Daiya eyed the six racers assembling in the pit of the Frego Circuit racetrack. The girl leaned one way and then the next, from where she was standing behind the security barricade it was hard to spy exactly
who was competing in this one. She knew
Cassus Akovin
would be there, that wasn't a surprise, but most of the others were unknown to her. That didn't stop the anxious teen from bobbing on the tips of her toes, eager to collect autographs for the holojournal tucked under her arm.
If, by the end of the race, one of those wound up being valuable then who was she to complain?
She inched closer to the cordon, drawing the ire of one of the security guards. The bulky Devaronian stepped so close the girl could smell his rank breath, and her face started to wrinkle up before she stopped it. Daiya adopted a sweet visage to match the eagerness she had felt toward the racers, and now for getting as far away from this guard as she could. "
You'll have to move back, girl, this entrance is only for racers and their pit crew."
And? Did he say
and?
Daiya smiled warmly at the guard, ignoring the signals assaulting her nose and brain. Her eyes tracked the racers as they moved about their swoops, waiting for the right one to pass close to the entrance. "
Oh, I'm in Cassus' pit crew, I've just been trying to get his atten—" Tardy as always, pool boy. "
HI CASSUS!"
The Devaronian swung his gaze from Daiya, who had hoisted herself on tiptoes and was waving vigorously at someone behind him. The girl crossed the fingers of her free hand together, until miraculously the prodigal son appeared. She shouted again to him and waved hard until he gave her a tentative wave back. "
See? Now can I get through?"
It took the big man a moment or two to process the situation, and for a moment it looked like she was going to lose out. Daiya wondered if she should have tried another approach, to try to persuade him with her mind, or just sneak past him altogether. The shadowrunner fidgeted on her ankles, bobbing her body to the left and right as if to illustrate the guard's choices for him. Finally, with a shake of his horned, red head, the Devaronian moved aside and opened the gate for her.
Daiya didn't waste any time! She flew past him, heading straight for the assortment of racers lining up. Pulling her datapad out, she got it and her stylus ready for a fast pass through the lineup, hoping to be out of there before anyone else noticed she was out of place.
"
Lucky you know someone in the race kind enough to let you in."
What was that, a smart-ass response from Cassus? Daiya's smile became a smirk and she sidled up close to him. The air was thick with fumes and the smell of oil, but she could still pick out pool boy's familiar scent. She let it out through her nose, almost like a snort. "
The secret is," the shrewd young shadowrunner admitted, "
when you want something bad enough, you always know someone." As if to illustrate her point, she waved to a passing pit crew worker, raising her voice in the same manner as before. "
HI JAX!"
The worker looked up, bewildered, but gave her a nervous wave in response.
"
See?" She turned back to see the boy's mask staring back at her. Daiya didn't have to hear his complaint, the girl could practically see the gears turning in his head. "
Oh, don't give me that look. It works! Now I'm going to get some autographs!"
Daiya turned to go, but she felt a pair of eyes burning a hole in her skull. The teen looked back at Cassus, who was holding his hand out for her datapad and stylus. An autograph? From him? "
Umm, no."
"
So you don't want the winner's signature?"
"
I dooooo and that's why I'm walking past yoooouuu," the girl sang and pivoted back to the other racers. Her autograph page went blank until she found her next willing party.
Even if Cassus
did manage to win, and Daiya's own predictive powers found that pretty unlikely, she wasn't interested in his autograph, right? She stopped still to ponder that, and it cost her a moment too long. Before she knew it the announcer was calling the racers to the starting line.
Daiya dashed toward the entrance to the audience stands, eager to get out of the way and avoid notice from anyone who wouldn't fall for her tricks or guile.
S P E C T A T E • A N D • R E L A X
Only two autographs? Daiya groused to herself as the first round sped by, vanishing around the corner of the track. She looked up from time to time, watching the swoops wind their way through the maze of the track. Now she was glad to have gotten a signature from
Helena already, the way the woman was piloting the smoking contraption Daiya wasn't sure if it was going to last the race. The girl looked away as a giant cloud of smoke erupted from a grenade dropped by
Ruby Jaxx
in first, not wanting to watch the impending conflagration she expected.
The audience held its breath with her, and with the round of relieved sighs, Daiya looked back at the screens to watch the racers emerge from the smoke. She only saw half of them so far, with the rest zooming on toward the next bend at a truly insane pace.
Too fast. Daiya's stomach clenched as if she, too, felt the speeds and turns the racers were going. She stood up, needing the sensation to ground her against the imagination of her stomach. The girl spied one of the few other audience members not paying as close attention to the race —but for a brief moment of triumph for
Xan Deesa
who appeared to be the other girl's favorite— and moved over to stand by her.
"
Is this seat taken?" she asked, gazing at the cheery blonde sitting with a pen and notepad in her hand. Analogue? Weird. Daiya sat if she was allowed to, not really waiting to offer formalities. "
I'm Daiya. What are you writing?"
OOC:
Cassus Akovin
gave his permission for the use of his character.
