Night in Town

Starcatcher trotted in, her golden anklets glinting in the moonlight as she scanned the square for any pony. Finding not even the flick of a tail, she settled down on the edge of the fountain, the sounds of the trickling water calming her immensely. She leaned back against the cool stone, focusing on the stars as she mapped out a route in her head. Now... where to go tonight?

Dusk had caught on much quicker than he could have hoped, but what could you expect this far into Autumn? At the very least, the stars and moon which hung overhead in the skies were beautiful to look at. Odds were against Cloudburst that he would find his way home in this dim light without some serious difficulties, so that was more or less out of the question. "I suppose a night in Ponyville wouldn't be too bad," he hummed to himself in a content manner, lips curving upwards into a grin.

There weren't many individuals to be seen trotting through the streets at this hour, most were likely tucked under their sheets in bed by now. 'Yeesh, I hope I don't look like some creeper, skulking around at night.' Of course, that was far from the truth; if anything, it looked like he was some newcomer trying to find their way around. While perhaps reluctant to admit to something such as this, it wasn't very far from the truth; Cloudburst hardly came to Ponyville, given where it was he lived.

The stallion calmly cantered along, the lights of several public stores shining onto the path and the evening ambiance being his only company during this little bout of exploration. Maybe if he was lucky, the splotchy blue pony would run into someone else to spend his evening with.

Gemini looks down at the town square from the cloud he was sitting on, a small shiver running along his spine as a cold breeze blows by. In a sleepy half-daze, he stands up to stretch, clearly having napped far longer than he intended when he laid down here in the afternoon. With a sigh, he looks around for the direction of his home, before taking a step forward and falling off the cloud. Quickly righting himself in mid air, he begins glided the rest of the way down, still unsure of where he was going. Unfortunately, a few moments later he lands directly into the fountain with a loud splash.

Startled out of her reverie by a loud splash and a cold wave of water, the now dripping pony gently pushed her blue hair out of her eyes before wiping her face down with a hoof. Getting up, she turned around to see her assailant, only to find a half-asleep male pegasus sitting awkwardly in the fountain. Giggling a bit, she extended a hoof, prepared to help him out.

Ears flicked forward, apparently catching wind of some activity farther down the path. A curious cock of his brow, and Azure found himself trotting at a slightly hurried pace down the beaten dirt road to... whatever was going on. Having some company would certainly trump his lonesome explorations around a sleeping town. With what looked like some sort of fountain, as well as two loosely defined silhouettes coming into view, the stallion found there to be no better time to call out a greeting "Hello?" to the pair. Hopefully he'd not startle them too much.

Gemini looks up out of the water, his wet mane covering his eyes before he pushes it out of his way with a hoof, just to find the sight of a young mare offering him a helping hoof out of the fountain. Deciding he might as well make a new friend, he takes the help and climbs out of the fountain." Thanks. I was just...Uh...Waking myself up." He says with a small chuckle, clearly joking." I'm Gemini, and you are?"

Starcatcher helped him out of the fountain, careful not to fall in herself. She smiled shyly at him, her blue eyes glittering in the moonlight. "Starcatcher..." she mumbled, focusing on her hooves, her shyness choosing this moment to kick in. Hearing a call from further down the beaten dirt track, she glanced up, spotting the shadow of another stallion coming this way.

Upon getting closer, he saw a sheen coming from one of the pegasus' fur under the low glow of the moon. Seems he'd gone for a little dip. "You okay?" he asked the soaked individual, seeing as he was drenched to the core, and there was a brisk breeze. That probably wouldn't be an issue for a little while, though; might be better to get formalities out of the way first. "Sorry if I barged in on something, I just heard a splash and got a bit excited at the prospect of meeting new ponies; I'm a bit low on friends, you see." He offered up his best laugh, wanting nothing more than for this encounter to go smoothly.

Gemini looks over at the new voice as he tries to get the water out of his ears, waving a small greeting to the...Stallion? He couldn't quite till from the darkness, and the water in his ears wasn't helping him any. He barely even picked up Starcatcher's name, though after a few seconds, he manages to shake the water out.

Starcatcher nodded, still riveted on her hooves. She wanted to introduce herself, but she couldn't exactly do so since her voice has ditched her. She watched Gemini try to get the water out of his ears as she tried to suppress a laugh, but eventually she just couldn't hold it in anymore. The sound tinkled through the air like a windchime as tears of happiness sprang to the pony's eyes.

'Well that went nice, you got exactly zero words out of either of these too.' At least one was laughing due to the other, rather than him being awkwardly stared at like some third wheel. Then again, it still seemed he was one, given he'd gotten to this whole fiasco last. "So, I'm Azure. What're your names?" he asked, hoping he'd actually manage to get a few words from the two--one sided conversations weren't his strong suit.

"Gemini. Gemini starshade." Gemini says as he starts to shake his mane a bit, getting some water out of it." And this is...Starcatcher, I believe you said it was?" He says, gesturing to Star.

The said pony nodded, finally mustering up the courage to meet Azure's eyes. SHe waved shyly, flicking her tail.

Victoria, whose pelt was obscured in the darkness of the evening, exited the Ponyville tavern and proceeded down the street in the manner of a somnambulist. In this hour, she expected only the faint shimmering of the moonlit cobblestone and tranquil stillness.

To her surprise, then, Victoria spotted a group of ponies; two of which, glistening curiously.

"Good evening, dearies," she greeted, assuming a temporary friendly expression as she moved to join them. "Need any of you a bit of assistance? I can't help but wonder why it is you are all out at this hour."

A grin all too readily returned to the stallion's face as he managed to educe something more than a stare. "Well, glad to meet you two," he began. Just as Azure was to begin speaking anew, his train of thought had been brought to a halt by the introduction of another to their increasingly growing party.

This was only good news though, someone more to help pass the evening hours he would otherwise face alone. Taking the greeting in stride, he responded in kind. "And a warm hello to you as well," he returned. "Or in this case, a rather chilly hello."

The word "assistance" triggered a memory he'd stored away not a few minutes ago. "Help? Well, as far as we go, I'm pretty sure this individual could use a blanket or towel; wouldn't want him getting hypothermia now. Happen to know anywhere we could get him dried up?" He gave a chuckle, hoping that Gemini wouldn't mind Azure speaking on his behalf.

Gemini nods his agreement with Azure, next shaking the excess water out of his wings and feathers." Good evening to you too, good mare. And to explain that last thought, I see no reason to be out enjoying the stars. Can't see them earlier in the day, obviously, so therefore I have to come out now. And I'll be fine a little while longer, though I'm afraid I managed to get Starcatcher here with the splash on accident."

Starcatcher smiled at the other mare, her shyness slowly ebbing. "Hi..." she said, louder then before but still pretty softly. "And I'm always out at this hour... Night is my time." she said, before smiling at Gemini as she gestured to her coat which was now pretty dry. "Oh, don't worry about me, I don't really feel the cold. Besides, I'm pretty dry already."

The first reply intrigued her. Immediately apparent to her was the pragmatic nature of the splotchy blue stallion. At the same time, however, his personality seemed quite moderate. As inherently hateful as she was, Victoria could respect his composure. She smiled in acknowledgment, withholding her response so that the others could provide their input.

Turning to Gemini, Victoria nodded with feigned sincerity. The critical mare instantly disliked his apparent clumsiness.

"Stargazers, hm? How lovely. I am 'zereby surprised 'zat I have never had the pleasure of encountering either of you." At last, she extended a wing and brushed a few drops off of Starcatcher's flank, as more of an accommodating gesture than anything.

"I do have an apartment of my own nearby. We may find warmth 'zere if you would all be so kind as to accompany me," she continued with her usual aristocratic tone.

Stargazers, he liked that term. It sounded much better to him than 'the small group of ponies awkwardly situated around--and to an extent, in--a fountain'. On an unrelated note, Azure was very fascinated by the apparent accent exhibited by the grey coated pegasus. It had a nice ring to it and he couldn't say he found it distasteful, quite the opposite in fact.

"I don't think I got your name," he said, growing ever curious about this mare. "Though, to be fair, I don't think I've told you mine either." He couldn't help but give a lighthearted laugh, hoping he didn't come off as some sort of dolt. "I'm Azure. Azure Cloudburst."

He held off on addressing the invitation bestowed upon them all. Maybe it'd be best to have the others input before he gave consent to an offer not directly offered to him. Being rude was not exactly on his agenda.

"Yes, might be best if I gave you my name then." Gemini says, now fully awake as he glances up at the stars, then back to the group." I'm Gemini Starshade. Gemini or Gem for short. May I ask where you're from, if it's not too rude of me?"

Starcatcher watched on, not saying a word. After all, there wasn't much she could add. Gemini has asked what she wanted to know, and the other mare already knew her name.

Rehearsed in the domain of expression, Victoria instinctively chuckled to complement Azure's laughter. "'Tis a pleasure to meet you, Azure Cloudburst; and you, Gemini Starshade; and you, mademoiselle," she promptly replied, curtsying. "I am Victoria. To answer you, I 'ave traveled here from Canterlot -- and before 'zat, the picturesque lands of Prance."

"Now," she resumed. "I would love to learn more about you three, and cannot stand to have either of you risk catching something awful in 'ze cold. Especially you, my love," she addressed directly to Starcatcher, sensing her timidness. "Shall we?" She raised a hoof in the direction of her apartment, making as if to lead the way.

"The feelings are mutual," he said without a second thought, finding it wonderful to be graced with meeting such a unique individual. Victoria, he hadn't heard of a name like that before. Likely because of where she hailed from. Though despite all of these pleasantries the group was exchanging, the stallion couldn't shake a feeling in his gut. Victoria seemed like a nice enough individual, but he had the oddest feeling her kindness was something of a façade.

'No, no. I'm just being superstitious,' his thoughts reasoned with him. If she was acting, this mare was far superior than anypony he'd ever come across. Azure truly had no reason to think of her as anything more or less than somepony who wanted to simply better know these three who were congregating in the twilight.

Only time would tell. For now, he was certainly up for making a few friends, given how few he currently had claim to--that total being a whopping zero. "After you," he said politely in followup to the pegasus' suggestion that they make way to the aforementioned apartment.

"Yes, do lead on. You're not against going to the mare's place, are you Miss Starcatcher?" Gemini asks Star politely, his wings laying limply at his side, several feathers sticking out due to their wetness.

Starcatcher shook her head, fluffing her wings as she studied Victoria. There was something decidedly strange about her. Such as before, when she laughed, it didn't reach her eyes. She decided that she was going to keep an eye out and stay on her guard, but for now, it couldn't be too bad to head off to said apartment.