee pots, waffle irons and other assorted pieces of equipment. As they entered, they could see people sitting around with a wide selection of treats, ranging from knickerbocker glories through banana splits, to tall, thick milkshakes that were served with straws, as well as long spoons since they were so thick with ice-cream that it would be impossible to drink them completely any other way.
"This is totally wild…I love places like this!" Levi told Brody. "When I was on tour I'd have Tom look for somewhere like this."
"It's definitely a real slice of Americana." Brody said as they sat down in a booth. "My dad always said that this kind of place always reminded him of his childhood…which is odd since he was only born in 1968."
"He sounds like a man after my own heart." Levi responded as the waitress came over. "Some parts of the world move slowly, and while there's some things that I'd like to see left in the past, sometimes I think we're a little too quick to leave some things behind."
"Are you gentlemen ready to ord…" Her words tailed off as she caught sight of Levi. Brody just rolled his eyes and sank back into his seat. He had seen this a few times before, hell all of the team had. It was one of the drawbacks to having an actual celebrity on the team. He knew it would be a while before they were ordering. "…Say, aren't you Levi Weston?"
"Yes ma'am, I surely am." Levi answered with a little tip of the hat.
"Oh my God, you have no idea…I can't believe…you're here…" She said, hyperventilating. Brody just groaned. "Can I take a selfie?"
"Anything for a fan." Levi said, getting up and standing with the young woman. She held out her phone. "Cheeseburger!"
The woman snapped the shot and checked it, beaming brightly. Levi went back to his seat.
"Thank you so much…I'm sorry, would you like to order?" She asked.
"I'll have the waffles with a scoop of vanilla and a scoop of strawberry." Brody told her as he looked to the menu. "Chocolate sauce please, oh, and coffee, black."
"How about you Mr Weston?" She asked him. Levi handed back the menu without even looking at it.
"I would like a banana split, but could you do it with three scoops of mint chocolate chip ice cream instead of the vanilla chocolate and strawberry?" He asked her. "Oh, and strawberry sauce instead of chocolate?"
"I don't think that should be a problem." She answered. "How about to drink?"
"I think I'll go with the coffee too." He told her. "Black and strong enough to stand the spoon up in."
"I'll just go and get that for you." She replied with a smile. "Thanks so much for the selfie."
"Well, that's no problem for a…"
"My mom thinks you are really hot!" The waitress told him. "She is going to be so jealous when I send her this!"
As she walked away, Brody started laughing. Levi just shook his head.
"Go ahead, yuck it up." Levi told him. "I guess whatever eases the fact you're still paying."
"Oh, this more than makes up for that." Brody answered as the waitress came back with a couple of mugs and poured them each a cup.
"The coffees are bottomless by the way." She told them. Levi looked to Brody and smirked.
"Well, thank you but there's no need for special treatment…"
"Um…it's house policy." She corrected Levi, pointing to a sign that declared all coffee was bottomless. Brody didn't even try to hide his laughter at Levi's expense. "Just give me a wave when you want a re-fill."
"You are having WAY too much fun with this." Levi muttered. Brody just wiped his eyes of tears.
"Sorry, but you do kind of keep setting yourself up like that." He answered. The waitress came back a moment later with their ice-cream, laying it down in front of them.
"One portion of waffles with vanilla strawberry and chocolate sauce, and one banana split, all three scoops mint chocolate chip and strawberry sauce." The waitress declared. "Enjoy!"
"Aw man, this looks amazing!" Levi commented, picking up his spoon and starting to dig in. He looked across, noticing that Brody wasn't following suit. "What? What is it?"
"Nothing, it's just…" Brody started to say, before pointing to the banana split. "Aiden used to order that every time he came here."
"Really?" Levi asked. He just shrugged his shoulders. "I guess your dad isn't the only Romero with good taste."
"What's that meant to mean?" Brody called out. Levi didn't answer though as he just started to eat. Brody, realising he wasn't going to get an answer just picked up his spoon.
Back at the carnival, Sarah and Preston had finished with the roller coaster, and moved on to some of the many games that were on offer. They steered clear of the cup game and chase the Queen after Preston spent a couple of minutes watching and figured out that they were pulling a pretty standard sleight of hand. The games were a con, and impossible to win. So instead, Preston thought he'd try his hand at the test-your-strength machine.
They had been Rangers for a couple of months, they fought monsters regularly, and he figured that the machine shouldn't be much of a problem for him. Unfortunately, he was proven wrong. Swinging the hammer as hard as he could, he only managed to send the ringer up the scale a little over half way. The marker on the scale he reached declared him to be a 'weed'.
"Aw, sorry son, it looks like no winner this time." The carnival worker operating the machine consoled him. "Here, have two tickets for your trouble."
Preston took the tickets with a forced smile and walked away. He looked to Sarah.
"I'm sorry, I…I tried, I swear I swung that hammer as hard as I could!" He promised her.
"Preston, it's alright." Sarah assured him.
"But I've taken down kudabots in one hit with my bare hands!" He protested. "This thing must be rigged!"
"It probably is." Sarah reassured him. "I don't mind."
"I'm sorry, I really wanted to win you something." Preston said sadly. "Isn't that what guys are meant to do on dates in these kinds of places?"
"Yeah, but these things are a total rip-off anyway." Sarah told him. "You get ten tickets for ringing the bell, and the smallest of the stuffed toys is two hundred tickets. You'd need to ring the bell twenty times in a row for a stuffed rat."
"I know, it's just…I really would have loved it if you had something to remember this by." Preston said dejectedly as they walked away. Sarah hooked her arm in his and smiled.
"What makes you think I'd forget this?" She asked him. "I had a really great time."
"Me too." Preston answered. "So…how about something to eat? I think I can manage that much."
"That sounds…WHOA!"
They both stopped abruptly as they turned a corner and walked straight into someone.
"I am so sorry, I…" Preston started to say, before he realised who they had bumped into. "Calvin?"
"Um…."
"Calvin?" Sarah asked, disentangling her arm from Preston's. "What…what are you doing here?"
"I'm um…uh…" Calvin started to stammer, trying to think of an explanation. He had kept as close as possible to Sarah and Preston to be able to relay how things were going to Hayley when she caught up. Unfortunately, he hadn't moved quickly enough when they left the carnival games. "I was just…uh…"
"Cal, there you are!" Hayley called out as she arrived, carrying some snacks. "I got you that corn dog you wanted."
"Hayley, you're here too?" Preston asked.
"Yeah, after the pet store Calvin and I came straight here." Hayley lied. "We knew the carnival was in town and wanted to enjoy it while it was in town."
"How about you guys?" Calvin asked, trying to turn it around.
"Oh…we um…" Preston began. "We finished working on our project a little earlier than expected so we thought we'd come here."
"Well…that worked out well then." Hayley said with a smile. "Want to catch some more shows together?"
"That would be great!" Sarah answered. "So, where do you get those corn dogs?"
As they all headed off, Sarah looked to Preston and smiled. All going well, as first dates went, this one had gone pretty well.
Fin.
A/N: Stay tuned, the next arc is coming soon…VERY soon!