Ponywalk Luau: The Staff Party

[Bramble Rose]

One could hardly expect the *help* to attend a formal event, but it is customary to show one's appreciation for a job well done. So, some short distance down the beach, at the same time, a small beachhouse has been rented out for the purpose of partying hard! A jukebox and DJ table lets ponies try their hand at mixing music, or just playing whatever music they feel like putting on the platter. Bags of hay fries, trays of cupcakes, fancy pies, and a humungous cake showing a fashion show in progress are laid out over the snack bar, and another table off to the side holds a bowl of tropical punch and quite a few bottles of very nice liquor. A hot tub is off to one side of the house, and a short pier stretches out over the dark expanse of water of the ocean.

The entire place is lit up with Tiki Torches, decorated with gorgeous flowers and playful fronds, strange island masks, and generally is decked out to be just as tropical as the main party.

[Otsdarva]

((Can't wait till this party kicks off, so much more enjoyable than those stuffy upturned models! ))

Douglas trotted his way to the beach house after finishing his current tasks, he wanted to check out the staff party area quickly before every staff pony was relieved of their tasks and the staff party started. As the building grew closer in his sight he could feel himself getting a little jittery to see just what was in store for them. Celestia knows he was too busy setting up the grand entrance to check out the staff beach house. "I hope whoever set up our little party at least made it more enjoyable than that ritzy, show and tell social." Slowly pushing open the door Douglas could feel himself lick at his lips as he gave a crude huckster's grin. The mustang set his sharp eyes upon the table with the finely aged spirits and could feel that wild rush starting up.

Ignoring pretty much every other feature in the beach house he made his way to the spirits and eagerly began sifting through them. Picking out two particular brands, Douglas is fast to mix them into a fine glass with ice and punch before finding a nice spot to sit in the peace of the room. Drink at the ready, Douglas brings it to his muzzle. It's wild scent almost burns at his snoot, his back tingles in sharp reaction. Now more than ever did he wish the staff party would get underway as he takes his first sip of the fine drink. The familiar sensation hits the back of his throat as he enjoys his drink. Time out on the trails and settlements in the Painted Pinto Desert have long accustomed him to the sharp bitterness.

"Ugh!" Douglas spouts, feeling his teeth clench. "I'll say! It's better than any rotgut I've ever had! It's a shame I'll have to wait till the actual party starts before getting another glass..." Letting out a slight sigh, Douglas lays back in the chair, wanting to savor his little concoction before making the party rounds again.

[Bramble Rose]

It was later in the evening - staff ponies had started filtering in, while the main festivities were going on just down the beach. Small groups of blue-collar ponies gathered around the snack table, enjoying the cool drinks and a rather more hearty fare than could be found back in the main party.

Silk Scarf had escaped from the crowds back that way - she just couldn't take it anymore, and she needed a break! But even the beach seemed to have too many ponies on it, all getting some cool, fresh air blowing in off of the ocean. She needed a bit of coolness ... boy, could Maximillian drink! She was feeling a bit warm and fuzzy from all those drinks he kept bringing out! So she kept walking, till the beach was quiet, and she was alone - till she heard the music and hubbub coming from up ahead. Rather than luxuriate in the quiet solitude, she followed that music, and the lights.

"Is there another party?" she wondered, curiously, to herself. "Or did I get turned around?" She thought she recognized many of the ponies, but wasn't sure from where - especially since almost nopony seemed dressed nearly as fancy as the party she had just left. It seemed ... warmer. more welcoming.

She smiled and stepped forward, feeling a bit of renewed energy. Oh, and they had REAL FOOD! Careful of Glitzen's gorgeous gown, she made her way through the dancing ponies, not even noticing the stares she was getting, so she could get to the snack table and select an apple cupcake and a couple hay fries to eat.

"Mmmm ... " she softly exulted, closing her eyes a moment and just enjoying the taste.

[Otsdarva]

Douglas stood around one of the tables in the staff party, having rejoined now that more of the staff had began showing up. With a groan he brought down a shot glass, giving his muzzle a shake as the surrounding ponies cooed from the sidelines. The pony across from him was also having a hard time keeping his drink down as well. "Come on! That all ya got?!" Douglas erupted, fighting off the intense kick of the latest shot. With a pucker in his lips, the other pony stepped down, leaving Douglas to bask in glory. It was quite short-lived though, as he soon found himself sauntering over to a chair to rest. While he was still in control of his actions, Douglas thought it best to rest before his head rocked with his latest shot.

Bringing his hooves to his face, Douglas let out a moan as he fought the incoming vertigo. His eyes shut tightly as he rubbed his face and tried to calm himself down. He was fast approaching his limit and once the drinks he just ingested hit his stomach there would surely be a sudden lack of balance in his future. Lowering one hoof to undo his bow tie, Douglas quickly undid his top button on that nice collared garment he worn earlier. His relief at it's release was only temporary as more symptoms of being a drunken fool hit him. He must have sat in that chair for a little longer before wanting to look around at the party.

"A....model? Here?" Douglas spoke to himself, having opened his eyes in time to get a flankful of a purple mare in a fashionable gallopicous dress. His hazy mind took a few minutes of staring at her certain 'wiggle' as she pushed her way to the snack table and began to try a few of the treats. Raising from his chair, there was no doubt about it, it was the mare he saw at the entrance earlier in the day! His buzzed condition gave him a genuine smile of happiness as he trotted through the same ponies she had moseyed on through. "*Ahem* Ma'am, enjoying the 'real' party?" Douglas asked as he came up along side her, he could feel his mind swaying back and forth, but did his best not to show it, allowing himself to lean lightly on the table for support.

[Bramble Rose]

Silk Scarf was sipping at a bit of punch, washing down the delicious apple cupcake, when a familiar sounding voice sounded right next to her. She smiled, turning her head to look at the pony addressing her, and her eyes widened. Douglas promptly found himself doused in a spray of punch as the unicorn mare did a doubletake. "Douuuuu-" she started to say his name, then remembered she wasn't supposed to have met him! "oouuuuubt I've seen it's like before, I'm sure!" she turned the exclaimation into a long Canterlot drawl of boredom.

In her youth, she'd been to a lot of fancy parties - and she knew the sort of stuff over at the main party was standard for the venue - not that she'd lacked common treats, thanks to her sire, but the sort of pony Silk Scarf was supposed to be would never have seen such before. And, she realized belatedly, should never have hurried over to try. Oh no, oh no, she wasn't supposed to meet someone she actually knew! What was she going to do?

"I've never seen such a spread of ... *interesting* Hors d'oeuvres," Silk Scarf continued, her pause giving a suspicious note to the term 'interesting.' "But I'm always interested in researching the ways of other cultures. It's a small hobby of mine. I'm Silk Scarf, darling," She turned a bit to show off her flank through the criss-crossing green ribbons of her skirt. "See? There's my cutie mark." See? See? she thought desperately, Not Bramble's!

She blinked in belated realization as she took in Douglas as more than simply a threat of terminal embarassment, and realized he was dripping wet. And that it might be her fault. "Oh, dear, I *am* sorry. I've had a bit to drink tonight..." She floated a number of napkins up from the snack table and started dabbing helplessly at the stallion with them.

[Otsdarva]

Douglas stood still waiting for the mare to respond as she slowly looked up at him. Her delicate face seemed to call out with an allure that ringed strong with a presence he could swear was familiar. Her sense of class and sophistication seemed elegant, yet out of place in such a place, surely there must be some wild reason she had wound up here. A mysterious charm seemed to permeate from her as she looked over Douglas. All of which came to an abrupt end when she suddenly began spitting her whole drink on Douglas' face. Inside his head the little pony on the wheel came to a stop, inside the little pony's head the clock threw an important spring, inside the clock's head gears came grinding to a halt!

She...spat her drink all over him. Douglas was at a loss for words, his body didn't move, his mind didn't think. This...unseemly incident brought upon him a near clear sobriety as he began to make the gears turn again. Douglas quickly rubbed away at his mouth so he could let out a sigh. His eyes, while having never left the mare had stopped focusing on her during his mental shutdown. Focusing back in on her, Douglas could not believe his ears...was she really just talking like she didn't just spit on him?! Even wiggling her cutie mark in his face? "Really?...Really?...That just happened?" Douglas stated, his dry tone matched only by the look on his face. Letting his eyes shut and a held breath escape, he reached along the table for paper towel.

He slowly began to wipe his face with the towel when suddenly he felt somepony else dab a napkin on him. Letting the towel away from his face he could see it was the mare who spat on him, now apologizing while trying to dry him off. "Well...Miss...Scarf, was it? I will say this is the most outlandish circumstance I've ever met a pony under. The name's Douglas Trotter. I will also say I've had mares throw their drinks at me, and I've caused mares to spit their drinks out...never have I done both at once without even a word of coarse language." Continuing to wipe away at the remaining punch, Douglas brightened up a little bit. "I suppose if you're going to get drunk, it's not worth doing unless somepony winds up a mess."

[Bramble Rose]

Silk Scarf couldn't help but let out a soft and genuine giggle, as she helped clean up her friend. Oh, good, she was allowed to know his name, now. "I can't say I've ever done it before, myself, Mr. Trotter. But please, do call me Silk. I'd like to think I'm not nearly old enough to be 'Miss Scarf.' " She let out a more lazy Canterlot laugh at that, a soft 'ah-ha! ah-ha!' that seemed more controlled poise than amusement.

She never stopped patting her napkins over his rather larger form as she talked, trying to help clean up the terribly embarrassing mess she had made. "I would say, however, that I'm not drunk," she said a bit primly. "I am merely a bit fuzzy. I've had much more to drink in a night than I already have! Tonight. In the past." She paused for a moment of self-reflection, trying to figure out if she'd made that clear. Probably. She *wasn't* drunk. It was just very very warm in the islands! And she was just embarrassed at having spit her drink all over him! "Though perhaps not quite as swiftly," she admitted, then quietly mumbled, "that pony has a hollow leg," solely to herself. As her mind drifted a little, the green-glowing napkins patted along his chest to his side, and back to his flank, following a simple clean-up pattern that no longer actually touched along any place which was wet, the unicorn not noticing she wasn't actually helping so much anymore.

[Otsdarva]

He listened to the mare's laugh at his statement, giving off her own reply to his. She seemed a little more real, showing that she wasn't just the high class airs she spoke with. Although her comment about age struck a mark in Douglas' mind. "I for one wouldn't even think of it in such a way, although I'd say you're hardly much younger than me. And why don't I deserve the same courtesy?" Douglas asked, smiling gently. He could only wonder if this mare would reply as he assumes she would.

Slowly putting the paper towel in his collar with a gentle tuck, Douglas felt that he was as clean as he would get without bathing. The mare, on the other hoof continued to dab senselessly as she carried on the conversation. "Hm, fuzzy huh? Well, I can see it hasn't hurt your grammar. Well I'll openly admit I've been on the good stuff an easy half-hour a'fore you 'wiggled' on in. Ah'm buzzed if not inebriated already due to tha graces of Luna givin' me a body with room to stir it." Douglas replied, the effects of his earlier escapades bringing his wild accent out of hiding. "'Sides, when you can't hold down a drink, is usually a sign to stop." Just then amongst the mare's rambling Douglas felt the napkins running along his flank. The sudden change in his face wasn't apparent to many, but at this point he was beginning to wonder if this mare was more to helping herself than him.

Feeling this go on a little longer than it should have, Douglas cleared his throat as he looked over the mare. "Silky-dear, I know you're not fully aware, but should you go further this could be a whole different party. I'm fairly sure my flank was dry." Douglas spoke up, hoping to get her attention before this awkward rubbing could go on longer.

[Bramble Rose]

Silk Scarf flushed a bit. "It was just turnabout ... I can - I didn't... I can drink more and keep it down, my dear! My body's fine, I just was startled! Not that your body isn't also very nice!" She flushed some more, and pulled back the napkins, tossing them into the trash as swiftly as she could. "Oh! Oh, n-no, I didn't mean-" she stammered, her poise broken. He couldn't think she was ...

She turned to the side and took several deep breaths, trying to steady herself. She hadn't expected him to be here! Argh, why was her brain moving so slowly? She blinked her eyes quickly, gave her head a shake, and floated over a new cup of punch to drain in one quick drought. She ran a hoof over her cheeks, her forehead, brushing a few stray strands of her sleek silver mane, and nudging the bright blossom into place, then ran that same hoof down over the bodice of her dress, smoothing the fabric and making sure everything was in place. The simple series of motions helped to re-establish her role to herself, and calmed her frazzled nervous from the shock of seeing Douglas.

She turned back to Douglas, then, with a warm and gentle smile. "So, Douglas, *darling*, you know what I do for the show, of course. Do tell me, if you would, what have you come here to do for the Ponywalk?"

[Otsdarva]

Douglas laughed loudly as Silk tossed aside the napkin and began stammering for a reason. He wasn't one to hang on something unintential, but part of him thought it would be better to make light of it before simply brushing it aside. So, giving his flank a visible wiggle Douglas decided to have a little fun. "Oh, but 'surely' you were. Why else would this humble Stallion receive such 'attention?'" Douglas said, his voice with an apparent coy tone. His teeth beaming through his smile. All of which came to an abrupt end, his tone becoming that of sympathy as he straightened himself up. "Calm yerself, no harm was done. Somethings just happen."

Silk's struggle to compose herself allowed Douglas time to grab a snack and nibble childishly at it as he watched her mannerisms with light humor. Even sitting back on his haunches as she downed a glass of punch. His smile still present amongst his chewing. A light yawn escaped as he covered his mouth, watching Silk adjust her dress before facing him again. "Feel better?" A simple question, but earnest in it's meaning. "Well, who do think is building the stage you'll be walking on? Or the red carpet you posed on? They sure don't come pre-built, it'd put honest ponies out of a job." He laughed, standing up again. "Honestly though, I am out of place. This certainly isn't the sort of thing I do everyday."

[Bramble Rose]

Silk Scarf gave a wan little smile. "Much better, yes, thank you." Then she followed that wan smile with a slight laugh. "I'll admit, I've never seen a pony such as yourself building a red carpet, but you seem the sort who's good at all *sorts* of jobs! A real handypony!"

She glanced at his wagon-wheel of a cutie mark. "But true, it's not much of a job on the road ... though I wager that taking odd jobs everywhere is a great way to travel and see the world?" she asked politely. "Are you only helping with this particular show, or will you be travelling with the show to help at the other three, as well?"