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[center][color=#837E7C][b]MENTIONS:[/b] [@Severance] [/color][/center]

[color=#837E7C]Well... this was surprising. Jules expected to be met with a vicious expression as soon as she started riding side-by-side with the tall stranger. Instead, she was staring at a face full of life, vigor, and positivity. Her eyes remained locked onto his face as he leaned back and pulled something from his bag. A flower. A golden one, at that. What? He had cut through the entire race on that vicious beast just to give her a flower? It was romantic, yes, but why? In a combination of flattery and confusion, she became a little flushed. The strange man was handsome and romantic. The strange man was giving her a flower. She should be polite and accept it, right? 

[color=41A317][b]"Oh, thank yo--"[/b][/color] she began to say as she reached out toward the flower. But before she could even respond, a piece of paper flew out from his bag and struck her in the face. Momentarily blinded, Jules cursed and pulled it away from view, prepared to toss it away. Though... something was off. The words [b]WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE[/b] were plastered at the top of the paper. And below that-- her face, drawn with utmost precision and a practiced hand. Her slight blush faded away entirely as she stared at the poster, eyes wide with terror. No. No, no, this was bad. 

Her panicked look went back up to the man, a wobbly scowl planted on her lips. Jules tossed the paper behind her in her rage, not caring if it was carried back towards the ocean or trampled beneath the thousands of horses around them. [color=41A317][b]"Stay out of my way if you know what's good for you."[/b][/color] Her words were vicious, angry. She allowed this man to reach her flank and he had a [i]poster[/i] with her face on it. How careless of her! To think she had let her guard down. Her brow furrowed as she pulled on Greasy Sand's reigns, yanking them to the side and kicking her horse once again. The horse whinnied in complaint before it bolted away, separating from the man and careening away from him. 

Damn it, how could she be so [i]stupid?[/i] Her frustration almost blinded her, kicking her horse again and making him go faster. She had to gain the ground they had lost. She wasn't too behind, but what daunted her most was that she was in danger. Not the ordinary type of danger, not because of the others. She was in danger because of her own self. The King of Naples must have caught wind that she had fled to America and sent for her head. Just how many of those things were there? She didn't see any in town. Could it be possible that they were just issued?

Just when she thought that she [i]might[/i] be safe, she found herself gliding close to another horse. This horse, however, had two people on it. One was a pudgy albeit pretty woman, while the other one appeared genderless and covered in armor. Jules stared for a moment, bewildered. Was the horse not bothered by the weight? Why were they riding together? Wasn't that against the rules? She shook her head, trying to make sense of all that was happening. It was only the first stage and she was already beginning to lose her mind. [color=41A317][i]Keep it together, Julia,[/i][/color] she told herself, placing her gaze ahead of her once more. There was a downhill slope up ahead. She would need to slow down if she didn't want to lose even more ground. If she focused and played this well, she could snag a top ten spot, or maybe top five. If she played this well and was lucky, maybe she could come first.[/color]