Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Tracen in winter feels like a different place. Practice tracks normally teeming with horsegirls grow emptier as the days grow colder, leaving only the strongest and most determined on the snowy dirt. With the Arima Kinen looming, the few racers lucky enough to get a spot are sharpening their skills until the end-year Grand Prix.

But for the rest of the students, there isn’t much reason for them to stay in the academy until classes start back up in January. Thus, many students choose to head back for the holidays, spending their time with friends and families outside of Tracen.

Today, three such students stand at the entrance gate. All are dressed warmly in matching winter clothes, though no words are exchanged between them as they look out onto the open road. Not long after, a black limousine stops in front of them, and a smartly-dressed man walks out of the driver’s seat to open the door for them and get their bags. While the sight would draw attention at most other places, it’s a common enough sight in Tracen that no one stops to give them a second look. 

Finally shielded from the cold winter air, the girls take off their hats and jackets, letting the heater warm them up completely. The driver returns to his seat, acknowledging the girls in the passenger seat with a nod from the rear view mirror. “McQueen-sama, Dober-sama, Palmer-sama. Good morning.”

“Good morning to you as well, Takeda-san,” McQueen replied, leaning back into a chair. “I apologize that you had to come all this way to pick us up.”

“It’s no bother at all, miss. We’re in for a long drive, so feel free to rest if you feel tired.”

As the car begins to move forward, Dober glances at her traveling partners. McQueen seems content to stare out of the window, watching the sun’s orange glow begin to set over the horizon while slowly zoning out. Meanwhile, Palmer is messing with something on her phone. Dober finds that reassuring in a way. All of them are close enough that they don’t feel like they have to make small talk to fill the dead air. Everyone is more than happy to do their own things while still knowing they can count on one another when it counts.

Dober takes out her own phone, before panicking when she notices the time. Trying not to seem too frantic, she puts in her earbuds and opens a video streaming app. When her stream of choice finally connected and she saw Umas waiting to enter their gates, she breathed a sigh of relief—she hadn’t missed the race. She leans back into her chair, allowing herself to get comfortable while keeping her eyes on the stream. 

“It’s been a fantastic day for Japan here in Hong Kong. They’d already taken two wins with the Hong Kong Vase and the Mile just earlier today. The question is: can they make it three?”

“Well they have a pretty good shot I’ll tell you that much. She’s coming off a hot streak back in Japan. While she has one of the outermost gates, if anyone can beat the favorite, it’ll likely be her.”

As the commentators voice their thoughts, Dober’s eyes scan across the turf, searching for a familiar head of hair. When she finally spots her near the rail, she feels a small smile forming on her face. 

The fanfare rings out across the course, and the Umas step into their respective gates, primed and ready for the race to start. With a bang, the gates fly open and 14 Umas start racing. As they begin jockeying for position, Dober’s eyes go wide when she realizes the girl she’s supporting is in front, completely unlike her normal strategy.

Is she okay? Did something happen just before the race? It’s hard not to feel anxious. Dober’s never seen her run all the way at the front in a big race. The last time she did it, the race didn’t end well…

As they round the corner, the cameras catch a close-up on each racer as they go past, and Dober spots her expression. Even in such a high profile race, the girl seems calm, but determined. Her eyes scan the racers in front of her, waiting for any indication that she should pick up the pace. She only saw her for a fraction of a second, but it’s more than enough for Dober to feel relieved. If she’s confident in her strategy, then Dober will trust her, even if her heart is beating out of her chest. 

“We’re in the final corner and Agnes Digital is making her move! She has gone up from 5th to 2nd and is closing the distance between her and the lead.”

The announcer’s call is met with cheers from the audience as the Umas move into the final straight. In her heart, Dober is screaming right alongside them.

“400 meters to go! The Japanese horsegirl Agnes Digital has taken the lead! The French girl from the outside is running hard, and the favorite’s got a second wind, but it’s Agnes Digital! She’s holding off the veterans, and finishes first! Agnes Digital and Japan conquer the Hong Kong Cup!”

“Yes!” Dober whispers under her breath, doing a small fist pump at her friend’s victory. She’s so lost in the mood of her race that she forgot she was still in a car, not noticing her little act has drawn attention to her.

“Did something good happen?” Realizing she’s being talked to, Dober takes out her earbuds and looks at Palmer.

“Hm?”

Palmer points at Dober’s face. “You’re smiling. Did something happen?”

With a glance at the window, Dober realizes she’s got a stupid grin on her face, one completely unbecoming of a lady. She tries to fix her expression back to neutral, but the damage’s been done. “N-nothing! I was just watching a race, that’s all.”

“Ohhh,” Palmer quiets down as the gears start turning in her head. When they click into place, she leans forward, eyes locked onto her like she’s just heard some juicy gossip. “Oo~hhh? Got someone you’re supporting?”

“It’s nothing like that!” Unfortunately, Dober’s flustered dismissal isn’t quite as effective as she desired. “It’s just… I’m curious about what racing in Hong Kong is like, so I thought watching the races would make for good research.”

Intrigued by their conversation, McQueen turns her attention towards them. “I have a few acquaintances who have raced in Hong Kong. If you’d like, I’d be happy to arrange a meeting with them.”

Dober can feel beads of sweat starting to roll down her face. Now under the scrutiny of both Palmer and McQueen, she has no choice but to go with the flow. “Really? That sounds wonderful. I’ll consider it.”

“Take your time, though preferably it’d be after the break. Not everyone is as diligent as you, doing research during winter break and what-not.”

Dober can only laugh nervously.

Leaning back into the chair, Palmer sighs. “Welllll, I don’t know as many people who went overseas, but I know a girl who’s in Hong Kong right now.”

“Who?”

“Agnes Digital.”

Dober jumps from her seat, and proceeds to hit her head on the roof of the limousine. The impact causes both Palmer and McQueen to scream, and nearly causes Takeda-san to stop the car.

“I-I’m fine,” Dober assures everyone, though the way she’s rubbing the top of her head tells a different story. “You… know Agnes Digital.”

“Oh, yeah. Helios is friends with her.” Of course, Dober thinks. “You know her too?”

“I’ve… heard of her.” Dober glances down at her phone. The scene has changed from the racetrack to the awards ceremony, with Digitan and her trainer right in the middle. “She races really well.”

Palmer nods in excited agreement. “Yeah! She waits around at the back for most of the race, but then she’s got this sick last kick! Actually…” Trailing off, Palmer motions to Dober. “She kinda races like you! I think you’d get a lot from talking to her.”

Dober feels a nervous lump beginning to form in her throat. “Y-you think so?”

“Totes! I can hook you two up if you want, but you might not gel as well with her as McQueen’s classy friends.”

Oh Palmer. How wrong she was.

“Thank you, both of you. I’ll think it over.”

The conversation having reached a natural conclusion, both of the other girls return to what they were doing previously. Dober looks at her phone again, and noticing the stream has begun wrapping up, switches to a messaging app. She clicks one of the chats pinned at the top before writing a quick message.

Alice Digital

Dober set the phone down on her lap, beginning to drift asleep before she’s interrupted by her phone vibrating. Despite not expecting a reply so soon, she opens up the chat, seeing a few new replies already. 

Dober watches as the typing bubble appears… then disappears… then appears again. The cycle repeats for a whole minute, and just as Dober is wondering whether or not Digital left her phone on inside her pocket or something, she finally gets a new message.

Two letters, but Dober can read the disappointment hidden in them. Dober feels bad—she doesn’t want to rain on Digitan’s parade, especially not off the heels of such a big win—but her hands are tied.

Thinking on her feet, Dober types up a quick response before Digital can go anywhere.

With a smile, Dober turns off her phone, already finding herself looking forward to tomorrow.