[center][h2]Thursday June 6th, 2094, LA:TE
Principality of Monaco[/h2][h3]	The Dinner Party[/h3][/center]
[quote]”Okay, well maybe it won’t waste time if I go for that. But it’ll hurt!” Wedge’s innocence was definitely batted back by the indigenous Australian, whose own peppered from his upper arms to his back, a complex and coastal-inspired design.[/quote]
[color=#1EFF24]”Ah, pain is just weakness leaving the body. But if you’re [i]scared[/i],”[/color] Bea joined in on the teasing, flexing her fingers, [color=#1EFF24]”It doesn’t hurt if it’s painted on metal. And if you change your mind later, it’s a lot easier to remove or change.”[/color]

[quote]”Are you making drama, Bea?” Ava asked as she joined the group.[/quote]
[color=#1EFF24]”No.”[/color] She quickly replied almost before Ava had finished the sentence, reminiscent of a kid telling a parent that they didn’t take a bite out of the cake, ignore the chocolate on their face.

[quote]”Of course you were. I need another glass. You boys having some more?”[/quote]
Bea was about to ask for neat vodka with a pointed glance in the princess’ direction, but sense had reasserted itself by that point, politely declining Ava’s offer instead. It was at that point, right as Ava was returning, that Paul joined the fun.
[color=#1EFF24]”...dress reminded Jenny of skin-safe pigments that react to temperature changes, electrical impulses or even hormones.”[/color]
“Sounds useful for diabetics.” Harrison said, “Red for high, blue for low, green is a-OK.”
[color=#1EFF24]”Among other things. So, you could have a tattoo of a wolf that bares its teeth when your adrenaline goes up, or with a neural link even changes posture based on your mood.”[/color]

[quote][color=yellow]”Good evening everyone. Ava it is nice to see you back on your feet. I hope you are doing well. So what are we talking about?”[/color][/quote]
[color=#7AFFAD]”Hello Paul. I’m fine, I got off lightly.”[/color]
“Can you call it “back” when she’s on new feet?” Max waved at Paul.
“Hey, Paul.” Harrison reached over to shake Paul’s hand before answering his question, “Tattoos.”
[color=#1EFF24]”And cybernetics.”[/color]
“And pain.”
“Speaking of, second opinion. Paul,” Max continued, “If you were getting a tattoo, would you get it on your arm, knowing you might lose it with a cybernetic, or play it safe but painful and go with a chest tattoo?”

[hr][color=gold][center][h1][i][b]DELTΔ HYPER[/b][/i][/h1][/center][/color][color=gold][center][h2][i][b]Episode Seven: Roll the Dice[/b][/i][/h2][/center][/color]
[hr][quote]”Well, that stacks- your popularity is certainly getting many talking, and we've heard about Carrera's big marketing push here, it seems like your face is everywhere on the grid.”[/quote]
[color=#1EFF24]”I can’t take all the credit. Felix hasn’t even started working at the factory yet and he’s already pulling his weight.”[/color] The reason Ava’s face wasn’t as prominent in the recent publicity wave was because her legs seemed to be, and though Bea didn’t mention it because she didn’t want to brag, she was absolutely giddy with unfiltered little sister energy every time someone - especially Ava - mentioned the design in a positive way.

[quote]"Well, we thought you would say that it seems to have a way of happening....we may have sent him an invite." Aurora casually pulled a Dr Phil level intro, as out of the back, Daniel waved, jogging into set.

"Beatrice! I am glad that was the response." Daniel chuckled, the brown-haired, 30-something WRC driver having the camera cut to him, as he raised his cup of coffee, waving to the camera.[/quote]
She stood up to greet the rally champ with a warm smile and a handshake, glancing back at Aurora. [color=#1EFF24]”What did I do to earn all these lovely surprises in my interviews? First Ava in Cape Town, now Daniel.”[/color]
“Just our way of welcoming you to the series.” Aurora smiled back.

[quote]”Well then! Daniel, what are your thoughts on Bea so far?" Aurora asked.

"A natural, showing that bravery and she deserves that seat. Perhaps not title winning WRC material, but....she seems to be rather good in a ship.”[/quote]
For a brief moment, Bea raised an eyebrow at Daniel’s somewhat unexpected statement, thinking that maybe his passport was talking before she caught onto the joke, jabbing a finger in the Monegasque driver’s direction with a smile. [color=#1EFF24]”Just for that, I’m coming back and making you eat those words. Are you attending Pikes Peak this year, by chance?”[/color]
“Would not miss it for the world.” He nodded.
[color=#1EFF24]”Then we’ll start there.”[/color] She voiced a friendly challenge with a wicked grin.

[quote]”Shame it is not a Valkyrie ship, but hey, it proves that four wheels can still translate to a ship!” Daniel continued after the interruption.[/quote]
[color=#1EFF24]”It could have been, you people said no.”[/color] She shrugged, [color=#1EFF24]”It worked out for both parties in the end. I have nothing to complain about at Carrera Condor, I could hardly have asked for a better teammate and you did very well for yourselves with Paul.
But I would be lying if I said I never entertain myself with the thought of Valkyrie executives kicking themselves a little over turning me down and landing themselves in the unfortunate situation with Cassie and Dorian last year.”[/color] She poked a bit of fun at all parties involved. Honestly, she had been bummed out about missing out on that seat for a long time, but recently? Not so much. The team was on an upturn and Knight was working hard enough to make Atlas look like a slacker, but the thought of spending her rookie year in late Ricci-era Valkyrie was not pretty even with limited understanding of what was going on in that team.

[quote]”Well, many wondered what a rally driver in an AG ship looks like. We know the rumours about your Daniel, but Bea, what would you say the biggest learning curve was for you?”[/quote]
[color=#1EFF24]”Going from wheeled to AG in ‘91, it was definitely the lack of ground contact. AG ships have a tendency to sideslip when turning, it’s more like sailing a powerboat than driving a land vehicle. Never drove those before, I raced sailboats, so that was a learning process. There’s a lot a groundcar tells you through your hands and seat, especially if you’re sliding around or when you are on the limit of grip. Viewer, you can try this out for yourself if you own one, go to a Tesco car park on a winter evening, when it’s empty and covered in snow, and try to take a turn faster and faster.“[/color] She had to stop at that point as Daniel’s stifled laughter next to her grew too loud. [color=#1EFF24]”What? Don’t tell me you never did that.”[/color]
“No. We do not have-”
[color=#1EFF24]”Right, you don’t have big car parks here.”[/color] Realization struck her. [color=#1EFF24]”You’re missing out, mate.”[/color]
“You really did that?” Aurora asked.
[color=#1EFF24]”Still do. And where do you think I crashed my first car?”[/color]
“You didn’t!”
[color=#1EFF24]”It was just a bumper and dad never knew.”[/color] She waved her hand dismissively, breaking out into giggles herself, [color=#1EFF24]”Those lamp posts, they sneak up on you. Learn from my mistakes, dear viewer, not your mistakes.”[/color] She turned back to the camera.
[color=#1EFF24]”Anyway, we don’t get that here,“[/color] She returned back on track, [color=#1EFF24]”We have to compensate for that lack of feedback with the neural link and the way to counter unwanted behavior is likewise different, so finding the limit is very different even if the link is set up to simulate the same sensations, as I had it initially.
I thought ELS would be the hardest thing to learn for me, but once again I have to credit Ava. Another thing that surprised me is how much easier it is to focus on the track even despite the high speeds because there’s fewer distractions around it.”[/color]
“No fans standing a meter from the track waving their arms above their head, beer in one hand and his shirt in the other?” Daniel guessed what she was talking about.
[color=#1EFF24]”For better and for worse.”[/color] She agreed with a hearty chuckle.

[hr][center][h2]Friday June 6th, 2094, 14:24
Principality of Monaco[/h2][h3]Qualifying[/h3][/center][color=#129914]”Ava’s projected to be in the bottom five.”[/color]
[color=#1EFF24]”No pressure.”[/color]
[color=#129914]”Say again.”[/color]
[color=#1EFF24]”No pressure, right?”[/color]
[color=#129914]”Oh. I thought you meant hydraulics there.”[/color]
[color=#1EFF24]”Nope. Did you overdo it yesterday?”[/color]
[color=#129914]”Maybe?”[/color]
[color=#1EFF24]”Haha. Strategy isn’t my forte, but I recommend a pit stop for some caffeine.”[/color]
[color=#129914]”That sounds nice, so hurry up.”[/color]
[color=#1EFF24]”Understood, sending it!”[/color]

Starting her qualifying run right after Dorian’s absolute flyer of a lap did nothing for morale, nor did the fact that they expected to do poorly. In fact, they had to stress that with every sponsor they talked to - Yes, we’re talking big game, and yes, we will be terrible here.

The results were… not unexpected.

[color=#1EFF24]”How are we behind Bjorn?”[/color]
[color=#129914]”Not our track this week.”[/color]
[color=#1EFF24]”Yeah. Lots of work ahead tomorrow.”[/color]
[color=#129914]”We’ll have to get by Bjorn quick, can’t afford to give him time to use their stability to gain on us. But once you’re ahead, it won’t matter how faster he is out of a corner if you don’t give him the space to capitalize on it.”[/color]
[color=#1EFF24]”As long as he doesn’t try to deny spatial reality like some drivers we know.”[/color]
[color=#129914]”Public comms, Bea.”[/color]
[color=#1EFF24]”Can you imagine doing this with the ship as it was at the start of the season?”[/color]
[color=#129914]”Yes, but I don’t want to.”[/color]
[color=#1EFF24]”My steering hand hurts just thinking about it.”[/color]

[hr][center][h2]Friday june 4th, 2094, 18:15
Principality of Monaco[/h2][h3]La Phénix[/h3][/center]Bea swung by the Borealis first to wish Astrid well in the race - mostly an honest wish, but a little bit driven by the desire for Valkyrie and Nordic Call to get in each other’s way - and share a drink and short chat with a few people who’d decided to pitch a tent in Camp Rowdy for the night before making her way to La Phénix. She’d briefly considered a flyboard to move between the yachts and shore before the idea got shot down by an entire battery of Flávia’s PR people - apparently it’s unprofessional to speak to sponsors completely soaked through - thus opting for one of the motorboats available at the marina for this exact purpose.

Truth be told, she would’ve been right there on Borealis if the party was after the race, not before it, and if Flávia hadn’t informed her that there would be sponsor representatives to talk to on Silver Apex’ boat. Ava may not have spotted it, but by that point Bea had to rack her brain to remember who was who and if they already spoke during the weekend or not. Talking to fans was fun, those always cared. With sponsors, it was 50/50 on a good day and unfortunately she couldn’t spend the entire evening with Fujikura Parachutes and Cerveza Quilmes reps, the latter of which fortunately brought samples.
[color=#1EFF24]”They definitely have my seal of approval.”[/color] Bea noted from behind her can of caramel beer as she appeared next to Ava with a glass of one of their red wines, having noticed the more reserved pilot’s social battery running a bit low talking to a pair of Breitling’s marketing execs and launching into a barrage of questions about the watches they were given to wear for the weekend.

[hr]
[center][b]Siobhán Manning @GalwayGirl[/b]: 
[i]"I’m here from the future, and I have the race results:
[Link to qualifying results]
I’d like to congratulate [b]@ValkyrieDorian[/b] on his stunning victory.”

#FormulaAG #AGRacing #MonacoAGP[/i]
[/center]
[b]ForzaGl0ria:[/b] Wow, Dorian is in another timezone compared to last year’s polesitter.
	[b]TruckerTim:[/b] Hey, the French have something to be proud of for a change!
[b]Richie:[/b] God I hope you’re wrong.
	[b]DadManWalking:[/b] Last two races were exciting in all the wrong ways, can we go the middle path for a change? Let’s go back to Tokyo/Italy levels of excitement.
[b]Shel1:[/b] I have no idea why they even keep Monaco in AG racing. Even rain and safety ships can’t help here.
	[b]LaughNess:[/b] $$$
[b]CarreraCarmen:[/b] Well, they did say they were going to struggle on a tight circuit.
	[b]Mate0:[/b] Say you’ll be shit to cover for being shit. Great strategy.
	[b]AndesAG:[/b] please, god, let burkhart cook in time for singapore.
[b]HotStuff:[/b] ava working through the backmarkers to catch up to bea: [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHZvUeAdzeI&t=57s][Link][/url]

[hr]
[center][url=https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1TrLdbYUu7LJQf9_6F1zblN3WfwvCU8R3W8Xskd8b3vI/edit?usp=sharing]Carrera Condor NPCs[/url][/center]