The Mishaps of the Chocobros

Broken Down

"Goddamnit, this is the third time the Regalia's done this!"

"Hey, don't talk trash about my dad's car."

"Now now, you two. I'm sure there is a service station around here other than Hammerhead that would be willing to service the car and maybe tell us what's going on with her. And if not, we can always give Cindy a call." Ignis soothed the two younger men. The heat didn't need to be raised with their argument.

Prompto had been driving when the Regalia gave out for the third time in two weeks. Oddly enough, Ignis always observed that the car broke down every time Prompto drove it, but he didn't mention anything.

After all, the gunman had enough to be roasted over, he didn't want to be the one adding anything more on his plate.

"Come on you two, we gotta push this car. The service station can't be too far." Gladio urged the two as Ignis got behind the wheel. 

As the bespectacled man pressed the gas pedal, the three of them pushed the car into a service station that was unfamiliar. "Hello? Is anyone here?"

There was no response, and it seemed to be abandoned.

"Well shoot, there isn't another service station around here?" Gladio fussed, wiping his hands on his pants before stretching his arms over his head. Noctis and Prompto crashed in the back seats of the car, exhausted from pushing the hunk of metal as Ignis dialed the self-proclaimed grease monkey goddess's number.

"H'llo?"

"Cindy? It's me, Ignis."

"Oh hey there, Glasses! How're y'all holdin' up?"

"Actually we might need some help. The Regalia broke down again."

"Seriously? I thought I tweaked some things in the engine the last time that happened! Well, just text me where y'all are at and I'll be there with my truck in a jiffy. I'll have to convince Paw-paw that he'll be able to run the shop by himself though, so give me a few and I'll be right there."

"Thank you so much, Cindy."

"No problem! Anything for y'all." The line clicked and Ignis hung up the phone. "Let's try to push this car towards the closest establishment, Cindy will probably have an easier time spotting us then."

"Ignis. Our car is already a sore thumb out here. You don't see cars like this lying around these parts." Gladio reasoned, and he knew he was right. The Regalia wasn't just any kind of car.

The four of them sat outside in the heat of midday for what felt like forever before the flash of gold on Cindy's truck caught their attention. "Hey there boys! The old girl's givin' you trouble again?"

"Well, I'd say she's rather burned out from the exertion." He corrected, ignoring the small groans from the others at his pun. He saw the opportunity and he utilized it, nothing wrong with that. After all, he was a strategist, utilizing opportunities was his strong suit. 

"I see that. Can y'all push the car up on the back and you all can sit with me in the front, I've got more than enough room for everyone."

After the five of them pushed her up the ramp and into the back of the truck (Ignis knew that Cindy was strong, but didn't realize how strong, though he was pleasantly surprised), the five of them somehow managed to cram themselves into Cindy's smaller-than-expected front part of her tow truck before they set off for Hammerhead.

He didn't even want to know how much the bill would be. For now though, he was going to enjoy Prompto's nervous fluttering due to his proximity to the mechanic, and worry about the bill when it came.