private A Cultural Exchange 1x1 with Drago Ryder

[Drago Ryder 641]

Dawn nodded and looked over a few of the necklaces Starshine had on sale. For now, she would keep it simple and just get one, but had a few ideas for outfits. "Do you think I should go for silver or gold would look good on me?" She asked, looking in a mirror as she levitated the two necklaces she had picked out. She wasn't normally concerned about her appearance, but she wanted to look good in front Illiad.

[Illiad Easle 3,143]

@@Drago Ryder, 

 

It was at that moment that Illiad realized he had no idea about fashion. He looked over and started plotting based on color alone because that was what he knew.

"I suppose you could pull off either, you'd look a bit more plain if you did just a simple silver chain, or even silver with a ruby. If you wanted to stand out you could do gold, gold and a ruby would make you look coordinated with me. That reminds me," He retrieved the flyer from his folder and floated it over to Dawn. "There's a sort of dance/formal party event, not entirely unlike the Gala if you've ever been, to celebrate Luna's return and our independence. If you're interested I'd be happy to bring you as my daPlus one." Illiad looked nervous for a bit as he struggled to regain his composure.

[Drago Ryder 641]

Dawn nodded slightly and decided to go with the gold and ruby necklace. She then heard Illiad continue and blushed when he stuttered over the last word or two. After a few moments of thought, the alicorn then have a small smile and nodded. "I would love to go with you as your plus one." She said, somewhat nervous. The last thing she wanted was to embarrass herself, and the fact that he almost said 'date' made her begin to wonder how he felt about her.

[Illiad Easle 3,143]

@@Drago Ryder,

 

Illiad calmed at her response, he could tell that she was nervous about going, it was understandable given the destination, but he was relieved that she said plus one, perhaps she hadn't noticed that he almost said date. He had always moved into relationships too fast, making friends in minutes, something more serious in only hours of contact. He didn't want to mess things up by moving to fast, and as consul he really had to know it would work out before moving too far forward, it would not be good press if it failed after only a few days. "Thanks for accepting, I'm sure Selena will be glad I'm not going alone this year." He began to seriously evaluate his feelings towards Dawn, she was interesting and cute, not too curios but still intrigued by the world around her, and she happened to be an alicorn that wasn't over a thousand years older than him, as far as he knew. There was definitely potential in this relationship, he would just have to see if it went anywhere. 

[Drago Ryder 641]

Dawn gave a light smile, and turned to face Illiad. "Your welcome." She said. "Granted, I'm sure it will probably be a bit more different than the gala than you think." The alicorn then giggled a bit at a few of the memories of what she heard about the biggest party in Canterlot. Based off what she had learned, it would probably be acceptable to wear her toga to the party so she wouldn't have to worry about getting a dress, but she reminded herself to check with her host just to be sure.

[Illiad Easle 3,143]

@@Drago Ryder,

 

Illiad pondered for a moment, before smiling slightly. "I suppose it won't be exactly the same, after all, We don't have any elements of harmony to cause a scene here. But in other respects it will be similar, it will start with a sort of introductory time where everyone mingles as the guests arrive, I don't have to great them personally like Celestia did, then a formal dance followed by a feast. I've sent an invitation to Princess Luna and with any luck she will be in attendance for at least part of it." 

[Drago Ryder 641]

@Illiad Easle

 

Dawn nodded slightly and was surprised to hear that Luna would be there. "Well, that's one way to improve relations." She said, before a thought popped into her head. "You probably already told me this, but what are your thoughts of her? If I'm prying to deep, I'm sorry."

[Illiad Easle 3,143]

@@Drago Ryder,

 

Illiad looked a bit surprised at her apology, "No, that's not too deep to pry. I've known Luna for a while now, since before I was an alicorn. I'd say we're friends at this point, though we've never really done friend things, it's more we see the world the same way and have some shared experiences that allow us to relate to each other. As a leader I admire her ability to keep control of Equestria in her sister's absence and I appreciate the efforts she has made to reverse some of Celestia's poor foreign policies. Troy as a nation has always respected her as she gave us our initial form of government and provided the opportunity that led to our independence. Personally, she just wants to be appreciated, and I think she is doing a good job of filling in for her sister's absence. The appreciation and support that Troy provides her is no doubt helpful." 

[Drago Ryder 641]

Dawn nodded slightly. "That's understandable. People with similar views tend to gravitate towards each other, so it would make sense that you two would be friends. That being said, I have a friend who thinks along the same lines as you. I think you two would get along well." She said, giving a slight smile.

[Illiad Easle 3,143]

@@Drago Ryder,

 

Illiad looked a bit intrigued with a slight smile. "Luna and I go back a few years, I met her about two years before I became an alicorn. I would be interested in meeting this friend of yours, it's always nice to get to know similarly minded people." 

 

Starshine poked her head out from the back room, looking almost surprised to see them still there. "I'm just about done with your robe, if you want to come back here I can make a few final adjustments to ensure that it fits comfortably."

[Drago Ryder 641]

Dawn nodded and a few scenarios played out in her head. "I'm sure he would love to meet you as well." She said, before noticing Starshine. "I'll be right back." With that, the alicorn trotted towards the bat eager to help. "What kind of adjustments do you have to make?"

[Illiad Easle 3,143]

@@Drago Ryder,

 

Starshine passed over a roll of cloth, one much wider than the one she used to measure with. "I just need you to try it on so I can see if it fits properly, mostly it's to ensure that your wing and tail holes are in the right spots and large enough to stick your wings through without complication." 

[Drago Ryder 641]

Dawn nodded slightly and wrapped her robe around her chest. When all was said and done, it seemed to fit perfectly. The only thing that she didn't like was how stiff it felt on her body, but she had been warned about that so there was no point in complaining. "It's perfect." She said, smiling slightly.

 

(If it's possible, could you go into detail as to what Dawn's robe looks like? That's assuming it looks different than others.)

[Illiad Easle 3,143]

@@Drago Ryder, 

(Attached are pictures of pre-alicorn Illiad in the standard robe, the only difference in Dawn's robe is that the middle stripe is not there (Unless she wears a sash) and is replaced by her wings.)

 

Starshine smiled broadly, clearly pleased in her work. "I'm glad you like it. Before you go I should let you know, the cloth comes pre-enchanted with an energy spell, allowing it to extend the life of any enchantment you apply by taking energy from sunlight, so it's a good idea to place it where it can be hit by sunlight when you're not using it, otherwise you'll have to recharge your enchantments normally." Starshine quickly looked over a paper on the desk before turning her attention back to Dawn. "Is there anything else I can do for you this evening?"

 

(The cloth of Dawn's robe is an even white that shimmers faintly in direct sun or moonlight, the strip by the hooves is a slightly whiter shade of white. Illiad's robe is white and it shimmers a bit even in low light, the strip by his hooves is a similar red to the sash he wears.)

 

[Drago Ryder 641]

Dawn nodded and thought for a moment before responds. "I actually found some accessories that I thought would go well with the robe." She said, smiling slightly. "I figured I might as well get it while I'm here." The alicorn then motioned towards the gold and ruby necklace she had picked out earlier.

[Illiad Easle 3,143]

@@Drago Ryder,

 

Starshine looked at the selected pieces a bit closer before writing something down on the paper she was looking at earlier. "Those will certainly go well with the robe. Illiad already told me he'd be willing to pay for everything so you're good to go, if you do feel a need to pay him back talk to Selena and she'll help you do that, Illiad could never accept money from his guests. I wouldn't be surprised if he offers to pay for everything when he visits you as well." A smile came to her face as she folded the paper and passed it to Dawn. "Do give this to Illiad on your way out would you? You two have a nice evening." 

[Drago Ryder 641]

Dawn smiled slightly and nodded. "Thank you. I'll be sure to talk to her when I have the chance." She said. While the alicorn doubted she had enough money to pay for her entire trip here, she knew that she couldn't not repay Illiad for his kindness. She then simply walked out to where Illiad was waiting for her and handed him the paper she had been given. "Starshine told me to give this to you."

[Illiad Easle 3,143]

@@Drago Ryder,

 

Illiad took the paper and quickly looked it over before placing it with his other papers back in his robe. "Alright then, is there anything in particular you want to see next? Or would you just like to see more of the city? The night is still young after all." 

[Drago Ryder 641]

Dawn thought for a moment before giving Illiad her answer. "I would love to see a bit more of the city." She said. The alicorn was dying to explore and she also wanted to see what else the city had to offer. Eventually they would have to return to the palace, but figured that a bit more time outside wouldn't hurt.

[Illiad Easle 3,143]

@@Drago Ryder,

 

Illiad's expression brightened as he gave a slight nod, "Alright then," he began to walk out of the shop. "I can show you the marketplace, give you a tour of some of the other government buildings, see the embassies of some other nations, is there any of those that strike your interest? Another night we can go to Alphyns and I can show you the Trojan Academy as well as their observatory, the biggest in all of Troy." It was clear that Illiad was excited to show off his nation.

[Drago Ryder 641]

Dawn gave a broad smile and nodded. "I would love to see some of the markets and embassies, and I would most certainly love to see the university." She said, not noticing a slight blush forming on her cheeks. The alicorn was excited at the prospect of seeing more of Troy and she could tell that Iliad was as well.

[Illiad Easle 3,143]

@@Drago Ryder,

 

Illiad's smile grew, "Well, we can certainly see the market tonight, maybe even an embassy if we can get through the market before they close to visitors for the day. And we can visit the academy the night after tomorrow. Believe me, you want a full day to see that academy. Let's get to the market shall we?"

 

Illiad led Dawn back onto the street. The activity of the market seemed proportional to the height of the moon as it grew later the market got more busy. The market wrapped all the way around the oasis with stalls placed approximately in concentric circles with occasional gaps to allow patrons to move between the circles. There seemed to be no rhyme nor reason to the organization of stalls as the sold goods varied wildly between neighboring stalls.

 

The crowd parted as before for Illiad and Dawn despite the increase of activity. "You can buy pretty much anything here in the market, you just have to be willing to look. Bargaining is also key when you've found something as you may not find it sold elsewhere after you've found it once. The lack of organization has always been a pet peeve of mine, but it would be quite difficult to get all this organized as the wares change from day to day and honestly part of the fun is in the search. You could find something you didn't know you wanted or even existed here." 

[Drago Ryder 641]

Dawn noticed the crowd part and couldn't help but feel slightly uncomfortable. If it wasn't for Illiad's presence and the fact that she was in a foreign country, the alicorn would've gave teleported in some random direction. She then began the look around at the various goods, and was amazed by the diversity of it all. "I see what you mean." She said.

[Illiad Easle 3,143]

@@Drago Ryder,

 

Illiad smiled at the comment, but his face grew a bit confused. "I can sense that you are not comfortable, I would assume something about the market upsets you. I apologize if I seem to be rushing you through this, I hadn't realized how much of a culture shock this could be to you. This must be so different from what you're used to. We can leave the market if it would make you more comfortable." 

[Drago Ryder 641]

Dawn looked back at Illiad and shook her head. "It's ok.I'm fine." She said, smiling slightly. "I guess I'm not used to all the attention." The alicorn then felt herself relax and was happy that Illiad cared about how she felt. Of course, she wouldn't take advantage of that.