[Seasaddle Bay] Where the Ocean Meets the Shore [Open]

[PonyHooves]

"Oh I'm fine... The sound of the glasses cracking beneath my hoof startled me." Whisperpaw whispered in his usual shy tone. "Let me help you finish... It's the least I can do since my stepping on the sun glasses caused more mess." The tawny owl flew off his back. It began to collect wrapers and paper off the sandy floor. "Epistola wants to help too!" Whisperpaw added. "He's my owl friend." Whisperpaw picked up the sun glasses using the tiny amount of magic he had in his horn. He smiled a gentle smile as he did so. He really wanted to help after he had caused so much worry between two peaceful ponies. Whisperpaw felt that he should help as the litter on the beach could harm the wildlife that call the beach home. He didn't want any animals getting hurt because of the litter. As an animal conservationist he wanted to make sure all of the wild animals had the best chance possible of surviving. A polluted beach would make it harder for wild animals to survive. He didn't want that at all. Whisperpaw may have taken some time off to relax, but he couldn't stand the thought of a wild animal choking on some litter.

[Baroquen]

The stallion chuckled at being called 'sir.' "You can just call me Hookline. Sir sounds too...fancy." She did accept his help though (well, kind of), so the fisherpony nodded in reply. It really was a shame that people were so messy at the beach. The act of simply throwing away your own trash was an easy task, but apparently not for someponies. Hookline sighed as he looked around the shore, thinking that maybe someponies felt too busy to deal with such mundane tasks like cleaning after themselves. "If only more ponies were patient enough to take time and clean up." It didn't annoy him, so much as make him feel disappointed. Didn't people have more respect for the beach than this?

At least this unicorn felt obligated to help, though. Hookline gave a slight smile, surprised that an owl would help clean as well. It was an interesting animal, not because of its species but because of its personality. It wasn't often that you saw an owl following around a pony, after all. "The name's Hookline, by the way." The fisherpony added, glancing at the stallion before beginning to pick up some of the trash lying about.

[CrimsonNova]

"If only more ponies were patient enough to take time and clean up."

Seaspray nodded, thinking about this. She couldn't agree more, but she kept quiet and kept working. This is nice, she thought. She had never had company as she cleaned. Realizing she hadn't introduced herself to the unicorn stallion, she turned to him and mumbled. "My name is S-Seaspray." She looked him up and down discreetly. He seemed shy, like her, and he seemed to care about animals, too.

"I'm so sorry for the shore being such a mess ... I just ... The gull I was n-nursing back to health left today. I h-hate it when they have to leave. I'll do my best to clean it up as fast as possible!" Seaspray quietened and sighed. Using her magic to clean up small pieces of litter, she noted how much a difference two more ponies made when she was cleaning up the sand.

"W-wow, we've done quite a bit in the last couple of minutes," she said, astounded. Usually it took her almost half a day to clean the sand. Usually she was shunned by other ponies for her choice in job, but these two didn't seem to mind that at all.

[PonyHooves]

"My name is Whisperpaw... I came here to take a break away from home." He whispered in a gentle tone. When their work was done, Epistola perched his self on the tip of Whisperpaw's horn. "I'm an animal conservationist... I found Epistola when he was only a hatchling. He was starved and hurt. I've tried to release the little guy now he's all grown up. But he keeps coming back to me." Whisperpaw paused for a moment as he felt Epistola playing around with his spiked mane. He smiled softly and chuckled before whispering. "So I'm letting him decide when he's ready to leave me." Whisperpaw liked Seaspray. She helped out sick and injured animals too. The stallion respected those who treated animals with an equal amount of respect as they would with other pony folk.

[Baroquen]

(OOC: I'm so happy finals are finally over. xD)

Cleaning the shore didn't take very long with both Hookline and Whisperpaw assisting the mare, and it was definitely a gratifying job. Now that all the trash was gone, Hookline knew that others would be able to enjoy the beach more, and (more importantly) the marine life wouldn't be harmed by litter that drifted into the sea. Seaspray and Whisperpaw both cared a lot for animals, which Hookline could relate with and respected. Heck, his whole life revolved around animals, or more specifically, marine animals. "Animal conservationist? Meanin' you help animals, right?" In context, the title made sense, but he wanted to make sure he wasn't misinterpreting the occupation somehow. "That's a respectable job. I own an aquarium down by the Hoofington docks, so I always got to make sure the fish are happy campers. There's no tanks either, just a glass wall and the sea." Hookline enjoyed describing his beloved lifestyle, grinning the whole time he spoke. He knew most people didn't understand his fascination with the ocean and the life within it, but the fisherpony felt as though these two might.

[CrimsonNova]

It really was amazing how quickly they got the shore cleaned. A little more confident now, Seaspray raised her head and addressed Hookline. "An aquarium? Oh, oh wow! That must be amazing! Marine life is so beautiful, and to see it all in it's natural habitat! Wow! You are very lucky!" Seaspray was admittedly jealous, but not in a bad way. She loved fish, and she could see that Hookline, and perhaps Whisperpaw did too! She knew both obviously cared for animals. She was happy that Hookline got to experience the wonders of the ocean, and she hoped a lot of other ponies would too, someday! "Do you get a lot of ponies there?"

She flipped her plaited mane, and sat down on her rump, exhausted. She slid her saddlebags off and smiled at the two stallions. "Thank you both for helping me! It was nice working with somepony for a change."

[PonyHooves]

Whisperpaw looked at Hookline and replied. "Yep... I help animals, conduct all kinds of censuses and treat the sick animals. I release every one I help. Usually they're glad to go back... But there can be exceptions." He then heard the stallion talk about an aquarium that he owns. Whisperpaw rarely got to see any marine or sea life. It had sparked a sense of curiosity in his gentle beating heart. "An aqaurium... Sounds wonderful! You must love working with water life." He added. Whisperpaw loved animals. It didn't matter if they lived in the water, the sky or on the ground. They were all living things and creatures that shared the planet they trotted on. He was happy to be with other animal loving pony folk.

Whisperpaw heard a thank you from Seaspray. "Your very welcome... A clean beach is a happy beach for both ponies and wild animals. I was only glad to help." He spoke in a whisper of kindness.

[Snowshoe]

Wind Rider had the day off, thank Celestia. He had a fun time on his job, but flying around all the time, gazing down at the ground, sometimes got a bit boring. Time to relax was nice. He lazily flew around, barely beating his wings as he exploited the thermals and ridge lifts along the coast of the bay to keep him airborne, gliding like a bird would. Wind loved to fly, it felt liberating. He couldn't imagine being a unicorn or earth pony, stuck on the ground all the time. Today was especially liberating...his vest and hat were back home, leaving Wind Rider's brown coat bare, his seafoam green mane and tail to blow in the wind, and his cutie mark was fully visible. He smiled, letting out a happy sigh that was lost to the wind around him.

He looked down, spotting a few ponies along the beach. Curious, he banked down toward the water, coming around in a lazy circle before lightly landing on the sand near the other ponies. "Good morning!" he called out, his voice deep but a little on the quiet end. Still, if Wind Rider wanted to, he could shout loud enough to be heard clearly from high up in the air.

"How is everypony?" he asked. Of the assembled ponies, he recognized none except Hookline, but he recognized him by sight alone from Wind's occasional patrols along the coast of Hoofington, where the fisherpony worked.

"Beautiful day, isn't it?"

[Baroquen]

The comments from both Seaspray and Whisperpaw made Hookline feel overjoyed. Not only did they both sound interested, but they even sounded like potential visitors! "I do consider myself lucky. Doing what I love everyday doesn't seem like a job, honestly." Thinking about his duties, his occupation wasn't all that difficult. Taking care of the fish was easy to him, it was the business-side that threw him for a loop. "I get a fair amount, but I'm always looking for more ways to bring in people. I'm no business pony." He admitted with an embarrassed chuckle. "Maybe the two of you would like to visit sometime...? Uh, free of charge of course! As guests of mine." Inviting people and then forcing them to pay a fee wouldn't sit well with Hookline, which is why he made sure to add that last part. Part of the reason he was such a bad business pony was because he cared more about sharing the wonders of the ocean with everypony than about the money he could make off it. He always made enough bits, but he could probably be making more as well. As long as others enjoyed themselves though, he was more than content.

Whisperpaw answered his question also, essentially telling Hookline what he guessed based on the context he used the job's title. It seemed similar to Hookline's job, although it was more all encompassing and didn't confine him to a single building. Despite his love of all water life, Hookline focused on taking care of mainly those living near his aquarium, since that's what customers would see. "Sounds like you enjoy your work too." He told the stallion with a grin, before being distracted by a familiar shadow. A pegasus pony drifted down to them, simply giving a nice greeting. The familiarity was bothering him somewhat, and he was beginning to feel bad for it. "I'm sorry, but have we met? I'm terrible with faces." That was a bit of a white lie, because Hookline was actually quite good at remembering ponies. There was just something that Hookline was missing, and he couldn't put his hoof on it.

[Snowshoe]

Wind Rider smiled at Hookline, and shook his head. No, technically, they hadn't met. "No, not personally anyways." he said, extending a hoof to the fisherpony. "I'm Wind Rider, the local forest ranger. My patrols often take me along the coast, and I'm pretty sure I recognize you, having seen you at work. You're a fisherpony, right?" he asked casually, waiting for the reply. He didn't know everybody but he was good with faces for the most part. Wind Rider could recognize most people he'd met, if at least by their appearance and not by their name. That he was a little bad with, but maybe it came from him being a bit aloof at times.

[Welp, shorter than I would have liked. Ah well.]

[CrimsonNova]

Seaspray was happy with the days work. She stood at the edge of the two, listening to their chit-chat. She wasn't a pony of many words, but seeing these two ponies chatting so animatedly about their love of wildlife ... Oh it just made her so happy!"Maybe the two of you would like to visit sometime...? Uh, free of charge of course! As guests of mine." Seaspray tilted her head. Had she heard that correctly .. Was he..? "Oh, oh yes! I would absolutely love that! Um, I m-mean, if that's alright."

A shadow overhead caused her to jump and cower behind Hookline. She looked up to the sky to see a pegasus pony making his way towards them. She moved back properly behind Hookline, not wanting to draw attention to herself. Pegasi always intimidated her, she didn't know why, they always seemed to be so full of energy and so hyperactive! Of course, with a few exceptions. She had met a few calm, 'down to earth' pegasi before, but she wasn't so sure about this one; although as he made his greetings, he seemed pleasant enough. Stepping out slowly from behind Hookline, the unicorn mare stepped forward shakily, making her presence known.

[Baroquen]

So Hookline's suspicion was somewhat correct after all! He was worried that he'd made a fool of himself there. "Forest ranger, sounds excitin'. And yep, you got it." The last part of his statement was referring to Wind Rider's question about his occupation, which made Hookline stand a bit taller out of pride. "I actually own an aquarium down by the docks, but fishin' is a hobby. I try to teach it to the little ones when they're interested." He informed the pegasus, just to clarify that being a fisherpony wasn't necessarily his job. It was then that Hookline noticed Seaspray wasn't next to him anymore, but was hiding behind him. She was beginning to feel more comfortable, apparently, since she was slowly coming forward. If not for this, Hookline probably would have said something, but he didn't think pointing out her timidness aloud would help her confidence, so he stayed quiet about that. Her acceptance of his invitation, however, was met with a wide grin.

"Oh, that's great! I'm sure the fish will love seein' a new face!" His enthusiasm was obvious in his voice, which replaced his usual neutral tone. Nothing excited him more than to show others the wonders of the sea, even if they already appreciated it. Speaking of which, Hookline hadn't invited Wind Rider! "Durin' a day-off, you can come down to the aquarium as my guest too, if you'd like." Hookline was unsure how interested the pegasus would be, but he figured that he may as well ask just in case!

[PonyHooves]

Whisperpaw was becoming nervous in the presence of a winged pony. He shuffled back and forth nervously and didn't make any eye contact with the others. Epistola, the owl that rested upon his body sensed the change in him and hooted loudly in order to get the others to back away from the shy unicorn. Whisperpaw knew it was silly to have an owl speak up for him when the world got to frightening for him. But the stallion didn't have that kind of courage. His courage was the kind that meant he had no fear of animals. But that didn't mean that he wouldn't be afraid of meeting new ponies. His terrible nerves were the story of his life. The unicorn was an outcast because he was too shy to speak. But he was getting better around other pony folk. Though sometimes, if he was spooked, he wouldn't have the courage to speak. Whisperpaw continued to listen to the alarming hoots Epistola fired out at the others. He felt as though he had no choice other than to let the animals deal with his problem for him. He couldn't do it by his self.

[CrimsonNova]

Seaspray, still wary of the pegasus, couldn't help but laugh at Hookline. He seemed so excited, and so proud of his profession. She liked that in a pony. His confidence was putting her at ease, but she couldn't help notice Whisperpaw becoming more withdrawn as the conversation developed. The owl that sat perched on his head was hooting, and Seaspray could tell that the unicorn stallion was nervous, just as she was.

She slowly took a step forward, ignoring the owl that screeched at her. She moved further forward, even though the owl was beginning to scare her now. She reached the stallion, and touched her horn against his neck. She smiled warmly and nosed his cheek in a friendly way, trying to get him to calm down. Once she was sure she had done all she could, she turned to the other two.

"W-would you maybe l-like to go get some food, or something like that? O-on me, as thanks for helping me clean!"

[Snowshoe]

Wind Rider smiled. Yes, being a forest ranger was exciting, and it was part of why he did it. He liked the ability to just relax and glide about, and yet knew that he could be needed at any time to be a hero, and save somepony that was in trouble. That was why he did it, he wanted to make sure everypony who went out came back safely.

"An aquarium? I had no idea. I need to get my head out of the clouds at some point and come see it." he said with a smile.

The alarmed hooting of the owl nearby caught his attention, and he realized that there were too very timid ponies nearby. "Is your feathered friend okay?" he asked. He had been in and around the forests enough to recognize the sounds of an animal in distress.

[PonyHooves]

Whisperpaw felt slightly calmer when Seaspray nosed his cheek. But he was still highly nervous. When Wind Rider spoke, it sent him back into panic and fear. He let out a tiny squeak. Epistola noticed his nerves were getting worse and began brushing his wing against Whisperpaw's spiked mane to try to calm him. Epistola Hooted loudly as if to warn away the others so Whisperpaw could be alone to calm down. The stallion always had bad nerves. The animals tended to sense it. Well, all of the animals he helped out sensed his nerves. They always tried to help him like he would to them. Epistola gently rubbed his head against Whisperpaw's horn as another way to calm him. Whisperpaw was shy, but he felt lucky to have an owl who understood him so well.

[Baroquen]

Whisperpaw was not doing too well ever since the pegasus arrived, although Seaspray tried to calm him down a bit. It didn't seem to help much unfortunately, and his owl continued to try and comfort him. Hookline was a bit confused as to what was going on, given how nice Wind Rider had been thus far. There was nothing intimidating about him in the slightest, in his opinion. Whisperpaw needed time apparently, demonstrated by Espitola hooting at them even more. "Uh, well I could definitely go for some food. I'm starved." He claimed with a sheepish smile as his stomach made a noise. Come to think of it, he had completely forgotten to eat breakfast since he wanted to get such an early start on his day. Food might help calm everyone's nerves as well, which still puzzled Hookline. There was no point in awkwardly asking about it now, however, so he simply kept it to himself.

[CrimsonNova]

Seaspray began to trot away from the shore slowly, giving the others time to follow her. She struggled with her full saddlebags for a little while, before dumping them on the porch of her house, which literally sat right on the edge of the sand. She loved where she lived. At night when things were quiet, she could hear the waves, and she liked to imagine the sound was all of the seacreatures breathing as they rested for the night. She was also right in her favourite place, and anything she ever needed was simply a few hoofsteps away. She grinned at the others shyly. "What would you all like to eat? There's a bakery, a small café and a restaurant within walking .. " She glanced at the pegasus, hoping she didn't offend him. "Er, or flying distance. There's some other places further out.. What do you think?"

Seaspray picked at the ground with her hoof, nervously awaiting their reply. She glanced up through her seafoam coloured mane, to survey the others. Suddenly a thought struck her and she almost gasped aloud. She had friends. She had made, not just one, but almost 3 friends, all by herself. She fought back tears of joy and beamed at all three ponies.

[Snowshoe]

Wind Rider was just as confused. He didn't think he was being intimidating in any way, and he truly hoped he wasn't coming across as such. Whisperpaw just seemed to be incredibly shy. Still a bit confused, Wind Rider looked over at Seaspray when she made her suggestion. He was kinda hungry, which he had just noticed. Nodding, Wind Rider smiled. "Getting some food sounds great." he said. He followed along, trotting happily through the streets of the town he knew so well. Somepony that recognized him called out, and he waved to them with a smile. Instead of flying, some some pegasus did when they moved, Wind Rider was perfectly content with just walking along.

When she corrected herself and said "flying distance", Wind laughed softly. "Oh, don't worry. I'm good with walking to." he said. "I'll be fine with a little cafe, I'm not incredibly hungry. What about you two?" he asked, looking at the other ponies. When he looked back, Seaspray seemed to have changed a bit. Instead of appearing a bit shy, she was beaming happily.

"What? Is the cafe really that good of a choice?" he teased in a good-natured way. He hadn't seen Seaspray around nor met her before, so he didn't know that she had a bit of trouble making friends.

[PonyHooves]

Whisperpaw saw the others starting to walk. He decided that he'd catch up to them a little bit later. He just needed to calm his self down. Whisperpaw rested his rump down on the warm sand and sighed. Epistola flew off his horn and landed beside the black unicorn. "Thanks Epistola... I made a fool of myself. I'm glad you warned them away. They must think awful of me." He whispered his conversation to the tawney owl that he had befriended long ago. Epistola hooted back as though he was replying to the conversation. "I know... I know... I shouldn't be embarrassed that when I try meeting others I sometimes get scared. But I was doing so well... What went wrong?" He whispered again. Epistola hooted a few more times. "Too many ponies at once... I see what your saying... But I thought I was making friends until... Well, that little moment." Whisperpaw continued. "But, I still have a chance... Epistola, don't let me chicken out. Make me talk, even if that involves pecking at my head. I'm no quitter!" Epistola nodded and flew up onto Whisperpaw's back. Whisperpaw galloped off towards the others in order to keep up with them.

[Baroquen]

Following Seaspray and Wind Rider, Hookline made sure to keep up while looking back from time to time. Maybe Whisperpaw really did need just a little alone time, but he wanted to make sure the poor pony wasn't left in the dust as they continued on. A question caught his attention, however, causing him to look back over at Seaspray. "I'm not picky, but a cafe does sound kinda nice." He told them with a shrug, not preferring any option over another. If Wind Rider wanted to go to the cafe, that'd be perfectly fine with him. The mare's demeanor seemed to suddenly change, which confused Hookline slightly. Unlike Whisperpaw though, this was a good change since she was beaming.

How do they change so quickly? Whisperpaw from fine to scared stiff (literally), then Seaspray from shy to extremely happy. Maybe she liked cafes a lot? Apparently Hookline had more to learn when it came to social interactions. The thought made him chuckle quietly and Seaspray's smile was becoming contagious, but then a galloping sound from behind interrupted. "Oh, Whisperpaw, is a cafe alright? It's probably got a nice atmosphere." He added the last part as a way to entice him, just in case the unicorn was still feeling a bit shaken up.

[PonyHooves]

He caught up and slowed his pace when Wind Rider spoke to him. He was having trouble finding his voice. Epistola sensed that he may chicken out and began to peck furiously at Whisperpaw's head. "Ouch, hey, stop it! Alright, I'm not going to chicken out!" He whispered to Epistola. Epistola stopped and rested on his back once again. Whisperpaw sighed before saying. "Well, umm, uhh... Anywhere is nice and it's a change from Solstice Heights..." That felt like one of the hardest things Whisperpaw ever had to do. With him being such a timid stallion, finding the right words to say seemed like such a difficult task.

[CrimsonNova]

(Eep. Sorry - I've had tons of holiday homework.. )

Seaspray smiled gently at Whisperpaw as she lead the way to the small café. It was an old building, who's name had long but since been forgotten. (Everypony just referred to it as 'that café around the corner'.) The group had no trouble finding a table.

Seaspray took up a menu in her hooves, and smiled, encouraging the others to do the same. She stuck her nose in the menu, pondering what choice to make. She had always loved this café, and she had made it her business to sample everything on the menu.

She finally decided on blueberry pancakes, however, and she looked up at the others questioningly. "W-what are you all going to have?"

She set her menu down and waited for their decisions. She was still feeling positively ecstatic, and she had a hard time resisting jumping around in her seat.

[Snowshoe]

Wind Rider followed along with the group. He recognized the cafe, of course, having come here multiple times. He smiled happily, quite enjoying himself, as they entered the cafe and he sat down across from Seaspray. He opened the menu, looking through it and shrugging. "I don't know. It's all good." he said with a laugh, smiling a little. It all truly was good. He decided eventually on hay fries with gravy and some grated cheese on top. An acquired taste, but he enjoyed it.

He glanced at Whisperpaw, but decided not to say anything, simply smiling cheerfully. He knew it would likely be best to not force him into social situations and instead let him come into it on his own terms.

[PonyHooves]

Whisperpaw browsed through the menu. Everything looked so delicious. There was only one way to decide. But whisperpaw decided to perform this foalish ritual in his head while tapping the menu with his hoof. 'Ip, dip, Daring Do, Which one will be you... Does it have teeth bite? Does it come out at night? It doesn't matter which seems right... This is the way I'll decide!' He had made his choice. Whisperpaw's hoof had landed on a cheese and hay omlette. He smiled softly. Whisperpaw knew his choice and no pony knew how he managed to decide. Only a mind reader would know of his mind's foalishness. Whisperpaw looked up from his menu and whispered. "Uhmm.. I've... I've decided... I'm... I'm going to have the cheese and hay omlette."