semi-open || cowgirls need not apply

[complementing]

WHO: Dreadful Women's Adventure Club
WHERE: Churchill Downs Riding School and Stables
WHEN: Backdated to July 9th
WHAT: July's DWAC adventure is chocobo riding! Please sign up here to join the club if you haven't already!
WARNINGS: I apologize in advance if some of these horse riding terms are wrong ahaha.

[Those bingo cards sure have gotten everyone in a tizzy! Minako has to admit that it's a surprisingly nice game, though, despite where it'd come from, and decides to move the DWAC date up by two weeks to help anyone who needs the 'chocobo race' tile filled-- including herself, of course.

Saddle up, ladies, it's time to ride.]

STABLES

[Time to pick your partner! The stable have a variety of docile sunshine yellow chocobos used for beginner riding lessons. Well, they're supposed to be docile. The stables can't help you if the one you pick decides that you're looking at it funny and starts pecking at you. Or tries bucking you off while you get into the saddle. Or just decides to be ornery in general.

Good luck?

The stable has two prized black chocobos too, the proud parents of a little baby chick that likes to somehow squeeze out of her pen and wander around the barn. Maybe you can help the stablemaster herd her back to her parents. And don't you dare think of stealing her.]

MANEGE

[The area outside the stables is wide and spacious, but not quite used to accommodating groups of riders larger than five or six. The ladies might have to take turns going out with their chocobos. But don't worry, Minako arranged for a picnic lunch to be delivered, full of 'cowgirl' foods like pulled pork sandwiches, cornbread, chili, twice baked potatoes, and peach cobbler for dessert. The little black chocobo chick is wandering around too, so anyone waiting won't stay bored.

The trainers will be out with the riders, guiding them through basic gaits and even some obstacle jumps once they get the actual stop and go part down. Did your chocobo stop being ornery? Probably not, huh. Don't be too startled when your chocobo jumps at the sight of a random but h u g e bug in the grass, and be careful of not digging too hard into your chocobo's sides, too. They don't like that very much.

Once the trainers have deemed everyone one knowledgeable enough to continue on their own, they move to a different area to keep watch over the group. Now you can ride however you'd like! Which means it's the perfect time to take care of that bingo tile, of course. Who will throw down the gauntlet first?]

Comments

OTA

[long_live_the_queen]

Stables

[Surprising even herself, Lucy hadn't needed too much coaxing to join this club. Minako was here, that was 99% of the reason she needed. She'd showed up at the stables without further prompting, too, and had been doing a good job at paying attention to the stablehands' instructions.

...and then that little chick broke loose and everything else stopped mattering so much.

The waist-height-at-the-beak bird thought having all these people chasing it was great fun, and took off running through the stables with its crest and neck feathers all fluffed out and trilling gleefully as it went.

Lucy was not so amused, particularly when she almost slipped and fell turning the corner after the thing.]

Watch the feet!

[Or catch the bird too, that would be nice.]

Manege

[Lucy normally liked animals.

This cheerfully yellow bird was doing its best to severely test her patience.

Once the trainer had finished going through the basics and was satisfied Lucy wasn't going to fall off immediately, the chocobo just...sat down. It was clearly done with work for today, and Lucy was surprisingly reluctant to actually kick it. She'd refused even the basic blunt spurs they'd offered her, even.

As the minutes dragged on she was starting to regret that decision. Her chocobo was perfectly relaxed, and calm, and resolutely not budging. It even had its eyes closed with its beak turned towards the sun.]

Would you get up?

[The chocobo didn't even so much as peep. Sunbathing was far more interesting, and the trainers were far off to the side and too busy trying not to laugh to help.

Please help.]

[mincingminuet]

[Penelope was a bit more comfortable on a chocobo than Freya's roommate, clearly.  She trotted up on the back of the big bird, leaning forward a little bit to rub it's beak.  Coming with Lucy as a way to get to know her?  Probably a good thing.  They'd just talked a couple of times briefly, and she had promised.  The club had just presented the right opportunity.]

It won't move unless you poke it.  The spurs, Lucy, just give him a little tickle and it'll get moving.

[Pen's chocobo waddles forward, head bobbing from side to side...clearly interested in a run.  If Lucy isn't gonna...]

[long_live_the_queen]

[Lucy did look up instead of slouching more, though she was sorely tempted to do more of the latter. It's one of her default settings.]

...fine.

[The teenager just tapped her heels against the bird's side at first; it didn't budge. It knew its way around beginners, particularly how to call all their bluffs.

She grit her teeth and tried again.]

Get up!

[A more forceful kick, and one that finally got through the chocobo's feathery hide. It let out a mock-offended squawk, and rocked backwards and forwards like it was deliberately trying to dump Lucy off. She lurched forwards and smacked her face into the back of its neck, but did not actually tumble over the wings.

Lucy just. Muttered something probably vile as the chocobo stood, fully awake and trilling a greeting at Pen's chocobo like it hadn't just been taking a nap in the sun.]

Stable

[totallynotanoni]

[ Oh crap why her why her? Its really hard to catch these things when their coming in on her-]

UMPH!

[-right.

She doesn't even have time to process the familiar voice, much less the slight image of familiar pink hair turning the corner, before the chick slams into her, throwing her to the ground as it dashes off to another part of the stables, giving a victorious sounding warm as it does so. She's left a huffing mess on the ground, trying to get back up.]

Dammit, I almost had him.

[long_live_the_queen]

[This escalated quickly.

When Lucy turned the corner she was already correcting herself to launch into a sprint, and wasn't expecting an obstacle in the way. She didn't stop in time to avoid Katherine, tripping over her entirely while Katherine was trying to stand. Lucy didn't land on her, but hit the floor further along shoulder-first while she tried (and failed) to catch herself.]

[longwei2go]

[ Yin wasn't doing too much riding today, but content with helping people out here and there whenever they just needed an extra pair of hands — yes, that meant she was out and about here today with her metal arm on. the birds didn't seem to appreciate the way it reflected the light suddenly from the shinier chrome parts, so she had borrowed a loose scrap of leather and some rope to tie over the forearm. it may look funny but it does the trick.

right now she's approaching Lucy and her uncooperative ride, looking quite amused. ] You sure told him, huh.

[long_live_the_queen]

[The chocobo makes a muffled kweh noise without opening its beak when it heard another voice. Hello! It's not getting up, but it acknowledges your presence!

The person on the bird's back isn't nearly as agreeable in saying hi.]

Shut up.

[Lucy taps her heels against the chocobo's sides again, which it ignores.

The gleam of metal caught her eye despite the arm's covering, and she awkwardly glanced away when she noticed what she was looking at.]

manege

[complementing]

...that one is pretty carefree, huh.

[Minako comes trotting up on her own chocobo, in a cowgirl outfit because of course she would dress up for this-- but more than that, she's on a chocobo that's actually listening to her.

She slides off of hers and walks over to Lucy's, reaching out to pat its beak.]

Come on, buddy, don't you wanna run with Callie over here? She's itching for a race.

[long_live_the_queen]

It's not good at listening either.

[Lucy mumbles some more, but doesn't huddle her shoulders up quite so much with Minako approaching. This was fine. Her chocobo was...not being fine.

The bird trilled a bit at the touch on its beak, half opening its eyes. It'd consider it! But that was more work.]

ota!

[abovethefold]

i. if you're going to act like a cow...
[Katherine loves horses--she'd grown up showing them, and walking into the stables always calms her down a bit. Things are a bit strange now, walking in and smelling not quite the musty scent of a horse barn but also another, lighter (though no less strong) scent, but whatever it is in her that had accepted chocobos so readily when they'd originally replaced horses seems to have retained that love. Katherine walks up and down the stable, stopping to coo at the various chocobos and to stroke their beaks if they'll let her.]

...do you need some help?

[For anybody that needs it, she's more than happy to help with grooming the chocobos before they saddle up to ride, coaxing the birds to spread their wings wide so that she can smooth down their feathers, fingers picking through for any that are going against the natural lie of the wing, tugging loose feathers out before they can become a hassle, giving pats and rubs to the chocobo's neck. She'll also help with tacking up, checking the girth to make sure it's tight, nudging her shoulder into the bird if they try to hold their breath to get a looser fit (what a butt!).

Even though she's got an ornery bird herself, Kath seems to be enjoying it--the two of them are almost playing some sort of game where she has to turn around and catch her mount before it can nip at the back of her shirt or riding breeches.]

Oh, no you don't! You don't get to bite that easily!


ii. ...i'm going to treat you like a cow
[Kath's pretty comfortable once they're in the ring, too, offering advice to anyone that might need it. She'll be one of the first to start onto the jumps, unable to keep from laughing as her mount flaps its wings to slow their drop back down to earth. How can anybody dislike chocobos? They're so cute!

Joining the picnic, she'll be more than willing to talk to anybody, seeming at ease in her riding clothes and sitting on the ground, fawning over the chick whenever it comes near.]

Oh, aren't you the cutest thing? Come here, let me see you up close.

[Or perhaps she's just looking up at your character and opening conversation.] Had you ever ridden before today?


iii. ride 'em, not-cowboys
[As the day wears on, Kath's starting to get a little bit antsy. She doesn't mind going slowly and teaching all of the other riders, but as someone who's been riding for over half her life, she wants something more, too.

Which means that once they're left to their own devices, she's glancing sideways at the ladies around her.]

So... who here would be up for a little bit of competition?

III

[originallutece]

[Admittedly, Rosalind isn't all that fond of either horses or chocobos. They're cute, yes, but she automatically distrusts any animal bigger and taller than her. It's not that she thinks they're going to rampage, precisely, but still, she'd rather not go near them.

But the whole point of this club is to push your boundaries. So here she is, clad in trousers for once, idly bringing her mount towards the barn when she hears Katherine call that challenge. A slight smile lights up her face, more a smirk than anything sweet.]

That depends entirely on what kind you mean, dear cousin.

[abovethefold]

[It's funny; even though she's only now beginning to get to know Rosalind, she can recognize the expression on her cousin's face clear as day. Kath sits back in her saddle, tucking her chin slightly and shrugging lightly.]

Oh, if you're finished for the day, don't worry about it. I only thought we might try and see who the fastest of all of us is, that's all.

[Yeah, that's definitely a challenge.]

II

[long_live_the_queen]

...it's cuter when it's not running away.

[Despite how grumpy those words would ordinarily sound, Lucy was...not so grumpy around small fluffy things. Especially peeping ones on remarkably good behavior.

Lucy had been sitting on a blanket nearby but not talking or even looking over at her new neighbor until the black feathered chick had trundled up, very interested in the baked potatoes.]

i;

[complementing]

...whoa, you're handling him pretty well.

[Minako is passing by the barn, her arms loaded with food for the lunch later. She doesn't want to get too close, in case any chocobos get the idea that they can start eating the food, but she's fascinated by how at home Katherine is here.]

Did you know how to ride before this?

ota

[belligerentwarrior]

Stables

[Freya's always hated the smell of the birds, but she liked them well enough. She remembered them. Sort of. Birds like them. Larger and more wild differently plumed.]

[She's getting along well with one of the regular yellow ones, feeding it greens to build trust and occasionally talking softly to it. Which is apparently successful when it kwehs and leans down to start preening Freya's hair.]

Well, aren't you a sweetheart? [That. Kind of hurts, with how tangled her hair is, but she'll indulge the chocobo for a moment.]

Manege

[Freya had no bloody idea how to ride a horse.]

[If Retrospec's weird bullshit had any perks, it made riding chocobos easy, especially these tiny things. Freya hadn't even bothered to flag down a trainer or saddle her steed; she'd just slipped up onto it's back, sidesaddle, and was gently guiding the bird around the track.]

[...Even if the bird seemed to get distracted a lot. For example, like stopping in the middle of the track to obsessively dig at something.] Sorry for holdin' up traffic.

Manege

[totallynotanoni]

Its honestly no problem. I don't think I'm going to be going anywhere I want to go for a little bit. My chocobo doesn't seem to have a good sense of attention.

[ Case in point, Rainbow is currently scratching at the ground, possibly because she saw a shiny thing. And totally not budging regardless of the small tugs and motions Kath is trying to signal her with. Stubborn bird.]

...I think I might be keeping you company for a little bit.

stables

[complementing]

[Minako is leading her chocobo into the stables to hand it off to another DWAC member, but the scene in front of her is so adorable that she pauses to take a picture.

She'll send it to Pen later.]

Freya, I never knew you were a chocobo whisperer.

Manege

[matchbreaker]

Trust me, last time I was here, it was much worse. I had the saddest race with a young man that anyone's ever seen.

[ Elda says with a huff, taking one hand off the reigns to push the sunglasses up her nose again. It's not precisely a good idea to do that, but at the same time, if she didn't she runs a risk of the sunlight getting in her eyes and that would be bad for everyone under the circumstances.

... She should have brought a band or something. ]

Manege

[twelfthspark]

[Arlene can only wish for Retrospec to grant her automatic riding skills. And you know what they say, if wishes were chocobos... Still, she's stubbornly trying to do it on her own instead of flagging down a trainer, so good thing she didn't get one of the grumpy ones.

It's a little too calm, actually. How is she supposed to race a bird that doesn't want to run?]

Need to give it something more interesting to do.

Manege

[long_live_the_queen]

[It'd taken a number of attempts and various forms of bribery, but Lucy had finally gotten her chocobo to move! It was ambling its way across the track without issue now, and picked up the pace a little when it saw another bird.

...and then stopped right next to Freya's, peering quizzically down at the same patch of ground. Was there food there? Something interesting? It trilled at the other chocobo to get its attention. If there's food you should be sharing!

Lucy didn't immediately try to tug its head back up; she had some blinking of her own to do.]

...how are you staying on like that?

ota - I find it funny that I actually did research for this.

[totallynotanoni]

i - Stables
[Fun fact: Katherine's never really ridden a horse before. Growing up the closest thing she got to do was ride around on a merry-go-round. Then she lost her arm, and suddenly the possibility of riding a horse became even more improbable.

Yet her she was, trying to mount a chocobo...yeah, she really does't know how she got here. She doesn't even fully remember when she signed up for this club.]

Ok, here we go. [She mentally repeats the instructions she heard recently in the back of her head. Grabbing the rein bar provided to her and a small amount of feathers with her arm, she moves her foot into the stirrup and, with a few light hops, lifts herself to the back. Or so she would, had she not accidentally driven the toes of her boot into its side. The white bird jolts, misbalancing the would-be rider. Its enough to force Kath to shakily step back down, take a (somewhat frustrated) breath, and look back to her fellow riders with a slight look of defeat. This was her third try.]

Um, could somebody give me a lift here please?

ii - Manege

[Fortunately for Kath, it seems the staff here have worked with people missing are before. A rein bar meant for riders missing upper limbs has been fitted to the reins for her, and she's received additionally help in figuring out how to keep on the bird without a right arm for balance. Suddenly that improbability doesn't really matter anymore - even if she still hasn't technically ridden a horse.]

Steady girl, don't-whoa!

[Of course that doesn't really mean she's avoided all the hurdles. The white chocobo she's been paired up with, "Rainbow", is pretty friendly, but definitely has some attention issues. The bird suddenly changes direction, causing its already misbalanced rider to waiver even more before righting herself. A look of irritation crosses Kath's face, as she tries to maintain control of her bird.]

O-Okay, no more turning like that. Just-

[ Too late, Rainbow saw a shiny and makes another sudden turn.

Kath ends up swinging to the left in an arc, holding on for sweet mercy and getting lifted off her saddle. Its like the time she rode one of those mechanical bulls - except there probably weren't safety cushions placed around her.]

Crapcrapcrapcrap-!

iii - Picnic

[ Ok, so maybe she still needs to work on her riding skills, but at least she tried...and got a couple of bruises in the process. She'll definitely be feeling those tomorrow.

Currently in the fallout of her experiences, she's sitting alone at a picnic table with a plate of food in front of her, holding a cold water bottle to her forehead.]

Ugh, what is with that bird?

[She seems to be pretty focused on ignoring her headache right now, to the point of not noticing the black chick walking up to her table and eyeing her plate.]

iii;

[complementing]

[Minako is bringing more cold drinks over, glancing at the black chick.]

Pretty sure she either wants to play or eat your food. Or both.

[She sets down the drinks and then carefully herds the baby chocobo away.]

Go on, girl, you go back to your parents.

[The little thing isn't having any of that, of course, and she only warks as she side steps Minako.]

...geez, we've got a pretty precocious one here.

I

[matchbreaker]

[ Oh, that's the one-armed one, isn't it? The 5' purple haired woman had noticed her earlier as someone who was probably closer to ten years younger than her as opposed to twenty, so she had meant to talk to her, but-

Well, she wasn't the best bet to help her up, but hey, some help is better than none. ]

Sure, I can help you up.

[ She volunteers, gliding on over. ]

ota way too late

[matchbreaker]

I: Stables Senior
[ Elda grew up wealthy and so she had ridden horses before. This was something she remembered now, even if it was literally decades ago. Well, that and until recently she had remembered it being chocobos... really, the whole thing is a mess. This event isn't as interesting sounding to her as that murder mystery thing was, but she had other obligations that made her miss that and she did like the idea of this club, so it just seemed polite to show to the next major meet up like this.

And so the 5' forty year old was here, purple hair and sunglasses over her red eyes and all. The whole light sensitivity thing really sucked. But hey, she was here and reaching out to ... well, let's brush the top of the crowns of the birds. Most of them seem to be pretty okay with her, but this one - this one is squawking and making a show. She hisses back at it and: ]

Don't you mouth off at me, girl!

[ . . . Bird arguments. ]

II: Picnic Watching
[ Soooo, while she was all here for the riding and knocking out bingo things, possibly, the main reason that she was here was for socializing. She assumed/hoped that this might be an affair where there were more women around her age. Clearly, this was not quite the case, but they were all women and were all on Retrospec, so ... you know what, that's better than nothing. And honestly, it sounds pretty good.

... Just like this pulled pork is actually pretty great. She'll need to ask what went in it if there was anything special.

Either way, ]

So, what's the weirdest thing bingo's forced you to do?

[ If they're all on Retrospec, that's a good enough opener. ]

III: Let's Ride
[ You know, she can't help but find some amusement out of the fact that she had actually knocked out the chocobo racing square before she even got the message that this event was happening. As such, she really didn't need to race, but after all the beginner's intro to riding, the whole affair was much more fun than that slow and awkward thing. Working hard to make sure the riding doesn't dislodge her sunglasses, the purple haired woman is generally enjoying trotting around when it's actually her turn.

And you know what...?

Why not? ]

You think you've got the hand of jumping the obstacles?

ii;

[complementing]

It told me to be someone's master for a week. [Said oh so nonchalantly, as she dumps mac and cheese onto her plate.]