03 - Public / Video

[domesheriff]

[Linda is sitting on a bench in the garden when she activates the feed. she's dressed casually in a coat and jeans, though her right hand visibly has a bandage around it. she looks tired, and she's obviously fallen in some mud at some point today as well]

Anybody else having trouble learning to ride their animals? [there's weariness in her tone. but a thought occurs to her then, and she adds:] Are many people going to be in the race? I know it's optional.

[while the mud is a result of her rocky attempts to learn to ride a "yoshi," her burned hand isn't. it's been a busy day, starting with testing forcefields with Agent K to try to find one like the dome followed by her riding session on the farm. needless to say, relaxing for a bit chatting with friends strikes her as a good way to end an exhausting day]

Comments

[vengeance_driven]

Me. I am having trouble.

[And he is riding in it. Hooray.]

You look pretty tired.

[domesheriff]

Niko! [she lights up at the sight of him. it's been a while since they last talked] What do they have you riding?

[at that, she sighs] It's been a long day. [and, making a face, she adds:] And I don't think the yoshi at the farm likes me riding him.

[vengeance_driven]

A big yellow bird thing.

Honestly it's easier than sliding around in bowling balls, though. [Which is the last time they talked.]

[domesheriff]

[that description makes her picture Big Bird. sadly, she wouldn't put it past this place] Weird. What are those called?

Ugh, don't remind me! At least it's not something like that. [because the race sounds a lot less destructive, for a start]

[ewestmarch]

You made it back.

[vengeance_driven]

Yeah, I shot things for a little bit but then hid in a hole before I could be blown up again or run out of bullets.

And then I went home to make sure everything was actually all healed up.

Did most of the rest go okay?

[ewestmarch]

Found the witch. Dead.

[impossibilities]

I have never been a very good rider, myself. I do not know why I am even doing this.

[How she got pulled into the race herself, she's still investigating, but Grainne's falls were far more messy than painful.]

How are you doing, Linda?

[domesheriff]

Hey, Grainne. [Linda is surprised to see her. even at this point, she's no less confused about what Grainne told her the last time they spoke, but she's decided to take it all at face value for now. it seems the easiest way to handle things] What are you riding for the race?

[at that question, she sighs] I'm pretty tired. It's been a long day, and I didn't realize I'd be so bad at riding.

What about you?

[impossibilities]

[She nods, understanding of the feeling.]

It does take a lot of practice and sore spots.

[And there goes a faint blush at the questions, answering both at once.]

A giant cat of some sort. I am not sure of the name. He's quite contrary... he goes left instead of right and sits down when it is time to go. Very much like a tiny cat...

[domesheriff]

Definitely. [she makes a face; she's sure she's going to be sore later, too]

That does sound like a cat. [and pretty frustrating to ride, at that] Good luck with it. Are you able to stay on it okay, at least?

[folkscallmewander]

You feelin' alright, Miss? [She obviously looks like she had a bit of trouble taming her animal, and he can't help but worry that bandaged hand was a result of that as well.]

I can give you some pointers if you need help. I'm also in the race, but I already have all this experience, it'd only be fair.

[domesheriff]

Hey, Wander. I'm just tired. [she gives him a rather wan smile] And it's Linda, you know.

Really? [she's surprised by his offer] I didn't know you rode. Have you worked with many kinds of animals?

[folkscallmewander]

Pardon my rudeness, but you kinda look more awful than jus' "tired". [He actually frowns at that.]

Oh, yeah! I've been practicin' with a bunch of animals forever, and I have plenty of experience with reins an' saddles. It's not that bad. 'course, for years I've been gettin' rides from my pal Sylvia, seein' that she's much bigger than me, but she's been givin' me tips, too.

[domesheriff]

[she looks surprised at his frank statement, and it takes her a second to realize he must be referring to her hand] Oh, this? [she lifts it to show the bandage tied around the middle of it] I just burned it--at work. [in the building, anyway, even if not in the process of performing her patrol duties] It's not bad.

Sylvia? [she's not sure from that description whether this is a person or an animal, and she has no idea how to ask]

[ewestmarch]

Not having trouble because I'm not trying.

[domesheriff]

[Linda's surprised to see a new face--and what a strange face Emilia has, at that. she can't help looking shocked at her appearance briefly before she catches herself, restraining any comments she might have made] Oh--uh, really? Does that mean nobody volunteered you, or are you just opting out?

[ewestmarch]

[Emilia smiles, showing nubby yellow teeth to go with her corpsey skin.]

They can try to volunteer me all they want. I'm not anybody's pet.

[domesheriff]

[she shrugs] If you say so. [she's curious about who might have volunteered her, but it hasn't occurred to her to look at the situation like that]

I don't think we've met. I'm Linda.

[truth_is_the_enemy]

I haven't managed to even get on mine yet. I just chased it around the paddock for an hour and a half and gave up.

From the look of you, I'm probably lucky. If I can't get on its back it can't throw me. Although at this point my part in the race is starting to look more like it's going to be a foot race marathon with a companion ungulate I can't actually ride on.

[domesheriff]

That sounds even worse than a yoshi. What do you have to ride? [she doesn't recognize Niles' face, but admittedly she's too caught up in the race at the moment to immediately start asking general questions]

[and she chuckles at that] I hope not for your sake. Honestly, it's not that it threw me so much as...it's kind of a mini-dinosaur with a really vertical back, and it likes to jump. [she wrinkles her nose. so far, the jumping is having the immediate effect of causing her to fall right off]

[truth_is_the_enemy]

Mine is called a Macrauchenia. It looks a bit like some crazed Indogene scientist decided to splice together a camel, a llama, and an elephant. Chief Kay said it's a prehistoric Earth animal. It looks like it's got a stable enough back not to cause too much trouble...if I can get on the beast.

video

[thumbsdown]

I got volunteered. Thought I'd try it out, but... yeah. Not sure I'll get very far.

[Which is fine with Boone, really. He's not trying to win, he just figured he might as well give it a shot.]

[domesheriff]

You too, Boone? [she smiles, glad to hear of another friend who's participating] Are you riding something really strange, too?

Honestly, I don't think I'll make it far either. Even if I can get better at riding a yoshi, it's not really very fast. [it just likes to jump, but she somehow doubts she'll score any points in the race for vertical ability. then again, much like Boone, she's mainly doing this for something to do with her time, rather than because she has any real hopes of winning]

[thumbsdown]

Yeah. It's, uh...

[He walks a short distance, and then turns the communicator. Now the video is focused on this.]

Pretty strange, huh.

[Pretty damn ridiculous, too.]

Doesn't seem like it wants to go anywhere fast.