A laugh was at first Navia’s only response to Théadan’s comment on knowing better than to try to beat Wyndagar in a race. She was tempted to point out that like the last time they had raced, she was not out to beat Wyndagar, but his rider. There was a clear distinction there in her mind, but he might not see it as such. Théadan was considering it though; she could see the way he looked out into the distance to gauge what type of terrain their race might cover. Since he had reached out to give Vari’s ear a little attention, she took the time to sidle the horse up to his so their knees brushed and they were side by side. He was right that the jungle grew quickly; they were likely to come across less traveled parts that might require them to either cut away vines and branches or guide their horses around the obstructing foliage. They also had not passed other travelers as of yet, but it was likely to happen and racing could lead to trouble.<br/><br/>That was a risk Navia was prepared to take however. It sounded like fun and she could tell Vari wanted a chance to run. There was the added fact Théadan’s warning for her to be careful ticked at her pride and Navia could not resist the urge to prove to him she could be and still beat him. She knew he wanted her to be safe for their child, so she could not fault him warning her, not when he was thinking of her and their child's safety. Still, she was confident in her abilities to both beat her lover in a race and keep their unborn child safe. To assuage him, Navia reached out for his arm, using it to pull him to the side some and closer so she could lean across the gap between the horses. Her lips pressed warmly to her lover’s cheek first, then to his lips for a brief kiss when her free hand rose up to guide him to face her.<br/><br/>“I know how jungles behave,” she reminded him with a patient smile, “I have every confidence I can ride Vari to victory without being in any danger.” Navia released her hold on him then, but not before giving his arm a teasing squeeze. “I think you should be more worried about how that gives me an advantage in this race,” she pointed out with a chuckle as she gave Vari’s reins a gentle pull to the left to put some space between her and Théadan once more. It would do them no good to begin the race so close to each other and she knew how dangerous they could be if their kisses began to take longer than usual. With a couple feet between them, Navia made sure she had a better grip on the reins and her feet were snug in the stirrups to ensure she did not fall off. After dismissing his worries, she didn’t want to somehow fall off Vari because she was being careless.<br/><br/>Navia had had every intention of counting down for them then, to get the race she had requested started. She was eager to see if she could beat Théadan in setting she was more comfortable in. It likely all depended on Varinata, but the horse seemed eager to go, her hooves stamping lightly on the dirt road floor. It suddenly popped into her mind that they had no wager set between them however, and Navia reasoned that would just not do at all. They had bet on things often in the past and it was always amusing, so she wished for the newest race to be of no exception. “The last time we did this, I decided what the prize should be,” Navia pointed out, eying Théadan curiously, “And I ended up wearing that pretty green corset for you. I believe that means it’s your time to name what the prize will be.” Just what would he want, she wondered?