[Appleoosa] Fire Water [Gerrard, Conor Colton, LordBrony9: PM for invite]

[Conor Colton]

Colton sighed as Gerrard did, thinking he may have not made the best first impression on the griffon. Regardless of this though he kept his eyes on the current predicament, that being the injured mare who had asked him a question. He looked back at the sling and opened it up with his mouth, "[colour=#40e0d0]This? Eh not much really. An ad for a job, some bird seed, my journal and just some general survival and emergency stuff...though I seem to be running low on the latter.[/colour]" Colton stated as he lifted out every item he mentioned one by one and set them on the floor in front of them.

"[colour=#40e0d0]This journal I've had for years now, like I never go anywhere without it.[/colour]" The pegasus continued as he flicked through various pages, giving quick glances of some of the locations the two of them had been in the past, "[colour=#40e0d0]Apart from that, not much else...[/colour]" Colton finished. The pegasus then turned his attention to the griffon he had recently lectured. He sighed as Sparks gave him a look of somewhat expectation. The white pegasus got to his hooves and walked over towards Gerrard, "[colour=#40e0d0]Be back in a second.[/colour]" Colton ended, leaving his personal effects where he laid them.

"[colour=#40e0d0]Hey uh...Gerrard? Sorry for sorta being snappy back there...Wasn't really right of me to go at you like that just 'cause this is how you handle a situation...as odd as I may see it...I'm sorry. I think you and I have gotten off to a wrong start on this whole thing sooo...[/colour]" Colton started as he lifted a hoof towards the griffon, "[colour=#40e0d0]...Can we...start over?[/colour]" He wondered, not knowing if he was going to get a positive answer. He had hoped so though.

[Gerrard]

The black griffon listened intently to her request for further treatment, the hybrid nodding in agreement as he listened to her groan about her treatment. "Okay, just keep still and I'll patch up your knee," he added, putting some ointment on her injury before wrapping it in a bandage. With the wound wrapped awkwardly, he cut off the excess wrapping with a slash of his talon, leaving her with a treated injury. "That should be good until you get to Appleoosa," he explained warmly for her, the boisterous griffon seeming able to tone it down a bit when he needed to.

As Colton went over the items in his bag, Gerrard listened intently, the hybrid not hearing anything particularly exciting. The journal piqued his interest, but he decided against investigating further, especially when Colton apologized to him. Part of Gerrard wanted to reply in an exceptionally snarky manner to get revenge, but he decided against it. He listened closely to the apology with the most stern of faces, it appearing that the griffon wasn't willing to accept it. But when Colton offered his hoof to shake, a diabolical grin crept across his black maw.

As quickly as the friendly gesture was made, Gerrard knocked his hoof away and leaned forward, the griffon roughly wrapping his forelegs around the pegasus as he squeezed him in a tight bear hug and lifted him off the ground. "Ahh man , I can't stay mad at my favorite white horsefly. Of course I forgive you," he replied with a cheer, swinging the pegasus around a bit before carefully placing him back on the ground. "Real men hug," he added with a grin for the pegasus, wondering if he had startled Colton.

Gerrard could detect a bit of concern on the face of Telki as she investigated the belongings of his pegasus employee. "Oh yeah, the other container that he is carrying is a big ol' bag of piping. We were on our way to extend the pipes from this town over to a local coal mine. We heard you roaming about the town and Colton wanted to investigate you! I suppose we can delay our job if you need an escort back to town. It's about an hours walk south of this city," he explained, the griffon pointing off into the distance where she probably needed to head off towards.

[lordbrony]

[colour=#40E0D0]An ad for a job,[/colour]

Gerrard could detect a bit of concern on the face of Telki as she investigated the belongings of his pegasus employee. "Oh yeah, the other container that he is carrying is a big ol' bag of piping. We were on our way to extend the pipes from this town over to a local coal mine.

They had her at "job"

At the mention of the word, Telki's mind began to pick up, and she began to listen intently to Gerrard. If a mind could salivate, hers' surely would have drooled a puddle. Not only was there a potential job (which of course meant income) around, it was something right up her alley, injured knee and all.

Shuffling over to the pipes she gave them a look over and rapped one of them with her good leg. "[colour=#FF8C00]Shouldn't be too heavy or too difficult[/colour]" she thought.

Turning her mind back to matters at hand, she noticed that her injured knee was pretty poorly bandaged and that Gerrard and Colton had seemingly engaged in a bromantic hug.

"[colour=#FF8C00]Erm guys, could you pass the ban- oh never mind[/colour]" Telki focused on the the bandages and a beam of light shot out and levitated it some distance off the ground in front of her. Using her teeth she pulled the existing one off, then she turned back to the floating roll, a second beam carefully pulling on the edge, unraveling some of the roll then giving a massive tug to tear it off.

Setting the roll down she held out her injured leg as the strip of bandage wrapped itself around her knee, finally she magically pulled it tight, involuntarily grunting in the process as well as letting her eyes flare momentarily.

Finally satisfied with her bandage and thanking her lucky stars she had taken the precaution to read and practice some first aid before she left home, she turned back to the pair, only to notice Gerrard offering to escort her to town.

"[colour=#FF8C00]Thanks but I'll be fine" [/colour]she got back on all fours "[colour=#FF8C00]By the way since you are laying pipes can I join in? For fair pay of course[/colour]" trying to conceal her enthusiasm since after all, a good negotiator never lets the other side know how badly she wasnts something.

[Conor Colton]

Colton was glad Gerrard accepted his apology and his request for forgiveness, though he hardly expected that he would be squeezed to near suffocation and swung around by the large griffon; however in hindsight he regretted not seeing that one coming. When the pegasus was released he exhaled deeply, needing a second to catch his breath, however not waiting to reply to Gerrard's gesture, "[colour=#40e0d0]Thanks...man...much...appreciated.[/colour]" He stated, taking short pauses for breath taking.

Colton looked at Sparks who had, what could be only be described as a silly grin across his beak, Colton replying with a similar look, "[colour=#40e0d0]I apologized, no need to rub in my possibly broken bones.[/colour]" Colton replied with a chuckle as he patted the small avian animal on the head before Sparks returned to his master's mane. The two went over to Telki, picking up their belongings they had put there previously, along with with his bag of piping. He fluttered slightly in the air and was ready to head off.

However upon Telki's request to join in on the job Colton wondered, both if he had any input in this and whether or not it would be a good idea. He turned to Gerrard, then Telki, then Gerrard again, assessing the situation as he did. He considered his options and offered his opinion to the griffon, "[colour=#40e0d0]Well me and Sparks are just answering an ad but I think bring Telki along wouldn't be a bad idea, Gerrard.[/colour]" He started, addressing the whole group, "[colour=#40e0d0]A few parts may be dinged up but I'm sure she'd be helpful. What do you reckon, buddy?[/colour]" The pegasus asked the griffon, also wondering why Gerrard called their job coal mine related when last he checked it was to do with irrigation.

[Gerrard]

Gerrard smiled and patted Colton on the head with a black talon, glad to see he wasn't angry at him for the sudden show of friendship. When she asked for work though, the griffon paused his brow twitching in what seemed like a furious manner. "You want to work for me? The pony who destroyed herself and the ghost town I was working in? What makes you qualified to work for me? Do you have credentials? You can't even fly, you just have a horn!" he growled in her face, the hybrid suddenly seeming enraged as he leaned in close to her.

"Why... I outa! Give you a chance I suppose. You seem like a talented mare. I suppose I'll give you a shot" he replied angrily, his voice shifting suddenly to a cheerful tone as he smiled for her. "Of course you can help. You can help lay out some piping while our friend carries it along. I'll fasten it all together and we can get it all fixed in a jiffy" he explained with a smile, wrapping a foreleg around her neck as he leaned on her. "Well, I was planning on spending all day with my B.F.F, but I suppose I can spare some bits to have you help expedite the process. You can levitate pipes, right?" he asked in coy manner, the griffon playfully flicking her horn as he looked across to the pegasus and his sparrow.

Gerrard looked over to the small sparrow, the black hybrid examining Colton's cheerful friend as he thought the project over. "Okay, so the plan is to extend the established piping system of this abandoned town out a few miles to a local coal mine. They apparently need water transported there for one reason or another, so let's get going to the edge of town. We gotta spot the exposed waterline that feeds into here," he explained eagerly, pointing a sharp talon into the air as he signaled for them to head off towards their destination.

[lordbrony]

Telki was momentarily taken aback by Gerrard's reaction. His town? Destroy? like a heavy rain, Gerrard's remaining words hit her one after the other. Unqualified? How many ponies would the griffon need to lay pipes at the rate that she could do without even breaking a sweat? Fly? Why would she need to anyway? Why if on;y she was fit and well, she'd probably be able to carry the pipes the way a foal walks around with a helium filled balloon!

Telki's mind started formulating a snarky remark, but her good sense held her back; after all she needed the work (but mainly the pay) and this griffon seemed to represent a good chance, perhaps the only chance she had at this point in time.

It was probably fortunate that Telki held her tongue for the griffon suddenly did a 180 and started acting cheerfully, and best of all, accepted her offer. Which was all she needed.

"[colour=#FF8C00]Well lets go![/colour]" she said, trying to mask her feelings as turned to follow Gerrard

[Conor Colton]

Colton smirked following Gerrard's smile and gave the griffon a friendly pat on the back in return to the one he received. The pegasus then stood and waited to what Gerrard had to say involving Telki's potential employment. At first Colton and Sparks' eyes were wide with surprise as it seemed Gerrard was going to become very irate at this unicorn very quickly. However one Gerrard snapped back to his usual ways the pair merely sighed and looked at each other, tempted to roll their eyes.

Colton wondered if what Gerrard had said firstly could have made a mark on the mare, particularly remarks on being qualified or not, however he came to the conclusion that Telki looked like she knew what she was doing. The pegasus wasn't quite sure on his assumption so he opted to be a voice of encouragement for what it was worth, "[colour=#40e0d0]I'm sure your magic'll come in handy plenty, Telki. Welcome aboard this little operation.[/colour]" Colton remarked as he fluttered over to the mare as they both started following the griffon, carrying all the things he needed.

"[colour=#40e0d0]Also, me and Gerrard have only known each other not even a day...and I get the feeling we're still figuring each other out...[/colour]" Colton chuckled, remaining largely optimistic as he directed his next words at Gerrard in particular, "[colour=#40e0d0]Isn't that right, buddy?[/colour]" The pegasus asked happily as he was starting to feel more pleased about this job, far more than he previously had been.

[Gerrard]

Gerrard was pleased to see that his two employees were dealing with his playful jabs in a reasonable manner. He learned from experience that some people didn't take kindly to any sort of joking, but like any proud griffon, he thrived on conflict. Regardless, he internally decided to limit such actions as he waved for his two new pony friends to follow him on his trip to the edge of town.

The black griffon looked over the ghost town as he began his slow tour of the town. "So Colton, what do you do for your own personal amusement when I'm not around to entertain you? Any interesting tricks or hobbies you know? Every pegasus I've ever met has dreamed of being a Wonderbolt, are you any different?" he asked his friend with his usual cheeky grin, the griffon honestly curious, regardless of how belittling it might seem.

"And of course, we can't forget about Lady Telki. Know any cool spells? I have a friend, who requests to remain nameless, and she knows all kinds of tricky spells to confuse people. Or might I venture a guess that you have an awesome talent that isn't magic related at all? That would be very interesting," he added devilishly as they made their way towards the slowly growing pipeline in the distance. Gerrard would never openly admit it, but unicorn magic had always fascinated him and he was always trying to determine the extent of power each individual unicorn had.

[lordbrony]

It was all beginning to get more and more surreal to Telki. First she was met with concern, then anger and a lingering feeling that she was acting insolent even though she was real careful, and finally with more grease than that food place in a corner of Manehattan that her bothers frequented, where they would occasionally dragged her too and the grease made her feel queasy for days.

Kind of like what she was feeling now at the griffon's words.

[colour=#40E0D0]I'm sure your magic'll come in handy plenty, Telki. Welcome aboard this little operation.[/colour]" Colton remarked as he fluttered over to the mare as they both started following the griffon, carrying all the things he needed.

"[colour=#40E0D0]Also, me and Gerrard have only known each other not even a day...and I get the feeling we're still figuring each other out...[/colour]" Colton chuckled, remaining largely optimistic as he directed his next words at Gerrard in particular, "[colour=#40E0D0]Isn't that right, buddy?[/colour]"

Turning her attention to Colton...she really didn't know what to make of him...on one hoof he seemed nice enough, and sincere too boot, maybe he's just another pony who stumbled upon Gerrard, looking for work. On the other hoof, he might just be the good cop in their little good-cop bad cop routine. What the routine was, she didn't want to know, but with enough luck it wouldn't involve her using her magic to....

Trying to shake the negative thoughts from her mind, she turned to Colton and game him a beaming smile. "[colour=#FF8C00]Thanks! This should be fun, whatever it is.[/colour]"

"And of course, we can't forget about Lady Telki. Know any cool spells? I have a friend, who requests to remain nameless, and she knows all kinds of tricky spells to confuse people. Or might I venture a guess that you have an awesome talent that isn't magic related at all? That would be very interesting."

"[colour=#FF8C00]I don't know, its not a trick anymore if you know what it is right?[/colour]" she replied, trying to blend equal parts 'coy' and 'nonchalant' into her tone. "[colour=#FF8C00]I don't know...maybe being good at magic is a pretty good talent in itself[/colour]" she winked.

Switching to 'perky', she continued. "[colour=#FF8C00]So are we there yet?[/colour]"

[Conor Colton]

Colton was pleased that Telki seemed happy with the current state of affairs as he turned to answer Gerrard's question, "[colour=#40e0d0]Well, I only really have one hobby to speak of. I travel a lot. And when I go someplace new, I always keep it in the journal I've been carrying around for years now...so...travelling and sc-rap booking I suppose.[/colour]" The pegasus chuckled as he took a peek at his journal nestled in his saddlebag. Sparks had a little search inside of said saddlebag and pulled out a small seed packet. The bird pecked the bag open and began sampling, what were considered to be, 'delicacies' by bird standards. However the small sparrow merely spat one out the first chance he got.

"[colour=#40e0d0]Always a picky eater...[/colour]" Colton shrugged as he turned to Gerrard once again, "[colour=#40e0d0]Due to large amounts of travelling, Sparks has seemed to get a taste for real food and not...well...bird food.[/colour]" The pegasus shrugged once more.

"[colour=#40e0d0]But, anyway, what do you do when you're not entertaining me then, Gerrard? Any hobbies to speak of?[/colour]" The stallion questioned before posing the same question to Telki, "[colour=#40e0d0]And what about you Telki? Do you have any pastimes to speak of? Just thinking since we're all working together I'd like to get to know ya's a bit more.[/colour]" Colton finished, "[colour=#40e0d0]And yeah, are we nearly there, Gerrard?[/colour]" Colton added to Telki's question.

[Gerrard]

Gerrard listened to the pair patiently, wanting to hear a bit about them. He always was all about himself, despite his meager attempts to the contrary. He decided to hear them out, trying to find something in common with them while trying to keep morale high for the small group of adventurers. When Telki asked the time old question, Gerrard grinned devilishly knowing it was time to strike back, even if it was just a bit playful. "Now now dear, we will be there when we get there, and not a minute sooner," he announced, Gerrard announced in a fatherly voice as he poked a talon into the sky in a lecturing manner. The black griffon chuckled lightly and thought about her coy magic comments. "I have a friend like you Telki, she always seems aloof and never really explains herself fully. She is honest though and just appreciates privacy and all the benefits it gives. You aren't planning on springing anything on us fliers, right Telki?" he added with a grin, leaning on Colton as he playfully feigned fear of a nonexistent plot to sabotage them.

As he was joking around, the griffon closely watched the movements of the fickle sparrow. He made no immediate mention of his actions, at least not until he leaned on his pegasus friend. "Sparks, you ever had egg whites? You would probably like them, lots of little birds can't help but gobble them down. And before you claim cannibalism, eggs were never alive, and taste amazing. I came from an egg after all, and in all actuality, most pony baking involves eggs anyway. Think about that," Gerrard mentioned to the little bird, offering him food that he thought the small creature might like.

"Man, if traveling was my hobby, I would have all the fun in the world. I have to traverse Equestria fixing pipes, but it isn't all in fun and games, I normally have to deal with with bad weather, people and wildlife. I should try a bit of scr-ap booking, maybe have something nostalgic to go and look back on when I get home sick," he explained with a bit of a sigh, reminiscing a bit over his past, the exact sections of it unknown to his unknown pony friends. "In regards to my personal interests though, I never really thought about it," he added in a strangely calm manner, the jovial and expressive griffon at a bit of a loss for words as he stroked his long black beak.

"I like, meeting interesting people and going to sporting events. Did you know that there are sporting events in Equestria that don't involve the wonderbolts? Amazing I know," he added vaguely in a coy manner, the griffon wondering if either of the ponies knew them as well as he did.

[lordbrony]

Still not fully trusting her "colleagues" Telki had to take a moment to come up with something, something that would seem passable yet not make her look vulnerable in anyway.

'[colour=#FF8C00]Just consider me your average adventurer. Though i need to work for bits[/colour]" Telki winked at Conor "With my skills it isn't really hard to find employment" she quickly added, hoping that that little half truth would pass unnoticed. "[colour=#FF8C00]Guess adventuring is my hobby. After all adventure is out there, always![/colour]" she finished dramatically.

"I like, meeting interesting people and going to sporting events. Did you know that there are sporting events in Equestria that don't involve the wonderbolts? Amazing I know," he added vaguely in a coy manner, the griffon wondering if either of the ponies knew them as well as he did.

"[colour=#FF8C00]I don't really follow the Wonderbolts" she said in response "I always get squeezed around in crowds like that so I try to avoid them. I'd like to squeeze back but I'm not big enough and using my magic is just unfair[/colour]"

[Conor Colton]

Colton'e ears perked up as Telki announced her hobby. The pegasus had come across something he can't quite recall ever coming across before, that being, another adventurer. He wondered, what was he supposed to do in this situation? Usually when he met individuals he would show them his exploits from his journal, but he was now talking to a pony who could do pretty much the exact same thing, it was perplexing to say the least. He turned to Gerrard to respond, still interested in what Telki had to say though, "[colour=#40e0d0]I can relate. New experiences are always awesome, especially when it involves new ponies...and as for the Wonderbolts, while that is surprising, I don't really follow them to be honest.[/colour]" He chuckled.

Upon reaching the end of that sentence though, he remembered something, something he thinks was relevant, "[colour=#40e0d0]I have met one of them though. From what I saw from her, they're nice enough ponies.[/colour]" He smiled, Sparks nodding with him, the small bird still wondering over Gerrard's suggestion of egg whites.

The white pegasus then recalled what Telki had said about her hobby, responding in suit, "[colour=#40e0d0]Again, I can relate. Me and Sparks are always out looking for work, in fact that's pretty much what led us to this job, go figure.[/colour]" He shrugged, looking back at the mare as they walked, "[colour=#40e0d0]So you do a fair bit of adventuring too then? Care to share a story or two?[/colour]" He inquired.

[Gerrard]

Gerrard raises his brow as he listened to Telki explain a bit about herself. Her vague way of answering questions without really saying anything reminded him of one of his dear friends. She always seemed aloof, the mare a master of masking her thoughts.

Regardless, his curiosity was getting the best of him. He knew from experience that many ponies had names relating to their talents and Telki was probably not an exception. How they were named for their talent prior to it being discovered though, was something that he had thought of on occasion, that phenomena seemingly impossible to understand. "Ahh, Telki, the life of a secret adventurer. It sounds fun, what sort of adventures if we may ask? Perhaps your magic involves specific use of telekinesis, like you name suggests?" he suggested as if he had discerned some masterfully crafted puzzle.

The griffon glanced over to Colton when he finished his words for Telki, the hybrid nodding for the pegasus. "Yeah, bits are nice to have around, the Canterlot University has a never ending supply of work for me to do. If I hire some people, I can finish it faster and do more work, a bit of a win win for everyone involved I suppose, right?" Gerrard explained with a smirk, a bit proud of himself. Pride was one thing that Gerrard always had a great deal of, the dark hybrid always loving to gloat and talk about life.

[lordbrony]

Telki was wondering if she had talked herself slowly into a corner. The half truths had the advantage of not being full on lies; so saying them with a straight face and keeping her story straight was not as hard; just annoying.

Trapped as she was in the web of her own weaving, Telki began to wonder if and when cracks would appear. Colton seemed to be very much like her; a wanderer, but the question of how much experience and knowledge came into play. Telki was kind of used to padding her resume by then, since many ponies at first glance had low expectations of her in her preferred fields, seeing as that she was small AND a mare AND to top it off her Manehattan accent probable stuck out a tad when surrounded by country ponies.

Turning to Colton, she stuck to her chosen approach "[colour=#FF8C00]Well I just came from the Apploosan Desert. Its quite the experience really, camping in a dark cave, meeting coyotes face to face." she let it hang[/colour].

Gerrard on the other hand was a sly one. His questions were more probing, more well thought out. His statement had by accident, hit the nail on the head, but yet she had one last card to play.

"[colour=#FF8C00]Hmmm...maybe. Telki's just a nickname that my friends in kindergarden gave me and it stuck. So it probably dosn't mean much, everypony except my parents use it.[/colour]" she gave a knowing wink and flashed a smile, as if they were playing some board game and Telki had in one move, undone the careful set up of Gerrard.

"[colour=#FF8C00]Well that enough about me, how long till we get there and do we lay all these pipes in one go or what[/colour]?

[Conor Colton]

"[colour=#40e0d0]Coyotes huh?[/colour]" Colton inquired, "[colour=#40e0d0]That's some heavy stuff, Telki. Speaks a lot of you that you could make it through that though, plus the experience certainly helps.[/colour]" he nodded, Sparks tilting his head slightly, "[colour=#40e0d0]That doesn't mean we're gonna go and seek out some coyotes, buddy.[/colour]" Colton clarified with a whisper, putting the small bird at ease.

The pegasus was intent on being friendly to Telki but if he was anything, it certainly wasn't gullible. He felt the need to stay on his hooves; from what he had seen, random ponies appearing in the most unlikely of places meant one of two things: A new friend, or a potential danger. He hoped it would be the former.

As for Telki's question, Colton had little idea as to how to answer. Admittedly the stallion didn't look over every single aspect of the job prior to finding Gerrard and didn't have ample oppurtunities to ask him about job specifics, given the current circumstance, and the possibility it was likely a boring topic of conversation. So he opted to keep quiet and let Gerrard handle this one, still trying to piece together in his head how he should see Telki.

[Gerrard]

Gerrard listened as Telki explained to the pair of males what events had transpired earlier that week. It was quite the story to say the least, getting chased around by a pack of coyotes, assuming of course that it happened at all. Then she tried to backtrack on her name, the griffon smirking devilishly as he decided what to do. He had a mare friend who was skilled in the use of telekinesis, and if Telki was a liar, she was probably even better at it than he could imagine. "Ahh, don't worry about some mangy ol' coyotes, griffons are supposed to be the kings of beasts, right? A good ol' roar will set them straight if they mess with us. You know I can be quite the intimidating guy when I want to be," he added quickly, his expression not the type to inspire courage in his friends. Still though, something about the mare bothered him, and he was going to put his talon on it soon.

"Well, when I was in school, the kids called me spy. Nothing could escape my eyes," he explained, locking his keen yellow eyes on the mare for just a moment. "I'm sure your parents call you a less silly name. Probably something awesome like Flux Facade. Now that would be quite the name, don't you agree," Gerrard added as he slowed down his march. The trio was finally at the pipes they were supposed to extend, the griffon quickly examining the situation. The pipes had been tampered with, someone clearly diverting some of the water from the town at some point in the past. He said nothing though, and turned to face Colton, the griffon preparing to give the pair their directions. "Colton, space out the pipes across the ground with a small amount of space between them. Place the fasteners below each pipe they should be connecting. Telki, you have a bit more complex of a job to handle. I need you to use your magic to fasten these screws in. You can either use a screwdriver, or if you are really skilled at magic, I suppose you could just fasten them with the grip of your magic," he explained calmly to the pony, his words seeming to suggest that he already knew she was lying. It was almost like he was laying a trap out for her, the griffon fishing for a confession for no reason in particular.

"Oh, it will probably be one go unless we run into complications. Here you go Telki, all the screws for the system," he commented with a neutral expression on his black beak as he fished out a nondescript container. He shook it, listening to the contents as if he could hear the amount of screws inside of it. "This should be more than enough," the griffon added vaguely as he held the container firmly in his talon. He made a motion to toss it, loosening his grip on the container as it looked as if was about to toss it to Telki. At the last moment, his black claw held onto the container, the lid popping off as a large cloud of prickly screws flew up into the air towards Telki. It was more than a normal pony would be able to grasp with their magic on the fly, but it was by no means impossible to deal with, the cloud of metal relatively condensed as it approached the mysterious mare. "Ack, my claws caught on the container, silly me," he added awkwardly as he watched the screws lob into the air with a nice safe arc. It would be rather funny if his hypothesis was wrong, but Gerrard knew from experience that pony names always meant something important.

[lordbrony]

Telki had the sense that Gerrard didn't really like her a lot, and her patience was correspondingly wearing thin. Something about that griffon's unrelenting nosiness just bothered her. She was used to being questioned, but not so unrelentingly and certainly not by someone who didn't seem to know when to stop.

By now, she had already shifted to a mental guard position, surely the griffon was barely trustworthy as it is and for all she knew, something bad could and probably would happen.

Colton, space out the pipes across the ground with a small amount of space between them. Place the fasteners below each pipe they should be connecting. Telki, you have a bit more complex of a job to handle. I need you to use your magic to fasten these screws in. You can either use a screwdriver, or if you are really skilled at magic, I suppose you could just fasten them with the grip of your magic," he explained calmly to the pony, his words seeming to suggest that he already knew she was lying. It was almost like he was laying a trap out for her, the griffon fishing for a confession for no reason in particular.

"[colour=#FF8C00]Finally[/colour]" she heaved a mental sigh of relief, perhaps that ends the interrogation and perhaps the work would be a relief.

She carefully shifted her stance to something to accommodate her still injured knee then deliberately placing her body between the pipes and the others, telekinetically lifted the ends of 2 pipes to eye level to see how they were to be joined together.

The fasteners, holes and the shaking of a screw container seemed to answer her questions. Upon hearing Gerrard call her name, she cautiously, almost gingerly turned around only to hear a distinctly fake excuse followed by the sight of screws flying at her.

Now Telki would have tried to catch each screw one by one, as is the way her magic works, but by then she was tired, annoyed by the relentless questions and really really not in the mood for anymore games.

As if in slow motion, she turned 90 degrees so her side was facing Gerrard. Then without warning her eyes flared and the two pipes she had been weakly levitating swung in opposing arcs around each side, coming together in front of her with a huge CLANG and forming a makeshift shield, half a second before the screws would have hit her, causing them to pitter patter off the pipes and onto the floor.

Eyes still glowing, she slowly separated the pipes, leaving them floating upright, one at each side.

"[colour=#FF8C00]Now, what was that all about[/colour]" she said fiercely, staring straight at Gerrard, knowing full well that her show of force would either solve all her problems, or escalate them

[Conor Colton]

Colton nodded at Gerrard's instructions, replying after each one, "Right, right, and right! Let's get to work!" he stated eagerly, flying forwards and beginning to space out the pipes and fasten them accordingly. He had to wonder though how he was getting along with his apparent co-workers.

Firstly there was Gerrard, and Colton was all over the place in regards to him. He initially came off as a bit strong and maybe a bit big headed to the pegasus' tastes. Colton attributed that to either his Canterlot University air of snootiness or maybe the heat out here had gotten to him. "[colour=#40e0d0]Or maybe he's just peeved about not being in Canterlot.[/colour]" he thought. However, Colton tended to give ponies, and or griffons the benefit of the doubt. Some would argue too much but the pegasus didn't see a problem with it. Though, honestly, Gerrard's seemingly invasive attitude was getting to him, and he seemed he always just wanted to be the center of attention. Colton had this idea that ponies, and or griffons have an outer layer though. The persona they put on for the public but usually there's something a lot more relatable, and or likable underneath. He just hoped he could find that in Gerrard...and hoped Telki had as much patience as he did.

Speaking of which, as he worked he began to wonder about Telki. She seemed nice, most certainly, but she had some suspicious air about her; not even given the fact that she appeared out of nowhere in a 'Ghost Town' but just by her general mannerisms. She seemed a tad dismissive to him, and tended to bring up topics or things she had done in the past at seemingly just the right times. Then again, maybe she was a better conversationalist than him. Either way, he had to wonder two things. One was what this mare was capable of. And two, would she do what she was capable of, "[colour=#40e0d0]Well...she seems nice. Though Gerrard must be getting on her nerves by now...eh, I'm sure it'll be fin-[/colour]" Colton was whispering to himself before hearing a large clanging noise, causing him to jump and turn around, with seemingly everything being normal.

"[colour=#40e0d0]...I don't know what just happened...I'm not gonna ask...I'll just get back to work...y'all have fun with, whatever that was.[/colour]" Colton turned back, chuckling slightly.

[Gerrard]

A smile crept across the black maw of the griffon as he saw her display of magic. His keen eyes watched her own glow as she used her telekinesis deftly. He sat on his haunches and made a check shaped motion with a digit of his talon.

"Now was that so hard? You are skilled with telekinesis or are a magic ninja. Was that so hard to say? I'm an irrigation architect who operates out of Canterlot. I don't mind if you have secrets, but what I do mind are liars. How can I work with someone who I know can't tell the truth," he explained in an authoritarian tone. The normally jovial griffon seemed disappointed in the made and it was reflected by the shaking of his head.

After a moment of awkward silence, he reached into the bag that was strapped to his neck and pulled out a document that was crumpled up for one reason or another. "Telki, did you know that I used to pull out my credentials to everyone who would bother to look at it. I didn't do it to trick anyone or show off. I did it because I was proud of what I had accomplished. You should take some pride in what you do and stop hiding behind a shroud of lies," he added sternly, trying to inspire her to be more forthcoming.

When he finished speaking, Gerrard walked over to Colton and helped him lay out more pipes. "And uh, yeah you too Col ton," he added, trying to make it look like he wasn't picking on her.

The griffon leaned over to the pegasus and covered up his beak with with his talons as he prepared to whisper something. "All the feathered fellows are okay by me, even Mr. Hooves, he added, playfully poking a hoof for the bird to see.

[lordbrony]

"[colour=#FF8C00]I have no idea what you are talking about. Nopony's lying you know. Everything I said was true and I can swear by Celestia. If you had asked nicely I would have shown you instead of you being so sli-[/colour]" she stopped herself abruptly upon noticing the griffon walking away to join Colton. Perhaps that was not the best way to handle the situation but by Celestia that felt good! Perhaps Gerrard didn't hear the last bit...she hoped,

Taking a second to take a deep breath and compose herself. She deftly fastened the pipes together with her magic, all the while trying to keep up with the others. Getting lost here would probably not be good.

Her bad knee throbbed, as if in agreement, while she tried to keep up a fast hobble