A Night on the Town [Sturmmann and SteelEagle]

[SteelEagle]

Caramel gave this matter great consideration. Indeed, their date had been open ended and Caramel had made arrangements in case they ran late, meaning that there was nothing to stop them directly from continuing the date past the dinner. It was an appealing proposition, seeing as he had stories to tell and was all together a reasonable fellow with which to spend time. As she gave it more thought, she came to the conclusion there was no real downside to the idea unless he managed to mess up the opportunity in the coming few minutes. It was an unlikely possibility.

"I have the time if you have the inclination to make the walk worth my while, Muggo'," Caramel said with a lilting laugh, eyebrows arched to suggest that he would require some sort of fun activity to occupy her. She was mostly kidding, seeing as a nice stroll in the night was by itself worthwhile more often than not. She smiled more honestly and leaned back.

"A walk sounds fine, Muggo'. Have any ideas on where you plan on whisking me away to?"

[Snowshoe]

Muggo' smiled at her. "I can probably think of somethin'." he said with a chuckle. "Not off the top of me head. There's a few interestin' places down in Old Town, an' there's always the Park there. Or I could show ya to the bar...more than just drinkin' there. If ya like, there's usually a musician or two preformin' in the hall in the basement, or pool an' darts. Pool the game." he added with a chuckle. "Sorry, I knew ya probably knew that, but the one time I didn't, had a stallion wander upstairs an' ask me where the pool was. Poor b'y." he shook his head, grinning. "Or we can just walk somewhere. Go where our hooves take us. But that may be a bit borin'." Muggo' Ale admitted, shrugging. "In any case, I think I still owe ya that story 'bout the manticore I mentioned earlier, yeah? Figure I'll leave that one for the walk, so it don't get too quiet." he said with a smile. That seemed like it'd be good enough...just chatting about things while going...wherever. He didn't want to bore her though, or find himself talking too much about, well, himself. All in all though, up to now things had seemed to be going well. Caramel seemed happy, he was happy with the way things were going, and who knows...after this, maybe they'd end up meeting again for another date, at which point Muggo' figured he'd be more prepared. Go see a show Downtown or something...or perhaps catch one of the harbour tours that happened on occasion.

[SteelEagle]

Caramel let the stallion talk rings around himself. He seemed to be one of those ponies that thought as he spoke, attempting to fashion reasonable solutions even as the words gaily trotted out out of his mouth. Such a personality lacked the necessary skills required for deception. To a certain degree, it could even be termed charming.

Even if she had the inclination to canter about the park in the dark of night, it would have been a poor choice for further activites. Few things to do when coupled with the rather stringent requirements of keeping safe in a park were dually noted for lowering the bar. Speaking of, the bar sounded like a good plan. She enjoyed herself some hard cider and the mix of music, drinks, games, and general entertainment fashioned it a respectful proposition. She didn't give any indication of her decision as he laid the options out, allowing him to get the flow of his mind laid bare. After he was finished, she smiled and returned the salvo.

"That bar sounds like a good idea. I could do with a pleasant drink and some entertainment, notwithstanding a stallion who doesn't even know what pool is. What hours does the bar hold? It sounds like you have a handle on it, so what sort of entertainment can I expect?" She said, her sly smile telling the tale clearly. Her eyes quickly locked onto different prey, however, as the deserts arrived with little warning and less fanfare. She nodded and the waiter walked away, leaving the two ponies and their delightful treats alone. Things were about to get biblical.

[Snowshoe]

["Things were about to get biblical" is probably one of the best lines I've read this week in RPing xD]

Muggo' smiled sheepishly when he realized he'd gone through that train of thought out loud. He did that often if he wasn't heavily concentrated on something serious. Not to say that he wasn't concentrated on thinking up a new location for their date, but it wasn't something that was life-or-death important, thus his thinking aloud.

"Well, in the b'y's defence, he was in a state." he said. When he realized that she probably wouldn't get the slang term that was just so embedded in his natural speaking, he chuckled. "Drunk." Muggo' corrected himself. "Anyways, to answer yer questions, the bar's open real late. We close 'bout one in the mornin'...not many folks are still up 'round that time." he said. "As for the entertainment, ya can expect some music...think we got a country b'y on, an' some swing band from Manehattan." he said, smiling back at her. "An' o' course ya got borin' ol' me, but I wouldn't call that entertainment." he joked, a smile on his face. When her eyes shifted to something else he looked over as the desserts were placed on the table.

"Goddesses, that looks good." he said with a smile. "So, how ya wanna do this? The combinin' bit?" he asked.

[SteelEagle]

(Sorry, thought I had already posted!)

She wasn't nearly so farm-ridden as to not know some slang, so the further clarification of what he meant was somewhat unnecessary. Still, it was nice to know that he would take the time to clarify himself if he thought himself momentarily obtuse. It was a sign of consideration, even if a more easily offended mare may have issue with the belief that slang was so limited as to be understood purely by the stallion. She had none of that and focused more intently on his blossoming plan for the two. One was a perfectly fine time to end the festivities, as the dock wasn't entirely too far from the farmland.

"That sounds quite delightful, Muggo'. Might I know these bands?" She asked as she took the pumpkin ver to her side and started cutting into it. Once it had been cut into eight equal parts, she then went about scooping out the innards. After that mission was accomplished she cut the cake into eight parts and then stuffed the chocolate into the open space left by the innards, then popped the innards back into place, covering the cake inside of each piece.

"Now now, tell me that doesn't look...horrifying," Caramel laughed as she looked at the mess in front of her. It still looked delicious, even if it looked like the scene of a crime. They needed to test it. She brought out a single bit.

"Horn or wing?" She asked, flashing both sides of the coin.

[Snowshoe]

[No worries ^^]

Muggo' shrugged. "Ya might, but to be entirely honest I forgot 'em meself." he said with a laugh. "The country b'y's name slips me mind totally, the swing band...Caravan somethin' or other. As she took his portion of the dessert to start on their one single epic dessert, it suddenly came to him. "First b'y's name is Johnny Colt, an' the second one is simply Caravan I think." he said, nodding to himself. Yeah, that seemed about right.

He watched her work at the desserts, cutting the pie first into eight pieces, then the cake into equally as many pieces. He laughed along with her and grinned. "Aye, but somethin' tells me it tastes amazin'." he said with a chuckle. He looked up at her as she produced the bit.

"Uh...win'." he said with a smile. "Like it matters, I'd try it anyways." he added with a chuckle.

[SteelEagle]

"Yes well better we let chance decide. That way if one of us ends up having to make a trip to the hospital, the other one won't feel far too guilty about it!" Caramel responded with a laugh before flashing the coin before them. She then tossed it into the air and allowed the naturally weighted sides to send it spinning in the air. It completed a few revolutions before it slammed onto the floor below them, Caramel bending down to gander at the coin. She seemed to have pre-natural luck with coin tosses and her smile showed the result before she ever gave it voice.

"Horn. Well, its been nice knowing you! Too bad we'll never get to see Caravan together. They are quite good. I'm a fan of swing, upbeat and exciting. Country is fine too. Are you into swing? Well, were you, more like," She said with a giggle, cutting him a slice of the evil concoction in front of them and handing him the plate.

[Snowshoe]

Muggo' grinned as she joked around and tossed the coin into the air. He watched the glint of it as it twirled through the air and came back down with a slight ping on the floor. He leaned over as well to look at it and grinned. The stylized wing of a pegasus stared back at him from the metal surface.

"Looks like it's me." he said with a grin. He looked up at her and laughed at her banter. "I was a great fan o' swing music." he said with a grin. "Okay, I'm goin' in." he teased, stretching out his forelegs and making quite a show of "preparing" himself. "Tell me father I love him." he teased with a grin before taking a bite of their concoction.

He chewed his piece for a moment before making his verdict. "S'not bad, actually." he commented with a smile. It was definitely on the rich side, and the flavour wasn't something he was used to, but it wasn't bad.

"I think ya may be on to somethin' here with this, Caramel." he said, laughing and taking another bite from it.

[SteelEagle]

Valiant stallion, Muggo' was, partaking in the vicious beat in front of them. Good to know he would leap out in front of danger for her, even if only after the toss of a coin determined their fate. He went into his action against the demon creation aplomb and seemed no worse for the wear. caramel smiled as she took her own piece. It was true, it wasn't all that bad. She had no intention of ever doing it again, though.

"It's okay, I guess. The texture is off of course and the pumpkin doesn't mesh well with the chocolate but the chocolate itself is good and the pumpkin is scrumptious. I guess it's okay," Caramel said, finishing off her piece and leaning back, seeing the waiter wander about taking orders and finishing up his tables. Always busy, but not busy enough for Caramel to cut him slack- she signaled for the check, and he gave a courteous bow in response before getting on his merry way.

Caramel turned to her date.

"So, you ready to shake your groove thang?" She added an excited wink at the end, pumping herself up for a dance. It was going to be silly and horrifying at once.

[Snowshoe]

Muggo' finished off his own piece, nodding idly at what she said. "Aye. Maybe with a bit o' actual tweakin', some other ingredients in there, an' ya might get somethin' good." he said, shrugging a shoulder. "I dunno, I don't cook. I just run the brewin'. S'why I hired a bunch'a ponies to do the cookin'." he said with a grin. He watched as the waiter walked aorund, then idly looked out the window for a moment while she signalled the waiter. He looked over, then looked at the check. Before he could retrieve his own bits, Caramel looked at him and asked him a question.

Muggo' laughed. "I couldn't dance to save me life, but I'll give it a go." he assured her. It was gearing up to be a rather fun night. He smiled and turned his head to retrieve his bits from his pocket, looking over the check again.

"It's been a while since me last date...do we split this down the middle, or shall I get all o' it?" he asked, meaning the price. He chuckled with a sheepish smile. He wouldn't mind either way, but he didn't want to offend her by doing something wrong...he'd done that a few times before, with other mares.

[SteelEagle]

Caramel understood his inability to conjure up on the spot a recipe that fit the bill. It may have been too tall a task for any chef, since as the taste lingered the conflicting styles of their deserts failed to work in harmony and produced a confused sense of sweet and sour. It would take a miracle worker to turn this into something more than a passable chaotic mix of desserts between those on a date with a touch of silly. She had some skills in cooking but she saw little that could be done. Maybe a more professional cook from the bar could help make this anything more than a disaster but she doubted it. However, the fact he wasn't able to just come out and admit what their taste buds knew for a fact was somewhat charming.

"You better be able to dance, fella. If you start moving with two left foot I won't think for a second about leaving you on the floor. And we shall split it down the middle. Maybe if I were a younger mare I'd have you act chivalrous and pay for it all but I think the thought somewhat sickens me now, Muggo'," She said with a wink, fishing the bits out of her bit purse and laying her half down before fishing out the full tip. She slowly got up.

"If you want, I can take the bits up and pay and you can wait for me outside, Muggo'"

[Snowshoe]

Muggo' Ale grinned, nodding. He had just wanted to make sure...one date, the mare had been offended that he'd tried to pay for the whole thing, for reasons he still didn't quite understand, and the other, when he was still a colt (though nearing his stallion years), a filly he'd gone out with had expected him to pay for the whole thing, and hadn't been impressed at his offer of splitting it down the middle.

Muggo' counted out his bits on the table then put the pouch away. He smiled up at her and shook his head. "Nah, shouldn't take that long to pay for food. I'll come along." he said, gathering up his half in a curled fetlock and waiting for her to get her bits. Once that was done, he made his way to the front to pay.

Once that was done he smiled and stepped outside, holding the door open for her. The sun had gone down, replacing the warm day with a nice night, not too chilly, and a soft breeze.

"Not a bad bit nice out here." he commented, looking over at Caramel. He smiled, figuring this date had gone quite well so far. He liked her...she was nice, down to earth, had a sense of humour, and rather pretty.

"C'mon, the bar's just up this way." he said, pointing with a hoof and walking along.

[SteelEagle]

The two had made their way to the front without fuss or hassle and once their payment had been entered, wasted even less time getting outside. The dinner had been wholly adequate, the service passable and the food well-cooked. While it hadn't been remarkable from a technical standpoint, Muggo' had proved himself an able stallion worthy of her attention. At least for this night he had and realistically that was all she was looking for at that point in time. Muggo' and Caramel Apple cantered out of the restaurant, their gizzards full.

The weather was wonderful. She had nothing against the warm glow of Celestia ever-loving moon, but Luna's night held its own special charm and the cool breezes from the water that wafted throughout the city streets were a nice change of pace from the stiffing smells of apples and apple products that dominated the farm. It didn't hurt that her date had charm and the looks of a well-bred stallion. The two walked down the street briskly, the city starting to empty out into homes, stadiums and- she laughed as she thought it- bars.

"Not a bad night at all, Muggo'. It isn't too hot nor too cold and it turns out my date isn't anything like my last one," She said with a wink, their pace in line as they jetted down the street. She was looking forward to a few things, some nice hard cider and dancing among them.

[Snowshoe]

Muggo' Ale smiled at her when she winked. "Aye, me last one didn't end that well either." he said with a chuckle. At least this one was working out quite well. They walked along, mostly in silence as it wasn't that far away.

Up ahead, the building loomed. It was a squat, three storey redbrick building. The huge front windows were brightly lit, and there was constant activity in it. On the bottom edge of the building, the top windows for the basement could be seen, just above the sidewalk.

"There she be. Home." he said with a grin. "Well, home an' work." he said with a smile. He trotted up the stairs to the front door and pushed it open, revealing the busy bar within. A black stallion at the bar with white hair didn't look up, but having heard it open, called out. "How's ya gettin' on?" he asked. It was fairly clear who the pony was...he had an accent identical to Muggo's, if not thicker, somehow.

"Good, how ya doin' me ol' trout?" Muggo' called back. His father looked up and laughed as Muggo' led Caramel up to the bar, where there were two open stools to sit on. "Ha! Muggo', me b'y! How's the night goin'?" "Great. Dad, this is Caramel Apple. Caramel, me father, Stout. An' speakin' o' stout..." "One comin' up. An' fer ye, Caramel?" Stout asked, pulling out a drink menu and sitting it down in front of her. "S'on the house fer tonight." he added.

[SteelEagle]

Caramel had always enjoyed the buildings that had on them the air of something from a more base and yet more elegant bygone era. Modern strcutures lacked the hard-charging charm of the classical brick beasts that were found, shockingly enough, almost exclusively in the harbor districts of Equestria's port cities. Something about how stocky they were, how they were both bright in the day and yet sunk into the dark well at night. They were warm and yet didn't overheat and provided a certain aesthetic strength to an area. As they entered the structure, she was content with it and the activity inside. Within as few moments they were seated in front of the bartender- Muggo's father, as it were.

"Hello, Stout. Pleasure to meet you, and yes Muggo' I think I'll take some stout cider. It sounds absolutely delightful," Caramel said, extending her hoof and bowing her head slightly for the father's benefit. It was just the right temperature and the activity, though not light, wasn't as heavy as she had expected. Indeed, with the bands not yet starting, it was very much a quiet experience at that moment. She could take that, at least for a little while longer. She wanted to shake her groove thang.

[Snowshoe]

Stout Ale poured out the drinks for his son and his date, smiling. He shook her hoof. "Well, it be a great pleasure ta finally meet ye." he said sincerely, tapping his hoof against the bar in much the same way Muggo' did while he was thinking about something. "Caramel Apple...o' Tiny Apple Valley, right out'o town?" he asked. "If y'are, ye might like ta know these be yer apples." he said, indicating the mug of hard cider in front of her.

"Well, here's to a great night so far, an' one gearin' up to be even better." Muggo' said with a smile, curling a fetlock around the mug and holding it up in a small toast. "Cheers." he added with a smile. His father smiled. "I'll leave ye two ta it, aye? If ye here fer the music, b'y'll be here soon. Stage's just downstairs." he added, the last bit more for Caramel's benefit than anything else. Muggo' Ale obviously knew exactly where the stage was. Upstairs was all tables and booths for food, and the bar, while stairs off to the side of the room led down to the pool tables, the darts, and the dance floor and stage. And of course, up on the upper floors was their storage and Muggo's apartment.

Stout trotted along the bar to chat with some other ponies while Muggo' smiled and sipped his drink. "So, this is the Prancin' Pony." he said with a smile. It was clear what kind of atmosphere the bar wanted to inspire: one of friendship and adventure. People were talking with each other, even across tables, and the walls were covered in memorabilia from all sorts of adventures. Muggo' pointed out one in particular over the bar, indicating it with a hoof. It was a framed dark blue board, with an old green vest behind the glass and a picture of Stout Ale, a yellow unicorn mare next to him, and between them, a much younger, colt-aged Muggo', who had a bit more mane at the front back then, but other than looking younger, looked much the same. "That's me Mum, Flower Shine." he explained. "From when we went to a Winter Wrap Up in Ponyville, her home town, lon' few years ago." he added, sipping at his drink again. He smiled over at Caramel. "I know the story behind most o' the thin's here, so if ya got a question, ask away." he added with a laugh.

[Feel free to make up an item hanging on the wall somewhere if you want ^^.]

[SteelEagle]

Muggo's father was entirely pleasant, her drink poured swiftly and the smile from his face not fading. It was nice to see that he showed kindness to others, especially when he could have been somewhat aloof considering his son was on a date and on the first date, they were at a bar. She would have understood if he had been somewhat curt, if polite, but instead he was a delight. He also was more than happy to let her know that they used her family's apples, which was a good way of knowing he had discerning tastes and the desire to flaunt it. Tiny Apple Valley apples were the only apples worthy of being served in this fine establishment, one which was equal parts warm, inviting, and exciting.

"Good taste, Stout. I doubt any apples other than ours would be fit to serve in this environment," She responded, taking the first sip of her cider. It had a bitterness in the aftertaste that had been preceded by a dull explosion of taste with a smooth front-end. All in all, excellent hard cider.

"Your father makes an excellent hard cider, Muggo'," She complimented the stallion who let them stand alone, moments before her date started going over the various items that adorned the room. It was well-stocked with all sorts of decorations and she was more than impressed with the variety, though she was more than content with studying the one with him as a colt next to his mom. her heart fluttered as any mare's might around pictures of adorable foals.

"Aww, you were a cutie as a colt. What happened?" She said, laughing at her own joke as she looked along the wall, eventually spotting a wooden oar that was slightly rotted with carvings faded from memory.

"What about that one, Muggo'?" She asked, gesturing towards it with her hoof, cider in hand. The noise was somewhat disconcerting, however, and certain feelings of nervousness started to make themselves known.

[Snowshoe]

Muggo' smiled at the compliment. "Aye, that he does. That's the only drink he still actively makes more than I. I handle the beer, never could quite get the cider right." he explained. He laughed when she joked about his picture, smiling at her then watching her look around the room at other items. "Some ponies age gracefully. I got the short end o' the bit." he joked back.

He followed her indicating hoof to the wall, and the wooden oar that was hanging from it. "A local craftsmen made that." he began, not catching the noise nor getting any feelings of nervousness himself. Maybe it was the din of the bar that made it harder for him to hear.

"A lon' time ago. Even before I was born. Me grandpa loved the sea, an' when he wasn't sellin' his own hard cider, he was out sailin' the Seasaddle Bay for fun. When he first opened this place, an' told a customer 'bout his story, the customer came back a few days later with that oar. Hard to see it, but it's got carvin's from me grandpa's story on it, includin' a likeness o' him an' me grandma." he explained with a smile, sipping at his own drink. "We're workin' on findin' a way to keep it better preserved." he added.

[SteelEagle]

Muggo' didn't handle the cider? For shame! Such a horrible reality was more than unpalatable, even if only comically, to Caramel. Why, if he couldn't handle apple cider then how could he ever hope to ingrain himself into her family? Oh, the shame, the shame! Or something similar. At least that meant she wouldn't have to worry about competition from her cousin Apple Cider, as fabulous as she was.

"Oh Muggo', you must learn to handle your cider. I'm just not sure I can show you around to my family beforehand. I may well be tossed out on my flank after such, hmm, depravity!" She responded, giggling as she finished off her first cider. She never claimed to be a timid drinker, and slowly put her mug down as he finished his story. The silence allowed her to grow some misgivings about the environment. She was in no way, shape, or form anti-social nor did noise itself bother her, but she always felt a bit antsy when she was in a crowded and noisy environment without something central to focus on. That is why she did so well at a concert; the stage was the pivot upon which her attention turned. Here, it was harder since objects of attention changed rapidly and Muggo' was more than happy to allow the bar to do the talking. Still, she had more than enough ways to deal with stress and a concert, one fast approaching, was definitely one of the best.

She nodded.

"That's a sweet story. We keep many heirlooms as well in my family. Helps keep you grounded firmly in family. What about that?" She asked, pointing towards completely faded poster of pegasi in red jumpsuits, Caramel retreating back into herself as quickly as she had left.

[Snowshoe]

"I'm tryin', Caramel." Muggo' said with a laugh. He sipped at his drink, smiling happily. "Aye. Family's important. Ya can never forget where ya come from." he said with a smile. It's why he had made the trip to Ponyville a few months before, and why so many heirlooms hung in the bar. It was why he occasionally went to Hoofington with his father, to see the old haunts his father used to frequent.

When asked about the poster, he looked over at it. "Ah. Those are the...t'underin', it was some Itailian name...anyways, they were an Itailian air display group. A few years ago, one o' the older members stopped by for a drink. We, me an' him, talked for a while 'bout the shows, as I'd always loved air shows. Came back in a few times, an' eventually, before he went back to Itaily, left us with the poster, signed by him. So we hung it up there." he explained with a smile. He had liked that old guy, watching the spark in his eyes when he talked about the good old times flying in the team.

After he was done with his story, however, he noticed for the first time that Caramel Apple seemed...distant. Not distant as in she was ignoring him or paying attention to something, or somepony, else, but...possibly uncomfortable. "Ya got somethin' on yer mind, Caramel?" he asked, setting his mug on the table. Let it never be said that Muggo' wasn't considerate or a gentlecolt...if she was uncomfortable about something, he would try his hardest to make sure she was feeling better.

[SteelEagle]

Muggo' could certainly recall every item with great clarity, the information behind them coming quick and clean without any great strain. It was nice to know that he was involved so personally and invested not just in the numbers of the Prancing pony but the atmosphere and pervading emotion of the place. It was good to see and certainly made him a far more approachable stallion as any disconcerting possibilities regarding his personality, being one raised in a bar at the docks, to rest very quickly. He was a good stallion and of this there was no doubt, and this realization made her smile as the story ended.

"Muggo', you certainly have an impressive memory, has anyone ever told you that? Though I guess if you met a quasi-famous flier that perhaps it would be imprinted in your mind. Was it their leader? I know Roam had this one team that was trounced by Canterlot's team in a competition that ended with Cloudsdale dominating and creating the Wonderbolts. It would make sense, given the age of the poster," She added, her knowledge of the Wonderbolts second-hand yest extensive, to a degree. She enjoyed reading about recent history and Cloudsdale's emergence was definitely one of the biggest stories, the Wonderbolts' rise from Cloudsdale show-team to Equestrian-wide megastars a symbol of that.

Then he asked her if anything was on her mind, a slight understatement if there ever was one. She didn't hesitate in answering, as befit a nervous mare.

"Ah, well, it isn't anything serious. I'm not really a fan of...crowds, to be exact, especially without anything to distract me. Just a personal quirk, nothing too dramatic," She said with a slight trill to the 'r' in dramatic, followed by a nervous laugh. She sighed as she looked around, leaned over the counter, and refilled her cider and hit his mugs with hers.

"So, should we canter on to the band? I'm sure they're almost ready to go," She said, taking a deep gulp of her hard cider.

[Snowshoe]

Muggo' Ale smiled at her compliment. He did have a memory for things. Not all of it he could recall off the top of his head...if somepony had asked him 'Hey, what's the story behind that air show poster in the bar?' he wouldn't be able to answer all the way. But looking at it now, the memories came back easily to him. Others, like personal family items such as the oar and his mother's Winter Wrap Up vest, he obviously knew well. "Nopony has, but thank ya." he said with a sincere smile. "It might'a been from Roam. I remember the name had to do with arrows...I think the stallion had said the name meant 'Red Arrow' in Itailian. Might just well be the same team." he said with a chuckle. He'd have to look into that. He'd ask his father, who had just as extensive a memory, but the stallion was sitting with a group of old ponies at a table, laughing raucously at a joke a unicorn there had just said.

When she answered his question as to if she had something on her mind, Muggo' nodded. It may not be too dramatic, but it was still something he noted, not wanting to make her uncomfortable with anything. "I see. Well, if it gets to ya much, don't hesitate to tell me, an' we can go get some air outside." he said sincerely, a soft but warm smile on his face. He was completely sincere...if the crowd of the bar was getting to her, he wouldn't hesitate at all to go step outside and get away from it.

He let out a soft laugh and nodded as they knocked their mugs together. "Aye." he said simply, getting off the stool and carrying the mug in a curled fetlock. He walked with rather expert precision, despite being only on three hooves, to the stairs off to the side of the room, heading down. The room had much of the same atmosphere, though it was much more open. A rust-coloured unicorn with a dark mane was setting up on the stage set along the back wall in the middle of the hall, and all around were set tables to sit and watch the performance, as well as a section dedicated to dancing, a few pool tables along the far wall, and a pair of dartboards nearby, which nopony was using at the moment. Muggo' walked over to a table near to the stage and the dance floor, smiling back at his date. There was a bit of a crowd already down here, and he knew that once the music made it's way upstairs more would appear, so he hoped it didn't put her off too much.

[SteelEagle]

Caramel enjoyed the nature of her date, the aura of the bar and the eagerness of her date to chaffeur her around his establishment was a welcome change from the normalcy and hectic nature of her interactions with others. He had shown himself to be perfectly aware of her attitudes and just as importantly, willing to move to the beating of her drum. It was with some shame that she knew the drum beat completely of its own accord and often against her wishes, but such was life; constantly adapting to other ponies, other events, other scenarios. She was not one prone to taking such sad thoughts, but whenever anypony was forced to cater to one of her various faults it was easy to fall into such a trap.

She smiled and gave Muggo' a nice hug around his neck and an encouraging smooch on his cheek in recognition of his efforts as he led her to the basement, or what she would have called a basement. As she saw it however, how could she have dare dreamed to make comparisons. She had a well-stocked cellar and storage, but nothing she would have sent dates down into unless she needed the extra hooves and didn't mind not getting a second date. This was much different, as it was had a lively feel built for pure entertainment, the stand of fine make as she could tel he had used hardwood base. Was it sad she had come to know the best use of apple-less trees? She laughed as the pair made themselves comfortable on the crowd floor, her eyes taking in the various games of chance and skill that adorned the room while the stage continued being set-up.

That excited her, and she allowed her excitement about having an event calm down her rattled nerves as she also took in the possibility of games. More than a few ways to show him the proper place of a stallion in accordance with a mare.

"So, how long do you think until the party starts? What do you want to do before then, Muggo'?" She asked, her mood noticeably improving as her frazzled subconscious rallied.

[Snowshoe]

Muggo' smiled at her, not having expected the kiss on the cheek. A little unexpected, but nice. At least it confirmed his thoughts that tonight was going well. He settled at the table, then looked over at her, happy to see that she seemed to have gotten over her momentary bit of nerves.

"Well, shouldn't take too long for him to set up." he said. The rust-coloured unicorn was almost done with his setup, checking over some of his stuff and getting his instruments ready. Muggo' looked around the room, then back at her.

"If ya know how to play darts, we can always try a quick game o' that." he offered. All the pool tables were in use, filling the room with the occasional clack of the hard resin balls bouncing off each other on the tables. He finished off his second drink, leaving it on the table. He knew that occasionally one of the wait staff from above would make a round downstairs, picking up the dishes and sending them upstairs. That would be it for him for a little while...he could definitely drink more, but he'd rather not get too tipsy on the first date, lest she get the wrong idea.

"Or we can wait to see if one o' the tables'll open up." he added, motioning with his head toward the pool tables for emphasis. "Or ya can save yer energy for the dancin' that's sure to start up." he added with a chuckle.

[SteelEagle]

Caramel was never opposed to games of either chance or skill, seeing as time on the farm provided one with so few options for leisure activities. You became well acquainted and versed in games just to pass the time, and Muggo's suggestion was a fateful one. She smirked unevenly as she contemplated the possibilities and a wickedness came over her.

"Why, a game of darts sounds absolutely...smashing, Muggo'," She said before leaping up, grabbing him, and scurrying over towards the darts without caring for his response to her sudden outburst. Within a few stuttered and strained moments, they found themselves in front of a dart board.

"Cricket? x01? Around The Clock? Baseball? Bullseye Baseball? Golf? Mulligan? Tic-Tac Toe? Austailianan Cricket? Blind Killers? Broad Jump? Call Three? Castle? Checkout? Diddle for Middle? Fifty-One in 5's? Fifty-One/Fifty-Seven? Football? Follow the Leader? 14 Stop? Fox Hunt?" Caramel yammered on and on, getting increasingly more excited and manic as she took her darts in mouth and continued.

"Halvers? High Jump? High/Low?..."