2016-01-17 - Ohtori Sports Festival, Part Two

Title: Ohtori Sports Festival, Part Two
Summary: The Sister Schools Sports Festival continues, commencing a race with fowl intentions.
Who: Fuu Hououji, Hikaru Shidou, Lilian Abarth, Iona Hikawa, Steven Universe GM: Inori Yamabuki
Where: Ohtori Academy
OOC - IC Date: Sep 23 2014 - 1/17/2016

<Pose Tracker> Inori Yamabuki [Ohtori Academy (9)] has posed.

The afternoon of the Sports festival.

There are so many events going on that they're all difficult to keep track of, but rumors abound of an amateur race, put on by the riding club, with open sign ups, no experience required, and a trophy that might be solid gold as the prize. It's the sort of extravagance that Ohtori certainly seems capable of.

The sign ups are held just by the massive stables and the race track, and anyone who signs up is provided with jockey gear of their preference and color. Once everyone is changed in the locker rooms, they're all led into the stables. A good half of the stables seems fenced off by curtains for what is probably renovations, while they pass by horses of all shapes and sizes in their majestic glory.

A bright eyed high schooler with short black hair, wearing her own gear leads them through the row of stalls talking all the way. "What do you see when you look into a horse's eyes?" She looks over her shoulder at the group as she leads them, "Affection, indifference, fear... loathing. You can see every kind of emotion. Maybe their thoughts aren't as deep as peoples' are, but their feelings certainly can be."

She waves with a hand towards a tall Arabian horse, "They're the perfect animals for riding. Take a look at their necks. Nice, sturdy, with all that handy mane to grab ahold of. And their legs... four of them! One in each corner! Very comforting how they can balance out the weight on top of them to the point where it's just like they're wearing a hat, rather than a person. They're really magical animals!"

... this lecture is turning kind of odd, but it may be that Ako just really loves her equestrians that much. She gets to the end of the line of horse stalls, swivels on her foot, and turns around to face the group of students. "It takes time and experience to learn how to ride them, to form a bond of trust necessary between rider and steed to race together. Unfortunately we don't have that kind of time!" Mischief or good humor, perhaps both gleams in her eyes, "It's only about ten minutes until we line up, so I'll do my best to offer what guidance I can in the meanwhile!"

<Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.

The archery meet turned out to be scheduled for later than Fuu expected, and she spotted the amateur riding sign-up while at the same time, so the chance to try her hand at riding horseback seemed like an obvious choice ... so long as nothing goes horribly wrong. Presumably even Ohtori wouldn't turn a bunch of newbies loose on horses without some kind of preparation and precaution - like making sure the horses available to choose from are relatively calm and unlikely to dump a rider in harm's way.

Fuu would have picked a set of riding clothes in medium green, and made extra-sure her glasses are secured in place, before joining the group heading into the stables; roughly half of her attention is on the horses, gauging them in passing as well as she can, with the other half on Ako's 'lecture'. Her comment about the mane prompts a quirked eyebrow from Fuu, "Aren't we supposed to use bridles rather than grabbing hold of the horses' manes?" Granted, some animal rights groups get up in arms about how a bit and bridle can hurt a horse's mouth, but surely that would hurt LESS than yanking on their manes.

Apart from that first question, Fuu is currently continuing to study the horses ... actually seeing if any of them will make eye contact with her, and the vibe she gets, based on that part of what Ako was saying. Animals having emotions isn't a new concept to Fuu, after all.

<Pose Tracker> Hikaru Shidou [Juuban Public School (9)] has posed.

Being a jockey was never in Hikaru's agenda before, but she's always willing to try something new. Even if it means changing into a unique form of attire that's not a school uniform or her kendo attire. It's always good to try new things. Namely because the kendo meet for today was cancelled for reasons unknown, and Hikaru doesn't want to dwell on that. Just like Fuu-chan did, Hikaru chose colors that resembled her general personality and preferences, wearing maroon colored clothes. She didn't wear glasses, which was always a good thing since she didn't have to secure them in place like Fuu-chan did.

Hikaru had listened to the lecture intently and was trying to pick out a good horse to use. She looked over each and every one of them, trying to make sure that she could find the right one. In fact, she felt that the right horse would pick her instead of Hikaru picking the right horse.

<Pose Tracker> Lilian Abarth [Infinity Institute (10)] has posed.

Lilian Abarth is familiar with horses.

What? Of course she is. She used to live up in the country, near a mountain. In Europe. Yes, Europe. There were horses involved occasionally.

Her own riding gear sits a little differently than it should, though that might just mean her leather jockey vest is all fashionable. It has little mirror-chrome buttons. Otherwise, though, she blends in.

Gazing into the eyes of a horse, Lilian doesn't answer Fuu. Instead, she reaches up - hesitantly - to see if she can pet that soft, soft nose. "... Will you be my steed," she says, mostly to herself, and seemingly without irony.

<Pose Tracker> Iona Hikawa [Juuban Public School (9)] has posed.

Iona Hikawa signed up for the horse race that was about to go on here. It sounded fun, and she never knew, the experience here might be very useful later on. She's dressed in the jockey suit that is her favorite purple, and she pays attention to the lecture from Ako silently, not saying anything and absorbing as much as she can. She checks herself very quickly to see that everything she's wearing was secured, the helmet especially.

She looks around at the horses once the lecture was over, checking each of them to see if they're all healthy and ready. It's Ohtori, so they should at least /look/ healthy and ready.

But it's also Ohtori, and Iona had seen Nanami and how much she was willing to try and win. So she's on the lookout for any strange tricks, as well. She's met some good kids from Ohtori, yes. Hopefully there are more.

<Pose Tracker> Steven Universe [Juuban Public School (5)] has posed.

"So, even if I had a Lion, I couldn't use it?"

"This is... Horse Jockeying. It is called that for a reason."

"Oh, I guess you are right."

In a small, adorable jockey outfit, is Steven Universe, appearing as though something has gotten to him suddenly, though seeing the hroses, he bounces back rather quickly. It sounds similar to anohter animal he is used to riding, even including holding on to the mane! Of course, just not too hard. It would hurt!

"Not many people from my school..." he seems to mutter to himself, looking for familiar faces.

"Um, do I need a smaller horse?" Steven asks aloud. Being rather short and stout has him thinking that maybe a shroter variety might be more up his alley for better control. Some of these he doesn't even think he can sit right on!

<Pose Tracker> Inori Yamabuki [Ohtori Academy (9)] has posed.

Ako smiles at Fuu, "That's right Hououji-san! Normally so! What I'm saying though is that it's like a backup safety measure. If all else fails, you have so much neck to grab ahold of!" The animal Lilian raises a hand to snorts once proudly, before allowing her, bending down to show that he's actually quite gentle. She then gives Lilian an approving nod, "Good choice! That's Lhambert! He's one of our finest. Unfortunately he's not available for this race. He's going to be racing later today."

Iona's inspection reveals all the horses look quite majestic and very healthy! Ohtori is a school of affluent kids and equestrian sports are rather prestigious amongst the scandalously rich. In respect to Steven, Ako holds up a finger, "Nope! I'd say you're actually the perfect size for this sport Mister Universe! A lot of people swear by smaller jockeys!"

All of a sudden, Ako grabs the curtain, and casts it aside with a dramatic tug. It reveals tall feathered animals with slim necks standing on two slender legs and bags over their heads. Ostriches. "Because you'll be riding these beauties! What do you see when you look into an the eyes of an ostrich?" She grins, "Mostly they'll just serve as handy mirrors to check your hair. Look at that ostrich's neck? So slim and flimsy. Don't believe me!? Give it a little push! It'll coil away like some kind of snake! You definitely don't want to be hanging onto that." Her hands shift downwards towards the legs, "See that? Just two legs. Not as good, it's more like riding some sort of giant chicken!"

She crosses her arms proudly with the widest grin, "Thus the only guidance you need to ride an ostrich is to hold on for dear life and keep your eye on the prize!" A beat, "Which I would like to mention, is in fact solid gold. That wasn't just a rumor. And just because we're such good sports, you'll be able to pick your mount and name it for this race alone! So go ahead! Tell us what we should submit to the announcers!"

Ten Minutes Later~

A banner hangs over the racing stalls on a giant oval shaped racing track that would be considered giant for some small towns. Initially it's covered, but then on the signal, two students tug down on golden ropes to cause the cover drift away and reveal: Ohtori Academy Presents the Don't Lay an Egg Dash! The announcer's voice suddenly echoes through the loudspeakers. "Really!? Wow that's wild! The riding club has just passed me an exciting bulletin that reveals a 'fowl' twist in the upcoming race..." There's much confusion, which leads to excited clapping as it spreads throughout the crowd what is really going on.

The stands are full of students from all school, divided enough so that red, blue, and yellow are seperate, yet there's some mingling going on amongst friends that transcends any assigned seating.

The riding club members on hand to provide safety measures lead out the Ostriches one by one to the horse stalls. They mull about inside, looking mostly directionless. There's no saddle, no bridle, just a lot of feathers they can grip ahold of! The participants, they're led out after, with great adulation by the crowd that just can't stop cheering and clapping.

<Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.

Ostriches?

Seriously?

OSTRICHES?!

... That's more or less the pattern of Fuu's thoughts after seeing the designated mounts for this race. At least getting thrown from ostrichback should be a *little* safer than horseback, although she still doesn't want to find out how badly she could be hurt as a result of that. Fuu tries to focus on the idea that it's going to be just like riding a chocobo, right out of the Final Fantasy games - and some depictions of chocobos *have* been remarkably similar to ostriches in appearance. Either way, hopefully it's going to be a fairly straight-line race without having to turn around the track too many times.

Fuu walks out to the starting gates with the ostriches - her own mount having been dubbed 'Ghibli,' not after the fabled animation studio, but for the desert winds that Miyazaki-sensei named the studio after. Once they're in the starting line, only then does she climb onto Ghibli's back and try to get comfortable while anchoring herself more or less securely. She's trying not to hinder Ghibli's wings; they may not be required, but she'd prefer not to hinder her mount's movement too much.

<Pose Tracker> Hikaru Shidou [Juuban Public School (9)] has posed.

Ostriches? Is that a joke?

Not one to laugh at this whole thing, Hikaru goes along with the whole thing, picking a mount of her own. She struggles a little but manages to get accustomed to handling this ostrich, who is named 'Hideo,' although how the name came to be is unknown. Regardless, Hikaru manages to get onto her ostrich and gain control with it. "This is going to be interesting," Hikaru says to nobody in particular, although Fuu-chan might hear it.

<Pose Tracker> Lilian Abarth [Infinity Institute (10)] has posed.

Lilian looks to Steven. "Oh," she says. "You should be able to ride a smaller one fine, you're old enough..." And then Ako ruins her dreams. Her lips purse, because she's not... not going to be able to ride Lhambert. She gives him a soulful look.

And then their real mounts are revealed.

SOON

Atop the newly dubbed "Alpha Romeo," Lilian holds on as best she can. She is watching the bird's tiny head, not so much for its probably-evil agenda, but also because it has a beak. She knows this. She got dinged in the hairline while touching its neck.

<Pose Tracker> Iona Hikawa [Juuban Public School (9)] has posed.

Iona continues to pay attention to the lecture about the horses and their emotions, and barely pays attention when they announce that ostriches will be used for the race. So she continues scanning, trying to see which horse she should pi--wait.

Ostriches?! Iona gapes a little bit at the sudden appearance of Ostriches. This was weird. Can they even hold riders? Iona wonders what Ohtori's game is. If this is the sort of thing they show outsiders, what sort of things go on when they're not in public?

Iona takes a deep breath, and heads towards her assigned ostrich. She gets on it and considers a name. "Hmm, I think I'll call you 'The Wheel'." She takes a few moments to make sure she was situated on the hors--ostrich and to also make sure that the ostrich won't buck her. Could it even if it wanted to? She starts to guide the ostrich to the starting line.

<Pose Tracker> Steven Universe [Juuban Public School (5)] has posed.

As the Gem child looks around at the horses, he is happy to hear that smaller jockeys are in fact, preferred! "Oh! Well that works out! I guess there are other perks to being small and handsome like myself!" he says in an 'as-a-matter-of-fact' style of tone.

And then they find out that they aren't signed up to ride horses at all! "WHAAAAAT?!" he exclaims. "Its a big bird!" Steven says, hustling over to the amazing creatures. "Soooo cooool..." He holds a hand out to it to try and touch, but retracts before contact. The birds are almost... intimidating. Almost, their silly faces offput that by a couple notches.

"Name?" The boy repeats. "Uhm..." He looks over at Fuu, the only person he really knows here, as if some sort of inspirational target, but then he changes his mind. He shuffles over to his backpack, then starts digging through it. Cookie Cat Wrappers,fragments of some sort of ancient looking marble, a VHS casette tape, and school books come out, but he stops at a photograph.

THe picture depicts Steven and the Gems with the Fryman family outside their old fast food joint in Beach City. "Thats it!" He says, putting it away and going back to a choice bird. "I dub thee, Ronaldo!" A pause. "Because his dad and brother both say he has scrambled eggs for brains at times, and you lay eggs, and if you cook it..."

"Okay, I know it is a stretch, but just work with me here."

<Pose Tracker> Inori Yamabuki [Ohtori Academy (9)] has posed.

"In lane one we have, Ghibli, ridden by Fuu Hououji, Infinity Institute Middle Schooler! With a name like that they'll certainly ride like the wind!"

"Over in the second lane we have Hideo, ridden by Hikaru Shidou from Juuban Public Middle school! Wow they look like quite the spitfire pair!"

"Down in the third lane is Alpha Romeo! With a name like that, one wonders if his rider, Lilian Abarth from Infinity High is looking for romance~ Give it up for the brave girl!"

"Next there's the intrepid pairing of The Wheel and their rider Iona Hikawa of Juuban Public Middle School in the fourth lane! Could Lady Luck favor this pair? You'll have to find out for yourselves! ... Remember, no betting please."

"Last but certainly not least is Ronaldo and his rider Steven Universe from Juuban Public Elementary! ..." For a while everything sounds muffled like he's put a hand on the microphone 'Why Ronaldo!?' 'I have no idea!' 'Well I've got nothing!' 'Well just say something.' "... don't lay an egg Mister Universe!"

On the track, Ako salutes the racers, before calling out safely behind the fences, "Racers on your marks? Get set?" She holds a gun up in the air and fires the blank shot, "Go!"

The gates open, and all of the ostriches lurch forward... and begin accelerating. They can hit a top speed of 40 mph!

<Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.

"Haah!" Fuu calls out, leaning forward over Ghibli's back - although she has to be careful not to collide with the bird's neck. She was wondering how she'd get Ghibli to start, but the gates and the starter gun seem to have been the only needed signal. Hopefully, all she has to do now is hang on ...

<Pose Tracker> Lilian Abarth [Infinity Institute (10)] has posed.

Lilian's cheeks color slightly. No, she thinks, it's not like that! She's not after an ostrich-flavored love affair! AND THEN:

Off they go! Accelerating steadily. Lilian crosses her legs at the calves, forming a relatively secure (she hopes) grip over the front of the bird. From there... "How do I even steer," she mumbles to herself. "This is random chance--" And Lilian is also kind of a tall girl, so perhaps it's rigged. The fix is in?!

<Pose Tracker> Iona Hikawa [Juuban Public School (9)] has posed.

As Iona waits for the start and the announcer starts to introduce the riders, she actually starts to wave to the crowd as her name is called. And then when the ref on the field says to get ready, Iona grabs some feathers and braces herself for the ostrich to take off.

Then the gun goes off and the ostrich starts to run. "These are really strong birds!" She shouts, mostly for her own sake but it's audible to the other racers, if not some people in the crowd. She tries her best to keep a hold on the feathers, and lowers her head to try and reduce drag. That'll help, right?

...Right?

<Pose Tracker> Steven Universe [Juuban Public School (5)] has posed.

Steven finds himself clinging to Ronaldo before the gates are even open. "Okay Ronaldo! Don't do anythign reckless! Like crash into other ostriches, or go on long alien hunts!"

The announcement is made for each racer, and Steven's heart is in his throat! He is both incredibly excited and somewhat scared, though not much danger is involved as long as his helmet is on tight.

The gates swing open at the bird takes off! "Ahhhh! Why couldn't you have a mane I could hide in!?" he yells as he clings for dear life.

<Pose Tracker> Hikaru Shidou [Juuban Public School (9)] has posed.

Unfortunately, Hikaru's not doing too well so far. She's struggling to hold onto her mount. She feels like the comic foil in a bad comedy. "Come on, get back on!" She says to herself, struggling not to fall off completely. "This is embarassing!"

<Pose Tracker> Inori Yamabuki [Ohtori Academy (9)] has posed.

It's not a particularly long race due to the nature of it, but the crowd is going wild already with enthusiasm. There are some jeers interspersed but mostly everyone is cheering to support the brave riders representing Infinity and Juuban. There's no reason to announce standings on a lap by lap basis because there's only one lap!

So instead it starts a few seconds into the race... "Out in the lead it's The Wheel neck and neck with Ronaldo! That's one small jockey! Maybe it's giving him an advantage. Coming up not too far from behind them is Alpha Romeo followed by Ghibli and running just behind is Hideo! ... Anyone ever get the urge to shout out something after that? I know I do! HIDDEEEOOOOO NEGATI-! gyuck-"

... A sound of impact even through the microphone. Followed by... "I'll behave senpai, I promise." The second leg of the race is only a few hundred meters long as it curves around the edge of the field. Fortunately it's fenced properly to keep the mounts on course.

<Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.

There's probably a video gaming joke that could be attached to Hideo's name, but Fuu doesn't know of any (and isn't entirely sure where Hikaru picked the name from to begin with).

So she focuses on trying to encourage Ghibli to pick up speed. As fast as the ostriches are running, she's trailing the pack by a noticeable length. Getting herself settled more securely on Ghibli's back seems to help, though - maybe the ostrich is just more confident now that it doesn't seem like that precarious weight is as precarious any more?

It's too bad she doesn't know more about the mechanics of riding chocobos, thinks Fuu ... although there's no way of knowing how similar the birds really would be. The gap starts narrowing, which is the important part. Hopefully she can shrink it to nothing before the end of the race - but either way, this is turning fun.

<Pose Tracker> Lilian Abarth [Infinity Institute (10)] has posed.

"Silver, stop this crazy thing!" Lilian cries out as the ostrich wildly vaccilates. Her position is secure enough for now, even if she's reluctant to firmly grasp that noodly neck in order to steady herself. This is certainly going to give her a good core workout.

<You know that I have no influence over birds,> Silver Scorpion replies, quietly. (He is a bangle currently beneath Lilian's blouse, on the upper arm.) <We've gone over this.>

"Kyah--! It's like a chair that keeps running - Please, Alpha Romeo, don't swerve so much!"

<Pose Tracker> Iona Hikawa [Juuban Public School (9)] has posed.

The Wheel handles surprisingly well, Iona finds, and she's rewarded by getting pretty far out beyond the pack. Her greatest competition seems to be a young boy. She looks over to the other ostrich out in front, and looks over the tiny jockey for a moment. Hmm, maybe there's something to being really short. She gives Steven a short smile before returning to her own ostrich riding.

Iona continues to try and minimize her own profile and keeping a grip on the bird. She considers trying to pretend this is a horse and possibly giving it a good kick, but... that might be an unfortunate idea.

<Pose Tracker> Steven Universe [Juuban Public School (5)] has posed.

This bird is the word! And that word is speedy! This might even be faster than Lion's normal land speed! "Garnet! Amethyst! Pearl! someone heeeelp!" the boy cries as the bird continues on the path down the stretch. While it isn't all that bad, riding on this ostritch just feels... unsafe for some reason. It might have to do with having access to a pocket dimension to somewhat brace himself in.

<Pose Tracker> Hikaru Shidou [Juuban Public School (9)] has posed.

Somehow, Hikaru manages to recover and pulls forward. As for the name, it was just something that popped in her head. Yeah, there could be video game jokes, but now's not the time. "Come on, we can do this!" Hikaru says to her bird as they start to get back into the race.

<Pose Tracker> Inori Yamabuki [Ohtori Academy (9)] has posed.

"Coming up from behind is Alpha Romeo! while Ronaldo and The Wheel are having some trouble maintaining their lead! And look at this enthusiasm from Ghibli! could they be on the verge of a last minute come back!? Even Hideo is picking up the pace! It's still anyone's race as we approach the final stretch!" The crowd is going /wild/! Noone has fallen off yet! Who will be the first to cross the finish line!?

<Pose Tracker> Iona Hikawa [Juuban Public School (9)] has posed.

Iona continues to hold on to the feathery reigns of The Wheel... but it seems that's not working too well, as she starts to fall behind and the others start to catch up. She swivels her head to make sure none of them are getting too close (hey, weird things might happen). She just tries to maintain a good hold on the ostrich. She's rather make it across the finish line as opposed to trying to do something flashy to get ahead. Her time will come. Maybe. She just has to be patient.

Very, very patient.

<Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.

It's very encouraging to Fuu, but she still isn't resting on her laurels. She doesn't have laurels to rest on yet, anyway - not where this race is concerned. All she has is an ostrich which is still in motion, and she's not sure if Ghibli can keep the pace up strongly enough ...

Well, there's only so much she can do, and most of it involves 'don't fall off your bird'. She wraps her fingers carefully into some of Ghibli's shoulder feathers, hunkering down a bit more while leaning into the bird's run. "Let's go, Ghibli-san!" she encourages her mount, her voice soft but urgent.

<Pose Tracker> Lilian Abarth [Infinity Institute (10)] has posed.

"-- It worked! He's going faster!"

<I cannot guarantee this bird is a male,> Silver Scorpion chides.

"But he's speeding up so much - it must be his animal spirits!"

<Where did you learn that phrase?>

"In economics class," Lilian huffs.

Silver Scorpion silently mourns.

Either way the wind's in her bangs, the bird is leaning forwards - "Ah! It has wings?!" Lilian says when Alpha Romeo flutters his li'l drumsticks.

<Pose Tracker> Steven Universe [Juuban Public School (5)] has posed.

Steven at this point has stopped talking, and seems to just be making some mix of exhaling and sceeching noise.

It is quite humorous to listen to as it passes by.

<Pose Tracker> Hikaru Shidou [Juuban Public School (9)] has posed.

Having gotten the hang of things, Hikaru and Hideo still make steady progress. She may not win the race, but at least she gave it her all and didn't wind up falling on the ground and looking like the reject from a comedy or something similar. "We're doing great!" She says to Hideo. "Let's keep it up!"

<Pose Tracker> Inori Yamabuki [Ohtori Academy (9)] has posed.

The crowd's enthusiasm feels like a bounding pulse that's only growing and growing in rapidity and strength. When it comes down to it... Ronaldo crosses the finish line, breaking the rose covered tape! He's closely followed by Alpha Romeo and The Wheel who both cross half a second after each other. Only a second behind that is Ghibli closely followed by Hideo! All the riders are still mounted at the end! This is unexpected by /everyone/! Almost every ostrich race all over the world ends with at least one jockey flying off!

It's pandemonium in the stands for that simple fact alone, enough that the announcer calling out the winners is drowned out.

Not long after~

They're given the full Olympic treatment. A three tiered block that looks like a misshapen Tetris T. Iona is made to stand on the 3, and Lilian on the 2. Steven is up on the 1. Ako puts a bronze metal with an egg emblazoned on it around Iona's neck! It's sure to... be a stand out amongst her karate medals, that's for sure!

Lilian receives a silver medal. Something she'll at least likely more appreciate as being precious!

Steven receives a elaborate sports trophy which... at the top, sure enough, is a solid gold egg fastened to it, while Ronaldo has a wreath of pink roses draped around the base of his neck. He doesn't look particularly pleased by it!

Those three, unless they protest too much, are carried off the track by the sudden rush of classmates onto it! Hikaru and Fuu each receive a carton of a dozen Grade A eggs as consolation prizes for being such good sports, and a ticket that's good for them both to come back for a real horseback riding lesson from the club once the festival is over!

<Pose Tracker> Lilian Abarth [Infinity Institute (10)] has posed.

Silver Scorpion has a two point plan on how to reassure Lilian in this aftermath.

1. He was shorter than you and thus less air-resistant. 2. Silver is your color isn't it?

But it's unnecessary. After a little wobbling and a wary retreat from her noble steed, Lilian is simply, purely charmed to be on that platform at all. She wears that medal with pride. This is the power of the egg...!

Though she does try to get a copy of the picture "for her scrapbook" later, this is /really/ to be shown to her aunt(?), who will, no doubt, be thrilled.

<Pose Tracker> Steven Universe [Juuban Public School (5)] has posed.

Steven clings to the bird with all that he has! Aaaand... his trusty mount crosses the finish line first! The bird itself eve nseems to know that the race is over, and seems to come to a crawl as others surround it to rein it in. The oy continues to remain clamped to the bird for a while after though, refusing to move until coaxed. He eventually gets off.

At the medal block, Steven seems so heroic and determined that he knew he would win! "Yeah, I knew I would win!" An offhanded ocmment by a nearby classmate seems to change his pride into going into the defensive. "I-I wasn't scared! That much." A pause. "Really, a siren? It was that bad?"

He immediately stops boasting having been shut down so quickly, and merely poses with some waves in a more humble manner.

<Pose Tracker> Iona Hikawa [Juuban Public School (9)] has posed.

Iona apparently didn't have much time! Racing was hard. So she decides to try and push her feathery steed as fast as she can...

Except... She didn't really know how to. She's seen actual horse races, she could guess what to do with them, but with birds she has /no idea/.

The next thing Iona knew, she was standing on a pedestal with a bronze egg-medal. Oh, well. She did, at least, win something. And that was something to be proud of, considering she's never ridden a bird before. Hopefully it /never happens again/. But the roar of the crowd is nice, and she did have fun. That was the most important part, right? She waves to the crowd too, smiling warmly. Yeah, fun is the most important part.

<Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.

Fourth place isn't so bad, even out of a field of only five. More to the point, it was Fuu's first experience riding ANYTHING without an engine ... unless you count Clef's summoned beasts, which were under *his* command rather than being guided by their riders, so that was hardly a matter of skill, was it?

The carton of eggs is accepted with a friendly smile and a polite bow; she'll have to find her parents and elder sister to hand them off for safe keeping. Hopefully there'll be a way to keep the eggs cool for the remainder of the afternoon.

Fuu is also a gracious 'loser' to those who scored medals; at the very least, she's no less friendly than usual, even if she fails to gush particularly at her co-competitors' superior performance. She congratulates Steven, and Lilian, and Iona, on their respective performances, and bids them good luck in the other events to come throughout the sports festival.