So Nic set up the test drive and didn't put on a helmet either as he got on the motorcycle.

--

Raven went looking for Frei around the time they usually hung out.

So Laurel pulled up to Nic, "Should we race to somewhere specific?"

--

Frei was having a stare down with Mr. Whiskers in the kitchen.

Nic shrugged.

--

Raven slowly walked over, trying to figure out what was going on.

Laurel rolled her eyes a little, "Fine, let's race to that lighthouse we saw on the way in."

--

Frei was trying to feed Mr. Whiskers red meat but the jaguar kitten was having none of it.

Nic nodded, starting up the engine.

--

Raven rolled his eyes a little. "Hey Frei," Raven told her as he went to sit next to her.

Laurel gunned her engine before shooting off with a laugh.

--

Frei was not losing the staring contest with the kitten. It looked pretty intense.

So Nic rode after Laurel, looking for an opportunity to pass her.

--

So Raven waited.

Laurel was taking the least crowded way to the lighthouse, thus providing Nic ample opportunity to pass her. She did a decent job of cutting him off though.

--

Finally the kitten hissed, ending the stalemate.

Nic wasn't an expert racer, but he knew his way around motorcycles. He didn't give up, continuing to put the pressure on Laurel.

--

"... I guess it's not ready," Raven noted.

Laurel's leg went up to kick Nic as he managed to get around her. She was grinning but it wasn't her usual kind smile.

--

"It's old enough," Frei stated in a matter of fact tone. The kitten hissed again.

Nic managed to dodge Laurel's kick as he took the lead. He didn't seem to notice the smile as he focused on the task at hand.

--

"Just because it's old enough doesn't always mean its ready," Raven explained.

So they continued to fight back and forth for the lead for a while. Then, when Laurel zoomed past Nic for the lead, she glanced over her shoulder still grinned and then frozen. A fraction of a second later she was pulling her bike into a tight U-turn, tires squealing with effort as she shot back down the street. People were scrambling to get out of the way as she took off down a somewhat crowded side-street.

--

Frei stared blankly at Raven. That didn't make any sense to her.

Nic glanced over at Laurel, slowing down a little before doing a U-turn and following after her.

--

Raven thought about it a little while before trying another example, "Some things take more time. You've were big enough to go down the waterside by yourself for long before I came. But even after I came it still took some time before you were ready to try it on your own. I know eating meat isn't like going down a water slide, and she'll eventually have to eat meat. But don't force it on her. One day she'll want to eat it, and you won't have to fight her."

Like back in the caves, Laruel was very hard to follow. But eventually Nic turned a corner and Laurel was sitting on her bike, hunched over with her head in her hands.

--

Frei blinked, thinking about that for awhile. "But Mr. Whiskers doesn't have trauma associated with meat," she stated.

Nic slowed down and stopped his bike next to hers quietly.

--

"... Just because there isn't a trauma, doesn't mean she won't be hesitant," Raven replied.

It seemed to take a moment for Laurel to notice Nic. "I think... I'm going insane," she admitted quietly.

--

Frei tilted her head a little before looking back at the cat. The cat tilted it's head back.