[ Baltimare ] A bright new city ( Open )

[valiance]

Here she was, the big city of Baltimare. It was quite a long walk once she saw the port city to actually reach it by hoof, but she made it, and she already loved it. The soft scent of sea that carried to her nose was a bright new change from the foresty trees she had lived around for quite a long time, and the bustling ports and boardwalks along the Sandy beach were something she would never see in the White-tail woods. With a smile touching her lips and a bag carried heavily around her shoulder, she stepped into the city, and pulled out a beaten and tattered map from quite a long time ago. It was proven useless, it didn't actually give directions in the city of Baltimare.

Poppy Flower trotted along, the are that was cast around her horn now gone, and the map was now placed gently in her bag, which she hoped wouldn't fall out from the gusts from the sea that she was now supposed to live by. A sigh tore from her maw as she walked more, but only seemed to get farther from any residential places that she could possibly live, and only came to what it seemed - tourist attractions. Necklaces, earrings, snow globes, all of them seemed to be sold in these small shops, but Poppy didn't feel t he need to go in - she was living here for a while, there was no need. Another thing she noticed was the amount of zebras that flowed into e city - by ships or by houses, and those equines swarmed around her, the sounds of their hooves camping across the ground echoing in her ear, and quickly, she got lost - not like she already wasn't lost, but she got even more lost. She lost sight of skyscrapers, and was pushed in some other direction was rushed and shoving ponies. And with one thought I her mind, she sat up again, and began to walk, perhaps searching for a guide or something.

[Zeig]

 

Baltimare was an entirely different creature from Manehatten.

 

Oh sure - on the surface, they were similar. The skyscrapers, the upper crust, the bustlings streets and sidewalks cramped in with street-side vendors and their wares. Business ponies trot alongside their wives while taxi drivers hollered at other cars to get their crazy driving off the road. The hustle and bustle of a large city was nothing new to him.

 

But Manehatten didn't have the sea right next to it, either.

 

Inkbrand took in a deep breath, allowing the salty taste of the sea breeze to invade his nostrils as he trot along the boardwalk at a sedate pace, simply enjoying the great day. Manehatten had a river running through it, but not a sea, and the grey Earth Pony would have felt remiss if he hadn't included a visit to Baltimare during his vacation-trip to Seasaddle Bay. The bay city was actually close enough to Manehatten to allow for frequent visits - hay, it was way harder to get a trip out to Ponyville than it was to Baltimare - but maybe for that very reason, Inkbrand had never really visited the place. It was difficult getting out to Ponyville and Canterlot, but it took almost no effort to hop, leap, and skip over to Baltimare.

 

Still. He was going to enjoy the little trip and get his bucking money's worth.

 

That was the other great thing about being on vacation, too. Aside from the, not working and lazing off and hitting on hot mares, that was. Inkbrand walked along without any true sense of purpose, allowing his gaze to flit from attractions to stalls to passing mares. There was no rush, no hurry - if he wanted to stop and linger at the sandwich stand, he could. Maybe take a detour and head out onto the beach? Same as. Plus, the warm sun and soft breeze were making him entirely languid and relaxed. It was, in all truth, a feeling that Inkbrand was probably too familiar with for a young stallion trying to make a career for himself, but buck it, he was on vacation. The grey stallion stopped to stretch out his front legs, simply because he could, before continuing on his way down the -

 

…Buck. Where was he?

 

Inkbrand fruitlessly looked around him, taking in the sights nearby. He hadn't exactly been headed anywhere specific, but he wouldn't welcome getting lost in the large city, either. The tattoo-clad stallion let out a soft groan, before his golden eyes caught onto a mare standing not too far away, looking like she was getting jostled around by the moving crowd. She had a bag slung over her…she was probably a native then, right? Heaving around such a large bag usually meant a pony was simply carrying around their tools for work, or shopping purchases for the day.

 

"Oi lady, have a moment?" Inkbrand called out, before placing himself right next to the mare without breaking stride, smiling toothily down at her. Buck, she was a small thing. "Hey babe, think you can point me towards the Boardtrot? So many piers along the beach, I'd probably get lost in a paper bag if I didn't have some pretty mares to help me out," the tattoo-clad stallion said with a flirtatious wink, though his words came out calm and relaxed, without their regular leer and flirtatious lilt. As much as he appreciated the pretty mare and her flanks, the relaxed and chilled air around him made the stallion much less aggressive and flirtatious, much in the same way a salt buzz made him more passive.

 

[Zeig]

 

…Well then.

Inkbrand actually felt a sudden, small bead of sweat break on the back of his neck as the mare he had approached said - nothing. Absolutely nothing. Just looked at him. She didn't appear upset at his flirtations, or even annoyed, she just…stood there. The grey stallion was fairly pleased he managed not to take a step back at the force of her silent judgement, but it was a very near thing.

Play it cool…just…buck.

"I'll just," he started, and finally succumbed to his desire to get away from the creepily silent mare by taking a few small steps back and away. "I, I'll just, go ask somepony else…" Nothing. He may as well have been talking to a brick wall. Inkbrand finally managed to get far enough away to turn around without making it looked like he was turning tail, and walked quickly aware from the mare towards the nearest street. The pier had been his destination, but what if the mare suddenly decided to follow him? Then he would have been trapped.

Inkbrand was used to mares getting offended by him, of getting bored by mares and their predictable reactions…but…

Sweet princess on a pogo stick. Straight out of a horror movie, buck.

 

 

 

[[ Exit ]]