driftrz

[driftrz]

ahhh ! a phone in her face ! tem blinks surprise out of her features slowly, barely awake. " wha ? " she murmurs, brain slowly making the connection between rhi and the phone. then her eyes widen, and all sleep vanishes as she sits up, woman possessed. " whaaaat ?! lemme see. what's the name ? i'm gonna look it up. ohmigosh, this is just like the movies ! do you think if i figure out who's behind it i can blackmail 'em into only saying good things about us ? "

⋆    ˚    ꩜    ｡        𓂃        lucky draw    —     dedicated to   @slidcshow / @driftrz / @drftings / @lovedbeauty / @overdr1ves / @vcnomhq    ｡  ⋆    ˚    ꩜    ｡        𓂃        ���    repliers' choice    ｡ 

❝    did    you    see    this    ?    ❞    before    the    have    a    chance    to   respond,    her    phone    is    pushed    into    the    face    of    the    person    next    to    her.    ❝    no,    not    that    part.    like    of    course,    nariza    crash.    fork    found    in    kitchen, hope they live.    whatever.    but    this    !    there's    a    gossip    forum,    all    about    racers.    ❞

[driftrz]

the answer, the lack of a car offered, has a laugh escaping him. he feels generous tonight, kinder than usual, the urge to say some shit like so you have nothing to show stamped out and dormant. for now. “ well, if it makes you feel any better, i don’t have a single car for the showcase. ” had come here on his bike, kept that hidden and out of sight. used to love any opportunity to show off his cars — now there’s a certain hollowness when he looks at them. takes a deep breath. today will be positive, he tells himself, or else. “ placin’ any bets tonight or is that not your thing ? ”

it  takes  a  second  for  nova’s  excited  eyes  to  adjust  to  darius  on  the  other  end  of  their  elbow.  truly  they’d  yap  to  whoever  happened  to  be  there  ;  narzia,  prowler,  wall,  etc.  a  hint  of  a  blush  coloring  their  cheeks  as  the  attention  is  turned  back  to  them,  “  welllllllll  …  i  mean  they’re  like  in  the  back  or  stuff  ya  can’t  really  see  well,  “  hand  raising  to  scratch  at  the  back  of  their  neck  as  their  eyes  avert  back  towards  the  crowd.  they  were  still  too  green  when  it  came  to  cars,  messing  up  and  engine  more  often  then  fixing  one  up.  in  their  defense  their  work  had  gotten  significantly  better  in  the  past  few  weeks  working  so  closely  with  the  other  narzia  mechanics,  sloane  and  others  quickly  taking  them  under  their  wing.  “  we  can  just  admire  all  the  cars  …  from  far  away  !  “  words  ended  with  a  triumphant  nod.

[driftrz]

instantly, she’s pouting. how did eric know she would lose all her money ? maybe she’d win big ! he was too pessimistic. she’d complain about it in her diary, but since he was her friend she’d be nice and not make a devil stick figure of him. this would be a sign of her loyalty. “ but that guy over there just made a lot of money. ” points at one of the winners, still cheering on his high. turns to eric, studying him. eyes narrow. “ c’mon, eric. let me see a smile. ” her own features widen into a smile, as if she’s offering him a tutorial on how to how to do so. leans up to pinch his cheeks and tug. “ smiiiileeeee. next time will be better. i bet you’ll beat me. ”

the  sharp  elbow  to  ribs  fails  to  even  phase  eric,  not  even  a  jump  out  of  the  racer  at  the  jab.  when  around  tem  he  had  long  learned  to  expect  the  unexpected  —  over  excited  hits  and  all.  eyes  follow  his  friends  fingers  towards  the  throws  of  loser  huddled  around  the  casino’s  slot  machines.  a  low  tck  sound  coming  from  the  back  of  his  throat,  “  that  ?  you  mean  losing  all  your  money  on  a  losing  game  of  luck  ?  “  nose  turning  up.  the  race  results  still  souring  his  attitude.

[driftrz]

brow raises as he looks back at the car dealer. he’d seen the monte carlo, too, a haunting figure of a car. it would go to xile or it would go to no one — so that dealer better get over the whole she - tried - to - choke - him thing. “ see ? saved you from spending a night hearing i told you so from matías. you’re welcome. ” another glance spared around them. head tilts, motioning towards a quieter spot — more private. he didn’t really care about being seen being friendly with xile ( sorry, mercury ! ), but he didn’t want her to get shit for it. they had private things to discuss, too. waits until they’re tucked in a quiet corner that’s almost definitely employees only before talking again. “ i have somethin’ for you. ” earnings — it’d been a lucky night for him so far. gambling’s not a vice he usually indulges in, but when he does it goes well for him. money he doesn’t have use for, but even if he did, he’d still have offered it all to xile. she had the monte carlo to win, after all. “ with a catch. a job offer. ” he considers his words carefully. there’s always a chance she’ll say no — their newfound friendship is a fragile thing, the stain of the past always threatening to overtake it. new memories needed to be made. and he wanted an excuse to see her more. “ i don’t race anymore, but i was hopin’ you’d take a look at this car i have at home. ”

various   showcases   over   the   years   and   never   an   offer   made   on   an   actual   car.   pieces   to   a   car,   sure,   maybe,   specific   mods   that   could   be   of   help   to   a   project.   but   never   the   work   of   someone   else   in   the   being   of   a   car,   pride   of   a   mechanic   that   told   her   she   could   always   create   the   same   car.   or   one   that's   better.   yet   the   moment   she   strolled   past   a   1971   monte   carlo   that   looked   like   a   familiar   ghost,   she   stopped   in   front   of   who   claimed   to   be   the   owner   and   spit   out   an   outrageous   number.   four   hours   later   the   taunt   of   other   offers   being   made   has   her   seconds   from   choking   out   the   man   before   her,   a   gentle   touch   paired   with   threatening   words   has   her   body   relaxing.   the   man   scurrying   off   muttering   about   psychos   in   the   car   scene   now.   turns   to   face   darius   with   a   huff,     “    i   hope   he   knows   i   will   be   back.   fuckin'   dumbass   tried   to   con   more   money   out   of   me   for   a   car!    ”       at   least   that's   how   she   took   it.   but   leaving   tonight   without   a   pink   slip   for   the   monte   carlo   wasn't   an   option.     “    came   at   the   right   time,   bodyguard,   or   else   i'd   probably   be   in   some   holding   cell   with   matías   taking   a   selfie   from   the   other   side.    ”

[driftrz]

the look tem gives him displays her disbelief. her arms cross over her chest and her eyes narrow — she’s not particularly threatening but she’s doing her best. “ right, right. and that happened to come around just as i got out of the car. ” oh, well ! she had him trapped now. unable to run. except if he did run, in which case she wouldn’t be able to stop him, ‘cause her legs were shorter. but whatever. “ well, no other place to be anymore, right ? let me hear a congratulations, tem. and maybe a ‘you’re one of the best racers in the game, tem’ or even a ‘seeing you at the shop is such an honor, tem’. ”

fuck.   his   plan   of   dodging   her   for   the   entire   evening   had   been   foiled,   and   now   he   was   forced   to   come   face   to   face   with   tem.   he'd   been   avoiding   her   since   her   impressive   second   place   victory,   because   the   idea   of   having   to   force   himself   to   congratulate   her   was   nightmare   inducing.   “   hi,   tem,   ”   he   greeted   her   casually,   as   if   he   hadn't   spent   the   entirety   of   that   night   doing   everything   he   could   to   evade   her.   he   canted   his   head,   a   scoff   escaping   his   lips.   “   i   didn't   run.   i   had   somewhere   to   be,   ”   he   lied.

[driftrz]

“ last time was a fluke. s’not my fault i had a fever. ” tem hadn’t been sick in years. that wasn’t xander’s business, though. she sniffs, holding her head high. “ and it was eleven. not that much below eighth. ” petty jab thrown in at the last minute, hands on her hips. “ and you’re going to be soooo sorry looking back at this conversation when i get first ! it’s happening. i can feel it. the cherry coke’s been tasting extra medicinal lately, that’s a sign of luck. ”

　　ᝰ　　𝙲𝚄𝙴  𝙰𝙽  𝙴𝚈𝙴𝚁𝙾𝙻𝙻  𝙵𝚁𝙾𝙼  𝚃𝙷𝙴  𝙾𝙻𝙳𝙴𝚁  𝚁𝙰𝙲𝙴𝚁.  it's  one  thing  to  be  beaten  by  a  rodani  prowler,  it's  another  thing  to  have  to  hear  it  from  cola  specifically  —  she'll  never  let  it  down.  “  what  was  your  last  result  again  …  twelfth?  eleventh  place?  sounds  like  you  cruised  by  on  pure  luck  to  me.  your  chances  of  another  podium  finish  are  slim  to  none.  ” results, be damned, at least one thing xander can boast about is their consistence.

[driftrz]

a voice cuts through the rest, ava’s tone like bells for mali. brightens as the other comes close. the request has her turning serious. it’s only checking a zipper, but a possible fashion mishap is about as important to mali as not messing up is to a brain surgeon. she urges ava to turn around, discreetly checking the back of her dress. sure enough, it’s not zipped up properly. deft fingers are quick to do so. “ there you are. ” pulls back with a pleased sigh, all smile. “ does that feel better ? ”

SETTING: CLOSE TO NINE, UNDER THE THRAWN CASINO LIGHTS, SHARING A MOMENT WITH @driftrz

fashionably late, as all good things in life are, and fashionably in trouble, like all beautiful women are, ava dashes through the casino extravaganza, the heat of the night sticking to the back of her neck, straying farther from her original goal. ''mali, darling,'' she calls out, cutting through the cacophony of feverish chatter and perpetual ringing of slot machine bells. both hurried and slow-moving at once, clinging to the soft fabric covering her chest, she corners the mechanic in a few quick strides, her voice purposefully low. ''could you check if my dress is properly zipped in the back? something just feels a little... strange.''

[driftrz]

“ maybe. hopin’ there’s at least a prize where i make my money back. ” her eyes crinkle at the corners when she smiles back. motions at chrissy and the slots, hiding any surprise from her features. for some reason, chrissy and gambling had never been two things she associated with one another, but people had ways of surprising her — and maybe chrissy would have more luck than her. “ mind if i provide an audience ? maybe i’ll be your good luck charm. can’t do much worse than, well… ” a glance back at her own failure.

she   knew   gambling   was   somewhat   reckless   if   you   weren't   careful,   but   chrissy   planned   on   taking   it   mostly   easy   that   night.   she   wanted   to   enjoy   the   experience,   and   she   knew   that   losing   money   was   bound   to   happen.   she   tried   not   to   stress   over   it   too   much.   she   was   still   figuring   out   what   it   was   that   she   was   doing,   but   she   was   having   a   good   time   so   far.   she   smiled   warmly   at   mali,   a   nod   following   the   other's   words.   “   well,   the   night's   still   young,   ”   she   stated,   trying   to   sound   encouraging.   “   it   could   turn   around   for   you   and   you   could   end   up   having   a   lot   of   luck,   ”   chrissy   reasoned.   “   just   try   keeping   your   head   up,   mali   !   ”

[driftrz]

" it won't cause any trouble at all because when i win the fairlady, you can climb up as much as you like. " terrible news for everyone : tem has gained possessiveness over the fairlady. this will end in pain for her. eyes skim over the car like it's already hers. she’d drooled a little earlier when she first heard it was the prize of the night. " then you'll get all the shots you want on it. "

✦        ⌢       coyote    casino    ＠    ~10    p.m.    ｡ ✦        ⌢        @driftz   (tem) reacted for    a    surprise    starter    ｡

❝    do    you    think    it'd    cause    too    much    trouble    if    i    climbed    up    there    ?    ❞    rhiannon    may    not    know    a    lot    about    cars,    but    pretty    is    pretty.    the    fairlady    commands    the    night's    attention    &    even    she    can't    look    away.    she    sighs,    a    bit    dreamily.    ❝    it'd    be    a    perfect    shot.    ❞

[driftrz]

₊˚⊹ æ:scenes / ningning for fila behind ♡

[driftrz]

「  ₊  ☆  ﾟ  uma jammeh,  she/her,  cis  woman  」  INCOMING  TEXT:    omg  hv  u  met  MALI  BASTIDA  of  the  NARIZA  BOIS  yet  ?  they’re  one  of  the  crew’s  mechanics  n  actually  go  by  BLUSH.  the  twenty  seven  y/o  is  typically  seen  hanging  arnd  body.  allegedly  they’re  frm  san  diego,  california  n  hv  been  w/  the  crew  for  1  MONTH.  wtvr.  just  watch  out  for  them,  k  ?  ttyl  !  

name : mariama badjie. nickname (s) : does not use her legal name. goes by mali bastida. alias : blush. age : twenty7 birthday : july 3rd zodiac : cancer gender & prns : cis woman & she / her orientation : bisexual hometown : it's complicated ! height : 5'5 hair color : naturally a darker brown, but she dyes it honey-brown & dirty blonde often. eye color : dark brown. markings / scars : lil birthmark shaped like a crescent roll on her right shoulder. body mods : ears pierced, belly button pierced, tattoo 1, tattoo 2 ( in black ), tattoo 3. occupation : dancer at body. crew : nariza bois. education : dropped out of highschool junior year, got her ged.

bio is coming give me a lil bit... KKXKKXCKD

INTERVIEW !

when  did  your  first  realize  you  had  a  passion  for  cars  /  racing?

"  we're  supposed  to  have  a  passion  for  them  ?  "  bites  her  lip  to  keep  herself  from  laughing  —  she  manages  to  swallow  it  down,  features  turning  into  some  semblance  of  composure.  "  wouldn't  really  call  it  a  passion.  when  i  was  sixteen  i  had  to  drop  out  and  i  realized  i  needed  to  do  something.  i  got  my  ged  when  i  moved  to  miami  but  i  didn't  want  to  go  to  college,  and  yeah,  i  dance.  i  love  it,  it  can  be  good  money,  but  i  can  only  do  that  for  so  long.  i  wanted  something  that  felt  permanent.  so  i  started  apprenticing  with  a  mechanic  a  few  years  ago  —  seemed  easier  to  me  than  going  to  school  to  be  an  electrician.  i've  always  been  good  with  my  hands.  cars  need  people  who're  good  with  their  hands.  what  drew  me  to  racing  was  working  at  body  —  lots  of  people  in  the  street  scene.  y'know,  cause  sometimes  more  official  people  don't  want  to  hire  you  if  you  dance,  or  your  lack  of  experience,  or  blah  blah  blah.  "  finger  -  quotes  when  she  says  the  word  '  official  ',  a  roll  of  her  eyes  accompanying  the  sentiment.  "  but  the  racers  here  don't  care  about  that.  s'long  as  you  can  fix  their  car  and  mod  it  real  pretty,  you  have  a  place  here.  i  like  it.  "

have  you  found  a  ‘family'  within  your  crew?  (if  not,  would  you  ever  consider  swapping?)

"  mm.  well,  i've  been  in  miami  a  while,  so  it's  not  like  most  people  in  either  crew  are  strangers.  but  i've  only  been  here  for  so  long.  "  her  finger  lifts  in  the  number  one.  for  a  moment,  she  looks  almost  bashful.  "  i  don't  really  have  a  family  or  loyalty  here.  the  bois  just  hired  me  first.  "  she  looks  around  like  she's  worried  someone  might  be  listening  in.  leans  closer,  lowering  her  voice.  "  so  i  guess  i'd  switch  if  a  better  offer  was  made.  "  the  admission  is  accompanied  by  a  wink,  a  playful  little  grin.  "  but  i  like  it  here  so  far,  so  it'd  have  to  be  a  real  nice  offer.  and  who  knows  ?  maybe  i'll  eat  my  words  and  make  a  family  here,  silly  as  that  sounds.  "

is  street  racing  a  long  term  plan  or  a  short  lived  hobby  for  you?

silence.  she  thinks  of  all  the  declined  jobs  that  had  come  before  the  nariza  bois'  offer.  even  the  shop  she'd  apprenticed  under  didn't  take  her  in.  that  one  had  stung  real  hard.  body  was  good  :  she  has  a  good  thing  going  there.  but  dancing  isn't  her  passion.  maybe  cars  isn't  either,  but  it  feels  nice  to  be  helpful  —  maybe  her  passion  is  in  the  way  a  racer's  eyes  light  up  when  they  see  her  mods,  or  in  the  arguments  with  other  mechanics  over  what's  better  for  a  car,  or  in  the  million  ways  that  she  gets  thank  yous  that  just  aren't  possible  when  you've  got  a  stage  between  you  and  the  patrons.  a  short  term  hobby  :  could  she  really  stand  to  lose  this  ?  was  it  pathetic  to  be  barely  starting  out  &  already  feel  she's  found  her  purpose.  she  takes  a  deep  breath,  forces  herself  back  in  the  moment,  back  with  the  interviewer.  she's  already  taken  too  long  to  answer.  a  deep  breath,  a  beaming  smile,  anything  to  hide  the  hesitation  that  creeps  up  inside  her  at  the  question.  "  maybe  more  long  term  than  i'd  like  to  admit.  i  want  to  make  a  name  for  myself,  buff  up  the  resume  or  whatever.  so  if  i  have  to  spend  a  couple  years  here,  i  will.  "

do  you  ever  have  the  urge  to  swap  positions?

that  makes  her  laugh.  "  i  just  got  here  !  but  no.  i  couldn't  imagine  being  a  racer.  i'm  terrified  of  driving  —  if  you  ever  see  a  slow  rider  on  the  road,  that's  me.  sorry  !  "  hands  cover  her  face  as  she  goes  red.  embarrassing,  maybe,  to  be  a  mechanic  and  a  nervous  driver.  "  and  i  don't  want  to  model.  nothing  wrong  with  it,  but  i  want  to  be  a  mechanic.  i  worked  really,  really  hard  to  be  good  enough  for  the  crew  and  i  plan  on  staying.  no  switches.  "

HCS !

her  mother  &  father  have  had  a  tumultuous  relationship  her  entire  life,  so  once  they  moved  to  the  us,  her,  her  siblings  &  their  mother  lived  in  a  variety  of  states  depending  on  if  her  mom  &  dad  were  on  or  off.  yes  they  kept  that  up  at  their  big  ages.  since  san  diego  was  where  they  spent  the  most  time,  she  considers  that  to  be  the  closest  thing  she  has  to  a  hometown.  has  been  in  miami  since  she  was  18,  originally  working  mostly  fast  food  jobs  (  her  personal  hell,  she  will  never  touch  a  burger  king  kitchen  again  )  &  seasonal  retail  while  she  got  her  ged  until  she  started  dancing  at  20.  she's  been  watching  races  for  a  while  but  has  only  now  fully  integrated  into  the  scene

has  an  older  brother  &  a  younger  sister  who  she  texts  &  calls  every  day  but  she  hasn't  really  physically  seen  either  of  them  since  she  came  to  miami

she  likes  to  think  her  alias  is  blush  because  she  makes  people  blush.  &  hey  —  she  does  !  so  it's  a  perfectly  reasonable  assumption.  however,  she's  called  blush  bc  of  her  own  personal  tendency  to  blush  &  go  red  —  usually  when  she's  embarrassed  or  her  job  as  a  mechanic  is  complimented,  since  being  flirty  doesn't  really  affect  her.  but  blush  comes  from  her  —  &  if  you  tell  her  the  real  reason,  she  proves  her  alias  correct  by  getting  flustered

she  technically  lives  in  an  apartment  she  can't  afford  —  a  huge  loft  apartment  with  a  great  view.  her  roommate  is  a  sweet  75  yr  old  with  far  too  much  money  for  her  own  good,  doña  beatriz,  who  really  pays  for  the  place  &  all  she  asks  in  return  is  that  mali  takes  care  of  her  pigeons.  there's  three  of  them.  mali  thinks  it's  a  pretty  sweet  deal  !

the pigeon's names are lolita, rafael & andres.

her  second  favorite  place  is  the  arcade.  currently  holds  the  record  in  mortal  kombat 

WCS !

recruiter - whoever finally decided 2 bring her into the bois <3 she's very grateful to this person & pretty much has stuck to their side during her first month with the bois.

mentor - ideally another mechanic, can be from the prowlers if u want 2 get a lil #spicy ! someone who's helping her settle into the role of mechanic, n helping her out when she needs it. wld also be cute if they're willing 2 give her driving lessons so she stops being a nervous driver <3

favorite body client - she tends not to interact with patrons as it can get #messy bt this person has been nothing but respectful & genuine & she really likes them ! i see this as a really close platonic connection ideally, this person is someone she considers one of her true friends.

best friend - ideally another body worker bt i'm open to anyone hehehe ! another connection tht could be fun if they're in the prowlers. someone who she's known for years, maybe even since she arrived at miami — no walls & no lies exist between them as they tell each other everything. at least, as far as mali is aware.

BBBEEEFFFFF - this is someone who mali thinks is deeply annoying & arrogant. they've probably had bad blood between them for a while, but now that mali is officially in a crew it's only gotten worse. there's genuine dislike on both sides & tensions are only growing. there can be more elements to this, maybe they've hooked up b4 ! maybe they used to be friends ! who knows !

no modeling - a racer who is convinced tht blush is their muse & could be their good luck charm & needs her to pose on their car but she refuses every time.

basics : exes, friends, fwb / hookups, other ppl who work at body, other mechanics, & wld especially love any prowlers and bois she was friends w / knew while she was still outside the crews.

[driftrz]

starter 4 @drftings !

where : 9pm-ish, stumbling upon an almost-crime.

the first glimpse he'd caught of xile that night was her dancing on top of a car. the second glimpse he catches of her is her grabbing one of the dealers and rattling him. her anger is palpable, argument muffled but loud all the same, and even though the dealer's the one with his hands in the air and begging her to stop, he manifests behind xile like a guard dog, all snarl and glare just as her hands raise to choke the other out. hand curves around her arm before she can attack, tugging her back gently. better to stop her before he's got to bail her out of jail. it briefly occurs to him that she might be the problem in this interaction. oh, well. to the dealer, who's still being stubborn despite the imminent danger that is angry-xi : " why don't you fuck off and leave her alone before i break your face ? "

[driftrz]

starter 4 @badbrake ( essence ) !

where : 8pm, coyote casino, in the midst of distracted gamblers. perfect for a chat with the enemy.

not everyday you were faced with a mirror image. rodani racer turned nariza model, nariza model turned rodani racer. something sour in his mouth every time his eyes land on essence, but that's not going to allow him to be rude to her, crew rivalry aside. " are you showin' off your car tonight ? "

[driftrz]

starter 4 @mvmentum ! ( for dealer's choice hehe )

where : inside coyote casino.

poor unfortunate soul beside tem gets an elbow to their side. she hasn't even turned to look who it is, fellow rodani or enemy nariza or someone from neither who she cares about even less ( sorry to haneul from physics ! ), because she's too focused on watching gamblers do what they do best. another elbow to their side, and then she's openly pointing at the slots. " hey, hey, hey. how do i do that ? "

[driftrz]

starter 4 @lovedbeauty !

where : somewhere in the casino, where the little demon has set her sights on her prey.

" hiiiii, hunter. " she pops out of nowhere like a jumpscare, all sugary sweet smile. hands behind her back as she rocks back and forth on her heel. picture of innocence ! naturally, facade is ruined as she continues to speak. " i'm just wondering when i'm getting my congratulations. y'know, cause you ran away from me after the race. veeerrryyy rude, by the way. " quite possibly the only racer in the roster who treated second place like it was first.

[driftrz]

starter 4 @m2dding !

where : the depths of the auto show, where no soul has gone before ( they're getting drinks )

mali has one rule for tonight : baby's loss will not be mentioned. she made a personal promise to herself to channel her inner mean girl should anyone try ( the inner mean girl didn't exist, but that was a problem to face for another time ). arm slung loosely around suah's shoulder, she's half-guiding and half-dragging her towards the cocktails. " gonna try and go for the fairlady tonight ? hopefully a boi wins her. i'd love to work on her. "

[driftrz]

starter 4 @sixgears !

where : far too early into the event for tem's nonsense.

" how's marzipan look from below ? or, um, behind ? or whatever ... from ninth place ! " incredibly mature sight : tem sticking her tongue out and doing a little victory dance. decorum has left the room. she was not going to let this go from any nariza boi until the next race. " bet she made a pretty sight, right ? "