genessee

@Blitz Boom Lance nodded. "Okie dokie! Just give me the word." With that, he began to trot out of the office. I really don't know what to do. Maybe I'll just get a coffee and see why Berry like them so much...

@Blitz Boom "Haha, yeah. Weird stuff, that blacksmith eats. The delivery went fine, though we did apparently meet a former hero. I didn't really get why he was so cool-- you'll have to ask Berry about that, she seemed to know more about it than I did." Lance leaned over the form, glanced over the page carelessly to make sure it didn't blatantly say something along the lines of 'sign below and your soul is mine', and scrawled his signature on the blank given. "Aaaand... done! Is that all?"

@Blitz Boom Phew. That was close! Lance nodded and began to follow Straw into the office, leaving his two coworkers behind. I wonder what he needs an additional signature for? Is there, like, a danger that I'm not aware of that I have to sign a waiver or something for?

@Blitz Boom "Uh--" Lance attempted to move back quite a bit. "I don't-- hey, uh, I don't really think this is a good idea, you guys should stop, maybe?" While he tried to sound confident, he kind of squeaked out the last sentence.

@Blitz Boom Lance giggled, remembering a weird eating habit he once had. "I mean, it's not the most normal eating habit you could have. I used to dip my sandwiches in applesauce before eating them, though, so I shouldn't be one to decide what's normal to eat and what's not."

@Blitz Boom "Uhhh..." Lance trotted over to a vacant nearby table and dumped the contents of his hoodie onto it. "No, there's no pineapples here. Only peaches and oranges, sorry. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be able to fit one in my pocket, anyways!"

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@Blitz Boom "Huh? Oh, nothing much. Berry showed me the route and where everything was, plus we stopped by another restaurant on our way back. I grabbed tons of fruits, you want one?" Lance held out a peach to Alonsus. He was still suspicious of the third-person-speaking stallion, but Lance figured it was just himself being paranoid. Plus, he's my coworker. It'd make a good early impression on him, you know?

@Hazard Time @FancyHorse Lance laughed as he downed another can. "How can you be a professional at being drunk? I mean, don't get me wrong, that'd be a great job to have, but there is no way that anypony gets paid to down a couple beers. Plus, I don't think you can get tipsy off Sparkle Cola. The caffeine can buzz you if you drink enough, though! Word at the Stable said that you could mix it with some other household stuff, like paint and some manespray, and you can get high off boiling and inhaling the stuff. I never tried it, I think it causes various mental diseases. Oh! And it also causes death, too, sometimes!" ----- Meanwhile, a small army of 15 raiders prepares to leave their base. The Battlemaster stared forlornly out at the empty plains of what once was Equestria, until a messenger got his attention. The Battlemaster quickly resumed his normal attitude-- angry and soulless. After all, he was a raider. Raiders weren't supposed to have emotion, it's a kill or be killed world out here. The general looked over at the underling. "Yes?" The messenger told him that the party was ready to set out early. "Fair enough. I will be there in a moment."

@Blitz Boom Lance's grin was no longer on his face. Well, uh... shoot. Should I even continue this? "The, uh, arts of zen aren't to be discussed in public. Come on, we're, like, right next to the restaurant. I'll tell you later." Hopefully she'll forget I said anything.

@Blitz Boom I never thought somepony could actually get this worked up over a conversation about coffee. "You say 'faint of stomach' like it's a bad thing. I mean, sure, you can't drink liquified caffiene and nothing else, but it's something to be appreciated because you have to look for more natural methods of waking yourself up. Like meditation. I'm a very zen stallion, you know." Lance wasn't zen. He never meditated, he had no idea how to meditate (besides crossing his legs and humming loudly to annoy his friends in his old town) and didn't know if meditation actually woke you up. In reality, he would either drink espresso (like he had said earlier) or chug sugary drinks and scarf down really sugary foods until he found it difficult to even think straight. But it'd be better if she didn't know that, or else I'd look just as bad as her, heh.

@Blitz Boom Lance blinked a few times when she mentioned rummaging through everyponies trash at night. I shouldn't be surprised at that. However, he quickly gathered his bearings and continued the conversation. "I usually don't drink coffee. It's either sugary drinks or cider, but when I do end up drinking coffee it's just a double espresso. I don't ever drink coffee unless I accidentally slept in super late for something and don't have the time to wake myself up or need to stay up really, really late for something."

@Blitz Boom "Isn't too much coffee unhealthy? I'm sure they're only supposed to be drunken, like, a mug a day." Lance had tried not to sound rude, but the amount Berry talked about coffee and lack of sleep surely wasn't very healthful and he couldn't help himself. He was curious to what her answer would be, anyways.

@Blitz Boom "...okay, then." It baffled Lance that somepony could talk about getting the town destroyed in such a casual manner, as if it happened every day. Ponyville sure is weird. He finished up his apple and tossed the core in the nearest trashcan, his hoodie pockets still stuffed with fruits. "Alright, I'm ready to go whenever you are!"

@FancyHorse Lance giggled childishly-- he certainly seemed drunk again. "Unfortunately, I couldn't get my hooves on any alcohol, so the cola will have to do." He then cracked open another can and took a long swig, seemingly oblivious to the fact that he was shattering the moment between his comrades.

@Blitz Boom "Nope, lucky for me my cottage was safe and sound... say, do you know much about the attack? I've heard bits and pieces of the story around town, but I'm still pretty much clueless on the details." He almost asked about Alonsus, but decided to hold off on that. I'll ask him face-to-face. Kind of rude to ask things about him when he isn't around, you know?

@Hazard Time @FancyHorse As if he intended to ruin the moment between the two, Lance tromped up to the roof with his treasure in tow. He had cracked open a can of the sugary elixir, and was just finishing the last sip of the container as he reached the top of the staircase. He seemed much more relaxed (and healthier) than he usually did, even before the apocalypse. "What's shaking, my dudes? I got some cans of Sparkle Cola, unopened. I'm pretty sure they're not poisoned, cause I just drank one and I'm not dead!" He plopped down besides the fire, between the dog and mare, and clanked his cardboard carton next to him. "So did I miss anything?"

@Blitz Boom Lance giggled foalishly at her Alonsus impression. "Yeah, he probably told me at some point. I must've forgotten, then. Still, can't say no to free food, heh." He also grabbed an orange and a couple other really sugary fruits-- he would probably stuff his muzzle with them later, but right now he just continued to eat the apple.

Thor: Ragnarok I should try 'Get Help' with my sibling like in the movie, but I doubt he'd enjoy it as much as I would

@Blitz Boom "Whoa! You okay?... Oh, uh." Lance watched as Berry munched down on her whipped-apple-cream-sandwich without even thoroughly brushing off the dirt while saying something about-- "Wait, free? Really?"

f r i e n d s ? w h a t i s a ' f r i e n d ' ? In all seriousness, I don't have a name for my group of friends, besides just 'the Gang' or 'Crew'.

@Blitz Boom "I'll just stick to an apple, thanks." Lance took up one of the red fruits and bit down. He figured one apple won't cost too much, though what worried him was if Berry took too much and he couldn't pay for it all. That would be the worst.

@FancyHorse @Hazard Time @Arid_Blitz @Randimaxis Lance watched Fallskir walk past him without answering his question. Okay then. He turned back around, trotted down the rest of the staircase, and looked around to see where he was in the Mall-- and more importantly, what stores were around him. A couple clothing outlets, a fast food place, and a large map plastered to a huge brick of granite. And graffiti. Lots of graffiti. He decided to check the fast food place first. Maybe the refrigerators are still working? The moment he rolled up the now-unlocked metal gate, an awful stench of rotting foods shot him in the snout. After a second of gagging, he made his way inside. Tables and chairs were scattered about, but the back door was left open. Lucky me! Inside, the smell multiplied, but he found his treasure: an unopened box of a dozen Sparkle Colas. Lance held his breath and dived inside the back room, swooped in and grabbed the box, and then dove back outside and slammed the door shut. It, unfortunately, locked behind him. On the bright side, the entire restaurant began to smell better already. New items: Shaken Sparkle Cola (12)

@Blitz Boom Lance frowned and muttered a profanity under his breath. Well, if I can remember wherever their cabin is I could go say goodbye, or at least leave a note. But that would be kind of creepy, wouldn't it? I mean, I just met her yesterday. What if they don't remember me at all? But even with the butterflies in his stomach and thoughts buzzing around his head, he still managed to look mostly unfazed. "Bummer." He then turned to address Berry. "Want to grab a bite to eat anyways? I mean, we're already here, and I didn't eat anything this morning... and I can treat us both, if you'd like?.." Lance kind of squeaked out the last bit, and instantly regretted it. Great, now I sound like I'm flirting. Should've just kept my muzzle shut.