Persnickety and Newsworthy [PRIVATE]

[NeilWacaster]

OOC: This is a private RP between Twimsy and NeilWacaster, in which their OCs, Persnickety and Newsworthy, are going on their first date. For anyone who is interested, this is happening the day after the "It all started in a little Café in Stalliongrad ..." RP.

Edit: we decided to continue the RP, now they're going to see a play too.

Edit: The side story linked here might or might not be canon

RP starts below.

Newsworthy walked with Persnickety out through the door of the concert hall, jostled by the loud crowd of other ponies. He had been to many of the musician's concerts before, but he had enjoyed this one even more than the others. For one thing, it was the first time he had seen this concert tour, and Syd had played several new songs. For another, this was the first chance that he and Persnickety had gotten to have some time to themselves after the excitement of the previous day.

Once they were a few steps away from the concert goers, he turned to Persnickety and smiled. "Where would you like to go from here? I'm pretty new to Stalliongrad, but I'm sure you know a good place we can go."

[Twimsy]

"Eheh...what?"

Persnickety gently flopped an ear with her hoof, grinning. Entertaining and fun though it had been, her hearing had gone all crazy from the concert's powerful volume - plays, she was used to. Rock, she was not.

"A place to go to from here? Let's see..." The pegasus glanced around the hustle and bustle outside of the concert hall to gain her bearings, examining rooftops. "I think there is a small tavern not too far from here. Traditional to the northern culture, but it's cozy. We could get a drink and a bite to eat...?" She tilted her head to glance at Newsworthy. Between the excitement of the previous day and the rowdiness of Sydphony's concert, she figured the both of them could use a small break of downtime to just talk and get better acquainted.

[NeilWacaster]

"Lead the way," he said, simply.

It was a beautiful night, Luna's moon and stars shining brightly overhead. The city was alive, the streets bustling with shoppers, vacationing families, and couples.

[Twimsy]

For all the chilliness of the night, it certainly was beautiful - clear, starry and surprisingly active, although that part of the city always seemed to be busy at all hours.

A small walk lead them to a small establishment, its humble glow from within nestled between the towering buildings. A sign hung above the doorway, labeled in a native cyrillic. Upon entering, the lively hum of chatter filled the warm air. Patrons looked to be from all walks of life, sharing drink and food and story and company. A graying griffin behind the bar looked up, smiling at the pair of newcomers.

"Zdravstvujte! Velcome to the Hoof and Talon!" He squinted. "I at least know half of you. How are you, Mees Peersnicketii?"

The pegasus took a seat in the more vacant corner, patting the wooden-backed stool next to her as an invitation to her date, "I'm doing well, thank you! What of yourself, Gavril?"

"Busy as ever! You heff brought new friend this time though, eh?" He leaned an elbow on the counter, grinning at Newsworthy with a somewhat knowing glint in his eye. "You heff got a name, pegasus?"

[NeilWacaster]

"I am Newsworthy, kind sir," he said, returning the smile and taking his seat. "Charming establishment you have here; I'm just hoping your cider is as good as the hospitality. Could you pour us two mugs?"

[Twimsy]

"Two mugs aff cider, coming right up," Gavril replied. He set about filling two tall mugs from one of the many barrels that lined the walls. Then he set them in front of the two pegasi.

Persnickety thanked him, and before the griffin could even give a you're-welcome, the small group at the other end of the bar were beckoning him over.

"People say that he once drop-kicked a hydra," the mare said in passing, crinkling her nose in amusement before sipping on her cider. It was good. Just the thing to warm one's bones after a small jaunt in the cold. She let out a small sigh of refreshment, then waggled her hoof at Newsworthy, "But, you! I might finally get the chance to talk with you again without the threat of discorded tricksters and mosh pits! Speaking of which, what did you think of the concert?"

[NeilWacaster]

"Syd is an incredible musician and performer," Newsworthy said, his fanboy side coming out. "I especially enjoyed 'Eternal Nights of Love.' It must be a new one, I haven't heard it on the radio yet. As busy as I'm used to being in the news business, I don't think I could handle performing on stage every day or two. So much pressure. Give me my quill and a quiet study any day."

He looked at her questioningly. "I hope that you enjoyed the concert. You seemed to think it was a little loud."

[Twimsy]

Persnickety couldn't help but grin at his enthusiasm. It was cute. "I think I'm just far more used to musicals and classical. I did enjoy it, though! I believe I'm just not used to concerts," she said, "But, it is admirable, watching another artist at work on stage, listening to the fruits of their labor. It's inspiring, in a way."

[NeilWacaster]

"Oh, absolutely. I'm most often inspired by a well-written book. When I finish a good story, I'm just itching to write something of my own." He took a sip of his cider. It was quite good, and had a strong cinnamon flavor. "Speaking of which, weren't you working on a manuscript yesterday? How is that coming?"

[Twimsy]

"I haven't had much time to write yet, but I've had a load of ideas I've been scribbling down. I'll have to rewrite some parts, but I think I've got the ending for it." She crossed her hooves on the bar top, "It's always a good feeling when you finish something, or write a great deal."

She was inwardly surprised at how smoothly the whole date had been going, thus far. She was always so awkward at making friends, but for whatever reason, it was easy to talk to Newsworthy. "What sort of story would you write, do you think? What types do you like?"

[NeilWacaster]

He grinned. "I love adventure novels. I think I mentioned that I used to want to write them for a living. Well, of course, that was before I figured out that what I was actually good at was nonfiction. But that doesn't stop me from penning a little story every now and again."

He pulled a stack of about a dozen pages from his briefcase, and set them before her, a little sheepishly. "If you'll believe it, I actually am writing something about Daring Do at the moment. I don't know if you've read her books, but you might enjoy it, regardless."

(And that gives me the perfect chance to show you my little Daring Do fanfic, if you're interested. http://www.fimfiction.net/story/28819/Daring-Do-and-the-Race-to-the-King%27s-Treasure)

[Twimsy]

The pegasus tilted her head, expression brightening, "Daring Do? I haven't heard that name in a long time - I started reading the books when I was a filly!" She adjusted her glasses and glanced down at the papers, reading them silently, taking a moment or two to sneak a small sip of cider. She smiled once or twice as her eyes darted from margin to margin - an expression of pure nostalgia. When she looked back up at him, it was with an even broader grin.

"That's really quite awesome, I have to say. If I didn't know any better, I'd say it reads like a part of the actual series! Daring Do was always one of my favorites, growing up. I also liked Sherlock Hooves, when I was in the mood for some mystery."

[NeilWacaster]

Newsworthy looked pleased. "I'm so glad that you like it. I don't usually show my work around, it's mainly just a side hobby. A little secret of mine."

Stuffing the papers back in his briefcase, he asked, "So, now it's your turn. I know that you write plays, but about what, specifically?"

[Twimsy]

"It depends," she said, "If I'm commissioned, usually it's just short plays for schools - the pirate script I'm currently working on is actually for the nearby elementary school. I really like working on musicals..." She trailed off, ears flattening. "I've never completed one, though. Talent for music composition isn't too fantastic."

[NeilWacaster]

"I wouldn't say that," Newsworthy said. "For one thing, I haven't been able to get your song out of my head all day." He bobbed his head from side to side, and hummed the first line of the chorus of "One More Time with Feeling."

He finished, smiling. "Who knows? Maybe you have the next Pony Award winning musical? You'll never know if you don't complete it."

[Twimsy]

"What s--...oh!" The mare smiled, cheeks coloring. "Eheh, it wasn't my own work, but it was the only song that came to mind in such a situation. I'm glad you like it, though."

She nodded, "I know. You're right. I suppose the right inspiration for one just hasn't hit me, yet..." She took a small draught of her cider. "Being too picky to finish anything and be satisfied with it is a terrible habit."

[NeilWacaster]

"Well, as much as I enjoyed the message of the song, it was your lovely singing voice that made it great," Newsworthy said, confidentially. "As for not being able to complete anything, I definitely know the feeling. However, for me at least, it's generally a deficit of motivation rather than ideas. Perhaps, like me, the difficulty you're facing is knowing which of your ideas are worth completing. Often, I have a million things that I should do, but have trouble determining which of them will be most beneficial in the long run."

[Twimsy]

Persnickety waggled a hoof in dismissal. As nice as compliments were, she was pretty humble when it came to her talents. "Hmhmhm! Yes. You've put it succinctly. Perhaps sometime, if you're ever in Stalliongrad again after this, we could compare notes and brainstorm together. I'd love to hear some of your ideas for stories."

[NeilWacaster]

Newsworthy's heart leapt. She must not find him completely boorish, as she hoped that she would get to see him again.

"I would like that very much," he said, a look of longing in his eyes. Realizing what he had done, he quickly picked up a menu to hide his blushing face. "Uh ... what shall I ... um ... order. The cabbage soup looks good ..."

[Twimsy]

The mare all but beamed at his positive reaction. That subtlety had gone better than she would've thought. She hid her grin behind a hoof, clearing her throat. "Hm? Oh, yes! All the food here is pretty good. I might have the carrot pierogis, myself -- pardon me, Gavril?" The griffin glanced up and padded over.

"Yes, Mees Persneeketii?"

"Could we get a plate of carrot pierogis? And whatever he would like, of course," she said, tilting her head towards Newsworthy.

[NeilWacaster]

"Just a bowl of the ... oh dear, how is it pronounced? Sh-chi? I don't know. The cabbage soup."

[Twimsy]

Gavril chuckled, "Pierogies and a bowl of Shchi? I vill put the order in right now."

Persnickety thanked him as he shuffled off once more, turning to the light blue stallion, "Stalliongrad's native language is pretty difficult to get the hang of. I can barely speak any of it and I've lived here for several years, now. It's nice to listen to, though."

[NeilWacaster]

"Well, if you have trouble with it, then alas," he sighed dramatically, placing a hoof on his forehead in mock despair, "there's no hope for me." He grinned.

"So, what exactly is a pierogie? I don't think I've ever had one."

[Twimsy]

"Ha! I would think that you'd perhaps know a different language or two, to go with the territory of your work." She hummed quietly to herself in thought. "A pierogie is...well, I think the technical term for it in Stalliongrad is 'pelmeni,' they're like a fried dumpling and they can be filled with all sorts of different things."

[NeilWacaster]

"I've never been much good with other languages. I actually minored in Azteca at university, but I can barely say 'taco' or 'burrito' correctly. Oh well."

Newsworthy thought about holding his date's hoof, but chickened out at the last second, and just laid his forehoof next to hers on the bar.