>>143859He looks up at Amber from his position with his head almost laying on the table
"I'll trust you..."
>>143860Amber winks.
"Your secret is safe with me."Once she settles down, her expression becomes a little confused.
"So what were we talking about?"
>>143861He blinks, with both forehooves before him on the table
"I don't know... something about music, and me coming here, and you being jealous of Salt Lick's features."
>>143862She pulls her head back, scrunching her snout.
"Me? Jealous?"
>>143863"Like you don't wish you had that gravitational pull."
"I mean...my rump might look skinny next to hers, but I ain't jealous! I could be just as shapely if I ate right, then you'd be falling head over hooves for me instead."
>>143865He keeps his lips closed tight in a smile, before opening them to take a sip from his water.
>>143836Silver tilts his head at the deer.
"What do you mean?"
>>143867"Was it our weakness that let this happen? Did the gods abandon us? Did they think it just? Did we abandon them?"
>>143868"Ah. Olenian gods. I admit, I am not so familiar with them."
>>143869"Well... How long will you be here? I
could spend some money, though I've been trying to save it..."
>>143870"I could not have expected you to be."
"I was told to relax and make myself familiar with the night life..." With lessened mental clarity she has to concentrate to remember what Dark Denizen said, but once she does she lightens up. "Have a drink, which I did, listen to music-yep, done that-let a stallion make a pass, whatever that means, but you're here so maybe that counts...and have a dance. I...erm, haven't danced here before."
>>143871"You seem to be rather pious. Tell me about them, if it pleases you."
>>143872"I don't suppose..."
>>143873"Pious? I don't call myself pious. Not any more. To have piety is to have reverence. To give what is due to that which is greater than you. Now I am not sure sure of what is due, or how much greater they are. But they are there. Do not let yourself be fooled. There is Tiapo, of the Forest. Vellamo of the seas and storms, Tursas of War, Kuu of the Moon, and Pellervo. These and many others. Above them all is god of the sky and thunder, Ukko."
>>143874"I'd really like to, if you don't mind." She smiles with a slight blush on her cheeks.
>>143874"Does Ukko reign over sun as well?"
>>143875He has a great smile
"Sure"
He stands up. The music is a bit more cheery now, with notes that go back and forth. It'll do for dancing
>>143876He has a small smile
"The goddess Päivätär lords over the sun, and with its rays crafts silver jewelry. But the sky is above the sun."
>>143877Amber likewise gets up to join him. She hasn't had too much to affect her motor skills, at least.
"Do you know how to dance to this?" she asks.
>>143878He looks up, and around
"I don't think I've heard it before..."
>>143882He moves his right forehoof forward with a tap, then pulls back and moves his left hoof with a tap, then his left again, then his right again, and then he rotates to his left by 90 degrees and repeats the process again
>>143877He smiles back.
"I do not suppose she also crafts Silver Swords?"
>>143883Amber imitates his movements flawlessly while managing to keep facing him.
>>143884"No. She is a maiden, and like the maidens crafts clothes and jewelry. But Väinämöinen, he has his sword. Ukko even, sometimes strikes the thunder with his sword.
>>143886>>143884He looks up at her
"... You're really good at this, heh heh"
>>143888Smiling back, she replies,
"Oh thank you. But I wouldn't know where to start without you."
>>143889Still, he tries to keep pace and dance, though it seems he feels the need to watch his feet
>>143887"Is joke. She crafts silver jewelry, my name is Silver Sword...well, I thought it was good, at least."
He offers himself a light chuckle.
"I find it interesting, hearing about different faiths. From what I learned, our chief Goddess was ruler over sun and rains, before Severyana adopted Celestialism. It makes sense that Ukko is God of Sky and Thunder, with Deer being mostly sea people."
>>143890Emboldened either by the events of the evening or her drink, she adds a little bit of flare to this simple dance. She raises her hooves higher than necessary, swings her head with its curtain of hair from side to side, and raises or lowers parts of her body as she shifts her weight in time with the music.
>>143891"Ah" He raises his head
"And so that is who I am speaking to"
"I think I have had enough experiences with 'different faiths.' What is 'Severyana'?"
>>143892Mustard Trim pulls his head back from the wild, bucking mare in front of him, now placing his eyes firmly on her."
>>143893She meets his gaze, grinning back.
>>143894He smiles, then spins and moves to the side. The notes, higher and lower at points, invite smaller and greater movement of the body, depending on the note played. Sometimes a small step, sometimes a leap.
Amber perks her ears up and listens carefully to the music and tries to interpret it into a dance.
Listen: [1d20+3 = 15]
Dexterity/Balance: [1d20+2 = 9]
>>143893"It goes by different, less honorable name these days. Stalliongrad. At one time it was great northern empire that could boast to rival even Equestria, holding control over lands of penguins, yaks, and polar bears. Now it is...well, most people in Equus know what it is now."
>>143896Her ear for music doesn't fail her though as she moves away from a simple box step she's less certain about her movement. At one point she falls back onto her rear, and so she slows down a bit to avoid embarrassing herself any further.
>>143896Definitely spin spin spin, move position spin spin, move position tap tap. Execution could use a little bit of work though
>>143897He nods
"Yes. I've heard. I suppose the same could be said of our nation. Our once great nation. But Stalliongrad has a special infamy."
>>143899"I could definitely use some dancing lessons," she says, almost laughing, to Mustard.
>>143899"Yes...Steel Stallions and King Johans. There are too many of them in this world I am afraid. But forgive me, I am not sure if politics are what you want to talk about."
>>143901"Johan was better than he was given credit for. But his faults were
not made up for by those around him. Not at all..."
>>143900"Consider this a lesson." He hops over, once, then again, then to Amber's side
>>143902"I will admit, all I know of him are from stories. I get idea he was weak king who let those around him do as they please so he could remain in power, to detriment of Olenian people."
Amber is a natural-born dancer with these rolls, but watch me roll consecutive 1's later and end up abducted by pirates
>>143904She hops up into the air, does a twist, then turns on her hind hoof, and ends perfectly with her legs on Mustard Trim, who looks very much surprised
>>143905"And those stories are mostly true. But he knew to fight when the nation was threatened. Whether surrendering when he did was right... The peace is hardly tolerable."
>>143906Getting abducted by pirates must be caused by truely terrible dancing