[center][h2][color=gold]The Promised Party[/color], Part Two[/h2][/center]
[center]A collab between [@LadyAmber], [@FourtyTwo] and [@MrSkimobile][/center]

Kais sipped his drink. The fizzy bitter-sweet always did him good. He turned back towards the scene and decided he was lucky he hadn’t worn anything fancy this time. Just the good-old biker jacket, no team logo or anything resembling his usual track-suit. That meant minimal attention from the unknowns in this place, and more attention for the more well-knowns, he supposed. And of those, [i]both[/i] of those, there were surprisingly many. In a way it didn’t surprise him that Hyeon-Ae would decide to show off even for a cooling down party. Seated herself in the center of the room, even. [i]Perfect[/i] stakeout spot for sure, though he was still not entirely sure what her game was here. It gave him a weird, uncanny feeling. No matter when he saw her, his senses went on high alert. He sighed. Why had he decided to come, again? And why had he decided to come without a plus-one, again?

Luckily, that’s when Paul Mulder came walking up to the bar. Even despite the bodyguard, Paul had to wrestle past some celebrities, actresses and models to get there, but he managed, And then, a goblet of reddish brown beer in hand smelling of caramel and a not-insignificant alcohol percentage, he turned to Kais.

[quote][color=fff200]“Hello Kais. Congratulations again on your win. What are you drinking to celebrate?”[/color][/quote]
 
[b][color=f7941d]“Well, well, if it isn’t Mr. Popular.”[/color][/b] Kais said as he returned a smile. [b][color=f7941d]“Thanks again.”[/color][/b] As for what he had in his glass, he answered the question with the barest of shrugs. [b][color=f7941d]“Tonic, the usual.”[/color][/b]

Paul enjoyed the spicy fruity beer. He chuckled a little at Kais’ answer even as he looked a little embarrassed. He was starting to get a complex with the number of teen girls and young women he had for fans. He should be grateful, fans are what sponsors were looking for. He sighed and gave Kais a rueful shrug. [color=fff200]“I can’t help it that I am popular.”[/color] He winced a little as he said it. [color=fff200]“How about I trade you some of those streaming girls for the macho guys who follow you?”[/color] Paul gave Kais a mischievous grin and a wink as he replied. [color=fff200]“I am pretty sure your own popularity is about to take off after that win.”[/color] He looked at Kais’ glass suspiciously but sighed and gave him a pitying look. [color=fff200]“Well I can respect that. I didn’t want to drink before the race either. Tonight I will indulge a little. Really just tonic water? Don’t you want to relax a little?”[/color] 

Kais smiled at his proposal for an audience swap. It would definitely be interesting to see how Paul’d handle it. Maybe at a future fan event he’d set something up. One thing he did know: such a shift in Kais’ fan demographics would make his PR strategy meetings more nightmarish than they already were, though he supposed he could let Layla and Nadia handle that side of the aisle. [b][color=f7941d]“We'll see about that, we'll see about that… Never had much success there, I’m afraid. Let me know when you figure out your secret.”[/color][/b] Then, after Paul had asked him about relaxing. [b][color=f7941d]“This isn’t my kind of winding down. I like my motorbike: drive off to where no one else is around, enjoy the stillness.”[/color][/b] He took another sip. [b][color=f7941d]“And no, I don't drink. I don’t have much trust in it. Let’s just say, last time I got roped into drinking, years ago, I wasn't the only one who woke up with a headache, if you get me.”[/color][/b] He left it open how many others were involved in his little U-day altercation close to a decade ago now, though to be fair, he couldn’t quite remember it himself, blurry vision and all. [b][color=f7941d]“More importantly,”[/color][/b] he continued in a hushed tone of voice, almost as if talking to himself, [b][color=f7941d]“I don't trust [i]them[/i] with it very much either.”[/color][/b] Ava’s words still haunted his mind. [i]The grid isn’t all clean.[/i] Then, in almost a whisper, he added. [b][color=f7941d]“I’d urge you to have caution, Paul.”[/color][/b] He left it open who he was talking about there as well, but the idea was hopefully clear: relaxing in the dragon’s den may not be the smartest thing to do.

Walking across, Max caught sight of the two, a whiskey in hand, the American perhaps a little more low-fi than usual. He’d been the light of other parties, but not this one, chatting to Jenny, the pale-skinned, almost androgynous black-haired, blue eyed pilot over at Fitzroy. But here he was, perhaps a little out of his depth, and chatting to Kais, and Paul, who had come over.

[color=0072bc]Max: “Mind if I join you?”[/color] His American drawl carried, but it was yet a refined one, the blonde haired American of course cutting through the more European or Latin taste of the grid, even now, showing Americans were slower to AG than perhaps other countries had been. 

Hailing from Breckenridge, Colorado, where his father had been a ski and then mountain biking resort magnate, his mother a lawyer that had fallen for him, Max had been lucky to avoid the chaos of 20 years prior, and the absolute anarchy that had seemed to rain down around in the United States and Mexico. Food shortages, water stress, population movement and the near collapse of the American economy. It still held up as the world standard, but barely as a shadow of itself, and well, faced its road to recovery. Of course, producing automobiles, and now hyper fast racing craft was an art it was slowly learning, like a craft brewery, it was learning to perfect and get it right back to the world. Here though, on the far side of the Pacific from home, he hadn’t exactly performed. There was more to come, yet for now, he had the night to enjoy.

Paul had just responded to Kais’ questions when Max joined them. [color=fff200]“Hello Max. How are you tonight?”[/color]

[color=0072bc]“Living the dream!”[/color] Max smiled, sitting across from Paul, clinking his whisky glass against his beer hearing the commentary about the entourage. He’d had that. Outside of Bea, and maybe Max now, or the legacy fans around Amy, Dorian and Kofi, he had his own little following. Less from streaming, but he had an extensive social media presence. Mostly in the mountains, but then again, racing anything that moved was the prodigy’s way.

Paul laughed at Max who claimed he was living his dream. [i][color=fff200]Hell what did he know? He might very well be living his dream. It was not his place to question the dreams of others.[/color][/i] [color=fff200]“I hear that.”[/color] He clinked his glass with Max’s in a toast and took another sip of his beer.

[color=0072bc]“You seem to be taking to fame well? Hell yeah, brother.”[/color] With a wiry grin, he sipped down a bit more whisky, clearing his throat, looking over to the Belgian.

Paul almost choked as Max told him was taking to fame well already. He laughed and wiped his mouth on a bar napkin before replying. [color=fff200]“I have had to deal with some fame all my life. People approach me because of who my parents are. It is a little weird to get approached for who I am. I am dealing with alright.” [/color]

[color=0072bc]“Gotta say it Paul, I heard the various rumors. You told Amy back in Cape Town. Lotta nerve on ya, but….man if I gotta say we enjoyed it! Her crown’s gonna be for the taking!”[/color] Max commented, knowing Paul would probably put two and two together that well, nothing in the paddock stayed secret for long.

Then Max mentioned rumors about him telling Amy in Cape Town. Cape Town had been tense because of the crash that Jamie Hart had caused. Paul had just told Amy that he wasn’t going to sugarcoat his opinion for the press for Apex. Paul looked confused about what Max was talking about.[i] [color=fff200]Were there other rumors out there? Was that Max alluding to?[/color][/i] [color=fff200]“I don’t understand what rumors are you talking about? I agree that I was happy to see Amy knocked off her win pedestal but there is no denying that she is a talented racer.”[/color]

[color=0072bc]“Good to hear that.”[/color] Max replied to his first comment, sipping down a little, hearing his comment about which comment Paul had made.

[color=0072bc]“You know, the one about…..ah, it was better third hand I guess. Well, fame is a thing. And here we are, mingling with the elite. I still pinch myself sometimes!”[/color] Max chuckled, the Colorado native still high on this, the second season having pilot knowing that whilst Paul was a rival, well, he could at least be half amicable.

On the circuit, that would change quick.

Kais sat back and smirked a little as Max and Paul back-and-forthed. Conversations like these always did feel a bit foreign to him. Paul had been born into this world of fame, Max seemed to be lavishing in it, and then there was him, wrestling with it all. He may have gotten a win in, with no intention of stopping, but even amidst roaring crowds, there was no telling what the noise and the fallout of it was going to be, and he could already imagine the headlines focusing on exactly those things he didn't want them to. He glanced around the room, musing they all surely struggled with it in their own way: people thinking they know you, when they don't, not truly… Still, one could dream. [b][color=f7941d]“Then, here’s to living the dream,”[/color][/b] Kais offered as a toast.

Still, there was something about Paul’s answer that Kais was struck by. [b][color=f7941d]“So how do you deal with it, Paul? Being known for… who you are [i]not[/i]?”[/color][/b]

Paul took another sip of his beer with a sigh. There was something about Max’s answers that rubbed Paul the wrong way. Theoretically you would think he and Max had a lot in common. They were both some of the younger pilots on the circuit. He seemed to be reveling in the attention he was receiving as a Formula AG pilot. Paul really thought about how to answer Kais’ question about how he dealt with the fame. 

[color=fff200]“Fame is a mixed bag of treats. There will be some things in the mix you like and others you detest. It does go with the job though. I don’t race for the money or fame. For me it is more personal than that.”[/color] He paused and looked from Kais to Max. [color=fff200]“When I was growing up, it wasn’t too bad. Kids at school would hear my name and inevitably ask about my father. My mother is a famous photographer so anyone familiar with the art scene recognizes her name. When I was growing up it was all about the money. I grew up in wealth and privilege. I attended private boarding schools and traveled with my mother in the summers. I always had those people who wanted to befriend me because of what they thought I could give them. It was never about me but what they perceived that they could get from being associated with me.”[/color] He paused and looked thoughtful as he pondered the rich color of his beer as if it would offer up the answers he seeks. [color=fff200]“Making real friends was always hard.” [/color] Paul smiled and his face softened as he thought about his mother. [color=fff200] “However, I had a great mother who understood what I was going through. I had public relations training from a very early age. She taught me to appreciate what I had but also to remember that my money and things had nothing to do with the type of person I wanted to be. She always grounded me with the reality that money shouldn’t define my character or be a factor in those I sought to surround myself with.”[/color] 

Paul took another sip of his drink. He probably should have kept his answer lighter but it was something he was struggling with. He had a feeling that it was something Kais was new to. He was struggling with all the attention he was receiving from teen girls. It bothered him that so many threw themselves at him. It was not that he was not flattered by the attention but more uncomfortable that they would show any man that kind of attention before getting to know him. None of them really knew him. Some of them acted entitled to his time and attention simply because they were fans and he was a public figure. That bothered Paul. 

Kais let out a breath, long and controlled. Here he was, surrounded by the kinds of people he had been taught to fight against in his old life. And yet, in that almost understated manner, Paul had somehow managed to tread it all in ways Kais hadn't expected. The recognition that his value didn’t necessarily lay in his wealth and fame. His mother's grounding. Kais had no anchor like that. He was bred, trained, given purpose through orders, missions, [i]winning[/i]. Emotions, attachments? They almost vexed him in a way. And yet… [b][color=f7941d]“Your mother sounds like a great woman. You should be very proud of her.”[/color][/b] Kais said, and nodded as if to let the moment settle and conclude. He felt the atmosphere had become heavier, and there was something in Paul’s face to suggest he had intended his night to have gone somewhat differently, but Kais had to know. And now he knew… 

Kais quickly pivoted to Max. Better to lighten the mood a bit, this was a party, after all. [b][color=f7941d]“By the way, I was wondering, Max…”[/color][/b] Kais said to the blond American. [b][color=f7941d]“You into vintage cars by any chance?”[/color][/b]

Kais was nothing short of intimidating to Max, but well, he could only face up to the supersoldier turned racer that was Kais Zenix, one time race winner, all time dry rival.

[color=0072bc]“Recently acquired a vintage. 2023 Corvette Stingray, barely 40,000 miles on it. Or what is you guys say, “Hey, what the fuck is a kilometer!”, am I right?”[/color] Max jived, sipping more whisky down, wondering where Kais’s question had come from.

[color=0072bc]“Well, I know Paul’s got a collection. And would tell us all day. And how about you, Kais? I know what it used to be like, everyone in the Emirates must have something mouth watering, am I right?” [/color]Max chuckled, the happy go lucky nature of him more youthful than that of Harrison, who just seemed to have matured yet kept that positive vibe about him- Max looked more like he was hunting now, trying to make his fit, one season after the newcomers had.

[b][color=f7941d]"Oh, nah.”[/color][/b] Kais waved away Max’ speculation on his garage size. [b][color=f7941d]“Just checking up on some quiz question Aurora hit us with.”[/color][/b] The Emirates may have been shielded from most of the Middle Eastern Water Wars due to its central power and importance to the budding Union, but the majority of people that ended up there still came there as refugees more than anything. The extreme power base would definitely have had possessions Kais didn’t even want to guess at for the risk of still being a factor of a thousand off -some things never did change- but no, definitely not [i]all[/i] of them had. [b][color=f7941d]“Just some motorbikes for me.”[/color][/b] Kais said as the smells of the mechanical repair shop came back to him, way back when he was deployed to aid the Union’s rebuilding effort after his rehabilitation. Where he stayed to tinker at the old machines under the flickering lights of midnight for reasons he didn’t quite understand back then, but did now a bit better, perhaps. [b][color=f7941d]“Got a BMW, early 50s. Magnetic suspension, hubless wheels, like what some of the old racers had for a while too, before they went full-antigrav. Fixed it up in the shop myself. Nothing too special, beat up little thing. But she’s special to me…”[/color][/b] 

Paul laughed and his eyes lit up with a genuine smile. [color=fff200]“I can talk about vintage cars all day. I inherited my father’s cars. My favorite is a 2024 Bugatti. The rarest one in my collection is a 1958 Porsche 356 Speedstar. I had my favorites converted over to run on biofuels so I can still drive them. Finding tires for them and a knowledgeable mechanic is harder though.” [/color] Paul continued to sip at the beer. He was in no hurry to get drunk. He was taking his time to enjoy the fruity spicy beer. 

And so it went. And after a while, after the boys had talked about their toys and other such things, Kais felt his attention loosen into a sense of camaraderie that -as it suddenly hit him- he hadn't let himself give into for a long time. And that's when the pangs of guilt and the panic started again. And he realized he [i]shouldn't[/i] have. This never did end well. 

Kais excused himself, then went up to Hyeon-Ae, thanked her for the party with what courtesy he could muster, bade the Zygon duo a good prep for Italy, and left. Then, led out by one of the venue's door crew, trying to minimize any attention in the rainy outsides, he quickly stepped into the automated car that had pulled up. There he asked his VI assistant to plan a route to someone he hadn't spoken to in a long, long time, and was off. Yes… He had a plane to catch.