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#Post#: 641--------------------------------------------------
Re: Splitting the Rent
By: Snowflake Date: January 17, 2014, 11:31 am
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So far, Schwambart had been settling in quite nicely. Snow
looked about the kitchen as she walked into it, smelling
something that rarely ever graced the inside of this flat, which
was the smell of properly cooked food. Pasta, it smelled like,
with a tomato-based sauce of some sort, and not horrendous
burning. Snow stood back and let him scoop the first helping for
himself, it was only the right thing to do since he had cooked
the entire meal, so he deserved first helpings. When he had
finished, she too grabbed a plate and helped herself to the meal
that Schwambart cooked before reaching into the refrigerator,
grabbing one of the water bottles on the side of the top shelf.
The fridge seemed a lot more stocked with variety as well, and
it sort of reminded her of days when she was young and she
absolutely loved apple juice. Still, she didn't want to let her
routine slip at any point, so she always went with the water.
Her days had been simple for the past half-week, consisting
mostly of getting up early, running around the town, showering,
working with a small set of weights in the corner of the living
room, and going out for shopping and groceries if they were
needed, which was a few times. After that, she had nothing else
to do until the weekends arrived, and Snow was praising the
arrival of Friday. A few plans were already running through her
head, and most of them involved going to a nightclub one night
until an unreasonable morning hour, and then sleeping off a
hangover for the rest of the next day. This time, she would be
bringing another pony with her instead of the usual group of
friends too, and that pony was the one who had come to be living
in her flat, maybe help him loosen up a little bit.
As she sat herself down on the stool at the counter on the
opposite side of Schwambart, Snow looked about the kitchen,
which was in a much better state than what it would have been if
Snow had been using this kitchen. Nodding her approval with a
grin, she complimented, "Woah Cappy... cook'd an' clean'd awll
by ya'self, an' th' foods ain' burn' to a crisp. Yer already
leagues ahead'a -me- in cookin' abili'y." She stuck a fork in
the mess of pasta and sauce, spinning it so that she could get a
good mouthful on her fork before eating it. Another nod of
approval came from her as she chewed, swallowing quickly as she
added, "Cor... this's good..." she glanced back up at Schwambart
from across the table and said, "Ya go' no idear how much a mare
loikes i' when a stallion can cook, love. 'Ell, ya pull this off
on'na firs' da'e, an' she'll be awll ov'r ya. Now awll tha'
this's missin' is some cawndles, maybe some moody loightin', and
some good awmbiance t'really... set th'mood, eh?" She giggled
and winked at Schwambart before going back to her meal.
#Post#: 642--------------------------------------------------
Re: Splitting the Rent
By: Schwambart Date: January 17, 2014, 3:13 pm
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Schwambart smiles at Snow's compliment of his cooking, not
really thinking much of it himself but happy to be eating it
nonetheless. It's nice to hear positive reinforcement about it,
too. Always nice to feel appreciated. "Thanks, but I wouldn't
really say I'm leagues ahead of you in cooking. You just
haven't gotten into it. You're more into...Cremation. Let's
call it that," he says with a grin. "And you're way better at
it than me." He hopes his little joke is taken the right way,
but she seems laid-back enough that he can probably get away
with it. It's all just in good fun.
His own mouth is full when she starts spouting the line about
mares liking a stallion who can cook. It's something he's heard
before, but never quite in this same context. He uses his full
mouth as an excuse not to respond to that particular line with
more than a "Mm-hmm" (accompanied by a light dusting of pink on
his cheeks), averting his eyes for a bit before returning his
attention to his meal. It looks like it might take a while to
finish, though. He liked large helpings, and tonight was no
exception.
His days and nights have been pretty tame. His sleeping
schedule has...somewhat shifted back towards his usual, though
not completely. He generally wakes up around noon, showering,
drawing or advertising his skills, cooking occasionally, playing
the violin sometimes, and maybe head out sometime to do some
shopping of his own. His drinks are his biggest purchases, and
he meticulously stays well-stocked on variety if not always
volume. Aside from his shopping trips he tends to stay indoors
during the day. After darkness falls, he tends to stay more
quiet, sticking to his drawing in his room or occasionally
taking it outside for walks or on-site practice. Then at
roughly 3-4 am, he returns to his bed to sleep until his cycle
can restart. His voice is usually reserved for talking but it
makes quiet appearances when drawing and, less restrained but
still pretty low, in the shower.
His bedroom is pretty different from the barest hint of
habitation it had been when he came, the bedding replaced with
colorful sheets and a thick colorful blanket, sort of worn, and
two or three pillows of various hues. A desk stands in the
corner with a chair, where he usually takes his art projects,
and his wall over the desk is gradually filling up with art from
him, mostly figure drawings and portraits with a landscape
thrown in sometimes, the other walls being peppered with
pictures of his large family. None of him except the group
shots. In addition to the dresser and desk there's also a small
bookcase half-filled with novels and books on drawing theory.
#Post#: 644--------------------------------------------------
Re: Splitting the Rent
By: Snowflake Date: January 17, 2014, 4:01 pm
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Again, there was that pink colouring returning to his cheeks.
Sure she had touched on the subject of dating, which seemed to
be a somewhat foreign concept to Schwambart, but what she was
saying was a known fact. Once more, she was astounded by the
shyness of this stallion. What would he do if he was presented
with a situation where there was a mare who actually approached
him, and shown interest in him? If it were Snow's guess, she
would say he'd freeze up on the spot, though she wanted to think
that he was simply reserved. He seemed to be able to get past
talking with Snow easily enough on a flatmate basis, but then
again, there was a difference between talking as flatmates and
talking as potential lovers. Snow wasn't sure if she wanted to
attempt to try that yet in an attempt to break him out of his
shell, since she was a little leery of him taking it the wrong
way, but then again, if he was flaring up at the slightest
compliment, what would happen if...
An idea came to her head, and mentally, she started to laugh. He
would most definitely not see this coming, and she had known him
for about half a week now, so it wouldn't be all too strange and
uncalled for, at least not for her anyways, and depending on his
reaction to this first plan, she may choose to proceed with her
second plan. So as she started to finish up her meal, her
helpings not as big as Schwambart's, she stood up and put the
plate in the sink, scrubbing off the residual pasta sauce with
some dish soap and setting it on the dish rack. A quick glance
in his direction showed that Schwambart seemed to still be
focused on his meal, though he would be done pretty soon though.
Now was the time to put her plan into action.
Walking slowly and quietly up beside him, just before he was
able to get another bite in his mouth, she proceeded to attempt
to get his attention with a more quiet tone, "Ey..." she began,
wrapping her legs over his shoulders as he still sat, giving him
a light squeeze for a good five or six seconds, whispering to
him, "thanks fer dinn'r, love. Oi 'ppreciate i' a lot." She let
go of him at this point, taking a step back out of his personal
space to witness just how flustered he would be at this point,
before suggesting, "Oi was gonna go watch a movie b'fore Oi wen'
back t'bed 'ere, did'ja wanna join me on'th'couch an' watch
with? Shouldn' take too long t'se' up th'project'r agains'
th'wall."
#Post#: 647--------------------------------------------------
Re: Splitting the Rent
By: Schwambart Date: January 17, 2014, 8:03 pm
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Schwambart's next bite of spaghetti stops its progress inches
from his mouth as Snow's hooves worm their way around his
shoulders. "Um..." he says under his breath as his fork begins
shaking with his trembling hoof, which he lowers to his plate
again, still thick with the spaghetti coiled around it. His
cheeks are, of course, absolutely aflame at this point. Is...is
she...interested in him? No. No, it couldn't be. He means,
sure, she liked his dinner, but that seems more like a thing
that would cement a relationship, not something that would start
one up. And surely she doesn't mean anything by the hug. She
gave him one when she accepted him into the flat. So nothing
there. Nothing.
...Right?
Still, a movie is a movie, and time to relax is time to relax.
Maybe he can get some inspiration for his latest commission,
too. He'd been having a hard time getting into it, but maybe
this could get him in the right frame of mind for it. "O-okay,"
he says certainly-not-nervously. "I could j-join you." Smooth.
Very smooth, Aria. He finishes his spaghetti in a couple of
bites and, hoping she isn't watching and observing just how much
she was unsettling him, downs the rest of his punch rather
quickly before standing from his stool and heading to the sink
with his dishes to clean them and set them to dry.
#Post#: 648--------------------------------------------------
Re: Splitting the Rent
By: Snowflake Date: January 17, 2014, 9:49 pm
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As Snowflake walked over to the closet to get the projector, she
grinned wickedly to herself. That went just as planned, with the
reaction that she was looking for to boot. He had tensed up so
much, Snow could have mistaken him for being absolutely
terrified, if it wasn't for those bright pink cheeks of his
giving away just how hopelessly flustered he was. She didn't
even hug him for that long, but what must have really gotten to
him was the fact that it was a complete stranger just going up
to him and hugging him. Oh, would he have such a rough time on
the mountain, where every greeting was pretty much exactly the
same as the one Snow gave him when she welcomed him to the flat:
hoofshake, and then pulling it into a hug.
Her glances backwards every so often only confirmed her
suspicions of just how much of an effect that little action had
on him. He finished his food and drink incredibly fast, as
though he was being rushed for something, when really, it would
take more than enough time for her to set this thing up. Oh
well, maybe he was just excited for the movie, or he was scared
so much by her hug that he subconsciously felt as though he had
to move faster. Whatever it was, it didn't matter; Snow had a
plan for the next little bit of this experiment of hers, and it
involved a particular movie, a romantic comedy at that. It was
the only one in her collection, bought only because she heard it
was good, which it was, but that didn't mean it was still her
kinda thing. She enjoyed more horror and action flicks, and even
the occasional Japonese monster movie when she could get her
hooves on one, but those, of course, did not come close to
setting the particular mood in the scenario that she was trying
to create.
Bringing the projector out, she stood it up on its cart and
rolled it behind the couch, lining it up properly as she started
to spool the first bit of film through it and into the receiving
wheel. It would take a bit for the projector to warm up, so as
she waited, she hopped up onto the couch and sat herself down,
leaving the other side for Schwambart to sit. She leaned on the
arm of the couch, blowing a stray bit of her mane out of her
face as she watched Schwambart eventually make his way over and
sit down, asking him nonchalantly with a bit of humor, "Do moi
'ugs both'r ya, love? Ya loight up loike a candle an' go awll
tense when Oi give ya one. Why're ya so much of a shy guy there,
Cappy? Gotta loosen up a li'l!"
She continued to think about what she was going to do during the
movie as she awaited his answer, remembering a particularly
sappy scene halfway into the movie where the mare and stallion
protagonists start falling for each other. This would be the
scene where she starts acting like any other mare that gets
caught up in a movie like this, and lean against him, maybe put
her head on his shoulder, give a little light sigh, and make
herself comfortable. Yeah, that sounded perfect, just the kind
of thing to put him in an awkward spot for a while, at least
until he starts to loosen up around her, yet she had a feeling
that might take a while...
When they were both ready, she would dim the lights and begin
the movie, and Snow would wait for her time to act.
#Post#: 649--------------------------------------------------
Re: Splitting the Rent
By: Schwambart Date: January 17, 2014, 10:59 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Schwambart finishes up in the kitchen before making his way over
to the couch, where he sits on the opposite end from Snow,
keeping as far on his half as he can. When he sits he's about
half-remastered his blush by the time he does, though her
question revives it a little bit, though part of it is now
shame, like he knows that it shouldn't affect him so much.
"Er...they don't bother me as much as...well...they just
always...catch me by surprise..." he stammers out, meeting her
eye for as long as he can before averting again. He doesn't say
much else as he waits for the movie to start.
Once the movie starts, he begins relaxing again, almost
forgetting Snow was even there. Romances aren't his favorites,
but the comedy is gold as far as he's concerned. He laughs with
the jokes and makes a couple of his own, really getting into it.
Never mind what his plans had been for it, his mind was far
from his commission while the movie was up and making him laugh.
His mood stays lifted right up until about the middle of the
movie when she begins making her move. A sigh and a shift, and
her head is on his shoulder. Her head. Is on his shoulder.
And she's leaning against him all close-like. He swallows
nervously and flushes a bright red. She's watching a romance
with him and leaning on him. What does he do, what does he DO!?
Well, what he would do if this was his sister would be to pick
his hoof up and drape it around her shoulders and snuggle
closer. His foreleg begins lifting.
But she's not his sister. It lowers again.
Well she's not anything more, is she? And aren't they friends?
It raises again.
But what if this is too much? Down it goes.
She would do it, and she'd said to loosen up. What harm would
there be in it? Up once more.
Well there were reasons he got to be as tight as he is. Down.
Yes.
No.
He keeps up this internal monologue throughout the rest of the
movie, completely losing his ability to pay attention to the
movie as he wars within himself. He comes sort of close two or
three times, but never manages it. And then, just like that, he
decides. He's going to do it. Come on, just a lift, a move,
and...
...And the movie's over. Up come the credits before he can
actually steel himself for the act of doing it, and it instead
just falls to his side again, this time with more finality.
"Well...that fun," he supplies. "I like the part where
the...guy, he...did the thing. And it was fun." He doesn't get
up immediately, waiting for her to rise first, since she is
kinda...against him.
#Post#: 651--------------------------------------------------
Re: Splitting the Rent
By: Snowflake Date: January 17, 2014, 11:41 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
The movie was exactly as she remembered it, and the jokes were
still pretty funny. Snow had a good laugh alongside Schwambart,
and he even started to make his own little jokes at the same
time, while Snow just leaned back into the couch with a smile,
waiting for the opportune moment to strike while he wasn't
expecting it. The timing had to be perfect, and the execution
needed to be flawless. Right now she was simply blending into
the environment, grinning along with the movie, even if the grin
was not caused by the movie itself. She was anticipating his
reaction, trying to guess what all he would do. Would he freeze
up again? And if he did, how long would he let it go on for?
Would he simply try to worm his way out of it, or excuse
himself? Or would he simply let her lean there for the entirety
of the movie, doing nothing but freezing like a deer caught in
bright lights? Better yet, would he attempt to go for that
textbook movie theatre move of putting his leg over her
shoulders? She might actually be proud of him if he did that.
The foretold moment in the movie came to pass, and the stallion
protagonist and the mare protagonist caught sight of each other,
both staring at each other for a good while as incredibly sappy
piano music played, and Snowflake was making her move. She
shuffled herself across the couch, sitting right up next to the
green pegasus, before slowly leaning herself against his side,
and a few seconds later, letting her head tentatively touch
against his shoulder, as if she was unsure about this as well,
before actually settling herself against him, letting out a
little sigh as she did. It was done, she was in place, and it
was so perfectly executed, she could have been the actor in this
movie they were watching and nopony would have noticed the
difference, aside from the accent of course. Now it was time to
watch and wait, and gauge his reaction. She was going nowhere,
and she had time...
There was that tenseness again, she could practically feel it at
this point as what muscles he had knotted up in confusion and
uncertainty. He swallowed hard and his face flushed bright red
once more, and from where she had her head, she could notice it
just out of the corner of her eye, as well as that foreleg of
his that was between both of them. Her eyes tracked it intently
as she waited to see what it would do. Slowly it raised, and for
a minute, Snow was about to get ready to congratulate him
mentally, but it fell back down. Aww come on now Cappy, don't
let this pass you up, you can do this. His hoof raised once
more, and repeated its descent. Anyday now, if this were a date
in a theatre, you'd be sending some pretty negative signals
right here... Hoof up, hoof down. Come on Cappy, this is so
textbook even you should have read about it.
Before long, the movie was over, and with one final descent from
his hoof, she figured that he knew it was too late to make any
sort of move. Well, that was unexpectedly disappointing, though
she didn't let that fact show. Instead, she stretched, moaning
loudly as she moved her legs that hadn't moved this entire time,
one even going behind his back as she did that, before sitting
back up properly, speaking in a more quiet and tired voice,
"Yep, i' was good. No' a big fan'a th'funny love stories, bu'
this one Oi koinda loike. Oi'm more in'na th' horror an'
action-y stuff, ya feel me?" She let out a bit of a yawn; it was
getting late, and movies always left her tired, "Ya seem'd t'be
really in'na i' fo' th'firs' hawf, bu' ya go' pre'y quiet 'round
th'sappy points. Yer a big connysoor o'these roman'ic stories
much?" What an ironic question, she knew the reason why he was
quiet, may as well put him on the spot a little while longer.
#Post#: 652--------------------------------------------------
Re: Splitting the Rent
By: Schwambart Date: January 18, 2014, 12:25 am
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Schwambart's blush, which had begun receding as he began
rambling when he saw that his chance was over, comes back as she
puts her hoof around him, a demonstration of the move he'd been
trying to use on her but hadn't worked the nerve up to until it
was too late to complete the motion. Well, it seems like maybe
there's still ti-
Nope, now she's sitting back up, no longer against him, hooves
to herself once more. He almost asks her to come back.
It's...more saddening than he really expects, and he actually
did like her there, just...He's never...Oh well. It's not the
first time he's disappointed himself, and it certainly won't be
the last. He stretches and resets himself on the couch. "Naw,
I've never really been a big romance buff," he replies
unenthusiastically. "I've always been more into comedy and
maybe a bit more action, but-" A yawn catches him after hers.
He's not even tired.
He gives her a halfhearted smile and jokes, "Why'd you have to
yawn? Don't you know it's contagious? I could have terminal
yawning syndrome now! I had an uncle with TYS..." He trails
off, looking away for a moment. "Had some great naps..." A
shake of his head, then he stands. "Anyway, thanks for watching
with me. It was fun. I won't keep you from bed. I should..."
He looks to the kitchen for an excuse to be doing something.
"...put that spaghetti in the fridge. No reason to let it
spoil." After one more moment, he moves to do just that.
There isn't a whole lot of spaghetti left, maybe enough for
reheating for breakfast or something. He gets out a mid-sized
bowl to put the remains in and does so, putting the container in
the fridge before bringing the pot to the sink to wash it, all
the while running through his head every time he's wanted to do
something but wasn't able to pull it off simply because he
didn't have the guts to do it, usually while imagining how it
would have gone had he managed to do so.
#Post#: 653--------------------------------------------------
Re: Splitting the Rent
By: Snowflake Date: January 18, 2014, 12:55 am
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Snow had to smile at his crack at how contagious yawning was, if
at least to help him keep some of his self-confidence. His tone
of voice just resounded with disappointment and regret, and for
a second, it made her feel terrible about how she was teasing
him without him knowing. Now he was just trying to look for a
reason to be alone, even if it was a good one, and really, he
probably needed some time to himself after all of Snow's passes
at him. She watched him stand up and wander into the kitchen,
while she sat there for a while, watching him with a somewhat
concerned look on her face. That dejected look of his was
something she hadn't really seen from others before, but now
that she had a chance to look at it, something dawned upon her.
This was what it was like to be the shy and nervous one, to be
too afraid to do something even slightly risky to forge a
relationship, and then beat themselves up over it as they watch
from the sidelines.
Giving a little sigh, Snowflake stood up and wandered over to
the counter, leaning on it as she bit her lower lip in
contemplation of how he was going to take this, before deciding
to just go for it, "Oy, Cappy..." she began, trying to get his
attention from the dishes once more, "did'ja wanna come ou' wi'
me t'morrow night to a noigh'club? Figurin' tha' since i's
th'weekend an' awll, we may as well cu' loose an' 'ave a good
toime, yeah? Actually, ya know wot..." she began again, a little
more resolute in her decision as her confident smile came back,
"Oi'll bring ya ou' t'this one club Oi know, pre'y chill place
wi' great beats. We cawn go ou', enjoy th'noigh'loife in an
energe'ic place, ge' some drinks, maybe 'ave a bi' of
dawncin'... doesn' sound loike much bu' trus' me," she canted
her head a little, giving him a half-smirk, "i'll be toimes
loike these tha' yer gonna rememb'r th'best."
She pushed herself away from the counter, walking backwards
towards her room for a bit before turning around to walk
properly, calling back to him, "We'll leave 'round sundown,
yeah? Be bawck 'ere b'fore then, an' we cawn ge' ourselves
ready." She opened the door to her room and closed it behind
her, leaning against the door for a while before shuffling to
the unmade bed. She didn't pull the goggles off from around her
neck yet, but instead simply sat on the edge of her bed, hoof
scratching her chin as she tried to think about what she was
going to do. Maybe she could try to set him up with a nice,
equally shy mare? It would be the least she could at least try
to do for putting him through this, and maybe if he is with
somepony as equally shy as he is, maybe that could give him a
bit of boost in his self-confidence, knowing that he is not the
only one in the world who is as reclusive as he is.
Flopping back with her head on one of the fluffed pillows, she
threw the down-filled covers over herself, tossing until she was
facing the wall as she continued to mull things over in her
head. Of course, this entire plan relied on him actually taking
some sort of initiative in the dating scene, something that was
entirely likely that he did not possess, but surely... nah, best
not to think about it right now. At the very least, she could
focus on getting him to at least have a good time. With that
absolution in mind, she closed her eyes and started to breathe
deeply, falling asleep within a few minutes. Movies always made
her so tired after all...
#Post#: 654--------------------------------------------------
Re: Splitting the Rent
By: Schwambart Date: January 18, 2014, 2:46 am
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Let me just rephrase that question, shall I? Schwambart thinks,
probably not too generously but not particularly caring at the
moment either. 'Hey Crappy, wanna come with me to a place that
I know I like and I have no real reason to believe that you'll
like since it's a social place and all and you don't really seem
all that social but you're bound to anyway because I like it, ya
fat sack of-'
He doesn't look back up from the pot as he scrubs it, though
it's pretty clean and all he's really doing with it at this
point is busywork with his hooves. "Sure," he says quietly, a
bitter smile coming on his downward-facing lips. "Should be
fun." Like having a tooth pulled. That at least is an
experience he can describe and say whether or not he likes.
Spoiler, he doesn't. For him, somepony who'd been bullied and
ostracized by others, discouraged from joining in social events
when he was younger, and always felt like he was out of place
even since then, with conscious knowledge that he was
welcome...well, let's just say going to a nightclub didn't
exactly score very high on his to-do list.
He spends several minutes after she leaves just scrubbing the
pot pointlessly before he finally finishes it up and puts it in
the drainer with the others before returning to his room. He
sits at his desk, blank paper in front of him for half an hour
before he begins drawing, not really doing anything planned but
letting his pencil just roam the paper. After another fifteen
minutes he realizes what the picture is becoming and decides
he's had enough for one night. He shoves it to the corner and
pushes his way away from the desk and trots quickly over to his
bed. He wishes he had somepony he knew to talk to, anypony.
Not about this in particular, but about anything. Really
anything. If he was back home...but no. He doesn't really know
anypony here, and even the mare that he's living with is
so...alien to him. And somehow he's sure that a discussion with
her would just return to this subject anyway. Does she know
what she's doing to him? She probably doesn't. He probably
shouldn't be taking it this hard. He should-
It takes him a little bit to realize that he's tearing up, his
hooves clenching tightly. No. He's not going to have an
outburst. Or if he will, it won't be here. He stands and walks
to the door, bending over to pick up his bag on the way out, but
deciding against it. He's not in the mood for drawing. Maybe a
spot of flying. Just to clear his head. That always helps. He
closes his door and then makes his way to the flat door, pushing
his way out in a little bit of a hurry as his tears begin to
fall on the threshold. Though it probably wouldn't exactly be
noteworthy that he'd be going out now, since he does it at night
sometimes anyway, he's still extra-cautious about disturbing
Snow. With any luck, she wouldn't know he's gone, and by the
time he woke up, he'd be back to his chipper self, without
needing to bring her or anypony else into his problems.
He wings off into the night, hopefully finding something to
break while he's out.
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