Celestia's sun peeks through the window of Gel's room. It reveals the changeling, still in her disguise of Angel, tucked into her bed comfortably. She blearily opens her eyes, rubbing a hoof over them as she wakes up. ...what happened? Where's my journal? She gets up carefully, stumbling over to her bags. ...I hope I wrote everything that happened down...
She pulls out her black book, flipping to the last page. ...I don't have much in here for yesterday...it stops after a few events at some lake... She puts it back in the saddlebag before exiting her room, heading over to Rhino's. ...it says he's a heavy sleeper...so maybe... She quietly pushes open the door and sneaks up to his bed, gazing at his face.
Rhino is sleeping much like he was yesterday, on his side with a pillow in his forelegs. The blankets are pinned underneath the arm that's not underneath him so they don't get pulled down. It is said that security conscious ponies sleep on the same side he does; closest to the door and facing it.
She smiles softly, using her magic to lift up his foreleg and the blankets. She moves the pillow out of his grip and lays down in front of him, facing away. ...if I'm right... She lets her aura dissolve from around his leg and the covers. ...then he'll pull me close to him...but, this time, I'll be ready...
The leg flops limply when it lands at first, before reflexes start to kick in. As if moving of it's own accord, the limb gropes for the covers and pulls them back up to about shoulder level. It then dives down under them and curls reflexively around the mare, bringing her up against his chest. Rhino's body shifts for a moment as it contours to hers, and settles down into stillness after.
She sighs, happily letting him embrace her. ...this is just...perfect... Her eyes drift closed, allowing her to focus on the feeling of his fur. ...so soft...I like it...
The stallion's nose twitches as he gets a whiff of her mane. His head tilts forward to pursue the strange smell, causing his breath to start wafting over her neck.
She shivers at the sensation, her cheeks swiftly heating up. ...n-not good...n-need to calm down... She gulps, trying to force her heart to slow down from it's current rabbit's pace.
His hoof shifts until it lies over her pounding heart, as if drawn to it. The hoof that had lain under both of them curls upward to embrace her as well.
She places a hoof over his, smiling softly. "...oh, Rhino..." She turns her head enough to see his face, giggling a bit. ...he looks so cute while sleeping...
He mumbles a bit in his sleep, almost as if he's responding to her.
She tilts her head to one side, confused. ...what did he say? She thinks about it for a bit and sighs, shaking her head. ...it probably doesn't concern me...either way, I'll just stay here until he wakes up... She snuggles closer to him, her body pressing up firmly against his.
The two lay like this for a time until Rhino's eyes crack open. They take a moment to focus before seeing the large white and yellow shape in front of them. His brain is just awake enough to know that this is probably not the first thing he should see. "...What?"
Hearing his voice, she turns onto her back, smiling brightly at him. "Oh, you're awake!" She giggles, gently touching her nose to his. "You know, you're a really heavy sleeper."
He blinks, confused. "Yes... um... you're... in my bed..." He doesn't sound mad, simply like he is trying to figure out if he's hallucinating or not.
She rubs the back of her neck, her eyes focusing on the ceiling. "...um...y-yeah...I kinda snuck in here earlier this morning..." She shrugs, sheepishly smiling. "...I can't help it...you're really fluffy, and it just felt...right..."
It takes him a moment to process this as he simply looks at her. "...Okay... just wanted to make sure I didn't accidentally stick you in my bed last night instead of yours when I tucked you in."
"Oh, so you put me to bed?" She looks back at him, surprised. "Why did you do that? I wasn't drunk or anything, was I?"
He frowns at the word 'drunk', but manages to put on a small smile after a moment. "No, you were just so tired that you curled up on the floor downstairs and went to sleep. Since you were still there when I came down to check on you, I brought you to your room."
"Oh, well that was kind of you." Gel blushes, nervously tapping her forehooves together. "I ask because...w-well, I don't know what happened after we visited the lake yesterday..."
"That memory issue of yours is really something isn't it?" He shifts around a moment. "Do you actually remember what happened at the lake? Or can I just start afterward?"
"I actually wrote down everything while we were at the lake." She giggles, pointing a hoof in the direction of her room. "It's why I generally have my journal on me at all times. Whatever happened next was apparently too intense for me to have any free writing time, though..."
He flips over onto his back and folds his forelegs behind his head as he stares at the ceiling. "Well, let me give you the short version. We were chatting on the way back about dinner, which you fell asleep too early for so 'm just going to make it tonight. You got sad after you made a comment, I told you not to be or I would take action. You ignored my warnings, so I started chasing you. You tried to escape using some fire boost on your hooves, but I just teleported in front of you when we got here and gave you a surprise hug. Unfortunately, this is when we found out that you were apparently so worked up that your pyromancy made you hot enough to singe my chest. I gave you a hug anyway after soaking myself with the hose and you finally cheered up, we came inside, and you fell asleep. So here we are the following morning, you in my bed, and me with half an inch off my chest fur."
She blinks at this, confused. "...so...no specifics on what we said?" She sighs, her horn lighting up. "...darn...I like my entries to be as detailed as possible..." As soon as she finishes that sentence, the book floats in the doorway, followed by a pen. "...at least it's something..." As soon as it gets close to her, she opens it up and scribbles everything down, the words rapidly forming on the page.
"Sorry, the specifics didn't stick well on such a full day." He gives her a cheeky smile. "But thanks for not getting that hot body of yours all worked up this morning. I don't think it would have done anything to the sheets, but I don't really want to have to lose any more fur than necessary."
She blushes brightly, embarrassed. "...I-I apologize for hurting you like that..." She sits up, placing a hoof on her chin. "...there has to be some way to make it up to you..."
He shrugs. "It's fine, and I don't really have any ideas. I would be interested in seeing what you would come up with on your own for that though." He rolls over to face her. "Unless you’re interested in more pillow talk, you could always think on it while I go downstairs and make hashbrowns."
She nods, smiling at him. "...I'd like that, Rhino...i-is it alright if I stay here for a bit?"
He nods as he gets out of the bed. "Sure thing, just set my snuggle pillow back on one of the other pillows before you leave okay?" He heads downstairs.
She waits for him to leave before she leaps under the blankets, taking a deep breath. ...oh...it smells so good...just like him... She jerks upright, embarrassed by her own actions. ...good grief, I'm acting like a mare in heat...
She shakes her head, leaping out of his bed and kicking his pillow up into her mouth. She gingerly lays it down between the pillows before turning to look at the room. ...let's see...something that will give me an idea for later...something to help make it up to him...
His room is decently furnished with a bookshelf, desk, chest of drawers, a few poster and pictures on the wall, and an armoire. There is also a closet in one corner. The desk looks to be actively used, with the usual layout of lamp, cup of writing tools, and papers. There is also a large empty space in the center to use. The book seems to be fully used, all shelves except for the top two are filled with books, mostly fiction with a few books on various species' anatomy. The top two shelves are less defined, with the top one being all pictures in frames and the other shelf being nicknacks.
She stares at the bookshelf, frowning in concentration. ...I can almost see getting him a book...but he already has so many...I could just get him a pet, or something...then again, I have no idea where to do that... She sighs, resting her head on her hoof. ...maybe I should just lay down on his bed with rose petals surrounding me. She giggles at this thought, entertained enough to imagine the words she'd say in that situation. Oh, Rhino! You have no idea how much I longed for you. Take me! She chuckles, shaking her head. "...that sounds like a corny romance novel. No way am I using that."
She wanders out of the room and down the staircase, upset that her search was fruitless. ...I can't get too nosy...I'm sure he'd be able to tell if something was messed with... She rolls her eyes, her journal floating in the air next to her. ...well, at least there's breakfast out of all this...
In the kitchen, Rhino is tending a hissing skillet on the stove. He hums a tune to himself, his tail flicking lightly to the beat while he stirs with a spatula.
Entering the kitchen, she sees him preoccupied with the food. Smirking slightly, she sneaks up behind him. ...this will be interesting... She leans forward and, hesitating slightly, gently kisses the back of his neck, hoping to get a reaction out of him.
Immediately the fur on along his spine sticks straight up as he freezes. His tune catches in his throat as his magic he was using to hold his utensil sends it flying upward. It lands a moment later on a plate he had set out.
She blinks at this, stunned. ...okay, not the reaction I was hoping to get. "...R-Rhino? Are you alright?"
His face is revealed to be bruning with a blush as he turns to the side to grab the utensil. "N-never better... was that what you decided on?"
"...um...m-maybe?" She steps up next to him, blushing as well. ...please don't be mad at me... She leans up, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. "...t-that's the rest of it...I-I'd kiss you where you were burnt, b-but I doubt that'd be comfortable for either of us..." She coughs nervously, moving away and sitting down at the table.
He adds a smile to his blush. "That was plenty, I assure you." He continues tending the food. "You are a very affectionate mare... do you know that?"
She taps the table with a hoof. "...um...w-well, not with most ponies...j-just really close friends..." I just had to use that word, didn't I?
He smiles wider as he brings the plates of hashbrowns to the table, along with forks, their usual drinks, and a big bottle of ketchup. "Well, glad you feel we're close too." He raises his glass in his magic. "Cheers."
She clinks her glass against his absently, her eyes focused on the condiment. "...Rhino? What's with that red liquid?" She takes a sip of her apple juice, trying to hide her unsureness.
He gives her a look. "What do you mean? It's ketchup."
She stares blankly at him. "...What's ketchup?"
His mouth drops open. "You're... serious? Wow..." He leans back in his seat. "Okay umm... do you know what a condiment is?"
"...not really?" She glances away, embarrassed. "...I've never had 'condiments', before..." Mostly because I've only really eaten love, before.
Rhino covers his eyes with his hooves. "Wow... ok, umm... how to explain this..." He takes his hooves off his face and looks at her. "Okay, think about a dress. Now think about a scarf that goes with it. The dress is food and the scarf is a condiment. You can wear the dress without the scarf and it would be fine. Some ponies just prefer to wear the scarf with the dress because they feel it just ties the outfit together. The same concept goes for the relationship between foods and condiments. Understand?"
"...I think I do..." Gel looks down at her food, picking up a forkful of hashbrowns. "...I'm sure it'll taste fine without...whatever ketchup is...what's it made out of?" She eats the morsel, looking up at him with eyes full of curiosity.
He puts a generous spiral of the red goop onto his own plate of browned, shredded potatoes. "Mostly tomatoes, a little bit of vinegar and a few others things. Apparently it tastes 'sweet and tangy' but to me it just tastes like ketchup."
"...interesting..." She takes the bottle, putting a small dot of it on one side of her food. Here goes nothing. She scoops it up into her mouth, swallowing before her eyes widen to the size of dinner plates.
"Heh, this should be good." He puts down his fork and looks at the mare with a smile of anticipation. "So, what do you think?"
She doesn't answer, grabbing the bottle and emptying the contents on the potatoes. She then buries her face in it, scarfing the food down with zealous fervor. Where has this been all my life?! It's almost heavenly!
Rhino braces himself with one hoof on the table and another on his forehead as he bursts out laughing. He looks back at her only to renew his laughing, unable to eat his own food. He slowly calms down enough to comment. "I would suggest moderation next time, but I guess I can let this one slide." A few chuckles slip out. "I'm wondering how you'll respond to other condiments now..." He clears his throat. "Here, let me get you a... half-dozen napkins..."
She finishes eating, a small blush on her face, not to mention a decent amount of ketchup. "...I-I'm sorry...i-it was just so good..." She cradles the bottle in her forehooves, holding it protectively to her body. ...I have to know how other food tastes with this...
"We'll, usually it's good on fried, charred, grilled, or other foods fixed like that... " he leans in conspiratorially, "but there are a few others I've found it works well on over the years." His eyes narrow at her. "No putting it on my lasagna though." He points a dramatic hoof at her as a smirk makes its way to his face. "Got it missy?"
She nods, smiling softly. "...got it..." She giggles, downing her apple juice before standing up and heading towards the stairs. "...if you need me, I'll be taking a shower..." She stops in the doorway, looking back over her shoulder at him with a playful smirk. "...try not to imagine me dripping wet, okay?" She winks and exits the room, quietly laughing to herself. I bet that got him flustered.
Indeed it did, a blush quickly grows on his face. Curse you vivid imagination... He breathes slowly before going back to his food. The blush is still evident, but not as severe.
A few minutes later, she returns, dry and with a blue towel hanging around her neck. "...so, Rhino...what did you have planned for today?" She steps into the kitchen, smiling kindly. Maybe he could show me around Ponyville. That sounds nice.
He shrugs as he washes the dishes. "I didn't have too much planned. Probably a shopping trip just for some quick things. Other than that I was probably just going to do things around the house. You?"
She shrugs, leaning against the doorframe. "...I figured I would just explore the town...there's so much I haven't seen here, after all..." ...and, come to think of it, I need to see if there's any anti-changeling defenses around here...
He turns off the water. "Hmm... would you want to combine your little exploration with my errand by simply tacking on some shopping at the end? It would probably be more interesting for both of us."
She rushes over to him, ending her charge with a tackle-hug. "Yes! I'd love that!" She pauses a bit before continuing. "...I-I mean, since you've been here longer, it'd be like a tour. I love tours." She pulls away, sheepishly smiling. ...please tell me he bought that...
He smirks while raising an eyebrow. "Sorry, not buying it. It's fine if you just enjoy that we're going to hang out. You can just say that instead of making excuses."
She sighs softly, lowering her head. "...s-sorry, Rhino..." And thank you for giving me an excuse. "...s-so, are you ready to go?"
He shakes his head. "Nah, I still need to grab a quick shower." He heads towards the door but pauses as he's about to go up the stairs. He half turns his head so he can see her. "Try not to imagine me dripping wet." He chuckles before heading up the stairs.
She frowns, resting her head on the table. I wish my imagination was that vivid.
He returns a short time later, freshened up. He levitates his saddlebags over from the corner and sets them on his back before turning to her. "Ready?"
She nods, holding her journal for him to see. "Ready, Rhino. So, where are we heading, first?"