[Lakes] Nimbusgait Inn [Open]

[Chonico]

Spades simply nodded kindly as Sealight answered his question about pets and excused herself to go downstairs to ID the noise. Spades was rather curious about the noise himself, but he simply shrugged it off figuring he’d find out later as he continued to levitate things out of his satchel and place them in the room. Clothing, what little there was, went into the drawers while everything else was arranged across the room. All except for the cooing hat which sat at the edge of the bed, content which its song and watching Spades settle in.

After a few minutes of things floating around the room and drawers opening and closing, the satchel now lay as a crumbled up heap of its former self, its contents no longer present to hold its shape. Everything had been neatly put away, everything except the cooing top hat which Spades now approached as his horn began to glow and a small pocket of magic enveloped the hat.

“Crackers, you know how I feel about you spending all your time in the hat.†Spades said to the hat with a heavy sigh as it lifted off the bed to revel a rather pudgy looking pigeon. The pigeon however, with its almost entirely white plumage with the exception of a gray head, simply cocked its head to the side as it jerked back and forth, its beady eyes never leaving the pony in front of it as it gave a disapproving "coo".

After a few minutes of each one contemplating the other, Spades simply looked at the pigeon and raised a hoof towards it across the bed and gave it a gentle poke in its puffed out chest, eliciting another disapproving "coo." “No wonder you’re so pudgy… Come on, we’re going for a walk. It’ll do you good and you can apologize to the nice pony mare for making her uncomfortable with your horrible pick-up lines.†At this the pigeon quickly took to the air, faster than would had been expected given its appearance, and landed on Spade’s back quickly giving him a sharp sounding peck on his withers.

“OW! I was only joking with you, you discount magician’s pet…â€Â

*peck*

“Okay, okay… Geez, Master Hoofdini was right, rabbits are better pets.â€Â

"COO!" *PECK*

“*wince* Alright, you win Crackers, enough… Let’s just go see what new developments took place downstairs.

[buxy]

Sealight's ears perked up as the singing from the porch reached her. It sounded so familiar. She thought for a moment, searching her memory for where she'd heard the sound before, but it was the soft, apologetic speech that jogged her memory. "It couldn't be..." With a short canter to the door Sealight caught sight of the pink hippocamp and burst through the doorway as Tobias introduced himself.

"Great Hoofbeard's ghost, it is you! Pearl!" Sealight all but leapt across the porch and nuzzled her old friend before the hippocamp had any idea what hit her. Sealight stepped back, appraising the sea mare with a quick, motherly glance. "You look wonderful dear, and you've grown so much! Oh, how is the shore? How is the lighthouse? Did that fool filly I left in charge burn her to the ground yet? What are you doing so far inland? Oh dear, did you get lost? How lucky that you got lost here! Oh my, here I go hammering you with questions." Sealight laughed and shook her mane. She and Pearl Wishes had met long ago, when the hippocamp was still a tiny filly and Sealight had only recently begun her work at the lighthouse. Through the years, their paths had crossed several times, but never before had Sealight been so happy to see the mare.

"It's really good to see you, dear," Sealight drew in a deep breath, the joy she felt showing plain as day on her face.

[Kalpira]

The sweet hippocamp had barely ended shaking her head, when she caught sight of a light brown filly nuzzling her. She knew that feeling. She even remembered that pelt feeling. And yet she wasn't that aware what had just hit her indeed. But as soon as she heard the voice calling for her. A wide smile started growing on her face, and she giggled happily as soon as she realized who was that filly. Her giggled turned into laughs, and she wrapped her tail around her old date friend and nuzzled her like she never did before.

"SEALIGHT! IT'S YOU!", she squeaked, her crystaline voice sounding almost like an opera singer, "I can't believe it's really you!"

Pearl Wishes then smiled wide at her friend and took a closer look at her. She had some age over her already, but she was sure that she was still the same outgoing filly she used to be back when she met her. She was way too young to remember every single detail, but a hippocamp that grows together with the sea knows the ones around her better than anypony.

"I've been watching the light house everytime I can, sweet heart. The young filly is a bit clumsy, but she can make boats arrive safely. And if not, I give a little help.", she said, winking in a way only the two of them knew, and giggling shortly after.

[holypony20]

Tobias sat there as he saw Sealight practically leap towards the hippocamp and nuzzle her. He then just stayed silent not wanting to interrupt. He listened to them talk for awhile now knowing they where great friends. They seemed very happy and excited to see each other even more so then normal ponies would. He listened as they talked about how some pony was taking care of a light house and how the hippocamp watches over the pony when she can. Tobias finally chimed in to see if he could get an introduction. "Um if i may ask can i have an introduction from this beautiful hippocamp her." He smiled at them both.

[Kalpira]

The gentle hippocamp tried to pull herself together once again, now listening to another voice. Now it seemed to be a deeper voice, that didn't belong to a filly. That was for sure. She turned around and in her distraction caught sight of the same red stallion she had only directed a few words earlier in that meeting. She smiled at him and blinked for a few instants, clearing up her throat and getting ready to present herself. "Oh, my name is Pearl Wishes, sir. A pearl seller from the seas of Equestria and, unfortunately...", she paused for a moment and her ears perked down, "Tainter of males.".

She wasn't proud of this last part, but her half that still had the remains of a long lost past made her suffer the consequences. She glanced back at her old friend Sealight. "Yes, it's true. I'm still unable to control that urge to sing for males.", she said, trying to go under cover for her 'curse'. She looked back at the red stallion she had just met. "That's why I must ask you to forgive me once again.", she said, taking a step forward, the scent of the sea being noticed right away. "And you are...?", she asked, now with a smile.

[buxy]

Sealight shook her head, some ponies - aquatic or otherwise - never change. She moved to the side, letting the two make their introductions, and a problem occured to her.

Surely hippocamps travelled, and spent time away from home, and while their accomodations on the sea floor were far different from what ponies had on land. They were generally a naturally formed cave or shelter, but something like that had to be much harder to find in fresh water. Where would Pearl stay?

Sealight looked out over the water, her brow furrowed in concentration, turning the problem over in her mind. She lost herself in thought, trying to figure out where the young hippocamp would be spending her nights.

[Chonico]

Spade finally made his way down the stairs with Crackers the pigeon contently riding on his back. It had taken him a bit longer to settle in and he had allowed himself a few minutes to explore the second floor to make sure he didn’t get lost at night if he needed to use the restroom, but now he was ready to see what that odd commotion had been. With a tired expression on his face, but with an eager look in his gray eyes, he hoped off the last step and looked towards the door.

Spades had spent a lot of time traveling around and he had seen many things. However, what he saw at the entrance to the inn, he had honestly never expected to see on his travels. Growing up as part of the circus had led to hearing many odd but often fun stories. His parents had once told him of a Hippocamp that had joined the circus in their earlier years, yearning to see the “surface†world as she referred to it. She enjoyed it and had a beautiful singing voice, but unfortunately, she eventually grew tired of her water tank and kindly asked to be dropped off near the ocean, a year or so before he was adopted by his parents.

It was odd though, because many of the other ponies in the circus told stories that Hippocamps were reclusive and often uninterested in the surface. All the stories he had heard were conflicting and more often than not contradictory to each other. As such, it never even occurred to him that such a creature could be nothing more than a made up story his parents told him to entertain him when he was but a foal. And yet, here was one of those odd creatures, appearing all the likelihood of belonging in such a setting as the front door of an inn.

“Hmm, this day is turning out rather… interesting. At least Ms. Sealight seems to know her judging from their interactions. Hmm, I wonder if Hippocamps enjoy a good magic show?â€Â

As Spades pondered this and stood a few feet away from the gathered ponies, Crackers the pigeon had decided to take a closer look and promptly hoped of his back and began to walk towards the door, his head cocking back and forth in the weird fashion they do when pigeons walk. Reaching the gather ponies, Crackers began to coo again as he walked in, out, and under the gathered ponies and took turns staring with his beady eyes at each pony. Finally coming to a stop in front of the Hippocamp, Crackers simply walked off to the side and stood looking between Sealight and Pearl Wishes.

“Heh, guess this is a good opening...†Spades thought to himself as he took one step towards the ponies and called out.

“A pigeon walks into a bar and sits on stool. The bartender turns to him and says, “Hey! We don’t take kindly to stool pigeons here!â€Â

There was a smile on his face as he got closer to the ponies, his grey eyes mirroring the content he felt with his horrible, yet well fitting joke. Stopping a foot or two from the ponies, he locked his gaze on Crackers.

“You know it’s not polite to stare Crackers.â€Â

He looked at each pony and stopped when his gaze fell on Pearl Wishes

“I am White Spade. Magician extraordinaire…†He gave a deep bow and stopped as his horn hovered millimeters above the floor. “Who might you be?â€Â