[Canterlot] Blind Date [Semi-Open]

[Armony]

At the sound of shuffling paper nearby, Stormsong opened her eyes and once again took in the surroundings of the hospital room. She smiled up at Sam, greeting him with "Good morning... or is it good afternoon already? Anyway, I'm sorry if I worried you yesterday, my headache has completely gone away now, and I'm feeling a lot better. I was actually able to walk around last night, but the nurse wanted me to stick around here, so... what have you got there?"

[vladspellbinder]

Sam gives a light jump when she talks, the clipboard clattering to the floor and he places a hoof over his chest. He takes a deep breath and chuckles, shaking his head. "Surprised me there Stoimrsong, good to see you awake. And yes, it's almost noon already. Glad to hear the headache is gone!" He gives a slightly uneasy grin, leaning down to pick up the clipboard in his teeth, before grabbing it with his telekinesis again.

[Armony]

"Oh, I'm sorry I startled you, I didn't mean to..." she apologized quickly, sitting up as she did so and stretching out her legs. She still felt a little tired, probably a side-effect of having slept for too long as opposed to too little, though, considering she had probably spent at least sixteen of the last twenty-four hours unconscious. Her mind didn't linger on the subject for too long, though, because she began thinking of her family. They knew she had gone out on a date, and was expecting to return before night... that she hadn't returned for a full day would have them in a panic. "I hope I haven't kept you waiting long, but I was just so tired last night. Has... has anypony been to tell my family what's happened? Oh, I bet they're really worried about me... is it okay for me to check out of the hospital and go home now?"

[vladspellbinder]

"I wasn't able to get any contact information for your family sadly enough, so they are probably a bit worried. As for your question, yes, since your headache is gone." He places the clipboard on the end of the bed, it more than likely her medical chart. "You won't have to worry about a bill, I've already taken care of it, since ah, it was um, kinda my fault you ran into the hosue and all... ." He paws at the floor some, looking to the side.

[Armony]

[sorry this response took so long, work has been leaving me really tired lately]

Stormsong's eyes widened at the news that her bill had been paid for, and she immediately began to protest, "But... it wasn't really your fault, it was me that wasn't paying attention." Even though she felt like going on and drilling her point home with everything on her mind, she couldn't stop from thinking about how worried her family must be about her. She didn't have time to argue over something like this, especially since there was more than likely nothing she could do about it by now. So instead of arguing pointlessly, she dropped the subject and got up out of bed and stretched herself out.

"Well, I should really get going home, my family will be wanting to see me, but before I go... I realized last night that I never told you where I live, and we never really planned out an exact time for our next date." Stormsong took a deep breath before continuing on, giving him both her address and a date and time that would fit in with their vaguely defined plans from yesterday. "Oh, and... thank you, for everything, Sam"

[vladspellbinder]

He looks ready to talk about the bill but just closes his muzzle to let her change the subject. He pulls a notepad from his vest and writes down her address and the time. "Well, I was thinking of walking you home actually, to see where it was. That and to explain to your family what happened. And for the bill, well, there wasn't really one. It was a simple diagnosis spell from a doctor and a room for the night, you didn't even take any medicine. That kind of stuff is gratis, part of yearly taxes. It's the more expensive stuff that have to paid for, all I did was make sure all the paper work was filled out, I've got a copy here." He levitates a folded bit of paper from another pocket of his vest while putting the notepad away.

[Armony]

The blue mare was taken aback by his response, both in that there wasn't anything to pay for to begin with, and that he wanted to walk her home. While she thought over this unexpected turn, she took the folded bit of paper into her own levitation, and tucked it away. Later on, at home, she would put it with the rest of her records, so that if she ever needed to, she could bring up an official document of this particular hospital visit.

After contemplating her options for a moment, she smiled at Sam and asked "Aren't you working right now? Would you be allowed to walk me home instead of being here? I've no problem with it if you can get away, but I really need to get back to my family soon, and I don't want to wait any longer to get going."

[vladspellbinder]

"Well, no, I'm not working right now. Not technically. I was scheduled for night shift tonight but came in this morning to be here when you woke up. So, again, technically, I've worked half a shift already that I wasn't really supposed to and can just work the other half tonight at my normal time. I just need to sign out in the staff lounge which will take me all of two minuets."

[Armony]

"Oh, that'll work out great then," Stormsong replied, relieved that she wouldn't have to walk home and face her parents alone, that he was willing to come along and explain. It wasn't that she was really afraid of her parents, but it would make her story more believable, having a witness would could back up her explanation... and so she could tell them her plans for their next date. She took a step toward the door, but stopped when she realized that she had no idea where this staff lounge was at. Instead, she opened the door and motioned Sam through, saying "Lead the way."

[vladspellbinder]

He give her a light nod and heads down the hall, to the nurse's station. There wasn't someone else on duty at the moment but he slips behind it goes to a door there. "This will only be a moment." He then goes through the door. It would indeed only be a couple of moments before he comes back out, coming back to her side. "Everyone else was out, so I just left a message on our board and signed out for the day. Exit is this way." Sam then points down the hall, walking at Stormsong's side.

[Armony]

Stormsong waited patiently outside for Sam to finish signing out so they could get going, not even bothering to work on any of the several half-formed songs she kept juggling whenever she got bored. True to his word, he only took a few moments before he reappeared, and they walked out the exit of the hospital side by side. Once they were out in the sun, the musician took the lead, turning down side streets to avoid any major crowds of ponies, taking the shortest route she knew back to her place. "Thank you again for everything you've done for me, Sam, I..." she stopped her last thought short, knowing it was too much to expect her hopes for things to work out between them this early on. Still, she could hope...

[vladspellbinder]

Sam follows at her side, about maybe a quarter step back so she can 'lead' where they are going. He gives her a light nod at her words. "No worries Stormsong, I'm happy to help. I, uh, just kind wish it hadn't been needed. We both should have been paying more attention. I won't let it happen again though."

[Armony]

Leading the way down the streets, Stormsong eventually came to a stop in front of a small restaurant with several large, glass windows in the front. There were several tables of ponies sitting around, enjoying their lunches on the inside, delightfully oblivious to the owner of the business watching through the front window. Instead of going in through the main entrance, however, she moved to a side door and ascended a staircase into her family's living room. Once she reached the top of the stairs, she shouted out "Mom! Dad! I'm home!"

[vladspellbinder]

Sam follows, keeping an eye out for where they are going and where they have been, so he'd be able to find his way back easier. He enters the side door and would hesitate a moment at the stairs before following. For now he just waits behind Stormsong, looking around some.

[Armony]

It didn't take long before one of the various doors leading from the living room opens, and a mare came out at top speed and hugged Stormsong. After a brief exchange of worries from her mother and reassurances from the musician, the two separate and both turn their attention, as one, to Sam, smiling. Stormsong holds her hoof toward him and makes a very subtle gesture for him to come toward her, and informs her mother "Mom, this is Samguine, my date from yesterday... Sam, this is my mother, Tarragon Leaf."

[vladspellbinder]

Sam takes a few steps forward, a little nervous. He scoffs his hoof against the floor a bit. "H-hello ma'am. I'm sorry to have worried you, but I hadn't gotten your addresses or other contact information before things got out of hoof... ."

[Armony]

Stormsong's mother smiled warmly at Sam, taking a step forward and extending a hoof in greeting, reassuring him "No harm done, young sir; she's been safe all along, and that's what matters to me." Meanwhile, Stormsong meandered around in the background, preparing tea for them all in case Sam wanted to stick around for a little while. Even if he didn't, she had plenty to talk about with her mother once he was gone, and a nice, hot drink would definitely help her out with that.

[vladspellbinder]

Sam gives a light nod. "G-good. Though, I wish I had been able to tell you sooner. I always try to keep the families as up-to-date as I can." He had relaxed a little, but still seemed just a tad nervous.

[Armony]

"Really, don't worry about it; I'm just thankful that no harm has come to my oldest daughter." Tarragon replied, seeing that Stormsong was busying herself with making tea, giving the two time to talk. The older mare turned her attention back to Sam and continued on, lowering her tone so that her daughter couldn't hear her, "She is very precious to me, you know, and if anypony were to hurt her, I just might act a little rashly out of anger at seeing my daughter suffer. But I'm sure nothing like that will happen, will it?"

[vladspellbinder]

Sam gives a small swallow followed by a small nod. "I-i would never purposefully hurt another pony or anybody else for that matter. I-i've never done anything like... this before though. Dating... ."

[Armony]

Even though his response was delivered nervously, it seemed like he was being genuine, so Tarragon backed off and gave him a warm smile, glad that he had understood.

Stormsong was completely unaware of this short exchange between her mother and Sam, which was likely for the best; she felt secure, without even really having much of a reason, that he would not hurt her. She certainly wouldn't have approved of her parents making threats toward her first coltfriend, and might even have gotten worked up enough to yell, which was quite a rarity. As it was; however, she just finished setting up the tea to brew and came back, stood beside her mother, and reflected the same, warm smile toward Sam. "If you'd like to stick around for tea, Sam, you're more than welcome to have a seat, hang out with us... my father might even be home soon to join us as well, so you could meet both of my parents... but if you have things to do, I understand."

[vladspellbinder]

Sam gets that 'wild animal in a spot light' look, eyes going wide and body going a bit rigid. Things were moving a bit too quickly here, meeting her parents and having tea with them after only one date. There was also that little bit he just had with her mother, and there was a good chance he'd have something similar, if not worse, with her father. Yet, at this point, he didn't really see an 'out'. After all, Stormsong knew he didn't have to go back to work until later tonight and he had straight up told her he didn't have anything else planned for the day so he could walk her home without any trouble. So, short of coming up with some lame excuse (his first though was "I think I may have left my toaster on fire") he didn't have a polite means of getting out of this... .

"I-I think some tea would, would be good. Yes... tea... ."

[Armony]

Sam seemed nervous in his response, and while Stormsong raised an eyebrow at him, she kept her thoughts to herself and offered him a seat on the sofa, next to her. She would, of course, have understood if he gave some excuse as to why he couldn't stay, even though she knew that he had nothing else to do. They hadn't known each other for very long, after all, and the musician even worried that she might be taking this a little too fast for him. Nevertheless, now that a decision had been made, it was too late to do anything but worry that the results would turn out for the better.

Tarragon, still wearing her smile, sat down in a chair closer to the fireplace and watched over the tea kettle, keeping her thoughts to herself, or, more likely, saving them for when she was alone with Storm.

[vladspellbinder]

Sam sits down with a nervous grim, swallowing some. He takes the offered tea cup and saucer in his own telekinesis, it shaking a little for a moment before he takes another deep breath and calms down. He calms down even more after a sip from the cup, careful not to burn himself on the war liquid. He sits up straight and true, some measure of the nobility forced upon him in his youth coming back. The old 'take tea' that he had so loathed.

It was plant leaves in boiled water, you pick it up and you drank it, not 'took it'. Bit, like so many other things his family did it was an 'old tradition' and it 'reflected poorly' on his mother and father if he at least didn't make some effort to be 'proper' about it. Even now, so far removed from that part of his life and their ways a bit of him still sought their approval... .

The silence was getting to be a little too awkward so he spoke up about the first thing that came to mind, after another sip of tea of course. "So, ah, miss Tarragon, Stormsong told me that her sister would be taking over the family restaurant. Will you still be helping out?"

[Armony]

Stormsong grabbed her own tea cup with telekinesis, rejecting the saucer offered to her by her mother, and took a sip of the hot liquid within. Any nerves she felt over feeling that maybe things were moving too fast for Sam were soothed away by the flavor of the leaves that had been boiled in the kettle, an intentional combination the musician used often. She noticed that Sam, on the other hoof, seemed to be doing the opposite of relaxing, and his noble upbringing was painfully apparent in his posture.

She was about to mention this to him in a whisper, but he chose that exact moment to draw attention to himself by asking a question, and the first thing Tarragon saw when she turned was Stormsong leaning toward him. The older mare quickly turned her head back to the tea kettle and responded "Yes, I still plan to help out, just as I have done for Stormsong. There's so many lessons I've learned through running this business, and I'll need to pass those on if we want to continue our growth."