//------------------------------//
// 11 - HOAs 
// Story: Taking Flight 
// by David Silver 
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The food he was eating actually tasted just fine. It was the mouthfeel. Like he was slurping worms, living worms that somehow twisted and turned as he slurped. "That's gonna turn off some griffons," warned Spike, not that it was stopping him from enjoying breakfast. "Not a bad taste though."

"What?" Gary leaned in with a fresh scowl, one of the favorite expressions of griffons so far. "Living worms is frickin' traditional!"

Gabby giggled at the outcry. "Well, sure, yeah, sorta. But most griffons don't actually go for worms these days." Her eyes were on Spike's meal. "Does that actually taste like worms?"

"Nah." Spike slurped up what was dangling from his mouth. "But it feels like it! The taste's alright, try it." He snatched a wriggly strand and offered it to Gabby.

"Yeah, try it," encouraged Gary without delay.

Gabby let out a little nervous laugh as she accepted the suspiciously wriggly thing from Spike. "I prefer fish. Poultry's not so bad..."

"You've eaten worse," taunted Gary. "Stop delayin'!"

"Alright alright!" And into her beak it went. She did her best to crunch it as quickly as possible, but it was still wiggling on the way down, unbothered by her rapid chews. "Oh, wow... Spike is not wrong."

Gary huffed, storming off.

A sharp knocking came from the door to the house. Spike looked to Gabby with a shrug.

She raised a hand to her beak. "Who is it?"

"Who is that?" came a reply female voice. "Gary, you have some explaining to do," she continued shrilly. "Get out here!"

"Blast it all." Gary had returned. "Is that Galadriel?"

"Yes it is," stormed the muffled female voice. "Open this door!"

Gary placed a hand over his face, claw tips working through facial feathers with a weary grunt. "Right, right... Comin'." He trundled towards the door with a grumble. "Whattaya want?!" he demanded as he threw open the door.

"Wrong question." The griffon hen already had a severe expression for Gary. "Your house is rated for two griffons at most." Her eyes went past him, to Spike and Gabby. "But you have three creatures here."

Gary shrugged softly. "I only count two griffons."

"Don't get cheeky with me." She pointed at Spike. "He counts. And even if he didn't." The finger of accusations turned on Gabby. "You didn't inform us of new relationships, so we'd still have a problem with a sudden new couple even if it was just her."

"For crying out loud," Gary grunted out. "She's staying over a few days. We ain't married. We ain't doin' nothing." He hiked a thumb at Spike. "He's testing my food. That a crime too?"

"Is it food you plan to sell?" She leaned forward, beak clacking. "Professional food selling, out of your home? That's against the policies and you know it."

"Buzz off!"

"You first." She waggled a quill at Gary. "You live here, that makes you a member of my Home Owner Association. You're welcome to relinquish ownership of this home at any time. Please do." She half turned away. "You repaired the upstairs window. Good." She made a mark in a pad. "I don't have to repeat that. You also toned down on the offensive odors. Only one complaint this last week. A good job... for you. See if you can get that down to zero, hm?"

Gabby leaned in towards Spike. "This is part of why Griffopolis looks neater than Griffonstone." She gestured at Galadriel, still chewing out Gary as she was. "Some griffons are in charge of little parts of the city. They keep it clean and nice looking."

"By bossing everyone else around," finished Spike. "Does she ever do any of the fixes she asks for?"

"I do," replied Galadriel, not even looking at Spike and still a room away. "If a building is unoccupied, then it's my job to keep it in good shape until a new griffon moves in."

Gary threw up his hands. "Look, I'm trying. Spike, tell her. The food I made today smelled just fine."

Spike shrugged lightly at that. "Tasted good, smelled fine." He decided to leave out it's appearance and mouthfeel... not relevant to the bossy she-griffon.

"You're getting better? Good." Galadriel shrugged as she entered without asking. "Let's have a quick look around."

"There's nothing interesting in here." Gary trailed after her with a disgusted grunt. "Aren't you supposed to give me a warning before you go walking through my house?"

"Once a year I get a surprise visit." She prodded at him with her quill. "Now seems like a fine time for it, with these sudden, unregistered, guests." She fixed Spike in her fell gaze. "You're not wanted in any griffon territories, are you?"

"Who, me?" He hiked a thumb at himself. "Nah. I'm an official ambassador of--"

"Uh huh." Galadriel had already stopped listening, instead eying the interior walls. "You'll want to repaint in here within the next six months." A scratch was made, noting that observation. "Let's look at the kitchen." And off she wandered towards the next room.

Gabby tugged at Spike's arm. "Quick," she whispered in a hiss. He took the hint, and they left Gary to deal with her alone. Not that there was much they could do for him.

"Huh, and he puts up with that?" Spike shrugged at he did a slow circle. "Better question, are all the griffons in charge of that like... her?"

"Mine wasn't as bad." Gabby laughed nervously. "He'd just shove a list of things under your door and you had to get 'em fixed! He didn't go inside. 'If I can't see it, it's not my problem,' he'd say."

"Huh..." Spike gestured back at the house they had escaped from. "He gonna be alright? She did not seem like the happy or forgiving type."

"Gary's a warrior." Gabby punched at the air as she began forward. "And most griffons like that are loud, but they want griffons in their houses, or they gotta do it. Unless he does something really bad, she won't kick him out."

"So... they can only yell?" Spike hiked a brow. "I'd expect that to work with ponies, but griffons?"

Gabby counted on fingers. "They can yell. They can throw you out. Or they can tattle on you." She hiked a thumb at a building just a little taller than the others, a full two and change stories tall. "The sheriff lives there. They can tell him if someone's breaking the rules."

"That they set?"

"That they set." Gabby nodded at that. "You're given the rules if you move in. Don't like it, move somewhere else. Those are the rules. Oh! Before you think it's all on their side. They gotta ask the griffons that already live there if they want to change the rules." She burst into a titter of a giggle. "I remember mine doing that once. That was a big argument, but we settled it."

"Huh..." The griffons of Griffopolis had their act together in a way Griffonstone did not, but it came with prices. "I bet the houses with nicer bosses are more valuable."

"You'd think that." Gabby shrugged softly. "But you can't see how nice they are when you're flying past trying to find a place. The meaner ones usually make things neater. Neater means more griffons want to be there."

"Oh..." It came together how that'd work out. "That's interesting." Different than pony ways by some measure.

"One time I thought about being one of those." She hiked a thumb back at Gary's house. "But it's harder than it looks, and I'm, uh, too nice." She laughed with a big smile. "The first griffon that wouldn't do their part and I kinda broke down and did it myself, and then they got mad I did that, and... It didn't end well." She waved it off. "I tried a lot of things before I ended up visiting Ponyville, and I tried a lot of things there, come to think of it... Shoot, I would never have guessed I'd be a fashion model." 

She struck one of a collection of poses she had ready for the window. "Attracting creatures into the store. I'm not even that pretty."

Spike fired both finger guns at her. "And now I know you're lying."

Her cheeks warmed as she burst into merry laughter. "Spike!" She punished him with a warm hug that was eagerly returned, the two laughing as they wandered away from Gary's home. "Let's visit the pond." She pointed off. "Griffons gather there all the time, to wash, themselves or other things, or just to talk. You can meet some more of my friends there, probably."

"Sounds fun." With a nod, they set off on the search for new adventure.

The pond was not far away. The sounds of splashing water came first, the happy cry of children, the gossip of adults. As it come into view, they could see the young ones splashing one another in a fierce competition of whom could be made the most wet. A curious contest to wage, with them all being in the water to start with.

Gabby was smiling a bit. "Aw, I remember playing that..."

Spike ribbed her from the side. "Who said only they get to?"

"Huh, what--" She trailed off as he jumped into the water. "Spike?" And then she was splashed, squealing in surprise. "You!" And she bent down to scoop up water to send back at him.

They joined in the frivolity of splashing one another wildly, soon both in the water where it was easier to scoop up great big handfuls to send in the direction of the other.

"Gabby?" Both paused to look at an elderly griffon hen that was squinting at her. "Who else could it be, a grown griffon playing like that. You haven't learned what shame is."

Gabby laughed, a noise as tense as it was genuine. "Caught me. Um, hey Granny."

"Hey yourself." The older wagged her cane meaningfully. "Come out of there and talk like a grownup."

The two emerged, dripping. "And what's that with you?" The hen examined Spike intently. "You always did make strange friends."

"Guilty, but not ashamed." Gabby twirled to get an arm around Spike, pulling him closer. "This is Spike, my special somedragon. Say hi to Granny!"

"Hey." He raised a hand, wiggling a few fingers at her. "Nice to meet you, miss...?"

The old griffon rolled her eyes. "Just stick with Granny. It's what they all call me." They suddenly jabbed at Gabby with the end of her cane. "Not that they're mine."

"We love you too."

Granny bahed and turned away, though Spike did see the hint of a smile, hidden from Gabby. "What are you doing back here? I thought you ran off to live with the ponies, and here you are, with a dragon? A dragon?! I always knew you were... a special griffon... but this just takes it a whole new level."

Gabby squeezed Spike, her hand at his middle. "Spike is a total sweet puff, like me! It's part of why we get along so well."

"It's true," hurriedly added Spike with a quirk of a smile. "We'd both do anything to get things right."

"Well, hm." Granny nodded slowly. "You came here. That's a hint that maybe you're not just making that part up." The cane waggled at Gabby. "What is it you're doing these days? Nevermind, I don't care. Just tell me it's going alright."

Gabby burst into giggles. "You haven't changed. I'm doing alright, Granny, promise." She crossed her chest solemnly, though the part with placing something in her eye seemed to confuse the elder. "We came here because I wanted him to meet some of my old friends, introduce him to them. If we're gonna be a thing, no secrets."

Granny raised a wrinkled brow at that. "Oh, to be young again. You'll learn in time. Some things are a secret for a reason."