Persnickety and Newsworthy [PRIVATE]

[NeilWacaster]

"Of course I want to go with you," Newsworthy said, his eyes big and pleading. "It would be my treat. Will you? Please?"

((I couldn't figure out how to describe his expression accurately. A reference picture I think will help.))

Link

[Twimsy]

A drinking game probably could've been made out of how many times the mare had been brought to blushing. He was certainly charming - or at least, he knew how to wield said charm in front of the introverted mare.

She smiled sheepishly, "Well, how could I possibly say no to that face? Of course, I'd love to go!"

[NeilWacaster]

Impetuously, he felt like giving her a hug, but quickly thought better of it. Don't take things to hastily. She's very shy.

Instead, he just grinned broadly, and gave a little squee of delight. "I'm so glad. It's going to be a great show. And, since it's opening night, there's an after party too, if you want to go. I have to be there, as it's my only chance to get interviews with some of the actors. Maybe you might enjoy getting the chance to talk with them?"

[Twimsy]

"Really? Even the after party? That would be amazing!"

She was starting to feel spoiled rotten. Seeing a show and getting to meet the actors would probably be fun to any old pony, but to her, it was priceless.

"I wonder if they'd even want to talk with me. But it would be interesting to at least be to an actual after party...!"

[NeilWacaster]

"They're always fun. The cast is so happy to have finally performed the work they've been practicing for weeks or months, and if the show was good, then the audience members are happy as well. But I'm sure you know that."

He looked down at his bowl of soup. It looked like it was growing cold, so he resumed eating.

[Twimsy]

"That's true..." She mused over the thought. Now wasn't the time to be insecure about her own shortcomings in theater life compared to others - she was on a date, and she was going to enjoy herself, darn it!

She was thankful for the food and good company, and it crossed her mind as she was chewing over a bite of her own food that she'd probably have been sitting at home with nothing to do, had the last couple of days not been so eventful. Maybe it was a sign. Things would only start changing if she threw the introverted attitude to the wayside, and maybe that was just what she had to start doing.

[NeilWacaster]

"So, what parts have you played? Any interesting stories?"

[Twimsy]

"Well, let's see...the last one I was in was a bit of a historical piece. I got to wear one of those dresses that you can barely walk in. It was fun, though - getting all fancied up. The one before that was a little spin-off of the Prince and the Pauper - the cast for that one was immensely fun to work with." She let out a small snort. "They had me cast as a school marm for that one. Oi 'ad ta precktice a cockney accent jast fa the occasion." The pegasus smiled fondly, recollecting the roles and the memories they entailed. "They were small parts, but it was still nice to be a part of something bigger."

[NeilWacaster]

At her cockney impression, Newsworthy snorted with laughter, nearly spraying cider out of his nose. "I must say, that was quite the accent. Ahem. 'Ov cauze, ze Prance ackzent iz ze one zat I favor. It iz ze language ov love, no?"

[Twimsy]

Grinning in amusement, she puffed up a bit, wings ruffling at her sides, "Unt aff course, zere ist der mighty unt powerful Braylin accent!" She slouched again and covered her mouth with a hoof as she laughed, "Ehehe...but, your Prance ackzent eez...'ow you say, tres magnifique, monsieur! - It remains one of the accents I always have the most trouble with."

[NeilWacaster]

"You're not half bad, yourself. I do have a little 'training' in it, as it were. One of my college roommates, Palétte, was an exchange student from Prance. Unfortunately, all I picked up from him were his bad sleeping habits and the ability to imitate his outrageous accent. He tried to school me in the sampling of fine wine, but it all tasted the same - disgusting. Give me a good mug of cider any day."

He raised his glass. "Cheers."

[Twimsy]

"I don't much care for the fancy things, either. Sometimes the simplest things are the most enjoyable." Likewise, she raised her own mug, gently tapping it to his, "Cheers - to the simple pleasures in life." With that, she downed what remained of her cider, finished off her last pierogi and let out a contented sigh. Food definitely turns a starving artist into a happy pony.

[NeilWacaster]

"Indeed. May we always fully appreciate them." He gulped down the rest of his cider, leaving a conspicuous mustache of foam on his upper lip. Pushing his empty mug and bowl back, he leaned one elbow on the counter and looked at Persnickety. "If the ticket booth is still open, I'd better run by and save your seat for tomorrow. Wouldn't want to find that they were all taken, would we?"

[Twimsy]

Persnickety gestured loosely to his upper lip with a hoof, smiling, "Of course! Let me just, uhm..." She turned back to the bar. "Gavril? Could we get the bill, please?"

The griffin nodded, pausing in his cleaning of glasses to remove a tab from his apron and slip it over to the pair. "If you're treating for tickets to the show tomorrow, I wouldn't mind picking this up."

[NeilWacaster]

For some reason or another, Newsworthy imagined a cookie jar filled with coins, the contents of which would be greatly diminished if Persnickety had to pay for the food.

"Nonsense," he said in a chivalrous tone. Glancing at the bill, he pulled out his wallet and counted out the bits, adding a few extra for a tip to their host.

"Thank you for the meal," Newsworthy said, as Gavril came to pick back up the ticket.

"Velcome, you are velcome anytime. Any friend of Mees Peersnicketii is friend of mine." The old griffon squinted at him curiously, and chuckled. "You haff, erm ..." He pointed a gnarled claw at the top of his beak.

Newsworthy wiped his face with a hoof, and realized with shame what had happened. My goddesses. I must have looked ridiculous. No wonder Persnickety was waving at me like that. Blushing a deep red, he clumsily hopped off the stool.

He tried to speak casually, as if he hadn't just made a complete fool of himself. "Well, I'm off to the office box. I mean the box office. I mean ... would you ... do you ... oh hang it all." Words. You use them to speak, remember? "Um ... do you want me to see you home first, or would you like to come with?"

[Twimsy]

"Yes, thank you very much for the meal, Gavril. It was wonderful." She glanced back at Newsworthy just in time to see him snubbing away the foam from his mouth, letting out a small snicker.

As they stepped outside, the pegasus adjusted the bright orange shawl about her shoulders, "I believe there's a box office on the way to my flat, so I wouldn't mind walking with you." A pause. "Not that I wouldn't mind walking with you in the first place, either, but...w-well, you get the idea."

[NeilWacaster]

He hoped that she wasn't trying to hide something from him. "Alright then ..."

They walked slowly through the night. Some of the shops were still open, spreading pools of warm light onto the walkway. A squad of weather patrol ponies flew overhead, pushing a large cloud bank away from the city.

This gave Newsworthy pause to think. If Persnickety had abided by her mother's wishes and continued in junior flight school, she probably would have a weather job like those ponies. It would be steady, well-paying government work, and would at least give her the resources to be able to enjoy the theater. On the other hoof, I don't think she would ever be happy. At least with the path she is on now, she might one day make it big. It's difficult for her now, but rather than being trapped, she's chasing what she believes in.

"Persnickety?" he said finally, breaking the silence. "It takes a lot of courage to pursue your dreams. You never take the easy road. Instead, you forge your own path. I admire that about you."

[Twimsy]

It was a quiet walk indeed, the pair of them seeming to be lost in their own thoughts for the time being. The only noise amidst the chasm of their silence was the occasional pair or group, chattering as they passed, and the gentle whisper of an evening breeze. Persnickety kept her gaze trained mostly on the sidewalk before her.

And then, words leapt over that chasm of silence. Words that she had not expected.

She didn't know what to say, although she was sure that the color had risen to her cheeks again. He admired her...? But, she wasn't anything special. In actuality, she battled with the conflict of following her dreams and melding with the rest of society just about every day. More often than not, it was a painful path. There were days where she didn't eat. There were days where nothing came out of all of her brainstorming. And then there were days - those precious, few days - where the creativity flowed, and she'd write a line that held the very heart and soul of what she'd been trying to convey. Days where all of the hard work and suffering paid off. Days where somepony else's words were enough to lift her out of whatever funk she'd been in.

Somehow, this stallion, this Sir Newsworthy whom she had met just the day before in that humble little cafe known as the Cider Cellar...it was as if he knew just the right words to say to make her feel as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders, replaced by a warmth that prickled pleasantly in her chest. It was a feeling most elusive to her.

"You're--...you're very kind, Newsworthy...thank you," she crooned, "...That means more than you might know."

[NeilWacaster]

He just smiled in return. "I know what it's like. Your parents want one thing, but you finally muster up the courage to stand up to them. For me, it was quitting my job with Canterlot Daily. It paid very well, and and I learned a lot about reporting. But the ponies I had to work with ..." He shuddered. "I would wake up every day dreading to have to see them."

"And now, you're where I was, not very long ago. My new newspaper bled red ink for years. Not only didn't I have any money, but I was in debt way over my head. But, I made it through. And so will you."

He stopped, and looked at her with an intense gaze. "If there one thing I wish someone would have told me then, it's this: never give up. Not just long term, but from day to day. Every single day that you don't make progress postpones your eventual success."

[Twimsy]

"A lot of ponies might find it foolish, but I do live by the fact that you should do what makes you happy, even if it might not mean you're doing something that will give you a secure lifestyle. No sense in fretting over what the day will bring. At least if you're doing something you love, you have something to be happy about..."

Dear Celestia, was it nice to talk with a like-minded individual. Perhaps it was just the sort of pep-talk she'd needed. "I'll try. I'll most certainly try. I've made it this far, and thinking about giving up...that's even more a dreadful thought to me than repetitive failure. Even if I never make it...at least I can say that the pursuit was fruitful in its own right. I've learned so very much just from the experiences that I've had." She narrowed those orange eyes of hers at him, grin growing, "How the hay did you get to be so terribly optimistic? It's infectious."

[NeilWacaster]

He looked down at his hooves. "Optimistic? I guess ... when you've gone as low as you can go, the only direction you can go is up."

Newsworthy turned his large, blue eyes back up to look at her. "You have so much promise, Persnickety. I meet ponies from all over Equestria, but none that can compare to you."

He shuffled his hooves nervously, afraid that he had said too much.

[Twimsy]

"Ehehm...w-well, I...uhm. I'm truly flattered that you think so highly of me. I can say with true honesty that I don't think I've ever met someone with as big a heart as yours, before. Especially in the field that you're in. Usually reporters are...y-you know. Not...so nice." The ability to form eloquent sentences was leaving her, and fast. She knew very well how to act in heart-felt situations. When the real thing presented itself, however...

"Oh! Look, isn't that the ticket booth right down the block?"

[NeilWacaster]

He couldn't tell whether her hesitation was from surprise or apprehension. Is she trying to avoid me? he thought, as she pointed out the brightly lit box office down the street. Darn it! You should have waited a little longer to tell her. She clearly doesn't feel the same way about you as you do about her. At least not yet.

Newsworthy felt like he had just been stabbed in the gut.

"Of course," he smiled weakly. "We're in luck, it looks like they're still open."

[Twimsy]

Persnickety smiled, though she could easily tell that her wording had done more harm than she'd intended. As the pair of them trotted up, a light green unicorn with a more vividly verdant mane looked up from her magazine, leaning forward from behind the small box window to peer at them.

"Can I help you...?"

[NeilWacaster]

"Yes, thank you. I need a ticket to 'Death of a Salespony' for tomorrow night, please. If possible, could you get one next to seat B2?"