#bergen_county

"Thank you" She moves back to Dance, leaving Star reluctantly "Can I leap on his back, act very dramtic and then race off?"

"Well, that would be dramatic."

"As I understand, drama is very important for the eshu."

"It is...." She leaps onto Dance, and he goes back on two legs and gives horse cry, she calls out "The time of the Shacklebreaker's triumph is over! The Doomwind comes to blow the Pennon flag back to Teaneck, where it belongs by Right! Good bye, Champions of yesterday, a new dawn.. rises SOON!" And she turns and bolts off FAST ... not as fast as Star, but very dramatically and it looks DAMN good

A snort-laugh, and she waves. "Nice meeting you!"

She can't hear Shasta anymore but the Eshu does wave back sort of as she departs

Gerd comes out "Did I hear someone .. nope, both horses here"

"Oh, just a traveller from Teaneck. Boasting, some shit-talking for Pennons. She seems nice."

"Shit talking at our stable? Balls on her" Gerd admits "nice?"

Shrug. "Eshu. Don't they gotta shit talk almost as much as pooka have to lie? Besides, Chief is Chief."

"oh, an Eshu, yeah, they're kind of reckless" She nods "And yeah, Chief is gonna launch folks into the stratasphere"

"Sounds like Teaneck has a new knight, though. Some chick named Doomwind."

Gerd stops "Doomwind, the Doomwind?"

"Yeah?"

"You heard of her?"

"Nope, just thought I'd try this 'sounding dramatic' stuff" A smirk that's a bit too Vali like

A laugh. "Yeah, what a name."

"I mean, Chief is Chief. Me, I just hope to not make a fool of myself."

"Gotta do Rivervale proud, you know?"

More serious, Gerd nods "I get it. It's ... well, Rivervale is your home and the Chief has always done right by you, you want to give your all. Fortunately, you've got a lot to give. I bet you'll be fine, maybe not in the finals, but definitely semis"

"I mean - she's let me do so much with the horses, too. I don't want to let her down. But, like, I'm being realistic? I did pretty good when it was all strength, but jousting is a lot of skill, too."

"Yeah, but you are a waay better rider than you were a year ago. You've been training"

"Sure..."

"So you some skills, not crazy bad ass jousting skills, not yet, but skills"

"Yeah. So. Not a fool. Reasonable goals."

"...and quietly hope to face Chief in the finals?"

"VERY quietly, the Dreaming might hear you"

"And mock me?"

"You might get your wish and join Baron K in the sky" She says

She laughs.

"Oh, Chief totally kicks my ass all the time."

"Yeah, but she does it with honor, love, and honor" STERN face, then a smirk

"Come on, horses are all taken care of.. let's check the Mountains' records and see if we find any notes about a 'Doomwind'"

"Sounds good! Okay Star, TOMORROW, you take the quintain..."

She'll THINK about it.

(End Scene)