OK15 - Spoils Of War

For having driven off the track by some way, drained of all energy necessary to navigate it to Parc Ferme, there was a long walk back to the podium. She slowly removed the head surround and unzipped her thick nomex overalls to allow them fall by her sides, her lycra undershirt sparing any blushes, however letting her body expel the built up heat into the Brazilian evening. Her arms, ruined by the effort it had taken to navigate the untreaded Seiten to its final place of rest, could barely raise themselves to acknowledge the ecstatic crowd, chanting wildly in celebration from Reta Oposta to the pits.

"OSHIYOSERU KŌZUKI!"

She had no idea how many Japanese had made the trip south to watch what was an immense intranational clash, but she doubted it was enough to generate the volume emanating from the stadiums at this moment. They crowd was sharing in her moment as outsiders, however she welcomed them in, as she felt they understood and had invested emotionally in Kallen as a driver, one who had taken on Goliath, and won. She could barely hide her smile as she trekked up towards the pit lane from behind, where all but the top three cars lined up in Parc Ferme, or two in this instance due to Kallens shoddy parking. Suzaku was hunched over a laptop with Lloyd, both clearly disappointed by a race which apparently had been hampered by contact made with a Geely which had forced him to pit early. Lelouch was celebrating with Rivalz and Milly, sharing what appeared to be a case of wine.

Lelouch noticed her and waved, nodding in acknowledgment. He looked almost as tired as she did, a testament to his defensive driving.

Kallen took particular amusement out of Tohdoh's car being unattended as she finally made it to where the team was standing, just outside the press box.

Naoto, clearly searching, was the first to spot her approach from behind, his face suddenly lighting up as he bounded across the tarmac as fast as his crutches and good leg would carry him, eventually tossing them aside as he half leapt, half fell into Kallen with excitement, who only just kept them upright.

"You actually did it…" he whispered into her ear as she propped him up in a makeshift hug. "You actually beat him… I mean… holy shit I knew you were fast but I didn't know if… in your first year with these machines, it's incredible, well bloody done…"

Kallen chuckled as their foreheads ground together. Their embrace tightened, before Kallen leaned down to pick up her brothers crutches, which he received with some reluctance. However, she kept one arm over his shoulder and transitioned from the hug to standing side by side, linked together in celebration, inviting the rest of the team to join the melee. While they were careful not to roughhouse the elder Kōzuki too much, the enthusiasm of the half of the mechanics who had rushed over was clear to see, and feel. Of course, as ever, the other half was unamused by this, clearly not sanctioning their buffoonery as they busily scribbled at notepads.

Not that Kallen, or indeed any of her clique, cared a great deal. This was their team now. They would throw the bums out, there was nothing stopping them now absolutely nothing. The crowd of engineers quickly dissipated however as Kallen was summoned to the podium proceedings. Hopping over the media barrier, Kallen left the crowd, and walked over to the Camelot drivers, who were waiting to be weighed, and waved across as she approached. Gino, the eternal social butterfly, waded his way across, and gave Kallen the mother of all high fives, before laughing "Well done mate! I've just seen that battle you had with Cornelia, that shit was intense! Good second!"

It was typical of the worlds most outgoing man to describe someone that he had held maybe two conversations with in his lifetime as "Mate", however Kallen could match his energy, replying "And yourself, that was blistering pace you had on that last stint. How many is that, three wins on the trot?"

"Sure feels good, should be a fun 2019 at this rate." Gino grinned, before continuing "But this was your race. Finishing second with a car put together moments before the start is nothing to sniff at. Can't wait to have a proper scrap next year."

"Absolutely." Kallen nodded, pumped up, however as Gino moved to weigh himself for the benefit of the stewards, she was left alone with Cornelia, whose reputation was decidedly more intimidating than her teammates. At four inches shorter than the triple world champion, Kallen should have felt more than a little uneasy as Cornelia turned towards the driver who had held her at bay for laps at a time, with Kallen being aware of the Britons notoriously choleric, curmudgeonly nature. However, Kallen was high on adrenaline, and hard to intimidate that notwithstanding either, and was suddenly getting ready to refute accusations of aggressive driving or foul play.

This expectation was pleasantly subverted though, as Cornelia nodded down ever so slightly at her, and gave a soft, respectful smile, before speaking in a gentle tone that did not match the less than sensitive fire she was known for.

"Well done, it was quite close in the end. I must admit, I found your pace surprising, your brother was never quite so challenging."

While the underhanded sleight towards her brother rankled, it was such an improvement from Cornelia that she did not protest, instead replying "Yeah, it was intense. Those tyres were cracked, peeled, I thought I might lose the position."

Cornelia shook her head, replying "You drove like a woman possessed, I didn't think I would have shaken you even if I did get ahead. Not that it matters to me I suppose; you had a fair bit more to fight for."

Kallen nodded, casting her mind back to Lelouch, who had somehow kept Tohdoh in his mirrors. Perhaps it wouldn't be too bad with him on the team, if she kept up her end of the bargain. Clearly, he could drive a car with some competence, which was a surprise. However, he wasn't important at the moment, as Kallen took her turn at the weighing scales, as Tohdoh had not finished high enough, a point etched into every line in the face of Taizo Kirihara, who was now blown up onto the television as the media waited for the podium proceedings.

Jumping off, Kallen felt like she weighed nothing at all as she looked at the projection of Kirihara. This was what he deserved for messing with Naoto's health, let alone his business practices, his golden boy being shown up by the rookie he'd tried to sideline. While it was not known explicitly by the public, his face spoke a thousand words.

However, she knew she had to discipline herself. She was still a part of this team, arguably a bigger part, and she had to ensure her clique could manage it while maintaining good relationships with the people Tohdoh would leave behind.

However, that bright future was to come, as they made their way up to the podium. As they ran up the stairs, Kallen heard the loudspeakers roar out to the local crowd, which was now gathered at the start line, announcing their arrival.

"And here they come now, our podium finishers. On the bottom step in her final race is Cornelia McGlynn, pipped to the post by second place finisher Kallen Kōzuki! But your winner of the 2017 Brazilian Grand Prix is Gino Weinberg! Interviewing our top drivers is former four time world champion, Bismarck Waldstein!"

The retired German was waiting for them as they ran up to the platform, shaking their hands as they picked up their trophies. Kallen shook hers viciously, though she lacked the strength left in her arms to raise it fully. Cornelia had a better time, holding it above her head with equal parts pride as dignity, however Gino, not bound by such a sense of propriety, was positively bouncing off the walls with excitement, pulsing the trophy up and down with joy. Kallen could only chuckle as he pumped his fist before leaping off the stand and cheering down towards the ecstatic crowd. He was cut from her cloth, as far apart as they had been born, and they both stood in contrast to the consummate professional Cornelia.

As Gino continued in his celebrations, Kallen moved towards the champagne, stored on the right hand side, not wanting to be unarmed when the madness began.

Someone, long ago, undoubtedly an individual of great wisdom and born with a lust for chaos, discovered that if one shook a champagne bottle, covered the opening with your thumb, and only left a small opening, the liquid would spray out like a foamy hose, which had formed a long standing tradition within the sport of spraying the other podium finishers with the tops of fomented alcohol, and Kallen was emphatically not about to engage in unilateral disarmament.

Grabbing the neck of the bottle, she shook the glass before popping open the top, spraying Gino while his back was turned, getting the drop on the Briton, whose back was soaked thoroughly before he was able to duck, and run to grab ammunition, evading for a moment before unleashing frothy vengeance on Kallen, wetting her hair, before he tipped the neck over his own head and soaked in the liquid. Kallen joined him in the self drenching, leaving Cornelia, who was content to simply empty the contents of the bottle into her throat, lacking what Kallen considered the flair that her teammate had.

However, Kallen didn't care, emptying the bottle down her chest before shaking the slight beads off her hair and overalls, feeling at once cooled and invigorated, as she set down the empty bottle, rising up to her knee, before wiping her lip and looking on as Bismarck, who had retreated once Kallen had made for the champagne, braved the platform once more, now that the alcohol was spent and the spirits were drained.

"Great race, eh?" the German cheered, getting a fantastic reception from the crowd. "Wonderful, wonderful. Let's have a word with some of our podium finishers, eh?"

Receiving more cheers, he moved towards Gino, slapping him on the back, and congratulating him, yelling "Hell of a drive, getting out of traffic was definitely key to the win, avoiding being held up by people on longer strategies, was that part of your considerations, or did you play it by ear?"

"I definitely knew I wanted track position more than anything, but starting on softs forced us onto at least a two stop. Cornelia would have had the pace to pull off a three stop, if not for Kallen and Lelouch holding them up. The lap times those new tyres gave were immense, but getting ahead of Kallen really saved my bacon in that last stint."

"So does this give you confidence going into next year?"

Positively beaming, Gino nodded, replying "Hell yeah! Winning the last few races is a great boost for next year, when I can challenge for a second title after such a dry period. I'm bloody pumped! Bring it on!"

Chuckling at the younger Champions infectious enthusiasm, Bismarck moved along, shaking hands with the young, short Kallen, the shortest person on the platform and the only platform without a World Championship, which did not bother her in the slightest. In light of recent events, she doubted it would be too long until she was able to seize a WDC, and grow another two to three inches in height. She had always punched above her weight, and was never bereft of confidence, and so met Bismarck's handshake with the confidence of a young woman with plenty to prove.

"Firm handshake." Bismarck affirmed, chuckling, before continuing "So, Driver of the Day in the public vote, and well deserved. I mean, I don't think anybody expected you to start, let alone climb to second, without a Safety Car or rain. Did you think you'd get out on track when you woke up?"

"When I saw the state of the car at dawn, I had my doubts." Kallen chuckled. "But… man, everyone pulled together. I was amazed, inspired, by how much work they put in. I think they've been up for forty hours now, and going through that, having the strength to muscle past it and finish the job in the nick of time… there was no way I could come home without a result after that."

"You certainly made that fairly clear over the radio." he joked, referring to her shouting at Ohgi, however he continued "And with that result you claim third place in the championship from Tohdoh by a point. What does beating him now mean to you, especially in a junior year where you missed two races?"

Kallen shook her head, taking a moment before responding. This year had put her brothers health at stake, as well as her status within the team. It had been do or die, and it had been bloody close, but as she suddenly came to realise, it was over. There was no more runway, no more fights to be had.

"It… it meant everything." she admitted. "Getting this early on does wonders for… your confidence, in yourself and the team… and really, I came into this season on a borrowed seat which I had to drive to keep. I think that I've pulled it off, and that is really a big thing."

"So, is a Championship in the cards?"

Kallen smirked, giving a nod and a fierce, fiery thumbs up before replying "You bet your ass it is!"

This was met with a chorus of whoops and cheers, which fed back to Kallens newfound adrenaline. She felt invincible, high on the emotions that were still strong in the minutes after crossing the line, and was not about to turn down another challenge. After all, she outdrove Tohdoh! With another year under her belt, who knew where she could be? For the first time this year, she was looking to the next season with a certainty impossible before she had beaten Taizo, and it filled her up with a zeal. She had the talent, raw, and unbridled. Now, she could apply it. She would not be beaten.

"Fantastic, that's the spirit." chuckled Bismarck. "We'll hope to see some more of that in the next season. Moving on now, let's have a word with the third place finisher, whose drive far outstripped her finishing position. Cornelia, my former teammate for those of you who remember back to back then in the early 2000's, I have to say I can imagine you feeling quite disappointed. You set fastest lap after fastest lap, and yet it ultimately didn't add up. What happened?"

"The strategy was the wrong one." Cornelia replied, forward even in the company of Waldstein. "We thought that if we could push through midfield traffic using our pace and avoid the harder compounds, but we get bogged down, and that cost us the win. Simple as that, hardly any point in beating around the bush. Absolutely unacceptable, however I must say that the results of gino and Kallen were well earned."

"Of course." Bismarck nodded. "We can only look back, so I'm assuming you'll be taking these lessons into next year?"

Cornelia fidgeted slightly, which suddenly transfixed Kallen. God bled! Cornelia had no emotional chinks, with the possible exception of her younger sister, however the short pinkette was nowhere in sight, leaving Kallen to only wonder what on earth could have troubled her. It took her a moment, in which the world briefly paused to pay attention, to finally announce her thoughts.

"I'm afraid not. I think that it should be quite unlikely that I will be on the grid next year. My brother Odysseus is retiring from his seat in Rosenberg, and I feel that I would join him. Three titles would do nicely, I think. I'm certainly in no doubt that the sport is being left in good hands, as we saw today."

Even Bismarck, whose retirement announcement had crashed the sports social media page, seemed taken aback by her straightforward presentation. The news itself was not, for lack of a better word, news, with rumours having been circulating, but her matter of fact presentation, combined with a clear emotional spontaneity that was wholly out of character, was certainly unexpected.

However, he recovered admirably quickly, replying "Well that's a shame. Sure look now, all good things must come to an end, and as you say, there's plenty of young talent coming up. Perhaps you might finally find the time to visit me in Hamburg."

"Perhaps." she replied, earning a chuckle from the crowd as Bismarck shook his head, continuing "Well, that was fairly unequivocal. In any case… whew, that certainly was quite something. Well, wherever you are, I hope you enjoyed that, and we'll be back next year in Australia for 2019. We'll see you then!"

Bismarck took a slight bow, before walking off, allowing the three on the podium to disperse down towards the Press Room in their own time. Cornelia, after standing awkwardly for a moment, decided to walk down almost immediately, only stopping to accept a sweaty hug from an emotional Gino, ever sanguine, who congratulated and thanked her with great intensity. Smiling slightly, Cornelia returned the sentiment, before heading downstairs. Kallen, who had been celebrating with her mechanics down at ground level, turned back around, and was inclined to join Cornelia, however Gino gave a slight cock of the head, pulling her back towards the podium.

"What's up?" she asked, before he replied "Let's get a picture!", with his phone held up in his hand and a grin etched into his face from ear to ear, like the absolute dork he was. He just wanted a selfie. She scoffed, but humoured him, standing next to him as he extended the camera out and faced it back towards them, giving a peace sign with his free hand. Amused by his antics, she smirked as he captured the photo, quickly making to social media to share it with a litany of hashtags and mentions. She chuckled, finding his enthusiasm somewhat endearing.

After completing the task, he paused, pocketing the mobile before asking "Are you heading up to Daytona this year?"

Kallen paused, and thought. The Daytona 500 was a part of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, very different from Formula One racing, with its own drivers and cars. However, the 500 in Daytona, the first of the was a race that was held above all the others, being the most attended sporting event on earth every single year. More than a few drivers from F1 made the trip across from Europe and Japan to race in Daytona International Speedway, an oval that was far more challenging than its simple shape led one to believe. However, she didn't quite grasp what she meant by 'heading up', and so asked "Could you be more specific?"

"Rivalz Cardemonde- you know him, right? Ashford driver? Well, he's from California, and he always invites a few of us up to the race with his families team. Myself and Lelouch were initially penned down, but Lamperouge wants to spend more time with his sister in Japan. Apparently she's going through some final surgery soon, however that leaves us with a free seat if you want it, just for the one race."

Kallen, unsure, gave it a thought, reluctant to send a recovering Naoto on another plane trip that would cause them to hardly speak for a weekend due to business, however it was certainly an opportunity, and not one that would necessarily prove to significant a burden; one race weekend in the off season, surely not too calamitous a concept.

Sensing her uncertainty, he backed off, continuing "It's entirely up to you, I just thought you might enjoy the change of pace. Might as well keep your eye in over the break. It's grand if you want to enjoy your free time, I can certainly relate to wanting to sleep a good bit more than the season allows."

"I'll see." she nodded, seeing the possibility of racing at the Daytona 500 at a uniquely convenient time of the year. "Could be a bit of fun."

"That's the spirit!" Gino replied, beaming once more, before continuing "I'll pass you along my number if you want to get back to me, but-"

"Oy! I don't know what ye are playing at, but there's a press conference downstairs if you wouldn't mind drawing your little date to a close!"

Kallen and Gino both turned about themselves in an instant at the summons of a marshall, evidently not pleased over having to wait. Kallen blushed, rather embarrassed at both forgetting to go down, and the man's insinuation, however Gino did not know the meaning of the word shame, and so dramatically turned up his nose, and replied "Very well then!", crossing his arms with a slight pout, before chuckling and walking down towards the stairs, slapping the man on the back before disappearing into the darkness.

Perhaps she very well might join Gino and Rivalz. It should prove good fun, if nothing else.

End of Act One, Virtuosity. Oshiyoseru Kōzuki will return soon for Act Two, Ruination. When I next see you, I will be a university student. Until then, please review generously- I'd love to finish this, we're only a third of the way through!

~Eth0