[SCENE] Desiree and Diego in "Danger Zone"
Listen to her howlin' roar /
Metal under tension /
Beggin' you to touch and go'>
Diego: *after accepting Desiree's invitation to take a ride in her new car, Diego sets aside his laptop and rises to head out to the main hall of the Fey manor. He has a couple of questions he needs to ask Maya. As he is heading out he rethinks, and then goes into the kitchen to make himself some coffee*
Dessie: *it is a short time - a frighteningly short time - after her last response on the journal entry that the unmistakable sound of a car pulling up to the house reverberates through the area. It's notable in that the kitchen should be far enough from the street that no noise should reach but it's rumbling audibly even from that distance - a strange disturbance in what is normally a sleepy little village*
Diego: *looks out the window, takes a moment to drain the rest of his coffee, and sets the mug in the sink* She couldn't have... *steps outside, making his way to the front of the manor, to see who could be parked there. He thinks but does not believe that it might be one of Maya's clients*
Dessie: *she's gotten out of the car and is leaning on the top. She pulls her goggles off her eyes and up* Hey there! *waves excitedly*
Diego: *raises his hand in return, completely unsurprised in spite of how he tried to lie to himself* You wasted no time getting here! *puts his hands in his pockets and walks toward the car, at an unhurried but still quick pace*
Dessie: Well, you seemed so eager! I just couldn't keep you waiting...! *her trademark smile shines out from a face obviously flushed with adrenaline*
Diego: *he can't see that, but he recognizes it in her voice, and some deep-buried part of him is telling him to be afraid. But he reaches out and opens the passenger side door, not getting in just yet* Shall we?
Dessie: We shall! *there's a triumph in her voice at getting him into her car. She throws open the driver's side door and dives in*
Diego: *gets in and shuts the door behind him: it's roomier than he expected, but not by much, and something in his head clicks as he reaches over his shoulder and puts on his seatbelt*
Dessie: *she doesn't tend to bother with such formalities until she's above 70, so she leaves herself unbuckled as she reverses in an arc and spins around back towards the village entrance, kicking up dirt in her wake* Hands and arms inside the vehicle at all times~! *she's practically singing*
Diego: *he feels inertia pull at his insides and he looks out the window as the scenery already begins to whip by and then out of sight. He used to be pretty quick on his bike, but...* Let me hear this kitten purr.
Dessie: *she just laughs gaily in response, though if one were to listen closely the echo of madness could be heard in the edge of it. As they begin to skid around mountain paths, she opts to fasten her belt, if only because throwing her weight into it while driving a car this size is hardly worth it*
Diego: *clenches his hands into fists, going rigid - but his face twists into a grin, and he begins to chuckle from deep in his chest* Damn the mountains! Let's see what she can do with proper traffic!
Dessie: I can be in downtown in fifteen minutes flat. *glances at him and then back at the road, a daring expression on her face* Time me if you want. *she guns the engine as they come down into loping hills, the speedometer topping 100 miles per hour easily*
Diego: *he brings his chuckling under control but he can't wipe the grin from his face as the scenery melts into lines all around them and the sound of the engine fills his ears. He doesn't count, but he knows she's right. It won't take fifteen minutes to arrive*
Dessie: *it strains, even in the highest gear. The needle on the speedometer hovers somewhere past the point that numbers are painted on. She weaves around a few cars going the speed limit on the deserted highway from Kurain into the city; they look absolutely still from their vantage point. By the time they get into the city, she's slowed down from the top achievable speed with the car and is sticking around a more manageable 90 miles per hour. Her acrobatics to get around 'slow-moving' cars (which are likely going far past the speed limit themselves) are enough to make a lesser man wet himself - she eyes the narrow space between the car in front of her and the car beside and speeds into it.*
Dessie: *he manages against all odds to fit. There could not have been more than a couple of inches of clearance on either side. She's not humble about this feat, the grin on her face matches his and she lets out a shout* Wooo hooo! Now this is living! *turns her full attention to him for a split second* Don't you feel alive, Diego?
Diego: *his grin has changed, from an uncontrollable and panicked thing to something that is relishing this experience* Never better. *something in his face has shifted - he looks younger, meaner - and then he looks out the windshield* Truck.
Dessie: *her head whips around and she jerks the wheel to the side to fit into the small space she knows instinctively is there.* Good eye! *the driver of the smart car that had been signaling (for the last mile or so) to get into that space gives an obscene gesture through the window and honks his tinny horn. Desiree merely smiles and waves in response, weaving in front of that car as well and leaving it in her dust* Poor little guy. I almost feel bad for someone with a car like that.
Diego: It does not befit a man to tie himself in with such a car, when one's vehicle is an extension of himself. *his visor flickers as he looks over at her, still grinning* Pardon my frankness.
Dessie: Hm? *she's far too engrossed in driving to quite understand what he's trying to get at. There's a focus in her stare that's not present at any other time* No problem! *she frowns at a shiny silver porsche that seems to be trying to pace her* Can't let him get away with that, now can we...? *she speeds up*
Diego: *looks out at the Porsche before losing interest in it; instead he looks back, and decides that he probably doesn't see any police in pursuit* Some people need to be taught.
Dessie: Let's make it a gentle lesson, for today. This car's brand new, after all. *with that cryptic statement, she overtakes the Porsche with ease and flashes her brakes mockingly in front of it. She leaves it in the dust*
Diego: Ah ha ha ha! *looks back and sees the driver of the other car throwing the bird in their wake* You are a hellcat!
Dessie: Just you wait, mister. *she speeds past a notorious speed trap and gives a beaming glance back as the cherry on the hidden cop car lights up* Look who it is!
Diego: Ha! How very quaint. *gestures at the radio* May I?
Dessie: Feel free! *she adjusts the rear view mirror* It's my old friend Officer Duke~! *a friendly aside to Diego* We play these games, you know. But I don't think he knows that it's me, since I have a new car. Let's see if he can catch on! *hides herself in a hollow amongst three cars as they pass a slow-moving truck and effectively closes herself off from him* This is a trick I like to use. *she immediately seems to get antsy when she's slowed down to speed limit, though*
Diego: *flips on the radio and adjusts automatically past several stations, not looking at his hands as he watches Desiree do that thing she do. He stops on his favorite jazz station, which is playing John Coltrane's Giant Steps, a song most inappropriate for driving the speed limit*
Dessie: *as the tempo of the song rises, she becomes antsier and antsier. She taps her left foot, her fingers in succession over the steering wheel... Her head bobs and turns like a bird's as she waits for an opening to get in front of the cars she's behind. The cars in her little caravan drift off as the police car approaches, pulling over to the side of the road. All but her. As soon as they pass, she's off like a sunbeam after the clouds part, laughing again like a wild woman*
Dessie: Let's see if he recognizes this! *as she gets out into a more deserted stretch of highway - a more curved one - she turns the car into a quick and tentative drift. The car shudders all over as she does, her calculating eyes making minute adjustments as the car slides sideways and the tires squeal loud enough to merge with the jazz on the radio*
Diego: *he's tapping out the beat with two fingers, his whole body tensing as if he hopes to brace himself in the event of a crash at this speed, but his face doesn't do so much as twitch* Has he ever caught up with you?
Dessie: Hmmm. *adjusts the rear-view mirror to center the cop car in it* Once. I flashed him these pearly-whites... *smiles for emphasis* ...and he let me off with a warning. But here's where the fun part begins. *soon, the car is out of sight, and just as the piano solo begins (right about 3:05) she exits off the highway, slowing to a reasonable speed and taking a left, then another left to get back on going the opposite direction. She stays far closer to the speed limit this time, though still well above* Ta dah!
Diego: Ha! That's a good trick. I wonder how well- *stops at the sound of a siren and looks back over his shoulder - there are three more cruisers coming up the highway behind them, and they are actually gaining* More company.
Dessie: Oooh, clever boys! I'll lose them at the quarry, I think. Up for a little bit of off-roading? *she gives him a toothy smile*
Diego: *considers for a moment, his face dark - and then he grins like the devil* Mind making a detour? You might be able to get your way out of this, but with my record I might get you in more trouble.
Dessie: And what's wrong with more trouble? *after a pause* As long as no one gets hurt, of course.
Diego: *grins wider* They might. Never know - I am a killer. Ha! *looks forward, the grin not falling, the lights on his visor glowing low but steadily* There's a small road that runs along the far side of Gourd Lake. There's one particular spot where it goes right by the water. Can you get us there?
Dessie: *her own sheen of confident recklessness wavers at his acknowledgment of his ex-con status. But she recovers it and nods at him, gunning it and heading for Gourd Lake, making every effort to lose the cops that still follow and failing the entire time. She doesn't seem nervous - a little fun isn't really doing wrong is it? - but she does seem to be pouring more effort into driving*
Diego: *looks back over his shoulder to see the pursuing patrol cars falling rapidly behind* You know, you could rob banks. You're good at this. *it's not clear if he's kidding or not*
Dessie: *shakes her head, an uncharacteristic touch of grimness beneath the ever-present smile* Now that's a crime. Only the worst kind of people hurt innocent people out of greed.
Diego: Ha! Hellcat with a heart of gold. You're one of a kind. *glances out the window - they'll be coming up on the right spot in about twenty-five seconds* You just keep going until you lose them. I'll get in touch with you after I make it back to Kurain.
Dessie: *distractedly* Oh? *she glances over, then turns her head* What do you mean?
Diego: *counting off in his head* Eyes on the road, filly! Think of how ashamed your driver's ed teacher would be if you were in an accident because you were talking to some dark, handsome stranger.
Dessie: *turns her eyes back to the road* He passed away, but I'm sure he'd disapprove.
Diego: Live fast and die young - truly the life of a man who knows what he wants. *takes a moment to look at Desiree* Thank you for the ride. It is a lovely car. *with that he unfastens his seatbelt, opens the door - and then there's a splash as he hits the water of Gourd Lake at nearly a hundred, actually bouncing off of and rolling along the surface before sinking out of sight*
Dessie: Oh no! *cranes her neck to see if he's all right, but as usual decides to assume the best and speeds on to parts unknown, parts where cops presumably aren't*
Diego: *the surface of the lake is perfectly calm as the patrol cars fly past the spot where Diego bailed, sirens wailing as they continue their futile pursuit - they're already long past the point where they could hope to catch her. A few moments after they've passed, Diego Armando rises from the water at the shore, hands in his pockets and coughing*
Diego: Hm. *takes his hands out of his pockets to touch at his ribs, and his mask - nothing broken, at least. He can already feel the deep sting of the tremendous bruise on his torso, though, the one that Pearl will give him Hell for later. Still, he grins as he looks down the road* Damn nice car. *he begins the walk to a bus station, deciding to forgo the trek to Kurain*
Metal under tension /
Beggin' you to touch and go'>
Diego: *after accepting Desiree's invitation to take a ride in her new car, Diego sets aside his laptop and rises to head out to the main hall of the Fey manor. He has a couple of questions he needs to ask Maya. As he is heading out he rethinks, and then goes into the kitchen to make himself some coffee*
Dessie: *it is a short time - a frighteningly short time - after her last response on the journal entry that the unmistakable sound of a car pulling up to the house reverberates through the area. It's notable in that the kitchen should be far enough from the street that no noise should reach but it's rumbling audibly even from that distance - a strange disturbance in what is normally a sleepy little village*
Diego: *looks out the window, takes a moment to drain the rest of his coffee, and sets the mug in the sink* She couldn't have... *steps outside, making his way to the front of the manor, to see who could be parked there. He thinks but does not believe that it might be one of Maya's clients*
Dessie: *she's gotten out of the car and is leaning on the top. She pulls her goggles off her eyes and up* Hey there! *waves excitedly*
Diego: *raises his hand in return, completely unsurprised in spite of how he tried to lie to himself* You wasted no time getting here! *puts his hands in his pockets and walks toward the car, at an unhurried but still quick pace*
Dessie: Well, you seemed so eager! I just couldn't keep you waiting...! *her trademark smile shines out from a face obviously flushed with adrenaline*
Diego: *he can't see that, but he recognizes it in her voice, and some deep-buried part of him is telling him to be afraid. But he reaches out and opens the passenger side door, not getting in just yet* Shall we?
Dessie: We shall! *there's a triumph in her voice at getting him into her car. She throws open the driver's side door and dives in*
Diego: *gets in and shuts the door behind him: it's roomier than he expected, but not by much, and something in his head clicks as he reaches over his shoulder and puts on his seatbelt*
Dessie: *she doesn't tend to bother with such formalities until she's above 70, so she leaves herself unbuckled as she reverses in an arc and spins around back towards the village entrance, kicking up dirt in her wake* Hands and arms inside the vehicle at all times~! *she's practically singing*
Diego: *he feels inertia pull at his insides and he looks out the window as the scenery already begins to whip by and then out of sight. He used to be pretty quick on his bike, but...* Let me hear this kitten purr.
Dessie: *she just laughs gaily in response, though if one were to listen closely the echo of madness could be heard in the edge of it. As they begin to skid around mountain paths, she opts to fasten her belt, if only because throwing her weight into it while driving a car this size is hardly worth it*
Diego: *clenches his hands into fists, going rigid - but his face twists into a grin, and he begins to chuckle from deep in his chest* Damn the mountains! Let's see what she can do with proper traffic!
Dessie: I can be in downtown in fifteen minutes flat. *glances at him and then back at the road, a daring expression on her face* Time me if you want. *she guns the engine as they come down into loping hills, the speedometer topping 100 miles per hour easily*
Diego: *he brings his chuckling under control but he can't wipe the grin from his face as the scenery melts into lines all around them and the sound of the engine fills his ears. He doesn't count, but he knows she's right. It won't take fifteen minutes to arrive*
Dessie: *it strains, even in the highest gear. The needle on the speedometer hovers somewhere past the point that numbers are painted on. She weaves around a few cars going the speed limit on the deserted highway from Kurain into the city; they look absolutely still from their vantage point. By the time they get into the city, she's slowed down from the top achievable speed with the car and is sticking around a more manageable 90 miles per hour. Her acrobatics to get around 'slow-moving' cars (which are likely going far past the speed limit themselves) are enough to make a lesser man wet himself - she eyes the narrow space between the car in front of her and the car beside and speeds into it.*
Dessie: *he manages against all odds to fit. There could not have been more than a couple of inches of clearance on either side. She's not humble about this feat, the grin on her face matches his and she lets out a shout* Wooo hooo! Now this is living! *turns her full attention to him for a split second* Don't you feel alive, Diego?
Diego: *his grin has changed, from an uncontrollable and panicked thing to something that is relishing this experience* Never better. *something in his face has shifted - he looks younger, meaner - and then he looks out the windshield* Truck.
Dessie: *her head whips around and she jerks the wheel to the side to fit into the small space she knows instinctively is there.* Good eye! *the driver of the smart car that had been signaling (for the last mile or so) to get into that space gives an obscene gesture through the window and honks his tinny horn. Desiree merely smiles and waves in response, weaving in front of that car as well and leaving it in her dust* Poor little guy. I almost feel bad for someone with a car like that.
Diego: It does not befit a man to tie himself in with such a car, when one's vehicle is an extension of himself. *his visor flickers as he looks over at her, still grinning* Pardon my frankness.
Dessie: Hm? *she's far too engrossed in driving to quite understand what he's trying to get at. There's a focus in her stare that's not present at any other time* No problem! *she frowns at a shiny silver porsche that seems to be trying to pace her* Can't let him get away with that, now can we...? *she speeds up*
Diego: *looks out at the Porsche before losing interest in it; instead he looks back, and decides that he probably doesn't see any police in pursuit* Some people need to be taught.
Dessie: Let's make it a gentle lesson, for today. This car's brand new, after all. *with that cryptic statement, she overtakes the Porsche with ease and flashes her brakes mockingly in front of it. She leaves it in the dust*
Diego: Ah ha ha ha! *looks back and sees the driver of the other car throwing the bird in their wake* You are a hellcat!
Dessie: Just you wait, mister. *she speeds past a notorious speed trap and gives a beaming glance back as the cherry on the hidden cop car lights up* Look who it is!
Diego: Ha! How very quaint. *gestures at the radio* May I?
Dessie: Feel free! *she adjusts the rear view mirror* It's my old friend Officer Duke~! *a friendly aside to Diego* We play these games, you know. But I don't think he knows that it's me, since I have a new car. Let's see if he can catch on! *hides herself in a hollow amongst three cars as they pass a slow-moving truck and effectively closes herself off from him* This is a trick I like to use. *she immediately seems to get antsy when she's slowed down to speed limit, though*
Diego: *flips on the radio and adjusts automatically past several stations, not looking at his hands as he watches Desiree do that thing she do. He stops on his favorite jazz station, which is playing John Coltrane's Giant Steps, a song most inappropriate for driving the speed limit*
Dessie: *as the tempo of the song rises, she becomes antsier and antsier. She taps her left foot, her fingers in succession over the steering wheel... Her head bobs and turns like a bird's as she waits for an opening to get in front of the cars she's behind. The cars in her little caravan drift off as the police car approaches, pulling over to the side of the road. All but her. As soon as they pass, she's off like a sunbeam after the clouds part, laughing again like a wild woman*
Dessie: Let's see if he recognizes this! *as she gets out into a more deserted stretch of highway - a more curved one - she turns the car into a quick and tentative drift. The car shudders all over as she does, her calculating eyes making minute adjustments as the car slides sideways and the tires squeal loud enough to merge with the jazz on the radio*
Diego: *he's tapping out the beat with two fingers, his whole body tensing as if he hopes to brace himself in the event of a crash at this speed, but his face doesn't do so much as twitch* Has he ever caught up with you?
Dessie: Hmmm. *adjusts the rear-view mirror to center the cop car in it* Once. I flashed him these pearly-whites... *smiles for emphasis* ...and he let me off with a warning. But here's where the fun part begins. *soon, the car is out of sight, and just as the piano solo begins (right about 3:05) she exits off the highway, slowing to a reasonable speed and taking a left, then another left to get back on going the opposite direction. She stays far closer to the speed limit this time, though still well above* Ta dah!
Diego: Ha! That's a good trick. I wonder how well- *stops at the sound of a siren and looks back over his shoulder - there are three more cruisers coming up the highway behind them, and they are actually gaining* More company.
Dessie: Oooh, clever boys! I'll lose them at the quarry, I think. Up for a little bit of off-roading? *she gives him a toothy smile*
Diego: *considers for a moment, his face dark - and then he grins like the devil* Mind making a detour? You might be able to get your way out of this, but with my record I might get you in more trouble.
Dessie: And what's wrong with more trouble? *after a pause* As long as no one gets hurt, of course.
Diego: *grins wider* They might. Never know - I am a killer. Ha! *looks forward, the grin not falling, the lights on his visor glowing low but steadily* There's a small road that runs along the far side of Gourd Lake. There's one particular spot where it goes right by the water. Can you get us there?
Dessie: *her own sheen of confident recklessness wavers at his acknowledgment of his ex-con status. But she recovers it and nods at him, gunning it and heading for Gourd Lake, making every effort to lose the cops that still follow and failing the entire time. She doesn't seem nervous - a little fun isn't really doing wrong is it? - but she does seem to be pouring more effort into driving*
Diego: *looks back over his shoulder to see the pursuing patrol cars falling rapidly behind* You know, you could rob banks. You're good at this. *it's not clear if he's kidding or not*
Dessie: *shakes her head, an uncharacteristic touch of grimness beneath the ever-present smile* Now that's a crime. Only the worst kind of people hurt innocent people out of greed.
Diego: Ha! Hellcat with a heart of gold. You're one of a kind. *glances out the window - they'll be coming up on the right spot in about twenty-five seconds* You just keep going until you lose them. I'll get in touch with you after I make it back to Kurain.
Dessie: *distractedly* Oh? *she glances over, then turns her head* What do you mean?
Diego: *counting off in his head* Eyes on the road, filly! Think of how ashamed your driver's ed teacher would be if you were in an accident because you were talking to some dark, handsome stranger.
Dessie: *turns her eyes back to the road* He passed away, but I'm sure he'd disapprove.
Diego: Live fast and die young - truly the life of a man who knows what he wants. *takes a moment to look at Desiree* Thank you for the ride. It is a lovely car. *with that he unfastens his seatbelt, opens the door - and then there's a splash as he hits the water of Gourd Lake at nearly a hundred, actually bouncing off of and rolling along the surface before sinking out of sight*
Dessie: Oh no! *cranes her neck to see if he's all right, but as usual decides to assume the best and speeds on to parts unknown, parts where cops presumably aren't*
Diego: *the surface of the lake is perfectly calm as the patrol cars fly past the spot where Diego bailed, sirens wailing as they continue their futile pursuit - they're already long past the point where they could hope to catch her. A few moments after they've passed, Diego Armando rises from the water at the shore, hands in his pockets and coughing*
Diego: Hm. *takes his hands out of his pockets to touch at his ribs, and his mask - nothing broken, at least. He can already feel the deep sting of the tremendous bruise on his torso, though, the one that Pearl will give him Hell for later. Still, he grins as he looks down the road* Damn nice car. *he begins the walk to a bus station, deciding to forgo the trek to Kurain*