Rarity took great pride in knowing herself and, while it always sounded a bit silly when she tried to explain it to anypony else, she knew that it was something that a civilized pony should strive to do. It was true that despite her desire to know herself she sometimes reacted to unforeseen situations in a strange and completely different manner than she would have thought herself capable of – her trip to the Gala two years ago being a perfect example of such a variable – but, for the most part, Rarity considered herself well-educated on the subject of her own physical and mental reactions, especially where the concept of “waiting for something you want” came in to play. At the most basic level, the unicorn knew that if she allowed herself to simply wait and ruminate on the upcoming lunch meeting with Octavia, she would drive herself mad with “what-ifs” and thoughts on the possibilities that such a rendezvous could hold. It was with that knowledge in mind that Rarity hurried to her shop after breakfast and poured herself into her work as she had not done in years, filling her mind to the brim and busying her hooves until they ached to make the days pass at a more tolerable rate. She had no appointments until the end of the day she met Octavia again and that meant she had a full day and a half to work on the dresses without the interruption of the ponies who were purchasing them from her.
Her hooves flew across the sewing machine and her magic pulled bolt after bolt of fabric around the workshop, the entire space becoming a whirlwind of creative energies that would have no doubt overwhelmed a lesser pony and burned them out in the first half day. A lesser pony, perhaps, but not Rarity: Rarity’s fire grew by the hour as she worked feverishly and soon she lost track of the rest of the world outside of her four walls. Everything in Rarity’s existence shrank down to the fabric she was working on, the thread that she would use, the pattern that had to be cut, and then the pieces it would be sewn to, all blending together into a maelstrom of creative brilliance that drove thoughts of everything else from her mind.
Before she knew it, the first day had ended and Rarity went home weary, but happy. The designer only allowed herself time to have a meal with Fleur before heading off to bed, exhausted mentally and physically by the day’s toil. She slept well that night, her soul adrift in the warm blackness of dreamless depths until the morning sun woke her gently. Then, barely stopping to grab a bagel from Fleur’s generous breakfast table, Rarity bid her friend farewell and hurried back to her shop, determined to make the most out of the remaining hours until she met Octavia again. She started early that second day and by the time that the clock on her wall had chimed 11 a.m., she had done more work than she could have possibly foreseen. So much, in fact, that she was now easily back on schedule and perhaps even a bit ahead. I never would have believed I could do so much, she thought as she ran her eyes over the collection of completed dresses that had burst into existence in the past 36 hours. Perhaps I should try and distract myself more often!
She gave her head a shake and headed for the door. That’s a thought for another time, Rarity. For now, you’d best not be late for your– she hesitated as she closed the door of her shop behind her –meeting. She finished finally, her hoof turning the key in the lock before placing it into her saddlebags. Yes, meeting is the most appropriate term, no doubt, she thought, but as she turned and started towards High Street she couldn’t help but think that the term “meeting” felt strangely empty when applied to her time with Octavia.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“…and after that my sister learned the value of asking permission before entering someone’s home, as well as learning how to remove jam from the covers of library books.” Rarity shook her head and chuckled lightly at the memory. “I swear I have never seen Twilight Sparkle so angry! If there is one thing that you do not want to do, it is disrespect a book physically or compositionally in Twilight’s presence. Express an opinion about one? Absolutely! But disrespect one?” Rarity let out a sharp breathy tsk. “There isn’t a force in Equestria that could keep you safe.” The unicorn flexed her hoof and used her chopsticks to squeeze one of the few pieces of sushi left on her plate, her brow crinkling in concentration as she did her best to ensure that her grip was solid. “She’s rather protective of her literary charges, but my sister and her two friends managed to talk their way out of serious trouble – something not just everypony can manage with Twilight.” Confident that her grip on the rice-clad tidbit of food was secure, Rarity lifted it off the plate and up to her mouth with an amused smile at her table companion. “I suppose that we must be siblings if she could charm her way out of that debacle.” Across from her Octavia gave a quiet chuckle as the unicorn popped the sushi into her mouth, savoring the crunchy, tangy taste of what was quickly becoming her favorite Neighponese food.
“Indeed,” agreed the earth pony as she moved her chopsticks idly around her plate, her eyes on Rarity. “If your friend Twilight Sparkle is anything like my father, she would be very hard to–” she paused and thought for a moment, “–placate if a book was harmed.” Rarity nodded as she chewed and silence fell over the two mares as Rarity kept true to a single, rigid rule that she had always held key above all others: never talk with your mouth full. Better to have a bit of silence in a conversation than to open your mouth and let everypony view your enthusiasm for your food, she thought. I wish I could impress that upon Rainbow Dash back home. That filly could do with some manners.
As the moments ticked by, Rarity’s eyes darted from her companion to the rest of the ponies in the White Lily that noontime. There were few enough of them, though there had certainly been more when Rarity and Octavia had arrived. A few odd pairs and groups of four sat around perhaps five tables combined, leaving a good portion of the restaurant filled only with the bright sunlight that poured into it. Rarity glanced at the front wall of the Lily where a huge wood and paper wall had been slid back and folded away to reveal the large windows that she had seen two nights ago. She had assumed that they were nonfunctional and simply for decoration, but when she had arrived today, she’d found that the windows had been pushed open to allow the fresh air of the gorgeous summer day to fill the Lily to the brim and she had to admit that something about it made the food taste even better than before. There’s truly something mystical about the Neighponese culture, she thought as she turned her attention back to Octavia. The other mare’s eyes darted to her plate as Rarity’s gaze fell on her and, as Rarity swallowed, Octavia’s chopsticks picked up her last bit of sushi.
“Hard to placate,” Rarity repeated with a wry smirk, “is the understatement of the century, darling. I’m surprised she lets any of us – that is, our group of friends – into that library at all, what with all the trouble we’ve caused it over the years.” The unicorn smiled, but it quickly became sly as her eyes narrowed at her companion. “And you say that your father is also a bit defensive of his books, as well?” she asked casually. Octavia met her gaze evenly, her lips quirking up at the side into the tiny, secretive smile that Rarity was coming to know so well before she opened her mouth and ate the last bit of her sushi. Rarity arched an eyebrow at her, but Octavia simply lifted her chin and smiled at Rarity coquettishly before glancing around the restaurant as the unicorn had done moments before. Rarity’s smile became a broad grin and she let Octavia have her moment of peace. First rule, after all. No doubt she’s just as opposed to speaking with her mouth full as I am. Rarity’s chopsticks touched her last piece of sushi, but after a moment she set the wooden sticks down across the top of her plate with the tips to the left, as Octavia had instructed her.
Lunch had been exceptionally pleasant so far and the conversation that had thrived between the two mares had been the highlight of Rarity’s day. In fact, it was nothing short of a miracle that either of the mares had actually managed to eat her lunch with as much talking as they had been doing. I can’t believe I ever thought she was quiet, mused Rarity as she watched her companion set her own chopsticks down on her plate. The earth pony had done more than her fair share of the talking today, telling Rarity about how her current practices were going after Rarity had shared her successes with her sewing. The almost two days of hard work weren’t exactly what Rarity wanted to talk about, but it had been a grand conversation starter none the less, and their talk had meandered from there to touch on the weather, then their respective homes of Ponyville and Canterlot, and eventually had settled on Rarity’s family and friends. Of course the unicorn had plenty of stories involving her friends and little sister, but Octavia had been strangely silent during the latter part of the conversation, avoiding any comments about her own relationships with her parents and siblings.
Rarity’s lips curved into a determined smile as Octavia swallowed her food, reached for her water glass and took a drink. Now, let’s see if we can’t get something out of you. The unicorn opened her mouth to try and get her friend to open up, but before she could even begin the earth pony spoke of her own accord, her eyes wistful and melancholy.
“Defensive of his books is, as you said, an understatement,” said Octavia softly. Rarity stared at her in surprise, but after a moment she closed her mouth and allowed herself to relax as Octavia shifted on her mat and sighed. “My father, Quarry Crest, is a skilled craftspony in our town in Neighpon. He works cutting stone the traditional Neighponese way, with hoof and chisel. Stone cut in such a way is used in the construction of homes as well as for ornamentation.” As Rarity watched, Octavia’s eyes slowly lost their focus as she stared through her memories, back to her home so far away. The other mare smiled and it was such a gentle expression that Rarity felt a pang of sympathy in her chest. “He is a pony of brawn, but for as long as I can remember he has told me that his mind is his most powerful weapon. In our home he has a library that he adds books to as often as he can and, as a filly, it always seemed to me that he had every kind of book ever written.” She shrugged as her hoof idly played with her water glass, sliding it back and forth on the cushion of water that it left on the table. “It is nothing as grand as that, in truth, but it is his favorite place to be and, as such, was a place that I wanted to be very much. Of course, he was very selective about allowing me or my siblings into it, as young ponies are rarely careful with books.” Her lips quirked again, but this time there was an edge of something else in her expression that made Rarity’s eyes narrow. “Not that my sister Snow Blossom ever showed much interest in the library…” Octavia let her words trail off into silence and Rarity felt a surge of panic as she watched the doors to her new friend’s inner workings begin to close. No, no please! Don’t shut me out again!
“And why not?” persisted Rarity, deftly volleying the conversation back towards Octavia. “I mean, I can’t think of a single pony I know who doesn’t love a good book now and again.”
“My sister…” Octavia’s voice was calm and level, as easy as if she were talking about the weather again, but as Rarity watched the edge in Octavia’s eyes grew sharper and easier to see. “My half-sister, I suppose I should say. Snow Blossom is the oldest of my siblings and she is not much of a reader, I’m afraid.” The other mare’s eyes veritably flared when she said her sister’s name and Rarity was surprised to see that the light in her friend’s eye was something she had battled with herself: jealously. “She is young and beautiful with not a care in the world. Truthfully she has none, since she has already had several offers of marriage to powerful families in the area even though she is not technically of age yet. She shows no interest in anything except stallions, but Father–,” Octavia’s words stopped mid sentence and, after a moment, it was obvious that she did not wish to continue with that particular train of thought. Her eyes, however, said everything that her silence tried to eclipse. The violet orbs were no longer calm and at peace, but were instead suddenly alive with a flurry of emotions as they had been the day of Octavia’s second fitting. These emotions were different than those had been, however: as Rarity watched, Octavia’s brilliant amethysts pulsed with an inner fire that bespoke deep anger, regret, and pain. And the very thought that she could harbor such unhappiness towards her sibling caused Rarity to frown. They must have a fairly checkered past if she has such a hard time keeping her feelings in check. She watched as Octavia’s eyes finally refocused on the present and, as the earth pony turned her gaze to Rarity, the fire within them cooled and vanished like a candle flame being snuffed out. “I… I apologize,” Octavia said softly, her voice barely above a whisper, her eyes dropping to the table as her ears drooped. “I should not have lost control of my temper.”
Rarity snorted to herself. If that is considered “losing control” of your temper in Neighpon, I’d be labeled a sociopath inside of a week. “So your sister Snow Blossom doesn’t care much for the library your father has,” said Rarity after a moment. “What of your other sister, the youngest?”
“Maple Flourish,” said Octavia quietly and, as she said the name of her youngest sister, her ears perked up slightly. “Maple is a sweet filly, barely grown out of her awkward ‘in-between’ phase. She is the only unicorn of our family and the second filly born to my stepmother, Lilac Shimmer. Lilac has always favored Snow Blossom and seems to see her as the perfect daughter, but Maple has never cared. It was as if she were born into this world knowing exactly how to find her own happiness.” The mare shook her head, but there was a fondness in her eyes and softness in her smile that told Rarity volumes about Octavia’s relationship with this youngest sister. “Maple likes to read, but she only reads books that she feels will help her master her magical abilities,” Octavia’s smile quirked as her hoof fiddled with her water glass, “and she also reads the comic books that are so popular with the younger ponies.”
“Magic books and comic books, is it?” Rarity grinned. “Make sure that she doesn’t mix the two – that could end in something unpleasant for all ponies involved!” To her delight Octavia’s expression lightened and the soft, beautiful sound of her quiet laughter tickled Rarity’s ear.
“I will be sure to mention that the next time I see her,” Octavia assured her with a smile. She gave her head a gentle shake as if to clear out all of the unpleasant thoughts she’d had about Snow Blossom, her mane shimmering in the sunlight as it swished back and forth behind her graceful neck. “I wish that I could see them more often, but I have obligations that keep me in Canterlot and it is difficult to circumvent them.”
“I can imagine it would be hard to travel all that way with any kind of regularity,” agreed Rarity with a sympathetic shake of her head. “It must be hard to live so far away from all of your family.” The unicorn took a breath and let it out slowly, pausing a moment before continuing. “But you never told me where your mother lives. Surely she lives closer to you than Neighpon.” It was a risky maneuver, she admitted – a simple question about her mother had not gone over well at their last meal together, after all. But perhaps the subject is a bit less touchy today, since neither of us have been muzzle-deep in a bottle of sake as of yet…
Unfortunately, as it had two nights before, the mere mention of her mother caused Octavia’s ears to droop towards her mane and it was again clear to Rarity that the earth pony did not want to talk about that side of her family; however, before Rarity could voice an apology and attempt to recover the conversation, Octavia’s eyes flashed with something very close to anger as she sighed and settled both of her hooves down onto the table top as a gentle breeze wafted through the restaurant, wrapping itself around the two mares and causing Octavia’s mane to flow around her face for a moment.
“My mother,” murmured Octavia, her voice soft and carefully measured, “lives here in Canterlot, but she and I do not speak to one another.” Rarity frowned, but before she could speak, Octavia’s hoof shot up off the table to forestall her. “It is not something I like to talk about, Rarity, and I hope that you will forgive me for not doing so. I know it must seem strange to you, but I hope that you will respect my decision when I ask you. Please, do not ask about my mother again.” Her gaze met Rarity’s, and floating amid the maelstrom of emotions in Octavia’s eyes was one overarching plea: let this drop.
Rarity’s frown deepened infinitesimally. It was not in her nature to let sleeping dogs lie, but Octavia had shown nothing but hesitance as she had opened up to Rarity, and Rarity had no doubt that if she pressed this issue the musician would only close up and draw further away from her again. That’s what I would do, after all. And that is the absolute last thing I want.
The unicorn had just opened her mouth to diffuse the situation and redirect the subject of the conversation to something a bit more palatable for both of them when a third pony approached their table, her silver coat and bluish-black mane shining in the sunlight as she drew up next to them and dipped her head in a bow.
“I trust that everything was to your liking today?” Silver Blossom inquired quietly as she gave the pair a warm smile. “Did you enjoy your sushi again today, Rarity-sama? We have two itamae in our restaurant – one for lunch service and one for dinner service – so your sushi was made by a different itamae today.” Rarity arched an eyebrow at Octavia, who smiled knowingly as she shifted their plates around with her hooves.
“Itamae means chef,” she said quietly. “But here, Blossom is referring specifically to a chef of sushi. It can take years of training to become a sushi itamae and they are considered to be artists in the kitchen.” Octavia stacked the plates near Silver Blossom and, after ensuring that they would not slide or topple, she turned back to Rarity, her smile warm. “And -sama is an honorific, much like san, except it is a little more formal and often used to refer to customers.”
“Aah, I see.” Rarity turned her eyes back to Silver Blossom and favored her with a brilliant smile. “You may tell your…” she paused, her brow furrowing as she worried over the pronunciation of the word. You mustn’t get this wrong, Rarity – you can handle this! “You may tell your itamae that the sushi was exquisite. I enjoyed it immensely and hope that he continues to bring his art to my table for many years to come.”
Silver Blossom’s smile quirked wider in that familiar way Octavia’s did and, after a moment, she muttered, “Kanojou wa waribiki o shutokushiyoutoshi teimasu ka?” under her breath. Across the table, Octavia’s hoof shot to her mouth as a giggle rose in her throat and Blossom gave her a knowing glance before bowing to Rarity. “I shall tell him personally, Rarity-sama,” she said, her words full of amusement as she raised her head and allowed the curtain of her mane to slide back over her shoulders. “Is there anything I may do to be of service to you before I leave?” Octavia waved a hoof dismissively and opened her mouth to answer, but before she could get a word out Rarity pressed her hooves against the table and leaped verbally into the gap.
“Yes there is, actually,” said Rarity quickly. Octavia blinked and gave her a questioning look as she closed her mouth, but the unicorn just smiled at her and cleared her throat before focusing her attention on Silver Blossom. “I was just curious about a few things,” she said nonchalantly. “Like… oh, I don’t know…” Rarity let her eyes wander the room for a heartbeat as she tapped a hoof on the table in mock indecision, but when she turned her eyes back to Blossom they were collected and determined. “…what do you think of Octavia’s sister, Snow Blossom?”
Silver Blossom’s eyes widened noticeably, but to her credit her face betrayed no other hint of surprise at the seemingly random question. “Her sister, Snow Blossom?” she repeated quietly, blinking at the unicorn several times. Rarity nodded as she mentally prepared everything she needed to explain herself fully to the hostess, but to her surprise Blossom did not press her for a reason behind her question. Instead she took a deep breath and turned her eyes slowly to Octavia, whose expression was unreadable for a heartbeat as their eyes met. Rarity’s gaze narrowed at the pair as unspoken communication passed between them in very much the same way that it did between Fancy Pants and Fleur and, while she couldn’t see Blossom’s face enough to observe what emotions may be dominating it, she saw quite plainly the understanding that spread across Octavia’s features as the moment of silence stretched between them. The moment seemed destined to become a minute and Rarity was about to smile, wave her hoof and tell them to forget it when Silver Blossom finally gave a small nod to her cousin and turned back to Rarity, who blinked in surprise at the difference a few seconds had made in the hostess. Her smile had been replaced by a thin-lipped expression that bordered on a scowl and her eyes burned with unspoken, virulent emotion where there had only been cool, calm politeness before. Blossom’s ears flicked once then lay back against her mane angrily and Rarity felt a pit open in the bottom of her stomach. Oh dear Celestia, I’ve gone too far, she thought, her own ears dipping back towards her head. The unicorn opened her mouth to apologize to the two earth ponies, but before she could get a single word out Silver Blossom spoke.
“I loathe to speak ill of my family,” Blossom said, her voice tight and hushed, “but if I was to be truthful with you, Rarity-san, I would say that Snow Blossom is a vile, spiteful creature who only feels alive when she is torturing Octavia-chan. She is as beautiful as a winter’s day with just as much warmth to give and I pity my aunt and uncle for having to claim her as their own.” The hostess held Rarity’s gaze for a pair of heartbeats before sighing sharply and closing her eyes. “If you will please excuse me, Rarity-sama,” with a flick of her tail she turned from the table and hurried away, her ears flat against her mane as she moved quickly to the door at the far side of the room and vanished through it.
Silence reigned across their table as Rarity watched the door swing shut behind Silver Blossom. She knew that her mouth was hanging open like a dead fish, but at that very moment there wasn’t anything she could do about it. That was much more of a reaction than I had anticipated, she thought. I mean, at most I had expected veiled hints and deflected half-answers, but she just… With a gentle shake of her head, Rarity forced her mouth closed and turned her eyes back to Octavia, every inch of her expecting to see the same kind of shock on her friend’s face, but, to her further surprise, the other mare’s expression was not one of shock, surprise, disbelief, or anything in between. Instead, Octavia sat with her hooves on the floor in front of her, her cheeks flushed delicately with pink as she watched Rarity with a decidedly impassive expression.
“What just happened?” whispered Rarity, her eyes darting from Octavia to the door Blossom had passed through, half expecting the other earth pony to come thundering back through to give her a piece of her mind. “I truly didn’t mean to offend her, I was just–,” Suddenly Octavia raised her hoof and made a small, quick sideways gesture with it, cutting Rarity off mid-sentence.
“As I told you before,” said Octavia after a moment, “Silver Blossom has been more of a sister to me than anypony else, so she knows intimately the troubles I have had with Snow Blossom.” The other mare sighed as she lowered her hoof back to the table, her eyes softening as she managed a smile for Rarity. “I would apologize for her outburst, but she would not want me to.”
“Well I should say not, darling. The fault was mine and she has nothing to apologize for.” Rarity’s ears drooped guiltily. “I had no idea asking her about your sister would garner that kind of reaction.”
“Oh no, Rarity, you misunderstand.” Octavia gave her head a slow shake, her eyes closing for a moment before meeting Rarity’s again. “I will not apologize for her outburst because it was something she wanted you to see because she trusts you enough to show that emotion to you. That is not something she would show to just anypony.”
The unicorn frowned, but her ears rose from her mane nonetheless. “I’m not sure I understand,” she murmured, but instead of explaining further Octavia merely gestured dismissively with her hoof.
“It is nothing to worry over, Rarity. Just know that Blossom holds you in high regard and that you should continue with our meal today as if nothing extraordinary has happened.” Octavia shifted her hoof to her water glass and took a drink, as if that ended the whole discussion, but Rarity couldn’t get the emotions that had shown themselves in Silver Blossom’s eyes out of her mind – the burning fury, the frigid distaste, the sweeping worry that had filled the calm mare’s visage for a matter of heartbeats and shown Rarity a side to the demure mare that she would otherwise never have known. But if that’s something she wouldn’t show to just anypony, why did she show it to me? She pondered as she helped Octavia move the rest of their utensils and glasses to the far side of the table.
It was a question that hung in her mind as they waited in silence together until Silver Blossom returned to whisk away their plates and give them their bill, her features back to the friendly composure that was typically displayed there. She thanked them both for their patronage and bowed to them both – first she bowed to Octavia and then she gave a slightly deeper bow to Rarity. The unicorn’s brow furrowed as Blossom turned and continued on to another table where other customers needed her assistance. This just keeps getting more and more curious. Her mind had just begun whirling with ideas and reasons for Blossom’s behavior when, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Octavia reach for the bill. Without thinking, the unicorn’s hoof darted out and snagged the piece of paper from the table top, the motion allowing her to sweep it off the edge of the table then into her other waiting hoof. She turned her head back towards Octavia, whose smile quirked knowingly as she withdrew her hoof.
“Ah yes, I forgot,” she murmured. “What was it that you said? A lady does not ask for a free lunch?” Octavia’s purple eyes found Rarity’s again and, this time, there was something about them that made Rarity’s breath catch in her throat. Perhaps it was the way that the sunlight teased the edges of Octavia’s face or perhaps it was the appealing way that the breeze caused her mane to sway gently, but whatever it was, Rarity had to swallow an extra time before she was able to speak again.
“Indeed she does not,” replied Rarity finally. She smiled cheerfully and gave Octavia a wink. “Especially when…” Rarity hesitated, but after a moment she sighed as her smile became soft and genuine, “…especially when said lunch is a golden opportunity to treat another beautiful lady to something nice.” The other mare blushed gently and, as Rarity shifted the bill between her hooves, she also felt some color seep into her cheeks. “I… I truly enjoyed coming back here with you, Octavia,” she said softly. “It was wonderful to take a break from my work and have lunch with you.”
Across from her, Octavia shifted in her seat as her blush deepened and her ears lowered humbly before the praise. “It has been my pleasure and honor to be with you again, Rarity,” she said, her voice barely audible. “I always count it as a good day when I can leave the concert hall and be near the beauty of the city for a while.” Her eyes fairly glowed as she watched Rarity through her long eyelashes. “I thank you for the chance to do so.”
The concert hall! Rarity’s ears perked up from where they had been sitting half-cocked. That’s right! Oh Rarity you can be such a complete and total fluffhead if you don’t concentrate!
“Speaking of the concert hall,” said Rarity as she shifted the bill in her hooves. “I was curious, are you allowed to bring guests? To view your practices, that is.” Octavia’s eyebrow arched, though her eyes remained warm and her smile grew.
“Guests?” she repeated. “As in ponies who would like to hear us play, but do not wish to wait until the next concert to do so?” Her smile quirked mischievously as she placed her elbow onto the table and allowed her chin to settle onto her waiting hoof. “I am not certain, Rarity. Too often we have ponies who try to hear us play simply because they do not wish to pay for concert tickets.”
The unicorn felt her chest swell up and her muzzle scrunched as she frowned. “You know very well that I would pay for admission if I could,” she said quickly, but before she could take offense to the comment Octavia’s smile grew even more and Rarity felt the fires of her rising ire vanish in the warm breeze from the windows. The earth pony sat forward eagerly, her eyes dancing as she placed her other hoof onto the table.
“I would very much enjoy having you view our practice, Rarity,” she said, her voice breathy and hushed. “I will have to ask the other members of my quartet, but I don’t think they will mind.”
Rarity grinned and felt excitement fill her from nose to rump. “That’s wonderful! I want to hear you play so very much, thank you!” Octavia shook her head slightly.
“No. Thank you, Rarity. A musician’s greatest desire is to have somepony want to hear their music.” She sighed, and it didn’t take much to hear the happiness in the simple exhalation. “Three days. If you meet me for lunch again in three days, I will take you to the hall and I will play for you.”
It felt to Rarity like her smile would split her face in half as she held the gaze of her companion. Three days… dear Celestia, will I be able to wait that long? She thought as she sat back and allowed the curl of her mane to cover one of her eyes. The thought of having to patiently wait that long to hear Octavia play seemed impossible, even though Rarity had waited longer amounts of time for larger events. This feels like waiting for the Gala all over again, she thought, yet even as she thought it, she knew that the two events weren’t the same in the least. The Gala had consumed her for months as she fretted over every last detail of her dress and her friends’ dresses, as she had daydreamed about meeting Prince Blueblood, and as she had fantasized about what this mystical event would entail…
…and she knew deep down that during the next three days she would put those months to shame.
The two mares sat together for a long time in silence, the pair simply enjoying one another’s company as the restaurant bustled around them. After a moment Rarity shifted the bill and glanced down at it on the table. Her eyes darted across the numbers and then to the total at the bottom. Hmm… that’s strange, she thought. With a subtle shake of her head she re-figured the numbers again and then again when they didn’t add up to what she thought they should have. Being the owner of her own business, Rarity prided herself on being good with numbers and these weren’t adding up. Finally, Octavia shifted on her mat and broke the silence.
“Is everything all right?” she asked softly.
“I’m not entirely sure,” replied Rarity, her brow crinkled as she did the math once more in her head. “This doesn’t seem to show everything. I know about what our meals should have cost, but these numbers don’t come anywhere close to where it should. Here, look.” She pushed the piece of paper over to Octavia, who swept the numbers with her eyes rapidly several times as she did the calculations herself. Suddenly, she put her hoof to her mouth and laughed the same gentle melody that teased Rarity’s ears and made her feel as though a small, fluttering insect were trapped inside her lungs. Rarity frowned at her in spite of the giddy feeling inside her chest.
“And what are you laughing at?” she inquired. Octavia simply pushed the bill back to Rarity, her eyes sparkling with mirth.
“Do you remember when you complimented the sushi and Silver Blossom promised to tell the chef personally?” Rarity nodded and Octavia giggled again as she pointed to the bill. “Apparently the itamae liked your compliment because he gave you a discount.”
Rarity stared at Octavia for a moment before she felt the laughter in her own chest rising to meet Octavia’s and soon the two mares were giggling together like a pair of schoolfillies. Eventually, the laughter passed and Rarity paid for the meal as she had promised, making sure to leave Silver Blossom a sizeable tip before making her way out of the restaurant and into the street with Octavia. Their goodbyes were brief, since both mares had their work to return to now that their lunch was finished, but they were not made without promises.
“Meet me for lunch in three days,” Octavia reminded Rarity, her eyes gleaming with mischief in the noonday sun. “Don’t get so caught up on your dresses that you forget about me.”
“Oh darling, I don’t think that’s possible,” said the unicorn with a smile. “Until then?”
“Until then,” Octavia agreed and, with a nod, she turned and hurried down the street, never pausing to cast a glance backwards. Rarity watched her go, her smile broad and warm as she did so and it was not until the other mare passed out of sight that the unicorn turned and started towards her shop, her hoofsteps light and merry.
It’s only three days, Rarity. You can do this, she told herself as she turned off of High Street and onto the main avenue that would take her back to her shop. And besides, you do have one more appointment to keep you distracted today, at least. Her lip curled into a wry smile. IF she decides to show up, that is.