Ok, hands on the wheel. Hands on the wheel. You can do this Yue, you've driven before. Like... once? In a circle around a small playground? With the engine already running? But still! She's got... y'know, non-zero experience! So hands on the wheel and, and um... um. 

And look at Hyra? 

"Turn the key, Yue."

Hahaha, isn't it funny how she said it like that? She's so cute when she's talking through clenched teeth. And the way she's holding her body so tensely, pushing her legs into the floor and gripping the door handle like it's a sword is almost enough to make a person think she's worried something bad is gonna happen!

Well, that's probably 'cause she saw Yue's first attempt at holding a real sword. And her first try at using magic. And her first duel. And her first adventure. Y'know, the one where Hyra got cursed and they both wound up stumbling naked through the woods until they were saved by a passing and stunningly beautiful fox who has never committed a single crime in her life? So there's... yeah, there's that and all, but it's ok, Hyra! It's fine! Like we've already established, this is Yue's [i]second[/i] time driving!

She turns the key with the majesty and raw confidence of a person who is very obviously faking it for the benefit of all her terrified friends. The engine gasps and sputters its affront, then makes a truly hideous death cry before it shudders and does whatever the car equivalent is of collapsing into a pile forever because it's dead, oh gosh it's dead, dead or broken or whatever the technical term is sorry I'm a little preoccupied right now oh no!

"Oh no, I'm sorry! I'm sorry, little car! I didn't mean it! I di-- I didn't mean--"

"Yue. Breath." Hyra should probably take her own advice here, huh? "You need to depress the..."

"I depressed it? Is that why it died? Oh no I made it so sad it gave up its car soul! Oh gosh I knew I wasn't cut out for any of this!"

"You didn't kill it! Just, nnngh, just stomp on the clu... fffff. Ok, no. The pedal on your left. Your other left. Your [i]other[/i]..."

"Th-this one?"

"That one."

"And this'll bring the car back to life?"

"It's not de-- yes, Yue. This will bring the car back to life. Just hold your foot on that pedal, and [i]then[/i] turn the key. Ok?"

Hyra glares out the window at the swarm of Assault Ribbons as they slither to and fro above the car waiting with the patience of a bunch of monks. They ripple up and down in the ribbon-version of laughter. Yue does what she's told. And then, a miracle! The dead speak! All across the pyramid ('s garage) the sound of an engine shaking itself to life can be hear. Yue laugh-cries in terror-relief, and crosses her left foot over her right to reach what she's pretty sure she remembers is the go button. 

The car roars a mighty battle cry, fiercer than any dragon. But it's missed a memo somewhere or something, because all that engine...ing is not doing a ton of thrilling getaway action. Or, um. Y'know. Moving. At all? Tears well up at the corners of Yue's adorable blue eyes and start dribbling down her soft, untested cheeks. She lets go of the go button. Nothing. She tries the other other button. Nothing. She lets up on the Resurrection Button. 

"Heeeuuurrgh!"

Strap in and hold on, everybody! Or, well, hope you were already strapped in, that is. But do hold on! Or you're gonna have the biggest headache of your life as the poor, abused car lurches forward with a truly sickening and ferocious heave before uttering its familiar death quote and toppling over again into stillness. 

And Yue? Oh, poor Yue is choking back real tears right now. Her slender shoulders shake like leaves with the effort of not falling apart, and she slams her fist down on the steering wheel because it's the only thing her body will let her do besides curling into a ball. The horn honks: an angy chirp that makes her squeak and shoot straight back into her seat again. 

"Do you need me to switch with you?"

"I... I can..."

"I'm getting out. Just leave it like it is and we'll--"

"No! I can! I can do this! I can I can! I [i]have[/i] to do this!"

The pink on Hyra's cheeks is almost as deep as the dazzling blue of Yue's eyes. Shining with tears that sparkle starlight bright from the fire burning and bubbling inside of them. And, well? The legends say, and of course there are legends of this day! Of course there are! Why wouldn't there be, who says there aren't? Ooooohhhhh, you. Best believe we're going to the [i]library[/i] after this! Then you'll see, the legends say a switch was born at this very instant. Hyra untenses and meekly folds her arms into her lap. 

"Try again. When I say so, you need to push this stick up here. Then you'll... just do it like I tell you."

The stick slams into first gear, but not before making the single worst grinding noise anybody present has ever heard. Or likely will ever hear again. The engine revs, she pushes one foot down and lets the other one up. Seatbelts lock with the fury of a starving anaconda. The car makes a brief daydream of metamorphosing into a jet. And they fly!

One hundred meters later, headaches. Momentum is a product of the li... actually, y'know what? We don't need to go there. Where we [i]do[/i] need to go is through the seats. And the dashboard. And in poor Yue's case, the steering wheel. Collar bones are crushed by life saving restraints. There's pain and grumbling and a great many 'sorry's to go around, but those aren't as important as what happens next: 

Hyra smiles. She peels her body off of the door and she smiles the quiet, grim smile of a warrior greeting her fellow on the battlefield before they drown in a hail of arrows. When Yue smiles back, she's softer about it. There's not much about that girl that's very grim at all, bless her. She turns her lips up in a wet and soft and beautiful (but like, in a very plain and ordinary way, right?) grin so full of teeth and encouragement. 

This time the car makes it one hundred and fifty meters. And the time after that, startled Assault Ribbons have to shake off their laughter and get to smashing, because that girl is gone. The poor abused vehicle revs and whines with maximum effort and shoots forward like a bunny that's forgotten that there's such a thing as a top speed. The RPM counter and the other little dial whatsit that tells you how hot things max out instantly and then sit there pouting because nobody cares enough to even pay attention. Something, not sure what but I think it might actually be the wheel? Or maybe the wheel[i]s[/i], or... ok fine, I don't know, ok? The car's just shaking and it's bad and scary and

"It's vrooming!"

"It's supposed to!"

"But it's not nyyyroooming! Isn't it supposed to-?"

"FOR FUCK'S SAKE YUE KEEP THAT FOOT ON THAT PEDAL!"

"EEeeeep! Y-yes'm!"

...And that's how that's going! What's new with y'all?