Blueblood

It was quite true that neither the Crystal Prince nor Princess feared the exploits of tabloid journalism... mostly down to the fact that such corrupting influences had not yet shown themselves in the nascent publishing industry in the Crystal Empire. Not to mention that Shining was by no means opposed to borrowing a page from Cousin Blueblood's playbook in discouraging such tendencies from being imported! A good thing too, as the offering of what amounted to a mistress as a Hearthswarming gift from Wife to Husband was not even the spiciest headline an unscrupulous journalist could weave from the threads of rumors that could be picked up around the royal couple. Threads that this seamstress had seemingly missed so far. Nor had she generated much in that way herself, if he was interpreting her response correctly. Well, that was certainly going to change! Getting up from the table, he beamed in response to the compliment, but waited to answer the question until he was right up against Rarity, warm body against hers in the heated kitchen, darkened lips whispering in her ear, "Well, as you might have guessed, your presence here is something of a Hearthswarming gift. Knowing that, I'd like to see how well you wrap yourself." He was sure the implications would not be missed; he knew all the offerings in the fashionista's catalog, both public and intimate!

For Jizara, the walk was proving extremely helpful; she had undergone so many changes over the course of the day that some things just hadn't settled into her sense of reality. But with every step, every impact of paw upon crystal tile, every excited word and loving look from the feline male next to her solidified her new sense of self bit by bit. Not just as a sphinx, but as a newlywed! Not to mention, by all accounts, a mother-to-be... It was ironic, she had to admit. Of the three here she had arguably logged the most years of parenthood, and yet the results of her efforts were not as such that she felt in any way confident in offering advice. She was grateful for Niilaavin's youth, his curiosity, his questions. It would have been a little humiliating for an elder mare to seek advice from a younger, but a young male needed all the guidance he could get. *And he's much more accepting of advice than Filthy was, even back when the stallion looked at me like Niil is looking now... No, actually, no. Filthy never looked at me in that way, with that intensity. Not even for a moment was I so much to him.* Only now, at this distance, did she feel comfortable admitting this to herself, with no regrets but for wasted time in the past... Speaking of wasted time, Tario would have had to keep up his duties under the increasinly unamused stare of a newly-minted sphinx. She'd had little patience for restaurant functionaries even as a mare, and the obstinancy of this little stallion who dared come between her and a much needed meal was stirring increasingly deeper feelings of offense, only partially mollified by his eventual capitulation. "Good help indeed! He's supposed to assist customers, not hold the line against an invading army..." Perhaps he really had missed his calling; Jizara suspected that her Tyr husband would be looking for such qualities in his guard. But still, the cheek of it!

Yu, while more experienced in criminal matters, was perhaps less complete in masking her disquiet. Sucking in a breath though her teeth, she let it out in a soft laugh, though the elemental mist that fogged up all the mirrors betrayed an inner turmoil. "A small matter, yes. It would be most unfortunate if we had to deal with a big problem. Kaiju attacks, for one. Did you see the one where Gojira attacks Manehattan? Pure Cinema!" Showing fear was death in the last city she called home, and though the topside of Manehattan was a brighter, cleaner, and more harmonious place than Long Kong, Manehattan's underworld seemed hauntingly familiar so far. "Just... use discretion. And remember, if it all goes pear-shaped, cut your losses and run. You're a friend, but you're not in; and all things considered, that's probably for the best." She washed her hooves, blowing them dry with a blast of firey breath. "There! Now, let's get back to your family, eh? Don't want to leave your cute cousin alone too long!" Speak of the angel... Ambrosia had finished her milkshake by now, so her tummy was especially vulnerable to tickled. "Heeheehee! Roam to Roam!" Having recently discovered wordplay thanks to meeting Yu, she was starting to realize how fun it was. It mean movement, but also a city. A city like this? She should ask mama... Cara, meanwhile, just nodded, "Oh, yes, Itailia is a very large citrus market; and our family owns and operates several orchards in the area. Oranges with some lemons, though we are thinking about expanding into limes. Mosely's noticed a surprising long-term rise in demand for that particular fruit; perhaps due to more open relations with Tenochtitlan basin and Mexicolt?"

3, lets make some local friends!

https://discord.gg/mabFfEmR

2. No need to wreck the economy from either direction

Good to meet ya, Fruity!

ullo, friendly neighborhood admin here! Just as a note, this is technically an OOC introduction section, mostly an intro to the player behind the chars.

Shining Armor took his time with his bite of pie, taking it up with a fork like a proper gentlecolt, and savoring it like a gourmand. "Mmmm~" Try as he might, though, it wasn't quite possible for him to catch every stray drop of juice from the crystal berries from leaking out his lips, leaving a purple stain around his mouth, even after his tongue came out to lick his lips. "Delicious, I would have expected no less from such a lady as yourself. It's honestly a pity you haven't done this for more, but I'm honored to be your first in that way." He was not letting up on those implications, especially as he leaned over to whisper in Rarity's ear in answer to her last question. "Oh, I'm sure Cady would love some too, later. But there's a reason she left us alone together, you know~" The proximity of his presence, the warm air of the breath she'd sweetened by her cooking, would have heightened the mare's senses as Shining watched for her reaction.

Cara made a mental note to have that package examined before Mosely opened it, but kept her smile on her face as she nodded, "It's important not to lose touch with the work at the ground level. Which does remind me, need to schedule the next orchard tour..." There was still that twinge of trouble that Applejack felt with her as well, but she had no intention of ruining a nice day out for her great-niece. Ambrosia, completely free of troubles and topped up with mama-kisses, waved goodbye as AJ returned to the arena. "Ride 'em, mama!" She cheered, happy with family and friends, without a care in the world! Yu ran through a few calculations in her head. "Point is to cash out and roll up operations before we're put in the joint and smoked, so... don't rush it, but best to tie up the loose ends in two weeks. Should be enough time to spread it out... unless there's some kind of audit going on?" The desperation of the situation was no reason to hang a friend out to dry, especially one that went in with such pure intentions. Rather purer than the somewhat drifting reasons she'd ended up in the underworld. Still, if times got desperate...

First vote: 3

Cara nodded, slowly, herself not exactly trusting the sole endorsement of a young filly, but still wanting to humor somepony who obviously at least admired their father. "A real 'pony of the people', he sounds like. I don't doubt he often mentions building the business with his own two hooves?" Yu had slipped off with Moonlight before she could comment then on the problems facing her community, though she had little doubt that integration was difficult for them. "Well, its good to see him do public service for those less fortunate. I do hope he remembers to send Mosely a prospectus when it comes time to pass the hat for any donations to the cause." Caring as little as her mama for details of business, Ambosia's ears did perk up at the mention of Pear Cider. "Like great-grand pear, mama?" Having gotten her curls from Grandma Pear Butter's side of the family, she had early heard of their story, and why they had visited that very old stallion she could barely remember. It stuck in her mind, because that was the day Mama had to explain that sometimes ponies cried because they were very happy, rather than being sad. Yu Hu Mi, a semi-employed immigrant, was currently neither happy nor sad enough to cry. Her face was resting in its default expression of an amused smile, though it was masking a rather more pensive mood at the moment. It was clear from the get-go that Moonlight Glitter was pretty naive concerning the world Yu lived, moved, and worked in; not unlike she herself had been when she first arrived in Long Kong. The difference there was, she was thousands of miles from the village she had grown up in with no plans whatsoever of returning, while Moonlight had a pretty bright future ahead of her that she was risking all to help a qilin she had only just met. It was the sort of thing a mare might feel guilty about exploiting, but Yu was finding her conscience troublingly untroubled. *Guess it's true what they always told me... the heart of a Triad member is a pearl, for hard layers form around it the longer it stays within the clan clam.* But what could be done? Her people needed her, and it wasn't as if she had anywhere else to go in this city. Needs must, no matter how many sour grapes you had to tread, whines never made the wine taste any better. "Mm, do? Call in the invoice credits you got, and tell them to put the bits and bank notes in the orange crates in the unmonitored section of Warehouse 7 for pickup. We're cashing out of the operation, should have enough to keep the lower east of Little Long Guo afloat." Her smile slipped for the first time. "If that'll be enough to keep out those SLI snakes. If that 'community center' gets through zoning, we'll never get that bastard off our backs. I've seen that 'unemployment aid' scheme run before; show up for a job, submit your papers for official recordkeeping then- bam! Your passport and visa are held hostage, and now you have to work for whoever they say at practical slave wages, or you're cut out and deported."

"Crystal Berry Pie does happen to be one of my favorites. The light blue ones make the tastiest filling, though they're a little tart when eaten fresh." There was something just so... charmingly domestic about pies. Perhaps that was because one of the courtship customs in the Crystal Empire was to bake a pie and give it to the one you wished to show interest in. It was a way of feeling out feelings while maintaining plausible deniability, a fact which Shining waited to share with Rarity until she was halfway through finishing the lattice. "Baked goods are often used like that in many cultures, or so Cadence tells me. I do remember she made cookies for me back when she was foalsitting Twilight; Cinnamon-oatmeal raisin. Still my favorite kind." He had to admire her dedication to presentation, something which she applied to everything she made, including her own look every morning. Some ponies might call that vanity, but in a way it was just professionalism from somepony who made their living in aesthetics. "The proof of the pie's in the eating, but everything looks good." His eyes were on her, though, not the oven when he said that. "Am I the first the first stallion you've ever baked for? Not including your father."

Shining chuckled, "Well, if you think you can do better for us, put on an apron and wow me!" And indeed, there would be an apron hanging by the door in the kitchen. A real classic too, complete with 'kiss the cook!' emblazoned on the front. The question at this point was not whether Rarity would put it on, but whether she would realize it was more sized for her than either Shining or Cadence... Taking a seat by the still-warm oven from breakfast, Shining sighed happily as he warmed his hooves by it. "Well, now that you're up here, we'll make sure you have time in your schedule for that, one way or the other." He gave a little smirk in her direction. "You sound like you either need somepony with deep reserves... or one hell of a hard-bargain driver. I wonder which you'll find... or deserve..." The unicorn stallion was by this point running through all the plausible deniability Rarity's default assumptions could muster for him. What was going on here? Why was he looking at her like that?