The Bite to Eat

[bluestar]

Following on from:Potent Prepared Potions>After the Grand Opening, Continued
Central Participants: Blue Star and Tayari
Timeline: The day after the grand opening.

He walked into the well lit pub, a few early patrons already nursing their preferred beverages and exchanging casual banter. 'Looks like this place already has a regular crew' he thought as he headed towards the bar. His tummy rumbled again as he took a stool. He really hoped he could get a bite to eat here, he didn't really know his way around well enough to find anywhere else to eat. He signaled the barmaid over to his end of the bar. Time to find out.

[Tayari]

((Sorry about the delay))
Tayari re-entered the bar that he'd found yesterday, quickly seeing his new acquaintance by the bar. Rather than seek out a table and wait a slightly longer time for service, and to be easily able to socialize with Blue, he occupied the spot next to the unicorn at the bar.

[bluestar]

The pub had been established as a drinking hole so they hadn't been able te offer anything. But for a couple coins he got himself a lump a dense bread and a bowl very thin broth. 'Must have been the owners own food" he thought to himself as he consumed the meal. As he finished someone pulled up a stool beside him. Looking up from the bar he sees Tayari sitting beside, a little hungover perhaps but alive nonetheless.

"How you feeling big guy" he says as he pushes his finished plates away from himself. "Any plans for today?"

[Tayari]

Tayari shook his head. "None in particular. I haven't been keeping to very strict schedules lately. How about yourself?"

[bluestar]

"Me neither, anything you need a hand with in the store?" he says as he calls the barmaid back over for two mugs of beer and dropped a couple of bits for payment before sliding one over to his companion. Taking a long drink before settling back down. Now that he was here in Manehatten he really needed to find something to do, he'd had enough of the daily doldrums punctuated intermittently by the occasional altercation with the griffons. Perhaps he could get involved with the rebellion, while he wasn't particularly patriotic he could use the excitement and adventure. But how would he do that?

[Tayari]

"I don't think I need any... hmm, unless- Blue, do you know much about water, steam, or systems of heating?"
Waiting for an answer, Tayari took a drink for himself of the beverage. He didn't drink too much, having learned only yesterday of his body's low alcohol tolerance.

[bluestar]

"I'd like to think a fair bit seeing how as I minored in physics in my undergraduate year at Canterlot University." he replied.

[Tayari]

Tayari was silent for several seconds as he thought about this, before declaring, "Perhaps another time I might ask for your help with something, but not yet. I'll let you know."
He was silent for another several seconds before adding, "I don't know, maybe I'll just wander around the city today. It seems like every time I do, something new and interesting comes my way."

[bluestar]

Tipping his head back he drained the rest of his beer before hopping off the bar stool and heading towards the door. Stopping he turned back Tayari, his sense of adventure igniting once again. Yes, this might just be the thing he was looking for.

"Well are you coming? It's adventure time."

[Tayari]

'Well, like I said, I'm not doing anything else.'
Tayari stood and said, "Yes, Blue. I'm coming. Where to first?" He said, as he moved towards the door with the unicorn.

[bluestar]

"Well I don't really know this town, so perhaps you should lead the way. I know why don't you give me the grand tour?"

[Tayari]

"Sure, I'll do my best. I can't say I know everything in the city, but I've still picked a few things up over the last couple of years."
He thought for a few moments about what to show the unicorn. "Well, I've already shown you the downtown district. There's not much there that I know of, except my shop and a smith. So... I suppose I can start of showing you the way to Main Street, which you might need to know."

[bluestar]

"Sounds good. I didn't get much a look when I stumbled into town before passing out. It'll be nice to actually see some of the town besides the floor of an abandoned house and a the local bar."

[Tayari]

Tayari was silent for a few seconds, before saying, "Did you just say you passed out? What happened?" At the same time, the zebra walked in the direction of Main Street.
((OOC: Sorry about this. I'll try my very best to post faster.))

[bluestar]

"Oh yeah, I arrived in town the day before yesterday. I was attacked by bandits on the trip to Manehatten, got away safely but not before losing most of supplies. By the time I arrived I hadn't eaten or drunk anything in several days. That was when I met the nice griffon on Main st. I collapsed behind him and he dragged me into an abandoned building before curfew ticked over. Still can't quite believe it myself." he says as he follows Tayari.

((OOC: That's cool, we all have lives.))

[Tayari]

"That's... quite a tale. Hopefully, by this point you've had your fill." A thought occurred to Tayari. "Did you notice anything about this griffon? If there's one out there who's a little more sympathetic, it'd be great to know which one it is."

[bluestar]

"You'd think I would by now. But I've had my fill of relative peace over the years, now it's adventure time. As for the griffon, I can't recall anything particularly distinctive about him."

[Tayari]

Tayari sighs. "That's a shame. Well, least I know he exists. Er, anyway, you said you studied in a university, right? What did you study there?"

[bluestar]

"Oh, I studied magic. Specifically the nature of magic and how it interacts with ponies and reality in general. I became a university researcher and continued my studies in the field after I graduated. Though I did have brief stints with physics and chemistry as my studies required. What about you? Any formal education?"

[Tayari]

Tayari shook his head. "No formal education, though I did learn quite a bit from my father. Everything I know comes 14 years living with my father, and 12 years finding the rest out myself, most of which I was travelling. It seems to be enough of an education as it is, though I'm still learning more."

[bluestar]

"Aren't we all. So what's there to do around here? Main St seems pretty popular, for a ruined city that is."

[Tayari]

"Well, you've already found a bar. I haven't found much in the way of entertainment, not yet at least. I've only paid attention to the other businesses, haven't really found much time for games. And I haven't had the chance to run into any less than legitimate businesses. And Main Street is still Main Street; even in a ruined city, it's the most active part of the city, which isn't saying much. Hm... you were in Canterlot recently, right? What's it like there, last you checked?"

[bluestar]

He stops dead in his tracks, caught off guard by the question. He looks away from Tayari as painful memories well up unbidden to harm one more. He had tried to forget the things he'd seen in Canterlot. Why had returned there before heading to Manehatten? He didn't know, but what he saw still haunted him. It reminded him of the wanton butchery, pillaging and other less savory things he'd experienced during the fall. Tears welled up despite his best efforts as he relived the moment he saw his beloved Silver Heart dangling limply from a noose in the main square, a sigh above her head reading 'Thieves be warned'.

[Tayari]

Tayari had continued walking ahead of Blue for several metres, before noticing the unicorn's silence. Turning around, he saw Blue Star standing still in the street, back where he would have been when Tayari'd asked the question. "Blue? Are you... are you alright?"
Suddenly, it occurred to the zebra that the question was most likely the trigger of this reaction. "Don't... you don't have to say anything. I'm sorry I brought it up."
His unvoiced thoughts were along the lines of, 'That answers my question. I think it'd been better not to know, whatever it is must be terrible...'

[bluestar]

Biting his lip till he tasted his salty blood, he pushed the memories back down where they could no longer interfere with his life. Wiping his tears away with the front of his grubby white foreleg, he looks back up to his friend.

"No it's ok. It wasn't you who killed Silver, it was the griffons. Canterlot isn't a nice place to be anymore, it hasn't been for a long time. That's all I'm going to say on the matter. Let's get a move on before I break something, Celestia knows this city doesn't need anymore destruction."

With that he caught up with Tayari and began to walk ahead, his past lingering in his shadow like an invisible cloud of despair and sorrow.

[Tayari]

The combination of this new information to process about Canterlot, combined with Blue's reaction in itself, left Tayari silent for the rest of the walk towards Main Street, which by this point was not all that far away.

(( Continued
here. ))

[bluestar]

Returning to the bar and retreating from the oppressive heat of the day, Blue Star found himself once again sitting next to Tayari. Feeling like saving himself some money, he had the waitress bring over a couple glasses of water. Though he admitted the quality was somewhat low, even as flecks of dirt precipitated slowly in the dim light.

"So, what do you know about the rebellion? I've heard it's pretty strong in Manehatten, even more so than Canterlot."

[Tayari]

Tayari shrugged. "I don't really know much, aside from the obvious. You've been out and about recently, odds are you know even more than I do. What I do know is that you're right on that count."

[bluestar]

Taking a sip from the dirty water, Blue Star shrugs before replying.

"Well, I have heard a few things here and there. It's hard not too. But in saying that, not everyone agrees with the rebellion, you have to be careful who you talk to about it. But unless you know someone on the inside there isn't much to hear aside from rumors and their public exploits when they occur."

Downing his drink with a grimace etched onto his mildly weathered face, Blue looked around the bar and inspecting the locals.

"Personally, as much as I hate the griffons for what they've done. I've never really given much thought to rebellion, just not in my nature I guess. But if these years have taught me anything is that life is nothing without a little adventure. And in my life, I've had just about every adventure you can think of. Suppose I have the griffons to thank for that, probably would have died in that lab back at the university. I think my next journey will lead me astray from the law, so I guess what I'm trying to say is that; I aim to misbehave. What about you?"

[Tayari]

Tayari lowered his voice, enough that only Blue would likely hear him. "I want nothing more than the chance to. I've had problems finding that chance yet, but when I do, I'm taking the opportunity without a second thought. Then again, I've already gone well past second thoughts, over four years... But, yes. I do 'aim to misbehave'."

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