Sera's Sanctum

“…Yeah, thanks, but no. I don’t want a sponsor.”

The advertising team surrounding Chandra made a collective noise of disappointment. One of their number, a human in a business suit, stepped forward and asked, “Why not? Is it the jumpsuit? We can compromise on that.”

“No! It’s…everything to do with this. I’m not exactly a regular…cyclist? Biker? Whatever. People know I’m not a driver, so I’ll stick out no matter how I look, or how I act on the bike…” Chandra allowed herself a small smile. “Even if the sliding pose you picked out for me is pretty cool.”

“You like it? We’re actually referencing a-”

“Sorry, but that wasn’t an invitation to talk about it. My answer is still no.”

The businessman pointed to a long row of parked bikes and hissed, “Well, how else are we going to sell all these bikes?”

“Heh. Maybe I could just give them out. While I race, even.”

“Great…That was a joke, wasn’t it?”

Chandra smirked.

“Okay, look…You’re racing anyway, right?”

Chandra rolled her eyes. “Sure,” she drawled.

“You want to win first prize.”

“The Aetherspark, yeah.”

“And you need a bike.”

“Yep.”

“And you probably can’t afford a top-shelf one.”

“Probably…not.” Chandra sheepishly broke eye contact.

“And you’re not especially tied to Avishkar, so there wouldn’t even be any consequences for selling out.”

“I grew up here, and Mom still lives here. But…No, not really.”

“Then why not take a sponsorship? It’s a victimless crime, as far as I can see!”

“Because it’s not…!” Chandra leaned in close. “Vehicle magic is not my usual thing. Fire is. You know that!”

“Well, I guess you could sprinkle in a little fire here and there. The flashy pyrotechnics could make for a great grand finale, after all!”

“Only a finale-” Chandra gritted her teeth. “Fine! But don’t expect me to hand out those bikes.”

“Actually, part of the contract we’ve drafted up mandates-”

Chandra’s hair burst into a wave of fire. Yet the businessman merely gave a polite applause.

“Yes, just like that! Only, maybe save it for the end.”

Huatli: I've ridden a giant dinosaur, how hard can a "car" be?

*Later*

Huatli: T-there's something wrong. I think the car is dead!

Saheeli:

“Why petals, Nike?”

The elf merely smiled at the goblin behind her, before flinging another handful of flowers into the stands below. “Because, Sly…” her smug look turned sheepish. “Because when I first became a sponsor, I tried doing the same with gems.”

Sly glanced down from the precipitous sponsor box to the crowded stands below. “Oh. So, it…”

—

“Yeah, get em, Khorvath- Ow! What the?”

“No, Sylvia’s totally the- Oof! Hey! Look out below!”

The section of the stands directly beneath the sponsors’ box cleared out in a hurry, as glittering gemstones cascaded down from above. Though several fans eyed the rocks with wide, greedy eyes, they quickly sank back into their seats once they impacted hard against the bleachers, denting the metal.

—

“It went poorly,” Nike admitted with a frown.

“Yeah, that’d do it. So…does that mean you’re gonna compete, now?”

Nike tilted her head in puzzlement. “Why would me throwing flowers instead of stones, imply I’m going to compete? Shouldn’t it be…the opposite, given the softer material?”

Sly shrugged. “Oh. My bad. I just thought you were trying to emulate Nimbus’s whole deal.”

“Who?”

“Him!” Sly pointed to an aven flying above the arena while leaving a trail of roses in his wake. The flowers floated down to the fans, who went wild for the display. “So, you’re saying you’re not gonna team up with him?”

“No.” A pause. “Well…”

“Ah-hah-hah!” Nimbus dove down to hover at eye level with the box. He met Nike’s gaze and asked, “Did I hear correctly, that you wanted to partner with me?”

“…If you’d have me,” Nike muttered. “I don’t fly, after all.”

“Ah, we can work past that! But our love of flowers - that’s just the kind of thing to make a team last!”

“You really think so?”

“I know so!”

Sly snickered as he walked away from the eagerly conversing pair. “All right, we get it: you like flowers. Get a room, you two!”