Parodius

You say that like Opal probably doesn't do that.

Nodding, Scale decides not to press the issue. "Well, if ya ever find the words and need an ear to listen, I've got a couple to share." He smiles and waggles them about in an attempt to lighten the mood. "If it is love, I'm afraid I wouldn't have much advice beyond common sense platitudes, though." Another sip of his coffee. He nods a bit at the suggestion of a topic change. "Yeah. It'd be neat to hear what the life of a magic student's like." He idly looks over his coffee cup as he floats it in front of him, adjusting his glasses. ...not at the contents, but the cup itself. He starts reaching back toward where he usually wears his saddlebags, then blinks, realizing he left them back home. He shakes his head, then looks toward Dazzle attentively.

Divinity 4 favor - stress 0/20 With a sharp salute, Divinity rolls up her comic book carefully and tucks it away in her uniform before darting off quickly. Unfortunately for her, she missed out what probably would have been a great piece of evidence about the shady doings of Breezy. Eager to prove her worth to the castle, she zips through the corridors at high speed toward the kitchen, confident that she could find some of the requested items there! She wasn't certain why the location of Princess Luna's diary was important, but if Princess Celestia desired to know, Divinity decided it must be of the utmost importance, perhaps with far reaching national consequences. She bursts into the kitchen, flapping eagerly to stop. "I am on a dire mission of the utmost importance!" she announces to anypony that might be in there already (or to the empty room) as she starts looking for any of the items on the list. Maybe there was some Luna/Celestia salt and pepper shaker set she could use for the statuette. Or perhaps a spoon or spare wine glass. Fancy dishes with heavenly bodies, maybe? And of course, the possibility of finding the diary. She zips around, from cabinet to cabinet, looking both high and low for anything she might find. ...though, she may be zipping from place to place a bit too quickly to really notice what she's looking in. Luck, for noticing what Breezy Swift is up to (1d6*3=3) Skill, searching the kitchen for however many of the items she can find! (1d6*3=6) (So far, invisible castle seems to not like me. Lemme know if I need to roll stress or something yet. Also, do we have a set success point to hope for with the dice, or are you having it variable for the task?)

At Mal's comment, Scale sputters and blushes lightly. "Er... r-right," he mumbled, resting his hooves pensively on the table. He nudges his glasses back into place, then sips his coffee before looking at his reflection in the cup. As Mal wandered off to order, he nodded a bit. "Yeah... she was real stubborn." He looks up and smiles lightly. "Told her I'd care for her whether she wanted it or not. Everypony needs somepony to care. She got kinda mad at that, I think." He swirls the liquid around in his cup. "And Luna might be just as good, but usually night schools are for those that got too busy with jobs and stuff to go to class during the day, right?" He pauses and thinks, finally regaining composure. "Who's this 'Arc'? Friend of yours?" As Mal returned and took a drink, he turned a slight grimace. "If you say s--" He pauses and looks concerned for a moment. "...Err... what's wrong?" he asked the returned pony, briefly glancing over to Dazzle, brow raised curiously to see if Dazzle had any better idea than he did. Other topics started to drift toward the back of his mind, not quite as important at the moment, in his opinion.

Scale let out a pff as he was chided. "I know... I know... just blowing off some steam at a bit of rough treatment when I met her. She was a bit adamant about not needing friends. ...I wonder what changed her mind. Well, enough to at least hang out for a bit." He eyes the mound of whipped topping atop Dazzle's cup and shudders a little, imagining the excessively sweet flavor. He nods a bit, at the correction, sipping his coffee as it levitates in front of him. As he strolled back toward the table, he nodded. "Ah... I see. I see. Maybe there's a 'Princess Celestia's Night School for Average Unicorns' somewhere," he jokes. Pausing, he puts a hoof to his chin in thought. "...but maybe that'd be more Princess Luna's forte, being at night?" He guides his coffee to the tabletop, sitting down. "Fear not! We have returned from our arduous journey to retrieve coffee," he comments to Mal. "I hope the wait wasn't too troublesome." He takes a sip from his cup.

Scale Model nods a bit at Mal's insistence to order first, adjusting course to get ready with his plain... plain... so very plain order. "Well yeah, of course problems don't go away if y' push 'em aside, but it's pretty hard to fix a chair if you're still sitting in it, as my dad used to say," he replies to Dazzle Dawn. "If she's upset enough that her magic's disrupted, wouldn't she be upset enough that she wouldn't be able to talk about it easily? If she got distracted a bit, it might be easier to talk about later. Like... after a relaxing cup of coffee." He nudges his glasses up, then smirks for a moment before raising his voice just enough so he'd probably be heard by the topic of conversation herself. "But then, she might put on her grumpy face again!" He tries to do an impression of Mal's usual expression, based on what he recalled from his previous expression. "Rararar. I am a grumpy grumpy pony! I don't need anypony! I'm all mean and scary and not at all friendly because I don't need friends!" He grins, then gives an innocent and cheerful wave back to Mal to show he's joking and turns back to face front in the line. "A cup of coffee, please. Black," he orders when he gets a moment. He then resumes chatting to Dazzle Dawn. "...Materializing Matresses. Right. I probably should get into a few magic courses so I can sort out more of those terms. ...but then... I don't know if the college does those tests for admittance into the magic classes. If I wound up having to take care of a baby dragon, my already taxed finances would be even more strained, I bet." He fishes a few bits from his saddlebags to pay for his cup of coffee. "...but the benefits of the classes would be undeniable in my field." A moment of thought. "Might be able to get along with what little I do know about magic, though. Possibly."

Thistle blinked as she was addressed, beaming cheerfully as the little filly recognized her superior adorable nature. She considered swooping down at the prospect of easy cuddles, but after a moment's thought, decided that she might get a stern talking to if she did so. She busied herself with looking at her talons, her tail swishing idly. "It's been pretty boring around here so far is why," she explained before standing up atop the roof, only slightly fibbing. A griffon had to keep her pride, after all. Letting her hindquarters tumble over her talons as she pushes off of the roof, she gives a sharp-beaked smile as she tumbled off of the roof to settle on the ground below with a few flaps of her wings. "'m Thistle," she brusquely introduced herself, looking over her talons. "Just moved here. You ponies are really boring if today is how you live all the time. Almost no fights or arguing or anything like that," she comments, stretching. "Rockwington was a lot more exciting." She modestly neglected to mention just how the other griffon chicks back home tended to get pretty rough. "So what're you lame-o's names?" she asked, looking down the street at some building in the distance in the hopes of not seeming TOO interested.

Scale Model makes a face. "Bleh... Sweet. A little can be okay, but what you said sounded more like sticking a spoon in a bag of sugar and calling it dessert. Coffee has a good flavor all on its own, if it's made right. It doesn't need anything to make it good, unless it got messed up." He nods matter-of-factly. He nods at Mal's explanation, but then starts to get a bit of a distant look in his eyes as more detail is given about what's going on with her magic, all the fancy details in the middle becoming a blur to him. As the explanation was concluded, he nodded. "So... what you're saying is... something's bothering you, and it's big enough that messing up your magic?" he asks, apparently having only really caught the front and end of that explanation. Another definitive nod. "Well, I guess we'll have to do something to take your mind off your troubles, even if it's just for a little while. Might just be you've been working too hard." He smiles cheerfully. He looked over to the coffee shop that was pointed out as Mal started heading for it. "Cheap and tastes good? Sounds like a good kind of place to me!" He looks at the book store and the hardware shop on either end thoughtfully. It certainly seemed like a good place to him. He could get supplies or study materials. He looked over to Dazzle as he started following Malediction. "So... uh... did you catch any of what she just said?" he quietly asked, low enough to hopefully only be heard by Dazzle. He gives a slightly sheepish smile.

Divinity (pegasus) 4 favor - stress 0/20 She didn't trust them. Not a one. Divinity's silvery eyes peered suspiciously at the others over the top of a comic book. Something seemed fishy about the two unicorns, but she couldn't quite tell what it was just yet. The blue pegasus mare over there seemed pretty fishy as well. Why had she stamped her hoof just now? Then there was that stallion in the maid getup. What did he think he was doing? And he was talking about jail. There HAD to be something suspicious about him. The zebra... she wasn't quite sure what to think. She hadn't done much to earn her suspicion, but why would a zebra be serving the equestrian princess? Most likely, she was the least suspicious of the lot, but even she seemed odd. The week of training may have been rough, but it was ever so useful to find out both about the palace's layout and her fellow maids. She had been prepared for strict training, just... not as a maid. But, she believed, it was now painfully obvious to Divinity exactly why the glorious Princess Celestia had assigned Divinity to serve Princess Luna, rather than in the Royal Guard as Divinity had hoped. She had to watch... Every. Last. One. Of. Them. She had never seen such a suspicious bunch. Princess Luna would surely need somepony to rely on and provide a good influence with all these shady characters serving her. Ruby Red and that Grimsby fellow seemed to take their jobs with the appropriate seriousness that serving the Princesses should have. Surely she could rely upon them if things went sour, thought Divinity. Turning a page in her comic book, she continued her vigilant watch as she quietly waited.

Scale Model ahs and nods. "So, it's like coffee, only really really strong. Sounds pretty useful." He pauses in speaking and blinks at Dazzle's preferred beverage. "Uhm... Mine's... uh... coffee. Black. Maybe some creamer if it's a bad cup." He smiles. "Probably pretty boring tastes, huh?" He nods in agreement with Dazzle, then blinks a bit as Malediction speaks up. "You... can't use some of your spells anymore? That sounds pretty serious." He frowns. "...have you tried seeing somepony about it yet?" He looks a bit concerned at the mention of possible loss of job if it gets worse.. "... There's a lot of stuff that's tricky to use without magic. ...like openning a jar that's closed too tightly." He looks around at some of the buildings. "... Maybe I could look at some of your work stuff to see if I could make things easier for you if things do get worse. Hope they don't, but it doesn't hurt to be ready if they do. 'Hope for the best, prepare for the worst,' as my ma used to say." He tilts his head thoughtfully. "I guess she still says it, but I just don't hear it anymore." He glances up at the street lamps as the trio walk beneath them. "I didn't even know such a thing could happen." She then shakes his head and smiles. "But enough gloomy what ifs. What's this place we're going to like?"

Scale Model blinked. Seemed like a different reaction than last time. "...Coffee it is, I suppose. You okay? Just seem like you're a bit more laid back than last time we met." He glances over to Dazzle and gives a smile at the laughter and 'good friend' assessment, though he's still trying to fight off the blush from earlier. He looks back over to Dazzle. "Hmm... Sounds like useful classes, as long as you don't use magic when magic's not needed. Like putting a spell to keep something safe from fire when whatever it is wouldn't be hurt by the fire anyways." He thinks. "Though, might be good to put something on like... buildings to help them stay up even if they stay up well enough on their own. Never know when some pegasus will crash into it or something." He winces a bit, recalling a rainbow-maned weather pegasus back at home. "By the way, what's this 'espresso'?" he asks. He wasn't sure what was up with the grumpier of the two blue mares, but at least she was a bit more social. Best to take advantage of it.

"Hmm... Practical Magic Theory, eh? Sounds more sciency than what I do. Seems like it's mostly stuff like torsion, measurements, and how much stuff can take without breaking, barring magic reinforcement. There's some art stuff, but not much. ...and sometimes a bit of 'slap something on for a brief fix'. ... It might do me good to get into the magic bits of the university sometime." He smiles. "Parks might be good, but are they that busy at night? Seems like it'd be a bit empty to me. Unless other CU students make a thing of roaming around. Might have seen you, but I dunno. There's so many different ponies around here that it seems like some giant-sized artist dropped all their paints sometimes." He perks an ear at the grumpy exclamation, then looked over. He smiled as Mal tromped over and insisted that nothing was seen. "Hey there, Malediction. Good to see you're still in one piece. Haven't had a chance to drop in on your shop. Got busy with school stuff." He blinked a bit confusedly. "...suggestion? What suggestion?" A smirk, and he points a hoof. "Not gonna get outta things so easily. Friendship isn't limited to just one pony at a time." He stuck his tongue out playfully. At least until the suggestion that he was on a date. Crimson bloomed upon Scale Model's cheeks as he sputtered and adjusted his glasses. "W-we just met! I wouldn't... I couldn't... uh... n-not with somepony I just met or something. We were just trying to think up something to do to unwind from a busy day... Set aside troubles for just a little while." He scuffs his hoof on the ground, glancing between the two from behind his glasses. "P-parks, coffee shops, and libraries have been suggested..." he murmurs quietly as he settles on looking at a nearby planter instead, trying to get his cheeks to stop looking quite so red. ...and pretty much failing.

Shrugging and giving a sheepish smile, he rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, something like that. Engineering, maybe a little architecture... Mostly want to make things easier to use for everypony." He scuffed the ground lightly. "Dunno if I know 'an awful lot' just yet, but at the rate the university crams stuff in your head here, I probably will by the end of it. ...and oh how they know how to cram stuff in your head. Dunno how I'd survive if I'd applied for the magic courses as well." A moment of thought. "...though... I suppose that'd have its benefits, too. Maybe some other semester." He shakeshakeshakes his head, then nudges his glasses back into position. "Ugh... I gotta get school off my head. It's gonna drive me batty if I keep dwelling on schoolwork." He smiles to the filly. "Don't suppose you know anyplace to unwind, miss Dazzle Dawn? Still not quite familiar with Canterlot."

Scale blinked at the greeting, looking around until he spied the bright blue unicorn mare. "Huh? Wha? Oh. Hello there. Sorry. Had my head in the clouds, I guess." He looks up, then nods. "Yeah. It is pretty nice. ...though the lights of Canterlot kinda compete with the sky above. The ponies that built this city really did a great job." He smiles. "Back home, it was like you could see forever, some nights. Didn't have many buildings that were quite as nice, though." He adjusts his glasses. "Scale Model. Nice to meet ya, miss."

It was another dull day of classes for Scale Model. Formulas and variables drifted through his head as he idly roamed the streets, trying to unwind a little. He didn't have any pressing assignments, other than little tidbits of homework that shouldn't take too long. For now, he wandered the streets of Canterlot, searching for something to take his mind off of his classes. Sure, Celestia's sun had gone down already, but his mind was far too active to rest. He wasn't sure if he could find his way back later, but that would be later. For now, the idle wandering along the streets of the Equestrian capitol calmed his mind slightly.

What I would LOVE to see is an episode about LISTENING TO YOUR FRIENDS when they tell you that awesome person you're dating is a total jerk. Yeah, it's an off-kilter moral, but this show doesn't seem to shy away from those. Might be a bit too mature for the targeted demographic, though. ...though, it probably would in effect be a merge of Griffon the Brush-Off and the Prince Blueblood stuff. But it's still an important lesson.

The answer is simple, really. You see... Rainbow Dash Always Dresses in Style. *hides from thrown fruit*

((Nevermind. Deteted.))

Scale nods and smiles, setting his quill down atop his inkwell for a moment. "Still kinda new in town. I came from Ponyville to Canterlot, to take classes here. I'm Scale Model. Nice to meet you. ...so far, it seems busier here than back home." He pauses and thinks for a bit. "Not sure if that's the right word though. Not as laid back. Y'know?" He pushes his glasses back into place, then takes another sip of his coffee. "It'll take a bit to get used to, but I guess it has its charms."

"No bagels, no problem," he murmured, already pretty well immersed in whatever he was working on. He sipped on his coffee. "Just means I'll get something a bit more substantial later. Coffee's not too shabby," he compliments. He then nods to himself, muttering something about torsion as he scribbles on a sheet of paper. He perks an ear at somepony else saying they weren't fond of sweet things. "Bagels might do ya well, if ya keep getting ponies without a sweet tooth," he idly comments. "Food for thought, if you'll pardon the pun." He smirks, then flips the page in his current book, jotting down a few more notes.

Scale Model grinned at Pony Joe. "Well, that's good. I don't think ink would taste that good, and I doubt coffee would be that good for doing assignments. I heard about this place on campus and thought I'd check it out." He casually waves a hoof. "No big rush on my part. Just a cup of coffee and a... do you have bagels? I heard this place is known for it's doughnuts, but... most doughnuts are a bit too sweet for my tastes." He sits and starts reading. "Again, no rush. Probably have better paying ponies than little ol' me." His horn glows for a moment and he opens his inkwell. Pausing, he blinks for a moment at himself. He then gives a critical look at the inkwell before closing it again via magic. He attempts to open it with his hooves, or a combination of hooves and mouth. With a hum, he shakes his head and opens the bottle via magic again. He fishes out a little notebook from his saddlebags, then flips it open. Flipping through the pages, he eventually picks up his pen, dips it in the ink, and scribbles down something in the notebook. He then sets it aside and turns his attention to the book he first opened.

Winter is going to be coming before we know it. And after that... comes Winter Wrap up. Are you planning to have a single forum-wide winter wrap up, or will it be seperated into the different areas, such as Ponyville (which we've seen), Canterlot (we've heard they use magic), Hoofington, Appleloosa, Manehattan, and so on? Or will there be a WWU event at all?

The door openned, and a stack of books floated in. A scrawny, light yellow unicorn followed them in, similarly laden with books. Turning his bespectacled gaze around the shop, he picked an empty table and trotted over to deposit his books atop and around it. Pushing his glasses back into place with a hoof, Scale Model looked around once again. "Er... does this place offer refills?" he asks as he fishes out an inkwell, a pen, and a stack of empty papers from his saddlebags before finally retrieving a pouch. He opens it and takes a peek inside, wincing slightly at the state of its contents. He looks over his various books before selecting one and openning it to a marked page and propping it up against one of the stacks of books. That done, he nods a greeting to the others, then looks around for a menu of some sort.

"Trellis Vale Apartments. Got it." He nodded and gave a smile. "I'll think of something. Not sure what, but I'll see what I can do." Another nod. "True enough. It's a lucky thing, too. When somepony rushes their work, it can kinda turn out sloppy. Like a table with all the legs different lengths." Scale waved back. "Until next time!" he called back. Stretching for a moment, he then walked out into the street as well, thinking on what he could do to repay the nice mare as he wandered back toward the university. What does one get somepony who had cash already? What do writer ponies need? How might he make things more convenient? So many questions drifted through his head. Maybe he could ask somepony on campus for advice later.

Thistle lifted her talon and openned her eyes at the sound of angry yelling. Rolling over, she peeked over the edge of the roof she was on at the street below. Was there gonna be a fight? She looked around, surveying the scene. She saw some foals over there, as well as a couple of grown ponies. One mare looked upset as she determinedly marched toward what looked like a store, with the moustache pony trying to get her to stop, apparently. "I guess ponies get into fights too. Just not as many," murmured the griffon chick to herself, tailpoof swaying back and forth as she watched. It was the first somewhat interesting thing since she got in town, after all. Maybe it would lead to more things. She continued lounging, letting one talon dangle off the edge of the roof and propping her head up with the other.