[b][centre][h1] Bellatrix Olympus. Nordic. Between races. 23-10-2094 to 29-10-2094 ish.[/h1][/centre][/b] [b][h2][centre][color=fff200]Wales[/color][/centre][/h2] [/b] [b][h3][centre][color=fff200]Valley Girl. 23-10-2094[/color][/centre][/h3] [/b] … Wales. A few days post Australia. Bellatrix had taken a little time to take a few days back home before she returned to Scandinavia and walked down through the doors of a traditional pub that probably could of been from anything to 1900 to 2100, bar the new names, holograms over beer taps and the glowing holographic figure that acted as an automated greeter letting them know what specials were available. [color=ec008c]“Pint please Shane. How's Siobhan doing?”[/color] She said, waiting for the interview at the local pub, her local pub in the village down from the family's castle. “Congratulations Bella, great race, She's fine. Get a seat, I'll bring your print and some snacks over.” He said cheerfully and directed to an open door to the beer garden out behind. It was sunny and unusually warm for the season, shaded by a large oak tree and the tower of the local church in the distance. The man walked in, this interview they had to fly all the way out to Wales, missing her in Australia and deciding it was worth the effort. Pulling his jacket a little tighter. This was not warm, much as the weather claimed. “I'm here to meet? Oh, coffee, two sugars.” He said and looked over to be directed to the back and spot Bellatrix sitting under a shady tree in a simple but simple dress, boots and somewhat worn leather jacket casually drinking a beer in what passed for sunshine on this European island. “Hans Keller. Gossip, pleasure to meet you.” He said smoothly sitting down, he was headed back to Europe and now had been diverted, oh well, they were paying him so he said. “Qaint place, but shall we get to business?” He said. [color=ec008c]“Of course, I imagine you're quite busy.”[/color] Bellatrix replied and got comfortable as he took out his holo pad, muted her phone for the interview and snacked on some baby garlic bread. … Gossip. Bellatrix Olympus, Formula AG Team Nordic New hopeful. Public house questions. An edited interview. We met in a Pub, they call it in Rural Wales near her home, pictures enclosed. The Coffee was mediocre and the area seemed very much to be a mix of anything from a historical drama and modern technology. [b]H.[/b] So some are calling you the Princess of AG, care to give our viewers your opinion, and are you challenging Amy's title of Queen? [b]B.[/b] Well, I'm honoured the Fans think so highly of me, I hope I live up to their expectations. As for Amy, well a Princess never gives away her dress before the ball. [b]H.[/b] A good answer, you sure, no hints for our readers. [b]B.[/b] Surprises are much more fun, nice try. [b]H.[/b] Given your taking over an older driver, do you think they chose you for skills, or your marketability? You brought quite the sponsorship boost to Nordic Call? [b]B.[/b] I think scoring points on my first race, my actions spoke for me. As for sponsorships, well, that's just a positive bonus, my new team has welcomed me, and our ship was upgraded just before Australia with more in the pipeline. [b]H.[/b] No fun insider quirks, does Astrid microwave her tea, or have strange team Rituals. [b]B.[/b] No comment, not my first time with the media Damian. Good try though. [b]H.[/b] Had to ask, Your latest poster campaign has been dramatic, Opinions? any chance we will get a live version of that body suit? [b]B.[/b] I prefer people to build their opinions based on my race results, but my social media manager is quite happy with the results, as for that, No, you'd be too lucky. And come on, no pockets. But between you, me. The readers… I do look rather good even if it's a little exaggerated. [b]H.[/b] You sound like Bea and Amy, getting on well with the new pilots? Any truth to the rumours, your manager seemed rather close to you. [b]B.[/b] Well they are good role models, ive been welcomed, the pilots are all here to win, but also get home alive. You need better bait, no fish there. [b]H.[/b] As for role models, how do you feel you are one? Even with your media and fact you are drinking alcohol. [b]B.[/b] I try my best to inspire new pilots, artists, anything they want to achieve. Anything is possible when you put your mind to it. It's legal here, it's a nice day, and I'm on an off day. [b]H.[/b] Great to meet you, anything last you want to say? [b]B.[/b] Thanks for coming to me, I'm off after this to relax for a few days, before going back to the Factory. As for everyone… you can do anything, every journey starts with a single step. … [b][h2][centre][color=fff200]Sweden.[/color][/centre][/h2] [/b] [b][h3][centre][color=fff200]Interview. Factory. 27-10-2094[/color][/centre][/h3] [/b] Bellatrix was sat by a balcony with a large vista behind a fjord and forests on the slopes. A fire was glowing brightly oranges, yellows and reds warming Bellatix and adding a nice glow to her pale skin. The metal running through the back of her neck glittered though long red hair and had her arm looking and bending in unlike her last interview. Wearing a team zipped jacket, a Formula AG hat and her warm leggings with furs on lap she watched the man behind the camera count down from 5 before the red light went green on holographic camera. [quote](Quote) Next, Bellatrix, in Lulea. "An impressive start from you Trix! Many people would have not expected you to come into Formula AG, especially with the competitive field you were in, so what do you think it was that made it work so well for you? (End Quote)[/quote] Bellarix smiled at Aurora, the woman who was.. near the famous sofa, their sofa that had arrived from the moon to across the planet. [color=ed145b]“Thanks Aurora, good afternoon from Sweden. I had a great team at my back, the engineers have worked hard to make my ship ready and so many others behind the scenes. We got into the mix, it was a great race track for close up racing, we had a fast ship and a chance so I took it. I saw an opportunity when the pack closed up. I wanted to make my mark. The other pilots were tough opposition, they are some of the best hope to be one of them. See you in America Aurora, pack your sunscreen, and some good mositeriser .”[/color] She said cheerfully and waved as the interview ended. ….. [b][h2][centre][color=fff200]Sweden.[/color][/centre][/h2] [/b] [b][h3][centre][color=fff200]A lonely Fjord.. 27-10-2094[/color][/centre][/h3] [/b] … Floki was sitting with his wood working tools, no phone, no holographic tech or implants. Floki was 100% organic human, no implants, no bionics, no nanites, his genetics unchanged. A rare thing in the current age. Everything was made by his own hands from the forge where he made his tools, handles from wood harvested and dried, everything made by his own hands with his own sweat, blood and muscle. He felt a connection to these tools like his energy and soul could commune with the wood he worked with. He had harvested this oak 3 years ago from a great tree branch that had fallen in a storm on one of his fjord hikes. He rubbed the faded tattoo across his skull and took a drink from a flask holding home made mead from his own cabin. He was a strange person who insisted on living, on doing, and working his own methods. He resumed working on the latest ship for Nordic Call, a small chisel cutting away and refining the nose of the new ship and narrowing the profile. Each model was made by hand, from a raw piece of wood to a finished, polished and tested in wind tunnels. He worked quietly, efficiently and steadily. Each cut, chip, slice or action shaping the raw material into a finished concept that was within his mind, this vision he took from concept to ship and built by the means of wooden models. They had tried with software, 3d scanners, printers and more. He refused. He worked the old ways. The ways he had always worked since he had crafted his first ever ship, a small boat. Reaching for a hand axe from leather rolls of tools, also hand made and natural to respect the tools, to respect their natural energy and soul he put into them. The razor sharp axe was short but powerful, this time he just used the blade with the greatest care to smooth out down the grain and flatten the ship's hull lower side and refine its shape. “Storm rider.” He said with a grin as he named this new ship, the new craft would be named Storm rider. This was the way a man was meant to craft. Not with all that modern technology that disconnected the man from his work. … [b][h2][centre][color=fff200]Sweden.[/color][/centre][/h2] [/b] [b][h3][centre][color=fff200]Factory. High risks.. 28-10-2094[/color][/centre][/h3] [/b] The engineers gathered about the meeting room and were all looking around at various holographic documents and looking from a mix of nervous to excited about the idea. This new proposal was a huge risk, they would maybe have a 50-50 chance to blow the engine out but the speed boost was notable and the next two races they would either score or DNF. The team had no chance to win the championship so they had to decide, long term, short term, risk and see what the year's ships limit was and see how that could be included into the next one. “Look, we have a steady pilot, lets not fuck up her confidence.” Sif said, more in the safe camp. “No guts, no glory, we might as well push every bit of tech we can, not change the points and Bellatrix and Astrid out the top.spots. why not.” another engineer said and ate a doughnut that was being passed around the room. “Chances are they will catch us on Neuro tech, why not push the limit Sif, we can use the test data for next year.” Came a third. Options were heavily divided between the teams and even individual engineers on each team, Astrid, Bellatrixas and the factory. “Those two ladies can do it. We have good pilots, give them everything, if it blows up so be it. It's a risk. What's the risk they started winning? “ Astrid's engineer asked another tech team from the 2095 prototype team to arrive. Munis Floki, he was off doing Floki things and people had got used to the eccentric master shaper boat builder who had a whole viking era workshop near the factory site and often could be found working their, in a fjord, forest or anywhere other than where he was probably meant to be. He always delivered results though. The decision was put to a vote an hour later, and it was a very close vote. 19 to 17 in favour of the winning choice. .. [b][h2][centre][color=fff200]Sweden.[/color][/centre][/h2] [/b] [b][h3][centre][color=fff200]Near the Factory / Factory. 28-10-2094[/color][/centre][/h3] [/b] Astrid was keeping a steady pace as she and Bellatrix went jogging in what Astrid termed a mild winter lunch time and Bellatrix was wrapped in a warm chaotically pink and white track jacket following alongside with bright pink ear buds in, wearing gloves, a hat and sunglasses to protect from the low winter sun that streamed down the trail. While they could train indoors, the winter was coming and Astrid had pulled the younger woman along with her to head out instead and take advantage of the declining opportunities to do so. “Its not even Cold, snow less than head.” Astrid had said when she saw how bundled up Bellatix was and herself in just what would pass for every day work out gear, even without a jacket. Some of the words said as they exited, Astrid was not sure what or how polite the language was, but guessed not so much and maybe Welsh? Maybe something else but they had left about an hour ago and paused to get water and sit down for 10 minutes at a local spot overlooking a historic site before making the trip back down a new trail that lead them closer to where the forest edge and the Fjord met with views of deep water, rocky hillsides and steep narrow areas opening up into that was once been the main port some 1000 + years ago for longships. Thankfully for Finn, Bellatrix had been content to be visually chaotic, ear buds in listening to some audio books that she doubted were suitable for public speakers. Her joke about being the F1 princess in a castle turned out to be a more apt nickname than expected. Of all the people to have an actual family castle, a stone, real walled castle… However her entertainment had arrived entirely without her knowing as they reached the automatic doors to the factory reception and they did not open. Bellatrix turned around and looked confused as Astrid paused to check a message about her Gin partnership and the product launch of a new flavour. As Bellatrix walked up the door refused to open, back, forward, nothing. The automatic doors privacy faded glass remained closed. [color=ec008c]“What?”[/color] Bellatrix said and huffed as she jumped up a little and waved her hand. Only then did the doors glide open smoothly to one of the employee-only entrances. [color=ec008c]“Set for giants… is everyone a tree in this country?”[/color] Bellatrix grumbled to a laughing Astrid, even the stoic woman was enjoying her co-pilot's misfortune about her height and holding back breaking out into laughter. She made sure to record the moment for the group chat and upload it though, all in finally being able to get the woman back. “Sure Princess, get you Royal stool.” Astrid dead panned, reserved and very much Astrid but they were team mates and that meant having to least let her in a fraction. Not much but enough to be a cohesive team. [color=ec008c]“Thanks Elsa.”[/color] Bellatrix replied having been naming her after the icy princess from an old Disney movie. “Il ask desk” Astrid said simply not extending her co-pilot's torment and just walking over to someone to let them know the door sensor was set too high. Typical of Astrid's economical use of words. “Scanners wrong, too high, not working for Princess.” The man on the front desk did a double take but saw the two pilots and worked out Astrid's Larconic language in a few seconds and just nodded. The woman seemed to think she was changed by the word. “sure, il let thalthnir know and get someone to check it out in the afternoon.” “Good.” Astrid said as she walked with the chaotic woman to head to the sauna to decompress after their jog. [b][h2][centre][color=fff200]Sweden.[/color][/centre][/h2] [/b] [b][h3][centre][color=fff200]Pilots Sauna. Factory. 28-10-2094[/color][/centre][/h3] [/b] “Come. Sauna feels good. Recover muscles.” Astrid said as she walked through the pilots area and past a row of training gear, and all manner of other stuff they regularly used including stacks of crates ready to ship to races all labeled with everything from “Helmet, spare. NC3” to “NC1 Control units.” Others had the signs NC2 had been rapidly repainted for NC3 as Bellatrix ship was a mix of 3 and parts gutted from 2 to rush into racing, leaving behind piles of custom fitted parts that no longer had any use in storage out back. [color=ec008c]“OK, but I really need to ask Sif something before she leaves first.”[/color] Bellatrix was unsure, but the Sauna, fire and comfort driven culture here was nice in its own way. They had meetings and found fires in the open, the day after she got back was a large all hands feast they did to celebrate getting points. Everyone, even the weird Floki turned up who personally had hunted the meat that roasted on a spit. She met him, he was eccentric to be sure but if one thing he loved was crafting ships and could attest he was good at his job insisting he said she was a warrior and headed off. Confusing but… respect? “Promise? Then go.” Astrid asked, having been trying to convince her of the benefits of the Saunas for the past week via message and in person as well as sending article. [color=ec008c]“Promise Elsa, I really do need to ask Sif something before she leaves for doctors.”[/color] And headed into engineer land pulling off gloves and checking the holo linked app that seemed to show her time and data were better than average for a day's run. Astrid took some getting used to, blunt as a wall but they had… worked something out. Bellatrix did not break her promise dressed in a short white towel as one foot clinked on tiles, no blend of augments as not sure how they and steam would behave before reaching timber to pull the door open. “Close, just got steam up.” She heard but did not fully see for a second, noticing her co-pilot was entirely confident and entirely exposed.[color=ec008c]”i.. il… You sure.. ”[/color] caught by surprise and catching herself slipping slightly as clipped a bench corner though no blood, just a red mark. [color=ec008c]“Oww”.[/color] “Sit, lie down. I not worry.” She waved off without even a pause or stutter in the strange mix of Finn and Faroe accents Astrid had. Looking over Astrid watched as Bellatrix adjusted herself and got comfortable with a slight knock of metal on wood. “Rest, muscles will heal faster. All down?” Astrid asked, tapping on her own augments. [color=ec008c]“All down, shoulders, ribs, a lot.”[/color] Bellatrix nodded, feeling a little flush from the sudden change in temperature from cold winter, to factory and Sauna. They did not talk much but there was a bond, and her team mate did not warm up as much as Astrid was .. Astrid but acceptance maybe was the word. A week later the confident Nordic princess did not bat an eye as Bellatrix slipped the towel off and using one of those weird mechanical snake things to move a hair out her eye. “May I” letting it curl round a finger, entirely unafraid of them. “Rare, not seen before.”She said seeing one work on adjusting a technical spot on the British woman's knee lying on her front, head looking up. [color=ec008c]“Rare yes, an non-adopted military prototype program, also very … weird to learn to use. Needs regular Calibration. AI and stuff does it.”[/color] Bellatrix agreed as a slightly whirring sound as it resolved the slight mis-step that had been annoying her on their run. Astrids … confidence had well. Humoured the Nordic woman and embraced her custom trying to bridge the icy gap with the infamously blunt pilot. The small nod was barely noticed but their. Distant but Bellatrix would definitely call her a team mate, and was infinitely glad the fan fic writers did not know their little plot was a real thing. Minus the 7000 word smut chapter that went into detail upon details. She drank sweet coffee, and her comment worked… The world was healing. No more black coffee. [b][h2][centre][color=fff200]Sweden.[/color][/centre][/h2] [/b] [b][h3][centre][color=fff200]Walk and talk. Factory. 29-10-2094[/color][/centre][/h3] [/b] “How's the dynamic?” The team's Principle asked as he walked across the factory finding out what Floki was up to. The eccentric man had decided he needed new tools and handmade ones, requiring them to buy meteoric iron… “Improving, she is adapting well, and Astrid is trying to get Bellatrix into Saunas, so I'm not concerned. “Slow but working.” “As expected, Bellatrix is …no offense to Astrid. We needed to be media friendly too, Astrid is …” They paused and waved a hand, Astrid was Astrid. The woman was not what you wanted for an interview. “None taken. We know what her skills are. We can have them mentor each other. Without them knowing.” “Give them a few weeks. Don't push them too hard.” Agreed as they walked to the next meeting. … [hr][h2]Pilots’ Group Chat[/h2] [b][h3][centre][color=fff200]Pilots Chat. 28-10-2094[/color][/centre][/h3] [/b] [hr][h2]Pilots’ Group Chat[/h2] [color=fff200][b]Bellatrix.[/b][/color] And water erodes rock. Slowly. Race, lets all finish in one piece yeah. We doing exploding kittens this week, its way less horrific than it sounds. [color=fff200][b]Bellatrix.[/b][/color]Ps. Who uses a Sauna in this weather? Nordics be strange. [color=fff200][b]Paul[/b][/color] @Dorian I feel like we are missing out on team building fun here. Cards Against Humanity with wine after the race? [color=fff200]28.10.2094.[/color] [color=fff200]Astrid.[/color] *Uploads video of Bellatrix not causing the automatic doors and having to jump and wave at it* I present. Princess Tinkerbell. [color=fff200]Bellatrix.[/color] I was starting to like you Elsa, you have a point about Saunas… we playing Villainous this week. Even Sif is joining in. The door was wrong... [color=fff200]Astrid.[/color] Let it go. Let it go. Busy. [color=fff200]Bellatrix.[/color] I had to try Elsa :) Il dm you. Floki is confusing, something about souls and craft. [color=fff200]Astrid.[/color] New gin flavour. Send a bottle later. Floki is Floki. K.