3rd ♥ [Audio/Commentlog]

[lightyourway]

I'm going riding.

[Yes, her mind is made up.]

If anyone wants to come or ... Maybe could help me harness a horse, then meet me in the stables in half an hour.

[Of course, even though it's an open invitation, Kairi will be gathering up friends along the way

Comments

SOME TIME LATER [commentlog]

[lightyourway]

[Kairi let her horse to stand a short way from Xanth's, the bridle held tight in her hand. She didn't want to be too close in case either horse got skittish while she was trying to get on, Talia's words about nervousness ringing in her ears.

She glanced across at Xanth before placing a hand on the pommel of her horse's saddle.]

You ready?

[commentlog]

[heroinwait]

[Xanth is not his friend.

Not yet, at least. Riku barely knows him--but what he does know is that he can't win this battle. One day he'll be able to tell Kairi no. One day.]

It's not about that.

[Not about what--hiding, or trusting? Riku's not entirely sure which one he means himself. Maybe it's precisely that.

But after a moment, he sighs, pushing up the blindfold.

Time to try his luck.]

[commentlog]

[lightyourway]

[Immediately, Kairi is all smiles.]

Well, are you ready?

[She squeezes the horse's sides with her knees and lets up on the rein a little. She's getting used to the motion and they're still going in the right direction.]

Come on, I'll race you.

[Part of her knows that it's reckless, that even if all three of them only go within a safe speed, they'll be pushing themselves before they're ready. But caution was never one of Kairi's strong points, especially when it came to fun.]

[commentlog]

[stillseecracks]

[Riku gets no odd look from Xanth, but Kairi does. Racing already? They just learned how to walk! They don't even know how to trot yet!

Xanth fidgets on his horse, but the horse takes no notice, just plodding along at a steady pace. Caution may not have been Kairi's strong point, but Xanth had caution in spades.]

A-Ah, um, are-- a-are you s-sure?

[commentlog]

[heroinwait]

[It's hard for Riku to really relax; after everything that's gone on over the past several months, he's kind of taken on "silent and observant" as second nature. There hadn't been much time for joking and games from the moment Sora had shown up in Hollow Bastion. But at the same time, he knows he won't be learning anything about the keep today that he doesn't already know. He's been all over the grounds by this point, there's nothing new to find on horseback.

Not to mention Kairi's here, smiling at him and ready to race all over again, just like before they'd left the islands.

Riku can't force himself to relax entirely. It's just not possible any more. But he -is- able to keep himself from remaining frustrated over her insistence that he remove his blindfold, instead nudging his horse so that it quickens just slightly.]

You really think you can beat me?

[Yeah, racing might be a bad idea. But what's the worst that could happen? One of them falling off?]

[commentlog]

[lightyourway]

[Xanth's comment does give her pause and she looks at him for a moment, her uncertainty plain on her face. She isn't sure. And while that's okay, she's not used to having someone point it out to her and make her stop and think about it. If she were back home, Riku and Sora would already have taken off by now and-

Riku's comment drives all uncertainty from her mind and she grins. That tone, she is familiar with. Still looking at Xanth, she nods. She's sure.]

We'll find out. Are you ready?

[She tries to coax the tiniest increase in speed from her own horse.]

GO!

[commentlog]

[stillseecracks]

[Xanth opened his mouth to protest - did neither of them have a lick of common sense? Then he remembered who he was dealing with.

The answer to that question was a sound no.

Resigning himself to his fate, Xanth pushes his horse forward. She shifts from an amble to a quicker walk and Xanth hopes that he can at least keep pace behind them.

Losing the race would be fine. He just wanted to be sure he could help whoever had some kind of accident, if they had an accident.

(Even if that someone was Riku.) ]

[commentlog]

[heroinwait]

[At Kairi's "go," Riku nudges his horse forward again--he's got a fast horse, and it picks up the trot pretty quickly, surprising him again. But this time, Riku doesn't immediately sit back, instead trying to get used to the bouncing motion. It's. Pretty bouncy! And the tails of his blindfold are probably bouncing all over the place. But after a moment he feels comfortable enough (or as comfortable as possible) to take a glance back for the other two.

And then his horse decides that the shift in weight is a signal to drift thataways.

Riku twist back to front almost immediately, words forgotten as he tries to pull his horse back over. Horseback riding? Yeah no. He's going to have to devote all his attention to this now 'k!]

[commentlog]

[lightyourway]

[Kairi's surprised when Riku's horse moves into the trot, but a moment later she's laughing. He's bouncing everywhere and it's sending his hair flying. He really needs to get that cut, but right now it just looks funny.

Keen to avoid making a similar mistake, Kairi snatches a series of quick glances over her shoulder to see if Xanth is keeping pace before urging her own horse forward.

And then she's bouncing too. The trot is bumpy. But it only makes her laugh harder as she tries to find a way to absorb the shock.]

Come on, Xanth! Let's get him.

[commentlog]

[stillseecracks]

[This is a terrible idea! But Xanth nudges his horse ahead and she, too, moves into a trot.

This idea was even worse!

He adjusts after a little while, though it's still not comfortable. Kairi and Riku have already gotten ahead of him, which he's okay with - he'd rather not be in front anyway. But he at least wants to keep pace with them, so he nudges his horse again.

And she shoots ahead!

Xanth quickly pulls her back and slows her down, but his heart is hammering.]

[commentlog]

[heroinwait]

[Oh, hey Xanth! You decided to catch up? Riku chances a quick glance at the other boy as his horse suddenly puts on a burst of speed, the smallest hints of a challenging smirk on his face.]

All right, now it's a race.

[It's funny how the simple act of racing is helping him to relax--for a moment, it feels almost as though nothing's changed at all.]

[commentlog]

[lightyourway]

[From the rear, Kairi misses the smirk and Xanth's reaction, but there's no mistaking Riku's tone. It's working! She knew it. Even with the blindfold and everything he'd been through, Riku couldn't resist a race.

She's so focused on the boys, she doesn't notice right away that her horse is taking her wide and it's causing her to lag behind. Only when they're about a length ahead of her does she dig her knees into her horse's sides. to try and catch up.

It slides into a canter, the gait much smother but so much faster. Kairi lets out a squeal that quickly becomes a whoop as her horse closes the distance, but she has no attention to spare for her competitors now. She's trying to master this new rhythm, trying to catch the sway and the pace.

It's not really working.]