//------------------------------//
// 7. Give or Take 
// Story: Monster Huntress Diamond 
// by HappyPillz 
//------------------------------//

Rarity and Sydreol finished loading all her new gear into her house, placing them into her weapon and armor racks. Rarity stared at the display, still not believing what she had just received: fourteen different weapons and two sets of armor; there were enough choices to allow her complete freedom in how she would fight, should she decide to do so. Light armor for fast movement, or heavy armor for strong defense. Large powerful weapons, small fast ones, ranged ones… she would have a difficult time choosing.
“Yeah, the decisions can be overwhelming,” Sydreol said, as though he was reading her mind. “You just gotta give it a try, spend a little time with Jorahn in the training arena, and you’ll see what feels right for you. It sounds kinda funny, but you’ll probably have three or four weapons that will just click with you.”
“Thanks,” Rarity said, still staring at the display. “I’ll have to do that soon, after I pay a visit to Faan.”
“Right then. See you around, good luck with your training and all your other stuff.”

**********

Rarity strolled back up the pavilion, enjoying the late afternoon breeze moving through the looser clothing she had changed to; it felt so much better than the restricting armor she had been in. While practical and comfortable enough, it was still a far cry from the comfort of her handmade clothes. Her bag hung from her shoulder, and she looked as though she was heading toward the shop to spend her savings away rather than search for work. She spied the market stall ahead, stocked with materials and items of all kinds, with things she had never seen before. A young human woman sat at the till, staring off into the sky.
Rarity approached her with interest, noting that the girl seemed to take no notice of her as she neared. “Excuse me?" she said, with little effect. “Excuse me, miss? Ma’am?" she began raising her voice louder, but she still gained no response; the girl continued staring off into space. Rarity tapped her lightly on the shoulder, and the girl jerked in her seat violently as she was yanked back to reality.
“AH!" she yelled. “HI! I mean, hi. Hi, sorry. Were you here long?” She looked embarrassed as she tried to regain her balance on her chair after nearly falling off.
“Not long, thank you. I had just gotten here, I just had a little difficulty getting your attention.” Rarity explained.
The girl rubbed the back of her head. “Yeah, sorry about that. I tend to get that way sometimes.” 
“Think nothing of it. You must be Faan,” Rarity asked pleasantly.
“That’s me!” the girl cheerfully replied. “Nice to meet you! Did you need help with something?”
“I do, actually. I was talking with Reneris earlier-“ Rarity started.
“That was you?” Faan asked fearfully, cutting her off. “My goodness, you sounded so angry! I’ll help you as much as I can, just please don’t get angry with me like that!” The girl cringed away at the thought, and Rarity’s heart nearly broke.
“Goodness no, I would never get angry with you,” Rarity spoke soothingly to Faan, trying to calm her down. “I was only acting that way in order to talk to Reneris. I normally don’t act like that. Ever. So, don’t worry about that, ok?”
A small smile graced Faan’s face, and she regained her composure. “Alright then. So, what is it that you needed?”
“Well, I was hoping you might be able to tell me if you have any ways in which I can help in order to earn money, whether it would be physical help, or selling you items of any kind. I was also interested to know if you’ve had much machalite ore in stock.”
Faan’s face brightened considerably. “That’s wonderful! I can always use more suppliers, especially since hunters usually don’t focus on bringing back materials that aren’t monster parts. I’ve been having supply issues on several items, including machalite ore, sadly, so I don’t have any at the moment.” She grimaced. “Sorry about that!”
“It’s not a problem, honestly,” Rarity responded. “I was asking more out of curiosity than anything. I should be able to find some without any difficulty.”
Faan looked at her with surprise. “Really? Usually hunters curse the stuff for being a pain to find. Well, if you think you can find it, I’d love to see it!”
“Oh, don’t you worry,” Rarity winked, “I have my ways.”
“Oo, mysterious, I like it!” Faan clapped. “I can also use slashberries, blastnuts, and parashrooms, if you happen across them.” 
“I’ll keep an eye out,” Rarity said, “though I don’t know what they look like… do you have any that I could see?”
“Sure, hold on, I’ll grab a few!” Faan disappeared into her stockroom for a few minutes, then returned holding several items. “Here you go, fresh from the shelves!" she said, presenting them with a flourish. 
“Lovely, thank you!” Rarity said, producing her notebook and a pencil from her bag. She flipped it open and began sketching the items in great detail, making as many notes as she could while Faan looked on in fascination.
“What are you doing?" she asked as Rarity turned a page to begin her next sketch. 
“Oh, just drawing what they look like, and making reminders to myself about their characteristics so I know what to look for. It’ll make it a lot easier to remember when I’m out gathering things to have a reference guide.”
“Smart!” Faan praised. “I don’t think I’ve seen any other hunters do that before.” She put a finger to her lips in thought. “Maybe that’s why they never bring me materials, maybe they all have crappy memories and don’t remember what anything looks like. Huh. Never thought about it before.” She shrugged. “Well, maybe you’ll be my number one supplier now! More money for you!" she said cheerfully. She returned to looking at Rarity’s notebook. “You’re really good at drawing, by the way.”
Rarity smiled. “Thanks, I’ve had a lot of practice.” She opened her notebook to a page containing a dress design she had drawn some weeks earlier for the school’s formal, earning an admiring gasp from Faan. “I’m a designer, you know. Well, used to be, at least, before I came here. I can’t really design much now.”
Faan tilted her head. “Why not?”
“Well, I don’t really have much left for materials, as most of my cloth was used up in the jungle trying to survive, making survival gear and supplies. I still have some left, but not enough to make any large amounts of anything. My available tools are extremely limited as well; I was only able to bring along portable tools, and a lot of those I had to use in the jungle, rendering them useless for their intended functions now. I mean, I honestly could still make some things, but not enough and too slowly to make a business out of it.”
Faan’s face fell. “That’s too bad, that dress was gorgeous, I would have loved to have seen you make something like that. Did you make the clothes you’re wearing, too? They’re absolutely beautiful, I’ve never seen anything like them…”
Rarity looked down. “What, these? Yes, I made them, though I didn’t think they were anything that special.”
Faan looked shocked. “Are you kidding? Have you looked around? You have the most fancy, colorful clothes of anyone else here! I’d buy them from you in a heartbeat if I could!” 
Rarity beamed, when an idea suddenly hit her. “Faan, could you stand close to me for a moment?”
Faan looked confused, but complied. “I suppose, what for?”
Rarity inspected her. “Aha! I thought as much.” She giggled to herself with excitement. “I’ll be right back! You stay right here!”
She practically raced back to her house, leaving a speechless Faan behind her. Once there, she laid out her clothes, making sure she had them all clean and folded neatly, then packed them away in her bag, giddy with the feeling of being able to provide someone with beautiful new clothes when they had never had anything like them before. She never grew tired of that feeling, and it had given her the best idea now.
With a light feeling in her chest, she ran back to the shop, stopping right in front of Faan with a wide grin spread on her face. 
“Am I allowed to ask what that was about?” Faan asked warily.
“No need to ask,” Rarity chirped, producing her bag. “I brought a little something back with me.”
“Oo, do tell!” Faan leaned over in interest.
Rarity pulled her clothes out from her bag and laid them across Faan’s checkout counter, causing the girl’s jaw to drop in amazement.
“Rarity, those are gorgeous! Those are your clothes?”
“Yes, and you appear to be about the same size as me. Go ahead,” Rarity urged, “pick an outfit out.”
Faan squealed in delight. “Can I buy this yellow and pink one? It’s so pretty!”
Rarity frowned slightly. “Buy? Oh, no, no, no! I’m giving this to you. No charge.”
“What?” Faan was beyond confused now. “I thought you needed money?”
“Oh, I do,” Rarity reassured her, “but I can earn that by gathering things. Helping my friends attain fashion fabulosity is a life goal, not one I try to make money from. Besides, I’ve been helped so much by everyone here, I want to give back.”
“Well, in that case, thank you so much!” Faan cheered, then hopped forward to give Rarity a hug. “This is seriously so adorable! I’ve never had anything like this before!”
“You’re very much welcome!” Rarity grinned back. “And thank you so much for giving me the absolutely best idea ever! I know exactly what I’ll be doing for the rest of my day!”
“I thought you were going to go gather things?” Faan asked, once again perplexed.
“Oh, that can wait until tomorrow,” Rarity waved it off. “This is much more urgent. Now, first things first, have you seen Cinnamon? Last I saw her, she was at Zuny’s restaurant.”
“Yeah, I saw her leave the Canteen just a little while ago,” Faan replied. “She was headed toward the clinic.” 
“Perfect!” Rarity clapped her hands with a giggle. “I can get to both of them at once then!”
“I’m sorry, what?” Faan said, lost once again.
“Nothing, nothing! I’ve got to go before Cinnamon leaves! I’ll see you later, thanks again!” Rarity gave a parting wave behind her as she raced off in the direction of the clinic, leaving a bewildered shopkeeper behind her.
“Ok… thank you, come again…”

**********

My tools may be limited, and I may not have much fabric left, but by Celestia, I will make this work. I have to make this work. I can make simple alterations for the others to account for size differences; the girls were all roughly my size, give or take… but Cinnamon, I’m going to have to make something completely new. And damn it, it’s going to be amazing. I don’t care what it takes.
She reached the clinic and nearly burst through the doors in excitement, but restrained herself, merely opening them with more force than was necessary but not ripping them off their hinges. Aerylla and Cinnamon both jerked their heads toward the door in shock, and Aerylla nearly dropped the bottle she was holding.
“Sorry, sorry!” Rarity apologized, “I didn’t mean to scare you, I guess I was just a little… excited, that’s all.”
“That’s fine,” Aerylla smiled, “just a little startled, that’s all. What can I do for you?”
“I’m actually here for both of you, and it’s what I can do for you.” Rarity corrected. Both Aerylla’s and Cinnamon’s eyes widened at the announcement, and Rarity explained. “I brought some of the clothes I’ve made along with me. Aery, I want you to pick out an outfit to have; if it doesn’t quite fit, I can make adjustments for you, but it should be pretty close already.” Aerylla’s eyebrows climbed at hearing Rarity’s words, but Rarity continued. “Cinnamon, I don’t have anything that would fit you right now.” She could see that Cinnamon already looked disappointed, so she continued immediately. “But, I have fabric and my tools. And, if you didn’t know before, I am a fashion designer. So, you and I,” she dramatically motioned to the two of them, “are going to head back to my house and design some clothes for you. Whatever you want, with whatever material you want - at least, from what I have available.”
Cinnamon cheered and bounced in place giddily. “Thanks Rowrity! I’ve never had anyone do anything like that for me before!”
“This is a very kind gesture, to be sure,” Aerylla agreed. “Thank you very much for the offer.” She set her bottle down and walked over to look at what Rarity had brought, and her breath momentarily left her when her eyes fell on the garments that were put on display. “These… are beyond anything I’ve ever seen before! What brought this on, might I ask?”
“Well,” Rarity admitted, “I was speaking with Faan, and she was complimenting me on what I was wearing, and mentioned how nobody around here had clothes that were colorful or showy like these were, and how she wished she could have some like mine. And, I don’t know, I just… fashion and clothing have always been my passion, and I want to share that with everyone that I can, especially people that might not have had the chance to express themselves through their clothing before. Given Faan’s reaction, that seemed pretty likely here. So, I want to at least share what I can with you girls, you’ve done so much for me already.”
“Well, you’re right about not being able to express ourselves, that’s for sure,” Cinnamon piped up. “The clothes around here tend to be super drab. Well, unless it’s armor made from colorful monsters. But that doesn’t count.”
Aerylla laughed. “No, I suppose not.” She looked through Rarity’s outfits and pointed at one. “Would you mind if I took this one?”
Rarity smiled warmly. “Not at all, I believe it would suit you beautifully.”
Aerylla picked it up, gasping as she did so. “Gods, it feels so wonderful! What on earth is this made of?”
“That would be silk, my friend. Mulberry silk, to be exact. Trust me, if you think it feels good now, wait until you’re wearing it.” She winked. “And Cinnamon, just let me know when you’re ready, and we can work on yours.”
“All right, just let me finish up here first. Aery, do you have that bug repellent?” Cinnamon asked.
“Huh?” Aerylla was pulled back into reality abruptly, interrupted from absentmindedly running her fingers through the silken fabric in her hands. “Oh, yes, sorry!" she hurried over and picked up the bottle, then brought it back to Cinnamon.
“Perfect! Ready to go when you are Rowrity!” Cinnamon announced.
“See you around tomorrow, Aery! Have a great night!” Rarity called behind her.
“Night and thank you!” came the reply, already half lost in the contentment of silken comfort.

**********

“So, you got ol’ sourpuss Reneris to help you out?” Cinnamon asked as Rarity was taking her measurements. “That’s some feat, alright! She’s one tough lady to get along with!”
“Ugh, tell me about it,” Rarity lamented. “I practically had to give myself a mental meltdown just to converse with her. But, in a way, I’m glad I did. It felt… liberating, I suppose. I think, deep down, part of me just, I don’t know, kind of liked letting go like that.” She paused and thought about it deeper. “Maybe on occasion I need to step back from being so polite and proper, and be a little racy and raunchy and swear up a storm instead. Sometimes. Rarely. Probably when nobody is looking and listening.” 
Cinnamon laughed. “Maybe you just need some racy, raunchy, swearing friends you can hang out with that don’t care. I think that Renny, Syd and I fit that bill pretty well. We should all go drinking sometime soon.”
“Drinking?” Rarity looked scandalized. “As in alcohol? Getting drunk, causing a scene, passing out, and regretting everything in the morning?" her tone gave away the fact that never before had she even considered it, let alone done it, but looking at Cinnamon, the corners of her mouth turned up slightly. “Hmm,” she murmured to the felyne. “You know, I think I might like that.” She nodded, then grinned widely. “I mean, hell yes, we should totally get together sometime and get drunk off our asses!” Cinnamon cheered for her, and she giggled simply hearing the words coming out of her mouth; somehow it seemed freeing, empowering, like she was able to show a side of herself she had kept hidden away for so long that even she didn’t know it existed.
“So you’re a designer, then?” Cinnamon looked through the fabrics that were laid out while Rarity put away her measuring tape. “That explains how you made that jagras armor like you did.” She cocked her head. “Maybe?" she looked at Rarity. “Have you designed armor before?”
“Well… no.” Rarity admitted.
“But… then… how the hell did you know how to make armor?” Cinnamon demanded. “You just show up here making nothing but clothes, need weapons and armor, and go Hm, guess I’ll make some weapons and armor then, and poof, you do?” 
Rarity looked thoughtful for a moment, then shrugged. “Hm, yes, I suppose that sums it up rather succinctly.”
Cinnamon looked at her rather crossly. “What the hell, really?”
“Oh come now, my best friend is one of the princesses and her brother is the captain of the royal guard. I do know what weapons and armor look like. Just because I’ve never specifically designed them doesn’t mean I don’t know anything about them. I just have enough experience to be able to apply what I know to make things outside my normal comfort zone, that’s all. Which is why I am going to have no issues making something for a felyne such as yourself, even though I’ve never done so before.” She poked Cinnamon in the fluff of her chest.
“Ok, ok, point taken!” Cinnamon mewled with a laugh, tickled by the poke. She returned to the fabrics. “Could I have this one, please?" she pointed to a rather unremarkable piece, beige in color, that Rarity would not have normally used for regular clothing for a fairly normal reason.
“Are you… quite sure that’s the one you want?” Rarity asked hesitantly.
“Is there something wrong with it?” Cinnamon asked innocently.
“No, nothing wrong - if that’s what you want, I’ll use it! I only ask because that’s muslin; it’s normally used for making test patterns and designs, not for actual finished products. It’s just a very plain and cheap material; it’s actually what I’ve been using for bandages and such so far as well, it’s just that disposable. Like I said, if it’s what you want, I’ll gladly make you something, but I do want to give you the best I can offer after all you’ve done for me.”
“Oh, I see…” Cinnamon said quietly. “To be honest that was kind of why I picked it.”
Rarity was dumbfounded. “Why on earth would you ever do that, though?”
“I live in the forest, Rowrity, anything super nice that you make me would get ruined super fast. Colors would get dirty and muddy, delicate cloth would rip and tear, smooth feeling cloth would quickly become rough and ragged, and I don’t want to see a beautiful outfit you made get ruined like that.”
Rarity grimaced. “I see your point.” She thought for a moment. “Hold on, though, for living in the forest, you seem to know everyone here like family. Do you spend a lot of time in this village?”
Cinnamon laughed. “As much time as I can! I love it here! Can’t stay here forever though, sadly.”
“Why not?”
Cinnamon shrugged. “There’s a housing shortage right now, especially for felynes, since we have larger families. I was staying at the clinic while you were out cold, but now that you’re awake I’ll have to head home.”
“Wait, I’m confused,” Rarity said. “Chief Leonys said I could move into this house because it was vacant. How could this be a vacant house just sitting here if there’s a housing shortage?”
Cinnamon nodded. “This was a hunter house. They keep houses available in case a hunter comes into town, that way they can offer them a place to stay in hopes of keeping them around. A way to sweeten the deal, so to speak.”
“Oh… I see…” Rarity glanced at the rack of weapons lining her wall, then down at her toned muscles, and felt a pang of extreme guilt.
“So, I’ve been waiting for them to build more houses, but so far… nothing.” Cinnamon finished morosely.
“Well, I have some news for you, then,” Rarity said sternly. “I have a home here that was generously provided to me to stay in for as long as I’m here, and I plan to earn my keep. And that means I have the right to get a roomie if I damn well please, and guess what, I want a roomie.” Cinnamon’s mouth began spreading into a smile wider than it ever had before, and Rarity grinned at her. “So what do you think? Wanna be my roomie?”
“HELL YES!” Cinnamon flung herself at Rarity in a flurry of furry hugs, laughing at the wonderful turn of events the day had taken. 
“Did you want to change your mind about what material you wanted?” Rarity teased.
“Absolutely!” Cinnamon bounded over to the fabrics with the energy of a kitten and pawed through them enthusiastically, eliciting a laugh from Rarity. She held up a bolt victoriously. “This one!" she announced loudly.
Rarity inspected it before nodding in approval. “That’s satin, it’s much more suited to making clothes for you. Not only is it much more soft and lustrous, but it won’t stick to your fur, so it’s even more ‘purr-fect’, as you might say.” She giggled at the pun.
“I noticed,” Cinnamon said. “I’ve never had clothes that didn’t cling to my fur before. This’ll be a weird feeling.”
“And how about style?” Rarity pressed, getting her sketch pad ready while Cinnamon hopped over next to her, jumped onto the nearby bed and bounced up and down happily. “Celestia help me, you have some energy to work out!”
“Yep!” Cinnamon beamed. “And it’s all your fault! Ya can’t blame me for being so happy, this is seriously the best night ever!”
Rarity smiled warmly at the words.
“So, how about something that’s loose and flowing, to go with the fact that it’s going to be the first set of clothes that’s not going to be sticking to me?” Cinnamon continued.
“I think we can manage that,” Rarity said, jotting down some notes and lines. 
“Nothing too fancy, I like to stay a bit more down to earth than most felynes.”
“Of course,” Rarity said, and the corner of her mouth turned up slightly as her memory played back some amusing times. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure it’s twenty percent cooler, too.”
Cinnamon stopped bouncing and looked at her. “You will? Awesome! I like the sound of that!”
Rarity broke down into a fit of laughter, leaving a very confused felyne staring back. 
“Sorry,” Rarity wiped a tear from her eye as her laughs subsided, “that was very much a thing my friend back home would have said.”
“What’s that friend like?” Cinnamon asked.
“Brash and egotistical, and loyal to a fault.” Rarity smiled. “She describes everything as cool and awesome, herself most of all.” 
“Sounds like she’d be fun to mess with.” Cinnamon grinned maliciously. 
“Now you sound even more like her,” Rarity laughed again, throwing a pillow at Cinnamon and catching her full in the face.
“Oh, now you’ve gone and done it. The fight is on!” Cinnamon hissed.
For the remainder of the night, laughter and muffled yells could be heard coming from the house as the two exchanged blows of a pillowy kind late into the moonlit hours.

**********

The early hours of the following day saw Cinnamon in the kitchen before Rarity had woken. She bustled about, familiarizing herself with the layout of the house as she prepared a fairly ordinary breakfast of steak and eggs for the two of them. The smell permeated the rooms, rousing Rarity from sleep and setting her stomach grumbling.
“…morning?" she said groggily. “How… food be? There.”
“Um, was that supposed to be a language of some kind?” Cinnamon stared at her. Rarity just stared at the wall for a few moments before shaking her head to clear her thoughts.
“Shut up,” she grumbled, “some people take a minute to wake up completely.”
Cinnamon just laughed as she watched Rarity rub the sleep from her eyes. “Can’t say I’ve seen someone wake up like that before.”
“First time for everything, then.” Rarity said. She brightened considerably, now much more awake. “Anyway, as I tried to say, were you making food? I can smell something cooking…”
Cinnamon nodded. “It’s not much, I went out and bought a few eggs from Faan this morning already, and I’m cooking some of the steaks that you had in your bag. They’re still ok, but they’re not going to last forever. I put the rest in the icebox we have in the kitchen, it’ll help keep them for longer, but they still won’t last too much longer. I’d recommend hunting another monster. You could buy meat, but really, might as well just get it yourself. Up to you, really. Regardless, we’ll need more soon.”
“You’re right,” Rarity agreed. “And I can’t really buy food with money I don’t have yet.” She sat at the table and eyed the stovetop. “Thanks for buying eggs, by the way, you really didn’t need to.”
“It’s ok,” Cinnamon shrugged. “I’m not broke. Not made of money, but not broke. I have enough to at least help get us through for some basic groceries, but not enough for a fully stocked kitchen. Usually we forage for most of our food.”
“Well, I think that today I’ll need to pay a visit to the weapon trainer to see if I can figure out which weapons would suit me best, then head out for a gathering session. Maybe while I’m out I can try to hunt a deer for practice.”
Cinnamon tossed Rarity a fork. “Well, best to go out on a full stomach then, eat up!”

**********

“You know, you have one hell of an appetite for such a lean figure.” Cinnamon poked Rarity in the side as they walked up the center of the main pavilion. Rarity laughed as she brushed the paw away.
“That tickles! I can’t help it if steak tastes good! What, do you want me to just let it go to waste?”
“Of course not!” Cinnamon retorted. “You just need to make sure you- OH SHIT!" her eyes went wide and she grabbed Rarity’s arm, frantically trying to pull her out of the center of the walkway. 
Rarity stood unmoved by the smaller figure, looking down in confusion while Cinnamon struggled in vain. “What on earth are you trying-“
“OI!” a hostile voice yelled out across the village, and a large woman wearing a huge suit of armor and a greatsword slung over her back stormed toward the pair.
“Shit.” Cinnamon swore.
“Finally woke up, didja?" she demanded. “Pals did a right number on ya, didn’t they? Lose control over ‘em? Or did they ya piss ‘em off?” 
Rarity looked at the woman, then at Cinnamon, then back to the woman in utter bafflement. “I’m sorry, I don’t quite follow… What are you talking about? And who are you?”
“Where are my manners?” the woman said in mock-politeness. She bowed with an exaggerated effect. “Lycadran, Miliesu’s only serious monster hunter, just returned from an extended hunt. And you,” she pointed a finger at Rarity, “are the reason I’m out here puttin’ my life on the line, chasing these god forsaken monsters all over, nearly getting killed by these aberrant monsters, only to have them flee and be unable to track them since they’re faster and more cunning than usual!”
“Wha- My fault?” Rarity gasped, scandalized. “How is it my fault?”
“Don’t give me the innocent act, I was here when they dragged you in! You have the same signature as the monsters do!”
“What does that have to do with anything?” Rarity cried.
“Everything!” Lycadran accused. “You probably control them, or train them or something.”
“That makes absolutely no sense!” Rarity protested. “Why would I ever do something like that?”
“Why would you have your own personal super powerful army?” Lycadran said scornfully. “I don’t know, sounds pretty handy to me. Fuck if I know what you’d do with it, but I’m sure you could think up a thing or two.”
“B-But… That’s not true!” Rarity stammered, “And I’m here right now! Why would I be here if I were raising a monster army?”
“You got injured, didn’t you? Obviously some monsters got fed up with you for something and attacked ya and ya needed help, so ya came crawling to us. Pretty ballsy, if you ask me.”
“I… I just… not training… can’t even…”
“So what species do you favor, witch? Nargacuga? Odogaron? Mizutsune? Barioth?”
“I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHAT ANY OF THOSE ARE!” Rarity yelled, close to tears.
“LYCADRAN!” a stern voice roared above the others, and all of them cowered back in response while Leonys stormed into sight. “You know I do not tolerate this sort of behavior here! There is no proof that Rarity has done anything wrong, nor do you have any basis to make accusations.” He leveled an eye at her. “We both know that I can’t force you to leave her alone.” 
Lycadran smirked at him. 
“But, what I can do is impose a fine on you for disturbing the peace and inciting disorder. And I can even make the beneficiary of that fine Rarity, if I so desire.” Lycadran’s smirk quickly morphed into a scowl. “I see we’re on the same page, then. See that you keep your opinions and accusations to yourself from now on. I don’t expect you to be civil toward Rarity, but I expect you to leave her alone. Am I understood?” Lycadran mumbled something under her breath that may have been an agreement, but it may have also been several curses. Leonys didn’t seem to care which it was. “Good enough. Be on your way then.” She turned and trudged off, still muttering under her breath.
Leonys turned to Rarity, who was now a shivering wreck. “Sorry about her. She’s always been a bit on the suspicious side even at the best of times. Can’t say I know what got up her ass about you, but something obviously did.”
Cinnamon pawed at Rarity’s side. “I should have warned you before, I’m sorry. I knew she blamed you, I just forgot about her completely until I saw her just now.”
Rarity shook her head, slowly regaining some of her composure. “It’s not your fault. Aery mentioned some people blamed me, I guess this is who she meant. It just… took me by surprise. I… I think I need to change my plans for today a bit, though.”
Cinnamon blinked. “What for?”
Rarity sighed. “I need to go talk to Cyr, I think. I can catch up with you later, but I need to learn about these monsters. Everyone keeps saying names of monsters and I have no idea what these things are. If I’m going to live here, I need to know what all these massive creatures are. Whether it’s to know them as threats or as prey, I need to know what they are.”
Leonys clapped her on the back. “Well said. I think that’s a smart idea, and it’s best to get it done sooner rather than later. Best of luck to you.”
“Thanks,” Rarity said. “And… Thanks for coming to my rescue. I… really, and I mean really, appreciate that.”
“Heh, just keeping the peace. It’s what I do. Now get going, Cyradel will keep you all day otherwise.”