[color=a187be]"No need to worry 'bout that."[/color]

Most of her best friend's comments deflected off her skin like they weren't even there; to say she had thick skin where Viv was concerned was an understatement. It was like saying Matryoshka was hard to shoot down. She and her baby could take whatever was thrown at them without even flinching, and keep doing it as long as they had to. It was a pretty common curiosity, when first meeting the two, why Evangeline put up with Viv; anyone that said anything half as harsh to her tended to get beaten down, and beaten down [i]hard[/i]. It was a mistake you only ever made once if you wanted to avoid any more broken bones. But Viv never even got a complaint.

No one ever got an answer, at least not from Sparr. Or at least not one that actually answered their question. But the truth was that she didn't mind it from Viv. It was just the only way she knew how to be affectionate, even if she'd deny it with all her might if the heiress ever said as much. She'd been happy to be there when Viv needed help, and Viv'd been around every time since that [i]Sparr[/i] needed her.

Besides, what she did to people was nothing compared to what Viv did if they insulted her.

[color=a187be]"Kawal."[/color] She began, Matryoshka walking at a steady pace over towards the dune the newbie's frane was buried in. She considered the possibility that his radio was out, like Katya's, but this close his short receiver should have been able to pick her up anyway. Which meant he just wasn't responding, either because he wouldn't or because he couldn't. A low sigh went through the comm as she got closer, the sand shifting underneath Matryoshka's heavy feet every step of the way. She had left her shield embedded in the dune she had used for cover, so as soon as she got close enough she grabbed Kawal's frame by the arm and dragged it out of the sand and up to camera-level. Hanging suspended by its upper arm it was clear that there was no one using the controls; with no active control the frame was just limp, hanging however gravity willed it. She might have been more concerned if there was any real damage to the frame but there wasn't. Some scratched, a few scuff marks, and a couple dents but that was it. Certainly nothing that would've killed its pilot.

Which really meant one thing.

[color=a187be]"Dumbass is unconscious,"[/color] Sparr reported, shaking her head. [color=a187be]"His frame's fine, he was just knocked clear. Got stuck in the sand. Probably forgot to wear his fucking harness. Probably gonna wake up with a headache but he should be good. S'why we've got protective gear in these things."

"What's the word on the Racers?"[/color]