After a good lunch break, Akemi returned to the stables to retrieve that was now, to Kyoko's despair her Otori. Getting upon their – she had no idea of their actual gender but that didn't stop her from dubbing them Kuroma – back the first time had been an ordeal, and Akemi wasn't going to let them in peace until she was absolutely sure she could return any other day and they wouldn't give her that much trouble.

So for now, she was riding around the countryside on their back, going more or less where the beast wanted her to go, and at the (mostly slow) pace they desired. She figured that as long as she was in the farmlands with many Otori-used peasants, nothing truly bad would happen even if the beast was to suddenly rebel. Worst case, she was still within reasonable distance of the place of the Taming where Otori experts could probably help her if need be.

It seemed someone else had much the same idea. Having eaten, Yul went back to the stables to visit his Otori; he knew from experience that the first few days would be the most important in Maverick's training. Or... it would be if Maverick was a horse. The principles seemed similar, anyway.

But once he'd gotten there, he just had to go for a ride. What better way for the two of them to get to know each other? And it was clear that young Maverick had a lot of energy. And so, wearing his trademark leather jacket and aviators, Yul found himself riding through the farmlands, guiding Maverick as the Otori walked along, getting used to the unfamiliar stride.

Coming around a corner, Yul's eyes narrowed. "Hey, Hida-san!" Spotting another rider, Yul waved, then guided the Otori to the other rider, bringing them within a few bird-paces of each other.

Having little to no control over her mount, Akemi couldn't have avoided the newcomer even if she had wanted too. Not that she wanted that anyway. She waved at him enthusiastically, cause she definitely wasn't attempting a bow while riding.

"Hi Unicorn-sama! How does the day find you? And through which magic do you manage to convince your otori to go the way you want? Kuroma here is as stubborn as their mistress."

Yul smiled back at that enthusiasm. "It's pretty good, Hida-san. And please, I'm no -sama. Shinjo Yul." He introduced himself. In lieu of bowing (he didn't want to try that, either), he gave a slightly more formal wave.

He chuckled, sitting back a little, his beast coming to a stop. "In all honesty, I'm not. Maverick here just seems to be going along with my suggestions so far."

Yul looked at her, eyebrows going up. "But this isn't your first time riding, is it? Although I'd guess horses, not..." he gestured at her Otori, "... giant birds. Maybe I'm wrong, though."

"Hida Akemi. Oh, I'm definitely a rider, but my mounts are generally mechanical and without a will of their own. Closest I had to riding an animal so far was fight training against a papier-mâché oni.

But Crab stubbornness can take you a long way by itself."

"I saw. Not bad, for someone who's never ridden before." Yul gave her a respectful nod, his expression serious.

But only for a moment. "A paper-mache oni. For real?" Yul's eyebrows went up, as did the corners of his lips. "I'd love to have seen that. Who won?"

"It was training so... The oni killed us quite a few times as we discovered the many tricks it had up its sleeves. Was almost a game of Can you top that? with the instructors adding acid blood and fire breath and other surprises each time the students thought of a new, supposedly foolproof plan to get rid of it.

In the end, I got on its back while the others distracted it, and forced a rock through its jaw. It suffocated itself with its own fire. Goal of exercise was to teach us to both never underestimate our enemies and to always be imaginative in fights even when they seemed desperate."

Yul nodded, chuckling. "Well, so long as it was training. But hey, you got it eventually. Crab stubbornness, huh?" He nodded again. "I like that."

He started to speak, but his Otori shifted beneath him, making him grimace. "Hey... you wanna take these two for a trot? Maverick's clearly got some go left in him. If they're anything like horses, one will follow the other..." Yul smiled, "-so we just need one of the two of us to be able to direct."

He tilted his head thoughtfully. "Well, unless the out of control one is the leader..." Yul shrugged, smiling. "Well, it'll be interesting, at least."

"Hey, let's just try that. Worst case, I'll fall of mine, but I'm solid, I'll survive."

She smiled:

"Plus, even if it's a bit cliché, if you cannot trust a Unicorn about riding the wind, who can you trust?

So, please lead."

Yul smiled. "I guess we've all got to play to our strengths, huh? Alright, let's ride." He tugged on the Otori's reins.

"Wark!" Said Maverick. He didn't move.

A bit more tugging, a nudge from Yul's heel, and they were on their way.

"I'll admit, this isn't the sort of riding I'm used to, actually." Yul said, turning his head so he could see Akemi as they rode. "I'm in the Fourth Skyrider's Wing, Insect squadron." He looked at Akemi, politely and wordlessly inquiring.

In the distance, a figure in red could be seen riding another otori around the countryside. The Scorpion offered a jaunty wave and reined his riding-bird to turn towards Akemi and Yul.

"Oh, hello, minna-san!" Bayushi Akagi said cheerfully. "It's good to see you both again. Aren't these riding birds amazing?"

"Hida shock troops. Currently demobilized due to injury..."

She waved her fleshcraft.

"... But expected to return to the front soon as my recovery went well."

She tilted her head:

"You're not the only Unicorn pilot at this miai no? I think I've met a Utaku one, though we didn't talk much."



Akemi sighed and rolled her eyes internally, praying that Akagi wouldn't put on the same show as the last time she was speaking to a pretty boy on his watch.

"Hello Bayushi-san. Honestly, still prefer my bike, even though I can understand the appeal on particularly rough terrain."

"Oh, hover bikes are certainly more efficient, no doubt about that," the Scorpion replied agreeably. "But there's something about riding on the back of an alien beast, on a world far from the planet of my birth, that strikes me as especially adventurous." He patted the side of his otori mount affectionately.

"It's like something from a space opera holo."

"Hida shock troops. Currently demobilized due to injury..."

She waved her fleshcraft.

"... But expected to return to the front soon as my recovery went well."

She tilted her head:

"You're not the only Unicorn pilot at this miai no? I think I've met a Utaku one, though we didn't talk much."
[/quote]

Yul gave her a sympathetic wince. "Ouch. Well, good time to come and find a spouse, huh? I'd just finished my first tour with my unit.

His lips quirked. "Yeah, Hyeon-ju-san. She's a very skilled pilot." Yul's tone was decidedly bland.



Yul smiled, even as he gave a tiny sigh, and threw Akemi a sidelong glance. Still, his tone was cheerful enough as he greeting the even more cheerful Scorpion. "Hey there, Bayushi-san. You made quite the rider this morning. Giving your bird a bit more exercise, huh? Where'd you learn to ride, anyway?"

"I had a little luck this morning, but I'm afraid I'm actually not that good a rider," Akagi replied modestly. "Certainly not as good as a Unicorn such as yourself! But with some practice, I hope to be able to ride my trusty otori here all over Asakaze." He patted the big bird's feathers once again.

"The view from otori-back seems quite different than what I can see from a hovercar or ATV," he enthused. "Even though it's the same terrain, I get a much closer look at things, and the feel of the planet's atmosphere against my face as I ride is exquisite."

"What do you think of riding? Is it like that for you?"

"You're a romantic, maybe even a poet, Bayushi-san."

She grinned and punched her flesh fist into her metallic palm:

"Me, I'm a big girl who loves to go fast and crash into things. I can enjoy a nice ballad like that, but it doesn't compare to the rush of pushing your limits or those of your ride. Maybe if I had the skills to have them go full gallop, my opinion would be different, but for now? Just nice, not much more."

"Huh. Maybe." Yul said, frowning thoughtfully. "I think it's more like riding with a partner to me. Like if my wingman was my ship, instead of in another ship." Smiling, he patted Maverick's neck. "It's difficult at first, but once you work together, you can start anticipating each others' moves, and everything just falls into place.



Yul flashed her a quick smile. "You ever try flying, Hida-san? You sound just like a pilot, with going fast and pushing your limits. Especially pushing your limits; that's what it's all about."

He shrugged still smiling. "I don't recommend crashing into things, generally speaking." He deadpanned. "But everyone does it at least once."

"Hey, what about Hida maneuver 53, how to defeat a robust enemy using the kinetic force of you own vehicle? Though the example given was a jeep into an oni's face. Probably does not work that well with a plane indeed.

I have a cousin who is a pilot actually. Grandpa had us do those hand-eye coordination tests when we were children, and from the results, he chose aviation for her and infantry for me."

"I'm afraid my own superiors take a dim view of ramming expensive vehicles into enemies," Akagi commented ruefully. "If you die gloriously in the process, I'm sure you'd get a commendation, but if you somehow survive, I expect the gunso would have some harsh words to share."

"Piloting must be an exciting MOS, though," he said. "I'm not too familiar with Unicorn designations; may I ask, are the Skyriders an atmospheric flight outfit, Shinjo-san? Or space-based?"

"If I remember correctly, the manual for maneuvers 40 to 59 is subtitled Desperate time, desperate measures. Or maybe it's Snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. There are all about sacrificing something to achieve something bigger.

And yes, the cut your own arm to escape certain death maneuver exists, it's number 41 actually, and no, that's not what happened to my arm.

And, of course, all these last resort tactics are only studied in the theory and through make-believe exercises. We obviously don't train in real conditions for them."