Team VSmgAB & Team Shift Happens
Stage 1 Drive (VSmgAB)
Stage 1 Drive (Shift Happens)
Stage 2 Drive/Camp (Shift Happens)
Stage 2 Camp (VSmgAB + Shift Happens)
Stage 3 Camp (VSmgAB + Hillbilly Rollers + Aeromad + Ambassadors) Part 1, Part 2
Stage 4 and 5; “send it!”
Stage 6 and 7 “Catching Up” (VSmgAB)
Stage 8 “Target Practice” (VSmgAB and Shift Happens)
Stage 13.2 part 1
Stage 13.2 part 2
After a long afternoon of playing what seemed like every board game that had been invented, Valentin just wanted to be alone for a bit. He politely declined to join in on the next game, mentioning only that he was going to go walk the beach for a moment now that it was quiet. He left the Shift Happens crew and walked past the silent firing range, heading for the rock formation that he’d seen earlier in the day.
Once there, he carefully ascended to the top of it, a process made much more difficult due to sub-optimal shoes and compromised balance courtesy of an immobilized arm.
Eventually, an absolutely stunning view unfolds itself:
A remarkably blue ocean spanned the view ahead as far as the eye could see. A small number of boats were milling about at sea, presumably owned by some wealthy individuals for recreation.
To Valentin’s left, there was the beach he came from. The finish line of Shitbox Rally 2023, complete with (almost) all competitor cars and their respective owners. To his right, the rock formation he was sat on continues, gently sloping back down to sea level, where another beach was found. A couple of crude wooden piers poking out into the ocean served as a small harbor for the sailors in front.
Sat atop the rocks for the better part of two hours, he simply watches the local population, wildlife and nature do it’s thing, eventually lying down and closing his eyes to acoustically take it all in.
Another half an hour or so passes before Valentin is somewhat rudely taken out of his meditative state as Mary ascends the formation to join Valentin up there.
“Hello? Who is there?” Valentin asks as he is not enough of a contortionist to see Mary just yet.
“Mary here. Hope I’m not disturbing you with anything that you are doing up here,” she replied while approaching further, to the point of practically being directly above Valentin now.
“Not really, other than contemplating life and all that…” Valentin mentioned.
“Now that I am out of the army… well… navy, I also have things to contemplate, I guess…”, Mary explained, sitting down next to Valentin and looking out to sea, just like he did earlier.
Valentin did not feel like digging into Mary’s life choices, interests and such, so he kept quiet. Instead, Mary decided to do the same with Valentin’s past:
“I know i am drilling deep with us barely knowing each other and such, but… was it really a military van that… umm… was less-than-smart about driving?”
“One: I have nothing to lose by sharing, so ask away all you want. Helps me cope.
Two: I do not remember a whole lot first hand. All I DO know is that a military-looking 9 seat van passed my group of 40 cyclists. Next I know, I am in ICU a couple of days later.
Three: Norse has SEEN it all first-hand, but please keep this topic away from him. He is mentally strained because of it…” Valentin explained.
“40 cyclists?” Mary inquired.
“Or thereabouts… some friends, among which Norse, and I am hosting a once-weekly bike ride for everyone vaguely fast enough to keep up. And it was during one of those rides where i got to know the back door of that van very intimately…” Valentin recalled, now rising back up to a seated position as well as he could.
“Gosh that must’ve hurt!” Mary exclaimed.
“I do not remember anything after the impact itself. What I got told after the fact is that out of roughly 20 people injured, two had to be flown to hospital. I was one of them and also the first to be flown. Suffice to say that the recovery was worse than the actual crash…” Valentin sighed.
On that note, the pairing stayed silent for another 15 minutes or so until Mary mustered enough bravery to make an important statement. Important to Mary, anyway…
“Ummm… Valentin?”
“Huh?”
“Did I tell you that I like you? Like… REALLY like you?”
“No?”
“Well I’m telling you now… I REALLY like you!”
“Uhm…”
“Take your time to process things, then.”
Valentin did take his time to process things, laying back down to free his mind from the pained wrist.
“So… You see myself being your boyfriend?”
“YESS!”
“In that case… a few words of ‘warning’. One, this would be my first actual relationship if we declare this as official. Two, because of this, I am pretty much inexperienced in anything romance or any typical ‘couple things’. Three, please do not expect me to treat you any differently because of this relationship status.”
“You never have even looked for a woman to partner up with?”
“Not really. I just had other things to do that i saw as being more important.”
“Ah so you are the ‘not actively looking’ kinda guy?”
“Seems like it, yes.”
“So, is it official?”
“As said already, please do not expect me to give you special treatment of any kind. Apart from that, you can call me your boyfriend as much as you want, I guess.”
“Works for me. sweet! ”
The newfound couple spent another hour or so on the rock formation until a bit past sunset, thus ticking off their first truly romantic experience before heading back to camp.
