Striker's Little Girl
Vol 10: The Harvest Moon Festival
Ch. 2: The Inferno Derby
When the three arrived back home, Striker sternly ordered Jemima to sit on the couch and wait for him while he tucked Maria in bed. It took a while in addition to trying to comfort his daughter; she was very ashamed of herself for screaming in front of everyone. Striker knew, though, that it wasn't her fault and made sure to let her know he wasn't mad at her. However, he ended up promising to get her cotton candy at the festival in order to soothe her and actually get her to go to sleep.
A few minutes later, he came back downstairs and approached his sister, arms crossed. "Alright, Jemima, would you mind explaining to me what the hell that was back there? One minute, you're just sittin' there with a scowl on yer face, and then, ya start flyin' off the handle in front of everyone, so what's going on?!"
Jemima heaved an exasperated sigh, "Look Striker, I'm sorry for how I acted back there, but that Viper bitch just... I know she's Moxxie's friend, but there's something about her that... I just don't trust her, okay?"
"That's still no excuse for your behavior today. Thanks to that outburst of yours, it's likely ya got everyone mad at you now!"
Jemima winced at her older brother's tone. Granted, this wasn't the first time Striker scolded her when she did something wrong. But now, she really was starting to feel like she was the bad guy. It didn't help that even Maria refused to speak to or even look at her the whole way home.
'It's that stupid bitch's fault.' Oh, how she wanted to say that out loud, if it weren't for the position she was in right now.
"Striker." she tried instead. "I know what I did was wrong. But I don't understand what's so great about Viper. I mean, sure, she's a great trekker and trick rider, but still... what does anyone even see in her, even Moxxie?"
Striker sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose to try and calm himself. "Mima, I think you're getting worked up over nothing. I ain't askin' ya to change your mind or anything, but the least you could do is give her a chance, for Moxxie's sake."
Jemima couldn't bring herself to argue anymore and surrendered by agreeing to give Victoria at least one chance. Striker let her sleep in the unused guest room that night and she tried her best to sleep, but her mind kept screaming at her that something was wrong. And it had Victoria's name written all over it.
The very next day was the Inferno Derby. Striker and Bombproof, as well as Victoria and Firecracker, went to join the rest of their competitors and their horses in the arena for the event. Maria, Jemima, Blitz, Millie, and even Moxxie came to wish the former two good luck, though Jemima felt a twinge of disgust when Moxxie made to do the same to the latter two.
"Oh, Jemima!" she yelped when Victoria called her name and walked towards her. 'Easy, Mima. You promised Striker you'd give her one chance. Don't lose your cool.'
"Hope you don't mind havin' a bit of girl talk before I go whoop your brother's ass, do ya?"
"Not a bit." Jemima gritted her teeth slightly, but tried to remain calm. "But since you're here, I just wanna say... I'm sorry for my attitude yesterday."
Victoria blinked, but smiled nonetheless. "Oh, well apology accepted. And no harm, no foul. I don't really blame you for your feelings, believe me, I've been in your place."
This caught Jemima off guard. "Really? I thought you were a beloved icon around these parts."
"Well, technically, I'm one of the most beloved icons around here. But it wasn't always like that." Victoria sighed wistfully. "When I was a kid, I wanted so badly to be a trick rider and go off to see the world. I was always jealous of the other girls my age cause they were practically raised in that lifestyle."
"And... you weren't?"
"Nah, my family was pretty much the typical farm family. Y'know, raising cattle and hogs, collecting chicken eggs, and all that. My siblings were fine with it, but I wanted to be more than that. Some nights, I got grounded for trying to do tricks on one of our ponies in the dead of night."
The whole time Victoria talked, Jemima was now beginning to figure maybe she was wrong about her. In fact, her story reminded her of her and Striker's childhood; he too had big dreams of being more than a farm imp, but while he was highly supported by the whole family, it sounded like Victoria didn't have much of that.
"My folks tried to talk me out of it, mainly cause they were worried I'd get hurt. And at one point, I almost did give up. I would have if it wasn't for Moxxie."
Jemima blinked. "Moxxie?"
"Mm-hmm, we met each other back when we were tots. He saw me fall on one of my first attempts and patched my knee up. When I told him about my dreams, he looked worried and I expected him to tell me how crazy I am for trying such a thing. Instead, he said I should keep trying and never give up."
"Sounds like Moxxie, alright. He's great at pep talks."
"You said it. And so I kept going. By the time I was 13, I finally got to show my family what I was made of. They were surprised at first, downright shocked even, but I could tell they were proud of me regardless. Even Moxxie came to my first show, I'll never forget the way he cheered for me. And over time, I pursued my dream and became one of the most, if not the most, quick and slick trick riders in Wrath. That's how I got the name Viper."
Jemima was in stunned silence for a while. "Wow! That's... actually really cool!"
"Thanks! And now, I get to compete against your brother in the Inferno Derby. It's been a goal of mine for some time now."
"Well, keep dreaming." Jemima couldn't help give a smug look. "Cause my brother's gonna be the one to kick your ass out there."
"We'll see about that, but I don't doubt ya. Besides, he's more than a worthy opponent to me."
"I should warn you, he might break out his blessed pistol out there, so watch your-"
"Blessed?!" Victoria suddenly seemed to get in her face. "You say he's got blessed weaponry?!"
Jemima nearly fell backwards, shocked at her expression. "Y-yeah, he's got both a pistol and a genuine carmine-crafted blessing-tipped rifle. See, our dad used to own them cause, well, let's say he used to do some 'shady' work in his younger years. Anyway, he passed them on to Striker and he's held onto them ever since."
Victoria's expression suddenly turned dark, much to Jemima's surprise and confusion. "Victoria, are you-?"
"It's Viper to you, missy." Jemima blinked as Viper now glared at her. "Anyway, there's little time before the derby so I'll keep it short. I'm not here cause I want to beat your brother, I'm here cause I've worked too hard to get where I am and I'm not gonna let you, him, or that little girl of his get in my way."
Now, Jemima started to get that uncomfortable feeling again. "What does that have to do with-?"
"None of your business, nosy little bitch." Viper snarled. "I'm just warning you, don't get cute with me or I will fucking bury you."
At that moment, Wally Wackford called for all competitors to make for the start line.
"Catch ya later!" Viper chirped with a big, toothy smile before going back to Firecracker. Jemima stood there for about a few seconds or so. 'What just happened?'
Later, everyone was sitting in the stands, even Millie's family was there; Jemima made sure to keep her distance from them, mainly Lin and Joe. It was clear from their glares that now she was the one on their list of not favorite people.
She chose to keep close to Maria. Not only so she could lift her up to see her dad, but she made it her goal to keep her as safe and far away from Viper as possible. It was still hard for her to process the sudden change from what started as a pleasant conversation, but she figured she couldn't take any chances.
"Are you okay, Auntie?" Maria asked, noticing Jemima's shellshocked expression.
"I think I may have found out why they call her the Viper." was all she could get out.
The derby had officially begun once Wackford made the announcement.
The barrel race was the first event. The whole group cheered when Striker and Bombproof's turn came, Maria cheering the loudest.
Once the gunshot fired, Striker gripped the reins tightly as Bombproof quickly and flawlessy cantered through the course. The result was an impressive 1 minute, 2.85 seconds.
Striker gave his cheering daughter a wave and tipped his hat, which made some girls in the stand squeal.
Viper and Firecracker came right after them and, much to Jemima's chagrin, Millie, her family, and even Moxxie cheered enthusiastically.
The gun fired and Firecracker was off in a flash. However, due to his bulkier build compared to Bombproof, he hadn't been able to move through the barrels and sharp turns as much, resulting in his time being 1 minute, 3.15 seconds.
Jemima snickered quietly at this, but Viper still made confident smile as she took her hat off and waved it around for the cheering crowd. As she did, Firecracker took the opportunity to stand up on his hind legs for a few seconds, which only increased the cheers.
Up next came the trailing course. Like last time, Striker and Viper were the last to compete. This time, however, while Bombproof's build and endurance were as flawless as ever, Firecracker's gained much more advantage, granting Viper the victory by a couple seconds.
"Ya did great, Bombproof" Striker whispered, patting his neck.
The competitors were then given a 15-minute break so the horses could drink some water. Striker and Viper ended up bringing their horses to the same trough, but surprisingly, neither rider nor horse were bothered.
"So, yer sister tells me ya got yerself a blessing-tipped rifle."
Striker went stiff hearing that. Jemima just couldn't keep her mouth shut for five fucking minutes!
"And that surprises you, because?" He was trying not to sound uneased.
"Oh, nothing really. Just amazed is all." Viper spoke sweetly. Striker wasn't stupid, he could hear how sickening her sweet tone sounded. "Anyway, it's been great competing with you. As great as you are, however, I look forward to giving your little girl someone else to look up to, not just a rusty old man."
Oh, the hell you didn't! Now, he was beginning to understand how Jemima felt about her.
"I don't know what you're really up to." he hissed. "But I'm warning you two things: 1) I'm still the reigning champ 'round here, don't forget it. And 2) Stay away from my daughter or else!"
"Hey, easy now! I ain't disagreeing with ya." Victoria held up her hands and backed away. "All I'm saying is she can make room for another role model, right?"
Striker just glared as she led Firecracker back to the arena with a cheeky grin. Bombproof must have sensed his anger and nickered in concern.
"It's alright, buddy." he whispered, petting his nose in reassurance. "C'mon, let's show this bitch what we're made of."
They got back just in time for the final event: mounted shooting. The goal was to move around the largest corral on horseback, shooting targets along the way. Striker sneered watching the competitors before him either miss the targets or get nowhere near the bullseye.
Then his name was announced and he pulled out his blessed pistol. Normally, he'd keep his angelic weapons hidden, but decided to try it out as a warning to his competition. Now that he'd seen himself what Viper was like, he especially wanted to make his warning to her very clear.
Naturally, his performance went flawlessy with ease. Bombproof knew very well which way to go through the course that way Striker could hit every single bullseye on the targets. Once the last one was down, the entire crowd cheered wildly.
"Top that, darlin'." he winked at Viper, enjoying the scowl on her face. In the stands, Jemima shared the enjoyment.
Viper's turn came and she clenched the reins in one hand and her pistol in the other. Firecracker cantered through the corral while his rider kept shooting at the targets. She managed to get just as much bullseyes as Striker, but was so focused on her objective, she almost didn't hear Firecracker cry out and felt herself fall along with him.
Everyone, even Striker and Jemima gasped in shock at this.
"I say, I say, it looks like the Viper's down for the count!" Wackford announced. "That is an automatic disqualification! Let's hear it for our reigning champions; Striker and Bombproof!"
Viper picked herself back up, not caring about the announcement, her entire focus on Firecracker. She gently shushed her stallion as he lay his head on her lap.
"Victoria, are you okay?" Moxxie asked in concern as he and Millie came up to them.
"I'm alright, Moxxie. But I think Firecracker sprained a leg. Think you can help me with him?"
Moxxie and Millie helped her stand him up and the three walked him carefully out of the arena. Jemima silently watched them go; as glad as she was that her brother had beaten her, she did feel bad for the hurt, exhausted horse.
"Is he gonna be alright?" Maria asked in concern.
"I think so." Jemima nodded. "He looks really tired though, so let's leave them be."
The three came back a few minutes later just in time to see Striker and Bombproof come up to the stage to be congratulated by Stolas himself.
"I'm sorry about Firecracker, miss Viper."
"It's alright, dear." Viper smiled at Maria. "I should've figured I was overworking him. Just be happy your dad's still the champion."
Jemima respectfully kept quiet, still holding her niece close to her. As much as she'd love to rub her brother's victory in her face, it didn't feel right, especially after what happened in the corral.
"I am!" Maria beamed brightly. "And wait till you hear his singing!"
Sure enough, Striker pulled out his guitar. "I'd like to take this opportunity to sing a quick song I wrote just now about me winning."
"Oh, come on!" Moxxie groaned when he strummed.
"Don't worry, Mox, it might not be about you this time." Millie assured him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.
Striker winked their way as he began to play a different tune, to everyone's surprise.
The winner takes all
It's the thrill of one more kill
The last one to fall
Will never sacrifice their will
Loona almost choked on her drink as she listened to the lyrics. "Damn, squirt, did you know he knew that song?"
"I had no idea." Maria shook her head.
Don't ever look back on the world closing in
Be on the attack with your wings on the wind
Oh, the games will begin
The crowd whistled as he sang. Jemima shot Viper a smug grin as she, along with everyone else, stood up and waved her arms and bobbed her head to the music. Viper growled at this and turned away only for her jaw to drop seeing Moxxie rocking out to the song as well.
And it's sweet, sweet, sweet victory, yeah
And it's ours for the taking
It's ours for the fight
Sweet, sweet, sweet victory, yeah
Striker spotted her get up to walk away and subtly flipped the bird in her direction. Fuming, Viper stomped away.
Jemima saw this and waved a smug goodbye.
And the one who's last to fall
The winner takes all
The entire audience cheered wildly once the song was over.
"Thank you, you're too kind." Striker addressed them.
Some minutes later, Striker, Jemima, and Maria were wandering around the stands of the festival. As promised, Striker bought his daughter some cotton candy and she was currently nibbling on it while holding his hand.
Sadly, the moment was ruined when an all-too familiar face came up to them.
"Pardon the intrusion, just thought I'd come and give you my proper congratulations, Striker."
Striker raised an eyebrow suspiciously, but shook Viper's hand regardless. He made sure to give it a hard yet firm grip.
"Much appreciated, Viper." he said keeping his tone calm and casual. "And I do apologize for your horse, that was a nasty fall you had."
"Many thanks, I'll make sure Firecracker is properly taken care of." She turned and muttered. "Unlike some imps around here."
"Excuse you?!" Jemima hissed, hearing her plain as day.
Viper cleared her throat. "My apologies, but did your brother not tell you NOT to stick yer nose in other people's business?"
"What are you-?" Jemima paused as she realized something. "Oh crap..."
Maria looked up at the adults in confusion. "What's going on?"
"Baby girl, why don't you go find Sallie May and see what she's up to?" Striker's stern look focused on the two females in front of him. "Me and Auntie Mima need to have a chat with the Viper."
"But..."
"Now."
Maria gulped, realizing this was serious and slipped away from the argument.
Striker glanced back to make sure she was gone before turning his glare back to Jemima.
"Now sis, mind explaining to me just how Viper knows about my angelic weaponry? Hmm?"
"It wasn't my fault, she weaseled it outta me!"
"That's no excuse! How would you like it if I blabbed out something secret of yours?" He turned his glare towards Viper. "As for you, I'm giving you one last warning: stay the fuck out of my business or next time we meet won't be pleasant!"
"C'mon now, you wouldn't actually consider hurting one of your co-workers oldest and dearest friends, now would you?" Viper batted her lashes, but Striker didn't budge.
"I'm sure Moxxie will understand when we explain things." He and Jemima turned away. "C'mon Mima, let's go find him."
Viper, however, smirked as she watched them walk away. "By that time, my work will already be done."