...
I wrote this in like two seconds, but I know if I try to edit it, I'll just end up deleting the whole thing. So it will stay as is.
"I don't know how," confesses Larsa, after a moment of stillness.
Vaan looks at him incredulously. "You're kidding."
"Vaan, don't," says Penelo, but he's already started.
"You don't know how to ride a *chocobo*?"
"There... has never been any need," says Larsa. He stares up at the saddle as though it were a mighty fortress. "Chocobos are uncommon within the city, and I am not often without it."
Penelo nods. "See? Makes perfect sense."
"Yeah, but," says Vaan, who has the sneaking suspicion that Penelo would consider anything to be perfect sense as long as Larsa said it, "we still need to get across the plains, and that means riding. And if you can't ride-"
"Than he may ride with me." Basch comes up behind them, leading another chocobo by the tether. In sharp contrast to Larsa, he looks completely at home with the beast. He nods his head in a brief bow. "If you have no objection."
Larsa looks distictly less abashed. "Ah, Sir Basch," he says, and gives a little nod of his own in return, and a smile. "I would be most obliged."
"Then please." And Basch actually lifts Larsa up into the saddle of the chocobo, then mounts it himself to sit behind him.
Penelo watches as he shows Larsa how to grip the reins. She has a distinctly dreamy expression on her face. "That's so cute. Like... like brothers!"
"Yeah, right," says Vaan. "*My* brother would *never* have treated me like that if *I* hadn't known how to ride a chocobo."
(Incidently, in Penelo-speak, "brothers" is short for "vague homoeroticism." What can I say, she spent too much time around Vaan and Reks.)
"I don't know how," confesses Larsa, after a moment of stillness.
Vaan looks at him incredulously. "You're kidding."
"Vaan, don't," says Penelo, but he's already started.
"You don't know how to ride a *chocobo*?"
"There... has never been any need," says Larsa. He stares up at the saddle as though it were a mighty fortress. "Chocobos are uncommon within the city, and I am not often without it."
Penelo nods. "See? Makes perfect sense."
"Yeah, but," says Vaan, who has the sneaking suspicion that Penelo would consider anything to be perfect sense as long as Larsa said it, "we still need to get across the plains, and that means riding. And if you can't ride-"
"Than he may ride with me." Basch comes up behind them, leading another chocobo by the tether. In sharp contrast to Larsa, he looks completely at home with the beast. He nods his head in a brief bow. "If you have no objection."
Larsa looks distictly less abashed. "Ah, Sir Basch," he says, and gives a little nod of his own in return, and a smile. "I would be most obliged."
"Then please." And Basch actually lifts Larsa up into the saddle of the chocobo, then mounts it himself to sit behind him.
Penelo watches as he shows Larsa how to grip the reins. She has a distinctly dreamy expression on her face. "That's so cute. Like... like brothers!"
"Yeah, right," says Vaan. "*My* brother would *never* have treated me like that if *I* hadn't known how to ride a chocobo."
(Incidently, in Penelo-speak, "brothers" is short for "vague homoeroticism." What can I say, she spent too much time around Vaan and Reks.)