◢◣ The Lunarian Isles ◢◣ DRAGON RACING

[HuniPi]

She gave a horried gasp as the racers got into the second leg. Well, she was more horrified that the lean racer injured himself. Did she do that? Goodness, being so beautiful could be such a curse, she didn't mean to distract him so much. But that also meant she could tend to his wounds after the race, and it would give her an excuse to get up close and personal.

Still, she felt a tiny bit guilty that her attentions could have caused him to lose, or at least falter in the rankings. Despite the rest of the crowd's volume, Beatriz tried to encourage him to keep going. She didn't think he'd quit but cozying up and congratulating a winner who managed a remarkable turnaround was far more fun than comforting a loser, no matter how attractive they are.

"Regain your focus!" She yelled, cupping her hands around her mouth in an attempt to be heard. "You still have a chance!"

[doomsayer]

The abrasions stung, but not as much as the absolute fool he made of himself during the last leg. He couldn't bring himself to swim up to the surface to face the crowd so soon after such an obvious and embarrassing failure. But for some reason, perhaps it was the magic of the realm itself, he heard the shouting of the crowd from under the water. Most importantly, he heard the bronze beauty's voice, urging him to focus, still on his side to win this race. He smiled to himself--he may have made a strong impression on her, but he has to show her that he's worth something if he's going to personally show off to her later. He looked to the area of the next leg and strategized as to how he was going to go about getting through it.

Leg 3: The Lionfish Fields

There was no fixed route available through these clusters of agitated lionfish, so he decided to look for every spot where there would be only a few of them gathered and dart in between those. He had not accounted for the fact that they were attracted to his blood. Like chum in the water, they changed trajectories to swim in his direction as soon as he was a dozen yards away. At some point, he noticed that he was being chased down by nearly half a dozen of them.

Inevitably, he could not avoid getting stung, which only made his wounds throb more with pain. Dizzy from the poison that was coursing through his body, he powered through the lionfish fields more angry at himself than at the fact that the other competitors have closed the gap or overtaken his lead that he gained from the first leg.

Some other competitors were stung too many times and have abandoned the race in order to deal with the toxins, but his stubbornness wouldn't let him quit. The next areanwould be a matter of darkness and instincts, and he knows he has those in spades.

Leg 4: The Deep Dive

The water cools down to near freezing as he dives deep into the chasm and feels the sandy ocean floor at the bottom of it. He expects much larger predators would make their territories here, but he was raised in the dark by monsters. The darkness is his ally. He was born in it, molded by it. He didn't see the light of the sun until he was already a fully grown buck.

Deftly avoiding outcroppings of sharp rock and scalding heat vents letting out dirty air from the depths of the world, he regained his composure down here as he slowly but surely caught up to the frontrunners who swam back up from the chasm within sight of him.

Swimming up to the surface with the race leaders, he felt like he could finally show his face again to the crowd. As he moved, he would straighten his arm outwards, pointing it in the direction of the bronze beauty as if saying "this one is for you" before he focused his attention back to the final leg--the sharks.

[HuniPi]

She at first winced, then visibly cringed as the racer she'd been cheering for started to falter. Did lionfish have a hunger for blood? Maybe, maybe not, but the wounds and injuries that racer had didn't make the remaining leg any easier. She decided she would just quietly hope for the best for him.

Beatriz did also start asking some of the crowd where a healer or supplies to tend to wounds could be found. She might as well know where to go while he rested at the race's end. Surely there would be some medical fallbacks planned out especially given the somewhat dangerous nature of the race.

Admittedly she wasn't getting much in the way of answers beyond vague directions of over there, but the crowd suddenly roared again in delight. Instinctively she whipped her head towards the water, in time to catch him pointing out to her. Singling her out in the crowd like that? Beatriz all but swooned, fanning herself as she felt her cheeks grow hot.

By hook or by crook, she was going to pay him a visit after this was all over.

[doomsayer]

The change in temperature and pressure from the chasm back up to shallow waters was a shock to his system. His wounds continuing to ooze blood was also not doing him any favors. And all the poison from the lionfish stings were catching up to him, causing his internal temperature to rise and his vision to blur. Yet even with all these disadvantages, he would never willingly withdraw from the race. Either he finishes, or they fish his dead body out of the water.

Leg 5: The Sharks

Someone explained to him before the race that the sharks are allies of the dragons in these waters--that they would never willingly bite someone during the race unless in self defense. But in the perfect storm of weakened prey and blood-clouded waters, the sharks could not deny their natural instinct to hunt. Hence, what would have been an opportunity to obtain assistance from these creatures to speed through the last portion of this race became for Xin a fight for his life.

The sharks chased and circled him. All of their direct attempts at taking a bite out of him were met with him kicking or punching them on their snouts. But his dulled senses and slowed movement due to blood loss did not allow him to defend against some of the sharks slamming their bodies against him as they swam past. A very inopportune blow he was unable to block was a fin that hit him right in the throat. He was glad he was using his gills to breathe right now, but he expected that it would be quite painful to breath or talk when he gets back above the water.

But even in desperation, as he pushed his body to its absolute limit, he could not shake the sharks. Eventually the mounting injuries and exhaustion got to him with just a few dozen meters left from shore. The last thing he recalled before he blacked out were the horrified screams of the crowd and the arms of the other competitors pulling him away from the sharks towards the safety of the shores.

[HuniPi]

Beatriz gasped in horror as the racer she'd been cheering on reached the sharks and didn't surface on his own. Oh no, was that her fault? Had she been such a distraction to him? She pushed her way through the crowd to where she last saw injured racers were bring brought to (it turns out he was not the only one to take a rather nasty turn) and amidst the chaos managed to slip in.

She overheard some of the medics saying the injuries were not fatal but they weren't something one can just walk off. "But he is going to be alright?" she asked, inserting herself into the situation and carrying herself as if she was always meant to be there. Her brazen confidence made her insistance of helping tend to him convincing. That and there were other racers who still needed attention.

"You've managed his worse injuries, I can clean and bandage the minor ones. Go on, there are others who need you." She all but pushed them away until she had some privacy with the racer. "Oh you poor dear," she cood softly, reaching for the bandages and salves the medics had brought out. "Don't worry, Beatriz is here to see to it you feel better in no time."

[doomsayer]

He wakes from what feels like a long sleep, but before he can open his eyes, various pains and aches flood his consciousness. He physically flinches from the feeling before slowly opening his eyes.

He finds himself lying in a room. The curtains are drawn and only a gentle dim light filters through the edges of the windows. The thread of the bed covers are silky smooth under his skin. He feels multiple wounds and bruises on his body bandaged up and slathered with soothing balm.

He then feels an odd weight on his left thigh. Looking down at his body, he sees the bronze skinned beauty, her body seated on a chair pushed up beside his bed and her sleeping head nestled on his upper left thigh.

Memories come flooding in as he recalls his pitiful performance in the races and how he showed off to her in between legs only to embarrass himself to her and everyone that was watching. It looked like she was watching over him, and based on the bandages and medicine on the bedside table, it looked like she was tending to his wounds as well.

He wanted to thank her, but he didn't know how he would even look her in the eyes when she woke up. He tried to whisper out words, perhaps to rehearse an apology to her while she was still asleep, but his throat hurt too much for him to be able to speak, the effort of trying to form words causing enough pain to make him wince. This frustrated him even more, the weakness of his flesh stopping him from even the simplest of interaction. All he could do was reach out for her smooth hair and gently stroke it, hoping this gesture could convey both his attraction to her and his gratitude for her tending to him in this pitiful state.

[HuniPi]

When Beatriz had finished dressing his wounds, she had little else to do but wait for him to recover. But eventually, the adrenaline from the situation had worn off and she soon found herself drifting. Not knowing how long she would have to wait, she let herself nod off. The sensation of something in her hair had her eyes fluttering open, peering blearily she realized the racer had gained consciousness.

"Well good morning," She greets softly, sitting up to flash him a dazzling smile. "How are you feeling? I tried my best to patch you up but the rest is on you now." She gently trails a finger along his bandaged arm, as if pointing out to him the effort she'd put into caring for him while he was out of it.

[doomsayer]

He opened his mouth to sound out a reply, but his voice was immediately stopped by the sharp stabbing pain from inside his throat. He winced pitifully at his weakness, a fresh reminder of the shame he brought to himself during the race.

Since he couldn't speak, he looked into the eyes of this bronze beauty as he let her wandering hand inch its way up his arm before he took it in his own and brought it to his mouth to place a gentle kiss on it.

He smiled at her; an honest smile of appreciation absent all the arrogance and bravado that he had during their very first interaction.

He didn't know if she would be receptive to his advances still, but he felt that this moment was right to show her his appreciation for taking care of him.

He gently pulled her arm to his chest, waiting to see if she would let him pull her onto the bed with him.

[HuniPi]

Beatriz gasped in concern when he wasn't able to reply. She was about to go call the medics and have them look over him again but he held onto her arm and even gave it a gentle kiss. That he wasn't chasing her away meant he didn't blame her for his condition, though she couldn't help but feel that pang of guilt. How could anyone have realized the extent of his injuries?

She gave him a reassuring smile and didn't resist his pull, angling her body so she could comfortably sit beside him on the bed itself. "You were quite a sight out there. I'm sure I'll be fighting off other concerned audience members soon enough," she said, trying to soothe more than his battered body.

[doomsayer]

He sat up beside her, facing her. He knew she was only saying that so that he could save face, but he very much appreciated the thought anyway. He parted his lips slightly, about to try to say something once again before closing them, accepting that he wouldn't be able to speak until his throat and neck were fully healed.

All he could do was look into her eyes and give the bronze beauty a genuine smile. It was a shame they couldn't even exchange names, but she let him pull her onto his bed so willingly and he wasn't going to waste this chance. At first fueled by lust, his desire for her was now replaced by a fondness brought on by her caring for him even after he so publicly made such a fool of himself.

His hand reached to gently tilt her face up as he leaned in close. She did not avoid him; their lips inevitably meeting. He had hoped initially that she would not pull away. He did not expect that she would return the kiss with such enthusiasm.

Her eagerness emboldened him further, leaning forward and pushing her down to lie on the bed as he adjusted his position over her. Her arms looped around his neck, one hand playing with the hair on the back of his head.

He had taken on many lovers prior to this, all for the sake of becoming better at the act; but for this tryst, he resolved to make his bronze beauty's enjoyment his primary consideration.