Ride with Xiaoqing.

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 Niki's arms wrapped around from behind, on the back of a deep purple beast. Next to them sits Amara, though Snow is the one in front holding the reins, and they've found themselves a gorgeous pale gold 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 pure white 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 offer a hand to Xiaoqing, which she takes, and you help her onto the saddle right behind you. It takes a bit for her to find a comfortable position, but then her long sleeves wrap around your body, and she embraces you tight.

"This is exciting, isn't it?" she asks. "I mean, I've seen and done a lot of things, but surprisingly I haven't rode a giant bird yet."

"I've only ridden smaller, human-shaped birds."

"Huh?"

"Don't worry about it."

"You really have taken to this world so well, Kyle."

Gripping the reins, you aim the emu through the gate and onto the road behind the others. "There were a lot of growing pains."

"Sorry. I shouldn't assume. This world is stressful and dangerous, but it's also fascinating and pretty."

"What a coincidence. You're also dangerous, fascinating, and pretty."

"Wh--" Her face turns red at the sudden sneak attack to her heart. "Uhm. What about stressful?"

"You don't stress me out at all, Xiaoqing."

"I feel less stressed, to be honest. I mean there's so much racing through my mind all the time, but I think what I needed was to meet another person from Earth. I couldn't even tell anybody. I mean, I figure most people would call you crazy."

"I know what you mean. I can only do it now because of the position I'm in. I could have before, but what if that alienated me completely? It may not have. I'll never know. But I was worried too."

"Do you ever think about if it's possible or not to return home?"

"I'd only do it if I could bring everyone with me."

"That'd be quite the sight, huh?"

"What, me sitting in a McDonald's surrounded by demons, elves, and dragons?"

She laughs at the thought.

Meanwhile, Snow seems to be struggling. "Oh! I don't understand, why is it--" she calls out as her mount hurries over towards Eva. It snaps out, narrowly missing her dress, just like the others.

"Hey! Control your emu, guys!" Eva yells.

Snow hangs her head. "I apologize. I don't know what happened."

Amara touches her cheek from behind. "It is not your fault, Snow."

"Yeah," Niki chimes in. "Eva is just too good with these emus. They love her."

"I mean, I want them to love me, but can they relax?" Eva mumbles back.

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 share the ride with Xiaoqing. Though you haven't known her as long as the others, you feel an intimate connection, given she's the only one at Castle Phoenix who would understand exactly where you've come from.

"You say I've taken to this world, but you look more fitting of a fantasy isekai than I do," you comment.

"I don't know about that," she responds. "I think it's hard to look at yourself from an outside perspective. To me, you do look like some sort of badass magic knight, or maybe even the hero of the story. I only got this gear upgrade recently."

"You looked pretty mysterious before though. I can see you have an aesthetic."

"Listen. I've seen art of anime girls wearing stuff like this, and I always thought it was adorable."

"Well you're right. You look very adorable."

"Right?" She swings her bare legs up onto your lap. "Look at these boots? They look so magical."

You release the reins, instead grabbing the legs you've been offered. You hold her in place. "And they fit you perfectly."

"H-Hey," she says with a giggle. "Now I'll have to hold you tighter so I don't fall off."

"Goof around too much and this emu might not like me anymore."

She brings her legs back down soon after, though locks them around yours down on each side of the emu. That way she can hold her arms up without falling off. Her long sleeves billow in the wind, and she stretches while yawing wide. "Mmmm! This is actually so refreshing!"

As she does, Snow steers her mount up beside yours and speaks up. "Oh I was meaning to ask, Kyle. Do you not have emus back on Earth?"

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

"Thank goodness," adds Xiaoqing. "Otherwise the Emu War would have gone much differently."

"... The what?" Snow asks with concern.

"Don't worry about it."

"I see. Well, at least around this part of the world, 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 chimes in.

"Gotta agree," says Niki. "We're all out together to enjoy the great outdoors, right? We're adventurers, doing what real adventurers do."

"You know, there's something special about it" Xiaoqing says. "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."

"I think it is wonderful that you are saying such things," Amara responds. "Compared to how you were when we first met."

"When you point it out, it's embarrassing."

"Apologies. You just have a sparkling smile."

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 with care, you take Xiaoqing's hand and guide her to the ground beside you.

"I'm gonna go dip my feet in the stream!" you hear Eva call out nearby.

"That sounds relaxing," says Xiaoqing. "Shall we?"