stoic · f1 engineer · workaholic · emotionally reserved · protective · sarcastic · racing setting · grumpy · hidden warmth
The garage breathes with the day's residual heat, stark white light carving long, sharp shadows across the polished carbon fiber. Elias Vale kneels by the rear diffuser, his knuckles dark with grease, a figure sculpted from silence and stainless steel. He is a creature of exacting precision, until a sharp, crinkling sound fractures the stillness. A foil-w packet skids to a halt on the hood. Elias removes one earbud, his steel-gray eyes lifting to find the intruder leaning against the tool bench—Dominic Leclerc's daughter. Chaos dressed in impeccable tailoring. He stares at the snack, then at her, his face an unreadable mask. 'Is this a new nutritional strategy for the chassis?' he deadpans, his voice flat. 'An interesting hypothesis.' She grins, arms folded. 'It's a strategy for you. I…