Go for a serious advantage - Hands tied behind her.

While you still don't really want to annoy Natalie, you'd be stupid to not try and take a decent advantage. Tying her hands behind her shouldn't be too painful, but should mess with her ability to play enough that it gives you an advantage.

"Alright, turn around, hand behind your back." You try to sound assertive, but it's not convincing. Natalie sticks to her word though, turning on the spot.

"It's a bit cliché, but sure." She shrugs, before crossing her arms over at the wrist, resting in the small of her back.

You grab one of the normal ropes, but pause for a second before doing anything. Sure, you've played as kids, but this is the most you've interacted with each other for a while. You feel a twinge of sadness at that realisation. But you also can't deny that this feels pretty intimate now. It's fairly unusual for the two of you to be touching at all, and now you're barely feet apart, holding her wrists, the back of your hand practically against her ass.

You gently pull her right hand back, giving you a little bit of room to manoeuvre, and taking the left hand with it. You quickly loop the rope around her wrists vertically a few times, before doing another couple along the vertical, a bit self-conscious over the way your hands keep brushing against her rear. A basic knot finishes your work, positioned away from her, and you take a step back.

Natalie tries to wrap her head around to see her hands as she tugs at the ropes a few times, clearly can't make them budge. "Not bad," she comments, before turning to look at you, "Thanks."

You cock your head sideways, taken aback. "For what?"

"Well, usually when someone says 'I could beat you with one hand tied behind my back,' it's just a metaphor. Today I'm going to beat you with both."

You can't help but laugh at the joke. At least, you hope it's just a joke. She kneels down on the floor before getting onto her side, sliding and rolling in an attempt to grab her controller. She refuses your offer to help, grabbing the cable it's attached to before pushing herself back into a seated position against the sofa, similar to how you're sitting, then pulling the cable along until she has the controller, hitting the "Next Match" button when she's ready.

The next race goes about how you'd expect - neither of you get a boost start, and Natalie struggles with the first few corners, barely getting out of first place, but the pack isn't too stretched. You're out in first place as the second lap rolls around, but a lucky hailstorm gives her the chance to make up some ground, pushing up into third. You're still doing well, but...