The Duke/Altair/Open - Chocobo Race
Altair stared at the duke for several seconds after he stopped speaking, trying in vain to grasp his meaning. Did that mean the duke hadn't bet on him after all? Or, since Altair's odds were increasing with every successive race, was he in fact the safe bet? Altair didn't know, and he was afraid to ask. He'd already gotten one tongue-lashing for indiscretion; he wasn't about to speak too freely with the guildmaster himself. Not to mention that, if the rumors were true (Altair rather believed them, himself), this conversation could very well get back to Vivi anyway. If the guildmaster wasn't planning to compliment him, Altair preferred that their exchange be unremarked upon completely.
Instead, as he turned back to the race, which was ending with the somewhat unremarkable next-best racer in the top spot, Altair said simply, "I hope that those of us with similar interests are finding the festival lucrative in more ways than just the monetary."