Being the daughter of the once most dominant street racer in town, Alystabella Cassidy was a force to be reckoned with, winning street race after street race in her beloved car, Obsidian. But when her driving talents were recognised, she was offered...
Boring was an understatement when it came to describe the debrief that she was sitting through. Most of the details shared among the team personnel didn't concern Lyst at all. She had the urge to just storm out of the room. The fatigue from the crash and exhaustion from the long walk made things worse for her.
"Okay, let's move on to the next thing on the agenda," declared Richard. "Emma, would you be kind enough to share?"
He gestured towards a woman who looked to be in her forties, with short, dirty blonde hair. Her posture was perfect, with no signs of slack at all. Her face was stern, like she's treating this job like... a boring job, instead of something that she's passionate about. After just a single glance at her, Lyst inferred that they would not be getting along very well...
"Alright," the woman spoke up. She stared at Lyst, who was in the middle of a yawn. "Miss Cassidy, this is about your not-so-desirable actions after the crash today."
At the sound of her name, Lyst's face lit up. She looked at the woman, Emma, weirdly. If she had water in her mouth, she would have spit it out right then.
What the hell did I do wrong?
She opened her mouth to retort, but nothing came out as the more sensible part of her took over. It wouldn't be wise to provoke the higher-ups, so she shut up and listened to what Emma had to say.
"After the crash today, you confronted Isaac. He was not happy about it," said Emma. "Now the media knows, and it's not good for your image. People think you're unprofessional."
Lyst tensed at the word 'unprofessional'. Yes, it would be the perfect word to describe her, given her past in street racing, but having someone use that word to describe her didn't sit well with her at all. It was like using a key to unlock the door containing her negative emotions. Once the door was open, everything inside would pour out like a tsunami.
And the tsunami would hit Emma right in the face.
"In my defence, Emma," spat Lyst. "Isaac was the one who crashed into me. He was the one who started yelling at me after the crash, and he called me a moron. Yes, you heard that right. A moron!"
The room suddenly went silent, surprised by Lyst's sudden outburst. Her words reverberated through the room, the vibrations only gone after a few seconds. Taking a deep breath to keep her emotions in check, Lyst continued. "If anyone is unprofessional, it's him."
Emma stared at Lyst with an unreadable expression. She only spoke after Lyst finished her speech. "Lyst, this is not a blame game. You're supposed to apologise and maintain good relations with fellow drivers."
Ugh, I really don't like her, said a voice within Lyst's head. "Haven't you heard what I just said?" she exclaimed. "Isaac was the one at fault. Ask Rick, he can vouch for me. I had no reason to apologise!"
Lyst eyed Rick, leaning against the back wall of the room. He gave her a small nod, which made the end of Lyst's lips curl upwards into a faint smile.
Emma noticed the small interaction between the driver-engineer pairing, but she ignored it. She cleared her throat and spoke, "Then please be more empathetic, Lyst. Or at least act like it."
It came out more of an order than a simple request, and Lyst didn't like that.
"Act like it?" boomed Lyst. "I'm a racing driver, am I not? I'm paid to drive, not act!"
In case you haven't noticed, I'm not the kind of person who follows orders, especially ridiculous ones like this.
"Before you tell me to do anything that's not part of this job," continued Lyst. "I am out of here!"
With that, Lyst stormed out of the room where the debrief was held, with a bitter taste in her mouth.
***
"Way to go, Emma," remarked Richard. "Now you pissed her off."
Emma seemed unfazed by Richard's comment. "I'm just doing my job, Richard. But really, it doesn't seem like she's treating her role in the team seriously."
"Don't worry, that's something I'll take care of, Emma," said Richard as he patted Emma on the shoulders. "Your job today is done. You're dismissed."
Despite being allowed to leave, Emma didn't budge. "Richard, I'm concerned. Signing Lyst was a huge mistake, wasn't it? She's making mistakes, and a lot of them, both on and off track. I don't like her attitude either."
Richard sighed. "I'll have to admit, she's rough around the edges. But I see a huge amount of potential in her. Lyst is definitely a capable young woman with many talents, although she may not be the most friendly, or professional person out there, as you put it."
His gaze was no longer on Emma, instead he was staring at nothing but the air. "You might not agree with me, but I foresee Lyst achieving ambitious endeavours in the future. She has a bright heart. Even if she decides to quit racing, she would move on to something better, I'm sure."
With Emma still silently listening to him, he continued, "Besides, Lyst isn't just helping us with the championship, we're helping her too. Do keep in mind that she doesn't have a very fortunate background, so it's a win-win situation for us, and for her."
Emma finally nodded, although she didn't seem very convinced. "Okay, I understand, Richard." She opened the door and stepped out. "Have a good day."
"You too, Emma." Richard sunk back into his seat, hands resting on the conference table in the middle of the room.
And the moment Emma was out of sight, and out of hearing distance, Richard muttered under his breath.
"I once made a promise. I'm going to keep that promise."
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The plot thickens.
Anyways, questions!
1. Do you find meetings extremely boring? (For me, it depends on what kind of meeting. There are fun ones and exhaustive ones out there)
2. What kind of person would you describe yourself? Carefree? Serious? Meticulous?
