Author Topic: A Nice Calm Drink  (Read 10425 times)

Offline Curtis

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A Nice Calm Drink
« on: February 21, 2014, 07:09:27 am »
With his towel left at home, and a small pouch of bits secured around his shoulders, Curtis waited patiently by the entrance to the Guiding Light, despite the occasional drop of sweat that rolled off of his grey body.

The trip from the pool to his home on the edge of town had been a long one, but by running for all he was worth, Curtis had been able to make it there and back with time to spare, so for now he simply rested in the shade by the side of the inn, his eyes fixed on the gigantic glass lantern that hung over the entrance, a small smile on his face as he watched it swing a little in the cooling breeze.

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Offline Dais Clash

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Re: A Nice Calm Drink
« Reply #1 on: February 21, 2014, 07:25:27 pm »
Dais strolled up to the inn, almost absentmindedly bumping into it as he was reading his copy of "Being Fashionably Late for Socially Inept Ponies". As soon as his book touched the Guiding Light's walls, however, he swiftly magicked it away, looking around nervously in the hope that nopony saw him reading that.

On his initial nervous lookaround, Dais completely missed Curtis standing in the shadows nearby. He breathed a heavy sigh of relief to himself as he eyed the massive lantern and watched a few moths flutter around it. Regaining his confidence a little, he kicked one of his hind legs, causing his saddle bag to rattle with all the money inside. Satisfied that it hadn't been stolen along the way, he made for the door.

Offline Curtis

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Re: A Nice Calm Drink
« Reply #2 on: February 21, 2014, 11:16:43 pm »
Seeing Dais' arrival, and near collision with the tavern's wall, Curtis chuckled a little, slipping out of the shadow of the building to move to the blue stallion's side.

"Glad to see you could find your way here." The grey donkey commented, as he moved into the tavern, matching Dais' speed so they were side by side as they entered, the Donkey's smile widening a little as he took in the sights of the Guiding Light's interior.

Offline Dais Clash

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Re: A Nice Calm Drink
« Reply #3 on: February 23, 2014, 08:20:27 am »
Dais stood back a little as the door swung open. Taverns were among the many places Dais didn't visit often, and so he was mildly curious as to what this one might contain.

Feeling the warmth of the tavern on his coat against the cool evening air cut short his hesitation, however. Dais practically leapt inside with a slightly larger jump than he intended and almost slipped on the ground, adjusting his hooves awkwardly to maintain his balance. After a moment he stood up straight and swiveled his head around to get a better look of the place, first left, then right.

"Well, it's no Manehatten tavern" he said "But it's definitely charming. And warm. I suppose that's the most important thing."

There were definitely spare tables still around, but the tavern wasn't totally empty either. Dais gave the mayor a friendly wave and strolled over towards the counter. "Come here often, Curtis?" he called over the light chatter of the crowd.

Offline Lamplight

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Re: A Nice Calm Drink
« Reply #4 on: February 27, 2014, 09:40:08 am »
Lamplight looks up as the door opens, momentarily pausing in her cleaning of a mug to eye the new arrivals. Curtis she was already familiar with, the donkey being a regular customer. The other she doesn't recognize, though he seems to have arrived with Curtis. Giving a friendly smile and nod to the pair as they approach the bar, the orange mare resumes her cleaning, though only for a few seconds as she gives the mug a look over and sets it aside. "Hello." She greets, looking between them. "What can I get you today?"

Offline Dais Clash

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Re: A Nice Calm Drink
« Reply #5 on: February 27, 2014, 05:43:32 pm »
"Hmmm..." thought Dais, hoof to his chin "Something warm would be nice... don't suppose you serve Mareish Coffee here? Or what would you recommend?"

Offline Curtis

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Re: A Nice Calm Drink
« Reply #6 on: March 01, 2014, 07:01:47 am »
Following in silently behind Dais, Curtis took in the sights of the cozy tavern with a small smile, his green eyes flickering over the comfortable, and comfortingly familiar furnishings, before they found their way to the bar, and a moment later, the mare who stood behind it.

As he had done many times before, Curtis tore his eyes away as subtly as possible, before they could linger too long, instead focusing on the smooth, clean wooden surface of the bartop, as he moved towards it in Dais' wake, quickly and quietly taking a seat at the bar, beside his new friend.

Looking up again as Lamplight asked for their orders, Curtis replied automatically, his tone calm and positive, as it always was within the walls of the warm tavern.
"I'll have a cider please, Miss Lamplight.." The donkey started, giving his customary response to the orange mare, before he paused, and then decided to make an attempt at proper introductions, his voice just a touch more uncertain than it ordinarily was.

"Well, this is Dais Clash, he's Mayor Mare's assistant. He just arrived in town a little while ago. Dais, this is L-lamplight, she runs the Guiding Light, the best tavern and inn in Ponyville." Curtis explained, gesturing in an introductory manner between the two ponies, a calm smile on his face, which wavered just a little at the momentary stutter in his ordinarily calm demeanour, as he attempted to introduce the mare with the burnt orange mane and eyes.
« Last Edit: March 01, 2014, 07:03:22 am by Curtis »

Offline Lamplight

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Re: A Nice Calm Drink
« Reply #7 on: March 02, 2014, 10:56:52 am »
Lamplight nods at Dais. "I can do that." She says to Dais, already turning to begin pouring Curtis' regular order. Her eyes flick to the donkey for a moment at his slight slip up with her name, wondering what caused it. She dismisses it after a moment though, figuring it was just a slip of the tongue. Pausing for a moment to give Curtis a friendly smile and nod as she levitates the now full mug over to him, she turns and begins to prepare Dais' drink. "Mayor's assistant huh?" She says, glancing up at Dais for a moment. "She could use it, she's been handling things on her own for a while now." Lamplight turns back to the counter with Dais' drink, setting it down before him. "So where are you from Mr. Dais? And is there any reason you decided to come here to Ponyville?"

Offline Dais Clash

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Re: A Nice Calm Drink
« Reply #8 on: March 02, 2014, 05:01:34 pm »
Dais had become preoccupied with the bar stool, trying to find the most comfortable way to sit on it while simultaneously attempting to guess its construction. He was rather surprised when Lamplight spoke to him, as if he had somehow forgotten that he was in the bar.

"Oh, errr... great!" he said when Lamplight acknowledged that she served alcoholic coffees, rubbing his hooves together in anticipation of the warm drink "Thanks. Anyway, I'm from Manehatten originally, born and bred. Worked in the library there, but it wasn't exactly my favorite city, and besides, I'm the sort of pony that always likes to try new things until I'm good at them, and before long I'd read a decent book from every single section of the library. So yeah, no sooner had I heard there was a job opening here than I packed my wagon and trotted off."

Offline Curtis

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Re: A Nice Calm Drink
« Reply #9 on: March 05, 2014, 07:20:55 pm »
Settled in his normal spot to one side of the front of the bar, Curtis took his drink in both hooves, returning Lamplight's friendly smile with a small smile of his own, and attempting to cover up the tiniest hint of a blush that this caused him, by raising the mug to his face and taking a gentle sip, sighing slightly at the familiar taste of his normal cider.

Placing the mug down before him, never one for drinking quickly, Curtis leaned forward interestedly, listening intently to Dais and Lamplight's conversation, although he didn't yet contribute, too busy pushing his mug around on the bartop with a hoof in between sips, and glancing up occasionally at the burnt-orange maned mare.

Offline Lamplight

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Re: A Nice Calm Drink
« Reply #10 on: March 07, 2014, 01:45:14 pm »
Lamplight nods at Dais, keeping an easy smile on her face. "I've visited Manehattan a few times, Always plenty of fun stuff to do there. Never stayed longer than a week though, just too crowded for my tastes." She glances over at Curtis, the donkey seemingly distracted by something. "Have you ever been to Manehattan? I forget if you ever told me you've traveled any."

Offline Curtis

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Re: A Nice Calm Drink
« Reply #11 on: March 09, 2014, 09:12:19 pm »
Curtis slowly stopped pushing his mug around as Lamplight addressed him, the donkey looking up with a small smile on his face, clearly glad that the topic had moved towards something he could actually talk about, as he drew himself up a little on his seat, actually managing to meet the orange mare's eye with his own dark green.

"A-actually, yes, Miss Lamplight. A little while after I left Canterlot; I spent a few years travelling around Equestria, seeing the sights, and whether or not there was anyplace I could call home. Manehatten was one place I stopped on the way, albeit not for too long. Just didn't seem the kind of place I could settle down and be successful." Curtis explained, his best attempt at an easy smile on his face, as he recalled the few years of travel he had experienced before his arrival and decision to stay in Ponyville.

Offline Dais Clash

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Re: A Nice Calm Drink
« Reply #12 on: March 17, 2014, 09:22:24 pm »
Dais pretended to listen as he thirstily rubbed his hoof in small circles on the bar counter. He'd been over much the same with Curtis down by the pool earlier, so instead he thought to move the conversation along to somepony he didn't know much about.

"How about you?" Dais asked the barkeeper whose name he had forgotten "Have you always owned this place?"

Offline Lamplight

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Re: A Nice Calm Drink
« Reply #13 on: March 19, 2014, 02:02:47 pm »
Lamplight, finishing up Dais' drink, sets it down in front of the thirsty stallion, though she keeps her attention on Curtis. "I traveled myself until about two years ago." She says, about to ask if Curtis had gone anywhere interesting when Dais speaks up. "Nah, this place was around before I got here. It was empty for a while before I bought it though, the last owner had some health problems and couldn't keep it running." Lamplight says, shifting her gaze between the two. "Like I said, before that I traveled for about eight years just going wherever sounded interesting at the time." She looks back at Dais. "I take it you haven't traveled much"
« Last Edit: March 19, 2014, 02:05:59 pm by Lamplight »

Offline Dais Clash

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Re: A Nice Calm Drink
« Reply #14 on: March 19, 2014, 06:07:13 pm »
Dais took a slow, deliberate sip from his mug that lasted many seconds, before saying anything else. He savored the taste for a moment, swallowing carefully.

"Not bad" he said "Anyway, I'm afraid you'd be right... in your kind of sense. My family went on outings every now and again, typically to cheer on my father, who played hoofball professionally all over the place. I've been to Canterlot a few times to see my royal guard brother. But other than that it's all been Manehatten or here. Then again I've read a lot of books about all the places in Equestria..."

Dais took another sip from his drink before continuing.

"I haven't really heard of a pony with a barkeeping cutie mark travel around so much. How did that happen?"

 


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