Furious

[Jolly Rensha]

Erik lowered his head a little in respect as Min Ji turned to him. "Time to start the race... So I suggest you'd better get ready..." He perked up a corner of his lips in smirk and she turned around. His eyes sort of watched her form slink away until the movement of Min Sun kneeing the other guy in the groin and walked away back toward her car. That being said, next to Erik and Jack. "The race is starting in five, be ready or be out!" he heard Min Ji say and he nudged Jack.

"Nothing about the car I need to know about?" he asked.

"About your car? Not really. NO2 is accessible, there's various displays you can view on the windscreen if you choose, like GPS etc. You'll want to activate a couple of those. Also turn off the jammer I activated a minute ago on it. I don't want the battery to go dead overnight." He nudged Erik back though, "But don't think about it. Don't get close to the Chimaeras for the girl and the beast. She really is a Chimaera, Min Ji. Min Sun isn't very far behind. It also wouldn't be good for business or health." His warning went heard but unlistened by Erik.

"I'm not reckless. I cause plenty of wreckage." He smiled, "It's just another swath of destruction in my wake that no one is ready for." He sighed and looked at Jack, "It's just that girls with a fiery spirit and with power are so fun to bring down to your own level. But you're right." He looked back at Min Sun as she was about to reach her car and get into earshot. "It isn't directly part of why I'm here. I can make them part of it, though."

"Remind me to change my plans about having you stay in my loft before I got you your own. You'll just make it a mess," Jack lamented.

"Live with nothing, then you'll understand why 'something' is expendable. It's all the same. It's just more to have fun breaking," Erik replied.

Jack nodded. "So then, Rosso intends for you to take 'something' and turn it into 'nothing'?" he whispered.

"Pretty much it." Erik looked at his watch, "Well, it's about that time. Time to begin on the road to ruin." He opened the door and slid in. Before he closed the door he shrugged, "Sometimes you just have to throw out something that's broken and get a new one Jack. Things can't always be fixed. That's my part."

[LordKain]

Dante watched Min Sun for the brief moment before she finally replied. The tone of her reply surprised him for a moment. She was coming closer, and an eternal moment of inner conflict played out in his mind. Part of him hoped her words were sincere, in fact that entire part of him believed them to be true and honest. "You know... It is good to see you again...," Min Sun continued, adding to his anticipation as the woman he had been so close to drew towards him. It was easy to look into her eyes and almost lose himself, and memories came back to him unbidden.

But Dante wouldn't be himself if not for his cool analytical mind. He knew something was up, after all Min Sun's reaction was a one-eighty from what he had expected. He had known her very well back then, and anything could happen in three years, but he doubted she would be this easy to forgive. But such is the power of emotions, especially in a mind like Dante's. So it was in the time it took for her to cross to him that he felt himself feeling more hope than was prudent as she leaned in to him.

"Welcome back" he heard in his ear as her leg swung up. He seemingly sensed it more than felt it as it approached his groin. Dante was a remarkable man, qith quick instincts and reactions that served him well in confrontations both in the race and on the streets. But his internal struggle slowed his thinking as he blinked, instinct alone, coupled with his reflexes, twisting his hips slightly. He grunted as she connected, though at least merely a glancing blow. Dante clenched his teeth as the spasm of pain coursed through his thighs, and he let out what someone might consider a sigh. He saw her spun, his eyes watching her back, though oddly his face and eyes showed no anger, and quite truthfully at that. 'That was more like it' he thought with an ironic mental chuckle.

"Own the road, Min Sun" Dante said before she had gotten too far, surprising himself by speaking up. He didn't know what prompted him to say it, other than age-old reaction, most likely. The words came from his lips in fluent Korean, and not the nigh-perfectness of someone putting on an act, but of someone who had spoken it all his life. Such was one of his gifts, as he had taught himself a fair number of languages over the years. But also, it was always the last thing he used to say to Min Sun before any of her races. He wasn't ever sure where it came from, simply that it seemed to fit the task at hand. He turned before seeing if she had heard him, though he knew his voice had carried, and he walked back to his car.

"Well, at least we made your first day back memorable." Asuka said quietly, a hint of apology in her voice, though Dante doubted it was sincere. He would be expecting too much to assume anyone wouldn't be pissed about his arrival, no matter the circumstances. He gave her a brief smile and opened the door, Asuka's eyes flitting up to look at Min Sun before looking back down. "Be good, Asuka." he said almost by way of a warning, and she grinned. "You just watch yourself, and be careful Dante." Dante nodded and slid into the seat, looking around him. "Well, it's good to be back." he said as she shut the door for him.

By modern standards, Jane's setup was quite plain looking. While some considered displays and such to be a neccessity, Dante did not. Besides, it would deaden the artistic feel of the age-old Supra. He smiled to himself as he looked over at the other cars, his being on the far end from the Song Twins, and blew out a breath. For all her simple, yet elegant, styling, Jane hid a monster beneath. She was wrought of the best electronics and mechanics Dante's crew could lay their hands on, which was saying a lot, and Lily was a whiz at the former fo the two. Dante smiled confidently. It didn't hold the smugness of someone who assumed they had the 'best money could buy', but it was the smile of someone who was back in his element.

"It's been too long, Jane." he said, almost whispering reverently, "But we're back. I won't let you down, just take good care of me, hon."

[Jolly Rensha]

...

[Shari Tana]

...

[LordKain]

(I'm up for anything. My plans with Dante are fluid, mostly I just have his background and capabilities setup. Other than that, I can work with any situation, probably. I emailed Ark a couple days ago, but no reply either :/ His gchat status msg always seemed overworked and harried, though. I do think we can take this thread and run with it until he returns. So far, we've done a good job of making this really PC-reliant :D)

[Jolly Rensha]

...

[SoHee]

OOC, Sorry, wasn't aware you were waiting for my opinion. I concur! let's try this not to die this time 'round...

[Diaskeaus]

OOC: I would like to join in this thread, but during the race if possible as a surprise contender. I've been thinking about joining in for awhile now, as the thread appeals to me with its cross of urban street racing and an underworld.

[Jolly Rensha]

OOC: Alright then, lets keep going. I talked to ark, he's been super duper busy IRL... poor bloke... He said to move on without him for now. He'll catch up when he's able. Says sorry to everyone for his abrupt missing status, but not to worry.

On other news, let's all dismiss all the OOC we've written so far to '...' as text so it isn't clutter and move on from here.

-Diaskeaus: Join up. THere's no charsheets, race begins momentarily.

IC:

Jack stepped back to the spectator's area and logged his phone onto the private network of watchers for the various points of the race. People were set up all along the racetrack with cameras just waiting for the racers to come down the way. The green light was given by all the racers at the line and Jack noted that Erik didn't waste effort revving the engine at the line. Instead he seemed more like a prowling lioness on the hunt, not moving but ready to pounce at any moment's notice. The trident even seemed to growl lowly like the predators of the Savannah.

[LordKain]

(Just wanted to say I'm still in this but.... where's SoHee :V

edit: Yeah, I was having the same issue dealing with the race. It's kinda hard to really do anything as far as posting, hopefully we can make it interesting lol I'll hopefully post tonight)

[SoHee]

Min Sun

Her satisfied smile froze for a brief millisecond as she heard the very familiar korean words said from behind. She shook quickly shook it off and entered her car. The style wasn't particularly up to par, but underneith the hood it was hot. The RX-8 would surely put up a fight, even though she guessed that at least one of her two competitors was a more experienced driver than her. The new guy was a joker, but considering the car he would be driving he was far from being a tool. She gave the gas pedal a light push to warm up the engine while putting on her favourite set of mp3s.

"Good luck," came a male voice from the small headset she had just put in her right ear, merely visible. "We start in 3." She nodded, even though the responce wasn't visible for the speaker and turned up the volume on the stereo. Rapid drums drowned the sound from the outside and she closed her eyes, leaning back against the head-rest.

Two red-heads stepped in front of the line, in between each empty space from the three cars, and waved to the cheering crowd. Too alike not to be siblings, or at least related. In each hand they held a violet scarf, the colour of the Chimaeras. Min Sun was still in her own world inside the read RX-8, but she was aware that the race was about to start.

"10."

She took a deep breath. The voice came from her head-set. She knew that the 'start-girls' heard the same count as she did.

"9."

She placed a firm grip around the steering wheel.

"8."

She exhaled and opened her eyes, ignoring the crowd, ignoring both cars.

"7."

Revving the engine just to hear her roar over the drums and base.

"3... 2... 1..."

The girls waved with their violet scarves and the dark night was filled with even louder cheers and roaring engines as the three cars sped off. Min Sun's car was the second to cross the silver line. Each car had a straight long row to accelerate on, but it would soon be followed by twists and turns through the backside of Dice. Everywhere on the way cars would block roads, forcing them through the plotted race towards the finish line.

OOC: I feel like it is going to be difficult to write good "lengthier" race posts with 3 competitors... you both have the permission to write the race for Min Sun. I have no intention of letting her win this race, but she would not likely be far behind either....

[LordKain]

Dante sighed briefly was he watched Min Sun continue towards her car. Despite how some might think, the frustration and pain was deep within him. Thoughts came to him unbidden once more, and he hastily pushed them aside. For now, he must grasp this moment. While Dante never put much stock into his races, even though he was considerably popular and amazingly skilled, he knew there was a certain extra edge to this one. 'Three years will do that to ya' a little voice in his head nagged, and Dante closed his eyes.

The race was simply an outlet for Dante, a way to put his passions and skills to the test. They were nothing serious to him, though that is not to say he didn't put effort into them. If that were the case, he wouldn't be so deserving of his reputation. A short knock on the heavy-tinted window brought him from his thoughts and he thumbed the switch activating the motor.

"Hey there tiger." Asuka smirked, getting a matching grin from him. "Everything is basically how you remember it, we didn't want to fool with you too much." she informed him, his head nodding in reply, "Though, there is one little feature we just had to add." Dante quirked an eyebrow at her tone and expression and she answered the unspoken question with a short sentence. "Jane, say hello to your old friend." Dante blinked in surprise a a soft, yet clearly heard, female voice spoke back from the car's speakers "Hello Dante." Asuka nearly giggled at his expression, and she shrugged as he looked back in her. "It's not too big of a deal, we got some connections going and it didn't bump the whole cost too" she lightly stressed the word "much. It's not full-out AI, mind you, that'd just be stupid. Basic commands and such, that's all. General voice-activated engine and electronics control."

"Still..." Dante said, shaking his head a bit, the unexpected gift touching him deeply, "Thanks, Passion." he said simply, choosing to use the alias she no longer used, and which Dante was the only living person allowed to use it. "I mean that, and..." he stopped as she looked up. "Stow it, Dante. You gotta go." He nodded and grinned wryly at her, "Good luck kiss for the hero?" Asuka laughed in reply and slapped his cheek, just enough to sting a tad. "Get outta here before I kick your ass over the finish line." she replied and Dante winked, giving her a short nod as the window rolled back up.

The girls were getting into position at the line and he took a relaxing breath. Closing his eyes for a moment, Dante's lips quirked into a small smile. "Jane." he said, still a little astonished to be talking to her, "Some music please. Something random, late seventy's era rock." he finished after a moment's thought. "Sure thing, Dante" the car's voice replied, and he grinned as the sound slowly picked up. As the countdown, silent to him, begun, his ears were greeted by the fitting music of Highway to Hell. His tastes were erratic, sampling from nearly all the genres, and it seemed that his crew had at least gotten his favorites.

He could feel the time drawing near, and his breathing slowed. For the moment before the Chimaera scarves dropped, time stopped for Dante for just an instant. And then, as the vocals of the late Bon Scott picked up, Dante slammed the gas and slipped past the silver line like a bullet.

(I don't care if I was first or third off the line, Ren, up to you for your chara. Not an important detail for me to decide lol)

[Diaskeaus]

Near the end of the short line of cars, a black Ford Contour SVT pulled into the arrangement. The windows were tinted, and the engine was quiet. The license plate of the car read, "SIRLUKE," but there were no other markings to signify who the driver was.

As the cars revved onto the speedway, the black car followed swiftly. Where it came from, no one knew.

Inside the car, the driver was calculating his next move. As the silver line flashed across his vision from within his dark helmet, he saw the next car pull slowly into view, and eased on the gas a little more.

OOC: I know I'm late, hope that's ok. I had kind of planned to join the thread during the race. So far, there are five racers, and I'm currently last in place, if that's alright with everyone.

[Jolly Rensha]

OOC: to all: Perfectly fine :) I hope to throw some curveballs. :p Shari, feel free to throw some too if you want with NPCs since you aren't active with a PC right now. ^_^

IC:

Erik smoothly rolled off the line, preferring to sit back a few hundredths of a second to see what he was against. He could always make it up in a race if he was smart about it. Already, he could see that Dante had quick reflexes, and for a girl, Min Sun was determined to succeed in a predominantly male underground sport. On his right side mirror, he saw a black blur enter view from behind and start closing in. "Sneaky," he muttered. Shoving his foot down, he shifted gears and blew past 60mph in a blink. The GPS on the windshield showed a turn coming up. "How distracting," he grumbled and "shoved" it aside into the passenger window area. He'd bring it up when he was in first and didn't need to follow. Until then, it was reference material.

The dark alleys and buildings under construction zoomed by and his ride was smooth as silk. He hadn't even hit 150 yet and he was already neck and neck with Min Sun. He gave her mirror a love tap with his own to get her attention and grinned. He waved daintily with a few fingers in a cutesy motion and started chuckling. In return Erik got a rather lewd expression that he was a jerk off from the hot-headed girl racer. More amused than before he moved his mirror behind hers and hit the gas, breaking hers off.

Narrowly, he avoided her reprisal of knocking his back end to steer him into a wall by millimeters. Dante was only a few meters ahead.

[LordKain]

(oooooo curve balls lol)

Dante accelerated smoothly as the cars left the line. Tapping the drive into second after barely a few meters, his attention focused, his concentration sharpening as the old ways flowed back to him. He tasted it in his mind like a fine wine and as the surroundings sped past he licked his lips in an almost primal, lustful fashion. Dante's senses soaked up his surroundings and he diverted some of his attention to the cars close behind him. The late arrival suddenly appeared, clawing his way towards the Trident, and Dante filed that little bit of data away. The music blasted in his ears, though unlike for some it heightened his awareness of the situation, cocooning him in a web of heart pumping action and sound. The maroon car slipped quickly forward and closed on Min Sun. Dante whipped Jane through the first turn, speeding through it as he expertly hugged the inner wall. Looking up he watching in surprise as the mirrors touched.... and then Min Sun's was broken off. Despite himself, he hissed as his eyes blazed, tightening his grip on the steering wheel. Though the glass was a dark as Jane's paint, it was made so Dante could see through it wasn't there, useful in races such as these.

He stamped on his anger as he saw her rebuttal and allowed himself a chuckle. But distraction could not be his ally at present, and he narrowed his eyes as the brash racer closed the gap. "Jane, I don't suppose you have any goodies to keep an eye on him." he said into the sea of music, and Jane confirmed several of his suspicions as she immediately replied. "Invalid request. Think again, Dante." the cool soprano answered through the drums and guitars. He ripped her through a pair of turns, criss-crossing in front of Erik as he hugged the railings. He tried again, "Jane, do you have any surveillance gear?" He wasn't foolish enough to use anything outrageous in a Chimaera sponsored race, and though they could be.... loose with their guidelines at times, any electronic warfare was frowned upon... heavily. Doing what it takes to win is one thing, blatantly trying to injure or kill the competition was another. "Alright then love, just keep an eye on that car for me please." Jane acknowledged and began passive tracking on Erik's car. It wouldn't reach very far, but if Dante was that far behind it wouldn't matter anyways. For now, she spun the wheel, simultaneously hitting the brakes and hand-brake as he sliced through a sudden hairpin turn.