Part 5: Jan thawing up
in cooperation with @nicxv (Speed Freaks) and @Elizipeazie (Valentin Schrant), mentioning the Interceptors by @AndiD, YEAR by @Angelustyle, Highway Hooligans by @Madrias, TotB by @oldmanbuick and Marians Dream by @tailgate_sniffer
Mikko just couldn´t stop walking in a circle.
Daniel: “For fucks sake, stop making me nervous!”
Mikko: “We are two laps behind these hippos! And that large and heavy car is difficult to pass. We need to get past them before that geezer drives, he might be old, but I looked him up on German pages, he is an experienced and successful amateur racer, unlike that discount rocker.”
Daniel: “Rhinos.”
Mikko: “Oh, there is that fat commie. I have an idea!”
Mikko runs to Jani, violently pulling him aside.
Mikko: “You see that punk walrus there? I noticed that you get along quite well… GET ME THEIR TACTICS!”
Jani: “As the son of a race driver you should know that fairness is important, no, I won´t!”
Mikko: “I know one thing: The victory is all that counts. So, either you get me the information the friendly way… or I will get it from her the unpleasant way… but then I guess, that girl won´t be able to drive anymore…for a very long time, and looking at her, I really don´t want to put my competitions weakest driver out of the competition.”
Jani: “You don´t dare that! And she is not the weakest, you underestimate her!”
Mikko: “So… hurry up. You remember how good my punches are, don´t you?”
Jani did as ordered, confused how to avoid a conflict, and greets Chanty
Chanty: “AAH! Jani, you scared me… my headphones were so loud that I didn´t notice you coming… you look stressed, are you OK?”
Jani: Hey…hey, I’m sorry! I’m sorry- I didn’t mean to…it’s just. Well…I’m pretty stressed out, yeah, you could say that. How are you, by the way?
Chanty: “Worried… because last year was very … eh, … well, my father almost died and Jan too, so, that´s a lot of memories, but … no, I am fine, because this year everything seems to go well!”
Jani: I’m happy for you…glad everything is alright now. But…there’s something I have to tell you, maybe that’s the reason why I am stressed out.
Chanty: “May I guess? It´s Mikko?”
Jani: Yeah…it’s Mikko, heh…am I that predictable?
Chanty “Not you, but he is”
Jani would grab his pack of cigarettes from inside his pocket, then quickly light one, before turning back towards Chanty.
Jani: By the way, do you mind if I smoke? I really don’t want to if you don’t like it.
Chanty: “Eh, give me one, too, I ran out of them because I wanted to stop but… no, I want to smoke again now. Anyway, what´s up?”
Jani: Oh, okay. I didn’t think you smoked…but to be fair, Alexandra is very similar to you and has probably used every drug known to mankind at least once, so, here you go.
He would hand her three cigarettes from his pack, also handing her the lighter so she could smoke no problem, before taking a hit and going back to talking.
Jani: Well…he’s had this stupid idea…he wants me to ask you information on your plans, or else he’ll probably punch me again, then get them out of you. I don’t want you to get hurt and I’m not letting him. Hey…sorry if it doesn’t make sense, I just got up-
Chanty took a deep breath from her cigarette
Jani: I don’t know, he’s probably screaming at Akseli on the radio…as he’s been doing for hours now…
Chanty: “Make sure he does, because he should watch the beginning of your hollywood career. Trust me, I have an idea that might work…”
Jani: An…idea? Wait, what do want me to do? I don’t want to hurt anyone…
Chanty: “You dont have to…Just pretend as If… Give me some light slaps that look dramatic and pull a bit on my hair and such…He will think that you tried your best getting the information.”
Jani: I-I don’t know if I can do this…I am sorry, I really am- I don’t want to hurt you…
He would quickly take a hit off of his cigarette, before glancing at his watch…4:15 PM… some time left until Mikko would be busy driving.
Jani: I have good news and bad news…the good news are, Mikko probably won’t notice that I didn’t get him any information…the bad news…well, he’s gonna be driving all night from 8 PM on… Please…PLEASE, be careful, promise? He’s genuinely scary when he drives-
Chanty: “Oh, you should see ME driving… Its my turn in almost two hours. I will watch out, and… you like Alexandra very much, don’t you?”
Jani: She’s…she’s my best friend…why do you ask me that?
Chanty: “I noticed that idiot has a crush on her… Whenever he comes to close to her, call us for help.”
Mikko was thankfully distracted by a Phone call or such, so Jani had an easy exit out of the unpleasant situation there, without having to prove some acting skills…
When proceeding to Y.E.A.R, Chantal was happy to spot Alexandra, arriving at 4:15 PM. Both felt great about the encounter, hugging each other, having a smoke and exchanging the latest gossip from the teams. While Alexandra warned Chanty of Mikko, Chanty told Alexandra to tell her if Mikko comes too close and she is in the need of help. Even if Alexandra was one of the few people NOT underestimating Chanty and noticing she`s both focussed and courageous behind the insecure and not very intelligent first impression she makes, Alexandra still had a lot of doubt that she could really stand a chance against Mikko, both on and off the track.
At the driver swap, things were a bit more stressful.
Thomas: “Finally. Now, that was not too bad - your task was keeping the car alive and not being too slow to ruin all podium chances… and that´s what you managed. You are hereby dismissed with honors.”
Jan: “Thomas, we are not in the military, and we do not fight a war.”
Chanty: “We do - against Mikko.”
Thomas: “I heard some unpleasant things about him, so I get why you want a duel with him. But you have to promise me: Don´t mess with him, leave that for me. All of my time behind the wheel is shared with him, and I know how to handle these hot-heads.”
Chanty: “I am no longer a little girl, come on.”
Jan: “But don´t push it too far. That guy is crazy, and we better beat him off the track the smarter way.”
Meanwhile, Jan was refilling the tank, while Thomas let the engine cool down a bit and checked for oil and water, which needed a bit of refill for the next hours. The brakes also desperately needed these 15 minutes of cooldown, and Chanty looked towards the other teams.
Chanty; “Interceptors, Chitko, Hooligans, some teams also change drivers now…”
Jan: “Beware of Klackers. He won´t ram you on purpose but he doesn´t make prisoners if you are in his way. That guy is a good driver, but also isn´t right in his head.”
Thomas: “Nothing wrong with a little fighting spirit. Winners are winners because they WANT to win, so does Klackers. I guess midnight to 2 AM will be very challenging, when I am driving against Klackers, Angel, Mikko and Martin from Vet Inte… some really tough nuts to crack then. Oh, it´s time to resume racing now. Chantal, you are ready to sta… HEY!”
With spinning tires, the Globus took off… spectacular show, but not really effective. But now all others noticed that the Globus isn´t doing a coffee tour anymore.
Jan: “I am worried…”
Thomas: “Yes, especially for everyone else on the track now.”
Jan: “You know who is the real danger. I wished you would drive all the time when Mikko is out there.”
Thomas: “That guy does a 10 hour stint. I am already going way above my limit with the 8 that I agreed to do. I am not 30 anymore, I even doubt that I can really do these 8 hours, but I will try.”
Jan: “I really don´t want them to win… they are already third even with Akseli as driver, if Mikko comes in, they will be even faster.”
Thomas: “The Flint is so far ahead… and still in very good shape, while the Sedlak seems already quite damaged. I really don´t see them winning. But surprising how good these Maras are. I already lost in the Shitbox Rallye by far against the Interceptors in such a Kavaler, and now they are again much better than we are. Crap.”
The two male team members laid down in the camper, with one watching Chantys actions on track, and the other getting a bit of sleep. Especially Thomas wanted to relax as much as possible, as he wanted to be fit for his task - the age showed up lately more and more.
Jan: "OH NO, SHE WILL CRASH!
Thomas: “OOOOOOH…SHIT!”
But Chanty didn´t lose more than her right mirror when skidding into the Phoenix, and that car also sustained no damage except for a little paint wear.
Jan: “That… was close.”
Thomas, in the walkie-talkie: “EEEH! Don´t hand me over a wreck.”
Chanty: “Not my fault, they should have gone wider when I pass them if I am so many laps ahead already… anyway, no bad feelings here, looks like we´re both happy that it was nothing, and that mirror was already shit before the contact, so don´t complain.”
Jan: “Hm, she´s right, if we look at the Bricksley… You mind me going to YEAR now?”
Thomas: “No, but why?”
Jan: “Kanna has her birthday party… and I want to make sure a bit of cake is reserved for Chanty, they are worse eaters than her…”
Thomas: “Yeah, get lost, I will prepare myself for my turn then, doing some healthy excercises and such to avoid fatigue.”
Jan: “Damn, you take that really serious. Your are entering a car, not a coffin, don´t exaggerate.”
Thomas: “I SAID GET LOST!”
Jan walked to the YEAR site, arriving at 7:45 PM, and got a jump hug from Kanna.
Jan: “Uargh, thank god I am already used to that from Chanty…”
Angel: “Bad for your back, but good to hear that Chanty has these happy moments.”
Jan: “Not as many as Kanna I guess, but yes. Just because Chanty has depression and anxiety it does not mean that she is feeling shit all the time, that´s a prejudgement and bullshit.”
Kanna: “I even left her some cake.”
Angel: “What? We started sharing it a second ago, and that plate for Chanty is ALL THAT IS LEFT?”
Kanna: ._.
Jan: “Wow.”
Maria: “Great. Catherine will be REALLY pleased, as she is as much as a glutton as you, Kanna.”
Kanna: “SURPRISE SURPRISE!!! Of course we got another cake…”
Angel: “Which I will now take care of… so that it doesn´t have to face the fate of it`s sibling.”
Kanna: “You´re mean…”
Jan: “No, he is smart. Anyway, Kanna, I wish you all the best for your new year of life, and … I am hungry and thirsty from driving, so… LET´S GET THE PARTY STARTEEEEEED!”
The YEAR members looked a bit surprised at Jan, as he was usually more for himself and rarely socializing on own initiative, so they saw it as a compliment that he does that now, and gave him a coke and a piece of cake. With his walkie-talkie, he contacted Chanty.
Jan: “So, I am at Kannas birthday party, and guess what? We managed to secure quite a bit of cake for you!”
Chanty: “How that?”
Jan: “Kanna… made more cake, and passed one foward to Angel to hide it from her.”
Chanty: “Kanna… sharing …food?”
Jan: “She must really like you then, yes.”
Chanty: “Oh, I have a surprise, too. NOW LISTEN!”
With the horn, Chanty honked Happy Birthday, while the Qua pulled in for a driver change, and Maria, feeling visibly uncomfortable, was swapped in against Catherine. But also in the pits was the Sedlak, and Mikko Harjanne pulled his teammember out, tossing him on the ground. Whoever watched it now knew what to expect on track…
Thomas, wandering around the pits to get his body into movement, helped Akseli up.
Thomas: “This guy might be the best driver here, but he needs an urgent lesson anyway. I will be ready.”
Thomas said it in a way that unmistakeably made clear that the oldest driver in the competition shouldn´t be written off the list yet…
After enjoying a cigarette, Thomas looked at his watch and walked to Valentin, who sat in his truck, scrolling on his smartphone.
Thomas: “You are not watching the race?”
Windows closed and distracted by the phone, Valentin failed to notice Thomas approaching. He carefully opens the door a wee bit:
Valentin: “Come again?”
Thomas: “I am surprised that you do not seem to enjoy the event.”
Valentin: “Might enjoy it if participants would keep noise reduction equipment in place… It simply is louder than comfortable for me… By quite the margin…”
Thomas noticed the eyes of Valentin glowing like that of a cat.
Thomas: “Eh! I think there is not only something about your ears, but also your eyes.”
Valentin has to think for a moment before he realizes what Thomas is referring to thanks to the exterior mirror:
Valentin: “Highly experimental treatment went sideways… Things have changed since then…”
Thomas: “I See… and I think I better don´t ask further questions on that matter… So, you seem to be cold in that Car, you want to warm Up in our Trailer with a Coffee?”
Valentin: “Not fond of coffee, thank you.”
Other than being bundled up in many layers of clothing, Valentin did not show any other signs of being cold.
Thomas: “So… there is one thing I would like to ask. You seem, apart from… a “little” derailment at this years shitbox rallye… to be a calm person. So, how do you deal with people that are just real assholes? I can not stop being pissed at that peculiar asshole, and it´s clearly not good for my heart issues.”
He puts the phone down onto the dash, it displaying a random Wikipedia article.
Valentin: “Not sure how often you encounter the assholes, but not engaging with them seems to work for me. Granted, part of that might be linked to appearance as well, so your mileage may vary.”
Thomas: “Let´s say, the person is treating others like shit and I would like to give him a lesson for it, but on the other hand, other team´s members are none of my business.”
Valentin: “You could make an attempt at talking things out, though most people who treat others like that are beyond reasonable arguments… Or their problems in life are reason to believe that others cannot have a good one as well.”
Thomas: “Sounds like politely asking then what`s the problem in his life that causes this behaiviour would be the most logical thing, thanks Valentin. If you need something, let me know…”
Valentin: “Will do. Good luck.”
Car status: Ignoring the fact that it was a pile of junk to start with, it´s still fully intact, aside from some dented sheetmetal - but under the surface, the Globus is still fine and shows no signs of fatigue.
Team status:
Thomas: Preparing for his long shift, and very focussed to be competetive, but he has become calm with age. No crowbar driving style to expect anymore from him.
Chanty: Doing fine, as she is less exalted when her mind is busy from having a task to focus on, especially when it´s about driving. A bit overambituous for her experience level but overall fine.
Jan: Relieved to not have messed up. His driving duty is fulfilled, and as he is useless as mechanic, will propably take the advice to socialize more than before. As of now, unlimited availability for RP.
