A night in Las Pegasus (invite only, ATTN:Icy)

[Alivda]

Raven smiled as she headed down the street, a little ways off from the main strip of Las Pegasus. Icy had finally invited her to visit the casino and the hidden bunker underneath it, and said something about packing for a decent stay. She wasn't sure what exactly that meant, maybe Icy was planning on them spending some time together, which she was more than looking forward to. It'd been a while since they'd last had time to spend with each other, and she was getting mighty bored sitting around the house, just training and working on her research. Soon enough, she was in front of the casino, and with a huge smile on her face, she headed in...

[IceStorm]

~~~Ice Storm~~~

 

 

 

 

Ice was in a better mood than she had been over the past week. She had been dealing with the finances for the casino while her accountant was in vacation. All the numbers of the casino has been giving her headaches and mare her wonder how anypony could keep track of all of this on top of finances for the organization as well she became acutely aware of just how much the mare was doing. She made a note to give her a raise when she got back. 

 

All that though was for later as her marefriend had just walked through the doors of The Fire and Ice Casino. Ice was right there to greet her, wearing a White and turquoise vested business dress. It was an attire befitting the owner of a prosperous casino, and she waved to Raven as she entered. "Raven!! Over here!!" she yelled with a smile.

[Alivda]

Raven smiled as she trotted over to Icy, her luggage temporarily being forgotten by the door. She stopped just short of hugging her though, not wanting to mess up Icy's nice dress. "Hey. Sorry I took so long getting here... Never been to Las Pegasus before. It was a little more than I was expecting... Busier than Canterlot, at least. How have you've been?" She said, smiling warmly at Icy. The lobby looked nice, the games off to the side, and a few shops and restaurants off on the other. There was a bunch of restaurants that looked like they'd be interesting, though she'd not brought a lot of bits with her...

[IceStorm]

~~~Ice Storm~~~

 

 

 

When Raven stopped short of her instead of hugging her, Ice took her own initiative and wrapped her hooves around her before pecking her on her cheek. "Hey! You're fine! Las Pegasus is kind of a maze of you haven't been here before. You could be going in a straight line from where your need to go and you can still get lost. And you haven't seen busy yet. This place has a nightlife that would make Luna blush," she smiled releasing Raven from the hug.

 

When she asked how she was doing she smiled and beckoned her into the vast open gaming floor with slots and card tables. "I've been tired, but good. My accountant is on vacation so I've been handling the finances for everything. Otherwise, business is good," Ice smiled.

[Alivda]

Raven blushed as Icy gave her a hug and a quick kiss but smiled before returning the favor. "That's good, my research is going well... least, as well as it can with what little resources I've been able to acquire my self... But, that's something I can think about later. After all, I'm here to vacation with you, even if you need to manage this wonderful place." She said before remembering her bags and quickly bringing them over. She had a few fancier dresses in there, but it was mostly just things she always traveled with. A few books, her armor, a few little things from her home to make the hotel rooms feel more lived in... Not that she was sure she'd need them, depending on where in the casino she was to sleep. She also had a small surprise for Icy, a pair of snowflake shapped earrings that had a small flame engraved into them... She smiled in excitement as she followed Icy...

[IceStorm]

~~~Ice Storm~~~

 

 

 

Ice led Raven through the casino part of the business before wrapping back around by all the different restaurants in the back. One of the staples of business here and how many casinos stayed afloat really. And if course, one of the restaurants in the casino was one of her own Frozen Delights dessert parlors. She listened as Raven told her about her research and how it was going. She said that they could deal with that later and that for now she was thinking about her vacation. She smiled, "Well, I'm sure that you're going to love a lot of what I have planned over the next few days," she smiled leading hey into the hotel elevator. "Let's go drop your stuff off at our suite. While we're doing that, you should decide on which of the restaurants here you wanna eat at tonight," she said happily, levitating a brochure over to them. 

[Alivda]

Raven smiled at Icy mentioning their suite. However, that would have to wait as she was asked to pick where they ate tonight. She took the brochure as they stepped into the elevator, looking over it, noticing there was a few chains, but it seemed to mostly be restaurants that were constructed for the casino. "Hmm... How bout this Neighponesse place? I've heard they have a lot of good food dishes." She said, looking up to see which floor they were going to.

[IceStorm]

~~~Ice Storm~~~

 

 

 

 

"Oh, that Neighponese place is absolutely amazing. It has some of the best noodle dishes I've ever had," Ice smiled as the elevator kept going into the reached the top floor of the ice side of the hotel. There was a small hallway that led to a set of double doors that looked to be inlayed with veins of glowing ice flowing through them. When Ice got closer, they got brighter and she was gently able to push the doors open.

 

Inside the doors was a vast penthouse suite with multiple rooms. It was like walking through the front doors of a mansion. The veiny tendrils of the 'glowing ice' spread throughout the floors and the walls but they were not cold to the touch, showing they were decorative and not actually ice. Inside the penthouse was all the rooms you'd expect to find. A dining room a kitchen, a couple bedrooms, a living room, and perhaps the most surprising of all was a nursery. Though if Raven was paying attention, everything in it was much to large for a conventional foal. As it was, Ice led Raven into her bedroom and then sat down on her bed before patting the bed next to her. "Come, set your stuff down and relax a bit. I'll make the dinner reservations," she smiled.

[Alivda]

Raven looked around in awe as they headed into Icy's penthouse. It was very well themed for the mare who owned, and she couldn't help a slight smile forming on her face as she took it all in. When Icy mentioned getting comfortable, she looked around for a out of the way spot to put her luggage, and started looking through them, looking for the ear rings to give to Icy, as well as a simple dress to wear out on their date tonight. "Take your time, I've got a little bit of a surprise that I've got to find..." She said, a knowing smile on her face.

[IceStorm]

~~~Ice Storm~~~

 

 

 

 

Ice smiled when Raven sat her luggage on the bed appearing to be looking for something. She confirmed this when she told Ice to take her time because she had a surprise for her. She smiled and nodded before slipping into hey closet for a few moments. When she came out, instead of wearing the white business dress that she had been in when Raven got there, she was in a black sequin dress, the sleeves fading from black through an ice blue, to a white tip. The sequins shimmered and shined as she stepped back out. "Find what you were looking for yet?" she smiled.

[Alivda]

Raven grinned as she turned, hiding the small box behind her as she took in Icy's new dress. "Yep... I saw them in Canterlot, and couldn't help but think of you." She said, before showing the earrings to Icy. She'd also picked out a simple dress that followed a similar pattern to Icy's, but from a gentle red to a faded orange. Deciding to change while Icy was looking at her gift, she smiled warmly, happy to be able to spend time with Icy...

[IceStorm]

~~~Ice Storm~~~

 

 

Ice smiled and nodded as Raven told her that she had seen her gift in Canterlot when she thought about her and just knew that she had to buy them for her. She also noticed that Raven picked out a similar dress to hers for their date, but was a gentle red to a faded orange. She went in to change while Ice opened the box to her earrings and she gasped a bit when she saw them. It was a set that she always wanted to buy but could never justify the price. Not when she had so many other finances coming out. Her eyes started to well up from happiness and she quickly put them on. When Raven was done changing she'd be merry with a pouncing Icy as she wrapped her up in a tight, almost choking, hug. "They are amazing. Thank you so much..." She said between happy sobs. "I love you," she smiled.

[Alivda]

Raven blushed as she blinked in surprise, completely floored by Icy's reaction to what to her was a simple pair of earrings. "I love you too." She said when she finally got her wits back and hugged Icy back. She smiled warmly, and drew back a little so she could kiss her, her horn sparking slightly at her feelings of passion. It was lovely, and she would have preferred to stay there in that moment, but her stomach had other ideas as it let it's emptiness be known. She giggled a bit as she sheepishly pulled back, smiling at Icy without saying anything...

[IceStorm]

~~~Ice Storm~~~

 

 

 

 

After a few moments, mainly after she had heard her marefriend's stomach growl louder than a grizzly bear. She smiled as she watched Raven pull back sheepishly before leaning in and giving her another small kiss. "Alright, let's make our way to the restaurant. I'm quite hungry myself and I can tell that you are to. So I'm not about to let my marefriend go hungry while she's here. If anything by the time we're done with our time together, might have to have your dress let out a little bit," she said before putting her new earrings in and started leading Raven back towards the Elevator. So far, everything was going as amazingly as she had hoped. Now she just needed to find a way to make it up to her, and hope the idea that she had for when they toured the base would at least help with that.

[Alivda]

Raven giggled as they headed for the elevator. "I'd hope not... Would make it tough if we wanted to do something tonight like dancing. Though, I'm sure that you have the finest chefs." She said with a smile as they went down to the lobby. She couldn't stop from giving Icy another kiss, and leaning on her, a soft warm look on her face from being near her marefriend after so long being apart...

[IceStorm]

~~~Ice Storm~~~

 

 

"Dancing sounds like it would be fun. I have a couple places here that are specifically for that. A couple of ballrooms. One of them is for the more upbeat new age musting that ponies like nowadays. I believe their called Raves if I'm not mistaken... and I also have more of a Gala like ballroom for the ponies that enjoy the classical nuances of music and the slower paced waltzes with the occasional salsa or tango mixed in," Ice said with a smile as the elevator came to a stop and the door opened.

 

From there she once again led Raven through the casino. She was taking in a bit of the sights and sounds herself right now, but moreso looking for ponies trying to bend the rules than anything else. "So, what do you think of the place that I put together for us? Everything here is just the tip of the Iceberg. You true surprise is when we start getting to the tour of some of the lower levels of the facility," she smiled as she took in a long sniff. She could already smell the delicious food from the Neighponese restaurante that was right in front of them. "You're going to love this place. The noodles and rice are amazing here," she finished with a smile.

[Alivda]

Raven smiled as they slowly made their way to the restaurant, slowed by her looking around at all the sights and sounds. The sounds were doing a slight number on her with her instincts, her ear flicking at each new sound, trying to locate where they were coming from. "It's... It's a little loud and distracting... but I suppose in a place where everything is, that's the best way to get others to spend their money here. I haven't really ever been in a place with this many sights and sounds... Wait... My surprise? You got me something other than this time with you? You... You didn't have too... I mean... Most of your finances are probably tied up, right?" She said grinning a bit as they arrived in front of the restaurant.

[IceStorm]

~~~Ice Storm~~~

 

 

 

Ice smiled and nodded. "At first everything is kind of loud and distracting, but after a while, it becomes background noise that you don't really pay any attention to. The only time I notice any of the sounds coming from the casino anymore is if one of the big jackpots goes off. Those bells and whistles are kind of hard to ignore. Everything else is as you said, an attraction of sorts. Being brand new to the area, I have to stand out and be at least a bit more flashy until I've solidified myself as one of Las Pegasus's rocks, like the Excoltable, the Mareage, and The Great Sphinx. Only when I'm mentioned among the likes of those, will my casino actually be safe." she said with a smile. "That would be of course... if it wasn't for what was underneath of this place. But that's for the after dinner tour."

 

When Raven commented on the surprised that Ice had in store for her, her smile grew. "Indeed, a lot of them are, but there are some important things that also require finances being spent on them, and anything that brings my marefriend closer and lets us spend more time together while we work is more than worth any some I could pay to make it happen. But, that will also have to wait until our little underground tour as well," she smiled as the hostess immediately recognized Ice and waved her in.

 

"Oh!!! Et's soo good to see you... Prease forrow me!" the Neighponese mare said through her thick accent and guided them to their table at the habachi grill. "What drink?!" she smiled enthusiastically. One good thing that could easily be seen. No pony seemed shy or out of place around her, nor did they feel like they were walking on eggshells. Ice took care of her employees quite well, and in return, they were more than happy to treat her as they would anypony else.

[Alivda]

Raven smiled at the hostess and asked for some tea, before looking at Icy, letting her guide her hoof on the food. She'd never been to a place like this before, where apparently they cooked the food right in front of you. Though, now that she thought about it, wasn't saying much as most of her restaurant experiences were deliveries or small cafes. Once Icy had helped her pick a dish, she settled for sitting beside her, smiling at the warmth she felt just from being around her marefriend...

[IceStorm]

~~~Ice Storm~~~

 

 

 

Ice smiled as Raven sat beside her. Everything was going as perfectly so far as she could hope for it to. Ice had ordered them both the order of the Neighponese Ramen stir fry, made with carrots, peas, sprouts, corn, watch chestnuts, onion, and noodles, all in a myriad of sauces. It was prepared all right in front of them, the habachi chef using a little bit of saki to bath the noodles and then lightly sparked a fire among them. The burst of flame only lasted a few seconds, though Ice, being a mare of ice, instinctively leaned in against Raven at the bout of flame. It made it very apparent that despite all of her arcane power with the element of Ice itself, she was still very much afraid of an open flame. It was after all, the one element that could easily destroy here. Shoot, a hot summer day could easily destroy her.

 

Once it died down though, she smiled and gave Raven a small kiss on her cheek before speaking up as the noodles were placed in front of them. "So, tell me a little bit about the research that you've been doing recently? Any breakthroughs or perhaps any new crystal discoveries that could be interesting?" she asked with a smile trying to make conversation.

[Alivda]

Raven smiled as they watched the show, the act and flames making her smile warmly as she felt something inside her react to the flame before feeling Icy lean into her. She wrapped a hoof around her, remembering how Icy had said that heat is one of her major weaknesses. Once the show was over and the food in front of them, she felt Icy kiss her before asking about her research. "Well, I've had a little bit of progress... The main thing I'm working on is figuring out what type of crystal and which matrices can hold the most thaums, as every time I think I'm getting close to some kinda enchantment, the focus shatters... To be honest, My study's becoming a bit pot-marked with the shards... Luckily, that shield spell that popped up back when we spared up north can be cast fairly quickly, and is fairly solid..." She said, before the smell of the food became too much, and she dived into eating, clearly enjoying the food...

[IceStorm]

~~~Ice Storm~~~

 

 

 

Ice nodded when Raven started talking about the project she was working on. That in of itself was important research. It's sounds as if she's been really good at finding the limits of the crystal rather, but not so much at the stopping part. Ice had an idea for her though, considering her ships ran off of a similar conduit. She would wait until Raven finished explaining things though. It was good to know that hey shield spell was protecting her from the shards. Ice was about to ask how she managed to get out of the way of those things.

 

"Until you can get a crystal to hold steady at and not over absorb aether, you need to give it a vent port. I implore similar methods for powering some of the new toys I have. There toy acts to help regulate the flow of Aether and gives it something to flow through. Any access aether flows back into the crystal, so it can go for a while without being recharged. But, you might be about to create some more powerful and more stable aether batteries by linking two crystals together. Instead of over flowing and bursting, the Aether continuously flows from one crystal to another. Obviously, there was a time when crystals could be refined to a point where they could contain and amplify aether," she said simply tapping her amulet.

 

"But what methods they used in the past may be lost to is now, so we have to figure them out. As much as I can't stand how that stallion thinks sometimes... In fact I'm fairly sure he doesn't most of the time... I would not be where I am today without his influence. He bought me the deed to this land, and had the spheres in the amulet specially made for me. I think he and whomever made these," she continued, "might be doing some similar research. So I would talk to Swift Squall and see if he can get you in contact with his crystal expect so that you can compare studies. At the very least if you've covered similar stuff you'll know what doesn't work so you can try different things that might."

[Alivda]

Raven slowed down her eating as she thought about it for a second. "Hmm... I always thought that the spell casting would work as a vent port, but maybe... hmm... if I put a small port in, and restructure the shape of the container to produce a steady flow... Could always make it to where it acts simply as an amplifier... would need to find a way to bleed it off if too much is poured in, as even a port can only bleed off so much... maybe a series of ports..." She said, before shaking her head. "Sorry, I sometimes get carried away when a thought strikes me... We can discuss the boring things later... You were right about how good this food is!"

[IceStorm]

~~~Ice Storm~~~

 

 

 

"Well, casting a spell would work as a port for the aether so to day, but if it's unstable, then sometimes casting a spell may not be using enough aether or venting it often enough before the crystal can get overwhelmed. It's also possible that the quality of the crystals that you find might have something to do with the aether that it can hold. Perhaps you could work with different refinements as well. Something that's perfectly refined and of high quality would hold more than say an unrefined gem. I wouldn't know on that part, but Swift will point you in the right direction. I can put in a contact for him to get him here in a reasonable amount of time," Ice said with a smile before slurping up a good portion of noodles. She loved the sauce that they used for them, and all the vegetables were all nice crisp and steamy.

 

She giggled lightly as Raven said that they could talk about the boring stuff later and echoed her thoughts about how good the noodles were here. "I knew you would love them! And so far nothing has been boring, or at least I hope not. I greatly enjoy talking about your studies and any interesting tid bits that I can help with. After all, that's one of the good things that marefriends are for right?" she said peeking at one of the clocks in the restaurant. When she saw the time, her eyes lit up as she remembered what day it was. "Oh!! I just remembered what day it was!!" Ice proclaimed excitedly as she levitated one of the Brochures she had out. Sure it was somewhat advertising for a rival casino, but the Mareage owners were good ponies and the pegasus that was performing there tonight had a heart of gold.

 

"Wind Dancer is performing tonight over the Mareage Volcano! That's going to be an amazing show! She's one of the best outdoor performers in all of Las Pegasus! She generates wind through dancing, and she's one of the nicest ponies here in Las Pegasus! I've employed her a few times for the theater and the auditorium because she does indoor stuff as well, but it's a lot more restrictive on her. Let me tell you, she can really get winds going. A couple of smaller venues that wanted her to perform and didn't heed her warnings don't exist anymore!! We must go see it! Hope you don't mind getting wet, cause it says to bring an umbrella... but I think that would pull from the experience... But the show is right next door! and it starts in about an hour and a half. If we finish eating and get over there, there might still be some good seats left. Unlike most shows, We'll want to be on one of the highest bleachers. With everything that's going on, I want to see the lake in full and be able to see what she's doing!" Ice said excitedly.

[Alivda]

Raven nodded. "Someone who's well versed in crystal based magic might be of help. Honestly, I've been doing most of this on my own as I haven't the fainest clue when it comes to academic studies... being expelled and then home schooled will do that to you." She said, before noting Icy's next words. She let out a soft giggle, a warm smile coming to her face. "That's... I don't know what to say... It's just... I mean... We're on a date right now, So I thought talking about my day job wouldn't be all that... Exciting, you know?" She bit her lip as she realized what she was saying, but luckily, Icy had remembered something, and slid another brochure her way. The mare on the front looked like she was having fun, and a show sounded nice... especially since a show was what had led to their dating, and their first night together... "That sounds lovely, and maybe even better than the jousting show... after all, I doubt there will be a kiss cam at this one." She said with a playful wink, having long gotten over the worry and shame that even had caused her...