Third time charm (Armony, Private)

[vladspellbinder]

Dear Stormsong,

You have no idea how happy I am that you agreed to another date! I've got things in order for next weekend, so still plenty of time to get ready!

Have a nice brunch (but not too heavy!) and wear something fitting a nice night out (but not overly fancy!) and I'll meet you at your family's restaurant around five. I know you get busy around that time but sadly my plans can't be made any later and I hope you can slip away one night for some time off.

See you then!

Sam

That had been the letter Sam had sent at the beginning of the previous week after he had gotten Stormsong's letter back saying she was willing to go out for another date. After the (semi) disastrous end to the previous date he had been happy she was still willing to share letters and had finally worked up enough never to ask for another date; and she had agreed! His (very masculine and totally-not-a-squee) exclamation of joy surprised not only his co-works but himself as well. He had expected acceptance to make him happy but not the extent of it.

So here he was, very carefully casually walking down the road as he had been the previous time, and like the previous time he was a little nervous. He was wearing a deep red soft velvet 'dress' vest with only a few pockets on it and had carefully dyed his mane and tail to match the slightly deeper than he normally used red. He had also just as carefully brushed and styled his mane into something passable for 'wavy' instead of the untidy mess it normally was. He also had a nice but not overly fancy set of black cloth saddle bags on his back, carefully strapped so as to not bounce with his steps. The right side bag was a little full with a long squareish shape but it fit in the pouch so just what type of box it was couldn't be told. The left side had somethings in it, but wasn't overly stuffed.

He slowed a bit as he approached the restaurant, it was just about ten to five so he didn't have to meander around the area this time. He looked to see if Storm was waiting for him outside already or if he'd had to head in to find her... .

[Armony]

Stormsong hurried about in her room, fussing over every little detail of her appearance despite the request for not wearing overly fancy attire. She had chosen to go with a simple purple dress that had been hanging in the back of her closet since her relatively recent trip to the Crystal Empire. Much more surprisingly, she had put in the time and painstaking effort to tame her mane and tail, straightening both of them out and, for the most part, untangling the mess into something that she was certain resembled being taken care of properly. After seeing the time, she took one last look in the mirror, wondered whether or not she might have put too much effort into things for her date's taste. Deciding that it was too late to do anything about it, Storm put away her makeup, leaving what she'd already gotten on there before making her way outside to wait on Sam.

As she hurried her way through the restaurant and past her customers, she could feel a few lingering glances, especially from regulars who had never seen her so well dressed up. There was also the staring from the employees, whom she was positive were wondering just what was able to get that blue mare to tame her mane. The only time they'd seen her like this was after her sister, Sage Leaf, demanded it for the Mystery Masquerade, so it was an understandable wonderment, but Storm kept her focus on moving, keeping her mind away from the creeping nerves and fright. With a few quick maneuvers, she squeezed through a crowd of ponies that just came in and out into the cool late afternoon air, sighing in relief. She closed her eyes and just savored the peace and quiet, waiting for her date to appear.

[vladspellbinder]

Sam had just been thinking of getting into the line of ponies heading into the restaurant when some in a purple dress squeezed their way out and stepped to the side to catch their breath. It took him a few moments to realize it was Stormsong and he was the one left breathless. They way her mane rolled down around her face like some kind of silver water fall, and the way the fading sun light reflected off it juuuust so... . He coughs some, giving a shake of his head and a little snort, getting his thoughts back in order. Lighting up his horn he opens the left saddle bag and pulls out a small wooden box, and from that he pulls out a thorn less white rose. The offer of a flower for this date might be a bit forward of him if she knew certain older customs placed on such things but if not... well, a rose is a rose is a rose as some say.

Moving over he coughs again to get her attention, lowering his voice a little so maybe she might not realize its him right away, floating the rose closer and in front of him so it'd be what she saw when she opened her eyes. "A lovely flower for a lovely mare, though it pales to your beauty my lady."

[Armony]

Standing off to the side of the restaurant, the musician kept her eyes shut, relying on her date being able to pick her out on the now mostly vacant street whenever it was that he arrived. The stress of moving through the crowds quickly faded, and she shivered ever so slightly as the chill in the air suddenly registered with her brain. She really hoped that Sam wouldn't be too much longer, so the two of them could hurry and get back inside, perhaps even at a table with a candle or something she could warm her hooves with. The thought of food triggered a grumble from her stomach, and she found some difficulty in remembering whether or not she'd actually grabbed that small lunch she'd meant to. No, it was more than likely that she'd gotten caught up with her mane that she hadn't eaten at all, and her stomach seemed to be gurgling in agreement with that.

After standing about for a few more minutes, Storm heard a cough from directly in front of her and jumped back a little, eyelids flying open and raising a hoof up over her head defensively. It took a few moments before the sight in front of her actually registered and she lowered her guard, smiling nervously and blushing at her over-the-top reaction - and then she spotted the rose. The blue mare stared for just a moment, face feeling red-hot, having been rendered completely speechless. A white rose... he couldn't possibly mean it... no, she felt is was entirely possible that he wasn't aware, and so she decided to play dumb as well.

Storm reached out a trembling hoof, trying to pass off the involuntary motion as more of a shiver at the evening air settling in through the city. "Th-thank you, Sam! It's so lovely though, I'm sure my beauty can't possibly surpass such a simple and elegant plant. Anyways, it's great to see you again. Am I allowed to know now where we're going, or is it still going to be a surprise until we get there?" As she said all this, the mare gave the rose a sniff before tucking the stem behind an ear and into her mane, the white flower standing out rather well against the grey and blue. Wherever they were going, and no matter how long she had to wait for this surprise, she was sure that this was going to be a really special night out.

[vladspellbinder]

Sam managed to choke back any sort of sound at her theatrics to his cough, it took a bit of effort but he did it. He could not, however, prevent the goofy grin, but that was thankfully hid before the rose so he was able to wipe it from his muzzle before speaking.

"I was hoping you wouldn't recognize my first at first, but that's fine." He smiles, his heart thumping in his chest as she took the rose from his magical field. He gave it about forty-eighty odds that she didn't know the meaning to that she did and accepted. He'd confirm later just to be sure but for now getting into it would only trip up their timetable.

"Well, I kind of want to keep the main event a surprise but after that I thought we'd have a small picnic in the park and watch the sunset. I've something else planned then as well but for now I-" He cuts off, flicking her ears a few times and glances down to her side for a short moment before looking back up. "For now it sounds like we should pick up a small lunch on the way." He didn't seem at all put out by this change of plans. Which lay in the fact their destination passed by many sorts of eatery places, mostly various food stalls, where you could get a quick bite to eat in only a short amount of time.

[Armony]

The mare wasn't all that surprised that her date was still keeping some of his plans secret, but was more than happy enough to hear that food was indeed part of the plan. She blushed lightly when he took notice of her stomach protesting, and quickly stammered "Oh, no, I'll be fine until we get to the park and get this picnic set up, we don't really need to stop on the way just for me. And watching the sunset together, huh? Sure sounds like you've got something romantic planned, with what little I know already! Anyways, shall we be off?" She followed up her question with a smile and a turn in the direction of the park, waiting for him to lead the way.

In the midst of everything though, Stormsong couldn't help but ponder why Sam was so intent on keeping their date activites a surprise until later. She knew she would probably enjoy whatever it was he was planning, but the musician's curious nature forced her to consider the possibilities of what might happen during a picnic and sunset. Her thoughts traveled to the white rose tucked behind her ear, and she couldn't help but to blush again at what she immediately dismissed as outlandish, even by her own standard of having created a love song for somepony she only knew for a couple weeks. Trying in vain to reassure herself, she gave her date's vest another quick glance over, looking for any kind of bulge where he might be carrying something in a pocket. To cover for her wandering eyes, she made sure to look up at his face, still wearing her smile and tell him "Really nice vest, it looks great on you!"

[vladspellbinder]

Sam keeps that enigmatic smile, starting off down the road.

"We really should get something to eat first. It's still a bit before sunset and the other part of our date is before the picnic." His vest didn't seen to have any obvious bulges, but there was that large one in his right saddle bag. He gives her a side look, his grin slipping into something a bit more normal for him, aka 'goofy' and his face flushes a little, his horn lighting up for a short flash and the blush fading. "You look really nice as well Stormsong."

He'd continue down the road, letting her pick out somewhere to grab something to eat while they headed towards the park, more specifically if she knew this particular route well, towards the open air theater in said park.

[Armony]

Stormsong was about to open her mouth to continue arguing, but her stomach chose that moment to growl again, and the gurgle escaped instead of words. The musician blushed and nodded in agreement, scanning the sides of the street for something small she could pick up and eat on the way to the park. It didn't take her long to spot a fruit stand that didn't have anypony shopping at it, and she stepped to the side to buy herself a banana. Not even two steps away from the stand, she quickly peeled it with her magic and took a bite, savoring the first bit of food she'd gotten to eat that day.

After a few bites, the musician came back to awareness of the rest of the world, and noticed the path they seemed to be on. "A-are we heading toward the park's theater? If not, we should probably circle around to a different part, that area is probably going to be a bit more crowded than usual this time of day." She couldn't quite remember what was going on there on this particular day, but around this time seemed to be the prime time for doing performances in the park, at least from what she could remember of the cost of renting the space.

[vladspellbinder]

Sam gives a light smile and his horn ignites, the aura covering his left saddle bag, lifting the flap before two tickets float out.

"We are indeed heading for the theater. It's The Comedy of Errors this evening so I hope you enjoy The Bard." He puts the tickets back away so they wouldn't get lost. "We should get there a bit early at this pace so we can get some good seats."