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Wed, 02 Mar 2022 18:01:07 GMT
Amber runs from a police raid. After an intense firefight, Dark Star provides shelter for two young maidens, and Silver takes a lovely Kirin he's had his eyes on to see a movie. Iron retrieves treasure from the mountains, and Spark goes back to the wolf village with the resistance fighter.
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>>160999 →
"That makes two of us, sir."
What do the other patrons think about this conversation?
A unicorn mare sitting nearby maybe is listening in (hard to tell), but generally there is a lot of noise and ponies focus on their own matters.
He Glances over at the mare in-between dropping racial slurs
She seems to look over once, realizes that Dark Night is looking her way, and then keeps to herself from there on.
What is her expression like?
She's mostly held a neutral expression. She looks a little concerned when Dark Night glances over.
sense motive
[1d20+1 = (4+1) = 5]
Hard to read. Best guess is that she isn't actually alone, but is with one or more ponies to the left of her (Dark Night is on the right).
He drops trying to get a read on her
and turns his attention back to mr glass
"Thanks for everything again Mr.glass"
"You're welcome." He says
He waves good bye and walks back up the stairs to the room
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The mare looks back and watched Dark Night as he walks away. But otherwise Dark Star is able to walk up without issues.
Entering into the room, Sorrel and Tricky are together on the floor. Tricky is eating her waffle, and the two appear to be talking.
Listen check to attempt to hear what they are talking about
[1d20+5 = (8+5) = 13]
Tricky has a hoof over Sorrel's shoulder, and Sorrel seems to be crying. Both are laying on their bellies. Tricky seems to be telling Sorrel female nonsense about "being strong" or something. Looks like emotional support.
He was expecting to see many different things, this was not one of them.
Okay, I'm curious now as to what was expected.
Tricky immediately stops talking, and turns her head to Dark Night, closing her mouth and watching him enter. Sorrel has a delayed reaction, as she lays her head down against Tricky's neck and shoulder, eyes closed. After the passage of a not insignificant number of seconds, she turns her head slightly and opens her left eye to look towards Dark Night.
A Lot of things
He stands there awkwardly a few seconds
"I's everything ok?"
"Yes, everything is fine." Tricky says. She runs a hoof along Sorrel's mane, petting her.
He Walks over
"She's just a little emotional right now, that's all."
He sits down next to the two
"What was it about?"
Sorrel moves her head up
Tricky:
"Memories."
Sorrel:
"I miss him..."
One young stallion seems to be... explaining his work schedule to a friend? That's what it sounds like anyways. Some mare is talking about some other mare that apparently has feelings for Nickel Knob (seems to be a coworker) but he's engaged to some other mare and she's no good for him but they are going on a trip in the spring and... bleh. Some mare is complaining to her coltfriend(?) that she's hungry and he tells her that she should have said something ten minutes ago. And so forth.
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Nothing exceptionally interesting, but it's what was expected. He returns his attention to his date.
"You said you saw part of movie once before. What was it?"
"I don't recall what it was called." She says
"It was an Equestrian film, I believe. A mare steps into a bright, colored fantasy world of strange creatures, and is set up to fight a wicked mare with friends she meets along the way."
"Heh, I did not know they made movie about Princess Twilight."
"Yes. There was something about slippers for the dance…"
Shorts are played before the film. There is animation of walking milkshakes, singing to go to concessions. There is a very long clip of what seems to be a wart time update, showing ponies firing machine guns snd so forth. Mostly it looks like training footage, and it announces some land victories over Griffin forces. In the second half, of what is actually a distinct clip played immediately after, a victory over naval forces is announced. Silver can recognize a clip taken from a dive bomber of an attack on a ship in port that was played on the television, allegedly of an attack against Aquellian destroyers in the port at Pridea. The clip ends, or more likely, is immediately followed up with another clip, talking of the prosperity of the Silver Crescent Economic Union. A grocery store is shown, and it is announced that intercontinental trade will increase in the coming months with the clearing of shipping lanes.
Previews. To what most movie goers might be a hassle to get through before the actual motion picture, Silver is most impressed and awed. It really is like the television he bought, just bigger.
Soon, ponies will be able to buy wine made across the ocean, buy luxury automobiles, and be safe against foreign threats. I mean ponies could do all of that three years ago but to hear it promised now is kind of an improvement over the status quo. Unfortunately the Hippogriff Menace makes true peace and normalcy impossible for the near future, but things are improving with the griffins at least.
There's an advertisement for a movie. It appears that rich mare has been shot, and it's up to a friend of hers turned detective to solve the mystery.
Jubilosa would like that. Maybe Silver should make a wine rack and fill it with wines from Sicameon. Ooo, and if he gets some serious Bits he could get a real fancy car? Maybe one of those "Grand Tourers" would be fancy enough?
Silver has to remember that movie. If they have a good time here, he can bring them here to see this new movie.
With money, a little luck, and a little time, all things are possible.
The movie starts...
Opening scene is in on Sunderby Island. As violence between Macawia and Carthago ceases, the old pirate Captain Celano of the Storm Wars fame is appointed as governor over Sunderby and the surrounding seas, but with a mandate to bring peace and rid the area of pirates. This is far from an easy transition, as neither the civilian population nor the pirates completely trust her. Some decide to start up business in regular trade, others continue in piracy.
If Silver was enamoured by the previews, he is absolutely enthralled by the motion picture like a little colt would be. Not just by the marvel of showing a moving picture on a screen this big, but the wonder of watching a story and especially this story in this medium.
Among the former pirates are two former Equestrian renegades: A red pegasus stallion named Quarter Mars, and his assistant, a blue unicorn named Diamond Blue. These two ponies were captured in youth and raised as pirates, and befriended Celano in her prime, and likewise served alongside her in her service to the Storm King. After a meeting with Celano, he agrees out of respect for his old friend and comrade. They start attempting to ship mangos out of the Kirin lands to Chiroptera.
However, not all of the former pirates agree. Lorenzo Lyle, a young renegade zebra stallion out of Kasa, continues to raid ships along with his assistant, a minotaur named Brinix. They raid a shipment of mangos through a different set of ships.
Meanwhile, Quarter Mars, sees and then converses with a mare that he takes a liking to, a soft pink unicorn mare from Kasa named Lys Doux. However, she is engaged to be married to a zebra stallion from Carthago, named Guarda Hábil. Though he is a member of the local aristocracy, it is shown that he provided the information on the shipment of mangos to Lyle and other pirates.
With a mandate to put an end to piracy, Celano sends out Quarter Mars and Blue Diamond on their ship, the Peregrine, to try to track down Lyle. They almost capture his ship, The White Swan, in an estuary, but the ship is alerted by a signal to move and escapes in time. It is shown that the signal came from a set of pirates who were informed by Habil of Quater's intent and whereabouts.
The Council of Nobles is furious about the continued activities of the pirates, especially after the latest failure. They believe that Celano is secretly supporting the continued existence of piracy. With Habil egging the opposition to Celeno on, the council makes a vote of no confidence against Celano. Habil declares that he will sail with Lys to the capital in Carthago to inform the council there of the decision of the nobles. Celano is distressed, and orders Quarter to once again try to track down Lyle.
Lyle, however, has not got over his feelings for Lys. Quite the contrary, he resents her coming marriage to Habil. While telling Celano he is going to track down Lyle, he instead goes to the house of Lys and outright kidnaps her, physically picking her up and flying away with her to the Peregrine, and sailing away. Unfortunately for Quarter, the White Swan is faster, and catches up to them. The ship is quickly boarded. Quarter thinks quickly and declares that he has changed his mind and has decided he wants to join the pirates back in a life of piracy. He declares that he and Lys are in love and have run away to marry each other. Lys does not approve of the "marriage," but evidently does not want Quarter to be thrown to the sea serpents by the pirates, so she goes along with Quarter's plan. Quarter, Lys, Lyle, Diamond Blue and Brinix a somewhat awkward dinner together on the White Swan, reminiscing about old times and their relationship with Celano.
Meanwhile, a merchant relates to Celano and the Council (and thus also Habil) that Quarter has run away to join the pirates along with Lys. Habil is left silent for once, but a different council member points out that Quarter stood to gain from piracy against ships carrying mangos, as it made his own cargo so much more valuable. Celano comes to believe that Quarter has been working against her the entire time. Celano decides to get in a ship herself, and track down both Quarter and Lyle, taking up her sword.
Quarter feels conflicted about his situation, but not more so than Lys, who is upset at having been forcibly removed from her comfortable situation to be in this near hostage situation. They start to argue in their bedroom in the Peregrine. However, their argument is overheard by Brinix, who realizes that the defection is phony, and travels back to the White Swan to tell Lyle about it.
Silver is on the edge of his seat, excited to see what will happen next in this tale of adventure and piracy while he snacks and drinks idly from his popcorn and soda. He has also decided that he likes the cinema. It's just like being there, watching it all unfold from the first person!
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Khoi sits silently in her seat, mostly keeping her eyes on the screen. Mostly. She takes a small number of nibbles at the peanuts and the popcorn, and Silver can hear the sounds of peanut crunching and magic aura. At some point, she switches to her right hoof, and reduces the crunching sound, evidently intentionally trying to reduce noise.
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Silver hopes his date is enjoying the movie. He's not making a conscious decision to try to reduce noise, but the way he's eating means no one should hear beyond maybe a nibble in the seat next to him.
Fri, 04 Mar 2022 06:19:14 GMT
Lyle and Brinix arrive on the Peregrine late at night and, swords drawn, takes Quarter prisoner. Lys is placed under supervision by Brinix, while Lyle takes over the ship. Lyle believes that he will be able to use the ship as bait against Celano, whom he will then be able to encircle with the White Swan and the other pirate ships. It is revealed that Lyle sent the merchant earlier with the message, as he expected Celano to immediately come looking for Quarter. The film shows a scene of Celano in her own ship, and it appears that Lyle's plan is working as intended.
Lyle, an old acquaintance of Celano, has parked the Peregrine by a rocky outcropping favored by both Celano and Quarter, and thus one of the first places Celano would look. His plan is to park the Peregrine with Quarter in it by the rocky outcropping and let Celano approach it. When Celano is near, he will move out from behind the outcropping and attack with the White Swan and the full pirate fleet.
What Lyle had not accounted for was Diamond Blue, who was in a different room when Lyle stormed the ship and managed to flee away from Brinix in a rowboat. In his small boat, he cannot go very far, which works to his advantage as Celano approaches. Celano sails in, and sees Diamond before approaching the outcropping, slowing down enough to pick him up. Diamond attempts to engage Celano in conversation just as her ship approaches the Peregrine. Diamond tries to explain the trap to the still somewhat surprised and non-believing Celano. Celano is hopeful to hear that her old friend is still on her side, and at the insistence of Diamond uses her telescope to take a closer look at the Peregrine in the distance. She sees a flash of light reflected off of a plate by Quarter who is trapped in his cabin, and then sees where the light is reflected to: The White Swan, behind a particular set of rocks.
Celano quickly orders the canons to fire and to steer away, although only just barely in time. With Brinix in the Peregrine and Lyle in the White Swan, both ships fire at Celano's ship, and begin a pursuit. A number of other ships are soon revealed following behind, with now an entire fleet following Celano. Celano orders a number of items thrown overboard and every sail high to try to evade them, and soon enough, Celano is pulling ahead and away from the fleet.
… Until a canon shot hits the main mast and destroys it, severally crippling the speed of Celano's ship. Brinix in the Peregrine approaches Celano, ready to destroy it. In the last barrage, a shot manages to hit and destroy a connecting piece of the rudder, keeping her ship in a sharp right turn.
But in the Peregrine, Lys, who is not chained up and is no longer under the close watch of Brinix, sneaks off and frees Quarter from his confinement. Quarter sneaks up behind Brinix and attacks him. While Brinix notices him and the attack fails, it does start a fight between Brinix and Quarter that moves between swords and blunt objects like a telescope. The Peregrine is left directionless, and a sudden left turn causes its canon barrage to miss Celano's ship.
Meanwhile, Celano sees that a fleet of friendly ships have assembled to help her fight the pirates. These are the other former pirates she knew in her past, merchants, some of the nobles who have decided to forego their mistrust for the sake of the common good, and even a ship from Chiroptera who have come to fight the mango thieves. Habil has even come to fight in this battle, albeit likely for his grudge against Quarter. With the Peregrine wondering aimlessly, and with the new fleet approaching, Celano goes full speed into the right turn, ramming the White Swan. The collision is such to entangle the two ships between their rigging and masts, and sailors on both sides board the other. Diamond engages in a fight with a few pirates, while Celano goes straight into battle with Lyle. Celano, while more experienced, has not held a sword in a while and it shows, as she misses the first few hits. Diamond butts in and saves her at one point. Celano quickly regains her stance, and eventually regains her prowess.
On the Peregrine, Brinix gets entangled in a set of rigging, and Diamond manages to move to trick him into cutting a rope that was holding a cannon in place. The rope around the cannon pulls him down and off the ship. Lys manages to get ahold of the wheel, and signals to the allied fleet not to fire on them, saving the ship. Celano disarms Lyle, and tells him what she has learned about the friendship and serving the good in her time. Lyle does not seem to believe this, grabs his sword, and dives towards Celano. She dodges, and Lyle knocks a canon back, which already lit, fires right at him, and knocks him off the ship. Celano meets up with Diamond, who has found a rowboat, as the two get on the rowboat and off of the White Swan as it and Celano's entangled ship both sink. They are taken onboard the Peregrine by Quarter.
With the two lead ships of the pirate fleet captured or sunk, the remaing pirate ships are demoralized, and try to split away. Celano takes control of the Peregrine and gives out a command to the allied fleet to track down the remaining pirate ships. The other ships enthusiastically follow her lead. The pirate ships attempt to flee, but a reinforcement of frigates from Carthago show up in the other direction, cutting off the retreat. The pirates are forced to surrender.
The next day Celano is welcomed by the council back as the governor of Sunderby. She declares that she will go through the pirates and determine their fates accordingly. She says that she is considering imprisoning Quarter for is abduction of Lys. Lys runs over to Quarter, however, and declares that she has fallen in love with Quarter and wishes to marry him. Quarter is forgiven, and even praised for his help in stopping the pirates. Quarter and Lys embrace as Habil begrudgingly accepts.
And so ends the film.
Silver stands up in his seat and applauds the end of the film ecstically, cheering. What an amazing experience, and that film! He already can't wait until next time.
Silver is not the only one to clap, though he is very possibly the most enthusiastic. Music plays as credits roll. Khoi sits down silently in her seat.
Silver looks down excited at Khoi.
"Wow! That was amazing! What did you think?"
"That was… Something." She says.
Silver still looks excited.
"Did you like it?"
"Well… yes." She smiles, and looks up towards Silver, r we itch her red dress and carefully tied mane.
Silver offers his hoof to his amazing kirin. He is smiling ear to ear.
"Would you like to see what else I have planned for our date?"
She looks at the hoof, and takes it. She has a small, but warm smile.
"Sure." She answers
Silver helps her out of seat, and together get out into the aisles to leave. He looks at the food and drink they got, seeing how much wasn't eaten.
Silver presumably ate the remainder of the popcorn. (Probably). Khoi seems to want to take the remainder of the roasted peanuts with her. Khoi's soda is not all consumed.
Silver decides to take the remainder of their food with them as they leave the cinema. He leads his date by the hoof out to the car and helps her into it.
Once they're all set, he takes off to their last destination: the park, or the main park in the city.
Dark Night pats her on the shoulder
"Sorry to hear about that."
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She whimpers. Her long, blue tail spread across the floor. She breathes in, and cries out. She says words, but they are not entirely coherent. She moves her head up, and looks to Dark Night with watery eyes. Tricky sits on the other side of Sorrel, and pets her likewise.
"Only just a year ago, I remember him flying-" is what she seems to say
He Glances over at tricky
Then continues talking to sorrel
"Life Can be that way sometimes, but what matters is getting back up when it knocks you down."
Tricky looks back over at Dark Night. She has a sorrowful but serious expression, and she lays a leg over her shoulder. Sorrel stretches her neck out, and tries to lay her head on the floor, she dislikes this, and places her head on whatever parts of Tricky or Dark Night are near. Her wings unfold. The green wings are long, much longer than would be guessed by looking at them. Her left wing extends and presses into Dark Night, either running past him, or above him.
She starts mumbling about school, about a home, and about gardens.
Tricky starts to rub her hoof long ways down Sorrel's back. She says "it's okay."
"Tricky is right, those are just places that can be rebuilt."
He continues patting her on the shoulder
"It is gonna be alright sorrel."
They move out of their Sears, down the dark corridors of the theater, and walk over the maroon carpets past a small herd of ponies, until they are outside in the chill air. A small amount of mist falls onto them as they walk onto the well-lit street, and to Silver's new car.
"But they took it. They took him from us. From me." She says, her head turned up and towards Dark Night, with tear filled eyes.
"How can it be alright?"
Once they set off, Silver asks his date, "What did you think of cinema experience?"
He looks at Her with pity
"This war has taken a lot form everypony. But That doesn't mean we should give up hope for a better future. the loss of pony life is always a terrible thing, but as time goes on the loss of somepony you care about stings less."
He continues patting her back
"It still stings…"
Sorrel sits up for a moment, and then leans against Dark Star, pressing perhaps a significant portion of her weight against him. She sniffles.
"And it's never going to be the same…"
Tricky moves closer, and closer to Dark Star likewise. She continues petting her.
"It Rarely is when you lose somepony you care about.'
He Gives Sorrel a Hug
"It was… very different."
She answers, looking up towards Silver.
pony is hugged
Sorrel, who is sitting up at this point, is pulled in towards Dark Star. Her forelegs slide across the wooden floor a few inches. Her wings, both extended, are not under Dark Star's embrace but above it, snd she moves her left wing in, effectively hugging Dark Star back. Her fur is longer, and a little bit rougher than comparable mares, at least in Dark Star's limited experience.
She moves her head up, and presses it across Dark Star's. Dark Star can feel a tear run down her cheek.
Sorrel stops crying and speaking, but sniffles. Dark Star can feel a foreleg wrap around his back. Evidently Tricky has moved in to hug her from the other side, with Sorrel sandwiched between them, and his foreleg touching both Sorrel's shoulder's and Tricky's chest.
"How so? I thought it was phenomenal."
"It Gets easier, I Promise."
He continues Hugging Her
Sorrel makes a high pitched whinnying sound, and moves her muzzle downwards. Her face is pressed directly against Dark Star's, her left cheek against his left cheek, and now the bottom of his muzzle with the top of hers. Her long mane is soft, and it too can be felt against his face.
Tricky is now definitely close and hugging her, rubbing her back, and touching Dark Star's belly.
Sorrel sniffles again, and her breathing is fairly heavy. But she's quieted down after a few whinnies
"Well… I've never done anything like that before."
She smiles, looking up at Silver
"Neither have I. I am glad to be able to experience it for first time with you. I can see what all buzz is about!"
He smiles back at her quickly before returning his eyes to the road.
"I hope you enjoy what I have in mind to end our date on. It is classic, and very romantic."
He Pats her back
"What is it?" She asks, her head turned and looking towards Silver
She makes another sigh, and tries to push herself upright, her face running more against Dark Star's as she moves her head up. She presses her wing into his back.
"Hmmm...well, I was going to make it secret, but...what do you think of romantic carriage ride through park?"
She blinks.
He hugs her tighter
"So who was this pony? he seems pretty special to you."
"Well, I suppose you will find out soon. Trust me, it is part of many great dates."
pony is hugged tighter
Dark Star gets a strong feel of muscle and bone underneath the fur. She's fairly skinny.
"Spring Rain." She answers. "He was going to work for the weather teams…"
"Uh… okay" she says, both uncertain and curious.
"That's a nice name."
Silver smiles s'more, and continues on going for the park.
"It was!" She starts crying again. Dark Star can feel her chest moving with her breathes and cries.
Silver finds a large park in Westside.
There doesn't happen to be a carriage available in the park for a carriage ride for the two of them, is there?
He pets Her
"There, There. Do you think that he would like to see you this upset?"
She sniffles
"No…." She answers.
Roll die!
"Of Course He wouldn't. He would want you to be happy."
He smiles at Her
Silver does not see a carriage
She looks back to Dark Night. She is so close to him, so imminently close, that he cannot even see her whole face. All he can see is her large, wet, orange eyes gazing back into his.
Dammit, Silver did not come all this way just to have his date ruined by a lack of carriages! Again!
"Feeling better?"
You'll get 'em next time
She rubs her muzzle against his. He can feel the short hairs.
"I like your eyes." She says
Reeeeeeeeee
If doesn't look like there are any carriages for the park. At least right now.
"Thanks."
sad Silver noises
She lowers her head, turning the upside of her head towards Dark Star's face. She rubs her mane, and then her ear against him, which folds down. Her head comes to rest on Dark Star's mane, pressing up against his chin.
Well...I guess there's nothing that can be done about it...
He pets her once again
She presses into him, as Tricky comes and places her head on hers, directly on the other side.
Her mane is long and soft.
"You have a nice mane."
"Thank you…" she says. She moves, starting to slump down and letting her forelegs extend in front of her. She lets her weight lean against Dark Star as she assumes a position more like laying down.
What does her expression look like?
She's smiling, somewhat playfully even, as she moves to a laying position.
"Glad you're Feeling Better."
"Did you really kill a Changeling?" She asks Dark Night.
"Why so curious?"
He Grin
She has a grin and a look that she must think is playful.
"Because fuck the Changelings" she answers
"I Shot it Dead, but not before it got a shot or two in on me."
She assumes a position laying down below Dark Night, with her muzzle and head looking up at him. She pulls her lips together in an expression of concern
"It shot you?"
"Yea, it got me pretty good."
He brushes back his fur exposing the scar(s)
She opens her mouth in horror.
"Oh no… you poor thing…."
She looks at the wound. She changes her position so that she is almost beneath Dark Star, looking up towards his chest and barrel.
"It wasn't that bad. Hurt a little."
"How did it get you?" She asks. "How did you get it?"
"It was impersonating Somepony. i saw through it's disguise, It didn't like that. so it shot me. it should have aimed for the head."
"You must be really strong to live through that." She says.
Sorrel twists her body to move her her fore section onto her back, and then her hindquarters follows, until she is entirely laying on her back. She moves her fore to be as much physically underneath Dark Star as is possible, with her hind legs sticking up in the air. She moves her forelegs up onto his barrel, and hugs him. Her wings unfold across the floor.
"I Guess So. It was quite the experience."
Tricky comments:
"I think the bed would be more comfortable than the wooden floor."
Sorrel tries to wrap herself on Dark Star, but gravity is against her. Still, Dark Star can feel her forelegs try to grip his back, and hold her onto him.
"It Probably would be."
He Nods
"Well then, let's go." Tricky takes the initiative of moving to the bed, standing up, and walking to the bed, getting on laying down against the wall. Her left side is against the wall, and she lays partly on the left so that her belly is exposed. She folds her left legs beneath her, her hind leg extends out behind her, and her foreleg is folded. She tilts her head down, and looks over towards Dark Star with her golden eyes.
Sorrel lets go, and falls onto the floor along with her duress open wings, entirely on her back.
Dark Star Stands up and offers to help sorrel up
She extends a hoof, and with some effort, can be pulled up off of her back, rolling onto her hindquarters in a sitting position, snd then to standing up. She looks at Dark Star, smiling, blushing, swaying slightly, with her wings half-extended.
He helps her over to the bed
She walks with him, onto the bed. She bends her fore knees as she starts to get on. Trick watches Dark Night as he approaches.
He Sits Down on the edge of the bed
Sorrel moves into the bed, snd lays down on her back. As on the floor, her wings unfold, with one falling off the edge of the bed, and one pressing up against Tricky and the wall. Her lower section snd hindquarters are pressed between Dark Star's back and Tricky. She bends her left hind leg, and tries to rub Dark Star's back.
He lets her rub his back, it's very tense.
She rubs with her hoof.
"Why don't you join us?" She asks. Her forelegs are half-folded.
"I'm not tied."
He Enjoys the back massage
Sorrel isn't able to manage a proper massage with her hindleg at this angle, only a glancing rub.
"I'm not tired..."
"Why don't you come snuggle?"
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He turns his torso around to look tricky in the face
"Snuggle?"
"Yes, hehe" she smiles at him.
"Hmmmmm Snuggling. that does sound nice."
"Comeeee. Join us"
He Rubs his chin in thought
"I might."
Sorrel lowers her hind legs backwards, which is kind of necessary as they were poking into Dark Star's back. She opens her forelegs, and waves then in the air. Tricky starts to turn her body more onto her side, exposing her belly.
He Scoots over towards them slightly
Now here is the question: where shall he lay, if he lay at all? Between them? Over Sorrel? Under her?
Between the two
It's a tight fit. Can Dark Star manage it?
Whatever happens, Dark Star will soon enough decide if he wants to sleep in this bed tonight, or somewhere else.
>It's a tight fit. Can Dark Star manage it?
Well then….
Presumably Dark Star squeezes himself on the bed between Sorrel and Tricky. Tricky moves herself to roll partly on top of Dark Star's belly, so that she makes contact with much of his body. Sorrel is less prepared, and is pushed aside, almost off the bed.
He Grabs sorrel so she does not fall off
pony is grabbed
He feels her chest floof and ribs, and again her wing unfolded over top of both him and Tricky.
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He sits her down on the bed
Mare us set down on the bed
She turns towards Dark Star, and places a hind leg over him.
Dark Star thinks about a certain question Mr.Glass asked him earlier >"Are they Changelings?
If they are… they surely have Dark Star where they want him. Their lost sisters shall be avenged.
He mulls this over in his head for a few moments, getting a little concerned.
Sorrel places a foreleg over Dark Star. Tricky moves in even closer, and starts to nuzzle his muzzle.
Dark star Continues thinking and then thinks back to his training on changelings.
Dark Star has only very little formal training on Changelings to go by. He knows that there is some sort of tell in the eyes, although precisely what that tell is, he cannot articulate. He knows that the most famous mods of attack is for Changelings to disguise themselves as young maiden mares and prey upon single or adulterous stallions looking for a one night stand or a fling or was that and old mares tale to scare stallions into behaving?. But he knows this is far from the only means they will use. Indeed, they will do anything and everything to steal pony love, from addiction and replacement, to targeting foals and the elderly.
Dark Star knows from his own experience that to be drained of love by a Changeling is an utterly miserable experience, with an emotional pain that becomes physical, and a draining of the love of life itself. He knows it can affect even memories, and can dull the very perception of reality itself. He knows that they have the ability to cocoon stallions and mares much bigger than themselves - he's seen it - like a spider's prey, and leave them in stasis as their love is drained. He knows that they can disguise themselves as a drained pony, and live their life. He's seen it. He knows that the entire process is voluntary, that they can drain as much or as little love as they like, though their list will always incline them to take more. He's heard of their powers of mind control, to put stallions in a trance, or to make them think nothing is wrong at all, and let them continue on with what they think is a happy relationship, while their insectoid lover eats away at their soul. They can overtake a much larger and stronger stallion, that much is certain.
These two find young mares look, feel, and sound very real. Surely, they must be. Just two young mares from near Cloudsdale who fled during or sometime after the Changeling occupation of the region, who are now homeless and single, and who have been wandering around for likely several months now. Surely they must actually like, or even maybe list after "Solar Night." Right? It makes as much sense to accuse Glistenning Glass, or Lunar Nadir, or June Rising, or even Blue Skies of being a Changeling, right? They aren't there to steal Dark Star's love. Or to avenge their fallen sisters… even if they were Changelings they couldn't know about that. There's no way they could. And they couldn't be here to spy on him…
White Star would tease him for his skittishness in the face of the two mares.
This Train of thought is almost to much to bare, For the first time in a long time, Dark Star feels Afraid. But swallows that fear. as his thoughts turns to his Friends and then his Brother.
He stands up, determined to get to the bottom of this.
This surprises the little ponies, and Tricky looks up towards him with a playful look. Sorrel takes a moment to focus on Dark Star, and watches him.
"Want to see a magic trick?"
He says with a Playful tone
"Sure" Tricky says, smiling
"You can do magic?" Sorrel says, surprised
"In a way."
He smiles at sorrel
He walks over to his bag and grabs the flashlight and walks back over with the flashlight out of sight
He says just as playfully
"Scoot together."
Tricky looks unnerved. Sorrel looks confused.
"Trust me, this is an old party trick my brother taught me/"
Tricky is anxious. Sorrel is smiling, trying to focus on Dark Night, but not always succeeding.
How are they positioned on the bed?
Both are sitting upright on the bed, although Sorrel is a bit slouched
How close are they together?
Their eyes are a foot or foot and a half separate.
Hmmm is that close enough to get the light in both of their eyes?
Not at a close distance. Perhaps if he shone it between them
Dark Star isn't that close.
He can do it, but the light will be dimmer.
He thinks about how the process works again. about how close he needs to be.
Dark Star wasn't trained, so he can only really guess. When Blue Skies and that one bat pony performed it on Dark Star, however, the light was very close and generally aimed at the forehead just above the nose.
He grabs one of the empty whiskey bottles and then sits down on the bed
Tricky looks down at the whiskey bottle, followed by Sorrel, who tries to grab it.
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"Its empty."
he then takes the flash light and puts the bottom of the bottle and he then turns it on. lighting the bottle up like a lamp.
Sorrel gasps. Tricky just looks at it, clearly expecting more. The bottle casts a dim, brownish light on the bed, and on the two mares.
"Isn't it the Cat's Pajama's? it usually works better on clear bottles though."
He "Accidently" shines the light in sorrel's eyes as he takes the light away from the bottle
Both mares look down intensely at the bottle. More so Sorrel, who leans in. Tricky leans back, but does pay attention.
"Ah!" Her eyes actually widen for a moment, before her pupils dilate, and she closes them. Her eyes are glassy, bloodshot, and dark orange.
"Oh No! Sorry that was an accident. are you ok?"
He pats her on the back
And at the same time accidently shines it in trickey's eyes as he turns his torso to sorrel
is that a reaction that he has seen before?
The light goes into Tricky's eyes
She breathes in and closes her eyes. Her eyes are glassy though less obviously bloodshot. Her Golden eyes reflect back like a light shone at a dogs eyes in the night time, like two golden rings. Sorrel whimpers, and lets Dark Night pat her on the back.
He Looks back to see what happened the reflection worries Him
"Oh No! I Should just turn this thing off."
He Does so.
He Chuckles Nervously
"I Guess that Whiskey is starting to kick in."
Tricky scrunches.
"You're drunk." She says.
Sorrel scrunches and looks at Tricky.
"You're drunk."
Dark Star Trys to remember what happened when he shined the light in the other changelings eyes.
Zwolf refused the test utterly, and was instead beaten unconscious by Silver.
The police officer disguised as a Changeling had yellow irises that glowed blue, and then greenish as the light was shined on them
He Breathes a sigh of relief
Sorrel leans in, and presses her head on Dark Night's chest.
Tricky is still scrunchy.
He Pats Tricky
"Sorry about that."
She scrunches. Then she smiles, and moves her muzzle in closer. Closer. And then she nuzzles her nose against Dark Night's nose, looking into his eyes with her own golden eyes.
"You Have Nice Eyes."
Mon, 07 Mar 2022 05:32:14 GMT
So...what other options for carriage ride are there?
Assuming pulling the cart himself is not desirable for Silver, then he can find whoever normally does cart rides and pay them to do it, or find someone else who has a cart and pay them to do it.
Well, time to do just that. This date will not be ruined!
Use wisdom modifier
[1d20+3 = (13+3) = 16]
Silver finds a taxi cart pony
Silver asks the taxi cart pony if he can take him and his date for a ride through the park.
Pull back some of the cover on the cart for a more open air experience, ride around the parks a few times and maybe parts of Colton Hill…
It can be done. For a price.
The price is worth it. For Khoi.
The stallion unhinges the side wall and pulls back the roof.
The air is chilly, and the most from the fog blocks out much of the Star and moon light, while causing fur to become wet. Is this what Silver wants?
Khoi sits silently, seemingly patiently waiting.
Well, Silver wanted a carriage ride for himself and his mare. This is the only option available, so yes. He helps Khoi into the carriage if she hasn't gotten in already, and gets in himself. The big stallion sits next to his small kirin date.
She gets up, and into the carriage, taking Silver's hoof. She sits down next to him inside the carriage, looking up at Silver with an expression that, while mostly neutral, contains hints of eager curiosity.
Silver smiles down at his kirin, waiting for the ride to start.
"You are going to love this."
Khoi does not have any words. The cart starts moving forward and there is a slight jolt, which seems to catch Khoi offguard. The cart goes along a side walk, and then through a largely unpaved road through the park, past grass and bushes, and barren trees, into a small patch of wilderness, with the lights of small shops and houses on each side lighting up the fog in the distance. The air is rather cold, and small amounts of mist come down to cover the fur of the two ponies. The stallion pulling the cart makes a rhythmic clopping sound as the pulls the two along.
Silver finds the scenario rather calming, riding along in the coolness of the night. He looks down at his date, to see how she is enjoying it so far in the early part of the trip.
She is slightly startled by the initial jolt.
But more importantly, she seems to be cold, or at least, unaccustomed to winter in Baltimare, even if it's a pleasant spring or autumn day for Silver.
The cart slowly goes past lamps, leafless oak trees, and starts around a large pond.
"You look little chilly, Khoi. Here, allow me..."
Silver takes his suit jacket off, as he's still somewhat comfortable with the temperature. He drapes it around Khoi's shoulders, giving her an extra, if minor, layer of protection from the cold.
She looks up at him, blinks, and then lets Silvers drape her in the jacket. Soon enough, Khoi is sitting upright with both her dress on, and Silver's jacket draped over her. She smiles. The jacket has the added effect of keeping water off of her dress.
The big unicorn smiles back. The two can now continue to enjoy the quiet night ride, with the pitter patter of the driver's hooves being one of the very few things to break it up. After a couple minutes of riding together in silence and looking at the lights of the city pass by, Silver decides to test the waters just a bit with Khoi. He scoots closer, putting him a bit closer to his date.
She doesn't seem to notice. She looks around at the slowly passing scenery.
A little bit closer now, perhaps a bit more noticably. The pair are now quite close to each other.
The kirin doesn't suspect a thing.
Alright, time to really test the waters. Silver slowly puts a forehoof on one of her hindlegs. It's not close to anything particularly sensative, but it is still contact.
She notices
She turns her head over towards the point of contact, and looks at = it, moving her hindleg away slightly, though not enough to break the contact if his hoof is indeed on her.
It is indeed on her. He looks down from the hoof making contact, up along the kirin's form to look right in her face, to give her one of his trademark warm smiles. The hoof doesn't move or attempt to do anything that would break her demands, it merely stays there as a point of contact between the two.
Khoi turns her head, looking up and over with a strangely emotionless expression. And then out of nowhere, she blurts out,
"I'm not having intercourse with you tonight."
What a thing to say to break the silence between them. Silver gives her a look of mostly confusion, one that remains for a couples seconds before he starts to chuckle.
"Ehehehehehe! I already knew that, Khoi. That is not point of this."
Her ears go down, and se slightly lowers her head, then pulls her lips back in a toothy smile. She breaks eye contact, and directs her head and eyes forward. Her face becomes redder. She is silent for a some seconds.
Eventually, she says,
"Are all of the trees dead here?"
Silver remains like that with her for her silence, spirit still high. Considering she hasn't rejected the contact, he considers that she must have at least some feelings for him. He joins her in looking at the trees.
"Not dead, asleep. It is Winter, and to save their strength for these colder temperatures these trees have withdrawn life energy from their leaves into themselves and have shed them. They wait until Spring comes along with warmer temperatures, when they will wake up once again and these trees will bloom with vibrant green leaves, and flowers for some."
"Oh...." She sits in silence, and then takes a forehoof, and places it over the front of the carriage, looking out.
Khoi moved slightly away and seemed a little uncomfortable at the touch. But neither does she chase his hoof away, as she could have, and all the same is true of Silver's hoof holding in the theater.
She speaks
"It's the cycle of life. We have something like that at home. The trees are most vibrant in the rainy season, and less so in the dry season. Sometimes they will shed leaves..." She pauses again. "But it is summer there now, and it is winter here..."
Still, for as conservative as she is and as little physical contact as she has likely to have had throughout her life, this is a good omen.
"It is far more pronounced further north. In St. Petershoof, this would be considered mild weather, or perhaps even unseasonably warm. I am not sure how much it even snows, this far south." He tilts his head at Khoi. "It sounds like seasons are different, where you are from.
Does it ever snow in Winter, in Ngua Nam?"
She turns her head to look at him.
"No. There is no snow. Not outside of the taller mountains."
She pauses
"What- what were the winters like up there?"
Silver shivers a bit from remembering the winters of his youth.
"Bitterly cold. They say that when Windigoes were banished from this realm long long ago, in Severyana their influence remained strong. Rivers and lakes will freeze over, snow will blanket land, and it is impossible to farm as even our moisture-rich soil will freeze somewhat. You need thick winter coat to go outside in freezing temperature for long period of time. Not only all of that, but up north you will find no trees like this, which fall asleep for Winter. It is too cold for them. Only hardy conifers such as pine and yew can survive. Their needles require far less life energy to maintain than leaves, and they never drop them in Autumn unlike these trees."
She looks over, closes her mouth, and slowly nods,
"I think it is beautiful, how nature crafts all living things for their climes. And how everything grows and retreats in cycles. Even the leaves of the trees reflect the essence of nature."
Silver gives her a wide smiles, and nods in agreement.
"Even us. Take me for instance. I am same species and race as any other Equestrian Unicorn, but I was born in Severyana, as was my father and his father before him. My family line has been adapted by nature to survive cold, nay, even thrive in it as best as us ponies can."
To demonstrate, he undoes a couple more buttons for his dress shirt, exposing more of his impressive and floofy winter coat that is keeping him warm, and displaying it proudly for the world (and especially Khoi) to see.
Khoi jumps up, pulling away until she presses against the wall of the taxi, and raising her right hoof, staring at the floof with wide eyes. She likely has not heard the legend of Alzughab, yet all the same she knows it instinctively. She mutters to herself "Nhiều lông tơ." After a moment, she moves her head closer, examining the floof with curiosity.
The first thing she notices upon closer inspection is that, for just how rigorous his career is, his floof is in excellent shape. No tangles, no split ends, just a neat, light grey mass of dense winter fur. The second thing she notices is just how neat and clean it is, going so far as to acquire a hint of smell of the coat wash he used before the date.
She tilts her head, then lowers it, leaning in closer to the protruding floof.
As she gets closer, she's able to see the individual hairs better among the floof. The smell becomes just a bit stronger, a bit more recognisable as the coat wash they use at home. Continuing the trend of cleanliness, she sees no residue of such coat wash on his fur, implying he's done a good job of rinsing it out. There's also no oily shine indicating that it hasn't been washed properly, and in the cool dampness of the night she can see tiny drops of mist condensing on his coat. As they pass through a small breeze, she sees the indiviual hairs of his floof flow like a wave. It's like looking at the rice fields of her home, if they were much taller like wheat or corn.
She moves her head back again, and raises her forehoof, as if to protect her face. She turns away, and then looks back from a distance.
The floof seems to not be acting aggressively. It remains as it was, simply moving in the breeze. Silver chuckles at the display.
"It does not bite, I promise. You can come closer."
She leans in, and pokes it with her right hoof.
d57d7ec
She does not lose her hoof. Instead, she feels through her cloven kirin hoof just how soft his floof really is, as well as feeling the warmth trapped by his winter coat.
She takes the frog of her hoof, and presses in.
The end of her hoof is enveloped by the floof, and is virtually transported to a world of softness and warmth. It is a stark contrast to the chilly outside air.
Cautiously, very cautiously, she presses deeper.
The warmth feels good against her sinking hoof. She can see why the Severyanan is comfortable in this weather, as her hoof feels starkly different from the rest of her. It feels good.
Just when she starts to get worried about the depth of his floof, she touches the firm, muscular pony inside.
When she comes in contact with his hide, she pulls away slightly, and then taps it.
Firm, muscular, and warm from the heat in his floof. There is only a little body fat, as a significant amount of it is muscle mass. She can feel bumps or imperfections on his hide where he has been scarred. The unicorn feels like he's a mountain of a pony underneath all of that fluff.
If Khoi seems to be a near mythical creature in her own right, if her culture seems sometimes alien, and her homeland far away and exotic - it must be remembered that Silver, the winter, and this brave new world of Baltimare is foreign to her. The similarities between her and their cultures are far greater than the differences, but the similarity only invites comparisons and highlights differences.
Khoi leans in, then scoots slightly closer, and pulls her lips back in a smile that specifically lets her small fangs hang out. She starts rubbing her hoof within his fur against his hide in a circular motion.
The floofy unicorn lets out a little happy little horse noise from the lovely massaging motion. He closes his eyes and gives a blissful smile. The motion also releases small amounts of trapped warm air that travels up her foreleg, warming her up slightly.
She pulls her leg back, startled by the new source of warm air, but then presses forward, and slowly comes closer to the floof.
Silver may contemplate how content he is with this activity eating up his carriage ride.
Hmm...well, he may. He looks down at his date, curious how comfortable she may be with him and his floof.
"Khoi, would you like to snuggle? We can share in warmth of my fluffy coat."
Khoi looks up to Silver, and tilts her head.
"I do not know that word."
She uses her magic to pick up the jacket in part
"The coat?"
Silver smiles at his date.
"Snuggling is really close and intimate hug couples can do. And, before you say something, it is not sexual. We can snuggle together, and you can share in warmth from my fur coat."
He motions to his floof to emphasize what he is talking about.
She looks down at his coat. Then up at him. Then down at his coat. Then up at him. Then down at his coat….
Silver gives her a friendly smile. He's just a harmless, floofy, warm stallion, who wants to be close with his marefriend. His fluffy coat does look very soft and warm, especially in this cold outside weather...
Khoi scoots closer to Silver
Silver scoots closer to Khoi.
She presses her shoulder into his fluff, pulling the jacket aside to make contact.
She smiles,
"Hehe"
And she presses her snout directly into the end of his, making contact, and rubs her snout against his, touching the fur on either side of his nose in the motion.
Slowly and gently, Silver places one forehoof on her hindleg, and the other draped around her shoulders. In this way, Khoi gets the maximum floof contact possible in their current position, and boy does it have an effect. Khoi might have wondered what it would be like to touch a cloud sometime in her past, and if she did, Silver feels exactly like how she imagined it. His fur may have a few drops of dew from the moist nighttime air, but it can easily be forgotten and forgiven for just how soft and comfortable his floof is like the best pillow or blanket in the world, and the warmth! She feels much warmer already as the trapped warmth within his fur washes over her. It's enough to give a kirin floof envy.
Or no hindleg touch, if it's not possible.
>Floof envy
She has chest floof too....
Silver may want to move his jacket to maximize her contact with his floof. Or not. Silver raises himself slightly to have the small Kirin under him, and she slightly lowers her shoulders to let it happen. Silver contacts her slick fur and her smooth, silk dress. He can feel himself rub against her scales underneath her dress. Her mane is moved at least slightly out of the way, though her can certainly feel it. Khoi moves her head to face forward. She has a smile, albeit a someone awkward smile.
6a72f77
He turns his face so she is rubbing her snout into his cheek.
She nuzzles his cheek a few times before pulling away. She look at him with a sly smile.
He looks at her
"What's that expression for?"
Silver does indeed move his jacket to maximize contact. He enoys the unique feel of his kirin, the intimacy of their position, and the lovely winter night they are riding through. The unicorn wonders to himself if this is the most physical contact the little kirin has had in her life, or at least for a while.
And of course, how could he neglect the poor kirin's chest floof. He looks down at it, admiring it just as he admires the kirin it belongs to.
She presses her lips together, lowers her muzzle, abd gives a pouting expression, looking up towards Dark Nighy.
"Whatever do you mean?"
It's… floofy. Okay, she's not as floofy as Silver. Still….
She looks out into the night air, riding alongside Silver. Her head pokes out, contacting Silver's head and neck. He may need to be careful to avoid her horn.
Silver still admires it. He rubs up against his date, not in a sexual way, but to snuggle, cuddle, be closer to, and enjoy the feeling of his kirin date. Other than this, he happily enjoys looking out at their surroundings with Khoi.
He raises an eyebrow
"Playing coy?"
She kids her eyes
"And if I am?"
With this movement, she turns her head back, or tries to, to look at him. But she ultimately keeps her eyes out on the passing scenery of trees, bushes, and ponds
"Well if you are, i would like to know. and what the expression was for."
Silver breaks the silence.
"You said Ngua Nam is in Summer right now? Are their seasons reversed from ours?"
She nearly closes her eyes, extends her muzzle forward, rubs her nose against the end of his, makes a quick kiss on his lips, abd then pulls away, smiling.
"I… believe so, yes." She answers
"What is Summer like in Ngua Nam?"
He breathes in slowly, a little shocked she did it.
"Tricky, you're drunk."
"Hehe, no more than you." She says to him
"That is when there is the most rain by far. It's just beginning." She answers
"It is rainy season you mentioned. That must mean Ngua Nam's Winter is dry season, right?"
"More or less, yes. The temperature varies... but not by much."
"way more drunk than i am."
"I'm having fun."
Then she takes her hooves, and wraps them around his shoulders. She tilts her head looking at him, then lowers it to press against his neck.
She cuddles him.
"Do you have favorite time of year?"
"That's nice."
As he returns the hug
before looking over at sorrel
Tricky has a nice enough feel to her, with long hairs on her fur, and a bony shoulder
Both mares have their bodies, legs, and wings pressed into Dark Star, and with the small size of the bed it isn't possible for it to be otherwise.
On the other side of Dark Night is Sorrel, who also has a leg over him, and a hind leg down lower on his body. She looks over at Dark Night, and her eyes are more overtly lidded than Tricky's.
"I like the spring time, Before the heavier rains."
"This is like a sandwich"
"I wonder how you would like our Spring, then, when trees wake up and flowers begin to bloom."
Tricky: "A little, hehe. You're like meet between our buns."
Sorrel: "You can sandwich me if you like."
Her eyes are wide
"I would like to see that."
He blushes at Tricky's innuendo
He says to sorrel
"How would that even work?"
Sorrel tilts to be more on her back. "Just get on top of me."
"We can experience each and every season together, over and over for years."
Khoi wags her long, leonine tail.
"We can?"
He kisses the top of her head from their snuggling position.
"Not just can. We will."
He laughs more
"You are really drunk."
She opens her mouth and widens her eyes in an appalled look
"No you're drunk!"
She scrunches
"Are you sure?" She asks
"How about 1,000% sure?" He replies
This causes him to laugh more
"It's okay that you're drunk."
She scrunches, and then looks down.
Tricky places her legs under Dark Night's legs, wrapping around him. She sits up somewhat behind him.
"I wouldn't want to be sober right now. With how everything is. Better to be here together. Drinking, having fun."
She looks up, and almost gasps.
"Why wouldn't you want to be sober?"
Silver smiles down at his kirin, and snuggles her.
"Sounds good?"
"Then you think. You remember. You hesitate. You feel down and lonely."
She pulls Dark Night towards her.
squeeky
Kirin is snuggled
"Maybe, hehe."
"You and me, our foals, and your family, experiencing seasons of this land together." He smiles a bit wider at her. "I wonder what season you will decide our future wedding will be held in."
"Hmmmm that is true. but why wouldn't you want to be sober now?"
"It's more fun this way." She answers, smiling. She leans in, and nips his ear.
The kirin is silent.
Silver gives her a confused, somewhat worried look.
"Getting too far ahead of ourselves?"
He Laughs at the feeling of having his ear nipped
Tricky places her muzzle in Dark Night's mane, and ruffles it with a nuzzle. She giggles again.
"So you'd take us back." Sorrel says. She turs in the bed, bac onto her side.
"A little..." She says
"Take you back? Back where?"
"To here." She answers
"To this room? we're already here."
"Yeah. And you two are drunk." Sorrel answers.
He laughs even harder than before
"And you aren't?"
"I'm just a little buzzed. I'm not drunk. You are!"
He Looks over at Tricky and then back to sorrel.
"You are more drunk then both of us put together."
He pets his poor kirin.
"Sorry Khoi. I will slow it back down bit."
ze kirin is pet
Her mane is rubbed down, and her muzzle tilts up
"But, um... are you serious?" She whispers
Trickey herself looks half dazed. She appears to have found the second blanket, and is hording it as a pillow, which she lays her head on. As a source of warmth, she wraps her left foreleg and hind leg over Dark Night, and presses her chest against him - she is spooning him. She does smile, evidently at Dark Night's most recent comment. She is listening.
Sorrel scrunches, and crosses her forelegs. She lays her head back. Her head is upside down, her long blue mane spills everywhere on the bed and over the side, and she stares at Dark Night while upside down. She slowly lowers her hindlegs, letting her hooves touch the end of the bed.
b80debb
He leans in just slightly to put his muzzle within whispering distance of her ears, and whispers, "Yes, yes I am."
She lowers her ears for a moment, and then raises them, and looks forward in silence
He holds his kirin close, and snuggles her as they look out at their surroundings.
Khoi at times jumps in reaction to snuggling moves... But she prefers the floof to the chill air. Mist falls down in a fine, light rain. Moving along to the side walk, stone-face candy and flower shops pass along one side, and street lamps and large barren trees on the other, and then past bronze statues of stallions, and fountains with the sound of trickling water.
Silver points out the statues to his date.
"I wonder who those statues are meant to commemorate."
"You don't know?" She asks
"I am new to Baltimare, too. I am still learning history of this city."
She looks up
It's a unicorn stallion, wearing some sort of jacket and pack with a cap. Evidently military. His right hoof is raised, and he is looking forward in the direction his hoof points. The base of the statue emulates rock, like he's standing on one large rock.
Silver decides to ask the taxi/carriage driver if he knows who the military pony statue is of.
The stallion looks back for a moment.
"General Hoebuck. Helped clear out the Diamond Dogs and natives back when the unicorns first settled this land, of something. He was the first governor."
a9cf7f7
"Hoebuck? So, that is who 33 Hoebuck is named after..."
Khoi looks up at Silver with a frowning expression
He looks down, and smiles at his kirin. To get her mind off of it, he snuggles her some more.
If she did not want to be buried in floof and then snuggled, she has made a very poor set of decisions to lead her to this point.
As Silver continues to snuggle her and they look out at the Baltimare surroundings, she may have a sudden though: there will be a lot of floofy snuggling in her future.
cbf2855
Anywhere that's not here. Actually, isn't Hellquill a ways to the southeast? Hopefully the road is headed that way. The train is a better option, but where were the tickets supposed to be?
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Hellquill is pretty far North and East, best accessible by train from a different country. The Northern border to Bronzehill is 20 miles away, but it's 20 miles of swamp, and then there is The River to cross. The western border to the Imperial Heart is only 40 miles to the West. But above this, all of this, the train station is slightly over a mile away.
Amber Sunset
https://youtu.be/XLY4TsZBExY
What good is taking the train without a ticket, particularly when you have luggage you cannot part with? At least Amber isn't to blame for this situation. Are there any roads to Bronzehill?
What is certain, though, is that Amber is now de facto an outlaw in the Empire, even if wanted posters have not gone up yet.
>music related
Ah, she'll learn to love it.
There are no bridges crossing the Griffking before the Imperial City. The fastest route East out through Hellquill is the train West to Griffinheim, then East to Hellquill.
Amber will go to the train station then.
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You are on the fastest available route
The structure is oddly less grand than Amber might have expected. Whereas Equestrian train stations are tall and open, designed to impress visitor when they first enter a city, this train station more functional and economical with space. Rooms are smaller, and the dominate architectural feature is blocks of limestone on the facade, which compliment a wooden interior. The building is two stories in areas, and has the same red tile roof patterning as defines most of the architecture she's seen.
Never enough love.
So um… what does Silver fluff do next?
Silver gives his date a shoulder squeeze.
"There is at least one good thing to come out of what happened at Hoebuck. I got to meet you, love."
She looks directly up at him, so that her head looks upside down with her beneath him.
"D'awww" She smiles
The carriage rides through a commercial section, and into a second, smaller park, past more small businesses, trees and bushes.
"I would like to take walks with you through parks like this in future, Khoi. Especially when it is warmer."
The problem is getting a train ticket, or having the money for buying a train ticket. Amber goes to the booth and asks how much a ticket to Hellheim would cost.
She is silent for some seconds before answering
"… Perhaps."
"7 fractal guilders"
A grumpy, overweight Griffin replies.
And Amber does not have the seven fractal guilders?
Roll die
"No." She answers
"Feeling warm from snuggles?"
"Yes…" she says, smiling awkwardly.
6 fractal guilders. Probably wasn't wise lending that money to Erich, looking back.
Amber goes back to the car and looks for a musical instrument, preferably the viol.
"That is good." He resumes snuggling her. "You are excellent snuggling partner."
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The viol is there, in the backseat of the car.
"Uh… heh…"
Amber picks up the Viol, makes sure it's tuned, and stands in a public area with the case open before her. She starts to play….
Hol' up. What kind of public area are we talking about here?
He smiles down at her.
"What do you think of snuggling?"
The square in front the train station, or wherever there are the most griffons moving about.
Alright. Roll perform and luck - two distinct dice rolls. You can modify the luck roll with Charisma
Unless if she has acquired the old griffon's skills, Amber will have to make do with her amateurish ability.
Perform: [1d20+3 = (15+3) = 18]
Luck: [1d20+3 = (2+3) = 5]
There's an excellent, almost preternatural quality to the sound. Makes you wonder what other harmonies could be produced frok this instrument.
Not your usual busker….
Unfortunately, not much money is forthcoming from passers by in the platz. Admittedly it isn't the town center, or market square, but the audience is stingy. That doesn't stop many griffins from slowing down to listen as they pass.
One fractal guilder is offered.
Griffons gonna griff. Still, one is all that's needed. With the proceeds there's just enough for that ticket.
"It's… warm. And soft. And fluffy,"
The money is tendered, and the ticket given. One ticket fo Griffinheim.
"That is snuggling. And I would love to snuggle more with you in future."
Is there an included transfer to Hellheim?
"Oh…." She has a large, somewhat awkward smile.
No. Buy tickets can be had in griffinheim.
Considering that the police would be looking around for that car that drove off from the manor, better to chance it in Griffenheim. Amber gathers all the luggage and waits for the train.
It's a period of 35 minutes. Far from the several hours it was before, but still an unnervingly long time.
He nods in response.
"Snuggle."
He press his date into his side, and nuzzles into the side of her head.
Amber tries to move to one side of the platform and keeps an eye out for any disturbance. She considers busking again, but she doubts the griffons would be any less stingy and in any case it would be drawing attention to herself.
squeek
The kirin is pushed around and nuzzled. Her fur is soft and short.
Silver uses the hoof he's got around her to feel the softness of a bare patch of fur.
"How did you get your fur to be this soft, Khoi?"
Dark Night Laughs at sorrel
"Very Drunk"
"I am not!"
She scrunches, and then turns her upper body from laying on her back, to laying on her belly, twisting her head, shoulders, and forehooves.
The following takes place almost in slow motion. As Sorrel twists her shoulders, almost like a rope her body winds up, and then unwinds, with her barrel and her hindquarters starting to rotate clockwise, twisting 180 degrees to turn her onto her belly. The problem is that her hind legs are and have been partly extended upright. They move from above, down to her right and off of the side of the bed, until they hang out over the the edge of the bed. And with their weight, the change to her center of gravity, and the momentum of the twisting motion halted by her legs hitting the side of the bed, Sorrel's hindquarters move over and off the side of the bed. And the rest of the pony follows... Her hind falls off, then her belly, and finally her front is dragged off as well. Her eyes widen, she presses her hooves into the mattress... but it isn't enough. Sorrel falls off of the bed and clashes onto the floor.
Tricky looks up over Dark Night at the commotion.
"Well, I washed it in the water, used one of the soaps, rinsed it, washed it with a different wash, and rinsed it again..." She looks down at her fur. "The bathrooms are nice at the house."
"They are very nice, but they look...unfinished. It is like they meant to remodel bathrooms to make them look even nicer, but never got to it. I would like to finish remodelling them, sometime."
"Remodel? To what?" She asks
"To bathroom. You know, repaint walls, put in new cabinets, get nicer tubs and showers. Make it feel as high-class as rest of house."
"It's pretty nice now. There is always warm water."
Silver nods in agreement.
"House must have very good water heater. But aesthetics of bathrooms could be better, especially with second bathroom."
Presumably at this point, the carriage ride is coming to its end.
"Another shower is needed?" She said
Dark Night is shocked to say the least.
He Hops out of the bed and then rushes over to help Her
"Well, no, there is already two. I am saying that second one could use updating."
"Ah!" She is now on her back, with her forelegs up. At least she doesn't seem to have hit her head. She's dragged one of the blankets with her.
Tricky has jumped up, and is off the bed.
"How so?" She asks
He says helping her up
"Yes, I'm okay…" she has a pouty expression, but offers a hoof, even as she lays on her back. She has to be pulled upwards enough to place her on her hind quarters. Tricky pets her head.
Silver tilts his head at her.
"You do not think it is rather plain?"
She looks down, then back up
Silver nods.
"It does."
"You shouldn't do that."
He pats her shoulder
Sorrel scrunches, and again crosses her hooves as she sits upright on the floor. Tricky pets her left ear, causing it to flop down.
The Kirin looks up at Silver. Evidently she does not understand.
The stallion slows down and stops.
"Alright. That's the route."
"Do you need some help?"
"Thank you, friend. How much do I owe you?"
"Maybe a little…" she says
She extends both forelegs, and has a pouting expression.
"Upsies?"
"With how late it is, and the special request and all… it'll be 100 even."
He Smiles and then helps her back up
Silver pays the stallion, thanks him for the special request, and gets out to help his date out of the taxi carriage.
She is picked up. She attempts to wrap herself onto Dark Star, depending on how close he comes to her. She makes her way back onto the bed, and Tricky likewise.
He smiles, though he seems somewhat surprised at how quickly Silver agrees.
Khoi takes Silver's hoof, and is helped out.
"You two probably need some water."
Clearly, he's used to ponies haggling with him. Silver wishes him a good night before leading his date and himself back to their car.
Both mares look at Dark Night, and scrunch.
Both ponies end up at Silver's car, ready for the ride home.
He laughs as they scrunch
"It's true though, you would thank yourselves in the morning."
Silver helps her inside, then takes off towards home.
"So...did you enjoy yourself tonight?"
"If you want to get us some…"
"That was… all very new… yes." She answers, looking away as she says the first parts of that.
"Fine by me."
He walks downstairs and gets 2 glasses of water
The bar isn't closed yet, but activity is dying down.
"A bit of commotion up there." Glistening Glass remarks
"Yea One of them fell out of the bed."
"Heh, glad you're having fun." He smiles, and looks over
He shakes his head and smiles
"It's not like that. anyway they need some water."
"Okay…" He says, smiling widely. He pours two glasses of water for Dark Star.
Silver smiles.
"That is good. I am glad you liked it. Think you would like to have more in future, experience other things to do?"
She smiles softly, turns her head away but keeps her eyes on Silver.
"Mr.Glass if i didn't know any better i would think you like teasing me."
He looks over, and opens his mouth in shock
"I would never"
"Think you would be interested in experience more of what high-life has to offer? Dance halls, balls, spas, et cetera?"
"I have not done any of those." She answers
Silver smiles more at her.
"Then maybe it is time you do."
"I'm Sure."
"Here's your water." He offers the glasses.
"Now take it back to those thirsty mares."
She lowers her ears, and shows her teeth in a smile.
"But I'll take it a bit slowly" she answers
He Smirks at him
and takes the water and heads back to the room
Tricky is leaning against the wall sitting on the bed, with Sorrel in her forelegs, her head buried in her chest fur. Trick looks at Dark Night as he enters.
Silver nods
"That is understandable. We will turn you into Equestrian noblemare yet, at your own pace."
"Am i interrupting something?"
Tricky shakes her head
Khoi closes her mouth, and looks to Silver with a grave expression.
Silver looks to her before looking at the road once more.
Khoi does not volunteer to say anything.
"Yes." She says, looking up to Dark Night, and then petting Sorrel
how does the mood in the room feel?
"Khoi..."
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It's not dissimilar from the last time Dark Star walked out, although Sorrel does not appear to be crying. Tricky does nog appear to be offended by Dark Night's presence.
"Yes?" She asks
"If something is wrong, I would like you to tell me. Especially if it is between us. You do not build house atop broken foundation, after all."
"It's okay." She says
Sense Motive: But is it really okay?
Something made her uncomfortable at some point, but her expression is mostly neutral.
"Was it snuggling that is issue?"
"No…" she answers
"Hmm...you seemed to have grim reaction to my comment about turning you into noblemare. Was it that?"
"Well…" she turns her head
Silver "The Floof" Sworf
"Talk to me about it. Is that not what you want to be?"
She lowers down in her seat.
"I don't want to become… too much like that…"
"Go on, what is it you want to be, or avoid being?"
"I want to stay spiritual" she answers
"It is wonderful part of you, your spirituality. But you do not think you could be both spiritual and noblemare?"
"I don't know." She answers
Silver looks at her.
"What is it you do not know? Talk to me."
"How… Equestrian I will become." She answers, looking over at Silver
"I assume by 'Equestrian' you mean more materialistic aspects. I do not know, but I look at you and I see mare with strongest moral conviction I have ever witnessed. I can not imagine way you could be corrupted like that in that way."
"Thank you. I hope so…"
"I have faith in you, Khoi. If anything was to change, it would be that you would make more spiritual generation of noblemares."
She continues smiling, fairly warmly, looking over at Silver
And Silver smiles back warmly as he continues to drive them home.
"We really could use more people like you, Khoi."
After a moment, she places a hoof across, and touches the edge of Silver's forelegs.
"And you are a good pony."
Silver is a very happy pony when she says that. He can't help but grin from ear to ear. She can still feel how soft he is, even under his suit jacket.
"Thank you...thank you Khoi. My love."
She lowers her head and her ears, pulling her lips back to show teeth.
The beach house is west and a little north of their starting position.
And so the happy stallion drives the pair towards home. When they arrive and park, Silver gets out and helps his date from the car.
"I had fun tonight with you. Did you have fun, Khoi?"
She takes his hoof, and exits the vehicle.
"Yes…" she says, with some hesitation.
Silver keeps a hold of her hoof and steps close, face-to-face. He speaks to her in a low, sultry tone.
"Khoi...would you like me to show you how good date is ended?"
She moves her head back, and then tenses up, moving her whole body slightly back even as her hooves remain still. Her tail curls upwards, with the wavy dark brown hair of her tail extending far out past her honey yellow tail. The front of her lips are down, while her lips are pulled up in the back of her mouth.
After a moment of silence, she answers
Silver smiles, and goes in slowly for a kiss. If Khoi wishes to stop this, now is the time.
Khoi, once again, neither actively participates nor resists, but is entirely passive. She does not lean in, and indeed is somewhat leaned back. Silver has to lean in further to make contact with the Kirin. What she is feeling can only be guessed.
Silver makes contact. The kiss isn't particularly advanced or messy, it's a simple lip-to-lip kiss, perfect for a first kiss and to judge her reaction.
She closes her eyes, and pulls up her lips as Silver makes contact. Silver can feel her soft, moist lips - they are rather thin, and cold on the outside. He can feel the edge of her teeth.
How is she reacting so far to it?
She has locked up into a passive state - frankly how she has reacted to most of Silver's physical advances, from hoof holding to snuggling. She appears to be acquiescing.
Silver nibbles on her lip a little before pulling back. He gives her a concerned look.
"You do not like it?"
Her lips are pulled back in a smile. She seems to be blushing, and her eyes open, she looks at Silver. Her tail is now curled to her right side.
"Uh, no?"
"...No that you do, or no that you do not?"
She blinks, and curls her tail down in an expression most suggesting confusion.
Sense Motive: Well...what did she mean?
Kirin.exe has stopped working. She can't process her emotions towards a kiss in the two seconds Silver gave her before explicitly asking.
Silver holds her hoof.
"Khoi...was that too far?"
hoof is held
She looks away, and says meekly
Silver feels a great relief from her response. He leans in closer, letting her feel his warm breath against her turned head.
"I am so glad to hear you say that. So, my love...would you like to continue?"
Her smile is wide, and shows all of her teeth, including her small fangs. Her eyes are reflective in the dim light from the surrounding houses.
"Continue what?"
"You know..." He looks at her with lidded eyes. "...kissing."
She opens her eyes wide, and closes her mouth before pulling her lips back into that same awkward smile
"Eheh..."
Silver gives her a wide, mischevious smile and a sultry look.
"I…" she blushes. "Let's go inside." She answers
He chuckles, and with a "Very well" leads her inside the house.
The Kirin takes his hoof and cautiously walks with him, up the steps, and into the house.
Once inside in the warmth of the house, he turns to his beautiful date.
"Thank you so much for wonderful date tonight, Khoi."
It is indeed warmer inside. There is a dim light coming out of the living room and the kitchen. Both the television and the radio are on. Khoi looks back to him with an awkward smile.
"You're welcome..."
"So...you want to continue, now?"
She looks down the hall, and then back to Silver.
"… Okay…"
Silver smiles, and leans in to continue their kiss right where they left off.
The kirin pulls her head back, but lets him make contact with her lips. After a few moments, she presses back.
Silver is almost surprised when she presses back, but he is more happy that she does so. He nibbles on her lip a little again, and slowly intensifies the kiss with a bit of lip smacking.
kirin lip is nibbled
But now, she pulls away with a smile and a blush
He smiles back at her warmly. There's a slight blush on his cheeks, and he looks at her with lidded eyes.
"How was it, now?"
"Different..." She says, he eyes darting up to him, and then away.
He uses his forehoof to slowly stroke her cheek.
"That was absolutely wonderful for your first kiss."
She has a wide smile, and moves her head a little away, and then down, as Silver strokes her cheeks, but she keeps her eyes on Silver. Her cheek is soft, much the same as the remainder of her fur. She does not say anything.
"Heh heh..."
"You know, we can kiss more in future, if you want. You look like you enjoyed it just as well as I did "
Again lowering her head
"I'll consider it"
He smiles even wider, somehow, and nuzzles her right on the cheek.
"I do not suppose there is way we could go upstairs and cuddle?"
She lowers her head a little more
"Um... alright" She says
Silver smiles, though has a somewhat surprised look. He gives her a kiss on the cheek.
"Alright. Go ahead upstairs, I will be up in just bit."
Khoi freezes in place for a few moments, but then slowly moves to go upstairs.
"And Khoi: no intercourse. Do not worry."
She lowers her ears and looks back. Then she nods
As she goes upstairs, Silver goes into the living room to see what's up.
Something is playing on the television, as late night programing plays on the radio
Mint Marine walks up to Silver
"He's the one that started the fire!" Pointing to behind the couch
Paper Clipping's head sticks up just barely over the end of the couch
"No, he started the fire!"
"You said it would be a good idea to up the dishes!"
"But you're the one that lit it!"
Mint Marine and Paper Clipping bicker
Silver is suddenly very confused and very worried. He puts on a stern look.
"Woah, wait, you said fire. What happened?"
Mala walks up from behind Silver
"They all started it."
Paper Clipping dives in hiding behind the couch
Mint Marine turns to look back to Silver:
"We were mixing candies and we tried to mix them and it didn't work, so we used the stove to melt them, which worked but it singed the candies so it was stuck to the dishes, so Paper suggested just turning the stove up to get the rest off, and that caught it on fire which caused the griffin to get involved, and she got Mala and he got upset and then the dishes fell off...."
Silver continues to look at Mint, stern but not angry. Not yet, at least.
"Show me."
Mint Marine lowers his ears, his head, and his tail, and leads Silver into the Kitchen.
The Kitchen smells like burnt caramel. There are a few black plates on the stove, a number of wrappers and boxes on counters, and there on the floor, White Orchid trying to mop something off the floor. White Orchid looks up at Silver, wide eyed.
Silver looks at the mess, then at the guilty colts with him.
"You really should have asked for adult help before trying to...you said mix candles?"
Mint Marine:
"Well yeah, there was taffy and there were gummy bears and chocolate and we wanted to mix them but it wasn't enough to just mix them in a bowl because the texture wasn't right so we needed to melt it. And the unicorn is an adult and he said to do it so we did it."
Paper Clipping from the other room:
"I didn't say to do it!"
"They were not enough on their own?"
He tilts his head at the colts.
White Orchid just has an incredibly wide smile, trying to place the mop behind him so it's it of sight from Silver, nevermind the fact that it's taller than him and clearly visible.
"Well they are, but wouldn't you rather have all of them all at once? I mean if they are good on their own they must be better together? Friendship and all, like Twilight taught us. Just with candy. We thought it would be tasty"
"Well, I suppose we need to clean all this up. Here, I will help."
He holds his hoof out for the mop.
White Orchid stands there for a moment, as if denying there is any mop. After a few moments, he stands aside, and with his mouth moves over the mop.
Silver takes the mop's handle in his magic.
"Thanks. Alright, now are plates cool enough to handle?"
"Yes…" White Orchid says, with a wide, toothy smile.
"Alright, I want you two to take dishes and put them in sink. Fill it with warm/hot water and squirt bit of soap in water. We will see if any of plates are salvagable by soaking them."
White Orchid:
Mint Marine
"But we tried washing them…"
"Just humor me. Soaking can get much off that washing cannot."
White Orchid smiles unnaturally
Silver looks at White Orchid.
"What is wrong, White Orchid?"
"Nothing's wrong." White Orchid says, smiling
"Alright. When you two are finished, you need to clean oven top. I can help with that, show you two how to do so."
Silver starts mopping the floors.
There is water all over the floor, and pieces of broken plate
Silver works to soak up the water, and picks up any pieces of broken plate he comes upon and throws them away.
And so, Silver starts cleaning up the kitchen. Mint Marine and White Orchid move the plates to the sink, starting to soak them.
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Did she seem to be offended last time?
"I know Clip is adult, but it may be good idea in future to have someone who knows what to do be supervising. Clip is still young and learning, just like you two."
"The griffin didn't say anything..." White Orchid remarks
"I Got the Water."
He Says as he carefully walks over
Tricky holds out a hoof to take some water.
He Hands it over to Her
"Hmm...anyways, for future those plates are not safe for oven. We have cast iron pots that are, if you want to cook."
She takes it, and takes a sip. Sorrel moves her head up, looks around, and then she reaches out a hoof for a cup.
"Okay..."
"We can cook in the oven?"
"Well, maybe with help until you get more experienced with cooking. But yes. What you could have done was use cast iron pan on stovetop to melt candies."
White Orchid nods
"Okay, I'll remember that."
"What you could have done was melt chocolate, and then dip other candies in that."
White Orchid's ears twitch
"... Oh... heh heh..."
"Just remember to have adult supervision next time. You could have caused serious fire, or worse, gotten hurt."
Silver continues to clean.
"Okay, Mr. Sword." White Orchid answers
The floor is slowly cleaned, and the counters cleaned up. The plates will take a long time to soak.
"'Mr. Sword'? You can just call me Silver, little ones."
He looks at the work they did.
"Alright, now to just let them soak. Go ahead and have fun, colts. Just...try not to burn down house, this time."
He smiles at them, making it clear it's half a joke.
Dark Night passes the other glass to her
White Orchid moves his tail side to side, as does Mint Marine.
The ponies finish picking the items up.
Sorrel takes it, and leans the glass. Tricky moves her hoof to hold it up so as to keep it from spilling. Both mares take drinks from the glasses.
When finished, Silver goes up to Khoi's room.
"Is There anything else you girls need?"
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFTLKWw542g
I'm ready to play, this was my last post
"Hey. you're here."
Amber hears, and then presumably sees, Erich standing next to her on the platform.
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Amber turns with surprise, albeit pleasant surprise. "You're here. How did you make it?"
"Snuck away from those bastards after the one started shooting. Is the train here?"
"Not yet, but in about twenty minutes. I was lucky to get away by automobile, and I don't think I was followed. Do you have a ticket?"
"So that's where the car went" he looks a little displeased.
"No, I don't have one."
"It's in front. I don't want to hold onto it, no doubt they know it's gone and will be looking for it."
"Oh we'll add that to the list of problems. Whatever, in twenty minutes we'll be done with this place. Helder snuck out with me. I don't know who else made it
"I'm glad you two made it out, at least. Haven't you money with which to buy a ticket?"
"No, I think I can sneak along."
Helder:
"Yes, I have money," he answers
Amber asks Erich, "Isn't it better to have a ticket? If you're found you'll attract less suspicion."
"Well yeah, but it's just being on a train without a ticket." He pauses. "Did they ask for a name when you bought the ticket?"
"No, they did not."
"Well then I'll buy a ticket. Helder, can I borrow some money?"
Erich owes Amber probably at least a hundred fractal guilders.
Helder groans, rolls his eyes, and pulls money out of his pocket, giving it to Erich.
Helder comments:
"I wonder how they knew where we were. And if we are safe as soon as we leave Katerin, or if they will come for us anywhere in the Empire."
"They must have seen us leave the palace and followed, or possibly even planted a spy in Helm's company…I don't think we'll be safe until we leave the Empire. Griffenheim is a railroad hub and they might telegraph an alert for us there," Amber answers in a low voice.
Helder nods
"It's a good thing you are wearing that's servants uniform. Maybe that will knock them off our trail. I would not be surprised if they check trains at the border." He says
"If I'm lucky they think I'm a cook who got scared and ran away. We can't be too careful, though."
"Alright... Train to Griffinhiem, then to Hellquill..." Helder says, looking down
"I'm glad you were able to afford tickets. Otherwise I would have to play more music, and the griffons around here are especially stingy."
"Oh, that's most everywhere, really." He says. "Is that our train?"
A steam engine pulling a number of green coach cars pulls into the station, with its loud chugging sounds, and releasing steam that is caught by some of the cover over the platform, slowly covering the platform in a fog.
"It should be, it's on time. Do you think we should be seated together, or apart so we're harder to distinguish?"
"Nearish. Let's not lose sight of each other."
He is silent for some seconds.
"Speaking of which… Is that Helm?" He looks over to the right on the platform.
And then from out of the fog created by the locomotive steam, Amber sees Helm walking towards them.
"Hello." He starts
"Helm, how on Griffonia…."
Amber blinks. "You went right up to the police to talk with them. Why are you not in their clutches?"
"Things got a bit tense, yes, but you'd be amazed at how reasonable griffins can be if given the right incentives." He says
"What did you offer them?" If griffons could raise eyebrows, Amber would be doing that now.
"Well, with a few calm words I offered a carrot and a stick. You know how susceptible to incentives public servants are, especially around here."
There is no way he got away from a high-priority police raid that easily, especially not after shots were fired.
"What did you offer? And how many of your guests were taken into custody?" Amber asks politely but grimly.
"Money to start, and promised favors. My family still carries weight around here after all. As for the others, I don't know how many because I could not see all. Weisner I know was taken, as was Kurzer Schnabel. I couldn't do everything, not with bullets flying. The professor was also taken. But he's a Yale resident, they will simply send him back."
"It was wise for us to take our leave, then. What happened with Mason? I saw him with a gun before I left."
"He retreated and was pursued. Things got silent quickly. Maybe he was shot, maybe he surrendered. Or maybe he slipped away. The officers that followed him did not come back to me."
"Just because you were released doesn't mean you aren't being watched, possibly to lead authorities to other 'persons of interest.' It's too risky for us to be seen with you."
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He opens his mouth in offense.
"Well I could say the same of you, couldn't I? Aren't we all going to the same destination? We have more resources and protection together."
"The difference being that Erich, Helder and I all snuck out without the police knowing. You were allowed to leave so they may be following you this very moment. They are just as capable of arresting four of us as they can arrest one."
"And you're sure none of you are being followed how?" He says, turning his head.
"No, I can't say for sure…I just think it's less likely," Amber replies.
Helm is definitely offended, but it's Amber's move
"Nonetheless…you did take a major risk by harboring us and it cost you. We owe you for that and the only way I can think of repaying you is by bringing you along with us."
The lights are on and the door is open. Khoi lays down on her belly, her body fairly elongated along the bed. Her tail and it's long brown hair extends across the bed, while her mane is still up. She had taken her dress off, and Silver can see the shiny copper-colored scales that extend across her back. She is evidently wearing a beige underwear that almost blends into her natural colors. Her forelegs extend in front of her and her hooves are off of the bed. Her horn lights up, as she uses her magic to comb her mane with a black comb. Her exirsssion is completely neutral as she watches Silver enter the room.
"Thank you" he says, easing up.
"I still miss those statues…"
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Silver smiles at the small, lithe kirin, appreciating her shiny copper scales, short golden fur, and dark floof. The underwear is odd to the Severyanan, who has always slept in the nude, but he pays no mind to it.
"This is proof, that dress would be nothing without your beauty, Khoi."
He steps inside the room, and closes the door behind him (unless she says something).
She definitely widens her eyes and moves her head back. She curls her tail.
"So, are you ready to be swept off to cuddleland? Or do you not wish too?"
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Khoi lowers her ears halfway-down, has a small smile that shows her fangs, and moves her forelegs closer to her body.
"Eh heh…"
He smiles wider at the display, and almost lets out an involuntary d'awwww. He takes it as a "yes", and begins to undress himself from his suit, down to the nude. Perhaps the kirin may find it to be extraordinarily lewd to be undressing himself in front of a young mare, considering she is currently wearing underwear. Perhaps she considers it normal as wearing no clothes is their natural state. Silver does not know, all that is known is that he seems to consider it normal and pays it no mind as he dresses down, giving Khoi an unobstructed view of his extraordinary floof and large frame, which may be a little intimidating in this context and situation even if he remains in a friendly disposition.
The Kirin is definitely intimidated, or otherwise scared, curling her tail close to her as she lowers her head to the bed. She watches Silver as he undresses.
As he drops his pants and steps out of them, the now-fully undressed unicorn stands before her in all of his nude glory. Thank goodness he has the willpower to keep certain body parts tucked away, for the sheer floofiness of Silver uncontained by his suit is already enough for the poor kirin. She's already seen him naked before, but in the current context it feels just slightly different. From the dark grey dorsal stripe running down his back to the cutie mark of a sword in mid-swing, she is more acutely aware right now of certain details of his person.
The naked floofy unicorn, once undressed, now trots over to her bed, sitting down on it and causing her to feel it shift slightly from his muscular weight. He smiles kindly at the scared kirin.
"There is no need to be afraid. I do not bite." He mutters under his breath "much...".
She turns her head, but keeps it low. She looks up to him, but hasn't warmed up to the situation much at all.
Silver decides to go slow, and warm her up just a little more before proceding.
"It is lovely underwear you are wearing. Did you buy it along with your dress?"
"Yes." Her legs are tucked under her
"Is it normal in Ngua Nam to wear underwear to bed? Or is it just comfortable to wear?"
Silver is still sitting up on the bed, turned slightly towards Khoi. She still can't see anything inappropriate, thank goodness.
"It's for the dress…" she says meekly
"Ah, okay then. Is it comfortable, though? It looks nice."
"Yes…" she says, still glued to the bed
He looks down at the kirin's copper-colored scales.
"Do you polish your scales? They look very shiny."
"… Yes…" she answers
Silver tilts his head at the kirin, giving her a confused look.
"...are you genuinely that afraid of me?"
She blinks, and looks up at Silver with her magenta eyes
Silver gives her a small smile, and reaches out a forehoof to her.
"I would never do anything to hurt you, Khoi, or violate your trust and honor. You do not need to fear me. Come, sit with me."
She raises her head up, and moves her forelegs out. She blinks, and then offers her hoof to Silver.
Silver takes it in his own, and gently helps her into a sitting position. With a bit of adjustment in their sitting positions, the pair is now sitting next to each other, the naked unicorn and the kirin in underwear. He gives her a warm smile.
"See? I do not bite."
He looks over at the comb she was using to groom her mane, and points to it.
"Would you like me to comb your mane? I have some experience taking care of female hair."
"Okay…" she says, looking down at the comb
Silver nods, and takes the comb. He positions himself to sit behind Khoi for the best view of his work, and begins to comb through her hair. Whatever she may have expected him to be like, he is surprisingly gentle with her in how he attempts to keep from hurting her, only using enough strength to work out any tangles he finds. The amount of work and care she put in already makes his job especially easy, but still. Khoi can feel that he's doing a good job on her.
There are no tangoes to be found. Khoi combed out all of them before the date, and then any that developed during the date while waiting on Silver to come upstairs. Her mane is long and wavy, though it appears to have been curled artificially for the date.
"Hmm...wait just moment, Khoi."
Silver gets up and out of the bed, leaving the room for just a minute before returning with a brush in his possession. With a "Here we go," Silver returns back to his sitting position behind Khoi, and begins to brush her mane. More than detangling, the brushing does a better job at massaging her scalp, letting him idly brush away as he spends time with Khoi on the bed.
As he brushes, he speaks to the kirin. "I imagine this is all very new to you, and somewhat scary. Maybe even not exactly what you thought relationship would be like?"
The Kirin is brushie brushied
Silver's brushing has the effect of undoing the curls, and straightening out her mane.
"Relationship?"
Hmm...perhaps they can re-add the curls later on, if Khoi wishes.
"You know, this fledgling thing that has formed between us as of late, only now truly blooming from our date tonight. Relationship. I do not know what you expected, but something tells me this is at least slightly different from that."
"What?" She seems surprised, but then speaks,
"I wouldn't say there is anything now. I have made no vows to you nor you to me. You have made no promise. This is... well, like a test."
"Well, that is certainly one way to describe this." Silver lets out a fairly hearty chuckle. "What are you testing? What relationship would be like? What we would be like?"
"Have I not been clear? Marriage. Husband and wife. Mother and father of children, together in a household."
"I know of all of that already. But is there anything else you are testing? There is more to relationships than just marriage and foal-rearing."
"It is a test of entering into those two types of relationships. What other relationships would I be testing?"
Silver leans over to look at her face as he continues the brushie brushies.
"Well, what do you think keeps marriages and relationships together when mare is already pregnant, or after both partners have become barren?"
"Duty. Duty of each to the other, by nature, spirit, and law."
"Well, yes. But it is also this. These moments of talking with each other, doing things together, and enjoying each others company that keeps marriages together. Or, at least, it is what keeps us from having miserable relationships."
She blinks, and her lips close
"If marriage was nothing but stallion making money, mare making house, mixed with occasional boring and quick sex to make foals, and almost nothing else...do you not think it would make for miserable married life?"
"Well... there is more to life than marriage. You should have a spiritual side as well, and a social side."
"That is what I am talking about. How we would get along, in relationship with each other."
"I suppose you want a partner. Someone who will cooperate. Who has the virtues necessary to fulfill their role."
Silver places his forelegs around Khoi in a half hug, half hold.
"Someone to love and to hold, and to be loved and be held by."
kirin is held
Silver can feel the fur on her back, her mane, and the floof on her chest. She moves in something like a jolt. Evidently she wasn't expecting this.
"Eh heh..."
"Romance. Love. To us Equestrians it is highest form spiritualism and friendship, that entwining of two souls by power and magic of love."
She shakes her head.
"An emotion can never be the basis of an important, lasting relationship between two creatures. At least, it is not a basis that can be trusted."
"Perhaps it is in Ngua Nam, but in Equestria it is strongest and most powerful basis there is.
It is what united us in first place, and what has kept us united for over 1,000 years." He gives her a slight squeeze around the belly. "You said there is no promise between us. I would like to make one with you now. I will work to better understand and appreciate spiritualism and values of Ngua Nam for you, if you will work to better understand and appreciate spiritualism and values of Equestria for me."
kirin is squeezed around the belly
She pulls back, evidently not expecting the belly squeeze. Her belly is soft, mostly, although Silver doesn't squeeze far before running into muscle, organs and bone.
"That isn't what I meant by a promise but uh, okay..."
He smiles at his kirin. He rubs her belly just slightly, to get a feel of the soft flesh and softer fur.
"I know. But it made it sound deeper, and more romantic."
She tries to pull away, evidently less comfortable with the belly rubbing than essentially any touching Silver has made during the night.
Silver stops, seeing clearly she doesn't like it, and returns to just holding her.
"Sorry. You are very cuddleable mare."
"Cuddleable?"
"Able to be cuddled. You are soft, just little bit squishy, just little bit firm, and warm. Would you like to see?"
"To see.... what?"
He nuzzles into the side of her neck, right between her head and her torso.
"Just how cuddleable you are."
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Amber conceals her disdain that those horrid sculptures are what he's thinking about.
Ooh la la, kirin in underwear.
She replies to Helder, "No need to worry about that now. You have a ticket, yes?"
What a loss of such great art and historical artifacts...
"Now I do, yes. The train will leave in ten or so minutes." He says. Griffins are still exiting the train from the doors at the end of the coaches, having just arrived in station.
She widens her eyes, and opens her mouth slightly
She is open and vulnerable.
She may be, but Khoi is too valuable to him to break her trust. He holds his kirin close around her midsection and keeps his head close to hers, but does not advance any farther just yet.
"Well? Would you like to?"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAfbw58yQV0
Maybe Silver pull the kirin up, so that she is sitting upright on her hindquarters and her forelegs hang down freely from under Silver's grasp. Or maybe not. Her eyes move up towards Silver.
She almost whispers,
"To what?"
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Hmm...I believe Silver does so. He smiles at her, the warm shape of his mouth complimenting the intent of his half lidded eyes. He whispers back in her ear, "To cuddle."
She smiles back apprehensively.
"I'll let you know when it is too much..."
Silver nods, and moves to put the pair in a laying down position. He keeps the outside forehoof around her midsection but moves the inside forehoof so she doesn't lay down on it. He spoons the kirin making himself into a very warm, soft blanket for his small Khoi, with a firm and muscular pony core. He pulls her in close so that she is partially covered in his floof.
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"Good, good. It's better if we board early…."
The tickets do not have specified seats, while the coach cars appear to be more or less the same, does Amber have any preference as how many griffins are in the car, or how far back in the train they are?
More griffons, if possible, and further towards the back.
Does Amber want to wait a few minutes before getting on the train? I didn't think so. Travel several cars further back, look in if you feel like it, and then pick a car and get on. Amber gets on, and she has the choice of placing the luggage in a luggage car or trying to keep it all as near her as possible, in the aisle or an empty nearby seat if necessary. She may also sit near or further away from the other griffins.
When you wish to remain inconspicuous, it's better to sit next to other griffons and not be surrounded by luggage. So she'll do so and leave the luggage in a luggage car.
It is so.
Amber makes a remark that at least the weather is lovely enough for traveling.
Amber is able to place her luggage in the luggage car in the front, and go to a more crowded coach near the back, with maybe eight coaches and two luggage cars on the train. The seats are stiff and made of wood, but at least the cars is heated
Erich:
"Oh good. We're being hunted, but at least it's lovely weather for hunting."
"It could be worse, really. Suppose one of us fell ill."
Erich does not smile. But extends his neck and turns his head. Evidently the suggestion is not so far fetched.
Amber looks around to see her surroundings.
Has Amber ever been in a train in Equestria? Either way, the coaches are older. The floors are wooden with a carpet running down the aisle. The windows are dirty and square, and they appear to have the simultaneous qualities of having been designed to be opened, while being modified to remain shut. The griffins vary in their appearance from useful and healthy, to old and infirm, male and female. It's at least half full in total, perhaps 20 or so griffins besides Amber's group.
Amber has indeed ridden on trains before, and this doesn't seem too unusual to her, save that every creature is a griffon.
And at last, Amber has a moment to sit down, and relax
What an odd dream, not just for recreating a far-off places Amber has never seen, but because besides that there is no other weird occurrence that is the influence of Discord.
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What did Amber expect to see walk through the door at the front of the coach? Nothing? A random, riding griffin? Lord Tirek? Princess Celestia, back from her exile? The spirit of harmony incarnate in a pony? Mustard Trim the white, shining stallion of her dreams here to sweep her off her hooves and rescue her from a life of mundanity? Barney the fucking the Dinosaur?
No. Those threats we most expect, so very often, are precisely what come to pass. At the end of the aisle, Amber sees a brown brown griffin with a cap and grey-black uniform enter. A police officer. He is followed by a second, grey griffin in the sand attire, looking around.
Hopefully Amber isn't sitting right next to her compatriots. She is still dressed as a humble cook, and pretends to read the newspaper.
Roll Luck
Helm stands up, and walks away towards the back. But he does so very conspicuously, leading the two officers to follow. They walk right past Amber, Helder, and Erich
So very close….
It was a mistake bringing Helm along, as he easily got spooked and could have exposed all of them at once. But fortunately it was just him and not Amber's two closer friends.
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Amber stumbles off into another boxcar and wonders what awaits her going forward, "Oh geez! I sure do hope this trip works out and nothing silly happens!"
Something silly would, in fact, happen.
As the door to this new boxcar clicks shut, she notices ponies fleeing out the far end of said boxcar in a panicked hurry. She turns her gaze to the source of this commotion...
A strange bipedal creature who's body is covered by a green spandex costume and a what appears to be a formal suit over it flails his arms as he stumbles backwards from an incapacitated mare.
"THERE IS NO LOVE MORE SACRED AND PURE THAN THAT WHICH IS SHARED BETWEEN A MAN AND A MARE!"
His victim was a prissy, yellow-and-pink mare, that now lies stunned in a state of what appears to be prolonged orgasmic euphoria, her her eyes having rolled back as her wet tongue hangs outwards.
Amber finds herself alone in the boxcar as she desperately fiddles with the door, attempting to escape.
"Please, somepony help!" There is no reply.
Her pleas go unanswered as the frenzied man charges towards her, his feet loudly banging against the metal floor as he does so.
She withdraws backwards into the nearest corner, trembling in terror before the violent and rapacious charge suddenly stops.
Amber opens her eyes slightly...
"BOOP," the alien loudly cries!
Amber feels and overwhelming sense of euphoria as this strange creature's fingertip lightly presses her snoot. Uncontrollably, her marehood winks, her hind legs spray open despite it all.
She feels... She feels hot... Warm, wet heat building in her nethers and she can't help but buck uncontrollably against this intense heat, her hind legs kicking weakly.
The alien leers at her, his faced turned downed in what appears to be a predatory pose.
"Men and mares we're meant for each other," he hisses as he reveals his manhood.
Amber opens her mouth to protest, but she finds the soft, supple lips of this "man" have already met hers. He sucks and whirs his tongue about as Amber weakly resists.
The heat rises and Amber Sunset can't help but force her tongue to dance with his.
Now she bucks violently, as if her marehood itself demanded attention.
She immediately feels a shaft slowly begin to invade her marehood and she can't help but moan loudly. It's so wrong yet so right.
"My name is Anonymous and I'm a MAN," the alien breathily states, having reached full bore.
Between moans, Amber Sunset coils and releases herself, fully embracing this wonderful assault.
It's over in several minutes as Amber feels his member part her. She now feels oddly incomplete in its absence. She looks up only to be given a final kiss. And what a kiss it was...
This "Anonymous" gave her a final parting look of what appeared to be acknowledgement before leaping from an open window as trees blurred past.
"No," Amber thought. "Not yet!"
Two royal guards burst in from the far side of the cabin, their looks of determination turning into horror as they saw Amber.
One guard, a grey earth pony stallion, reluctantly approached her. "By Celestia! Are you okay?"
Amber grinned absent-mindedly as she met the stallion's gaze...
"There is no love more sacred and pure than that which is shared between a man and a mare," she states, blushing intensely.
Triple kek
35d4fad
I'm sorry for shitting your thread up. If it makes you feel better, I might just get banned for it.
Shitposting, in MY DnD thread? BANNED!
It's hilarious, nice job anon
Erich curses, and Helder says something in a lower tone of voice. Amber is not close enough to either to hear them. At least for the moment, the threat seems to have passed.
Has the train started moving? If it has, those officers will still be onboard for sure.
No. The train is still at the platform. It is hard to tell if they train is delayed, or on time, but Amber has been on the train for some minutes already.
That's better news than if they set off already, at least. If they're fortunate the police will leave after their sweep and they can be on their way.
And.... The police show up from behind, from the direction they were last seen leaving.
Eep! Amber acts natural, but tries to see if they have Helm in tow.
Helm is not visible. As they are at the end of the car it isn't clear he'd be particularly visible anyways. The police slowly move down the car.
Well, this is very disturbing. Amber can commiserate with Helm for trying to run off, though her better sense prevails and she tries to appear nonplussed and inconspicuous.
And so, Silver lays down with the Kirin. Silver's chest and belly rub up against her scales, which while not as hard as metal, are far from completely soft to the touch. He can feel her relatively short back fur, and especially her mane, much of which remains between their bodies. Khoi wraps her tail around under her body, but otherwise remains still and silent.
Roll, wisdom modifier
The cook remains still, but the two police officers slowly move down the car, looking around. They walk right past Amber, coming from behind
At the end of the car, in front of Amber, a griffin in fedora and beige woolen trench coat stands in the doorway.
Evidently they are important enough for the secret police to conduct a search. Amber knew that the railways were a risky prospect because they were too obvious to pass up. Yet the poor road network of Katerin would not have worked either, unless if there was some unknown route going through the northern swamp. Perhaps risking those dangers would have been preferable.
It's a white female griffin sitting in front of Amber whom she does not know, who mutters the words,
"Inquisition."
Amber suspects the word should worry her, but she does not reply. Anything you can do or say might mark you as a target.
Perhaps this is the most bodily contact she has ever experienced before. Perhaps not. What is known is that Khoi can feel every contour of Silver's body, even under all of that floof. She doesn't feel his "Sword", thankfully. Perhaps she feels his sheath, but that's an unavoidable fact of biology that she may not even know anything about. Silver seems surprisingly calm, perhaps he even is a calming, protective influence for the small kirin. Or not, who knows?
For all of her protests otherwise, there is little doubt that Khoi is, or was, afraid of Silver, or at least the situation. She takes two full minutes to ease up, and finally adjust to her situation. Even as she breathes more naturally, she remains curled up in a bal, with her back bent against Silver.
For her benefit, Silver doesn't advance any farther, or try to push the envelope. He just stays there, holding and laying down with his kirin as she very slowly becomes acclimated to the close contact.
"Do not worry so much, Khoi. I will not hurt you, nor will I dishonor you. This is not so bad, is it?"
Like acclimating to cool water
"No…" she meekly answers. She slowly eases up, straight into her body somewhat. Perhaps the biggest sign that she's adjusted comes when she lets her tail move and hang out behind her.
This is nice, just being here with his kirin. Especially once she starts to relax. Silver continues to not make any threatening moves towards his kirin in an attempt to continue to prove to her that he means no harm.
"There, see? It is just spending time being close to each other. Did you know about all of this before coming here? Kissing, snuggling, cuddling?"
"No…." She answers. She's not his yet after all.
4d2adc7
Soon enough she will be. Soon enough...
"It is good way for couples to be close and intimate without sex. And, if you do not mind me saying, you seem to like it."
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"Eh heh…" she simply smiles awkwardly.
"Do you enjoy it, love?"
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"Um… it's okay…"
Silver smiles at Khoi. He continues to cuddle his kirin and enjoy her soft, warm presence. He gives her a slight squeeze around her midsection.
"I hope you had good night with me. I really enjoyed it."
Her eyes widen at the squeeze, almost like a stress doll,
"This was… not bad…" she snswers
Silver lays his head down across her neck.
"'Not bad'?"
Silver lays his head on her, pressing the little Kirin further into his embrace.
The unicorn looks over at his kirin's face.
"Are you still scared, Khoi? Worried?"
""Sort of… it's… new to me…"
"We can stop for now if you want. All of this is for you, so you get say in what happens."
"It's okay…" she says, still in the fluffy unicorn's grasp.
The smile on Silver's face gives away his happiness at her answer.
"I just worry. Like you said, all of this is new to you. I want this to be good experience, one you look forward to again in future."