Choose Amon's Adventure
March 2023

Posted on: March 2

“Typhoon Nemesis? That’s… and interesting name,” Almont gave an uncertain look to match his tone.

“’Twill inspire fear in the hearts of our competitors!” Amon declared, spreading his hands wide.

“If you say so,” the lad shrugged and wrote the chocobo’s name on the registration.

“So now, all ‘tis left to do is for you to get out there and show them who’s boss of the track,” the bard encouraged with a wide grin.

Almont gave him another look. “Well uh…”

“What?”

“The truth is…”

“Mmm?” Amon arched an eyebrow at the sudden hesitation.

“I was hoping to hire a jockey,” Almont explained. “I’m rubbish at riding, and didn’t expect to do it myself.”

Amon felt his entire form droop in disbelief. The lad had a dream, but wasn’t ready to ride. “Then… what do you propose we do? We spent all the gil on the bird.”

Almont looked at the bard. “You know how to ride, don’t you?”

The bard opened his mouth, knowing where this was about to go.

A million excuses sprang to his mind – he was too tall, he was too heavy, he wasn’t trained in the art of racing. But then, his pride bubbled up, reminding him that he invested in this venture, and this would be a dead end if he did not step up.

Posted on: March 4

“I’ll get this venture started,” Amon told the lad with a warning tone, “But ‘tis your dream, and you must learn to see it through on your own two feet. I expect you to practice and ride your own races forthcoming.”

Almont didn’t look so certain of this, but seeing he had no other choice, merely nodded in agreement.

The next round of races would be upon them soon, Amon realized. He had enough time to do one thing to prepare before they started.

Posted on: March 6

Meeting and bonding with Typhoon Nemesis was the best use of what little time he had before the race. If the chocobo was familiar with him, it would make everything all the more easy.

Amon headed to the stables, quickly picking out the stall in which their racing chocobo resided. She was a big enough bird – thankfully – to carry him well, and seemed to be of moderate temperament, despite her namesake.

She blinked big brown eyes at him uneasily, and the Elezen removed his hat. The feather sometimes frightened birds more than appealed to them, he knew.

“Hey there, Typhoon,” Amon coaxed gently. “I’m just here to get to know you before our race.”

When he took a step closer, the chocobo shied slightly.

Hmm… maybe he needed a different approach.

Posted on: March 9

A treat seemed to be just the thing! After two treats, Typhoon was as pleasant as one could please.

She allowed Amon to pet her, talking all the time that he did, while entering her stall. Eventually, she allowed him (with another treat to keep her occupied) to put her tack on and get her ready.

“We’re about to hit the races,” he told the bird. “I’m not sure if ‘tis your first run in one, but ‘tis mine. So, I hope you’ll take it easy on me.”

She kwehed a few times, looking for more treats.

“’Tis my last one,” he told her, giving it up with a laugh.

***

A short time later, Amon was waiting anxiously behind the racing gates, clutching the reigns with anticipation. He could feel Typhoon shifting at his nervousness, and tried to school his emotions in.

His eyes slid down the line at his competitors. He was sure they’d all ridden far more in races than he, and they seemed fully prepared.

The one thing Amon knew, however, was that the start mattered. That, and being consistent with racing strategy.

As the gates sprung open and the race begins…

Posted on: March 11

Amon knew it was better to ease into the race gradually, and hold back on Typhoon’s stamina until they both got a feel for the track. Even though the other racers exploded out of the gates with what seemed an advantage, Amon (a struggle as it was) kept his chocobo in check and played the waiting game.

Racing on a track, with all its obstacles and shifting terrain, was not like riding in the wider world, he discovered. Thankfully, Typhoon had a nose for what she needed to do. She was very responsive when Amon did ask for more speed, or to move lanes, or even to jump for items.

Slowly, they worked their way up into the pack of the other birds. A well-timed briar patch on Amon’s part was enough to put a majority of them behind during the later part of the race.

As they rounded the bend, Amon encouraged Typhoon to burn what stamina she had left. There was only one other bird in front of them – but they had too much of a lead to catch until it was too late.

Still, Typhoon crossed the finish line coming in second, which was far more impressive than the green jockey and bird could have hoped for on the first try!

SECOND PLACE!

The whole experience was exhilarating, Amon decided. Not something he’d want to do as a full-time job, but certainly something he could learn and get better at.

Dismounting after the race, he stroked Typhoon’s beak and gave her treats. As if she understood that she’d done well, she was also puffed up with excitement.

Not long after, Almont rushed in to congratulate them, looking over the moon about their win. “You did it! I can’t believe it!”

“Nor I, my friend,” Amon agreed. “I must give Typhoon the full credit, however.”

“We should celebrate!”

“Mayhaps. We did get a winner’s purse,” Amon tapped his chin.

Posted on: March 13

They decided to have just a small celebration, the three of them (including Typhoon) there in the stables. Amon picked up some food and choco-treats and they sat around in the clean hay, toasting to their winning and lavishing Typhoon with attention. She was fast becoming attached to Almont – which was a good thing.

“I’ve spent some time looking for lodging,” the lad spoke sometime during their supper. “Somewhere withing proximity to the stables. I thought about what you said, and you’re right. I need to learn to race for myself.”

“I think ‘tis a wise move for now,” Amon nodded in approval.

“What about you?” Almont inquired. “You have your part of the purse. I know that doesn’t make up for all you’ve put into this endeavor but… I also know you have other things to do.”

The bard looked thoughtful for a moment…

Posted on: March 14

“I’ll stick around and see what the bard scene looks like at the Saucer,” Amon told the lad.

“Good luck then,” Almont just laughed and gave a little wave. It was nice to see him cheerful.

The Elezen gave a smile of his own, heading to the changing area whereupon he donned his bardic flair. It was late and he’d had a long day, but he knew from experience, late-night gamblers had their fair share of liquor in them and were more likely to tip an entertainer.

Amon spent little time picking out a fine spot, setting up his busking station and getting right to work, playing tunes that rivaled the sounds of the game machines down the way. He must have chosen well, because he had a small crowd before very long.

It truly was easier to grab attention in the Saucer than it was even on a good day on the Gridania street. Mayhaps, it was because the people were already there with the mindset of being entertained.

He played several songs, slowly amassing a nice collection of donated gil, and everything looked rosy until…

“Sir!” a voice called out to Amon, interrupting his newest tune, much to the frowns of the onlookers. “Sir, that’s not allowed here!”

Posted on: March 16

Amon looked over to see an exasperated cat girl wearing a bunny girl outfit. For a moment, he puzzled this juxtaposition. Then, he focused on what the lass was saying.

“You can’t busk here, sir. Authorized entertainers only.”

“Oh,” he rubbed his head with a frown. It hadn’t occurred to him that the Saucer might have had closed contracts with specific entertainers, and that by busking as he was, he was taking away from the paid performers.

But then she said something that ruffled his feathers. “Policy states that unauthorized gil must be confiscated.”

“What?” Amon’s frown turned slightly unfriendly. “I busked that gil fair and square!”

The onlookers also frowned and murmured. That was gil they’d tossed to him as a performer, and now it was being taken away. Surely, there had to be a better way than this.

“Sir, I’m only going by our stated pol-“ she droned on like a broken record, obviously no happier about it than he was.

Amon could already see this was going to go in circles. Either he gave up his gil without an argument, or he didn’t back down – seeing the crowd’s sympathies were with him. He really didn’t want to get into a public disagreement with the poor girl who was just trying to do her job, however.

A third option was possible, however – to take the decision off the employee’s shoulders to someone who could make the call.

Posted on: March 18

The cat girl actually looked relieved when Amon asked to talk to the manager on shift.

“Stay right here,” she said, leaving him with a couple of tough looking bouncers – apparently to make sure he didn’t just grab the gil and run.

Amon almost thought to try to make small talk with the two as they waited, but decided not to push his luck. Most of the crowd had begun to go their own way, except for a few who were still interested in the outcome of the busking drama.

When the manager finally arrived, it was not at all as Amon expected.

He knew this fellow.

He’d heard the stories. Saw the statues. After all, who didn’t know…

Godbert Manderville.

In the flesh and rather skimpily clad trousers. Considering stories told that this man could just as easily appear in his briefs alone, Amon felt somewhat blessed.

Now he needed to decide how to meet this legend who was quickly approaching him to resolve the busking issue. The bard had no idea how sympathetic the man would be to someone breaking rules in his own establishment, even if Amon had not meant to cause trouble.  

Posted on: March 23

“Lord Manderville!” Amon spread his hands in the most grandiose gesture as Godbert approached, really laying the charm on as thick as he could. “’Tis an absolute honor to meet you, sir! Though I do wish ‘twas under better circumstances. It seems ‘tis been a bit of a misunderstanding.”

It was hard to tell what the fellow thought of his display, his eyes hidden by glasses as they were. Still, he gave off a rather jovial vibe, so Amon held on to hope.

“Yes, I’ve been informed of the situation,” Godbert replied. His voice was not unfriendly, but it was obvious he wasn’t not responding to Amon’s attempt of bardic charm. Likely, the fellow saw this sort of thing all the time. “You were found busking here in the Gold Saucer, and you wish to retain the gil you earned.”

“Aye,” Amon responded, undaunted.

“Let’s take a walk,” Godbert suggested, motioning for Amon to pick up his funds. This was a clever move to disengage from those listening into the conversation. It was obvious that he had his guests in mind while approaching the situation.

The Bard did as he was bid, and found himself a bit pressed to keep up with the man’s long strides, even as tall as he was himself.

“The gil is not really the thing here,” Godbert told him simply.  That made sense – Amon had heard the fellow had more money than he knew what to do with. “But we have to maintain a certain order here in the Gold Saucer. You understand that, yes?”

“Aye, I suppose ‘twould be bad if anyone and everyone decided to busk the halls of the Saucer without permission,” Amon admitted. “I should have considered that myself.”

“That being said, you must have put on a good enough show to capture the interests of our guests. In which case, I’d like to offer you a temporary contract to perform for us,” Godbert said conversationally. “You shall be allowed to keep the gil you earned on top of the contract payment if you agree. What do you say?”

The Elezen lifted his eyebrows, somewhat surprised at the simplicity of the solution. Hire him to work for the money he already earned legally, pay a little extra, please the guests, and all was water under the bridge. That was an impressive business sense.

For him to decline would be foolish, but he also didn’t want to undersell himself.

Posted on: March 27

“Sounds good so far, but what kind of contract are we talking about?” Amon leaned back, crossing his arms to show he meant business – even though he wasn’t exactly on the demanding end of this situation.

Godbert didn’t seem phased by this – in fact, he looked all the more confident that his potential entertainer didn’t sign on the dotted line before knowing what all was required. “Why don’t we start with a two-night gig? Expenses paid – lodging and food – as well as complimentary MGP to spend on the floor when you have time.”

“That sounds fairly generous. What’s the catch?”

“No catch,” came the answer. “If the guests enjoy your performances, and you are inclined, we might look into a longer-term contract, however.”

Amon tapped his chin. An ongoing gig that had paid food and lodging was hard to come by. Though it sounded too good to be true, and typically he’d see suspicious written all over it, he also knew the tales of the Mandervilles and how giving they were of their resources.

“Very well, a two-night gig, ‘tis. When do I start?”

“After taking care of the paperwork, you can start whenever you like. Preferably tonight or tomorrow, depending on how much time you need to prepare.”

Amon consider this. Starting sooner meant he got the gig work out of the way sooner, allowing him to determine if this was something he wanted to sign up for in a longer term. Or… allowing him to get out of the Saucer sooner if things went sour.

Starting tomorrow would give him more time to get acquainted with the Saucer and the shows already present. He might perform better if he chose to gather information first.