Rave at the Electric Mane[Finished]

[ShadowWalking18]

 

 

He was afraid of females? Clandestine raised an eyebrow at that, but could clearly see he was embarrassed about it. Well, she didn't really know how to respond to that. In a way it was kind of cute, but in another it was kind of off-putting. Clandestine didn't laugh, but she did let off a single chuckle. "Well, I think you win there. I can imagine that would be... difficult for you." She shrugged and took another sip of her whisky before turning back to him. Clandestine did wonder if the pair could help each other with that. Perhaps if they got together, they could work out their fears. "With me it's just touch, but a phobia is no laughing matter. I don't think it's pathetic. Heck, it's normal for me. I scare everypony off, at least you've got the guts to sit here and talk to me."

 

She thought he was quite brave for that. Clandestine was only just starting to face her fears, yet here he was, sitting there in front of what was undoubtedly a terrifying presence for him. She smiled and turned back to the bartender briefly, "I'll take one more."

 

The unicorn then shuffled on her seat uncomfortably and turned back to Razor with a bit of a shrug. "Look, you seem like a nice guy. I'm not gonna flirt. I'm terrible at it, and you said it makes you uncomfortable. But I dunno, maybe we can help each other out with our phobias. I know I could use the help. You know, if there was anything I could do to help you get over it." She shrugged. There, the question was out there. All she had to do was wait for the response.

 

Razor clonked his head against the bar, "Difficult isn't even close. I can't even stand near a girl without panicing. Sometimes I even go full blown catatonic."

 

He took another drink and straightened himself. Despite his feelings of embarrassment....he didn't seem to care as much.....how many drinks had he had again?

 

Ah who cares. He had paid his amount.

 

He nodded as Clandestine spoke, and he found her idea of them helping each other get over their phobias to be a right good one, "Yeah...yeah that sounds good....I mean...I wouldn't mind a little flirting....I mean...it would be how I get use to it....and I guess I could...maybe uh...I don't know...what would you want me to do to get you use to touch?"

 

Though as he took another drink, he couldn't help but let his eyes roam over Clandestine a bit.

 

"I know...how about...we do a little flirting...and maybe some dancing. Easy stuff, nothing all close up like those two." He turned and pointed at Inkbrand and Zelda. Gosh but those two love birds were both cute...and yet somehow making him sick look at them all....close like.

[Zeig]

 

…Buck. There it was again.

That same subtle spike of…not irritation, but not pleasure either…briefly surged through him, a short frown flashing across his lips as quick as a bolt of lightning. He made sure it passed quickly, irritated at the unusual feeling and irritated at himself for being so put out by it, for not being able to recognize what it was. And even if he was able to determine what it was, sheltered in the dark corners of a bouncing rave with a griffon pressed firmly against a wall was not the place he wanted to be mulling over boring mind matters.

…But still. The nagging feeling that Zelda still hadn't quite understood wouldn't let Inkbrand go, and that was enough to prompt the grey stallion to step back just a hair. The fact that they were in a very public space, albeit shadowed and secluded, didn't bother Inkbrand at all, hay no. He, in fact, had no problem grabbing a girl in the middle of town square to dip her downwards into a fiery kiss - though such grand displays usually got him an embarrassed punch in the face for his efforts.

Didn't mean he didn't still enjoy them.

But at the present, his point had been made - or one of them, at least, and the tattoo-clad stallion allowed a modicum of space between the two of them, lips quirked upwards in a lopsided grin. "Don't you know it," he affirmed, with a cocky toss of his head, "I've even had mares come to me looking for 'advice'." An emphasis on the air quotes accompanied the relevant hoof movements, even as the stallion snickered at the memory of that rather amusing night.

…How was Radiant Steel faring with that guard of hers, anyways? He'd never bothered to check in with her after their little tutoring session. He could only assume it had worked out so well that the Pegasus was simply too caught up in eternal bliss to send him a thank you card…or, she'd been doomed to wallow in self-served misery for the rest of her days.

Probably the latter. Some ponies were just too dead set in their idea of 'true love' to even consider a possibility.

A mental shake of his head brought Inkbrand out of his memories. Finding out what Radiant Steel was up to these days was for another time, if ever. For now, he had a gorgeous griffon on hoof to deal with - quite literally, too. With another smug grin, the tattoo-clad stallion glanced over his shoulder once. "C'mon," he instructed, beginning to lead the black griffon back towards the populated areas of the rave, "let's hit up the floor. Fun as it is to drag you into dark places, I'm pretty sure it's criminal law to deprive the good citizens of Canterlot from the hottest stallion and griffon in this joint."

And who was he to be breaking the upstanding laws of Canterlot, eh?

With the shackles now effectively removed, Inkbrand had no qualms letting one leg drape possessively around the griffon's shoulders, hoof idly stroking her silken feathers as they moved back onto the dance floor. Without even thinking of it, Inkbrand had started steering them towards Vinyl's booth above the crowd, figuring he could drop off a quick greeting, or maybe even swap out dance partners a bit, with his friend. Though, perhaps Zelda was in the mood for a drink, in which case the grey Earth Pony would effectively follow her towards the bar. Either way, he was rather content for now.

Until he caught sight of the next dark and secluded corner. Then, he might have to take the lead again.
 

 

 

 

[Zealot]

Clandestine shrugged and gulped down her last whisky as she listened to him. Well, maybe difficult was an understatement then if he sometimes got catatonic near a female. In fact, that sounded downright disabling. That sort of put her phobia in perspective. At least she could talk to the opposite gender, though she couldn't let them touch her, and that was what she really wanted. Still, the soldier frowned at the griffon as he seemed to look embarrassed. As far as she was concerned, having a problem was nothing to be embarrassed about. It just meant there was something that needed fixing. While she didn't know if a phobia could be quite 'fixed' she sure hoped it could be, else she was in for a long and lonely rest of her life.

 

"Flirting?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. "Well, umm. I can try if you want but I'm not really built for that kind of thing. I prefer the straight approach," she said with a shrug. "I mean I can try if you want, but I'll be terrible at it."  Indeed, Clandestine had no idea how to flirt. Granted, stallions had flirted with her in the past. Usually that didn't go down too well, and she had no idea how a mare might flirt with a griffon. 

 

Still, she did have her own problems as well. That she could help with. "Well... if it's alright with you. I just need... well, to get used to touching," she said, trailing off a little to think. Indeed, there was a lot that she really wanted to do, not all of it was appropriate to ask of a new acquaintance. "So umm, hoof holding? Poking. Maybe, umm," she trailed off a little, gritting her teeth. "Well, a hug would be nice. If I could stomach it. Not that I wouldn't love a hug it's just... ahh... I'm bad at this," the soldier chuckled, shaking her head and shuffling on her stool.

 

Clandestine nodded in approval as Razor said his idea of flirting and maybe even dancing. "Well, dancing?" she asked. "It would have to be away from all these other ponies. Somewhere I wouldn't be touched. Still, I could, umm... dance," Clandestine trailed off again, looking at the crowd. Her eyes fell on the couple Razor had indicated and snorted in disapproval. "Ugh, get a room," she muttered, looking at Razor. "No, nothing like that. Don't worry. I... well... I can try and flirt with you if you like. Maybe we could hold hooves?" she asked with a hint of excitement. "Your call."

[Hawkeye12]

Hawkeye took a second to look around, noticing how... confident everyone else was. Sure, the tattooed pony and Zelda had been hitting it off since this thing began, but heck, even those two at the bar seemed to be chatting away! Part of him really wanted to have stuck around there too, it was nice for that short time. Because, well, out of all the situations that he could go through, these ones had to be the most awkward. Seriously, why did it have to be dancing?

He needed another drink...

Of course, that train of thought didn't last very long as the griffon suddenly came face to face with Flying Brick. He blinked quickly at the slight shock, but luckily was able to keep his gold colored eyes on hers. But then, her words made him...well, he didn't really know. Sure, he could leave all the dignity in the world for the stuck-up unicorns, but, the way she said it...that deep Stalliongrad accent suddenly made her cute. Really cute.

Okay, yeah. She was pretty hot.

Suddenly that need for another drink whisked away as Hawkeye let himself be taken by the mare into the next number. Funny how his self consciousness blew away like that. Besides, did anyone really care? Everyone else was already doing their own flirting, after all. So as Flying Brick began to lead him in a new dance, the griffon followed along without a second thought. Or at least tried to. A few stumbles here and there, but that didn't matter.

"Okay, you've won me over with this dancing thing," he said after a moment, still letting himself go with the music as best he could. Moving along to the rhythm wasn't that hard, actually. His eyes then drifted back to hers, and he smiled, the flirt rolling off easily. "You are really something else..."

[RainbowFoxxy]

 

"Yay! Let's dance!"

 

Vinyl was pleased to have such an enthusiastic visitor to her booth. This unicorn was into everything she suggested, which was pretty fun! The white unicorn made sure the board would take care of itself for a little while and then trotted out to join the other mare. The music had a great beat that was easy to get moving to. Soon the DJ was moving to the sound. She wasn't just good at making the beat, she was good at moving to it as well! As she danced Vinyl moved closer to the other unicorn until she was dancing right at her side.

 

"Having fun?" She smiled and kept on dancing. "I definitely am! Glad you could join me up here!"

[PyroBlaze]

Flux smiled widely as Vinyl joined her, and the two danced to the music. She was having a great time with this mare, Vinyl was fun! Her music was great too! All in all, she seemed like as much fun to be around as Kalime, perhaps even more! As Vinyl got closer to her, Flux moved even closer to her, getting just out of range of being in each other's way. 

 

"Yeah! This is great!" Flux chirped happily as she smiled widely at her companion. "I'm glad you invited me up here! Thanks for that!"

[Blueblood]

"Okay, you've won me over with this dancing thing."

 

At the hearing of the griffon's words, sparks of triumph gleamed in the eyes of Flying Brick.  One more conversion to the movement of passion!  It was nights like this that made her life worthwhile, as hardscrabble and hungry as it could be sometimes.  But the best of dances were dances along the edge, of glory, of shame, of the borderlands of night and day.

 

The surge and pack of bodies on the floor still pressed in around the pair, but that restricted the earth pony mare as little as the pressure of the ocean did a swordfish.  She wove in, out, and around the rhythmic limbs and wings of the catbird, almost within reach, but tantalizingly ephemeral in her touch.  It was kinetic flirting, and she could do it with more finesse than the verbal variety, as her response to Hawkeye's next words would show.

 

"Ha!  Like nothing built south of Stalliongrad, is for sure!  Ah, but go west enough, to your country, and they build well again.  Strong like bull, hot like molten steel!  And you no exception, da?"  And with a sudden pound of the bass, which left a brief silence to trail in it's wake, the mare suddenly planted her rear hooves still upon the floor.  The teasing touch of her forehooves solidified into a solid grip around the griffon's shoulders.  Once again, his gaze could not escape the ember of her eyes.  This time, however, Brick was waiting for him to make the moves.  It was a final exam, of sorts.  Would his newfound confidence move him to take the lead, and how far would he go?

 

The Stalliongrad pony couldn't wait to find out! 

[tacobob]

 

 

The black griffon caught the stallion's little frown and started to wonder if he had seen through her whole act.  There was no doubt about it, she was a tough little bird. Years of working a forge would do that to anyone. She was feisty, snarky and a chatty catty, which she all got from her mother, but she was completely inexperienced when it came to loving. She has her share of both boyfriends and girlfriends over the years, but her relationships tended to end nearly as quickly as they had begun, and she would then bury herself in a new project or job. When she wasn't working the smith at the R.E.A, she was at her workshop chiseling away at a hunk of stone. When she wasn't doing that, she was off on some silly adventure. It was obvious why she did these things, and maybe Inkbrand, even being a slightly silly stallion could help her out.

 

"I could see why.", Zelda whispered into her ears, "Doctor Inkbrand, the love doctor. The professor of smoochology. The sensi of seduction.", she followed the marked pony as they shuffled away from their spot towards the dance floor. "Actually, if you wouldn't mind, maybe we can sit down and have a drink or two." The griffon was curious to see how her old friend was doing. Was he having any luck with the solider mare?

 

If the stallion agreed to her little pit stop, she found a stool near her friend, but not too close.

 

Once the pair gained the bartender's attention, Zelda eyeballed the pony, "Feel free to order the first round for me as well. I'm curious about something." Forget psychologists! You could learn so much about a person on what drink they ordered.

[ShadowWalking18]

Clandestine shrugged and gulped down her last whisky as she listened to him. Well, maybe difficult was an understatement then if he sometimes got catatonic near a female. In fact, that sounded downright disabling. That sort of put her phobia in perspective. At least she could talk to the opposite gender, though she couldn't let them touch her, and that was what she really wanted. Still, the soldier frowned at the griffon as he seemed to look embarrassed. As far as she was concerned, having a problem was nothing to be embarrassed about. It just meant there was something that needed fixing. While she didn't know if a phobia could be quite 'fixed' she sure hoped it could be, else she was in for a long and lonely rest of her life.

 

"Flirting?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. "Well, umm. I can try if you want but I'm not really built for that kind of thing. I prefer the straight approach," she said with a shrug. "I mean I can try if you want, but I'll be terrible at it."  Indeed, Clandestine had no idea how to flirt. Granted, stallions had flirted with her in the past. Usually that didn't go down too well, and she had no idea how a mare might flirt with a griffon. 

 

Still, she did have her own problems as well. That she could help with. "Well... if it's alright with you. I just need... well, to get used to touching," she said, trailing off a little to think. Indeed, there was a lot that she really wanted to do, not all of it was appropriate to ask of a new acquaintance. "So umm, hoof holding? Poking. Maybe, umm," she trailed off a little, gritting her teeth. "Well, a hug would be nice. If I could stomach it. Not that I wouldn't love a hug it's just... ahh... I'm bad at this," the soldier chuckled, shaking her head and shuffling on her stool.

 

Clandestine nodded in approval as Razor said his idea of flirting and maybe even dancing. "Well, dancing?" she asked. "It would have to be away from all these other ponies. Somewhere I wouldn't be touched. Still, I could, umm... dance," Clandestine trailed off again, looking at the crowd. Her eyes fell on the couple Razor had indicated and snorted in disapproval. "Ugh, get a room," she muttered, looking at Razor. "No, nothing like that. Don't worry. I... well... I can try and flirt with you if you like. Maybe we could hold hooves?" she asked with a hint of excitement. "Your call."

 

Razor noted the hint at holding hooves....or claw in his case. He couldn't help but feel his heart pound, at the idea of engaging in physical contact at his own will. Though at the same time he couldn't help but feel excited himself.

 

That was probably the alcohol.

 

Taking a breath, Razor nodded, "Uh yeah, yeah I can totally do those...anything. So um...just start with holding your hoof?" Razor looked at her hoof, though his eyes went down slowly to the hoof starting from her eyes and moving down from her neck to the hoof, taking in ever detail of her.

 

Was that ogling?  

 

Whatever it was, he locked onto the hoof with the intent of any bird of prey and he slowly reached his talon toward the hoof. He slowly slid his talons around the hoof, being as careful and slow as he could. Partly out of his own nervousness, and partly because he didn't want to hurt the mare.

 

The reason being that he was a griffon that kept his talon well manicured, and that also meant sharp. Even being as gentle as he could, he could still feel the pointed tips of his talons press against the soft flesh and fur of the mare, though only in a minor pinching sort of way.

 

"Uh...h-hows that?" He asked, taking a sip of his drink and tossing the empty cup aside. His talon flexing slightly just to feel the hoof in its light grip. Razor felt his tail swishing in excitement and his wings go a bit stiff, but he kept them down to avoid embarrassment.

[Hawkeye12]

The night was suddenly getting interesting, that was for sure. There was just something about this mare that Hawkeye couldn't put his claw on that didn't make him want to leave the dance floor, which was a thought he never thought would come across him tonight. Was it the accent? Yeah, that was probably it. Mares with accents were always cute. 

 

But still, the way Flying Brick kept moving around him was just so...great. Not to mention her follow up to his little flirty comment. Sure, Hawkeye could admit that he wasn't the strongest griffon out there physically, but hey, he wasn't going to argue. "Strong like bull? I guess you could say that. I like it."

 

...But then she stopped.

 

The griffon's gaze went suddenly curious as he looked at her. Sure, the song was changing, but stopping altogether didn't seem right. But it suddenly got stranger as he was locked in that embrace again, staring into her pinkish eyes. But she still wasn't dancing, so he had nothing to follow. 

 

"Oh..." He said,mostly to himself as the realization came. There was nothing to follow...because he was supposed to lead. Well shoot. What now? He could feel the awkwardness coming back, but there was no way out of it. He had to dance.

 

He took a moment to get the new beat, and then began to lead Flying Brick as best as he could. It was similar to the last one he followed, except now he was probably offbeat. But, again, everyone else was still caught up in their own things. That thought alone was enough to keep him going. 

 

That was, until, he fell.

 

He wasn't sure how it happened exactly. His paws just kind of tripped over each other and went out from under him. So down he went, being forced to release the mare and land embarrassingly on his lion flank. So this was why he strayed away from dance floors...

 

"Heh...sorry about that. Like I said, I'm not that great at this," He said, his eyes probably pathetic looking. He sighed Embarrassment had to be Hawkeye's worst enemy. 

[Zealot]

Clandestine downed her last whisky in an attempt to fortify her nerves before the inevitable touching. She was determined to go all the way this time and manage to get some form of physical contact without her reflexes taking over and making her jolt away, or worse. The soldier took in a heavy breath and braced herself for what was about to come. Indeed, start with a hoof hold. That would be okay right? It was simple, easy, and she could pull away if she needed to. Yeah, that would be perfect. She nodded as he asked if they should start with holding her hoof and held it out across the table.

 

She shuffled uncomfortably, turning to see him ogling her slightly. Well, it wasn't really ogling, though he was getting a nice look. Clandestine didn't mind too much. In her years spent in the mobile infantry she had been ogled plenty. After all, there weren't many mares around, what else were stallions going to stare at? Part of her had liked it, part of her hadn't. It had taken her a while to earn the respect of her comrades. Stallions could be awful at times. One would think with the two leaders of the nation being female they'd quieten down. Still, she guessed stallions would be stallions. Either way, she didn't mind how Razor's eyes trailed down her neck and down to her hoof. He was a nice guy, and he had problems just like her. Clandestine would allow it.

 

"Just remember to go slow," she cautioned just before his talons met her hoof. Indeed, he was going slow and Clandestine was grateful for that. She kept her eyes on his talons the whole time. Crap, she'd forgotten he as a griffon. Those talons looked sharp, very sharp. He could quite easily do a lot of damage to her if he wanted. Her rate of breathing increased, sharply taking in a breath as she felt talons on her fur. "Okay... okay... it's okay..." she said to herself, trying to calm her nerves. "I forgot you had talons, go on, keep going," she advised, doing her level best to remain steady. Of course, her conditioning was whispering in her ear to push him off. Telling her that the sharp needles with a threat and she needed to act. For now the soldier resisted, though looked visibly agitated at the touch, murmuring to herself to keep calm. 

 

Still, she felt the tips of his talons grip her soft flesh. Her hoof twitched slightly as Clandestine fought for control, taking a few steady breaths. How was that? Well, it was great. Excitement fired in her mind as she saw she was finally touching another. It may have been just a hoof hold, but it was so much more to her. The soldier's hoof turned and gripped back, just as gently and just as slowly until they were very much holding hooves. Or talons, or whatever. Still, coupled with her own mindset, the soldier was having a bit of a time of it. "It's... it's good," she confirmed. "I.... I haven't touched someone else in a while. It's hard... just keeping in control." 

 

Clandestine smiled, a happy cheerful smile. No doubt it was the happiest she'd looked all night, and probably the first time she's properly smiled in a while. It was just nice. The simplest of touches, but it meant so much more to her. "Thank you," she said with a nod to Razor. "I... I think I've had enough for now though. Can you... umm?" she asked, indicated for him to remove his talons. She would do it herself, but part of her felt the need for him to end the touch. Then she couldn't pass it off as her instincts getting the better of her. That would make it a proper touch. Still, now that was over, she needed to think of some flirtations. That certainly wasn't her strong suit, but it was what he had wanted. A little help for help after all. "Did, umm. Did you want me to try to flirt? I'm no good at it, but I can try."

[Blueblood]

Flying Brick was too experienced a dancer to really be surprised at anything a partner would potentially lead her into.  Even the random vagaries of the complete amateur were not so random nor so vague as even they would suppose themselves; the driving beat of the music restricted movement as much as it facilitated it.  No, she need spare no mental effort to predict Hawkeye's motions.  The mare was entirely focused on making them look good!

 

Thus, when he happened to fall over, she did not simply stand there like an embarrassed tree, but practically dove with him, as if in a synchronized diving event in the Equestrian Games.  Her hooves hit the ground as the bass hit the woofers, shaking the floor the griffon lay upon like waves through a waterbed.  And when his embarrassed eyes looked up, they saw no responding shame in Brick's own.  No, the look in those rose-pink irises would be better described as 'smoldering.'

 

"Oh, my!  Even back in Stalliongrad, usually wait until in private to bust out these moves.  Ah, but you are not so inhibited down south, da zherebets?"

[Zeig]

 

The griffon hath spoken.

Without a word Inkbrand smoothly followed the change in direction, though he wasn't remiss in throwing a quick wink up towards Vinyl and her companion before the bypassed the DJ booth completely, ending up at the bar. To his combined surprised and chagrin, Zelda had chosen a spot next to the familiar griffon Razor - and Clandestine, buck it. If the grey Earth Pony casually seated himself to put as much of Zelda between him and the other couple at the bar, well, that was his own business.

It didn't seem like he'd need to worry, though. The ex-REA was obviously immersed in her discussion with the other griffon - or, she was contemplating the best way to dispatch of Razor with one hoof while still leaving time to escape out the front door. Either or, her attention seemed mostly preoccupied, allowing Inkbrand to relax as he smiled toothily at Zelda.

And raise a curious eyebrow.

"Oh?" the tattoo-clad stallion questioned nonchalantly, but didn't bother pressing the onyx colored griffon for more information - she'd share her thoughts in her own time, if she was of a mind. Instead, Inkbrand turned his golden gaze towards the bartender, a sharp whistle grabbing said pony's attention. "Sinking Sun for me," he ordered, "and a Mare Brizard for my gal here, would 'ya." True to form, the bartender did little more than nod as he set about making up the requested drinks, causing Inkbrand to once again return his gaze onto the black griffon.

"Great rave, huh," the grey Earth Pony stated rather than asked, leaning in a bit closer towards Zelda as he casually allowed one hoof to drop downwards while the other supported his upturned head. "Can never guess what sort of…fun you'll get up to at a Vinyl rave." His flirty grin became downright lascivious as Inkbrand boldly skimmed his loose hoof across one of Zelda's knees - though his gaze briefly bypassed the griffon's own aqua orbs to take in Razor and the ex-REA sitting not too far away. The sight of their rather tense expressions was enough to earn a breathy chuckle from Inkbrand.

"Some more than others," he added in a husky whisper, leaning in to speak directly into Zelda's ears to bypass both the pounding bass and any wandering ears that might have been listening in. In truth though, it was a rather amusing image - the griffon afraid of females, and the female afraid of being touched.

Buck, they were a match made in the Royal Palace itself. All they needed was a large room to stare at each other from opposite ends.
 

 

 

 

[ShadowWalking18]

Razor was astonished how soft that Clandestine's hoof was, and he gently moved his talons on them to feel them.

 

"Very soft." He said, "A strong fighter with soft hooves...its kinda cute."

 

He then noticed that Clandestine wanted him to let go, and he frowned a bit, but nodded and let her hoof go.

 

But then she asked what she could do, even suggesting to be flirty. True it had been his idea, but...he gulped and felt his face go red.

 

"Uh...uh..w-well....I mean if you want...being close helps to...I mean..I need to be able to stand close contact from females...so uh...really I guess whatever you want...." He said taking another drink to calm himself as he took a deep breath.

 

"M-maybe a slight kiss would work...maybe...or...maybe not." he muttered, "I don't know."

 

He then noticed Zelda and Inkbrand sitting near them, and he felt embarrassed to know that his friends were in ear shot of his efforts to overcome his phobia. What were they thinking, seeing him like this?

 

He was sure Inkbrand was chuckling. W-well...he would show that Casanova pony that he could be just as smooth as him.

[Zealot]

Clandestine smiled slightly as he admired her soft hooves. Indeed, mare hooves were soft. It was a mixed blessing to her, meaning she couldn't really hit as hard as a stallion could, but on the other they were perfect for sneaking up on ponies. That had paid off in the past a fair few times. The touch was great, though it was a little much for her to do it too long and she was thankful when he pulled away. He didn't seem to like it, she didn't really either. Clandestine would love for him to be able to hold her hoof for as long as he liked, she couldn't do that though. Not now, not for a while. Still, she was happy she'd at least managed to get that far. "Thanks," she said as he pulled away. "I'm sorry I can't really do more. But unless I get very drunk that's about all I'm ready for at the moment. That and repetition I guess."

 

The soldier chuckled and smiled, shaking her head at their own antics. "Ahh, I understand," she said after being told that contact would help Razor. "If I can help then I will help. But, well, I've got my own issues. Like I think I've just made a spectacular showcase of." Her ears swivel, taking note of the couple sitting slightly away from them. What was that? Inkbrand and some other griffon. She didn't much care what they thought of her and Razor, if they thought anything at all. Inkbrand had been a bit of a charmer, though she suspected he was only really interested in one thing. She'd met a few like him before in the military, most of which had ended up with bloodied noses or cracked skulls. Clandestine had spent a lot of effort trying to get respect from her stallion comrades and she'd earned it the hard way, usually during close combat drills. After a few very violent displays most of them stopped chasing her, one of the only mares in the camp. Thankfully. Still, nowadays there was a certain allure in a stallion's attention, even a lowly one.

 

What was that? Her eyes snapped back to the conversation. A kiss? Well, that wasn't so bad was it? She'd help him and she guessed she would help herself as well. It might be good. The soldier froze slightly, looking worried and excited at the same time. She'd not kissed anyone in ages. Clandestine looked at him for a while, studying him and regaining her calm and collected composure. Well, it wouldn't hurt right? She took a steady breath in and nodded. With that, she slowly leant towards him, keeping a firm eye on him as she did so. She knew he had his problem as well, and she didn't want to go too fast. For both their sakes. If he remained where he was she would gently lean her lips against his cheek and plant a soft kiss on the griffon before slowly leaning away, back to her original composed position. "Umm, how was that?"

[Hawkeye12]

This Flying Brick didn't seem to be bothered at all at Hawkeye's stumble, even though he had dragged her down with him! He couldn't get any emotion out of those eyes as he looked into them. But that train of thought quickly screeched to a halt as she spoke. 

 

"Wait, what?" The griffon's golden eyes blinked, quickly going from embarrassed to downright confused. Maybe it was just a Stalliongrad thing. But still...oh Luna, she wasn't implying what he thought she was implying...was she? 

 

"Oh, geez..." A claw smacked to Hawkeye's face for just a moment, but it quickly slid off as he looked back at the mare. "No, you got it all wrong...I just fell, 'kay?" Though as he spoke, he quickly realized that he was still awkwardly sitting on the dance floor, and even more quickly got back up on his claws. "So, uh, got any more dance moves to teach me, sensei?" A small attempt at his usual smile came back as he said that, even though it's was only to get rid of the tension from what just happened. 

[Blueblood]

If you were going to dance, heck, if you were going to be any kind of professional in physical movement and performance, you had to take what cues you got and work with them.  Perhaps going 'heavily flirtatious' on the tumble had little chance of bringing much in the way of amatory results, but it took the weight of embarrassment off one's parter.  At any rate, Hawkeye was still blushing, but not out of a self-accusation of clumsiness...

 

"Haha, don't worry yourself.  I tease and make a funny!"  Stepping aside to let the griffon get back to his paws and claws, the mare easily passed off her words as a joke.  "I not push you; I don't come to dance floor for anything but a dance.  Just as warning though, not many like me."  She waved a hoof over to the bar, where two couples, who were oddly enough also mixed pony/griffon pairs, were sharing an evening.  "Passes are moves to the music like any other.  Take or leave them as you like."

 

That seemed to be the extent of her lesson for now, as she wiped a forehead with her hoof.  "Whew, am working up big thirst.  Want anything from bar?  Can't dance all night on no hydration, zherebets.  Take it from somepony who try!"  She grinned and laughed, though at the end she grew surprisingly sheepish.  "Eh... you can pay?  I have nothing in my pockets.  Or to my name."

[Hawkeye12]

Hawkeye couldn't help but let out an inner sigh of relief as the Brick spoke. Good, she was just joking. It was kind of odd that he didn't take that into consideration earlier, but oh well. Besides, her words along with that Stalliongrad voice was enough to ease his tension. Seriously, what was with mares and accents? Whatever the case, at least he felt better and was standing on his claws and paws again. 

 

But surprisingly, the 'sensei' was now gesturing to the bar area instead of the dance floor. Well, even the experienced ones needed a drink every now and then he supposed. "Sure, I'm getting kind of thirsty myself," he said, his smile more genuine. There were some others over there of course, including the two that were there when Hawkeye was originally being a barfly. Pony and griffon pairings too. Interesting. 

 

The mare also apparently didn't have enough money to pay, which the griffon waved aside with a slight claw moment. "Don't worry about it. The guy is supposed to pay anyways, right?" He said, remembering some other times when he would get girls drinks at bars. Always a classic way to start up the flirting. 

[RainbowFoxxy]

Sorry I'm posting from my iPad and I can't get the right picture up here..anyway, Vinyl post!

Vinyl continued to move to the beat with a very pretty mare dancing alongside her. When the chance came she moved in closer until the two were dancing almost as one. It was exciting to have another pony so close to her and she hoped the other mare liked it to. Eventually she decided it was time to change tracks. Before she went over to the tables she stole a light and quick kiss to Flux's cheek.

"You're good with the tables and you can dance." She slid down her glasses and winked at her new friend. "Anything you can't do?" She turned to the tables, hopefully before Flux saw the blush that covered her cheeks. Tonig was turning out to be way more fun than she thought it would be. She hoped the unicorn didn't mind the little bit of affection she had just shown.

Soon her hooves were over the turntables and she was making the floor light up once more. Ponies and griffons danced, laughed, kissed, and generally enjoyed themselves.

"So, what now?" She wondered if there was anything her new friend would want to do.

[tacobob]

 

The black griffon tried her very best not to look directly at Razor and his new drinking companion, knowing just the slightest beak-quibble, chuckle or 'look' might throw EVERYTHING off for her little pal. She did silently wish him well and hoped the pair would be smooching like there was no tomorrow by the end of the night. She couldn't help but be proud of her friend. Anyone else could have went right up to the more flirty of mares, such as the cute disc jockey or the charming Flux. Not her pal, he went right to the most challenging of females and considering she was not punching him over and over again with her hooves, he was obviously doing something well.

 

Thankfully the walking canvas, also known to most as 'Inkbrand' was a suitable distraction. And when the pair found a seat, she made sure not glance upon Razor or his date. There was the bartender, and then there was the pony-date. That would do.

 

The blackbird couldn't help but smile as he ordered an old favorite of hers. 'Mare Brizard', which was the same drink she was tasting when the blacksmith had first encountered the snarky horse. As fancy as it sounded, the cheap Anisette was an old favorite of hers and was often shared among her 'study buddies' while she attended the university in Canterlot. Once her drink was handed over, she made sure to add an lemon while cooing, "Ah, you remembered!"

 

While she lacked an external ear for a proper whisper, she leaned in closer, so his words would not stray from their company. "I have faith in my old friend. Once he puts his mind into something, he rarely falters." she returned the whisper into his cute little fuzzy ear. "As for this Rave..It's a bit different than I remember hearing about. Not a single brain-dazzled college kid with an binky stuffed into his or hers mouth. No dealers. Just great music and company. ", she raised her glass for a toast.

 

"To Life, or as my family would say in Rockwington, "L'Chayim!"

[ShadowWalking18]

Razor nodded to Clandestine, "Don't feel bad...we all have limits after all. Just take it little by little."

 

Razor was about to say something else, when he felt Clandestine kiss his cheek. At that point, his composure went out the door as his wings shot out stiff. He felt his face heat up, as he turned to look at Clandestine with a look of surprise.

 

"How was it? I..that...it was....good." he said, not really sure what he should say in regards to the kiss.

 

He looked at the bar, taking his drink and downing it all to try and regain some composure.

 

"That was...nice....yeah uh...nice...so uh....wh-what should we do now?" He asked, trying to get his wings to close.

 

Unfortunately they didn't seem to want to, as they just kept sticking out. Razor struggled, finally grabbing his wings with his talons and forcing them against his body to keep them down. But as soon as he let them go, they shot right back out. Razor gave a slight groan at this.

 

"Stupid wings. Stay down." He muttered to himself, wishing he had some rope to tie them with.

[Blueblood]

Honestly quite relieved that she wouldn't be embarrassed for lack of funds tonight, Flying Brick wondered for about 1/8th of a second whether it would be a good idea to give Hawkeye a peck on the cheek.  As was her wont, she went ahead and did so, but there was more thought put into it that was usual for the normally forward mare.  "Very excellent you are!  Poydem, Poydem!"

 

It was only a few seconds of deft hoofwork on the Stalliongrad native's part to extricate the both of them from the crush of bodies and into the lull space between the dance floor and the bar.  Brick briefly contemplated just slamming in next to Clandestine like before, but though she was insensitive at times, the earth pony wasn't outright mean.  The other mare was enjoying herself; no need to ruin a good night for her now.  Heck, Clandestine looked like she hadn't had on in ages!  

 

"We take seat next to my friend Inkbrand!"  She called out to her, well, perhaps 'date' was too strong a word; call it 'current dance partner,' and she dragged the griffon over to the bar, hoof still around her shoulder as she called out.  "Bartender!  A bitters and soda; have a long night ahead still, da?"  She gave a wink at Pony Joe, waving a bit to the third mixed pony/griffon couple there.  "Not catch name, female catbird.  Mine is Flying Brick!"

[Zealot]

Clandestine raised an eyebrow at Razor's reaction to her kiss, chucking to herself that she'd managed to even produce such an effect from the poor griffon. Let alone from a simple kiss. Her chuckle became a happy laugh then as his wings seemed to refuse to go back into his back. Well, she'd really done a number on him. Not that she minded of course, she thought it was quite flattering. "Well," she began after a happy chuckle. "I'm glad to see that it was good," she said with a smile. "I have my limits of course, but I can do that at the very least. I guess it helps when I'm the one doing things, then I don't have to worry about the other person doing things, I just have to watch their reaction."

 

With that, the soldier took another look around, surveying the crowd around her and taking a mental note of things. There wasn't too much happening of course. That crazy mare had taken a seat far away from her, which was probably for the best. In fact she seemed to have forgotten about her threat to dance with Clandestine. Good. The last thing she wanted was for some crazy mare to interrupt her current predicament. The night was looking up after all. Something was going on in the disk jockey's booth by the look of things. Clandestine remembered Flux from the speed dates, well she seemed to be doing well. Indeed, everything was good. She was just sitting here, wasting the night away. That was nice. Beats a muddy trench any day of the week... sort of. Clandestine wouldn't mind being stuck in a trench of course. That was just another day at the office. 

 

She shuffled on her seat as her attention turned back to Razor. Indeed, what should they do next. Clandestine hadn't exactly had too much experience with dating. Usually she just hooked up and that was it. Her long term relationships all seemed so long ago to her, she couldn't really remember them. What did they usually do? Well, she'd quite like to see Razor again. Contact details, of course. "As for what we do next. Perhaps you can give me a peck on the cheek?" she asked with a smile. "You know, right before you write down where you live so I can find you again. You in Ponyville much? That's where I'm based."

[Hawkeye12]

It seemed that him and Flying Brick weren't the only ones stopping by the bar. Of course Razor and the grey mare had been there forever - speaking of which, Hawkeye caught a glimpse of the other griffon getting a kiss on the cheek. Nice. - but Zelda and Inkbrand were also out of their dark corner. And sure enough, he found himself being taken by the mare once again and took a seat between her and the tattooed pony. 

 

"I'll take a hard cider," He called out to the bartender, who seemed to be pretty busy tonight. Made sense. Good thing he had enough bits. He slouched back a little, finally feeling fully like himself again, and absentmindedly glanced at the stallion next to him. "That's impressive," he said, nodding to the hind leg which was nearly covered in ink. The thought of getting a tattoo had crossed his mind a couple times, but he didn't really know where or what to get. 

 

His is eyes then drifted over to Zelda, and Hawkeye found himself flashing a hello smile of a sort to her. It kind of stunk that he wasn't able to spend more time with the black griffon, but she and Inkbrand really seemed to be in their element at this thing, so he decided to let those two be. Besides, he had a mare of his own right now, so why bother?

 

As that last thought floated by, his attention immediately went back to Brick as that not unfamiliar sense of "oh, right" came across him. Was she his date by this point? Considering the other pairings, as well as the mare with the DJ up in the booth, it was safe to assume that him and the rest were couples of a sort by this point. So...what now? Should he flirt with her more? Give her a quick cheek kiss? Or learn more about her...yeah, that last option seemed about right. 

 

"So," He said casually, but still smiling his usual smile at her, "What do you do? Assuming you don't throw bricks for a living," He added that last bit jokingly...or, half jokingly. It was a safe bet that the didn't earn money doing that, but considering what he learned about where she lived from her, Stalliongrad seemed to be a bit out there. Not a bad thing though. 

[PyroBlaze]

Flux smiled widely as she danced with Vinyl up in the booth. She was having a great time! And it seemed her companion was too, which was even better! The two mares got as close together as they could during their dance, making Flux smile even wider. When the kiss happened, she giggled happily, continuing to dance as Vinyl went back to the table.

"Oh, this and that. I can't really fly, or breath underwater, or swim in lava!" The disguised changeling joked, giggling lightly to herself. Well, two out of three were true, and the first was partially true. She couldn't fly without dropping her disguise or changing it.

When the question came about what they should do next, she put a hoof to her chin and hummed to herself in thought. Even though she wasn't paying attention to the music or her body, she continued to dance along to it. After a little bit, she tilted her head as well, not sure what she wanted to do at the moment.

"We could kiss." She offered, shrugging a bit. "Sorry, I'm drawing a bit of a blank right now."