[Las Pegasus] Problematic Plumbing [Attn: Gerrard, closed]

[starswirlthebearded]

Moon Shine was was far less composed than he usually is. Of all the days for water to stop running it had to be right before this weekend. Moon Shine furrowed his eyebrow and rubbed his head.

"[colour=#000080]Huge event, major people coming, one of the largest planned turnouts in the hotel's short history... And no plumbing.[/colour]" Moon Shine muttered to himself annoyed by the situation. "[colour=#000080]What else could go wrong... Acts canceling?[/colour]" No! He wasn't even going to consider that! He had booked all the acts himself! The reservations were done by his management staff, and everything was perfect... except for the broken pipe that was preventing water from coming to or from his hotel.

"[colour=#000080]What shoddy work! If I find out the worker who caused this catastrophe I'll have them released from their job for this! It is simply unacceptable![/colour]" Moon Shine mused to himself in his private office. He wasn't a vindictive stallion by nature, but he was one that expected excellence from everyone who he hires, and that includes contract workers who built his pride and joy.

That wasn't the issue, really what needed to be done was contact a company specializing in irrigation and plumbing. This line needed to be fixed, not today, but yesterday! Moon Shine sent out a letter by way of one of his mail specialized unicorns, whom he employs to get out letters quickly without relying on the sometimes unreliable mail system, and so his high profile guests can correspond with whom they please in a timely manner, for the right price of course.

He had heard of an irrigation specialist who works out of University of Canterlot, and sent the letter there, stating the following:

"To the irrigation specialist of the University of Canterlot,

I've heard tell that you are among the best in the field of irrigation repair and maintenance. If you could come to Las Pegasus post haste and repair the irrigation to my hotel and Casino the Alicorn Alcazar, I'll pay you a fair price. In fact, if the job is done before my guests arrive tomorrow at noon I shall pay double the normal rate, if you can manage the task before the end of the day today, triple the rate.

Best regards,

Moon Shine

Owner

The Alicorn Alcazar"

The signature gold embossed, and the hotel's custom wax press used to seal the parchment the letter was sent off, with the hopes that this mess can be solved and the weekend saved.

[Gerrard]

It had been an abnormally hot day in Las Pegasus, Celestia's sun practically peeling the the paint away from the famed desert town. A griffon had made his away across the desert, message in tow as he flew from Canterlot to deliver an important reply to the owner of a certain casino. His enormous black wings had labored against the heat while his eyes peered through the dark lenses of his strange looking goggles. He had been to the town in the past, and always cursed getting sent out to places with such hideous weather, the griffon always feeling like he was at the mercy of his pony co-workers, always getting given the worst jobs. This problem was two-fold, one part apathy of lazy ponies, and the other part being his reliability in solving all the most difficult tasks assigned to him. He landed in the pegasus named city and made his way to the casino, flashing his credentials to the bouncer ponies at the door. After walking his way through the casino to the upper level of the building, the black pelted hybrid found himself at the doors of the business pony, a familiar occurrence for the dark feathered feline.

He was finally here, in the temperature controlled building, the sweat on his brow feeling as if it would freeze as he enjoyed the cool weather. It was something he could bask in, but the goggled griffon had pressing business to do with the owner that couldn't wait. He rapped a strong dark talon on the doors of Moon's office before parting the doors and walking into the well furnished room. "S-sir Shine. P-package for you from Canterlot University," he stammered in a nervous voice, the seemingly annoyed griffon suddenly seeming timid as he spoke to the back of a revolving chair. He was dressed in his goggles with his customary backpack strapped to chest, the hybrid reaching in and pulling out a paper for the pony to examine. The parchment had the official seal of both Canterlot and it's prestigious university embossed on it, the document holding all the details of the deal on it, something the griffon didn't seem ready or capable of dealing. "Here is your missive from Canterlot Sir Shine," he commented in a more formal Canterlot tone as he seemed to regain some confidence. He held the document in his dark claws and presented it to the chair, expecting the pony to turn around and snatch it away.

The document itself, if opened, explained everything about the incident. If read, it would read, "The Irrigation Division of Canterlot has read your request for maintenance on piping you purchased from an outside source. While we have a policy of only repairing systems that we have installed ourselves, an exception can of course be made with a substantive gratuity charge. We will be willing to send a representative to your establishment within five business days from the moment you inform one of our employees, either by mail or word of mouth. That is of course assuming you agree to the terms set by our representative after they assess your situation. Thank you for your patience sir, and pleasure doing business with you," the document explained in the most simple of manners, seeming to indicate that help was coming, someday at least.

At the bottom of the document, a PS note was scrawled on the bottom of the parchment in a manner that seemed very after the fact. "And please be kind to the fearless mailmare, they flew a long way through the desert to deliver this to you. Surely they deserve a hearty tip for their efforts," it read in the most suspicious of manners, the griffon holding out a talon for the pony to generously tip him for the seemingly delayed, if not terrible news.

[starswirlthebearded]

Moon Shine was not his normally composed self. He had sent for a specialist from the University of Canterlot earlier in the morning but hadn't heard back. It was at most a several hour train ride, and that was the long way around. There is a direct line for the weekend gamblers and party ponies. Surely they would have hopped on one of the direct lines considering the amount that Moon Shine had offered to pay in his letter.

There came a knock at the door and a dark winged Griffon with a silver head walked into his office. Apparently it was a courier with a package. Wait apparently a missive from Canterlot University. He chalked up the mistake in what was being delivered to nerves which the griffon seemed to have initially. This was a foreign feeling to Moon at this point in his life. He'd forgone all nervousness and let his underlings handle that. He was confident he could handle any situation with grace and ease. And that is when the griffon presented the letter to Moon Shine.

It read:

The Irrigation Division of Canterlot has read your request for maintenance on piping you purchased from an outside source. While we have a policy of only repairing systems that we have installed ourselves, an exception can of course be made with a substantive gratuity charge. We will be willing to send a representative to your establishment within five business days from the moment you inform one of our employees, either by mail or word of mouth. That is of course assuming you agree to the terms set by our representative after they assess your situation. Thank you for your patience sir, and pleasure doing business with you.

PS: And please be kind to the fearless mailmare, they flew a long way through the desert to deliver this to you. Surely they deserve a hearty tip for their efforts.

Moon Shine stared at the letter for a second and looked up at the griffon who had delivered it, bewildered by what he just read. How... What... Why? These were the only things going through his head. He tapped his hoof anxiously on his desk.

Before responding to this he turned around to grab a bottle of whiskey from a small bar he kept to the back left of his office. He put one stone of ice in it and slowly poured out the whiskey. Sipping the whiskey he took a deep breath and slowly responded to the would be mailmare. "Please, don't stand around mister courier griffon. You must have had a hard journey getting here in such a hurry to deliver this important letter. Would you like a stiff drink?" Moon Shine spoke politely but with a slight edge to his voice clearly annoyed by the turn of events. But he always remembered his manners. He couldn't have this griffon go back and tell his master his rudeness and not take any amount of money for the repairs. No, he would still need to use this irrigation repair specialist eventually to do the job right.

Five days? They are forgoing triple whatever they would have asked for five days? But still... that wasn't the only thing bothering him... It was the wording of the letter, specifically the post script. He could always contact another irrigation repair company, they might not be the best, but it would at least afford him the ability to hold the event without issue if he had them on retainer for the weekend to ensure that any problem that arose would be taken care of.

"Pardon me for being forward, but "mailmare"? That is a rather...pony term... Every griffon I've met hates being equated to being pony. At the least they like to be referred to as a courier. The last griffon courier who delivered a package here preferred to be called a "postal technician extraordinaire." Not a very modest fellow, but he got the job done and quick. Clearly you have the same fervor, so why the pony term?" Moon Shine prodded the only part of the letter that bothered him, and continued "However that is rather inconsequential right now..." as Moon Shine sighed taking another draw from his glass. "Please tell your employer that is fine. I'll hire another company and keep them on retainer for the weekend temporarily. I'll still need his services to double check their job in the least and fix any possible screw ups. I'll not have this issue again."

The other thing that bothered Moon Shine is that the letter was delivered directly to him, and not by way of his secretary. But... sometimes for important letters or packages the courier forces their way through, and this letter seemed official enough so that his secretary probably saw fit for direct delivery. But still, this was not the most ideal of situations.

"If that is all mister courier, you may go, but on your way out, please tell my secretary that I need to see her when you leave. Thank you for delivering this letter." As he said that he opened up his drawer and took out a bag with some gold bits as well as a few poker chips for the casino in it. "Here is something for your trouble, as well as some poker chips in case you wish you try your luck at our casino before you leave." The amount of gold bits was more than fair for a courier. "Naturally, if you don't wish to, you can just redeem them and leave with a few extra bits instead of a jackpot" Moon Shine said with a smile.

Now all Moon Shine had to do was use the local repair people whom he didn't trust since they were the ones who made this mess in the first place. This weekend was already turning into a mess and it hadn't even started yet.

[Gerrard]

The griffon stood at attention with the pony, for one reason or another, his apprehension was gone, the odd courier standing before the vaguely intimidating pony. The griffon raised his dark goggles to reveal his golden eyes when the pony had offered him a drink of alcohol. He paused, almost in fear as he remembered his last encounter with the potent liquid. The hybrid could only remember being offered a drink from his fair-feathered griffon friend Falco, and everything afterwards was a blurry headache that ended with him on a strange cot at a friend's house in the desert. Regardless of how he felt, the 'mailmare' had no intention of displaying his fear as he idly picked up an ice cube in one of his deft talons before cracking it in his sharp black beak. "Ahh, that won't be necessary sir. I think it is illegal to drink and fly in Equestria," he joked half-heartedly as he got comfortable in the office.

His calm expression slowly gave way to anger as his feathers stood on end as he heard the insulting words of the pony. "What? The Canterlot Irrigation company called me a mailmare? The audacity of it all! How could they treat me so after all the deliveries I have made for them," he growled, clearly disappointed at his description, the courier apparently not the one who wrote it at all. "I respect the wishes of the writer and did not read their document and this is how they treat me? Oh how I have fallen in the world," the griffon added weakly, lowering his head in a completely defeated manner. The strange griffon seemed to be on a roller coaster of emotions in the office, his downtrodden expression being erased when presented with a healthy tip that seemed to be more than double the going rate for a courier.

"Golly mister, you're the nicest pony this side of the Everfree forest!" he cheered, walking over to the casino owner and giving him a hearty griffon bear hug. The hybrid squeezed the casino owner tightly and lifted him off the ground with his powerful forelegs, swinging him back and forth before releasing his form from his clutches. "I don't care what anyone in Canterlot says, your pretty awesome for a pony," the griffon added in his usual disjointed manner, his emotions practically impossible to navigate. He raised a talon to the side of his silver feathered head, the griffon making yet another spectacle as he seemed to be receiving a message from places unknown. "Oh you do? Well, Mr. Shine is a pretty cool guy, I vouch for him!" he cheered to nobody in particular as he smiled off into the direction of the door. His long black tail wagged before he turned his attention back to Moon Shine, the odd griffon giving him his attention again.

"I have great news for you about the deal!" he cheered, suddenly having a change of heart, yet again, about the whole situation.

[starswirlthebearded]

Moon Shine took another sip of his drink as the seemingly more relaxed griffon made himself comfortable in his office. He declined the offer for the stiff drink, which Moon Shine simply shrugged off. Besides, not drinking and flying made sense, whether it was a law or not. Sometimes casino and bar staff were needed to prevent patrons from leaving totally impaired.

"[colour=#000080]That is fine if you decline the stiff drink, I should have figured that a courier wouldn't want to be impaired for any number of reasons.[/colour]" Moon Shine said as he poured his odd guest a glass of cold water. "[colour=#000080]But surely you cannot decline a glass of fresh cold water.[/colour]" Moon Shine made another offer for a drink to his guest.

"What? The Canterlot Irrigation company called me a mailmare? The audacity of it all! How could they treat me so after all the deliveries I have made for them," he growled, clearly disappointed at his description, the courier apparently not the one who wrote it at all. "I respect the wishes of the writer and did not read their document and this is how they treat me? Oh how I have fallen in the world."

Moon Shine smirked at the defeatist attitude of the griffon. He didn't normally smile at the anguish of others, but this griffon was so over the top, he couldn't help it. The griffon took the bag with bits and chips in it. Clearly over joyed by his generosity the griffon's expressions changed.

The strange griffon said excitedly

"Golly mister, you're the nicest pony this side of the Everfree forest!"

as he proceeded to give Moon Shine one of, if not the, strongest bear hugs he had ever received. When he released him Moon Shine rubbed his neck and fixed his now ruffled suit. He was somewhat annoyed by the hug. He didn't mind shaking hooves, or in this case talons, with any patron or whomever walked in to his casino, he drew the line at extremely close contact. Unless of course it was from a pretty showfilly of course. He didn't mind in the slightest if any of them gave him a peck on the cheek or anything of the sort. He was a healthy stallion after all.

"I don't care what anyone in Canterlot says, your pretty awesome for a pony"

Moon Shine just nodded at the compliments. He cared for public appearance, especially when his business endeavors were concerned. He really wasn't a nice pony at all, but he did treat those who worked for him right, even if he did hold them to excellence and would chide them for their short comings if they had any. But most ponies who worked for or with Moon Shine respected him enough. A cunning and ruthless business pony as he was, he wasn't all bad, at least not as bad as he was in his youth. He still did questionable things in efforts to further his affluence or monetary holdings, but they were largely unnoticed by others.

The griffon then started to make his way to the casino floor, hopefully to try his luck at a few games. With any luck Moon Shine would get back some of what he paid. It was something he did often. Some couriers would leave and just take the money, while others would stick around and spend multiple times more than what Moon Shine had given them. It was a gamble, but one in which he had little to lose and much more to gain. Heck, even if he ended up, by some chance playing only one game and leaving with more winnings, that would only entice the griffon to return to spend money at his casino again at a later date!

Suddenly the strange griffon started to talk to someone whom he couldn't see. Moon Shine scratched his head. He began to wonder the sanity of this griffon. He was seemingly talking to no one. He stood there, taking the final sips of his whiskey, silently judging the griffon. Not that it mattered much to the older pegasus. He has seen far stranger spectacles in his day, especially from some of the more colourful acts that he employed to entertain guests or bring in new ones. This didn't stop him from considering his sanity or lack there of.

The griffon suddenly turned and said

"I have great news for you about the deal!"

in a rather cheery and exuberant manner. This griffon was clearly crazy. But in any case, if the news was good, he wanted to hear it.

With a smile, one that he practiced time and time again, when he was annoyed so it didn't look fake, he invited the griffon back in. "[colour=#000080]Is that so mister courier? Please then, come back in my office so we can discuss this sudden change in news.[/colour]"

[Gerrard]

Gerrard gladly accepted the water, holding the glass in one of his deft talons. The griffon always thought highly of his keen grabbing tools, always taking every opportunity to show them off as he paraded the glass of water between his flexible digits. "Ahh, I have heard from many a book that water is the lifeblood of Equestria, the true resource that keeps this nation running. Imagine what would happen if there was a shortage of it in one area. Without proper weather control or irrigation, the whole region would just shrivel up. Thankfully we don't have that problem, right?" he commented strangely, the 'courier' bringing the topic seemingly out of nowhere before opening his sharp black maw and drinking the water. He let out a satisfied sigh, seeming to enjoy the water more than usual before placing it back on the counter.

"I spoke with the Irrigation Architect who was assigned to your fair establishment. He told me that he is ready to start working immediately! He told me that he only works for the most caring and selfless of individuals. Apparently he thinks you are an exemplary person, congratulations!" he cheered, the dark griffon raising a clenched talon in celebration as he spoke. It did seem to beg the question though, how, or who exactly was he talking to? Was the griffon just making everything up as he went along? How did he even get into the office if he was just a mere courier? His presence begged more answers than it solved, surely things would start clearing themselves soon?

"May I call in Sir Grayfeather of the Royal University of Canterlot? Apparently their time schedule meant up to, not necessarily exactly in that amount of time. Peculiar I know, but you know how Canterlot ponies can be. A snooty lot, but bear with their idiosyncrasies please," he pleaded playfully, grovelling in fake manner before the pony as he threw his employers under the bus.

[starswirlthebearded]

Moon Shine watched as the odd griffon accepted the water and began drinking it. He began ratting off some odd things about it being the lifeblood of Equestria. Not that it was incorrect, but it was an odd way of putting it.

Without proper weather control or irrigation, the whole region would just shrivel up. Thankfully we don't have that problem, right?

Perplexed by the griffons odd demeanor Moon Shine just answered as he normally would. "[colour=#000080]I should hope not. We have many talented irrigation specialists working to ensure that our irrigation systems are working at all times. I've even heard there are fail safes for major irrigation lines in case the usual maintenance fails.[/colour]" He said in a well informed nonchalant manner. He didn't wish to be rude, but he was reaching his limit with this griffon.

I spoke with the Irrigation Architect who was assigned to your fair establishment. He told me that he is ready to start working immediately! He told me that he only works for the most caring and selfless of individuals. Apparently he thinks you are an exemplary person, congratulations!

Spoke? With who? He was speaking to himself or at least that's what it seemed. He gave a smile at the whole caring and selfless bit. If only the griffon knew his motives, he might change his tune. "[colour=#000080]Thank you Mr Courier. Might I ask where you spoke with this architect though? I have yet to see him. Did he arrive with you? If so why send a courier at all? Or do griffons all share some sort of telepathic connection[/colour]" Moon Shine said in jest with a bit of a chuckle. He was getting tired of playing nice and was starting to suspect there was more to this "courier" than he says, but he'll play along so long as it gets the irrigation line fixed.

May I call in Sir Grayfeather of the Royal University of Canterlot? Apparently their time schedule meant up to, not necessarily exactly in that amount of time. Peculiar I know, but you know how Canterlot ponies can be. A snooty lot, but bear with their idiosyncrasies please.

Moon Shine rubbing his head over this whole ordeal just nodded and said "[colour=#000080]Please do, and don't worry about idiosyncrasies or stuck up ponies or griffons. I own and operate a hotel in Las Pegasus, I do believe I've seen it all when it comes to ponies, griffons and even a few Zebra and Buffalo.[/colour]" Confused by the current situation and the odd griffon's eccentric behavior and clearly exaggeated and fake groveling, Moon Shine really just wanted this to be over and done with. Hopefully this "Sir Greyfeather" was as good as the rumours stated and he'd have his irrigation up and running before the event. Moon Shine finished off his drink and placed it off to the side. "[colour=#000080]Shall we continue our business? I'm not sure if you need to return to Canterlot or not, so please stand. There is no need for groveling.[/colour]"

[Gerrard]

"Failsafe? I suppose there is a water tower or a few loaded clouds hidden away somewhere. Who knows!" the courier chuckled lightly to himself, not seeming too familiar with the concept as he lightly brushed it aside. The griffon clearly loved to play games with the pony for one reason or another. It was unclear, but it was obvious that he wasn't quite through playing and poking the irritated pony. "How did I speak with him? I spoke with him of course! Sir Grayfeather is a griffon of many talents. Maybe pony ears aren't capable of hearing all audible frequencies, or something like that!" he explained, giving an obviously made up explanation as he made his way to the door. "Not all dialogue is audible," the courier commented with a devilish grin, the answer clear as day to him as he opened the door and left the pony to his own devices, the door closing behind him.

"Ahh Sir Grayfeather! Good to see you sir. Mr. Shine is," a voice spoke on the other side, getting interrupted by a loud smacking noise. "Ouch, I'm sorry Gerrard! Forgive me, I'll go tell the university that you're here," a different voice added as the sound of flapping wings could be heard from the office the pony was in. The door then opened to reveal a griffon that looked identical to the courier, the only difference being a monocle on his left eye that added a sense of formality to his dark form. "Can you believe the audacity of that courier? He slapped me for no reason, what a bothersome fellow," he commented in a much more formal voice than his "counterpart". "Regardless, Sir Gerrard Grayfeather, alumnus and irrigation architect of the Royal University of Canterlot, at your service. I was informed that you needed your irrigation system repaired by a professional. I would be honored to help such a well reputed individual as yourself," he commented with a smirk, almost as if he knew something that the probably irritated pony didn't. The previous verbal spectacle seemed impossible for so many reasons, but this griffon didn't even seem to care or acknowledge them for one reason or another.

"Can I see the blueprints so we can get started?" he asked nonchalantly, almost as if he were purposefully trying to torture the slick business pony.

[starswirlthebearded]

"Failsafe? I suppose there is a water tower or a few loaded clouds hidden away somewhere. Who knows!"

Moon Shine nodded at the question. "Though I have heard of such water towers, I am not so sure of the clouds. I have little to do with the weather, and my parents never spoke of such things despite both working for the Cloudsdale weather factory and team." Moonshine succinctly responded. "What I mean is that there are supposedly emergency irrigation paths in case one breaks, they are able to divert the water. Though I am also unsure of this." Though he hears a great many things from his patrons, Moon Shine also doesn't particularly believe everything nor cares to confirm everything himself unless it is relevant to his interests. Given the current state he way soon start more attentively learning about irrigation.

"How did I speak with him? I spoke with him of course! Sir Grayfeather is a griffon of many talents. Maybe pony ears aren't capable of hearing all audible frequencies, or something like that! Not all dialogue is audible."

Moon Shine laughed a bit at the obviously made up explaination. "My fair feathered griffon, you certainly have a grand sense of humour. I do believe that equines have the larger range of hearing. So I would hope that a pony would be able to hear all that a griffon could. I must say, not all griffons I've met have had senses of humour's quite like yours."

At that moment the courier went out and had a had a rather interesting conversation with what he could only assume was himself based on what had transpired, but figured it was best to give him the benefit of the doubt, he wouldn't want to anger the griffon who would help him. With that an identical griffon entered back into his office, sharing the same voice only speaking more formally.

"Can you believe the audacity of that courier? He slapped me for no reason, what a bothersome fellow. Regardless, Sir Gerrard Grayfeather, alumnus and irrigation architect of the Royal University of Canterlot, at your service. I was informed that you needed your irrigation system repaired by a professional. I would be honored to help such a well reputed individual as yourself."

"Are you certain that courier wasn't your long lost twin? That could be why he slapped you so." Moon Shine said with a laugh. "Anyway, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Sir Gerrard Greyfeather. I am the owner and operator of this establishment, Moon Shine," he said to the griffon, sure he was finally formally introducing himself to the griffon he had been talking to for quite a while. "I am indeed in need of your services, I am in most dire straights, with a large event upcoming and no irrigation. Thank you for coming on such short notice, I've heard many great things about your work." Moon Shine past his joking mood, moved onto business. Though he still didn't wish to anger the irrigation specialist, too much of his precious time had been wasted as is.

"Can I see the blueprints so we can get started?"

Moon Shine nodded at the inquiry, he had his secretary fetch them from storage long before the griffon was due to arrive. "But of course Sir Greyfeather. Please have a seat while I get them. I would offer you a stiff drink, but I don't think it is wise to drink before work." Moon Shine said as he poured another glass of water for the irrigation specialist. He then trotted over to the back corner of the room where the rolled up blueprints laid. He grabbed them and set them on the desk. "Here are the requested blueprint's Sir Greyfeather, please have a seat and some water," Moon Shine said as he rolled out the blueprints and pushed the water towards his guest. "If there is anything else you need to expedite this process, be sure to let me know and I'll get it for you." Or one of my employees. Moon Shine thought to himself. He was a fair boss, but he was a big believer in don't do things yourself when you have others to do them for you.

[Gerrard]

The courier would have likely rebutted with something about ponies being more aware out of fear, but didn't have a chance as he left the room to be quickly replaced by his 'twin'. When Moon Shine said that the architects twin had just left, a glimmer of anger entered the golden eyes if the hybrid.

"You are a rather audacious pony to assert that the sewer rat that just left here was my twin! I a m clearly more majestic and dashing than that unkempt mess! My head feathers are gray while his are grey! To assert that all griffons look alike is rather disheartening sir, but because I know that you don't know any better, I will tolerate it, he explained sternly as a smirk slowly crept onto his maw.

When he finished, he burst into laughter and gently pounder his clenched talon onto the table. "Ah man, sorry if I made you mad, but I always wanted to jab one of my clients a bit," he apologized while taking a seat and taking a glass of water and politely drinking it.

When the griffon received the blueprints, he nonchalantly looked them over, seeing nothing wrong with the plans. He wouldn't have used steel piping, but it was still very acceptable. He couldn't see what was could have damaged the pipes so quickly, but when he paged over one of the maintenance addendums he saw something wrong.

Gerrard's eyes went wide as he read over one repair note. Gerrard spat out his drink all over Moonshine and the documents as he struggled not to choke. "Did you approve this? No plumber or architect would ever replace an irrigation pipe with iron. Aside from tainting the water, it would rust out surprisingly quick. Did you hire an iron worker to repair your piping in the past," Gerrard gasped dramatically in a very alarmed manner.

[starswirlthebearded]

'Audatious'? Moon Shine thought to himself. It was pretty clear that they were either related or the same. This eccentric griffon was beginning to tax on Moon Shine's nerves, and the only thing keeping him for snapping at him was the thought of the weekend being a failure due to failed irrigation. The griffon seemed rather offended by his assertions. Moon Shine lifted a hoof to explain, but before he could the griffon burst into laughter.

"It is good to see you have a sense of humour Mr Greyfeather, many griffons I have met don't have such a cheery disposition, at least with ponies." And while it was true that Moon Shine was annoyed, he was a far cry from all out angry at the situation. He has since learned to keep his temper in check, though as he would tell you, he is the last pony you would want to push over the edge. Bottling up emotions only serves to create a bigger explosion later. But for now the situation seemed to be diffused. "And please do not be mistaken Mr Greyfeather, I'm a far cry from angry. Currently my worry for the weekend is far outweighing any other possible negative emotion anyway."

"Iron worker? Iron pipes? What? I approved for steel pipes to be replaced with steel pipes when a waterline broke a couple of winters ago." Did that ingrate of an irrigation repair pony replace the broken pipes with IRON instead of steel to cut corners? If he ever found that pony he'd ensure that they never worked in irrigation, or any industry ever again. "You mean to tell me that I have an iron irrigation pipe? That really should not be so, the original plans that were presented to me had steel pipes listed," he stated in an irritated tone. "Here let me see those blueprints..." And clear as day the maintenance note was there. That rat of a repair pony pulled one over on Moon Shine, he'll look through his records and find the name of the pony and take care of it later. "Well then, it seems that I'll need a new set of pipes. You said you would not recommend steel? I'm sure I still have some steel pipes, but which metal would you recommend, and after this repair work is done, how would you like to overhaul the system? If possible of course..." Moon Shine was a smart man, it was clear that steel wasn't the best, he already had a break in the line once, and if there was a better metal that would prevent that he would love to just replace the entire system for a better more reliable one, despite costs.

[Gerrard]

Gerrard narrowed his eyes as the pony spoke about griffons being grumpy. "You know, I would get mad about that blasphemous assertion, but you probably know that I would just be joking. Anyway, it is true, for the most part I suppose. I was a bit stuffy when I first moved to Canterlot I guess. You might say that a few years of living amongst proper pink ponies has dulled my anger over the years. I haven't been truly angry in a while. The last time I was mad was when I ran out of butter for my morning breakfast. I was so furious that I absolutely shredded that hapless container," he explained in an angry tone as he stared at his sharp black talons before breaking into a light chuckle at the hopeful lie.

"Yeah I've seen this trick done a few times by tricksters. You gotta keep an eye on who you hire for jobs like this. Irreputable ponies will make money by charging you for steel and changing the material to iron at the last second. I would request a list of reputable architects from the Royal University of Canterlot. The university can compile a list of the reputable workers in the country," he explained calmly for his employer while taking a drink of water. When the pony brought up steel pipes, Gerrard raised his brow, having not said anything about it. He decided now was as good a time as any to bring it up though, this particular client having the means to provide the best material. "Ahh, most clients prefer steel, but you are correct about it not being the best. Copper pipes are actually the best because they don't cause impurities and don't rust through like other metal pipes. They simply oxidize into a stable element that wont damage the pipes and it is antibacterial to boot. The only problem is that copper is a publicly traded material and has become surprisingly expensive over the years. It is about three times as expensive as steel, but it won't need to be repaired nearly as much as another type of material. The only other problem is that some ponies like to steal it for money. Most of it is underground though, so that sorta makes it impossible to rob I guess. You do seem like the type of guy who likes to invest in capital and infrastructure for the sake of further wealth creation," he mused aloud, tapping a claw on his own head as he mused about the job. He knew that these type of business men liked to think of purchases as investment, and while it was a small quality upgrade, he probably could afford it.

"In regards to changing your entire pipe system, I could send a request to the university on your behalf. A repair job can be done by one skilled griffon, but a complete retrofit would need a few helper ponies, not to mention a veritable bonanza of copper. Is that an investment you want to make? I can basically guarantee that your maintenance costs will be next to zero if you upgrade the whole line," Gerrard explained simply for the pony as he lounged back in his seat. He swirled his glass of water in his sharp clutches as if it were some type of proper drink before glancing across to his host.