Maple, Starlight and Gerardo sat with their impromptu host at the edge of a building, looking down through a glass wall at the landscape below. It was a tower much slimmer and higher than the initial lobby, connected to it with a glass bridge tube and positioned just so that patrons seated near the edge could look down into the atrium, observing ponies scuttling about below as they ate. The center formed a wheel of restaurants and eateries, with free seating lining the entirety of the outer rim.
In the distance, a massive zeppelin drifted by, framed against a background of snowdrifts and distant mountain peaks. Gnawing on a fruit kebob, Gerardo opened conversation. "Quite nice of you to do this, if I haven't said so enough already."
"My pleasure," Slipstream answered, biting into a gourmet sandwich with visible satisfaction. "What else am I supposed to do with my breaks? You looked interesting. And, well... I completely agree about the lines. Granted, there were a few big flights that got in at once today, but still..." She brushed her mane back. "It gets kind of hectic when ponies think they're running late and take it out on you, you know? But anyways, what were you going to ask?" She blinked innocently. "I'd love to help, if I could."
Gerardo shrugged. "Nothing pressing. We've been in for the better part of a day, ourselves, and are still getting a feel for the lay of the city." He took a breath, closing his eyes and sighing pleasantly. "I did hear from a kindly passer-by that a place known as Warehouse W-28 was well worth visiting, though they neglected to mention where it was."
Slipstream snorted so hard that she had to cover her mouth with a wingtip. When she recovered, she giggled and said, "Sounds like you got pranked, Gerardo. That W means it's in the Water District, which is pretty much the least touristy part of Ironridge! Well, except for Sosa. That place is a dump." She giggled again and blushed. "But most of the Water District is just empty warehouses left over from the building of the dam, and then from the days before the skyport was built. These days, they have better places to store things."
"It sounds as if I have, indeed, been had," Gerardo agreed with a self-depricating laugh. "Would you say anything else in the Water District is worth visiting? I did happen to see that very impressive dam during an earlier excursion to the Stone District..."
"Not really." Slipstream shrugged. "I mean, the dam is very cool, but it's supposedly dangerous. I've never been up top myself. Very few ponies get to. Maybe they'll open it up later as a tourist attraction, but... who knows?" She took another bite of her sandwich. "Oh, I guess the other thing that's there is the Defense Force base. When they were established, Skyfreeze kind of went 'meh' and found some out-of-the-way land that nopony was using to hide them in. So that's what they got."
"Skyfreeze?" Gerardo asked, lifting an eyebrow. "Defense Force? Pardon me if my memory is slipping, but I can't say I'm familiar."
"No biggie." Slipstream shook her head. "Skyfreeze is the big administration tower between here and the reservoir where all the airline companies have their local headquarters. It's also where the Ironridge economic council meets, and where Chancellor Dior has his office. The yaks want their embassy moved there, too, but that hasn't happened yet. And the Stone District Defense Force is-"
"One moment," Gerardo instructed, lifting a talon. He peered keenly at the pegasus. "Did you just say Chancellor Dior?"
Slipstream nodded. "He's been the leader of Ironridge for more than four years now. They say he's a prodigy, and he's the youngest Chancellor Ironridge has ever had..." She squeezed her eyes shut. "Which doesn't count for very much when he's also the second. He's also very private, which is a shame because he could easily be a celebrity if he wanted. Where did you hear about him?"
"A friend referred him to us as a trustworthy stallion," Gerardo said with a shrug. "That he runs Ironridge is certainly news to me. How much power does a chancellor have?"
"I don't know," Slipstream limply admitted with a hint of exasperation. "I didn't go into economics. I know about local history, maps, flight schedules and how to get past bureaucracies."
"Ah, well, my apologies." Gerardo bowed neatly. "Please, do continue. The Defense Force...?"
"Mhm!" Slipstream perked up. "Since the skyport was built, Sosa went into a decline, and now there are bandits everywhere who steal goods and cause trouble." Nodding eagerly, she said, "The Earth District isn't very safe. I bet you could handle it, but I haven't been there in years... however, the Stone District didn't want to deal with that, so they went and asked Skyfreeze to do something about the problem! Ultimately, what they came up with..." She hung her head. "They couldn't find a way to make the Earth District safe, so instead they authorized an armed guard in the Stone District to protect caravans and make sure no bandits came up the mountain. I kind of feel bad for the bandits, myself. It must be hard, having so little that you need to steal to survive..."
"Indeed." Gerardo twirled his empty kebob stick between two talons, musing. "I doubt the presence of such a military organization would make a good destination for viewing, then, in either the Earth or Water Districts. What do you recommend we make our next stop, if our aim is to stay safe, enjoy the city and return to our hotel in time for dusk?"
Slipstream thought for a moment. "On the third floor of the lobby," she began, "there's a tunnel to a high-speed transit. It goes between the A, B and C terminals and Skyfreeze tower. Terminal A is for cargo ships only and is off-limits, but if you ride it to the B terminal, they have a museum of airship history there. I've been through it many times, and still love to go there on breaks... You'd probably enjoy it, too."
"Well..." Gerardo slowly got up, pushing in his stool. "This was quite enjoyable and informative. Thank you for your time and generosity, miss Slipstream."
Slipstream blushed. "Thank yourself for looking cool and unusual. I work here, I've got the money to spare. Speaking of which, I'm on evening shift tonight, so say hi if you're coming back late!"
"And the lines aren't too long, I presume," Gerardo added, earning a chuckle from both.
The pegasus departed with a final, cheery wave. Moments later, Maple spoke for the first time in the entire conversation. "How often does this happen to you?"
Gerardo's eyebrow rose. "Being generously offered lunch, potentially flirted with by unknowing fans, or finding a shortcut to exactly what I need immediately after being denied the normal way?"
"All three, I guess," Maple said with a shrug.
"In that case..." Gerardo grinned. "More often than you would think, yet not quite often enough to make up for all the stores and shops that somehow expect me to adventure without so much as a discount. Let's leave it at 'I'll take what I can get.' And speaking of getting, that was a fine lunch indeed."
"It was," Maple agreed, licking her lips and glancing up at Starlight. "So? A museum of airships sounds interesting, right? Shall we go there next?"
"I don't see why not!" Gerardo stepped toward the food court's exit, and both ponies slowly got up to follow him.