DJ Pon-3 was never late. Sure, every once in a while she didn't show up at the time listed on the party invitations; but since the party didn't actually start until she got on stage, she was always technically on time.
Vinyl Scratch, on the other hand, was sometimes late for very important things. Currently, she was running late from a small afternoon Pon-3 gig to an early dinner with Octavia. She'd barely remembered to remove her tail and ears as she sprinted desperately for the bus stop, tying her hair back into the more conservative (but still fashionably messy) hairstyle she usually wore. Normally, she didn't do afternoon shows, but she would make exceptions for the right price. She was somewhat like a prostitute in that respect.
Vinyl cracked up, the laughter somewhat dispelling the sense of doom she’d felt.
However, the bus gods were not smiling on Vinyl. That good feeling quickly left as she realized that she had missed her bus, and therefore she would be late as she would have to wait for the next one. She bounced from foot to foot, desperately hoping that it would arrive soon.
And, of course, it didn’t.
* * *
Now a good forty minutes late for her date, Vinyl sprinted, panting, towards the door. She lit her hand and pulled open the tinted door, and collided with another pony who happened to be walking out at exactly the same time. Vinyl was much smaller and was knocked right onto her back. She quickly sat up. “I'm sorry, I… Octavia?”
Indeed it was. She cracked a smile. “And here I thought you weren’t going to show up,” she said as she held out her hand and helped Vinyl to her feet.
“No, I wouldn't never not show up for you, you know? I was just in a bit of a hurry and I lost track of time and then I missed the bus and I forgot I-” Vinyl froze, and continued staring straight ahead. “I… am wearing pants, right?”
Octavia giggled. “You are,” she confirmed. “Do you often record without them?”
Vinyl blushed. “N-no; I mean… I was just a little worried after I…” Vinyl's voice trailed off as her eyes drifted to her right shoulder. Her pupils shrunk to pinpricks. It became horrifyingly obvious that she while she had fixed her left cutie mark, she had forgotten to unmodify her right cutie mark from her gig earlier.
“After you what?” Octavia asked. Her eyes followed Vinyl's, and she paused. She frowned slightly as her eyes flicked briefly across Vinyl's body to her other shoulder and then back again, silently comparing the two.
Thankfully, from the front, the difference wasn't that noticeable. Vinyl quickly tugged her shirt sleeve lower and rested her hand over it. “Oh, you know, uh… lost track of time… composing. And remixing. Yeah. Music-y stuff.” When Octavia looked down, she lit her hand with a little blue magic, cleaning it off. She desperately hoped Octavia hadn't seen.
Octavia's eyes narrowed ever so slightly, apparently sensing that she had missed something, but she didn't say anything.
“So… I'll pay, 'cause I was late?” Vinyl tried.
“You paid last time,” Octavia protested. “And I did invite you.”
This was true, and Vinyl had been very grateful. That being said, the cash in her pocket that she had just earned suddenly felt heavy, like it needed to be spent. “Yeah, but I still feel bad. I'll totally get you dessert, even.”
Octavia snorted a playful laugh. “Oh, well, if that's your offer, I see no reason not to forgive you.”
Vinyl exhaled in relief as she turned to reenter the restaurant. Crisis averted.
Maybe.
* * *
Early dinner had been a good idea. The restaurant was fairly empty, and their food was brought quickly.
Vinyl watched as Octavia ate her pasta. It was quite refined, and Vinyl felt slightly self-conscious and she readjusted her grip on her fork. It was considered bad manners to use magic utensils while eating in the presence of non-unicorns, and since she lived with another unicorn, she was slightly out of practice using her hands and metal silverware to eat. She was fairly certain that their last fork was currently being used as a makeshift wire connector in her recording booth setup. Perhaps spaghetti hadn't been the wisest choice, even if it did have that delicious Alfredo sauce on it. Maybe she would just stick to eating the delicious, buttery breadsticks that the waiter kept bringing.
Luckily, Octavia either didn't notice her stumbling, or she was too polite to bring it up, but Vinyl was sweating the whole time. She was also worried that Octavia wasn't enjoying herself, and worried that she was upset about nearly being stood up, but she didn't seem to be in a big hurry to leave or anything.
Apparently, she realized that Vinyl was struggling, so she began making small talk. “Our new song is doing well,” she said.
“Yeah,” Vinyl said, happy for the out. “It's not as high up as the last one; but it's definitely lasted longer on the chart.”
Octavia chuckled lightly. “The music world is fickle, isn't it?”
“A little. Does it work like that for you, too?”
Octavia shrugged. “Some pieces do go in and out of fashion,” she said. “The Spring suite is always most popular in March…”
“But not this March?” Vinyl asked with a grin. This March, the pegasi had gone on strike… that is, ‘there were unexpected malfunctions with the weather machines’ and it had been cold.
Octavia cracked a half-smile and shook her head. “We played the Winter Snowstorm from the Hearth's Warming Play, and we didn't receive a single complaint.”
Vinyl nodded. It had been cold enough one night that Pon-3 had had to wear yoga pants under her cutoffs when she had walked to a gig.
She had neglected, though, to do anything to pad her upper torso. More people than ever had asked for her picture that night, and Pon-3 had gladly obliged.
Lyra had laughed; but Vinyl had held the substantial tips she'd earned that night over her ears and stuck her tongue out at her.
“…but the Fifth symphony is usually a safe bet, as is the Third.”
Octavia continued like this for a while, and Vinyl was extremely grateful. It didn’t hurt that hearing about Octavia’s line of work legitimately interested her. She became so involved in the conversation that she didn't realize she had finished her food until her fork hit empty air.
Octavia cracked a smile. “I take it you enjoyed it?”
Vinyl nodded. She didn't want this date to end. Thankfully, she had already promised to pay for dessert. She found the menu and lifted it. “Italians make good ice cream, right?” Vinyl asked.
“It's usually called gelato, and yes,” Octavia confirmed.
Vinyl scanned the dessert menu, looking for ice cream. Tiramisu? What, were they just making up words now? “How about a maiden's dream? We can split if you want.”
Octavia shrugged. “Sounds fine to me.”
More people had come in, so it took a bit longer for their server to come back. “Any dessert tonight?” he asked as he gathered the plates.
“Sure,” Vinyl said. “We’re going to try the maiden’s dream?”
The smile he cracked made Vinyl mildly uncomfortable; but it was gone before she could get a better look. She frowned as he left, but the frown melted as she looked back towards Octavia.
The waiter soon returned with their dessert, and Octavia's face took on a look of confusion as she watched him approach from behind Vinyl. Vinyl looked back, and it didn't take long for her to see why.
The plate had two large scoops of ice cream, and a peeled banana between them. He set it down on the table with a gleeful chuckle and turned to leave.
“Where's the spoon?” Vinyl asked.
The waiter turned and winked, and walked away.
Vinyl looked at Octavia, and Octavia looked at Vinyl, and then both burst out laughing.
“I'm not sure what kind of maiden is having this dream,” Octavia laughed, “but I'd be afraid to see her others.”
“Yeah. This would be like my nightmare,” Vinyl pointed out. “I'm no good with this kind of thing. You might be, because you're… uh… I mean, I'm… but you're…” Vinyl suddenly felt incredibly awkward. She hated it when her mouth kept going when her brain wanted it to stop.
Octavia merely watched with a smile playing at the edges of her lips. Apparently, she enjoyed watching Vinyl squirm.
Vinyl grinned sheepishly and held up her hand and flicked it, conjuring a translucent blue spoon at the edge of her fingertips. “Shall we eat?” she said.
Octavia watched as Vinyl scooped some ice cream up. “I don't suppose you can make me one?”
Vinyl winced. She could only handle one construct at a time; most of the spells she’d practiced were light and pyrotechnic spells. “Well, no; but I could…”
Vinyl nearly lost her concentration as Octavia leaned forward and took the bite right off her magical spoon. She smiled at Vinyl. “I'm sure we'll manage,” she said.
Vinyl felt her heart begin to race as she scooped up another bit and held it out for Octavia, who extended her tongue and took it off her spoon.
Best. Date. Ever.