private A Cultural Exchange 1x1 with Randimaxis

[Illiad Easle 3,164]

@@Randimaxis,

 

Illiad was impressed by the quality of the telescope. He hadn't had much use for one in recent years as sand would wear them down pretty quickly, but he had had an amateur one back when he lived in Canterlot. He carefully lifted it with his magic to inspect it more closely, it was certainly worn, but well cared for, clearly professionally made.

 

"It is very impressive, the best personal telescope I've ever seen, though that isn't saying much." He passed it back to Dax. "It has been quite a long time since I've used one, you no doubt know how to set it up better than I do. You seem like you've had quite a bit of practice with it." 

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

Dax blushed as Illiad spoke of the telescope's construction.   

 

"Yeah, I actually built it myself.  Measured out the pieces, focused the lenses... all in all, not that impressive, but it works exactly like I want it to."  He looked at it lovingly.  "It's not the first one I built - Oglevy broke that one - but it IS the best one I ever put together.  When it gets close to dusk, I'll set it up for us; if it doesn't sound too dull to you, I'd love to show you all the constellations visible at this time of season."

 

He lovingly closed up the box and set it aside.  He then sat back on the log, getting comfortably settled in before simply staring into the fire for a moment.  The pain of earlier had retreated, and there was a mellow feeling trickling from Dax; he'd had a long, eventful day so far, and now he was winding down from it.  Illiad hadn't seen him this relaxed since... well, since he'd met the young stallion.

 

Dax turned and looked at the Trojan thoughtfullyfor a moment before speaking.

 

"I'm glad you came, Illiad.  The quarry is pretty much all I've really ever known; I was in regular school once, for a while... but that didn't last, so I ended up at the manor.  I actually spend a lot of my time out here, but I try to at least stop in to see Mother and Father a few times a week.  Part of the reason this whole thing was approved in the first place was because I agreed to stay at the manor the majority of your visit; Mother practically shoved Father into it, I'd think."

 

His small smile was kind and gracious.

 

"So yeah... thank you.  I really, really mean that, too."

[Illiad Easle 3,164]

@@Randimaxis,

 

Illiad was even more impressed to hear that Dax had constructed the telescope himself, It really was a professionally crafted piece.

 

"Well, I'm glad I came too. I don't really get all that much opportunity to get out of the city, this exchange was a nice break for me. I'd like to think I made a few friends here, maybe you'll make some friends in Troy too. But yes, Thank you too Dax, I've had a great time here, and I'm glad to consider you one of my friends." 

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

If emotions could be measured by the cupful, then the entire ocean might have been displaced by the sheer volume of affection and happiness that came rolling from Dax Blackwater, all aimed directly at Illiad Easle.

 

His feelings were like an open tome: he was absolutely ecstatic to have a friend in the first place , he was grateful that Illiad returned the sentiment, he was pleased that he seemed to be doing well as a host for his friend, and he was also still reeling from the idea that this was, in fact, not a dream...

 

Dax's verbal response was, "Thanks... oh, hey - are you thirsty?"

 

Dax got up and went to the signboard, grabbing up the rope in his mouth as he passed it.  He idly pulled it in as he walked to the shoreline; the rope was attached to a burlap sack which had been submerged in the water.  He stuck his head inside and came back with a smaller sack.  Setting the little sack down, he returned the bigger one to the water, and brought the other bag over.

 

Inside were two canteens; one had a picture of a lemon and a lime stitched into the cover, while the other had a picture of an apple scratched into the surface.  Accompanying them were four crisp, cold green apples.

 

Dax looked up at the unicorn.  "One's lemon-limeade, the other is Sweet Apple Cider - both should be good and cold by now.  Oh, and help yourself to an apple, if you like."  To demonstrate, Dax reached in and grabbed one himself; it was so crisp, it snapped when he bit into it.

[Illiad Easle 3,164]

@@Randimaxis,

 

Illiad winced at the sheer amount of emotion coming from Dax. It was painful yes, like having massive amounts of sugar poured directly into your mouth. Only more like directly to the brain. It wasn't at risk of a snap like with Mrs Blackwater, but it was uncomfortable. He sincerely hoped his emotional flood would die down quickly so he didn't have to throw a shield or leave.

 

Illiad took the lemon-limeade as he had had plenty of cider throughout the week as well as an apple. "You are indeed a gracious host." Illiad bit into the apple and sampled a small amount of the drink.

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

Grinning, Dax ate his apple and helped himself to some of the lemon-limeade as well.

 

"Well, now that we're here, we can go fishing... if you still wanna, that is?"

 

He got up and headed for the tent again.  After a moment out of view, he returned with two long wooden poles, each one with a number of brass rings set at intervals along its length, a spool of thin twine, and a makeshift crank.  The twine had been looped through the rings from the spool, leading all the way to the tip - where there was a small, pink blob of what looked like jelly.

 

"I was taught how to do this a long time ago, by my brother Harcourt... see, the pink stuff is magically sticky; it tends to stick to all sorts of stuff.  Harcourt used to make it; he used it for practical jokes all the time."  He grinned, a thought crossing his brain-pan.  "It's something I know would be a reeeeeally bad idea for Slapper to catch wind of this stuff; I like him, but I've been a target plenty of times - no fool am I."

 

"The blob has some kind of weird taste or something that fish like; they'll try to eat it, and you just pull 'em to shore.  Once you see how pretty they are and how big, you just pull the little blob out - comes right out, no fuss - then toss 'em back in the water.  It's actually pretty neat.  The spool there is attached to the twine; you cast it out over the water, then stick the pole down in the dirt.  Turn the crank-thing with your hoof to bring it in slowly, then just keep tossing it out there until you catch something."

 

He grinned softly, as if to a memory he was having.  "It might sound kinda dull, but trust me... it's better than you think."

[Illiad Easle 3,164]

@@Randimaxis,

 

Illiad thought the entire process odd and a bit boring. He could see the use for it in the sense of gathering fish for an aquarium as the process did not harm the fish, but other than that it seemed rather pointless. However he decided he might as well give it a try, maybe it would be more interesting than he supposed.

 

"I suppose I could give it a shot,"

 

Illiad gently took a rod from Dax and did his best to follow his instructions carefully.

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

Dax explained the basics of casting, and after a few tries (including one where the little blob got stuck on Illiad's ear), the line was in the water, and Dax soon followed suit.  Then there they were, sitting on the bank of the creek, waiting for a bite.

 

"Usually, I just lose myself in thoughts - I've never actually had company here with me before; it's weird... but not a bad weird."

 

He smiled kindly before giving a contented sigh and sitting on the ground, stretching his legs a bit before he turned to face the Trojan.

 

"Well, we could certainly talk - seems like we haven't had a lot of time to do that, recently.  Apparently, this is the week the Quarry decided to be busy, I guess... but that's okay, because it gives you a chance to see what things are like here.  So, I guess I'll start with the questions, okay?"

 

Dax looked thoughtful for a moment before grinning.

 

"Okay, I got it!  Can I ask you how you met Princess Luna?  I mean, I know you wrote that you knew her, but... if it's not, y'know, hush-hush and everything, how did it happen?"

[Illiad Easle 3,164]

@@Randimaxis,

 

Illiad did find that fishing was actually somewhat relaxing, now that he knew what he was doing. 

 

"How did I meet Princess Luna? Hmm, About a year or two after I left for Troy, I left the day before she returned from the moon, so a year later was just before Discord and another year after that would have been Chrysalis' attack... It was a month or two before Chrysalis. Princess Luna wanted to meet me, so she had the archives write me a letter asking me to come visit,  was intrigued by the letter so I took a small trip, they had put in a new Empathic section at her request so I thought I'd check it out. Later that night she found me there. What we talked about there is a secret, but in the end that's where I got my cloud diamond."

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

Dax gave Illiad a sidelong look.

 

"Awwww... well, I guess SOME of a story's better than none, right?  And that's really cool, how being an Empathic got you to see her.  I mean, yeah it caused you trouble too... but having the chance to actually meet Princess Luna, among other things, should show that it was a GOOD thing you had those abilities!"

 

There was a muted excitement in the young Blackwater, as if he was having the thrill of his life just to have someone to talk to, but at the same time trying not to frighten them off.

 

"Okay, now it's your turn; ask me something.  Ask me anything!"

[Illiad Easle 3,164]

@@Randimaxis, 

 

Illiad pondered for a moment what he could say or ask. He wasn't feeling too curious at the moment and he did not want to ruin the mood by asking about earlier.

 

"I suppose it was fortunate in a way, though I would have preferred leaving Canterlot on better terms. As for a question, I suppose I'll get your perspective. What do you think of Silver?"

 

It would be clear to Dax that this was more than a casual interest.

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

Dax grinned.

 

"Silver is a real sweetheart.  When she first got here, she couldn't talk to anypony - she mostly stayed in her shed.  It was Knee Slapper who got her outside when he broke a sulfur jar in her workshop; the smell lasted for DAYS!"

 

The young stallion laughed at the thought.

 

"Anyway, I started talking to her because she wasn't talking to anyone but Slapper - and she started talking to the others more often.  Soon, everypony knew Silver - and she knew them."

 

He looked at Illiad, making sure his statement was understood.

 

"She's one of the smartest ponies I know, and she's as sweet as Zap Apple Jam.  Personally, I think she could do a lot better than working here... but she loves the machines and stuff the quarry has.  Plus, she still feels like she owes Father for what he did for her - do you know about that story?  Still, she's really amazing for all she does..."

 

His intent gaze slowly turned into a goofy smile.

 

"You like her, don't you?  Do you like her a lot?  Do you know if she likes you too?"

[Illiad Easle 3,164]

@@Randimaxis,

 

 Despite Illiad knowing Dax's comment was coming, he still blushed slightly. "I guess I do like her, she's one of the smartest mares I've ever met and she's really cute too. As to if she returns it, she has called me cute before and I've felt her affection towards me but..." Illiad sighed. "For her to be so smart and cute And not having caught another's eye? I wouldn't want to get in the way if she already has another in mind. But to be honest, I hope she likes me as much as I like her."

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

Dax scrunched his features up in thought, then looked at his unicorn friend.

 

"I don't think I've ever known anypony who's had that kind of crush on her - she pretty much stays at the quarry, and she doesn't get any visitors from offsite... might have to talk to Slapper, though; he watches out for her like a big brother."

 

That thought brought some sadness, but not an ounce of it showed on Dax's muzzle.

 

"I guess that makes it my turn again... hmmmmmm..."

 

He meandered mentally for a moment before a look of 'a-ha!' showed up.

 

"You've met a few ponies here... can you tell me about who I'm going to be meeting over in Troy?  Who are you gonna introduce me to?"

[Illiad Easle 3,164]

@@Randimaxis,

 

Illiad took a bit of guilty pleasure in knowing that Silver had few if any other potential romantic relationships. But he did notice that Dax seemed slightly envious of Silver and Knee, perhaps he should ask about Harcourt next.

 

His smile grew slightly at the prospect of introducing his friends. "Well, you'll likely meet Steal Rose when I go to have the plates fashioned for your father, she's an earth pony who's a bit rough mannered, but she's kind at heart and one of the better metal casters in Deltrot. Swift Message is the mail carrier who's route includes my house, he's a nice Pegasus despite being a bit old, he was my first friend after I moved to Deltrot. Then there's Carbon Copy, the unicorn cousin of Swift, I met him just before I met Luna, I'd like to think that we're pretty good friends by now. He works as an apprentice jeweler as he can easily work with gems, most especially diamonds. We may run into Midget Hooves at some point, he and I are going to be running together for Consul in the next election, he's timid in public but he is a powerful speaker in the council, I suppose passionate would be the best way to describe him. Then there's Glen, she moved in to Deltrot recently and works as a guide for the caravans when she's not exploring the desert in search of her father's remains." Illiad pondered a bit more but no more names came to mind. "You'll probably end up meeting more than that but those are the most likely and the ones that I know best." Illiad was really enjoying this sort of Q/A, "So now it's my turn I guess, would you mind telling me about Harcourt? You don't have to if you don't want to."

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

Dax's smile faltered a bit, and his emotional state wavered... but he gave a distinct 'why not' sigh before he started.

 

"Harcourt's the oldest - he was around for a lot of my foalhood and most of my colthood as well.  When I was first born, he didn't like me much - Mother says he tried to have me shipped to the Yak Kingdom once; almost got away with it too!  He felt like I was sorta 'muscling in' on his life, y'know?  But in time, he started being nice to me.  I guess he got used to the idea of having me as a little brother; the teasing and name-calling got less and less as we got older, until we finally became friends."

 

He looked down, more to gather his thoughts than out of sorrow.

 

"When Mother got pregnant with Oglevy, Harcourt and Father had a really BIG argument; I think it was over what 'Cort's place would be with the new foal coming, I'm not sure... but it didn't end well: Harcourt stormed out of the manor, swearing he wasn't coming home until he had proven Father wrong - and Father just watched him go.  Didn't even try to stop him."

 

He glanced sideways at Illiad.

 

"None of the family has heard from him since that day, about a decade ago... I hope he's alright.  Mother misses him fiercely, and so do I; Father does too, I think, but he never talks about his feelings.  Oglevy?  He hates Harcourt; the feeling is mutual.  Maybe they'll work their differences out in time... if he ever comes home, that is."

 

The subject was a bittersweet one for Dax - he obviously loved his brother, yet misses him so very much.

 

"He was the smooth-talker, the sneaky one, the sly dog.  He was the one who taught me how to hide stuff in my mane with yarn, and he taught me how to tell a good gem from a bad one, and he taught me how to fish... kinda like I'm teaching you, huh?"

 

That thought gave the earth pony some comfort.

 

"So, yeah - that's my brother Harcourt.  He's a bit... egotistical sometimes... but he's really a good sort, I promise.  I wish you could meet him - I think he'd like you, Illiad."

 

The smile that grew on his muzzle was genuine, and he didn't seem any worse off for the subject.

 

"My turn again.  I wanna know what you think of my family - and none of this 'oh, they're okay' stuff, either!"  Dax's mood had lightened a tad.  "I know you've been around them a bit - tell me what you've learned and what you wanna learn.  And don't worry," he chuckled, "I won't say a word of anything that passes between us here."

 

 

[Illiad Easle 3,164]

@@Randimaxis,

 

Illiad was a bit sad to hear the tale of Harcourt. He had always had a good relationship with his siblings despite being the oldest. And though they had started to grow apart he still thought of them as friends.

 

"What I think of your family? Your parents are tying their best to raise you right, but they don't any way other than how their parents raised them. Personally I think they aren't showing you guys enough love, perhaps it is because they don't know how to express it. I can see in them and what is developing in you a dangerous emotional tendency to withdraw, bottling your emotions to come out in occasional bursts which is unhealthy. That is why I had to blink out of the tea party with you, sudden surges of emotion like that are not healthy for me to sense." Illiad sighed again, his expression more forlorn. "I can't blame your parents though, I can tell they're trying their best with what they know. You and Oglevy have the potential to become great individuals, you have more opportunities than most to experience the world, to grow." Illiad sighed again, looking a bit annoyed. "I don't really know where I was going with that, I'm not a psychologist, I just know how emotions work and I've gotten good at establishing causality with it. Your parent's aren't perfect, no one is. I really should stop before I get too deep into analyzing your family. I could go on if you want, I am seeing some interesting connections now that I think about it, but I can understand if you don't want me to continue."

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

Dax was rapt, watching his friend.

 

"No, no... I wanna hear more - it sounds like you've gotten a better insight into them than most do; of course, part of that is probably your Empathic abilities.  Which, actually, is pretty cool."

 

He pondered for a second, then spoke again.

 

"You're right about the fact that they care; our family is a little..." he thought for a moment, "... 'dysfunctional', I guess you could say, but we care about each other.  Still, I actually DO wanna hear more.  Please?"

[Illiad Easle 3,164]

@@Randimaxis,

 

Illiad gave a slightly worried grin, "If you really want I will continue." Illiad moved into a more comfortable position for talking. "Keep in mind this will be mostly speculation on my part so it may not be entirely accurate."

 

"We'll start with your father, given that he had to take the mine from his father it is clear he did not have the best relationship with him, thus he decided he would not raise his children like his father did. Your grandfather was likely emotionally detached as well, leaving your father without the knowledge to share emotion well. When it came to raising his children he did not have a basis to build from, thus he tried a different tactic with each of you. He was likely quite strict and demanding with Harcourt, causing him to flee before even discovering his potential, he was a bit more detached with you, and he has shown the most detachment towards Oglevy."

 

"I don't know anything of your mother's background other than she is used to a rich and pampered lifestyle and a similarly detached parenting style where nannies and tutors raise the children in place of the parents. I know you have tutors, but I cannot gauge the level to which your parents were involved in your upbringing. But as your father grew more detached she grew more attached, likely due to Harcourt's departure she doesn't want to lose another. thus she was likely more involved with you than Harcourt, and has coddled Oglevy." 

 

"Harcourt was pushed hard to succeed by your father, he wanted a stallion like himself and when Harcourt was different he didn't know how to handle it. Leading to friction between the two of them ultimately resulting in Harcourt's departure. he hates his father for pushing him in a direction he did not want, or was simply not meant to go."

 

"You are a good balance of your father and mother, you aren't to strict nor too relaxed. You know how to care about others and do so with gusto, though the isolation of your parents' methods have left you with less developed social skills and a good bit of innocence. but you have good potential to become a great individual. I have no doubt that if you chose to take over the quarry after your father you would run it quite well, perhaps even better than your father did."

 

"Oglevy is currently in a dangerous place, he is at the tipping point between a balanced life and becoming a spoiled, entitled individual who will never leave the quarry of his own will. If "you guide him you can bring him to a productive and happy life. It may be hard at first, but all he wants is to be loved, something your parents wont give easily, but something you can provide. Teach him how to be better, care about him and he will follow you."

 

Illiad sighed again. "That's all I have to say on that for now, as I learn more I may be able to have better insight to the situation. Why don't you ask me another question? Nothing comes to my mind at the moment."

Edited February 13, 2016 by Illiad Easle

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

Dax sat there through the whole thing, watching Illiad with wonder as he spoke about the Blackwaters.  When he was done, the young stallion simply sat there for a moment, quietly thinking, before he answered.

 

"Wow... that's... actually probably not too far off the mark, honestly.  I mean, I haven't finished my psychology studies, but it sounds like you've already pegged a number of things I'd suspected for a bit.  Yeah, you might need a bit more time to observe, though - Father and I aren't as distant as you'd think - he just doesn't say much, so we keep it simple when we talk.  But you couldn't know that in only a few days, I guess."

 

Dax grinned.  "And no, I'm not offnded; if nothing else, I'm actually kinda glad to see you're actually getting to know them, instead of just paying 'em lip-service.  That makes me feel better; I thought they'd drive you away with their antics, to be honest."

 

He rolled his eyes when Illiad tried to back out of asking a question.  "Awwww, c'mon!  That's not how this game works!  You're suppose to-"

 

Illiad's pole suddenly bowed, and his line began to wiggle.

 

"OH!  OH OH OH!  YOU GOT A BITE!  HURRY, PUT YOUR HOOF ON THE CRANK AND BRING HIM IN!"

[Illiad Easle 3,164]

@@Randimaxis,

 

With a jolt of surprise Illiad's attention returned to the fishing. He had almost forgotten what hey were doing. With a careful motion he began to reel in the fish. He knew if he pulled to fast the blob might become unstuck and the fish would get away. So he did his best to reel in the fish quickly, but not too quickly. 

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

Dax leapt back and forth on the sandbar they stood on, cheering Illiad on.

 

"That's it!  THAT'S IT!  Now slow it down... yeah, like that... now, FAST!  HURRY HURRY HURRY!  Yeah!  Almost got- OOH!" 

 

The young stallion turned and bolted for the tent, scrambling back in record time with a net on a pole.

 

"Jusht reew him'min DISH schway!"  Dax yelled around a mouthful of handle as he tried to prepare his net for their catch.

[Illiad Easle 3,164]

@@Randimaxis,

 

Illiad was beginning to see the appeal of this sort of activity, long periods of calm followed by short bursts of rapid excitement. Certainly it was something he could enjoy.He continued to follow Dax's directions despite them being counter-intuitive and sometimes seemingly contradictory. It would have been easier for him to teleport the fist out of the water, but he didn't want to ruin the fun for Dax. 

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

"Hewe... HEEEEEWE!"  Dax held out the net, straining to try to net the fish when it was lifted from the water.  He stood on tiptoe, s-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g to reach that fish... almost... alllllmost...

 

>KER-SPLASH<

 

Dax Blackwater was sitting in the creek, sopping wet with a net in his mouth.  The fish, however, had ended up perched on his head.  The scene was still for all of a moment, then the fish suddenly jerked into a curl, and flipped off Dax's noggin, landing in the water with a splash and swimming off quite rapidly.

 

For a moment, Dax simply sat there.  Then...

 

"HAAAAA HA HA HA HA HA HAAA!  Did you see the SIZE of him!  That was GREAT for your first catch, Illiad!"

 

Not even the slightest trickle of disappointment came from him as he pulled himself from the water, shook off a bit, then headed for the tent.

 

"I've got a towel in here - I'll be just a moment.  Toss your line back out!"

 

Slipping through the flap, Illiad could now here the sounds of rummaging around in the tent. 

[Illiad Easle 3,164]

@@Randimaxis,

 

Illiad gave a small laugh at the scene before casting the line back out. It really was a fun activity and he was glad he had given it a chance even though it was unlikely he would have the opportunity to do it again as the oases did not have fish in them. It gave his the chance to think of what he could possibly ask next. He was content to learn of the Blackwaters through observation and he wasn't going to ask about the comment by the worker unless Dax brought it up.

 

He really was stumped as to what question he could ask.