Malicious Mailmares

[Mojo]

Saddlesore gasped at his apparent blunder in communication to Asteria. Thinking quickly, the blue Earth stallion swallowed hard and began to speak.

[colour=#0000ff]"Please allow me to rephrase my last statement," [/colour]he said in a calm voice. [colour=#0000ff]"You may order any food items from the menu for your dinner. I will be paying for both of our meals, regardless of cost. Do you understand, Miss Stillheart?"[/colour]

Saddlesore wasn't trying to be sarcastic or mean, he was genuinely trying to 'talk' in Asteria Stillheart's 'language' so she would have an enjoyable time with him.

[Gerrard]

Asteria listened patiently, nodding while he explained himself. The mare had determined that she misunderstood him when she had interpreted his words in such a strange manner. When he explained that it was another way to say the same thing, she nodded again, seeming to indicate an understanding of his words.

"I understand. Please forgive my ignorance, I am not properly socialized in some areas as others might like. I will accept your offer of free food," the unicorn calmly added while she thought over what she would order. The black mare was unsure of the quality of the food on the menu.

"Sir Saddlesore, I will accept your expertise with this establishment. I will order the item you most highly suggest, she explained, the unicorn not the type to commit to any real preference. Her crimson eyes glanced over the green waiter and her blue friend while she patiently waited for further direction from her 'date'.

[Mojo]

Saddlesore was SO happy! At last, he communicated well with Asteria! Normally one who doesn't show much in the way of positive emotions, the blue stallion was literally grinning from ear to ear, so to speak. He was very honored that this lovely black furred mare was asking his advice on what food to order.

[colour=#0000FF]"Well Miss Stillheart, my favorite meal when I come here to dine is the grassloaf served with hay fries. Very delicious, you'll love the chef's special sauce! That is what I'm ordering."[/colour]

Saddlesore waited for her reaction. He certainly hoped Asteria would find his choice favorable.

[Gerrard]

Her keen eyes looked his form over, the odd stallion seeming more excited with each word she spoke. She thought over the inevitable conclusions to this string of events, the mare weighing the costs and benefits of each in her mind before deciding to move along with their date. The dark unicorn nodded as she listened, her gaze drifting over to the waiter as he approached their table.

"If you find the meal satisfactory, I will accept your judgement and order the same meal as you, grassloaf served with hay fries," she replied politely, wondering what sauce could elicit a feeling of love. It seemed that it was probably another figure of speech that was not meant to be taken literally, something she had a bad habit of doing. "I will love the food? I imagine that you use the word love as hyperbole to express how much you like the food. Am I to believe that it is the pinnacle in culinary creation? That is quite the statement to make. I imagine you are only referring to the taste, but how do you quantify such an abstract notion like taste?" she asked, in a seemingly serious manner. Was it possible that Asteria was not joking in the slightest, the mare viewing the world through some strange prism?

[Mojo]

As the waiter took the order, he couldn't help overhearing all that Asteria had said to Saddlesore. All the waiter could do as he walked towards the kitchen with their order was shake his head in confusion. Saddlesore continued to be so enthralled with the black furred mare that he overlooked her obvious literal view of his words. The blue stallion simply LOVED to hear her talk to him!

[colour=#0000ff]"Well Miss Stillheart," [/colour]Saddlesore eagerly answered, [colour=#0000ff]"levels of satisfaction are always objective, but speaking for myself, I rate a meal based first on flavour, second on presentation and third, on the company of those whom I dine with. And if I may say, Asteria, dining with you tonight will make this food we're about to consume MUCH more pleasant!"[/colour]

Saddlesore was trying hard to 'speak her language', hoping he could make a real connection with this lovely visitor from far away!

[Gerrard]

She watched the confused waiter vanish off into the back of the story, the scarlet maned mare turning her full attention back to Saddlesore as he spoke to her. She nodded as he spoke, the mare not doing this as a way to show agreement, but as a way to show that she is paying attention. The concept of agreeing with someone was just a thing that might happen on occasion, the unicorn not feeling a need to match up goals and views with others. It was not out of a sense of superiority, but to the contrary, the courier feeling that no views or opinions had any more true merit than another.

"Your opinion on food is graded on a three tiered scale. It seems to make sense that food is graded on a multiple scaled system simply because there are many things about it that can affect you. My presence improves the third criteria for you, I am honored to help you in any way possible," she remarked, the odd mare staring across to him as she thought over his grading scale. It wasn't her place to question his own scale, the mare deciding on what her own was as she remained at his side. "You won't mind if I explain my own criteria I judge food by, will you? I first rate the sanitation of the food in an attempt to avoid to food poisoning. The second criteria, is the nutritional value of the food itself. The third criteria is the temperature change in my body that will be caused by the food itself, if any. The last meaningful criteria is the amount of time and effort required to consume the food itself," she explained in her usual robotic sounding manner.

[Mojo]

[colour=#0000FF]"Whatever you say, beautiful, er... I mean Miss Stillheart!" [/colour]Saddlesore spoke nervously, broken from his own little 'dreamworld spell' that the enchanting black unicorn mare had him under. Although the blue stallion was still very much infatuation with her, the things she said were starting to make less and less sense to him. Was she his dinner companion or a food critic? Dismissing his doubts, he was very relieved when the first course arrived. The green unicorn levitated two large bowls full of salad in front of Saddlesore and Asteria.

[colour=#0000FF]"There must be some mistake," [/colour]Saddlesore began to explain, [colour=#0000FF]"neither one of us ordered a salad."[/colour]

[colour=#008000]"Eet iz compliments of zee manager, monseir," [/colour]the green unicorn waiter said, [colour=#008000]"Quite frankly, he was quite stunned to discover that YOU, Mr. Saddlesore, brought a lovely young mare with you here tonight. Also, zees sparkling cider is also compliments of zee house as well!"[/colour]

Before Saddlesore could say a word, the waiter levitated the bottle, opened it, and poured each of the two ponies at the table a tall glass of sparkling cider.

[colour=#008000]"Your entrees will be ready soon, please enjoy your dinner," [/colour]the waiter said, winking to Saddlesore as he turned to walk away.

[colour=#0000FF]"Well..... I.... don't know what to say, Miss Stillheart, but at least we seem to be getting some free food tonight!" [/colour]the blue stallion said with a big grin while other customers in the restaurant continued to murmur and stare at them.

[Gerrard]

His date blinked a bit and cocked her head to the side as he messed up her name yet again. He had a tendency to do so, the mare supposing that he kept doing so because he was nervous for one reason or another. Without knowing how to fix his ailment, she came up with a solution to his awkwardness. "Sir Saddlesore, if you wish to call me Beautiful, you may do so. I will not be offended if you call me the wrong name. I have read that friends call one another by nicknames as a sign of affection. Would this be an acceptable compromise?" she asked, trying to limit his awkwardness while her proposal was something that would probably only make it worse. While she was not the vain type, it might have been interpreted as such by the other patrons in the restaurant.

When the free food was placed on the table, Asteria listened to her confused friend ask for an explanation. She heard out the waiter and waited for him to leave before making a statement regarding the food itself. "Thank you for the kind words sir, I am honored to receive your praise," she commented vaguely as he walked off, the black courier turning her attention back to him as she tried to understand the motives of the nice stallion who had just given them free food. "It is possible that he simply speaks the truth. Perhaps we are to give a tip to compensate for the free food? Or maybe it is a marketing strategy of some kind, relying on our presence or word of mouth to promote the company?" she speculated aloud, the unicorn mare clearly the type to think things through far too much.

"Perhaps we should oblige the restaurant and accept their offer of free food and start eating," she speculated, Asteria carefully levitating a fork with her magic as she carefully ate her food like one might expect from a Canterlot pony. She of course didn't do it to show off, but in all actuality ate in such a way as to show respect for the restaurant she was eating at. She carefully savored each portion of the food and turned to face her partner. "Do you find the food satisfactory?" she asked simply, never speaking with hyperbole as if it were something to be avoided at all costs.

[Mojo]

[colour=#0000ff]"Er, yeah, sure Miss Stillheart," [/colour]Saddlesore responded to the mare's first question, then breathing a sigh of relief that his slip of the tongue didn't anger Asteria or make her leave. This was a dream come true for the blue stallion! This mysterious delivery mare was actually enjoying his company! Now the nervous Saddlesore attempted to answer her next question.

[colour=#0000ff]"I don't think there's any ulterior motive here, Miss Stillheart," [/colour]Saddlesore began to explain, [colour=#0000ff]"I've been coming to this restaurant for many years and I know the waiter pony well. You see, this is the very first time I've come to this restaurant with a dinner companion that I wasn't related to. This is why the Manager did what she did, I believe, because she was so happy to see that I am happy, and I am happy because YOU are here..."[/colour]

Saddlesore began to blush in the face so hard, the tint of red could be visibly seen through his blue fur. Trying to recover quickly, he began to munch on the salad when he heard Asteria's next question.

[colour=#0000ff]"This salad is delightful! Bet it's the house dressing that makes it taste so good, what do you think, my dear.. er.. I mean.. Asteria... er.. Miss Stillheart?"[/colour]

[Gerrard]

She listened, the mare nodding as he explained that the likelihood of an ulterior motive was really low. "I see, forgive me for questioning the motives of our hosts. It was not my intent to alienate us from their efforts. I simply wished to understand why they would operate their business at a loss. You're clarification is enough for me, I will not delve deeper into their rationality. I am glad that my presence has helped both you and the restaurant. Is there any way I can repay your kindness?" she asked calmly, looking across to Saddlesore as she continued to politely eat her food.

"What are my thoughts on the salad?" Asteria replied in her unchanging voice as she thought over a way to express her thoughts on the food. The salad meets all expectations of the food it advertises itself as. It's consistency is acceptable and does not lack in any meaningful way. As for the dressing itself, from the taste of it, I speculate that it is low in fat while adding enough substance to merit its own existence. It is a very competent salad sir, and I appreciate this offering of goodwill. Thank you for allowing me to share this new experience with you, I will try to remember it for years to come," she commented simply for him, Asteria turning her attention back to Saddlesore as she focused her intense crimson eyes on the face of her date.

[Mojo]

Saddlesore's fascination with Asteria remained firm and unshaken as the black furred unicorn mare carefully (and in great detail) answered his questions. When he heard her mention that she's remember this day for years to come, it only made the blue Earth stallion blush even more.

[colour=#0000ff]"You don't know how happy you've made me to hear to say that!" [/colour]Saddlesore neighed loud enough for the other restaurant patrons to overhear. Nearly all of them gasped in amazement as random ponies in the crowd could be heard speaking out.

[colour=#006400]"Saddlesore is happy?"[/colour]

[colour=#800080]"I didn't think that was possible!"[/colour]

[colour=#8b4513]"He must be ill!"[/colour]

[colour=#b22222]"Maybe that unicorn's got'm under a magic spell!"[/colour]

Saddlesore was SO happy, he ignored the audible exclamations from the other restaurant patrons as he gazed into Asteria's crimson eyes with a goofy grin on his face.

[colour=#0000ff]"Did anyone ever tell you you have the most beautiful eyes, Miss Stillheart?" [/colour]he asked softly, provoking even more remarks and gasping from all those watching the scene unfold in front of them.

[Gerrard]

Asteria lightly cocked her head to the side, her scarlet mane shifting to the side as she watched his face redden yet again. She determined that it had to be related to nervousness in some way. While she was right, the unicorn did not realize that her 'promise' to remember was what caused his facial change. "Why does the face redden when one is nervous? Does it serve any constructive purpose, or is it something that has yet to be properly understood?" she commented in her usual non-assuming manner.

The black unicorn blinked her fiery eyes when he spoke, the courier failing to understand his common figure of speech. "I don't know how happy I have made you? Perhaps I am ignorant to how I make you feel, forgive me for being unaware of your feelings," she apologized, seeming to try to avoid conflict. The mare seemed to operate overly passive for reasons unknown. Something about her was strange, the exact cause though, a complete mystery.

[Mojo]

[colour=#0000ff]"Oh my, am I that transparent?" [/colour]Saddlesore asked, trying to see his reflection in a nearby silver tray to see if he really was visibly blushing. Seeing himself in the tray, he now could see his gues was correct. This only served to make him more nervous.

[colour=#0000ff]"Well, to answer your question, Miss Stillheart, yes, I am nervous," [/colour]the blue stallion said, taking a deep breath before continuing, [colour=#0000ff]"I must confess, I am very much in love with you. You don't have to apologize for not knowing how I feel. After all, a lovely, beautiful mare such as yourself probably has been asked out by many stallions in your past. Me, I haven't had a Very Special Somepony, ever."[/colour]

There, Saddlesore did it. He expressed his true feelings to Asteria. Now he sat and waited for her response. Would she return his love or leave the restaurant in disappointment? It's true that his dinner companion shows little emotion, but he didn't mind that.

[Gerrard]

She listened intently to the stallion, her ears perking up ever so faintly as he described himself as transparent. It was clear that she was confused again by his figure of speech, the mare being almost entirely literally minded. "Sir Saddlesore, you are not transparent at all. While your complexion may be reddening, I can not see through you," she commented simply as she leaned close to his face, changing her vantage point to verify her statement. "Perhaps I am simply misunderstanding the intent of your words?" she reasoned aloud, not wanting to call him a liar as she remained as agreeable as possible.

Asteria listened as he professed his love for her, the mare nodding in her usual manner that indicated she was listening to him. "I see, Sir Saddlesore. I appreciate your presence as well. In regards to being asked out by stallions often, your words may be described as hyperbole. While I have been asked out on dates in the past, it is not very often. I believe that many may be intimidated by my presence, or simply looking for different qualities in their mates," she theorized aloud, the mare thinking over her words. The courier paused to think over her statement, deciding that she didn't not exaggerate her past experiences with others. "I have not had a very special some person of my own. What exactly does that entail?" she asked in a confused manner, almost seeming to think of it as a possible business deal or something similar.

[Mojo]

Saddlesore listened very carefully to every word Asteria spoke. First, there was a definite miscommunication on the term 'transparent' that he needed to remedy. Second, the blue stallion was able to gleen from the unicorn mare's words that she had not had many other 'suitors' and that she was indeed open to the possibility of becoming his own 'very special somepony.' It was now Saddlesore's turn to choose his next words extremely carefully. Swallowing hard and trying to look as calm (unnervous) as he could, be began to explain things to his charming dinner companion.

[colour=#0000FF]"Oh, Miss Stillheart, when I used the word 'transparent', it was a figure of speech. I meant to say that you can probably sense my intentions by sight as well as my words. As for starting a relationship as being each other's Very Special Somepony, it means that you and I will be faithful to one another, neither of us dating or trying to get other ponies to be our mates. It means that we would spend more time with each other. I understand that you have an important career as a courier, and that's fine. I don't wany our new relationship to interfere with that. I also have a job so we're both hard working ponies. But during those times you and I are NOT working, we can be with each other, maybe go out for a meal or walk together in the park or other mutually agreeable activities. We can start our relationship slowly, maybe some time in the future we'll feel so much love for one another, we could talk about ... well.... marriage..... perhaps...."[/colour]

Saddlesore now stood in front of Asteria with a wide grin, waiting for the unicorn mare's answer.

[Gerrard]

She nodded as he spoke, understanding his words after he clarified them for her. "I see, your actions were transparent. Meaning that it was easy to see through them to see what you were actually trying to do. By this definition, it would seem that I have trouble seeing through glass, and I must apologize for being unaware of your intentions," she replied, accepting that it was obvious but she simply didn't understand for reasons unknown. It seemed that she always accepted blame for any misunderstanding, simply because she was wrong a lot, or just preferred to avoid conflict.

When he went on to explain the terms of the deal for them being partners, Asteria nodded in her usual manner, seeming to understand the rules as he spoke. "To earn the title of your Very Special Somepony, it means I must avoid mating and having relations with other ponies. Is there a contract of some sort for this deal, it would seem unwise to sign any agreement without a proper description of the agreement. In exchange for this agreement, I would receive additional time with you at no expense? The contract would be binding at all times, but I would only be able to collect my portion of the agreement while we both had free time? These terms seem hard to agree to. If I could not spend time with other ponies, I would need to spend more time with Sir Gerrard, my griffon friend. His species is exempt from the pony only clause of your agreement, correct? Perhaps I can place a value on signing the agreement if I can quantify the value of spending time with you, and contrasting it to the losses incurred when I agree to forsake relationships with other male ponies?" she theorized aloud, not getting the point very well when she tried to mathematically determine if the agreement was something that she could benefit from. It seemed to be stressed further when she interpreted his words as permission to have relationships with non-ponies, something the open-minded mare did not seem against at all. She did not seem against or for his terms, the odd unicorn needing to hear a proper proposal before locking herself into an agreement like the business mare she was.

"Marriages occur for the creation of offspring correct? I am unsure if I am willing to commit to the sacrifices required to have a child in the near future. Most of us are inherently selfish in some way, and I do not believe that I can afford the detriment to my personal goals that would occur if I were to create offspring. In addition to this, I would need to do additional research to make sure that our genetics were different enough to allow for a healthy child. I can not perform such an investigation on such short notice. It would be much easier to arrive at this conclusion if you were a member of a different order. While you are a different species, it is still possible that we both might share some deficient recessive genes," she explained to him in a bizarre manner, the mare seeming to suggest that she would prefer marrying the genetically different creature that was still compatible with her for the sake of any children. If it wasn't clear before, it was getting very obvious that this mare was strange and thought over ever possible situation, regardless of how unlikely they might be. Were the other patrons at the restaurant listening to their conversation, if so, things might start getting awkward for everyone involved.

[Mojo]

Saddlesore sat and listened to all that Asteria had to say. The longer he listened, the more he began to realize that something wasn't quite right here. The aura of affection that he had felt for her from the moment he first laid eyes upon her suddenly got slammed with a hard dose of reality. Only now did it dawn on him what he was getting himself into with this lovely but highly complex unicorn mare. His initial nervousness had now vanished

[colour=#0000FF]"Whoa whoa! I think we're overthinking this situation here, Miss Stillheart." [/colour]Saddlesore began to explain. [colour=#0000FF]"Maybe the two of us are better off just being friends. I do enjoy being with you and the fact you have no qualms about being seen with me does mean a lot. How about we do this instead of going the 'Very Special Somepony' route? The next time you're in town, look me up and we'll do lunch. And the next time I'm in your area, I'll drop by to visit with you. Perhaps all this talk by me of having a closer relationship was a bit premature. Is that idea acceptable to you, Miss Stillheart?"[/colour]

As he spoke, the waiter arrived with their entrees, placing them before the two ponies. Instead of just 'diving in' to the food, Saddlesore waited for his dinner companion to respond.

[Gerrard]

Asteria patiently listened to his awkward rebuttal of her strangely thought out proposal. It was clear that he was having second thoughts when he backtracked from marriage to being friends in such a quick manner. Most mares would have taken such a move as an insult or a sign of lack of interest. Asteria of course kept that option open, but was wise enough to realize that she had said or done something that he didn't like. She paused for a moment to think over many different possible responses, the mare going with one of the less confrontative options as she spoke. "I apologize if I was too stern a negotiator Sir Saddlesore. I try to create mutually beneficial agreements, but I may have been selfish in my requests. If you are cancelling your offer of a permanent relationship, I will accept your judgement," she replied, apologizing for his seemingly frightened or confused removal of the offer.

"You wish to be my friend, but do not wish to be bound by any contractual agreement? That may be wise because such agreements are not inherently flexible enough to deal with all of the intricacies of life. You are asking for my presences in exchange for meals in the future? I may be able to accept your terms when I have no pressing obligations abroad or at my residence in Canterlot. It is wise to wait for additional information on a potential suitor if you are expected to spend the entirety of one of your lives with the other. I can accept your terms, they seem very familiar to the terms offered by Sir Gerrard. Perhaps you two would be relatable enough to be special friends with one another," she suggested in her usual innocent manner, the mare clearly not understanding the specific use of the flowery term.

The mare carefully started cutting her food as she magically manipulated her utensils. To an untrained ear, her previous statement may have come off as an insult, the mare seeming to insinuate things, or just be socially oblivious. Regardless of her intent, her perpetually stoic expression and unchanging voice hid her inner thoughts well as she stared across to Saddlesore with the fiery eyes he had liked moments earlier.

[Mojo]

Saddlesore was now very frustrated. Now that the 'aura' of his crush has worn off, the blue stallion was beginning to see that any deeper relationship with this mare would probably require a team of attorneys and a lot more intelligence that he ever possessed. Sure, she was beautiful and yes, she did like his company, but now Saddlesore understood that that was not enough to become 'very special someponys' with one another. He even breathed a sigh of relief when she 'voided' the offer he had made earlier. Then he breathed even more of a sigh of relief when she named an apparent male friend or possible suitor.

[colour=#0000ff]"You understand correctly," [/colour]Saddlesore said with a nod. [colour=#0000ff]"I think the two of us will make great friends, after all, like they say all the time in Ponyville, 'Friendship is Magic', right?"[/colour]

Saddlesore now turned his attention to the meal. He still wanted to be polite and nice to Asteria. After all, he still hoped to savage a friendship out of this relationship.

[Gerrard]

Asteria could sense a great deal of tension leave his body, the stallion seeming more at ease now that her proposal was flatly rejected. She blinked, thinking over her words as he insisted that they should just be friends. While this may have been a more sensible option for the two acquaintances, she still was not used to such proposals. "May I ask what makes us good friends sir? What do I bring to our friendship? We are inherently selfish, and I simply hope I can bring enough things to you to merit the loss of your personal time. Is there something I can provide you, perhaps a verbal agreement of some sort. While not legally binding, I try my very best to avoid being a liar whenever possible. I can hope that you are the same Sir Saddlesore?" she asked, the mare probably a bit gullible to whatever he might say.

Her keen eyes looked over the faces of the restaurant, watching the surprised faces around them as they gawked at the odd pair. "Is there something I can do for you to make a friendship deal acceptable?" the mare asked calmly, leaning in close to him, almost as if she were going to give him a polite kiss, the mare eagerly waiting for his response.

[Mojo]

Asterial's sudden moment towards Saddlesore stunned everypony in the restaurant. The waiter dropped his tray, his mouth gaping open at the sight. Others were gasping too, due to the sheer surprise of the entire situation. Saddlesore, the grumpiest pony in all of Equestria, had not only came to dinner WITH a female guest, but it was seem that this stunningly beautiful unicorn mare was about to kiss him! Not in a MILLION years did any of the regular customers of the restaurant EVER expect to see such a thing! Even the owner of the restaurant, a rather middle aged looking pink unicorn mare, looked on in absolute amazement at the pair. Saddlesore didn't notice any of this because now he was very concerned. It was getting harder and harder to 'read' this emotionless mare. Was she agreeing to become 'just friends' or was she trying to avoid that responsibility as well? The blue stallion quickly dismissed his doubts and decided to do something he rarely ever did, think optimistically about his current situation. He found his feelings for Asterial were returning, and he smiled as he spoke gently to her.

[colour=#0000ff]"My dear Miss Stillheart, try to understand. Friendship isn't about 'gain' and 'loss' of time and wealth. True friendship cannot be quantified in such terms. Miss Stillheart, I really enjoy spending time with you! You are by far the most interesting mare I've ever met! Admittedly, sometimes I can't understand what you're saying to me, but that doesn't matter. I would very much savor the honor of being your friend. You brought up somepony named Gerrard earlier, and I certainly don't want to come between the two of you. But you are wonderful, Asterial. Please try to understand when I tell you, I am very fond of you and would enjoy visiting with you in the future. I am sorry I let my emotions overtake me earlier, I didn't mean to mislead you into thinking we should rush into a deeper relationship so quickly. I'd love the chance to get to know you better, and perhaps in time, our relationship could move to a higher level. But for now, Miss Stillheart, could we simply enjoy the remainder of this evening together? No contracts, no agendas, no 'loss and gain' talk. Could we just spend this time together, celebrating our new found friendship as we dine?"[/colour]

More gasps and ponies with their mouths gaped open from the crowd as Saddlesore smiled yet again! A few ponies in the crowd were fumbling around trying to find their cameras to capture such a rare moment forever on film! Saddlesore smiling? If Gabby Gums still had her column in the Foal Free Press, she'd definitely write this up for that newspaper!

[Gerrard]

She listened, finding it a bit hard to understand how friendship was an exception to the rule that everything operated in some sort of net sum of exchanges. He spoke of a pony named Gerrard, the unicorn blinking as he offered a deal where they spent time together in an attempt to determine their compatibility. Asteria listened to the final portion of his plea, the mare nodding, not as much in agreement but in a manner that showed she was listening to him. It would be rude to openly disagree with him that friendship wasn't simply an equation of losses and gains, but she wasn't here to debate with him. The unicorn decided to accept his premise as true for the time being, finding no way to prove him inherently incorrect anyway.

"I apologize for trying to assert that my way of thinking was absolute. It is plausible that you are correct sir. In regards to Gerrard, I must disagree with your assertion that he is a close friend. I don't know any ponies named Gerrard, I know a griffon named Gerrard though. He is an irrigation architect that I am an associate of. We exchange services whenever necessary, I am not in a committed relationship with him at this time Sir Saddlesore. I am willing to expend my excess time with you whenever possible. I am not sure the practicality in doing so though, my work normally concluding in Canterlot. If you wish, I can come to your residence whenever my work brings me to this town and I am free of obligations afterward. Regardless, I will accept your terms and spend the rest of this evening with you. Thank you Sir Saddlesore, I will spend the remainder of this evening in your presence and finish my meal in accordance to your request," she politely remarked for him, nodded again as she continued to eat her food in her polite manner, her deft magic easily manipulating her utensils.

The smiling was not much of a big deal to Asteria, the unicorn seeing many people express a wide variety of emotions and expressions on a regular basis. It seemed to her that his reactions were outside the norm for his usual responses, the stallion not normally expected to act so positively. She didn't have a baseline to compare to, and simply decided to say nothing about their surprise. Until she learned more about the stallion and spent more time with him, she would have to be ignorant of why his actions were so interesting.

[Mojo]

[colour=#0000ff]"Thank you, Miss Stillheart," [/colour]Saddlesore said with a sigh of relief. [colour=#0000ff]"I'm very glad we got all that settled. You are correct that it's difficult to see each other due to your profession, but on those occasions when you are in town, please do drop by!"[/colour]

Saddlesore felt so good about the situation that he was smiling again, much to the amazement of the other restaurant patrons.

[colour=#0000ff]"This has been such a great evening together, Miss Stillheart. Would you care for any dessert? This restaurant has a fine selection every time I come here![/colour]

[Gerrard]

Asteria nodded in agreement, surprised that he would agree to see her on such rare occasions. The unicorn speculated that he wanted to keep open the possibility of a future relationship, or that he stood to gain from seeing her again. The simple idea that he liked her around was probably too 'illogical' for the strange mare to fully grasp.

While it didn't make much sense to simply see someone again for no particular reason, she didn't protest, almost seeming intrigued to find what motivated him. She always wanted to learn new things, even if she felt it was likely to be something of minimal value to her.

The offer of dessert though, was one of the few topics she had a developed opinion on. While normally ceding her opinion for that of others, this was too important for her to be flexible on.

"No thank you Sir Saddlesore. I can't justify the consumption of dessert in addition to dinner. The nutritional value of the food does not merit the amount of physical activity that would be needed to purge my form of the extra weight I could gain. I must therefore refuse the offer sir. You are free to order your own though, I do not mind waiting for you to finish eating," she replied in her usual robotic manner. One thing about her was perfectly clear though, Asteria evaluated everything, especially the food she ate.

[Mojo]

By now, Saddlesore was getting used to his dinner companion's unique way of looking at things. Still, wanting to be a good gentelcolt, the blue pelted Earth Stallion decided to try to encourage her to try one.

[colour=#0000ff]"Miss Stillheart, sometimes we ponies eat to live, and that's fine, but there's other times when we eat for pleasure. The desserts here in this restaurant are wonderful! Ok, there's little real nutritional value in them, but the enjoyment of eating them more than makes up for this. There are four specialties of this establishment, and if you allow yourself a moment of pleasure, you'd enjoy any one of them! First, they have a chocolate eclair that puts anything that Gustav LaGrande ever made to shame! Then there's the red velvet cake, even Mulya Mild would be hard pressed to improve upon the flavour! One of my personal favorites is the Bananas Foster over waffles! Delicious! And finally, there's the rainbow pie al a mode! It's made with a blend of fruit that's the pastry chef keeps a guarded secret. Are you sure you wouldn't want to indulge yourself with one of these tempting desserts? I could ask our waiter to bring samples to our table so you could taste before trying if you like, ok?"[/colour]