A little slice of heaven

[Shyriath]

Flickerlight sipped her tea with enjoyment. It reminded her a bit of the village she'd been born in, where they'd made tea using the mint that grew wild along the stream. There wasn't much about the place that she missed, but sometimes... ah well.

She peered at the mare running the shop. "'Scuse me, miss," she asked, "but has your shop been here long? I usually only come by here at night, but I don't remember seeing this place here before."

[Starburst]

Starburst grins at the comment.

"The shop is made of clouds, so in order to keep a fresh group of customers coming in, all I have to do is move it and lay down planks for the earth ponies and unicorns to walk on. I can take it wherever I want to." she smiles.

"I think its going to do some good business here. Lots of rich ponies with rich tastes. I used to have a delivery pony deliver my baked goods here, but now I can sell them fresh. Every dozen cinnamon buns makes 60 bits. That's a lot of money.. but I've never had any money troubles since I've started selling tea. Ponies in Canterlot seem to love tea more than Cloudsdale, though."

[Shyriath]

Flickerlight grinned. "A good strategy, that; move your shop to where the business is best. If only it were that easy for everything."

She took another sip, and added, "Neither I nor my tastes are very rich, but I have to say it seems like it's worth the price, coming in here. If I'm ever around during daylight, I think I'll stop in again. Oh, sorry... forgetting myself. The name's Flickerlight. City lamplighter."

[Starburst]

"I'm.. Starburst." she says. "I've run this tea shop by myself for a few years now. She says, smiling."

"I don't spend much in operations costs, only the cost of the tea, the ingredients for the baked goods, and the candles.. I actually have quite a bit of money saved up that I could close the shop right now and live for a few years on my savings."

[Shyriath]

"Sounds nice," Flickerlight replied, sounding wistful. "I like what I do, but it's not the kind of job where you can save up much. I make a little extra by selling off candles and lanterns I've made. Yours are very nice, by the way..."

She glanced at them, and found herself having to pull her gaze away again.

"Um, yes... yes. Er, if you're ever interested in any more lights, incidentally, I might be able to make up something for you. I've been trying to learn some enchantments I can use on candles."

[Starburst]

"The candles in my Candelabra are enchanted." she says with a smile.

[Conor Colton]

Colton snapped out of his thought process when he realized that Gladwin was waiting on a response from him, he started walking towards an empty table as he began to respond, "Things are going good with Flux, I'm still staying at the tower and there's only been 'minimal' property damage." Colton said with a slight chuckle.

He sat down on the vacant table with Gladwin and continued the conversation, "So what about you man? How's Canterlot been treating ya?" Colton said as he took another bite of his cinnamon bun and thought ....I've had cinnamon buns before, but never this good! Colton thought as he quickly snapped out of his taste induced haze and awaited Gladwin to respond.

[CrossStitch]

"It's been alright." He said with a smile. "I've met wonderful ponies during my time here, and I've even learned a thing or two about Proper Etiquette." Gladwin brought his talons in front of him and waved them back and forth in a mocking gesture. He took a sip of his tea and looked around the place once more, "This place really does remind me of Cloudsdale..." One of the claws from his back right paw tapped on the wooden floor, "Except that." He said with another chuckle. "Almost makes a griffin homesick." He took one more sip of his tea and then bit into his cinnamon bun. Oh, that IS good. A smile graced his beak.

[Conor Colton]

"Proper Etiquette?" Colton said with a chuckle, "That must've been a riot." Colton said as he swallowed another bite of his cinnamon bun. Colton took notice of Gladwin's observation of the tea shop and replied almost right away, "Yeah, this place does remind me a lot of Cloudsdale, the decoration, all the rainbow coloured stuff, makes me almost miss the old weather factories." Colton said with a reminiscent smile, ".....Well almost anyway." Colton said with a slight chuckle.

He decided to continue the conversation on a previously mentioned topic, that regarding wonderful ponies, "So you said you met some 'wonderful ponies' care to share a few?" Colton asked with an almost full mouth as Sparks continued to drink. Colton choose his next words carefully, "Speaking of which Gladwin, if you don't mind me asking, have you met any ponies you've had a, well, uh 'interest' in....like Holly from when we were in that doughnut shop?" Colton said as he gulped down the last of his bun.

[CrossStitch]

Gladwin lurched forward with a cough. H-Holly!? Oh great, even my inner thoughts are stuttering... Gladwin thought to himself in between coughs. "Holly... Is something else." He said, taking another bite in the process, it wasn't necessarily a lie, but it wasn't the full truth either. "To put it simply..." Gladwin looked down at the table, a slight red coming to his face, "It would be... Uh, Very nice to see her again." A smile played about the corners of his beak. Then, an idea came to mind. A sly smile crept up his face as he leaned back in his chair, "What about you, hot shot? I see how you look at Flux." Gladwin gave a wink to the pegasus, Bingo.

[Conor Colton]

Colton was shocked that the conversation was turned back onto him and he had to say something fast, "What Flux? You think.....me......her.....okay this isn't working." Colton said as he gave up trying to hide anything, he rested his head on his hoof once again. He exhaled deeply before continuing, "......Fine, you got me Gladwin." Colton said as he admitted defeat, "I....I really do like Flux." Colton said as he thought of what to say next, even Sparks seemed surprised by this as he lifted his little bird head from his drink.

"I'm....just not sure if I'm good enough for her, I mean she's brilliant, she's probably the smartest pony I've ever met, and she's...well...beautiful..." Colton said as he blushed ever more slightly, "....It's just that, well, I just think she deserves better than me, I mean look when we met in the hospital, it was my fault for my injury and I nearly wrecked everything that she had worked so hard on." Colton said as he constantly depressed himself, "I really wish I wasn't but, I'm just....not worth the trouble..." Colton said as he sunk his head onto the table, "And that's why I haven't said anything to her...."

[CrossStitch]

Gladwin let out a small 'Hmm.' He lifted he talon brought it slowly over Colton's head, and then swiftly brought it down, bopping the pegasus on the head.

"Come on, chin up." Gladwin said, bopping the pegasus lightly again, "You gotta believe in yourself, pony. I mean, look at me, I'm a griffin chasing after a unicorn, and you're a pegasus chasing after a very, VERY, smart unicorn. Now who sounds like they have the harder task, huh?" Gladwin said, continuously bopping Colton lightly over the head during the whole speech. He finally stopped and leaned back, waiting for Colton to raise his head up, "You can't second guess yourself. Just go with the flow, be yourself, yadda yadda." Gladwin trailed off as he went back to eating his cinnamon bun. Thoughts of what Gladwin had just said invaded his own mind, Griffin chasing after a unicorn... He let out a small sigh and leaned further back in his chair.

[Conor Colton]

Colton lifted his head to find a concerned Gladwin and Sparks staring at him, he listened to Gladwins kind words and thought them over before responding, "You're probably right Gladwin, thanks." Colton said as he returned to a normal seating position, he thought things over once again and spoke, "Well it's kinda different for you and Holly, you two had an obvious interest in each other from the moment you guys met." Colton said as he leaned back similar to Gladwin.

There was a brief silence before Colton spoke up once again, "So.....what do you think I should do." Colton asked as he wanted a second opinion.

[CrossStitch]

Gladwin was not prepared for that question at all. He wasn't even too good at deciding what he himself should do. "I'm not really too good at these things myself, Colton..." Gladwin rubbed the back of his head as he looked off to the side, confusion baffling him. "I mean, the obvious answer is to just tell her." Gladwin looked back up to Colton, "But nothing's that easy, right? There's always nerves, and thoughts, and ideas that get in the way." Gladwin noticed he was now listing off his own fears. He shook his head, "But, it's still the only way right?" Gladwin took a deep breath in, "That's what I'm going to do anyways." Proclaiming it like that made him feel a bit better. It made Gladwin feel as if now he had a promise to keep, a reason to tell Holly other then himself. He nodded with new-found courage.

[Conor Colton]

Colton sat forward again and contemplated whether asking Gladwin what to do was a good move or not, but as Gladwin began to speak seemingly from the heart, Colton found that his spirits were suddenly raised. He knew what he had to do, and he was no longer afraid of every possible outcome.

He stared over at Gladwin and muttered a few words, "You're absolutely right Gladwin.....you're absolutely right!" Colton said as he smiled a beaming smile. He quickly grabbed Sparks and hugged him, nearly suffocating the little bird, "Oh sorry buddy...." Colton said as he released the sparrow. He turned once again to Gladwin, "Thanks Gladwin, I know what to do." Colton said as he began to stand up, "I'm gonna tell Flux, it might not be right away but I'm gonna tell her." Colton said as he promised himself similar to Gladwin's

Colton began to turn towards the door before he turned his head and addressed Gladwin once again, "Thanks man....Good luck with Holly." Colton said as he held out his hoof in thanks.

[CrossStitch]

Gladwin smiled. He had helped another pony, a pony who he felt would be a close friend to him indeed. Gladwin looked up at the now standing and energetic pegasus before him. Gladwin could no longer feel any fear, could no longer feel any nervousness, not from himself or from Colton. Gladwin's words helped not only Colton, but himself as well, which made him even happier. "Of course I'm right." Gladwin took a final, long sip, of his tea and set the empty cup on the table. "You tell her alright, pal." Gladwin gave Colton a wink as he stood up as well.

"And Colton..." Gladwin added, "Luck isn't a factor in this." He gave Colton one last wink and began to stride out of the tea shop, "Catch ya later, dude." Gladwin raised a wing and almost, seemingly, waved goodbye with it. As soon as he was outside, he took the skies.

[Conor Colton]

Colton smiled with one side of his mouth and turned to Sparks with the bird eagerly awaiting the next course of action, "Well buddy, I guess we should go, right?" Colton said with a joyful tone in his voice, Sparks responded with little flips in the air with several cheery chirps.

Colton took that as a 'yes' and walked towards the counter, he paused and addressed Starburst for a final time, "Thank you Starburst, I rather enjoyed my time here." Colton said as he walked casually towards the door. His casual walk turned into a run and as he burst out the door he was soaring through the air away from the tea shop.

[Starburst]

Starburst smiles, sipping a cup of tea behind the counter.

[Shyriath]

"The candles in my Candelabra are enchanted."

"Well, yes." Flickerlight wanted to say more, but she kept her mouth shut. She could tell that the ones here were enchanted, but there were all sorts of enchantments, and having a few different kinds around-

Anyway, going on about it wouldn't've been right. After all, this was Starburst's shop; ponies were supposed to be buying things from her, not the other way round. Flickerlight just wished anypony would come look at her lanterns so she could apply the principle herself.

The mare contented herself instead with finishing her tea and lemon tart, and listening to the conversation at the other table. Possibly this could have counted as eavesdropping, but Flickerlight was a firm believer in the idea that anything said where others could hear was clearly meant to be public.

As Colton and Gladwin left, she smiled. "Well, that was rather sweet, wasn't it?"

[Starburst]

Starburst nods, pouring herself a cup of tea after collecting the half-full pot from Colton's table. She also reaches into the baked goods and pulls out a cookie, chewing it along with the tea. "It's so nice that they have someone to love."

[Starburst]

After the other ponies leave, Starburst wipes down the tables and countertops with a cloud, squeezing water out when she needs to clean a certain part of the table. Shortly after she begins cleaning she also begins singing. Her songs have no words, and are only melodic in nature. After getting the entire tea shop spotless she begins to bake another tray of cinnamon buns, as her previous supply has nearly been exhausted by everypony coming into the shop.

[Shyriath]

Flickerlight relaxed at her table. Her lifestyle had never really inclined her to hurrying. Unfortunately, such an attitude lent itself to her tea getting cold while sipping on it, but she didn't really mind. Anyway, the smell of cinnamon wafting through the shop was something to stick around for, at least for a little longer.

"I think I'll buy some of those buns as well, when they're ready," Flickerlight said. "They'll make a good breakfast." She paused, then amended, "...or dinner." She had never figured out what to call a meal that happened in the afternoon but was the first one of the day.

[Starburst]

Starburst smiles, sipping on her tea. "How many would you like?" she asks, pushing the tray of dough into the oven.

[Shyriath]

Flickerlight glanced at the menu. Her nose was trying to convince her to get a half-dozen, but she couldn't really afford that many at once, much less eat them all...

"Make it three," she said. "Two for me, and I know somepony who'd like the third. Maybe he'll stop by."

She knew that Crates working over in Supply had a weakness for cinnamon buns. And maybe a gift like that would get him to be less stingy in handing out the lamp oil to other city employees, too.

[Starburst]

Starburst grabs her tongs and lifts some of the cinnamon buns into a small box, normally used for 4 buns. She deposits 4 buns into the box, and slides the box onto the countertop. "That's 18 bits please." she says, smiling.