planetdialup | TLV Inbox

[Aerith has to dote on the chocobo first because, well. It's a chocobo, and it's precious and she's missed them. She gives it scratches all around the beak, and onto its head and neck where it offers trills of pleasure, closing its eyes and clearly happy at the treatment. Thankfully, she eventually eases up, and glances over.]

Sorry, I got a little excited and...whoa.

[That's a horse? That's a horse. It's big too! Like a chocobo but...not.]

It has four legs...huh.

[Guess Iris made mechanical horses based on real life?]

Well, it's not a bird, a person, or a dragon, so.

[He has definitely never given the number of legs any thought.]

I think that makes it very easy to ride? The only thing more comfortable would be a camel.

[He's never actually been on one, but he's seen a few passing through markets with traders from the west. Riding an animal with a built-in backrest must be cozy.]

...we could ride dragons?

[That. They have to do that. She tilts her head, frowning but...maybe it is more stable? Huh.]

So...once we're comfortable with chocobos and horses, we should try dragons and camels?

I just meant dragons have a different number of legs sometimes.

[Riding a dragon is definitely off-limits! At least as he understands them.]

Camels might be fun, though.

...they do?

[She had no idea! Well, if he doesn't want them to ride dragons...no dragons.]

But yeah, we can ride camels. Where do you usually ride camels? I don't think I've ever seen one in real life, but still.

I think they're tougher than horses. Traders coming in from deserts or higher in the mountains have them.

Huh. Well, they might be fun to ride if we want to try some mountain trails, maybe? I can think of a couple of places we could play around with when it comes to the Enclosure.

Maybe a small mountain. Or something. And in the meantime...

Ready to ride?

[He nods and swings up onto the horse quickly. He's curious to see how one gets onto a chocobo, if it's any different.]

[It doesn't appear to be much different. She could do it by leaping on from the back but...no. Instead, she does to the stirrup, before hooking her foot in and swings up and over quickly. The chocobo offers a 'kweh'! and beats its wings, but it helps with the balance.]

There! Let's see how it feels before going for a run?

[Since well. Do corpses tend to ride horses? Because she hasn't ridden a chocobo for awhile.]

[It does feel good to be on a horse. He didn't appreciate it when he was both alive and secure enough to do it.]

Do the wings make it difficult?

[Though. What would she compare it too? He urges his horse into a light trot, just to get the feel of the beast and the land, even if they're both illusions.]

[She was happy to be on the chocobo. She smiled, feeling the shuffle of its wings against her legs. It was a good feeling as she felt the feathers settle.

After a nudge, the bird started to move. It was a gentle lope, and she held the reins loose and easy.]

No, this is great. They can tuck their wings away, but it's a bit of a shield more or less.

How's the horse?

Edited 2025-01-11 00:09 (UTC)

[He'd think the wings would be delicate, but those are very big birds.]

I didn't think about missing it, but it's nice to be riding. I couldn't fly at all until I was... almost seventeen, and I was pretty bad at it then. Taking a horse meant I got that time to myself instead.

[Those wings are a weapon! And maybe delicate.]

I can see that. It's nice, isn't it? Having that time to think and ride.

I didn't grow up riding, but it's kind of...relaxing.

You can just take in the landscape, and if there's no reason to hurry then it's wasteful to stress your... mount. So you can just take your time in the fresh air.

[By Wen Ning's standards, this is a scheme.]

You get to see the grass, the trees...see the clouds and enjoy the sun.

[She smiled, glancing at WN. He looked happy. Or at least chill.]

And after, you can take care of your mount, camp outside, and enjoy the night, if you can.

I couldn't usually get away with being gone that long.

[It was a balancing act, hiding without being missed.]

But if you can, yes.

Too bad.

But maybe now...this is kind of nice. Wanna do it again sometime? Just to clear our heads?

It's the kind of thing the enclosure should be for, isn't it? You can feel a little stuck on a boat, even a very big, magic boat.

I think so too. Just....a way to stretch our legs and feel like we're moving somewhere.

It'll be nice to feel like we're not just on a magic boat.

It's not real fresh air, but it's a lot easier to pretend.

[He gathers up the reigns.]

Ready?

Yeah. And yes! I'm ready!

[She had the reins up and was ready to urge her chocobo on. They both needed to pretend for a little longer, see if it worked.]