The stablehand hadn't been exactly thrilled to be visited by a samurai late at night, but a few coins brightened his mood considerably. And so, a few minutes later, Yul was holding the leads for Maverick, and, taking the stablehand's word for it, Hiroki. The two Oroki stared at him, eyes blinking irregularly.

"Hey, c'mon." Yul gave the leads a little tug. Maverick took a step. Hiroki... was Yul imagining it, or was that a suspicious glint in the bird's eye? "Hey. Let's go." He tugged again. "Uh... kweh? Kweh!" Yul tried to imitate the noise they made. He wasn't that great at it.

Still, Yul got on well with animals, and after only a little more cajoling, the three of them were walking down the path together. It was dark, but between a single light outside the stables, and the light of the moon, Yul could see enough to walk.

As he drew closer to the large tree just outside the stable property, Yul looked around. "Hey. You there? I got 'em." He called softly, squinted into the dark. Yul himself was easy to spot, at least from the front, light reflecting of his habitual tank-top, even if his new synthleather jacket was dark. And, of course, he was right next to two giant birds.

Hiroki fluffed her feathers and gave a croak that seemed sort of welcoming, Otori eyes being better suited to the dark after generations of surviving predators in dark fungal forests. Movement in the slightly deeper dark of the moonshadow cast by the tree resolved into an Osprey, loose hair fluttering in the breeze that's been brewing. "No, I've sent my very well-designed robot in my place," she says without any attempt to make it convincing. "This is a recording. beep."

Smooth strides bring her closer and she first greets the Otori, plunging her hands deeply into flank feathers for a solid scritch and a place to put her hands that wouldn't get them into trouble in public. After a moment, she reaches for the reins and Yul's fingers for at least a moment's contact, her eyes finding his with a welcoming smile. Her fingers retain that odd cool, but probably not metal robot cool.

Yul laughed, openly and honestly. "Hey, today was drone day. You never know." His grin softened as she drew closer, his eyes following her as she walked.

He continued to watch, moonlight catching in his eyes, smiling as Mumei pet the Otoro. The smile grew a bit as their fingers touched, his warm against hers. "Hey, you." He said softly, letting his fingers linger against hers a moment longer before reclaiming them.

Yul grinned. "You ready to ride? I've got a light if we need it, but I think the moon might be enough. Oh." Smiling, he patted Maverick's neck. "Meet Maverick." Maverick tilted his head, regarding the two humans with fairly minimal curiosity.

"I mean, how would you know? I've heard the Spider have some really advanced fleshcraft models," her nose wrinkles a bit, involuntarily, even joking about such things. "with clever enough spirit machinery..."

"Anyway, I'm definitely ready to ride," she says with a smirk as she turns a bit to great the Otori properly. With reins in one hand, she carefully reaches to scritch behind Maverick's crest, letting the bird see her coming and decide whether or not to allow it as she croons to the bird. "Aren't we a handsome bird? Such a brave bird to come running in the moonlight."

Maverick cocked his head as Mumei reached out, continuing to watch her incuriously. As she scritched him, though, he blinked slowly, a pleased-sounding gurgling coming from somewhere deep in his throat. Yul watched, smiling fondly. "You really do have a way with animals..." He said.

"Alright. Let's do it, then." He waved a hand vaguely northward; it was dark, but flat ground was visible, at least for a little while. "I figured we could ride that way a bit, until we find a nice place to look up at the stars. I brought a blanket for us, too." He patted his bag, slung across his hip.

"You prepared better than I did. I was kind of worried that taking one out of the inn would set off an alarm or something. But that sounds like a fantastic plan" With a wordless croon for Hiroki, she bounce, bounce, leap-hauls her leg over to settle on the muscled back of the bird. She glances down with a more serious expression. "And...I know it's just the fields, but...well the only weapon I've got is my wakizashi and an impressive lack of training at using it."

"Don't worry." Yul smiled confidently. He turned further, showing his other side. Sleek, black, and only visible by its shine, his rifle could be seen, attached to the military-issue bag. "I'm definitely prepared." Besides that, he was wearing his belt, although it was difficult to see what weapons were attached it it. "Besides, we're still pretty close in. Miles from the forest, at least."

Yul secured the pack to Maverick, then mounted in much the same manner Mumei did, his extra height balanced against her surprising strength. He flashed Mumei a quick grin, teeth visible in the moonlight (only naturally whitened, of course). "Okay, here we go." A little nudge, and Maverick set off at a trot.

They couldn't see clearly far, but there was certainly enough moonlight to make out their close surroundings as well as silhouettes farther out. A farmhouse here, a barn there, a number of trees in the direction they were heading. It was quiet, except for the swirl of gentle breeze, the thump of Otori feet, and the steady metallic rattle of Yul's gear, keeping time with the steps.

A small jangle of alarm at heading outside of the walls in the dark quieted at the sight of the rifle. Hiroki doesn't even need encouragement to follow the other bird, heading off through the silent landscape. The low mist still stank of the noxious compounds this world seemed full of, but she was kind of getting used to that after days of it filling her nose. It became peaceful in the moonlight and the cool of night, the rustle of grain stalks a steady susurrus beneath the sounds they made.

For a while, she didn't want to break that pleasant and companionable not-quite silence. Instead she keeps an eye on the path, and the soft s silhouettes, and the person growing more familiar each day. She might not pick him out at a distance among similarly sized men, but once they moved, she felt pretty sure she'd spot him now.

This path was fairly wide, probably used for machinery bringing crops into the city as well as taking workers and machinery to the fields. So she urged Hiroki to trot up beside Maverick, the Otori arching her neck and flaring the dark feathers of her crest in an obvious bit of showing off, possibly a challenge. "Was it like this where you were growing up? Minus the weird smelling air and with more cows?"

Yul smiled as Mumei and Hiroki drew apace. He'd give the smile to just about anyone, of course, but he truly couldn't help it when he saw her.

Yul snorted. "That's almost exactly the way I'd describe it, yeah. The land my family oversaw was mostly used for ranching, so a lot of fields, a lot of cows. But there were some crops grown. Feed, barley, rice... fruit. There was a nice cherry orchard not too far. We'd go there sometimes."

He took a deep breath, shoulders rising and falling, long hair stirring gently in the breeze. "It was cooler, too. I mean, maybe we're here in the hot season, but still. But I always wondered what it would be like to grow up on one of the big Unicorn stations, or something." He gave Mumei a quick curious glance; that was pretty close to her circumstances.

"Whoa!" The last was directed at Maverick. Perhaps reacting to Hiroki's challenge, he broke into a strut for a few steps, shaking his head dramatically. Yul waved a hand to swat a few feathers away. "Seems like they've got some energy, huh?"

She shifts a bit, bringing one bent leg up in front of her. A more comfortable seat, but not a secure one. "What are cows actually like, anyway? I've only seen pictures...and well, dead parts in some of the meals on Unicorn ships." She wrinkles her nose a bit. "Can't say I was particularly in favor of those. So...chewy compared to fish, and strong compared to fowl. Not bad cooked to mush in a stew though."

"But growing up on...in...one kind of metal container or another? Well, a lot of us are afraid of the wide-open after so much time in close. Osprey training smooths that out a lot. The open sky is definitely not scarier than the open void between stars." Tugging the rein slightly, she can get close enough to catch the ends of his hair, letting them slip through with small smile. "But seasons are still surprising to me. You get used to everything being marked with what it is or directions to a place or just symbols that mean those things. And then you come out here and it's like...that's a plant of some kind but there's nothing saying what it is or where it is in its growth cycle or when it was planted. I feel a little adrift, honestly. But that's fine. Sometimes it's nice to not know exactly where you are."

"I'm surprised, honestly. Hiroki had a good outing earlier with the other minor clan members already today." One hand holds the reins loosely while she stroked the bird's feathers.

"Cows? They're alright." Yul gave a casual shrug. "They're not that bright, and, well, you don't tend to form quite as close a bond with them as you might a mount." Smiling, he gave Maverick's neck a rub again, earning another burble from the giant bird. "But they can be really sweet, too."

He laughed softly as Mumei managed to catch a few strands of his hair. The bobbing gait of the Otori made anything longer challenging, but he managed to reach out, brushing his hand against hers. "Well, of course." Yul grinned. "Part of the fun in exploring is in not knowing where you are, right? But yeah, I get you. I guess I just sorta got used to that feeling, at the Academy, just because everything was so different."

"Hmm..." Yul gave Mumei a sidelong glance. "Well, we could run them a bit. I seem to recall we discussed something about a race last night?" A smile played about the corners of his lips, his eyes beginning to glint playfully.

"Is the Academy station-based and not world-based then? Or it was just...literally a different world?" Her smile lifts a bit at the touch, brief as it is.

"Oh did we?" she says, with a false air of innocence. "Wasn't sure if that was a conversation or something the tea told me." Though she's quite casually shifted her leg back into a more secure riding position. She smiles slyly with sidelong glance.

"We did." Yul nodded, his lips still teasing upwards. "I'm very sure of it." His eyes flickered down, finally unable to keep from grinning as he saw Mumei beginning to ready herself. Perhaps she would notice the way his body tensed, just a little, ready to move...

His gaze went forward, his tone just a little too casual as he went on. "So, I was thinking, maybe we could race to..." Yul leaned forward, bringing his heels up, even as he flashed an impudent grin at Mumei. "-the treeline!" Maverick responded to the motion, breaking into a long, bounding sort of run, bouncing passenger and bag noisily up and down as they went.

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D7MN, race! Birdmanship/agi: 4d10o10k3 11

The Osprey wasn't all that caught out, it seemed, knowing just a bit about the Shinjo's body language and having an eye for detail on top of it. Smaller, and no doubt lighter, she leans low over Hiroki's next with a laughing, "get 'em!" feeling the enormous muscles bunch and release beneath her knees as the eager Otori jogs after the pair with loud "Kweh!!" and half-opened stubby wings flapping.

She blows a thoroughly insolent kiss over her shoulder as they run past.

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D7 EN Fluffy riding roll: Horse/Agi: 4d10o10k3 13

"Ooh." Yul grinned, watching as she flew by him, blowing a kiss. "I'm gonna get you for that..." He murmured, taking a deep, exhilarated breath.

At his urging, Maverick put on a fresh burst of speed, lowering his head, wings going back at an angle. Yul held on with a steady hand, although he suddenly wondered if Otori were capable of flight. The nearby scenery seemed to blur past, the trees ahead growing closer, as was Mumei... Yul watched her ride with admiring eyes.

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D7MN, race! Birdmanship/agi, roll 2 of 3: 4d10o10k3 21

Hiroki seemed pleased to hold a steady pace as they caught up, fluffing up her crest with a squawk and a nip that seemed more playful than aggressive toward Maverick.

Mumei laughed into the sapphire feathers. "That's right, let him know how you feel, girl."

Then she turns to look at Yul riding beside them. "I think they like each other," she shouts. "but," stretching out until their silhouette was just an Otori with an oddly bulky form, "we're still taking the lead!" Hiroki either caught something of her rider's mood, or this was also part of Otori games, and the clawed feet dug into the earth in a full out run along the moonlit road.

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D7 EN Fluffy riding roll: Horse/Agi #2: 4d10o10k3 13

and 3 D7 EN Fluffy riding roll: Horse/Agi #3: 4d10o10k3 31

Yul laughed. Even in the moonlight, his handsome features visibly held an excited flush. "We'll see about that. C'mon, Maverick!" With a mighty kweh, Maverick began to charge down the road, clawed feet kicking up dirt with the force of his stride.

He kept pace... at first. But Mumei and Hiroki just seemed to keep putting on speed. Closer now, they could see that the treeline was the edge of an orchard... and that Mumei was clearly going to reach it first.

Yul groaned as the other pair crossed the declared finish line, slowing Maverick immediately; they crossed several seconds later. "Oh, man." Yul said, groaning and laughing, as he slid off of his steed. "Beaten in a mounted race. What would my ancestors say?" Shoulders still shaking with laughter, he shook his head.

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D7MN, race! Birdmanship/agi, roll 3 of 3: 4d10o10k3 16

Plastered so tightly to the Otori's back, Mumei only felt the low branches brush hers as the overshot the orchard's edge before slowing to backtrack. She stays low, reaching to scritch just behind the crest feathers of the happily burbling Otori. "Such a clever, pretty girl, aren't you?"

As they approach Yul and Maverick she laughs. "I don't know, surely your ancestors lost races to one another. Or is it just losing to non-Unicorn that brings shame?" She rides closer, letting the Otori bob heads at one another and reach out to do some kind of odd clatter of beaks that still looks friendly at least.

"I suppose, if I don't want your ancestors to haunt you, I've got to figure out how to become a Unicorn? Know any ways to accomplish that?" The moon catches the edges of her eyes, wide with excitement as she catches her breath. Even if she wasn't the one running, she'd definitely felt the effort.

"Awww... it's okay, Maverick. You did your best." Yul patted Maverick's neck again. Maverick burbled, but he seemed much more interested in bumping beaks with Hiroki.

Chuckling softly, Yul shouldered his bag. "That's a good point. It's really more the non-Unicorn thing." He walked slowly over, coming to stand next to Mumei and Hiroki. "So... yeah, if you were a Unicorn, than I guess that wuld be okay." He grinned. "And I gotta say, you ride like one."

His grin softened, although there was still a playful twist to it. "And I can think of one way for it to happen." Yul stepped closer, his hand sliding up Mumei's leg to her waist, the warmth of him tangible even through her clothing. "And I gotta say, I can't think of anything that would make me happier."

Looking down on him from her perch, kind of rare for the shorter Osprey, she can feel her heart, slowing from the run, pick right up again at the warmth of his touch."That's what I thought you'd say... well not the riding part." She leans slightly, reaching for a caress, fingers tuckng a lock of hair away from his forehead before trailing down his cheek and along his jaw. "It'll be odd, not being an Osprey. But it would be worse not being with you," There's a softness to her tone that's left the teasing behind for now.

Leaning back upright, she brings her farther leg up, behind the Otori's half-lowered head and back down to be in some sort of position to dismount. Her voice teases once more. "Soooo, I guess I'm leading, hmmm? Catch!" With a bit of a bounce, she basically drops off the bird's back in an obvious challenge.