I am experienced roleplayer returning to online roleplay after 10+ year break. I have missed roleplaying and the creative outlet it is for me. I am interested in casual roleplay. I consider myself a decent writer and I will put effort into my writing. I am not into writing a novel for one post though. Descriptive, character building, engaging, yes. I will always write at least 2 paragraphs unless it is a quick fire session revolving around dialogue over private messages. I am a fairly laid back person and don't want to be a grammar nazi. I believe in quality over quantity. Roleplaying is a hobby and a escape from real life pressures.
Genres I am interested in: Fantasy Middle Ages Science Fiction Vampires Shapeshifters Crime Drama
Fandoms I am interested in: Pokemon Harry Potter Anita Blake Dragonriders of Pern Star Wars
I don't mind roleplaying romance but I am not looking for smut. It has to make sense for the roleplay. I am okay with a fade to black moment instead of roleplaying it out. For me its about the story and the character. I am open to roleplaying it out.
I am in the Pacific Standard Timezone. I work full time and will be seen in the evenings and weekends online.
Friday 3rd November, 2094 21C Mustang Camp Bonneville Salt Flats 1925 Mountain Time (FAS)
Festival of Speed
The team was well prepared for the chaos of the Salt Flats. Team Valkyrie's set up was designed to be mobile as they hauled their gear from race to race on the team plane. They had trailers ready to be hooked up to hover trucks to pull them to their destination. The only thing different about their set up this time was that they had added some holographic gear to add to the cyber punk like theme that the event had. They had air conditioned trailers for the command center, a portable garage, a pilots ready room, and the plane could double as hotel space if they needed it. But Salt Lake City was close enough for sleeping. They had a space where the crew could relax and get out of the heat. The outdoor fan area was ablaze with holographic imagery and wizardry. The area was being cooled by a fine mist system and fans. The whole thing is powered by solar panels and retractable wind turbines.
Paul was amused as walked around the Festival of Speed. Somehow he had ended up in a costume that read very steampunk. He was wearing a loose long sleeved ivory cotton shirt that had pirate vibes with motocross looking distressed leather pants and boots with a Mad Max style leather vest over the top. His bright golden hair was spiked with the tips frosted a dark gray. He had a pair of stylish high tech tinted goggles pulled down over his eyes. He felt ridiculous but Katherine had talked him into it stating his fans would love it. Usually the ideas their team came up with were right on the money. He had his reservations about this one but he had been out voted. He grinned as he thought about the evil Colonel Sanders look that she had procured for Alexander. He had a long Steam Punk coat in a golden bronze color with a black vest under it and an old west style shirt and cowboy boots. He smiled remembering the top hat with goggles on it that went with the outfit. He couldn’t wait to see if she managed to get Alexander into the outrageous costume.
Paul made his way to the fanzone where he began meeting and greeting people during his scheduled time there. Paul’s security already had the area under control. There were food vendors and merchandise vendors surrounding the edges with picnic tables and cafe tables with umbrellas in the middle. Holographic images showing the history of Team Valkyrie had been repurposed again to add atmosphere to match the festival with some additional special effects to entertain the crowd.
Paul had managed to change into a hightech sportswear made for the team by their sponsor Hoodtech Sportswear. They might sponsor their junior team but Paul loved their gear. The high tech gear provided performance and moisture wicking helping keep him cooler in this climate. He carried a thermos that kept his Zap Sports Drink cold. He was wearing shorts and a polo with sneakers for his interview. He was wearing stylish high tech sunglasses that adjusted to the level of light and UV rays. Katherine had caved on what he wore for this interview because sponsors demanded representation. He had a new appreciation for the expectations of sponsorship deals. He found himself sitting on the local set of Delta Hyper alongside Bea, Kais, Nora, Bellatrix, and Han.
As Paul noticed Bellatrix he made a point to give her a welcome in person. He smiled as he approached her. He held out a hand offering a handshake to Bellatrix.
Paul: “Bellatrix, it is a pleasure to meet you. I wanted to welcome you to Formula AG. I didn’t get an opportunity in Australia with everything going on. I heard the fans have dubbed you “The Princess of Formula AG.” How are you getting along so far?”
As Aurora arrived already speaking to the camera, he quickly slid into his place next to Kais.
Aurora: "Hello, and welcome! Here in Bonneville, how have you found it so far?"
Paul smiled into the camera, his eyes hidden by the sunglasses. “It's been hot and dusty but the fans are in good spirits. It feels like a never ending party so far.”
He waited as the others responded before Aurora moved on.
Aurora: "So, with the season coming to an end. We thought to ourselves we'd let you do the talking to the audience, and here in Bonneville, we're in a place stepped in history within AG, and the wider land speed record community. So, what's your favourite part of the legacy of speed? I believe you each had a hand in a few short films and will show us what that relationship is?"
Paul had used the project for Delta Hyper as a therapeutic opportunity. Paul was nervous because he was sharing more about his personal journey with the fans than he ever had before. His therapist had recommended he use the opportunity for closure on the past and to mark the next stage of his career and life. He wasn’t sure about sharing this but he had to admit that making the short film had given him a chance to put things in a new perspective.
Paul smiled into the camera even as he fidgeted a little and looked uncomfortable. He hoped his fans were not disappointed that he didn’t do some high octane adrenaline fueled montage.
Paul: “I hope my fans like this peak behind the curtain.” He gave a nervous smile as his knee bounced up and down. Usually Paul was charming and oozed charisma on camera. So this was very out of the norm for him.
The camera started like an old fashioned movie reel starting. The image steadied to a home video of Audrick holding Paul as a toddler on his lap in his Formula AG ship. The reel was taken a few weeks before his death. The image showed Audrick holding Paul as he took him on a hot lap around the track. The image showed the background as a blur as the ship sped past in a screech of sound. Paul’s delighted infant face laughing into the camera patting his father’s hand squealing. Then it became a montage of Paul’s career highlights. Quick images of wins in karting and in the junior league. Then the building momentum of his rookie year. It switched to camera footage from inside the cockpit of his ship and from the races of the year so far. Images of his epic duel with Bea at Spa. Super imposed in the cockpit behind Paul was an AI generated image of his father’s hands on his shoulders. The screen faded to a close up of Paul’s face. “Racing for me is personal. It is where I feel closest to my father. I love speed because he did.” He smiled and the camera winked out.
Pilots’ Group Chat
Pilots Chat. 28-10-2094
Pilots’ Group Chat
Astrid [A video of Bellatrix not causing the automatic doors to open and having to jump and wave at it] I present. Princess Tinkerbell.
Bea YES! Finally, someone smaller than me! 😂
Bea@Astrid I take back everything negative I said about you after Monaco, you just made my weekend.
Paul @Bea Wow Bea! I had no idea you were so sensitive about your height! I honestly didn’t notice. You have so much personality you always seemed taller than Han.
Paul @Bellatrix Are you sure you want to stay with this crazy group? Welcome to the madhouse!
Paul Did anyone have to don a costume for their team’s marketing people? I feel absolutely ridiculous. At least I managed to use sponsorship expectations to get out of wearing it for the Delta Hyper interview.
Day 2: 06:25:01 Polavian Standard Vodka Distillery, Novy Jork, Capital Province, Republic of Polavia
Rowan Morgana
Rowan was doing her best to keep track of the action. Things switched into high gear rapidly. She had used a spell to freeze a large section of the wall before shattering it with a lightning bolt to attack the guards from behind as Borys drew their attention from the doorway into the room. She used her whip to disable and kill guards as she attacked from behind. Her whip yanked their guns off target and slashing out at hands to make them drop what they were carrying. The situation rapidly devolved as they ran into more PSA guards inside the factory with heavy shields. Felix and Silas had managed to make it to the control room on the upper level to shut down the conveyer belts. Bullets and flying potion bottles were being exchanged in a comical mix of modern technology and magic that looked absolutely ludicrous to witness. Rowan had given up on trying to minimize collateral damage. It was all about survival and getting out of this damn trap that was baited with excellent vodka. The fire alarm was going off now. So much for getting out of the factory without others knowing. If they didn’t know there were intruders on the premises before, they did now! Between gunfire, explosions, and screaming it was a wonder they hadn’t been overrun already.
Rowan ducked back into cover just in time as a bullet whizzed by her head. She continued to move deeper into the factory. She was trying to make it to the other side without being trapped. She was grateful to be using her potions and whip to give her mana some time to recover. She then stopped and smiled as she looked at the belt full of open top vodka bottles on the way to the bottle cap machine.
A burst of gunfire followed by angry cursing hosed the bottles behind her where she had just been. She snickered in glee with mischief in her eyes as she grabbed an open full bottle of vodka and chucked it hard at the guard she had moved closer too. She pointed her finger at him and chanted under her breath as sparks left her fingers towards the guard now covered in vodka. The guard screamed as he exploded into flames. Rowan pulled her pistol and shot the screaming guard in the head. She ducked back down behind the conveyor belt as she tried to get a sense of what was happening.
Rowan heard Oksana call out "Glassed his ass, Rowan!" She smiled at the comment even as she ducked back into cover as another guard took a potshot at her. The vodka bottles behind and to the right of her exploded in a shower of glass and liquid. Rowan cackled again as she called out to the guard “Oh look another idiot! Did someone miss having their caffeine this morning?”
She chucked another flaming bottle before ducking back into cover. She stayed in low and behind cover as the action seemed to end. It looked like all the guards were down. She recovered what ammo she could from the guards she had taken down. She shoved it all into her backpack. Maybe someone else could use it later. She tried to stick to her strengths and guns were not it.
Rowan moved towards the team as they were finally joined by Felix and Silas as they came down a metal stairway near the large window in the factory wall. Rowan kept her eyes scanning for movement. This was no time to get complacent. Oksana threw a vodka bottle at the window, shattering it. Felix leapt through the window and helped Oksana through it. Rowan decided she would take the easy path and pulled her broom from her back. She hopped onto it channeling mana into the activation runes. The broom lifted her easily into the air. She ducked close the handle and flew through the shattered window into the next room. She landed next to Oksana and put her broom back away, sliding it back into place behind her.
She ducked down behind a conveyor belt next to Oksana as new hostiles erupted into the space. The new hostiles were swearing at them. Rowan muttered to herself. “I don’t have time for this. I have great faith they are going to fuck up all on their own.” She peaked over the top of the conveyor belt to see what was happening and where she could be of help the most. She was running out of potions. She blinked as a purplish pink gas grenade was used to take out the group of hostiles. Rowan pulled her mask into place and fitted into place. She pulled her cloak around her, sealing the edges. Through the gas came a mercenary she was not familiar with. She was instantly alert. The man moved like an operator, a highly skilled one. She was leery of him based on his tools of choice. He was using things from her bag of tricks. She noted his armor was no nonsense, practical and effective.
Rowan stayed in cover next to Oksana as she spoke to the man.
Oksana: "You're not with them. Who are you?" She noted, keeping a rifle pointed direct at him, the closest to him. She would see all of it coming. She'd be faster than him if he tried something. Or at least, whatever illusion of him he projected. Felix was nicer.
Felix: "Holy shit. Cal." Felix chuckled, his own rifle high. "Been a while. Given you're not invisible. I guess you're not here to kill us?" Felix added, pointing the 417 down, the capabilities of Upswing maybe not known by the entire team, beyond rumour, but known by Felix. As a Team Lead, he'd know other people, particularly casters in Reactor. And Upswing was one such character. He kept hand to rifle, ready anyway....
Rowan’s eyes narrowed as she heard Felix’s response. Felix seemed to know the operator which meant he was with Reactor. Rowan didn’t know if that was good news or bad news. The last group they had run into was trying to capture her. Before she could contemplate that an explosion took out the wall on the far side of the room and a new set of players entered the battlefield. Rowan rolled her eyes and ducked back down out of sight. This was getting ridiculous. How many fucking people knew she was headed to Novy Jork and was hunting her in this damn factory?! Rowan sighed as she tried to understand the new battlefield dynamics and who the latest players were. She kept out of sight but was listening closely.
The new Adidas wearing warlock called out "Comrades, weapons down." She simply announced, walking forwards, looking at them. "You interrupted a business meeting. I will interrupt yours. Including you, Borys Skala. Alcohol poisoning hasn't gotten you yet."
Rowan was annoyed. She was ready to get out of this stinking factory and away from all the guns and people trying to capture her to sell her to the serial torture guy. She rolled her eyes thinking she was not a comrade of theirs. She had no clue who the person was and could care less. If they tried to prevent them leaving they just became a problem to overcome.
"Didn't know it was business." Felix replied, Upswing between them in crossfire, all parties holding guns at each other.
The new player was blocking their escape route with their team. In the middle was the dangerous feeling operator who had used the poison gas grenade. With their team hiding behind equipment on the opposite wall where the glass window into the factory was.
"Well, causing me so much trouble seems to make it mine." She had the sound of a haggard old woman, despite the fact that beyond the shade of the hood, she looked Borys's age too.
Rowan’s eyes widened as Oksana entered the conversation. Did everyone know the players in Polavia but her? She listened as Felix and Oksana and the new person went back and forth. Rowan gritted her teeth as yet another person was demanding she be handed over. She would happily help kill Olygarkov all over again. Anyone who thought he was a good man deserved to die in her book. Rowan’s fingers began running down her potion bandolier to see what she had left. Only some healing potions left. Rowan muttered softly to herself “Shit!”
The conversation ended as the caster summoned ghost dogs. Rowan sighed and pulled her broom from her back. She activated one of its features as she poured mana into it. She used it with dispel magic to suck mana from the ghost dogs. She began to sweat as she poured more mana into the spell hoping to help her team by pulling enough mana from them to dispel them back into the aether.
Rowan missed what some of the team were planning as she had to concentrate to keep her spell going. She could feel it working as one dog seemed to fade from view. She kept going even as she heard the others responding.
"Shit, Felix, plan?!" Oksana barked, laying out one of the men as she moved
"Fuck knows, we need to leave! Now! Upswing, you with us, or you here to kill Rowan? There's a queue for all of us, make your call now if you're gonna do it, cos I'm so fucking done with this shithole! No offense, Borys!" Felix yelled, spraying rounds down range, pulling Upswing into cover from where he'd been, looking the DSR native in the eyes, his wild, lion like eyes coming back out, as Oksana kept up suppressing fire.
"There's an emergency exit there, Felix how many dogs is she sending at us?!" Oksana yelled back, the dog barking as she felt felt her inner animal lover was being tortured right now. This was awful! How the fuck did someone have a craft this bad? This was like, worse than any nightmare he was in, even as a feline shapeshifter himself, what on earth was fucking wrong with Yelena?
The caster maintained control of the dogs who were phasing in and out. Rowan hoped she was at least costing the other caster more mana to maintain control. She began to feel the strain as she tried to pull the spell’s power source from the other caster. She pushed her mana into the spell harder. A ghost dog came charging towards her. Rowan blocked it with her broom. She smiled as direct contact with the broom caused the spell to be stronger, dispelling the dog. The broom captured the mana from the spell used to power the caster’s connection to the ghost dog, replenishing some of the mana she had used. She smiled knowing this was going to work.
She moved to back up Oksana. She took up a guarding position at her back. Rowan stood up and began to attack the ghost dogs with her broom. The spell was working. Her mana was being replenished and the spell was getting stronger with every dog she hit. She used the handle of the broom to wield it like a quarter staff.
Rowan: “You know I am tired of people demanding I be handed over like a piece of damn luggage. I don’t know who you are but you seem to know who I am. You all seem to forget that I am a caster as well.”
Rowan took out another rabid dog that charged straight towards her. She let out a frustrated war cry and began to run towards the caster that was blinking around. If she could hit them with her broom, she could suck the mana out of them.
Rowan yelled out to her team.
Rowan: “I will take out the dogs. Gather up and charge for the exit. You take out the goon squad. Let’s go!”
She was tired of this shit and she was pissed. Her emotions carried as her power was being manifested. Her hair crackled under her suit which was still sealed. She didn’t want to be taken out by anyone else’s poison. Rowan charged into the fray her broom a weapon sucking the mana out of the spell that controlled the conjured beasts. She literally swept them back into the spirit plane collecting the mana that helped them manifest. This wrenched mana away from the other caster.
Rowan: "Chaos surrounds us, but I will gladly show it who is in control.”
After Australian GP at Team Valkyrie Headquarters Aachen, Germany
Alexander had hit the ground running. Alexander was working his way through the stack of reports waiting for him on his desk. There were a ton of things requiring his attention at headquarters. Mabel finally had an update from Lipusv on the backordered antigravity parts. Manufacturing of the parts required some rare minerals and ores. That was the bottleneck. They were asked to recycle failed parts by sending them back to the European Space Union to help speed up replacements.
Alexander was focused on future growth and stability for the team. That meant he had a lot of larger and long term projects going on that he needed to follow up on. He was still trying to hire more engineers. Mabel had been headhunting and compiling resumes for him to review. He had reports from Sami to review about the Junior Team. Reports from Katherine on marketing concerns. Lipusv had requested a meeting. Alexander snorted in laughter since Lipusv didn’t so much as request but demand a meeting. His meeting with her was slated for this afternoon at 1:30pm. The legal team had managed to procure the necessary building licenses to build a research and development laboratory on the headquarters campus. The new research and development complex would be located on the backside of the complex on currently reclaimed land that had been cleaned up after manufacturing toxins had leached into the ground. The land was no longer hazardous but it still didn’t support much in the way of greenery. It was perfect for this project. It was located on the opposite side of the campus and test track. The location was ideal for a facility nearby but not close enough to endanger the living and working part of the facility in case of an accident.
The Board of Directors had not been idle either. They had been hard at work interviewing and vetting potential CEOs to take Brendel’s position. They had landed on Antonia Spirito as the new interim CEO. She would take over the position of CEO but had a probationary period of one year and would be under the direct supervision of the board of directors. She was due to start this week. She came highly recommended from the manufacturing sector. She had been a CEO for an agricultural machinery company headquartered in Italy but one was well known throughout the world for technological breakthroughs. She was very well liked by her former employees and respected by the former company’s board of directors. She came with glowing recommendations and had passed Wulfric’s deep background check. Many other candidates had not. Wulfric had turned over evidence of corruption on two other CEO candidates he had been asked to vet for the position. Katherine was set to interview and shoot an announcement campaign with the new Interim CEO to introduce her to the world. Alexander was not familiar with her but was relieved that he would hopefully have some help with some of this in the future.
He had also started an inquiry into what had happened with Dorian’s ship. It didn’t sit right with Alexander that Dorian had been experiencing so many issues with his ship while Paul had not. He had Wulfric and Cavan quietly investigating to see if there was any internal sabotage happening. He had ordered Dorian’s ship taken back to the hull and rebuilt before the next race. He had also tasked Cavan to work with the team to develop a strategy to counter the speed of Al Saqr and Carrera Condor’s ships.
Aurora’s floating holographic head appeared in the media room as the cameras focused on capturing the interview.
Aurora: "Paul, it feels like you've hit your stride! With such consistency, how does it feel to be putting a team like Valkyrie so high up the grid? How do you feel about the future of the team, and in particular, the next steps with the 2095 chassis?"
Paul smiled and looked relaxed as he sat at the curved team table on the stage with the team’s logo on it front and center. He was wearing a team polo shirt, jeans, and sneakers. The wall behind him had all their current sponsors’ logos in all their holographic glory.
Paul’s eyes lit up with excitement. “The ship is still in development but I am excited to see what improvements the team manages to make. I know there is a focus on getting more speed from the ship without compromising our handling and stability. I trust the team will create a masterpiece.” He shrugged nonchalantly. “Of course, we will all have to wait and see how it compares to improvements being planned by other teams.”
Alexander had a video meeting with Johanna. She wanted to know his strategy for maintaining the team's momentum for the rest of the season. She really wanted the team to place well in the rankings. Alexander understood it but his focus was on getting ready for next season. He had faced so many damn setbacks already. The meeting with Johanna left Alexander with an uneasy feeling. He had to agree with her that there was something not right going on at Al Saqr. Layla's sudden withdrawal from racing and disappearance due to health issues set his teeth on edge. Alexander's gut said there was more to it than he knew. Johanna's recommendation was that he ask for a formal investigation into what happened to Layla. Alexander was reluctant to take that route. It felt underhanded and wrong to him. He did want to know what really happened to Layla but he would rather defeat Al Saqr straight up without any technicalities or excuses as to why they were beat.
Alexander understood that to the shareholders all that matter was the win and profit. The team was finally rebounded from all the bad press from earlier in the season and the investigation caused by Brendel's activity. Alexander needed new sponsors and money flowing into the team. He understood how critical this was to get the new chassis ready for the next season. He needed that new Research and Development Center with the specialty labs for new materials testing. That took money. He needed to hire even more engineers and scientists. That took more money. He needed more regular investment and cash flow for the team. The contract with Immersia Entertainment was set up so that Team Valkyrie would see an endorsement fee and then after the game had been out for 6 months the team would receive 10% in royalties. If Immersia decided to develop a new game or sequel, they would have to negotiate a new contract.
Alexander had permission and permits to build the new Research and Development Center. They would be breaking ground on the new facility by the end of the week. They were waiting on the last of the engineering designs to meet approval. Alexander needed a new injection of cash to get that project completely launched and so he could start headhunting the talent he would need for it. Alexander had groaned when Mabel had informed him that Artie wanted him for a new fashion campaign with Lena. Evidently Lena was being tapped for a wedding attire line and Artie wanted Alexander to pose with her. Alexander couldn't help but wonder if he was being set up to propose. He couldn't only guess at what Arianna and Mabel would think about this one. Mabel already had a devilish glint in her eye as she informed him of Artie's new proposal. He would once again have to shoot an ad campaign and walk in at least one show. This one would be in London. Alexander put it on the maybe pile. He was not eager to be in the spotlight again.
Alexander reviewed the report Cavan had submitted about the engine failure that happened in Australia with Dorian's ship. The engine had failed after reaching temperature. Evidently a minor manufacturing defect caused a hairline fracture in the engine manifold after the ship's engine came under stress and heat during the race. That was unacceptable to Alexander because they were supposed to use imaging equipment on all high stress parts to prevent this exact kind of failure. Either someone got lazy and missed it or it was overlooked on purpose. Either way, the result was not acceptable. He had Wulfric begin a quiet investigation into everyone who had been involved in inspecting and putting the ship together. He wanted to know who had handled that part and who failed at their job. Then he wanted them watched. He would not put his pilots in danger because someone on the inside was taking bribes or worse.
He called Dorian into his office for a meeting. He understood that Dorian was angry and upset about what happened. He let Dorian know that he was running an internal investigation to find out why the defect was missed and who was responsible. He asked Dorian how he would feel playing a more integral role in the next race's strategy. He promised Dorian that his ship would perform for him. He wanted Dorian to take on Hamid and keep them busy while Paul took on Kais. Dorian seemed eager for a chance to have a more active role and a chance to highlight his skill before the end of the season. Even if he was part of the strategy to help Paul get back on the podium.
Alexander got an email from George Hafner of Transolar Industries. Transolar Industries was one of ten top renewable energy companies in the world. They built solar panels, solar sails for space craft, wind turbines, and wave driven turbines. They were looking to sponsor a Formula AG team because one of their competitors was sponsoring Silver Apex. They liked the progress that Paul had made since the beginning of the season and were talking about sponsoring the rest of the season and next year. They were talking enough money to be one of the team's primary sponsors. Alexander would have to run this one past the board of directors. It was a great opportunity for the team but there were more strings attached than he liked to the deal.
Day 2: 06:19:51 Polavian Standard Vodka Distillery, Novy Jork, Capital Province, Republic of Polavia
Rowan Morgana
Rowan had been making sure she was a useful member of the team. She used her electrical elemental magic to short out the camera system as they came across them. She had been doing her best to compartmentalize and shove the fact that it felt like everyone was hunting her to the back of her mind. They had more pressing problems at the moment such as how were they going to get out of this vodka plant without all of Polavia knowing where she was and guessing at where she was going. She couldn’t help but feel like a sitting duck during hunting season. Rowan didn’t like that analogy for herself. Her ego and self esteem were kicking and screaming at the unfairness of it all. The practical side of her sucked up and got down to the business of working with the team in an effort to break free. Hopefully without others identifying her and chasing after them.
Rowan had stacked up with Oksana as she used her seer powers to see into the factory floor. They had come up empty from their search of the administration office. They didn’t find any usable intel that stood out as important or unique. Rowan did snag a copy of the shipping manifests just in case for the future. They might be able to intercept some deliveries to help Borys stay stocked up. If they were on the run already, they might as well use all the advantages they could muster. Rowan had tried to use her own powers in an effort to spot where people were in the other room. That turned into an epic fail that gave her a headache and an upset stomach. She recovered quickly enough but the technicolor swirl of nausea made her regret that choice. She shook her head as an evil grin crossed her face as she outlined her next idea.
Borys listened to Rowan lay out her plan. “I’ll take the door, get them to look at me, you make a door, mop them up. I like that. I mean, I don’t, but I’ve made peace with my Craft long ago. Alternatively…” He tapped the gas mask case he carried and held up one of his tear gas grenades, “You take a breather and I commit assault and battery.”
Rowan: ”There might be some collateral damage though. You wouldn’t hold that against me, right?”
Borys: “I can and I will.” He grinned, standing up with a slight wobble, his left hand hovering near the door handle. “Ready on you.”
Rowan had outlined the plan and made sure everyone was ready before she began casting. Her hand curled around the handle of her whip. The length of it coiled into her hand ready for use. She stretched out a hand towards the wall and you could feel the mana in the area surging towards Rowan as she channeled it into her spell. Frost visibly spread across the stainless steel wall of the factory. The frost became ice quickly and spread into an area large enough to create a large hole in the wall. She then quickly cast a lightning bolt aimed at the center of the frozen area on the wall. The wall shattered and the force of the lightning bolt blew the wall inwards towards the guards on the other side. Chunks of stainless steel wall catching some of the guards unaware.
Borys waited until she gave the signal before he stepped into the doorway to draw their attention. Then all hell broke loose as bullets were flying everywhere. People were yelling about shutting down the conveyor belts. Rowan joined in the fray as they fought to take out the guards that had stood in their way. Her whip lashing out left and right. She didn’t need to kill them, just disable and disarm them.
Felix sent a warning over the comms. "Me and Silas are approaching a control room, we might be able to shut it down! We've got eyes on hostiles massing, they're bringing shields!"
Borys and Oksana were in the middle of the firefight. She couldn’t help but giggle madly as she heard Borys yell.
“STOP SPILLING THE GOOD STUFF, MOTHERFUCKERS!”
Oksana: "Rowan, see if you can use your acid on the shield goons, blyat! Borys, if now was a time to get shitfaced, it would help!"
Rowan couldn’t control the giggles as heard Borys’ reply to Oksana.
“Cover me!” He knelt down, taking a few long chugs of Rowan’s wine. “Smooth stuff, Rowan! I’ll take your entire stock!”
Rowan just smiled as she began unleashing chemical hell on the unsuspecting PSA. She began to launch potions at those carrying shields. The potion bottles broke spraying a fast acting acids across their shields. The shields began to smoke and melt. Many of the PSA, realizing that their sturdy shields were melting into a volatile puddle of goo yelled and threw their shields towards them.
Rowan gave an evil cackle as she let loose with another potion. “Don’t tell me how to witch! If I wanted rules I would go to church!”
Rowan winced as she heard a PSA guard fall into a conveyor belt full of bottles with the loud crash of glass accompanying the now blaring fire alarm. “That was not my fault, Borys!”
Rowan considered electricity against the shields but they were made of a nonconductive material. Acid was her best option.
Sunday 22nd October, 2094 Ballycastle Complex, Muller Cay, nr Australia 0800 AEST
Paul had gotten in an early workout in the hotel gym. After the issues that the team had encountered in Argentina, Paul was wary of pushing his security very far. He would have loved a run along the beach but he knew working out in the hotel gym would be easier on his security team. They could secure the gym for him and control who came in and out much easier. Paul was surprised when Alexander came to join him for an early morning workout. Paul found himself pushing harder in Alexander’s presence. The man greeted him with a warm good morning and simply went to the treadmill and began his run. Paul was a little surprised that Alexander maintained such good physical conditioning after being out of the sport for so long. Paul moved from the treadmill to the other machines to get some weight training in. He kept his workout light since it was a race day.
Alexander wrapped up his workout and had a towel provided by the hotel wrapped around his neck and was wiping away sweat. Alexander’s breathing had already settled back down so he could talk without sucking in air. Paul had finished his workout and had put his own towel to good use. He was surprised when he wiped his face to look up and see Alexander giving him an intense look.
Alexander smiled at Paul and gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder. “I thought you might want some company. I appreciate you making things easier on your security staff. I wanted to see how you were doing. You do know that what happened in Argentina will not happen at every race? You can go sightseeing. Your security is there to handle fans that might get unruly or violent. Australia is very different from Argentina. Don’t let that experience stop you from interacting with your fans or exploring the world, Paul. One of the best perks of being a Formula AG pilot is traveling the world and getting to experience things that few others do. If this is bothering you, feel free to talk to Dr. Ingold about it.”
Paul probably looked as surprised as he felt. He had not known that he had been subconsciously trying to avoid the same situation that they had faced in Argentina. He had only been to the fanzone for his contracted time where he usually went out and about and ran into fans as he explored the areas around the race. Paul had really enjoyed his diving experience on the Great Barrier Reef. That experience made him want to explore more of Australia. Maybe he would come back and explore the outback some. It wasn’t until Alexander brought to his attention that he realized all the ways he had changed his behavior since Argentina. He felt his shoulders relax and the tension he had unconsciously carried across his shoulder releasing.
Paul: “I didn’t even realize that I was acting out of character for me. I hadn’t realized how much that experience impacted my behavior. I think I was unconsciously trying to protect my security guards from injury after 4 of them got hurt getting to the airport. I didn’t want to make their job harder. I have been a bit of a recluse lately.”
Alexander gave him a knowing smile. “Well now that you are aware of it, you can decide what to do about it. Good luck today. You are in a great position. This track doesn’t favor us too much. You have your work cut out for you. Try to relax before the race.” With that Alexander gave Paul a little salute and disappeared through the door.
Paul stared at the door Alexander had disappeared through. He opted to go back to his room for a shower.
Paul thought about what Alexander had said. He explored his feelings about it as he meditated. He consciously went through a routine that Dr. Ingold had developed with Agnes where he relaxed one group of muscles at a time releasing tension and stress. He was calm and relaxed when a knock broke him out of his meditation.
Paul got up and walked over to the door to open it. He looked through the peephole even though he knew his security were monitoring the hallway outside his door. He knew no one would get close unless they had been cleared by security. Paul was a little surprised to see Dorian.
Paul opened the door and motioned for Dorian to come in. Dorian was looking dapper in a high tech workout outfit. The high fashion high tech gear came from one of the team sponsors, Hood Tech Sportswear. They were sponsoring the Junior team but had approached Dorian and Paul with smaller individual endorsement contracts. Paul was still undecided about the contract. It looked like Dorian had decided to sign. Paul had to admit their gear was nice.
Paul: “Good morning Dorian.”
Dorian gave Paul a rakish grin. “So I gave your suggestion some thought. How about wine with cards? We might be able to find some trivia card game or I could teach you how to play Whist or Belote?”
Paul threw his head back and laughed. He had forgotten that he had made the suggestion in the pilots’ chat.
Paul smiled at his teammate. “Well I already know how to play Belote. It is popular in Belgium too.”
Dorian grinned. “Well then, we have a date for later tonight after the race then. How are you feeling?”
Dorian’s smile remained but his voice had taken on a more serious tone.
Dorian: “You have seemed tense and a little distracted since the race in Argentina. You know that not everywhere we go will be like that. You don’t have to stay on alert all the time. That is why we have guards.”
Paul was surprised to be hearing the same thing from Dorian that he had heard from Alexander. “I didn’t realize it had affected me so much till Alexander pointed it out.”
Dorian tilted his head as he gave Paul an odd look.
Dorian: “Of all the years I have been doing this, that was certainly one of the more touchy situations I have found myself in. Just remember that is not the norm. Usually the people can’t wait to greet us and get to say hello. Most Formula AG fans are very friendly, usually a little too friendly. Try not to let it change the way you interact with your fans. I don’t know how much attention you have been paying to social media but some fans have noticed you have not been spending as much time in the fan zones. Some of the media and bloggers are speculating that you are showing signs of tension and stress. They are throwing out some pretty wild conspiracy theories. They can take on a life of their own if you don’t counter them.”
Paul’s eyes widened. He had not realized it had gotten that far. He would need to check in with Chelsey, his agent to see what she might have lined up to help combat this recent spate of press. Paul gave Dorian a bright smile. “Thanks for the heads up Dorian. I didn’t think you cared about my reputation.”
Dorian gave him a bright smile “Je suis excité!” Dorian almost bounced in place like an excited teenage girl. “I have learned that good things happen for me when I am around you and the fans are happy. It helps me get more endorsement deals if we are both doing well in the press. I haven’t exactly been placing well in the races. Endorsements by proximity to you are good!” Dorian gave him a bright unapologetic smile.
Paul just shook his head and chuckled at his teammates' antics. “Alright cards tonight. You bring the wine since you are the designated wine snob between us! You know I would rather have a good Belgium beer.”
Dorian wrinkled his nose up at the thought of Belgium beer. “Non wine. I will however agree to Australian grilling. They make an excellent steak. Then I shall trounce you at Belote.”
Paul gave Dorian a playful push on his shoulder. “You hope you mean!”
Dorian smiled at him and waved as he headed back out the door. “We shall see tonight!”
Paul smiled as Dorian shut the door behind himself. He found his mood brighter and he was feeling less tense. He then turned to getting ready for the race. He went back through the turns in the track one more time before getting into his racesuit.
Round 16 of Formula AG Sunday 22nd October, 2094 Race Day Ballycastle Complex, Muller Cay, nr Australia Great Barrier Reef AGP 1300 AEST
Water Fight
Paul was wearing a special race suit that had been designed just for the Australian GP. It was a special fabric that was fire resistant but also could double as a diving suit. The helmet had a special rebreather built into it that would pull oxygen from the water for him to breathe if the tunnels flooded for whatever reason. It was simply a precaution but it meant his livery for this race was somewhat different. His race suit for this race had a dark gray background with beautiful golden colored coral with fish in various shades of blue swimming across it. The helmet mirrored that motif with a decorative fin running down the top of the helmet. It was a fun and majestic look that paid homage to the work that went into revitalizing and saving the Great Barrier Reef. BioCHO had a prominent logo on the hood of his ship for this race. They wanted to remind all Formula AG fans that they were an ecofriendly company. Paul had once more been preloaded on electrolytes to help him with the physical toll of racing and the heat.
He had just finished going through his prerace checklist with his engineer Carmella when he heard Alexander’s deep rich voice come across the team comms.
Alexander was sitting in the floating paddock the team had been assigned with the rest of the pit crew. He had a headset on and was looking out over the ocean and the sea of monitors that would allow the team to track what was happening during the race.
Alexander: “Okay team let’s review our strategy. This race is going to be about maneuverability and energy management for us. Paul we have precharged your ELS capacitor to help you out but energy management is going to be crucial for us here. Without the boost from ELS we are going to have a hard time staying competitive on the straits here. Dorian, we did the same for your ship. Dorian if you can even just maintain your position, you will pick up points for the team. You have Ava to battle it out with if you want to advance. That is not going to be an easy fight for you. The newcomer Bealatrix is behind you. We don’t know much about her yet, she is a wild card. Remember to save your ELS for overtakes and straights. Engineers even though the race is underwater, heat management might be an issue in a closed environment such as this. Pay attention to it and ELS management. Be sure to warn the pilots of any issues you see happening. Pay attention to the field and help them identify overtake opportunities. Keep track of the competitors and what they are doing. Let’s help our pilots out. Alright everyone! Let’s have a great race!”
Alexander smiled as he heard cheers echo back to him through his headset. He nodded to the team members near him. He did his best to look confident and like he knew what he was doing. He had been impressed with Dorian’s engineer. He had really stepped up with suggestions for the development team. He had brought some great ideas to them that they were mulling over how they could implement solutions for. Cavan had already given Alexander a favorable report on Remy. There was a calm, excited energy running through the team as the time to the race started ticking down.
Paul was ready. He was calm and composed and his hands rested on the control yoke and the throttle.
Five Four Three Two One Go!
Paul hit the throttle and his ship jumped forward and almost collided with Cassie as aggressively shut him down, throwing down the gauntlet early. Obviously this was personal to Cassie. Paul had to hit his brakes to avoid colliding with her. Paul fell back behind Amy. He tangled with Amy for a few turns before he used the tube mag track to his advantage. Paul let out a joyful whoop as he executed a half pipe maneuver going up and around Amy dropping back down in front of her. Paul triggered his ELS on the next straight to catch back up to Cassie. Paul spent the remainder of the race changing places with Cassie in an underwater ballet. It was late in the race when he heard Alexander give Dorian the order to retire and save the ship. Dorian was having engine issues. Dorian had nothing but bad luck for several races now. Paul didn’t have time to think about the ramifications of that. He was busy defending his position against a very aggressive Cassie Neves. Cassie kept Paul from making any progress on trying to push for the podium. Cassie kept him defending to the point he had no room to gain on Nora Kelly in front of him. Paul and Cassie put on an epic show for the fans of amazing overtakes. Paul went upside down over Cassie’s head at one point and waved at her through the canopy on the way by. It was a tough race but Paul enjoyed the battle with Cassie almost as much as he enjoyed battling Bea at Spa. The final lap had Paul finishing in P4. No podium this time but still good points for the team. It was a shame Dorian had been unable to gain any points or even finish.
Delta Hyper Interviews
Aurora was once again at the Delta Hyper interview booth, mic set up for the pilots, still likely in suits, or at least, down to the undergarment element of it.
"Paul, an impressive turn of results, but it seems Dorian has had nothing but bad luck! Tell us about your fight with Cassie, how that felt, and how you pushed each other? Cassie's ex-Valkyrie, so I imagine the rivalry felt quite personal?"
Paul: “I enjoyed dueling with Cassie. It was almost as much fun as battling it out with Bea at Spa. Cassie threw down the gauntlet right at the beginning. I got the impression this was personal for her.” Paul gave a charming lopsided smile as if to say did we think anything different of Cassie. “I loved this track and can’t wait to come back and race here again. It’s so beautiful. I was honored to be given the opportunity to dive on the reef.” Paul wanted to give credit where it was due. The Australian people had a real gem of nature in their backyard. Paul shook his head sadly. “I feel bad for Dorian. He has had truly bad luck the last few races. I am sure the team will be investigating what happened and why to try and prevent it from happening again.”
Media
This is Lauri Ivan with Victory Racing Lap News. The rumors we have heard coming from Miller Motor Racing have been confirmed by Team Valkyrie AGR Sport. Max Wedgewood will be piloting for the German based team next year replacing Dorian Hornfleur who is retiring at the end of the season. Max Wedgewood will be joining Paul Mulder whose season has certainly turned around and even put Team Valkyrie in contention for the Constructor’s cup. Remember folks you heard it here first. Don’t forget to follow us for all Formula AG news.
This is Lilly Stryker with TMZ. Team Valkyrie has released a press release that they have secured the contract for Max Wedgewood who will be joining the team at the end of the season. Wedgewood will be replacing Dorian Hornfleur who is retiring. Dorian has had terrible luck lately. Is it bad luck or just proof he is right to retire? Don’t forget to follow us for all the latest news. This has been Lilly Stryker with TMZ.
@PrinceAlexus This is Hans Keller with Gossip. Fans welcomed newcomer Bellatrix Olympus to Formula AG as she joins Nordic Call. Fans are already calling Bellatrix the Princess of Formula AG for her style. Fans are curious what the other pilots think about the newcomer. What will the newcomer think about this fan moniker? We will be sure to ask when we interview her next. Don’t forget to follow us for the latest in Formula AG News.
Social Media
Team Valkyrie AGR Sport @TeamValkyrie
Team Valkyrie AGR Sport proudly announces that Max Wedgewood will be joining the Valkyrie Team at the end of the season. He will be replacing Dorian Hornfleur who will be retiring.
From: Paul Mulder @ValkyriePaul:
TO @Max Wedgewood
I look forward to working with you Max! Welcome to the team!
Nana2050:It is a shame that Dorian has had such horrible luck. Hater101: It is not bad luck. It is past time he retired. Papabear34:Dorian is a class act. Sad to see him go. HydrofoilHaterI agree Dorian is deadweight at this point. ThrusterJester:It is hard to believe that everything happening to Dorian is simply bad luck. What gives? I mean they do have engineers and mechanics working on the ship right? QuantumQuokka: And Valkyrie is back to being a dumpster fire. Bertha:I couldn’t agree more. Paul seems to be declining after the Argentina race. Did they really have damage to the ships or was it a convenient excuse? ValkyrieFan56:Insiders confirmed the damage to the ships. Should have been repaired for this race though. So why did Dorian have issues? MulderMuse:I dug the livery for this race. Just beautiful. Paulmulder4eva:Paul looked fabulous in those colors. OfficeDrone#12:Rumor has it Cassie Neves was after blood. RumorMill:Are they giving Dorian plausibility for a terrible season? DantheMan: I believe Knight has more integrity than that. However, there are so many technical issues happening during races. What is going on in engineering at Valkyrie? LegacyStan94: Shit happens during a race. Superfan2075:Paul finished in P4. He had a great race. It would be nice to see Paul and Dorian both score points in a race for a change though. DadBod89: Yes! I loved watching this race! So exciting. GeorgeFly:They should definitely do this circuit again. I loved watching the race.
Day 2: 06:15:42 Polavian Standard Vodka Distillery, Novy Jork, Capital Province, Republic of Polavia
Rowan followed Borys and Oksana as they entered the factory proper. Rowan chuckled as Borys helped himself to bottles as Rowan continued to use static electricity to interrupt the data being recorded and sent by the security cameras in the area. She was sending static electrical pulses into the cameras to short them out. The static electricity flowing through the network from one camera to another. Rowan smiled as smoke poured out of the security cameras as they stopped moving and their power indicator lights blinked off. She snickered and gave Borys an elaborate bow.
Rowan: “After you, kind sir. The eyes in the sky have been disabled.”
Rowan followed along after the others as they did a quick search of the administration office. They didn’t find anything of note. It was all production and shipping schedules. It was not information they could use or needed at the moment. Rowan slid up behind Oksana as she took a knee behind some equipment. Felix had ordered her, Oksana, and Borys to take the cabin ahead. She followed behind Oksana. She had taken out the cameras in the area.
Oksana: "Okay, sit tight."
Rowan noted that Oksana’s eyes changed color as her abilities activated. She put some thought into ways to find out what was going on in the next room before they got there. She began working on a new cast under her breath. Maybe just maybe she could give herself a form of sight that would allow her to detect or see mana or heat in the room ahead like a heat vision camera. She felt something and then the world went sideways on her. The room span and her vision swirled and became a mixture of different colors swirling together. Hmm maybe this was not such a good idea. How did she determine what the hell she had done? When would she learn to test shit like this out when she wasn’t heading into a fight.
Oksana: "Guy with an armoured helm left, he's got a shotgun." Oksana called out. "Okay. Rowan, think you can cast something to haze them? I can see if it'll work. Perks of sight." Oksana commented, knowing Rowan would be confused. "Tell me your plan and I'll see it. Then we execute it." Oksana added, looking to Borys, tapping him on the shoulder. "Every scenario I see though, this drunk fuck doesn't die though. Recommend we use him as a pointman. And fill him with enough booze to take on a tank." Oksana chuckled, looking to him as she adjusted her hat, checking her mag, before sliding it back in, riffing behind him, ready to kick the door in on Rowan's command (as she called it) and follow Borys.
Rowan was heard muttering curses under her breath. “I need just a second. That didn’t work as planned. I was trying to see through the wall to determine how many people and where they might be. Now I am seeing in technicolor but am not sure what the hell I am seeing!”
Rowan began working on cancelling the spell she had used on her eyes. Her head throbbed as the bright colored swirling effect made her almost nauseous. She wouldn’t be trying this again any time soon. She took a moment to recover as the spell was cancelled as she focused on what Oksana had told her. She was blinking furiously as her eyes watered some.
She grinned as she had a thought. “Well who said we had to use the door? What if we went through the wall instead of the door? I still have some acid left. They might notice that before we got through. I could freeze the wall and then channel a lightning bolt into the wall causing it to shatter inward.” She turned to Borys with a smile. “There might be some collateral damage though. You wouldn’t hold that against me, right?” She made a blow up motion with her hands to indicate shattered bottles.
Paul Hello Bella! Welcome to the group pilots chat! So tell us, what is it like working with Astrid?
Bea @Astrid Do we get told why switch now or are you sticking up for Bjorn like a good teammate?
Paul @Bea It does make you wonder if they call her Astrid the crank or something behind her back.
Bellatrix. Astrid. Is .. different, but I'll soften her up to join me on my game night stream one day.
Paul @Bellatrix That is… very polite and politically correct. Now tell us how you really feel! 😀
Astrid. @Paul. New needs. New came. End . Bella sang in the sauna. Disney… Chaos personified. No. I am a rock.
Paul @Astrid I can see the Disney Princess reference. I must admit Karaoke with the pilots would be interesting. Do you think we could get Kais to actually sing?
Bellatrix. 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.
Bellatrix.Ps. Who uses a Sauna in this weather? Nordics be strange.
Paul @Dorian I feel like we are missing out on team building fun here. Cards Against Humanity with wine after the race?
Round 15 of Formula AG Sunday 8th October, 2094 Qualifying Autódromo José Carlos Pace, Interlagos, São Paulo, Brazil São Paulo AGP 1400 BRT
Just like racing on Luna there was some extra safety gear to get used too. Paul and Dorian had been put through safety drills in the case the racing track tunnels were flooded. The ship was not designed to be submerged in seawater. It was airtight for the moon, but not rated for the pressures of the deep ocean. They had been put through emergency evacuation drills on how to get out of the ship safely in an underwater environment. They had been drilled with the portable short life rebreathers that had been designed into their helmets for this race. Their race helmets for this one honored the track and showed pictures of the recovering coral reef and all the colorful wildlife that called it home. Paul had felt very comfortable after all the free diving training he had done to increase his lung capacity. He was excited to be able to use what he had learned in such a beautiful place.
Paul struggled a little with the long straights as their ship was a little slower than some of the other teams. He loved the tunnel track which gave him more ways and opportunities to overtake other pilots. He was a little disappointed to qualify in P5. It was not a bad position but he had hoped for better. He understood why he was there though. The track was structured with long straight sections that favored speed. The all around mag tracking while it allowed pilots to be more creative, it also was an energy suck. Paul was hoping that after the repairs to the ship and dialing in the ELS changes the team had been working on in practice and qualifying he would get the opportunity to use the unique track design to his advantage. He would just have to do his best during the race and see what happened. After Argentina, it was clear that you never could count your winnings before the end of the race. Dorian was in a decent position as well. Hopefully they could at least maintain or gain some positions to help the team points situation. He was looking forward to racing against the new pilot from Team Nordic Call. He had heard of Bellatrix but he had never met her in person.
Interviews
Aurora: "Paul, it looks like you were breathing down the neck of Cassie Neves's time on that qualifying run? It seems like you're so tight knit, how have you found your laps here today?"
Paul: “The team has worked hard to repair the ship after the damage it sustained in Argentina. We are still adjusting and fine tuning it after repairs. I am in a good position to challenge some of the front runners. I am excited for this race. It is such a beautiful spot. I am loving the all tunnel mag track. I am really excited to see how that works for overtakes and passing during the race. It should be a fun race.”
Group Message to: Paul Mulder (Valkyrie), Beatrix Ward (Carrera)
Kais: This isn't a social call. I need to know if either of you have experienced anything strange with your ships. Glitches. Memory bleeds. Unexplained system behavior. Data leaks. Kais: I'm asking because I think someone is using our augmentations against us. Feeding us information designed to turn us against each other. Kais: Amy knows something. About all of us. And I don't think she's the only one. Kais: If we're going to figure out what's happening, we need to stop being isolated targets. Kais: I think we're all in more danger than we realize. And I'd rather face it together. Kais: Let me know if you're willing to talk. I'll make sure it's somewhere secure.
Paul reread the message and wondered what was going on. He remembered Amy’s comments at the dinner in Singapore. The other veiled questions and hints about neural interface issues. He remembered Dorian had answered for them. Paul knew that it was out of character for Kais to send him a private message at all. Paul knew that for Kais to send a warning and ask for a meeting was unprecedented. He couldn’t help but be curious. Valkyrie might have had a stroke of luck with their neural interface upgrades. They had not really revealed that information to the public. It was not a secret per say but they didn’t feel the need to warn their competitors about upgrades either. They might have unknowingly dodged a bullet. But it made Paul wonder what might have happened if Alexander had not taken the security breach by the former CEO so seriously.
Paul didn’t have to think very long before he was texting Kais back.
Paul: I am not sure what kind of help I can be. I am willing to meet with you. Name the time and place.
Team Valkyrie Headquarters, Aachen Germany
Alexander was grateful to be back in Germany. The ships were being taken completely apart and being inspected, repaired, and put back together. The new engineers from the research and development team were lending a hand and making some minor tweaks and adjustments since they needed to strip the chassis and rebuild from the frame up to ensure they found all the damage from the riots. Dorian’s ship revealed some damage to the frame which is why they struggled to get it repaired well enough to handle. Bullets had hit and warped a section that helped calibrate the antigravity skirting. They had to completely replace that section of the chassis on Dorian’s ship. Paul’s was in better shape but the engineers and mechanics were worried about hidden damage which was why both ships were being stripped down to the frames and carefully inspected and rebuilt.
Alexander got out of the way of the engineers and mechanics and simply ensured that they had everything they needed. It was quickly becoming apparent to Alexander that their engineering needs were just going to increase. Cavan had been keeping him updated on the design team’s progress. It had quickly become apparent after assigning some of the interns to study the changes coming to Formula AG in the next season that his engineering and research and development needs were quickly outgrowing their existing space. He had to revise the existing engineering facilities to include dedicated sections to their research and development partners, Shinichi Bionics, Banshee Microsystems, Radian Security Systems, and Meridian Aerospace. They needed the research and development teams on hand working collaboratively on the ships but they were quickly running out of space to house the various projects happening. He had gotten a call from Lipusv about a shortage in funding as some funds had to be reallocated to other projects due to government oversight and priorities. Now Alexander was in a quandary as he faced yet another impossible decision to make. What would be the best way forward for his team? Did he go after more money to hire more people, expand their research and development space, or a new materials development space? The research and development happening on the new ship design was quickly reaching a bottleneck where projects were having to be scheduled for time in the materials lab. Alexander hated choices like this when he needed all three. So he decided to work on all three.
Alexander pulled Katherine and Mabel into a meeting with him.
Alexander: “The team will be facing setbacks unless we can solve some of these issues that they are facing. Progress on the ship is slowing because we are lacking design personnel, a special lab designed for testing new materials as they are developed, and research and development space. The research and development teams need more space, more specialized labs, and more people. Thanks to new budget cuts through government regulations reallocating some of our European Union funding, we will need to make up that shortfall. I want to craft a plan to address all three needs.”
Mabel was taking notes on her tablet as she listened to Alexander and gave him her full attention. Mabel nodded along as Alexander listed the problem.
Katherine was sitting with her tablet in her lab like Mabel as they met with him in his office. Katherine was listening to Alexander and was surprised that he had called her to help him with what she thought of as a logistics issue. She was confused as to why she was here. That had nothing to do with her. Her job was managing the team’s image and the marketing associated with the team. Her job was public relations and marketing.
Katherine’s brow wrinkled as her confusion was mirrored on her face. “Why am I here? I am not part of the logistics department. I handle the media and marketing for the team.”
Alexander turned his focus to Katherine and gave her a knowing smile.
Katherine saw his Grinch-like smile and got worried. What kind of insane project was he about to throw her way.
Mabel saw that smile and knew what it meant. She laughed, grateful it was aimed at Katherine and not her. “Bless your heart, you had to ask didn’t you.”
Katherine was surprised at Mabel’s response and her worry deepened.
Alexander looked very pleased with himself. “Well Katherine, I am so glad you asked! I am so grateful that we have such amazing employees like yourself. Our employees are always going above and beyond the call of duty. They get out of their comfort zone and do whatever it takes to help the team. Which is why I want you to head up a team dedicated to raising funds to build a new collaborative research and development space with extensive and speciality testing labs necessary for developing new antigravity technology. Some of our funding got pulled. We need to focus our funding and be strategic about our current problem while you and your team work on finding us some new marketing revenue streams to bolster our available research and development department. We need to work on this now or we will be behind with the new FIAR regulations go into effect.”
Katherine looked as gob smacked as she felt. “But Alexander! I am not in the sales department. I work with advertising and media for the team!”
Alexander looked smug and very pleased with himself. “Yes, which is why I believe you need some more help. You need to promote someone to help you. Or you need to expand your executive assistant’s role.” Alexander gave her a warm look. “Katherine, I know you understand sales. I need some help with this. I can’t think of anyone I trust more to help with this. I need you to bring me some new leads for sponsors or interested research and development partners. We need to find some way to fix this funding shortage while we begin breaking ground on a new research and development center with expanded materials development and testing labs. Our team has quickly outgrown our existing space. The development team is needing more engineering personnel. Progress is going to slow down and halt unless we can fix this issue. It will take some time to build the new labs even with today’s technology. We have to find an appropriate site here at headquarters with enough space and then cut through all the red tape and permits to begin building. In the meantime, we can try to secure more funding while the project gets started.”
Alexander turned his focus to Mabel. His elderly assistant simply smiled at him and nodded. Alexander could only laugh and smile.
Katherine was watching with her jaw hanging open. She was still reeling from the bombshell that he wanted to drop such a big task in her lap. She was confused as it seems Mabel already understood whatever it was Alexander wanted from her but he had not said anything.
Mabel caught Katherine’s confusion and gave her a warm smile and an encouraging pat on the shoulder. “It’s okay Katherine. You lead a team for a reason. Delegate! That is what good leaders do. You have a team member who likes the outside business sales stuff. Turn them loose with orders on what to look for. You got this.”
Katherine was calming down as she realized Mabel was right. She did have a great team. She knew exactly who she was going to assign this part of the project. Her Vice President of Marketing was the perfect guy for this task. It would be a good opportunity for him to show off his skills and see if he had the potential to step into her shoes one day.
Mabel gave Katherine one of her mysterious trademarked smiles. “You are still wondering what Alexander wants me to do. That’s easy, what I have been doing. He wants to start headhunting more talent to staff the development team once the new facilities are built and we can expand the team. My job is to research potential new talent and get him dossiers on them and the best way to recruit them.”
Katherine blinked and looked over at a smug looking Alexander. “But you didn’t tell her anything!” Katherine protested, sounding a little like a little girl.
Alexander gave Katherine a smug but warm smile. “That is why I fought so hard to keep her as my Executive Assistant. Mabel always knows what I need before I do. She is exceptional at her job and anticipating what I need.”
Katherine was reeling and still needed some time to process this request. “I will get to work on it. I need some time to process how to tackle this latest insanity. Why can’t I tackle stuff I am trained for like Dorian flirting with the Prince of Monaco or Paul getting caught with his pants down in public.” Katherine rose to her feet and left the office shaking her head.
Alexander watched her go and waited for the door to close before he burst out into laughter. “I love giving my staff the room they need to grow.”
Mabel just rose to her feet with a secret smile on her face. She knew he had no clue that her thoughts were along the same lines. Alexander had come a long way from the grumpy closed off distrustful man she had met when she had been tasked to him all those years ago. She couldn’t help thinking about how far he had come as a leader and manager.
Pilots’ Group Chat
Bea Welcome to the madhouse, Bella.
Paul Hello Bella! Welcome to the group pilots chat! So tell us, what is it like working with Astrid?
Bea @Astrid Do we get told why switch now or are you sticking up for Bjorn like a good teammate?
Paul @Bea It does make you wonder if they call her Astrid the crank or something behind her back.
Diving In
Paul found himself in a wetsuit and diving on the Great Barrier Reef. The world beneath the waves was like being in a whole new world. Color exploded around him as he dove and swam with a cloud of colorful fish. He followed the brief instructions and training they were given on how to dive protectively and safely. They had been given instructions on how to dive and view the coral without harming it. Paul was fascinated by the colors and textures of the underwater environment. He was absolutely enthralled and was grateful he had been given the opportunity to dive in such a special place. It was remarkable to see how much the reef had healed and recovered. It was hard to think they had almost destroyed and lost this amazing environment forever. Paul had a new goal in his life. He would take formal diving lessons and begin diving in locations where he traveled. He couldn’t wait for practice to get a glimpse of the amazing colors from a new perspective.
Round 16 of Formula AG Friday 20th October, 2094 Practice Ballycastle Complex, Muller Cay, nr Australia Great Barrier Reef AGP 1100 AEST
Leave A Trace
Paul walked up to the table. There was a glass bottle with a sticky note on it. The note read: “Leave a message in this bottle you'd like for future generations."
Paul knew exactly what message he wanted to leave. He quickly took the pen and began writing.
Paul’s message read: “Don’t forget the lessons of the past. We almost destroyed our planet. See the beauty in our world and protect it.”
Paul smiled at Aurora as he shared with her what advice he had passed on. “I was inspired by my experiences here and in Hawaii. I told them not to forget the lessons of the past. We almost destroyed our planet. I think they should look for the beauty in our world and protect it. We need to remember that humans are part of the natural world and we depend on it. We do not stand above it or apart from it.”
Paul, Alexander, and the team spent their practice time dialing in the repairs and adjustment to the ships. They made sure any environmental factors that affected the ship were tweaked as they worked on getting the ship ready for qualifiers.
Day 2: 05:37:52 Somewhere near Novy Jork Krumov Province, Republic of Polavia
Rowan looked over at Felix with an angry glare.
Rowan: “I appreciate you coming back to help me Felix. But what the fuck was that glare for? I had already told you what I knew! It is not my fault everyone seems to think I know about something that they want!”
Felix got angry back at Rowan. "Because I wanted you to get the fuck out of there!" He exasperated, sighing, sitting down.
"Because, I didn't want you to die. Alright? And I didn't think I'd make it given the size of the bullet in my neck, so I wanted one last look at you. Not when the only person that could have saved me was Silas and I was hurt in both forms. I've lost enough people lately. And whatever they want, it seems serious enough you shouldn't have gone through that. Manticore could be linked. I couldn't say the words I wanted to without dropping dead." He added, shaking his head. "Whatever they want you for, they clearly want to kill a lot of people over. But I have a feeling a lot more people are gonna die if we don't." Felix added, sitting down, the train clattering at a points, while Oksana and Borys chatted, Felix and Rowan were apart.
"I'm sorry, Rowan. That was.....a bit much. But I wish I could help more. Like, I want to escape this too. I want to see my daughter again. Even my ex-wife. I don't want to be here. But I think we're in over our heads. So I apologise, if I can't get you all the answers you want. But you weren't dying on my watch. Not when I thought there were more of them coming." Felix added, shaking his head, checking over his mag on his 417, looking as Oksana stood up.
Rowan couldn’t look more confused or gobsmacked as Felix began expounding on how he had been feeling. Her jaw dropped in honest shock. “But you glared at me like it was my fault that the team was being hunted by the SA goon squad!” Rowan’s thoughts raced as she replayed that scene in her mind over again. She still came away with the same interpretation. She shook her head as this was getting her nowhere. Her eyes narrowed as she focused on Felix. She climbed to her feet and made her way over to him. She gave him a swift hug and pulled back to look him in the eye. “I am sorry I misinterpreted your glare. I am sorry you have been forced away from your family. That sucks.” She reached into a pocket and pulled out a granola bar. “Peace. Thank you for the assistance.”
Their make-up session was interrupted by Oksana. Rowan sighed and sat back down to finish her coffee. She pulled out another granola bar and began to munch on that for breakfast.
Oksana: "Calm it, you two. Both of you got the fuck out of your situations. Nothing makes sense right now, not the least the PSA even exist. Felix, what's our sit rep, when we hit Novy Jork? We look ready for war. We're not going to get a B-Uber (yes, said in the same way as the animal named in the Bober Meme) and roll into the Grand Polavian Hotel looking like we're about to topple a democracy." Oksana asked, "Apart from maybe getting a new team leader. But, Borys is pissed, I've got a ketamine problem, Silas is our medic, Rowan's...." She thought to herself, actually contemplating it.
Felix: “She is probably a decent shot at it? Yeah, I think so too. You'd benefit if I was less lion. Luckily, I don't feel like turning back. Not after breakfast." Felix joked back, as Oksana sat down next to him, looking out of the window at the countryside, as Felix looked back up. "Literally, not metaphorically." He added, as Oksana sighed at that awful pun.
Oksana: "Add it to my list of bad ideas. Anyway, plan?"
Felix: "Ideally, we ditch, this train, find some civilian clothes. And find Pavel."
Rowan sighed as they talked about her like she was not sitting right there next to them. This team was weird and didn’t communicate well. She then laughed and wondered what her old team had thought of her. That thought brought a swift pain as that reminded her that they were all dead. She soberly straightened up and tried to be grateful that anyone was willing to hang around her. She was already a target. Now it felt as if half the world was looking for her.
She looked over at Felix and Oksana and dryly told them. “I brought a change of civilian clothing with me. Don’t forget that we have some potions left.”
She began to dig through her backpack to see what supplies she had left. Rowan had gone through her pack. She had chosen not to change as they might face fighting yet. It depended on what they found as they left the train. If they could manage to sneak away then stealth and staying under the radar would work. If the SA had troops waiting for them, they might have to shoot their way out. Rowan shared what was left of her coffee with Silas. She accepted a piece of jerky and gnawed on it as she took stock of what potions she had left.
Day 2: 06:10:21 Somewhere in Novy Jork Capital Province, Republic of Polavia
Rowan smiled as Oksana pointed out that Borys should be happy to have an almost unlimited supply of alcohol at his disposal. Rowan nudged Oksana with an elbow. “Hey just because one man’s vice is another man’s armor is no reason to pick on Borys.” She snickered a little with the passive aggressive defensive line before laughing outright. “The challenge will be getting him to leave at all.”
Rowan looked around and took in the situation as they tried to plan how to break free. They needed to get into Novy Jerk without being followed or killed. She was glad she had not switched to civilian clothing. An illusion potion was only good for so long and too many SA had artifacts, tools, and skills that could see through an illusion. Her bright red hair was like a fiery beacon even though it was common. Rowan made sure her long curly red hair was pulled back in a braid and tucked under her witches hat. She wanted to attract as little attention as possible. If there were people looking for her based on a description, that cloud of curly bright red hair would be like waving a red flag in front of a bull.
Felix: "Team, let's get moving. Move from cover to cover. Rowan, I need you to work on tech, start casting on any CCTV you see and zap it out. Borys, keep point. We'll push through the loading bay and their warehouses, move into the bottling plant. See if you can break inside, and we'll follow on you. Silas, back up Borys, both of you need to break in. Oksana, keep guard on rear."
Rowan grabbed the handle of her whip and began to cast. She gathered electrical energy and began to channel it through her hands. She pointed a finger and aimed at the cameras. She began to send small surges of static electricity into them one by one. It would be enough to cause the cameras to malfunction. Someone watching the feeds would be getting a snowstorm on the screens. She gave a wicked smile as she followed Borys and Silas.
Paul knew that the mechanics and engineers had been working round the clock to fix the ships and recalibrate what they could before the race. The team had managed to set Paul up with a virtual reality simulator to reproduce the ship’s current quirks and setup. Paul had spent all his free time in the simulator trying to learn how the ship was going to react on the track in Brazil. Dorian was having even more trouble with the issues with his ship. Dorian didn’t seem to be as flexible and adaptable as Paul. Paul assumed it was an age issue although the two ships had taken different types of damage. It was possible that there was less they could do to repair Dorian’s ship. Paul was happy to get P5 in qualifying after everything they went through in Argentina. He was not content to stay in P5. He trained hard and worked tirelessly with Carmella and the mechanics to calibrate and adjust the antigravity skirting, air braking system, and sensors that had to be repaired and replaced. Paul was feeling more confident in the ship and what it could handle after his work in the simulator.
One of the pit crew helped Paul into the ship. They carried a large umbrella to shield him from the rain. His helmet and race suit was water repellent but they were taking no chances with the moisture in the delicate electronics. The crew member used a towel and wiped off his helmet and shoulders to ensure the area was dry before closing up the canopy. Paul carefully took the cord with the clip and plugged the ship into his neural interface. Paul always experienced a rush as data began streaming into his consciousness from the ship’s sensors and computers. The new computers that had been upgraded just before Argentina were stronger and faster than the old ones. They used a new and unique encryption process to help bolster security for the ship’s systems. It was part of the security upgrade package from Radian Security Systems and Banshee Microsystems. Paul employed some of the techniques he had learned from Doctor Ainsworth, the team’s neural specialist, that had been developed in conjunction with Shinichi Bionics. The training techniques had helped Paul sort, compile, and utilize the massive amounts of data coming in from the ship. It took Paul a few minutes of meditation and visualization as he dropped into a cognitive state that allowed him to focus on the race and the ship. Paul could read the ship’s hull temperature and the amount of water that was rolling down the sides of the ship from the rain. He could see the track easily using the numerous cameras, radar, and lidar systems on the ship. Could flip through various camera settings such as low light and infrared at will. Paul was in the zone as he began his prerace checklist talking to his race engineer over the radio as they went through the list together.
Paul was sitting in his ship at the starting line. He was in P5. His ship’s livery had been repaired and repainted to be sure all the sponsors got their advertising as promised for the race in Brazil. He pulled on his racing gloves and massaged the heavy tech fabric that was heat resistant down between his fingers to help ensure he had maximum dexterity. Paul was wearing the bog standard Valkyrie livery for the race. He had already closed his racing helmet up using his HUD to help with the prerace checklist. He had already reconfigured his virtual dashboard with the sensors and readings he would need for the race. Paul was feeling comfortable and focused as he waited for the race to start. He smiled as he heard Alexander’s familiar voice break into the channel.
Alexander was sitting with the Team Valkyrie engineering team for the race. He was wearing what had become race day normal for him. Alexander didn’t bother with one of his suits on race day. He wore what the other engineers did when he was in the team’s paddock. He was wearing dark gray uniform pants, a button down Team Valkyrie shirt golden yellow with the logo in gray on the pocket, and work boots. His long hair was pulled back in a pony tail so it didn’t get tangled in his headset. Alexander was sitting between Carmella, Paul’s race engineer, and Remy, Dorian’s race engineer.
Alexander spoke into the microphone attached to his headset.
Alexander: “Okay Team I want to remind everyone what our strategy is. We know that the Dorian has been impacted by the damage to his ship significantly more than Paul. This has impacted our strategy for this race. Dorian will do his best to run interference for Paul from his position on the track without endangering himself. He will do his best to finish in points if possible. Paul will utilize the improvements made since qualifying to try and capture as many points as possible for the team. Paul, remember to take it easy on the antigravity system. No fancy rollovers here. We are unsure if the antigravity skirting will maintain its stability and integrity if you push it too hard. Best of luck everyone! Let’s get the job done.”
Paul rolled his eyes at Alexander’s reminder. As if he could forget with everyone reminding him. He was known for getting the most out of his antigravity when the conditions were right. Brazil would not be that race for him. He would just have to do his best using what was working well.
Paul’s hands rested lightly on the control yoke as the countdown began as the lights began to flash in sequence at the starting line. Paul got a good start but was unable to gain any positions before the first turn. Paul gritted his teeth and charged forward. He managed to gain some moments in the corners and was slowly gaining on Kais.
Then Kais managed to get past Cassie and Paul saw a chance. He followed in Kais’ wake allowing his ship to steal speed from Kais’ by following in the shadow of Kais’ ship. He allowed Kais’ ship to clear the choppy dirty air by staying in the ship’s rear drafting. He was able to slip right past Cassie as Kais passed her. Paul’s stability allowed him to stay in the slipstream shadow of Kais’ ship slowing him down while speeding Paul’s ship up. Paul made his move as Kais slowed to enter a turn. Paul threaded the needle on the inside slipping ahead of Kais. Paul was just coming out of the corner when his ship did an emergency shutdown. Paul had been focused on his fight with Kais when Carmella’s voice came through the radio.
Carmella: “Red flag due to collision!” Paul was being directed back to the starting line for a restart. Paul was uncertain what the grid looked like. Carmella filled him in as they waited for the race to restart. Cassie and Nora had collided. Nora was out. Bea had been forced off the track by Amy and had dropped to the back of the pack. Paul would be restarting in P2.
Carmella’s voice came through the radio, her tones soothing as she told him what was going on. “Cassie and Kelly collided and then Kelly’s ship shut down. Both pilots appear to be okay. Cassie will be continuing.” Paul set his sights on Amy. He knew Amy would be a hard fight. Paul was watchful to keep an eye out for the dirty tricks she liked to play. Paul had been studying Amy’s racing footage. He had noted she skirted the racing rules to create incidents to end those who would challenge her. It was technically legal but Paul’s ship was somewhat delicate. He couldn’t take any extra punts in this race. He was careful to be sure he had clearance in the corners. Unfortunately it forced him to be somewhat cautious. He couldn’t quite find a line to overtake Amy. He managed to get ELS on her a few times but she always managed to break away. Kais behind him forced him to stay on the defensive. The race was about three quarters over when Alexander’s voice came over the radio. “Dorian’s handling is gone. He is retiring. Stay defensive Paul. We need the points. Defend P2.”
It was a nerve wracking race but Paul managed to keep P2. He crossed the finish line and breathed a deep sigh of relief. He pulled into parc ferme and shut down the ship. Paul popped open the canopy and the team were already running up cheering him on. He smiled as today’s win was as much the engineers and mechanics as his. He smiled and thanked his team. He hugged Dorian and patted him on the back.
Paul: “I am sorry about your ship Dorian. Tough break.”
Dorian just smiled and hugged Paul back. “It was worth it to see you take P2 today.”
Cooldown Room- brazil
Paul was still in his racing suit although a team member had taken his helmet back to the paddock for him. He was standing and watching the race footage in the Cooldown room. He was sipping on a Zap energy drink. It might have been raining earlier but it was hot and humid in Brazil. Paul was still sweating as his body cooled down from the exertion and the heat in the cockpit.
He watched the screens that showed Amy’s move on Bea. He nodded thinking so that is what happened to Bea. He would ask his simulator trainer to compile some training on how to defend against Amy’s dirty tricks. He would have them go back through her career footage and pull together a good training simulator for him. It would be helpful for him to face stuff like that in the simulator before he sees it on the track. If there was a way to defend against it, he needed to learn it now. Paul was focused on the screens as it also showed the collision between Cassie and Nora when Amy’s voice cut into his concentration.
Amy: "Clean defence. Did it to me in Belgium....backing off the outside line was a a choice, Bea."
Paul didn’t say anything as he remained focused on the screens. He felt bad for Nora. She would soon be out of contention for the championship if her season didn’t start to turn around. Paul was getting close enough that he might be able to challenge for at least top 3 in the championship standings.
Amy addressed him directly. "You are fast, Paul. After the start of the season, I wasn't sure where you would go....you got some skills. But I ain't giving over that easy! Gonna be seeing you challenging me for the title next!"
Paul looked confused as he replied to Amy. “I would not expect you to be easy. I kind of thought I already was challenging you.”
Paul allowed Amy to hug him. He just shook his head as Amy was a driver he didn’t understand.
Paul turned to Kais and offered him a hand shake. “Thank you for a great race.” He clapped Kais on the shoulder before following Amy out to greet the screaming fans of Formula AG for the award ceremony.
DELTΔ HYPER
Aurora: "Paul, a solid finish in P2 again, and despite that damage you looked like you're finally hitting a purple patch of form. It looks like Amy really frustrated you, and you fought for quite some time with Kais too. Do you feel from a race management point of view, you did all you could after Beatrix crashed out?"
Paul: “I feel like I could have done more but I played it safe. The ship had been repaired the best the mechanics and engineers could while in the field but I was told the repairs might not hold if I pushed too hard. I protected the team’s position in the points. I will be back after repairs for the next race. Hopefully I can keep producing solid finishes. Who knows, maybe I can gain enough points to challenge Amy for the championship.” Paul left that with a charming smile and wink.
I am experienced roleplayer returning to online roleplay after 10+ year break. I have missed roleplaying and the creative outlet it is for me. I am interested in casual roleplay. I consider myself a decent writer and I will put effort into my writing. I am not into writing a novel for one post though. Descriptive, character building, engaging, yes. I will always write at least 2 paragraphs unless it is a quick fire session revolving around dialogue over private messages. I am a fairly laid back person and don't want to be a grammar nazi. I believe in quality over quantity. Roleplaying is a hobby and a escape from real life pressures.
[color=00aeef]Genres I am interested in: [/color]
Fantasy
Middle Ages
Science Fiction
Vampires
Shapeshifters
Crime Drama
[color=00aeef]Fandoms I am interested in:[/color]
Pokemon
Harry Potter
Anita Blake
Dragonriders of Pern
Star Wars
I don't mind roleplaying romance but I am not looking for smut. It has to make sense for the roleplay. I am okay with a fade to black moment instead of roleplaying it out. For me its about the story and the character. I am open to roleplaying it out.
I am in the Pacific Standard Timezone. I work full time and will be seen in the evenings and weekends online.
<div style="white-space:pre-wrap;">I am experienced roleplayer returning to online roleplay after 10+ year break. I have missed roleplaying and the creative outlet it is for me. I am interested in casual roleplay. I consider myself a decent writer and I will put effort into my writing. I am not into writing a novel for one post though. Descriptive, character building, engaging, yes. I will always write at least 2 paragraphs unless it is a quick fire session revolving around dialogue over private messages. I am a fairly laid back person and don't want to be a grammar nazi. I believe in quality over quantity. Roleplaying is a hobby and a escape from real life pressures. <br><br><font color="#00aeef">Genres I am interested in: </font><br>Fantasy<br>Middle Ages <br>Science Fiction <br>Vampires <br>Shapeshifters <br>Crime Drama<br><br><font color="#00aeef">Fandoms I am interested in:</font><br>Pokemon<br>Harry Potter <br>Anita Blake <br>Dragonriders of Pern <br>Star Wars <br><br>I don't mind roleplaying romance but I am not looking for smut. It has to make sense for the roleplay. I am okay with a fade to black moment instead of roleplaying it out. For me its about the story and the character. I am open to roleplaying it out. <br><br>I am in the Pacific Standard Timezone. I work full time and will be seen in the evenings and weekends online.</div>
Member
esqueleto
RothicusRex
Darkspleen
PrinceAlexus
Not a Sayan
FourtyTwo
Kaithe Dame
Stryder BC
Neziul