An Herbal Adventure [Canterlot] (Conor Colton, Armony, PM for Invite)

[Conor Colton]

A door in the city of Canterlot slammed shut, and recently thrown through it's doorway, was Colton Cloudkicker and Sparks the sparrow. The two had been ejected past the wooden frame and found themselves on the city floor outside. With a slight dusting off and a shake of their heads, the pair got to their knees, and approached the door again, banging against the wood with a hoof, "[colour=#40e0d0]Hey! Buddy! You can't just throw out two honest individuals looking for honest work like that! What's your problem?![/colour]" the pegasus questioned, only to be met with nothing.

"[colour=#40e0d0]...Ugh. I guess the job center here's just tired of seeing us, huh Sparks?[/colour]" he asked with a look of disappointment, to which the small brown bird nodded, "[colour=#40e0d0]I know we weren't exactly 'reliable' on that courier job before but...you'd think they'd at least give us the benefit of the doubt...again.[/colour]" Colton sighed, turning around and walking away, shaking his head. Sparks fluttered next to him, eventually resting in his master's mane.

"[colour=#40e0d0]The sad thing is though...I think our jobs have gotten just plain boring...where's the adventure nowadays?...Maybe we're just looking in the wrong place...or maybe that's just wishful thinking...either way, we best find some work, and fast.[/colour]" he ended, wondering just what would happen next.

Sparks suddenly jutted from Colton's mane, flying off ahead. The pegasus raised an eyebrow and spotted where the bird was flying, towards a stuck up poster on a city signpost. Sparks returned with the poster in beak, and held it for Colton to read, "[colour=#40e0d0]...Rare herb? Let's see...rare herb wanted, no credentials necessary, reward of...reward of?[/colour]" the pegasus questioned, eyes widening at the reward, "[colour=#40e0d0]...Wow, that's quite a number of bits...[/colour]" the stallion grinned. A small drop of water appeared on the paper shortly after, Colton turning his head up and realizing it was raining.

Not wanting to ruin this potential opportunity, the pair ducked into a nearby restaurant, not really bothering to check the name. It seemed nice enough, but he wasn't too intent on taking in the sights or tastes; Sparks was though, with a tiny grumbling stomach. They sat at a table near the window and set the paper down, continuing to read, "[colour=#40e0d0]Rare Herb wanted, rewarded handsomely....Sounds like some wealthy pony likes his herbs. Little buddy...I think this is exactly what we're looking for![/colour]"

[Armony]

Through the window at the back of the kitchen in La Fleur Canterlot, Sage Leaf watched idly as various pegasi from the city's weather team piled tufts of dark looking cloud into the giant mass hovering above them all; the final stages of preparing this storm. A shiver went down the emerald green mare's spine before turning back to her work of preparing recently purchased goods for use in their dishes. Just as she began rinsing a head of lettuce, though, the telltale sound of hooves beating against the floor at the front of the store meant that the rain must have started, and, as usual, everypony out on the street had fled into the nearest building. Sometimes, there were only one or two ponies passing by, sometimes none at all... other times, they made some of their best surprise business on what had come to be known amongst the staff as a foul weather rush.

Without losing a second, the unicorn passed the head of lettuce on, picked up a small notepad, and made her way through the doors and out into the restaurant proper, to get a look at what they would be dealing with. It could be nothing, in which case she would return to the kitchen, but that sure did sound like a lot of hooves. It sure looked like a lot of hooves too, she mentally added when she actually saw the crowd for its size. Waiters and waitresses were already seating all of the new arrivals, and it looked like the tables might actually get filled up, or at least very close to it.

A smile cracked through Sage's lips before she got out into the crowd, bouncing around the tables that had already been seated, taking orders for drinks and magically sending them back into the kitchen. The thing that excited her the most about this group was that she didn't recognize a whole lot of them. Some were regular customers, of course, and she delighted in being able to address them all by name when taking their orders, but she definitely had some work to do to get to know some of this latest bunch.

After taking a few orders, and on one occasion being somewhat rudely sent away by a mare carrying a bunch of soaked fabric, the ecstatic mare stopped at a table with a lone pegasus, white in colour. His short mane, made up of mixed blue shades, looked like it had seen far better days, even before the whipping winds and rains of the current storm. Preparing her quill and pad of parchment, she greeted him [colour=#28c840]"Hello sir, and welcome to LaFleur Canterlot. My name's Sage Leaf, and I'll be your server today. Can I get you something to drink while you look over the menu?"[/colour]

[Conor Colton]

Sat at the table, Colton continually looked over the job offer, amazed at his luck. He never felt so alive in ages. All his recent jobs consisted of courier work, or Celestia forbid, office work. He considered himself to be a pony of a good range of talents but sitting behind a desk would have driven him nuts had it been done to excess. Regardless, the excitement that gripped the white stallion was well received. He spoke to Sparks, noticing the place filling up a lot more, "[colour=#40e0d0]This is it, buddy. This is exactly what we need! Think about it, a 'rare' herb, and a handsome reward? Imagine what we'd have to do to get this plant! Imagine all the stuff we'd have to see and things we'd have to do! It'll be a proper adventure, just like when we started all that time ago![/colour]" Colton beamed with a pleasant smile, petting the bird on the head.

"[colour=#40e0d0]Only problem I can really see is that they don't say what the name of this herb is...all we have is a picture and the job offer...hmm..[/colour]" the pegasus puzzled, resting his head on his hoof, looking around a bit more at the restaurant, starting to get distracted by it's appearance. It was certainly nice, and had a certain 'flair' he hadn't experienced in a while from one of Canterlot's culinary establishments. Colton turned his head to the window next to him, even more lost in thought. The pitter patter of the rain against the glass gave his mind a metronome to work off. Back and forth his thoughts went, on a seemingly regular pace as he pieced together a solution to his problem.

"[colour=#40e0d0]Okay...so we don't know what this plant is, but I'd wager somepony in this city does...we could try and find the return address and ask the pony who posted this but...[/colour]" he began, looking back onto the dreary streets, "[colour=#40e0d0]...It may be best if we head to a place we know we can find. A place to start would be Canterlot Library...maybe we can find some books on botany and just look for this thing...if that doesn't work then I guess we'll just...we'll just...[/colour]" Colton sighed, not being able to focus.

He would have attempted to regain said focus, had a mare not shown up at his table. It took a few seconds for him to notice but he soon turned his eyes towards her; a unicorn, green in colour, and with a short and tidy mane. She looked slightly young than the pegasus, and seemingly took better care of her hair, as Colton noticed his wet mane slumping on his shoulder, "[colour=#40e0d0]Wonderful first impression.[/colour]" he thought.

Taking his attention away from the paper, carefully covering it, "[colour=#40e0d0]Thank you, Miss Leaf. I uh-[/colour]" Colton started before looking at Sparks, "[colour=#40e0d0]We would like a blueberry juice please.[/colour]" the pegasus replied, still wondering over who he could ask about this herb. For now, he kept the paper partially covered.

[Armony]

During the few moments of the stallion's absentmindedness, Sage took notice of the bird that was accompanying him, and took down a note to provide a treat, free of charge. They kept all sorts of treats for pets in the back, figuring that providing incentive to ponies with pets to come eat would provide enough of a boost to business to make up for the cost. Ever since the implementation, they had certainly seen significant growth in customers, especially return customers, who brought in their pets to eat. She was proud of having introduced such a brilliant idea, one of several that had been met with very positive reception in the short few months the green mare had had ownership of the family restaurant. Of course, her parents had been a little more than skeptical of such a move, as well as her redesign of the menu and creating dishes that catered to, as they put it, less sophisticated taste.

Looking outside, she noticed the rain coming down, slow and steady at first, but picking up into a fully fledged storm, and thought of all the new advertising she had posted around town just the day before. If she was lucky, the posters would just be soaked through with water, which might even help attract the kind of adventuring pony she was searching for; she didn't really know what would attract that sort of pony, but she imagined a more rugged looking ad couldn't have hurt. What would most likely result from this run, though, was most, if not, all, of the posters would be torn up or blown away completely, and she would have to pay for a reprint of them all. If only one of the ponies coming in from the storm was an adventuring type...

Her thoughts derailed as she looked down, barely even acknowledging her customer's order of blueberry juice as she stared down at the paper on the table. It was one of her posters, completely intact, taken down from... somewhere. Could this stallion be an adventurer, and have gotten caught in the storm while looking for her restaurant, and by coincidence just happened to flee into it to get out of the rain? Or did he own a nearby business and object to her having posted an advertisement for a rival business nearby? She couldn't be sure, and curiosity quickly got the better of her. She sent the order back to the kitchen, still staring down at the poster, and blurted out [colour=#28c840]"Where did you get that from? Are you an adventurer?"[/colour]

[Conor Colton]

Colton's eyes widened slightly as it was clear his attempts to hide the paper had failed. He didn't expect this random mare to ask him such a question, especially the latter one. The stallion was at a loss of things to say so he simply looked at Sparks for some confirmation, the sparrow simply shrugging with an unsure look on his beak. After some careful contemplation, Colton responded to Sage, not entirely certain if she was a pony he could trust.

"[colour=#40e0d0]I uh...I found it outside, on a signpost. And um...I guess you could say I'm an adventurer. It's not something you readily say to somepony but, me and the bird here have been through some tough situations that could be called adventures.[/colour]" Colton knew fine-rightly he was an adventurer, but his natural modesty held him back from being overly extravagant and boastful, especially in front of a mare. Speaking of which, Colton now faced the challenge of determining all he could from Sage Leaf just from the few interactions they had together.

To him, she seemed nice enough, but seemingly had an interest in whatever this herb on the paper was, "[colour=#40e0d0]...Why?[/colour]" he wondered. The stallion puzzled over possible conclusions. Perhaps she could have been an adventurer too? She didn't exactly look it, and then it would have to be questioned why she was working as a waitress. Maybe she was somepony also interested in the job and simply wanted to access the competition; this was a regular event for the stallion but she didn't look like that sort of pony either. He reached a final conclusion, still unsure but decided to seek some clarification.

"[colour=#40e0d0]Why do you ask? Did you put these posters up?[/colour]" he questioned.

[Armony]

Out of all the reactions she had been expecting, surprise and suspicion hadn't been very high on her mental list, but watching the stallion's eyes go wide made her immediately regret having been so forward. Of course, she wasn't aware that it was something that wasn't normally spoken about; it seemed like knowing an adventurer would be exciting, with all the stories they'd be able to tell, and even the opportunity for some first-hoof experience with... wherever it was adventurers went for their jobs. Her imagination raced with images of ancient tombs, dark caves, and forboding jungles, all housing rare and secret treasures, protected by the most deadly beasts and traps known to ponykind.

But Sage was getting way ahead of herself, and that wasn't going to do this conversation any good if she ended up blurting this out to the puzzled looking adventurer before her. Steeling herself for what might be about to happen, she answered [colour=#28c840]"Yeah, I'm the one who put those up. It's some kind of herb I found in an old recipe, but I have no idea what it is, and my sis doesn't recognize it as anything from Whitetail Wood, so I thought I'd try to get somepony with better knowledge of Equestria. It's obviously edible, but I wanted to get a few of the plants for myself and see if they could be grown outside their natural habitat, start a garden of them to use for the restaurant."[/colour]

The mare's gaze drifted out to the ongoing storm, and she watched as the wind ripped the last remaining poster from the front of her business, shredding the waterlogged parchment with ease. She winced, seeing the prints she'd had made getting destroyed so easily, but she was quickly reminded that all was not lost, what with possibly the last remaining copy of her advertisement being held by an adventurer that was here, in the very place she had specified to come to take on the job. Still feeling like she was hoping a little too much that his arrival here was more intentional than not, or even just lucky coincidence, she asked, [colour=#28c840]"Were you thinking about taking the job on?"[/colour]

[Conor Colton]

Colton observed Sage's response, and to his surprise she had both a look of regret and at the same time, wonderment about her. He was tempted to raise an eyebrow but kept it down for politeness' sake. There was something about that sense of wonderment he noticed though...it seemed vaguely, familiar to him. He had no clue as to why but it was clear that that was contemplation for another time, and that there was more pressing matters to attend to right now. Colton did have to wonder if his previous reaction of surprise and suspicion was well placed or not, or polite for that matter. So for now, he was going to give Sage the benefit of the doubt, on account of she seemed nice.

Now he was faced with what he figured as a possible employer, so he looked as professional as he could have been...which wasn't very much. He considered himself to be good at what he did but he never called himself a 'professional adventurer' or anything similar. Regardless, "[colour=#40e0d0]Yeah, I was considering taking it on. Me and Sparks here-[/colour]" Colton started as Sparks plopped down onto the table and bowed slightly before returning to Colton's shoulder, "[colour=#40e0d0]As I was saying, me and Sparks were in the neighborhood looking for some work...sadly the job center had nothing so we found one of your posters, and figured it'd be a good opportunity for some...well, adventure.[/colour]" the stallion replied, no longer covering the poster but crossing his hooves on the table. Now was the time for business.

"[colour=#40e0d0]We're kinda unsure on where to start though. The poster itself isn't very damaged but we can't get much off of it other than the reward and the actual herb itself...[/colour]" Colton continued, thinking. "[colour=#40e0d0]Well, she obviously put up the posters for a reason, so she must know something about it more than it just exists...I think a bit of help is needed.[/colour]" he concluded before clearing his throat, "[colour=#40e0d0]We would very much like to take up this job for you, Miss Leaf. If there's any assistance you could provide us with it would be greatly appreciated.[/colour]"

[Armony]

Sage's smile widened upon hearing that this stallion - she made a mental note to get a name from him, soon - and she nearly jumped in joy, feeling that success was just a step away with her newly employed help. Putting up the posters had definitely had the desired effect thus far, and getting started on what could be an amazing adventure was such an exciting prospect, she could barely contain herself. She did manage to keep under control, though, and kept what she felt was a majority of the excitement from her voice when she replied, [colour=#28c840]"I don't have much to go from other than that picture. Like I said, it came off of an old recipe; perhaps you might be able to tell more from it than I was? I'll go back into the safe and get it for you, Mister...?"[/colour] Her voice trailed off, leaving the obvious question hanging in the air.

The mare nodded acknowledgement at his response, and continued on [colour=#28c840]"I'll get that for you to look over, Mister Colton."[/colour] With that, she left the table, dodging and weaving through the other servers, who were either taking orders from or delivering orders to the customers, who were now all seated. They were handling things just fine without her by now, so she figured it couldn't cause too much extra strain on the staff if she took off a little early.

Making her way through the doors in the back, she eventually emerged back in the kitchen, and rushed on through, addressing the cooks as she made her way to the safe. [colour=#28c840]"Hold the blueberry juice and bird treat, add a hot spearmint tea, and nix the bill; that one's on the house, and I'll be taking it out."[/colour] The mare opened the safe, carefully blocking the line of sight of the other ponies while she entered the combination, and removed a sizable scroll from inside before carefully shutting the door and giving the combination mechanism on the outside a good spin.

Just as quickly as she entered, she was on her way out of the kitchen, this time levitating both the scroll and the tray with both Colton's and her own drinks, as well as the treat for Sparks. She set both of them on the table in front of the white stallion, then brought her tea over to the seat across from him. [colour=#28c840]"It's not much to go off of, I know... especially considering the entire recipe is illustrated; no hoofwriting whatsoever to actually name the ingredients. But, there's bound to be something I'm not thinking of, or that I'm just plain overlooking."[/colour]

[Conor Colton]

"[colour=#40e0d0]Sure, I'd be able to have a look at that recipe and see if I can spot anything.[/colour]" Colton replied, smiling slightly, "[colour=#40e0d0]And the name's Colton.[/colour]" he stated, before looking into one of his saddlebags for anything that could help him in reading whatever was on that recipe. The stallion couldn't help but chuckle at Sage's response though. He didn't know if he was ever called 'Mister Colton' before; it seemed odd and overly formal to him. He made a mental note to tell Sage it was just Colton, and no need for formalities, if it ever came up again.

As the mare made her way back to the kitchen, the pegasus prodded the sparrow with a hoof, inquiring to him about the whole situation, "[colour=#40e0d0]So, what you think, buddy? Good job or what?[/colour]" he questioned, to which the little avian friend nodded happily in approval, making Colton chuckle slightly once more, "[colour=#40e0d0]And another thing...is it just me or does Miss Leaf seem like she wants to come along on this little expedition? She had that look of excitement about her when adventure came into it all...you think she'd be okay to tag along? I mean, I wouldn't mind.[/colour]" the white stallion pondered, Sparks merely shrugging, feeling impartial about the situation.

When Sage came back with the recipe, Colton took out his trusty adventurer's journal, flicking through to see if he could recognize or cross reference anything between the two items. He carefully examined the recipe, running his hoof over various symbols and what looked to be instructions, completely unable to make sense of all of it though. Letting out a few audible 'hmm's and taking a sip of blueberry juice every now and then, the stallion began to voice his analysis.

"[colour=#40e0d0]Well, I can't find anything in my journal that matches exactly to these markings and symbols...but I know I've seen something similar to them. I'm not exactly an expert but these symbols here-" he stated as he laid the parchment down and pointed it out, "It means great cook, or some form of culinary masterpiece. The rest of these symbols could relate to various ingredients, like this one here would be some sort of flower, and a botanist could easily tell you which one. But then we have this one-[/colour]" the stallion continued, pointing to another, "[colour=#40e0d0]That would be your herb, and there's only gibberish instructions next to it...but, it isn't as hopeless as it may seem...[/colour]" Colton stated, continuing on, taking a breath and yet another sip, "[colour=#40e0d0]I've seen this form of parchment before, and right here, in the bottom right, that's likely a personal seal by whoever made this.[/colour]" the pegasus pointed out, pointing to a pot and spoon shaped marking.

"[colour=#40e0d0]The paper obviously came from a long time ago but if we were to say check for this seal in any libraries around we could find somepony's family or group that would bear this seal, then we could see where that group was situated in relation to the time in which this parchment was made, which should be easy enough to determine. Looking at it now I'd say it goes back three, maybe four generations. Wherever that seal was all that time ago, is likely where we'll find your herb, Miss Leaf.[/colour]" the stallion proudly concluded, "That sound alright?"

[Armony]

Sage Leaf sat, listened, and sipped at her tea while Colton informed her of the things he was finding on the recipe; things she'd had no idea at all about when she tried to read it over. To her, it was nothing short of astounding, hearing the huge amounts of information and the details she had missed in her attempts to decipher the cryptic page of parchment. And all of this information would lead up to... visiting the library for more information, it turned out. The young mare had already done as much, but hadn't bothered looking up any of the strange symbols that were apparently used as writing; she had only looked through books on botany for anything that matched the image of that herb on the recipe. Even as he said it, though, it made sense, and even a little shock that she hadn't thought of checking out any of those symbols for herself.

[colour=#28c840]"Yeah, that makes sense. That makes a lot of sense, actually; I can't believe I only thought to look for the herb itself at the library when I went."[/colour] She answered in a feeble attempt to salvage whatever impression he had of her intelligence. She knew she wasn't the sharpest knife in the block, but Sage did feel like she ought to have been smart enough to actually do extensive research before calling in a professional. But, she reminded herself, this wasn't over just yet. Once they found out where this particular plant grew, they would have to go find it, and that would certainly be an adventure... or at least she hoped so. More than just worrying about wasting the reward money on a mission to go pick a plant that may end up being incredibly common somewhere else. she was really hoping to get out and go on an adventure, just like her older sister used to do all the time before the restaurant had been passed into Sage's hooves.

Shaking her head to bring her thoughts back to reality, the mare continued on, [colour=#28c840]"So, how about after this rain stops, we make a trip to the library and see what we can find about that symbol? After we find out where it came from, then we can plan when to go on that adventure to find it and bring back a few of them. And in the meantime..."[/colour] She paused for a moment and levitated a menu over from a passing server, placing it in the middle of the table. [colour=#28c840]"If you're hungry, you're more than welcome to eat here. On the house."[/colour]

[Conor Colton]

Colton nodded response after Sage replied, "[colour=#40e0d0]Understandable, a lot of ponies make the same mistakes of focusing on the one particular thing when trying to look something up. I wouldn't worry about it though, the fact that you actually came across a recipe this old is pretty incredible on it's own.[/colour]" the white pegasus commented, making sure he didn't miss anything on the poster before putting it to one side. His thorough analysis of the parchment was nothing he hadn't done before, in fact it was relatively easy at this point, though he still tried to retain a sense of modesty and not boast about being able to read a piece of paper.

Whilst waiting for a reply, Colton's mind drifted. He imagined what would come of this seemingly simple assignment. In his time as an adventurer Colton knew that things usually weren't as simple as they seemed, so his mind wandered with willful abandon, imagining what could happen next. The research would of course be the next course of action but past that, the pegasus had no clue. He imagined what this adventure would lead him to; possible new sights and sounds, locations unparalleled in their scope and magnificence, ponies he had never met...or maybe just some dark dreary cave with a shriveled up old herb. Naturally, he held onto his first instincts, with an excited smile. Before continuing he noticed Sage had that look about her again, and wasn't far off from what Colton was going through. Both had a seemingly large want to break free of the monotony of day after day existence, and actually to get out there and experience Equestria for what it truly was.

Regardless of idle fancies, Colton replied once more, "[colour=#40e0d0]That sounds like a good plan. Adventures are great but a soggy and sniffling start probably isn't ideal.[/colour]" he grinned slightly, being greeted with the offer of free food. Of course, Sparks' eyes lit up like Canterlot skies on Hearth's Warming Eve but Colton kept himself a bit more contained, despite his love of food, "[colour=#40e0d0]Thanks, Miss Leaf. That's very generous of you.[/colour]" the pegasus retorted, looking at the menu, "[colour=#40e0d0]For now I'll have a sunflower and cucumber sandwich, please. Though if you guys have anything that can be taken on the road like biscuits or something that'd be great for this job. And I would suggest getting yourself something filling as well if you already haven't today, we're in for hopefully quite the adventure.[/colour]" Colton nodded, smiling once more.

[Armony]

The green mare nodded in agreement with the adventurer sitting across from her, thankful that her lapse of insight and investigation into that recipe hadn't appeared to take any sort of toll on his opinion of her. She was also impressed at the lack of boasting that he was the one to come up with the lead that was taking her closer to finding that herb, solidifying in her mind once and for all that hiring an adventurer really was the way to go, and any shadow of doubt that had been in her mind before was merely a result of nerves. If the weather were to reflect the way she felt today had been going so far, she was certain it'd be the most beautiful day Canterlot had had in months. As it was though, with the rain looking like it had picked up even more, they might not be leaving for a while, and there were things she could be doing beyond sitting here and imagining better weather choices for today.

[colour=#28c840]"A sunflower and cucumber sandwich, coming right up"[/colour] Sage responded, already planning out a much more extravagant dish for herself. Assuming their research turned up something they could follow up on, this could very well be her last chance to have a meal of the quality that she was used to for days, and she wasn't about to pass up the opportunity to celebrate all that had been going right with today. She vacated her seat at the table, picked up the recipe, and trotted off to the kitchen to get to work. She thought momentarily about the juvenile humor involved with making a sandwich for a stallion, but quickly dismissed it, as she had more important things to do. She locked away the recipe in her safe, taking the same precautions as before to not accidentally reveal the combination to anypony. Then she got to work making a salad for herself, full of all of her favorites, and the sandwich for Colton.

After a few minutes, she took the food and left the kitchen, returning to the table with the white pegasus and his sparrow companion. [colour=#28c840]"Here you go, Colton, the sandwich you asked for, and a salad for me. And don't worry about food for the trip. I've got plenty of things that could be packed and taken with us, and while I may not look like it..."[/colour] She paused and ran a hoof back through her mane [colour=#28c840]"I do know what sorts of things to look for in the wild, if I happen to not pack up enough. But anyhow... enjoy!"[/colour]

[Conor Colton]

As Sage removed herself from the table, Colton puzzled over this peculiar herb. He had never come across anything such as it, not even a plant that resembled it. Despite it's simplistic structure it had various distinct factors that stood out to the pegasus as new and exciting. Perhaps this is why he took on the job on such an impulse in the first place; the image of the herb almost jutted out to him and Sparks, like a light in the darkness to put them back on the right path to their adventuring lifestyle. It was rare for Colton to consider such reasons upon taking up a job, it usually just involved money or a favour, but maybe his dry spell of his profession just led him to such levels of contemplation.

He saw Sage come back and smiled pleasantly at her, nodding his head in approval, "[colour=#40e0d0]Thank you very much, Miss Leaf. This looks delicious.[/colour]" Colton replied, taking the first bite, surprised at how good it was for just a simple sandwich. He pondered to himself, "[colour=#40e0d0]If Sage here can make something this tasty from a sunflower and cucumber...or whoever made it...then why would she want this herb? Could it be for a collectors item? No no, of course not...she wants to make something from it, something unique and new...something that'll really draw in those customers...not a bad idea I have to say.[/colour]" Colton concluded in his head, feeling all the more excited about this adventure. He continued contemplating as he ate, and upon finishing quickly and wiping his mouth with a nearby napkin. He didn't always have napkins on hand but he felt it was nice to have table manners at least.

There was still some things Colton sought clarification for though, so upon putting his plate to one side he rested his head on a hoof and began to inquire, "[colour=#40e0d0]So, Miss Leaf. From the way you've replied I'm guessing you want to come on this adventure too. That's fine with us, you would know this herb better than us but I have to ask, why do you want this herb? Is it something personal to complete this recipe or are you looking to draw a lot of ponies in with a new dish or what?[/colour]" the white pegasus inquired.

[Armony]

Sage was very pleased to see that the stallion seemed to be enjoying his food, and turned her attention toward the dish sitting in front of her. it was a simple mixture of vegetables and spices, something really anypony could throw together if they knew how much of everything to put in. Her array of sandwiches and salads were all like that; not requiring much talent for cooking, just the knowledge of what to use. Thoughts like these tended to make her think about how each of these ponies sitting around, eating her food, could just make these things for themselves, for less money. It made her feel a sort of pressure, a need to do better, a need to have something unique. Sure, she had dishes that not everypony would be able to make, and the quality of her cooking was undeniable, but that still left her in competition with dozens of restaurants in Canterlot who could all make the same things she did.

Colton's question pierced through her thoughts, making her aware that she'd been idly playing with her food instead of actually eating it. She took a bite, both trying to save some embarassment and to buy time to answer the question. She'd just been thinking the major reason as to why she wanted that herb, but it seemed too selfish to stand on its own, and she wasn't sure if it would push his service away if her reasons were purely profit and remaining competitive in the market. She decided that a little truth bending might be in order. [colour=#28c840]"It would draw a lot of ponies if I could make a new dish with it, but mainly I just want to make the recipe I have on hoof and see how it turns out. It's been in my family for three generations now, and nopony has figured out what that herb is supposed to be to finish the dish. I want to be able to finally bring together all the work that's been made toward making that recipe."[/colour]

[Conor Colton]

The pegasus nodded in response to Sage, wiping his mouth to get rid of any excess food before continuing on, "[colour=#40e0d0]Understandable, an unfinished job can be a frustrating thing.[/colour]" he stated, finishing off the sandwich and internally taking stock of all the things he would need. He held a hood up, as a way of indicating 'just a second' and turned towards his saddlebags, rustling through them and taking note of any and all items in there. He also took this time to put the whole situation into perspective, making sure he knew where they were going to head first. Happy with what he had, he turned to Sage once again to confirm the plan of action.

He took a breath, rubbing the back of his head and began, "[colour=#40e0d0]Okay, so here's what we're looking at. We have an old piece of paper with a seal on it. First thing we should do is check either the Royal or University library, and see if they have anything relating to this on record. From there we decide what to do next; if any ponies are still kicking that have this family seal, we go and contact them about this herb, maybe arrange a trade off or something...[/colour]" he started, idly taking an apple from his saddlebag and biting into it casually before continuing.

"[colour=#40e0d0]Worst case scenario, we find out where this seal comes from but nopony's still around with that seal. If that's the case then we find everything in these libraries that we can about that seal, then get the paper to an analyst who can tell us how old the paper is, and not damage it in anyway. I can give a rough estimate but we may need an exact one. After that, we find a location from all of these sources, and look there.[/colour]" the pegasus continued, tossing the apple up and down nonchalantly.

"[colour=#40e0d0]Then we find your herb. You get your recipe, we get our fee and we all live happily ever after and all that good stuff.[/colour]" he smiled, extending a hoof towards her, "[colour=#40e0d0]Deal?[/colour]"

[Armony]

The restaurant owner smiled upon hearing Colton's response, seeing that her bluff hadn't been called and was, in fact, going over quite well. While he explained their options for the upcoming adventure, Sage idly ate at her salad, watching the rainfall gradually slow, then pick back up, fluctuating in the natural progression of the storm. She really hoped, from his description of what was coming up, that the family seal belonged to a long gone family, that the land holding this herb was uninhabited. Having to deal with other ponies would certainly complicate things, very likely ending with Sage being forced to pay an outrageous amount of bits - as if the fee for this quest wasn't already enough of a hit - so that she could get enough plants with roots, or seeds, to start her own garden.

[colour=#28c840]"That worst case sounds like it'd be pretty good, for us. Having to trade with other ponies for something that could be replanted, or even for seeds, for an herb this rare... that'll get expensive. But, I suppose we'll jump that hurdle when and if we come to it; for now, we need to get ourselves to a library once this storm clears up."[/colour] Sage sighed, watching as the rain outside picked up yet again, pelting the windows with gallon upon gallon of water. While she found the rainfall annoying by this point, she had to at least admit that the windows looked much better, with days of piled up dust having been washed away in a matter of minutes.

Once Colton had finished laying out the plan for her, Sage was startled out of her private thoughts by the hoof extending toward her, which she reflexively took in her own, still processing the last bits of what he had said. She nodded her head, and in what she thought might be the least she had ever spoken at one time, simply replied, [colour=#28c840]"Deal."[/colour]

[Conor Colton]

The pegasus smiled as Sage shook his hoof in acceptance of their arrangement. With a readjustment of his seating position he stood up promptly, eager to get going. He was close to walking out in, for all he knew, abysmal weather. His better judgement, and pet bird both got the best of him though as each tugged in the opposite direction from the door. He poked his head outside, expecting a secondary shower for today but only felt a light drizzle on his mane. With another pleased grin he walked over to Sage once more, "[colour=#40e0d0]Storm's clearing up nicely, Miss Leaf.[/colour]" he remarked with a nudge of his head towards the door.

"[colour=#40e0d0]With your permission, I suggest we start our little adventure now.[/colour]" the stallion advised, as he hoped his own words would be wrong in the end. He didn't want a little adventure at all, he wanted a memorable, exciting adventure! One he could pass down year after year, wandering listener after wandering listener, the type of tale that would ring in his mind whenever the phrase 'adventure' was uttered to him. He knew fine rightly it could have been wishful thinking but he honestly didn't care.

He held the door for the mare, keeping a professional attitude and exiting the establishment. He looked around, and checked to make sure he had all the personal items he needed. He looked in his saddlebags and checked numerous things, such as spare cash, camping equipment and navigational tools. Thankfully he had all he needed but none of that was needed right now, so he made way to the Canterlot Royal Library, "[colour=#40e0d0]So, Miss Leaf, is there anything else you'd like to prepare or should we head straight to our destination?[/colour]"

[Armony]

At the suggestion of setting off for their adventure now, the young mare looked tentatively out the window, toward the dark clouds hovering over the city. It was still raining, although it had slowed to a mere shadow of what had been going on at the outset of the storm, and there didn't seem to be any more accompanying thunder or lightning. While her dislike of stormy weather urged Sage to wait until things had completely cleared up, she knew that doing such would be a waste of Colton's - and her own - valuable time. Besides, if she couldn't handle getting a little wet, how would she hold up to the rest of the adventure that was looking to come down their road?

Steeling herself for what she perceived to be the horrors of walking out into a still-raging storm and securing her own saddlebags, the mare nodded in agreement, [colour=#28c840]"Of course, no sense in waiting when we have a clear goal in mind, and how to get there. Although I do hope we have more than a little adventure ahead of us; it'd be rather dull if we didn't. That is, after all, why I hired a brave adventurer."[/colour]

Sage smiled at him as she stepped out into the rain, getting almost instantly soaked, and her mane becoming matted and lying against her neck and shoulders. She shook herself a bit, wiped her own hair out of her face, and continued on as if it wasn't bothering her at all. She felt that retaining an appearance of being unshakable, at least for as long as possible, would help both her image, and would likely alleviate plenty of potential frustrations on Colton's part. Just in case her image faltered though, she allowed him to lead the way to the library, lagging behind far enough that he couldn't easily turn and see her, but staying close enough for their conversation to not be yelled.

The return of his calling her 'Miss Leaf' elicited a soft chuckle before she got to answer his question, [colour=#28c840]"I can't think of anything else to prepare, so I say we get right to it. And please, just call me Sage."[/colour]

[Conor Colton]

Colton had to smile with a small, slightly embarrassed chuckle as Sage referred to his profession as 'brave'. He quickly made a passing, fleeting motion with his hooves to idly pass the compliment on without seeming egotistical or big headed, "[colour=#40e0d0]Well, rest assured you hired the right pony.[/colour]" he replied with a hint of ambiguity in his statement. Despite his initial want to pass on the compliment as if it was nothing Colton did take some pride in that praise; he couldn't remember the last time somepony referred to him as an adventurer again...and honestly it felt pretty good. The pegasus continued walking, not entirely minding the small rainfall that patted down on his head from above, flattening his mane slightly over his eyes and drenching his bird companion. Colton regretted not packing an umbrella at this point, and made a mental note to not make the mistake again.

Regardless, they continued on there way. The navigation wasn't exactly an issue, since the pegasus knew most of the streets they were traversing...at least he hoped. So with his mind not worried on that he began to speculate over his client. He'd admit right then and there that she didn't seem the adventuring type, yet the same thing could have been said to the stallion roughly a year ago. She also seemed eager to not appear as useless or that she was slowing them down, and seemed to carry a determination about her to get out of her more comfortable surroundings and to face an world that for all they knew would be nothing like they anticipated; which was in itself an admirable quality for a budding adventurer to have.

This realization over his client's character made Colton all the more comfortable over this job. She didn't seem like the type to either stab him in the back or to boss him around, which for Colton and Sparks was a win-win situation. Given the simplicity of the job as well he didn't feel they were in any immediate threat or difficulties, but with Sage seemingly relishing the chance for both the pegasus kept himself cautious should an event like that arise; for now though their biggest enemy was catching a cold.

Colton then took a break from his own thoughts and speculation, relying on his own knowledge and absent mind to lead the way to the library. The silence between the two became all the more prevalent so he opted to try and keep the conversation going, "[colour=#40e0d0]So, does any of your family know about this adventure thing? I ask 'cause it seems a bit odd for a restaurant working pony to suddenly want to be out there in search of some special herb. Hope that's not too intrusive though.[/colour]" he stated over the sound of heavy rain patting against them as they trudged through some swiftly forming mud, "[colour=#40e0d0]May be in for more rain than I imagined.[/colour]"

[Armony]

Sage Leaf, in spite of her best efforts, wasn't quite able to catch the adventurer's response, so she just nodded slightly toward him and moved up a bit. The rain seemed to be picking up again instead of dying down, which was exactly the opposite of what her hopes had been just moments ago when they stepped out the door, and she was not pleased. She did everything she could think of to keep her mind off of the havoc this rain would wreak on her mane and coat, and especially off of how this was just the beginning. The rain had to let up at some point, and that would, she reasoned, very likely come while they were in the library.

As the duo trekked their way through the worsening storm, the restaurant owner found herself wondering just what had brought Colton to her business with that flyer. Sure, he was an adventurer, and she had offered adventure, but really, now that she had time to think about it, going after a plant didn't really sound like grand adventure on paper. Heck, when she really thought about it, in between some rather large drops of rain hitting her squarely in the forehead, it was surprising that anypony had seen fit to respond to the advertisement. She had to wonder just how much work there was in the way of adventuring, and if she might have decided to seek out this herb at just the right time, when there was a slump in demand for such things. And, of course, that also made her wonder of just what calibre an adventurer had come to her, if such a depression in job opportunity existed in the first place.

Sage's train of thought was interrupted by yet another question from her companion, and she had to pull her mind back into the harsh reality of the downpour to answer. [colour=#28C840]"Yes, of course. I've let my parents and my older sister know exactly what I'm doing, and they've agreed to watch over everything while I'm gone. I'd left them a note before we set out, letting them - ouch!"[/colour] The mare yelled out midsentence, having been stunned by something that was definitely not rain. Looking around on the ground, it didn't take long for her to identify a small chunk of ice, entirely out of place in the current season. She didn't even feel like she needed to explain that it was about to hail before she set off at a gallop, determined to get to the library before she got hit again.

[Conor Colton]

Colton jumped slightly at Sage's 'ouch', turning around to make sure everything was okay but getting a large chunk of hail on his own muzzle, "[colour=#40e0d0]Ow! Dang it![/colour]" he yelped, shaking his snout in response. He would have suggested they pick up the pace, had Sage not already ran past him. With a quick sigh and a few flaps of his wings he began to gallop next to her, with Sparks taking cover deeper in his master's mane. The stallion found himself more out of breath than usual, which was a tad concerning for his health but he pushed on regardless, eventually making his way to run along side the sprinting mare, "[colour=#40e0d0]Yeah remember I said how the storm was clearing up?[/colour]" he asked, half joking and half beating himself up for it, "[colour=#40e0d0]One thing we've learned today, not all Pegasus can predict weather.[/colour]"

With a bit more sprinting the two of them came finally came across the library. A few more treads in the quickly forming mud later Colton reached forwards and briskly opened the door, holding it for his apparent partner in this adventure. The stallion then shook himself to dry off, apologizing to a nearby library assistant shortly there after before turning back to Sage, "[colour=#40e0d0]Okay...well we're here, so we better get looking. If you want to ask at the desk I could start having a look around for anything we could use or a place to read.[/colour]" he stated, then mumbling, "[colour=#40e0d0]Been a while, here's hoping the staff know how to keep things in the right order.[/colour]" the pegasus remarked before slowly walking through whatever areas he could, from A to Z.

He assumed Sage would have better luck at the desk but he thought it didn't hurt to be thorough, and it seemed to him that the library assistants would likely take a shine to Sage more quickly, considering she probably didn't get their welcome mat wet.

[Armony]

Sage heard the faint sound of Colton yelling out in pain, likely as he got hit with a chunk of hail as well, but she didn't stop or look back. This green mare was in full panic and nothing would stop her from getting to the library as fast as her hooves would carry her, not even several other ponies she had to push out of the way to keep moving. She quickly wove her way through the streets, ignoring the shouts and especially some pony that seemed to be following her and trying to talk to her about something. She kept on running, hyperventilating the whole way, and feeling a terrible stitch in her side from the lack of proper galloping form.

After a relatively short time, the restaurant owner came to a stop, not feeling any more rain falling over her coat and mane. Looking around, she noticed that she'd arrived at the library, was still breathing heavily, her side really hurt, and she was dripping all over the floor. She figured she must have blacked out at some point, but was thankful nonetheless that she'd managed to keep enough of her mind to arrive at the proper destination. Face flushing with embarassment, Sage used a bit of magic to dry herself and the floor, wondering momentarily if it had been her or Colton that had shaken off after entering. The spread of the water made it obvious enough that one of them had, but that wasn't exactly a pressing concern at the moment.

Once her appearance was back to normal, and the floor taken care of, Sage walked over to the nearest assistant that didn't look busy and asked, [colour=#28c840]"Excuse me, but could you please show me where I could find some books on ancient Equestrian settlements?"[/colour]

[Conor Colton]

The white coated pegasus continued to catalogue through any shelf he could, taking care when passing by ponies who were using the library for arguably more useful purposes. Regardless, his hunt continued, and sadly hadn't turned up much yet. He stopped for a moment to look around, flying upwards to see just how many shelves and categories he had yet to sort through. Almost as far as the eye could see there were thousands of books upon books, stretching the entire length of the spacious building. He promptly sighed with discontent, "[colour=#40e0d0]Sweet Celestia...[/colour]" he commented frustratedly whilst flapping idly above the floor.

Back at the reception desk, a seemingly less than interested receptionist turned to face Sage and respond to her question. The receptionist's expression was rather dull at first but seemingly perked up as she turned to answer Sage's question, almost like this was routine for her. With questionable enthusiasm the mare responded, "[colour=#ffa500]Hello! Welcome to our wondrous library! We're here to meet all your educational needs, rain or shine! Now, ancient Equestrian settlements you say? Hmm, one moment please.[/colour]". With seemingly great vigour the receptionist sorted through file after file after file at an almost alarmingly fast pace, stopping on one with a smile and looking at it's contents, "Hmmm...I believe what you're looking for is under 'E', for Early Equestria. You should find what you need there Miss. I'm happy I could be of service, have a pleasant day now!" the receptionist finished as she got back to her duties.

Meanwhile a less than successful effort was being had by Colton, "[colour=#40e0d0]Soo many books...just soo many books...when did adventuring suddenly require paperwork?[/colour]" he sighed with a small slump in his posture.

[Armony]

The restaurant owner watched in awe as the librarian sorted through an entire filing cabinet, in probably less time than it would have taken for Sage to have looked over a dozen or so files. As she waited, the green mare caught a few glimpses of categories on cooking and made herself a note to come back here when she had the time to check a few books out. She already knew quite a bit, but there were never enough weapons in a chef's arsenal for delicious creations. There were a few files that the receptionist stopped on that seemed like they might be helpful with their adventure, and she made a mental note of some of the titles they could look over after their main objective here was finished.

Once she had the information she needed, Sage quickly thanked the librarian and moved off toward the Early Equestria section, scanning over titles for anything on settlements and civilizations. After pulling about half a dozen books from the shelf, she levitated them all over to a table and began to skim through them, stopping to thoroughly read anything that seemed to have to do with settlements, no matter the size or significance to history. She quickly grew bored; however, and started reading anything that looked like it was remotely interesting, slowing her progress through the second book. This research stuff wasn't much to her liking, but it was a necessary evil if they were to know where, exactly, they needed to be going. She didn't feel much like exploring all of Equestria for one little plant.

After a few more minutes, Sage Leaf sighed and looked up, noticing that colton was still looking about through the shelves. Giggling to herself, she got up, walked over to him, and whispered in his ear "I found the section you're looking for. It's right over there, I think you even passed it at one point. Early Equestria. I've got a few books picked out on the table already if you want to help me look through those."

[Conor Colton]

Colton continued his desperate struggling, hardly even aware of Sage getting right up in his vicinity. The ear she whispered into perked up almost instantly as the stallion's eyes widened and he took in the seemingly condescending information. He would have chuckled if it wasn't a comment directed at his own ineptitude, and he could only formulate a somewhat basic response, "Uh...y-yeah...passed by it....I knew that...totally. Just, being thorough..." he stated with a small cough and a slight blush, easily noticeable on his pure white face.

He hovered away from the shelf, practically hearing Sparks chirping with laughter at his master's vague attempt to recover his dignity where just out of reach. But, he couldn't help but chuckle admittedly as he sat down next to Sage and had a quick look over all the books, "Wow uh...that is quite a lot..." he gulped. After today the pegasus didn't want to see a single book, tome, novel, novella, anything! For quite a while. Regardless he began to explore the books with Sage, keeping the recipe close at hoof to compare every now and then. As they sorted through page after page, similar crest after similar crest, the fatigue of research began to set in on our pegasus; but he pressed on. In an attempt to get close to his client; or keep himself from going nuts, either or, he decided to start up some small talk, which'd hopefully lead to some more conversation along with information.

"So Sage, hope you don't mind me asking but what was it specifically that made you want to come out on this whole adventure. I mean, I know you're not stupid, we have no clue where any of these crests could lead us. It could bring us somewhere in Canterlot, Ponyville or all the way to the Crystal Empire for all we know! I don't doubt you're committed but...I just have to wonder; things seemed pretty sweet for you in that restaurant...what compelled you to do this undertaking with basically a total stranger? Stop me if I'm wrong but you reckon it'd just be a nice change of pace, or a great bit of fun heading out there, seeing the world?" he posed the question, hoping it wasn't too strong of a statement to start with. After he finished he began thinking more and more on the journey as a whole. Just where would this crest lead them...

Colton had the question the value of an herb, and just what measures somepony...anypony would take to protect it, and whether or not things would become dangerous. He hoped for Sage's sake that wasn't the case but...oddly enough, he saw something similar to himself in her; an adventurer's spirit, which could be possibly why he asked such a question in the first place.