Chapter Text
“I can’t believe you.”
“I don’t remember invitin ya along so ya could whine.”
“I don’t remember you including this detour in your sales pitch.”
“DS, this is adventure. Get used to it.”
“If this is your idea of an adventure then I wish to lead a boring life.” Daiwa Scarlet had to stop herself from kicking the shins of the girl in front of her with every stomp of her feet.
“Some horses, ya swear their saddle straps are tied too tight.” Vodka grumbled as she strolled down the busy city street.
Daiwa puffed out her cheeks. “Clearly yours are constricting blood flow to your brain.”
“Now there’s a reach of an insult.”
“Only for someone as uneducated as yourself.”
“Gonna keep this up or ya gonna help me find anything that’ll help us?” Vodka waved off her remarks. “There’s a lotta buildings and I’ve only got one set of eyes.”
“You dolt! I can’t read anything here!” Daiwa screamed. It was true. If they were in Tokyo it would be a breezy half lap to find a place where they could catch a train. But Tokyo was as far away as it could be. “Oooooh, if only I were stuck with Condor or Grass Wonder.”
“Ya wanted to come see Broadway, ya got me.” Vodka grumbled. The two had been with a group from Tracen who came to the east coast of the United States for a show match. While they had a little over a week to spare, Vodka and Daiwa had decided to split from the group and go to New York City; and hoped to catch a train all the way over to Los Angeles where the horse girls would return to Japan. But now, as the day they wanted to leave came, they were walking around the city hopelessly lost and without a train.
Vodka half understood Daiwa, she was as frustrated as her roommate was at this turn of events, but the moaning from the other horse girl wasn’t helping her mood. “I’m sure there’s tons a ways back over to LA. There ain’t really a need to kick up such a fuss.”
“Such a fuss? Such a fuss? There’s plenty of need!” Daiwa started screaming. But upon noticing how many people turned to look at the horse girl screaming in Japanese, she quieted down. “Vodka please. Just… I wanna go home.”
“Ya think I don’t?” Vodka sighed. “We ain’t gonna be stuck here forever, chin up.” She looked up at the signs around her. She knew a bit of English from reading foreign magazines, but hardly enough to make sense of most of the things around her. ‘I hope we won’t be, at least. I don’t wanna be part of whatever underground horse girl racing they got around here.’
Daiwa sighed. “You’re right,” she finally said, “I do wish we had the foresight to take out more money though.”
“Ya got me there.” Vodka groaned. “It’d be simple if we could just hop a plane but we told Trainer-san that we wouldn’t spend that kinda money.”
The situation slightly defused, the two resumed their stroll down the city streets. Vodka spoke up: “Do you have a drivers license?”
“We’re horse girls, Vodka,” Daiwa dryly replied.
“Worth a shot.” Vodka clicked her tongue. In a land with plenty of public transportation it was never a priority, since long distances could be covered by trains and short distances with their own legs. “Not that it’d be worth much since we’re in America, I guess.”
Daiwa looked at Vodka’s face. She wore a calm expression Daiwa wished she could copy. As bad as things were, Vodka didn’t look too worried by the turn of events. She’d kill for that confidence. Still, it was that confidence that got them into this mess in the first place. ‘If only she’d taken time to plan ahead, or maybe I should have done that since I knew she might not.’
Vodka took a look at the signs that dotted her view. ‘It’ll be fine.’ Daiwa thought. ‘As stupid as she can be we’re not in a major rush nor in any danger.’
As they turned onto a smaller road, though, the sound of three louder engines than before surprised the two girls, making Daiwa jump up and squeak in terror. Vodka didn’t appreciably react beyond staring at the source. Three tough looking guys were parked by the sidewalk, helmets in hand. Each was straddling a motorcycle. Vodka couldn’t help but admire the rides. They weren’t top of the line, but each was a pretty sight to see in person. A man in front of the pack on the largest of the motorcycles—‘A Harley Road King’ Vodka recognized it—whistled at the two. “Hey, you two chicks look all ears.” He called in english, and Vodka could mostly understand him. Daiwa was completely in the dark as to why the man on the roaring motorcycle was talking in their direction.
“Nice ride.” Vodka replied, grabbing Daiwa’s hand and picking up the pace.
Their advance was stopped by the man on the large bike with a hand outstretched. “Hey, cute accent, and she knows quality. You and your gal pal wanna ride?”
Vodka’s tail twitched at the thought of riding that bike. It had a two-up seat that could- no no no. “Sorry, no thank you.”
Daiwa gripped Vodka’s hand. She didn’t like where this was going.
A man on a smaller red bike took a pass at Daiwa. “Check her chest out. Howd ya think they run with those things on them?” He reached out a finger to point at her chest.
A little too close for comfort. Daiwa as a reflex high kicked his arm away, with enough force to send him toppling off his bike, helmet flying out of his hands and at the third guy on a silver ride. “Hell, the redhead’s a hothead!” He chucked the helmet at Daiwa, but she kicked it right back, striking him off his bike as well as it clocked his chin.
Finally, the big guy on the big bike lunged a punch at Daiwa. “You’re getting too cute, you da-” Daiwa crouched, lept up, and bucked the man square in the chest. He was sent flying down into the road with a sickening thud.
“Hell yeah, DS!” Vodka gawked at what her companion just did.
“Charming folks. Let’s dash.” Daiwa started to run off when Vodka grabbed her collar.
“Hold up. I got the best idea.” Vodka’s wicked smile told Daiwa that whatever she was planning was gonna be a massive headache.
As the first two to go down stood up, vodka swiped up two of the helmets and tossed one to Daiwa. “Hop on!” She shouted as she lept on the big bike and quickly revved it.
“You cannot be serious!” Daiwa screamed, jumping on just out of panic as Vodka popped the drive and sped away from the screaming group, already hopping onto their bikes.
“Ohhhhh man this feels great!” Vodka screamed, banking down a right turn and weaving into the city’s traffic. “Hang on, DS!”
“This is illegal! This is so illegal! You just stole a bike and neither of us have a license! We can run faster than this!”
“Yeah? And this can take us all the way to LA!” Vodka screamed, lost in the adrenaline.
“Oh my god!” Daiwa screamed as Vodka took a tight left swerve. This driving was horrifying, so much that the two creeps who were following them had already given up, not being so suicidal as to follow the crazed horse girl. “Vodka, if we stop now we might not go to jail!”
But her words were lost in the roar of the wind mixing with the engine.