1816 replies and 21 files omitted.
>>160567"You must be very much learned, then, to know multiple languages."
>>160568“It’s only the two.”
She still has a sheepish smile, though it looks less strained
>>160569"It is still one more than most ponies." He grins before whispering to her,
"Honestly might be two more than some." >>160570She giggles at Silver’s joke, placing a hoof up to conceal her muzzle.
>>160571"You really are intelligent mare, though. Where did you learn to speak Ponish?"
>>160572She smiles, but lowers her lips.
“I studied off and on as a filly. I learned most in the National Service. I practiced with attaché ponies.”
>>160573"You speak it wonderfully, like native speaker."
>>160574She blushes and smiles, though she does not reply.
>>160575"Do you think you could teach
me any of your native language, sometime? Maybe if I ever meet your parents I can impress them."
>>160576“Maybe…” she looks directly at him.
“Meet them how?”
>>160577"Well, if we were to get married in future and begin family, perhaps we would be able to book passage across to Zebrica and travel to your home villiage to visit them." He smiles. "Naturally, it would be boat without traffickers this time."
>>160578She leans closer, focuses on Silver, and speaks quickly and somewhat loudly.
“Go there? Can you bring them here?”
>>160579Silver gives her a mildly surprised look, but responds.
"If that is what you want then yes. I have made enough contacts I suppose to get papers made for them and have them come over through normal channels."
>>160580“… Really? What about the immigration quota? I was told I could come in, then I was denied.”
>>160581"It is one of many benefits of my line of work. I can quickly build contacts and relations I can leverage for things of this nature, such as speeding along process or gaining exception to rule." He smiles at her some more. "It would not be exceptionally difficult to have them come here, I think, though we will need bigger house if you want them to live with us, like one big extended family unit."
>>160582“Go on”
Her eyes are wide, and she is leaning over the table, with both hooves on the table.
>>160583The unicorn tilts his head at his kirin date.
"I suppose that is what you want, then? Have them immigrate and live with us as family unit? Well, I already have contacts in both occupational government and civilian government, especially in civilian government after what happened in Hoebuck. There were number of Griffonian and Feathesian nationals among those who were captured by us and they seemed impressed by work we did, so I could accept more work from them, build relations with my contacts within them, and quickly get them to stamp out immigration approvals for your parents, or anyone else in your family you want brought over."
>>160584She is almost standing up on the table now, with her hooves on the table directly under her.
“And I could be a citizen? And my children. Not just resident. Full citizen?”
>>160585Silver stabilizes the table to keep it from potentially tipping over, but otherwise is acceptive of this enthusiastic behavior from Khoi.
"That can be done, yes. You may have to take test on Equestrian government and like, though I do not know how citizenship test would have changed through occupation. But yes, you could be full Equestrian citizen, just as with your or our foals."
>>160586She finally sits back, although it seems her tail is moving back and forth.
“What is this about a bigger home?”
>>160587Khoi is still too cute to be this single.
"You remember when we were talking about my work? I could work towards getting bigger house, either buying it or having it as gift or payment for job well done. Depending on where it is located it could even be manor house sitting on sizable plot of land on outskirts of city, maybe large enough for small farm or orchird."
>>160588“Yes.”
She has a big, bright smile.
“Orchard? Where? And… how much do you get from these jobs, exactly?”
>>160589"I do not know exactly where, but for Baltimare I have noticed numerous large and rather opulent-looking farms on outskirts of city. It may be nearby there."
He pauses as he ponders the second question.
"It varies depending on how much effort and danger is involved, if there is any loot that can be fenced, or who is giving job, but I can easily earn over month's wages just from one job."
>>160590“And…” she tilts her head. Her tail is unambiguously wagging.
“How often do you get these assignments? How long do they last? Where are they, usually?”
>>160591"There is usually always someone whenever I look, there are lots of groups and organizations that are in need of skills such as mine. How long and where also usually depends on who gives assignment. Civilian government of Baltimare will be unlikely to have job that lasts more than day or two or that sends me out very far from city, while occupation government would be more likely to do so, with greater rewards for having been sent out longer and farther."
>>160592She nods.
“So…. What kind of work do they make you do?” She asks
“I… saw the one. But I would not have believed it if I was not there.”
>>160593"It is not always that violent. Sometimes it is more covert, other times it is retrieval missions, escort missions, or like. Before Hoebuck, one such mission was to retrieve collection of rare and one-of-kind books, and got paid very handsomely for it."
>>160594She tilts her head.
“Uh, how handsomely, exactly?”
>>160595"If I remember correctly, around 3,000 Bits for complete set, maybe more, maybe less."
>>160596She blinks, but wags her tail, again almost about to stand on the table.
“3,000 bits?!”
>>160597Silver nods, and continues to beam his smile at her.
"It was lot of books, but yes. 3,000 Bits. You should have seen what I got for clearing out undead, it is what I have largely been using to support us. All of those gifts of Bits to you and other refugees of Hoebuck came out of what I got from that job."
>>160598She looks up to the left, contemplating this answer.
“Is there… what jobs are coming up?” She asks
>>160599"Hmm, well I have few ideas at least as to what I could do, but nothing concrete. All I need to do is contact my contacts and see what needs done."
>>160600She has a wide smile, staring at Silver
The unicorn comes, and sets the soup in front of Khoi.
Silver receives some of his steamed vegetables.
>>160601Silver thanks the unicorn, and checks the directions on his antibiotics to see when they say to be taken.
>>160602He’s… he’s a couple hours late. Also he now has twice the reason to take the antibiotics.
>>160603Oh, right. Yeah, he should definitely take them now.
>>160604And so, silver takes them. They do not taste good. At all.
Khoi starts to eat her soup, using her magic and a wooden spoon.
>>160605Well, it's good he has water to help them go down. He joins her in their ordered meal.
>>160606The steamed vegetables included cauliflower, onions, and broccoli. Fortunately the gosh if has not been cooked out.
>>160607"Mmm..."
This is a nice, nutritious dinner. The unicorn enjoys it very much so, judging from the happy noises coming from him and how his floof fluffs up slightly.
>>160608There’s only so many vegetables. Khoi consumes her soup slowly and carefully.
>>160609Silver stops before he eats them all. He looks up at Khoi.
"How is your food? Mine is pretty good."
>>160610“Not bad” she answers, snd sips another spoonful of soup.
>>160611"Now that you are having it, is it similar to food in your home country?"
>>160612“This is a common broth. A spice is different.”
>>160613"What kind of things did you eat?
>>160614“Rice, noodles, cabbages…”
>>160615Silver tilts his head at her as he waits for her to continue.
>>160616Nothing. She continues her soup.
>>160617"That is...not so many options."
>>160618“We could sometimes grow lentils, or buy salt. Or even fruit.”
>>160619"Hmm...I suppose you would like to experience more of world of food, beyond just that?"
>>160620“Perhaps. I’ve never had reason to be picky before.”
>>160621"We should go grocery shopping together. We can see all different choices for food and ingredients together, and you can pick whatever sounds like it might be good."
>>160622“I am trying to learn more. I think that would be good. How long are those… those colts staying?”
>>160623"Not long, unfortunately. I am fond of them, and I do not want to send them back to orphanage, but we do not have space for them right now."
>>160624“I suppose I will be cooking for all three of them…”
>>160625"It does not have to be just you, though." He smiles at her. "I can help you cook when I am home, and maybe you can teach them thing or two."
>>160626“Perhaps.” She says. “But I can cook.”
>>160627Silver nods.
"You are best cook in household. That does not mean you can not share in this labor."
>>160628She scrunches.
“The colts should learn something.”
>>160629Silver nods again.
"Why not have it be valuable life skill they learn?"
>>160630“It would be good for them to learn if they have free time, yes.”
>>160631He smiles wide.
"I think they would like that."
>>160632Abd the main course arrives. Noodles, and noodles.
>>160633Oooo. Silver starts to mix up what remains of his vegetables into the noodles.
>>160634With most of the vegetables presumably already eaten, most of the mixing will have to occur in Silver’s stomach. Still, what remains of the vegetables are mixed in, providing a change of texture to the noodle dish.
>>160635Silver looks to see how Khoi is faring with her own noodle dish.
>>160637Fairly well. She sits calmly, careful eating noodles and the soup.
>>160641The unicorn smiles, and starts to consume his own meal. He enjoys the nice interplay of flavors of the noodles and the vegetables, and though he eats at a steady pace he makes sure to be neat and polite for their date.
>>160641>>160642In the middle of his meal, Silver looks up to Khoi.
"Hey, besides being wife and mother, is there anything else you want to do in your life?"
>>160642>>160643She is quiet, delicate, and slow in her own eating. She waits until she has swallowed her food to answer Silver:
“To pursue spiritual perfection.” She answers, after only a moment of reflection.
>>160644Silver tilts his head at her.
"What does that entail? Is it like becoming nun?"
>>160645“No. No. It requires mastery of virtue and meditation, coming closer to the spiritual.”
>>160646"Huh...it is very noble goal, it is just that most Equestrians who choose that path mean something slightly different, so that is where confusion comes from."
>>160647“What does it mean here?” She asks
>>160648"It means pursuing purity of heart and soul. Doing good onto others without expecting anything in return, reading and studying old lessons and proverbs to learn moral way to live your life, teaching others those same lessons, leading herds of ponies to Salvation, and guiding those who have lost their way back to Path. It also means maintaining purity of body, in more physical sense, by giving up land, titles, vices, worldly possessions, even sex and marriage. Though, that is more for monks and nuns, Brothers and Sisters of Faith rather than normal followers or even other religious positions like that of priests."
>>160648>>160649"In essence, it is all dedicating yourself to something greater than yourself, and in doing so helping all those around you."
>>160649>>160650“It is something like that, yes.”
>>160651"I suppose concept of religion and spiritualist is fairly universal between cultures."
>>160652“Yes, though the particulars and the execution matter more.”
>>160653Silver tilts his head at her.
>>160654“There is an ocean if different between a broad concept, and walking the path that leads to actualization.”
>>160655"Oh, that makes sense."
He smiles at her.
"Still though, I find it interesting that there are similarities, even from so far away."
>>160655>>160656Silver finishes eating his food, before looking over at Khoi.
"Ah, that was good food...how was yours, my Khoi?"
>>160656“There are many, yes. More similarities between our cultures than within our cultures. But as in all things, it’s the practice that makes the difference.”
>>160657Khoi’s mouth is full of noodles.
>>160659Silver smiles at his noodle date.
"Well, when you are done, perhaps you would like to order some dessert with me?"
>>160660She sucks in the noodles, chews, and quickly swallows.
“Um… sure.”
Her cheeks almost puff out as she smiles
>>160661Silver takes a look at their dessert menu.
>>160662Pineapple tarts, five spice cake, snowflake cake, fried bananas, rice pudding, and sweet potato soup.
>>160663Silver reads off the options to his kirin date.
"I am curious about five spice cake and snowflake cake, but rice pudding also sounds very good."
>>160664>>160664With a fairly straight expression, she says
“Why don’t you decide?”
>>160665"Alright then, snowflake cake it is."
>>160666The unicorn mare nods, and walks away.
>>160667Silver smiles, and returns to admiring the beauty of his kirin date.
"I guess your talent with manedressing does not exclude makeup. You really put in lot of effort into yourself for this date. How did you learn to do it
this well?"
>>160668“He”
She lowers her head closer to her shoulders, and picks up the glass of water, taking a drink. She turns her head to the left as she does so, but turns her magenta eye to Silver, with a toothy, embarrassed smile.
“I had to learn from other mares, and as a hair dresser. That was my job for a while, after all…”
>>160669"Did you like hairdresser job?"
>>160670“It was okay. It was a job.” She answers
>>160671"You seem exceptionally skilled at it. It makes me curious what you would be able to do for me and my mane. It also sounds like you would rather be full-time housewife than have job, hearing everything you have said so far."