( That's the spirit. You'll be the mark against which the others will judge us, if so. )

I mean, if spirit was all it took to ride any sort of mount efficiently, Asuka was a shoe-in. The two of them were new to one another, exposed only recently ( if not in this very moment ) to comprehend how the other operated. But, because Seviilia had vetted the young woman, he was relying on her - no pressure, Asuka.

( I'm sure our competition may think you an easy mark.

Had we any plans on how to deal with the more cutthroat competitors? )

Because, seriously. Cut any one of the messengers off, and it'd utterly trash the rest of the run.