-Octavia-

@@The Down Trotten, Aria looked wistfully at the myriad of knowledge adorning the walls, then to her pile of three measly books. "All of the reading material that I may need would be far too much to carry. Besides, it is getting rather late, and I have a few other matters to which I must attend before retiring." Slipping the books into a compartment separate from the medical supplies, she donned her saddlebag. " 'Twas nice chatting with you," she said sincerely, making her way towards the door. "Perhaps next time you can regale me with your thoughts on innate magic and its applications."

Rakase? Also, nice style.

@@The Down Trotten, Aria considered her situation for a moment. Perhaps a consequence of her being so adaptable to a changing environment, she slipped in and out of the lives of others with ease, even perhaps expecting them to accept such behaviour as normal. To her it was, and because of this, she had many acquaintances to call upon, but no everlasting connections. Nopony, in essence, would miss her. "There weren't any preparations for me to make. Perhaps that is why I did not balk at the invitation." She tore herself away from the shelves, turning instead to face Archimedes with an apologetic look. "I can certainly understand your lack of enthusiasm, and appreciate you approaching the task regardless. If there is anything I can do to ease your troubles... she let the offer hang on the air between them.

Welp, derp. Guess I'll write up a post for Aria to find her magic. Might have to be tomorrow. This congestion is screwing with me. Course, my writing couldn't get any worse, I s'pose. So we just need Psych, Trivs, Stellina, Court, Aria and 16 unnamed ponies to be holding their magic...boxes?

Oh good. Someone is alive. I was thinking of making a flippant remark, but held my tongue. I thought we were waiting for Psych. Could be that people have some things going on IRL, though, so...no pressure if that's the case.

@@Gloomfury, ...brilliant. What do I owe the hotel? Mirror...wait, was that after I asked...? You're coming with me," Aria declared, brushing her tail under the stallion's chin as she passed. "As long as you promise not to break any mirrors." Outside, she hailed a nearby taxi returning to its post. After checking to see if Tungsten was still behind her, she clambered into the carriage. "Well?" she inquired, seeing the stallion still standing on the sidewalk.

@@Gloomfury, "No reason," she said, which both of them knew wasn't true. She had not yet helped him, and felt she would be doing him an egregious disservice by leaving him suddenly alone. "Trains wouldn't be running this late anyways. Speaking of which...it's late, and once again you find yourself on the wrong side of Manehattan. Plan?"

Like a terrible writer. Is there a word for that, or is it just terrible?

@@Gloomfury, Though Aria knew she was a decent musician, such compliments always made her uncomfortable; she valued sincerity over flattery. Perhaps it was the degree of self-deprecation to which she subjected herself. Perhaps it was her perfectionism. Whatever the reason, praise always felt deceitful. With Tungsten, however, despite the particular words sounding too laudatory, she felt it to be true...at least in his experience. "Well, I take it you don't listen to a lot of good music, then," she jested, turning to her sarcasm by default. "Anyways...yeah, well, no, I wouldn't call it a review, although technically he did internally review me to come up with his opinion of me. That was Julian Braym, one of the most talented classical guitarists alive today. He just invited me to a masterclass! Should be an amazing learning experience, even if it's just one lesson. I mean, I've never even had a lesson before, let alone a masterclass. Hmm..." she trailed off, looking down at the card. "Says here they're in Canterlot... I wonder, what does your schedule look like?"

Zero. I just eat the damn thing.

Wondering why I care about people when they are at their lowest, and how to eliminate compassion.

A yard glass. It contains approximately 1.4 litres of liquid.

@@Gloomfury, Having taken a bow to appease the audience, Aria trotted off the stage with trembling hooves. Though her body was acclimating to the sudden lack of tension, she carried with her the peace from that solitary measure. She even remained poised as, backstage, she came face to face with the revered pony from the lobby. "Ms. Rosewood, the mare of the hour." "Mr. Braym, the guitarist of the century." "Well, to be fair, it is a new century, after all," Julian Braym chuckled modestly before giving Aria an appraising look. "You know, I have always been impressed with earth ponies that take up music; it is a marvelous sight to behold. Not long ago I saw the most elegant cellist play a piece that would surely have inspired even the meekest of ponies to war over her. It is as though you all have a magic of your own...which brings me to my point! How would you, Ms. Rosewood, like to attend one of my masterclasses?" Aria, with the enchanting feeling of peace beginning to slip away from her, struggled to respond. "Wha- uh, y-yes! Of course! I would be honoured to attend." Braym nodded in satisfaction, floating a card towards her that she gingerly plucked from the air. "Then here is my information, including the schedule. I look forward to working with you. If you'll forgive me, however, I'm afraid I must be off now...music rests for no one. Except for the musicians, of course." And with that, he was gone, leaving Aria in a state of wonder and excitement. Just in time to be the target of her building giddiness, Tungsten came strolling around the corner. Aria tried to restrain herself from rushing over to him, resulting in more of a canter. With a shaky breath, she said the only thing she dared to say at the moment, lest the dam holding back her excitement overflowed. "Whaddya think?"

@@The Down Trotten, A cynic? How unfortunate. I had hoped to have at least one acquaintance on this journey... Through Archimedes's rant, Aria had continued to sift through books of curious topics, though many of them were impractical. The Magic of Music was the next to join her medical tome, being particularly alluring for its detail on unconventional mana manipulation. She realized she needed a new lute with which to experiment, however, having left hers in Manehattan earlier this morning. Coming to the end of his speech, Archimedes in turn posed the same question she had asked of him. Without ceasing her perusal of the shelves, she spoke instead to the books. "Well it will certainly break the monotony," she replied lightly. "Of course, I am rather skeptical of my role in this, but if the Princess of the Night hoof picked this party, there must have been some trait she saw in each of us that, when combined, she was certain would yield an optimal rate of success. How she came to know of us or such traits, I can only imagine...most likely within our dreamscapes, where our true selves are wont to roam. I would also assume that the parties have remained small for expedience and minimizing resource consumption. Perhaps let us think of it this way. Let us say we have a single pony that has a maximum carrying weight of 'm'. This pony will require enough resources to see them at least to the new land, not including a return trip. This may include armor, clothing, food, medical supplies, what have you. At some point, as consumption of some of these items—particularly, food—is proportional to the length of the trip, one will eventually find themselves exceeding their maximum carrying weight of 'm' we established earlier. How do we compensate for this? By adding another pony, and beginning a cycle I am sure you can see. We can end the cycle, of course, by not solely relying on items readily provided, but making use of the naturally occurring resources. The problem with this is if too many ponies are on the expedition, they'll managed to consume such resources quite easily, which may negatively impact the lives of creatures or cultures living nearby that rely on such things. I do not imagine you of all ponies would wish to see that happen. At least, that is merely my assumption regarding the size of the party, and could very well be incorrect. I am just rationalizing your concerns, though I cannot deny the legitimacy of your other point. I would have to spend some time pondering her potential benefit." Surely that string of sentences was the longest I have ever spoken consecutively...

I come here to kill my self-esteem I jest, I jest. Looking slick, @

348.737

@@The Down Trotten, Saddlebags filled with medical necessities, Aria sauntered from one side of the castle to the other, towards the library. Her primary focus had been sterilization and suturing, the tools for which the environment did not properly provide. Among the equipment she had handpicked with assistance from the physician were a handful of needles, several feet of wire, cloth, and a few bottles of alcohol—the last she of which she was keen on keeping under her watch, away from the more boisterous members. Upon arriving at the exquisite room of knowledge, she faintly heard the regretful voice of Archimedes lamenting the future lack of tea. "That may be so, but civilization also has ignorance," she offered, quietly announcing her arrival. Setting her saddlebags under a table, she set to work, finding those books that would be of essential knowledge to her. She had seen with delight that Archimedes has chosen books that touched upon essentials such as botany and astrology, and now added her own tomes to the collection. As Aria thought it unlikely that the others would know of medical procedures—aside from perhaps Archimedes, who had a similar penchant for knowledge, albeit disparate in practice—she pulled from a shelf an illustrious book detailing everything from sutures to seizures to broken limbs, and even the most lurid depictions of the internal. I suppose I am supposed to be the collected one under the most dire of circumstances...or however the princess worded it, she mused. Continuing the search for useful information, she casually attempted to engage Archimedes in one of her least favourite activities: small talk. "So what are your thoughts on this endeavor?"

I don't blame you. I've been told I'm enticingly delicious.

One of my favourite string quartets.

I just don't want to go to your party.

You thought about using the creator because it takes the fun and creativity out of it? I guess you could try recolouring an existing pony, which should be even less fun. Kidding aside, and assuming that isn't what you meant, just do what feels right. Browse some mane and tail styles you like and tailor them to your OC's personality. Think of what colours make the most sense...muted colours versus flashy colours again for personality; maybe select them based on their talent...my OC's scheme is modeled after a style of classical guitar. If you are simply looking for drawing tips, perhaps browsing some reference sheets will do some good...help you work out the pose and whatnot.

Turning a watch into a motorcycle.

So how about a cloud in the shape of a sculpture?

I already have +5s in Dexterity and Intelligence, but I suppose my Charisma could use a little work.