Chapter Text

Dead Bugs On The Side Window: Stage 1

"Ah, Janis! Come in come in!" The fairy, clad in a thick business casual turtleneck and chinos, flanked by her emerald wings. "Dreadful weather isn't it?"

This was the second time Janis had met her. Myra Crafthall, the younger sister of Elisabeth Crafthall, the Owner and CEO of Crafthall Automotive Works, and Viscount of the Silvercliff hold.

Myra was however the Chief overseer of the Crafthall Sporting and Prototypes division. For what that was worth, She was Janis's boss.

"Eh, typical Eastern Albmagh rain, me lady." Janis hung her Jacket off on the coatrack, expensive redwood and menaced with golden metal stoppers.

"Please, have a seat. Can I tempt you with some tea? Coffee?" Myra seemed in good spirits despite the dreadful autumn weather.

"You got something citrus-y?" Coffee had never been to Janis taste, too bitter.

"Heh." Myra chuckled as she leaned over to her intercom seated on her mahogany desk. "Tea, two cups, The usual and one Savoian Orange, if you please."

Janis wings twitched a slightly.

"Something Funny, Me lady?"

"Oh! Indeed, Savoian Orange is an excellent tea, and happens to be close to the topic we are concerned with today!" Myra mused as she played with a ballpoint pen, leaning back in her imposing leather chair.

Janis only responded by raising her left eyebrow, the one split by her family's namesake a couple of years back.

"Indeed, you know of one Johannes Grumm?" Myra asks her, still spinning the pen.

"Rally driver, I think?" Janis's career as a factory driver was still young and had come about very abruptly. Being aware of drivers outside her own disciplines where not her forte.

"Bingo! KT&T factory driver to be specific!" Myra excitedly leans forward. "Now, This is not in the public circuit yet. But, he has had a bit of an accident." Janis leaned forward now as well. "And the Savoia Rally is coming up next week."

"Well that's a bit of a bind innit? And you want me to… Do what exactly?" Janis knows she wasn't there just because the boss wanted a cup of tea and someone to share it with.

"Aww, Don't be all business, such a bore!" She leans back in her seat with a beaming smile. "I know you are just here to teach my girls to push that Formula car. And that your contract…"

Janis's contract yes. Indeed they had put her in quite a bind when they hired her. Most drivers, Factory or Professional freelancers, Made millions of guild marks a month. In contrast Janis only made 450k a month. Not much for someone who was at least on occasion actually driving in the most prestigious form of racing on the planet.

Some would fume at being so shortchanged, but being stuck between a bad contract and a jail-cell for dangerous driving? 450k, a company house with a professional maid had looked beyond fine. It was more money than she had ever seen, and the house and maid helped old NaNa out immensely.

Still If Myra was offering an opportunity, She was listening.

She had to wait for the secretary bringing them the tea set, in delightful white porcelain with emerald green inlays, very much alike the Crafthall's wings, an intentional touch, Janis suspects.

"Ah, a cup of tea makes for better decisions I always say!" Myra threw a couple of cubes of sugar in her tea as Janis pondered how many would be actually "Proper" to take, finally settling on three, which was probably pushing it.

"And the decision would be?"

"You see KT&T lacks seems to be unable to find a timely replacement to Mr Grumm." She sipped her tea, recoiling quite uncharismatically from it having been a tad hot. "Atta! Well as you are aware we are in a Safety co-operation with KT&T."

"So you want me to step in?" Janis picked up the idea and blows a bit on her steaming tea.

"Yes! And not for free of-course! All travel will be sorted by us, all inclusive hotel stays." She now too blows on her tea, to avoid another scalding. "And a comfortable 350k in your pocket."

Janis sipped her tea. Even before going professional. Going as far back as when her wolf-dad put her and her sister together two midgets from the scrapyard, shed raced on tarmac, occasionally poor tarmac and concrete, but mostly tarmac.

A Dirt rally would be new.

"How well do I need to do?" She asked.

"No DNF's. Think you can manage that" Her boss smirked at her.

"You're on, boss."

"You ready, Sabre?" The wolf-man, who had introduced himself as Karl Schneider, The good mr Johannes's co-driver. Now Janis's co-driver.

"Aye." She threaded her wings through the purpose built slits in the bucket seat. "How ard' could it be" She smiled at him, more for herself really.

"Heh, Cocky, I like that." He smiled back as he made a last minute check of his pace-notes.

"Hehe, I mean, I've street raced. Its not the same but, Eh." She trailed off checking her helmet. "Well, Lets make it worth it, Engineers weren't happy they had to replace me seat."

It was just a slight boost and readjustment of the pedals, and a full swap to a seat that would accommodate her wings. Not impossible as the car was made for it in mind, at least the regular road going one was.

Janis was in the upper average range for a fairy, standing in at a decently tall 155 cm.

Still the wolf she replaced she reckoned was somewhere in the 175cm range, from photos of him at least. The seat-change had been met with some groans in the engineers tent.

"Well you like, Okay with taking the notes in Albmagh?" She turned her head towards her co-driver. "My Waldtsprech is… Eh, Sheisse?"

"Its Scheiße." Karl chuckled heartily. "Don't worry, I drove with a Fairy from Hanera for two years, I'll manage."

"Good! We should be all set then~" As if on cue there conversation was punctuated by the chief engineer smacking the bonnet of the Car, and giving her a thumbs up.

Janis reached for the withe plastic handle, twisted it to its engaged position, and pressed the start button.

She had to hold it for a sec as that sensation that had become so familiar to her shook through her back, the rear mid engine KT&T L4's engine screaming to life, ready to tear the Savoian dirt roads asunder. Sure it was not the V10 of the Crafthall FormulaFairy entry she was used to. But the straight six rumbled nicely behind her, a rumble she could get used to as she gave it some gas under neutral.

She put her hand on the gearstick, ready to put this unfamiliar machine through its paces.

"Well, 'ere we go."

The straight six was idling behind them, as impatience and anticipation mounted. They were stuck behind some Haneran monster of a car waiting for their turn to roll up to the starting line.

"Whistle. Wow, this L4 supposed to compete with that?" Janis remark was snarky, yet did make reference to their own car in comparison with that freak of a machine that was ahead of them.

"Eh, Group B I think. Not our opponent. We are group C." Karl tapped his pen against his notebook, clearly antsy to get on the road.

"Fair." She'd loved to get a more in depth answer had they not been interrupted as the car ahead roared, as it was making its run up to the starting line.

"Wow. Well enough gawkin'." She let the car into gear to roll up on the waiting platform. The press greedily hopping to taking photos of their car now that it was on the platform. "When's our start again?"

"10:00 flat." Karl muttered, putting his helmet on, taking great care to get his wolf ears through their dedicated holes. "We should do a mic check."

They did not have a radio, Something Crafthall Racing had standard even on their Formula cars, it was off regulation but Janis enjoyed the insistence that their racers have access to it. Especially since her work was mentoring and overseeing their two younger primary drivers. Here only the helmets were linked, but it at the very least saved them from having to shout over the engine.

She plugged her helmet in to the audio-device in the console between before putting it on her head.

"Mic check." Karl put the headphone cups on top of his helmet, Making Janis quite thankful for her no-frills fairy ears.

"Mic Check" she replies, checking over her shoulder for no reason in particular, Another car behind them, Privateer team in an older KT&T model, and the engine bay only separated by sheet metal and firewall cladding.

The 5 minutes or so they had to wait was filled with various last minute checks, if aught else to stave off the anticipation.

Finally one of the stewards waved them ahead. She put their beast into gear and let her roll down the hill.

"Up to the stewards now, Then get ready to start, 50 into a medium left."

"50 medium left, got it." confirmed as they rolled up to the starting line, a fancy-full digital clock counting them down.

"Would you look at that, digital clock." Janis mused, mostly to herself as if she had not quite realised yet there was a microphone just in front of her mouth.

"Sponsorship I think." Karl stretched his neck, getting ready to be jostled around for the next 5-10 minutes.

Timer counting down, Anticipation mounting.

The stop-light lit up. The first of 4 lights.

One Red.

Two Red, Janis grip on the handbrake tightened.

Three Red, She was in gear the clutch bottomed out as she revved the engine to the limit.

Four red, her heart skipped a beat.

"Green green green!" Karl shouts as she dumps the clutch and handbrake, Tires flinging the gravel as if it was built for it.

The first stage of a six stage event was now underway for J.Sabre and K.Schneider in thier KT&T L Series 4

It was so much more slippery than she had imagined it to be, her limited experience with racing on the gravel surface showing through for all to see.

"Hard right over crest don't cut, Keep it on the road please." Janis heard Karl rabble off as he flipped to the next page of his notes.

"Tryin'" Her response was short. The liveliness of the wheel and the motions where somwhat remenicent of her street racing days, but livelier.

Throwing the wheel into an opposite lock was almost every corner.

Unlike then, here sliding the car was often optimal, something that took her some getting used to.

"Easy left long, opens 100, Keep the attack light." That bothered her a little. Keep light attack.

She was a racer through and through and telling her to go slow grated at her very being.

It was a rough dance, but she was more than willing to be her cars partner as the gravel gave way to slides along the many light corners.

This stage was fast and easy, almost like a warmup.

"Sharp hairpin right don't cut onto tarmac." Bingo.

Back on a hard surface.

It was a risk, something she had not done in years and never in her professional career.

She reached and tugged the handbrake hard.

The L4's heavy rear end loosing traction completely and immediately as the rear tires locked up.

Now the car wanted to swap ends which was her intention, as it slid sideways through the hairpin completing the 180 manoeuvre.

The scraping turned to squeals as the tyres tried to find a crumb of purchase on the new, hard surface.

The attack was no longer light.

On tarmac the attack was full on.

"Medium left tightens keep in into medium right." The car flew across the closed public road to the roar of gathered crowds.

a fairy with a camera hopped from the middle of the road into a flutter, soaring above the car in the final moment.

"Bloody mental!" Janis yelled to no one in particular, still focused on the road ahead.

Rally fans where something else.

And perhaps she could understand them.

The fact they could get so life-threateningly close to the action, the adrenaline.

"70 Over crest slowing into hard short keep in." Here on tarmac she was at home, slowing the car deftly, trailing her braking as if she was on a closed circuit.

Yet unlike on track there was no curbing, no runoffs, had she not kept in there where rocks there that would ruin their day if she even so looked at them wrong.

This was her life before she got scouted, racing the streets and back-roads around Alessa.

Her confidence was short lived however as this was after all not an asphalt rally.

"Hard right onto gravel through gate don't cut."

Indeed she braked hard, the full attack scaling back to light as she carefully threaded the the needle of the gates.

The ancient drystone walls menacing her to not try and cut, or else.

"Keep it clean, fast left tightens medium left 40."

He forgot to mention the bumps, Oh goddesses the bumps!

The car hopped and slipped under her, tires don't grip so well when they were airborne.

Turning a fast left into a hard left as she threw an opposite lock just to go mostly straight.

"Easy now! Almost home!" The rear of the car dipping over the edge of the outer ditch, the save being one hard fought for.

"AAH!" Her mouth yelling in a panic that did not show in her hands or feet as she got the car back under control.

Spectators, screaming in joy as the car going wide yet at the final moment, the one between miracle and disaster, control was regained.

For this is what rally was, pushing the very limit of driving on some of the most difficult roads of the world.

It was a grand show, and being a show-fairy involved was an experience that was beyond exhilarating.

Adrenaline and S-Ethanol mixed into a mix of screaming power and delicate precision.

The road snaked through the pastures, disturbing goats and sheep alike.

Had they had time to look out they would soon find themselves on a road with a vista of the road behind them as far back as when they left the tarmac.

Yet they still had a little more track left before they could slow down.

"Fast right tightens medium 150 over finish."

Cameras flashed and crowds cheered as they flew through the cloth clad archway serving as the end of Savoia Rally, stage 1.

"Shoosh, decent drive. 250 meters, stop by the stewards." Karl sighed as he almost deflated in his seat.

"Eh, is me drivin 'aht bad?" Janis was too exhausted to reign in her thick and heavy greater plains accent.

"Hehe! The hells did you just say?" He chuckles, writing something down in his notebook, as they leisurely rolled up to the stewards station.

The steward came up to their windows, pleasantries where exchanged and the time was finally given.

6 minutes and 21 seconds. A middling time at best. though not bad for 9.5 kilometres of winding dirt road.

Close calls aside, Sabre's first outing was not an altogether awful one.