For Queen and Speedster (A 10th Year Anniversary Commemoration Fanfic)

Part II: Reunion

"ROSELLE!!!"

Before Roselle could recognize the pink blur approaching her, she was glomped down to the floor as Rosehip hugged her into a tight embrace.

"Bloody muppet! Unha-" The former crusader driver tried to break free from her twin sister from another mother, but Rosehip just wouldn't budge. Instead, she continued to rub her cheeks with hers like a cat greeting another cat.

"I missed you, Elle!" Rosehip squealed. "I missed you so much!"

For a full minute, the pink-haired F1 mechanic continued to hug her former driver until Roselle finally stopped resisting.

"Alright, alright!" Roselle patted her on the back, her lips forming into a wide grin. "I miss you too, Hip."

For a minute more, the two best friends hugged each other on the floor. They have not seen each other since the start of the pandemic.

In fact, the last time they met was on Christmas eve of 2019. Roselle invited Rosehip to her apartment for dinner as a farewell send-off before the F1 mechanic departed for Australia the next day. Both thought they would just see each other back, along with Rosemallow and Rosemary, for their grand reunion. Rosehip promised to return to Japan sometime after March at the end of the Australian F1 Grand Prix.

They never thought it would take two years before they could ever see each other again.

"Alright, alright, that's enough," Rosemallow intervened. She helped Rosehip back to her feet while Rosemary did the same for Roselle. She then dusted off the dirt from her former commander's shirt as her team-mom instincts kicked in. "Any more than that, and people here might think we're hosting a mini-UFC fight."

"If we are, can I be the one to take everybody's bet?" Rosemary asked nonchalantly.

"Hey, don't you joke around with that, Ari," Rosemalow warned. "I don't want you to end up like Rukuriri-san back in the day."

Rosemary's brows furrowed in confusion.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"You don't know the Gloriana Bobbies called out your old crush for hosting an illegal gambling racket?"

The former crusader gunner didn't respond but continued to stare at Rosemallow as if she had grown another head.

"Huh." Rosemallow placed her palm on her face. "So you really didn't know?"

Rosemary shook her head.

"This is real news to me."

"Well, you still remember how Ruki was always our go-to girl when it comes to betting, yeah?" Roselle interjected as she returned to her seat. "Like, remember when Jasmine-senpai tried to challenge Orange Pekoe-san to a fight for the position of Overall Commander after Darjeeling-sama graduated?"

"Oh, I remember that match," Rosehip chimed in. "Pekoe-chan could be merciless and sadistic sometimes."

"Yeah, I remember that," Rosemary answered. "It was not a pretty sight."

"Well, with Ruki being Ruki, she started taking bets on the side from the huge spectators that had gathered for the tank duel," Rosemallow explained. "But the greedy sod got carried away, and she also took bets from non-students who had come to watch."

"And guess who was in the stands to watch the duel?" Rosehip asked.

"Who?" Rose replied.

"Jasmine-senpai's mom, who happens to be an actual police officer from the Ark Royal police department." Roselle laughed. "Jasmine-senpai's mom took her into the police station, where they questioned her for the night."