Petunia

The door of the meeting cubicle that Tenebrae now brought to every race stable was a slightly rickety plastic thing that didn't carry a knock well, but it rattled enough to catch the attention of the meeting in the middle of Petunia’s briefing. Frowning slightly, she looked up and called, "Come in!"

When the door didn't immediately open – had she not been loud enough? – Ches reached over from his seat at the far end of the table and awkwardly tugged the handle down. He had to set his chair back on all four legs to make room for the door to swing, and even then it wouldn't swing wide. There was an awkward exchange of apologies through the gap.

Shuffling chairs allowed it to open enough for Brynna’s head to poke in. She looked around the room, which held Adelie, Phoebe, Stefan and Elice as well as Ches, and met Petunia’s eyes. "Sorry to interrupt, sweeties, just wanted to say a quick good-bye."

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"Wait, where are you going?" Petunia felt her voice rise in pitch. The PR manager didn't have any travel booked until the team's return to Occidens after the race weekend. With all the press that were here, and Thessaly’s performance as well, what could she be travelling for?

A pained look flickered across Brynna’s face and she muttered something that might have been, "I was hoping you wouldn't ask." Then she brightened, her voice brittle. "I'm going to go and try to do something about our little crow problem, sweetie. I have an idea, but it's risky. I don't want to say too much, you know?"

Crow problem? The blackmail threat? Why be so evasive? Everyone in this meeting knew, now. Petunia glanced from Adelie, who was looking down at her hands, to an oddly transfixed Phoebe, then back to Brynna. "Is there anything we can do to help?"

"Grown-up stuff, sweetie." Brynna smiled, and some of her usual airy confidence returned. "You just focus on winning the race. I believe in you. Just trust me, ok?"

"What about your flights, though? I mean-"

"Settle up with me if I win, sweetie," Brynna cut her off with a wink. "I hope I'll back for the parties."