Iron got his ass beat and has pissed off a whole criminal syndicate, Amber is doing some shady shit at the police station, Silver is making friends, and Spark is enjoying Whinnysotan hospitality.
>>146608He raises an eyebrow, not seeming to understand, but says to her
“That which you have on you must be taken back to whoever sent you. Do not let it return to the police, especially those in black uniforms. Eat it if you have to. Throwing it in the river, or throwing it away, may not be enough.”
>>146609More chills but she nods solemnly.
I'm not out of the woods yet.She breathes in.
"HOW MANY MARES HAVE YOU SEEN?! AND IN SO SHORT A TIME?! You...you don't care about me at all, do you?!" She winces at having shouted so loud, her voice becoming somewhat shrill as well.
>>146610He doesn’t say anything to her in that time. The plain expression on his face conveys a perhaps very real disappointment in the inglorious end of their brief acquaintance and the facade placed upon it.
>>146611She blinks at him.
Surely he realizes this is to get me out of here?Before long she resumes her faux hysteria,
"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU WOULD LIE TO ME LIKE THIS!" She stomps on the floor with her hoof.
"I-I NEVER WANT TO SPEAK TO YOU AGAIN!" She contorts her face into the best crying expression she can manage and trots out angrily, slamming the door behind her. With loud sobbing noises she heads for downstairs.
>>146613As she leaves the office, then into the main foyer, the door opens to multiple blue uniformed officers entering at the same time as Amber is on her way out
Also, another luck role
>>146615It's just one of those days.
It looks like the next replies are going to require a bit more preparation. So I think I need to call it a night.
>>146604Spark takes another look out the window before helping close it up.
>>146625>Striped muthafucka zigga walks off the train like that yo! >Your boy got dem news about Black Hooves selling crack and sheeeeit. >Now he's here to give all 'em hoes a ride.>Choo choo! "Ziggas are biggas!" he hollers out like real G.
>>146482She smiles, and giggles
"Heh. What?"
She turns her head, and blushes
>>146629Iron couldn't help but to chuckle himself, feeling the joke flew past Cauldron's head due to the somewhat sudden personal space invasion. "Your drink," he repeated in amusement. "It was sweeter than mine from what I tasted."
>>146630"Oh. Heh. You know what's even sweeter?"
>>146631That caused Iron to softly tilt his head in curiosity. "What is?" he asks with the hint of an expectant smile piercing through his wondering look.
>>146632She leans in, and places the end of her muzzle right next to Iron's ear. She whispers to him
"(You)"
>>146633Iron couldn't help but gasp softly at the reveal as his eyes widened in surprise for a brief moment before looking back at Cauldron with an oddly humble, almost dismissive and bashful smile. "P-please," he stuttered out in mild embarrassment as he blushed lightly "I-I am not that sweet."
>>146634She moves her hoof to rub and ruffle his fur
"Yes you are, you big sweet softy."
>>146635"I am not," Iron repeated with a bit more force into it, scrunching lightly at the accusation yet barely hid a smile under his flustered self. "I am more... spicy than sweet."
>>146636She presses her hoof into his barrel, pushing his fur around
"Sure you are. As spicy as a cube of sugar."
>>146637His rather short but surprisingly well conditioned coat parted its hairs further, allowing Black to feel the native's beating heart starting to pick up from the teasing. "A-are sugar cubes spicy?" he sheepishly asked as his mask started to slip slightly.
>>146638"Wha..... Ha! You haven't had sugar cubes? .... Maybe you know them by a different word or.... something?"
>>146639"W-well maybe," Iron unconvincingly replied in an attempt to keep the playful charade going. "I only ever ate sugar cane, not a cube of it. Maybe it is all... red and... stingy."
>>146640"Wha... heh. Do you want a sugar cube?"
>>146641Iron's eyes widened again, now with far more foal-like curiosity rather than an attempt to keep the good times flowing with some good old fashioned romantic 'banter.' "You have sugar cubes?" he uttered out in amazement
>>146642"Well, a few. Do you want one?"
>>146643"Y-you are not pulling my leg?" Iron uttered in utter disbelief at Cauldron's earnest answer as he subconsciously wagged his tail softly.
>>146644"No." She says
Iron genuinely feels a pull at his legs
>>146645Iron's ears spike slightly at the pull, yet before he would inspect just what caused it, he eagerly nodded Black's way. "Gimme gimme!" he practically pleaded with tons of tempered excitement as his legs were threatening to hop up and down.
After such a display, he'd soon carefully turn his head towards the leg puller with a inquisitive look, wondering if White was the culprit.
>>146646White Sands certainly moves past him almost making physical contact as she moves by with her barrel.
"I think I need some of that liquor."
Black Cauldron scrunches at White Sands but opens a ceramic container on the counter, and pulls out a small white cube
"You want this?"
>>146647Iron felt a pang of empathy for the scrunching Black at White's sudden, subtle request to drink some of that whiskey, yet it soon melted into pure awe as the cube appeared in his vision.
He took a series of calculating steps towards it, mesmerized by the small sugar figure as his neck lowered his head to match it on Cauldron's hoof. "Woah," he gasped out, amazed by such magic.
>>146648She holds it out in her hoof, placing it towards Iron's face
"One sugar cube"
>>146649Since the cube was so close to him by this point, Iron saw prudent to let his wild tongue tentatively venture out of his mouth, slowly approaching the new object placed by the fertile desert in front of him until it unceremoniously clashes against its white surface.
>>146651Iron's eyes went blank for a second, quickly analyzing the current predicament before realizing the terrible truth that Cauldron has just imparted on him. "Thi
th is not spi
thy at all," he muttered as a small pout started to form around his still outstretched tongue.
>>146605"Well..."
She carefully inspects the menu as if she were a hermeneutical scholar
"Maybe the bouillabaisse. Or..." She lowers the menu slightly
"
Steak Tartare
>>146653"Ooo, Steak Tartare sounds good. If I shared some of my shrimp with you, would you let me try your Steak Tartare?"
>>146655Silver looks at his own menu to see what the bouillabaisse is.
>>146656Some kind of soup or something? It has fish in it
>>146657"That does sound good, too, that bouillabaisse."
>>146658"Or... the
Coq au vin... should probably get a bowl of
Soupe à l’oignon as a sort of appetizer..."
>>146659"Hmm, that soup does sound good. As does that...I think it is chicken in wine? I just hope we can get to have comfortable meal before spa closes."
>>146660"Should I not eat too much? I don't want to feel bad when trying to relax... Or is eating more better because you feel tired. Or..."
>>146661"It is okay, dove."
If he can reach over to place a hoof on her talon, he does.
"There is no need to worry about whether to eat little or lot. We should eat until either we are finished with meals, or until we are satisfied. How does that sound?"
>>146628>Gibs swaggers up to the nearest hottie in the city!"Girl, can yo ass tell a zigga where his ass iz?"
Here's his sign zigga:
Cons: 10 (+10 cause
>mah dick zigga! -4 cause his ass got shot by the pony po po
dat's spaycist just because he sold some drugs when he was two and -6 cause he smoked some ponycrack)
Dex: 14 (cause he can steal a car )
Str: 8 (has the ability flex so he can look like an eleven at times. Active ability.)
Chr: 5 (15 in the dark cause you can only see him when he smiles.)
Int: 1 (He knows what's important in life: ASS.)
Wis: -5
Sheeeeeit!
>>146663Hello again
"Zigga how y'all not know where your ass is. You better lay off dat bottle if y'all gonna fall of a train and not know where ya are. Y'alls ass is in Batimare, zigga."
>>146662She smiles.
"Sure"
And she continues her careful studying of the menu
>>146664Silver meanwhile sips his wine, while he waits patiently for his date to make a decision.
Blue Skies is best pony>>146665"Well...."
She takes her sweet, long time in making a decision
>>146664"Ahh, sheeit." He says with a deep ass voice muthafucker and then takes another swig from his brown bottle.
Suddenly, that bottle be empty. What's Gibs gonna do now? He be starvin'. This is like the hood all over again!
He shakes the empty bottle in front of dat fine ass bitch and asks, "Where can one find some liquor in this place? You feel me?"
>>146667Well fuck me man, what good is bein' off the plantation if you don'r got no pork rinds, colt 45 and joints. Did slavery even end?
"Yeah I feel you" the ho says
"There a liquor store on down da street, bout two blocks. Can't miss it with all dem burglar bars all of it."
>>146668"Uh... the bouillabaisse is good... I think" She says
>>146670Silver nods.
"That sounds like plan."
If he can, Silver calls the waiter over.
>>146671He is called over. Jubilosa, in a voice that sounds like more filled with self-doubt than anything Sliver has experienced in his many years of life, orders the bouillabaisse
>>146672Silver it appears has changed his mind about his order, and orders the Coq au vin.
>>146673"Bouillabaisse, and Coq au vin" He says. He pours wine, and refills any water
>>146669>Well fuck me man, what good is bein' off the plantation if you don'r got no pork rinds, colt 45 and joints. Did slavery even end?I feel yo man. All I wanna do is go back to master. Now I gotta work and take responsibility for my actions and sheeit.
"Aight, hoe! Catch me later if yo wanna dump dat loser of youse coltfriend and hang with the realest zigga." Smooth ass criminal zigga swaggers off in the directions of those stores.
On the way, he looks at all those fine ass honeys he be passin' by and stare down bitchass stallions and colts to teach dem who's the boss zigga. Unless they be some Colt Eastwood mutharfuckers. Real ziggas gotta know when to run, genome wat I'm sayin'? Yea!
>>146675Zigga ain't no one gonna force you to take responsibility for shit. Ain't no court order gonna make you pay no "child support."
The ho watches this fine young zebra walk his way down the street, wishin' she had some of that. And all them other young pony mares, they lookin at him too.
But den... A police cart rolls down the street. Act real cool, lest they murder another zebra for walking while stripped
>>146676>Zigga ain't no one gonna force you to take responsibility for shit. Ain't no court order gonna make you pay no "child support."Word, zigga. And, if things get wheal nasty you can always blame some other brotha. Dem ponice be raycist as fuck, yo! Can tell the difference between a boss zigga and some bitch ass nigga.
Damn! I meant zigga ;^)Ahhh, sheeit. Dem police be here off all places? Screwin' with mah groovin'. Raycist profiling muthafuckers! Ah, gotta act cool an' sheeit. I don't want 'em checking mah ass or they might find mah stash of pony crack, the jive ass muthafucker Gibs Money A.K.A. Big Z thinks to himself.
He ain't tremblin' with fear or nuffin as he reaches for his sick ass shades. Can't act cool without his shades, stallion!
"Wat?" His shades be gone. They ain't around his neck no more. Must have fallen off during the train ride.
Zigga gets shit scared and dump a huge turd on dat sidewalk. It splatters all over. Dat's nasty.
Then he be running away from the ponice and pass a dumpster as he starts doin' what ziggas do da best: Running.
I just realized that he no longer has his pony crack. HAHAHA.
I have to sleep now>>146677Window on that mobile oppression cart rolls down to reveal: some bitch ass Uncle Zecora zigger who rightly got his ass beat all inhigh school so he trade n his stripes for the blue to make his scrawny ass feel bigger.
"Ay! Yo! Y'all can't be shittin on them sidewalks! Who the hell you think gon' clean that up. You clean your shit over here."
Uncle Zecora over there is fast but he cain't roll his little cart everywhere
>>146678Sleep well. Thanks for the session.
>>146674"Thank you very much, sir!"
Silver tips the waiter a $20 Bit note.
>>146652Cauldron giggles:
"Hehehe"
White Sands remarks
"If I'd have known it was so easy to fascinate him, I'd off just bough cubes back at the hotel."
She pours a glass of whiskey that is noticeably fuller than anything Iron or Black Cauldron have poured
>>146625It's dark outside, with snow covering the ground and most of the roadway save a few tracks. Snow fall is visible in the dim light of the street lamps that provide the sole source of illumination, save for a brief moment where a cloud clears and bright moonlight shines down on the white street. A singular car drives along the road at low speed, not slowing down at any particular point.
>>146680He smiles, nods, and adds
"Can I get you anything else?"
>>146681"
Tho I bite on i
th?" Iron muttered out, still stuck in his current position with a questioning look up at Cauldron.
>>146682“Sure” she says
“Don’t bite your tongue.”
White Sands says, walking past the two again, carrying a glass and the bottle.
>>146683Hearing Black's approval while also keeping in mind White's reminder, Iron slowly leaned forward to engulf the cube whole to the point of lightly brushing his lips against Cauldron's frog.
He then proceeded to softly chew the sugar block in question, wondering just how it'd taste.
>>146684Her hoof isn’t the best tasting portion of her, but Iron gets a mouthful of the cube.
It tastes....
sweet
>>146681Spark continues to secure the entrances.
>>146686Spark and Makade are able to close blinds and shutters, though this is about the extent of what is possible.
>>146685Iron blinks softly, letting the wave of sweet wash over his senses as well as feel a faint feeling this has happened before...
He couldn't help but evoke a small, satisfied hum as he quickly took another bite of the cube in question, this time with far more energy into it thanks to the surge in sugar.
>>146688Black Cauldron takes her hoof, and pats Iron’s head
>>146689Cauldron could feel Iron getting a bit jittery from the increase in sugar as he proceeded to finish the cube proper. His ears swiveled a couple more times than necessary at the headpats while his eyes quickly darted upwards and his lips curled into an energetic smile.
>>146687“Well, a fine night this has turned out to be. We still need a lookout. I don’t suppose your parents have binoculars around?”
>>146691“I don’t know. I haven’t been to the city apartment before” Spark answers
>>146690She rubs around his ears as she pats his head. This seems to entertain her
The ear swiveling increased even further at the targeted rubbing as his head leaned into the petting by this point. Despite this, he soon approached Cauldron further to sink his snout into her chest just to feel her sandy, white coat while she amuses herself.
>>146693She is pushed back, but he gives a “heh” and pats his head again, a bit more directly.
>>146694Iron hummed softly in satisfaction, simply enjoying the moment for the time being... which wasn't for too long, considering a rather important question came to mind immediately after. "So I sleep on your bed tonight?" he suddenly asked the zebra mare, still buried in her chest.
>>146695“Well...” she turns her head up
“I suppose... if you have nowhere else to go... I could maybe allow it.”
>>146692“Well, we better have a look around for supplies that can help us. Binoculars would be most helpful, but we need to take inventory of what is at our disposal.”
>>146696"Here I thought you liked to cuddle me," Iron jokingly replied as he nuzzled Cauldron's chest.
>>146697“What exactly are you intending here? If they want the mare, just give them the mare. This is not a place to make a stand.”
>>146698She opens her mouth snd lowers her eyebrows.
“Iron... You really think I’d cuddle one of my associates?”
>>146699"In a cold night?" Iron replied with a coy smirk. "Partners are there to warm eachother up."
>>146700“Oh.... I can turn the heater up. If need be.” She says, smiling
>>146701Iron's confident stare soon dissolved into a lost look, blinking softly at the offer with a blank expression. "A heater?" he uttered.
>>146702From the other part of the room:
“You’re kidding me.”
Black Cauldron:
“Mhmmm. I don’t need a stallion to stay warm.”
>>146699“Would the same logic apply if they demanded only one of any of the rest of us?”
>>146704“No. The group stays together.”
>>146703"Huh," Iron muttered in a mix of mild disappointment at the rejection and wonder at this heater thing.
He soon straightened himself and out of Cauldron's chest with a blank, puzzled look. "Then where would you sleep?" he procceded to inquire as he himself was starting to wonder if he was going to go back at the hotel room.
>>146706“On my bed, of course.”
And from across the room
“You can sleep with me, Iron. Your warmth is welcome with me.”
White Sands is looking back with half lidded eyes. If Iron cares to look, that is.
>>146705“She is part of the group. At least for now. We may send here off, but not until she is safe.”
>>146708“I will say again: if it can’t be solved by diplomacy, bribe, or a thirty aught six, it’s not a conflict we need to involve ourselves in.”
>>146707Iron did indeed turn back to see White looking seductively at him, yet his eyes translated his mind was as lost as a man in a carnival's corn maze while he considered his options.
So Cauldron is willing to let me sleep on her bed, he correctly surmised,
while also being on it.Slowly but surely, a spark of excitement started to prop up from under him, almost as if he discovered the secret best ending for the situation at present.
That would mean Sands is also able to sleep on Cauldron's bed! he concluded in delight, eyes sparkling at the thought of sleeping next to both White and Black at the same time.
With that in mind, Iron's bright, excited smile met her vision. "So this is more of a sleepover?" he proceeded to ask.
>>146709“Ok, let me put it another way. If we hoof her over, what do you suppose they will in turn do with us? Do you suppose they will thank us, or will they be more inclined to view us as housing a fugitive?”
>>146711“I don’t know. But if turning my parents’ townhouse into a fortress is the best option, something needs to be rethought.”
Makade picks up his rifle, and says
“This scope is magnified four times. That’s as good as any binoculars. I’ll take sentry.”
>>146710“Uh...” Black Cauldron pauses. “I... suppose.”
White Sands:
“I’m still not in any condition to go out. And it’s going to rain.”
>>146712Iron's eyes widened slightly before quickly wrapping Cauldron's legs in a big hug. "You are the best!" he cheered excitedly for some reason before flashing a devious, foalish smile as he glanced back at Sands. "I am calling dibs on the middle!"
>>146713Each mare, respectively, scrunches.
Black Cauldron is hugged
>>146712“It’s a temporary and necessary measure. Would you prefer to not have any fortifications?”
>>146714"Oh!" Iron exclaimed in even more of a foalish realization before breaking the hug. "I just realized all three of us were having a sleepover already, now that I think about it."
He glances between the two scrunching mares with a curious, youthful look as he considered his options. "So," he prefaced "what sort of sleepover activities does a concrete jungle dweller partake in?"
>>146715“If it comes to battle, it is best to keep them at a distance while obscuring your position as well as possible. The doubles love to fight, but they fear what can hurt them snd they can’t see. They are not well trained. Take shots of opportunity, make them seek cover, and then leave. But fighting should be an absolute last resort. And either way, we need a way to retreat.”
>>146716Without hesitation, White Sands answers
“Drinking”
Black Cauldron, however needs more time
“Uh...”
>>146717"Then we shall drink!" Iron optimistically declared, leaving Cauldron to think a little bit more for a suitable answer as he eagerly trots towards Sands. "I require the stingy stuff."
>>146717“Retreat is best sorted out when the enemies’ strategy is known. I am hoping they are still looking for one mare and will not employ a surrounding tactic. Once the angle of approach is known, we can choose our method of retreat. If we defeat into their ranks, it won’t do us much good.”
>>146718White Sands pulls the bottle away
“
No.”
>>146719“Then I will handle it.” He says
>>146720“Let me know what you spot.”
>>146721“It will be done. They will not know I am here.”
>>146720That instant shut down did briefly shake him out of his high, only for him to scrunch his snout in indignation. "Oh come on," he lowly whined, stomping softly against the floor "do not tease me after putting the activity on the tree trunk."
His foreleg already started to slowly but surely try to reach for the pulled bottle like a cat approaching a somewhat unsuspecing mouse.
>>146723Black Cauldron:
“What.”
In a glow of magic, the bottle moves through the air, snd comes down next to Iron in a “clank.”
>>146724I go slep after post.Iron triumphantly takes the bottle that was set down next to her after a quick little hug to the unicorn mare in appreciation. His legs soon set themselves into a brisk trot as he aimed to pour two more shots for both him and Cauldron to drink from just to fulfill the activity.
>>146681"I think that will be all, good Sir."
>>146727(You) are silly
>>146725>>146723I misread
>>146723. Strike
>>146724 and replace it with this:
Back Cauldron
"What? Hehe"
White Sands, with her big, observant eyes, slowly drags the whiskey bottle further and further away from Iron, until it is on the other side of her.
>>146726He does a small bow, and leaves.
Silver is now alone with Jubilosa and the wine
>>146722Spark goes back over to the new guest.
>>146729I do try to be. So whats the scoop?
>>146730She is laying down on the couch, trying to force the blanket and part of the cloak over her.
Makade:
"If you really expect someone to come looking for her, you should hide her."
>>146731Uh....
>>146732"Where would you hide a pony?"
>>146731Midnight
Lily awoke after uneasy dreams to find herself
transformed into an enormous insect alone in a thankfully hyena-free room
>>146733"I... don't really know"
>>146729Silver sips his wine, and smiles at Jubilosa.
"How are you liking this so far?"
>>146734"Bathroom perhaps? But I figure that once they get inside, it will be not much use hiding, it will become a fight, especially since you are armed. They probably don't allow that."
>>146734She gets up, says her prayers to Luna, and decides a nice walk out and about would do her good.
>>146737"No one who seeks to dominate does. And neither will I tolerate being unarmed. But if they get inside, we don't have much that will be effective against them regardless, save knife, tooth, and claw. It's best by far there be no fighting inside."
>>146737https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tpl6ncyxLGwTaking a walk around Baltimare to ease her troubled mind, Midnight gets up, gets out of her room, down the stairs, and outside onto the street. It's windy, and kind of chilly and cloudy. Off far in the distance, a whistle sounds. Closer to her a few ponies walk past, mostly quickly, and a few carts and automobiles on the street.
>>146735"This is nice." She says
"A little of the other continent's culture."
>>146738She walks towards the whistle sound, absorbing the sights.
>>146739Off in the distance, it seems to be the sound of a factory starting a new shift. The direction it comes from is in front of her, a little off to the left. Along the street are a few apartment buildings with doors at street level, a deli, and a coffee shop. The traffic of pedestrians and vehicles is perhaps lower than it could be. Ponies mostly, in their hats and cats, with a couple griffins, zebras, and even a hippogriff passing by. Over top of the buildings, Midnight can see a few larger apartment buildings nearby, several high rises north and especially west, a church steeple, a bell tower on what must be a school, a narrow rectangular tower down south that sticks up into the sky, and a few smoke stacks east.
That annoying pony from the soup kitchen isn't there at least.
>>146740The church catches her eye, so she decides to stop in there for a minute.
>>146738"Then we need to make sure they don't enter. I'll be thinking of something to distract them."
>>146741Down the road a few blocks, one block over, and up a set of stone steps off the main road. It's a stone building of rectangular shape. Honestly kind of hard to tell if it's Celestialist or Reformed just from the architecture. It looks like it was built some time back in the last century, and it lacks the grandeur of any cathedral.
Entering inside, Midnight sees no pony immediately, but there is a stained glass depiction of the two sisters, as seen on the flag of Equestria.
>>146742He nods
"Do so. I will keep watch."
>>146743Spark has a plan for a distraction. He studies the appearance of the new guest.
>>146744She has the appearance of being asleep. She is completely silent, but shivers strongly at moments. Her mane is tied into two locks, her tail is tied at the end, and her mauve coat shimmers in a strange way.
>>146743The purple mare pauses, then walks up to the back row of pews and sits for a few minutes, enjoying the silence.
>>146746And there it is. Silnce. Peaceful. Relaxing. Si... wait. There's a car coming by. Okay good. It's gone. Ah... Silence.
And then a mare walks up and ruins it. Celestia, what does she want.
>>146745Spark takes note of how she looks.
>>146747Midnight turns and blinks, surprised to see somepony else
"Good morning"
>>146749The mare is a bit older, and kind of a light greyish blue color in a black robe, with her brown mane tied up in a bun and her blue eyes squarely on Midnight
"Do you need any help, young mare?" She asks Midnight with a smile that's... well, she's trying to be friendly.
>>146748Auburn mane, probably in her early twenties, but it's hard to tell.
>>146750Spark sits down and listens for Madake.
>>146750"I do not, but I thank you for your kindness. I have just come to stop and think for a moment."
She smiles, but then looks concerned for a moment
"I hope I'm not disturbing anything"
>>146729Predictably, Iron kept his foreleg 'sneaking' around to the other side, somewhat unintentionally wrapping it around Sands' crest while his face was trying its hardest to remain inconspicuous all the way. "Pretty please?" he insisted with a tiny increase in his pitch.
>>146738"It is very nice restaurant. Nicer than anywhere else I have been, maybe."
>>146751Roll die, little pony
>>146752"No. No. You're not disturbing anything." The same cannot be said of her wide, toothy smile
"Just interested to hear what brings you here."
>>146753"But... this is the last bottle."
>>146754She twists her head
"Is this not usual for you?"
>>146755Iron pouted slightly as his lower lip quivered lightly, almost begging the unicorn mare for the bottle. "Please?" he asked once again as his foreleg still weakly tried to reach for the bottle in question. "I promise it will go to a good cause."
>>146755Midnight smiles back
"I'm glad to hear"
Sense motive check? Mayhaps?
[1d20+2 = 15]
>>146757Roll diplomacy>>146758She seems genuinely happy, and kind of surprised, to have a pony in the church at this time. And yet, there is a layer of anxiety, like Midnight might ask for something difficult or annoying.
>>146760She twists her lips
"Why not? I'd come all the time if I could."
>>146762She scrunches, and moves the bottle a little further away
>>146759Midnight thinks for a second.
"When was this church built? It doesn't seem to be too old, but it has seen a number of years."
>>146763"Aw..." Iron lets out, utterly defeated by the smallest of scrunches before plopping his butt down against the floor and his posture sagged considerably "but I want both of you to have fun."
>>146761He smiles at her.
"Heh. Admittedly, it can get expensive eating at places like here all time. I am not yet millionaire."
>>146764"Oh. This? This was built seventy three years ago as an expansion of the Zizka Reformed Church on Andausian. It's in a fairly austere style of the time, but still built of stone and built to last."
She smiles
>>146765It's clear thus far, and Spark is undisturbed
>>146766"But this is fun" She says, and takes a drink directly from the bottle
>>146767"Hmmm..." She twists her beak
>>146768"But, maybe few more jobs, I will get there. We can live in lap of luxury."
>>146768Such a response caused Iron's eyes to widen before quickly turning his head back towards Cauldron to see if it was indeed true or not.
>>146768Ah reformed
"I see... Are you the one in charge here, or is there another?"
>>146769"More... jobs?"
>>146770She looks almost confused by this scene
>>146771"Yes, I am the main shepherd of this branch" she says
>>146772Seeing the contradiction present, Iron soon turns back towards Sands with a bigger snout scrunch and, with renewed efforts, started to gently take the bottle away from her hooves/magic, to the point of pressing his body against hers in his quest for the magic sleepover liquor.
>>146773White Sands scrunches, trying to keep hold of the bottle
>>146772"It is nice to meet you."
Midnight gestures to the seat beside her
"My name is Midnight"
>>146768Spark tries to keep from nodding off.
>>146774Iron grunts softly as he attempted to both take hold of it while also being extremely careful so as to not damage any furniture or, even worse, Sands herself in his quest.
Hurting mares needlessly is wrong! his currently sugar-filled mind firmly asserted.
>>146775"My name is Chipper Chalice" she says
"What brings you here?"
>>146776If Spark is super eager for someone to come...>>146777But if it's necessary to hurt a mare in the pursuit of alcohol, that's another thing.
Iron slowly grasps the bottle, and pulls it away
>>146778"I was wandering the town and the church caught my eye. I thought I might come in for a while.
How about you, how is the church doing?"
>>146778Finally obtaining the bottle in question, Iron soon lifted it up with a foreleg while proudly posing at nopony in particular akin to a heroic figure celebrating his most recent accomplishments. "I have done it!" he cheered in an admittedly foalish manner before glancing over to Cauldron to see if she wanted some more liquor.
>>146778Well, I don't know. Maybe there is a couple of other things I can do first? I am just having trouble thinking of them.
>>146779"Well... This church was built for the Earth pony inhabitants of this city. There are now migrants from Severyana, from further south, and from across the sea. The make up of the neighborhood has changed a bit, and the younger generations... well, they aren't as enthusiastic. But we are doing okay here, given how things are."
>>146780White Sands scrunches, and crosses her hooves.
Black Cauldron is somewhat entertained by this spectacle, it seems, trying not to laugh.
>>146781Roll die
>>146782With that in mind, Iron quickly and (hopefully) gracefully scurries over to Cauldron, sliding softly into a kneeling position while presenting the liquor bottle with a foreleg. "I have obtained the sleepover activity," he proudly yet respectfully offered with an overly royal tone.
>>146782"I am glad to hear things are going well at least, but I am sorry to hear about the younger generation."
Midnight sits in silence for a little bit
>>146786Iron quickly lowers his head while softly jiggling the bottle in question, almost as if he had just brought back the most beautiful flowers from the pits of Tartarus itself for a fair maiden. "Please," he continued on with his royalty accent "do not privy yourself."
>>146772"Like when I was hired to go into Hoebuck. Jobs such as that."
>>146788"But that was.... You'd want to do
that again?"
>>146783Spark is met by more quiet in the night
>>146787"That's okay, Iron." She says
>>146789Feeling the bottle still on his grasp, Iron soon creaked a confused eye open looking up at Cauldron. "Wait," he uttered in astonishment "really?"
>>146790"Well, I don't need
too much to drink." She says, with a sly expression
>>146789"Perhaps not
want, but it helps others and makes us plenty of Bits."
>>146792"But it's.. dangerous" She says
>>146791Iron's vines started to swing at the playful reply, slowly turning his head towards the shot glass before a fire of realization set his mind ablaze.
Of course! he exclaimed in his head.
The native stallion acting like a knightly colt soon trotted over to the glasses to serve it before bringing it back to the striped princess with the same flair as the last time.
>>146794She takes a glass with her hoof, and swirls it around,
"Hmmm..."
Then she takes a drink from it
>>146793Silver nods.
"I know. It is what I have been doing for much of my life."
>>146796"Uh.... how many fights have you been in?" She asks
>>146795Iron eagerly awaits Cauldron's response, still kneeling down in respect for the fair maiden
>>146797"More than I can count. Many of them have been forever marked on my hide, underneath my winter coat."
>>146798She lets it linger for a moment, before swallowing. Then she looks down to Iron.
"It'll do." She says
>>146799"That explains the scars..." she says
"Aren't you scared though?"
>>146785"Well, fortunately the return of the elements gave a bit of a revival some years back. It is that revival that sustains us."
>>146801"But then... why do you do it?"
>>146800Iron's chest puffed out in further pride at the rather lukewarm remark, all too happy to please in such a foalish, noble sugar-rushed state. "I am most elated," he dramatically offered Cauldron with his pompous accent while steel kneeling over. "Would there be anything else to satisfy our sleepover?"
>>146804"Well" She looks up, and bats her eyes
"I'm curious as to what
you would like."
>>146803"Because it is what I am good at, and because if I do not, no pony else will."
>>146806"You mean... fighting things?"
>>146807"Fighting things, saving people..."
>>146808"I suppose.. I appreciate it." She says, kind of smiling
>>146809"You are worried for me?"
>>146805Such question caused Iron's ears to swivel softly as his eyes looked up to meet her own. "You mean my sleepover activities?" he asked, a little dumbfounded, yet still kept his pompous accent regardless.
>>146810"Well.... Yeah." She answers
>>146811"Sure." She says
>>146812"That was mostly roughhousing and sparring," Iron replied with a hint of hesitation as he lost a tiny bit of his steam "and I doubt we should do such things at the present time."
Soon enough, he decided to rise himself up and looked at Cauldron properly. "I do not think it is a common thing here, right?" he continued.
>>146802Midnight nods knowingly.
"Has the church had any trouble from unrest?"
>>146812He smiles at her.
"D'awww. I appreciate that concern, but...I can promise you, I
will come back to you, after job."
>>146814"You mean like the Anarchists? Well... they've passed by this church. Mostly... We had fire damage in the uprising of 990 though, and some shrapnel from the most recent one. There's been some misfortune for some of our members, though."
>>146813"Depends on the roughhousing and sparring" She answers
>>146815She places a claw on his hoof
"Please..."
>>146816That caused Iron's hope to rise just a smidge if his growing grin was any indication. "You got any kind that we can do?" he proceeded to ask, eager to see his fighting tendencies satiated into a nice sleep.