Ride with Niki.

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 Eva riding with Amara's arms wrapped around from behind, on the back of a teal-winged 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 crimson bird. This close, her feathers do almost look like 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 Niki climb up next, taking a moment to make herself comfortable wedged up behind you.

She locks her arms around your midsection with a binding strength none could escape from. "Sorry if my breastplate hurts your back," she says. "But the metal is actually pretty light. And you're a tough cookie."

As you steer the beast through the gate, you glance back and say, "You could always take it off."

"... N-No. I can't. Not like before. I kinda don't have anything on under it. The padding inside is so incredibly soft on my boobs that I don't need to wear a top under it anymore."

"That doesn't mean you can't."

She snorts and grips you tighter. "Of course you'd say that."

"Finally!" Eva shuts, proudly grasping the reins of her mount. "No more trying to strip me, okay? You're gonna get us to Tanver's Crossing safe and sound, and fully clothed."

Meanwhile, Snow seems to be struggling. "I d-don't understand--" she mutters out as her mount hurries over to Eva. It snaps out, narrowly missing her dress, just like the others.

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

"Sorry. I don't know why, but it went right for you."

"They really do love you," Niki comments from behind. She snickers.

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, as you get to feel the constant embrace of Niki's mighty strength.

"This is wonderful," she says from behind. "Thanks for riding with me. You're a natural too."

"Better hold on tight, because it feels like we're gonna make record ti--Ah, too tight!"

"Hey, you said it," Niki teases.

"You can only use that level of strength against me without your armour," you say. "Otherwise you'll put a dent in my spine."

Snow looks over from her own mount, almost directly beside your own. "So 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."

"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."

"No rush!" Eva calls out.

Amara nods, holding her firmly from behind. "We might as well enjoy ourselves. It is like one big date."

"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--What are you doing?!"

Niki's arms around you tighten. Though as she returns to a grip perhaps a little too tight, you no longer feel the push of metal into your spine. Instead, it's much softer. Everybody glances over to spy the warrior now completely topless. Her breastplate is in her hands, at your waist, while her bare breasts are concealed by the touch of your body against them.

"... N-Nothing. Don't worry about it," Niki answers. Her cheeks are deeply red. As she snuggles up close, you can hear her breathing heavily against your ear.

"Careful. Your Rite of the Sun markings are showing," you tease.

"Shush. Ahh, y-yeah but that is a problem. Your cloak against them, they're--Mm, s-sensitive. Maybe this was a bad idea. I can't believe you talked me into this."

"I did no such thing... Naughty."

"Don't say that!" She nearly squeezes the life from your lungs, but she grins as she does so. "I'll just have to uhm... stay very close, so that nobody sees my weak points."

"I thought sunhearts weren't affected by the cold."

"What?"

"Well I can feel your weak points against my back."

"No you cannot! They aren't gonna poke through a cloak, armour, and clothes, you liar!"

Eva stares for a lengthy time, lost in her imagination. "What if I..."

"C-Careful!" Amara cries from behind.

The emu veers off the road. Quickly, the bunnyfolk steers the reins back on track, just as the ground becomes course with large rocks and loose gravel.

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.

One dismounted, Niki stuffs her large breasts into the soft inner lining of her fancy new breastplate, and once again her weapons are stowed away. Nobody would even know what sort of mountains hide beneath that sheathe of metal.

"I'm gonna go dip my feet in the stream!" you hear Eva call from closer to the bridge.

"Come on," Niki says with a playful tap to your chest. "Let's go join them."