Debate Date
Sin and Uppity made way through the afternoon rush of the town to find a place to have their coffee. Though, the two of them had vastly different frames of mind.
Sin, still fumming over his experiences over the last few hours, was contemplating how he was going to explain himself to his boss. He didn't like working for another pony, but it was what it was. The pay was good, and the labor didn't require much socializing. Oh it was back busting to be sure, which didn't help his condition, but it was probably the best job his personality type was suited for.
And he might have just gone and screwed it all up. The worst part was that he had no one to blame but himself. The mayor may have been an incompetent, but she didn't force him to stay past his allotted time. His anger over that fact was probably the worst of it all.
Uppity, on the other hand, was thinking a mile a minute. She was in desperate want of social interaction that didn't revolve around work, and she was finally given some time with what she considered her only friend. She wanted to make the best of her time, even if it would most likely be limited to an hour or two.
She was also figuring out if she wanted to talk to him about her growing feelings for him or not. He was one of the few who could stand her incessant rambling, so it made sense she was wanting more, but was it a good idea? Could it drive away the only friend she had? Were her feelings genuine or out of desperation? There were no shortage of suitors for her, being Celestia Personal attorney, her status and reputation was know all throughout Canterlot.
But when she spoke to the stallions and mares who offered themselves, that's all they knew about her. Her natural inclination to speaking gibberish had quickly become a defense mechanism in sorting out the genuinely interested and the shallow profiteers. It was always one of two types, ones who were either too far below her intellectual level to consider, or ponies who were on her level but only wanted her for her status.
Neither she wished association with, shallow though it may be. She and Sin had actually talked about her aversion to the simple minded when she confessed. Though, instead of calling her out on such a reluctance for friendship, he responded with complete understanding. She shouldn't be ashamed of not wanting to be friends with the less intellectually inclined of the world, it was a compatibility issue, no point trying to stick a round peg into a square hole.
But even that much wasn't entirely true, and she planned to explain herself for deceiving him. Quid Pro Quo, of course.
The two found a quiet little cafe and entered, seating themselves and looking over the short menu. Well, Uppity did, her companion just said the word "black".
The orders were filled in no time and left to themselves as they sat in silence of the cosy and aesthetic coffee shop. The unicorn mare chanced a glance around the establishment to see the place all but empty, save the barista in the back, who was busy doing something.
"So... Um, how's life been? I haven't received any letters from you."
Sin shrugged and took a sip of his beverage with a grimace, this coffee was far too rich for his liking. "Been busy working. Been a parasite a little too long."
Giving another sigh, Uppity started up the vicious cycle once more about how he wasn't a "parasite", thus leading to a good ten minutes of back and forth. She didn't know why she did it, there was no point in arguing with him. Sin may have been a pegasus, but he had the stubbornness of an earthpony, or ten.
"Well, aside from work, what else have you been up to?"
"Eating, Sleeping, Drinking, the usual." He smirked at his own smart ass comment. Though that was all he did, save today. Today was a very exciting day.
"Well, things have been rather hectic for me." Sin simply listened as she began her usual over explanation on every little thing that had happened in the past week. Irritating is it may be, he didn't mind the Unicorn's voice much anymore, matter of fact, he'd dare say he'd come to appriciate it. Well, he wouldn't say it out loud, but yea.
She was in the middle of a story about a new case that had opened. Apparently the guards have been hard at work trying to find out about a new terrorist who'd been plaguing the Canterlot streets. No violence, just leaving strange markings that nopony could make sense of. Besides that, she was stuck as a paralegal, going over files. What made the story worth anything of note was her interactions with the other attorneys. One of her co-workers, a gifted researcher, had made an observation Uppity didn't care for.
While the rest of the mares were quickly finding husbands or wives to start their lives with, she had not. Friends, colliegs, and acquaintances had been sent by her co-workers to try to set up Uppity with a hopeful special somepony, though none had succeeded.
Sin felt an odd feeling at the news. For some reason he felt resentful of her friends to push this on her, yet happy that she didn't accept any of the advances.
'For some reason? You're really going to deny it in your own head?'
I've already spoken my piece on the matter with Cadence.
'Yea, and you know what? You're not a hobo living in the woods anymore, now are you?'
No, just a parasite living off of a tax payer funded library.
"I just wish they'd give me a break from it, you know? I realize I'm getting on in life, but that doesn't mean I should just go with the first stallion who throws themselves at me." She picked up her cup. "Besides, I've already met a pony I'm interested in." Sin quirked a brow, "trouble is that I'm not sure if he feels the same in return for me..."
Keeping himself neutral, Sin eyed the mare as she sipped her glass, stealing the quick glance at him every so often.
"If you find it important, than I'm glad you've found someone to pursue." He took another sip of his own cup, a slight sense of apprehension in his stomach. He was really hoping both he and Cadence were reading too much into her behaviors, the Federalist never cared much for romance. And as easy as it was for him to dismiss the feelings of others, he knew that it would hard to dismiss Uppity's if she decided to reveal them.
"How about you? Find any mares you're interested in?" She inquired both teasingly and curiously.
Sin sat in thought for a moment, pretending to give real consideration to the question. Fact of the matter was that he hadn't, relationships were an invitation to his personal space and time. He liked his alone and quiet time, and gaining a girlfriend was forfeiting both.
"I'd be lying if I said I hadn't found someone attractive, but I don't plan to pursue it." He replied carefully, attempting to maintain honesty. To his expectation, Uppity perked up and asked who. "Who she is doesn't matter, I don't plan to pursue her."
"Why not, though?"
Peace and quiet were two of Sin's favorite things in the world. He theorized that's what made Mac and him friends was their mutual appreciation for both. The stress he got from quiet was his own and he knew how to deal with it when the blessing became a burden. Mother nature was a bitch, but she was an honest bitch. He knew where he stood with her, and that she didn't care about him and if he lived or died.
Ponies, on the other hand, were a different beast. Unpredictable and attention seeking beasts of burden that he would just as soon do without. Relationships required his attention and effort, which detracted from his peace and quiet for the sake of maintaining those relationships. Spike and himself had butted heads on this issue many times, same with the drake and the larger stallion. He didn't want to call the dragon annoying, but to say he wasn't was a lie.
Fact of the matter was that, like Spike, most ponies didn't appreciated his desire for peace and quiet. Most liked to talk and socialize, finding fulfillment and connection there in. He did not.
"Well, I can see where you're coming from, but you make it sound as if you prefer to be alone all the time."
"Mainly because I do." Sin nodded, Uppity frowned. "I like my space, and it would be sick to invite a relationship where my time is needed and not give it."
"Well that's because you're doing it wrong."
"Doing what wrong?"
Uppity chuckled. "Well life, of course. You're doing it wrong and I know why."
Sin smirked, oh this should be good. Though, his smirk quickly lost it's strength as the purple maned lawyer picked apart his internal reasonings. His life before was stuck around deceit and users, lobbyists and politicians. To be around liars, thieves, and manipulators for so long, it was only common sense to emotionally shut down and put on an auto-pilot of rejection.
Would it then, be prudent to suggest, that his rejection was out of the avoidance of the negative rather than general disinterest?
'Dude, you're fucked. She's got your number so hard right now.'
Sin shot back that his general disinterest was true in that he did find ponies within Equestria more genuinely friendly, yet still had no interest in association. Uppity quickly countered this by pointing out the fact he'd spent months with three Equestrians constantly, playing coy as to their names.
"That was different."
"Really? And why is that different?" She asked with a knowing smile.
Well, both Macintosh and Shade had earned his respect with their willingness to commit violence to maintain their freedom. Most ponies he tried to help would just as quickly submit to authority, but those two didn't. Spike took some getting used to, but the drake was smart, very smart and had interesting things to talk about when Sin was in the mood for it.
"I see. So you're willing to share your time with them, but not a mare?"
"No."
"That seems a little sexist."
"That would be because it is."
Uppity demanded the stallion elaborate and found said explanation cringe worthy. He declared mares for more clingy than stallion, more needy of attention and interaction, she called him out on generalizing but he replied that the generalization was true. Mares just wanna talk, talk, talk and it caused no end of grief for desires of peace and silence.
"You mean that you don't respect us." Uppity cut in icily. "You give your time to Mac and them because you respect them, you said as much."
Sin's smirk returned and he answered in the affirmative. It was true, he didn't go off doling out his respect like hot cakes at a bake sale. Such a thing had to be earned, and for mares who liked to talk alot, it was more difficult for them.
"Well, I suppose I should count myself luck to be in your presence at all then." She smirked taking a sip of coffee. "Mare hater."
Sin shook his head and chuckled. "It's not hate, just being honest about what annoys me and what my interests are."
The two sat silently for a few minutes, just drinking and enjoying the revelations. Things were going better than either had anticipated, and the two found converse in future plans. And by converse, Uppity spoke and Sin listened and asked questions.
A full hour passed, the coffee was drank, refilled and drank again. Chatter had jumped from plans to expectations, to political philosophies to a debate of freedom vs equality. Sin arguing that freedom was more important in that it was based on an individual's "right" to voluntary association, a notion that Uppity loathed as "bigoted".
"No, no it doesn't work like that!" She declared passionately. "Ponies of the homosexual pursuasian would have been denied their equal right to a wedding cake should there not have been laws in place to allow them such a product."
"Aye, and what of the right of the cake maker? What you suggest is violence to force them to make a cake for an event they disagree with. Thus, eliminating their right to free association." Sin countered with equally as much passion.
"So? They shouldn't have such biggoted views anyways. Gay ponies are ponies too and should enjoy a wedding cake just like the rest of us."
"At the cost of committing threats of violence onto them should they not comply? One who denies the patronage of goods and services with no aggression or violence being committed? I can understand your disagreement with their position, but do you truly think that it's moral to use threats and coercion to make them conform?"
Uppity's eyes narrowed, she didn't like the way he was looking at the matter. "It's stupid to refuse service based on sexual orientation. We must encourage unity and progresses for the sake of tolerance and acceptance. what is your solution to the problem? Huh?"
"The free market, of course." Sin replied coolly. "Go to another baker and give your money and business to them." Uppity jokingly questioned if he hated gays. "Not at all, I'm indifferent to them, so long as they don't hurt others. Money is money to me, and gay money is just as good as straight money."
The mare gave him a sideways stare, pointedly asking if he didn't care about the struggle that the marginalized class had suffered before. Sin replied that he didn't much care about the morality of the subject, individual ponies had individual preferences and tastes that should be respected. If the ponies in question were attacked or what not, than yes he had an issue, but a denial of service wasn't the same as open violence.
She was too irritated to reply and the two sat in the silence of judgment. On thinking the other was a bigot and one thinking the other authoritarian. They both knew where the other was coming from, but both had their beliefs and would argue them to the death.
"Alright, so let's apply he same concept to unicorn supremacists." She smirked. "Are you saying that you'd be okay, being a business owner, selling your wears to them?"
Her smirk was met with Sin's own. "That'll depend, did they every commit acts of violence?" His opponent scowled. "If not, than I see no reason to not do business. Ponies are entitled to their opinion, are they not? I may not like it, but their personal beliefs aren't any reason for me not to take their money."
"And if they might use your product to hurt others?" She countered.
"The Might, maybe, possibly, arguments? Those argument could be applied to anyone who has a problem with another pony. I'm more of an innocent until proven guilty sort."
Quirking a brow, Uppity looked at him skeptically before carefully walking thought the entire thing with the "let me get this straight" starter. He would be okay doing business with ponies who thought that the other tribes were inferior? There by giving his support to the ponies. It was hard to fathom how careless he was about it, he claimed he didn't agree, but he'd still accept their patronage. Didn't he realize that he was supporting tribalism? It was a huge taboo in Equestrian society, yet it's like that fact didn't even bother him.
Before the heated discussion could be started anew, Sin's attention was drawn as three ponies he recognized entered the establishment. One blue and white maned unicorn mare who had an hourglass for a cutie mark, another unicorn mare with a curly red mane and green pelt, dressed much more respectfully and sophisticated than the other two, and an earth pony mare of prestige, younger, barely of age to work, let alone the age to be a government official.
The three took a seat and spoke in harsh whispers, keeping Sin's attention. "Those were the three the mayor was talking to." He pointed tactfully.
He strained his ears to listen, they were talking about their irritation with the mayor and her sudden lack of compliance, the younger mare was suggesting getting her father involved, withdrawing his funding for her next election as punishment. Sin's muscles tensed, they were black mailing the mayor, were they? Well that explained a bit of it.
The red maned pony settled the younger's temper, decrying it as over exaggerated. The mayor was just upset that the budget was starting to inflate and the fact her government was in debt, what they would need to do soon was raise taxes if they wanted to maintain their comfort while easing her stress.
Sin gave a look to the DA who returned it in kind. It was funny in a way, they had no idea they were confessing their entire plan in front of Celesta's District Attorney. She was about to get up and expose them, but Sin halted her. "No, let them dig their hole. I don't have anything provable on them yet."
Uppity reluctantly agreed, but not without whispering how the law dictated her involvement to end corruption. Sin wasn't going to let them get away with it, but he saw far more lucrative possibilities in allowing: names and proof to be exposed first. He knew exposing corruption was a good objective, but removing corruption was a far more difficult one.