It feels a bit like the world balancing itself back out when the race ends, like the universe is making it up to Sloane, little by little. “Thought it was a darn good showin'.” She smiles like there aren't eyes all over her, scanning for signs of injury, or just curious about the state of her. She's standing next to Edel hoping he might eclipse some of the unwanted attention. “Now what kinda celebratin' are you up for tonight?”
he turns, looks her up and down – she’s more resilient than people give her credit for. a smile cracks his face and as he slings a carefree arm over her shoulder, he’s mindful to step between her and the prying eyes. “ what kind of celebrating are you up for ? i don’t want to break you. ”
open to anyone, set at track - one after monday’s race …
not a win for reign, but three narizas on top. not the worst outcome. edel stretches like a content housecat as he steps out of his car, a picture of relaxation despite the adrenaline coursing through his veins. “ not a bad race. what do you think ? ”
open to anyone, set at track - one after monday’s race …
nico’s eyes track the defeated rodani prowlers. “ sheesh. ” he cringes and turns his eyes to the ground, kicking at the gravel there, a distraction from the sour faces. “ the vibe around here is always so bad after races like this… ”
open to anyone, set at track - one after monday’s race …
“ let’s go ! a fuckin’ nariza bois podium sweep ! ” gwen feels an unreasonable amount of pride, as if she herself had been racing. “ and none of those fuckers coulda done it without the most beloved nariza mechanic, yours truly, clutch koufie. ”
open to anyone, set at track - one after monday’s race …
“ allow me to save you some time. ” jet sighs. “ if you’re here to talk about the race, i’m not interested. if you’re here to talk about something else… well, i’m still not interested. but i’ll at least just ignore you while you talk. ”
what game ? the question hangs in the tense, electric air between the pair. what was eric's endgame here ? why had he followed jet out ? hadn't he been avoiding the other the exact same way … what changed ? frustration. days on days of replaying jet's lips on his, the lingering feeling of jet's waist on his fingertips, a vision of that night on replay in his head. he shouldn't be having these thoughts about someone he supposably disliked. yet ... jet kissed him back, a fact he wasn't quick to forget.
his eyes narrow sharply as the other shakes him off. pupils straying on the open space between the pair. distaste for the abruptness of the pull away clear on his face. “ forever ? ” a scoff, “ we work together … we race together … we're on a damn crew together. ” like a magnet eric finds himself following jet's step away invading his space, unable to stay out of his gravitation pull. “ one of us was bound to break. ”
the step away is mirrored by a step closer, jet more and more feeling like he’s about to be cornered. consumed. he dares another step back, fixing his face into something stern and cold as if that has ever discouraged anybody in miami from imposing upon him. he can only hope there’s a first time for everything. “ you were bound to break, you mean. i could’ve managed. ” what eric doesn’t know, what he never will, is that jet knows the lengths he will go to to avoid – once disappeared from his childhood home to avoid, once took off across the country to avoid.
jet bumps into what feels like his car, his hand grasping blindly behind him for the door’s handle. “ why did you come out here ? ” he dares to ask out loud. a distraction. “ you going to tell me it didn’t mean anything ? make sure i don’t tell anyone ? ” his mouth runs as he tries to get the door open, tries to open the way for an escape from whatever this conversation held. “ none of that needs to be said, whisper. ”
the morning was already a bust for eric ... shower running cold two seconds in and his old toaster burning his everything bagel. it’s a headache on top of shit show of the events from the last few weeks. his mood is dark, irritated dark cloud blooming around his aura as he pushes through the doors of rodani auto. he tries not to scan the room around him, tries to convince himself to not care about whether the other racer is in the room. despite his little effort gaze immediately narrows on the target. it’s been days of cat and mouse between jet and eric. the situation was eric’s fault : he was the one frustrated that night, he was the one that shoved jet into wall, he was the one that initiated the kiss. in his mind he had ample reason to be avoiding the other, it was embarrassing … his lack of control. what eric can’t wrap his head around is jet’s evasion, what did he have to be evasive about ? eric kissed him.
if it was any other day eric may have let him leave the shop without question, leaving only puppy dog eyes trailing behind. it had happened day after day already now. not today, the racer was too aggravated to let it go. with a huff of his chest he’s following the other out the door. hand reaches out to softly grab at the other’s elbow, trying to stop him, “ so … how long we gonna play this game, huh ? “
he could have never anticipated this from eric – could never have anticipated a grab of his elbow, gentle as it was still scalding hot for the way jet’s stomach jumped in anticipation of something, could never have anticipated being asked something like what he was just asked. “ what game ? ” it’s accusatory out of his mouth. “ we’ve been avoiding each other; that isn’t a game. ” but if it was, jet would be winning. eric followed him out; he thought it had been agreed, even without words that this whatever it was, whatever it is now has become far more trouble than it’s worth. so why is eric out here ? the thought is troubling, both with fear of the unknown and for the way jet’s stomach jumps again.
jet shakes eric’s hand off of his arm, takes a step backwards closer to his car. a quick escape seems to be needed. “ but if you’re asking how long i was planning to avoid you… i guess forever. that seemed to be working out. ”
INCOMING * TEXT : omg hv u met EDEL CHAIDEE of the NARIZA BOIS yet ? they’re one of the crew’s street racers n actually go by REIGN. the twenty five y/o is typically seen hanging arnd 12welve. allegedly they’re frm berlin, germany n hv been w/ the crew for SEVEN MONTHS. wtvr. just watch out for them, k ? ttyl !
BASIC ꜜꜜꜜ INFORMATION.
full name: edel chaidee. / nickname(s): none. / alias: reign. / birthdate: may 8, 1981. / birthplace: berlin, germany. / zodiac signs: taurus sun, cancer moon, scorpio rising. / gender + pronouns: cis man + he&him. / orientation: bisexual.
faceclaim: boss chaikamon. / height: 5 ft, 10 in. / hair color: black. / hair style: worn long-ish and out of his face. / eye color: brown. / tattoos + piercings: see pinterest. / scars: a new scar on his jaw.
education level: secondary school graduate. / occupation: unemployed. waiting for a new f1 contract ? / crew: nariza bois. / residence: somewhat nice apartment near 12welve.
positive traits: assertive, ambitious. / negative traits: uninhibited, arrogant. / sociability: moderate. / emotional stability: moderate to low. / character study: to be decided.
INTERVIEW ꜜꜜꜜ HIGHLIGHTS.
tell the story behind your alias.
“ are you ready for a long story ? ” edel starts, leaning back in his chair as if he really does plan to tell quite a long story. “ my parents immigrated to germany from thailand a couple years before i was born. my chue-len, the name thai children get when they’re little, is a german word they learned the meaning of and liked. edel, meaning noble. auspicious, yes ? ” he rolls the toothpick in his mouth from one side to the other, a habit he once picked up in a long-since-abandoned attempt to quit smoking now repurposed to keep his mouth and mind occupied whenever he can’t smoke. “ when i came to miami and joined the bois, i had to explain what edel meant so many times, to so many people, that within a couple of weeks it had evolved into my alias, reign. for my dominance on the track, ” his chin turns up, fingers carefully plucking the toothpick from his mouth to make room for a sly smile. “ and because i am named noble in german. ” the sly smile becomes a chuckle, somewhat fond, somewhat exasperated. “ i suppose it makes sense that my alias came from that. i remember it felt like every new person said something about my name. ”
is street racing a long term plan or a short lived hobby for you ?
the question makes him pause. his eyes drift closed in consideration. “ i suppose… ” he starts, his eyes still closed, distant like he’s seeing every future at once. every variation upon his life in miami, every change he can foresee, every single string tying together what he can only call fate. “ when i came to miami, it was for fun. i was angry after what the press did to me in europe, ” he sighs, eyes still closed despite the way he furrows his brows. “ i needed a distraction, something to do until it all blew over and i could go back. back then, i suppose it was just a short-lived hobby. but, now, ” his eyes open, sparking with determination, with excitement. “ i think i want to stay in miami, where the racers more understand the way i drive. even if a team called me, asked me to come race in formula one again… ” the gleam turns frenetic, full of an aimless energy that edel has only ever known to use for his more… rampageous inclinations. “ i think i would still stay here. ”
CHARACTER ꜜꜜꜜ NOTES.
for as boisterous and entirely unpredictable edel is on the streets of miami, on the race track, he is entirely different. behind the wheel, he is exacting, in full control of every move of the car. he’s ruthless, precise but restrained like some may say the prowlers are; no, edel drives with intensity and pressure and pushes his way through the chaos he causes, dangerous but with a kind of control that can only be learned through his first gig: a formula 1 driver.
edel started out good, but mostly unremarkable. as he practiced, however, his focus turned to asserting himself on the track. through his precise control of the car, he quickly learned that proximity gives him the upper hand at high speeds: if he can just graze the other drivers, or even make them think he can, their focus lapses – he can overtake. their panic becomes his prize and edel went from good to great. but when a push spirals into a crash, becomes an injury both to himself and the other driver… suddenly no one wants edel anymore. he’s made the villain, made out to be reckless, headstrong, a liability.
he fucks off to miami to ride out the media’s anger. the parties are good there and the racing is even better. he catches the eye of the nariza bois within days of touching down and suddenly, there’s a team behind him telling him to push, to dominate, to reign. he never considers going back to germany.
his parents managed to make good money for themselves, and driving in formula 1 helped his bank account considerably, so he’s acquired a taste for many of the finer things in life. even before his crash he had a bit of a reputation, rumors afloat of hard partying habits. he was smart until the crash. then there was nothing left to be smart about.
edel is still new to miami and the more seedy, underground side of life he’s found himself on. he’s been kind of like a kid in a candy store, the amount of freedom he has after being in such a tightly controlled environment for so long. his driving has been more aggressive, his partying more frequent, and his spending more extravagant but he’s beginning to find the monotony again. how long can he go until he finds the end of his fun ?
usually when eric kim walks into rodani auto, jet lim ignores him and continues with his day – usually. but more recently, when eric kim has walked into rodani auto, it is swiftly followed by jet lim walking out. they’ve been playing tag for weeks; one approaches, the other flees, all without a single word exchanged. jet can’t shake the memories, whenever he sees him the press of his back against the wall, the feeling of eric’s lips against his and jet has been more than happy to let dead dogs lie and bury whatever happened that night at coyote casino. so he continues the cycle today – eric walks in. jet walks out, ignoring how their eyes catch as he steps through the door to the parking lot.
for scarlet, set at rodani wheels … @anelectrichigh
gwen is under no sort of belief that she is a good person. a good person doesn't do what she's about to do – doesn't keep a pretty little knife in her pocket, doesn't use it to slash unsuspecting prowlers' tires. however, gwen doesn't particularly care about being good when she is certain that she is right. the rumor brewing under the surface of the miami is that a prowler sabotaged the fairlady, sent sloane to the hospital; so naturally, her target now is an unlucky prowler's tires. if it's true, it sends a message. if it isn't, at least she had fun – well… she was having fun. until she spun around and came face to face with vic. “ … i guess you're gonna tell me off for this. ” her arms cross, stowing the knife away quietly. “ but i did it for stallion. if someone really fucked with the car… i can't let that go. ”
for heaven, set at their apartment … @vanityrift
LOCKED for gwen / nory !
gwen's forehead makes a soft thud against the door when she not-so-gently leans it there. “ i cannot believe… ” she starts, calmly. “ that between the fuckin' two of us, we both forgot our fuckin' keys to this goddamn apartment. ” a hysterical sound escapes her that is lost somewhere in the space between laughing and crying. “ fuck our fuckin' lives, right ? ”
for whisper, set at coyote casino … @mvmentum
set some time around 8pm during the showcase.
jet could never be convinced that there’s a bright side to losing, but placing above whisper is always at least… somewhat satisfying. it’s the dangerous mixture of losing-frustration and somewhat-satisfaction that carries his feet over to the other prowler outside of coyote casino, seeking an outlet for that distinct unease sitting inside of him. a blinking neon light that reads feelin’ lucky ? illuminates the evening around eric with glowing white and green light. luck is a stupid concept – but, the sign gives him something to say, a way to signal his intentions with talking to him: “ are you one of those idiots that thinks a loss is just bad luck ? ”
✦ ⌢ coyote casino @ ~5:30 p.m. 。
✦ ⌢ @dis7ance sent a nonverbal prompt for rhiannon 。
↛ ADJUST 🔄 - receiver fixes sender's appearance !
a shocked gasp breaks the background noise as she rushes toward jet, ❝ you can't show your car— whatever that means— with your hair like this. come here, ❞ she beckons him to her level, though doesn't wait to sort his hair into place. a please smile crosses her features at the strands fall exactly where she pictured. before retreating her touch completely, she pats traces the height of his cheek bone in something like approval. ❝ all better now. ❞
jet could never explain why he leans down when she asks, why he holds still to let her hands rake through his hair – but he does. he lets her touch his cheek in a way almost familiar and only straightens his back when he’s given the permission to. he could never explain and he can only hope no one ever asks him to. “ um… thanks ? ” he responds with a tilt of his head. “ i don’t think my hair really has any affect on how i show my car, though. ”
for cherry, set at coyote casino …
set some time around 6pm during the showcase.
gwen made a promise to herself tonight – don’t let anyone ruin the fun. and that promise would be so much easier to keep if her eyes weren’t immediately set upon yoo jiha. it figures. coyote casino is where whatever they had once had was started, where it was finished. her fingerprints are everywhere, the memories hidden in every corner; all of it, unavoidable. “ oh good ! ” she shouts out to call the girl’s attention over to her. “ i was almost worried you’d let me have some fuckin’ fun tonight ! glad to know ya haven’t given up on ruinin’ everything. ” the grin she wears is sharp, a dare. when her eyes fall over jiha what is antagonism without a little attraction ? gwen has to cross her arms over her chest – that wall going back up as a reminder: as fun as this sort of game is, jiha knows how to play too well. it isn’t worth it to try again.