Dark Star starts has embarked in a new venture - infiltrating cells of leftwing radicals at a local university.
>>148993 →Spark continues down the sidewalk.
All that remains now is for Silver to wake up.
>>149005In not much time, Spark reaches the end of the park's pathway, finding himself on a sidewalk on the opposite side of the block from where he started.
>>149031Silver awakens alone in his bed, perhaps later in the morning than he excepted. The light coming into the room from the great, seaside glass doors is limited and the room is dark for daylight.
>>149032Silver lifts his head slightly, blinking the sleep away while he looks around the dark room.
>>149033The room isn't especially dark, but neither is it flooded with natural sunlight, though it is well after daybreak. To the left of him, the covers are pulled down and the sheets are disturbed.
>>149034Silver gets up, stretches, and checks out why it's comparatively dark by going to the balcony door.
>>149035It isn't hard to see why. Looming over the horizon, and dominating the sky, is a cloud formation directly South, far south, across the bay. The multicell cumulonimbus nearly forms a wall along the far horizon. Though the curvature of the earth and the forest on the opposite side of the bay blocks of view of the storm's lowest base, it appears as dark thunderclouds that gradually lighten as the clouds go higher, appearing like cotton balls where the sky meets space. Closer to Silver are much smaller, dark and thin rain clouds that partly block the Sun. Whether these are the furthest tendrils spun off of the distant clouds, or independent formations is hard to tell.
The waters of the bay appear troubled, and moved by strong winds blowing south. This has a rather interesting effect, as it means that the waters nearest the beach house have blown away and receded, leaving thirty feet or more of mud, and revealing a small wrecked boat, and a chest.
>>149038"Ooooo, what kind of treasures were
you carrying, my friend?"
Silver turns and leaves the room, and enters the living room to see who's there.
>>149039Silver goes down the stairs to see Paperclipping sitting up on the couch, looking remarkably better, and wearing a leather jacket vest that obscures any view of the bandages on his chest, though it does not cover his belly. Jubilosa is there too, walking into the room with coffee in one claw, stopping to adjust the knob on the radio, which she seems to be listening to.
>>149040"Hello! How is everyone?"
Silver cheerfully joins them.
>>149041Jubilosa looks up
"Fine"
Paperclipping also looks over, and raises a hoof in a wave
"Good Morning" he says
>>149042The unicorn goes over to give his Jubee a hug.
"This weather is very interesting. I saw chest and wrecked boat exposed by retreating waters I would like to investigate."
>>149043She seems a little surprised by this, raising a foreclaw, partially openning her wings, and moving half a step back, but ultimately the griffin is hugged.
"Uh, that's alright. Yeah, they've mentioned it on the news earlier. But it's all south of us, I think."
>>149044He looks up at his griffon, taking notice of her reaction.
"Is everything alright?"
>>149046He continues to look up at her.
"Talk to me."
>>149047"What is it you want to hear?" She answers, with a slight bit of irritation
>>149048"I want to talk about what is bothering you, dove."
>>149049"Bothered? I'm not bothered. Just reconciling myself to living with a sex hound, that is all." She answers
>>149050"It rather sounds like it is bothering you, dove."
He smiles at her.
"If you want what happened last night to never happen again, all you have to do is say word. I care for you lot more than I do casual sex."
>>149051"Well, it's kind of hard to believe that when I see you lusting after my friend, after random mares... even after
him." She says
>>149052He grabs a hold of her talon, and holds it in his forehooves.
"If you asked it of me, I would swear it upon anything and everything dear to me."
>>149053She looks to him and has a solemn expression. The slow music ceases and is replaced with a news broadcaster's voice
Paperclipping interjects
"Stop bickering and listen"
The Broadcaster states,
"We interrupt this broadcast to bring you an important message from Governor Halcyon Shores. All air and rail travel through the Upper Basin between Tenochtitlan - Tonaltzintli and Baltimare - Saltlickingham has been suspended until further notice. All travel up and down the Snake River has likewise been suspended.
The Governor has issued an order mandating the evacuation of all civilians from the Zazquiyahuitl region, and has issued an advisory evacuation of Tonaltzintli. Those living in Saltlickingham and Tonalzintli are advised to fill bathtubs and buckets with freshwater, and stock up on food, medicine, and heating fuel. Subjects are advised to avoid travelling to these areas if possible. Furthermore, schools and non-essential government services are closed for the day in Tenochtitlan, Tonalzintli, and Saltlickingham.
Furthermore, the Governor has issued an order creating a District-wide Militia force under the control of the District, and asks ponies to join. Ponies with law enforcement, military, and especially medical skills are asked to volunteer their services for the good of the District. This concludes the message."
The broadcaster stops speaking, and the music resumes, albeit a different song than was playing before.
>>149054He looks at the radio as the report goes through.
"Hmm. Sounds like it is going to be bad in south."
He returns to look at Jubee.
"Just say word, my dove. I will follow it for as long as I am yours, and you are mine."
>>149056She doesn't break her eyes from him.
"I would appreciate it." She says
Paperclipping interjects
"Prude."
This causes her eyes to move from Silver to Paperclipping. He follows up.
"I never took you for a puritan."
She says,
"Will you mind your own business?"
He says
"Will you mind yours? Stop being so jealous."
Then she says,
"Did you actually sleep with him?"
And he:
"And if I did? What would it matter? It's not like you've lost anything..."
This continues
>>149057Silver interrupts them both with a firm voice.
"Both of you, enough."
He looks at Jubilosa first, his voice softening.
"I promise, Jubee, you will be my only. And no, I did not sleep with Clip."
He looks then at Clip, voice still soft.
"It is something you will understand when you get into relationship. There is give and there is take."
>>149058Paperclipping:
"Quite a bit of taking and not enough giving, it sounds like to me."
>>149059He smiles at him.
"You would be surprised what she gives me. She gives me kind of companionship I have missed for many years."
>>149062Paperclipping scrunches, and crosses his forelegs
>>149063"How are you feeling anyways, Clip? Feel any better from yesterday?"
>>149064"Yesterday? Heh heh, yes." He says
>>149065He smiles widely.
"That is great to hear. I hope you are healed soon."
He looks to the two people in the room with him.
"Anyways, I hope you two continue to get along, I do not like my favorite people fighting. I want to investigate that boat wreckage before tide comes back in."
>>149066"Okay" Juilosa says, slowly walking closer towards one of the two couches, again picking up her coffee.
>>149067Silver goes outside to investigate the wreckage.
>>149068Silver exits out the rear door of the house. Though the area immediately next to the house is leeward of it, when Silver goes down the wooden staircase to ground level, he can feel the chill wind passing by.
The area nearest the shoreline is filled with many rocks and debris, but further away is more sand and silt, which turns to mud with scattered rocks, a couple clams, a bottle or two, a few pieces of drift wood, and near where the water meets the exposed mud, an overturned boat and the chest.
>>149070It's a rowboat, a little larger than a dinghy, turned upside and partially buried in the mud, with the bow and port side sticking out a bit more than the stern and starboard. The boat is painted white, though this chips and fades to grey and naked brown wood, and there seems to be a name upside in black, chipped letters. It looks like "Emirate." Probably it belonged to a much larger vessel, either as a ship's boat or a lifeboat.
>>149072"Huh."
Is the boat rotting, or is it still sturdy?
>>149073It's in the process of rotting, but still sturdier than not. It's deep enough in the mud that it would need to be dug out with a shovel.
>>149074That's unfortunate, he likely wouldn't have enough time to dredge it up. Well, time to investigate the chest.
>>149075The "chest" is a metal box, likewise painted white, though more obviously flaking, somewhere in size between a tool box and a trunk.
>>149077A latch holding it together can be pulled up, opening the box.
Inside are one, two, three carbine rifles, four pistols, waterlogged ammunition, and detachable magazines
>>149078"Woah...what kind of boat did this come from, anyhow?"
Can Silver close the box and bring it with him?
>>149079The box is very heavy and is partly buried in the sand.
>>149080Silver returns to the house, wipes his hooves before entering, and goes up to Mala's room.
>>149081Mala silently lays on his bed, but seems to open his eyes and looks to Silver as he approaches
>>149082"Hello, best buddy. Are you awake?"
>>149083Mala raises his head, and his triangular ears
"I am now" He answers
>>149084He smiles.
"Well, if you wanted, I could use some help. Waterline outside has receded in advance of storm, and it has exposed crashed lifeboat and gun locker. If you were willing, I could use some help unburying them from mud and bringing them to safety."