In the light of events earlier, Harriet had had no desire to expand her tourist experience of Pine Hills, so after she’d split from Gem and her group she returned to the Frosty Mug, all she wanted was to get a good meal, and a calm evening of waiting. It didn’t take long, and Magpie arrived, quickly walking over to Harriet and sitting down to her table.
“Hi, any luck with Desert Shade?” asked the griffon. Harriet shook her head.
“Frosty Mug didn’t tell me anything yet. I don’t know how long it’s going to take. Did Gem send you here to keep an eye on me?”
“No, she didn’t. Gem knows the extent of her mind manipulation skills. I’m here to tell this Desert Shade or her contact who’s going to be coming with you, and negotiate the increased price if needed,” he patted his saddlebag.
“Thank you,” Harriet gave him a smile, which he requited with a simple nod.
Frosty Mug noticed Magpie, and arrived with the afternoon offer of drink and food. After the griffon made his order, and Harriet got her fresh glass of cider, the dragonpony asked:
“Are you an adventurer? I mean, travelling with Gem and all that.”
Knowing it was likely for Magpie to be an escaped Redtalon, she was really curious how he would answer that.
“A bodyguard, more like,” he said, “I don’t know anything about Gem’s business, she just pays me to keep an eye on things.”
“Oh, so you travel a lot?” that answer relit Harriet’s thirst for fun information, “As I said, it’s my first time in Equestria, and while Manehattan and Canterlot were exciting, it just makes me wonder what more is there to see.”
He scratched his head.
“Can’t say, really. I spent last two years in a minotaur slave pit of one headhunter clan up on the northern plains, fighting and being a toy for their amusement,” he shifted in his chair to show several long scars all over his body, “I escaped two months ago, spent some time on the streets of the Crystal Empire -really nice place by the way, you should visit- and eventually I got a lucky break on a caravan between the Crystal Empire and Vanhoover, earned some money, and did trips until Gem hired me. From what I understand, she lives in Canterlot, but visits her relatives in the Crystal Empire.”
“You’re really open and calm about such bad memories.”
Magpie shrugged.
“Stuff happened, I’m scarred and crippled in certain ways for life. No reason to dwell on what I can’t change. Right now, I’m working for Gem. What happens next, who knows? Who cares?”
“Don’t you have someplace to go back to, or someone?”
“Not really. It’s a caravan guard thing. You spend so much time on the road and sleeping in taverns that having a home isn’t exactly a thing. As for someone… well, the minotaurs liked to torture prisoners in rather vicious ways I’d rather not describe over dinner. Let’s just say that I never had the personality to earn that good old lifelong love, and they crippled my body to match. If I think about it critically, I didn’t lose too much in that regard.”
“Don’t you get lonely?” Harriet couldn’t get over the idea of someone completely outside of the normal cycle of griffon companionship and being fine with it.
“Right now, I’m travelling with two mares whose bodies would make even the pony princesses jealous, and if we join you, it would make it three. I’ve got all the pervy outlet I need,” he snickered at the blushing dragonpony trying to cover her face, “Especially if I’m covering your back.”
Luckily for Harriet, it was at that point when Frosty Mug arrived with Magpie’s order, and the griffon dug in immediately. When Harriet finally fought off her embarrassment, she took another sip of her drink, and asked:
“If you don’t mind me asking, how did you end up among the minotaurs anyway?”
Magpie chews for a while before swallowing, and Harriet gets the idea that this is the first answer he’s really thinking about. Strangely enough, that makes her proud a little.
“After ponies reclaimed Manehattan few years ago, and sunk a big part of the Imperial fleet, I saw an opportunity and joined a ship crew patrolling the northern sea. When we were sailing one night, we got shipwrecked due to ice. We tried to cross the permafrost to get south, but minotaurs caught us. I didn’t know anyone lived up there, but apparently the minotaurs in Rift chased the wild tribes away from pony civilization, and some of the headhunters live around the polar cap. Pretty bad luck for my first assignment. Well, at least I got to see them eat the dumbass navigator.”
Escaped noble, escaped noble, escaped noble! But if I ask whether he’s a Redtalon, he’ll just deny it, talons or not.
As Magpie resumed eating, Harriet noticed an elderly but extremely well-built griffon approaching them while giving Magpie a curious glance. He was a mix of brown head feathers, greying at the tips, and black fur streaked with grey signs of age over the rest of his body.
“Is this seat taken?” he winked at Harriet, and pulled out a chair for himself without waiting for an answer, “I heard you were looking for a guide regarding a tourist trip to the Badlands, miss Harriet.”
Magpie only raised an eyebrow, and continued eating.
“Umm, yes,” Harriet nodded, “Are you miss Desert Shade’s contact?”
“I certainly am,” the griffon relaxed in his chair, and extended his foreleg, “Name’s Lyam.”
“Harriet,” she shook his talons, and nodded to Magpie, “And this is Magpie. I met few friends today who would like to join me on the trip. I didn’t know they’d be here when I asked for help, but they said they’d pay extra if needed.”
“I’ll have to relay that change of plans,” Lyam scratched his chin, “But for now I’m going to assume it’ll be okay, albeit more expensive as expected. So, are you all going to the old hive?”
“Old hive?” asked Harriet.
“You wanted to see the center of the Badlands, didn’t you?” Lyam waited for confirmation, which came in the form of Harriet’s nod, “Then yes, that’s the location of the old hive of queen Chrysalis.”
“...changelings?” Harriet shivered. Meeting Gem was one thing, but a lifelong taught aversion to changelings and their old seat of power being the end of her journey was another, “Is there like an evil hive of changelings eating all visitors responsible for the anomalies to drive off invaders and did I mentions they are totally evil?”
“You’re from the Griffon Empire, aren’t you?” Lyam only raised an eyebrow, which made Harriet cover her mouth and admitt:
“Yes, I am.”
“Don’t worry, the hive has been abandoned for centuries,” Lyam waved his foreleg, “I have no idea why anyone would want to go there, but it’s not my job to ask. Des is interested in your trip for the price of...” he pulls out a small notebook from his saddlebag, and flips several pages, “Three hundred bits.”
Harriet blinked. That was quite a harsh price. She could barely scrounge up that kind of money, but maybe…
“Umm, can I pay at least in part with gems?” she asked, “I’ve got a bag upstairs in my room. I don’t know how much worth they are.”
“Gems are fine,” Lyam nodded, “I can help appraise them if you want. Your friend and I can work out the details of the others joining in in the meantime.”
“Ooof, great!” Harriet breathed out, and stood up, “I’ll be right back.”
She rushed up to her room, pulled out the untouched pouch of gems she got along with the Soulstealer, and brought it back. Magpie and Lyam were busy talking, and stopped when she sat back down, and offered Lyam the pouch. Magpie whistled when the other griffon opened it.
“My sentiment exactly,” Lyam nodded, took about half of the gems, and pushed the pouch back to Harriet, “This will be more than enough, and if I were you, I wouldn’t be swinging such valuable gems around for everyone to see.”
Magpie stood up, pushing several coins to Harriet.
“I should go and tell Gem the price for us,” he looked at Lyam, “Consider it a deal. We’ll bring the money tomorrow morning. We are leaving tomorrow morning, right? I’d prefer not stumbling between whatever anomalies in darkness.”
“Certainly. I’ll be here around nine-ish o’clock,” Lyam nodded, “Des doesn’t like wasting time either. The trip takes about ten hours, so I assume you’ll camp before you go back the day after tomorrow.”
“Okay,” Harriet waved her foreleg at Frosty, the universal sign that she’d be paying, “Wait, you won’t be coming, mister Lyam?”
The griffon chuckled, and shook his head.
“I’m just a messenger these days. These old paws of mine aren’t what they used to be. Des has new guys to carry all the equipment for her.”
“Alright,” Harriet pushed Magpie’s money to arriving Frosty, and started counting coins to pay for her own drinks, “Here you go.”
And with that, Harriet was left alone. Everything was ready for tomorrow, and soon, all this would be over.