//------------------------------//
// Chapter 4 
// Story: Veil of the City 
// by BlueyWaifu 
//------------------------------//

Faltic was awake, but didn't open his eyes. The bed felt oddly more comfortable than previous nights. Slowly, the memories of recent events returned to Faltic's head. The first to occur was Whimsy, soon followed by the internal conflict that he tried not to pay too much attention to. Last night just felt different than any other love subject date night.

Date night. If it could even be considered a date. Whimsy enjoyed Enthrall, not him.

But, it was pleasant, and Faltic wanted it to continue. It was strange. The warmth from Whimsy being pressed to his side last night lingered, and it almost felt like she was still there.

The next thought to snap into Faltic's mind was that he couldn't move. An attempt from any limb only nudged it before coming to a halt. Finally, Faltic's eyes snapped open to see what was going on, then he remembered Restel.

His body was cocooned in his blanket, which might've explained the warmth, and Restel was standing at the side of the bed with a corner of the blanket in his hoof, the same one that encompassed Faltic. Before he could say anything, Restel pulled the corner of the blanket, causing Faltic to roll like a tumbleweed, and come rolling off the bed to the floor with a thud. Though the rest of his body hit the carpeted floor, his head hit something a little softer: a pillow.

"Good morning Faltic!"

Restel's voice, and chuckling laughter, came from the other side of the bed, and Faltic took a few moments to process what had just happened.

Still in a slight daze, Faltic sprang to his hooves. As serious as he may try to look, a smile was tugging on his lips as he looked to Restel. "You are the dumbest changeling I know!"

Restel was half covering his mouth with a foreleg as he continued cracking up at his morning scheme. "Sounds to me like you got up on the wrong side of the bed."

"Get over yourself." Faltic tried to retort. The idiotic smile that wouldn't go away didn't help.

"Says the one already rolling over himself to get outta bed. Look, I even put a pillow down there so you wouldn't get hurt."

Faltic looked down at the pillow on the floor next to the bed, and the dent it now had from his head.

"Because I care about you." Restel continued, pointing a hoof to his own chest and sticking his chin up dramatically. With all of the sympathy, compassion, and reciprocation to that statement that Faltic could muster, he picked up the floor pillow and tossed it weakly at Restel, where it just managed to hit his leg.

In near unison, and after a two second long staring contest, both of them broke into a fit of laughing at one another.

"Man, you knocked out last night." Rested started after the laughing had died down. "You were out before Klaven came back with the pillow."

Faltic climbed back onto the bed and sat. "Yeah I guess. Whimsy and I were out late."

Restel sat on the floor, leaning his back on the side of the identical bed beside the one Faltic sat on. "I could tell. What were you out doing?"

It occurred to Faltic that he hadn't told Restel anything about it. "Well, we've got a habit of meeting at this corner store. You know the one. It's where I brought that big soft pretzel from a few days ago." Restel nodded as Faltic continued. "So we met there, went to Celestial Park, and well, watched the stars come out as we laid out a picnic of sorts on the meadow."

Faltic tried to gauge Restel's reaction, but didn't find much. Rather, Restel blew a raspberry towards him. "Yeah, that sounds like something you'd do. What about Klaven? Wasn't he there?"

"Yes." Faltic nodded. "He actually set up our picnic spot in advance for us. He also threw a frisbee at me."

That got a quick chuckle out of Restel. "I'll throw the next one at you."

"I'll throw you."

Restel stood up and puffed his chest, a wry smile on his lips. "You couldn't pick me up if you tried."

Faltic got off of the bed to stand imposingly in front of Restel. At least, he gave it his best shot. Restel's contagious smile spread to him. "Just you wait, lightweight. I've got plans with Whimsy today and I don't want to expunge my strength on you."

"So you're saying it would take all your strength to pick me up. I gotcha," Restel said sarcastically, retreating back to sit on the edge of the bed. "So what're your plans with Whimsy today?"

With the jokes being put aside for the moment, it occurred to Faltic that Restel didn't know of his genuine feelings towards Whimsy. He just thinks she's another love subject to feed off of. Klaven possibly had more of an idea, but that was because he'd spent a portion of yesterday with Faltic while being with Whimsy.

"We're meeting back up at the corner store in the morning, then she's taking me somewhere this time,” Faltic began to explain.

Perhaps Restel could tag along, similar to how Klaven did yesterday. Whimsy clearly did show affection, but there was still the desire to be absolutely sure about it before fully reciprocating and committing. The actions of last night seemed to favor the desire side of Faltic's mind, rather than the logical side. Today had to be the turning point.

Wait. Whimsy said meet in the morning?

Before Restel could respond, Faltic darted over to the window and looked to the sky. The sun was still in its rise, but was nearing the crest of its ascent. Midday is drawing near.

"What's wrong?" Restel asked, seeing Faltic jolt so quickly.

"She said meet in the morning and it's almost noon." Faltic scrambled for the door, but was halted by a hoof firmly on his shoulder. The grasp turned him around, and put him face to face with Restel.

"Do this," Restel said. He lifted a hoof up to his chest, taking a deep inhale, and Faltic mimicked it. Lowering both of their hooves at the same time, a long exhalation was shared in unison. "It'll be alright. Just go there, and don't worry about it."

Faltic had to internally admit, Restel helped him more than he thought. Although his body was more calm, his mind was still sent racing with nerves. "Join me?" Faltic blurted out.

Restel shrugged, but agreed. "Sure. Got nothing else to do today."

A green fire swirled over Faltic as he donned his Enthrall disguise. "Thank you. Though, try to keep yourself hidden from Whimsy."

He expected Restel to have a question as to why, but thankfully there was none. Restel nodded his head. "You got it boss."


*****


"You said you've been coming here before every date?"
A disguised Faltic and Restel were trotting at a faster pace than usual down the sidewalks, passing slower ponies on the way.

Faltic nodded his head. "Yup."

"Don't you think that might get a little repetitive?"

Faltic didn't think so, but didn't consider what Whimsy might've thought. Immediately, he wanted to ask her what she thought now.

"I don't know. Maybe?"

Restel shrugged. "Just curious. I haven't seen you so nervous about anything like this since that whole Cyril thing."

That caught Faltic off guard, and he nudged Restel's shoulder. "Shut up. That was a stupid thing." Restel still didn't seem to catch on that he was realistically thinking about trying to stay with, and be with, Whimsy. Probably for the best, for now.

Faltic halted Restel as they approached one side of the store. He'd intentionally taken this route to split up with Restel just before rounding the corner. "We usually meet on the other side here."

Restel nodded. "So you're off then? Here, give this to her, she may appreciate it." Restel produced and held out a large muffin with chocolate chips. "Snagged it from the hotel's continental breakfast as we were leaving. Surprised you didn't notice me grab it."

Faltic eyed the muffin for a second before taking it, and looked back at Restel. "Thanks." Restel nodded in response, now gesturing for Faltic to round the corner. "Mhm. I'll be near."

Taking the hint, and the muffin, Faltic turned away and rounded the corner.

Initially, the first thing Faltic looked for was a spot to sit and wait. Rather, the first thing that caught his eyes was the familiar cream coated mare sitting in his spot. She still had her black winter wear on. The moment he spotted her, in came that flush of warmth that felt like a hug to the chest.

She didn't look like she'd noticed him yet. Her head was turned to the street, her hooves were crossed, and it almost looked like her brow was scrunched. Upon taking a few steps closer, Whimsy finally noticed Faltic's arrival. Her hooves remained crossed, but her face lit up pleasantly. It was almost odd.

"Hey Enthrall," Whimsy said as Faltic took a seat by her. She didn't sound as chipper as previous days. Several instincts conflicted, telling Faltic to both not care, or to put everything away to find out what was different.

"Hey, hope I didn't make you wait too long." Faltic was worried that she'd been sitting there an absurd amount of time due to him being so late. He took his seat next to her. It wasn't until when he sat down that he noticed they were sitting on a bench that hugged the wall of the store, sitting close together.

Thankfully, Whimsy shook her head, but still looked forward towards the road. "Oh no, not long at all. It's only been a few minutes." That assuaged a little of Faltic's worries. Though, that’s how long he lied about waiting yesterday.

"Good. I brought this just in case." Faltic held out the large muffin for Whimsy, which got her attention as she looked down at it.

"Oh really?" Faltic nodded as Whimsy took it gingerly. "Thank you. I love chocolate chips."

The pair sat next to each other in relative silence. The gentle murmuring of passing ponies on the sidewalk and the occasional rumble of a carriage kept their ears busy. Faltic started to grow a little worried. She was being quiet, but yet, so was he. It felt like something was wrong, but what? He watched idly as she bit off pieces of the muffin, trying to brainstorm what to say, but every word felt like it hit a roadblock once it started trying to form a sentence.

Something then tapped Faltic's head, causing his ear to twitch. He looked up slightly, but only caught the sky, and the face of a building across the street.

Something else tapped his head again. It was almost growing irritating. Taking a quick glance at Whimsy, she was busy chewing, looking away. Faltic finally craned his neck and looked fully up, spotting a head peeking over the roof of the store. The sun made it a little difficult, but Faltic spotted a green color with gray hair.

Restel.

An interesting way to get his attention for sure. That, or similar to the frisbee, Restel wanted to hit him with something as well.

Wordlessly, Restel motioned a hoof of his outwards, then curling up slightly as if to pull something in. Faltic watched as Restel did it a couple times, assuming he caught the hint, then disappeared over the roof's edge. Faltic leveled his head forwards, his brow scrunched in a mixture of judging emotions.

Faltic lifted his right leg a smidge, before looking at Whimsy, who was about done with her muffin and looking down the road, before fully committing to mimicking Restel's charade game. He lifted his leg up, over, and then curled it in and-

Why am I this oblivious?

Faltic's leg had reached around Whimsy's shoulder, and pulled her in slightly to him. It felt warm, the presence of her weight leaning on his side, and the action of pulling her in had a certain tenderness to it. Of course, the taste of love was delectable as always, but Faltic almost found more satisfaction in being this close to Whimsy than feeding off her affection.

Upon being pulled in, Whimsy didn't object in any way. Rather, she seemed to lean in, pressing herself to Faltic, almost nuzzling her head to his shoulder.

Whimsy let out a content sigh as she turned her head to the direction of Faltic's, but not looking directly at him. "Y'know Enthrall, I'll be honest, I actually didn't have a plan for what we'd do today." She finished her sentence with a sheepish chuckle.

"That's no problem for me. Any time spent with you and I can't complain." The warmth from Whimsy almost made the chill Manehattan air feel colder on his other half.

Faltic's response elicited no reaction from Whimsy. Rather, she went back to continuing what she was saying. "There is one idea, but I'm unsure."

"Yeah? What is it?" Faltic asked.

There was a small hesitation from Whimsy. Sure Faltic didn't mind sitting here with her, but the curiosity of what she had in mind was tugging on him. That, and Restel's words from earlier echoed in his mind.

Repetitive.

Faltic had to admit, he and Whimsy did spend time together in roughly the same fashion. Change was needed, and for the sake of wanting to commit with the pony he held to his side, it was needed soon.

"Well-" Whimsy spoke up. "-I was thinking maybe we go walking down Entrot?"

The hesitation that caught Whimsy a moment ago now stumped Faltic. She wanted to walk down Entrot, which, to his memory, is one of the more notorious roads down the east side of Manehattan.

"Sure, today is your day to lead the way." Faltic spoke before thinking. The sun was still up, so maybe it wouldn't be as unnerving a venture as his mind was making it out to be.

Whimsy looked at Faltic with a half raised eyebrow and a small smile. "I'm leading, but you gotta not talk in rhyme."

"Pfft." Faltic nudged Whimsy's shoulder, to which she retaliated with a harder push, almost pushing Faltic over. Faltic allowed Whimsy to get out of his side hug as she stood up. "C'mon. It's actually an unexpectedly nice place to walk through."

"I believe you, but I'll believe it when I see it." Faltic stood up, and they began trotting together along the sidewalk.

"So, you believe me, but you don't?" Whimsy inquired.

"Don't think about it too much."


*****


The closer the pair got to Entrot, the more it showed. Potholes and unkempt sidewalks gradually started to make their presence more frequently. In complete contrast to walking in the building dominated downtown Manehattan, there were hardly any other ponies around. Instead of the walls of skyscrapers lining the sides of the path, it was gated fences, which all had a short pathway leading to the cookie-cutter house on the other side of the gate.
Like Whimsy had said, it was odd. Trees dotted along down the row, casting shade on parts of the street and sidewalk. There was something pleasant about it, but it had yet to be conjured into a description in Faltic's mind.

"So you're saying that you can fight a timberwolf?" Whimsy asked.

Faltic nodded as he kept his head tilted slightly higher than normal. "Yup."

"And win?" Whimsy continued.

Another nod. "Yup."

"Elaborate?" Whimsy was giving Faltic a side-eye look as she waited to hear his response.

"No." Faltic said snappily.

The immediate response caught Whimsy off guard, as Faltic had hoped.

"Chk. That's stupid," She said while failing to hold back a small fit of laughs. She poked Faltic's shoulder playfully.

"You know what else is stupid?" Faltic began, now changing the subject.

"You?" Whimsy jokingly replied.

That one caught Faltic this time, and he couldn't help a scoff from escaping. "Yes, but also, how right you were about this."

"Yeah?"

Faltic nodded. "Yeah. It's not so bad actually. It's weirdly nice." They'd begun to pass the row of identical housing, and the tree coverage dissipated as the view became more open as they approached an intersection.

Faltic saw a cream colored leg extend itself in front of his chest as Whimsy spoke again. "What else is nice, is that that's where I stay." Faltic trailed her pointed hoof to see that a little further down the road to the left, was a very small two-story motel.

"Huh. Were you taking us there this whole time?" Faltic asked.

Whimsy began walking again, towards the way of the motel she'd just pointed out. "Maybe! I might've also let us stray a couple times. Just walking is nice."

Faltic caught up in step with Whimsy. "You were stalling to spend more time with me. That's adorable."

"Oh hush you." Whimsy nudged his shoulder lightly. It was difficult to tell if she was blushing, or her cheeks were red from the cold.

"So what brings us here?" It was a reasonable question, so Faltic thought. Though he didn't want to sound like he was opposed to it.

"Just thought it'd be nice to show you where I live, not just tell you." Whimsy wore a small smile now that they were closing in on the motel.

"Fair enough."

As the pair approached, it didn't look as shabby as Faltic had originally envisioned. There were a few nearby brick walls that had every inch of its face painted with graffiti, and a little bit of the paint on the walls of the motel was chipped, but other than that, it looked just fine for what it was.

"I'm on the second floor, over here," Whimsy said as she led Faltic to a set of stairs that were tucked in an alley of the building. Once up the stairs, she rounded the corner and stopped at the first door. Faltic stood at the railing, looking out. Her room's door overlooked the road in front of the motel.

"Peaceful view." Faltic meant it too. Again, the strange sense of serenity in such a weird spot held his attention.

"Yeah, it's alright," Whimsy said. Faltic turned to watch her as she lifted her toboggan and produced her room's keycard. It was the most of her light green hair he'd seen, and he didn't realize he was staring.

"What? I keep my room card in my toboggan," Whimsy said with a hint of playfulness in her voice. She swiped her card and opened the door.

"Oh I wasn't looking at that. I was looking at your mane. Haven't seen it other than being tucked under your toboggan," Faltic stated. "In fact, don't think I've ever seen you without your jacket either."

For whatever reason, Whimsy looked a little nervous. She reached a hoof to her cap. "Oh, well, it gets cold, and it is cold, so I wear it y'know?"

It was hint enough for Faltic to not pursue it, but curiosity never left him until it was satiated. "I get it, I get it. Oh, also, I'll go grab a snack or two from the vending machine downstairs that we passed."

Whimsy's smile returned to her face. "Sounds good, I'll be here."

With that, Faltic rounded the corner for the stairs down. Just as he'd seen, there was a vending machine just at the bottom of the stairs. All hotels and motels had at least one. Peering through the glass, he saw that most of the coils were empty, aside from a few.

Another realization struck him. He didn't bring any bits. This morning must have been such a rush that he had forgotten them. Faltic internally cursed himself for just a choice word or two.

"It's still funny that you ask me to help." A voice sounded from behind Faltic. Snapping to look behind him, Faltic half jumped as he saw that same green unicorn with the gray hair stand beside him.

"I didn't need help. Just, nervous is all." Faltic was partially telling the truth. The part that he was lying about, he didn't want to say. Not quite yet. Not that he was genuinely considering a real commitment to somepony that isn't a changeling.

"Old Faltic losing his game, coming to Restel for help," Restel said with a mocking tone. Restel stepped to the side to be next to the letters and numbers of the vending machine, idly browsing the contents as well before putting a bit into it.

"I'm only older than you by a few days! Once you're as old as I am, you'll understand," Faltic joked back.

Restel tapped in a letter and a number, causing a bag that Faltic didn't see to fall to the bottom door. "Hey old bones, you should've enjoyed your youth when you had it."

"Pfft. Unlike youngsters like yourself, I've got a hot date to wrap up. You can head back home if you want." Faltic felt it fine to use the term 'date' for him and Whimsy. They'd basically gone on one yesterday.

"If you say so, but not before-" Restel cut himself off as he reached down for the trap door on the bottom of the machine, and pulled out a bag of trail mix, offering it to Faltic. "-I help you one more time."

Faltic looked at the bag, then at Restel, who had a mixture of a real smile and smugness on his lips. "How'd you know she likes these?"

Restel spoke as Faltic took the bag. "Klaven told me some details that you didn't about Whimsy and last night. You're a real sap." Restel's hoof stayed in the air, which Faltic appreciatively hoof-bumped it.

"You call me a sap, but really you're a big sap with how much you care," Faltic said with a smug grin.

"Shut up. Sap sounds weird now. Go wrap up your date. I'm going home."

"I'll see you there," Faltic said as Restel headed off towards home.

Faltic stayed still for a moment, watching Restel disappear down the sidewalk. It hadn't been a long time, but sitting on the fence between committing or not felt like it ate away more of Faltic's mind than he'd prefer. As unintentional as it was, both Restel and Klaven had somewhat been pushing for Faltic to choose already.

Returning back up the stairs, and to the first door around the corner, Faltic found that Whimsy was still standing in the doorway, her side pressed against the frame.

"Got you a snack." Faltic announced to her as he stopped shy of entering her room. A quick peek revealed a much smaller room that he and his clique occupied.

"Thank you," Whimsy said as she took the bag of trail mix.

"You alright?" Faltic asked as he stood there. She'd sounded a little nervous before leaving to get the trail mix.

"Oh, yeah I'm fine. Just, something came up and I'll have to cut this short here," Whimsy answered.

Faltic felt a soft pang emerge from his chest. They hadn't been together for too long today, and the walk made Faltic want to spend more time with Whimsy.

"Oh, well, that's fine. I enjoyed walking with you anyway. I'll see you... when?" Faltic asked. That small emotion that clutched his chest lingered, making no sign of leaving soon.

"It'll have to be the day after tomorrow, in the afternoon. This is going to keep me busy for a bit, I'm afraid."

“And where?” Faltic asked.

Whimsy was quick to respond. “Oh. Just come back here, I’ll be here and we’ll go from there.

Faltic almost didn't know how to continue. Many parts of his mind told him to not let them be separated for so long, but the opposing side that told him to respect her life took over.

"Ah, alright. Well, come here." Faltic held a foreleg open for a hug. Whimsy happily accepted the invitation, and in the next moment, Faltic found his muzzle resting atop her toboggan and his foreleg around her. Somewhat faintly, he could smell her mane underneath.

He didn't realize he was lingering on it until Whimsy pulled away from it, giggling quietly. "I'll see you then. Be safe," She said before retreating to her room, shutting the door.

The only thing left to do now was go back home.


*****


Faltic stood at the door to the room. Restel was inside, and presumably Klaven since he didn't see him on the way up.
A whole day and a half without Whimsy. Normally, the prospect of being away from a love subject did little to nothing to infiltrate Faltic's mind. Yet, with how strange things had been the last few days, growing attached, it lingered just the same as the feeling in his chest did.

The door cracked open, snapping Faltic out of his thoughts as he stepped in and shut it behind him. He heard a shuffling sound as he stepped through, and didn't see either of who he was expecting to on the other side. Rather, taking another step in, he found out why.

There was a chest high wall of pillows stacked just before entering the biggest part of the room.

"What've you two been doing?" Faltic asked. Just a second after he asked, a familiar changeling’s head appeared from over the top of the wall. It was Restel, who also had a pillow on his head.

"State your name and business," Restel said sternly.

Faltic lifted an eyebrow, only now remembering he was still 'Enthrall'. With a quick wisp of green fire, Faltic changed his form to a purple unicorn with a flat purple mane and tail. "I'm Twilight Sparkle, Princess Celestia's prized pupil. I want in."

Restel's gaze remained stagnant as he spoke in his robotic voice again. "Intruder. Defense systems, kill."

Faltic stood to watch as the pillow wall's 'defense' was Klaven suddenly appearing with pillows in either hoof, and throwing both of them at him, both of which missing.

Both Faltic and Restel glared at Klaven. "How did you miss?" Restel blurted.

"Well, you try throwing two things at once accurately!" Klaven defended. Restel only pointed over the wall at Faltic, still staring at Klaven. "He's literally no more than six feet in front of you!"

Faltic, already growing nauseous at being the purple unicorn, shifted back into his normal changeling self with a quick swirl of flames. "Am I allowed in as a changeling?"

Both Klaven and Restel turned back to look at Faltic. "Klaven, open the gate," Restel ordered, to which Klaven gave a mock salute and moved to the middle of the wall. "Carefully," Klaven muttered, as he pushed open two sliding pillows, leaving a small opening barely larger than his head in the wall.

"Really? I can't fit through there," Faltic stated. Though, both Restel and Klaven looked at him with a straight face. "It's the only way in, so you're going to have to fit."

Flitting his eyes between the small gap in the wall, and Restel's stoic, yet slipping countenance, Faltic gave in and approached the opening, kneeling down at it to inspect it. "You know I could jump over this."

"Nope. Not allowed. You go through, not over," Restel said as both he and Klaven stood guard on the opposite side of the pillows.

"...Ugh, fine!" Faltic gave up, deciding to play along. He plunged his head in, and surprisingly, it appeared out the other end with little effort. He was greeted to the sight of Restel and Klaven standing aside to watch. The hassle showed itself when he had to somehow get his body through. With some struggle, Faltic managed his forelegs through, making his progress about half.

"You know what Klaven?" Restel said. Faltic paused to look up and listen in.

"Yeah?" It wasn't a great thing to see when both of them started to smile.

"I'm a little tired from guarding this all day. I think I'm going to take my break now," Restel said, already stepping towards the pillow wall. Klaven saluted. "I'll keep my eyes peeled."

"What're you doing?" Faltic asked as he watched Restel stop just beside where Faltic was coming through.

"Taking my break." After saying that, Restel took a small leap, and landed directly on top of the entrance he'd prompted Faltic to go through.

Faltic grunted as Restel landed, desperately trying to grab something in front of him to escape. It wasn't painful, but with the extra weight of an entire changeling and some pillows on top of him, Faltic quickly realized he was stuck.

"Ahh-" Restel sighed, staying right where he was.

"Would you get off of me?!" Faltic heaved.

"Nope. I'm on break," Restel said, content. Faltic peered over and stared a few daggers at Klaven, who was holding a leg to his mouth, trying to cover his amusement.

"Klaven, you're no help," Faltic said, with no mirth in his look.

"Sorry, just following orders from the boss man," Klaven responded.

"Uuugghhhh. Ffffine! What do you want from me that'll grant me my freedom?" Faltic pleaded. He propped his head up from his chin with a hoof.

Restel spoke up from above him. "Tell us all about your date today, and don't leave out the parts with me in it."

"Chk. You know what happened, you were literally there," Faltic reasoned.

Restel only pointed across the room to Klaven, who'd now moved to the bed to sit. "Not me," Klaven said.

Faltic blew a raspberry and mumbled a few things under his breath before complying. "Blah blah, Restel snagged a muffin from the continental breakfast and told me to give it to Whimsy, which she liked. Also he told me to wrap my leg around her and that was warm and comfortable. Then we walked to Entrot and she showed me where she stayed before something came up and we had to part. There, you happy?"

"Entrot?" Klaven started. "Isn't that the shady side?"

It was a reasonable question, considering him never having been there, to Faltic's memory. "Yes, Entrot. It's actually nice during the day. There's hardly anypony there."

"Where does she stay?" Klaven asked. Restel quickly jumped in on that question as well. "Yeah Faltic, where's she stay? I believe you're leaving out a detail there too."

"Oh I'm going to get you back. She stays at a rinky-dink old motel, Restel was there to pay for a snack from the vending machine since I'd forgotten bits," Faltic admitted.

"Aw, isn't that so nice of you Restel," Klaven complimented. Restel just nodded his head. "Yup. I do care about my friend Faltic here." A leg of Restel's draped down and pointed at the top of Faltic's unamused head.

"I left out one more detail as well," Faltic began, capturing the attention of both listening parties. Though, Faltic paused briefly, hesitating over his words momentarily. "I feel like I have a growing, genuine liking for her. I want to commit, so to say."

"What?!" Restel blurted out, rolling over and off of the wall, coming to a crash landing at the side of the bed in front of Faltic, and just below Klaven. "What do you mean?"

Faltic didn't make an attempt to get up, opting to just keep his head propped up on his hoof. "I mean what I said. It feels different than any random love subject. I feel like I want to stay with her, you know? It's why I've asked for both of you to help the last couple days, which, thank you, by the way."

Klaven nodded and smiled. Restel, on the other hoof, reacted differently. He sat up as he spoke, staring down at Faltic. "I was just helping because I thought you didn't know what to do for some reason. I didn't know you had a growing connection to her. What're you going to do about being a changeling? She's going to have to know."

Klaven, though not as impulsive as Restel, nodded in agreement. "I think that's really nice of you, Faltic, but yeah, there's a few obstacles that are going to get in the way, and what Restel said is just one of them."

"So you'll help?" Faltic asked quickly after Klaven had finished his sentence. Before Klaven could answer, however, Restel cut him off. "No? Dude, think about this a little."

"Oh I've thought about it. It's... wishful thinking, but I'd like to see where it goes, just for now," Faltic said. He'd decided to say something that wouldn't escalate this any further. Restel had reacted in an unexpected way, the same way one half of his mind was thinking.

"If it's any consolation-" Klaven began. "-I'm not exactly opposed. I'm with you, let's just see about it. Right, Restel?"

Faltic smiled at Klaven, then looked to Restel, who had his forelegs crossed as he leaned back against the bed. "Fine. We'll see, for sure. But don't let this go too far, I don't want another 'post-Cyril' Faltic."

"Trust me. I'm just scoping her out and staying behind the commitment line. For now. I got this," Faltic said calmly. Thankfully, Restel seemed to accept that.

"Also, where'd you get all these pillows?" Faltic asked, looking at Klaven.

"Took them from the storage. Using the disguise of a housekeeping pony lets me go anywhere," Klaven answered, shrugging.

"They're still warm, and all things considered, I'm actually kinda comfortable right now," Faltic said as he adjusted himself slightly.

"More bed room for you, Klaven! Faltic's sleeping on the floor like a homeless pony," Restel announced.

Restel took a couple pillows from the fort, tossing one to Klaven, as the other was thrown onto the other bed. He took just one more, and lobbed it over at Faltic, where it pomfed against his face.

"Thanks." Faltic's muffled voice came from under the pillow.

Despite some opposition, and very gratefully, some acceptance and help, Faltic felt a little better about his emotions to Whimsy. Perhaps the next day and a half wouldn't be as terrible as he thought, with the weight of which he was getting into being lifted slightly.

That, and the weight having been temporarily replaced by a fully grown changeling on his back.

Klaven clicked off the nightstand light, and the room fell into darkness. Only momentarily did the sound of shuffling blankets and pillows hit Faltic’s ears.

Faltic's mind began to put him to sleep, scheming of ways to make Restel pay for his pillow imprisonment, and the blanket slug he had become earlier today. Two in one day called for something big to return the favor.