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Post by thepatriot on Oct 18, 2011 15:15:57 GMT -5
Quillson stepped back with ease to let Nimble in, but was slightly amused by his response to the interior of the structure. After all, he DID just answer the door. He was quick to go about righting the misinformation however. Starting with a short laugh he started.
"Oh, no Nimble. I'm not the owner of th-"
That was as far into his speech that Quill got before he was suddenly interrupted by the arrival of a new pony. This new Unicorn walked right into Aestella's abode, with little more than a simple arrival introduction. Quill hadn't seen a pony like her in a long while, especially one who was armed with a weapon.
He glanced back, hoping that Aestella would be out from under the table by now to set things straight but she was nowhere to be seen. Wonderful... In an attempt to keep the situation under control for all the ponies, Quill addressed the newcomer.
"Well, hello there. I can't say we've met before. The name's Quillson Oatswrite. Welcome to Like Clockwork, the store here owned by my friend Aestella."
After closing the door to the exterior softly, Quill outstretched a foreleg to the Unicorn, greeting her with a kind smile.
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Post by watcher on Oct 18, 2011 17:15:36 GMT -5
Nimble had just enough time to see Aestella, and start to say hi, before he nearly jumps out of his skin. Quickly turning around, he notices a light blue pony just walking inside."W-wait, who are you? I haven't seen you around before?" Then he notices that Aestella dropped back under the table, and he goes to comfort her.
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Post by diamondpoint on Oct 18, 2011 19:43:44 GMT -5
Diamond looked around at the room, only half listening to the two stallions she surprised. Her ear perked when the white colt who had held open the door called the place a shop, and she quickly turned to him, "A shop? How can this be a shop? There's almost nothing on display. So, unless you're selling shelf space, this is a very silly shop." She paused to think for a second, her white tail flicking slightly, "...Are you selling shelf space? I don't have much yet, but when I do it will be good to know there's some place I can put them."
She then went back to looking at the room, and actually moving around to get a closer look at the shelving. She apparently didn't notice the extended hoof or the question to as who she was. She stopped in front of a shelf and, using her magic, removed the quiver of arrows that rested on her back and placed it on the shelf. She then took a moment to regard it, tilting her head this way and that, seeming to decide if she likes it or not.
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Post by zasknu on Oct 18, 2011 20:51:28 GMT -5
With an agonizing lack of urgency, Aestella made her way out from under the table with Nimble's help. In her mind, she scolded herself for behaving so poorly in front of those she knew she should be neighborly towards. However, being so close to these strangers was keeping her on edge and she was unable to focus on any one thing long enough to find her voice to thank Nimble for his help. Looking over towards the newest arrival, she visibly paled and began to tremble in fear. Before her on the other side of the table, was a new pony, a completely NEW pony who not only had shown up unannounced like the other but had seen fit to start putting her things on her nice clean shelves. To her surprise, she suddenly found herself standing next to the strange sky blue unicorn and speaking louder than normal (though still quiet to others).
"W-what are you doing? T-that shouldn't be there..." Aestella gasped without thinking, then bit her lip as she realized she was being rude. "I'm s-sorry... I'm Aestella... can I help you, miss?" She shook in panic, her eyes darting back and forth from the unicorn's quiver to the unicorn herself. "Oh what do I do? She's making a mess of the place! Who knows how long it will take me to straighten everything up once she's gone! What if her quiver scratches the wood? Or worse, scratches the wall!? Oh this is bad, really bad, Oh I should never have left my door unlocked! No amount of company is worth this!" Aestella's mind raced with thoughts of infinite ways in which the current situation could go wrong, as she continued to stand next to the unicorn, mouth agape and staring.
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Post by thepatriot on Oct 18, 2011 22:13:23 GMT -5
Qull stood there waiting for the new Unicorn to reply, but she turned her attention to the barren shelves. Worse than that, she had completely blown off his introduction! There were few things that really got at Quillson, and that was pretty close to the top of the list.
However, Aestella's sudden burst of assertiveness towards the Unicorn certainly surprised him. But mostly it just made him laugh on the inside. She really did take the emptiness here seriously, and he could tell she wasn't about to let that be ruined.
Slightly less perturbed, Quillson lowered his front hoof and squinted over at the newcomer. Taking a deep breath he marched over beside her, plucking the Unicorn's quiver from the otherwise empty shelving. He held the bundle of arrows out before her, carefully.
"It would be best if you held onto these yourself. Aestella here is rather sensitive about how things are organized in her shop."
He kept a neutral face during the interaction, not wanting to come off as angry or upset with the Unicorn. She hadn't done anything "wrong", but she certainly wasn't making things easy at that moment...
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Post by watcher on Oct 18, 2011 22:56:29 GMT -5
After getting Aestella out from the table, and watching her stand up to the new pony, with Quillson backing her up. Nimble gives the room a good look, noting how all the shelves are exactly alike, and all completely spotless. Hay, and I though I was a neat freak, there isn't even any dust! Then he notices the bag of arrows on the shelf, and those were obviously not Aestella's or Quillson's, just as Quillson picks them up and hands them to the new pony. He looks over the new pony, who seemed to be almost oblivious to all the happenings around her. "Hello there, what's your name?"
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Post by diamondpoint on Oct 18, 2011 23:17:54 GMT -5
Diamond shook her head, deciding that her arrows didn't look good up on the shelf. Maybe against a wall or hanging up. 'I wonder if they sell that too?' She was about to take the bag down when she heard a soft, although panicky voice next to her. She turned to see a periwinkle unicorn there who seemed very upset at her arrows being on the shelf. Diamond took a step back to get a better look at the other mare. She didn't remember seeing her when she came in. "Now where did you come from...?" she asked aloud, but quietly, as if to herself.
Before she could figure out the shy Unicorn, the white stallion who had opened the door walked over and took down her arrows and held them out to her. "Oh." She glanced back at the shelf, "Right." She took her quiver in her magic and returned it to its rightful spot on her back. "Sorry about that. I get carried away sometimes." she smiled at the three other ponies.
"I'm Diamond Point, I just arrived in town. And I apologize about barging in like I did, but I don't know where the Inn is yet and I saw your light. Speaking of, did you know you have a glowing clock outside? Brilliant little thing, but aren't you supposed to hang clocks on the inside of a building? At least, that's how we do it back in Canterlot. Maybe this is just a Hoofington thing. Either way, very eye catching. Brought me over like a Parasprite to pie." she paused, realizing she got sidetracked, "Sorry again! Who might you all be?"
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Post by zasknu on Oct 18, 2011 23:38:50 GMT -5
"Deep breaths, Aestella... Deep breaths" Listening to her inner voice, Aestella took a few deep breaths, calming herself down so she could think and respond appropriately. She inched closer to the shelf, getting close enough so she could inspect it thoroughly. She frowned when she noticed small bits of leaves and a little dust had collected where the quiver had been set down. "Oh no... I knew this would happen... They are all going to think that I'm such a slob now. Oh where did I leave my dust cloth? Oh right... my workshop." Turning back to the unicorn who had just identified herself as Diamond Point, she spoke quietly and calmly having returned to her 'normal' self.
"I'm A-Aestella... and I put the clock outside because... well... Where I grew up there was a big clock tower that let everypony know the time... and well... Hoofington didn't have one... so I just..." She backed up a bit, avoiding eye contact and dropping her voice down to barely a whisper, "Thought it would make me feel more at home..."
Looking down at her hooves, she felt that she had said enough and took another step back towards the wall and the shelf that was now mocking her with it's uncleanliness. Closing her eyes, Aestella's horn lit up with a cyan light, and after a few seconds, a simple white cloth floats in and sits in the air in front of her. Opening her eyes once more, she turns back to the shelf and begins to wipe it down with the cloth, becoming oblivious to all else in the room.
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Post by thepatriot on Oct 19, 2011 0:01:53 GMT -5
Diamond's introduction, and apology at her actions put Quillson fully at ease. He shouldn't have gotten so huffed up over nothing, especially to a new pony in town. She seemed perfectly fine. Kind, respectful, and extremely talkative and excited. That sort of emotional action sparked Quill's interest. She seemed almost as inquisitive as himself.
Quillson waited for Aestella to finish her talk with Diamond before he made any moves of his own. He glanced over his shoulder back towards the magical floating dusting items, noting Aestella's glowing horn. She took it even more seriously than he'd though...
Wanting to make a better impression on the new Filly, Quill once again outstretched his hoof to the light blue Unicorn. With a smile he introduced himself once more.
"I'm Quillson Oatswrite. It's wonderful to meet a new pony such as yourself Diamond Point! If you're looking for the inn, I may be able to help with that information. I'm relatively new here as well, and I'm staying at it myself."
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Post by watcher on Oct 19, 2011 12:47:41 GMT -5
Nimble just stares at the new pony, Diamond Point. How does she say so much so quickly, without taking a breath? He shakes his head, getting that thought out of his head, and extends a hoof. "Hi there! My name's Nimble! I own the bookstore down the street."
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Post by diamondpoint on Oct 19, 2011 13:36:56 GMT -5
Diamond listened to Aestella's explanation for the clock being out side. It made sense enough. The poor filly was just home sick. She gave a soft smile, almost endearingly, at the she Unicorn and watched her for a moment as she started to clean the shelf. Diamond chuckled lightly and turned back to the two males and met their extended hooves with her own.
"Wonderful to meet you all, and I would love some directions, Quillson. And I'll definitely have to stop by your shop sometime, Nimble Mind. I always enjoy learning more about things that catch my interest." she said, shaking their hooves in turn.
She gave glance back at Aestella and shuffled around to stand next to Quillson, so they would both be facing the cleaning mare, and leaned in close to whisper, "...She's kind of cute when she gets flustered like that, isn't she?" she then tried to stifle a giggle and failed.
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Post by Watermark on Oct 19, 2011 14:43:42 GMT -5
From the small puddle left at the door by Diamond Point, a rather small and unimpressive thing, rose, as if by elevator, one of the strangest unicorns the ponies in the room have ever seen. Tattooed in dark blue stripes over his dark grey fur, and with a mane-cut that would look good on either a Zebra, or a pony Punk enthusiast. His bizarre entrance only served to enhance the oddity of his appearance, and the eerie grin plastered on his fresh looking face served only to increase it.
"My my! So may ponies, so little time!" He chortled happily, quickly shaking off his hooves from the water and entering as though it was his home. "Such a lovely place you have here!" He commented, turning to Diamond Point he cooed quietly, "And so many ponies to visit! Here," He said, and the puddle of water was now gathered into a small, ice statuette of Diamond Point, perfect in every detail, down to the cutie mark. "This is for you!" He said, handing the statuette over to the mare, grin still plastered on his face.
He was not wearing any particular item of clothing other than a bold necklace around his neck, with a single pearl shaped glass sphere, containing something misty that swirled inside. Surely this pony, or whatever he was had to have come from somewhere? None of the ponies ever even saw him around Hoofington, not to mention anywhere near this house when they came in or before so. Just who was that pony?
"Ha, ha, silly, I'm watermark!" Watermark replied, and to Diamond Point he further stressed, "I love turquoise, it meshes so well with the lavender!"
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Post by kuruka on Oct 19, 2011 15:27:21 GMT -5
Kuruka didn't know why she was out here. Hoofington was still new to her, albeit not as new as it was yesterday. She shivered in the cold, grumbling her own reprimand for wandering about in the snow when an emerging figure gave her pause. Was that a zebra rising out of the ground? Curious and more than a little tentative, Kuruka hugged the snow, cursing her black tattoos and highlights, and slunk toward the building. Ever so carefully, she glanced over the edge of the outer window and studied the strange new pony. Kuruka knew she shouldn't judge a pony by their looks, but this stallion's grin made the fur on her back prickle. Still, she only watched. While Nimble Mind and Quillson were more intellectual ponies, they would be able to hold their own for at least long enough for Kuruka to decipher this stranger's style. The mare was armed. That was even better. Then she spotted Aestella. Kuruka's stomach froze, then shriveled, her heart pounding in alarm. Her protective instincts were now heightened and Kuruka thanked her ancestors she'd thought to bring her shield and spear. It took quite some time for her to relax and remind herself she still didn't know the stranger's motives. She decided to wait just a little longer to enter, though. No sense going in while she was in such a hostile mood and scaring the others. Especially Aestella, her Amali away from Amali.
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Post by zasknu on Oct 19, 2011 15:55:26 GMT -5
"There... almost... Done. Perfect and spotless." Aestella folded up the cloth, and set it down on the table next to her scrolls and diagrams. She turned to try and apologize to Diamond Point when she saw him. The stripes, the mane, the grin. She had never even heard him enter the room and the idea that he just appeared as if he had somehow materialized out of her floor itself was too outlandish to even cross her mind. Her mind raced and heart pounded in her chest as he talked, seeming to answer questions that as far as she could tell nopony had asked. it was too much, just too much for Aestella to handle in one morning. She opened her mouth to say something, to vocalize anything, even a squeak to try and find out what was going on, but no sound came out. With a twitch of her left eye she did something she never thought she'd ever have to do. She ran.
Sprinting out of the entry room of her home, she ran into her storage room and took a sharp right into the hallway that branched off of the room, leading away from her workshop. She passed by her kitchen it's adjacent pantry, passed the large empty room she hadn't found a use for yet, and towards what appeared to be a closet door at the end of the hall. She flung the door open with her magic and leapt inside, slamming the door closed behind her. The tiny room she entered was probably the most crowded room in her home, it's entire floor space taken up by the few objects that had been moved inside of it. In front of Aestella was a small trunk, containing her vest and a couple of clothing items. On top of the trunk were a pair of mechanical birds, standing silently and motionlessly waiting for a simple turn of a key to come to 'life', both had small clocks built into their chests and small lamps inside their heads, so that light could pour out of their eyes. Aestella threw herself onto the last thing the tiny room contained; a small mattress, bare save for a thin pillow and a single sheet. She wrapped herself in the sheet and covered her face with the pillow, wishing that the morning had just been a nightmare that she could wake up from and forget.
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Post by thepatriot on Oct 19, 2011 17:40:58 GMT -5
Quillson was taken aback by Diamond's remark over Aestella. Had she really said that? That was a bit forward, more so than Quill expected. Unless she was simply innocently asking.... No, there's the laugh. With a bit of a puzzled look, Quillson turned to respond to the Unicorn.
"Well, uh... I guess so. I mean she-"
That was when the pony seemed to materialize out of the floor behind them. Was he some sort of Zebra? Those striped certainly didn't look natural to their species.... but more importantly who was this?! Why were they introducing into Aestella's home in such a manner...
Quillson stepped forward in a defensive stance, attempting to put himself in front of the others and this... newcomer. He attempted to speak out at the Pony, but was suddenly interrupted by his speak towards Diamond. Was he handing her an... ice statue? Watermark? What in the hay is....
The sudden clopping of hooves across the floor caused Quill to turn once again. He barely saw Aestella leap out of the room in long strides, disappearing further into the house. Glancing back once more at the newcomer who seemed fully confident in speaking with Diamond, Quill rushed after Aestella to ensure that she was all right.
He followed her through the house, passing the barren and institutional rooms, whose plain white walls mirrored the light of the house around him. Quill stopped short behind Aestella, the slamming of the small closet door inches from his face. At first he tried the door, before turning back to see if he had been followed.
"Aestella? Aestella, it's me Quillson. It's all right, don't worry a single moment. Everything's all right. Everything's all right..."
Or at least he hoped it was. Who knows what this newcomer's intent just might be...
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