At the Canterlot Gardens (SirShadowdeath and Winter)

[SirShadowdeath]

Inkblot was excited to attend this "date". He had submitted his application to Miss Matchie with high hopes, and now he couldn't wait to meet his match. It was very out of character for the pegasus to be excited, especially about something so...emotional..like "love" and such, but the nonetheless, he was very eager to meet the hippogryph named Storm Feather. Still in the upstairs loft of his small shop, the black pegasus called to his raven, Corvus.

"Now, friend. I have somewhere quite important to be tonight. Pleasr, stay back and watch the store for me, okay?" he said with a smile.

The raven reluctantly nodded. Ink trotted to the other side of the room nervously, examining himself in the mirror. He had dawned a minimalistic black suit and red bowtie for the occasion. He then flew himself downstairs, and headed toward the gardens. Corvus, without Ink's knowledge, tagged along in the skies above.

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Finally, Ink arrived at the northern gardens. He was a bit shaken, but still very excited to meet his date.

"I hope I'm not late...," he whispered to himself.

He then took a step back, and took a breath. He listened to the peaceful sound of animals chirping an humming in the distance, and began to calm down. He assured himself everything would be okay.

With this in mind, he looked into the distance, eager to meet his date.

[Winter]

Storm Feather was in a rush to clean and lock up the shop for her... "special vacation." Of course "The Iron Wing" had to be locked up tight so no one would take any of the valuables in there, especially some of the larger or more intricate metal works in the back. After cleaning up the shop, and accumulating a fair amount of dust, she couldn't help but sneeze. Gosh, I hope I'm not going to make a fool of myself at this date. I wonder what he will look like... I wonder if he will like me... Will he accept a hippogriff? The last pegasus I met was pretty nice, I guess... OH GOSH, WHAT DO I WEAR?! Storm Feather's mind reeled at the bombardment of questions caused by her worry about the date. After a few minutes of freaking out, she realized she could only do the best she can do, and steadied herself. She would have fun. She demanded it of herself, if not for her, then for Inkblot, the mysterious pegasus she was to meet up with. She took off to the gardens.

On the way, she remembered she was coated in dust. Well this won't exactly look nice... Maybe if I dive into that water over there? I am sure they won't mind. After a quick soak in the water, she leaped back into the air and flew quickly to make up for lost time and to air dry as fast as possible. After some time, she finally reached the gardens. "Fewf, made it," she said aloud, letting out a relieved sigh. Off in the distance she saw a pegasus sitting calmly, listening to the birds and other animals. Well, he seems alright... Not quite as big as Dunder though... She laughed at the thought. No, no normal pegasus would be as big as Dunder. She trotted up to the pegasus slowly, hoping not to startle him from his meditation. "Hey there..." she inquired of him quietly. "Are you.. uhm... here for anything, uh... 'special?'"

[SirShadowdeath]

Inkblot was a bit surprised by the sudden voice of the hippogriff. Was this her? He shook off his thoughts, and immediately responded to her.

"I'm here for a...err...date....Are you Storm Feather?"

He was obviously nervous. He had honestly only been one previous date before...Well...if you count playing with foals in a sandbox when he was a colt. He took a deep breath again, trying to shake off his slight shivers.

"I'm...uh...Inkblot."

[Winter]

(OOC: Grrrr, in the middle of replacing my modem >.< The old one just HAD to stop working on my today)

"I am... and if you are Inkblot.. we are... uhm, supposed to be doing... something? Out here?" Storm had always been socially awkward, since she was a hippogriff, something very rare and usually surprising to ponies. She looked to Inkblot, hoping that this pony would be able to take lead here and make this a fun night. "Errrr, nice to meet you, Inkblot, I mean... So what did you, uhm, have in mind for today? The weather here is... nice... right?" The words came tumbling out, worry being obvious on her face.

[SirShadowdeath]

Ink listened to the hippogriff closely. She appeared to be nervous, like him.

"I was hoping for a nice walk in the garden...and I figured we could...err...talk and such...," he said, still a bit shaken. "And yes...the weather is quite nice today, Storm..."

After saying this, he could have sworn he saw a black raven in the sky on the distance, but he figured it was his nervous imagination acting up.

"So, Miss Storm...would you care for a nice walk in the garden...with me?" he asked her with a mixed feeling of eagerness and nervousness.

[Winter]

"Err, of course, Inkblot. It would be... uhm, fun to go in the gardens... They are so pretty out here..." Strom looked him in the eye, trying to figure out if he was as nervous as she was. Well of course he is nervous, it isn't like he goes on a date every day... She looked up into the sky, pondering what could happen next. Would they really have fun this day? Pffft, of course we will have fun... I mean, these are THE gardens. The GREAT gardens. How bad could it be? "I've, uhm, never been in the gardens before... I live off in Cloudsdale... Have you been here before?"

[SirShadowdeath]

"Oh yes...I live here in Canterlot actually. These gardens are very nice...there's a nice mix of animals and plants, and...I find the gardens themselves to be very poetic..." Ink said, trying to regain his unshaken voice. He was recovering, but was still a tad nervous.

"I would...um...suggest that we take an unguided tour...the guided ones are never any fun..."

After saying this, he stepped toward the gare. Smiling a bit akwardly, he looked back to Storm.

"So...tell me about yourself, Miss Storm...I'm quite interested..."

[Winter]

"Poetic? Are you a writer, then? .... I guess that was kind of a dumb question..." Storm looked down at the ground in shame. "I am alright with the, uh, unguided tour..." She looked back up at him with a mischievous look, clearly gaining confidence. "As long as you know your way around and don't get lost, of course!" She let out a small laugh at her own joke.

"So...tell me about yourself, Miss Storm...I'm quite interested..."

"I come from Rockwington, but, uhm, moved to the Soggalong Swamps before coming over to... Cloudsdale... I don't really do many interesting things, sorry... I, uh, run a small... shop up in Cloudsdale, 'The Iron Wing.' I worked in Cloudsdale for a really long time to afford that place... I sell crafts I make... tools, wagons, uh... tables, metal work, some protective gear, and, well, stuff like that... Nothing too important. What do you do, if you don't mind me... uhm... asking?"

[SirShadowdeath]

"A crafter? You must be quite skilled...And Yes, I am an author and poet," Inkblot responded, finally able to get a grasp on his nervousness.

"I own a small book store called "The Raven's Quill" here in Canterlot. I've lived here all my life, but I've...changed areas over time," he continued with a smile.

"Anyway...I'm really happy you could be here tonight, Miss Storm..." The pegasus said as he walked over to a display of roses and daisies.

[Winter]

Storm moved with him to the display and stared into its colorful depths, contemplating them for a moment before quickly looking back to Inkblot. "A great crafter, hah... The last pony to come to the shop asked for a buckler, and I thought he meant a belt." She let out a mock disgusted look. "Anyways... back to you now... I have to read one of your books sometime. You must be an amazing author... What kind of books do you write, Inkblot?"

[SirShadowdeath]

"Well that dosen't mean you're a bad crafter! It simply means you're bad at taking orders. I am too...and I don't think it's something good to be skilled at anyway..." he said, getting slightly off topic. "Oh! About my books! Thank you for the compliment, Miss Storm...I try my hardest at writing...I like to write fiction a lot...but I also write poems as well. Usually...I write about nature, adventure, and mystery..."

After saying this, he turned to the roses. After observing them for a short bit, he turned back to Storm.

"The roses are quite beautiful...aren't they?"

[Winter]

Storm Feather had been staring deeply into the roses again, oblivious to the world. At Inkblots voice, she jumped a little and turned quickly to him, blushing. "Yes, of course, uhm, they... are... Back in the swamps, we didn't get to see things like this... They are just... so... lovely... aren't they...." She began to lose focus again, staring at the beautiful flora, thinking back to her family she had left behind. "I wonder how they are doing..." She said quietly, unaware that she was thinking aloud.

[SirShadowdeath]

Inkblot could "sense" the emotion being emitted from the hippogriff beside him. Her sudden whisper caught him off guard.

"How who's doing, Miss Storm?"

When he asked this, he felt a bit akward. He didn't want to intrude on any personal affairs or such...

[Winter]

"Hmm?" the dark colored hippogriff asked, surprised. "I didn't say anything... I was just, uhm, saying... how lovely... the... uh... gardeners are doing with these flowers! They really are wonderful, aren't they?" She let out a nervous laugh, then paused for a second, thinking. "So what is your favorite part of nature, Inkblot? Which holds the most special place in your heart?"

[SirShadowdeath]

"Of..Course," Inkblot said, fairly suspicious. "I hold animals very close to my heart...especially Ravens...They helped me in the past...and I've paid them back the favor multiple times...I even have a pet Raven..."

Ink turned away from the roses and back to Storm.

"Miss Storm...is everything okay...? The whole time you've appeared to be in some kind of trance...Is it me? Or is it the Gardens or something of the sort?"

[Winter]

Storm listened attentively to his explanation of loving ravens and found herself wondering how this suddenly mysterious pegasus had helped and been helped by them.

"Miss Storm...is everything okay...? The whole time you've appeared to be in some kind of trance...Is it me? Or is it the Gardens or something of the sort?"

The hippogriff looked at him, surprised and a little fearful. "No! I mean yes! I mean..." She looked around quickly, trying to find some excuse, before dropping her head in acceptance. "I am sorry. Everything is fine, I am just being... silly... You didn't do anything wrong, and nothing is wrong with the Gardens, honest... I am sorry..." She looked up at the pegasus, trying to redeem herself. "Why don't you tell me some of your raven stories... that would be... fun."

[SirShadowdeath]

"Oh...okay, Miss Storm..." Ink replied, still suspicious. "When I was just a mere colt, I...wondered away from my parents...I realized that I had become lost in the woods...and I began to cry...I was all alone...I hated being so alone...Not because I didn't like the peace or quiet...but because I felt like no one wanted me with them...I wondered around the woods...lost and lonely...when suddenly I saw a black flash in the corner of my eyes...I followed the majestic black bird out of the woods...and on the way out I watched his...family fly with him...they were so beautiful...Later in life, I returned to those woods...and I found a baby raven on the ground...lost and lonely...like I once was. His wing appeared to be broken...I brought him home...and nursed him back to health with the knowledge of some books I read...I still have that raven...His name is Corvus..."

Ink suddenly stopped.

"Do you have any interesting stories yourself? You seem like an interesting pony...I would love to learn more about you...only if you want me to if course..."

[Winter]

"That is amazing..." she said as she stared at him, new-found respect for the pegasus in her eyes. "Maybe I could meet this Raven someday? If that isn't too much of a bother for you... of course..."

"Do you have any interesting stories yourself? You seem like an interesting pony...I would love to learn more about you...only if you want me to if course..."

"Honestly, I am not very interesting. The best story I can think of was back in Cloudsdale, when the rudest customer walked up to me... He was huge, for a pegasus. Like, absolutely huge. He walked in, went right up to me, and said, 'Hey, you got anything in the style of a wagon?' Of course I did, so I responded, 'Sure thing, sir, just a second.' I then went to go get it. He watched me as I struggled with moving the huge thing, which I guess is normal, since I am... the... uh, store owner, after all. But anyways, after I finally got it over to where he was, he was just gone! So there I was, having just taken all the time to take off all the restraints keeping it from being stolen, and then hauling all the way over to where he was, and having him just ditch me! I decided it was too late at night and I was too tired to put it back, but I did anyways. I dragged myself to bed that night, honestly. I was woken up an hour later by him loudly pounding on the door! The nerve of some ponies! I opened up and asked what he was doing, and he said he wanted the wagon right then and there! I asked why he didn't wait before, and he said it was because he got bored waiting for me... Ugh... I wound up getting the wagon down again and offering it for 75 bits, and the rude stallion said he wanted it for free because I had been so inhospitable... It was just awful. After a lot of debate, I wound up just giving it to him, since I didn't want to start something, but still... Worst experience ever." She sighed in disgust, then let out a genuine laugh, recalling how ridiculous the whole thing had been. "Honestly, if I never see him again it will be too soon."

[SirShadowdeath]

"I'm sorry to hear that...Yes, some ponies really can be rude...Even I'll admit that," Ink declared with a slight chuckle. "As for Corvus, I don't know when you'll be able to meet him...I don't believe he's followed me here today..."

After saying this, the black pegasus looked around a bit, trying to confirm his notion. He saw a black speck in the distance, but figure it was a garden animal.

"No...I don't believe he did. He does tend to follow me around quite a lot though...so I'm a bit surprised..."

He took a breath before continuing.

"Oh...I almost forgot! There's something here that's very mystifing...it's the center fountains...it's very nice...would you care to see it, Miss Storm?"

[Winter]

Storm looked disappointed after hearing Corvus wouldn't be there. "Oh well, maybe some other time..."

"Oh...I almost forgot! There's something here that's very mystifing...it's the center fountains...it's very nice...would you care to see it, Miss Storm?"

"Oh, really? Something 'mystifying?'" The center fountains... I wonder what those are like... "That would be great, Inkblot. I would love to check it out with you!"

[SirShadowdeath]

Inkblot smiled.

"Follow me, Miss Storm."

With this, he floated off the ground and geatured in the direction of the fountain.

After leading her there, he pointed to the majesty of the fountains. The large fountain was more of a lake. It spanned all across the center of tbe gardens, serving as a center circle. A majestic white statue of a pony with angelic wings holding a pot spewed the water into the circular pool, which was lined with islands with smaller marble statues on them. All around the fountain were lines and lines of multi-colored flowers and plants. The water from the fountain reflected the shine of the evening sun gracefully. Inkblot stared in awe at it's beauty.

"So...what do you think, Miss Storm?"

[Winter]

Storm gasped as the image of the center fountain hit her. The reflections, the colors, the scenery, the statue, it was all so awe inspiring. She sat there, silent a moment, soaking it all in, and barely managing to hear Inkblot's question. She waited a moment more before turning to him, "It is the most beautiful thing... I have ever... seen..." She said with wide eyes and an open mouth. "It is just... amazing... Inkblot, this is the most beautiful thing I have seen in my life."

[SirShadowdeath]

"It is for me as well, Miss Storm."

Inkblot stared into the shining reflection of the water for awhile, and stayed very silent for quite awhile. He contemplated on himself, and thought deeply of the gardens and his date. He suddenly turned around and backed away from the fountains, but cut himself short and turned back to Storm Feather.

"Miss Storm, I think you're beautiful," he suddenly blurted out. He then blushed a bit, embarrassed for his outburst. You're an idiot, Inkblot, he thought to himself.

[Winter]

Storm shot up in surprise from her spot at the edge of the fountain, staring at Inkblot questioningly, trying to figure out how to respond. After a bit of hesitation, she said slowly, blushing, "Thanks... Inkblot... That is very, uhm, nice to say..." She was hiding obvious embarrassment, and looked back down to the ground, wondering what to say next. "I think you are.. very... dashing, Inkblot." Awkward... she thought. Now what do I do? "I am, uhm, really, uh... enjoying your... company... tonight." She smiled nervously, wondering how the stallion would react.

[SirShadowdeath]

Inkblot started to back away, unable to hide his embarrassment. He was shaking once again, now worse than before.

"I'm so sorry, Miss Storm...I-I...D-Didn't mean to blurt...t-that...out..."

He was obviously blushing a bright red.

"I...uh...um...I'm enjoying...y-your company too..."

He stopped to catch his breath, and found himself unable to think straight.

"S-should I go? I-I'm so sorry...I-I'm not used to s-stuff like t-this...," he said, stuttering.