Randimaxis

The spectre of death, mayhaps? The wind whistled through the rocky crags as it kicked up a notch, whipping about the mountainside as they stood there. Luckily, the path was in a pocket close to the side, as the wind might have hauled both of them right off the mountain if it wasn't... a scary concept, indeed. The path itself was more than adequate to give them plenty of room; they had no way to know it, but they were traversing the same path that had been made hundreds of years ago for the purpose. Mystic wouldn't have fallen unless she jumped - but there was no way to know that unless you'd been here to see the original path being forged... Or if you were a Blackwater. Dax lifted a hoof, about to speak... then, with a grin on his muzzle, he brought it back down. Even if it had been a real race, Dax thought, I'd lose by sheer excitement; she'd cross the finish line before I even got off the starting plate. Still, she deserves it; when I first met her, I hadn't even started writing to Illiad yet. I'd been aching for someone to talk to, and she most certainly could keep up. She even showed me her workshop - and the stuff she'd been working on. She didn't know me from a hole in the ground, but she was friendly all the same... and that's why I'm so glad to see her again. He gave a light sigh, and began to follow along after the filly. Chuckling, he broke into a brisk trot as he realized he'd be left behind if he didn't hurry. "Blitz! Let me catch up!" he laughed. It was... well, him AND a ball of giggling, fiery-hued enthusiasm that sorely needed a distraction from the beeline it was making toward Blackwater Manor. Dax reached the end of the curve, and came into view. His smile broadened when he saw Mystic... then became a worried look as he saw her expression. Of course, there was no way he'd be able to stop Blitz Boom in time to keep her from colliding with her... Fate, it seemed, wanted to see this happen. Pansy smiled at Hopper's words; she seemed to approve of his attitude. Cragg listened intently as Clod spoke. As he went on, the stallion seemed to be all smiles and concern... but those shifty eyes of his weren't focused on the workhorse at all; they were darting around as he was plotting. Those looks were Cragg's 'thoughtful' looks, and when he got those, it usually meant some poor sap was about to be hornswaggled, but good. Kho said nothing, and didn't move from his spot behind his boss. "Nothing more pure, more honest than someone who has the urge to do good work," Cragg spoke softly, almost reverently, "Celestia bless you, good sir. Were there more who thought like you do, then I'm certain that many of the world's maladies could be remedied in a jiffy. You're of good stock, Mister Hopper, and have an honest heart - I can tell, believe me; it takes one to know one, after all." Pansy rolled her eyes and gave a disapproving smirk... outside of Cragg's view, of course. "But I digress... er, that is, I'm getting long-winded here," he chuckled, "and you're a stallion of action, am I right? Well then, as a good neighbor, I have some supplies for the Blackwaters - but I don't have a wagon to cart them over in. At least, not one that's available, anyway - they're all occupied at the moment. But YOU, with such a strong back, would be more than able to heft a crate back to that wonderful quarry, wouldn't you?" Cragg looked at his zebra bodyguard. "I'll bet he could outlift even you, old chum." The zebra raised an eyebrow... but nothing more. "So, if you're game, I'd like to send a crate back with you, for you to put directly into the warehouse... no sense in leaving it where it could be misplaced, correct? And they would be SO surprised at such a gift - as long as it STAYS a surprise, yes? I mean, they could always use some more equipment, couldn't they? Imagine the sheer joy on Luther's muzzle when he sees what goodies are contained within!" He looked at Clod. "Okay - are you up for the challenge, my good stallion?"

The young stallion gave one of his sheepish grins. "If I knew, I'd tell you - but I just made this stuff out of whatever Illiad had in his cabinets; I'M not even sure what's in them... I guess I just followed my senses of smell and taste. But I'm glad you like it - heck, I'm glad it came out well!" Inside, Dax's pride swelled juuuuuust a smidgen. Dax smiled. "Well, I just thought it would be a kind gesture to all of you. Really, no need for anything in return - I'm just glad to have had a chance to meet all of you!" Dax reached into the saddlebag on his side, and brought out what looked like a vest of some sort. "This is what's called a Cooler Pack; it has a resevoir for water, and it's insulated to stay cold... which is a bonus, 'cause this tube lets you drink from the resevoir, as well as circulate the cold water throughout the vest! It's really sturdy, and it'll keep you cool while you do your routes, and it doubles as a thermos you can wear!" He smiled. "It's a gift that's also from our own resident mailmare, who's been doing this a long time; if anyone knows something's good, she would!" He then reached around and brought out the small sack, holding it out to Carbon. "I noticed how much you liked the emerald from the other day, so... here: an official Blackwater Emerald, along with some uncut emeralds straight from Father's mine, for your perusal... or collection, if you have one!" Please let them like it please let them like it please...

@Widdershins, you're up - I'll post up sooner than I have been lately; my apologies for taking so long lately.

Dax nodded, then dashed his way to his trunk, where he'd been keeping the goods he'd carefully picked to give out - specifically to fetch the Cooler Pack. Reaching the trunk, he swiftly dug the Cooler Pack out and brushed it off, making sure it was clean and ready. It had tubes threaded through the vest, connected to a hidden waterskin, with a small access tube which allows for drinks in mid-flight, and it was easily cleanable, yet sturdy enough to last through a few crash landings... and would be perfect to help a mail carrier keep cool in a place like Troy. As for the other, Dax reached back and fished around in his mane for a moment, then pulled a specific string, and brought forward a small pouch. Inside it was Dax's last Blackwater Emerald, along with a few chunks of uncut, raw emerald from the mines. He looked at it a moment, then at the Cooler Pack. This seems... inadequate. I mean, Swift will get the pack, and I'm sure he'll at least like it, but... it feels weird, just giving Carbon just another sample for his profession - like giving one guest caviar and one guest a single slice of cheese; how were they supposed to balance out? Then again... Carbon DOES seem to like his job, so maybe it would end up being something he might actually want - but maybe that's arrogance? I mean, really putting it to paper, it's like I consider this emerald to be worthy of a gift to someone... but... wait... He actually grinned. But it IS worthy of being a gift. Even if I never really understood the business, I have to admit that Father puts his soul into the mine, and the gems that come from that dedication are QUALITY gemstones. So... yeah. TOTALLY worthwhile as a gift. He looked at it one more time. "I just hope the gesture doesn't come across as arrogant," he said to himself, gathering the two items and slipping them into his bags before donning them and heading back to where they were waiting. Seeing them, Dax waved at Carbon and Swift. "Hiya! Thanks for coming with us; I really hope it'll be a great time! And I didn't get to the other day, but I have something for the both of you... if that's okay, I hope?"

Dax nodded. "It takes time to learn how to live with yourself; I'm still figuring a lot of it out, but I was taught that you have to learn to accept what limits you have, and work inside those." He grinned knowingly at the Trojan. "Recently taught, that is." The dishes set out looked... different, that much was certain. There was 'green stuff in a bowl', followed by 'grey, gritty stuff' and 'yellowish-orange stuff', and a mixing bowl full of 'red stuff with green sprinkles'... all of this complimented by a tray of 'lumpy brown things'. Dax really needed to improve his system for naming things. However, when Illiad gave any of the dishes a sniff, they revealed themselves to be different things: They became 'minty-scented sauce', followed by 'sharp & cheesy' and 'rich, salty aroma', and a mixing bowl full of 'sweet and savory'... all of which, complimented by a tray of 'citrus baked honey'. The scents were definitely better naming sources. Each thing was exotic and different, and even seemed to surprise Dax on a few occasions... but not a single thing on the table tasted less than delicious. Though he hadn't even known what he was using, the Blackwater had managed to create some truly tasty dishes out of scraps in Illiad's kitchen. It was a bit of a wonder he didn't have a culinary cutie mark... Dax's smile redoubled. "Oh, cool! I'm glad they're meeting us to go along - it'll be good to see them again. OOH! And I never did give anyone their presents, did I? Would it be a good time to give them theirs when they show up?" The concert's supposed to be tomorrow... yet, here we are preparing for today? I gotta sneaking suspicion that Mr. Easle is up to something... Dax looked at his friend and smiled. I can hardly wait to see what it is.

Once upon a pawn, there were three people named 'Tiny', but only two of them didn't matter to this story, so that's the last you'll hear of them. At any rate, Tiny had a little mansion in the headwinds of the foothills, and he spent his days there pretending to be a rich foreign oil baron, but not a RED one, 'cause then they send Snoopy in to kill you. Still, Tiny made a living skimming women in linen into cinnamon incense within 'em - and let me tell you, it wasn't easy; he had to live up to a number of standards, and nobody had even told him a number yet! Why, the guy - no lie - would sigh and sigh, my oh my, and wondered 'why should I not just die?' But that's where the story starts getting weird. See, the overlord of Galaxy X-19 was on their way with an entire fleet of street feet, sweet on beat and overly-discreet, yet elite and neat - though prone to overheat. Tiny was going to be their first, second, third AND Home Plate contact, as they miscalculated the angle of approach to his property within the measure of space-time... aaaaaaand ended up in his homemade swimming pool filled with grape Kool-Aid; strangely, not a one of them felt Aid-ed at all, once the smoke cleared, the overlord was wanting to deal with Tiny directly, and possibly disintegrate him... but only if he was a rude ass. Tiny, it turned out, charmed the overlord and actually managed to arrange a strange arrangement, mang - the overlord would leave Earf alone, in exchange for Tiny's eternal love and undying loyalty. Tiny swore it, then after his mama washed his mouth out for swearing, he gave his utmost loyalty and complete affection to the invading overlord. It had nothing to do with the overlord just happening to look like a beautiful, busty woman with four arms and with the strength of two yaks, plus nine thousand. Okay, very little to do with it. At least, that's what Tiny swears, and he says he's sticking to it. So now that the evil weevil of Skreevil was toast, they could begin with the part where they ride off into the sunset in their 1971 Cadillac El Dorado convertible with no top (or steering columnmnmnmn), at which point they burned to little crispy charcoal because they foolishly rode directly INTO the sunset, and it set their little bitty hearts ablaze... With pain. Searing, flesh-melting pain. Don't you just love a good dramatic romance?

The pegasus colt went quiet for a moment, seeming to shrewdly gauge if the offer was real or not... then, apparently deciding it was, he gave a short nod. "If you can talk a good game... then okay, we'll see what you have to offer Mother. Go right ahead." He actually took a seat on one of the expensive (and tasteless-looking) divans, and crossed his forelegs, giving the stallion his full attention... an attention, Gold got the impression, that went further than surface impressions might allow. (If you two wanna RP that out in-play, go right ahead; otherwise, move along to the next scene as you wish.) Dax gave a light chuckle, then a grinning sigh. "Actually, there's a few times he's not all that bad, honestly; he gets out less than I do, so he kinda acts out a bit. I think he'll grow out of it, but he'll have to get some more experience with others before he can just go doing whatever he feels like doing... well, the bad stuff, anyway. I mean, he wants to grow up to be a Wonderbolt; he's gonna have to work at it, because they work as a TEAM... and he can be a team player, but he likes to think of himself as the star too much." He gave an impressed grin. "Blitzy, you'll have to tell me about your adventures in more detail sometime... it sounds like you've had quite a journey between then and now! Of course, to be honest, we both have... and what a long, strange trip it's been, hunh?" And the unicorn handimare would laugh, catching Blitz in her forehooves and spinning her around, being just as excited as the little dynamo was. Dax smiled at the sight; he'd seen Silver open her heart to romantic love, and it was now his treat to see it happening with a different kind of love - almost like siblings. He hoped they'd stay as good of friends, and he hoped the explosive little mare would remain his friend for just as long. Seeing them like that, it warmed Dax's heart. "HAAA ha ha haa! Whew! Okay, now..." She gave Blitz a firm, warm hug and put her down next to Dax. "Blitz, you go with Dax to have lunch, and I'll probably still be in my shed when you're done; it's the one with the big number '7' on the side of it, don't forget now! I mean, I sometimes do, but it doen't happen very often, I swear! Enjoy meeting Mrs. Blackwater - and remember to be very polite; she likes that!" With that, the handimare went merrily, honest-to-goodnessly skipping along the path towards the quarry proper, headed for the site of a heinous crime, where - as of yet - only ONE Blackwater employee knows anything about... Meanwhile, Daxter Blackwater and Blitz Boom made their way down the branching path, which would lead them directly to the Blackwater Manor's front yard - the same path that Mystic and Bloom were currently travelling right now. Eventually, the two would meet, yet the excitement and conversation between Dax and Blitz would probably be easily heard by the two mares before they were seen themselves. (Gives a chance for RP between you two, as stated earlier, before they show up.) Cragg's smile faltered for all of a second, then he said, "Consider it payment for, eh... services rendered, shall we say?" Cragg slowly closed his eyes, and a small smile spread across his features like a stormcloud on a windy day. As Clod went on, however, that smile became strained, and it seemed more like Cragg was holding himself back from responding, possibly angrily. However, with the words: ... Cragg's eyes opened, and held a far different look than they'd had before - one of kind reflection. "Ah, yes... I remember the country well, sir; Mother always up before dawn, Father just moments before her... having to make sure the animals were watered and fed properly... shearing wool... caring for the property in the best way possible... and especially ensuring that the fields were plowed! That right there? Only a true farmhoof can claim to even know what they're looking at, much less doing, when it comes to being raised in the heart of a farm, right?" He glanced at the zebra bodyguard still holding out the diamond, and he made a quick nod of his head away from Clod. The stoic zebra slowly put the gem back into his vest, giving the workhorse a raised eyebrow... but no other expression. "We weren't a very big farm, granted... but that was because we shared land with the larger farm, tending some of their crops as a means of thanking them while adding to our own. I'm certain you understand the idea, yes? I mean, you have done farmwork, right? Strapping lad such as yourself, you just HAVE to be a farmer's son, aren't you?" DID Cragg look like a country buck? Not exactly... but he seemed to know what went on at a farm, well enough at least. Maybe he was like Clod, only he'd worked his way to the top of his job? "Now, if you're talking about finding a way to repay the Blackwaters, then perhaps I can offer a solution or two? I mean, they ARE my neighbors..." He smiled kindly, not a hint of deception on his muzzle. "Would you be willing to help me to be more... neighborly... Mister Hopper?" Pansy looked embarrassed to be there, but stayed put all the same, slightly squirming in place as her boss spoke.