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.
>>146169And thus Silver helps. He looks up to Khoi when the sides are done.
"What is next?"
>>146169"What? No! I meant to justice, because it's their job to carry an investigation through to the end! Maybe you're projecting your own paranoia, or even dishonesty, onto them!" She raises her voice to ensure that she's the one being paid attention to.
>>146169Iron was tough enough to swallow it either way, only that he was forced to cough a few times from the sudden 'attack' by the drink as his snout scrunched up.
>>146170"Why, the back wall, of course." She says
>>146171"Be shot at by a sniper while you are walking from a restaurant to your home, and I assure you, you will be paranoid too. In this city it makes no sense not to be. The bottom line is that we are here to fight a war. And it's not a gentleman's war of officers, swords, and fancy uniforms, its ones where the combatants don't wear uniforms and commit acts of murder while hiding among the civilian population. And this particular case is a part of that war. I don't care if we step on someone's hooves in fighting that war, because the bottom line is that many have already died because of this, and many more will likely die before it is done. I am well aware that that could include me. And so I will take it into my own hooves to see this investigation through."
>>146172This gets a small smile from Black Cauldron
>>146173Then that is what he helps with.
Shucks, they both make such good arguments.
"B-b-but...." She looks for a sympathetic voice among the detectives or the secretary. "What do you have to say about it?"
>>146173Iron couldn't help but smile as well at seeing her smile. "Strong stuff," he jokingly remarked.
>>146174Khoi moves around the perimeter, placing a hoof up towards her muzzle as she inspects the walls of the garden
"Hmmm... the side further from the sea is higher than the other side... And will any water actually remain in the soil, or will it just all wash through? We might need to think more about this. Maybe remove some of the soil here, and install a layer of clay..."
>>146175Stalwart answers
"War?! That's exactly it. This is
exactly what they did in Manehattan. First the Blackhooves agreed to multi-party government, and let Manehattan elect its own government, which was a coalition of left and right. Then those who didn't want to collaborate with the Blackhooves resigned, then with a few assassinations and a plane crash, a completely unknown secretary of education took hold of the Harmonist party, who promptly turned it into the "Ponies Party" and tried to advance an agenda kind of like the Blackhooves. And then, what dumb luck? A crowded subway train explodes, and an investigation says it's a resistance bomb with foreign parts that was supplied by organized crime. So the local Manehattan police chief declares a crusade against leftist and harmonist rebels, and organized crime at the same time. Of course organized crime was always unpopular, so it's popular to target them. Then the Blackhooves decide to go all in to do the same, because they want to support the new Manehattan government. They say that members of local gangs are all foreign-supported guerrillas and so not afforded the protections given to criminals or even uniformed enemy combatants. And that turns into a mess quickly. A huge mess.
So over here, we have a crime that discredits the elected SDP leadership to the ponies of Baltimare, and also a claim that maybe, just maybe, SDP leadership and organized crime are aiding guerrillas? It seems more likely they want to replace us, while saving face and pretending to respect rule of law, multi-party government, and elections. This isn't fighting a war, this is escalating, or even starting one."
>>146176"Not
quite the strongest" she says
>>146177That caused Iron to look at Cauldron with incredulity on his eyes. "Really?" he asked, astonished at the news.
>>146177Silver follows her directions, as best as he can.
>>146178"Yes. We have them at the Watering Hole. But we're not drinking them tonight."
>>146179"Uh, do you have a shovel, or an entrenching tool? Or a hoe?"
>>146180Now Iron glanced at the shot that had previously stung him with a bit of doubt, wondering just how powerful these drinks could get.
Nonetheless, he shook his head before pointing at Cauldron's glass. "I assume you are used to this stuff, right?" he suggested with a hint of a playful tone, wondering if she could down it as fast as he did without wincing.
>>146180"I do not think I do...I can see about getting you one."
Okay, I have to sleep now
>>146182Noticeably, there are already multiple holes in the ground both within the rectangle and without.
"Yes, we should do that. And get plants, maybe trees, or clay..."
>>146185Silver nods.
"What is time right now?"
You know who's a cute pony?
(You)
>>146188You are still cute ponies.
Is anypony available to play this weekend? I am
>>146197I'm free for the weekend.
>>145928“Danger could manifest from several different access points at once, since they can fly. Best to sleep closer to the rest than to stay close to the door.”
>>146186Khoi tilts her head
"I don't really know"
She turns her head to her left, and Silver's right. West.
"The Sun is still up. But it is low in the sky."
>>146181She nods, while keeping a dead serious expression
"You could say that."
>>146207He looks at Spark for an extended period of time
"But if they come through the front door?"
>>146208“Then you will stop the ones at the door, but what of the windows?”
>>146209He pauses a bit longer
"Alright... I will retreat further in the house. Better to bottleneck them in a hallway anyways."
>>146208Seeing his attempts at putting a competitive vibe to this whole drinking game went as sour as they could get, Iron slowly replaced his playful smile for a more optimistic one. "I am sure it helps a lot when taking some of the stingy potions, right?" he offered as he stepped just a little bit closer towards Cauldron."A strong stomach allows for more options."
>>146211Makade goes upstairs, and Waabishki tentatively agrees to share the room with him. This leaves the Doctor, and Spark
>>146212She raises a lip, and even folds an ear in absolute confusion for a span of perhaps five seconds. But she returns to a more normal expression.
"Strength
always allows for more options."
>>146213We are clearly on different lines of thought, Iron pointed out to himself in his mind coupled with the smallest purse of his lips.
Maybe we should speak in a more... intimate manner instead.Thus, his snout approached Cauldron's, starting to grin a little more confidently. "It is a good thing we have eachother to double our strength, then," he slyly tried to compliment her in order to improve the mood.
>>146214She smiles, and without hesitation moves her own lips forward to meet Iron's in a kiss.
>>146215Iron wasn't quite prepared for the mouth linking if his eyes widening slightly was any indication, but he soon leaned into the kiss, enjoying the small piece of sugar he got out of his efforts.
>>146216She goes easy on him, pulling away with a pleased smile after some seconds, looking over to her left - evidently over towards White Sands - and then back to Iron.
“Being stronger together... I think we should talk about that. What kind of future you want. Can you imagine if you are successful in the turf war? What kind of attention that will bring to you? And this potion making... I don’t think many in our, our group are doing that. There is much opportunity here.”
>>146213Spark finds a spot on the floor and maybe a pillow if there is one.
>>146217Iron couldn't help but blink once or twice blankly, seemingly having not questioned himself that far ahead as he himself processed what she had just asked about. "I... did not think that far," he admitted with the faintest hint of a pout. "All I really strived for so far here is winning your heart and make
your dreams come true."
>>146218“So... we’re down here tonight” The doctor says.
“But what if Changelings come through the front door? Or the side windows. Or the rear windows?!” He shakes in evident fright.
>>146219“D’awww”
She wraps her hooves around him, in a big hug.
>>146220Iron's cheeks reddened considerably at Cauldron's big ol' hug as his body burned hotter ever so slightly.
>>146220“I doubt that, but if they do, wolves are very quick. I don’t think the changelings can get too far in the house without receiving a few more holes in their body.”
>>146221She does not let go.
"You know... for someone as muscular as you are, you're rather soft."
>>146222"So... why'd you send him away?"
He smiles awkwardly, and pushes up his glasses with the tip of a hoof
>>146223“Because they need to be well rested. Waabishki is certainly going to have trouble resting with this news, and you won’t want a grumpy wolf hearing troubling news from you, do you?”
>>146224"Now that you mention it, Changelings through the front door isn't the
worst thing, heh. Might offer them hotcakes. Don't know if they'll want hotcakes but... still, ask them to sit down. Be friendly."
>>146223"I-I am?" Iron uttered, soon poking his short-haired coat with a free hoof.
>>146225“Be sure to get plenty of rest yourself. We are going to have a lot to do tomorrow.”
>>146226She pokes him in the belly
“Yes. Yes you are.”
>>146227“We... are?” He answers, smiling awkwardly again
>>146228“Sure. I have to grab a little intel, you have to help out the wolves, and if Miskobag gets released from the hospital tomorrow, we have to make it all the way back to the forest.”
>>146229“So I have to do all of this again. Tomorrow?”
>>146230“Yep. The life of a pony on the run. If you stop too long, you get caught.”
>>146231“Ahhhh...”
He slowly slumps down on the couch, laying on his back0
“Okay then...”
>>146228Iron gasped out slightly at the belly poke, surprised to feel her hoof down there so suddenly as his cheeks reddened ever further. "I-I mean," he uttered somewhat skittishly with a deep blush on his cheeks. "It does help to have some fat for an extra burst of energy."
>>146233“Haha”
Poke poke pokeIron’s belly receives a barrage of pokes from Cauldron’s hoof
>>146234Iron whinnied softly from the incessant belly poking, obviously getting quite flustered by the teasing. "I-Is this some sort of concrete jungle ritual?" he tentatively asked, face starting to turn red as his body heat increased further.
>>146235"No. I just like doing this."
Poke poke