Chapter Text
It was a casual race, really. It was barely more than practice.
Only four riders were participating. In the lead was Vyngt, the indigo Capsule J making swift progress with his Jet Star, Starbreaker. Taking a moment to look behind him, he noticed two other riders in fierce competition for second place, although he definitely didn’t need visual confirmation; the chime of one of the riders, a Ringle with a dark teal bell, was enough to alert him that their violet Turbo Star was approaching. Vyngt couldn’t actually remember why the two were invited, only that the machine they were currently trying to surpass had been insistent on it. The other machine soon attempted to take the lead using their superior aerial mobility, their multicolored decorative ribbons trailing behind them and somehow not impeding the blue Birdon that was riding on them. That rider had been the one to actually suggest the idea of a practice race, although Vyngt was pretty sure it was actually to catch either him or his machine out of practice.
Needless to say, it didn’t work. Vyngt was still in the lead, and he was sure that Starbreaker didn’t have any plans to slow down. At the moment, the other rider didn’t seem too bothered by it, but Vyngt knew that they would be complaining until the next race.
Far behind the rest of the group, Vyngt caught a glimpse of a grey Rocky and her Paper Star. Despite being nearly half a minute behind the rest of the group, she didn’t seem annoyed, but rather just kept cruising on without urging her machine to go any faster. Vyngt respected her for that. The last thing he wanted to see was a machine damaged by a rider’s recklessness. He was also able to acknowledge that they were at a disadvantage, both from experience and the environment itself. The improvised track had very little in the way of elevation, with both Starbreaker and the decorated Warp Star needing the assistance of their riders to get any good airtime. Of course, Vyngt’s method was far more efficient and had other use cases, but the Birdon’s machine could stay in the air much longer with even the slightest bit of lift.
┤We’re almost at the end, Vyngt. Can you provide a boost?├
Vyngt turned back around as he heard Starbreaker speak to him. Sure enough, they were almost at the designated finish line, but the two runnerups were catching up quickly.
“Of course.”
Vyngt made sure he was holding on, before he activated his own jets. The added vertical force allowed Starbreaker to easily shoot up into the air, crossing the finish in a matter of milliseconds. The other two weren’t far behind, proving that the additional boost had made a difference. Around ten seconds later, the Rocky and her Paper Star finally crossed the finish line. Vyngt got off of Starbreaker, followed by two of the other riders, except the Birdon.
“So, Plume…” Vyngt started the post-race discussion by addressing the Birdon, only to be quickly cut off by the Ringle.
“Did you call for that race expecting something else to happen?” They taunted.
“Well, not really.” Plume admitted, “I was hoping for a change, but that went the way I thought it would. You and Ultraviolet did well though, Sonis.”
“Thanks, thanks.”
Vyngt decided to leave the two to their conversation, walking over to the Rocky. Her Paper Star was audibly annoyed by the whole deal, so Vyngt attempted to calm them down by carefully resting his hand on them.
“It sounds like Papercut isn’t too happy about the results.” Vyngt observed.
“No. They’re upset about the wasted time.”
“Well, Starbreaker and I aren’t too happy about it either.” Vyngt admitted, “We were planning to take the off-season to do some renovations on the new shop, and Starbreaker suggested we start today, before Plume dragged everyone into this.”
“They were hoping it wouldn’t be a race.” the Rocky stated.
“Did Plume not tell you what it was going to be?”
“They didn’t.”
“I’ll go ask them about it.” Vyngt stated. Starbreaker had followed him over, and was currently in a conversation with Papercut. Vyngt could only understand one half of the conversation, but he knew enough about a machine’s tone to infer the other side. Looking over at the others, he noticed that the conversation between Plume and Sonis had gone quiet, but their machines were still talking.
“Hey, Plume,” Vyngt began, walking back over, “Did you forget to tell Andes what you actually wanted her for?”
“She wouldn’t have agreed if I told her.” Plume responded, “I know, that’s awful. I’m sorry. I’ll make sure to let her know next time, and if I don’t, Theli will.”
The Warp Star in question seemed a little startled by the sudden mention, but quickly expressed their agreement.
“Don’t worry too much about it, friend.” Vyngt advised, “Just make sure it doesn’t happen again. Either way, Starbreaker and I should head back now. There’s still a lot we need to do in order for the relocated shop to be ready for business in time.”
Sonis now looked over at the conversation.
“Are you sure focusing on that and the races is a good idea?” they asked, “I’m not in your business, but it seems like too much of a toll to take. Why don’t you just choose one?”
Vyngt thought about the question as he signalled Starbreaker to come back over to him.
“First off, I wouldn’t call the shop a business. I barely charge anyone for the majority of my work, and it’s really just the two of us running the place. Believe me, I do wish that I could be there for others more often, but I usually don’t need to be. Besides, they can call us out of a race if we’re needed, neither of us mind.”
┤Well, I mind a little.├ Starbreaker muttered.
“I know, but it’s for the best.” Vyngt stated as he got on, although he knew that Starbreaker was already aware of that. “We’ll be heading out now.”
The other two machines said their farewells, with Plume and Sonis following, before Vyngt and Starbreaker took off.
┤Complete waste of time?├ Starbreaker asked.
“Not entirely.” Vyngt reasoned, “Plume and Theli brought those two along, and I enjoyed meeting them.”
┤That is true. Theli seems to be good friends with the machine, but I’m not sure Plume knows the rider that well.├
“I don’t think that’s a problem. Just not that common.”
┤No, it is not.├ Starbreaker contemplated. ┤ I do believe that machines should be able to interact more without their riders, and this seems like exactly what I’d want.├
“Did I tell you that they’re making that one of the goals in the new city?”
┤The one they’re building on the islands?├
“Correct.”
┤You did. You mentioned that it’s part of why we moved up there.├ Starbreaker confirmed.
“Well, that and the climate. The old city is nice, but it’s far too humid for my condition.”
┤You’re doing fine, Vyngt.├
“Thank you.”
The two continued riding in silence for a while, flying up to the floating islands above the city. The skeletons of buildings under construction littered the islands, with only a few actually being finished. The first building was a large, yet bland complex that seemed constructed to radiate authority and nothing else. Vyngt could feel Starbreaker’s unease as they flew over it, which he responded to by sending his own signals through the bond, trying to reassure them. It was still a decent distance from their destination, so Vyngt also made sure to let Starbreaker know that they could speed up if they wanted to, which they gladly did. Eventually, a second building came into view. Although it was more humble than the previous one, it still couldn’t be called small, with two floors and a large window. The duo flew down to the building’s door, a bit of a monstrosity with multiple methods of being opened. Vyngt sighed a little as he opened the door, recognizing that he needed to improve on the design. The Council almost hadn’t permitted it in the first place, stating that it was “insecure”. Vyngt had pushed for it to be allowed anyways, whether they wanted him to have it or not. It was just one more step towards making the shop as perfect as he wanted it to be.