Fortune of Harara Sidequests

WC: 639/300

Clover had practically dragged Red by the horns to get her out of the hotel room and actually watch some more games in person with them. Understandably so, Red was still upset over her loss in the strength arena, but Clover was determined to help her forget it.

They decided that both of the arena-based games would probably just put Red in an even more sour mood than before, so the Sol Roc Relay would be the best for her at the time. Due to the relay being more spread out over Harara rather than being confined to one area, all they had to do was to find a good spot next to the area that the jockeys would be flying, and just watch and wait. Luckily for Clover, Red was an expert climber, and managed to find her way to the top of a building while Clover clung tightly to her back.

“This view is pretty nice, right?” Clover mentioned as soon as they made it to the very top. They unclipped their shoulder bag and brought out a thin towel for the two to sit on so it’d be more comfortable. 

Red looked around at the city skyline of Harara. It was the middle of the day, but due to how high up they were, people on the ground wouldn’t be able to see them. She was still getting used to being out more frequently, but this didn’t seem too bad. 

“...Yes,” She said, sitting cross legged on the towel next to Clover. Clover let out a smile and reached into their bag again, pulling out some eggs they had hard boiled earlier. Red preferred her eggs raw, but Clover explained that the risk of them breaking was too high- so she understood.

Red took the egg from Clover’s hand and took a bite of it, shell and all. Clover frowned and looked Red up and down before letting out a sigh. They’d explain that she was supposed to peel it later.

Before long, the sound of fireworks resounded through the area. The race had begun. Red and Clover were positioned towards the end of the speed section, so it’d be a hot second before any of the racers got here. The two sat on their towels, adding small pinches of seasonings to the exposed part of their eggs prior to having everything in their setup almost blown away from the strong gust of a jockey above them. Red’s first instinct was to grab Clover and pull them close, but as soon as it had calmed down again, Clover laughed.

“Mom, mom, it’s okay! That was just a racer, it’s alright!” They stated, prying themself from Red’s grip.

Red’s eyes were wide and her position was stiff, but once they saw Clover enjoying this, she relaxed.

“That one was cutting it pretty close though- I assume the rest of the racers will stay as on track as possible. So it’s alright,” Clover explained, starting to peel another egg as yet another racer darted past them. This time, they were a safe distance away, and more eye level so that the entirety of their bird could be seen. 

They were quickly followed up by several other contestants zooming behind them, trying desperately to catch up. Red watched in awe as they flew by, entranced by how focused the riders were and how colorful and different every single bird was.

“Having fun yet?” Clover asked a few minutes later. Red had zoned out from watching all the racers, but she shook her head upon hearing her child’s voice once more. 

Red tried to hold back a small smile of her own, but couldn’t do it. She nodded happily and turned her head back to watch more racers fly by. It was like she never lost in the first place.