A Day at the Races
Lion's Arch was smelly, loud, bright, and bereft of any plant life. And Siana wasn't sure whether that was a good thing.
This world has lived in shadow from a pair of demon's wings! But none should fear the future or the darkness that it brings!
The sylvari huntress smiled to herself as she made her way down the streets. She understood the rationale of the celebration – dark times had faced Tyria even before the rise of the sylvari (according to charr and humans at least, their accounts varied on the subject), and with the Elder Dragons rampaging across the land, there'd still be dark times ahead. With other adventurers, Siana had seen them herself. And could understand the need to momentarily forget they existed.
The monster puts on quite a show expecting us to yield! But there's just one course of action when we take up sword and shield!
And yet, that celebration came at a price. And wishing her ears were smaller and her nose less sensitive, Siana's senses were assaulted with that price.
"Smash the dragon, bash the dragon, drive it back into its den!"
"Smash the dragon, bash the dragon, so that they may never rise up again!"
Siana kept walking. She didn't know who'd come up with that song, or how the Captain's Council of Lion's Arch had got together enough gold to put singers on every street corner.
"Titan's names, if you don't shut up you hairless weasel, I'll tear your throat out and toss it to the dogs!"
"Just doing my job pussycat!"
The sylvari turned away as a charr and unfortunate human got tangled up in a frenzy of skin and fur. A few seconds later she turned right back, seeing that a norn had jumped in as well because…well, it was what norn did she supposed.
"Ey love, ur lookin' fer a god time?"
And getting drunk was what humans did. Case in point with the man in front of her.
"What ur dong 'ere?"
"Leaving."
The man went to say something, but ended up belching. Noisy, smelly, and obnoxious. But without any of the fun Lion's Gate provided.
"Ey you dun wanna leaf! My hat is fer who?"
Siana kept walking. The man wasn't any threat to her. And considering that guards had just arrived to break up the charr-human-norn free for all, hopefully he'd be taken to the same stockade.
"Step right up step right up, come one, come all!"
And, as she told herself, she hadn't lied when she said she was leaving. She had a destination in mind long before she got to see the grunt's 'sights and sounds.' So she kept walking.
It didn't take the sylvari long to find her destination. Though it did take her awhile longer to find the one promoting the event.
"Moa Racing, Moa Racing is about to begin! The fastest and most furious moa you've ever seen, racing here in Lion's Arch! Place your bets, place your bets! Come one come all!"
It was definitely a case of 'come all,' Siana noticed. So many that it surprised her that the announcer, and the one selling raffles, could even be heard.
"Hey lucky lady? You looking to get lucky?"
An asura. An especially loud asura, but an asura nonetheless.
"Well?"
"You called me 'lucky lady,' so therefore, one can assume that I am not looking to get lucky," Siana said.
"Then increase your luck, increase your luck!" the asura said, drawing out a spring-loaded chart. "Place your bets, place your bets!"
Somehow, the asura was able to take them, every race of Tyria vying for a peace of the action. Siana just stared at the chart – she'd have preferred to see the actual moa themselves, but for now, the drawings and odds would have to do.
"Dinornis, at two to one odds! Robustus at six to one! Dare to dream? Or play it safe? Your choice, my friends, your choice!"
More choices were made, more coins and raffles exchanged hands, and Siana kept staring. There were six moa, five of them being the standard type of birds that they were. Or at least as 'standard' as moa could be. But the sixth one caught her eye. While most moa had an variety of colours with a main hue, this one was entirely yellow. While most moa's feathers were slim and sleek, this one's feathers were all ruffled. If anything, it looked like an overgrown chicken.
In essence, it looked nothing like a moa. Yet Siana could swear she'd seen it before.
"Excuse me?" she asked the asura. "What kind of moa is that?"
"Ah, Kweh!" the asura exclaimed. "Long odds lucky lady! But if luck's on your side, you-"
"Yeah, but…is it a moa?"
"A strange moa, but a moa still!" the asura cried, turning his attention back to an impatient charr. "Long odds, but-
"Here," Siana said, dropping ten gold coins into the basket. "Hit me!"
"Ladies, lords, and creatures in-between, look at this!" the asura cried. "Long odds for our lucky, dare I say lovely, lady here? Nerves of steel this one has! Long odds, but are they in your favour?" He cast his arm around the group. "Are yours?"
The group closed in, eager to not be outdone by a sylvari. Or something. Siana didn't care. She took her tickets and headed for the race track.
Clearly the asura didn't know what kind of bird had been entered, she reflected. If he had, he'd have altered the odds. Because she had seen that creature before. In a land far away, outside Tyria, beyond where anyone had travelled. A creature unlike any other. A creature that, with the five genuine moa, was at the racetrack. And as she approached the fence, it glanced at her.
"Kweh," it said.
Siana smiled and pocketed her raffles. She had this in the bag.
Moa were fast. Moa were swift. Moa were in these races for a reason.
But nothing could outrun a chocobo.
A/N
Got the idea for this after seeing the Dragon Bash trailer. After getting its song out of my head (harder than you might think), I reflected on the moa racing, how it reminded me of chocobo racing. Likely coincidental, but gave me this idea regardless.