//------------------------------//
// Talk 
// Story: Where You Belong 
// by Jhoira 
//------------------------------//

Rainbow Dash yawned and stretched as she walked out of the tree room. She had headed in for a nap after Autumn Blaze took to an extended time of silence. Which was technically normal, but she rarely answered the first time she was spoken to. Now she was awake and hoped that Autumn Blaze would be more attentive now. "Good afternoon, Autumn Blaze." After a few moments of silence, she frowned and looked up again. "Hey, Autumn Blaze?" Rainbow Dash waited for a few moments longer before harrumphing slightly. Laying down and crossing her forelegs to stare out at the forest. Fine then, if Autumn Blaze needed some more quiet time she'd deal with that.

Though after a bit of thinking Rainbow Dash glances up at the tree, thinking she got it. "Oh, I get it! Well, at least I think I do. You can't come with me right?" She assumed she's misunderstood the other's growl previously. "You can't come, so you don't want me to get more attached, eh?." She smiled a bit as she looked out at the forest. "I guess it's best for both of us. Though I would appreciate it if you did say goodbye before I left." She sighed as she rested her head on her hooves, staring out at the forest.

Rubbing at the bandage Rainbow Dash nodded. "Hey, you think I can take off the bandage?" The silence was her only answer. She frowned and shook her head. "Fine, let me do it this way. Do you think anything bad will happen if I do?" After another silence, she nodded. Wiggling and grunting in annoyance as she did her best to get the infernal bandages off of her. Growling as she looked up. "At least give me some help!" After no response, she grumbled and continued getting the bandages off.

After her extended efforts, she took in a deep breath and sat down. "You made me work for it eh?" She chuckled and stretched her wings, flinching ever so gently. "Urgh. They're stiff as heck, but I have to say you have some amazing healing magic there Autumn Blaze." She glanced up and sighed in irritation. Even the compliment didn't get a response and she shook her head. Well, Autumn Blaze was taking the distancing to an extreme, but it was what it was. 

Rainbow Dash laid down again and started to slowly stretch her wings. She wouldn't be flying anywhere until tomorrow, but she did need to ease them back into use. It had only been a day and a half or so, but that was still more than enough to make them stiff. Humming to herself she tried to focus on her wing stretches and not think about Autumn Blaze. But she couldn't stop herself and eventually, she knew she wouldn't be able to keep her peace.

So she got up and paced around the tree. Grumbling under her breath as she did so, running over in her mind her best course of action. She could always just yell at Autumn Blaze. It wouldn't accomplish anything but it would at least make her feel like she tried. She could also climb the tree and try to have a heart to heart with her unspeaking host. But if Autumn Blaze didn't want to speak, so to say, with her she wasn't going to force it. Rainbow Dash came back to the front of the tree. Or, at least what she thought of as the front of it, where the entrance to the room inside was. She supposed being direct but not insistent was the best option here.

Sitting up Rainbow Dash took a deep breath. "Ok, Autumn Blaze. I really need to get this off my chest. I'm not going to demand an answer or anything. But I do need to say this." She bit her bottom lip then nodded a bit to herself. "Ok, let me start off with this, you are really pretty, and that helps me like you. Like I said earlier I am into mares, so you being pretty is a real big bonus." She grimaced slightly, that made her sound very, very shallow, but then again, it was the truth. She'd gotten a lecture or two about it from various people, but she couldn't help it. "I know, I shouldn't think like that, but I do. I never claimed to be the best pony... Well, I mean from a moral perspective. I'm the best at most things." She snickered and paused but no giggle. Clearing her throat she started again. "Sorry, not the time for jokes."

Rainbow Dash sat up straighter, she might as well look her best while presenting her... Case as it were. "Ok, I've had marefriends before and all that. So this isn't some new pony crush that I've never had before. I know what crushes are and all that. And... Ok, this is going to sound very stupid. Just like me because I keep saying ok..." She wrinkled her nose at herself and made a mental note to stop that. "But I like to think that... This is super fast but, I felt like we have some kind of connection. I know that's super silly, you haven't even spoken to me, but I don't think you can speak so that's... Understandable. I mean listen to me, I think it sounds so silly I'm actively trying to talk myself out of it!" She made another mental note not to slip back into saying 'I mean.' 

Rainbow Dash sighed and figured she'd already been speaking too much, so she'd just sum it up and let the chips fall where they may. "Look, Autumn Blaze. I feel like we have some kind of connection. I don't know why, but I really would like it if you came with me. Or... Even if you let me stay." Rainbow Dash looked up, then sighed and laid down, staring out at the forest, as silence was her only answer.