Festival: Beachside Peko Race

The sun is bright in the sky, the air warm with a faint breeze blowing in off the ocean. A perfect day for racing.

An audience has gathered, with many Landers in various states of swimwear sitting atop crudely constructed bleachers or along the sides of the track so they can get a view of the starting lines.

Pekos and their riders have been assigned lanes, giving just enough space between the birds that they don't agitate each other. A few shady looking individuals are clustered around, taking secretive bets on who the winner might be.

"Riders, to your starting positions!" A very posh looking Gnome calls out, his voice magically amplified.

Schneider is mounted atop a wild and ornery peko that he's named Garz. He's bare to the waist in board shorts, mid-thigh swim trunks, with no shoes on, and his long hair falling down his back. He grins to the audience, waves, and hunches forward, getting ready to go. "All right, Garz," he says to the feisty peko, "Let's show them how this works!"

In the spirit of the season, and the potential for water sections, Estelle remains wearing her swimsuit for this instead of her dress; a one-piece coloured in mixed swirls of dark blues. Her tails flick behind her as she leads her bird up to the starting line - the one her cast lots said would be the best match for her, of those available.

Still, despite this being her first time in one of these races, she bows her head to those around her. "Good luck, one and all; may the Stars watch over us, and the best racer win." And she has no illusions it's likely not going to be her.

Given his present state of questionable sanity, it might seem a little strange to see the Doctor of Tolbana sitting astride a distinctly doe-eyed peko at the starting line. But really, if you think about it, this is the perfect place to study first-hand the effects of both catastrophic trauma resulting from being thrown from one's mount AND drowning! It's a two for one special! Plus he might just win something. You never know! Maybe Peko Riding is a hidden talent, a secret minor surreptitiously scrawled along the bottom of his doctorate in microscopic print. Everyone knows ordinary country doctors are skilled in all kinds of random miscellania-- so why not giant horsebird riding too?

...Plus, some of his patron's animals might actually be out here on the track, and it could very well be considered a favor to her if he were around to take care of them if the worst would transpire.

"I'm putting my life in your talons, Konpeko," Prophylaxis says as he gently ruffles his bird's head-feathers. It goes 'wehk!' happily. Look at those big round eyes, they're so cute~!

    Merek finds what looks to be his Peko, while he takes a moment to mound up onto it. "May the stars shine down upon you, until you arrive at the end of your journey," he then offers along to Estelle. Then he nods to people, "Alright, let's party. I have coffea samples for whoever wins as well!" the man notes.

    Hey look! Yuuki's not wearing her usual battle outfit. A rare occurance. But then, it IS a summer event after all. They pretty much REQUIRE a summer outfit of some kind. Which is why Yuuki has temporarily done away with her form fitting bodysuit with armor and has instead gone for a white and navy blue striped bikini top and bottom, along with a navy blue ruffled short skirt.

                     https://i.imgur.com/B0Kz7UC.jpeg                    

    Yuuki stands in front of the peko she's chosen. A very colourful peko. Much rainbow. Yuuki strokes it's head as she says, "Okay, Big Birb. I'm sure if we work together, we can really blow these others out of the water! Right!?"

    The peko squarks.

    Yuuki grins, "That's the spirit!" Yuuki jumps up into her peko and points forward, "Let's make them eat our dust!" Another squark. The rider and mount both lean forward and prepare to start.

Shiruba rides her chosen peko to the starting line. She's done a lot of bird riding lately to get around handling her Guild Leader duties, but this is the first time she's gotten to really ride one for fun and casual excitement rather than 'work'. "This looks like a good day for a race." She does lick a finger and hold it in the air to test what way any wind is blowing though. That matters more than one might thing. Then pats the bird lightly on the head. "Just do your best."

The Cait Sith wolfress hasn't been dragged into a swimsuit (YET I KNOW YOU'RE OUT THERE GWEN) but she is wearing a more casual 'summer' variation on her usual attire. The main difference is that it doesn't have all the extra fur linings, and is in brighter light blue and sand colors. Instead of long-tailed jacket and jerkin she's just wearing a simple vest with her explorer shorts.

    It's time for BEACH RACING. Mizuki doesn't actually know what the track is going to be, but the fact that one of the Pekos on offer is being billed as a champion swimmer suggests it's going to be amphibous. Still, she goes for the one billed as 'easy to handle', hoping that her ninja water magic can handle any aquatic challenges.

    Mizuki rides her peko to the starting line, waving to the audience. She's opted for swimwear in case they get wet, having received from Gwen a tomboyish black two-piece that looks like a cut down surfing suit with short sleeves/legs and bared midriff. She's put some ties in her hair in a sort of ponytail-braid in hopes it won't become a problem in the water.

    The feline ninja looks over her competition. There's some new faces here, but she nods at those she's raced against before. "We gotta get into the water before anyone's blowing anyone out of it..."

    She looks out over the water. "Do you think if a peko runs fast enough, it can run on the water like Sonic...?"

"Welcome ladies and gentlemen, to the Summer Beach Festival Annual Peko Races!" A roar goes up from the crowd in response to this, with many voices overlapping one another.

"We have a hard race this year which will test the skill and tenacity of our riders. Make sure you give them all a cheer before we start. They're going to need it!" The Gnome laughs to himself, which may very well be a warning of what is about to come.

"On your marks!"

"Three... two... one... GO!" A loud whistle blares along with the call for the start of the race. Pekos burst into action, heading down along the track.

However, like most races in Yamato, this one is not as simple as it seems. A flock of demon-crows have taken to nesting along the edge of the beach, right along the path of the race lines. As the first of the Pekos crosses their path, the entire flock begins to take wing.

They swoop, dive, and claw at both riders and birds. A few animals panic, one even throwing their rider down to the sands and then running away.

Challenge: Shield

    Merek nods while he begins to take off with the Peko, and maneuvers along the demon crows while he takes the time to begin shimmering the shield before all of them while he watches the place. "Alright, it looks like a nice beginning."

Schneider grinds his heels into to the peko's ribs and is off. Garz, the peko, surges forward, eating up the ground, and Schneider mainly concentrates on keeping it pointed forward. The arrival of the demon-crows is surprising, but he casts, "DAMEDO! Magic Shield, and a wall of flames springs up to protect him and the peko as they eat up ground. "H'yah, h'yah!" he shouts, one hand on the reins, the other holding up the magical ward that's keeping them safe.

    And they're off! Mizuki guides her peko across the sand, and feels the need to burst into song!

    "Can you seeeeeee? The sun is shining on meeeeeee!
    It makes me feel so freeeee, so aliiiiive, it makes me want to surviii--ACK! Deep crow! Deep crow!"

    She lets go of the reins to make some ninpo hand signs, and a barrier of wind spins up around her and the bird, picking up sand and deflecting demon crows as she retakes the reins and leans in against the peko's neck. "Go, go, go!"

At the call to GO! Shiruba gives her peko a light spur with her heels to the sides to signal it should start running. Which it does. It does so very well.

Until crows happen. Big mean demon crows.

"I thought monster spawns were suppose to decrease this time of year!" Shiruba objects, as she swats a bird away from her bird's head. She keeps doing so, but her peko is a bit off it's mark now as it's got to avoid the jabbing beaks and claws, and forced to slow down more as Shiruba tries to protect the sprinting avian from the assault.

No wonder flocks of crows are called a murder.

Estelle hunkers down a little on her peko, as the mark is called. She grips the reins tightly, but doesn't pull on them - or squeeze her knees too hard. She doesn't want to start the bird off of time. Still, when it rolls down she gives the reins a flick and her mount a gentle squeeze with her legs, urging them onward - and doing her best to guide them through the chaos the race track soon becomes!

"Scutum, shield of the sky, protect me and my ally." She murmurs softly, drawing on her magic - wrapping her and her bird in a hazy field of starlight, as the crows dart and dive amongst those ahead of them. Not the strongest version of the spell, but it doesn't require much concentration - and she has to keep control as flame, light, and wind stir, throwing around even more danger, her peko leaping over downed birds and riders.

She's rather glad she chose the one she did, since none of it throws the animal into a panic.

    And they're off!

    Yuuki wooooos as her peko bursts forward with her atop. They manage to keep up with the rest of the group, right up until the swarm of demonic crows. They start to dive bomb Yuuki and her peko, the Imp crying out in surprise, "Hey! Ack! Get away! Shoo! Watch it or I'll hunt your entire murder down!" It really doesn't do much to disuade the devil birds. And unfortunately, Yuuki's peko is in much the same situation, costing the both of them quite a bit of time!

Prophylaxis side-eyes over at Yuuki and wonders whether or not he should say anything. Ah, the trials and tribulations of being a doctor. Instead of being the BIGGEST DOWNER, he just sort of sighs helplessly and urges his Peko pal into motion the moment the race begins. It turns out that he did not, in fact, take a class on how to ride giant horsebirds, because the good doctor is nearly thrown clear by his Peko's sudden acceleration!

Rumor has it that Prophylaxis is working on establishing a Grunty Ranch somewhere. Maybe the real reason is that he's... actually not very good at all at going fast?

"Ghuh, they weren't kidding about the race being a challenge...!" The murder of demon crows swoops down as a singular deadly cloud, full of pecking beaks and scratching talons. Prophylaxis takes a risk to remove his hand from his Peko's reins, twisting his fingers into a protective gesture. A wall of force washes outward from his outstretched palm, shoving the ravens aside just long enough for him to charge on through...!

The path of the race track leads up along the edge of the coastline, moving from the easier turrain of the beach onto more rocky shoreline. Stones shift underfoot, causing some mounts to lose their footing entirely along the edge of the water. Others seem to not be paying enough attention, their riders getting caught by the sharp edges of stones sticking out from the walls of nearby rock formations.

The remaining riders are forced into a tight path between the sea and towering rocks. It's a test of the rider's skill as much as the bird's. Can the riders navigate through without their mount tripping, slipping, falling, or accidentally slamming the rider into the stone walls?

Challenge: Animal Handling

    Merek actually manages with guiding with that Peko upon the path. The man nods a bit while he seems to think about it, satisfied along with the party.

As the track leads up, and onto more challenging terrain, Schneider's initial lead shrinks, and when he's forced onto the tight path, Garz, the peko, has as much trouble as the other birds, losing ground, falling behind, for all his urgency and exhorting. "C'mon, Garz," he shouts to the bird. "You can do it, you've got this! Don't give up your lead." But give up he does, being passed three times, and he frantically urges the bird harder.

Her peko's claws are finding good, safe purchase as they leave the murder behind - such an ill omen, that flock! - and it leaves Estelle glad she chose this bird. They do work well together, as they maneuver through the poor footing and into the tight path. A couple times she worries for the way ahead, and lets the bird itself lead, and other times she nudges it into a more optimal path; the sprig of daffodils thrust out of a cliff is auspicious, for instance, as is the runes those rocks just happen to have fallen into the pattern of... She trusts her instincts there.

And, surprisingly, it... works out for her. She makes good time along that stretch, her tails curling with the enjoyment of the ride. Even if it is a tad stressful.

    The wind barrier dramatically blows apart once Mizuki's clear of the DEMON CROWS.

    A brief moment of peace means she can start up the song again... but as they approach sharp rocks, she has to lean down close to the peko and dodge as sharp rock formations come thiiiiiis close to slicing into her!

    Fortunately, it seems this peko is able to intuit exactly what to do and where to step, guiding its way through the rocks and moving just right to prevent damage to its rider!

    That doesn't stop Mizuki from looking wide-eyed and stressed, though, her singing getting a bit waver-y as rocks nearly cut into her!

    "And the skyyyyyy, it makes me feel so hiiiiigh,
    the bad times pass me by

    --woahshit!--

    'Cause todaaaay

    WOAH!

    It's gonna be a brighter --lookout!-- da-aaaaaaaaay!"

Shiruba swats the last raven away and sits back down with a sigh of relief... which is way much too soon as they rush into the rocky formation near the back of the pack. "Eep!" she yelps as she leans to the opposite side as the peko turns too tight around one of the outcroppings and bumps against. It jerks the other way, only to nearly do the same as Shiruba ducks some roots jutting out between the rocks. This makes the peko start to panic.

"Of course I picked the one that's claustrophobic... Focus, focus!" Thinking quickly Shiruba pulls out a vial of mushed berries, waves it a few times to get the Peko's attention, and then throws it as hard as she can down the track to get it to focus on running ahead for the treat instead of freaking out, but they've still lost more time.

This is why she's a ranger and not calvary, obviously.

As previously established, Prophylaxis is kind of ABSOLUTE POOP at this sort of thing. Handling animals in general is not his forte-- there's a reason his pets in the Real World were all cats and bunnies. You don't have to worry about ''handling'' either! They'll never do what you want them to do anyway, so there's no reason to even bother! When he realizes that they're coming up to an obstacle that can be accurately described as 'navigating between a rock and a deep place,' the good doctor's face visibly blanches. But...

Konpeko, it seems, is quite adept at this sort of thing. The peko makes a 'wehk' noise and begins gingerly hop-skip-and-jumping her way from stone to stone with all the smooth grace of a practiced rockhopper. "Hm," Prophylaxis observes as he notices his distinct lack of being soaked to the gills. "Not bad, Konpeko...!"

    Yuuki and her bird are still trying to deal with the annoying crows when most of the rest of the pack have made their way though. So by the time they actually get to the dangerous cliff-side path, Yuuki can hardly spot those ahead of her.

    Still, she's not giving up! This just makes her the underdog of the race. Just one good push and they can catch up! And Yuuki has just the thing for it.

    The Imp pulls out a bottle out of her inventory and uncorks it, "Hey buddy, a street merchant told me about this special elixir which helps peko pekos concentrate! Let's give a shot!" Yuuki pours the oddly coloured liquid into the peko's mouth. It takes effect quickly.

    Yuuki's peko goes a bit crosseyed and starts wobbling along the narrow path. Several times they almost fall off! It makes things very slow going.

After the close confines of the rocky shore, the flags which mark the edges of the race track seem to shift... into the water. They can be seen bobbing in the light surf.

As the lead racers splash into the water, it begins to slow down their progress. It's harder to find the right footing in the shallows. Perhaps more dangerous is the prospect of what may lie beneath those waves.

It's one of the slower racers who's mount first cries out. Flailing in the water, it bucks, sending the rider into the waves. A moment later, the poor fallen Adventurer cries out, "Dire Piranha!" As he runs from the waves to the shore, a number of very chompy looking fish having latched onto him in places.

His Peko does not fare so well, as it takes a sudden, large amount of health damage, and then shatters into pixels of light.

Challenge: Water

    Merek looks to the Peko while he swings along water to assist with the one that's fleeing from the piranha. Then he shifts a frost along the water while he begins to slide along to the front of the pack, nodding to Mizuki. "They didn't say a thing about not freezing that water!"

Prophylaxis visibly winces at the sight of that poor Peko being torn apart by the local wildlife. Was this always supposed to be part of the race? Are they seriously putting the lives off these poor horsebirds in danger just for the sake of some summer fun?

Well, Prophylaxis is not going to have it! He may be suffering through his most acute case of mad scientist-ism to date, but that doesn't mean that he's completely without compassion! "I've got you," he whispers to his peko. His staff dips into the water-- and a veritable river of ice begins extending across the shoreline from around its submerged tip. With another happy 'wehk!' Konpeko leaps up onto the makeshift roadway and slip-slides her way to safety...!

"Oh ancient tortoise, dark and strong, guide me through the water's throng." comes the vixen's chant this time, as her peko starts into the water; she is, admittedly, glad to be out of the tight confines of the rocky passages. This gives her and her mount more space to maneuver... though apparently the wildlife is a problem once more. Still, the solution is written in the stars. "Genbu of the north, drive these waters forth."

And the waters around her mount's talons froth - and then push outward, a swirling current that leaves it pickling across damp land instead of shallow water, forcing the piranhas away to find easier prey. "That's a good girl, just keep going." She murmurs to her mount, a tail gently patting its side.

They come past the rocky shore trailing behind, but at least they're not last. Shiruba will take what she can get. The track markers lead into the water and she guides her bird splashing into the shallows. Good thing Pekos have long legs. Then someone shouts about piranhas and she cusses under her breath. Just can't have a nice normal race in Yamato it seems. "Goodness, you'd think this was a kart racing minigame or something!" But obstacles in the water, sure, she can handle that.

Gripping the reigns in one hand, Shiruba leans over the side of her Peko to drop the other into the water while chanting. "Waves afar and shallows near, Tides of Change wash away our fear!" Then snaps her hand out of the water with such gusto as it sends a small but strong wave rolling away from her and the Peko to swat any lurking threats beneath the surface back into the deeper waters.

Schneider's initial lead has evaporated entirely, and as he's splashing through the water on his peko, he reflects that this may be his worst element. It's not, but it's the one he's least comfortable with, and Garz picks up on this, taking the time to snap at the piranha that swarm around us. That, at least, Schneider can deal with, though underwater, a fireball is not going to happen. An underwater shockwave is enough to keep them back, though, and the piranha wander over to less shocking feeding grounds, but he's lost so much ground by now, what can he do?

    Mizuki gives the singing a rest as she sees she's neck-and-neck with two others. "Come on!" She urges the peko towards the water, growling in frustration as it slows down wading through the water. Then she hears someone shout DIRE PIRANHAS and decides, "Enough is enough!" She holds out her hands for spellcasting again and casts Cold Bolt, the magic icicles shooting into the water ahead and freezing it just ahead of her peko, which hops up and runs along the ice.

    "Yeah!" She pumps a fist in victory and turns to see... that Merek had the same idea and is still neck-and-neck with her. She frowns, then smiles. "Wouldn't be fun if it wasn't a challenge, huh?" Then she casts the spell again to freeze some more 'track' so her peko needn't slow down.

    Someone shouts about it being cart racing. "I hope not! Can you imagine having to deal with lightning and blue shells on this race? Not to mention rubber-banding AI racers..."

    Thankfully, by the time that they get to the water, whatever Yuuki had subjected her peko too has finally worn off. The two start running through the water. Though the call of 'dire pirahanas' doesn't go unnoticed. Just as the said mobs don't fail to notice the nice juicy meal that has just arrived in the form of Yuuki and her peko.

    Yuuki blinks in surprise as she notices some of the pirhanas attached to her mount, "H-Hey! Stop that!" She starts punching and kicking at them, trying to dislodge them so they don't harm and slow down the peko. She's successful in dislodging them, but only temporarily as more bite down, "Damnit! Get lost! I know pekos are tasty, but that's only when they're cooked!" More punching and kicking.

Despite the danger from the nearby monsters, it appears that the flags marking the track go still further into the waves. Luckily, the piranha seem to have a limit to how far they will wander from their home spawn point, so they do not follow into the deeper water.

At this point, it goes from a foot race, to a swimming race, with the Pekos awkwardly paddling through the waves like oversized rubber duckies. The waves begin to pick up, buffeting birds and riders. Less trained mounts begin to panic, others lose their balance, tipping riders into the surf.

But some manage to continue to swim along, heading towards where the flags edge them back up onto the shore.

Challenge: Diving

    Merek looks to the water. Well, he doesn't like to swim, the man nods a bit while he assists the bird along, though he takes that all a little bit slow while the bird begins to gently offer a little shifting into and from the water while he smiles.

As it turns out, while Prophylaxis' makeshift ice bridge holds up well enough along the shoreline, it does not do so well in open water. Konpeko goes 'kwahrk!' as she leaps off the bridge and into the water and begins...

...Birdie-paddling.

...She's not even using her wings. Just, leisurely kicking her way over towards the far end of the underwater section of the challenge.

'Somehow,' Prophylaxis blubs, 'I think this bird just thinks she's out for a leisurely swim or... something. Mrmph.'

As the waters deepen, and the situations change, Estelle just... focuses on keeping up the spell she had been using. Genbu's Shell isn't as effective with so much water to shift around them, but it does still assist her peko in moving through the waster - it's just a pity that neither it, nor she, seem to be the best swimmers.

... still, she can take solace in the fact that very few riders seem to be having better luck with this stretch of the race, and so she just pushes forward, offering what comfort to her bird she can. At least they can breath easily.

Once the piranha break off, he can make a little better time, catching up some of the ground he's lost, but he's still well behind the lead as the peko's basically swim the course. He's glad he wore a swimming suit for this, at least, and he'll try to paddle along to help Garz's time, though it doesn't seem to do much. He leans forward, because that's how you race faster, right, but then his balance starts to tip the peko's face into the water, so he sits normally and tries to make the peko go faster through sheer willpower. This is not very effective, either.

As the track leads deeper into the water Shiruba actually grins a little. This she did think ahead for. "Just keep going," she coaxes the peko as the water deepens, reaching forward to rest her hand on the back of the bird's neck as she draws on her elemental prowess again. "Bubbles double, swirling 'round..." Water actually starts to spiral up around her and her racing mount as she chants, at least making an effort to put on some amount of a show for the audience. "Ocean embrace, never drown!" The swirling water envelopes them both just as the track goes deep enough to require swimming, but with the protective coating also providing them with a large pocket of air within the bubbly aura her peko is able to keep a steady pace even if it isn't an extremely fast one.

    ...Mizuki squints at the racers behind her, although a second's glance can't really tell her whether the few Lander racers are rubberbanding.

    Mizuki can't just keep casting ice forever, though. She has to pace her MP usage. When Merek stops using ice, so does she, and she directs her peko to leap! And then it splashes in the water, floundering a bit. She burns a little more magic to get Bubble up and tries to guide the depression in the water around them to push the peko forward, but it seems neither she nor the peko are very good at this.

    Good thing she built up a lead! But so did Merek, and the kitsune-girl is close behind them.

    Mizuki's grip on the reins tightens. It's going to depend on whether she can somehow capitalize on whatever the final challenge is!

    Yuuki's peko doesn't hesitate as it dives into the deeper water, moving along just fine. Like its home was in the water.

    Yuuki fares much worse, "Ack! H-Hey! Gurgle! Cough!" Yuuki struggles to keep herself frown drowning also holding onto her peko. Her flailing throws off the peko's swimming, keeping them from making any real headway until they finally start to leave the water once again.

As the racers come up out of the water, a few of the birds stop to shake themselves off, losing precious time. Others seem unconcerned about the water in their feathers and continue to press onward.

The flags of the track seem to keep them, thankfully, on solid ground and lead them around a bend before depositing them back on familiar, sandy ground.

The sound of cheering begins to carry over the sound of the waves. A gathering of people can be seen down along the stretch of the coastline. The end is in sight!

However, there are a lot of Pekos between a rider and victory. Now is the time for a burst of speed. It is up to the fastest Peko and rider to outrun the competition!

Challenge: Evasion

    Merek looks forward while he nods a bit, then he takes a look to Mizuki, "Ya, you're right. It would not be fun if there wasn't any challenging," he notes, then he smiles with a nice little grin, taking the time to try to make the finish line.

Out of the water, and Shiruba gives her bird a light spurring as the bubble pops away to keep it moving. There is a lot of racers between them and the finish. So instead of just kicking her bird into full gear she's playing it a little safe, if only to keep avoiding the other pekos that are lagging behind or stopping because they're tired, or weighed down by being wet, or so on. The last thing she wants to do is crash and not being able to finish at all, so Shiruba is keeping her steed at a speed that can safely avoid running into anything until they reach the end.

But that's okay, Shiruba is more interested in completion than compatition as is her usual nature. Finishing the entire race means more than the place she finishes it in.

Schneider begins the home stretch in back of the pack, and he's geared up to sprinting the final stretch. So, of course his peko pauses once he's out of the water to shake himself off. Then to prod and poke at his wings and sides with his beak, dislodging a squirming fish and swallowing it with a gulp. All this time, Schneider is urging the peko to get moving, and all this time, the peko is fanning his feathers and drying off, getting comfortable now out in the sun, and after several long moments, time that's dragged out for Schneider, the peko finally trots forward, toward the finish line. Though not in any hurry despite Schnieder's progressively more frantic urgings.

It's the final stretch, and while Estelle didn't think she could win before... she's actually been doing rather well for herself, so far! So the Astrologian asks the stars for one last boon (for now), even as she puts her trust in the bird they guided her to. "Horologium, Keeper of Time, all the world follows your chime." A Haste buff, in short, should help her bird be as quick as can be. "Give us the grace of the ages, that we might end up on history's pages."

... the problem with speed, however, is using it well. And as various spells and tricks are pulled out in the mad dash for the finish line, all that does is offset some of the problems caused by it all; still, she gives it her focus, rider and mount working through the gaps and reaching towards the finish line... surprisingly well off.

"I am glad I chose you." She mentions to the peko beneath her. "You served well, and faithfully."

    By the time that Yuuki and her peko get to the final stretch, Yuuki is splayed out on the back of the peko. Just barely hanging on. When she looks up towards the finish line, she's pretty sure the winner has already crossed the finish line and has probably started on the champagne already.

    But then Yuuki looks to the side a little to see Shiruba slowly plodding along. And Yuuki realizes that maybe she won't have to place in the very rear!

    Yuuki sits up, patting her peko, "C'mon, buddy. Let's do this!" Squark. Yuuki activates her speed buff, a soft aura of light engulfing her and her mount as they suddenly pick up speed and burst forward.

    Mizuki's peko shakes off. "No!" She loses precious ground to Merek, and spurs her Peko onward... but now there's nothing to do but encourage it to run as fast as it can.

    Might as well finish her song and maybe bring a smile to some of the other racers!

    o/~ "Can you feel the sunshine, does it brighten up your day?
    Don't you feel that sometimes, you just need to run away?
    Reach out for the sunshine, forget about the rain!
    Think about the good times, and they will come back again!" o/~

    Merek does make it to the finish line, all the same he does look back, then he tries to find a race coordinator. He nods a bit to Mizuki, then shifts that peko about while he takes a moment to wait and see if they will give the woman the win. "I already won one, I actually think that I would mention she's the winner." He does take the goggles which he keeps with him to place along the neck.

You know, Prophylaxis was pretty sure that Yuuki was here just a second ago. Where did she come from, where did she go? The brief distraction costs him precious seconds before he realizes that his peko decided to break up its relaxing swim with a brief fishing trip. "Hey!" Prophylaxis calls, tugging at the reins to bring his bird back on track. "Eyes on the prize, birb brain!"

But, too late. Prophylaxis grumbles as Konpeko wehks and snatches her beak out of the surf with a mouthful of fresh fish to go along with it. Did you know these birds eat fish? They do! Or at least, this one does.

Too bad it does nothing but fill her belly and slow her down for this final stretch...!

As the pekos and riders begin to make their way across the finish line, cheers go up around them. There are a few disgruntled faces, likely those who bid on the wrong peko and rider pair and now have to pay up the bookie. Most people seem to be happy to have enjoyed this unique race.

"And we have our winner! Merek Black!" The Gnome calls out, "This is his second win in the races." Then he continues, "In second we have Mizuki, and in third the first timer - Estelle Mancer! Let's give all our riders a round of applause!"

With that, people begin to leave the stands, heading back off to their beach activities. Some stick around, wanting to meet riders or pekos of their favorite racers, and there is more than enough praise and adoration to go around even for those who might not have performed their best today.

Shiruba eventually trots her peko across the finish line. They completed the race, that's what matters! ... and they weren't the last to do so, so that does count for something.

Shiruba slides off the bird's back and gives a ruffle through the feathers of it's side. "You did a fine job, thank you." She gets out another vial of that mushed berry juice she'd used earlier as a motivator and feeds it to the bird as a reward.

She didn't win but the wolfgirl does get some people coming to ask how she decided what to prepare to deal with obstacles, which is a topic she'll happily talk about. Especially if they go get something to eat in the process.

    Yuuki and her peko come to a stop beyond the finish line. Not quiiiite last. But still way, way back. Yuuki just lets herself fall off her mount, landing on her back and groaning quietly after that terrible ordeal.

    Yuuki looks up at the peko above her, raising her hand to pat its beak as she says, "Well, we tried our best. But I guess we just weren't up to it!"

    The peko stares back at Yuuki for a moment, before leaning down and opening its beak. It then snaps its beak shut over a clump of Yuuki's hair and then starts shaking its head side to side.

    Yuuki cries out in oblivious surprise as the peko expreses its frustations of having a terrible rider, "H-Hey! Ow! Quit it! What's that for!?"

    Mizuki smiles and waves to the audience after crossing the finish line, then crosses her arms at Merek's suggestion. "That's not how races work! I don't want first prize unless I earned it! And I don't want you going easy on me, either!"

As she's named, the vixen bows her head with a smile. And pets her peko on the head, as it puffs itself up and croons in its own little celebration, for having done well. "Thank you again, for bringing me to such a victory on my first time." She informs the bird, before carefully dismounting. The race is over, after all, and her mount can take a bit of a break from carrying her around.

Still, as the Third Place Rider she gets a fair deal of attention. And she is happy to discuss the omens she followed to victory, and the spells she used and their utility - not that there are many other Astrologians around to use them properly, but.

There's a satisfied smile on her lips, though, and a happy cast to the way her tails curl and dance behind her.

    "Fine, I know... People tell me to not take it easy on folk," Merek admits, nodding a bit. "Either way, you did really well, a lot closer than the first race I won was," the man notes, that being complimenting. The man dismounts from the peko while he begins to adjust that rein, then he takes a sip from the coffea when he's made a way from the award area, and offers one of the cups to Mizuki. "You will be one of the first to sample this, since you did well," he notes.

Bah! Just short of third. Prophylaxis huffs and brings his bird to a stop a few feet from the finish line and... Sighs. He pats its head, still chomping cheerfully on a half-eaten fish. "You did good, Konpeko. Maybe next time we'll have to make sure you're nice and fed /before/ the race starts, huh...?"

Beat.

"Hey," he deadpans. Then a little more urgently, "Hey!!" Prophylaxis leaps from his saddle and rushes over to bop Yuuki's frustrated peko across the beak with a fresh herring. "If you want to chew on something, chew on this! Hair is not for pekos to eat!"

It'll wreck their digestion!!

Schneider finally crosses the finish line, nearly last and a bit bummed out. Still, there's a participation prize, it's better than nothing. And now he knows full well he won't ever have a career as a peko jockey. Better to know now. He'll go back to setting things on fire. He dismounts and walks the peko around, letting it cool down, and watching everyone else thoughtfully.

    "Thanks, you did well too." Mizuki nods to Merek.

    She blinks at the cup. "What is it?" She sniffs it, "...Coffee?" She takes a little sip, but makes a face. "Yep, that's coffee alright... I was never one for taking it black, though, I like mine with cream and extra sugars."