Private Dinner (vladspellbinder, Private)

[vladspellbinder]

Sam goes back to eating now that the moment of awkwardness had passed. He goes back to his meals, eating it slowly and enjoying every bite, mixing in some of the bread here and there . He makes sure to keep from going overly dramatic this time but it was obvious he found the food to be quite delicious and everything highly enjoyable.

Unless something else happened or someone brought up a topic of conversation Sam would stay quite through the main course and just eat, a bit lost in the food really.

[Armony]

Beginning to recover from the shock of that one highly embarassing moment of the night, the musician noticed that her posture had become much more curled than she remembered. In fact, if it weren't for the kitchen table, she might just have rolled into a ball and fell to the floor beside her chair. As it was, nopony had made any comment, or really said or done anything, so she relaxed and tried to open up some normal conversation again. She opened and closed her mouth several times, but simply wasn't able to think of anything as an appropriate recovery from awkward silence.

After another couple of minutes, when her parents had turned back to each other to engage in their own conversation about certain regular customers and their varied gossip, Stormsong turned and smiled to Sam. "If you want some more, just let me know; there's plenty, so eat as much as you like. I could even, um..." She lowered her voice and glanced warily at her parents before continuing. "If you'd like, I could have them pack up the leftovers for you to take home and, uh... reheat." Reheating food was yet another concept most foreign and alien to her family. They cooked just enough to eat, and any case of leftovers was handled by sales, pets, or even charity. Cooked food was never stored in her family, and certainly never reheated, but they did their part not to waste.

[vladspellbinder]

Perks his ears and turns to listen and give a wide smile.

"Thanks, but this should be more than enough. This is a large portion and should fill me right up. Maaaaaybe enough room for dessert if you had one planned... . As for any left overs I'll have to pass on that as well. I, um, don't really have something to keep them in from going bad. My ice box broke a few weeks back and I just haven't taken the time to replace it." He gives her another light smile, grabbing another bit of bread from the center of the table, about a fourth of his main plate still left to eat and he was going to be sure not to let such a good meal go to waste.

[Armony]

Stormsong returned his smile, and even though she felt it should have been obvious that, of course, she had prepared dessert as well, she held back the playful, sarcastic remark floating around in her head. "I actually do have a dessert planned... some fruit-filled eclairs, if you've got room for that. And, of course, you're welcome to take some of those home with you as well; they don't even need to be kept in an ice box."

Looking at her plate, the musician still had about half of her own food left. She saw that Sam was much closer to finishing, so she picked up the pace a bit, absentmindedly grabbing some bread from the center of the table while she ferociously chewed through the rest of her pasta.

[vladspellbinder]

Sam thinks on that while he eats. Some eclairs would be good for breakfast over the few days but he didn't want to take advantage of Stormsong's generosity. This meal must have cost the restaurant some bits already and she just kept giving him more and more. But if the eclairs didn't need to be kept cool then he didn't really have any excuses to not take at least one back home since she was offering. He'd wait to see how many were left after the table had their share... .

So for now he continues to eat his main meal, just a little lost in thought at the moment as he finishes up the pasta..

[Armony]

In spite of her increased pace, almost inhaling the food compared to how she normally ate, Stormsong still wasn't quite able to catch up with Sam before he finished off his pasta. She slowed down over her last few bites, savoring what she had to admit to herself was an ingenious mix of flavors, although some of her family would more than likely be able to improve the recipe.

Even though both of her parents were still eating, they were tied up in their own conversation about their other two daughters' schooling, seemingly unaware of the continued existence of the ponies across the table. Seeing this, the hostess sent the signal to the kitchen for dessert to be brought in, and just a moment later, a waiter carrying a platter of eclairs appeared through the doorway to the kitchen. He moved the bread to one side, and placed the dessert platter, which was quite full of the pastries, then returned to work through the same door he had entered from.

Stormsong, completely forgetting her manners, immediately reached out, picked one up, and took a bite out of it, the mixed flavors of sugary pastry and real fruit filling her mouth and bringing another smile to her face. Some cheap bakeries liked to use some sort of fruit gel, but she actually took the time to bake a mixture of fresh fruits from the restaurant's stocks into each of these. She wouldn't trade the flavor for anything other substitute, no matter how much more time consuming her way made things.

[vladspellbinder]

Sam carefully wraps on of the eclairs in his own aura after Stormsong had gotten her's. He carefully cuts it on the middle to let it cool just a bit before taking a bite, sitting the rest down on a plate. He makes a low sound of approval and has another bite, not going as far as his reaction to his first bites of pasta.

"Ooooo, these are very good Stormsong! I'm definitely going to have to take one or two of these back home, they'd be really good breakfast."

[Armony]

Stormsong simply sat, closed her eyes, and enjoyed the flavors pulsing through her mouth, not bothering to take another bite or look around and see if anypony else was loving them as much as she was. Her silent revelry was cut off by the sounds of her date putting her own thoughts into words, singing the praises of delicious fruit and sugar, so to speak. It felt good to have such compliments on all that she had done, especially since she had provided the food free of charge, but it was also beginning to get a little embarassing.

She turned to face him with the mixture of emotions showing on her face; a smile marred only by the reddish tinge warming her cheeks. [colour=#009acd]"T-thank you, Sam, I'm glad you like them that much. You're more than welcome to take some home with you... w-whatever is left of them, if you want. I can always make more for myself."[/colour]

[vladspellbinder]

[colour=#b22222]"Thank you again Stormsong, this has got to be one of the if not the best meals I've ever had. Not really much time to eat the really good stuff between school and work and all. I try to make sure I eat enough and stay healthy but between work and school I don't really get that much to eat and I've already told you this and I'm starting to rambleagainsoI'mjustgoingtogobacktomydessertnow."[/colour]

Samguine[colour=#000000]'s face lights up under his [/colour]white fur and he looks away again, taking another bite from his eclair, somewhat trying to hide behind it and looking anywhere but at another pony. After a few moments the magical aura around the eclair flickers into into a slightly weaker version while the one around his horn gets just a bit brighter. His blush starts to rapidly fade away as both auras return to normal as well. It lasted for only a few moments, but still quite noticeable if one was looking.

[Armony]

Stormsong chuckled to herself when the white stallion caught himself rambling, the act of doing something that felt natural and not entirely awkward allowing her to relax and for her face to begin regaining its proper shade of blue. If the humour of the situation hadn't momentarily distracted her from the deliciousness of those home-baked eclairs, the musician might have missed the shift in Sam's magic. As it was, the young mare glanced around, looking for whatever it was that he had been doing in addition to controlling the levitation spell on his food. She didn't immediately spot anything out of place, and when she glanced back at him, the magic coming from his horn had already returned to normal; however, she failed to notice that the flush on his face had faded, or even been there in the first place.

Feeling emboldened by the outstanding way things had been going with their date so far, and that she was finally beginning to feel truly comfortable and like herself in Sam's presence, Stormsong decided to just ask him. Leaning toward his ear to make sure her parents couldn't easily overhear, she whispered to him [colour=#009acd]"What was that extra burst of magic about?"[/colour]

[vladspellbinder]

He blinks a few times, looking confused and sits his eclair down on the plate in front of him, flicking his ears and turning to look at Stormsong some.

[colour=#b22222]"I was levitating the eclair. Did my aura change?" [/colour][colour=#000000]He looks up, to his horn, going a bit cross eyed in the process but only for a moment, a blink clearing the wall-eyes up as he looks down to his dessert, once more igniting his magic and picking up the pastry. He didn't seem to be lying, honestly not knowing what she was talking about. He was watching his aura around the eclair, seeing if it flickered, which it didn't, remaining steady and a soft crimson red. [/colour]

[Armony]

Stormsong simply nodded at the stallion's question before turning back to her food, now lost in thought over just exactly what he had been doing, if anything at all. Heck, she wasn't even sure if he had consciously done something with his magic and was trying to cover it up, or was truly oblivious to what had just transpired. Either way, her parents weren't paying a bit of attention, even though they had finished their eclairs long ago, so the musician decided that she would let the issue rest, for now. Later on, though, she intended to get some answers out of him, if he had any answers to give.

As if on cue, both of Storm's parents stood from the table, drawing her attention to them. "Excuse us, dears," her mother said, stifling a yawn before continuing. "We were up quite early today, and we know you're going out after dinner, so we're going to get to bed. Have fun, and don't stay out too late!" After both of them had departed upstairs to their bedroom, the blue mare finished her desert in silence, not really feeling that there was anything else that needed, or even could be, said, at this point in time. Hopefully, in just a few minutes, they would be off to her little "private theater", and she would be able to lose herself in a musical creation.

[vladspellbinder]

[You know, I'm in the habit of just checking my forums every night and didn't really expect a response here but was still going to read the archives and what do you know but I've got a notification! This really made my night. ^_^]

Sam stands a moment after Storm's parents do, kind of a 'knee jerk' reaction to be polite about it. He just gives them a light nod, not trusting himself to speak. Once they started to really head out he looks to Stormsong, keeping his voice low so only she could hear it.

[colour=#b22222]"Umm, what are they talking about?" [/colour][colour=#000000]Sam had been under the impression that the date was going to be over with dinner... . Not that he wouldn't mind it going a little longer of course.[/colour]

[Armony]

[i know it's been forever since I've responded. It's been a rough few months, but I'm hoping to be back for good this time.]

After finishing her eclair, Stormsong began collecting the dishes from the table and levitating them back in the kitchen area of the restaurant so they could be washed before the place closed for the night. While the mare was busy tidying up, she had to fight the urge to roll her eyes even just a little at her date's question about her plans for the rest of the night. Instead, she responded [colour=#009acd]"I'd thought that you wanted to hear some of my music tonight after dinner. I know it's been a while since we last spoke face to face, so if you'd rather just go home, that's okay. I just sort of... assumed we were still on to take a trip to my, ah... unofficial theater."[/colour]

[vladspellbinder]

[sorry for the late response (for me at least) I've had my own set of busy things going on as well... .]

Sam just watches, frowning some and wanting to help but knowing this was kind of 'her thing' and not sure how it would go over. By the time he had decided to ask if she wanted his help cleaning up she was almost already done anyways so instead he focuses on what she just said.

[colour=#b22222]"N-no, that's a great idea! I'd love to hear you play, just, uhh, a little surprised is all. I mean I just thought it was only going to be dinner, you didn't mention anything else but that's ok! Uhh, I mean I have the time and it's no trouble at all and... ."[/colour] [colour=#000000]He lets himself trail off, stopping a ramble before it got really rolling.[/colour]

[Armony]

Stormsong simply raised an eyebrow at his rambling, concerned that he wasn't being entirely truthful about that, either. [colour=#009acd]"Are you sure it won't be a bother? If you've got something to do early tomorrow, I'll understand, Sam."[/colour] she informed him, giving a quick smile to show that she wasn't just trying to get out of the rest of her plans. While she waited on his response, she levitated her saddlebags over, already packed for the adventure ahead of them, and strapped them securely to herself. A quick check of the bags showed her that none of her instruments had been taken out since earlier that morning, and she was left with just her date's reply and the growing suspicion that he had something to hide from her.

[vladspellbinder]

He gives a light smile of his own, shifting from one hoof to another lightly, small movements almost impossible to see but still there, another sign of his nervousness.

[colour=#b22222]"No, no, I have the time, nothing else planned tonight or tomorrow other than going to work that night. Just... surprised is all. Like I said, I thought the meal was going to be it but it's a nice surprise! I'd love to hear you play."[/colour]

[Armony]

[colour=#009acd]"Okay then,"[/colour] she started, moving her way toward a back door to the restaurant so they could make their escape without drawing the attention of any customers. [colour=#009acd]"We're up for a bit of a hike, but it shouldn't take too terribly long, down into Whitetail Wood."[/colour]

Without any further explanation, she opened the door and stepped outside into the cool, refreshing twilight air. Looking up, she didn't think her timing could have been more perfect; they would get to watch the sunset as they descended into the woods, with the moon taking over the sky just about the time they should be setting up in her clearing.

[vladspellbinder]

[colour=#b22222]"White Tail Forest?" [/colour][colour=#000000]He follows along behind her, understanding why they were heading out the back and not making comment about it. [/colour][colour=#b22222]"I haven't been back to the forest for years... ." [/colour][colour=#000000]He gives a light shake of his head, trotting a little faster to be at her side instead of behind her. He looks up to the sky for a moment, it was going to be a nice night, before looking back down to Stormsong with small smile.[/colour]

[Armony]

Leading the way at a relaxing trot, Stormsong wove her way through the streets with Sam at her side, intentionally avoiding the major roads for as long as possible. [colour=#009acd]"You end up covering more ground this way,"[/colour] she explained while they walked past the plethora of small businesses that made up one particular side street. [colour=#009acd]"But it takes less time than trying to push through the crowds on the main street. And besides that, I... don't do well with huge, pushy crowds,"[/colour] she finished, casually brushing a hoof back through her mane to draw attention toward its length. Her mane was long enough that it posed a significant tripping hazard, even to the mare it belonged to, as had been shown to her when she'd once participated in the Running of the Leaves. That, and her overwhelming fear of crowds, which she felt might be a shared trait between herself and her date, but she really didn't feel the need to voice the painfully obvious.

[vladspellbinder]

Sam follows along at her side, seeming to know the back roads of the city just as well as she does. He gives a light nod to what she was saying.

[colour=#b22222]"I do most of my walking early morning or late evenings so most of the time the streets don't have that many folks in then, but it's still nice to walk the less-than-traveled and see what's around."[/colour]

He gives a glance to her hoof, the movement at least, looking down over her mane once before looking back in front of him. He had noticed her long mane during their first meeting. Thinking back on it now he's a bit surprised he didn't wind up saying something really dumb while flustered about the date, you know, something along the lines of 'I really like your mane' or something like that. Though, stealing another short glance at it now, he had to admit to himself an idle curiosity as to what it would be like to run his hooves though it... . He gives a light shakes of his head, clearing those types of thoughts away. It was only the second date for Celestia's sake!

[Armony]

The musician kept them both moving swiftly through Canterlot, reaching the gate within just a few minutes and slipping through a small break in the crowd to leave the city. Once they were freed from the confines of the crowd of ponies returning home from a hard day's work and the sometimes labyrinthine cityscape, the mare heaved a sigh of relief and drew a deep breath of fresh mountain air. From here, the path down into the woods was much more simple; a straight walk down the mountain and into the trees, with the sunset painting the sky over the woods, giving scenery that Storm could only describe to herself as breathtaking. She smiled over at her date, hoping to see that he was enjoying this little walk as much as she was.

[vladspellbinder]

Sam follows along at her side, mostly watching out for anyone who might not be watching so they don't get run into. Once outside the city he relaxes just a little as well and pauses for a short moment at the sight, but it only breaks his striode for just a moment before he's alreayd walking again before it could be questioned. He's got a light smile on his muzzle. His aura flashes for a moment, surrounding his glasses and moving them just a little so they catch the light of the sun and become more opaquae and reflective.

[colour=#b22222]"So, where is your little private theather locataed at?"[/colour]

[Armony]

Seeing that Sam seemed to be enjoying his time at least as much as she was, the musician felt her confidence rising for the rest of the night, and not just for the date. Sure, she really wanted things with that to go over well, but, she also thought, maybe this was the kind of thing she needed to do to become successful with musical performances; slowly building her confidence to become more comfortable around ponies. Storm had, after all, tried the whole live gig ordeal several times, but that had always been in front of crowds of dozens, or perhaps even a hundred or ponies.

As she answered her date's question, the mare stepped just a bit toward him without breaking her forward motion, closing some of the distance between the two as they continued to walk. [colour=#009acd]"It's in a nice little clearing I've found, not too far into the woods. I've checked around, even spent a night down there, and I don't think anypony else even knows it's there. I know it doesn't sound like much, but it is absolutely beautiful. Even when it's raining, there are some spots that don't get wet, and the sound is very soothing to hear."[/colour]

[vladspellbinder]

He gives a light nod, looking in the distance, his eyes a little unfocued in thought.

[colour=#b22222]"I haven't been in White Tail Woods since I was a little colt, and that was on the other side of the woods, closer to Trottingham than Canterlot... ."[/colour] He gives a light shake of his head, giving her an uneasy smile before looking back to where he was walking. [colour=#b22222]"I'm looking forward to hearing your music."[/colour]