recolle | semi-open || cowgirls need not apply

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semi-open || cowgirls need not apply

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?]

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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.]

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?

[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...]

[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.]

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.

[Oh. Honey. Penelope shook her head and stroked her own bird's head, ruffling a tuft of feathers on top. It -warked- happily and started trotting in a circle around Lucy's.]

May want to hold on. I think you may be in for a ride, Lucy.

[If they could only understand bird-talk, they'd both get an earful that went something like 'hey, hey slowpoke, let's run. Freak these two out a little huh? It'll be awesome.'

But alas. They cannot speak bird.]

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.]

Edited 2017-07-14 01:02 (UTC)

[Pen wasn't laughing at her, which was helpful. Lucy stopped muttering sooner rather than later, sitting back in the saddle like she was supposed to.]

At least it's moving-

[Her chocobo's crest flattened a bit, like a cat's ears pinning back. Who are you calling slow??

It pawed at the ground once, fluffed its wings out a bit—and tore off with only those two warnings, kicking up bits of sod and dirt as it sprinted. Lucy shouted and lurched backwards, though the back of the saddle caught her before she fell off. She pulled the reins almost straight back, but they were really more of a suggestion at this point. The chocobo had the bit in its beak, it'd stop when it felt like it. Right now it was sprinting towards the track to take a position off the rail, like it had been trained to do.]

[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.

[Penelope's own chocobo lurched in the same manner, immediately taking off after it's 'friend' and warking happily. Pen managed to hold on a little better, since she had half expected the animal to just go without her say so. Most things did, they rarely waited for permission for a little thing like her.]

Whoa! H-Hey!

[At least they're darting for the flat track and not the obstacle course. She was pretty okay in the saddle, but she wasn't sure she could handle a jumping, bucking, charging chocobo!]

Hah! Haha!

[Nervous laughter, of course...]

...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.]

[It's an improvement over Lucy's stream of expletives! At this point she's given up on doing anything with the reins besides hold onto them. These saddles at least had a usable pommel, so clinging onto that helped.

The teenager's very un-aerodynamic posture wasn't helping her chocobo any, and Pen's was catching up after the abrupt head start.]

[Her chocobo is quite pleased with this and trills happily as it scampers onto the track like it's been aiming to do. Pen, however, notices the drag on Lucy's and being a good sport calls out:]

Duck down, you're slowing your chocobo!

[ 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.

[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.]

Edited 2017-07-16 17:06 (UTC)

I'm trying not to fall off!

[Which, admittedly, she was doing a good job at! Actually racing, not so much. Lucy was still curled up like a snail.

Her chocobo squawked indignantly when it saw the other one coming up alongside and then overtaking it, putting on another burst of speed. But it didn't quite manage to even the distance out, still half a length behind.]

You can do it, Lucy!

[Really, she's confident that once Lucy calms down and gets her bearings and just lets the animal lead, it'll be okay. That's what she's doing.]

Just keep low, let your chocobo run. They're trained not to hurt people, after all. You got this. Once it's over, we'll hit the arcade.

[ Things got crazy very quickly.

As it just so happens, the shoulder of Katherine's only arm gets a hit, Kath wincing in response but soldier through. She's dealt with pain before; a little tap shouldn't get through her too bad. The person who tripped over her, on the other hand...]

I'm very sorry, that bird got me by surprise there. [She turns around to see the girl on the floor, the rapid haze in her mind blocking any recognition. All she had was a pang of guilt and the urge to run and lend a hand. She actually starts scrambling over to the fallen girl.] Are you okay? You didn't hurt anything, did you?

Edited 2017-07-16 19:40 (UTC)

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.

[Lucy had landed uncomfortably on her side, smacking her arm into the concrete and scraping her knuckles. She'd knocked some of the wind out of herself too, and it took her a moment to get up.

By then, someone was...helping her? Lucy recoiled at the touch, as she usually did—and then saw who it was.

Her face twisted into a scowl, and she started wiggling backwards as soon as she got her feet under herself.]

I'm fine.

[Her shoulder hurt and would probably bruise later. But she was fine. This was fine. As long as she could wriggle away from her sister.]

[ 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.

[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.]

Just—fine!

[Lucy was listening, really. Calming down was...well, out of the question. Pen's encouragement helped, though.

As the chocobos came out of the turn and straightened up, Lucy was able to fix her posture somewhat. She was still slouched, but was able to cautiously lean forwards and off of the back curve, putting less pressure on the chocobo's legs. The bird responded immediately, putting on another burst of speed that brought it neck and neck with Pen's chocobo and made Lucy wobble all over again.

She's trying, okay.]

[Pen just keeps on trucking though, letting her own chocobo pick up speed and run without too much interference from her. It felt wrong somehow, to do anything to impede this bird. It makes an awkward sound and lowers it's head to run faster, Pen hanging on as it bolts on ahead.]

Haaaa, whoa there!

[Not sure if happy or terrified?!]

[Lucy was slightly less worried about falling off and breaking her neck now. Slightly. It only took half a lap.

If she stopped thinking about that, it was kind of...fun? She couldn't really steer and the brakes weren't working, but it was kind of exhilarating to be going this fast. Lucy's chocobo was starting to fall behind now, but she didn't mind.

Her bird did, though, and snapped irritably at the other one's tailfeathers.]

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semi-open || cowgirls need not apply

OTA

ota!

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

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III

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II

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Stable

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Manege

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