Chapter Text
“Unbelievable! Verxina finally claims victory at the Shuka Sho!”
Verxina’s heart beat wildly in her ears, so hard and fast that she could barely hear the cheers of the many bystanders in the crowd. The other racers who had crossed the finish line behind her ran past in a blur, their colorful shapes blending in with the confetti that was raining down from above. It took her several moments to catch her breath and regain her focus, taking in the surreal scene before her.
After many years of close seconds, and what felt like several eons of training, Verxina had finally managed to win all three of the Triple Tiara races. Finally managed to best Gentildonna, her rival who stood panting several yards away. Even from afar, Verxina could tell that the monstrous uma was staring at her with a kind of wonder that she never thought possible to earn. She spared her a glance, smiling out of good will, but the other uma quickly looked away before striding off the course. Gentildonna had put up quite a fight on the course, as to be expected of someone defending their crown. However, her gait had felt a little heavier than usual, like she was suffering from some sort of underlying fatigue. Even in that state she was still a formidable opponent: during the heat of the race, Verxina had wondered if she would be able to overtake her. In the end Verxina had rounded the final corner with just a little more ease, leaving Gentildonna a hair’s breath behind her.
The fact that Gentildonna didn’t immediately approach her after the race, as had become a routine for the two of them, was another cause for concern. She didn’t even linger to answer questions from reporters scattered around the arena. Perhaps it was for the best that Gentildonna got some rest anyway. Verxina would likely see her rival later, she thought, and they would have their usual banter then. For now, she turned her attention back to the crowd. She could make out the waving forms of Vivlos and Cheval easily, making sure to wave back at them before she addressed the spectators at large.
She graciously thanked her fans for believing in her, which earned her another round of thunderous applause. A few other umas came to congratulate her, and she was eventually reunited with her sisters in the stands. However, she couldn’t stop her thoughts from returning to Gentildonna. Some polite reporters asked about her of course, and Verxina replied that it wasn’t her business to speak on her rival’s behalf. Then there were the reporters who openly commented that Gentildonna had lost her winning edge, chortling as if it were a big joke. Verxina curtly reminded them that both her and Gentildonna had crossed the finish line several lengths ahead of the other umas, and to pay attention to the race next time they wanted to interview her.
Even amongst the audience members, Verxina could see subtle reminders of her auspicious rival. Of course there were her fans, still holding their signs and wearing decorations to match her. More surprisingly, Verxina saw people with signs and clothing that depicted both herself and Gentildonna. She took particular notice of one sign where they were smiling and grinning in a chibi art style, though it was a bit unrealistic to real life. Still, she did appreciate being perceived at the same level as Gentildonna now.
If only this didn’t come at the cause of taking up so much of her mental real estate.
xXx
Some time later, after Verxina had decompressed and caught up with her trainer, she heard a familiar voice around the now-empty arena stands.
“Well done, Verxina. That was certainly some fighting spirit you showed out there.”
Verxina startled at first, then relaxed when she saw her rival emerge from the shadows. “Gentil. Thank you, you put up a fine fight as well.” Verxina said it with a smile on her face, as she did mean the sentiment. Of course she held no ill will against Gentildonna, not even back when she was consistently losing to this powerful uma. However, mostly, it was to keep herself calm in the face of Gentildonna’s intimidating aura. She seemed a bit… agitated.
Verxina’s suspicions were confirmed when Gentildonna crossed her arms and regarded the other uma critically. “I must say, though… I do wonder what you’re playing at. You’ve been following me to every race for the past year or so. Really don’t want to run on your own, do you?”
Shit, Verxina thought internally, not meeting Gentildonna’s eyes for a moment. It was true that she had shifted her focus lately to races where she knew Gentildonna would be racing. In all honesty, she had just wanted to challenge herself after placing under her rival so many times. Of course, she hadn’t banked on beating her in every single one of the races they had shared throughout this year. In hindsight, she should have realized that Gentildonna wouldn't let that go quietly.
Verxina played it cool outwardly, tossing her hair back over her shoulder nonchalantly. “Of course I’m capable of running on my own. I was three lengths ahead of you today, wasn’t I? I completely forgot you were there for a moment.”
Maybe this was a bad idea, as it made Gentildonna’s eyes narrow and she strode over to Verxina aggressively. “First of all, I was practically nose-to-nose with you at the end. Don’t become full of yourself. Second, you know full well that the Tiara races are mine to win. It’s what everyone expects. I’m sure you’re aware of what the press is saying about me.”
Verxina bristled at this. “Ah, I did catch wind of that. It was not pleasing to me either, I assure you. Completely out of line.” As much as Verxina was proud of herself for her accomplishments, hearing anyone slander Gentildonna for her sake was something that she could not tolerate.
Gentildonna sighed, apparently a bit placated. “I’m glad we can agree on that, at least. Of course, I will claim my throne back from you in due time… it’s what we powerful ladies do, after all. No offense,” she added, through Verxina’s facial expression remained neutral. “But you do understand how public opinion can affect a racer’s abilities, no?”
Verxina’s ears twitched and she couldn’t help but tilt her head slightly. “I… do but… I honestly wasn’t aware that such a thing affected you, Gentil.”
“I do carry myself that way, don’t I?” Gentildonna puffed out her chest, but there was an air of unease in her voice. “The truth is that even powerful umas like myself become fatigued. Both physically and mentally. After a streak of… losses,” she practically spat out the word like some bitter morsel, “people start to believe that all your successes before were merely flukes. Or, perhaps, you’re past your prime. Even with an immense amount of pride, it’s naive to think that such criticism won’t affect you eventually.”
Verxina nodded, being no stranger to mental turmoil herself. “Yes. I’m sorry you have to deal with that, Gentil.”
The other uma huffed. “I don’t need your pity. It’s a temporary problem anyway, as I have already thought of a solution.”
She closed the gap between them, staring at Verxina with a fire in her glinting magenta eyes. Verxina inhaled, but didn’t look away. “I’m simply going to crush you in every race going forward. You may have won the tiara for now, but it’s destined to be mine.” At that moment, Verxina noticed a bead of sweat running down the side of Gentildonna’s face. She had noticed that, after the race, her rival had looked a little more exhausted than usual. Looking at her face now, she could see something more than just determination behind those eyes… there was desperation too.
It made Verxina viscerally uncomfortable.
“So I suggest you enjoy it while it lasts.” Gentildonna finished, and Verxina finally let out the breath she had been holding as Gentildonna turned away. “I’ll see you at the winning live.”
For just a moment, Verxina caught it: Gentil stumbled ever so slightly. It certainly wasn’t something the average onlooker could see, maybe not even another uma. But for Verxina, who had trailed behind the great Gentildonna, memorized her movements for so long… the fact that something deeper was awry couldn't be more obvious. After all, this was the uma who Verxina had witnessed crumpling iron weights into tiny marbles.
But what could she do, it wasn’t her place to… unless…
“Wait.”
Gentildonna turned around on her heel, still looking intense.
“What if there was a way… that we could both share the crown? And no one would ever question your ownership of the throne again?”
Gentildonna regarded her rival suspiciously. “Ara? What nonsense are you prattling on about now? You know as well as I: there can only be one winner.”
“That’s true, but…” Verxina tried to consider her words carefully. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but we seem to have a startling overlap of supporters.” Her mind flashed to the group of girls she saw cheering for her, waving their signs of herself and Gentil’s chibi likenesses for all to see. “And it seems that they’re very invested in our… relationship. It might be in both of our best interests to lean into that. If people saw us as… a pair,” Verxina paused, trying to ascertain Gentil’s reaction, but she remained completely neutral, “we would both be queens, in a sense.”
Gentil was still staring at Verxina in contemplation, her tail flicking back and forth idly. It was making Verxina anxious. Maybe she had to be more blunt. “A-also! It’s not often that pairs of umas are public about their romantic pursuits. It might help us stand out…keep our popularity in good standings even when new racers start to debut.”
Gentildonna’s eyebrows arched suddenly at the term ‘romantic’ then furrowed again as Verxina went on. “You keep saying pairs, what on earth does that… oh. You can’t possibly mean… me and you…”
Verxina inhaled deeply, then nodded resolutely. “Yes, I believe you understand correctly. I realize it’s not a very conventional idea, but-”
She was cut off by Gentildonna throwing back her head and laughing, the haughty kind she only did when she found something genuinely amusing or was trying her best to be condescending. It might have been a little bit of both, as it took her a few long moments to regain her composure, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye as she did. “Surely you jest. What an utterly ridiculous idea.”
“Oh really?” Verxina was crossing her arms now, slightly annoyed. It was true, the suggestion had been made on a whim, but she had still made it as a gesture of goodwill towards Gentil. “By whose standards?”
Gentildonna huffed, composing herself. “Anyone with an ounce of logic or reason, I would think. How is playing house with you going to get me what I want?”
“I don’t have to spell it out anymore, do I?” A bit of humor returned to Verxina’s voice. “As a Triple Tiara winner-” Gentil noticeably stiffened at this, but didn’t say anything in protest. “I hold the title of Queen. And if you’re my partner… well, what else will people call you but ‘Queen’ as well? Unless you think ‘courtesan’ might fit you better.”
“Very funny,” Gentildonna said dryly. “What you’re forgetting is that I don’t need to siphon popularity from you like some kind of parasite. I can and have earned my titles on my own merits.”
“Of course I know that,” Verxina said, sighing. “I’ve followed your back for years and know that you are more than capable of snatching back any crown, believe me. I just thought doing this… even for a little while… would take some stress off of you. That’s all.”
“I’m afraid I don’t know what you mean. Perhaps you would care to elaborate?”
Verxina couldn’t think of how to answer that. At worst, she’d hurt Gentildonna’s pride by calling out potential health issues that she was obviously doing her best to conceal. At best, Gentil would likely call her delusional and launch another barrage of light insults at her. Neither option seemed like it would yield a productive conversation, so Verxina decided to walk things back.
“Forget it. I may have overstepped with my suggestion. But you can’t fault me for trying to keep my rival in good spirits, right?”
Gentildonna chuckled at that, putting her hand on her hip. “There’s nothing wrong with my spirits, thank you very much. If anything, this conversation has made me even more motivated to crush you on the course. Beat some sense into that poor, pretty little head of yours.”
Same old Gentil, Verxina thought. It did give her a sense of importance, though. Years ago, Gentil would have never cited Verxina as her inspiration for anything. While she did wish she could help her rival more directly, at least she was restoring her fire in some capacity.
“Suit yourself. My offer still stands, if you change your mind.”
Gentildonna made a soft ‘hmmph’ noise, turning around again and starting her way to her changing room. “Leave the strategizing to your trainer, won’t you? It obviously isn’t your strong suit.”
xXx
And yet, Gentildonna couldn’t stop thinking of that damn proposition. She was mostly civil as they danced alongside each other in the winning live. A couple of times, the thought of her “accidentally” kicking Verxina and sending her tumbling to the floor crossed her mind. Verxina was terribly cute when she was embarrassed, but even that might not have been enough to make Gentildonna favorable to her rival at this moment. To think that someone would belittle an uma of her stature by trying to gift her a title on a silver platter was simply abhorrent to her. She would simply have to start training harder, she thought, lest she invite more of Verxina’s pitying gestures.
Of course, she wasn’t denying to anyone that she had had a string of unlucky races this year. In addition to losing multiple races to Verxina, she had been bested by Orfevre at that year’s Takarazuka Kinen. All of her victories that year had been a little too close for her own comfort. She could blame her disgraces on outside factors, such as a bothersome leg injury at the beginning of the year. Her father was getting older, looking to make either her or one of her siblings the heir to his estate. In contrast to herself, Gentil’s younger brother had been having increasing success with his business ventures that year. Not that she cared: after all, the strongest will eventually get what’s entitled to them. What she did care about he gloated about it at every other opportunity. Such arrogance was not becoming to someone who might inherit an empire.
Just as she had told Verxina, every uma struggled with fatigue. She would just have to get better at managing her own. It’s what victors do after all. Get better.
This was another reason Verxina’s idea bothered her so much.
A public spectacle such as the affair of two passionate racers probably would boost her reputation. The reporters were going to press her about her lackluster year sooner or later: admittedly, she had been avoiding them since the summer. Now the late October air was turning cold and sharp, as if taunting her about her shortcomings. She refused to throw in the towel and call the whole year a loss. She did not particularly feel like standing out even more at her family’s next gathering.
Of course, training and winning were the most important aspects to improve upon. However, she also couldn’t deny the importance of public opinion. The idea of two legendary tiara holders was an interesting concept, for sure. Perhaps if she went along with Verxina’s scheme, at least the constant rumours about Gentil’s early retirement would stop.
As if on cue, her right leg started throbbing again. She needed to get back to her room, take a hot shower to clear her head. Then she would take a quick nap and head towards the school gym as soon as it opened. Throwing around some dumbbells and exhausting herself always set her mood right again.
The lights were off in her room, but Buena Vista’s bedside lamp was on. Gentil’s roommate was in her pajamas, balancing a small laptop on her legs in front of her. She looked up when she saw Gentil entering the room, smiling. “Welcome back! Good job on the race today.”
Gentildonna sighed, taking off her shoes and shrugging off her jacket. “You saw that, did you? Quite an embarrassment.”
Buena’s ears drooped slightly at Gentil’s tone. “I don’t think so at all! With all those tough racers out there, getting second place wasn’t going to be an easy feat.”
Gentildonna hummed noncommittally, sifting around in her own bedside table. She was looking for her tail brush, then remembered she left in the bathroom. She strode over to that side of the room so that she could start the shower and wash away some of the residual shame from the day.
“You and Verxina looked really cool together too!”
Gentil’s ears stood straight up and she turned around to face Buena again. “Beg pardon?” The other uma had still been talking while Gentildonna had only been half listening, but after hearing her rival’s name, she was at full attention.
“Crossing the finish line, I mean,” Buena said, her eyes back to whatever was on her computer. “You two were way ahead of everyone. It made the last leg really exciting! And when you-”
Buena made a soft squeak in surprise as Gentildonna sat down on the bed beside her, looking intently at the other uma. “Gentil?”
“A question for you, Buena,” Gentil said, passively enough. “Tell me, what are your thoughts on Verxina?”
Buena thought for a moment. “Um… to tell you the truth, I don’t know her that well. I’m not sure I could-”
“Let me put it to you another way, then. When you think about Verxina, do you associate her with me?”
Buena tilted her head, smiling. “Where is all this coming from, Gentil? Is she… bothering you?”
“Bother” was not quite the word for it, Gentil thought. Festering, now that might be a better word. She did have a knack for getting under Gentil’s skin, occupying her thoughts for longer than she would have liked.
“Not at all. I’m simply curious as to how people see… her, that’s all.” She didn’t like how easily she almost said us, as if they were already an item. She wasn’t even set on going along with the ruse anyway.
Buena closed her laptop and leaned back against her pillows. “I guess I do associate her with you, yes. Would that be a bad thing? Everyone perceives her as your rival, after all. I feel like…” she looked up at the ceiling thoughtfully. “It’s nice to have another uma that chases you so closely. It inspires you to both do better!”
“Do better…” Gentildonna muttered softly.
Buena nodded her head. “Even if you don’t work directly together, you’re still sharing the same stage. Giving people a show, proving yourselves… inspiring others, even! I think all of those are nice things, don’t you?”
Of course it would be just like Buena to bring up the positives in every situation. It was true, she had grown to see Verxina more as an equal over the past few years. Now that she had claimed the tiara (temporarily, Gentil reminded herself), it was rather hard not to. However, she still wasn’t sure how she felt about sharing anything with Verxina. And working together with her would require quite a lot of that.
Then again… sometimes, even the greatest monarch must use stepping stones to regain their advantage. Maybe…
Gentildonna’s thoughts were interrupted by Buena Vista yawning softly. “Sorry, Gentil. I’m getting a bit tired.”
“Heavens, look at me raving on at this midnight hour,” Gentil said, standing back up. “You get some rest. I hope the running water won’t disturb you?”
“Not at all,” Buena reassured her, already getting comfortable under her blankets. “Get a good sleep too, okay?”
Gentildonna assured Buena that she would, but the truth was that her thoughts were racing harder than they had all day. As she showered, brushed her hair and tail, then finally got into bed a few hours later. The room was completely dark and still, but Gentildonna’s body thrummed with a restless energy.
She pulled out her phone.
The LANE app glared so brightly that it caused her eyes to squint, but she scrolled through her contacts anyway. Near the bottom of the list, she found Verxina’s name. Gentildonna stared at their empty chat history for several moments before typing a message.
TheStrongest: Meet me at the new cafe near the Academy. 9am, don’t be late. We have some things to discuss.
She closed the app and set her phone to the side again, sighing softly. She was actually starting to feel herself getting drowsy now, and probably for the best. If Verxina agreed to meet her tomorrow, Gentildonna only had about 5 or 6 hours to sleep.
She picked up her phone again to set an alarm, and a LANE notification popped up at the exact same moment. Seeing Verxina’s name, she unlocked her phone immediately. The other uma had replied with a sticker of a cartoon pork bun character, saluting with a stern look on its face.
Gentildonna cracked an amused smile before setting several alarms and quickly falling into a deep sleep.