gratitude

[the_very_best]

Bella flies away. She visits her parents, hits up the guild for matches and wins enough to pay her guild dues, and tools around random wilderness beating up on the wildlife.

She doesn't really expect to hear from Sherlock and Tony again.

Comments

[bitofafiction]

"I mean to say that he is not in the habit of letting Irene's excessive smugness damage his composure."

[the_very_best]

"I figured. Bad joke," laughs Bella.

[bitofafiction]

"So I observe."

[the_very_best]

"Pfft. They can't all be gems." She zips up her backpack and swings it onto her back.

[bitofafiction]

"I acknowledge the point."

[the_very_best]

"We should all three of us race once I get there," opines Bella. "Flying, I mean, although if we wanted to do a landrace I could loan Branch to Tony since if I remember right he doesn't have anything appropriately quadrupedal."

[bitofafiction]

"I think that would be lovely."

[the_very_best]

"And of course the fact that I'd loan Branch and not Fireflower has nothing to do with the fact that I know she's faster and everything to do with the fact that she doesn't know him well enough to decline to burn him," snickers Bella.

[bitofafiction]

"If you put it like that, Tony will regard it as a challenge."

[the_very_best]

"He's welcome to try to woo my Rapidash. I don't anticipate he'll have a lot of luck."

[bitofafiction]

"We'll see, I suppose."

[the_very_best]

"Renée has tried it, many times, and doesn't get anywhere," Bella says, as she leaves the building, releases Rachis, and hops on. "Fireflower is not my friendliest."

[bitofafiction]

"Tony has astonishing powers of charm."

[the_very_best]

"Okay, now I'm curious, this I've got to see," laughs Bella. "Up and away, Rachis."

"Pidge!"

"Like, how would he even go about it?"

[bitofafiction]

"What has Renée tried?"

[the_very_best]

"Bribing her with treats into letting Renée pet her on the nose till she's sick of it and bites, and talking half-nonsense half-'you don't wanna hurt me do you' type stuff, and getting me to intercede on her behalf," says Bella. "I can get Fireflower not to bite her, but the properties of her actual fire parts are not in my control."

[bitofafiction]

"I see," says Sherlock. "No, that does not sound like Tony's sort of strategy."

[the_very_best]

"What'll he do then? Or do I just have to wait and see?"

[bitofafiction]

"I would not care to venture a guess, and I doubt Tony himself could tell you until the moment approaches."

[the_very_best]

"Fair enough. He can borrow her if he can talk her into it, that'll make things interesting."

[bitofafiction]

"Won't it just?"

[the_very_best]

"Fireflower actually lost a race the other day. Not with me riding her, just me and another Ace both had Rapidashes and we sent them around the block four times and she just barely came in second. She was mad."

[bitofafiction]

"My condolences to Fireflower."

[the_very_best]

"I'm sure she'll appreciate that. And she'll appreciate winning even more."

[bitofafiction]

"No comment."