The-Master

House Stormwing @, "Cazzo, solo aspettare." So that was her intension. That was why she played the role of the nice mare. Applejack sought nothing less than a full alliance. Rainbow remained silent for a good while, her good eye starring her down as she pieced together the words in her head. “Applejack,” Her tone was less of an accusation at this point, pushing aside her outstretched hoof as if to refuse. “You obviously have a different way of dealing with these matters, one that even we could call barbaric. If you want your answer then you’ll have to wait. My position does not grand me divine influence over every branch of government, this is a matter for the senate to decide.” While this was true Dash knew that she was biding her time. But Rainbow knew that no deal would go ahead while Earthborn remained within the city’s reaches. “Call back your forces. Withdraw from Stormwing territory before any more trouble is stirred. You’ll have your answer when the senate reaches its decision and I approve of it.” She put a great deal of emphasis on the last few words. “E non ho dimenticato i tuoi atti di hubris.” She muttered under her breath.

@ No, everything thing was not okay. Was that what she was supposed to say? A bit blunt maybe? At least she could think a bit clearer without that rock music. "Oh, right. Um... everything's fine." Amber instantly regretted her statement. "No no, that was a lie sorry." She cleared her throat, resisting the urge ti stamp the ground. "I- I screwed up. I thought that... I felt sorry for him. I forgot that he was so vulnerable and..." The next part was more difficult than she imagined. Her eyes were beginning to well up, and in an act of emotion leaned out and brought Rhythm into a tight hug, no willing to let her go. "I'm sorry... I kissed him, and it was wrong. I might have even lost him as a friend,but I don't want to lose you." She mentally kicked herself for being so forward. It was that kind of thing that got her in this mess in the first place. At this point she was soaking the poor mare's shoulder in her tears. This wasn't a very comfortable position for her. "Please don't hate me for it."

House Earthborn @@Windbreaker "We have a good way to travel, I only hope the that time passes a bit faster..." (OOC: Archi, if you get the chance we need to speed up the events with force heading towards Hoofington. Our characters have been idle for some time.) House Stormwing @ To be completely honest Dash had no small love for these kinds of talks,especially whet he point was dragged on or avoided completely. She'd seen enough dancing around the truth, if Applejack was here for something she better bloody well say it before she loses patience. There were plenty of matters requiring her attention, all of which she'd rather be doing if not simply to get away from Applejack. "None of this explains why you're here." She pointed her hoof straight at her chest. "If you're not here to threaten us or kill me then what do you want?" However, out of the corner of her eye she managed to see a chariot descending through the cloud layer. Looks like the investigation team was ready on time, despite obvious delays. Dash looked back to Applejack, narrowing her gaze as she did so. "You have five minutes. I'd speak quickly if I were you."

By her expression alone Amber seemed to be taking it all to the chest, not even turning back to face Flash as she walked up towards the recording studio. That stallion was a hot mess; vulnerable one second, volatile the next. Sure, he’d find a nice mare one day that could deal with his vast complications and dysfunctions, but she wasn't going to be her out of pity. However, this didn't mean she was completely heartless. Quite the contrary, she hated herself for what she did. Rhythm wasn't a pony you could sum up in one word. While Amber appreciated simplicity in a pony there’s got to be something said for those who bring a bit more colour into your life. It was more than just complexity for the sake of complexity, it’s a new and different journey. By Celestia, her mother was still wearing off on her even in thought. Look at all these long words she didn't understand. It’s hard to keep a persona when you've been raised to some so-called “educate”. The more Amber thought of these big words the more her head hurt, or maybe it was just the migraine. By the time she’d actually become aware of her surroundings she was already standing outside the recording studio while some pony was murdering some poor guitar, as with most rock music these days. Maybe if she remixed it… No, back on track. Music was a nice escape but this really wasn't the time. @, Nearing the source of the commotion Amber was very surprised to find Rhythm nearby. She hadn't taken her for a secret metal head, each to her own I guess. Taking a reassuring deep breath she walked up just behind her, opening her mouth as if to say something but nothing came out. Amber felt like she’d just seized up, all of her limbs fixing to the ground. ‘What would she think of me?’ Well, she’d probably be angry, say I'm stupid a bit and then… Actually I'm not too sure. This was all a bit out of her comfort zone, which was surprising considering her comfort zone was large enough to be classed as a small moon. Well, here goes nothing. “H-hey Rhythm.” Her voice cracked in a way that reminded her of a thirteen year old colt, covering her mouth in slight embarrassment. “What’s up?” Could have been worse I guess.

@@Marathon Amber couldn't blame Flash for his reaction, or could she? After all he had basically thrown himself in her direction after clearing their differences. Sure, she'd acted out of line, but so was he. These thoughts she kept to herself, boiling away in her mind. "Fine, fair enough." Her tone was no longer sympathetic, displaying more of an air of confidence around her. "If you'll excuse me I'm going to go talk to some of the other musicians. I think we both could benefit from it." 'And maybe I wont screw up this time.' She thought to herself. Amber turned and left up the stairs, she'd had enough of this whole thing. Maybe Rhythm would understand, after all she was the closest thing she had to a friend right now.

@@Marathon Amber certainly wasn’t surprised to see that Flash had followed her, but what had surprised her was the look he gave her. Whatever she’d brought out of him it wasn’t good. Amber rubbed her eyes before turning to confront the situation head on. “Look, I know I screwed up. I’m probably the biggest asshole you know.” The words stuck to the edge of her tongue. “I just didn’t want to hurt you, but I went and made it worse. I may have even you as a friend.”

@@Marathon "I-I..." Regret, that was definitely the feeling. Amber regretted plenty of things she’d done. She shouldn't have been so hard on her father; she shouldn't have blown all her cash on partying; she shouldn't have done allot of things. All of it seemed so small now. Toying with other ponies emotions, that was low even for her. She was leading him on, but whether it was out of guilt or pity she didn't know. "I'm so sorry... I have to go." Amber​ didn't wait for another response, she was already up and galloping towards the stairway before Flash had a chance to say anything else. Venting her frustration into the nearest wall, Amber smacked her head against it despite her still throbbing headache. "I'm such asshole..."

@@Marathon At first Amber was contempt to play it off as a playful gesture. It was just Flash coming out of his shell after all, no harm in- "Whoa, slow down there." She said as he began to lean towards her ears. But that quickly became the least of her worries when he began to speak again. "Thanks, I- wait, what?" The weight of his words came down pretty hard, causing her to freeze up momentarily. "F-flash, I'm flattered. Really I am," What was she supposed to say? Sorry, but I'm a 'one night stand' kind of mare? "I just... don't want to see you as 'just another'. You're a really sweet colt, and you're adorable, and I couldn't live with myself if I did something like that to you. You're sensitive and..." She kinda trailed of slowly, looking down at the ground with a rather hollow gaze. 'Buck it.' Amber leaned in faster than he could react and kissed him. Acting on impulse alone she held herself there for a good while, almost melting into it. By the time they separated she wasn't too sure what to think, her mind was a mess. "So that just happened." She said coyly.

@@Marathon @ The usually outspoken Amber was for once struggling to come up with the right words, if there were any. Her thoughts of Rhythm were... conflicting. Something still didn't sit right with Amber, but she seemed genuine enough. She still felt... You know those nerves you get before a gig, when you're about to go out on stage in front of hundreds of ponies? Imagine that, but your mind is just as muddled as the rest of your body. She hadn't even taken notice to the growing pile of food accumulating on Rhythm's plate. "Yeah... okay. I'll just be down here till my gear arrives. I'll, um, see you later then." She jerked forward a bit, instantly pulling back out of some reflex, but once she got a hold of her self Amber leaned in and gave Rhythm a small peck on the check. Well, that was the intention, but she found herself lingering for a bit longer than intended. Regret and embarrassment hit her quite hard, nervously looking off in some other direction while she tried to find some words to back it up. "So... yeah. I'll just be off then." Amber quickly turned back and walked off towards Flash while still trying to look reasonably composed. She couldn't fight back the occasional glance back at Rhythm, but she managed to keep herself in check till she sat back down next to Flash. "Hey again. Looks like Rhythm's off to look at the recording stuff so It'll just be you and me for a while. I'm sure you can handle that."

"Scooby-doo." Bad Lip Reading - The Hunger Games

@ @@Marathon Amber actually remained silent for a few seconds, enough time to get her head around the situation. “Well, you just seem a bit… down. You were happy before but something’s changed.” She felt like it might have been a bit direct, instantly regretting her choice of words. “We’re friends aren’t we? I’m just looking out for you.” I guess that’s what friends do. It seemed right.

@ @@Marathon Okay... that was strange. Even by her standards that was pretty odd and she wasn't even drunk yet. But that brings up another issue. One second she was blurting about collabs, which actually sounded like a good idea to be honest, the next she was off getting punch even though most of them still had half filled glasses aside from Flash. All this thinking was hurting her head. The way she avoided her though... it had to be something she did or something she said, Amber was sure of it. As as result she began to feel guilty over it, her mood noticeably dampened thanks to the fact she copes with difficult situations to the level of a five year old. But that also brings up another issue. "I'm not sure." Looking back towards Rhythm she knew she had to try something. "I have to go talk with her Flash, I've done something wrong and I have to be sure she's okay. I've made two new friends I don't want to lose them that fast." Getting up off the couch she gave Flash a light kiss on the check before walking towards Rhythm. "Sorry, I'll be back in a second." With no real idea how to approach the situation, Amber resorted to standing next to her looking awkwardly off towards the opposite wall. "I'm... sorry. If I said anything wrong then I didn't mean anything by it."

@@Marathon @ Amber had long forgotten the music and was now far more concerned with hiding her growing blush. Flash had become sorta... affectionate. In her mind it didn't even make sense but here he was. No, he was far too sensitive and she couldn't take advantage of that. She straightened herself out on the couch, clearing her throat before speaking again. "Thanks, I had fun making it. Means allot to me." Amber's focus shifted back to Rhythm, and to be honest she seemed more uncomfortable than her. Was it something she'd said? It usually was. She had such a big mouth. Maybe she just didn't like the music. With these thoughts looming over her head, Amber slipped out away from Flash, giving a quick apology, and went to go sit next to Rhythm. "What's up? You seem off. Did I do something again?"

@ @@Marathon "You got it." Amber levitated out her IPony and removed the earphones. Her horn glowed as she amplified the speakers so the others could at least hear it. She was used to having it much louder but there were other guests of another calibre present. that could wait. "Hmm, how about this one, a little collab between me and Mako. I think this'll be to your tastes." Hitting play she relaxed back into her seat.

@ @@Marathon "Aww yeah, now this is what I'm talking about." Amber began to lean forward from the couch, moving out of Flash's hold, her hoof tapping along with every hit of the base. It was so easy to get into this kinda stuff, it was addicting. When it ended Amber wasn't afraid to share her thoughts. "That... was... awesome! I could kiss you it was so good!The crowds must love you, you'd have them eating out of your hooves!" You may have noticed she liked the song. Flopping back in the couch she turned back to Flash, nudging him a bit to get his attention. "What do you think? Pretty kicking, aye? What I'd give to be in the club and hear that." Amber was actually still relatively new to the DJ'ing business, only a couple of years of small gigs. She knew the effort that went into a track like that. "You're one hard act to follow, Rhythm. I'll give you that."

@ @@Marathon It was comforting to see Flash come out of his shell, it had to be something in the punch. Throwing her arm back around Flash she let him have his way. How could she say no? "Daaw. Fine, have it your way. But leave the ears; they're sensitive." She laughed. By this stage she'd gotten used to this kind of thing; she'd done far worse after all. "Oh, is this quiet enough for you?" She mocked playfully, sticking out her tongue before turning back to Rhythm. "Ready when you are."

@@Marathon @ Amber wasn’t completely oblivious to Flash’s discomfort. She took her hoof off him and made sure to keep some small distance. “Sorry, I’ll try and tone it down. I’m like this with most ponies.” Then again most ponies aren’t this sensitive. While the whole shy thing was adorable it did cause some difficulties. “Alright, moving onto our next competitor. Let’s see what you got, Rhythm.”

@ @@Marathon “Aw yeah, that was awesome!” Amber exclaimed louder than she first intended while also pumping her hoof at the air. She couldn’t help but laugh at her own enthusiasm. “Man, you have some real talent there. Not that I expected any less obviously.” She rubbed the back of her head and looked off in some other direction. "So yeah, inspiration and all that stuff."

@@Marathon @ "Awesome!" Amber was attempting to keep some sense of composure, but her inner music freak was ecstatic at the opportunity to share and listen to new material. She levitated the punch over from Rhythm and was quickly reminded of the headache. Magic didn't exactly do it any favors. After giving her horn a couple of rubs she was good to go again. "Alright Flash," She threw a foreleg around him, pulling him a bit closer. "You've kept us waiting long enough. Let's hear what ya got."

@@Marathon @ "Yeah... I hope he does." Upon actually noticing Flash's return Amber tried to look a bit more composed, but it was still a chore. She avoided looking him directly in the eye, her gaze scanning the room franticly. "I know I can be a jerk sometimes, I'm just... I'm sorry if what I did hurt you. I just wanted to have some fun and I guess I got a bit carried away. I think I do that allot actually." She held out a hoof towards them. "Hey, can we still be friends? I'll try not to be so... overbearing, Is that the right word? You get what I mean"