thenearshore | I'm Just Running in the Nineties. [Closed]

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I'm Just Running in the Nineties. [Closed]

Who: Lara and Felicia
Where: Osaka
When: June
Summary: Lara and Felicia take on Prayer #3 Initial D style.

When Lara had first heard the prayer, and got on site to the sleepy neighborhood, she wasn't sure exactly what it could be that was causing the ruckus. It was a quiet little suburb in the mountains near the city, a little close to the main roadway perhaps but certainly nothing that would be too loud at night. There were no telltale signs of gangs, no crime spikes she could see on any website, nothing.

At least, until she and Felicia decided to camp out and wait, and heard it. The roar of engines, the thunder of NO2 fueled cars blitzing down the street like bats out of hell, streaking down the mountainside at top speed. The sheer noise of it nearly knocked her over from her seat outside the little cafe, eyes going wide.

"What the bloody hell?!" she gawked as the last place car exploded down the street. "They're going to get themselves killed on those roads!"

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It had seemed like an innocent request at first-- one that Felicia was more than willing to roll with when Lara asked for her assistance in resolving the matter of the strange noises disturbing the night in that sleepy little neighborhood outside of the city. The taste of the countryside and the mountains made the little town almost picturesque.

The neighborhood was quaint and peaceful on it's surface. Anyone would let their guard down during a visit. Felicia was no exception, and was enjoying the afternoon with Lara when the thunderous outcry from a tricked out engine shattered the peace-- and Felicia, startled, spilled her tea on the table at the little cafe.

"What are they even doing?!"

Mess ignored for the moment, Felicia was left gawking beside Lara in utter confusion. She had learned a great deal about cars and modern life, but there was still so much more that she needed to learn.

Drawing her spine straighter, she continued:

"That--! That was really rude!"

Lara stood bolt upright, glowering after the departing car, debating how best to deal with the trouble. There was no way she was going to be able to stop those cars without doing something incredibly stupid. What had first seemed like a simple task, just...a way to spend an afternoon out with Felicia and maybe scare off a few noisy teenagers...suddenly turned into an exercise in truly difficult mental gymnastics.

"Rude. Yes, it is that," Lara ground out, folding her arms and looking at the maid.

Her dark eyes could probably melt steel, as intense as they were, but her expression softened at the girl's confusion. Felicia seemed to have that effect on people, making them smile and slow down, despite themselves.

"Okay. So we need to put a stop to them. Which means we have to find a way to deal with the cars and not hurt anyone. So, other than sabotage, any ideas on how we do that?"

Edited 2017-01-26 04:09 (UTC)

Lara's patience was truly a gift in this scenario, as Felicia also found her thoughts leaping through hoops to try to connect the pieces of this particular puzzle. She understood the basics of road safety, like how it was dangerous to just walk out in the middle of a busy highway, but beyond that she was at a loss. Pursing her lips as she collected napkins to try and soak up her mess before the liquid spread any further over the edge of the table, she considered the question that Lara had posed in complete seriousness.

"I honestly don't even know how to drive one of those things," she confessed, now moving to pick up the scattered ice cubes and drop them back into her cup before they melted in the heat of the afternoon. They slipped through her fingers, melting just enough under the tiniest touch to get away, but that only made Felicia redouble her efforts in cleaning up.

"And, I also can't think of anything good that wouldn't have someone get hurt."

Lara looked over at Felicia with a sympathetic eye, reaching out and squeezing her shoulder and shaking her head. No need to worry about spilled tea, she tries to say without words, a fond glimmer in her dark eyes. Felicia never ceased to amaze her with how clumsy she could be, but also how earnest. She was something special.

And somehow her words made something click in Lara's brain. She grinned like a fool and grabbed the other woman into a quick hug, mindful not to bowl her over.

"You know what, Felicia? That's brilliant. You don't need to drive. I can do that. And do a few other things, as well."

Turning, she glanced down the road one more time before holding her hand out, waiting for the shinki to take it. This may seem ridiculous, but she had seen a sports car that wasn't in use nearby.

"We need to get a move on, though. That means teleporting, if you're ready."

The firm squeeze and subtle gesture was enough for Felicia to set down the napkin and stop fretting, for she knew that Lara was the kind of woman who wouldn't offer such reassurances if it wasn't warranted. Lara's kind gestures and affections were as swift as the brilliant workings of her mind, and she knew enough to trust Lara-- even if things didn't make sense at first.

"Teleport--? Oh!"

Brushing off her skirt from any mess that it might have collected, Felicia took Lara's hand and squeezed it firmly. She hadn't teleported very much yet, but...

"I'm ready when you are. Whatever your idea is, I'm sure it's great!"

It was good to see Felicia caught on quickly. Lara didn't just show those little affectations to anyone, merely the trusted inner circle. Felicia was new to that, but her manner and her very nature had cut through the walls and barriers that she'd constructed around herself. Part of it was the shinki bond, yes, but more of it was just knowing she could trust the woman absolutely.

"Alright. Away we go."

The flicker of motion as they left was swift and sudden, vanishing and reappearing about halfway down the mountain...and at a rental car shop. Lara swiftly crossed over towards the sportiest looking car and pulled out a tool, setting to work popping the door and hotwiring the thing.

"Before you ask, yes, I'm taking this without asking. And I'm going to return it," she told the maid, grinning. "We're just going to borrow it. And I'm going to leave more than the car's worth here. So get ready, alright? I'm going to need you to be my eyes."

She Lived to Serve-- whether by Shinki bond or not, and regardless of whether she understood the orders or not. The simple fact that she was making a positive difference in someone's life was more than enough for Felicia to jump right in and try her hardest at any task she was given.

And she knew that understanding would come in due time. For now, trust was all that she needed.

The teleportatin to the rental car shop was as swift and dizzying as she had come to expect, and Felicia recovered quickly enugh to follow Lara to the fancy looking car that was in the show room.

"All right," she said, with a firm nod to accompany her words once Lara had explained what the situation was. "I'll watch for any guards or ninjas or anything that shows up, and I'll help you once we get going, too."

She giggled and grinned, a rush of excitement flooding her veins.

"Ah ha ha~! This is actually pretty fun!"

And, whether this act of borrowing was morally questionable or not, she knew Lara would definitly put everything back where it belonged once they were done. She was a woman of her word, after all.

Felicia liked it when people acted as honorably Lara did with each of her jobs. She had no doubt that they would succeed.

"Ninjas...honestly..." Lara said with a shake of her head, but smiled. Felicia certainly had some strange notions, but then, ninjas would hardly be the strangest thing she'd encountered in recent memory.

Lara was quick in her task, deft hands and a skilled tool getting the car open and started in no time at all. The motor purred as it sparked to life, and the archaeologist let out a bark of joyous laughter.

"Wonderful. I haven't lost my touch. Okay! Hop in Felicia, we've got to be ready to meet those guys on the way down. We're going to beat them in a race to the bottom. And make them go elsewhere."

Sliding into the drivers seat, she pulled open the passenger door and ran her hands along the steering wheel.

"Ready?"

"We must always be ready for Ninjas," Felicia commented, in complete seriousness. Although she was aware that they were a piece of history that had been lost to modernization in this country, a part of her couldn't quite shake a certain awareness of ninjas as a whole.

"Just because you can't see them doesn't mean that they're not there."

Ever dutiful, Felicia kept a keen eye out for ~~ninjas~~ aggressors of any sort. Lara was just borrowing this car.....without asking, but the intent was still to merely borrow. She wasn't doing anything wrong....

On her cue, Felicia slid into the passenger seat next to Lara and flashed her an eager grin.

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be," she said as she buckled up-- for safety.

She had a vague idea of what Lara might be planning, and she knew it was likely to be dangerous.

And exciting!

"Fair enough..."

Lara wasn't going to argue that there might well be ninjas. She knew why Felicia thought that way, after all, and she wasn't going to make a fuss about it. If she wanted to believe that those ninjas carried over into this world, she could do just that.

"Okay. What I need you to do is tell me when they're trying to pass me. On what side. I'm just going to focus on driving, but if you tell me that, I can make sure they don't."

So, gunning the engine, she waited, and sure enough the first of the cars was blazing down the trail a mile or so back.

"Here we go!"

Lara pressed the accelerator and off they went, keeping an easy pace so the lead car could catch up and prepare to get blasted off the road.

"All right, definitly!"

Felicia nodded pertly at the orders, already braced for whatever excitement was going to come. It wasn't ninjas, but cars were still a very new and very fascinating concept for her.

Taking a ride with Lara at the wheel, for the sake of answering someone's prayer, was totally awesome regardless of any extenuating circumstances around it.

"I won't let you down," she chirpped as Lara took off, and once they reached a stable speed Felicia started maneuvering into a better position to properly act as a look out.

"...Are you planning on beating them at their own game?" she asked, holding onto her seat tightly-- just in case-- as she attentively watched the road behind them.

Nothing would pass by her-- nothing!

"I am."

Lara grinned as the lead car came up behind them. She wasn't exactly a daredevil street racer, but she'd been on a car chase or two, and she had the reflexes of a cat. And she'd also happened to watch some of those racing films not too long ago on a lark. Which gave her a bit of a supernatural edge...

Plus, watching them drive now through the rear view mirror was bound to give some interesting results, too.

"Now, how far behind us is the leader?"

Peering over the back of her headrest, Felicia spotted the leader of the crazy race that they had crashed.

"It's still a bit away-- a several meters, I think?"

She cast Lara a look, as if to confirm that her unit of measure was correct in this instance.

"But it's coming up fast. What do you want to do?"

"Meters, that's right."

Lara was happy to confirm, and focused on driving, the accelerator gunning a bit.

This car was not suped up like those, but it was serviceable, and fast.

"I'm going to block them, naturally. Are they on my left or right, love?"

"On the right," Felicia said, sliding back into a sitting position and tightening her seatbelt as a safety measure.

"It doesn't look like they're following general traffic rules, either. Please be careful."

"That's fine. This road's deserted except us, I think. And I'm not, either."

She zipped in front of the car approaching them, forcing them to slow down, keeping them checked as they whizzed around the first corner.

"Just keep me apprised of their movements. I won't lose this!"

"Okay,"

She said, angling back around once they were safely around the corner to keep watch.

"It's still following us, a little slower now-- but I think the driver' mad. He looks like he's trying to yell something at you."

"I hope he is. I want him paying attention!"

Lara zipped around that corner and into another turn, going at top speed.

The other driver, seeing a chance, tries to get around, picking up the pace and going left...

"He's going left now-- pretty fast!"

Felicia held fast to her seat, angling her head to glance at Lara.

"Do you think you can beat him?"

"Got it!"

Lara whipped the car in front of her 'opponent' and kept on going, coming around another bend at 90 kmph easily.

"And with you on my side, there's no way I'll lose!"

"Of course you won't, Lara!"

Felicia grinned, all honesty and exhiliration at the crazy speeds they were going at. If she closed her eyes, she almost felt like she was flying....

"You're a great driver. I believe in you1!"

Honestly, if Lara misjudged a turn they might very well go over the guardrail and be flying for real. Not that she was worried for their safety, since teleporting away wouldn't be too bad but the car...

Well, best not to think about that.

"Thanks!"

Of course, they're coming towards a wider section of road now, a mountain pass, and there's no way Lara can feasibly completely cover every lane all at once. Three lanes...

"Okay! This is where it gets tricky. Felicia, tell me if he's going left or right, and then I want you to shut your eyes. I'm going to do something a little tricky and I don't want you getting scared."

She was still learning about cars and the general rules of the road along with a great many things while they were staying in Japan, but Felicia trusted Lara's expertise to know that things truly were dangerous if Lara had said it was so.

"Okay," Felicia said, once more peering out the back of the vehicle at the car speeding their way.

"Left! They're coming up on the left!"

And, following her orders to the mark, Felicia held fast to the handles on the passenger side and squeezed her eyes shut.

"I'm ready when you are, Lara!"

"Okay!"

Now, Lara does something nuts. She turns her car into a slide, maintaining pretty tight control over the actual motion, but going horizontally down the road and blocking the lanes that the other driver is trying to get into. It's a little insane, but that's what makes it work.

The other driver backs off, thoroughly freaked out, and leaves Lara to crash. Only a quick jerk of the wheel and they're righted again, taking off...

"And there. I think we just scared them into backing off. Which means we've won. Now...I need you to write a note. We're going to leave them a challenge. So, let me dictate, alright?"

"O-okay!"

Felicia's stomach was still in her chest and her heart still danced a rapid cadence after Lara's wild maneuver, but Felicia pushed forth and pulled a small pen and notepad out of the little purse that she habitually carried with her. Her hands still trembled from the adrenaline rush of their ride, but she didn't voice any of this.

It was all temporary. She knew Lara wouldn't do anything unnecessary, and not without a lot of careful planning.

"That was crazy," she finally blurted out, her hand tight around the pen. "But maybe the people in this town can sleep easier tonight.

What's the message you want to send?"

Felicia is probably far, far too trusting for her own good. But it's fine. Lara isn't going to do something deliberate with the intent to hurt either of them, and she was certain of her reflexes. Even if it was borrowing bullshit physics from a film.

"I hope so. Anyway! What I want the letter to say is 'You just got beat. Bad. This is your only warning. Next time I see you on my turf, I'm going to make sure you all wind up driving off the side of a mountain. The people around here need to sleep, and you're disturbing them. If you want a good race track, head further east into the national park. There's nobody there to disturb, and I won't be back to make you regret it.' "

A laugh.

"Suitably menacing?"

She was trusting because she believed wholeheartedly in Lara's intellect, understanding, and uncanny reflexes when she needed to put the pedal to the metal-- and because she knew in her heart of hearts that this was the position she belonged in. Unlike many other Shinki, she held no ill feelings about her apparent 'death'. A small part deep in her heart knew that she had understood the risks, that there had been reason for whatever had happened, and that her passing would not have been in vain.

These thoughts weren't consciously recognized, but it gave Felicia a sense of peace in her daily affairs.

After all. She had Lara now.

"Very menacing," Felicia agreed, adding the final touches to the note in an oddly crisp hand despite her usual clumsiness. Although she appeared to be a child from Europe's deep north, her finnesse at writing in hiragana looked like that of someone who had studied the language intensely.

Kanji was still another story. She knew a little, and only just enough to get by.

She neatly ripped out the page and handed the note to Lara with a teasing little smile on her face.

"You sound like you're someone from their neighborhood. They should definitly understand it."

"Good," Lara replied, slowing a bit as they reached the bottom of the mountain slope.

She'd hoped that would be the case and she trusted Felicia's opinion there. The other woman could be a little bizarre, and she had some strange notions, like the ninjas, but Lara knew she was reliable. She was forthright, and she was surprisingly perceptive at times. Their off-color meeting was one thing, but she'd adjusted well to life in the Far Shore, and the peace that the two of them had found was telling.

Felicia made Lara feel cared for, and she gave her something to dote on right back. That helped, it made her feel human again, after all the shit she'd been through.

Pulling into a convenience store lot and parking the car, she casually plucked the note from Felicia's fingers and gave her a little kiss on the cheek. Opening the door, she slipped out and nodded towards the shop.

"Thanks, love. You're a lifesaver. Now, let's ditch the car and leave the note on the windshield. When they've seen the note and left, we'll take the car back. And while we wait, I'll buy you a toffee, if you like."

Edited 2017-02-10 03:21 (UTC)

The peace that they shared together in both the Near and Far Shores was something that Felicia appreciated, and something that she knew not every Shinki had the honor and pleasure of enjoying. The two of them meshed together so well that it was easy for Felicia to forget they had only known eachother for a short while.

--In their partnership, Felicia had found both someone to care for and someone to follow in Lara, and it gave her a sense of completeness that she was glad for.

Giggling at the little kiss, Felicia hopped out of the car on her cue and all but skipped after Lara.

"You're the one who did the most impressive thing today," Felicia said shyly in reply to the compliment. "I never thought I'd get to experience something out of a movie in working with you!

"A toffee sounds nice, too. Let's get some, and enjoy the rest of the day while we've still got some time here."

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I'm Just Running in the Nineties. [Closed]

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