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Post by King Tidal Wave on Dec 28, 2013 0:22:39 GMT -5
Cobb seemed to be ignoring most of what Lucky said, perhaps because he didn't have any interest in the subject. "How's the studying going, Son?" he asked Tanner, as if the pegasus wasn't even at the table.
"Um, fine Dad," Tanner answered, awkwardness seeming to hang in his voice.
"Any word on when they're going to call you back?"
"Not unless they're been something in the mail."
"Mmm," the patriarch responded, seeming to end the aside for a moment and giving Tanner a moment to clear his throat.
"So, Lucky, why don't you tell us more about this expedition you're going on?"
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Post by Lucky Charm on Dec 28, 2013 4:40:21 GMT -5
Lucky nodded, apparently unbothered by Cobb's disinterest. He was a bit miffed that nogriffon asked about the necklace - they usually did when he said it was his favorite, since it didn't look all that impressive - but it didn't last. Tanner's question soon had him talking animatedly again. "I don't actually know a lot yet," he admitted. "Once I get to Trottingham I meet up with the rest of the expedition for a proper briefing. Obviously the destination is a total mystery - that's our job, after all." He smiled at that. "I can't wait."
He paused briefly, considering something, then continued. "I can infer a few things from what I've got. This kind of event is usually connected to the ancient Equitarian Empire; even if it's not, buildings don't just appear out of nowhere, so obviously whatever race built it had powerful magic. It's not uncommon for old wards and magical traps to persist for a long time, though mechanical traps usually rust or rot or otherwise decay; we'll probably have a unicorn along to help find any leftover magic that might be dangerous.
"Then there's the question of what caused it to appear. If it were just invisible, somepony or somegriffon would have bumped into it over the years. Odds are it literally wasn't there until just recently. So where was it? Did it even exist? Way too many questions, but here's a thought: I once read a story about a castle that was cast through time by a powerful dragon. Pure fiction, but in the story the ponies inside the castle all woke up to find hundreds of years had passed. Maybe this temple, or whatever it is, hasn't aged a day. There might even still be living beings inside, afraid to come out. The sea ponies haven't even gone close to the place yet, so who knows? Food for thought."
He munched on some more salad. It was almost finished by now. "Speaking of food, this really is wonderful. Do you grow these here?"
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Post by King Tidal Wave on Dec 31, 2013 15:05:19 GMT -5
"Selma has a garden across the road," Fern answered. "She usually gives out what she grows to the community."
"Not that I'm an expert, but a temple getting teleported from the past sounds a little far-fetched," Tanner spoke. "Being concealed I could buy. From what I know the Equiterians were good at hiding things. I heard a while back that they had only just discovered an Equiterian fort or something in the mountains. Some mare from Manehattan sent in her own expedition to clear the place out."
"Someone should of stopped her," Cobb added, making a large cut in his fish. "If its in Griffon territory then Griffons can handle it. Don't need a rich showboat from Equestria to take what's in our mountains for herself."
"Well at least that's not happening this time," Tanner said neutrally after swallowing a bite of food. "Lucky said a griffon's putting together the expedition to the bay."
"Someone we would know?" Cobb asked the pegasus.
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Post by Lucky Charm on Jan 1, 2014 7:33:19 GMT -5
Lucky knew it sounded pretty crazy - from what little he knew of magic after having sat through that introductory course to advanced unicorn magic theory (he was the only non-unicorn in attendance) it was more than a bit farfetched; time travel spells weren't impossible, but just getting one pony across a short temporal distance took a lot of power, and even then it was temporary, as they'd return to their own time once the spell expired. Sending a whole temple across uncounted centuries for days at least, maybe forever? Only on a slim technicality did it escape being labeled physically impossible. But a pony could dream, right?
At Cobb's question, Lucky thought back as best he could. "Hard to say," he admitted. "He said his name was Shoal, of the Whitecaps, and he's an ambassador. Come to that, he didn't mention where to, but I'd guess to the sea ponies, since he was talking about their reactions and putting this together largely for their benefit. The Council doesn't seem to think it's a priority, hence why he's putting this together himself. That's probably also why he's hiring freelancers at all. My lucky day, right?"
He shrugged, smiling. "I can actually see the Council's point, with all the rebuilding to do something like this does seem like it'd have to wait. I can barely imagine what the war's done to the infrastructure." The Pegasus considered the matter for a moment before shrugging a second time. "Either way, it could be dangerous and will definitely be interesting. Might even yield something useful for the Kingdom. Sounds like reason enough to go in and take a look."
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Post by King Tidal Wave on Jan 7, 2014 12:40:06 GMT -5
Cobb shook his head as Lucky explained who Shoal was. He clearly had no familiarity with any ambassador the the hippocampi.
The griffon seemed to scoff at Lucky's mention of the Council, but waited until the pegasus had finished speaking to say anything. "The Council has no idea what it's doing. The princess, sorry, ex-princess... I don't even know what's going through her mind. Probably caught up in the romantics of revolutionary fervor."
Both Fern and Tanner remained silent, continuing to eat if only to avoid making their lack of comment seem too purposeful.
"I heard she used to be lovestruck with some Pony general. Probably why she's in Equestria now. Kingdom goes through the biggest crisis in centuries and the first thing she does is go off to see him."
"Wouldn't trust her or the Council to fly North given a compass. Probably why your ambassador-friend's organizing this thing for himself."
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Post by Lucky Charm on Jan 7, 2014 13:18:34 GMT -5
Lucky shrugged. "Sometimes if you want something done right, you gotta stick your own claws in," he agreed amiably. He'd heard vague rumors about the former princess' interests, but being a pony who chased down stories any time he wasn't learning a new skill or exploring some far-flung corner of nowhere, he knew better than to trust rumors.
He scratched his chin thoughtfully. "You'll have to forgive my ignorance," he went on, "but I just got back to the Kingdom yesterday and I haven't heard much about the Council's policies. Or the Council, period. What are they doing that's so crazy?" Somehow Lucky had a feeling Cobb would be only too happy to tell him, so he chewed on what was left of his salad while waiting on the answer.
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Post by King Tidal Wave on Jan 7, 2014 13:35:04 GMT -5
"It's what they're doing and what they aren't doing. The princess is indulging herself with foreign policy towards a kingdom already at war, which is the last thing that we need. She should be using her authority to get the Fifth Fleet back, not turning a blind eye to secret alliances they made with the Equestrian government."
By now everyone had finished their meals, and Fern had gotten up to start collecting the plates.
"And the council is controlled by the admirals, griffons with no experience in government. We're a kingdom. We need a king, a ruler. And griffons around him who know how to run a kingdom. All the council knows how to do is repair buildings. Then what? What happens when an actual political decision needs to be made?"
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Post by Lucky Charm on Jan 7, 2014 14:01:55 GMT -5
"Running a military is a lot different from running a government," Lucky agreed, scooping up his plate and handing it to Fern, whom he thanked again for the lovely meal. "This seems like a time to consolidate. I still agree with focusing on the rebuilding for now, but once that's over..."
He chewed his lip uncomfortably. "I don't like to be pessimistic, but if it really is mostly admirals on the Council then there may be rough sailing ahead.
"If the Council does turn out to be incompetent, I don't expect the Griffons would put up with it for long, but even so the damage done could be too much by then. There's always the chance they'll shape up or at least get decent advisors, but hoping for the best doesn't get far in politics, does it?"
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Post by King Tidal Wave on Jan 11, 2014 20:09:00 GMT -5
"No, it doesn't. And that's exactly what the revolution was built on: false hope. Manipulation of The Hollows to change who calls the shots."
Fern was in the other room cleaning the dishes, while Tanner remained where he was, silent and with his talons folded. It seemed he knew better than to interrupt. Or he just didn't have anything to say.
"Don't even me started on the Eight Fleet. 'Fleet of the Hollows'. Biggest sham this kingdom's seen. Where's our fleet? Do the griffons who live in the valley not count? No, they just needed something to keep favor. Try to prove that The Hollows wasn't just an excuse to commit regicide."
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Post by Lucky Charm on Jan 12, 2014 5:27:46 GMT -5
"I wondered about the Valley too," Lucky admitted, choosing to be tactful about that last part. Which in his experience ment not mentioning it at all. "It's not right to leave the Griffons here undefended, but it's not a strategic decision either. Royal Rocks borders the Valley. I should know, I fell off the edge and landed here last night." At the looks this garnered him, he added "I was in a barrel- It's a long story, not important.
"The point is," he continued, "you'd think that even if they didn't care about the Griffons here - already unacceptable - they'd at least station a few patrols here to watch for invaders from this approach, but every time I went up to scout the area or check my landmarks I didn't see a single ship or even a lone Griffon in the sky, and I can see pretty far. I thought maybe they were still rebuilding the fleets, restructuring and so on, but then you tell me about this 'Eighth Fleet' business.
"So now I just have to wonder if they're even thinking this through," he finished, shaking his head. "I don't know, there's a Council full of admirals, they probably understand defense better than a random Pegasus off the side of the road, but I always thought you were supposed to patrol the lands. Not just ignore everygriffon on your own front lawn."
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Post by King Tidal Wave on Jan 15, 2014 14:33:30 GMT -5
"It's not about defense. The other fleets are more then capable of defending the entire kingdom. The Hollows doesn't need their own fleet, especially when no one's got any reason to attack it. The Eighth Fleet's only there for show, so The Hollow can feel good about backing the Revolution and not question whether they were just being used."
Tanner cleared his throat, finally managing to get a word in about something other than Fleets or the Revolution. "You're certain you're alright with sleeping somewhere in the valley?" he asked. "Not certain how cold it's supposed to be tonight."
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Post by Lucky Charm on Jan 15, 2014 18:26:45 GMT -5
Lucky looked out the window thoughtfully. "It's not ideal," he admitted. "Fall nights are getting colder, but I wouldn't want to impose any more than I already have. You've given me dinner and a place at the table, I can hardly ask for a place to sleep too. Especially when all I have in return are stories to tell."
He did have a few bits Shoal had given him for travel expenses, but he didn't know how much the trip to Trottingham would cost, not to mention supplies. In a post-revolution economy it could be anything. Still a few tales told had gotten him a night's stay and some food before. Maybe he'd get lucky.
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Post by King Tidal Wave on Jan 15, 2014 20:59:18 GMT -5
Tanner and Cobb exchanged looks with eachother. "You're leaving in the morning, right?" Cobb asked, turning towards Lucky.
"Of course," Tanner answered for the pegasus. "He's got to be on his way to Trottingham for the expedition."
Cobb let out an exhale through his nares. followed by slowly standing up and pushing his chair in. "He can sleep in your bed. You can sleep in Warden's."
Tanner waited until Cobb was out of the room before speaking to Lucky. "Sorry about him. He doesn't usually have someone new to make complaints to." The griffon got up from his chair, leading Lucky out of the room and up the stairs. "At least this way you won't have to sleep out in the cold. Don't know how I would have slept knowing we'd sent you back into the valley for the night."
"Bathroom's here," Tanner said, pointing to a door they passed in the upstairs hallway. He then opened the door to a plain-looking bedroom. Two beds, parallel and at opposite ends of the room. Blue wallpaper, blue covers, two dressers, two closets. One one of them had some model airships resting on top of it, the other a stack of books.
"This is your bed," Tanner said, pointing to the bed that looked a lot more recently used. The griffon promptly did his best to straighten its covers and pillows. "Sorry about the mess. Anything else I can get you?"
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Post by Lucky Charm on Jan 15, 2014 21:21:52 GMT -5
The pegasus, for his part, was more cheerful than ever. Sure, pegasi had a fair tolerance for cold - they lived and worked in high atmosphere - and Lucky in particular was well used to sleeping in odd conditions, but that didn't make it comfortable, and certainly not fun to sleep in. "No," he answered, grinning broadly, "this is great, thank you."
For a moment Lucky took in the (sparse) decor of the room. Unsurprisingly, the books were on Tanner's side and the airships on Warden's. He considered taking a closer look, but after the meal and everything he was beginning to feel how tired the day had left him. Even if they had been numb the last couple of hours, the stab wounds had kind of slowed him down. "I won't lie," he continued cheerfully, "even with a sleeping bag I wasn't looking forward to a night in the cold."
He walked over to stand next to his bed for the night and gave Tanner a grateful smile. "I hope you don't mind if I turn in around now, I've had kind of a long day. If you like, I'll be happy to tell those stories in the morning, but right now I think the trip's starting to catch up with me. Not sure I'll be able to finish."
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