Tea With Tea Time 7/27/17

Stray Shot - Yesterday at 2:03 PM
The mid-afternoon sun cooked the humid air stagnating over the swampy jungles surrounding Outer Hayven. The orange delivery pegasus had just departed his Embassy quarters, and after a few steps into the street, flapped his wings and ascended into the sky above the town. Levelling off at an altitude of about 80 feet or so, he was more than  high enough to avoid the mostly short buildings and shacks that made up the town.

Unlike most of the time he took to the sky, however, he wasn't on a wandering, aimless flight, and he wasn't on a delivery, either. In light of everything the stallion had been involved in the last few days, his Equestrian employers insisted that he take the day off. He slept in, though it didn't gain him extra sleep because of how long he tossed and turned into the night with thoughts and worry. He was heading towards the new domicile of his petite brown friend, Tea Time. It wasn't long before the large home comes into view from Stray's altitude, and the pegasus begins a descent, lazilly spiralling down in a corkscrew fashion over Dandelion's and Tea's home.

Landing in front of the door, Stray folds his wings to his sides and knocks with a hoof. The stallion's face still showed tiredness from the events of the past few days and nearly sleepless nights, but the 7 hours of sleep he had gotten did make him feel a lot fresher. He didn't wear his normal, camoflauge shirt, though his saddlebags were perched over his back.

Stray looked up at the front of Rose Mist 11 while he waited for an answer, gazing over the quality of the newer home as his mind prepared some of the things he had come to talk to T about. He hoped he wasn't waking her up...(edited)
Tea Time - Yesterday at 2:06 PM
** Click **
... it didn't take much time for the door to open and reveal one darn sleepy looking face, little bags formed under the eays and a non-challant yawn breaking through a, "Strraaa--", the wide yawn stretches in front of his eyes, with part of it covered by the hoof,

"--- mwwah~... ugh!", the small mare moves her eyes away, scratching them with the side of her hoof, "-- Stray? Mornin' uhm--", she murmurs quietly with the hoof falling down to the floor and the door parting open, "-- 's there a delivery 'r somethin'?"

Stray could probably spot a smallish, cozy room with the entrance positioned in the middle of the house. 15 feet wide, and stretching all the way back by 30 feet. Ther were four doors in the center of the room -- two on the left wall, and two on the right one, side-by-side.. The room had a pillow filled bench close to the entrance, a couple of boxes and shelf racked  , and a smallish dining table with four chairs by the windows in the very end.
The mare's horn seemed to glow and levitate a kettle behind her head with steaming vapor pushing out of the tip.(edited)
Stray Shot - Yesterday at 2:27 PM
Stray's ears perk up when he hears the door unlock and open, his blue eyes falling down to the sleepy-looking mare, arching his eyebrows in guilt. "Aw I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up, T." He shakes his head, "Nah, no delivery. I just... had some things I'd been meanin' to pick your brain about... and about some of the things going on... " His eyes look behind Tea into the room, noticing it's interior design. It definitely looked pretty nice, and it looked like they had their own wings of the house, perhaps. He looks to the kettle. Good, maybe she was awake?(edited)
"This is a pretty nice place y'got here!" He adds afterwards, his guilty face turning to a slight, tentative smirk.
Tea Time - Yesterday at 2:33 PM
"Nah-nah, m'been awake fir a bit 's it is-- c'min-c'min--", she pulls the door open all the way and gestures with her hoof inside, sounding groggy, but smiling nevertheless, "'n thanks, hehe~!", she closes her eyes and brushes the spot between them before stepping out of his way on three legs, "Y'takin' a day off?", the eyelids flutter open moments later, "M'expected ya workhorse ta be doin' t'deliveries 'round this hour!"
Stray Shot - Yesterday at 2:41 PM
Stray Shot smiles and enters as Tea gestures him in welcomingly. He looks around curiously when he gets through the door, seeing the fluffy pillowed bench. "This is quite an upgrade from your closet in the clinic wing, heh." He says in an impressed tone again, before turning around to look to Tea as she closed the door behind him, shaking his head. "Surprisingly, no. They told me to take today off. Wouldn't take no for an answer, sayin' I'd better take a breather after the last couple of days. What 'bout you? Takin' it easy as well?"
Tea Time - Yesterday at 2:53 PM
Stray's entrance was accompanied by weird kissy noises coming right behind him? Turning around would reveal pot with a snappy-snapdragonly plant that seemed to track the stallion's movement-- before-- 'snap-snap'-ing with its maw!

"'n an upgrade from bein' a bum, ta be honest-- with all ta tentin', closetin' 'n crashin' at Dee's oh so many times, hehe~!"

... only for little musical notes to break out by the end of his question, with a small toy piano flying out from underneath the dining table. Flapping it wings and wagging a puppy tail left and right, a curious thing that he could remember from the end of the certain slumber party. The lil' thing hovers to him in haste and tries to 'baap' its front against his side, while making chirply sounding noises."

"Weeeh! Graaandy, don' scare ta guests, y'lil'--", the mare exclaimed as her trained eye noticed it approaching him-- but seeing that it wasn't causing much of the nuissance, just shakes her head with, looking back at him, "-- m'sorry, it's-- he can be a hoof-ful.", she says with a tired looking smile just as she settled the kettle on the circular looking cutting board lyin' on the table, "Think everypony needs ta take a day off after all that... 's a lot o' things ta process after swimmin' 'n bein' in t'seas."(edited)
Stray Shot - Yesterday at 3:06 PM
Stray's ears flicker at the odd kissy noise and turns his head to see the snapper dragonly plant, a look of pleasant curiosity on his face. He moved his neck left and right, watching as the potted plant tracked his movements and snapped it's big ol' maw, watching in wonder with a big smile on his face as he chuckled remembering Tea's prior living situations, glad that she was doing better now than back when she was nearly considering checking out of town altogether from the mindgames she had suffered from during that period.

His vision snaps to the flying object that swoops out from under the table, the stallion gasping with an even wider smile as the little piano from the Box bwapped up against his side, he reaches down and picks up the little creature into his hooves and looks at him, smiling. "It's good to see you again, too, heheh" He chuckles to the little birdbpiano happily, then shaking his head. "Aw no, he's no trouble at all. It's nice, havin' all this activity here. Keeps things lively."

He places the little creature down again after giving it a few gentle petpats, watching as it excitedly scurries around him. He then looks to Tea again, nodding. "Yeah... seems like we've either been in the seas or on the seas nearly every day now," He says with a little sigh, referring to the Addy rescue that took place shortly before his first trip to Aquestria.(edited)
Tea Time - Yesterday at 3:18 PM
"Swimmin' 's fine 'n wonderous, but truth be told, m'never been t'much of one at all. Think these last weeks o'doin' ta whole thing's broke m'personal record fir t'life, hhehe!~", she giggles just as her gaze went to the little pupiano that kept making noises at the pegasus-- and just as it got settled down, would following and track him behind, trying to circle between his hindhooves at the familiar pony!

"---Yeeeah's more activity ta these two, but we're keepin' 'em in t'bedroom right now, h-heheh... lil' things been teasin' Seymour t'much.", she gestures towards the snapdragon while pulling the chair out of the table, "Fir bein' a guard, Dee sure likes 'er critters 's fir sure... Part o' t'reason ta change t'place-- 's been even a lil' place fir Yellow, but... y'knuw how that went.", her smile saddens for a moment, before she points to the chair she pulled out, "Y'take a seat, m'gonna conjure somethin' up, a'ight?", she smiles and opens the door on the far left -- closest to the dining table where she was standing-- and disappearing inside, leaving the door open.
"Y'like mint? Berries?-- Citrus? ... jus' plain?"
Stray Shot - Yesterday at 3:28 PM
"His name is Seymour?!" Stray seems very amused as he follows Tea over towards where she was pulling out the chair, but can't help but go over to the plant and give it a shiteating grin. "Feeeed me Seymour! Feed me aaaallllll night long!~"

He finishes with a laugh as he recalls the line with nostalgia, though at Tea's mention of Yellow, his smile dims for a few moments, before she points to the chair. He complies, sitting his orange butt on the chair and slipping his long blond tail behind it. He watches as she opens the door and goes into the other room, tilting his head curiously with a smile. "Oh, uh... Citrus?" He says with an unsure chuckle after, though citrus would feel really good against his raspy throat right now...

As he sits while Tea was away, he watches the pianopupper scurry around the chair he was sitting in, reaching his forehooves down to play with the little pupper while he waited.(edited)
Tea Time - Yesterday at 3:45 PM
Just as Stray was saying those words, a flying piano floated past him, accompaying those words with click-clacking chords that would awfully remind him of the very same cheeky song... huh?
*Snap!* goes the Seymour-plant as Stray ends the sentence, only to-- wait, did it just snicker-giggled to itself with a raspy voice?

"Citrus it is~!", the mare calls out at that and clacking noises of cups and containers could be heard from the opened door, "... Ceres sure stacked us up on t'whole thing, t'madmare-- m'dun even wanna knuw where she found ta bloody mint 'round these parts, heee~!" a little lively giggle have followed t'voice, as the mare emerged out of the kitchen, now carrying a floating tray with a teapot, a lil' pot with sugar, tea spoons and two cups filled with sorted mixes, one having the mentioned green aromatic leaves, while the other one had slices of lemon.

She settles the tray, levitates the cup to him and with a gentle tug pours the water out of the kettle into it, "There y'go-- one citrus, diiispatched 'n delivered-- 'r whatever y'couriers call it?", before taking a seat herself and repeating t'same for her own brew.(edited)
Stray Shot - Yesterday at 4:01 PM
Hearing the familiar tune from the piano, his tail swished from side to side in happy nostalgia... Until...

Stray's jaw drops and he blinks rapidly several times, flickering his ears. "Did you just..." He mutters quietly to the plant in wonderous shock. He sure hoped the pods didn't reach this planet as well.

He leans back in the chair, closing his eyes for a moment and taking a deep breath as the sound of dishware clacking noises mixed with the mare's voice speaking to him from the other room. As she enters again, he looks pleased to see that she brought out the tray with everything they needed for tea. It'd be a nice pick-me-up, and Stray's throat had been scratchy from the constant strain, talking, and sometimes yelling he had done lately. "Oh yeah, she's been pretty good at findin' that kinda stuff since she got here, I remember." He says with a smile as he reaches his forehooves and takes the cup from her TK, watching as she filled it up.

Leaning back in the chair again after she began to fill her own, he held the cup of tea in his hooves near his chest, squeezing the lemon slice against the inside of the cup. He takes the warm aroma in before responding. "Delivery confirmed! ...Or something, heh..." He chuckles and shrugs, "I just say 'what else y'got for me!'... And then they proceed to drop a whole lot more packages on me to deliver." He laughs, blowing over the top of the liquid before taking an initial, tiny sip, not enough for the freshly-brewed tea to burn him but enough to get a small taste. He then inhales through his nose and nods. "Very good. I like it just like this. Thanks, T!"(edited)
Dandelion - Yesterday at 4:26 PM
 Seymour blows Stray a kiss :D
Stray Shot - Yesterday at 4:27 PM
[: D]
Tea Time - Yesterday at 4:30 PM
"Thank ye~ Hm.. maybe I've been imaginin' ta whole couriership 'round t'place in a more regimented manner-- m'had blokes come ta t'smithy with deliveries while wearin' t'uniforms like they were straight outta Vietcon 'r somethin'... eeh-- not as many ponies 'round too, but, sure bet there's lotsa letters comin' back in forth from other towns m'bet?~", she sighs and brings the cup closer for a little snip, before blowing some air on the surface, "Feelin' kinda bad that I haven't caught up on t'town names where m'acquaintainces from t'Baltimare went."
"Last time I remember seein' 'em at ta port, boardin' 'n airship 'n departin' ta Celestial Sea... hours before m'ship came by."
Stray Shot - Yesterday at 4:43 PM
"Most of the time I'm just deliverin' mail 'n such which is pretty relaxed, but occasionally when there's a delivery of more importance 'r worth a ton 'a money, like clockwork prosthetic limbs to the clinic, they're veeeerrrry  protocol-oriented, and usually want me packin' heat or escorted by security. Wouldn't be surprised if they were transportin' somethin' important or worth a lotta money." He speculates aloud about the airship Tea had seen, before taking another small sip of his tea, shrugging. "Can't feel too bad. People come 'n go in life sometimes..." He says, looking down into the liquid. He didn't really like the way that last sentence of his sounded. He looks back up from his cup to Tea with a softer smile. "But uh... Y'know, people have a funny way of runnin' into each other again. Once 'n a blue moon they hire me to make a run to Baltimare... I'm sure they wouldn't mind if you came along 'n we could track down your old friends, the ones that're still in Baltimare, that is..." He says matter-of-factly, making the offer sound like something that didn't need an answer right now.

He puts the teacup down on the tray, letting the liquid cool while he leaned back in the chair again, wiggling his butt to adjust his weight on it. "But yeah... Lotsa mail. Lotsa commerce, lotsa business. Just hope it doesn't get too disrupted by... current events."(edited)
Tea Time - Yesterday at 4:53 PM
"Oooh, t'Baltimare run.. think I remember ya mentionin' that on- uh..--", she contemplates there for a moment while taking a careful sip, "-- oh right, t'whole monseur Snack thing at ta blimp! Hrm-- iunno.. I was contemplatin' leavin' ta t'town ta take care o'gem cuttin' fir Princess Celine m'self, but, t'whole thing 'round town's been feelin' like m'need ta be in all places at once... I mean, c'mon-- Bandits? Pirates with Addy?.. this 'ntire mess underwater--", she sighs again and takes a longer gulp out of the cup and settles it down on the table, reclinin' back, "Y'can say that again, 's fir sure, 's fir sure...", she stares at him with his last words circling in her head...

"... this 'lil' issue've derailed what m'had in mind, y'knuw. At first it seemed like a grand opportunity--", her eyes drifted away from his and to the bookcase by the door, "-- m'learned a couple o'tips from t'accounts, even before t'old ledgers we've seen've surfaced. At time, m'had no idea what King Leo had in store, t'was before t'first meetin' 'n all.. before war was ever mentioned t'anypony."
"Had a good couple o'plans sketched out as it is with Dee, but, investment inta real assets 's a fickle biz when yer residin' close ta potential warzone."
Stray Shot - Yesterday at 5:08 PM
"Yep, that was when," Stray smiles, seeiming happy that Tea remembered, although it wasn't that long ago. Sometimes it seemed like it, though. Stray seemed intrigued at the mention of her plans for Princess Celine, and chuckled and nodded in agreement at her feelings about having to be everyone at once. Stray often felt the same way, and it seemed like he and the unicorn had been figuratively putting out fires all over the region recently.

"Yeah... part'a why I came to talk to you was to get your thoughts on investing in this current climate of events."

Although the primary purpose of Stray's visit was to learn more about Tea's thoughts on the investment viability situation in Outer Hayven, The mention of King Leo reminded Stray of something. "But... before I get to that," Stray takes the cup into his hooves again and slowly brings it to his lips, taking a slow, savoring sip, his throat relaxing as the warm citrusy tea rolls down his throat. He brings the cup back down to his chest, and looks to Tea with a small smile. "I uh... Well, it means a lot that you trust me enough to have brought along with you on your Ambassadorial efforts. Don't think the significance is lost on me." He says in a slightly quieter tone and sincere smile. "You ever want me by your side again for dealin' with this, I'll have your back." He adds with a reassuring smile, lingering for a moment before he brings his gaze back down to the table, putting his cup down and adding a lump of sugar.(edited)
Tea Time - Yesterday at 5:25 PM
The mare smiles at that with her tired features softening as she looks down into the cup, "As it stands, y've dragged me outta bunch o'things... I mean, t'javelin, 'ta crabs, all ta 'delivery services' over ta rivers? Hee~", she looks up at the pegasus, "Think t'was good 'nuff of a repayment fir all ta inconveniences?~ ", on which she giggles and rests back against the chair, "Thre's lots o'weird things goin' on 'round ta places, 'n havin' somepony reliable 'n who y'knuw has a level head comes at a price greater than whatever can be found in ta blasted ruins... speakin' o' which..." the mare slowly lifts up from her place and trots to the door closest to the entrance on t'right side of the door, "Think m'been forgettin' somethin' amidst all this--", her horn flicks the door open as she disappears on the other side, as Seymour made snappy noises towards approaching mare...

... seconds later, she emerges out, carryin' a pouch next to her side, trotting back and setting by the table, "These days been takin' chunks outta everypony... hay, Starry's been feelin' achey on tha' day-- and fir 's much words come 'n go--", the satchel opens up as two white shiny coins of a curious sort float out of it, and land by Stray's cup... coins that looked shinier than the standard silver bits, bearing more regal and decorated symbols of Equestrian crest. Coins that the courier might have deal with before, depending on the deliveries he had to make in the past.(edited)
Stray Shot - Yesterday at 5:41 PM
The courier pony felt his throat tighten, just a little bit, as he smiled pleasantly and looked down into his cup as she verbally recalled the various wacky (and frequently dangerous) situations they had helped each other get out of.

He looks up with a curious expression when she gets up and makes her way to another door, watching in amusement as Seymour snapped. When she returns, he curiously eyes the pouch she was carrying in her magic as she sat back down. He blinks as the two brilliant coins come out and she floats them over, looking down as the golden aura of her magic leaves them next to his cup. Setting his cup aside and picking one up in his hooves, he holds it up to the light and inspects the rollmarks of the Equestrian crest, admiring the polished proof.

He smirks a little, his blue eyes glancing over to Tea as he held the coin up. "I've had to transport some like these around before... Never really got to get a good look at 'em, though." He inspects the coin again, reminding him of the coin collection he had left behind on Earth for a brief moment. After a couple of seconds of silence, though, Stray looks to Tea again with a cocked eyebrow. "Wait... you're not giving me these, are you?" He chuckles.
Tea Time - Yesterday at 5:48 PM
She snorts as the pouch closes down and floats all the way back to the door that still had its door open, "D'yer two by two, delivery guy... if not, well, y'can leave 'em where they are.", she practically throws the pouch inside with a little flick of magic and snaps the door shut, before returning her attention to him, "-- tho, m'curious-- ya been deliverin' these 'round? 's an awful chips ta carry 'round, courier~", she smirks as her tail flicks against the chair she was settin' on, "Don't wanna anythin' bad ta happen t'a package like that~"
Stray Shot - Yesterday at 5:56 PM
Stray Shot's smile dissapears for a moment, the stallion appearing to be in deep thought after she leaves it up to him whether to take the bits or not. He brings the coin back down from holding it up to the light and turns it around in his hooves a couple of times as he laughs from her words, his voice booming with earnesty, unlike most of what had been nervous, weary, half-hearted laughs through days prior.

He shakes his head and puts the coin back down on the table, chuckling. "Y'know I knew it was only a matter of time until someone made that reference. With my luck though, wouldn't be surprised if somethin' like that actually happened, haha!"

He takes a deep breath, looking down at the coins again, and then looking to Tea's gaze with a smirk. "I have a better idea for these bits. Are there any businesses you think might be worth investing in? Hopefully... something that doesn't fold easily to world events?"
Tea Time - Yesterday at 6:08 PM
Tea quirks her brow at that a bit, for the last part wasn't something that she expected... hm. Quietly, the mare shifts on her spot, placing both of her hooves on the table, and into Strays eyes, with the golden eyes starting to twinkle like they tended to do sometime, for some reason... frankly, given that both of them've met the regal monarch with his imposing gaze in the throne room, the stallion could've noticed a -- similarity to it... less piercing, and more ticklish on the eye from faint iridescence,

"... hm. I actually do. Like I've said, Dee 'n I had a couple of things stashed 'n written in t'ledgers... M'even went ta visit t'Belles at ta manor some week ago ta-- arrange certain things."
"Tho-- theirs more of a long term thing with ta longer returns on t'investment, while m'interested in opportunities that are here 'n now-- why, tho?"
Stray Shot - Yesterday at 6:23 PM
Stray blinks when Tea quirks her brow and leans closer to look him in the eye. That twinkle, he had seen before. He'd seen it in Tea's eyes before, but only now did he find it similar to the twinkle the Aquestrian monarch had given him. He's only able to think about that for a moment before her words make him furrow his brow in slight surprise. He knew about Tea and Dandelion's investment in the lumber company as they had started to discuss a couple of weeks ago, but this was the first time he had heard about anyone, much less Tea Time, having met with the recently-moved-in nobles known as the Belles.

"Well... what I had in mind was something similar to what you and Dandelion did with the Outer Hayven Lumber Company. 'Member when we talked about that a while ago? Back home, I tried to invest whatever money I could manage to stow away. But now... I'm starting from scratch." He stirs his tea a bit and takes another sip before continuing.

"I have nothing to spend money on. I buy a nice toy every once in a while, but..." Stray looks down to the two platinum bits in front of him on the table, and then back to Tea's eyes. "To be frank, I've got a shitload of bits stashed away in my quarters, and I'd rather have 'em be doin' work for me, preferably a type of business I would have a personal interest in and could help with, instead of collectin' dust in the Embassy. So... local, here'n now."
Dandelion - Yesterday at 6:24 PM
( Want some company for an hour or two? It's alright if not though :relaxed: )
Stray Shot - Yesterday at 6:25 PM
[Sure! If Tea is cool with it](edited)
"Now that bein' said... I do have some concerns about investing in this region because of it's stability." He adds after his spiel, taking a deep breath from talking that much.
Tea Time - Yesterday at 6:29 PM
[Now how can I not be cool about it!? Hop in!]
Dandelion - Yesterday at 6:31 PM
( Alright... I'll come in after Tea's post though, don't want to interrupt too much haha )
Tea Time - Yesterday at 6:40 PM
The twinkle in her eyes kept lingering as she observed the stallion's eyes with an unmoving gaze through everything he was saying, with the barely visible iridescence intensifying and fading like a faint pulse. The mare'd nod from time to time, but otherwise remain still... until a smile cropped up to her features, he finished his speech and she closed her eyes with a quiet, "Hum~...", the silent mare thought for a couple of seconds, before she opens her eyelids-- and it all way gone, "-- I see... m'had somewhat of t'same issue-- 'n t'whole ambassadorial gig biting things outta m'flank day-in-day-out... hm."

"... to tell ya t'truth, I was plannin' ta wait on that lil' idea that I've pitched in ta Beauties, given that by m'calculations I'm a lil' bit lackin' on ta buffer fir t'enterprise-- but-- dependin' on how much y'have behind yer back, there's might be somethin' that can become really profitable, really quick, if not explode 'n double in profitability.. dependin' how t'warrin' situation'll be handled.", as she was saying that, her eyes would twinkle again.(edited)
"Sounds a lil' bit sketchy, but-- Dee 'n I have a site in mind... 'n it seems that even in t'worst case scenario, the profits should be-- sustainable?", Tea leans back away from the table, "Trouble is that 's a lil' bit pricey ta pull it off 'n fir t'sake o' secrecy, I can't really delve much inta it, before I'll get t'plot of land charted fir it."(edited)
Dandelion - Yesterday at 6:49 PM
In the bedroom off to the side where there was previously no noise being heard, there's four sudden thumps in quick succession and sounds of shuffling.
_ Then a soft click from the doorknob being pulled... And the door swings wide to reveal a mare who was just getting out of bed, yawning widely with her eyes squinted oblivious to the company talking and talking...  "Ahh what time is it Tea..."  She mumbles and her eyes creak open... Settling upon Stray sitting there plain as day with Tea beside him
"Er! Oh uh, scuse me,"  She says suddenly awake and scoots half-way back behind the door using it for cover  "Didn't uh realize company was over? Haha..."(edited)
"Hey Stray,"  she greets after a small awkward pause.
Stray Shot - Yesterday at 7:01 PM
Stray curiously looked into Tea's twinkling, slightly iridescent eyes, the stallion with a smile that showed slight, silent wonder. His assumption was that it must've had something to do with the same thing that gave golden trim to her horn, or something like Gary and Ceres' recent magically changed appearances at certain times.

As she went on about her talk with the nobles and the profitability of the idea she had in mind, Stray leaned forward a bit, putting his forehooves on the table next to his tea. He looked pretty interested, though when she mentioned the word 'sketchy' his ears droop slightly. Nonetheless, he couldn't help but be curious about what the small mare had in mind in particular, especially something that required that kind of confidentiality. "Well... I'm workin' with about..." Stray picks up one of the platinum bits in his hooves and holds it up. "Uh... I'm lookin' to invest about two-hundred 'a these." He smirks a little bit, then his ears flicker when he hears a doorknob turning.

Stray looks to the door opening on the other side of the room, smiling with amusement as the half-awake mare walks out oblivious to his presence. When she suddenly sees him and scoots back behind the door, he rolls his eyes and chuckles, waving his hoof to gesture Dandelion back out. "Mornin' Dandy! You want some tea?" He picks his teacup with the lemon slice up. He smiled, attempting to break the awkwardness of another long pause, though the stallion appeared amused.
Tea Time - Yesterday at 7:06 PM
The brown ears perked up a bit at the noise she was hearing coming from the other door, but her attention was focused on the stallion's speech - 200 platinums, that...should be enough? - for her thoughts to click in and give a heads up, and...

T'was the moment when her eyes blinked and moved to the creaking door, lips parting up to give a warning when the sandy mare showed up, but-- she immediately scooted back and hid behind the door. Usually quips like these would make the small mare giggle, but, seeing the slight awkwardness, and the way she reacted, a knowing smile crossed Tea's features with her ears drooping back,

"O-Oh, uh... m'sorry, hun, h-haha! Juuus' Stray visitin' at t'courier hours 's usual~! Hope we didn't  up with chatter.", her soft speaking tone gradually becomes livelier through the phrase, as she jumps off the chair, "Stray's right! M'have t'water ready! Y'wanna somethin' warm or soothin'?~"
Stray Shot - Yesterday at 7:10 PM
Stray's smile turns sheepish as Tea apologizes to Dandelion
Dandelion - Yesterday at 7:12 PM
"Um... Sure that would be nice? "  She says squirming but eventually walks out from the room, she definitely looks tired, a perfect third member for the insomniac and workaholic trio, coming closer and plunking down at one of the chairs  "Whatever's you guys already have brewing would be lovely haha."
 One thing that seems a little different about the pony is that her coat seems to shine and sparkle a little, almost like a crystal pony, and her trademark bob and ponytail are undone with her mane hanging loose and her bob tail... Kind of lengthened... It looks more like an actual lion's tail now with skin and the puffy tail part at the end
"Don't mind me then haha... Just need a minute to finish waking up?"
"And ooh do we have a package...?"  She brightens up a little at the prospect but then recalls the stories of the last few days  "Or uh, well, haha just keep talking I'll clue in."
Stray Shot - Yesterday at 7:22 PM
Stray seemed to relax a little where he sat when Dandelion decided to come from behind the door and join them, squeezing the rest of his lemon slice into his cup and putting the squised lemonskin on the side of the saucer. As he took another sip, however, he couldn't help but stare for just a moment at Dandelion's lion-looking tail, though he knew he wouldn't want people asking him about significant changes in appearance right after he woke up.

The orange pegasus smiles and shakes his head. "Nope, the Equestrians made me take the day off! So I figure I'd come here and pick Tea's brain about some investment ideas. You're welcome to join in if you'd like. I'm quite impressed with what you and her have done with the Lumber Company, so gimmie any tips you can." He tells Dandelion with a nod before running his forehooves through his unkempt blonde mane and looked to Tea again as the brown mare prepared a fresh cup of tea for her room mate. "So yeah... I'm interested. Though I'll be honest, I don't like hearing the word 'sketchy' anywhere near 'investment' and 'my money'." He chuckles a little at that, but he sounded like he meant it.

"What kinda 'sketchy'? Cause of the war?"
Tea Time - Yesterday at 7:26 PM
Unlike the stallion, the brown mare didn't seem to be phased by the oddities of transformations that the mare seemingly went through -- t'was almost a week since those trials've happened, and for as tiniest amount of time that she had, were spent getting used to this! Not that it was a hurdle or anything, but seeing a fully fledged unicorn tail with a tuft like that sure was something!

With a smile and a nod, Tea skip-skips to the kitchen to pick up a spare tea cup for her "Oh ya sure have a package fir ya missy-- buuut y'knuw how fallin' asleep onna desk goes by, hee~ Thiis time 'round, somethin-somethin' special -- but, dun' hassle 'bout it fir now~", she hum and a hums, before emerging out, floating and placing the cup in front of Dandelion, "'n I did meant sketchy in regards of how t'whole deal might sound to ya, silly~!", she giggles to Stray and hops back on to her chair, while wragling the kettle 'n pouring some brew for the other mare, "I mean, hearin' 'bout lucrative investments 'n quick investments with prospects o' doublin' and  'tripplin' in no time? Must sound sketchy ta any money minded pony ta me--- especially with ta whole 'secrecy bit' y'knuw?~"
"But trust me, m'scared o' snakes 'nuff ta touch 'em, let alone milk 'em!~", she smiles as her tail flicks behind her, "-- I s'pose I can give ya a hint of what I have in mind!"(edited)
Dandelion - Yesterday at 7:35 PM
 Manners are out of the question at the moment so as she sits she props her head up with one elbow under her chin, the other on the table folded sideways staring into the blank wall for a moment but she snaps out of it soon enough with a grateful smile as Tea serves her, some, well, tea! This sure was living the good life and as that thought crosses her mind some of the lingering tiredness evaporates away
"Oh nice, you  definitely  deserve it after that business yesterday... Enjoy the time to relax mm?"  She chips in but goes quiet a little for their back and forth.
But she does speak up again in a few moments,  "Yeah... There's an opportunity alright, I'll let her explain though haha..."
 Takes a nice big sip of tea, that and her tiredness were answer enough why she wasn't so talkative at the moment ! (edited)
Stray Shot - Yesterday at 7:39 PM
"Oh, I thought you meant sketchy in addition to not being able to provide me more details, heh... Yeah, I'm gonna need more information before I can commit any money, but I wouldn't expect you to spill the beans on everything when I first mention I'm interested. The types of profits you're talking about sound great, but... it must be a helluva volatile market, right? I mean, I'm used to gettin' my money back plus maybe three or four percent on top of that. And you're talkin' about tripllin' my money in no time?" He huffs incredulously and shakes his head, though as Dandelion also voices that it was an opportunity, it was obvious on the stallion's face that they had him quite intrigued, despite his skepticism.
Tea Time - Yesterday at 7:50 PM
"Well... t'key word 's a quarry~.", the mare's tail flicks left and right again as her hooves were tapping against the table, "Naturally, when I'm talkin' 'bout tripplin' t'money, we're talkin' 'bout t'yearly return on investments...? Hm... lets jus' say that-- uh---", Tea's gaze drifted away from him to the door she pulled the pouch out before-- only for her to giggle for some reason? "A'ight... I remember t'numbers, but--", her gaze slowly drifts back to the stallion, softening just for a moment-- before she starts to speak,

"We're talkin' about 1400 of those puppies--", her hoof gently gestured towards the coins that were lying next to his cup, "-- per year... net profit. Taxes, expenses and an emergency fund already deducted. On a 50:50 percent shares, that'd be 700 for you, and 700 for me... but, that's a conservative estimate."
"Sounds like a good primer? Cuz there's a more..."
Dandelion - Yesterday at 7:53 PM
 Has heard Tea's pitch already and rather than disrupting her flow, simply gives a nod while continuing to sip at her mug  "Mmhmm..."
Stray Shot - Yesterday at 7:55 PM
Stray Shot nods in understanding at the yearly return, though getting triple your money in the first year still sounded like pie in the sky. The mention of a quarry, however, made Stray's eyebrows raise, and as she goes onto the numbers, and tells him what was supposed to be the more conservative estimate, he can only nod and lean back, taking a deep breath through his nostrils as he gestured with a hoof for Tea to go on. He was hooked(edited)
Tea Time - Yesterday at 8:00 PM
"Now... what makes t'situation more lucrative is-- lets jus' say, our neighbors. We haven't synced in with t'proper numbers 'n prices on their demands, but all t'historic accounts that I could dig out so far, not t'mention t'last written record from t'Equestrian ambassador that we found... well, lets jus' say, we're talkin' 'bout somepony who's been isolated from t'land... and who's-- underwater predicaments put a certain difficulty ta gettin' certain things made in there... even when it comes ta developin' raw resources... ", the mare's smile together with twinkling eyes,

"... if we'll manage ta resolve t'situation juuus' perfectly, open t'links with two nations, 'n t'flames o'war haven't crippled their economies too much-- well, lets jus' say, we're talkin' 'bout potential 1400 to 2100... each."

With that the smiling mare leans against Dandelion while taking a sippy out of her cup and looks up at her, "-- think that's how ta numbers went?", she says and looks into Stray's eyes, "As y'see, it's a 'little' bit huge..."(edited)
Dandelion - Yesterday at 8:04 PM
 Right, the part of the deal that made even her hesitate to act on it, even without having any formal studies done in economics it was the situation that was giving her pause. When something sounded too good to be true, it usually was, and from what Tea'd been telling her...
 Her smile goes a little crooked over the rim of the cup, as she continues to quietly drink, though her tail lashes a touch like an agitated kitty's
"Yep that's what it was when we were looking over things ha... Would be real nice but..."
 Lets that last word linger in the air, but interested to hear what Stray had to say on it her attention would swap over to him
Stray Shot - Yesterday at 8:10 PM
The pupils in Stray's blue eyes shrink when the small brown mare mentions the numbers taking both underwater kingdoms into account. "So then what's the catch?" The stallion asks with a raised eyebrow, leaning his own elbow on the table. No one here had manners! "You're sayin' if the war situation works out, we'll be makin' aircraft-carrier-loads of money, and if it goes badly, we'll still make a freighter's-load? What's the risk?" He asks, using a nautical analogy perhaps in light of the recent theme.
Tea Time - Yesterday at 8:14 PM
Tea giggles at the stallion's wording, but it cuts off in the middle, "The catch is that if t'war'll fock up t'Equestrian compacts, we can say goodbye ta t'merchandise ever leavin' t'town. Sure, if t'sealines'll get disturbed, they can get t'airships runnin' more often, but charterin' those up costs a fock ton o'money, 'n t'returns'll plunge fir all t'logistical crud."
"Prices go up 'ere, prices go up there-- folks potentially leavin' t'town, more expensive labour costs, 'n more 'n more."
"It's unlikely that t'compacts'll be broken tho, they've respected it fir centuries even with t'broken channels, but... y'knuw how it goes."
Dandelion - Yesterday at 8:17 PM
"And if the stuff from that quarry would be stuck in town... Well hay you remember that crystal field and cave, now home of Hayven's only mine, we helped clear out before right Stray? There's local competition and stuff?"  She does shift to sit up slightly more at attention, resting her mug down on the table. Admittedly she wasn't the brightest of ponies but it was impossible to not have picked up  something  living with Tea and after opening the mill (edited)
Tea Time - Yesterday at 8:19 PM
"Mmmmhm... there's that too, there's that too.. frankly m'wonderin' if shelving t'site 'n tryin' ta buy out that mine's a better bet 'r not..."
Stray Shot - Yesterday at 8:26 PM
Stray silently mouths 'ooooh' with a nod as she explains. That was what Stray was afraid of, and indeed, his worst fears about the war included the possibility of the war spilling it's effects onto the land. He was already afraid of that, and if the compacts were abandoned completely and Outer Hayven went into serious decline, Stray planned to just... well, leave and not come back. He didn't want it to come to that, though, and the possibility of owning a stake in an immensely profitable business venture was just icing on the cake for the reasons he wanted to help prevent the war altogether.

He nods when Dandelion states her point, considering the guardpony's words thoughtfully. "Yeah..." He nods to Dandelion, then looks to Tea's still sparkling eyes, which at this point Stray seemed too enthralled in the conversation to notice. "D's got a good point. If things get limited t'just around here, that's another thing that would cut into profits, the competition..." He looks to the side, his eyes falling on Seymour for a moment as he thinks, remembering another complication.

"And... There was something I noticed the other day that I found curious." He takes another sip of his tea, the look on his face wrinkling with concern.
"The other day when we were escaping that bandit camp... You remember, right?" He looks to Tea.
Tea Time - Yesterday at 8:30 PM
Tea blinks with an ack at the memory, giving a nod-nod to his, "Yeeeeeah, that whole thing-- bweh... good darn scumbags gettin' attracted like sharks to ta blood.", she crosses her forelegs at her chest and looks up at Dandelion again, "I swear, m'glad to yer lot out there... t'lads 'n ladies, jeez, t'whole group covered our flanks like hay... Everypony's doin' well, right?"(edited)
Dandelion - Yesterday at 8:33 PM
 Was probably in the group doing clean-up with Green Arrow, but doesn't really know specifically what Stray was referring to  "Yeah... Uh, we took care of the site and got it dismantled, the Equestrians took whoever they found into custody though. Most of us made it out alright..."  Doesn't want to ramble too much though
"Hm?"  She directs it with a look to Stray as if encouraging him to continue
Stray Shot - Yesterday at 8:38 PM
"You might've seen it yourself, D. When we were escaping and y'all came and intercepted us, well... Those Diamond Dogs pursuing us, even goin' toe-to-toe with the Guard after we were already on our way back to town with the prisoners." He pauses for a few moments, trying to think of the right way to voice what exactly it was that made him worried. "There was nothing for them to gain by continuing to pursue. They fought with the guard. But the difference is, the guards were getting paid for that'n defending their home, and there was no money to be made for the bandits. That... tells me something."(edited)
"They have a helluva will, something that comes from more than money, and that makes me think they can succeed in their efforts to manipulate and disrupt our trade routes."(edited)
Tea Time - Yesterday at 8:43 PM
"Hmmm... y'knuw, ta whole camp makin' thing seemed sketchy from t'get go, t'moment those huts were in sight. I mean, t'jungles are big, y'can always git yer stuff farther away than two miles outta all things. Hay, cookin' anythin' woulda brought t'smoke up 'n without disperin' it somehow-- eeeeh. Iunno what t'hell they were thinkin'. T'whole chasin', clashin'-- was there so much o' t'contraband 'r somethin' ta protect while gettin' heads numptied inta bumps?"
"Notta sharpest tools in t'shed if y'ask me."
Dandelion - Yesterday at 8:47 PM
"I can give some of my thoughts haha, if you want, but Boss and the rest of the guard... Me... We did try and do our best... With luck it might not happen again huh?..."   Even though she says this her voice does lilt up at the end in a question
"... Though there is that too, err, some of the diamond dogs we've ran into before haven't exactly been... Bright... Not sure if you ran into a pony named Oaken but he almost got a nasty chomp from er, one's hunger paings?"
 She shakes her head
"... Bit early for this kind of talk for me haha... But if you want I can ask the boss if you want details on what happened for like... a meeting..."
Stray Shot - Yesterday at 8:57 PM
Stray takes his elbow off the table and leans back in his chair again. He shrugs as Tea goes on, though concedes her a nod, before his gaze switches to Dandelion as he listens to her. Huh. He didn't know that was how Oaken got injured.

"You did do your best, and y'all sure kicked their asses! We would'a been dog food if y'all didn't come runnin', and the hostages woulda been..." He pauses for a second as a visible shiver goes down his spine at the thought, before he looks Dandy in the eye with a soft smile. "Thank you."

He takes a deep breath and another sip of tea, before he considered again what they had said. "Yeah, they're not that smart, but they might work for somepony who is." He says, not even realizing that he used the word 'everypony' for the first time since becoming one. He brings a hoof up to his chin in consideration of Dandelion's offer. "I might have to take you up on that soon, 'specially if I really do invest my money in this region."

The stallion brings his gaze to Tea again. "So takin' the bandits, pirates, and underwater kingdoms going to war into account... Do you still find the level of risk acceptable in regards to the quarry?"
Tea Time - Yesterday at 9:08 PM
"There are also other dogs 'round t'crystal mines m'heard... somethin' 'bout volunteerin' ta help with excavation work? M'never reallly--- went back ta that place after t'whole horn thing...", the mare takes a little pause as she takes a sip out of the cup and looks at Stray, "-- if we'll manage ta arrange all t'contracts, staff 'n everythin' like clockwork, t'return on ta investment should come in, uhm, three ta four months -- 'n I mean, without ta whole crystal biz....", she pauses again with her lips tightening up, "'s why we need ta talk with t'Aquastrians 'n Seaquestrians as soon as possible-- regardless if that speculation m'mentioned ta ya is true, it might hold off some of t'steam on both sides 'n make 'em listen? Iunno... iunno... m'was plannin' ta take t'loan, so, I s'pose so?"

Tea sighs and looks down into the cup, and looks at Dandelion "-- after meetin' that Oaken fella, m'still wonderin' if t'whole stutterin' and those ticks 'r what t'darn dog did to it? He really really wasn't like that before t'fiasco, was he?"
Dandelion - Yesterday at 9:15 PM
 Waves off the praise with a faint blush accompanying her hoof's motion  "Ahh I mean... Kind of our fault it happened in the first place... Co-workers slacked off guarding the caravan and never got a fill-in so..."  Her smile is a little uneasy  ".... Anyway! Yeah I hope it's over and done with..."
 No reaction is given to Stray using the term everypony, it feels perfectly natural in the flow of conversation, but Stray does get a little smile as she'd finished her reply
"And  uh, no, I think Oaken had that before the run-in. He was telling me he was down there mining without a safety helmet or any of the usual gear though, got him a kit right fast after that but... .... Yeah..."
 She coughs and looks away, taking the mug closer to her chest, using magic to help cradle it as she slowly gets to a standing position
"Anyway... Didn't mean to derail the conversation haa... I think I'm going to go back and lay down a few yeah, if you two don't mind? Trying to keep my head in here but err, the phrase goes, the mind is willing and the body is weak."
 Would the ponies say goodbye she'd give a pleasant nod, and walk back into the bedroom. Probably in there there'd be a question if Stray heard about the ball and sparring finale coming up but Dandy's pilot from another world is falling asleep
( Need to rest guys now but thanks, lovely as always to have a chance to have our characters catch up )
Stray Shot - Yesterday at 9:16 PM
[Thanks for joining! Glad we got to IC again]
[Tea we can keep going unless you want to timelock, I'm good for either. But I know it's pretty late in Yurop]
Tea Time - Yesterday at 9:21 PM
[I'm alif, but I'll start to get faster on replies]
[Sounds like an upgrade to me lel]
Stray Shot - Yesterday at 9:27 PM
Stray looked down at the two platinum bits on the table as Tea told him that the return would come in 3-4 months. He felt butterflies in his stomach for a moment at the thought, the opportunity. It was an urgency he had felt before with investing, the fear of losing out on the opportunity for waiting too long. He had grown weary of that feeling, but in this case... even if he lost his money, well, there was always more bits to be made to try again.

"Nice talkin' to you, Dandy! Have a good rest." He waves off the mare as she goes back to her room, before turning his attention back to Tea, and his smile turns back to a more business-like expression. He stares into her golden eyes for a few long seconds, before sighing. "Well... alright. If everything checks out and we get the paperwork ready, I'll sign it." He says in a low tone, before putting his right hoof on one of the bits. "Are two hundred platinum bits even enough to get started?"(edited)
"I mean, in addition to what you would put forth."
[edited it to say "I'll sign it"]
Tea Time - Yesterday at 9:32 PM
Tea winces at the mention of the-- accident.. Oh jeez-- she thought the poor guy was injured, or distressed, or-- affected by the gem he was talking about, but getting smacked on the head strong enough to sustain such... side effects? Her heart felt weighted with a nod to the mare and a little lingering smile, "Y'rest well... gotta get all that strength up fir ta comin' night outside ta town~!", finishing on an optimistic note she'd wink, "Sleep tigh--- * yaaawn *-- mwaah, might join' ta mornin' siesta m'self in a bit, snrk.", she shakes her head and leans back into the chair, bringing a more snappy attention to the stallion in front of her,

"Realistically we're talkin' of your share, 'n my share. Gonna link in propriertoship ta initial investment, so both'll probably spend less-- 'n by less, m'mean less than 200 each..."
"One trouble ta solve at first tho--"
"T'locale..."
"I knuw t'locale 'n it's not as far from 'ere -- but by t'Dee's words, 's pretty much wilder territory... so unless we'll get t'town petitioned ta git t'push inta t'zone, we might need ta shelf out a chunk fir t'minimal clear up, if y'knuw what I mean."
Stray Shot - Yesterday at 9:37 PM
Stray nods, folding his forelegs ontop of each other on the table. "Yeah. I wouldn't mind helpin' things get kicked off on the ground at all. Feels a lot better to work for your own business, anyway. But... How many other partners are we talkin', here? And is that in addition to a loan?"
Tea Time - Yesterday at 9:45 PM
Tea smiles and shakes her head, "If town'll start clearin' things out 'round this week, then... think we might actually squeeze things in without a need fir a loans or extra partners.. I mean-- push comes ta shove--", she says and looks at the bedroom with a smile and finishes her cup with the last sip, "-- think Dee'll be able ta cover some of t'extras.", she says and the twinkling gaze returns back to his eyes, "How's that sounds?"
Stray Shot - Yesterday at 9:47 PM
Stray's tail swishes to and fro behind him in the chair he heard the mare's answer. It was a good one. After a few moments, he nods, his face breaking into a wide, toothy grin and he reaches and sticks a hoof across the table. "Sounds like we have a deal, T!"(edited)
Tea Time - Yesterday at 9:51 PM
Tea smiles and after propping herself up reaches his hoof -- and shakes, "A deal it is... 'least fir preliminaries. We still need ta double check on t'numbers, get t'petition pushed through, timing, crew... but m'already have a foreman who helped with ta mill's construction lined up."
Stray Shot - Yesterday at 9:59 PM
"Yep, verbal agreement for now. I'll take a look at all the numbers 'n such and if things check out, I'll happily partner with you on this. And hey, if D wants to get in on it too, we could discuss the possibility of splitting it three ways." He shakes the small mare's hoof firmly, the pegasus clearly excited at the possibilities. He was dying to go check out the area over the quarry. "I'd be more than willin' to come out there and lend a hoof myself, too. Or at least deliver equipment." He lets the hoofshake go and takes the last sip of his tea. "Eh, we'll figure all that out." He waves the thought off with a hoof.