<div class="floatright">(http://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/c/c9/Sofia-vergara2-420x600.jpg)</div><strong>Valerie and Yadi on the plane.</strong><br/><br/>The Mexican girl's frequent glances out the window showed that she hadn't flown much in her life.  She relaxed happily in the plush chairs, enjoying snacks, coke, and and a pocketbook collection of Neitzche's work when she wasn't chatting.<br/><br/>"So, how long did it take you to learn how to ride a motorcycle?" Valerie asked.  Sipping on some cola, she had her feet up on the chair in front of her, thoroughly enjoying first class.<br/><br/>She gave Valerie a bright smile.  “Well, I started with cars and dune buggies when I was fifteen.  The boys I played soccer with took up racing in the deserts outside of town.  My cousin Eddie fixed up a used motorcycle a year  later, and then we all wanted to do it.  Once I had my own I picked up on it pretty fast.  I beat Eddie him the first time within a  month.<br/><br/>*Listening, Valerie nodded, giving a smile.  "Must be something about the Exaltation," she said.  "I can do guns and martial arts really well but don't seem to know much of anything about motorcycles.  I tried once out on the mainland, though."<br/><br/>Yadi shrugged.  "Well, that was long before I exalted, but it does seem like I've gotten a lot better at the things I was good at, while the things I wasn't haven't changed.<br/><br/>"Did you do all right on the motorcycle?  I love it.  I love feeling the wind in my hair.  Of course, biking without a helmet also leads to bugs in the teeth!"<br/><br/>"Well," Valerie said with some embarrassment, "I was up on the highway, and it was like three in the morning to make sure that I wouldn't hit into anyone.  I was still really new to everything and just thought that anything I did would automatically be awesome."  Her cheeks turned the faintest hint of pink as she continued.*<br/><br/>"So I started going just a little too fast, and instead of remembering about the handles and how you work it with your hands, I just kicked it."  She kicked the empty seat in front of her.  "Just like a mule.  I panicked, you know?"<br/><br/>Her arm came up to gesture as she demonstrated, "So here I was going clear over the side, trying to kick the thing, when I just go flying off the side of the road.  Somehow I managed the one tiny spot where it was ramped up and flew off the elevated road instead of just hitting into the side."<br/><br/>"Thankfully I still had this," she tugged on the necklace she wore, "so I just grew my wings.  I had to let go of the bike, though, and down it went several hundred feet to go CLANG on the pavement.  I can still remember that noise."<br/><br/>"So the friend who had loaned me his other motorcycle comes up on his bike, and gets off to just stare down as I fly back up to him.  Staring, he couldn't help but chuckle, just saying..."<br/><br/>"'I guess that's why you're a Valkyrie and not a Hell's Angel.'"