Class time is all but a blur. It seemed like hours of repetition, from going over symbols and numbers to working with odd tools and devices, and even included taking an Expedition device apart, naming what each part does, and then putting it back together – over and over again. When Fred finally dismisses them, Tasha and Layth leave the lecture hall, still clad in underwear for some reason (Fred having said something about a recurring dream of his) and find themselves standing on the stone steps of the building outside.

At the foot of the stairs, wearing a yellow jumpsuit with a black stripe and holding a matching yellow helmet is Nora Argentine, leaning against a strange vehicle: it has only two wheels, one at the front and one at the back, with the body slung between them. There is a lot of chrome and other metal on display, and it has some sort of saddle and two handlebars near the front. Two more vehicles just like it stand nearby, one with a green finish and one in red, held up by a little leg protruding down from one side. Each has a folded jumpsuit and matching helmet atop its saddle, of the same color as the machine's non-chrome surfaces.

Tasha's in mid-stretch as she exits the building, just fresh from her first-ever class. Her muzzle pauses mid-yawn as her eyes, keen as an eagle's and ever aware of all things shiny, catch so much chrome glinting in the light. The rest of her freezes shortly after, leaving Tasha to stare at the bikes in that awkward pose until she blinks and seems to notice the rest of the world. Lowering everything but a hand, she waves, tail wagging! "Ahoy, Nora!"

"Well, at least they are not pink," Layth remarks as he exits the building while still staring down at the boxer-shorts he is wearing, "I can tolerate much, but being forced to wear pink is going too far." He doesn't even notice Nora or the machines until Tasha actually draws his attention to them and he looks up.

"I brought you some clothes to wear," Nora says, looking a bit younger than usual – closer to Tasha's real age (but then, Tasha and Layth are both around sixteen years old, physically, in this virtual world). "Can't go riding in just your dainties, after all!"

"What's wrong with pink?" Tasha inquires, glancing at the buck curiously. "It's almost red, the best color! Well, gold is also the best." She grins widely as she descends the stairs, exclaiming, "Those are very shiny things you have there, I'm goin' to take a shot in a storm and say they're motorcycles?" The woman glances at the clothes, then shrugs and heads towards them. "Oh, I've flown in less than this," she insists as she picks up the red jumpsuit.

"It better not be pink. Men do not wear pink" Layth insists as he literally hops down the stairs and headers over to inspect the clothing.

The green bike, of course, has a green jumpsuit for Layth. "Motorcycles," Nora says with a nod, running her hand over the leather saddle of her own machine, almost sensuously. "Genuine chrome-plated, internal combustion death ponies! The next best thing to flying."

"I'll be the judge of that!" Tasha hops in to her suit, wiggling in to it before zipping it. She has enough experience with Nora's clothes to know how such complex technology such as the zipper works. Once it's on, she turns to lean over the bike and says, "Let's see … Gauges – fuel and speed – no attitude control of course, no neural interface, manual handles … More like the truck than the Titans. And these must be electrical wires."

Layth, therefore, snatches the green jumpsuit and pulls it on. He's at least familiar enough with the Expedition clothing by now that he he's dressed within a minute. "These machines look dangerous," the buck notes as he squats down beside the green one to get a better look. "It makes me think 'steel Vykarin'. And … probably about as smart," he adds with a bemused grin.

"Hopefully less gassy," Tasha agrees with Layth.

With a grin, the Karnor says, "No smarter than the rider. Here… " she tosses something to both Lapi and Vartan: silver keys, connected by chrome chains to… little silver skulls. "You'll need these to get them started."

Layth's hand snaps out and he catches the key. "I've done enough with the cart to have a general idea of how this machine works, I think. And well, after that long lesson with Fred I might be able to take it apart. Scary," he says as he stands. "And if it is only as smart as the rider, well, we're doomed… "

Tasha spots the glinting metal out of the corner of her eye, locking on to the falling keys like a bird of prey tracking a mouse. She catches the keys without fail, then holds them up to the sunlight to examine them. "These don't look electronic, but they are grooved." In class, Tasha proved to be a comparison learner, reviewing what she was taught by bringing up connections similar and abstract. Looking down, she puzzles over the controls. "Look for a matching interlock-interface; connection may suggest the tools need to operate them," she quotes, then slides the key in to its slot … and watches it.

"These don't run quite like something with four or more wheels," Nora explains. "They are a lot faster and more maneuverable, so long as you remember to lean into the turns. I've given you both automatic gearboxes since I don't think Tasha can work the shifter with her hooves, and because it'll just make things easier."

"Layth, better put your helmet on first before I show you how to start things… they're loud," the woman warns next. "And Tasha, no matter what, do not open your wings while you're on the bike. Not even to balance!"

"I can't work it with my hooves?" The red woman peers down at her equine appendages, tapping them against the road. She looks up at the warning about her wings, pulling them in close. "That's against habit, but hokay Nora." She nods, then looks down again, stepping over the machine and sitting down on the seat, studying the device in front of her.

"Mechanical lock," Layth agrees to Tasha's observation. "Given I dealt in a lot of trade when I was younger, I'm used to mechanical locks. All the groves and bumps do is just move little bars into the correct position so a cylinder will turn. This is something I understand! Pretty simple." The buck slings his leg over the bike and sits down on the seat first. Once seated he grabs the helmet. He turns it this way and that, then turns his ears this way and that, before finding a position that would be mostly comfortable and pulls the helmet on and even secures the chin strap.

"Yeah, the shifter is made for people whose feet work a bit differently," Nora says, hopping into the saddle of her yellow bike.

"Okay, first thing to note is this switch next to the right handle grip," the Karnor points out, which is a simple rocker switch with a D on the upper part and an N on the lower. "Make sure the 'N' is in the pressed in position. That's Neutral, so the gearbox isn't connected to the rear wheel. The engine won't start if it's not in Neutral."

"It seems like a lot of Terran and Silent-One technology just wasn't made to accommodate wings and hooves," Tasha observes. She nods to Layth, then. "That's right, Cap'n Eyeshine had a few lock boxes on The Rake;  I always wondered how they worked." She looks to the handlebar and reaches to make sure the switch is in the correct position, then nods. "It's a little hard to believe, that we actually understand this," she remarks, "A year ago, I wouldn't have even dreamed of this.

"Well, I won't claim to completely understand it yet, but I don't feel like an idiot staring at some magical thing anymore," Layth says as he checks and confirms that the switch is in the neutral position. He then slots the key, but doesn't turn it yet. "A lot of it really is just simple things all connected together to make something that seems magical."

Nora explains the brake lever and how to use the grip throttle – and then turns the key on her bike to the 'on' position and twists the throttle so that her machine roars to life, belching a brief burst of flame from the exhausts and rumbling like a tiger Khatta hopped up on too much Mateh.

Donning her helmet, Nora says, "Okay, start your engines!"

Tasha's ears perk at the loud belch and fearsome rumble. "Oooooh." She leans over to watch Nora's ride purr to life and, upon realizing she, too, can create this amazing feat, turns back to her own vehicle and turns the key. A quick turn of the throttle and the Vartan's own mount is spewing fire and growling, not that unlike its rider. "Ahahaha, hahaha!" She cackles in glee.

Even with the helmet, the roar of Nora's bike coming to life causes the Layth to wince and draw back slightly. "You made them louder on purpose," the buck accuses as he turns the key to the 'on' position. He's not quite as aggressive about turning the throttle as the women are, so his starts with less of a roar, but it still starts.

There's nothing to muffle the vibration of the motor, which comes right through the saddle and travels up the spine – but it's not uncomfortable. Nora gestures for Tasha to put on her helmet.

Tasha seems distracted by her well-entertained bout of laughter, and it takes Nora a few gestures to get her attention. She blinks, then nods, pulling her helmet over her head. "Oi, hey, a Karnor helmet. At least I don't sound like I'm talking from inside a barrel this time," she observes. "This is fun!"

"Okay, now we can hear each other," Nora says, her voice coming from speakers in the helmets. "Layth, there's a stud on the back of your helmet. Slide it around until the noise is bearable."

"He'll just say my noise is never bearable," the Vartan quips in to her mic.

"What is it?" Layth asks as he reaches back and finds the mentioned stud. The buck fiddles with it for a few seconds. The first attempt made it worse, naturally, but the second seems to get it down to a more manageable level. "Your worst noise comes from the nights you have sausages and a lot of beer. Your backside sounds like your bike does now," the buck claims.

"He always was so romantic," Tasha mock-sighs.

"The helmet speakers can make 'anti-noise' to block out the engine sounds to a degree," Nora says. "Now, the bikes will stay balanced once they're moving, but when you stop you need to put your feet down. So hold your bike steady now with your feet on the ground, then push the kickstand back so it flips up out of the way."

"Understood." Tasha glances to the side, then, leaning her bike in to her not insignificantly muscle leg, uses the other to kick the stand up – or try to anyway. Her hooves, being mostly smooth rounded surfaces, glance off the first time forcing her to get it on the second attempt. "Ready."

Layth plants his feet, then kicks his left leg back a bit to push the kickstand up and out of the way. "Ready as well," the buck declares.

"Okay! Now the fun starts – roll yourself backwards away from the steps," Nora says, and does so herself until there's a full bike-length between her front wheel and the stone steps.

After watching Nora, the Vartan follows suit and rolls herself back until she's off to Nora's side and facing the same direction she is. "This reminds me of driving the truck," she shares. "The wheel angle and controls seem similar, except just in different places and without so much vehicle to move!"

Layth also 'waddles' his bike backwards until he's about ten feet from the front stairs. "This … don't remind me of much of anything," he quips, "Which isn't a bad thing."

"Okay, now flip your gear switches to 'D', turn right, and follow me!" Nora says, before slowly riding forward, and showing them how to pull up their feet and use the rests on the side of the bike for them.

"Gabriel and Fred and, well, me, all seem to be trying to get me how to learn to operate vehicles, so I think I'm getting accustomed to them, even if I don't understand them perfectly." Tasha rolls her shoulder, limbering up the joint, then reaches over to flip the switch in to the 'D' position. When she goes to follow Nora, her bike jerks forward from the woman's over-exuberant turn of the throttle, putting her several feet past Nora with Tasha holding on for dear life. "Hahaha," she laughs, pulling herself back up. "Oops."

"And be mindful of the engine and your legs," Layth says into the speakers for his and Tasha's benefit as he pushes the switch to 'D'. "These things burn stuff to move, so it probably gets hot. Like the plasma conduits that Fred warned us about in the class." It's awkward, but he rolls his bike forward by giving it the tiniest amount of throttle and once he feels stable, he pulls his legs up in mimic of Nora. So he doesn't overshoot like Tasha does!

"Okay, next lesson: using your brakes without falling over!" Nora declares, as she overtakes Tasha and leads them to an open area, where a lot funny orange cones are spread around. For the next forty minutes or so, Layth and Tasha learn how to turn at different speeds, oversteer and understeer, brake, accelerate and adjust the throttle when they feel the gears shift. The slalom with the cones is pretty fun, actually, once they realize the orange obstacles won't kill them if struck.

As it turns out, Tasha is a quick learner when it comes to maneuvering once her initial crashing is over. She confides she learned to fly in much the same way: "Mum dropped me off the side of the ship over a lake, over and over until I learned to fly." She also expresses a strong fondness for machines, including both piloting and engineering. "I could do this all day!"

Layth is more conservative at first, but high speeds seem to come naturally to a Lapi so it isn't long before he's pushing the speed limits in the slalom, much to the dismay of the numerous cones he ends up hitting in practice. He also quickly learns the value of not using the front break at which speeds because it can flip you over! After almost doing just that, he grins and quips, "When going hard, always grip the rear… "

"That sounds kinky but practical!" Nora laughs. "Okay, time for the real road now! First one to catch me will win a prize," she claims, then spins out her rear wheel in a circle to raise a cloud of dust before speeding off towards the lake road.

Tasha pulls up next to Layth, leaning her bike in to a leg, "You should have seen me in the simulators, it always goes this way. I'm glad this- … " The woman's ears shoot up at the mention of chasing and prizes, and without another word she's off like a bolt!

"Such impatience," Layth says and mock-sighs. He doesn't take off like a bolt, instead he takes off and builds speed steadily, allowing himself time to gauge the terrain and slope of the land, as well as look ahead and see how the road twists so he can plan out his path ahead of time.

The problem with planning ahead is that from behind… there's a lot of dust. But this settles soon enough. The first stretch of road is fairly straight, with the water on the right and the trees whizzing past on the left. The surface isn't entirely smooth though: there pits, gouges and bumps that can challenge control. Further ahead the road takes on more curves and hills, however. In the beginning it's rather peaceful though.

The squeal of burnt rubber follows as Tasha's bike accelerates, leaving an unpleasant rubbery smell. "If I had patience none of us would be here!" All the time learning to drive various vehicles is behind the woman, although their diversity makes only the truck truly applicable. A history of flight also benefits her, having long ago learned the benefits of aerodynamics and speed. She seems happy enough to take the control challenges as they come, weaving as needed and keeping her body and wings down.

As Layth rides, he sets his feet firmly on the footrests. The buck then leans forward and slightly raises his butt off the seat to provide himself with a secondary set of 'shock absorbers', his own legs, hoping that it will help him counter-balance the bucking the motorcycle does when it hits one of the grooves or the holes in the road.

The first turn is a tight one on a flat road, and Tasha blasts through it by leaning over until her knee nearly touches the ground. Layth attacks the curve the same way, but skids slightly to the outside, losing a bit of ground to the Vartan.

By the second turn, which has a natural inward bank to it, the Lapi has nearly caught up again, as both rides breeze through. The next turn, however, has a trick: the banking changes midway, being favorable going it flattening out suddenly. It's Tasha's turn to skid, nearly allowing Layth to pass her.

The fourth turn is banked outwards though! Tasha practically slides through it, her padded knee scraping the ground and coming out without losing too much momentum. Layth isn't as fortunate, as his front wheel clips a rock and his bike slides to the edge of the road, nearly throwing him into the lake! He recovers at half speed, but is trailing the Vartan now.

The road ahead looks less snaky, but more rolling – hills and dips, and they can both see Nora actually going airborne a few times.

The Vartan woman doesn't relent in her pace, advancing as she always has in life: with a charge forward and the ever-present risk of wrecking herself! Maybe it is all her practice, or maybe she's just a natural at things that involve hurtling oneself forward at dangerous speed; Whatever the truth may be, she doesn't slow except when absolutely necessary.

The buck takes the kicks, curves, and skids, with surprising calm; his eyes focused on the road ahead and the feel of the bike and less on actually looking at the gauges at this point. The last skid that nearly sent him into the lake has him reconsidering tactics, but there is only so much he can think of. So, he tries to flatten himself down on the bike as much as possible to keep from being pulled off by wind pressure and then he pushes the throttle hard.

Both riders take the first hill at speed, and Tasha's familiarity with airborne trajectories pays off: her bike leaves the ground at the crest, but lands with both wheels on the opposite rise. Layth isn't quite as fortunate, as he lands at too high an angle with just his rear wheel making contact, and has to brake slightly to get his front wheel back down before powering up the next hill.

Hill two is lower and has a shallower angle at the crest, so neither of the bikes gets any advantage or real air time, since the third hill is a steep one. The angle is enough to bleed off speed and require more power to get to the top.

The top of the third hill also hides a surprise: there's no down slope on the other side! It's like a miniature cliff, with a muddy patch beyond. Speed makes the difference, with Tasha just slightly faster and thus clearing more of the mud. Layth is right behind her, but has to slow just slightly to avoid getting spattered by the muck Tasha kicked up.

There's no quips or bragging from the Vartan as she races ahead. While mouthy in many scenarios, this doesn't seem to be one of them. She keeps her mouth shut and eyes on the road, and doesn't let up.

The buck's lack of familiarity with vehicles in general really shows. It's a struggle to keep the bike up and straight and sometimes it is only due to sheer muscle power keeping the front wheel from twisting or kicking to the side and sending him crashing. Under the wind pressure and strain, the outline of the buck's muscles show through his jumpsuit, tensed and solid. He barrels onward, trying to keep the throttle on as much as possible.

Up ahead, the road seems to just stop where the trees march up to the shoreline, but both of them see Nora's brake lights flash as she goes into a skidding turn and shoots off to the left, where the road turns abruptly into the woods.

In the lead, Tasha takes the turn at speed, braking hard at the last moment. She actually manages to make the turn without losing control, but when she guns the throttle to right herself and accelerate out… her engine stalls! This gives Layth time to make a more leisurely turn and recovery, and gain some lost ground while Tasha has to coax the motor back to life.

The red woman growls when her engine cuts out, jerking the throttle repeatedly until it kicks back in. Dropping back in to position, she accelerates hard to get her machine back up to speed again. If not for the growl, she'd be dead silent.

For once caution plays into Layth's favor, his engine keeps rumbling as he makes the turn and then resumes accelerating into the forest ahead!

The conifer forest is much darker, with the road lit by dappled sunlight. It curves to the right, just enough to make it hard to tell just what might be ahead. While there aren't low branches, the surface of the dirt road is even more uneven because of intruding roots.

The dappled light turns out to be an issue for Tasha, since the constant movement of the trees branches high about trigger the motion-sensing part of her Vartan eyesight, making it difficult to perceive the road itself beyond the squirming sunbeams. Going into the first turn, her steering goes wobbly when an unseen root forces the wheel left, and Tasha has to slow to regain control. This gives Layth a chance to close the gap between them considerably, as his experience with snow-glare makes it easier for him to maneuver in the highly contrasting light.

The road turns to left again, and suddenly there's a fallen tree trunk straddling running across it at an angle! Tasha has to brake and turn almost side-on to it, coming to a complete stop. Only then can she maneuver around it back onto the road, with the sound of Layth's bike filling her ears.

Even as the Vartan begins accelerating, a glance in her rear mirror shows Layth coming up fast – and instead of going around the fallen tree, the Lapi guns his engine and raises up his front tire, so that he's riding just on the rear one! The front wheel comes down on top of the trunk pointing along it's length, and kick from a well placed root bounces the rear of the bike up until he's actually riding along the tree trunk! His bike jumps off and hits the ground almost right on Tasha's tail – but this is the final stretch, and that little bit is all she needs. Heading straight as she can, she goes full throttle towards the stopped figure of Nora on her bike just at the exit from the forest, where she's waving back to them.

It's incredibly close, but Tasha passes on Nora's right with only a few feet to spare before Layth zooms past on the left. They're out of the woods and back at the lake, where there's room to slow down. A dilapidated looking shack with a sagging porch is at the far end of the clearing.

The red woman's bike turns and skids to a halt, burning both rubber and roof as her vehicle comes to a stop. Settling the weight against one of her legs again, she sits up and pulls her helmet off. Golden hair spills forth as she shakes her mane out, saying, "Oi, that was close!"

Layth's deceleration isn't as dramatic as Tasha's. The buck actually shifts the bike into neutral and releases the throttle, letting the engine roar suddenly then drop to a dull rumble. A few seconds later he finally applies the brakes, rear first, then front, as the bike eases to a stop and he sets his feet down to stabilize it, then shuts his engine off. He unhooks the chin strap, but he doesn't remove the helmet, not so long as any of the other engines are running. "You should have won with a far greater lead," the buck concedes, "It was bad luck in the last few minutes that made it so close."

Nora rolls up next, and cuts her engine as well. "Wow, quite a finish! I wish I'd gotten to see how you did the whole run," she notes, doffing her own helmet and setting her kickstand.

"Aww, don' be hard on yourself, Layth. Fair's fair, and you almost beat me. That move of yours was really impressive," Tasha insists, not needing mic assistance to talk over roaring engines. Glancing at Nora as she arrives, the young woman smiles and follows the older's lead. The kick stand is lowered, then she reaches back and turns the switch to neutral before turning the engine off. Now that it's quieter, she adds, "We did pretty well, considering we've never really rode these before. And, well … ," Tilting her head, she sounds a bit embarrassed when she admits, "It puts me in mind to ask Fred about my vision, later."

"What is wrong with your vision?" Layth asks as he sets hiis kickstand and swings his leg up and over the bike, dismounting. With all the engines finally off, he removes his helmet as well and sets it on the bike seat.

"It's supposed to be fun, so I hope you both had fun!" Nora insists, sliding off of her bike, and walking onto the porch, where she turns and spreads her arms. "Welcome the Argentine Fishing Lodge!"

"Well, not wrong just … " Tasha shakes her head, looking frustrated as she steps off her bike and turns to regard it. "Rrr, this is embarrassing to even say." She doesn't say anything further about whatever it is, staring at the chrome plating of her vehicle as she either thinks or struggles to speak. When Nora announces the lodge, she looks up and blinks, followed by grinning. "I didn't know you liked to fish," she admits.

"It seems in need of some repair," Layth observes, "So I do not expect she gets much time to actually use it." The buck also unzips the upper part of his jumpsuit. Thick fur and stress tend to generate a lot of body heat.

"I find it relaxing," Nora notes. "Some of my generation preferred hunting, but I thought it involved far too much running." She swings the hand-made-from-scraps looking door open and invites everyone inside.

The younger of the two women follows along, ears perked and eyes curious. "Back on The Rake, we mostly 'unted from the side of the ship with bows, against anything we flew over that looked good. It was a bit of a contest, to see who could hit from so high up." She steps inside, then begins sniffing.

Layth enters last, the usual for him. "I hunted when we were on caravan runs, crossbow and spear. Not for myself, but for the Khatta and others that were along, such as my former master," he notes. "I am not sure how it would be relaxing to anyone, but perhaps that is because when it is necessary, it is not relaxing."

The cabin is a single room inside, and smells a bit of smoke more than anything else. The furniture is all wood and most of it looks cobbled together, but at least there's a table and chairs, with a brass-and-glass hurricane lamp in the middle. The only bit of technology is a tall metal cabinet, which nonetheless looks a bit old and battered. Nora goes to this and opens it, letting out a rush of chilled air as she extracts three vaguely-feminine-shaped glass bottles full of brown liquid, each capped with a little metal hat. She sets them on the table. "Sit down! Have a drink!"

"For us, it was about getting something better in our stores than salted meats, as well as fun. You probably know, Vartans see very well, so it was all about which of us saw and aimed the best. The winner got the best portion," relates the young Vartan. And never needing an excuse to have a drink, she sits herself right down and crosses her legs. "And don' tell any Vartans, but I'm thinking of asking Fred if he can do something about, um, well … shines." The Vartan lays her ears back, looking around like another Vartan might jump out at any minute an accuse her of unvartanness. "See, I nearly wrecked myself back there looking at the lights, and nearly got myself kill with those Titans. I don't want to kill myself working on a live line because it sparkles."

Layth pulls out a chair and settles into it heavily, seemingly tired from the run at the very least, or maybe it was the class. "That isn't an issue with your eyes, though, is it? It it not more a mental condition of Vartans?" the buck asks as he picks up the odd glass bottle. Upon discovering it is cold, he pressed it against the center of his nose ridge. "Perhaps just wearing smoked glass goggles would help. I used those when Fred was having me join some metal plates together for him in the lower deck. It cuts out bright flashes."

"Maybe contact lenses would help," Nora agrees, and shows how to twist off the metal caps to release a hiss of bubbles. Then she takes a long swig from her own bottle.

"Those are both good ideas! Maybe I should ask Dr. C., he'd know too." Reaching over, Tasha nabs one of the bottles an leans back, getting comfortable. "I didn't realize how much I missed the bars and taverns until I found the Talon Lounge. Thank you for beginning me here, Nora. It's like a part of peace and a part of my past. The Fallen Friend isn't much more sturdy!" She laughs, then twists the cap off and takes a long swig – which makes her ears flick and eyes widen!

"It's a soft drink," Nora explains, once Tasha has a taste of the caramel-licorice-cola flavored fizzy drink. "That means it doesn't have alcohol in it. Still really popular though!"

Layth grips the cap of the bottle and with little difficulty, twists it off. He actually sniffs the contents first, which causes him to scrunch up his usually twitching nose for a second. He shrugs then takes a long drink. So, naturally a burp quickly follows, followed by the buck saying, "Excuse me." He looks around for a bit, then comments, "It reminds me of places we stayed at when on the road. Abandoned homes and so on. Both good and bad memories for me."

Tasha pulls her muzzle off the bottle, peering at the contents. "Really?" She shakes them, watching the bubbles churn and fizz. "It doesn't look softer than the alcohol I drink. It's good, though. Sugary, like a sweet treat. I don't think I've had anything like it." She shakes the bottle a little more, seemingly amused by the carbonated interplay.

"Well, this will be a good memory," Nora notes, then warns Tasha, "Be careful! The bubbles can cause it to spill over if you shake it up. First time I drank this, as a cub, the bubbles tickled so much I was sneezing for five minutes." She then goes to a cabinet and opens it, fishing out plastic eating utensils and some garishly colored paper napkins and matching plates.

"Your drinks are as complicated as your technology!" A drink that tastes like a baker's sweets, yet fizzy like it was just shaken – plus it can erupt when agitated! The red woman just shakes her head, amazed. "Alcohol, especially Vartan alcohol, is very strong and usually a beer. There's some on Orpheus, still good after all these years. That's how you know it's good alcohol!" She grins, then takes another sip as she watches Nora set the table. As she does, she suddenly glances up at the woman and asks, "Nora, did I answer all your questions earlier?"

"We are nothing but the sum of our memories," Layth waxes poetic before taking another drink from his bottle, "We shape, and are shaped by, them." His head tilts a bit at Tasha's question, but he doesn't intrude.

The Karnor pauses while setting out the plates and place settings on the table. "I think so," she finally says. "If I think up any more or want to revisit some later I'll let you know though." She then grins at Layth, and gestures around. "Memory shapes this world, too! Ready for the prize now, you two?"

"The prize goes to Tasha, she won," Layth notes and gestures towards the Vartan.

"Hokay." Tasha smiles, to show she hasn't lost her good cheer by thinking on more serious matters. Nodding, she takes another sip. "I think maybe it was a tie. I forget. We Vartans have bad memories," she says a second later.

"Tasha came in first, so she gets to wear the crown," Nora says, opening another cabinet. From this emerges a golden crown! Well, it looks like a circular crown, and shines like gold, but it's also clearly some kind of paper or plastic. Still, Nora sets it on Tasha's head with an air of reverence.

"Welllllll … " Tasha eyes the crown a moment, soberly, then breaks in to a grin. "Hokay. I win." She reaches up and adjusts it, then settles back in again. She looks like a cheap road warrior princess, and seems enjoy every minute of it. "I may wear one of these all the time."

"I really don't know what to say to that," Layth actually admits as he peers at the cheap crown. "I almost said don't let it go to your head, but … that is just silly."

There is more yet, and Nora returns to the cupboard and produces a pink cardboard box, which goes on the table after moving the lamp aside. Nora unfolds the box to reveal a frosted cake, with a motorcycle drawn on top in frosting as well. A candle cut into the shape of a "1" is set in place above the saddle, and then lit with something that looks like a toy pistol. "Okay, you know how this works, right? You make a silent wish, and then blow out the candle," Nora explains.

"Why the number one?" Layth asks after the candle is placed.

"Um … ?" Here, Tasha glances to her Lapine friend, ears focusing on him. "Is … that 'ow it works? Do you knows this tradition? We didn't use a lot of flaming cakes on The Rake," she inquires of him, sounding perplexed, and a little embarrassed for not knowing. "They'd give Cap'n Eyeshine fits, and having your ship burn down due to cake is … It's too embarrassing for words!"

"Well, for first place, and for first bike ride," Nora says. "Usually we do this for birthdays, but I don't think either of you know what day you were born on, do you?"

Again, Tasha can only reply with a heartfelt, "Ummm … "

"I do like cake though! And motorcycles," the red Vartan adds, so as not to sound unexcited.

"Well, make a wish and blow out the candle!" the Karnor says. "Just don't spray when you blow if possible!"

Layth shakes his head. "I don't know this tradition either," he admits. The question about his birthday actually causes Layth to twitch. "No," the buck finally says, "I try not to think much about my early life. Bad memories best left to the sands of time." The buck then waves his hand and says, "The candle is all yours, Vartan of the Cheap Crown."

"Oh!" Tasha pauses before blowing to give Layth a sympathetic look, having a good idea of just what sort of childhood he had. She reaches over and pats his arm, then turns around and, with a huff and a puff, blows the candle out!

Nora plucks the extinguished candle out, and holds out a triangular plastic cake knife. "Who wants to cut the cake while I get the ice cream out? I hope you like vanilla, strawberry or chocolate!"

The young woman smiles widely at having blown out her first candle-bedecked cake. For a time, she just smiles down at it, looking very content. "You go ahead Layth, you always seemed like a man with a grudge against pastry," she tells her friend, not looking up.

Layth extends his hand. "I will. I don't trust Tasha with sharp, yet flimsy, objects," the buck claims. He then even flashes Tasha a grin as she agrees to let him and takes the knife. And so he goes about cutting the cake. He's very detailed about it too, or maybe taking as much time as he can just to drive Tasha crazy. Who can say, really. In the end it has been cut into six perfectly equal-sized pieces. Most of the time was apparently spent measuring out the pieces.

Nora comes back from the cold-cabinet with three small paper buckets, which turn out to have frozen cream in them of different colors and flavors. "So, who wants ice cream?" she asks, wagging her tail.

"That is pink," Layth says with a suspicious edge in his voice as he points at the strawberry. "But I will relent and have some because I must admit it smells good… "

The man's return quip makes Tasha finally look up. "Hey now, I'll have you know I have a sword the size of a airship waiting for me. If you worry about this, you should be very worried about that!" She grins back, at least until he starts being very detailed and, thus, very slow about it, which makes her grin waver and ears flick, puzzled. When Nora approaches, she looks up and turns her grin on her sister. "You're pretty cute when you're in a good mood, you know that? I'll try strawberry too." She wags right back.

Nora scoops and serves the ice cream, and makes sure to get a piece of cake as well. It's a little cooler now, as the sun dips lower until it kisses the tops of the mountains and makes the lake outside turn to liquid gold.

Tasha takes a bite, then nods appreciatively. "This is good. Cold, and good," she manages between bites, because she takes another one quickly after. A few more bites, and she pauses long enough to lean back, and smiles at everyone. "Maybe I don't need wishes, aye? I feeling like maybe mine were already answered." She then reaches over and wraps an arm around Layth's shoulders, before lifting her Coke to Nora, "Here's to the two of you, and to all the rest of us. I'm glad I met you all."

"I am worried about that," Layth points out, though he remains smiling while doing so. The friendly jabbing, though, finds and end as he sits back to enjoy the cake and ice cream. Nora was right, it is a good memory, he decides. The usually impassive expression of his face seems to soften as sunset comes; the unemotional edge drifting more to ease and happiness. As Tasha's arm wraps around his shoulders and she speaks, the buck raises his bottle too. "Through ups and downs, anger and argument, the ones who are true to you will always remain," he adds, "Thank you walking the road with me and allowing me to share your journey too."