private A Cultural Exchange 1x1 with Randimaxis

[Randimaxis 8,633]

@Illiad Easle

 

 

Beck came out with the luggage, carrying it all on his back, save the valise he held in his mouth.  He trotted over to the carriage, and Call started helping him pack everything onboard.  

 

Vylia turned to tell one of them to go fetch her son, when Dax came barreling out of the manor.  He had a small suitcase in his teeth, and a light travelling coat on his back.  His mane was still a bit wet from his bath, but he looked otherwise ready to go - and wide awake, as well.

 

"Sorry sorry sorry!  I needed to wake up - but I'm okay now!  I'm ready!"

 

He made his way over to the rest of them, and stood there panting.

 

"Okay... shall we?"

 

"Of course!"

 

"Lets."

 

"Come on!"

 

Beck and Call were loaded and strapped in; they were ready to go.

[Illiad Easle 2,970]

@@Randimaxis

 

Illiad smiled at how quickly everything fell into place once they were all gathered. He gave a nod as he proceeded towards the carriage, boarding and taking a seat in the middle of one of the benches given those that wanted to sit next to him. He poked his head back out the window, "Let's get going then, shall we?"

[Randimaxis 8,633]

@Illiad Easle

 

 

As the carriage left the Blackwater Quarry, there were a number of workers who waved and smiled at its' passing; they knew who was inside, and they all wished him a fond farewell.

 

As he got a last look at the gates, he saw Taps on top of the gate.  Satchel behind her, she gave them a salute as they passed below... then, her wings unfurled, and she returned to the quarry yard.

 

On the other side, the gates closed behind them with a solemn thud.  This trip, for Illiad, had come to a close... but his adventure with Dax was nowhere near complete.

 

Luther sat with Vylia on one side, Oglevy and Dax flanking Illiad on the other.  The matron gabbed, the patriarch sat there vigilant, the colt talked where his mother didn't... yet Dax was quiet.

 

He spent much of the trip just looking out across the view from up here in the mountains.  The Empathic could feel his excitement, nervousness and melancholy at his possible future...

 

There's a lot ahead of me.  I have a vague idea of what I'll be seeing and doing, but... well, am I going to have the kind of adventures I keep reading about in books and scrolls?  Will I have the kind of adventures Illiad has experienced?  Will I see or do something completely unexpected?

 

He sighed softly as they traveled, not in sadness... but in thought.

 

But an entirely different world?  Sure, they're not so hard to imagine... but to actually experience one?

 

THAT would be something totally different.

 

They arrived at a reasonable pace, and the train was still a good ten minutes before departure.  Stopping in front of the station, the gaudy carriage once again became the center of attention as the twins parked it at the curb.  Unhitching each other, they began offloading the luggage as everypony stepped out into the sunshine.

 

The station was not super-busy, but there were a number of others already there; the train wouldn't be packed, but Illiad and Dax would hardly be the only two on the train.

[Illiad Easle 2,970]

@@Randimaxis,

 

Illiad interjected to the conversation whenever he could get a word in edgewise, occasionally a subtle verbal prod in Dax's direction to see if he wanted to join in, but otherwise he left him alone to his thoughts.

 

One they arrived Illiad carefully, yet quickly, extracted himself from the carriage. He took a deep breath of the Canterlot mountain air before turning back towards the assembled Blackwaters, "Well, I'll leave you all to your farewells while I find us a good seat on the train."

 

To be honest, the family dynamic in the carriage ride was starting to feel a bit awkward to him, in some absurd way he felt like he was getting too close to them. He wondered if perhaps they were trying to use him to fill the hole left by Harcourt, and thought it best to give them a little more distance to bid a more cheerful farewell to this Blackwater. He went and secured from the Ons Dax's travel documents, while they wouldn't be necessary until they boarded in Dodge, it would be a good idea to have them on hoof rather than packed away in the massive array of luggage.

 

That done he moved to survey the train cars for one that would be mostly empty, the Equestrian trains had always seemed to be a bit more comfort oriented given the typically longer rides while the Trojan trains had always been much more utilitarian, prioritizing a faster ride over a comfortable one.

 

(Do tell me if I took to much of a liberty, I'd hate to mess it up so close to the end of your DM set.)

[Randimaxis 8,633]

@Illiad Easle

 

 

As Illiad boarded the train, Dax turned to his family.

 

"Well... uhm, this is-"

 

Vylia suddenly leapt out and wrapped her forelegs around him, and started bawling.

 

"Ohhh, DAXTER!  Oh, I almost can't bear it - an entire week!  Oh, my little one... how are ou going to survive out there!?  So far from us... from me...oh, Daxter are you SURE about this?"

 

"Mother!"  He yelped, but he was still rather happy that his mother was going to miss him.  Besides, what Mother wouldn't?  "It's okay, Mother - I'm just going for a single week; I'll be home before you know it."

 

She nodded and stepped back from him, but the look on her face said that she might try to grab him again if he wasn't vigilant.  He then turned to Oglevy, who was standing there, trying to look aloof... but his eyes betrayed him, a world of concern in them as he locked sight with his older brother.

 

"Brat."  Dax said.

 

"Pansy." Oglevy said.

 

They both smiled at each other, entire worlds spoken between those two small words.

 

Dax then turned to Luther.

 

"Father, I swear to you that I will do everything in my power to provide a good example to the population of Troy; I'll show everyone the kind of ponies the Blackwaters are, and I promise I'll not embarrass us."

 

Luther looked down on his son.

 

"Daxter... be yourself.  Do that, and I know the rest will follow."

 

Dax stared at his father for a moment more, then leaned over and hugged him.  Luther didn't seem to budge... except for the single hoof he raised and put on his child's back.  They both closed their eyes, and stood there for just a moment.  Then, they parted.

 

Dax looked past his mother.  "Beck?  Call?  Hold the fort, you two!"  

 

They both smiled.  "But of course, sir." they answered in unison.

 

He smiled at them all, waved slightly, then boarded the train after a deep, supposedly-calming breath.

 

==================================================

 

He'd been on a train before - Mother had made a few stops in Manehattan and Baltimare before - but this would be the longest he'd ever been away from the rest of his family.

 

And he could hardly wait.

 

He walked up and down the aisles, simply full of excitement for the oncoming journey... and what might await them when they reached Troy.  THAT, he was smiling about.  To actually have a chance to be elsewhere, to explore... 

 

Best of all?  NOBODY knows who the Blackwaters are there!  Without the social stigma of my family name, I've got the potential for making LOTS of friends!

 

He paused in his thoughts.

 

There could be danger, too.  I mean, I have no idea what I'm stepping into on Illiad's end.  He's politically involved, so there might be a chance that I could get swept up in it.  Maybe-

 

He closed his eyes and shook his head.

 

No - no involvement.  I can't afford to get Illiad in any kind of trouble... besides, he's probably already got plenty of stuff in mind to keep me out of the limelight.

 

Granted, as the young were wont to do, there'd been a slight hope at the back of his mind that he'd be able to help Illiad out somehow, to maybe make some kind of speech or some sort of show...

 

But he knew better; Illiad's world was HIS world.  Dax was only a passing ship in the night; when it was all over, it was pretty certain that this trip - though it would mean the world to Dax - wouldn't even rate a footnote in Troy's history.

 

Besides, who am I to make history?  I need to just relax, have myself a good time, and try to not make too many mistakes.

 

The thought, though meant to help bring him out of his doldrums, wasn't doing a very good job.

[Illiad Easle 2,970]

@@Randimaxis,

 

Illiad waved to Dax as the colt boarded the train so he would know where they were sitting, but he otherwise left Dax to his explorations.

 

He seems ready enough, am I? Was it really a good idea to try and host a guest at this time? Sure the election's still a few month's off, but no doubt this could cause problems if things go badly.

 

He sighed and shook his head, turning to look out the window,

 

No, I shouldn't think like that. This past week has been an amazing experience for the both of us, and I'm sure this next week, while not likely to be even better, could still be an amazing experience in its own right.

 

A slight smile came to his face as he thought of what he had planned,

 

So much that Dax will get to experience for the first time, will he be ready for it? Will I be ready to show him what it's like? It's too late to second guess this now, I'll just have to trust that my friends will be able to support me where I lack in showing Dax all the amazing things that Troy has to offer.

 

He turned back towards Dax, an idle thought crossing his mind.

 

I wonder if he'll sit down before the train starts moving. 

[Randimaxis 8,633]

@Illiad Easle

 

 

When the train lurched forward, Dax almost fell into a stallion's lap.

 

"Oh!  Oh, uhm... sorry!"

 

The stallion eyeballed him.  Dax took the hint and climbed back up, looking around for Illiad - had they gotten into different train ca- no, there he was!  He made his way over, trying to keep his hooves, and sat across the aisle from him.

 

He grinned.  "After the rest of the week, I almost thought we'd never get this far!  I guess it's gonna be a long way from here, hunh?  Well, it'll be okay.  We'll get there when we get there, right?"

 

"So..." He looked around a bit, then gave the unicorn a questioning glance.  "What're we gonna do once we get there?"

[Illiad Easle 2,970]

@@Randimaxis,

 

Illiad gave a slight smile at Dax's surprise when the train started moving. "Well, 'there' is two different places. When we get to where this train is going we'll be moving all our packages and such onto our connecting train while I somehow get a message sent out so that Midget will be waiting for us at our second 'there' where our adventure will begin anew. I'll keep the details a surprise because I honestly couldn't do it justice with words. But basically, I'll be taking you on a tour around all the official buildings before we head on to my house and the rest of our adventure."

 

He smiled as he pulled out the letters Taps had given him, putting away the one that called for privacy as there were too many eyes around here. It could wait until Dax had gone home. He looked over at Dax rather than open the letter, "Really now would be the best time for you to ask questions, keeping in mind that certain subjects would not be appropriate until we get on our second train."

 

He sincerely hoped that Dax understood what he meant by certain subjects as he had no idea how he could refer to changelings without others in the train overhearing.

[Randimaxis 8,633]

@Illiad Easle

 

 

I wonder if he means the changelings?

 

Dax nodded.  "Well, uhm... I..."

 

What can I ask?  What SHOULD I ask?  I mean, we've already talked about so much... and I don't wanna seem like I'm desperate for his attention or anything.  Wow, I didn't think it'd be this difficult...

 

He shrugged.  "I... uh, what... kind of... food will we be having there?  What's the local dish?"

 

Oh, thank Luna - something to talk about!  Awkward pauses stink!

 

[Illiad Easle 2,970]

@@Randimaxis,

 

Illiad looked surprised initially by the question, but as he thought he found it was actually a pretty fair question and nodded. "Well, really you can get pretty much any kind of food, really it's dependent on where you go. Given the cities host a wide variety of creatures it thus caters to all of their dietary needs as well as forming a sort of melting pot in regards to food culture. Still, the typical staple is grains, specially modified so as to take only a fraction of the water that they do elsewhere. Otherwise, there is a wide variety of dishes involving preserved food such as dried fruits and such. I guess in a word the food is typically starchy or dry and often consumed with a healthy amount of water on the side. Though recently it's been easier to acquire fruits from the Appaloosan and Dodge JCT trade deals, so those are starting to become a bit more common in daily life, but the rule of trade is: if it can't survive the desert you won't find it there."

 

He smiled a bit, "I hope you like toast, hash, and/or pancakes because those are things we have in abundance."

[Randimaxis 8,633]

@Illiad Easle

 

 

Mmmmmmm... pancakes...

 

Dax blinked, then smiled again.  "Actually, that does sound pretty good to me!  I don't think I'll have too much trouble with the cuisine there... heck, maybe I'll be able to try to make a dinner for you?  Maybe a few guests as well?"

 

Yeah... cooking!  If there's a surefire way to make a good impression in Troy, it's my cooking skills!

 

"That is, if that sounds okay?  I mean, I don't wanna make suppositions or anything on what we're going to do there - well, other than what you've already told me about, of course..."

 

DAX.  SHUT.  UP.

 

His words petered out, then he sighed and looked at Illiad in earnest.

 

"Truth is, I'm really nervous.  I'm afraid I'll make a BAD mistake; I'm afraid I'll say the wrong thing; I'm afraid I'll embarrass your friends... or worse, you.  I really have no idea what I'm in for - it's kinda scary.  Don't get me wrong - I WANT to go - but... well..."

 

... butterflies.

 

"... nerves, I guess."

 

Good; I have a hard enough time getting folks to take me seriously as it is - I really should make sure NOT to compound that by saying stuff like 'butterflies in my belly'; Mother stopped using that on me when I was a colt - but I guess some things just stick with you, hunh?

 

He shrugged at Illiad, hoping he understood.

[Illiad Easle 2,970]

@@Randimaxis,

 

Illiad gave a slight smile and shrugged, overlooking Dax's clear case of nerves. "I'm sure I could find a few creatures I know who would love to have a free meal. I think it's an excellent idea really, I thought about suggesting it myself but I didn't want to make you feel obligated."

 

He looked a bit more caring as he continued, "Dax, I'd just like you to know that no matter what you do, whatever mistake you may make, I'll know you would never intend to embarrass anyone. Thus even if you do somehow manage it I won't hold it against you and I will stand up for you if it is one of my friends okay? If you worry too much about not messing up you'll end up messing up in a big way, but if you don't worry about it, mistakes may happen but I'll help you back up. This time to ask questions is really to help you know more about what you're getting into before you actually get into it."

[Randimaxis 8,633]

@Illiad Easle

 

 

What I'm getting into?  Whoa, ominous... that sounds like there's REALLY a chance for trouble.  

 

Is he trying to warn me?  Maybe there's something even deeper going on here than I even thought there was!  Maybe there's spies, and I'll have to be extra careful not to say anything around them... or perhaps there's a devious magician among them, who could be after Illiad and his Empathic powers... or even-

 

Stop it!  QUIT that!  No need in getting all worked up over something you don't even know to be true or not!  Look, he made the statement... why not ASK about it?

 

"Then... maybe I should just ask what I could really be in for, right?"

 

Dax hoped it wasn't as bad as his imagination made him think it was.

 

"You'd have a better idea of what's really up, Illiad... please, if anything's serious here, then go ahead and tell me that."

[Illiad Easle 2,970]

@@Randimaxis, 

 

Illiad looked thoughtful for a moment before he proceeded, "Well, I suppose you're not really getting into much per say, I doubt anyone other than those close to me would really know who you are or why you're there, thus you likely won't attract too much attention until we get close to the end as they start to make connections. At which point you may be approached with questions of interviews, to which I would highly suggest you decline and make no comments towards them or within earshot of them in regards to myself or our relationship. I'll release a full statement on the matter once you are far enough away that the press won't be able to harras you about it. Other than that, what you're getting into is my circle of friends, as further, provided they accept you, a special place where very few ponies have been allowed to go."

 

He smiled, "In short, try to keep yourself out of the spotlight and everything will go quite smoothly. I think you can handle that, though, so I'm not worried."

[Randimaxis 8,633]

@Illiad Easle

 

 

Exactly as I predicted - out of the spotlight.  

 

But that's a GOOD thing, right?  I mean, here's Illiad, doing this whole thing just for me, and I'm getting upset that it's gonna be a secret?  Well, why shouldn't it be?  I have absolutely NO idea what's going on politically, and NO means of doing anything to help.  I'd just make things worse, I'm sure of it.  It'd be just my luck.

 

But... does that mean that... well, is he ashamed to be seen with me?

 

No, no, no... don't be dense; he's your friend, and he just wants to be sure you're safe while you're here, Dax... YOU should be ashamed for even thinking such a thing!  Why, he even said he was simply introducing you to his own friends; did you really expect to be asked to be a part of some diplomatic envoy or something?

 

Truthfully?  It might have been nice to at least be asked...

 

Dax showed none of this outwardly; instead, he simply smiled.  "Yeah - I guess it'll be okay.  Heh... nerves.  I should be fine once we reach the Dodge Junction.  It'll be fine... thanks, Illiad."

 

He turned and started gazing out of the window, watching the trees going by.

[Illiad Easle 2,970]

@@Randimaxis,

 

Illiad didn't look too sure, like he knew something more was going on with Dax than just nerves, but he didn't press the matter, simply nodding. "You're welcome Dax, do feel free to ask any questions that do come to mind as we travel."

 

With that he turned his attention back to the letter that Taps gave him, the one that said he was to open only after he had left the quarry, well it wasn't like he was getting any closer to it at this rate. He popped open the letter and seemed rather surprised at the contents, which from what Dax could see was a stone and a single page. Illiad returned the page to the envelope and put the stone rather discretely in his cloak, on the opposite side from the faint glow of Selena's diamond. He then too looked out the window as the trees grew more and more sparse.

[Randimaxis 8,633]

@Illiad Easle

 

 

The lull of the rhythm of the tracks began to sweep Dax into its embrace, so he didn't ponder over things for much longer... besides, he'd been QUITE active in the dream last night; he'd been warned that it would leave him drained.  The quick shower had helped, but now that he wasn't really doing much, his body's want for rest caught up to him, and out he went.

 

When he was sleeping, Dax always seemed to look so peaceful, so very sweet... it was mostly coltish charm, but there was certain to be a much more impressive sight when he got older.

 

He murmured as he slept on...

 

"... hagrfrgdrr pickles... nahmahLANda pickles..."

 

... and...

 

"... foo sweenee ahni better fan sugar nvstrrr..."

 

... and...

 

"... luvnaaaah biggest sancassle evarrrr..."

 

... but, other than these half-mumbled phrases, he slept fitfully and quietly.  So energetic for the trip... so tired during the actual ride.

 

Poor, sweet, innocent and doofy Dax Blackwater.

[Illiad Easle 2,970]

@@Randimaxis

 

(Sorry for the delay.)

 

Illiad smiled at the sounds Dax made before deciding that sleep was a good idea for him too.

 

Three hours later the train screeched to a stop at Dodge JCT. Illiad was awoken by the noise and moved to nudge Dax back into wakefulness. "Come on, we've reached the half way point, it's time to get off the train and start getting all those boxes from your mother moved."

 

That settled, Illiad excited the train.

 

From the window Dax would be able to see the rather well built train station of Dodge, a few ponies milled about on the neighboring platform and a number of uniformed earth ponies were busy unloading boxes and luggage from the train, the boxes starting to form a large pile to one end of the station.

 

Within the train most of the ponies were disembarking like Illiad had, while a few others seemed to be heading onward on the same train.

[Randimaxis 8,633]

@Illiad Easle

 

 

Dax blinked awake.  "Hunh?  OH!  Oh, yeah... okay."

 

He gathered himself and followed Illiad off the train car, making his way onto the platform deftly.  Once he stepped onto it, he took a moment to look around at his surroundings.  

 

Wow... it's really true.  I'm not home.  I'm not NEAR home.  I'm certainly not in walking distance, and there's no fancy-frou-frou coach waiting to take me anywhere.  And not Mother, or Father, nor especially Oglevy will be telling me what to do or making me keep myself prim and proper.

 

I... I'm... away... from it all.

 

A small smile played across his lips.  "This is Dodge?  Neat!  So," he turned to his Trojan friend, "we get the stuff sent with us and take it to the other train, right?  Well, let's find the porters, then!"

[Illiad Easle 2,970]

@@Randimaxis

 

Dax found Illiad standing at what appeared to be a schedule board next to a clock on a black iron pole, Illiad sorted in slight annoyance as he turned back towards Dax. "Figures, the next Trojan Express run is in an hour, just left Troy actually, hopefully it will be on time. Until then, yes. We go find the ones unloading this train so we can make sure everything is prepped to go on the next train."

 

He moved to talk to one of the uniformed ponies who held out a clipboard for Illiad to sign after a few words had been spoken, after which Illiad came back over to Dax, "Alright, that there is the station manager Mr. Manifest, he'll make sure all our stuff gets on the next train to Troy, but he wouldn't mind some help organizing the boxes if you want to offer, I just need to head over to their mail service real quick and make sure Midget is waiting for us when we arrive at Troy and that he knows what we have coming with us."

 

With that Illiad walked over to a small building just off the train platform with a picture of an envelope on it. A tall pole stood near it, connected to the building by a cable of sorts, a line of poles connected by the cable extended along a rail line headed south of Dodge.

 

Mr. Manifest was an older stallion, but still seemed strong enough for a pegasus. His coat was a dull brick color and his tail was a grey like the train tracks. He wore a conductor's cap on his head.

[Randimaxis 8,633]

@Illiad Easle

 

 

Okay, easy enough... just ask to help out.  That's all you need to do, Dax.  Don't overwhelm him, don't yammer at him, don't drown him in conversation - he's probably awfully busy, so don't waste his time.

 

Dax stepped up to where he saw Mr. Manifest, though he was careful to stay out of the way.

 

"Uhm... excuse me, but I was wondering if I might be able to offer a helping hoof?  I'm bound for another train, and some of those crates'll be coming with my friend and I... maybe I could help somehow?"

[Illiad Easle 2,970]

@@Randimaxis,

 

Mr. Manifest looked over at Dax with a raised eyebrow as he tucked his clipboard under his wing. "Ah, you must be the one travelling with Mr. Easle. Good." He smiled and gestured towards the pile of boxes that had been accumulating at the end of the platform. "You see that pile over there? That's where all the stuff headed to Troy goes." He started walking over to the baggage cars where the uniformed ponies were still unloading, one grumbling to the other, questioning why someone thought it would be a good idea to move so much freight in a passenger train. "Here's where you start, anything tagged with a large red T goes in that pile I showed you, don't worry about the others, there're enough Ts in there that you shouldn't run out. If you see a blue T though, leave it alone. Those are going back up to Trottingham."

 

He started to walk away, but turned back, "If you don't mind me asking, what brings you to Troy? I've had a number of ponies cross the border through this station and I've always found their responses to that question interesting. All of them just a bit different from the others."

[Randimaxis 8,633]

@Illiad Easle

 

 

Oh, crud... didn't Illiad say something about being cautious with what I said to whom?  I mean, he seems to know Illiad... maybe this is a test?  If I spill the beans about anything important, he might decide I'm too much of a risk to go on to Troy - it'd certainly be more convenient to send me home from here.  Yeah, that's it - it's GOTTA be a test.  Just answer calmly, smile a bit, and tell him just the basics... JUST the basics...

 

"I wrote a letter and he came over and now we're going to Troy to... uhm... p-play?"

 

Dear Luna, now he thinks I'm an idiot.

 

Dax gave Manifest a very embarrassed grin, then looked down and sighed.

 

"I'm sorry... I guess I'm kinda nervous - I've never been this far from my family before.  I... well, Illiad and I participated in a culture exchange; this trip's a part of that for me."

 

He really hoped Mr. Manifest didn't think he was an idiot.

[Illiad Easle 2,970]

@@Randimaxis,

 

Manifest, to his credit, didn't look too upset by Dax's answer, in fact, he seemed rather amused by it as he rolled his eyes. " Just so you know, proper avoidance measures would require that you deny any knowledge of Troy. Were I somehow against Troy I wouldn't need to talk to you as I've already confirmed that Troy's where you're going. I'm sure Mr. Easle appreciates your discretion, though. I had heard word around about a cultural exchange going on, a number of pairs never made it this far before one or both parties called it off, I guess not everypony can match up quite as well as you two did."

 

He nodded before he turned back to his clipboard, "Well, I hope you have a wonderful visit to Troy, I'll be seeing you later to check your documents when the train gets here, for now, I need to get your shipment cleared so we can start loading as soon as the train arrives."

 

With that, he walked over towards the same building Illiad had recently entered.

 

The pile of boxes in the train car was only slightly smaller, and most of them were marked with the large red T. It seemed the unloaders were saving them for last.

[Randimaxis 8,633]

@Illiad Easle

 

 

Dax watched as Manifest walked into the same building Illiad had headed to, and then turned to start figuring out what boxes to start with first.

 

It WAS a test!  I KNEW it!  Now he's gonna go in there and tell Illad I gave away the secret!  Oh, I hope Illiad's not mad - I didn't think about it!  I didn't know about it!  I mean, I had a hunch that... aw, NUTS!  I really should've just kept my mouth shut and just said, 'I'm on a trip with a friend'; I hope he's not angry with me...

 

With a heavy heart and half-expecting to be headed on a train home within the hour, Dax moved over to the porter car and, after watching the other porters for a bit, he began to pitch in and take some crates to the same lace they were taking them.

 

Why can't I seem to get anything right?