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#Post#: 4201--------------------------------------------------
Re: The First Step
By: Star Catcher Date: March 18, 2015, 6:34 am
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After rounding the corner, it didn't take much longer for Star
to run before she stumbled to a stop and collapsed on the
ground, legs folded underneath her as she clutched at her chest,
breathing still labored. Despite the fact that her attack ensued
and she still felt hopelessly agitated, the fresh, cool air of
the day was at least a better atmosphere than what she felt was
the crushing, stifling one of the workshop. Feelings of terror
and anxiety continued to overwhelm her, and, not knowing when
she'd stop feeling so wound up, she remained on the sidewalk,
leaning against a building. If any ponies had stopped to
approach and ask if anything was wrong, she either didn't notice
or ignored them--even if it was Haywire.
This lasted for about another three or four minutes before she
finally started to feel in control of herself again. Lifting her
trembling hoof from her chest to her forehead, she wiped away
the sweat that had accumulated as a result of her attack before
glancing around--and finally, to Haywire. Her gaze lowered
briefly in humiliation. "We've barely gotten to know each other
and I've already had two attacks... I'm sorry, Hay... I just...
got scared thinking about the workshop and how it might crush
me. I really hate being mentally ill..." She paused for a brief
second. "Is there... anywhere nearby to get some cold tea?"
#Post#: 4203--------------------------------------------------
Re: The First Step
By: Haywire Date: March 19, 2015, 11:27 pm
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Hay felt lucky to have found Star after she'd sprinted off, the
rate she'd been going on her exit having made him think she'd
possibly been long gone already. He understandable was greatly
concerned when he finally saw how she was acting, her panic
attack - which Hay now had recognized as being one - once again
scaring the stallion as she ignored his attempts to catch her
attention. He was a bit lost on how to help, especially since
this time she didn't have the bedroom of the workshop to calm
down and was instead stuck out here in the street. He didn't
even have any hot cocoa to give her this time, and instead was
stuck with just shifting his weight between his hooves and
hoping she would acknowledge him and let him know what he could
do. At the very least they could rest assured that she didn't
have to worry about having made any kind of scene. Haywire
wouldn't have cared either way, but the workshop's antics had
done a fine job of keeping these particular streets so close to
his home rather vacant.
Hay waited, head drooping a little as Star began to calm down as
he again worried he'd done something wrong or said something
that had set her off. his ears immediately perked up when Star
finally spoke, and he felt better knowing her attack was
passing, but what she said managed to make those same ears pin
back. Her reason for the attack, feeling in danger of having the
workshop falling down around her, made him want to assure her
that the idea was in his mind far fetched. All the stories and
experiences he could relay involving the many many times his
home had been rocked or shaken or downright bombarded by his
inventions in his opinion was a testament to the sturdiness of
the building, but even he could recognize that it could also be
seen as even more reason to doubt its remaining integrity.
Therefore, Hay kept it to himself for the moment, deciding to
wait for a better more calm and relaxed moment to bring it up if
the need were to arise, such a moment maybe even being soon to
come with her next question.
A place that served cold tea? ... Tea could be served cold? Hay
always thought that was a hot drink. Except iced tea, obviously,
but he always had assumed that was just a different kind of
drink all together. Was he just ignorant when it came to tea? He
would be the first to admit that he knew little when it came to
fancier stuff like that so it wouldn't be a stretch if he was
just completely off.
"Uhhh..." He glanced around as if his goggles would suddenly
allow him the ability to see through buildings and across great
distances so that he could find a place that suited their needs.
He recalled something being nearby... A few blocks was it? He
had a sandwich there once, or so his memory was telling him,
though the name of the place was being stubborn when he tried to
pull it from the back of his brain.
"I think there's a cafe around here. Or, well, a few blocks
away, but I think they sell tea? What was it called... Something
about a parsnip? Or was it a daisy? A blue owl? Gah... Oh, wait,
no! I think they went with a Prench name. Lah... La Floor... Lah
Fleuyer Roooj?," butchering the language he didn't speak,
anypony who actually knew or at least was a bit familiar with
how Prench was supposed to be pronounced could have deciphered
the name as being "La Fleur Rouge".
"I think that's what it was. I didn't ask for any when I went
there myself, but cafes have tea, right? We could go check
there, and hey, if they can't help us, we can go pick some up at
a shop now that we have a few bits and make it ourselves, yeah?"
he grinned, trying to sound cheerful and get Star's spirits up
again. They had just gotten a job after all, should be smiles
and excitement, or so Haywire felt and was sticking to as he
took a step closer to the mare, "You okay to go or do you wanna
relax for a few minutes? Or would you like me to go pick some up
for you? Just say the word and I'm off! Or, I guess, just say
the word then hoof me the bits and THEN I'm off!"
#Post#: 4324--------------------------------------------------
Re: The First Step
By: Star Catcher Date: November 26, 2015, 2:22 am
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Star listened only half-heartedly to Hay as he responded,
telling her about a cafe he knew of a few blocks away and
describing it as best he could. At the mention of the cafe's
name, a soft nod of recognition was given in response and she
opened her mouth to correct him, only to stop herself when he
kept on and asked her what she wanted to do. Her response at
first was to slowly inhale before exhaling shakily, eyes
closing. "Would you go back to the workshop and grab... I don't
know, I guess ten bits for now... They're under the bed..." She
spoke with a mumble, as if not quite wanting to speak just yet.
"And meet me back here. I just... I need a-a little bit more
time to recuperate."
She opened her eyes to watch him for a moment, wanting to offer
him a small smile but failing miserable in doing so. Then,
whether or not he actually left to do so, her eyes closed again
and she focused intently, mind returning to the psychiatrist
she'd visited a while back on ways to handle her panic attacks.
A.W.A.R.E. was the acronym she was told to remember: first being
Acknowledge & Accept. She'd forgotten to accept the reality that
she was afraid and starting to panic. She forgot to acknowledge
that she was simply afraid, and not in danger, and that that was
just another symptom of panic. She also forgot to accept the
attack in the same way she might accept a headache; headaches
sucked, but it didn't help to bang her head against the wall as
that would only make things worse. Most of all, she forgot to
accept the symptoms instead of resisting them--after all, the
worst thing a panic attack could do to her was make her feel
afraid.
Next was 'Wait & Watch'. She failed that step as well because
she jumped into action much too quickly and didn't stop to think
and just stand there. She succumbed to the panic attack and
fled, making things worse for her, and now Haywire. The 'Watch'
part was basically what she was doing now, reviewing what
happened and how she'd reacted to it, and how she might be able
to respond to it more effectively next time. She had that same
odd sensation of depersonalization as she rested there against
the building, feeling almost like she was watching herself as
she recovered. It was something she'd never be able to explain
properly to someone who'd never experienced something like that
themselves.
The third step, 'Action', she'd failed almost utterly completely
as well. She ran, instead of figuring out ways to overcome
things then and there. She didn't 'belly breathe' as the
psychiatrist called it, nor did she talk to herself. She didn't
tell herself that it was fine to have an attack, to be afraid,
and that it was a good chance to practice her coping techniques,
nor did she answer her 'what if' fears by telling herself 'so
what?' and that 'she'd get afraid, then she'd calm down again'.
Or, most importantly, she didn't get involved in the present.
She imagined horrible scenarios of the future, and just kept
letting her thoughts run with those what ifs. Instead, she could
have talked to Haywire, asked him about some of his other
projects, or what his plans were... Maybe she'd write all this
down for Haywire and Bubo to review later, to help give them a
better idea of what she was going through, and how they might be
able to help her out.
Fourth was 'Repeat'. While it didn't matter for that particular
scenario, that step was there because there was always
possibility for her to start feeling better--even as she laid
there against the building--only to feel another wave of panic.
The step was there to remind her it was okay if it happened, and
to just take things from the top again.
Last was 'End'. The step was there to remind her that her panic
attack would end, that all panic attacks end, that they end
regardless of how they were responded to, and that her only job
was making herself as comfortable as possible while waiting for
the attack to end. After running these steps through her head,
reviewing what all she had been told in the past, she slowly
opened her eyes again and began to sweep her gaze about the area
around her, finally feeling ready to stand back up and keep
going about her day. Once Haywire returned, she actually managed
to shine her usual relaxed smile to him as she pushed herself
onto her hooves. "The café you were talking about earlier was La
Fleur Rouge," she said, actually managing to decently nail the
pronunciation. She might have made a decent Prench speaker, if
she ever chose to pursue it. "Or the Red Flower. I've heard of
it before, I think. It's supposed to be pretty nice. I'm ready
to get going, if you are."
#Post#: 4325--------------------------------------------------
Re: The First Step
By: Haywire Date: November 27, 2015, 11:11 pm
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"Ten bits, got it!" with a sound not too different from that of
a bullet wizzing by, Haywire was off, down the street and around
the corner in a mere moment like a pro sprinter. The door to his
own workshop, finally closed and secure as part of Bubo's never
ending attempts to tidy things up, hardly slowing him down as it
was burst back open. Bubo, having been flying just past at the
time, was blown into a spin, the blur that was the pony that ahd
created him zipping by almost too quickly for Bubo to even catch
sight of as he tried to flap his way back into a stable flight
path.
Haywire wasted no time in storming the bedroom, his being on a
mission to retrieve the bits quickly and expedite the process of
obtaining tea for Star encouraging a hasty and focused
retrieval. Dropping down onto his belly beside the bed, Hay
tossed himself into a short combat roll and disappeared
underneath, Bubo entering shortly after to the sounds of
rummaging. A spare pillow lacking a case was ejected from
beneath the bed much to Bubo's confusion, followed by an old
alarm clock, two candles still in their packaging, a notebook,
two wisks, and a pair of earmuffs until finally there was the
sound of a short and excited gasp.
"I've found e-!" Hay's voice was cut short as the entire bed
jolted, Bubo raising a wing in a wince and giving a small chirp.
A few moments passing before Haywire, this time a little slower
and more clumsy, rolled back out from under the bed. His legs
were a little wobbly as he stood back up and swayed from side to
side while trying not to fall over. Hay's eyes were rolling
behind his goggles from his attempt to stand up while still
beneath the bed, though he did indeed have a small pouch between
his teeth, one that was then shaken like a dog with a toy as he
tried to rid himself of his dizziness. Once capable of seeing
straight, he dropped the pouch onto the matress, Hay counting
out ten bits from the pouch then slipping it back beneath the
bed. He then trotted his way back into the main area of the
workshop - Bubo perching onto his shoulder as he passed through
the bedroom doorway - retrieved his saddle bags, secured the
money within and then was off once more, the front door slamming
shut behind him as he and Bubo, still clinging on, galloped back
down the street.
Zooming his way back up to Star, Hay stopped with a small
screech of his hooves, Bubo being flung into the air due to not
being able to ignore momentum as well as Haywire but recovering
quickly due to being pretty used to it by now.
"I found e-" Once again cut off, Haywire ran out of breath
before he could finish, his body being fed up with his current
shenanigans and demanding an intake of oxygen. After a couple of
gasps, Hay was able to finish.
"I got em." He gave his body a short twist to jangle the coins
in his bags as Bubo hovered down to land on Star's shoulder, a
grin decorating Hay's face as he noticed Star's smile having
returned. Upon hearing the correct pronunciation of the name for
the cafe he'd mentioned, the inventor tilted his head and tried
to wrap his mind around the tongue gymnastics Star had managed
to pull off in order to say it right. He decided he'd just stick
with the translated name, though not technically what the place
was called it would prevent him from maiming the appropriate one
and sounding silly.
Giving an enthusiastic nod when Star informed him that she was
ready for them to find the Red Flower, Hay spun on his hooves.
"Alrighty! Should be just down this way if I remember right!" he
claimed, trotting a short distance before spinning on his hooves
again.
"I remembered wrong, that's the direction to where I tested my
bush of Wier Roses. Flower names mixed me up. It's actually this
way!" failing to immediately back-peddle from the new direction,
Haywire seemed to actually know where he was headed now, a short
time spent walking proving this as they neared the cafe they
were looking for.
The outside of the building was done up in the usual classy
canterlot style, no expense being spared in their attempts to
appear as rich and important as possible despite being a walk in
establishment that didn't require reservations and the like. A
few tables were available outside for those that liked open air
dining, though most today seemed to prefer the shade indoors as
only a single pair of ponies were chatting it up outside as they
watched the hoof traffic pass by. Indoors the atmosphere was
going for a cozy feel with dark gray stone walls heavily
decorated with paintings, plants, plates and so on. In a few
spots there were wooden dividers with ornately carved pillars to
add to the aesthetic and keep the building from being one large
room. The tables, currently occupied by a modest few parties,
had comfortable looking pillows for sitting and the table cloths
were a complimenting combo of colors beneath the establishments
warm lighting.
Seeing Star, Haywire, and an increasingly motionless Bubo
approaching, one of the stallions working there broke away in
order to greet and assist them.
"Welcome to La Fleur Rouge," he said, nailing the pronunciation
as one who said the name many times every day would and smiling
in a friendly manner, "party of twoOOoOOWAH!?"
Noticing goggles, orange goggles no less, the waiter stumbled in
his practiced routine, him holding a hoof up as if to try and
ward something off.
"Please," he pleaded, "Our ovens are working fine, we don't need
any improvements made to the desk bell, our waiters and
waitresses can do their jobs without rocket skates and we are
not interested in any kind of robotic assistance!"
"... Oh yeah..." Hay said, looking up a bit with a small smile
and reminiscent shade to his features.
#Post#: 4326--------------------------------------------------
Re: The First Step
By: Star Catcher Date: November 28, 2015, 7:55 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Once Bubo landed on Star's shoulder, she greeted him with a
gentle nuzzle before returning her attention to Hay, knowing it
would just make the bird bashful for a moment. She then returned
Haywire's nod when he began to trot down the street, gladly
allowing him the lead as she followed behind. She then raised a
brow silently when he made an about face, making her nearly run
into him. Wrong way, apparently... but what the hay were 'Wier
Roses'? He tested them, he said, so they couldn't have been
proper roses. She almost wanted to ask, but part of her was
worried that if she did, she'd distract Hay and they'd just wind
up going down a wrong street once more. So instead she just
followed behind him wordlessly, flapping her wings to carry her
back up to pace with him when she fell behind.
When they reached the cafe soon after, she slowly gave it an
appraising eye as she followed Haywire inside. It certainly
looked fancy, but then she supposed it had to be if it was to
contest with the other things in Canterlot. The insides were,
thankfully, a lot more 'down-to-earth' than the outside. The
dark colored walls, light wooden floors, and all-around decor
gave it a pleasant, welcoming atmosphere, and the lights were
kept just bright enough to keep things warm, but not blinding.
She was a fan of this place, so far.
She kept her relaxed smile as one of the hosts approached the
trio, though it almost imperceptibly faded--more losing more of
its warmth than any of its visibility--as the host held up one
of his hooves and began to list off things that the cafe didn't
need to Haywire, tipping her off that he'd been there before and
tried all that. While she could understand the stallion's
hesitation, they were still customers. Star inhaled and tossed
her head slightly, flipping her mane a bit more out of her eyes
and onto her shoulder, smile brightening just a bit as if to try
and disarm the stallion. "Come on now, that's not any way to
treat customers, is it?" she cooed, reaching a hoof up to gently
ruffle Haywire's mane. "Whatever Hay here's done in the past,
well, that's all water under the bridge. So how about we start
over again, mm? We'd like a table for two, please~."
#Post#: 4327--------------------------------------------------
Re: The First Step
By: Haywire Date: December 1, 2015, 8:56 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
The waiter allowed his eyes to dart nervously between the small
inventor that had trotted into the cafe and the pretty mare
flipping her mane beside him. While relaxed a bit by Star's
efforts, it wasn't easy to get someone to forget previous chaos
caused by the owner of Tech Tock. Still, he couldn't argue with
her, so with a deep breath he tried again.
Customers.
They're just... customers...
"Okay," the waiter cleared his throat and picked a couple of
menus from a desk near the front of the building, the ruffling
of Hay's mane causing the little green stallion to blink a few
times as if being brought back to the present and out of his
thoughts, "Table for two. This way, please. We have a wonderful
little table available snuggled over here in the corner."
Moments later he'd led them to the promised spot, the smaller
table being in a cozy spot and snuggled between some of the
nicer arrangements of decor on either wall. Hay wasted little
time in scooching in and onto one of the pillows where he
flashes the others a smile and checks on bubo whom was still
resting like a statue on Star's shoulder.
"Here you are," the waiter said, setting the menus he'd brought
down in front of either pony, "I'll give you a moment to look
through what we have to offer and to fetch you both some water,"
seeing another pony at a different table trying to get his
attention, he tried to excuse himself as politely as he could,
pausing only to lean back in with another shade of nervous over
a small cringe, "... and please... don't try to "fix" anything.
Okay?" flashing a desperate smile, in stark contrast to Hay's
un-phased upbeat one, he then made himself scarce before
something blew up.
Once he was gone, Haywire picked up his menu and quickly
squinted his eyes at the names of the dishes.
"I couldn't pronounce this last time either I think..." he said,
Bubo waiting until there was a moment where he was certain no
one was looking before hopping down off of Star's shoulder and
onto the table so as to nestle down in a spot on the table where
he'd be out of the way of the coming meal, "non...nongi-nongio'l
a... epous...? I have no idea what that is, or what the
ingredients are on here." It didn't help that the menu he was
holding was upside down, Hay's inability to really read or
pronounce the Prench dish names properly preventing him from
being able to notice the difference.
"I'll probably just get a sandwich again." He predicted with a
shrug.
#Post#: 4328--------------------------------------------------
Re: The First Step
By: Star Catcher Date: December 2, 2015, 7:58 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Star nodded amicably as the waiter came back to his senses and
lead them over towards a table in the corner. She was pleasantly
surprised when she saw the table they were being brough to: it
was a cozy little niche, out of the way but still with a
wonderful view of the rest of the restaurant. She wondered
briefly if that was to keep Haywire in a little corner and away
from everything else, but she shrugged that thought off--it was
a nice little area, and she was going to appreciate it for as
much.
She settled down onto one of the pillows beside Hay, leaving her
with a wide open view of the restaurant in front of her as she
relaxed, then smiled to the waiter as he handed them their
menus. When he mentioned returning shortly with water, she
quickly chimed in that she'd like some iced tea instead--before
exhaling quietly as he asked Hay not to 'fix' anything. It
wasn't worth causing a commotion over so she didn't say
anything, but it did still frustrate her a little bit. Instead,
she shook her head and watched him for a moment before looking
over to Hay as he tried pronouncing one of the items on the
menu.
That earned a slight giggle from her as she reached over, gently
taking the menu from him before flipping it over so it was
right-side up. "It doesn't matter if you can't say the names...
You can just point to what you want, and they'll take it from
there. And the descriptions under the names tell you what the
item is, as long as you're reading the menu right side up,
silly," she said, gently nudging him with an elbow before
browsing the menu for just a brief moment.
"Oooh, Champignon Parmentier au Gratin," she said fluently once
more, pointing to something on the menu that was apparently
braised portobello mushrooms topped with mashed potatoes and
Gruyere. "That's what I want. It sounds super yummy." She sat
back after that, allowing Haywire a moment to browse himself
before speaking up again. "Hay, you wanna play a game? Something
called Two Truths and a Lie. It's where one person says two
things about themselves that are the truth and one thing that's
a lie, and the other ponies--or pony in this case, has to guess
which one's the lie. Or... Something else if you can think of
it? I just think that'd be a nice way to lift my mood, and pass
the time."
#Post#: 4329--------------------------------------------------
Re: The First Step
By: Haywire Date: December 5, 2015, 9:42 pm
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Hay blinked as Star took the menu from him, him voicing a small
"ooooh" once it was given back and he was able to read... most
of it at least. He still didn't understand what the names of the
dishes were, but at least he could now get an idea of what was
in them. At Star's nudge Hay ducked his head behind the menu a
bit to hide a small blush of embarrassment and goofy smile over
his little mistake, him listening to Star as she found what she
wanted.
"Uh... Oh, Yeah, that does sound good," he said, looking between
Star's menu and his own until he found what she had pointed at,
"I think... I'll try that too!" He set the menu down before he
could mispronounce something else and grinned as he imagined
what the meal was going to taste like. Sounded more interesting
than a sandwich that's for sure, and it certainly was different
from what he usually would find in his workshops cupboards.
Hay perked up his ears as Star mentioned the idea of playing a
game, this predictably being met with enthusiasm and approval as
was evident from his smile and rapid nodding of his head. Being
up for any game any time, Haywire was entirely down for the
idea, though, as he listened to how the game was played, he
started to wonder if he'd even be capable of participating.
Haywire was a *terrible* liar, mostly due to how he never had a
reason to nor ever really saw the worth in doing so, and as such
he grew up a rather honest inventor which now sounded like it
would be a pretty serious handicap as his poker face was rather
non existent.
"hmm... Okay! Sounds fun!" he replied, deciding to give it a
shot anyway regardless of his doomed chances. If there even were
chances, This didn't sound like a "win or lose" kind of game
anyway, so would be neat to try he figured.
"How about you go first, though? I might need a sec to think of
something to say..."
#Post#: 4331--------------------------------------------------
Re: The First Step
By: Star Catcher Date: December 10, 2015, 7:38 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Star gave a pleasant smile to Hay as he agreed to the game and
said it sounded fun to him. Leaning back, Star settled in and
relaxed in her seat as much as she could. If she had to take
guess, she'd say that Haywire was going to be a fairly easy
guess as far as what he was lying about. Which was fine--the
game wasn't about 'winning or losing', but more about
socializing and getting to know the other pony or ponies. As
long as a good time was had, possibly with laughs as well, and
everypony learned something knew, then the game was a success.
That meant, however, that she'd have to mix in some easy ones
for him so he could have a better chance at guessing correctly.
"Let's see, I have two out of three..." Star hummed, gaze
lifting towards the ceiling momentarily before she glanced to
Haywire. "Okay, here goes. There's a song out there that was
written about me, I had a very large plushie collection at one
point in my life, and I used to cook for the princesses."
#Post#: 4332--------------------------------------------------
Re: The First Step
By: Haywire Date: December 10, 2015, 9:14 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Haywire was visibly impressed as Star listed off things she may
or may not have done, the smaller pony brimming with questions
as he initially bought all three possibilities. Star mentioned
she'd done a little of everything in the past, right? Well, to
Hay and his gullibility everything she had just said, as
predicted, sounded plausible. Opening his mouth to ask one of
many questions about what princesses liked to eat and what genre
the song about her was in, Hay stopped himself short upon
remembering the whole point of the game.
One of these things was a lie. Hay scrunched his face up in a
way that would have looked thoughtful on other ponies but just
looked a little silly on him, him rolling the three
possibilities around in his head and trying to figure out which
sounded the least likely. Star seemed to know the fancy names
for the restaurant's dishes pretty well, but if someone was
already cooking for the princesses why would they stop? Having a
plushie collection is something anyone could have had if they
wanted, and Hay could totally buy someone writing a song about
her... cause, well... uh...
He cleared his throat a bit and refocused, trying to figure
which guess he wanted to go with.
"Um... I'm gonna say that you... *Didn't* have a plushie
collection!" just as he was saying this their waiter returned,
setting down a a glass of iced tea and another of water, though
a bit more carefully with the water, as he then pulled out a
notepad and gave the two a smile. From a couple of steps away
from the table.
"Okay, so, what can we make for you today?" he asked, smiling to
Star first, Haywire just speaking up with a quick "Ill have what
she's having" so as to avoid the tongue gymnastics needed to
pronounce the name again.
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