PnP Group [DATA REDACTED] Session 9

[14:59] <~Princess_Sparkle|GM>  A voice from somewhere behind the witness announces the beginning of the court session, and everypony takes their seat. Headlong sits at her table, brow furrowed in concentration. Streaks of gray have snuck their way into her chesnut/olive mane. Princess Twilight Sparkle sits high atop the bench, looking over the court with a smile as she says:
[15:00] <~Princess_Sparkle|GM>  "Good morning, everypony. Without further delay, we will resume the hearing where the last one left off. Ms. Headlong, you may continue."
[15:02] <~Princess_Sparkle|GM>  Almost reluctantly, the good doctor rises and clears her throat. Her eyes scan the room, pausing to look at each of you in turn. Speaking into the microphone on her desk, she once again begins telling the tale of the Dullahans.
[15:02] * Princess_Sparkle|GM is now known as Headlong
[15:02] <~Headlong>  GDRL-2: Addendum 9
[15:04] <~Headlong>  "It's all part of the spectacle, really. Seeing, seeing seeing, seeing being seen, being seen seeing, and seeing that, getting into all that..."
[15:06] <~Headlong>  The Dullahans find themselves in Devil's Cake Bakery, in the town of Derbyshire, about two hours out of Canterlot. Spread out before them is an impressive variety of delicious-smelling breads, flaky pastries, and chocolatey confections. Their train arrives soon, but they definitely have time for a bite.
[15:08] * Kopesh looks around, taking in the various delightful sights and smells.
[15:08] <~Headlong>  The pony behind the counter gives a little yawn. Seems business has been slow today.
[15:09] * Scribbles also takes in the smells, especially the chocolatey ones.
[15:12] * Bonnet does a fairly good job of resisting the urge to bite right into the displays as she drinks in the fresh scents.  She looks them over very carefully before settling on some croissants, "Ah, could I get half a dozen of these?" She points with her hoof.
[15:12] * Giddy sits down, sort of ignoring the background and just taking care to try to mend his frayed nerves. He hated today. It's easy to find something that Giddy hated, but for the life of him, today seemed inflated out like a blimp.
[15:14] <~Headlong>  The mare blinks a few times. "Half a... Yeah, yeah! Of course!" The mare scurries around, finding a bag big enough to accomodate that many croissants. Soon enough, six fresh-baked croissants plop on the counter near the register. "Thirty-six bits, please!"
[15:15] * Bonnet giggles softly and fishes the coins out of her purse, setting them on the register and giving the clerk a smile before picking up the bag and carrying it back out of the way of the others.
[15:16] * Kopesh spots the donuts and zeros in, licking his lips. "I'll take a dozen frosted donuts, please."
[15:18] <~Headlong>  The bakermare blinks again. She's definitely not used to this many customers ordering so much. "O-Of course, coming right up!" She kneels down and empties an entire tray of the donuts into a plain, unmarked box for Kopesh. "If you buy a dozen, the 13th is free... That'll be 24 bits, sir."
[15:18] <Scribbles> Scribbles spies some cholotate eclaires and pointed a hoof to them. "Two of those, please."
[15:19] * Kopesh hoofs her the 24 bits and takes the box. "Thank you."
[15:20] <~Headlong>  A little flustered, the baker nods. "Of course, yes!" She practically throws the eclaires into the bag. "T-twelve bits, Ms."
[15:22] * Scribbles smiles and starts fishing for her bits. "Can I trouble you for a cup of coffee?
[15:23] * Headlong shakes her head. "No trouble at all! Just need to brew it up... It'll be a few minutes, though... If that's okay."
[15:23] <~Headlong>  The baker does that!*
[15:23] * Giddy sits down and rubs his temples with the tips of his hooves.
[15:24] <~Headlong>  The mare points to Giddy. "Is... he okay?"
[15:25] * Scribbles nods, placing her dozen bits on the counter. "No worries, I can take it on the go."
[15:29] * Kopesh pulls out a donut and checks the time while snacking.
[15:30] * Bonnet settles up against the wall near Giddy, setting down her bag and carefully extracting a croissant, holding it up to the unicorn, "Mff-ufe."
[15:31] <~Headlong>  The baker happily scoops up the bits and deposits them in the register. Kopesh notes that the train is due to arrive in about twenty-five minutes.
[15:31] * Giddy lowers his ballcap when the mare at the counter started talking about him. Hello, yes, racing superstar, now completely, stupidly out of his element. He looks at the croissant. "No. I... I'm fine." Said his mouth. "Grumble." Said his stomach.
[15:33] <~Headlong>  The baker chuckles a little. "You don't... well, look okay."
[15:34] <~Headlong>  "And there's nothing better for curing a bad day than some warm bread."
[15:34] * Bonnet nods a little, giving Giddy her best shiney eyes.
[15:38] * Giddy doesn't look up. "I'm fine." You're broke. After a moment of hesitation, he slowly looks up from under the shade of his ball cap. The croissant and Bonnet looked back at him. His stomach decided then was a good time to voice a complaint. After an uncomfortable moment, he levitates that damn, warm, buttery croissant and pulls a vanishing act on it with his face.
[15:39] <~Headlong>  A smile parts the baker's lips. "And the verdict is...?" She looks at Giddy expectantly.
[15:40] * Bonnet smiles softly too.
[15:41] * Giddy lowers his head and pops his collar. He's a bit ashamed at the moment. "... If's gud." He somehow managed to mumble within audible vocal volume.
[15:42] <~Headlong>  Her grin widens. "Thank you, sir. I try so hard. I just wish some of the other ponies in this town would appreciate it like you do."
[15:47] * Giddy sighs. He didn't have the energy left to be his grumpy self. "Why, don't you get a customers?"
[15:47] <Giddy> (drop the 'a'.)
[15:48] <~Headlong>  The mare shrugs a little, trotting over to the coffee pot. "Not really... the ponies in town hardly ever come down to Main Street. They just stay up in the hill and make hats all day..."
[15:50] * Bonnet carefully folds the top of her bag closed again before looking up at the clerk and blinking a little, "Hats?"
[15:50] * Giddy frowns, and looks over. "Hats." He said incredulously, his tone akin to a slamming textbook in a busy classroom. "They don't go to the main shopping center because they're busy with haberdashery."
[15:51] <~Headlong>  She nods. "Yeah. Derbyshire is the 'hat capital of Equestria'. Everypony in town is either haberdasher or tailor." She looks at Giddy. "Yes. They take their work seriously... a little /too/ serious, if you ask me..."
[15:52] * Kopesh looks over as the oddity talk hits his ears.
[15:52] * Scribbles looks over as well, breaking a rather delightful session of staring off into space to listen in.
[15:54] <~Headlong>  The baker turns off the coffee maker and grabs the piping hot pitcher with her tail. "I mean, we get tourists, but they're always in a hurry to see that stupid giant hat."
[15:55] * Giddy never really got the idea of collecting hats. It lived in the same area of strangeness as collecting bottlecaps or stamps, a thing one could simultaneously see somepony doing, and only see somepony as a willing drain on their money and free time. These are things that Giddy rarely had. "Weird." He replied. "Stupid giant hat?"
[15:56] * Bonnet blinks a few more times before giving a soft, "Huh..." She looks around a little, like she's trying to see through the walls, "Well... maybe I'll have to come visit here again when I can, you have a lovely shop."
[15:59] <~Headlong>  Bonnet finds that seeing through the walls is difficult. The baker pours Scribbles a piping hot cup of coffee and attaches a lid to it. "Yeah. Up at the top of the hill is a Leather Belt's house. He has Equestria's largest Cowpony hat... or something. I've sort of made it a point never to see it..."
[16:00] * Scribbles (IceChat9@Pony-kqe.li9.74.206.IP) Quit ( Ping timeout: 121 seconds )
[16:00] * Scribbles_ is now known as Scribbles
[16:01] * Giddy crooks an eyebrow, not that anypony could see it. "Why?"
[16:01] * Scribbles sips her coffee, "Probably the same reason most ponies don't go near landmarks they happen to live near. Too many tourists."
[16:02] * Bonnet knew she should have brought her "X-Ray" costume, oh well.
[16:03] <~Headlong>  "Your coffee is ready, Ms." She says, nudging it forward on the counter. She nods to Scribbles. "Pretty much..."
[16:05] * Scribbles takes the coffee with her tail, now taking that aformentioned sip. "I've been in Manehatten for a while, and I don't like having to go past any of the big famous buildings and such for that very reason."
[16:06] * Giddy sighs. Well, while the gov'ment owned his flank... "Any weird stuff happen around the hat?"
[16:07] <~Headlong>  Scribbles' taste buds are assaulted by a delicious blend of a dark roast and pumpkin, with the subtle taste of cinammon. The baker blinks at Giddy. "Weird stuff?"
[16:08] * Scribbles notices where Giddy was going with this. "Well, anything beyond your normal tourist trap stuff."
[16:09] * Bonnet giggles and waggles a hoof, "Like fog and pipe organs playing for no reason!"
[16:09] <~Headlong>  She shakes her head a little. "Other than the fact that it's the single stupidest tourist attraction on the planet..." A little anger in her voice. She takes a deep breath, and composes herself. "No. Not really."
[16:10] <Kopesh> "Do the residents act strange at all? You said that they're very into their work."
[16:12] <~Headlong>  She tips her head a little. "Well... yeah. Wouldn't you be? They've got to be, if they want to succeed."
[16:13] * Scribbles nods. "If you had to compete with the largest cowpony hat in the world, you might have to work your flanks off just to make a profit, wouldn't you?"
[16:13] * Bonnet nods a little, "One time I spent a week straight working on a very important ensamble..."
[16:14] * Kopesh shrugs and continues snacking.
[16:19] <~Headlong>  The baker nods gently. "Exactly."
[16:20] * Giddy sighs. "You haven't been to Mane, lady." He said, referencing the stupid tourist attractions. Ugh.
[16:21] <~Headlong>  "Can't say I have... Which, I guess, makes me ask. What are you guys doing out here? Come to see the giant hat, I hope."
[16:24] * Bonnet pulls on the cord to make her wings give a casual flap, "Actually we were just passing through, on our way to Coltifornia."
[16:26] <~Headlong>  "Ooooh! Coltafornia's lovely this time of year. I take it you're all going on the train, right?"
[16:29] * Bonnet nods gently, "That's right. I'm glad we had to stop though, I'd have hated to miss visiting your shop."
[16:30] * Giddy slumps. He does not want to talk about the train.
[16:32] <~Headlong>  That comment gets a nervous blush out of the baker. "Oh... why... thank you." A train whistle bellows somewhere in the distance.
[16:33] * Scribbles looks out the window towards the train station. "That's our cue to leave, I'm afraid."
[16:34] <~Headlong>  Scribbles doesn't see the train, even though she can see right across the platform. The train isn't at the station, but it's close by. With another bow, the baker says her goodbyes and shuffles off into the back room.
[16:36] * Giddy tips his hat and grimaces. "Yup. Hopefully this one won't smell of fudge." He quipped, shuffling out of the booth and exiting the bakery.
[16:37] * Scribbles exits the bakery as well, cup of coffee in tow.
[16:37] * Bonnet gives the baker pony a fond farewell before following after her companions.
[16:41] <~Headlong>  The train station's lights flicker on as sunset approaches. Had they really been gone that long? It's not terribly crowded for the early evening, and there's no line at the ticket booth.
[16:51] <~Headlong>  The train thunders into the station, screeching to a halt. The group can probably tell that the train is a little longer than it was.
[16:52] * Giddy shuffles around in his coat to get his ticket. Hopefully, it covered the same ride. Hopefully.
[16:53] <~Headlong>  Anypony looking at the ticket booth can see a police officer point to the group and mutter something to the clerk. The bright pink teller gives an understanding nod.
[16:56] <~Headlong>  "You four are all set. We let the conductors know what the situation is, and your old tickets will get you back on the train. Sorry for the inconvenience." The officer informs them.
[16:58] * Giddy nods, and grunts a little bit. For him, that was what passes for a "thank you".
[16:58] * Bonnet was busy staring off into space, thinking about train-related costumes, she jumps a little at the police pony speaking up.
[16:59] * Giddy gets on the train and waits for the others to come in.
[17:00] <~Headlong>  The policebuck blinks. "Sorry miss."
[17:00] * Pantz|Art is now known as Pantzar
[17:01] * Bonnet shakes herself and smiles at him, "Ah, it's okay, thank you."  She gives him a polite bow before trotting in after Giddy.
[17:02] * PatchedGlow (lostsoul101@Pony-dre.ktm.96.24.IP) has joined #FruityRumpusAssholeFactory
[17:04] * Rippedshadow (lostsoul101@Pony-dre.ktm.96.24.IP) Quit ( Killed (NickServ (GHOST command used by PatchedGlow)) )
[17:04] * PatchedGlow is now known as Rippedshadow
[17:04] <~Headlong>  The officer tips his cap before bowing out. A few of the passengers recognize the Dullahans as they board, and give looks ranging from confusion to surprise.
[17:09] * Giddy just does what he felt everypony should do in a public transport vehicle- keep his eyes straight forward, don't look at anybody's eyes, find your seat, and be quiet.
[17:10] <~Headlong>  They take their seats, and the train is off. Miraculously, the remaining train ride passes without incident. Sleeping on a train must have been an interesting experiences for those who have never done it before.
[17:13] <~Headlong>  After 30-something grueling hours of monotonous train-ride with intermittent, brief stops, the train grinds to a stop in Marekesh, California. It's a beautiful sunny day, nothing like the one they left behind in Manehattan. The air is clear, and smells of sweet flowers. A windfarm towers over the station, extending all the way over the rolling hills that surrounded them.
[17:15] * Kopesh gets up when able, ready to experience the clear air.
[17:16] * Scribbles follows behind Kopesh, having been on this part of Equestria at least once before, the clean air is nothing new to her, but it's still a welcome change from Manehatten
[17:16] * Bonnet yawns and stretches a little, staring out the window and blinking away the sky.
[17:17] * Giddy , after going through thirty hours of train, decided that after this, trains were not a thing that was going to happen. He missed his car. He missed racing. He missed doing the one thing that he was arguably good at, other than persistently look grumpy. He stepped out of the train, his legs a little wobbly from inactivity.
[17:18] <~Headlong>  The train clears, and soon, the platform is full of life as passengers embark and disembark in droves. A few police ponies mill about, trying to maintain order. It's a fairly busy day.
[17:19] * Bonnet yawns much louder, groaning a little and twitching as she tries to climb out of her seat.
[17:21] * Kopesh walks out onto the platform wearing a smile. "It's nice here."
[17:24] <~Headlong>  The conductor calls out "Last call to disembark! The train departs in three minutes! Last call to disembark!"
[17:26] <Scribbles> Scribbles nods, shifting her luggage on her back. "It is nice. It's not as quiet as I would want, but it's nice."
[17:28] <Kopesh> "It should get quieter once we're more away from this crowd."
[17:29] * Bonnet fumbles her pack a little as she slips it on, trotting carefully off the train after her companions.  She tries to blink the sleep out of her eyes, "Ah... do any of you see a restroom around this station? I need to freshen up before we head out..."
[17:29] * Giddy sighs. "Not loud enough." He responds.
[17:30] <~Headlong>  And indeed it does, Kopesh. Once they all assemble off the platform, they finally have a few moments peace and quiet. That is, until squealing tires cut through air and a black car skids to a stop, jumping up on the curb slightly.
[17:33] * Scribbles jumped up herself, up and back in surprise from the car breaking the silence.
[17:37] * Bonnet flinches in surprise at the car, shaking her head forcefully.
[17:37] * Giddy huffs. "So, where to now?"
[17:38] <~Headlong>  Every door opens at once, and a single, elder buck in a tailored suit emerges. "You lot must be the Dullahans.
[17:38] <~Headlong>  "
[17:38] <Kopesh> "Yes, we are. I take it you're our ride?"
[17:42] <~Headlong>  He bows politely, yielding the car keys to Giddy. "Yes, that'd be correct. Ms. Speed Bump sends her regards." With that, the buck departs, heading for the station.
[17:43] * Scribbles flashed Giddy a smile, stepping for the back seat. "Try to get us there in one piece, now."
[17:45] * Giddy smirks, briefly reflecting on their evening together. He grabs the car keys, then proceeds to get into the driver's seat and ignite the engine. The thrumming sound of the pistons tingled the scalp of his mane some. He seemed to relax fully. Oh, car. I missed you.
[17:45] * Kopesh makes for the front seat, leaving the back for the two mares.
[17:46] * Bonnet bows back reflexively, yawning.  She shakes her head again, finally moving up to take a seat in the back with Scribbles, "Y'ave directions... right?"
[17:48] <~Headlong>  Giddy gets behind the wheel of the Doge Junction Avenger as it revs to life again. Kopesh finds a folded piece of paper on the passenger seat.
[17:49] * Kopesh picks it up, unfolds, and reads it after sitting down and shutting the door.
[17:50] * Giddy smiles. He loves that mare. He really, really loves that mare. "Oh, Speedy, I love you dearly." He nuzzles the wheel a little.
[17:50] * Scribbles can be heard giggling at Giddy in the back.
[17:50] <~Headlong>  It's a map of the coastal region of Coltafornia. Marked on it in red pen are Marekesh, The Vineyard, and the route they'd need to take.
[17:52] * Kopesh puts his seatbelt on. "Got the directions right here."
[17:53] * Giddy glares at Scribbles from the front. "That sounds a lot like, 'hey Giddy, let's take the sidewalk today.'" He jerks his head towards Kopesh. "Directions."
[17:53] * Rippedshadow is now known as Wishing_Well
[17:55] * Kopesh shows him the map. "Yeah, a map."
[17:56] * Giddy grunts. "You're gonna have to be my navigator." He informed the changeling. "Where direction do I pull out?"
[17:59] <Kopesh> "Yeah, no shit. From what I've heard, you're a bad enough driver when you have both eyes on the road." He starts giving directions.
[18:00] * Bonnet sinks down into the seat, propping her hind legs up against he back of the chair in front of her
[18:01] * Giddy starts to pull out of the parking space, and then immediately stops and looks at Kopesh. "Out."
[18:02] * Scribbles poked her head up front. "Giddy, if you aren't going to behave, I'm going to take the car away from you."
[18:03] * Kopesh continues looking at the map, looking at the path and ignoring Giddy.
[18:06] * Giddy is still very stopped. "And if you ponies don't stop telling me that I suck at /literally the reason I was hired/, I'm gonna start thinking that maybe you guys are better off by yourselves." He snapped back. After a pause to let that sink in, he shifted into drive and began to start moving.
[18:07] * Kopesh says under his breath. "We might be."
[18:07] <Kopesh> Loud enough to be heard*
[18:07] * Bonnet kicks the back of Kopesh's chair
[18:08] * Scribbles looked over at Kopesh. "You behave as well, otherwise we'll be forced to find a cab."
[18:10] * Giddy growls. If the mares, particularly Bonnet, weren't in the back, he'd be teaching this bug a lesson in how to treat your driver.
[18:10] <~Headlong>  Giddy pulls out... of the parking lot, you scoundrels, and out on to the extra-wide, smooth roads of the Coltafornian countryside. In their powerful car, combined with Giddy's "gotta go fast" attitude, they make short work of the journey.
[18:11] * Kopesh says when Bonnet kicks his chair. "Might be better without you too." And says to Scribbles. "This is not his car to throw us out of."
[18:16] <~Headlong>  As they turn off the highway and into a rural area, they begin to see signs for the "Feather Quill Vineyard."
[18:17] * Headlong (coolsmile@Pony-d39.nmq.78.76.IP) Quit ( Quit: See you ! )
[18:19] * SpencerDespenser|GM (coolsmile@Pony-d39.nmq.78.76.IP) has joined #FruityRumpusAssholeFactory
[18:19] * ChanServ sets mode +qo SpencerDespenser|GM SpencerDespenser|GM for #FruityRumpusAssholeFactory
[18:19] * SpencerDespenser|GM is now known as Headlong
[18:21] <~Headlong>  The rolling hills give way to small, rustic buildings and white picket fences as the signs for the Vineyard become more frequent. The paved roads turn to gravel, then to dirt.
[18:23] * Bonnet slips a little further down into her seat at the transitions between road surface.
[18:23] * Giddy wished routes like this had races on them. Where annoying changelings got banned from.
[18:25] <~Headlong>  Bonnet, from her side of the car, spots the all too familiar sign for the grand entrance to Feather Quill Vineyard. They've arrived a bit late, but the buck standing at the door in a sailor's cap and bathrobe doesn't seem to mind. In fact, he's all smiles.
[18:27] * Scribbles watched the scenery roll past, up to the point where she saw a buck in a sailor's cap and bathrobe.
[18:27] * Bonnet flails a little as she tries to sit up, not so easy to do with the seat belt on
[18:28] <~Headlong>  The buck waves enthusiastically at the car as it pulls up. He knows exactly who's inside!
[18:35] * Giddy pulls up and parks, turning the key to cut off the engine and let the mares and other out. Don't worry, baby. I'll be back later.
[18:36] * Kopesh gets out, pocketting the map.
[18:36] * Scribbles stepped out of the car, flashing a smile at the buck.
[18:37] * Bonnet falls out of the car unceremoniously, giggling a little and waving back.
[18:37] <~Headlong>  An excited, falsetto exclaims, "Booooooooooooooonnet! Oh, cousin Bonnet! You've /finally/ come for a visit! I can't believe it... It's been what... four, five years?" He asks, bouding over and glomping his cousin.
[18:37] * Mister_Clacky (Mister_Clac@Pony-gad.g1o.103.50.IP) has joined #FruityRumpusAssholeFactory
[18:40] * Bonnet smiles and hugs Cabernet back tightly, "It certainly has been too long, cousin! We simply must arrange another reunion soon."
[18:40] * Rime (Mister_Clac@Pony-6b67tf.il.frontiernet.net) Quit ( Ping timeout: 121 seconds )
[18:41] * Kopesh approaches, but lets the two have their moment.
[18:42] <~Headlong>  Cabernet picks himself up and dusts off his robe, placing a pipe in his mouth and lighting it. "Yes, we certainly must! And at a much better time, too. This whole business with my artists is driving me nuts!" He huffs, reaching down to help Bonnet up.
[18:43] * Giddy gets out of the car, almost- no- just plain sad to leave. He figures that he should let Bonnet dispense the pleasantries and handle telling the shmuck that they needed him kicked out.
[18:44] * Bonnet takes the stallion's hoof and carefully stands, nodding, "Maybe in a few months. Something's wrong with your artists?"
[18:46] <~Headlong>  He adjusts the ascot nestled beneath the lapells on his robe. "Yes... one of them disappeared in front of a tour group! It was simply dreadful... But we're determined to continue crafting, even amidst the police investigation."
[18:46] <Scribbles> Scribbles walks closer to the cousins, leaning against the car to make sure she listens clearly.
[18:49] * Bonnet gasps a little, "Oh... that's just dreadful... I do hope they're alright...  Well, if nothing else, you certainly have to continue on in their honor, right?"
[18:51] <~Headlong>  Cabernet gives a firm nod as he trots towards the entrance to the villa. "Absolutely! Poor Quarter would never want us to stop because of him!" He opens the door and holds it for the group. "Right this way, and we'll begin our tour!"
[18:51] * Kopesh moves as directed.
[18:52] * Scribbles tilts her head in curiosity, but also decides to keep her questions until the end of the tour.
[18:52] * Giddy frowns, and once again pops the collar on his racing jacket. He'd put on sunglasses, too, but that would be a little too much.
[18:53] * Bonnet nods back and follows along, "Oh, dear Cabernet, allow me to introduce my companions." She nods to each of you in turn, "This is Scribbles, Giddy Up, and Kopesh."
[18:53] <~Headlong>  Cabernet trots in last, grinning. "A pleasure, all of you. I do hope you all like wine. There will be plenty of samples on the tour."
[18:54] * Giddy lifts his hoof. "None for me. I'll be driving." Safety first, kids.
[18:55] * Scribbles gives Cabernet a small wave of the hoof. "I guess I could have a drink or two, but I prefer to drink at home."
[18:56] * Bonnet grins a little, "I was hoping there might be~ Makes up for it not raining here, I was hoping to fight with you in the vineyard mud like when we were kids." She giggles softly.
[18:56] <~Headlong>  Cabernet chuckles, sucking on his pipe. "Those, Ms. Scribbles, are the words of a pony who has never had wine straight from the barrel." He trots to the front of the group and turns to trot backwards. He's had a lot of practice walking backwards. "Oh, Bonnet. If you want to see the rain, just wait a few minutes."
[18:59] * Bonnet giggles a little more and smiles as she trots along.
[19:00] * Mister_Clacky_ (Mister_Clac@Pony-070mvs.il.frontiernet.net) has joined #FruityRumpusAssholeFactory
[19:01] * Headlong leads the group past a massive window that looks out over the orchard where they grow the grapes. It stretches farther than they can see. "Nine hundred acres of the finest grapes you will /ever/ find." He says. He seems /very/ proud of his vineyard.
[19:04] * Giddy didn't get the appeal. They were grapes. Those green and purple things that never feel right in your mouth while eating them, and don't taste all that great when you're drinking them.
[19:04] * Bonnet smiles and gives an appreciative hoof-stomp as she looks over the orchard, "Very lovely."
[19:05] * Kopesh looks around, it's a vineyard, that's about it.
[19:06] * Scribbles is enjoying the view and the smell of squashed grapes, that's about it.
[19:07] <~Headlong>  Cabernet twirls a little. "We also make our own grape juice and raisins! Whiiiiiich are right this way!" He says, leading them to another large window that looks over a large industrial grape harvesting/sorting/squashing plant.
[19:09] * Bonnet nods as she takes in the sights.
[19:10] * Giddy nods appreciatively. He didn't quite like the grapes, but the pistons and machinery were oddly soothing to listen to.
[19:13] * Scribbles only holds mild interest, looking around the place.
[19:13] <~Headlong>  There's a large, brick staircase leading deep down into the ground before them. "As for the distillery, I can't /actually/ show you that." He winks. "Trade secret. However, this part of the tour is the most fun! The vintage cellar!" He begins to trot down the stairs.
[19:14] * Kopesh respectfully keeps quiet and follows along, but isn't all that interested.
[19:15] <~Headlong>  Cabernet grins. "How many of you have read 'The Cask of Amontillado'?"
[19:18] * Bonnet follows along casually, giggling a little to herself as she keeps looking over the building, "Oh, Cabey, you know I leave the literature to my clients."
[19:19] * Scribbles only offers a passing glance, she's heard of the work, but never read it.
[19:23] <~Headlong>  The air gets markedly colder as they descend. "Well, it's a story written by a /very/ famous poet, Raven. It's a story about a stallion who kills another buck by trapping him in the walls of a winery, /just/ like this one!"
[19:25] * Giddy does not look amused by this. "Mind leaving the horror stories out of this?" He asked bluntly.
[19:26] <~Headlong>  Cabernet blinks at Giddy. He looks a little hurt. "Oh... You're no fun." The closer they get to the bottom, the more clearly they can here upwards of a dozen voices all chattering away. "This is where our dear Quarter went missing just last week. The police are still here, so mind your step."
[19:27] * Scribbles steps forward, "About that. I was a little curious about the dissapearance, personally."
[19:27] * Giddy ducks behind his coat. Yeah, no. Screw you, guy. I'm on edge as it is.
[19:28] * Bonnet gives a nervous giggle at her cousin's story, "Trapping, huh... "
[19:29] <~Headlong>  The arrive at the landing and, sure enough, there are about a dozen officers of the Equestrian Police Department. Parts of the winery are sectioned off with caution tape. He ushers them to the right. "This way, if you please."
[19:30] * Kopesh looks over the scene as he move to the right.
[19:32] <Kopesh> moves*
[19:32] <~Headlong>  Kopesh spots a few chalk outlines on the floor, as well as several evidence tags noting key bits of information. Cabernet stops in front of a massive wine cask. "This is our 'Amontilado Merlot'. It's a fruity red, and is the reason I mentioned that story in first place. It's probably our most popular flavor."
[19:32] * Wishing_Well snaps a picture of some parts of the landing, then lowers his camera, looking at the scene in front of him. He appears to be smiling brightly, even before he notices the party.
[19:35] <~Headlong>  The stallion produces some wineglasses, elegantly twirling them around in his fetlock before setting them near the spigot.
[19:37] * Bonnet 's smile returns at the little display of twirlyness, "I'm sure it's even better than you make it sound."
[19:37] * Anarchy (ShadeAcidic@Pony-0e06c8.ga.charter.com) has joined #FruityRumpusAssholeFactory
[19:37] * Wishing_Well moves the camera up with his hooves, and snaps a picture of the party from the corner he's near. "Interesting..." he muses, before moving to take pictures of the room from a different angle.
[19:37] * Anarchy (ShadeAcidic@Pony-0e06c8.ga.charter.com) has left #FruityRumpusAssholeFactory
[19:37] <~Headlong>  The police don't appear to notice Wishing_Well. They're probably used to him by now. Cabernet's eyes sparkle. "Oh, it's /divine/! Here, cousin, have some!"
[19:38] * Bonnet smiles and nods, "I'd be happy to try it, thank you."
[19:39] <~Headlong>  The red elixir dribbles out of the tap and into the glass with a delicate splash. He hoofs it to her and looks eager for her approval. "Would the rest of you, Mr. Giddy notwithstanding, like some?"
[19:40] <Kopesh> "Sure, I'll have some."
[19:40] * Scribbles gives a polite smile and a wave of the hoof. "Maybe later."
[19:41] * Giddy blinks. Hmm. He makes his way over to the pony with the camera. Hey, if he wasn't allowed to drink, he was at least going to try to make sure he wasn't going to die. "Hey, you. Photograph anything weird?" He was saving the term "Shutterbug" for if Kopesh ever picked up a camera.
[19:41] <~Headlong>  Cabernet grins to Kopesh. "Here you are!"
[19:42] * Bonnet takes the glass carefully in her hooves and gives it a drawn-out delicate sniff, swirling it slowly, "What a fine bouquet..."  She lifts the glass and takes a very small sip, letting it roll around in her mouth before swallowing.  With a soft sigh, she grins back to her cousin, "Simply incredible, cousin! No wonder it's so popular."
[19:43] * Kopesh takes his glass and takes a sip. "Indeed. Quite good."
[19:45] <~Headlong>  Cabernet takes a sip of it for himself. "Ah~ Thank you, both of you." He says, only a little peturbed by the police presence. Determined to work through it, though, he carries on. "Now, here is some spring water to cleanse the pallet."
[19:45] * Wishing_Well turns to Giddy, and smiles a little wider. "Not here. Just investigating the aftershock of the weirdness." he says. "Very curious, nothing left behind it seems..."
[19:46] * Scribbles decides it best to join Giddy in investigations, bringing her eyes towards the police tape.
[19:47] * Giddy 's left ear lowers. "Nothing left- then how the hell do they have chalk outlines?" He asked.
[19:48] * Bonnet accepts the spring water, taking a mouthful of it with a smile.  She figures the best she can do is keep her cousin busy while the others do their thing, "So, Cabernet, dear, just how long does it take to make a barrel this big?  And how many grapes? I know your orchards are huge but still, to get this kind of quality..."
[19:51] <~Headlong>  Cabernet spins a yarn about the thousands of grapes that go into each barrel, and how long it takes to distill proper Merlot. He is thoroughly distracted.
[19:51] * Scribbles was wondering about the chalk lines as well, and turned to the evidence tags for a possible answer.
[19:52] * Kopesh thanks Cabernet for the wine and heads over the the others at the scene, having respecfully tried at least one flavor.
[19:52] <~Headlong>  From her side of the police line, Scribbles can only make out the numbers. However, her detective instincts tell her that the one labelled "1" is probably the most important.
[19:52] * Scribbles pushes her glasses up the bridge of her nose, trying to get a good look at the first evidence tag.
[19:53] * Bonnet does her best to keep Cabernet engaged, asking questions when she can about the process.  It doesn't hurt she is at least somewhat interested in her cousin's business.
[19:54] * Wishing_Well turns to the outline, shrugging. "Well, victim was guiding ponies around, so they saw him disappear." he says, turning to take another picture. "I've got to wonder what did it, though. From the witnesses, the victim just vanished into thin air, no obvious magic or anything."
[19:55] <~Headlong>  It's a wine glass. Shattered. Intuition tells her that somepony, perhaps the tour guide, probably dropped it.
[19:56] * Scribbles rubbed her chin, looking back up the stairs. "The tour usually comes from the stairs down this hall, right?"
[19:57] <~Headlong>  Cabernet looks at the ponies trotting away from him. "Do... none of you have interest in the white wine?" He frowns a little.
[19:58] * Giddy takes a look at the floor itself, looking for any runes or trap doors or... Anything, really.
[20:00] <Kopesh> "How many tours had he done that day?"
[20:00] * Bonnet sighs a little and gives Cabernet a little nuzzle, "Ah... don't worry about those fuddy-duddies...  Why don't we go try the white, and I'll see if I can't explain it a little..."
[20:07] <~Headlong>  Cabernet returns the nuzzle. "I... I won't, cousin. Let's." With that, he trots further into the cellar, while the rest of the Dullahans investigate without actually investigating.
[20:07] <~Headlong>  : PLAYBACK PAUSED, GDRL-2 ADDENDUM-10 PLAYBACK BEGIN :