The rest of the morning was spent doing routine drills and exercises, though not as intensive as the second lap, but still pretty challenging. By the end of their three hour reserved slot, Blair and the other pilots were sore and worn-out. Lucia worked them to their limit, conducting several scenarios and drills for them to work out. Once it was all over, Lucia had them all gather in the briefing room for an hour long classroom session. During the session, she went over a full debrief about the day's training exercises, hitting on areas where the team excelled and areas where they needed improvement. After she and Sarah were done with the team, they dismissed them for the rest of the day.
"All right, team. Good work out there. Now hit the showers," said Lucia from the front of the briefing room.
The team was sitting at desks in front of her, barely able to keep their heads up. Blair groaned as she tried to stand up. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Lucia, Sarah, and Maggie leaving the room, heading off to oversee the bots' maintenance before returning home. Her body ached but she finally managed to stand up, stretching her arms above her head before stumbling a bit.
Roxanne got up and stood beside her, giving her a smile as she wrapped an arm around her waist. "Need help there, Hon?" she asked.
Blair smiled as well, placing her hands on Roxanne to help steady herself. "I'm good. Just more out of shape than I thought," she said.
"C'mon. Let's get washed up then I'll treat you to lunch. Just the two of us," said Roxanne.
"Sounds delightful," said Blair, giving her a nod as she headed for the door.
The two of them made their way to the locker rooms, stowing their helmets away in their designated lockers before disrobing. As Blair went about removing her race suit, her limbs stung and ached as she finally got it off, a bit of steam escaping from within her suit as the cool air rushed inside. Her undergarments were slightly soaked with the perspiration from earlier, so as she gladly removed her panties and sports bra, she sighed with relief as the air nipped at her fully exposed body. It felt very soothing as her skin was allowed to breathe freely, completely devoid of layers of clothes that suffocated it.
Next to her, Roxanne followed suit and retrieved her toiletries before heading towards the shower room. "You coming?" she asked, stopping to look back at Blair.
Seeing Roxanne naked caused Blair to smile slightly as her eyes wandered to more naughty areas of her body. "You go on ahead. I'll catch up. Just need to put my stuff away," said Blair, waving her off as she stood in front of her locker.
Roxanne gave a nod then proceeded on into the shower room, leaving Blair to herself. There were already sounds of running water when Roxanne entered the room; Miharu and Shizune were already there, washing their hair and rinsing their bodies.
Even though the area around them was full of steam and the sounds of rushing water, Shizune was able to sense Roxanne come in. "About time you joined us. Where's Blair?" she asked, lathering shampoo into her hair.
Finding a spot next to them, Roxanne turned on the water and waited for it to get warm. "She's in the locker room taking care of her race suit. She'll be here soon," she said, testing the water with her hand. Once it was the right temperature, she stepped into the stream, sighing with relief as she let the water run down her body.
Meanwhile, back in the locker room, Blair was sitting on a bench with her chin resting on her hands. She exhaled tiredly, staring blankly ahead of her as several thoughts and concerns swam in her head. The day's training proved quite formidable and challenged whether Team Balisong was ready for the teams of the IG-1, but more importantly, whether Blair was fit enough to lead the team to victory within the league. She ran a hand through her hair after letting it down from its ponytail, slicking it back as she sat up straight. What did she have to worry about? She was confident she was suitable to lead the team as she shook her head, smirking to herself a bit with a chuckle. Blair slapped her hands on her thighs then stood up, pushing any doubts out of her head as she headed for the showers with the team.
Upon making her way into the showers, Blair snuck up behind Roxanne and slapped her on the behind. "What's shakin', bacon?" she said with a grin.
Roxanne yelped and looked over her shoulder before rinsing her hair. "What took ya?" she asked, her body still facing the wall.
Blair smiled tenderly, moving closer to Roxanne as she stepped under the water with her. She wrapped her arms around Roxanne's waist, pressing her chest against her back as she cooed softly. "Nothing. Just making sure my uniform was in order," said Blair, closing her eyes as she began kissing Roxanne's neck. Shizune and Miharu rolled their eyes in unison and turned their backs to the two love birds, giving them some privacy as they continued to wash their bodies.
As she felt Blair nipping at the back of her neck, Roxanne grinned at the delightful feeling, purring slightly as she moved her hands through her hair. "Oh… Feeling frisky, are we?" she asked, turning around to face her.
"Mmmm… just a little," said Blair, opening her eyes and gazing into Roxanne's. The two of them remained staring at each other for a few moments, lusty smiles present on both of their faces. As the water rained down on their heads, Blair began inching closer, her heart beating faster with each moment as Roxanne stared back, her expression equally as wanting. With a deliberate and subtle movement, they embraced in a kiss, inhaling deeply as their arms wrapped around each other's backs.
After the twins left the showers, Blair and Roxanne stayed behind to enjoy each other's company for a few more minutes, passionately engaging in intimate caressing and kissing. When their urges were finally satisfied, they finished cleaning up and got dressed in their casual wear. As they were leaving the locker rooms with their gym bags slung over their shoulders, they happened to run into another IGPX team which had reserved the slot on the track after theirs.
"Well look who it is? A couple of Grade-A celebrities," said one of the team members, a mocking smirk on his face. He was wearing an IGPX race suit, as were his other two teammates.
Blair stopped in front of the three and crossed her arms over her chest. "…Vincent. Done already?" she asked, giving him a sarcastic look. "We've been here for three hours already, warming up the track for you."
Vincent was the leader of Team Wyvern, an IG-2 team Blair and the others used to race against. He was a cocky pilot, and despite leading his team to more defeats than victories, he still believed himself to be part of the elite. "All we need is one hour, Baby Doll," he said with his trademark sleazy grin. "Maybe if you reserved your slot sooner, you would've gotten one when there was actually light out."
"Typical Wyvern attitude. Always taking the easy way out," said Roxanne, moving up next to Blair and mirroring her pose. "You know, you can't always do things when it's most convenient. Sometimes you just need to seize the opportunity when it presents itself." She scoffed at him, her smirk growing on her face. "How do you think we got to the IG-1? By working hard and making good use of every opportunity we could get our hands on… like beating jerks like you, that's how."
Vincent chuckled a bit, not caring for Team Balisong's sudden claim to fame. "Whatever you say, back-up pilot. You're just riding the coat tails of your fellow teammates as they move on up in the world, and-"
Before he could utter another word, Blair formed her hand into a fist and punched him right across the jaw. The force of the blow and the precision at which she struck knocked him right off his feet. His two teammates gasped and were about to come to his aid, but Roxanne moved in front of them, keeping them at bay away from friend and her foe.
While Vincent was on the ground, Blair stood over him, grimacing as she cracked her knuckles. "How dare you speak to Roxanne like that? You've got some balls on you if you think you can get away disrespecting a veteran officer of the United States military. Two officers if you count me as well," she said. She knelt down and firmly grasped his suit, pulling him up to meet her unyielding gaze. "Listen here, punk. I've put up with your nonsense for far too long. Just because your parents are super rich, doesn't mean you can walk all over others as you please."
Vincent looked away, scoffing at her. "Oh please…," he said still with a sarcastic tone.
"Look at me, you prick," said Blair as she jerked at his suit, causing him to look back at her. "You see, Roxanne and I actually had to work to get to where we are. We had to grab life by the balls and take what was owed to us… unlike you. You can do whatever you want, buy whatever you please without giving a second thought to how you can do so."
Being his usual rebellious self, Vincent rolled his eyes in defiance. "Yeah, and what of it? You jealous that I'm rich and didn't have to work a second in my life?" he asked.
Hearing his remark, Blair gritted her teeth and smacked him across the face with her other hand. "But you forget one thing: Roxanne and I paid our dues, gritting our teeth in the military. We've had our fair share of hard work and having to fend for ourselves. We're quite good at it actually." She leaned closer, nearly bumping foreheads as her tone grew darker and more firm. "And we've even had to kill to get to where we are. Don't you forget that."
"Are you… threatening me?" asked Vincent with a wily smile on his face.
Blair grimaced and let go of him, smacking him upside the head before standing back up. "If I was threatening you, you would know," she said before kicking him in the gut and giving a death glare to his two other teammates. "Let's get going, Roxy. I'm frickin' starving," she said as she began walking away.
Roxanne complied and left Team Wyvern to lick their wounds. As Blair walked off, she came to her side. "Hey, I appreciate you sticking up for me, but I'm a big girl. I can handle myself," she said as she took one of Blair's hands in hers.
"I know. I'm sorry for losing my cool back there. It's just I hate it when other pilots bash on you just because you're our back-up pilot, you know? And I especially hate it when my girlfriend gets dissed right in front of me by some low life," said Blair, turning to Roxanne with a smile as she gently tightened her grip on her hand.
"Thanks, Hon. I was starting to get sick of Vinny too. He's such an ass," said Roxanne, making a disgusted expression at the mere mention of him. "So, where do you want to eat?"
Blair took a moment to think about it, her stomach rumbling at the very thought of food. It didn't care what they got; it only wanted to be satiated with adequate nourishment. Even so, she was suddenly in the mood for a particular type of cuisine. "Let's go to Firebirds. I want to get a big, juicy burger," she said, licking her lips.
"That sounds like an excellent idea. Can I… drive?" asked Roxanne.
Blair smiled and reached into her pocket, handing her the keys to her car which had a worn black cat keychain on it. "Sure. Just don't scratch her up," she said, placing an arm around Roxanne's shoulders and bringing her close.
Roxanne gave her a wink and took the keys, sticking her tongue out playfully. "I'm hardly as bad as a driver as you are," she said.
The two of them walked to the garage, passing by Lucia and Sarah in the mech hangar before leaving. They were still busy coordinating with the mechanics to better tune the bots after the training session. Blair and Roxanne quickly said hello and continued on their way to the car, greeting other teams and staff that started to pour into the complex.
When they got there, they made their way over to Blair's vehicle; it was a golden-yellow Dodge Viper convertible, complete with a black, retractable soft top that was currently up. It sported two, thin light-green racing stripes down the middle and yellow sports rims. They didn't see Shizune's car, so they figured the two sisters had already taken off back home or somewhere else. When they got to Blair's car, they stashed their gym bags in the trunk then got in.
"It's rare that I ever get to drive the Viper. I'm going to savor this," said Roxanne as she turned the key in the ignition. "Just sit back and relax. I'll get ya there in no time." As Blair buckled up in the passenger's seat, Roxanne revved the engine, smirking as the V-10 roared under the hood.
"Take it easy now, Babe," said Blair as she turned to Roxanne. "You gotta handle my baby delicately, you hear?"
Roxanne rolled her eyes and shifted into reverse, darting out of the parking space. "I thought I was your baby?" she asked lightheartedly, giving her the puppy-eyes expression.
Blair smiled and placed a hand on her cheek. "You are. But unlike the car, you like to be handled… rough," she said.
"Don't worry. I'll take good care of her," said Roxanne before switching into drive and driving out of the garage towards the restaurant. Along the way, Blair closed her eyes and rested while Roxanne listened to a playlist of songs Blair had preset in the car's audio system. The drive to the restaurant was a bit longer than Blair expected. Roxanne suddenly decided to take a longer route to get more driving in, but Blair didn't mind; she needed the extra few minutes of nap time.
When they finally arrived, Roxanne nudged Blair awake after turning off the engine. "We're here. Wake up, sleepy-head," she said.
Blair slowly came to and wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth. "Uh, wha?" she said, sitting up in her seat.
"We're at the restaurant already," said Roxanne as she exited the vehicle. "You were so cute sleeping so soundly, almost like a baby." As Blair got out, still a bit groggy, Roxanne tossed her back the keys. "Thanks for letting me drive. It was fun."
Catching them in one hand, Blair smirked. "If you're lucky, I'll let you drive something else later tonight…," she said.
Roxanne was stumped for a second but soon got the lewd innuendo, chuckling as she shook her head. After closing the door to her car, Blair winced at the light assaulting her weary eyes. The sun was finally out and shining brightly in the sky. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her sleek, aviator sunglasses, the same ones she wore while still in the service. She put them on and followed Roxanne through the parking lot to the front of the restaurant.
"It was a nice nap, by the way," said Blair after yawning freely. "But gee, I sure am hungry."
"That's good. I'm quite peckish too. I could really go for something big," said Roxanne as she opened the door for Blair.
Blair gave her a smile and entered, following a waitress to a vacant table. After being handed menus and giving the waitress their drink orders, Blair and Roxanne were left alone at the table to decide on what to eat. The restaurant was famous for their gourmet burgers, boasting several combinations and fixings for their sandwiches. They perused the menu, salivating at the many options available to them.
"Oh~ Everything looks so good. I don't know which to get," said Blair, finding several possibilities for lunch on the menu.
"Well, I'm buying, so get whatever your heart- or stomach desires," said Roxanne, smiling at her girlfriend.
Blair smirked, skimming over the menu. "I'll keep that in mind," she said, looking to her then back at the menu.
Roxanne smiled back, glancing away from the Blair and towards her own menu. When the waitress came back with their drinks, Blair and Roxanne ordered their burgers. Blair decided to get the Smokehouse Burger, a medium-well burger topped off with barbecue sauce, bacon, and sharp cheddar cheese. Roxanne, on the other hand, got the Bleu Cheese Burger which was made with mushrooms and a special bleu cheese dressing. With the orders written down, the waitress left to fulfill their orders.
In the meantime, Blair took a sip from her pink lemonade, opting out of something alcoholic since she was driving back to the apartment. "That was some pretty exhausting training, and I think she was actually taking it easy on us…," she said with a heavy sigh.
Roxanne sampled her drink as well which was alcoholic; it was a cherry martini. "Yeah, well, you know how Coach is. She only wanted to push us to do better. Better prepare us for the IG-1, you know? Besides, it wasn't THAT hard now, was it?"
Blair scoffed slightly, taking another sip of her drink. "Maybe not for you, Miss Prodigy. You were put in all three roles today and you didn't even break a sweat. Maybe you should take the lead as the permanent forward…"
"Aww… is my little pumpkin feeling inadequate?" asked Roxanne in a teasing fashion.
Blair responded by playfully pouting like a child and nodding. The doubts she had just conquered an hour ago were starting to fill her head again. "…maybe," she said.
Roxanne took Blair's hand in hers from across the table, caressing it caringly. "But why? You're an excellent leader. Even before the IGPX, you were always the leader and me the wingman. Oh, Blair…," she said, taking Blair's hand and tenderly kissing it. "Whatever doubts you might be having, please, remove them from thought. We couldn't have gotten this far without you."
Hearing Roxanne's words of encouragement, Blair managed to crack a smile, nodding again. "Okay. I'll try and pull myself together. A leader must be strong and confident, right?" she said.
"Yes. You're our leader, and don't you forget that," said Roxanne with a wink.
Blair started to get emotional, but held back the torrent of tears. She merely wiped the corners of her eyes and cleared her throat. Shortly after, their food arrived which directed their attention to something cheerier. The air around them was silent for a short period after their food hit the table, apart from the sounds of munching and sighs of contentment. Once they had a good sampling of their burgers and fries, they began talking again and switched topics.
After wiping her mouth of barbecue sauce using her napkin, Blair took a drink of her lemonade and exhaled with relief. "This is so good. I'm glad we got burgers," she said.
"It is. To be honest, I'm not sure I can finish it all," said Roxanne, only managing to finish half of her burger and fries.
"Don't force it, Babe. You can bring it back home and finish it for dinner," said Blair. She sprinkled more malt vinegar on her fries and popped one into her mouth. "So how did you like piloting Unit-01? I hope my personal configs didn't make it too hard for you."
Roxanne shrugged, fiddling with her drink. She didn't want to push herself to finish her meal since she was completely full. "I've piloted her before, so it wasn't too bad. It was more difficult just trying to get back into the groove of things after being out of the game for so long. But, I adjusted… as I always do," she said.
"I still can't believe that you can pilot all three units. If I had to get in either Shizune's or Miharu's mechs, I'd probably be tripping over myself before I can leave the hangar," said Blair.
"They aren't that much different from yours. At least they're both practically the same bot," said Roxanne.
"I guess. But that's why you're our Jack-of-all-Trades substitute. We can put you anywhere and you'd fit right in. Just like back in the Air Force. No matter what airframe you got into, you mastered it in just a few days. Unlike me. Once I got in the Raptor, I never wanted to leave," said Blair.
Roxanne chuckled a bit, remembering the good times from their military service. "Yeah. I kinda miss flying high in the sky, but… racing several hundred miles per hour along a track on the ground isn't bad either," she said.
The two of them continued to chit chat and when the waitress came by with the bill, they had her box their leftovers. Blair could have finished her meal, but she didn't want to look like a glutton in front of Roxanne since she was unable to finish hers. When the waitress asked if they wanted dessert, they declined, though Blair considered it for just a second after seeing several delectable choices on the menu. After Roxanne paid for their meal, they left the restaurant with their leftovers in tow.
Roxanne was a bit tipsy as they walked towards the car, having downed two and a half martinis. She decided to splurge a little, since she wasn't driving, so every time the waitress asked if she wanted a refill, she happily obliged. "That was so good. We should come here more often…," said Roxanne as she leaned on Blair, using her for balance.
"You always say that when we go to a place that serves your cherry martinis," said Blair with a smile.
Roxanne's cheeks were flush as she let out a giggle, holding on to Blair's arm as if it were a big, cuddly teddy bear. Blair rolled her eyes as she smiled at her drunken mate, leading her back to the Viper. When they got there, she helped Roxanne into the car, fastening her seatbelt herself.
After making sure Roxanne was secure, Blair got into the driver's seat and started it up, revving the engine. "Let's go home," she said.
#
It was the middle of the evening and everyone was back home at the apartment, relaxing after a hard day's work. After Roxanne awoke from her alcohol-induced slumber, they all had dinner together, chatting about the morning's training session. Blair and Roxanne had their leftovers from lunch while Shizune and Miharu fixed something quick in the kitchen, a noodle dish resembling ramen.
"So, where did you two go after training? We missed you before we left," said Blair.
Shizune and Miharu exchanged glances then looked to her. "We didn't want to intrude on your… private time," said Shizune with a smirk, causing Blair and Roxanne to blush a little, slightly embarrassed that they made-out in the showers earlier.
"Instead, we decided to head out to get some lunch at Kanki. We just had a sudden yearning for some ramen," said Miharu before slurping up more of her soup.
The two of them paused and tilted their heads slightly, smiling innocently. "Where did you two go?" they asked in unison.
Blair bit into her burger, spilling some of the BBQ sauce onto her plate. Since the containers and bag didn't have any Firebirds branding on them, the twins couldn't have known where they went. She swallowed her bit of food and wiped her mouth. "We went to Firebirds and Roxy was considerate enough to cover the bill," she said, turning to Roxanne with a smile.
"Aw, the two love birds had a little date together," said Shizune, setting down her chopsticks. "So listen, if you two decide to have a little… 'fun' later, keep it down, okay?"
Miharu followed suit, finishing her meal shortly after. "Which reminds me. If you two do decide to stay up, don't stay up too late," she said, standing up with her bowl in hand.
"Hmm? Why not?" asked Roxanne.
Shizune followed Miharu into the kitchen, dropping off her bowl in the sink. "Coach and Sarah want us back at the track tomorrow at zero seven hundred hours," said Shizune.
Blair groaned with such loathing, having just gone through a rigorous training session that day. "Urgh, again? It's the weekend. What for?" she asked.
Shizune shrugged, helping her sister clean the dishes. "She didn't say, though she did say we don't need our racing gear for tomorrow," she said.
"Is that so? Well I wonder what they have in store for us then," said Roxanne.
After dinner, everyone unwound after a tiring morning then got cleaned up, relaxing a bit before bed. Shizune and Miharu were out in the living room watching TV while Blair and Roxanne retired early to their bedroom.
Dressed in her pajamas, consisting of pink sports short-shorts and a black sports bra, Blair fell back on the bed and spread her arms and legs out, sighing as she closed her eyes. "Oh yeah~ Our bed is so soft and comfy…," she said.
Roxanne smiled as she slipped on a tan Air Force T-shirt, also wearing a pair of red flannel pajama pants and white ankle socks. "I would imagine so, being all sore from this morning," she said, moving over to the bed with her. She carefully crawled onto it, lying next to Blair and wrapping her arms around her.
Feeling the warmth of her lover against her body, Blair took off her glasses and placed them on the bedside table. She then turned to face Roxanne and cuddled up close to her, nuzzling her head against hers. Blair was a bit higher up on the bed as she rested her chin on the top of Roxanne's head, caressing it against her breast. "I still can't believe we're in the IG-1 now…," said Blair.
"What's so hard to believe? We've worked hard to earn that spot," said Roxanne, the side of her head still pressed against her lover's modest breast. She held Blair close, inhaling her scent as she turned more towards her. She then began kissing her chest before moving down towards her exposed midsection and belly.
Biting her lip as a promiscuous smile appeared on her face, Blair rolled on her back as Roxanne continued to smooch her tummy. Roxanne continued to move lower and lower, placing a loving kiss every inch or two on her soft, warm abdomen. When she arrived at her waist, she looked up and gave Blair a devious look as she placed her hands on the sides of Blair's shorts. Blair returned the look with an impatient nod, biting her lip in anticipation as well. After getting the go-ahead from her lover, Roxanne tugged at the article of clothing and removed it, revealing a pair of black, silk panties as she tossed the shorts to the floor. She smiled at the sight of her half naked girlfriend and took off her own pants, straddling Blair with only her T-shirt and black thong on.
"Oh, darling, make love to me. Please…," said Roxanne, whispering into Blair's ear as she laid on top of her. She closed her eyes and savored the feeling of her girlfriend below her, feeling her breathing softly.
Blair wrapped her arms around Roxanne, rubbing her back as she gently exhaled along her neck. "You're such a horny little bugger, aren't ya?" she said before kissing her neck and nibbling on her ear. She then continued to whisper, "You're so damn sexy when you're horny…" Needing to satisfy her partner's needs, Blair moved face-to-face with her and locked lips in a kiss, letting her tongue explore the inner recesses of Roxanne's mouth. Roxanne closed her eyes as she kissed Blair back, spending the rest of the night in her lover's embrace.