"Hey, Qiang, I hope you haven't forgotten about our bet, have you?"
When the news broke out that the arrival of Jeremiah's wife Stacie Houston at the Gale Force Racing camp made them the second ever husband and wife teammate duo in the Cup Series, he himself took to the drivers' chat group to issue a challenge to his Sherpa counterpart: if "Stacemiah" both get wins before Qiang and spouse Tsering Chu did, then Qiang must spend an entire day in drag (not his first time either). Qiang accepted, but countered: if he and Chu win first, then Jeremiah will be the one in drag. They reached an agreement, and now the GFR pair is ahead, since nowhere in the exchange did it say only points races count.
Qiang turned to Jeremiah, who then ruffled his hair. "Thought so."
The French Army wrote:Bessières still thought Thea deserved an apology, so he saw to it that she received a bouquet of flowers and a note written in English in elegant calligraphy:Mademoiselle Alvarez, please forgive Marshal Lannes for his rude behavior earlier. He was very upset about failing to qualify for the exhibition race and he completely forgot his manners. Please accept these flowers by way of an apology."
The messenger who delivered the flowers and the note to Thea's hauler was well-dressed and well-mannered, but not especially well-bathed...
Thea took both items, thanking the messenger before sending him on his way (and spraying perfume where he stood). Later, at her hotel room, she placed the flowers in a bottle of water and wrote out a reply.
Marshal Lannes, I forgive you for your actions after the race. Sometimes things get too heated and don't go our way, causing us to think and act irrationally. I've been in similar situations in the past, so I know and understand how you feel.
Sorry you didn't make the cut, but if you keep trying your best and channeling your rage into something useful*, I know you'll get there. I'll be looking forward to the day when I finally get to race you on the track.
Your friend, Thea
*This was something she often heard from Sage Caldwell last season. He used to get really upset about coming up short in his quest for his first win, but eventually learned to keep his emotions in check.
She also didn't mention anything about Lannes and his teammates' hygiene. That was an issue for another time.
Just as Jeremiah was happy that he earned his first ever victory in the Exhibition at the Proving Grounds, Lexi Patterson was similarly glad that her first outing with Skip Stiller Speedworks ended up with a podium at the Prospect Showcase. Her time as part of Jebslunden Motorenwerken taught her the importance of working hard to get results on the track, and with that also being the way of thinking for the Yeezie drivers, it didn't become hard for her to fit in. She liked her new country of residence too - while she will always be grateful for the Jebslunders for rescuing her career, the utilitarian and militaristic vibe of the place wasn't really to her taste. St. Kanye was bright and flashy and capitalist, much like her native Hampton Island, except without the free-roaming bears.
Despite spending most of her free time during the week hitting the simulator and familiarizing herself with the track, Lexi posted a qualifying time for the Tundra Falls 400 almost eight seconds slower than that of the polesitter Marcus Reynolds, hence she shall be starting at the tail end of the field. At first she felt a little disappointed, but then remembered that if the Prospect Showcase winner (Robin Dragonovic) can climb all the way up from 37th place, maybe she can too. She hit the sims some more for the rest of the day, trying to beat her lap time, Marcus' time, and even win the race against AI opponents (whose ratings and tendencies were taken by analyzing hours and hours of footage of the previous season's races). It was already nighttime when she was satisfied with what she's done, and so she went back to the hotel with a big smile on her face.
Race day came. "Good luck, guys," she said to her teammates Pyotr Lavrentiev and defending Everlong champ Daryl Calhoun just before they were to climb into their cars. "Likewise to you, Lexi," the other two nodded. Minutes later, the green flag had flown. Lexi tried her hardest to make it to the front, where Daryl and Lav, who had both qualified in the top ten, already were. The two Yeezie boys worked together and dominated the early portion of the race - that is, until disaster struck.
While leading the pack, one of Daryl's tires suddenly exploded, causing him to lose control. And then another. The blue #20 car spun out, collecting several others; Lav tried to dodge the wrecks, but sent his car into the wall while doing so. Fortunately, he would come back for the rest of the race, but not without spending extensive time in the pits. Daryl wouldn't be as fortunate. The man who won the driver's championship last season was the first to crash out of an event this season.
Lexi wasn't anywhere near the front at the time of the accident, and she would avoid it completely. She would keep on climbing steadily, reach the top ten by Lap 50, and take the lead by the halfway mark. The endgame came down to her, Robin the Dragon, and a few others; despite her valiant efforts, all Lexi could manage is a second straight third place finish, ahead of Robin but behind newcomer Kaarina Salo and eventual winner Agata Kosaryova.
Lexi congratulated the other two girls who beat her to the start/finish line, and was later congratulated herself by Lav (who finished 22nd) and Daryl (who was miraculously okay after his scary spin earlier). "Two straight podiums, not bad for your SSS debut," spoke Lav, before continuing, "But remember, if you ever find yourself near either of us while up front, don't expect an easy time!" Lexi had to laugh. Yeezies will be open about racing you hard, but they also try to be as clean as possible, something she believes in too. Rubbing is racing, it is often said. Wrecking isn't.
Later, Lav visited the UrGa garage area. Rustam Ilyich Yudin didn't race earlier, but he will tomorrow, having been promoted to the Cup Series as a replacement to the now retired Guillermo Archer. "Hey, look at the big shot over here," Lav spoke upon seeing his old buddy. "How does it feel now that you'll be running with the likes of Stacemiah and Qiang and the Shark instead of the hacks like Pyotr Lavrentiev?" he asked. "Nervous? Excited? Man, imagine the look on Taras' face if he finds out about this." Taras Lakrov was Lav and Rustam's teammate in the now-defunct Motorsports Ceroat, but having joined the armed forces, the only thing he drives now is a tank. "Wonder when I'm gonna get my shot?"
Qualifying for tomorrow's Tundra Falls 500 happened earlier in the day, with the GFR trio all starting in the top fifteen. Thea will be on the outside of Rustam's teammate Wilma von Cärinthen in the second row; the two tried to help each other out in the Exhibition but got separated and settled for subpar results. Just behind her is Stacie Houston, another possible drafting partner; Jeremiah sits at the thirteenth starting position and will likely waste no time getting to the girls. He talked to Chris Holmes (twelfth) about a possible partnership in the early stages, since the Hapiloppian is also a fair distance from his teammates and surrounded by several Dart cars.
