[Solstice Heights] Chai Mare Mornings (Open for business!)

[crp_dude]

“Ugh, I poured my life’s work and three months of financing into this place, I would have hoped for some new business by now…” A brown mare commented while wiping a wooden bar table off, which she often did when she was out of things to keep her busy. It wasn’t so much for the money though, as one might have expected from her. This mare named Masala Chai was simply tired of the routine. First thing in the morning, the same three ponies ordered their teas and left without a word. Boooriiing. Then in the afternoon, Apis paid a visit, followed by a mess to clean up, which she silently decided was his job next time it happened, not hers. He wasn’t unpleasant company, not at all. However, it seemed as though he was content to reserve his klutzy moments for when he was among friends, and with her being the only one in his immediate area, that was a bit of an annoyance. Then, late night, a cup of hot cocoa for a chocoholic artist that happened to wander into her store after getting lost a few weeks ago. They came every day, but new ponies added new possibilities, new brewings, new conversation, and yet another chance at finding what she was really after. The grating routine made her begin to lose hope, and become rather tired of work, even after only five months. Maybe it was the location? Did the building materials look ugly compared to its surroundings? Not ‘fancy’ enough? Whatever the case, it wasn’t getting her much business, but the ponies that did give the place a shot loved it, which meant it must not be getting enough attention. So, Masala, being a busybody when it comes to attention, especially when deprived of any busywork outside of scrubbing the bar table, made signs advertising her shop and eagerly placed them all about the Heights last night. She hadn’t slept since then, but was just as sane as she usually was; it took more than just a day’s lack of sleep to get her on the crazy side. She assumed that it was just getting to be morning, since the outside streets looked a bit brighter than they were a few hours ago. She put the washrag on the table, and moved over to the window to see how things were going.

Her café was natural and fairly homely, being made of dark wood and fresh logs, almost like a cabin of sorts. It had a porch out in the front with two tables, sheltered by a slanting roof. The inside wasn’t much different: light wood bar table (her greatest foe) with matching barstools, six tables to the left, were you to walk in the door, with a few bookshelves filled with light reads, from commonplace to oddities in the world of novels. On one table, a chess set stood, with the pieces in their proper place. Apis would play the game with himself from time to time; whatever amused him was fine with her, she didn’t judge. The lighting was basic, firefly lamps hung above the bar table did the trick, day or night. While Masala was well used to it, the humid air, filled with the smell of herbs and spices, would have hit anypony coming in for the first time. To the right was a door leading to a singular bathroom, just for the sake of being thorough. On the inside face of the bar table, cabinets stored cups and plates of all kinds and sizes, the plates being for some small treats she sold, on a shining silver display platter on the rightmost edge of the bar table. There was a back room as well, where Masala grew the plants she used from scratch, and brewed them into teas of many a kind. It was an expensive trade, especially how she did it, but it was worth it to her.

She noted that the lamps outside began to dim, meaning that it was almost morning, which also meant that she could expect those three ponies in a few hours. But she kept her hopes up, thinking that somepony must have noticed the signs she posted. Masala trotted back over to the bar table, removed the washrag and put it in a sink behind the table, and waited for her first customers, or anypony that may happen to show up before them.

[Duchess]

It was yet another early morning for Polaris; there had been some restructuring of the diplomatic service following Princess Cadance's expansion of the Canterlot Royal Public Relations Office and the rather inconvenient resignation of the previous Director-General, and the new pony in charge seemed to be one pressed straight from the mould of Dusty Chronicle. He was officious, pedantic, a workaholic and a perfectionist – and those were his good points. All this summed up to far too many early mornings for Polaris as he turned in his reports and was called back to the chancellery in Castle Canterlot time and again to explain some point of diplomatic minutiae that, really, as an ambassador in his own right, he shouldn't be being questioned on.

At first, Polaris had borne it with equanimity – the new chap was just getting settled in, finding his hooves and getting used to the lofty heights the head of the service existed at – but as the days and weeks went by and there seemed to be no let-up in the endless round of questions about what seemed to be every single day of his last tour of duty, he found his pleasant expression towards his superior increasingly difficult to maintain. Especially when the insane – Polaris mentally edited this to 'difficult'; a diplomat's habits were hard to break – pony started to demand meetings at earlier and earlier hours.

That was how Polaris happened to be so far from central Canterlot so early in the morning; a walk through the near-sleeping city before heading to the Castle and another fraught meeting of mutually-incompatible minds had always been his balm-of-choice, and as time wore on he found himself ranging further and further afield before he felt calm enough to face the chancellery.

He was about to turn back and head once more into the centre of the city when a heady melange of smells drifted across his sensitive nose – he sneezed, convulsively, eyes watering as he dabbed at them with a square of golden silk – and he turned to look curiously about, hunting for what could have created such a scent at what was, to Polaris, such an ungodly hour.

The smell of a hundred herbs and exotic spices filled his nostrils as he trotted closer to an unusual, cabin-like structure that positively screamed 'Earth Pony'; something more unlike the alabaster, marble and white stucco of royal (and unicorn) architecture could scarcely have been imagined. Incongruous, that was the word – it looked rather as though someone had abruptly transplanted a woodcutter's cabin out of a forest and into the suburban idyll.

Well, it was dreadfully early in the morning, and there was no-one about to see in any case. He nosed open the door carefully, and looked around curiously – the lighting was dim, occasioned by firefly lamps not unlike those Polaris's gardeners used, but bright enough to reveal at least the salient details of the place. The scents in here were even stronger than they had been outside – which was logical – and underlaid with a rich and slightly bitter smell that he was very used to. A smile touched his muzzle as he trotted further inside, towards the counter and the only other pony in the place.

“Good morning, miss,” he murmured, voice quiet and yet carrying. “What sort of tea would you recommend for a frustrated pony who shouldn't be up at this sort of hour?”

[Boss_Hoss1]

(OOC: up to mojo on if Jubilee was flying or riding...)

The twins flapped their way toward Canterlot, having finished their observations for the night.

Hoss was quite excited since he had brought his Special Somepony , the singing and dancing sensation, Jubilee.

Since it was a special night..err, morning, and they would be coming to Canterlot, it was decided to try out the teahouse Marsala Chai ran.

She had given them the business card the other day while waiting at a jewlers.

Shanna scanned the street markers inlaid in tile on the rooftop street corners. "Here we are, lets hover to a landing."

The yellow cart was levitated to a landing as the twins slowed their wingbeats and parked neatly.

Hoss unhitched and looked to Jubilee "We are here hon, ready for breakfast?"

Shanna trotted up and opened the door "Good morning Miss Chai, We thought we would try your shop after the other day, and we just got off our Starwatch duties."

Hoss entered, holding the door for Jubilee, when he spotted Duke Polaris. "Oh! Good morning, your Grace. How nice to meet you here."

[Mojo]

Jubilee Flyer

Julibee flew up towards the Skybright Twins as they were on the last leg of their flight to Canterlot. The petite blonde show pony was thrilled to be with her very special somepony once again. Sure, she could've rode in the cart but the excited Pegasus mare's desire to be as close to Hoss as she could prevailed. Finally, the trio landed and after the twins parked their cart, they approached the entrance to the tea room together.

"I sure am ready, darling," Jubilee said happily as they entered the establishment together. She recognized the Duke, having met him at a previous party.

"Duke Polaris," the blonde Pegasus mare said respectfully as she bowed to him. "It is a pleasure to meet you again."

[crp_dude]

Masala turned her notice to the customer who had arrived so early; long before those three ponies would come strolling in. She was actually rather impressed with how quick of a reaction time her advertising, direct or not, attracted attention to the place. Already there was one, and sure to be more. Still, this pony seemed as though he was here by accident, with a dreary and dead-tired look on his face. Having been up all night several times before, Masala could definitely relate. Still, she wondered what sort of work he did, to be so beat while she was wide awake and alert. Raising an inquisitive eyebrow, Masala rhetorically asked, “Working the night shift, eh? No worries, I’ve got something for ya’.” Masala got right to work, secretly eager to give the stallion something that might want him to come back. Heck, he could bring friends. And a friend-bringing tea always called for honey, and fresh ginger spice. Or at least, that’s what Masala told herself just now, without any prior experience. She got right to work, got a cup out of the cabinet below the table, and rushed outside. A few minutes later, she returned, saying, “Wait a tick, it’s brewing now. So, what’s a stallion of Canterlot doing all the way down here—“

She was cut off by a familiar sight. Shanna and Hoss entered and greeted Masala, which was a not at all unwelcome event; she was happy they showed up at all. Their addressing of the stallion that just walked in as a Duke, though, that was fairly surprising. Still, a customer was a customer. Elbows on the table, she sat down, rather casually returning the remark, “Hey you two, good to see ya’ again. Anything I can do ya’ for? And…” Masala took an additional moment to notice the blonde-haired Pegasus next to them, and asked, pointing a hoof in Jubilee’s direction with a slightly puzzled expression, “Who’s the mare?”

[Duchess]

Polaris gave the mare behind the counter a rather tired and surprised look. “The night shift? Dear lady, I do not work at night, and nor do I do 'shift work.'” His muzzle wrinkled at the thought and he pronounced the phrase as though he were a high society mare forced to pick up something nasty.

He sighed, relaxing slightly against the counter. “I merely have a new superior who appears to take some sort of perverse delight in picking apart every single decision I made on my last tour of duty, dragging me back time and again to Castle Canterlot when I'm supposed to be on holiday!” He smiled, ruefully. “If this keeps up, I shall do something I'll regret, I'm sure. Possibly involving said pony and a convenient fountain. Needless to say, that wouldn't be very good for my future career prospects – or my current ones, for that matter.” His eyes twinkled. “Which is mostly why I've ranged so far from central Canterlot, in truth; I find a walk through the city of a morning calms me enough that I don't want to pitch the current nemesis of my peace and well-being into a fountain, you see. Of course, with said nemesis scheduling our meetings earlier and earlier, I've-” at this point, Polaris yawned, genteelly covering his mouth with a hoof. “-oh, do excuse me. As I was saying, I've had to adjust my sleeping habits, and I'm not used to this sort of thing – as you can tell!” Another rueful smile, and then Polaris half-turned as his ears registered other ponies in the establishment and their greetings.

“Morning, sir Skybright,” he replied, equably. “You'll forgive me if I don't consider it particularly 'good' at this point in time.” He gave the rather perky - to him, at least - pony a wry smile, taking any bite out of his words. “Shanna, an unexpected delight to see you again. I trust I find you well?” His eyes flicked over to the third pony who'd just crossed the threshold. “And – Jubilee, isn't it? The pleasure's mine, miss, as ever. You're all in good health this abominably early morning?”

[Boss_Hoss1]

Hoss nodded in understanding to the Duke "Understandable, Duke Polaris. For us, this is our late afternoon. Not everypony is as glad to find themselves up at the end of Luna's glorious night, unfortunately."

Shanna smiled and gave a quick curtsy to the Duke. "We hope to meet her someday and thank her for these perfect nights for our work. I am doing quite well this morning, thank you Duke."

With Hoss adding "...And I as well, Duke Polaris."

When Marsala Chai addressed them, the twins turned back to her "Whatever you would reccomend to keep us bright and alert for our weather duties this morning, and something to eat with it."

"Yes, we are to help a weather crew shepard a decent rain over to the fields of Trottingham before we can go to bed..."

Hoss' eyes brightened at the question by Marsala "Oh! oh yes Please let me introduce a mare we hope to be Cloudsdale's answer to Sapphire Shores. Miss Chai, please meet Jubilee Flyer!"

[Mojo]

"I am deeply honored, your grace," Jubilee said as she bowed once more to Duke Polaris. "I hope your holiday time will be much better in the future."

Standing back up, the blonde Pegasus mare smiled as her very special somepony introduced her to Masala.

"Pleased to meet you, you have a very lovely place, Hoss has been telling me all about it. I can't wait to dine here!"

Although the petite Pegasus mare was excited to eat at a fasnicating new restaurant but even more thrilled that she was doing it with Hoss, the stallion of her dreams! She couldn't help but stare at his handsome face. Her heart skipped a beat as she stood next to him, daydreaming of the day they'd have a wedding that would rival that of Princess Cadance and Shining Armor!

[crp_dude]

Masala heard Polaris's comment on his "plan" in regards to his new manager, and couldn't help but crack up, never mind how insulting it might have been. Wiping away a tear from her left eye, she said, still laughing a little, "And this is why I decided not to work under anypony when I started a business. You might do it, but you're talking about it. Were it me, I would have just done it, zero warning! And, for the record, friend, I was using 'night shift' figuratively. Now, for you two..." Masala rubbed her chin a bit, half pretending to be unsure or thinking, and said to Hoss and Shanna, "Now, I can't claim to know anything about pegasi, so I'm going to try something, and it could either result in smashing success, or your heart stopping. Either way, it'll taste great, right?" Masala laughed half-heartedly, expecting something more akin to shock than amusement, thinking herself better with snide remarks than jokes of any sort. She began to walk to the brewing room to check on the duke's drink, and start some for the pegasi, when she forgot the last mare. Stopping, she turned her head and pointed a hoof to her, asking, "Do you want anything? If it's a tea, I have it, only better! If you're stuck for ideas, though, just tell me what you might be looking for, I can get something done about that."

[Duchess]

Polaris gave Masala a lopsided smile. "Ah, but when your whole job revolves around being nice to others, tipping a pony in a fountain is a bit of a black mark in the 'reasonableness' stakes." He paused, considering, and then said, rather whimsically: "Except possibly if they were on fire. Then I could probably get away with it - but only then, I fear." He waited, patiently enough, inhaling the potpourri of scents wafting from the mysterious recesses of the brewing room at the back of the cafe, whilst Masala bustled around talking - in a slightly unusual, mildly nervous sort of way - to the Skybright twins and Jubilee. Hopefully whatever drink the tea-pony had seen fit to prescribe for him would be ready soon; he was in the right sort of mood for a pick-me-up.

The duke allowed himself to relax slightly, happy to rest his hooves in a warm and cosy cafe that smelt pleasingly of tea and spices from across the globe and pleasantly filled with ponies he knew. "I wish I could wrangle the pair of you an introduction to Her Serene Highness, but..." he sighed lightly. "All my friends told me Princess Luna was very reclusive on my return to Canterlot - which is understandable, when you consider how much must have changed since she began her sojourn away from Equestria - and, unsurprisingly, such she has proved to be! I haven't seen hide nor hair of her yet - although, with Hoofburgh House just down the road from Castle Canterlot, I don't avail myself of the guest suites at the palace and so have no reason to be wandering the halls of the Castle late at night!" He paused, tapping his hooves absently on the wooden floor as he thought.

"On the other hoof, though - do you remember Ice Storm, from the CRPR event? The poor unicorn who had her mane bitten, if you'll recall. She had a meeting with Princess Luna one evening, in the park off Canterleigh Street. That was some time ago, admittedly, but it does give one hope that our lunar Princess doesn't live in the Castle observatory, eh? Still, all of that's a bit wooly, really. Bit too reliant on chance and circumstance, if you take my meaning. Have you tried writing to her? I know it's not the same as a personal meeting, but I know everypony, no matter who they are, likes getting thanked and appreciated for what they do. Plus, it might lead to more, you never know."

Polaris turned to Jubilee with a rather sardonic smile. "My holiday time will improve when the lordly pony who art my superior, hallowed be his name-" he coughed, mildly embarrassed "-your pardon. Early mornings cause sarcasm, alas. When the chancellery either runs out of decisions to examine or I throw up my hooves in annoyance and take flight to Manehattan, is what I meant to say. I'm not quite ready to give up just yet, though." His shoulders slumped a little. "To be perfectly honest, I'd be quite happy with this whole palaver if I just knew why everything was being called into question all of a sudden."

He shook himself vigorously, once, silky black locks slyly teasing themselves free of purple ribbons. "But enough of me being maudlin. Celestia's sun is in its heaven, nothing is terribly wrong with the world and I walk a path strewn with roses compared to many. What do you, miss Jubilee, think your special somepony and his radiant sister should do re our fabled lunar princess, and meetings thereof?"

[crp_dude]

Masala made a smirk, being fairly amused with the duke’s annoyance. When it came to complaints, Masala was no stranger to chats about manhandling personal instigators, it was practically her daily dose of sanity. She always figured, there are ponies you like, ponies you meet, and ponies you hate. But there’s always that one pony that you just want to beat the snot out of. Everypony had one of those, no matter how much they tried to avoid it. Masala kept listening to Polaris with interest, but as his conversation drew on, Chai began to get bored, and spoke over him while he continued, “Miss Jubille, hold that thought, I’ll be back in a sec.” She promptly closed the door and faced behind it, breathing a sigh of relief. The conversation back there was muffled by the sound of boiling water in a fairly large brass heater, which she brought over from Itaily. No point in letting something that works go to waste, right? She took a look inside, swiping the steam away with her hoof, and trying to get a good feel of the ingredients boiling in the kettle inside. Nothing looked wrong, at least, or felt any colder or hotter than it had to be. Closing the hatch, she checked one of the faucets on the side, connected to a glass tube, which held the drink. ready for Polaris. Masala silently complemented herself on such an ingenious method of brewing individual teas, but only for a moment when she heard the ‘ding!’, which signaled that the tea was as ready as it would ever be. Taking out from her cowl one of the cups she grabbed earlier, Masala held it under the faucet, flipped a switch from down to up, then watched as the tea gushed out of its personal tube and into the tall mug. Masala placed it on a nearby table, then went through another door, to the left of the boiler. Now, she was outside, where the air was less humid and hot. It felt refreshing, like she had just been in a sauna. This area was her garden, where she grew many an herb, both non-magical, and, in the case of colorings, flavorings, and sometimes even miracle cures, she even grew plants like Poison Joak, which lost its potency when boiled, but left the drinker with a desire to start laughing quite a bit. It was a nice pick-me-up, and a little-known secret that Masala used sparingly. There was a need for magical plants in this experiment, but not plants like that. She shuffled through the rows of plants, careful not to touch anything. Poison Joak? No. Trotter Lillies? Well, that would be a good pick-me-up... if they were running a marathon. Flying likely wouldn’t be helped by an herb that made the hooves a bit jittery. Heart’s Desire? Er-- no, nopony needed to get a swig of tea laced with that unless they were asking for trouble. That herb was reserved for medicines, not casual drinks. Masala kept scanning through. No, no no no... Aha! Nimbus Grass! This lightweight herb was said to give Earth Ponies the ability to move clouds, feel softer and happier, even make them lighter, until it was done digesting of course. Masala didn’t know how true such things were, herself, she was more focused on making tea. Still, she picked some out, along with some more common herbs: echinacea, rosehips, blackberry leaves, and finally, some hawthorne. A nice berry tea for the flying go-getters it was. Back to her brewing room she went, and with herbs in her cowl, she opened the lid to her brewing chamber, and poured all the herbs, including the Nimbus Grass, in. The boiling water quickly began to froth over, forming small clouds, which Masala regarded as actually kind of cute. She stared at the rising cumuli, snickering to herself just a bit, then closed the lid once more, allowing the brewing to commence. It was her first time brewing with Nimbus Grass: before this, she only kept it as a just-in-case herb should an unwanted cloud come by with no pegasi to handle it. After trotting away from the boiling room, she returned to the minor ruckus of the main shop, remembering that Shanna mentioned food. Resting an elbow on the bar table, as per her customary stance, she gestured lazily to the stacked platters, each one housing a fair array of light treats, from rice cakes to biscuits, crackers and cookies. Most were fairly plain, or with some light sugar sprinkles. On the sides, though, there were sweeter treats, such as crystal candy, sticks of crystallized and flavored sugar for the pony with a serious sweet tooth, peppermint patties, chocolate-covered cherries and strawberries, and a few small peaches made of marzipan. Masala really wanted to eat one, but pretended not to be interested, saying, “Your tea’s brewing, you two, but if you want a treat, take one. First one’s on the house, for all of ya’. And, Mister Duke,” Masala pulled the steaming cup from out of her cowl, which was always a good carrying bag of sorts, “Here’s this. Take a seat, no need to be so tight in the muscles. Besides, it’s harder to drink any hot tea on all fours. Try it if ya’ don’t believe me. Anyways, basic family recipe, nothing unusual added, so that’ll only be three Bits.”

[Boss_Hoss1]

(OOC: sorry delays, had to think out my response. the latest post s a great leg up in that.)

The twins chuckled at the comment by Masala about getting revenge on the spot, especially since Shanna was given to doing pranks on their superior at the Canterlot Observatory.

They then looked at each other as Masala made the joking comment about coming up with something awesome or heart stopping.

They both heard a tone that apparently meant she was joking and chuckled together. "Sure thing. As long as we get a full refund if we die..." they chorus teasingly.

After a moment, the energetic Earth pony ducks into the back room, leaving the customers alone with each other.

The twins turn their attention to Duke Polaris as he spoke to them about Princess Luna.

They eagerly listened as he spoke of how reclusive she has been, then Shanna nodded "I remember that mare! She was so fortunate to meet her, then. I wish her better luck with other Canterlot citizens..."

Hoss sighed sheepishly "We have not written to her. We thought she would be soon out meeting her subjects and hoped to attend those events."

Shanna sighed "Yes, but its happened sporadically and spur of the moment, like Nightmare Night at Ponyville. We should correct our oversight immediately!"

Hoss whnnied happily "Thank you for the advise, Duke Polaris! Our letters will be in the mail before we hit the hay."

Just then, Masala returned from the back rooms, letting a great swirl of interesting smells in with her.

The twins perked their ears as she pointed out trays of treats. "Thank you Miss Chai!" "Yes, this will do nicely!"

Hoss smiled and motioned for Jubilee to take first choice on the treats. "Go right ahead, hon."

[Duchess]

Polaris winced, even as he casually laid three bits down on the counter. “It's not 'Mister' anything,” he advised Masala quietly. “'Duke' is the title, not a name – as I believe it's become, in recent years. As to the comparative difficulty of tea-drinking...”

Had Polaris eyebrows, he would have raised one at Masala then, with a slightly smug grin. “...I beg to differ,” he murmured with a faint smile – arctic-blue light gathered around the teacup he'd been presented with, effortlessly lifting it up to his lips for a delicate sip. “Mmm, that's just the ticket. Thank you for that. All contention aside re tea-drinking, I have to admit I'd welcome a place to rest my weary hooves.”

So saying, he lowered himself elegantly into one of the comfortable chairs near the Skybright twins with a mild sigh of relief, gently stretching as though he felt he were made of glass and would break if he were too enthusiastic. “Not a problem, dear Skybrights both! Now, what have the two of you been up to lately, aside from trying to talk to Princess Luna? Anything interesting or unusual?”

[crp_dude]

As the duke causally sat down, Masala held a hoof into her mouth while making a soft choking sound, pretending to try gagging herself. The only words going through her mind at the time were: Stick. In. The. Mud. She almost forgot how tiresome high-society ponies could be. Leaning back onto the cupboard behind her, she said, with a bit of bite to her words, "Lighten up, morning glory, you can get your horn in a knot when you're at work, but let's at least try to take things lightly in the tea shop, okay?” Masala turned away from Polaris and began to make some small talk with the other three ponies, when her left ear caught the sound of bubbling, and it was much closer than it should have been. She looked over to the brewery door, both wanting to see what’s going on in there, and a bit afraid of what she might find at the same time. Not wanting to worry herself too much, Masala filed the thought away: it might just be natural for that to happen, she didn’t know anything about the new concoction. She inhaled again, ready to prod Jubilee once again for her order, but then decided not to hassle the poor mare. Instead, she turned to Hoss and Shanna, and asked, at either or both of them, “Hmm, have you two been up to much since we last talked? I heard something about, Princess Luna, was it?”

[Mojo]

Julibee's mind was still light years away, daydreaming of a fanciful wedding with her as the dazzling bride in full white wedding gown. She saw herself beside her groom, a tuxedo dressed Hoss as she spoke outloud those famous words:

"I do!" she spoke before immediately 'snapping back' to reality. Looking around, the white furred Pegasus could be seen blushing beneath her fur, hoping no pony had just caught her saying something that sounded so randomly weird. A toothy grin came upon her worried face before she thought of a fast response.

"I mean, I DO want to try these lovely treats!" Julibee said as she took a few of them into her hoof and began to munch. Outwardly, she looked calm but inwardly, the blonde petite mare was very embarrassed.

[Boss_Hoss1]

Hoss chuckled as Jubilee finally seemed to snap out of her daydream. "And once you do, you need to think about what to drink with them, Hon."

Shanna playfully nudged Jubilee. "I think she has thoughts that can only be cured by a certain brother popping the question..."

the bay stallion blushed and rubbed the back of his head shyly with his hoof...

Just then, both the Duke and Miss Chai asked what they had been doing recently.

Shanna smiled "As Duke Polaris says, we have been trying to contact the Princess and let her know we appreciate the wonderful nights she gives us in our work."

Hoss winks "Shanna and I have also been practicing for the upcoming Iron Pony games, Shanna is really working hard for the cloud dive."

[Duchess]

Polaris sighed. No sense in raising the hackles of a blameless teashop pony. "I apologise, miss...heavens, I don't even know your name! Very remiss of me, to be sure. But 'Mister Duke' is rather like me calling you Miss Madam, for example. It just...grates." A mildly apologetic smile - Polaris was a proud, proud pony, even though he'd be hard-pushed to admit it to anyone, even himself, on occasion. "Nonetheless, you're quite right. I should save my ire for ponies who deserve it - or better yet, let it drift away on the vapour from my tea and think of more worthwhile things." He took a long, lingering drink of the tea Masala had made for him, savouring the snap of the ginger and the warmth it filled him with.

"Like, for instance, the Iron Pony games! It's terribly exciting, isn't it? Bit of a shame they've kept most of the events so tip-top secret - unless there's been some sort of circular that goes around and didn't get as far as me - but I'm sure it will be a fantastic show nonetheless. I shall be digging out the pavilion we use for summer picnics and heading down there post-haste when everything kicks off - and if Sir Proper Place tries to stop me from going..." the duke trailed off meaningfully. "Fountain."

Polaris gave his full attention to Shanna, seated nearby. "I think I heard a little about the cloud dive - you, my dear, are a very, very brave pony for even contemplating it! I'll do my level best to get there in time to cheer you on, you may depend upon it. What sort of training have you been doing, if I may ask? I know next to nothing about most sports, but I'd imagine the training for a cloud dive is a little more involved than flying up high and then dropping into a convenient lake?" He smiled wryly. "Of course, if I'm completely wrong, do correct me."

[crp_dude]

Masala nodded at Shanna in a very understanding manner, and though it was a common feeling, the actual expressing of this understanding was uncommon for her. She spoke, in an uncharacteristically similar tone, “Yes, she has been rather neglected of late, hasn’t she?” Her expression turned to interest, however, as she raised an eyebrow and cracked a smile at the mention of the Iron Pony Games, and said, more enthused, “Oh yeah? Well, I’m no athlete myself, but I do like taking a peek at those sort of spectacles. Maybe it’s worth a shot?” Masala’s last rhetorical question was more aimed at herself than any pony in the room, which she sort of wondered to herself as she turned her attention to Polaris, who mentioned that she forgot to introduce herself. Rather than panic and get all jumpy about something of the sort, she remained cool and calm as ever, and instead smiled with the usual semi-confident gaze, saying, “It’s Chai, Duke. Masala Chai, I’m an immigrant from a land, say... east, southeast of Equestria proper? Yeah, that sounds about right. Itaily, familiar with it?” She felt the room as a whole edge back to calmness, yet still maintain that happy and lively morning atmosphere. Maybe today wasn’t going to be awful after all.

[Mojo]

Jubilee smiled and slightly blushed at Shanna's suggestion to her very special somepony. Quietly, the blonde Pegasus mare selected a drink and listened to the conversation about the upcoming Iron pony challenge.

"I'm looking forward to the games too!" the petite mare said after taking a sip of her beverage, "I won't be entering any of the competitions, but I know some of my friends plan to enter, like my friend Mojo. I heard him hint that he was planning to enter the Barrel Weave event. Hoss, Shanna, are the two of you going to enter any Iron Pony events? I think both of you could really compete for a medal!"

[crp_dude]

Masala watched Jubilee snatch a glass of water from the table. Odd, Masala thought, since she didn’t remember having a glass there. Maybe it was from yesterday? Oh well, it at least was still cold. Masala continued leaning on the bar table and turned her head from facing Polaris to Jubilee, and remarked, “Yeah, I was wondering about that. So, Flyer, what exactly’s your deal? I mean,” Masala said, shrugging, “What do ya’ do?” She asked really just to get Jubilee in a more social mood, since she didn’t seem to do much talking. The bubbling in the brewing room began to get louder, which got Masala a bit worried. She whispered to herself, “Hmm... maybe I should get to checking the boiler when all’s said and done here...” She considered herself a bit of an idiot for not checking on it immediately, but it would be rude to ask so many questions then not wait around for the answers, or so she believed, anyway.

[Boss_Hoss1]

(OOC; Sorry for the delays, I have been dogpiled by IRL lately.)

The twins laughed at the mention of what Duke Polaris would do to a certain unicorn if he tried to stop the Duke from a well-deserved day off.

Hoss chuckled "We dont know what all the events will be but some of the preps make them obvious. You cant set plans and supplies for up a hybrid cloud and wood high dive as tall as the mountain Canterlot sits on and not have anypony guess what its going to be for."

Shanna blushed cutely as he said she was brave for choosing such an event. She smiled as he asked what training she has been doing. "Well, I have been spending an hour a day doing climbing exercises for the past couple months, and I've been working on routines during our storm dives for the Weather Patrol."

Shanna looked to Miss Chai "They are setting up a place for ponies to watch from. That's definitely not a secret."

Hoss added "Venders are planning ahead to show up and provide for spectator and contestant alike. For our part, we'll do our best to wow the spectators."

Both twins turned to Jubilee "Oh yeah!" Hoss smiled to his Special Somepony "We can only guess at some of the events but we will do as many as we can. I may be too sturdily built compared to my sis to do my best in some events."

Shanna nodded "Yes, even though we are twins, some events will be better suited to my lighter build... Hmm the Barrel Weave sounds fun! I can give that a try."

Hoss blinked as he noticed Jubilee was drinking something. "Um, where did you find that one hon?"