For as far as first impressions went, Whimsy appeared to have more liberty than Faltic would've thought. The main reason for that being was: here's Faltic, as his blue earth pony disguise, waiting at a seat outside of the same corner store he'd met Whimsy at the day prior. Ponies still passed by as if they were on rails. The only difference was that the sky was dotted with clouds today, and Whimsy hadn't shown up yet, leaving Faltic time to himself.
Restel would be busy today with his own love subject. She was some businessmare who worked more hours than she had free time. Restel didn't seem to complain, as he didn't have to spend so much time with her. Today however, he was spending most of it with her.
Klaven, well... Faltic's mind drew a blank as to where and how he got his love. Oh well.
Admittedly, Faltic might've shown up early. Both his changeling companions began their day earlier than he'd anticipated, so rather than being cooped up in the hotel room, already showing up made the most sense. At least, it would have, were Whimsy here-
"I'm here!"
That voice pulled Faltic out of his mind as he turned his head to see Whimsy appear, and take her seat across from Faltic. She sported the same black coat and beanie that caused her light green mane to flatten against the back of her neck.
"Sorry, took me a minute to remember exactly how to get here, but I found it."
Faltic gave her a nod and a smirk. "Finally becoming acquainted with the layout of Manehattan? Proud of you."
Whimsy half rolled her eyes and looked sheepish. "Oh hush. I haven't been everywhere around here like some ponies have." Her eyes landed right on Faltic's as she finished her sentence. Faltic only had time to raise his hoof in mock defense before she continued on.
"Speaking of, what other spots do you know of that I wouldn't? I'd love to see them."
The familiar feeling of that warm, filling taste of affection began to waft to Faltic.
Ah, perfect.
As for a spot she wouldn't know about? There was one in particular that had crossed Faltic's mind just recently after taking up a pegasus disguise last week. If his memory was correct, there was a sky bar atop a nearby building, and not a usual bar. Rather, it was open early and served breakfast. With what view it could offer to an earth pony like Whimsy, it would be easy love food.
"Actually, I know of one nearby. Think of a sky bar, but open early and serves breakfast. You down?"
Whimsy's eyes widened slightly at the prospect, and jumped on the offer right away. "Ooh yes! I've not seen Manehattan from anywhere but the ground, and breakfast does sound good. I didn't eat before coming here."
Klaven's bits coming in good use again.
"Good! Then-" Faltic stood and orientated himself towards the crosswalk. "-shall we?"
Whimsy followed suit straight away.
It was in a different direction than the one he'd led her down the previous day. Of course, if they were to go anywhere on Eldergrove, Klaven's bits wouldn't do any justice. Like usual, the two integrated with the flow of ponies, with Faltic leading the way again. A majority of the walk was silent. Faltic decided it would probably be best to save what he wanted to ask for when they had a table.
The place wasn't quite in downtown Manehattan, where all the tallest and grandest buildings are. Rather, it sat more out and away from it, potentially leading to a great view of downtown. With only a couple streets crossed, Faltic halted Whimsy at the door of a building that stood just a few floors taller than the adjacent ones, politely holding the door open for her to go first.
In the elevator, at the top of the many rows of numbered buttons, was a larger one that read "Emerald Rooftop." It was the topmost floor, so the elevator ride took its time. It was mostly silent. It wasn't until they neared the stop when Whimsy spoke up.
"Never been to a sky bar."
To be honest, neither had Faltic. He'd seen the place from above while flying once, but had never become a guest to one.
"Saw an ad for this place once, heard some good things, thought it would be cool," Faltic mentioned.
The elevator came to a halt and dinged, signaling they'd arrived. The doors slid open, revealing the scene: a grand archway composed of sparkling emeralds, a lattice wall of vines with "The Emerald Rooftop" spelled out in the middle of it, and the host's stand to the side. The cloud-dotted sky was above them as they stepped out of the elevator, and a few tall buildings were on either side of them, but it wasn't the clutter of downtown.
"Welcome, welcome! Just the two of you?" The host pony asked.
Faltic took the lead and nodded. "Yes sir."
He took note of the small smile the host pony wore on his face. It almost looked uncanny, and forced.
The host pony nodded in return, and grabbed two menus from behind his stand. "Right this way." He trotted off, maintaining that little smile as he ushered the two to their seats.
Being led around the lattice wall of vines revealed the rest of the restaurant, and it put Whimsy into a state of awe as her mouth hung agape, her head swiveling every which way.
The rest of the rooftop was very open and flat, leaving minimal obstruction to the view. Just off in the distance was the main draw: downtown Manehattan. As expected, all of the tallest buildings stood almost adjacent to another as they fought for the title of being the tallest. Of course, the horse-head statue won the award, but it didn't stop the others from trying. Being on top of a roof looking out at it was vastly different than a grounded view.
The host reached their table, which was one just at the furthest edge of the rooftop, next to a tall framed glass wall, leaving a perfect view of the heart of the city.
Faltic and Whimsy took their seats on opposite sides of each other.
"The waiter will be right with you. Enjoy the meal." The host said while setting their menu's down. As he walked away, Faltic still saw that uncanny smile on his face.
Just as he was out of earshot-
"Pft, the guy's smiling like he's a hostage," Faltic mumbled.
Whimsy wasn't making eye contact. Rather, her head and gaze was fixated on the enticing view of the city.
"Oh hush, he's being a good employee."
A good employee, something Faltic hoped Klaven had been doing as of late. What with him taking Whimsy out to a place like this. Restel would probably just be jealous.
Just as the host advertised, a waiter halted himself at their table. A beige unicorn with a chocolate colored wavy mane hovered his notepad and pen just beside his head, and wore a black shirt with a pocket, a small logo of the place, and a tiny white name tag that read Ticker.
"Welcome to the Emerald Rooftop! Could I start us off with drinks?"
Faltic was more than ready for this guy to leave. Whimsy almost didn't seem to notice him with how much she was staring off into the city.
"Just two waters please."
The beige unicorn nodded and trotted off.
It wasn't the first time it had occurred to Faltic, but being an earth pony like Whimsy, she most likely doesn't get to experience heights as often as a pegasus or unicorn might, so it was understandable how much she was staring.
Faltic had to admit, something about tall buildings clumped together had its appeal. Though, seeing Whimsy enjoy it so much was capturing Faltic's attention more than the view. Something about it made him a little happier as well.
Pfffft.
Whatever. He was just doing it for love food, and it was working. While not as windy as yesterday, the cold air had a different feel being high up in the air. However, the warmth of the affection he was feeding off of kept it at bay. It was about time to break the silence too.
"So, who'd you meet up with yesterday?" Faltic began as he skimmed his menu.
Whimsy took just a moment, but she broke her gaze away from the view and gave it to Faltic, then to her own menu.
"Oh, just a friend. They're not from here and were passing through for the day, so I met up with them."
Reasonable. Though, Faltic wanted to know more about her.
"Sounds nice. So where do you stay? If you don't mind me asking."
Whimsy's head turned back towards the city in the distance.
"Ehh, nowhere nice, I'll tell you that."
Curiosity took over Faltic. Despite knowing it was probably impolite, he pushed the subject.
"Nowhere nice? Like where?"
Whimsy's gaze drifted off to the side as she spoke a little more seriously than Faltic expected.
"East Manehattan. The rough side of it too."
Just then, two glasses of water levitated themselves to the table in front of both ponies, and there stood their waiter.
"Here you two are. Have we decided on what to eat?"
Faltic didn't exactly decide on anything. Rather, he just skimmed, and recited the first thing he remembered. "Haystacks for me." He said as he inched the menu to the edge of the table for the waiter.
"Haystacks for me too." Whimsy ordered. The beige unicorn grabbed the menus in his green aurora and nodded. "They'll be right out for you."
Faltic just nodded, and waited for him to walk just out of earshot-
"I'm telling you, hostages." Making snide comments about ponies wasn't a habit Faltic had originally. That'd rubbed off on him from Restel.
Surprisingly enough to Faltic, Whimsy found amusement in it with a small chuckle. "If they're hostages, what do you think they do when they mess up?"
"Well-" Faltic held both his hooves up as if he was holding something, and then mimicked tossing it over the edge of the rooftop. It earned him more of a stifled laugh from Whimsy.
Curiosity started to swell in the back of Faltic's mind again. East Manehattan. It wasn't a terrible distance from where he and his two friends stayed, but it was outside the boundaries of it. Normally, he wouldn't care much, but something about Whimsy had him caught.
"So, east side, are you alright there? What's it like?" Faltic asked. Whimsy didn't drop her tone or change her expression, so it was a good indication Faltic wasn't being too rude asking.
"I mean, it is what it is. The occasional case of a pony going missing, can't help but feel like it's going to be me one day."
For the first time in a long time, Faltic was dazed and didn't know what to say. Thankfully, Whimsy picked it back up.
"It was worse when I first came here a few months ago and I didn't know how to handle it, so it's fine now. I know what to do and what not to do."
It took another moment, but Faltic finally thought of something to say. "That's good, at least. Wouldn't you want to move out though?"
Whimsy half rolled her eyes with a small smile. "Pft, of course! I'm not exactly rolling in bits right now, so it's tough."
Right. Bits. Ponies had a much bigger need for them than changelings. Though, it was about time for a change of subject. Whimsy had already diverted her attention back to the view, and Faltic joined her in looking. "You've been admiring that view a lot. Hasn't occurred to me yet that I was taking an earth pony to a high point."
Whimsy gave him a side-eye and smirked. "Enthrall, you're literally an earth pony too?"
"Fair, though I guess I've just seen more. It's cute seeing how captivated you are." It was true. Being able to be anypony you wanted to be allowed for more opportunities to travel than an average pony. Wings were the biggest boon for seeing things in ways most ponies don't.
Upon looking away from their rooftop perch, Faltic noticed Whimsy was looking at him, and her eyes snapped away once he caught her looking. She almost looked bashful, and it confused Faltic.
What? Why's she doing th-
A quick wave of realization washed through Faltic's mind. He'd absentmindedly called her cute. It wasn't like he'd never called somepony cute before, what with the many facades he'd acted out in the past. This one time, however, felt as if it came out naturally.
Thankfully, to Faltic's relief, their unicorn waiter that may or may not be a hostage came to their table, levitating down two plates of haystacks for them.
Thank Chrysalis...
*****
The rest of the Emerald Rooftop had become more populated as Faltic and Whimsy finished their respective meals. The murmur of other ponies didn't rise to an extreme level, but waiters and waitresses moved swiftly to and from tables and to the kitchen. A small check was left on the table from the last time their waiter visited the table. Faltic had looked it over, and exhaled a small sigh of relief, as the bits he mooched off of today would be just enough to cover it.
Klaven should pick up more hours.
Both Faltic and Whimsy left their table for the front counter, where Faltic paid, and then went for the elevator. The button down lit up after Whimsy pressed it.
"That food was great. Thank you Enthrall." Whimsy gave Faltic a smile as she gave her thanks.
Of course, Faltic got his fill from the affection Whimsy had been unknowingly radiating the whole time. "No need to thank me. It was nice, I enjoyed spending time up here with you."
The elevator dinged as the doors opened up for them. Faltic stepped in after Whimsy, and hit the ground floor button.
Alone again as the elevator made its way down.
Faltic wanted to ask about tomorrow, what she'd be doing, what they could do, but bit his tongue on the part where he'd have to spend bits. It was only a moment's hesitation before he thought of the solution.
"So hey, you free again tomorrow?" Tomorrow was probably asking for too much too soon. They'd already spent a decent part of the last two days together.
"Sure! But, it'd have to be later. I'm occupied with stuff in the morning." That was a better answer than Faltic was anticipating. "We can meet up again at the corner store and go from there again?" Whimsy asked.
That plan worked. It was a safe spot to meet up, and Faltic had a good idea of what to do next without spending any bits.
The elevator dinged once again as the doors opened, revealing the ground floor room, and the outside beyond the windows at the end of the room.
Once outside, Whimsy stopped Faltic from leading the way.
"Hey, don't mean to be rude, but, I'm actually going to take off."
Faltic gave her a skeptical look before wiping it off his face in favor of an understanding smile. "Oh that's fine, you go do your thing."
Whimsy looked grateful for that as she leaned in for a quick side hug to Faltic's shoulder. "Thank you again, really. You're the nicest pony I've met in a while. I'll see you tomorrow afternoon at the corner store?"
Faltic nodded lightly. "Yup, I'll see you then, and be safe."
Whimsy gave him one more grin before she turned hoof and began to trot away, slowly becoming lost to the flow of other ponies navigating the sidewalks.
Before Faltic began his trot back to the hotel, he reached a hoof up to the shoulder where Whimsy had hugged him.
Warm...
*****
The main lobby of the Pegasus Cloud hotel appeared as if it were divided into four corners. Three of which held couches, chairs and tables, while one corner off to the right was the check in desk. A majority of the floor was carpeted , while some was a shiny marble. At the back, straight down the middle, was a staircase that led visitors to their rooms.
Faltic had turned the corner as soon as he walked in, and nearly flopped on one of the couches in the corner. He felt tired once more, probably from feeding, probably from spending time in the thinner air, probably still catching up on sleep from a whole night of not doing that. He didn't know, but he did know that he saw Klaven behind the counter spotting him. Klaven was in his regular disguise: a garnet red unicorn with a short black mane and tail.
Even from across the room, Faltic saw Klaven's face go deadpan before he disappeared around the corner from behind the desk. A moment later, Faltic watched as Klaven reappeared from around the corner, and a bag of veggie straws levitated their way towards Faltic, landing on the floor beside the couch Faltic lay on.
Picking it up, and with little inspection, Faltic noticed a sticky note attached to the bag.
Please keep the couches and its pillows neat
-Staff
Beside the staff signature was a drawing of a smiley face, and the mouth had fangs. Faltic looked up to try and non-verbally thank him, but there were a couple ponies with luggage in front of the counter that he was attending to. Faltic laid his head back and shut his eyes as he let his mind kill the time.
His next thought was Restel. For the most part, he didn't know what he was up to, other than love feeding. Most likely it was with his businessmare. Her name, and most details about her eluded him. It was even a mystery to him about most times when Restel would be spending time with her.
For whatever reason, the back of Faltic's eyelids seemed a lot darker than usual. He wasn't asleep, at least he didn't think so. His right eye peered open, wondering if he could peek into his dream state.
Unfortunately, that was not the case. The first thing that caught his eye was a pony standing tall at the window just behind the couch that he laid on. It was enough to cause Faltic to flinch just before the recognition kicked in. It was disguised Restel standing at the window on tow legs, peering in.
Faltic saw him laugh outside the window, before turning for the door. Only a second or two later, disguised Restel came around the corner, wearing a cocky grin, and slouching on a chair across from Faltic's couch.
"What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost?"
Restel's usual disguise was about as normal as Faltic's: a green coat, gray hair just longer than Klaven's, earth pony. Klaven was the only one who opted for a special ability, being a unicorn. Earth pony disguises were simple.
Faltic rubbed his eye with a hoof. "That was stupidly simple. You can do anything to somepony not paying attention."
"No dude, you were asleep." Restel reached down and plucked the bag of veggie straws from the floor, reading the note.
Faltic didn't believe he was sleeping. It felt like no time had passed at all. "I was not asleep. I was just resting my eyes."
Restel, after making a quick double take towards Klaven's counter, picked up a nearby decorative pillow, and hurled it at Faltic, landing right on his face.
"Pfft." Faltic took the pillow off his face and clutched it to his chest. "So what if I was asleep? I was tired."
"Yeah yeah, sure. Long day of doing nothing again?"
Faltic ignored the sarcasm, and actually thought back to earlier of his time with Whimsy. "I was busy this morning. Where have you been all day?"
Restel raised his chin slightly in mock superiority. "Spent time with the ol' marefriend. Y'know, whatever time she has to spare. She is so bound to her job."
Faltic figured as much. "What does she do again?"
"She's some manager for a mall just up the street. Not just for a store in it, but like, the entire property."
Faltic thought on that for a moment. Made sense why she didn't have the most time in the world to spend with Restel.
"How'd you manage to pull somepony like that?"
Restel put a hoof to his chest and gave a curt chuckle. "I'm just that charming. You should take notes."
"Shut up."Faltic tried to say that seriously, but his smile and held back laugh didn't do him any justice.
"Guess you were busy with that same chick from yesterday? What's she like?" Restel asked.
Faltic's mind stagnated for a brief second. The words that he tried to find tangled with each other as they made their way to his mouth, but the issue was resolved just as quick as it started.
"We went to a place called the "Emerald Rooftop." It was a neat restaurant on top of a building. Of course, I used Klaven's bits to pay-" Rested scoffed once. "-and y'know, we talked, we've got plans to meet tomorrow afternoon, she's nice. Get this too, she lives on the east side of Manehattan. That east side."
Restel's face only changed slightly to a scrunched eyebrow. "Ooh, rough."
Faltic nodded. "Yeah."
"Well, what's it matter when she keeps coming right back to you, right?"
"Right." Faltic replied. Though still, for some reason, there was a lingering sense of sympathy in Faltic's mind. It wasn't like he'd never siphoned love off of a pony before, so it shouldn't feel any different.
"Ignoring the staff huh?"
Restel jumped in his seat as Klaven seemingly appeared right beside him. Faltic burst into a quick fit of laughter at Restel's shock. Klaven turned to Faltic to speak to him next. "And you know ponies aren't supposed to be sleeping on the lobby furniture."
Faltic just had to accept he had fallen asleep at that point. Sitting up fully now, he apologized. "I know I know. I didn't think I was so tired. Also, thanks." Faltic gestured to the still unopened snack bag that found its way back to the floor. "I'll eat those in the room." Faltic reasoned.
Klaven nodded his head. "Uh huh. Well, I'm off work and I'm going back up to the room when you two are ready."
Restel was the first to stand up. "I'm ready, this lobby can get so stuffy."
"Odd how it's only stuffy when you're in it." Faltic chimed up.
"I'm going to stuff my hoof in your face." Restel retorted, with some playfulness to his voice. On that, he turned and headed for the stairs, leaving just Faltic and Klaven.
"We'll be in the room." Klaven said. "And hey, we still good tomorrow?"
Tomorrow...
Faltic thought about tomorrow. It came to him that they'd planned to go out. Thankfully, seeing Whimsy was later in the day.
"Oh yeah, absolutely. I've got to return my book, and might as well pick up another."
Klaven smiled and nodded. "Good." Then turned for the stairs.
Faltic allowed his head to recline back again, and his eyes to shut once more. This time, he wouldn't be sleeping. Tomorrow was more time with Whimsy, and a stop at the library with Klaven. Easy da-
Another soft force slammed itself to the side of Faltic's head. He quickly opened his eyes and turned his head to where the pillow came from, and caught a glimpse of Klaven running for and up the stairs.
He'll get them both back. Soon.