Ride with Eva.

After the exchange of coin, the dwarven man supplies the saddles and reins, and with your party's aid, the emus are suited up in record time. Each pair has their own colour. First is Niki riding with Amara's arms wrapped around from behind, on the back of a radiant orange beast. Next to them sits Xiaoqing, though Snow is the one in front holding the reins, and they've found themselves a sleek obsidian-feathered emu to ride. They all pull up, ready on the road ahead, as you take up the rear as the final two riders.

You place your hand upon the neck of the sapphire bird. This close, her feathers do almost look like long polished crystals. She looks down to you--mighty and tall--though doesn't resist your approach. She trusts you. Then with caution at first, you hoist yourself onto the saddle, though once aboard, you take a confident hold. After a pat upon the creature's head, you help Eva climb up next, taking a moment to shift into place right behind you on the saddle.

She grabs your chest and pushes herself firmly against you. Even through your cloak and the rest, you can't help but notice the push of her large, pillowy breasts against your back. At first she casts her legs off to the side like a mounted princess, though she deems it annoying, and instead rides as you do. Without a long dress, no clothing gets in the way, though with how short the garment is, such a position doesn't really conceal her much. It doesn't matter anyway, as she has your body to hold like a comforting blanket.

"I was kinda thinking I wanted to steer," she whispers near your ear. "But now that I think about it, all I wanted was the chance to ride one again. With you doing all the work, I can enjoy all the luxury without any of the effort."

"Spoken like a true sorceress queen," you say as you drive the mount through the gate and onto the road with the others.

"Honestly, this position feels so natural. Your body is warm, and even though you're wearing all this gear, I feel comfy against you."

"Hold me as tight as you'd like, Eva."

"Ride me--Ride us, uh direct us... No yeah, ride is right. Ride us forward."

Meanwhile, Snow seems to be struggling. "I d-don't understand--" she mutters out as her mount hurries over towards you. It snaps out, narrowly missing her dress, just like the others. Thankfully you tug on your emu's reins and direct it away.

"Wha--Control your emu, guys!" Eva yells.

Snow gasps. "Sorry, sorry. I don't know why, but it went right for you. My mistake, Eva. And Kyle. It's been awhile since I'd rode one of these."

"I guess they really love you after all," Niki says with a snicker.

"Of course," says Amara behind her. "It is Eva. What is there not to love?"

The western exit of Avana is your destination. It takes no time at all to circle around and depart from the city. Once they have room to move, these emus are swift! They move more quickly than any horse. Their wings may not word, but it feels as if you're flying. Before you know it, even the acres of farmland are in the distance. It all disappears behind grassy hills. With the Western Pecho Peaks being as close as they are, the terrain is still rather uneven. The road itself is fine, though there are turns above dangerous drops, and enough rocky cliffs and up and downs that neither city is in site from where you ride.

It's feels great, however, to be out in the open air on the back of such a speedy beast. You take a deep breath and let the wind flow back through your brown hair, and on top of that, you get to experience Eva's soft embrace.

"Are you still doing all right back there?" you ask after a time.

Eva sighs quietly. "Definitely. This is a surprisingly smooth ride. You must be naturally good at this."

"Maybe it's one of my special Demon King skills," you jest.

"Mmm. This is nice, but do you think I could sit in front?"

"You want to grab the reins after all?"

"No, no. You'd still be in control. But I feel like I'd be more comfortable being up there."

"If you'd like--"

As if she wasn't actually waiting for permission, she awkwardly begins to crawl around you, despite the emu still racing forwards. Your eyes widen, and you worry for a moment that either she'll fall, or you'll lose control of the mount, though she manages to worm her way beneath your arms and sit herself down on the front of the saddle instead, pushing you back by way of her butt. She wiggles into place, grinding up against you for a moment before leaning into your torso.

"... That's better," she says under her breath. "Now I can feel it."

"Feel what?" you ask.

"Uhm. A more c-comfortable position. That's it."

You chuckle and hold your arms close against her, as much as you can while still steering the emu. She continues to stir occasionally, as if trying to push up even more firmly against your groin.

Just then, Snow looks over from her own mount, almost directly beside your own, and speaks up. "So, Kyle. I was curious. You don't have these back on Earth?" she asks.

"We have emus, but they're definitely not this size. Temperament is about the same though," you answer.

"They're one of the fastest ways to get around, but a lot of people still prefer other mounts, because emus not only aren't great at pulling wagons, carts, and the like, but they tend to refuse outright to try. So they're useless to merchants and other people transporting goods."

"Perfect for us though," you say. "Compared to if we went on foot then, how long of a trip do you think this will be?"

"A few days walking. But with emus? We'll likely only have to sleep on the road once before arrival. In an emergency, emus could probably run long enough between Avana and Tanver's Crossing before the next sunrise, though it would exhaust the poor creatures."

"I definitely don't think we need to rush," Eva adds.

Niki waves from her emu nearby. "Agreed!"

Amara behind her smiles. "Yes. This is almost like one big date after all."

"You know, there's something special about all this," Xiaoqing chimes in. "Whether it's near kingdoms far from here, or even the world I came from, the world feels similar when you're out in nature. There are still trees and rocks, squirrels and birds. It's wonderful."

Eva nods at her words, but she seems to be thinking of something else. She whispers, "Yeah, yeah... Tall trees, hard wood. Big and strong. A couple large rocks, swinging--"

You give her a playful quick blow against the back of her neck. "You keep saying stuff like that, and I'm gonna pull this emu over, and everyone else is gonna watch us."

She instantly sits up straight. Her body stiffens, including her hears with stand tall towards the sky.

Of course, it takes little time for her to lean back into your embrace.

After riding for hours, you spy a bridge ahead. From what you can remember, it crosses the Pecho Stream, a river that eventually runs into Silverleaf. The emu's talons bang loudly against the old yet solid boards of wood, and you continue for a short distance passed. Though around that time, you all decide it's the perfect opportunity to have a break. The emus shouldn't be made to run from dawn to dusk, and even the riders are starting to ache. Different muscles are used than if one were to walk, but it's still tiring.

You dismount first. Then carefully, you guide Eva down as well.

"I'm gonna go dip my feet in the stream!" she calls out before sprinting ahead. "Come on, Kyle."

"Don't worry. I'm coming."