[Army Ball - PRIVATE] Partners (Ace High and Acclaim)

[Dio]

[colour=#daa520]“Can we go over that again?”[/colour]

Acclaim slowly reread the dossier. She’d definitely read it the first time, but she’d rather have it straight from Col. Ironwing. Guard duty was one thing, but this was something else entirely.

Col. Ironwing wrinkled his nose and adjusted his glasses with a hoof. [colour=#8b4513]“Army Medical has been going over some new preventative medicine procedures and part of their trials include accountability partners for mental health.”[/colour]

[colour=#daa520]“So he’s crazy?”[/colour] Acclaim blurted. Her ears drooped for a moment as she realized her faux pas.

The colonel was unfazed. [colour=#8b4513]“We’re all a bit crazy, sergeant. Who else would join the Army?”[/colour]

[colour=#daa520]“I”m not sure whether to be flattered or offended, sir.”[/colour]

[colour=#8b4513]“Humor, sergeant,”[/colour] the colonel smirked. [colour=#8b4513]“Ace is a good kid. He just has some confidence issues and his CO thought it would do him some good to get out. But to do that, they need somepony they can trust.”[/colour]

[colour=#daa520]“I appreciate your faith in me, sir, but if I didn’t know any better I’d think high command was playing matchmaker for me.”[/colour]

[colour=#8b4513]“It’s less an order and more of a favour, Acclaim. Ace is a former athlete, just like you. So I figured you’d be best to help him reacclimate.”[/colour] The big pegasus paused for a moment as he took another sip of tea from his mug. [colour=#8b4513]“Being master of ceremonies for this event isn’t easy. I want everypony to have fun here, sergeant. But I also want to make sure that ponies who need help get help.”[/colour]

[colour=#daa520]“I’ll do my best, sir.”[/colour]

[colour=#8b4513]“Good. You’d best get going. The festivities start in a few hours. I’ll have Ace sent to meet you in the foyer after everypony has had a chance to mingle. Dismissed.”[/colour]

*************************

Of course that was several hours ago.

[colour=#daa520]“Anytime now, buddy,”[/colour] Acclaim mumbled to herself as she sipped at her cider.

She’d quietly excused herself from Fire Walker and company specifically to search for Ace. Ironwing had said wait in the Foyer before going in, but the Foyer of the castle was a big place. So Acclaim did what any soldier would do while waiting for her charge: got a drink at the bar.

Idling was something that Acclaim didn’t ordinarily do, and thus she found it difficult to keep herself occupied while she waited. She polished her pins. She straightened her cummerbund. She ruffled her bat wings and checked the pleats in her skirt. Finally taking a look around, she spotted an approaching stallion roughly matching Ace’s description.

[colour=#daa520]“Ace High I presume?”[/colour]

[Bannhammer]

Why was he here?

While such a question might seem deeply philosophical on the surface, to Ace it meant something far more literal. Why was he here at the REA event party thing? How did a sergeant patroling the mountains get invited to this ritzy event? Probably another scheme by one of the higher ups to get him to 'loosen up'.

He had skipped the mingling, choosing instead to sip tonic by himself at one of the many areas where one could acquire drink. Nopony here seemed like a pony worth mingling with, and so he simply didn't bother. The pony assigned to 'help him get acclimated' would be the first he'd speak to all day.

Ace wore his usual frown, though he struggled to maintain the expression while chewing on some herbs. After a few years, the act of chewing the stuff became second nature. Some ponies liked to joke that he was addicted to the stuff. Of course, if he was addicted, he'd go into withdrawal or something whenever he wasn't chewing for five minutes. Then again, that hasn't happened yet.

He wore a nicely pressed and well maintained uniform, his wings shuffling about as he entered the foyer. The dark blue pegasus sported a few medals, mostly citations for conduct and good attitude. A silver star dangled over his heart, the thing tarnished and not well maintained, like the rest of his dress uniform. Saddlebags rested on his back, the olive drab sacks seemingly empty, though they probably carried the beret he wasn't wearing.

A white mane certainly stuck out, though upon closer examination it was obviously dyed.

One thing that stuck out about his appearance sat upon his lapel. It was a small, golden wing. To most, it would mix right in with the other adornments and pins. Ask any soldier, and they'd tell you that a pin like that certainly wasn't issued by the REA.

Another quick glance around, and he reached into his saddlebag to pull out a small pouch. Out came a hoof full of some foul smelling herbs, and soon he was back to chewing.

[colour=#000080]"Come on, Ace, just tell them you're fine, and you just want to sit by yourself and drink water for the whole evening."[/colour] he muttered to himself, ready to grab another hoof full of herbs before a mare appeared behind him.

[colour=#DAA520]“Ace High I presume?”[/colour]

The blue pegasus blinked, wings jerking back and eyes widening a bit before he calmed himself down. After a deep breath, he offered as good a salute that he could muster under the circumstances.

[colour=#000080]"Sergeant Ace High, 3rd brigade, 44th Tactical Aviators Regiment. Reporting for foalsitting operation."[/colour]

His tone didn't seem enthused nor amused.

[Dio]

Foalsitting operation? Ouch.

Acclaim carefully took the time to look him up and down. Ace was broad shouldered and sinewy in build, the quintessential airborne infantryman, and carried himself as such. This would be the kind of rough rider that any fresh recruit would look up to in his or her first time abroad. But something was distinctly off about his presentation. The uniform was well-kept, almost sterile, but contrasted sharply with what appeared to be combat saddlebags. As he spoke, Acclaim caught a whiff of something unpleasant on his breath, something medicinal smelling. Finally, there was his initial reaction to meeting her. However quick it was, the reaction was one of terror rather than pleasant surprise. The strange body language showed that outwardly, Ace was a fine soldier, but inside, something wasn’t right. He certainly wasn’t going to make this easy on her.

[colour=#daa520]“Sergeant Acclaim, III Order,”[/colour] she said, immediately transitioning from returning a snapped salute to extending her hoof to shake. Credentials were important to be sure, but it would likely put Ace more at ease to know it was a social function rather than another border patrol. She did her best to present herself as a fellow enlisted, her bat wings relaxed and draped over her skirt, a hint of a smile playing at her lips, and stance distinctly at ease after her salute. [colour=#daa520]“Welcome back to C-lot!”[/colour]

[Bannhammer]

[colour=#000080]"III Order? Didn't think homegrown gave a hoot about ol' Re-uh grunts."[/colour] He couldn't resist a small chuckle, reaching out to grab the offered hoof. Ace shook it hard, with a tight grip.

With a tiny sigh, he released her hoof. The soldier couldn't resist giving Acclaim a once over. Lunar guard, obviously. Being around Vinyl and the club scene gave him a rather nice insight into the magical world of body piercings, and he noted that this mare probably sported quite a set when she was off duty.

She radiated confidence, and for a moment Ace wished that he could bottle it up for rainy days. Though he'd need a lot, considering how few sunny days he seemed to get.

The smile on his lips soon faded, and the chuckled died in the back of his throat. Ace remembered exactly why this mare was here, and why she was supposed to follow him around. He opened his mouth to speak, but paused. A scowl had formed on his lips, and he tried once more to speak. The blue pegasus clamped his mouth shut, and seemed to struggle with something. Instead, Ace reached into his saddlebag, grabbing another hoof full of green, putrid, herbs. After stuffing them into his mouth, he finally got around to speaking.

[colour=#000080]"Listen, orders are orders, and you got stuck with me for some dumb 'help the crazy pony' experiment. You can take your orders and shove them up your rump, because I didn't choose to come to this dumb ball, and I sure as heck didn't choose to get shipped off from my men!"[/colour]

Ace took a deep breath, eyes screwed shut as he looked to the side, teeth gritted in anger. Without a word he stuffed some more herbs into his mouth, practically forcing himself to calm down by any means necessary. It didn't take a word on Sergeant Acclaim's part to get him going, it seemed. Quickly, the anger subsided, to be replaced by guilt. He never reacted in such a way around his men, and yet two minutes in to a conversation and he's about ready to blow a gasket? The stallion simply shook his head, silently adjusting his lapels before looking back towards the mare.

[colour=#000080]"Apologies, seems I... uh... didn't get much sleep on the ride here."[/colour]

Edited July 9, 2013 by Bannhammer

[Dio]

[colour=#daa520]“Hey now, I was infantry before Honor Guard picked me up!”[/colour] she smirked. [colour=#daa520]“The 45th out of Cloudsdale had me before the transfer to C-lot.”[/colour]

A little edgy, but it wasn’t anything she hadn’t seen before. Pirate fighting and police work required rough and tough sometimes and Ace fit the bill to a tee. If he was anything like the Stallian Guard aircrews she’d met during the last rotation, he’d respect confidence more than credentials. Acclaim was banking on the usual enlisted camaraderie to give her an “in” and so far it seemed to be working.

But suddenly a pall fell upon Ace. Acclaim involuntarily cocked her head to the side ever so slightly in puzzlement. His wan smile vanished and was replaced with an angry scowl. It was then that the reason for Ace’s curious fashion accessories became apparent: they were a repository for his medication... if the herbs could be rightly called that.

Ace’s subsequent outburst caught Acclaim entirely off guard. At first she was shocked and just a bit afraid, physically recoiling as if Ace was about to wind up and strike her. Then she was angry, her ears cocked forward and her wings flared out. Acclaim visibly bristled. How dare he! She was here to help! Even if she wasn’t here on assignment, this sort of rudeness was absolutely unacceptable. She had every right knock him on his flank and drag him by the ears to the MP’s station for disorderly conduct! But just as quickly as it had come, the outburst subsided. Ace stuffed more meds down his craw and seemed to shrink with guilt.

[colour=#0000cd]"Apologies, seems I... uh... didn't get much sleep on the ride here."[/colour]

That’s a load of horse apples and you know it. Was what she wanted to say, but simple etiquette and duty both conspired to shackle her tongue. Ace's problems ran a lot deeper than missing shut eye on the train over; this was just the tip of the iceberg. Taking a deep breath, Acclaim smoothed out her mane and laid her wings flat against her skirt again. She’d try her best to avoid pushing buttons, but if Ace wasn’t going to throw her a bone, this could prove to be a difficult night.

[colour=#daa520]“Ace, I’m not going to hide my assignment from you.”[/colour] Her response was affable, but firm. [colour=#daa520]“But I’m not going to smack you in the face with it either. I’m not a therapist, I’m a soldier, just like you. You’re free to talk about whatever you want to talk about.”[/colour]

The sergeant turned back to the bar, taking a sip of her drink before remarking, [colour=#daa520]“Ponyville’s best. I have to wonder sometimes why that place isn’t more famous considering I’ve yet to find a bar that didn’t serve Sweet Apple Acres cider. This stuff even shows up way in the frontier territory, right alongside Stallianoya vodka...”[/colour]

[Bannhammer]

He barely managed to gulp, a nervous shake rolling down his spine which culminated in an anxious swipe of his tail. Ace knew he was lucky. She could have easily dragged him to the nearest officer and shoved a disorderly conduct charge down his throat. Somehow, she accepted his apology, and his excuse too.

Only somepony blind would have missed the herbs, and Ace always tried to chew them as subtly as possible. Unfortunately, after that little outburst, he found himself with a bit more herbs in his mouth than could be considered polite.

[colour=#000080]"If I get like that again, just put me in a sleeper hold. You'll get some peace, and I'll finally catch some rest!"[/colour] he joked, chuckling dryly. Why did he keep pretending like sleep was the issue? He knew it wasn't. It certainly wasn't easy to joke about, but he had to find a way to keep their interaction moving. The last thing he wanted was to create a hostile pony who had orders to follow him around.

He used his wing to lift a glass of tonic to his lips, the bitterness of the drink lost in the swamp of medicine already there. She mentioned a town he'd never seen, and something he'd never sampled. Boy, if they didn't find something in common, this could be a lot harder than he first thought.

[colour=#000080]"Wouldn't know about that, unfortunately. Never been to Ponyville, and the closest thing to cider I've ever had is Apple Juice. And don't even get me started on Vodka. With everything I hear about it, I'm either missing out, or making a great life decision."[/colour]

Ace chuckled again, forcing another gulp of tonic down his throat.

[colour=#000080]"I didn't drink in flight school, and I thought it would be a bad move once I joined up. Never had a drop in my life. Alcohol dumbs the senses and gets a pony in trouble. Don't need a chemical keeping me on a leash."[/colour]

The sad, sad irony of the comment escaped him completely as he shoved yet another wad of herbs past his teeth. His blue hoof, stained dark green from years of handling the stuff, set the pouch back into his saddlebags. Sensing that something was wrong, he tried quickly to change the subject.

[colour=#000080]"Almost had champagne after winning the best young flier's competition, but I wanted to remember the rest of the day."[/colour] A hint of happiness hid within his tone; recalling a happy memory within a ragged tapestry.

[Dio]

An ear flick and a guarded smile were the only responses to Ace’s awkward joke. It didn’t help that the medicine smell on Ace’s breath was nearly overwhelming. At least he was willing to get back into conversation rather than clamming up and stonewalling her.

[colour=#daa520]“Oh if I wanted to knock you out, you’d feel it. The boys always told me I had hoofball legs in basic! That’s what I get for turning down a contract from Trottingham United, right?”[/colour]

As put off as she initially was, though, Acclaim found it difficult to keep a straight face as Ace continued to talk with his mouth full. How he managed to do it without spraying whatever herbs they were everywhere was truly astounding! The sergeant cleared her throat.

[colour=#daa520]“Vodka is good stuff, but it’s not for everypony. I don’t blame you for wanting to keep out of it. The ponies in the ‘grad swill that stuff like water though.”[/colour] Acclaim raised an eyebrow as Ace somehow managed to gulp more drink down with his mouth full.

[colour=#000080]“... don’t need a chemical keeping me on a leash.”[/colour] Acclaim bit her tongue at the irony, but let Ace continue. This wasn’t her show, it was his. She’d come back to that later.

[colour=#000080]“...almost had champagne after winning the best young flier’s competition, but I wanted to remember the rest of the day.”[/colour]

[colour=#daa520]“Best young flier? No kidding!”[/colour] Acclaim could tell he was perking up, if only for a moment. [colour=#daa520]“Didn’t think you to be the type to have super fancy moves! What was your routine like?”[/colour]

[Bannhammer]

The herbs bothered her.

Well, of course they did. Vinyl seemed to be the only pony who never grimaced at their stench or made a face when he spoke. Sure, it wasn't the most pleasant sight, Ace knew that. He had orders to take this medicine, and by Celestia, he was going to take it.

[colour=#000080]"Look, if this stuff bothers you, I can, uh... I don't know. Doc says I'm never supposed to stop chewing the stuff, except when I'm sleeping, of course."[/colour]

The stallion shrugged helplessly, unable to offer any more on the subject. Instead he chose to let her continue, and continue she did.

He already sensed her athleticism, and Acclaim's comment about signing for a hoofball resonated with him.

[colour=#000080]"Eh, United has enough strikers. Now Hoofington City? You could've helped them out a bit. Couldn't score to save their flanks."[/colour]

He took a guess with the striker comment. The Pegasus mare radiated with confidence, and she seemed like the type to take a game over and score when the match was on the line.

Things seemed to be improving, despite her discomfort with his medicine. She even seemed to understand his aversion to alcohol. Even better, she seemed interested in his routine. If anything could calm Ace down, it was talking about stunt flying.

[colour=#000080]"Not the type? Do I look like a gryphon or something? In my prime, I could out maneuver a lightning boot and fly rings around hurricanes! Nowadays, it's all about speed. Some kid flies towards the ground in a straight line, picks up speed, and then pulls up. Not easy, but it ain't no Canterlot Bunt or cobra maneuver."[/colour]

As he spoke, Ace ceased his chewing, apparently swallowing a bit of the gunk. Without a wad of herbs in his mouth, his words came out clearer and the stench dissipated. His enthusiasm seemed to reinvigorate him, a far contrast from the surly and combative stallion from earlier. Ace didn't sense the change, as this is how he usually felt out on patrol or with his men.

[colour=#000080]"My routine had most of the basics: turns, banks, spins, loops, all that stuff. But I knew that if I wanted to make the Wonderbolts, I needed something special. When push came to shove, I decided to take a risk. I had to warn the crew beforehoof that I was going to intentionally stall and plummet out of control. Still don't know that name of that dang move, but that's what I went with."[/colour]

[colour=#000080]"Of course, it's a risky move for two reasons. Pull up too early and the judges won't be impressed. If you don't pull up in time, your score won't be the biggest concern. And then you have the fact that the crew expects you to pull up, so they won't be diving down to save you! Let me tell you, I should've put that at the beginning of my routine, because after exhausting yourself in the first few minutes, pulling out of a couple thousand foot plummet is not easy!"[/colour]

Ace sported a goofy grin, leaning back a tiny bit and taking a gulp of water.

[colour=#000080]"I spent my day with the 'bolts, reserved my place at the academy. Heck, they practically gave me a blank check! And that chump on the Wonderbolts now, Soarin? He's got the paychecks, and he's got the fame. But he ain't got one of these. And I wouldn't trade places for the world."[/colour]

Ace tapped the pin on his lapel, above his tarnished silver star. He looked towards Acclaim, smiling honestly. He didn't even seem to notice that he'd gone a few minutes without chewing.