I said I ride motorcycles, not oversized ostriches!
( Thus arrives Alex, holding the numbered tunic she's supposed to be wearing as a last minute sub-in on a chocobo the owner is less concerned about having win and more concerned about having disqualified. The chocobo she's supposed to ride is unremarkable: a nice yellow neither too strong nor too weak in coloration, side stepping as the groom gives both the bird and the young woman being paid as a interim jockey the same pained look. )
What? It's a whole different skill-set! Plus the motorcycle goes faster...
( The groom looks at her. Looks at the mounting block. Gestures, and Alex grimaces before she sighs and gives up on her protesting. At least she's getting paid in GP regardless of winning. (She hates knowing she's at a disadvantage for winning. It rubs against her competitive spirit, but she can admit, there are always sensible mitigating factors, and inexperience with giant ostriches is one of them.)
In her jockey shirt and settled in the saddle, she takes hold of the reins and makes absolutely sure not to pull back on them. Horses are sensitive to that. She's heard that! Maybe giant birds are as well?
Conceptually, the set-up for racing here reminders her of the horse races she's seen once or twice on television. A line of boxes like what she's led into, a whole bunch of other large birds and definitely more experienced riders perched on their backs. Along with the sudden opening of the gates —
...
...
... )
Shouldn't we... go?
( Her chocobo, which had decided not to leave at the shot fired with the rest of the rushing flock, hears her speak and gives a start. Then it bobs its massive head and bolts out onto the racetrack, Alex ducking down and coming just shy of trying to cling to the bird's neck to not fly off backward. Instead she has one hand holding the reins, the other gripping the saddle in front of her, and her legs clamped so tight she's going to get cramps if she isn't careful, or this race continues on too long.
Starting from so far back would be disheartening for some birds, but apparently not hers, who stretches out its neck, lowers its body, and appears to lengthen each stride catching up with the birds ahead. In the end, the bird decides to trail after a number of birds in succession: Alex, for her part, ends up batting away one beak that tries to take a nip at her leg, otherwise giving her bird its head. She doesn't know better how to steer this thing!
Which may be why, after the first turn and coming up on the second, her bird launches over two birds who's sniping has turned into a full body check sending them suddenly rushing out towards the outside edge of the track. Then the chocobo cuts a hard line in through and opening and is, against all logic and definitely not due to any skill of her own beyond the one that has kept her on the blasted bird, racing close behind Barnabas's mount. )
Chocobo Racing
( Thus arrives Alex, holding the numbered tunic she's supposed to be wearing as a last minute sub-in on a chocobo the owner is less concerned about having win and more concerned about having disqualified. The chocobo she's supposed to ride is unremarkable: a nice yellow neither too strong nor too weak in coloration, side stepping as the groom gives both the bird and the young woman being paid as a interim jockey the same pained look. )
What? It's a whole different skill-set! Plus the motorcycle goes faster...
( The groom looks at her. Looks at the mounting block. Gestures, and Alex grimaces before she sighs and gives up on her protesting. At least she's getting paid in GP regardless of winning. (She hates knowing she's at a disadvantage for winning. It rubs against her competitive spirit, but she can admit, there are always sensible mitigating factors, and inexperience with giant ostriches is one of them.)
In her jockey shirt and settled in the saddle, she takes hold of the reins and makes absolutely sure not to pull back on them. Horses are sensitive to that. She's heard that! Maybe giant birds are as well?
Conceptually, the set-up for racing here reminders her of the horse races she's seen once or twice on television. A line of boxes like what she's led into, a whole bunch of other large birds and definitely more experienced riders perched on their backs. Along with the sudden opening of the gates —
...
...
... )
Shouldn't we... go?
( Her chocobo, which had decided not to leave at the shot fired with the rest of the rushing flock, hears her speak and gives a start. Then it bobs its massive head and bolts out onto the racetrack, Alex ducking down and coming just shy of trying to cling to the bird's neck to not fly off backward. Instead she has one hand holding the reins, the other gripping the saddle in front of her, and her legs clamped so tight she's going to get cramps if she isn't careful, or this race continues on too long.
Starting from so far back would be disheartening for some birds, but apparently not hers, who stretches out its neck, lowers its body, and appears to lengthen each stride catching up with the birds ahead. In the end, the bird decides to trail after a number of birds in succession: Alex, for her part, ends up batting away one beak that tries to take a nip at her leg, otherwise giving her bird its head. She doesn't know better how to steer this thing!
Which may be why, after the first turn and coming up on the second, her bird launches over two birds who's sniping has turned into a full body check sending them suddenly rushing out towards the outside edge of the track. Then the chocobo cuts a hard line in through and opening and is, against all logic and definitely not due to any skill of her own beyond the one that has kept her on the blasted bird, racing close behind Barnabas's mount. )