A cloaked figure sat at a bar, in a booth. The figure's horn was the only thing showing, and he was fiddling with a small box, trying to open it with odd, glowing, fossilized-bone-colored tools. He was struggling, and was obviously frustrated that it wasn't supplying him with it's content. He lit his horn and shook it lightly, listening, then went back to work on the wooden box. His hands danced across the surface of the box with extreme grace and gentleness, seeming to respect the obviiusly ancient box.

2801925
In a shady corner of the bar sat another cloaked figure, this one smaller and wearing a white cloak. She, for she was most likely a female, was eating a meal of steak and mashed sweet potatoes, and on her lap was a calico cat, curled up in a ball. The mare stroked her cat's back as she ate, seeming to not want any sort of attention.

2802375 The unicorn shouts triumphantly as he succeeds in opening the box before a large burst of green smoke puffs out of it. The pony tried to hold his breath, but it was too late, the knock-out gas had already gotten into his system and he passed out immediately, snoring.

2802395
[Um..... not sure what to do now...]

2804038 [Notice and flip out?]

The unicorn slowly slid forward until his horn slammed into the table, embedding itself there, getting him stuck. There was nothing to see to tell gender, or anything, but the dark grey horn was the only thing to show besides afew locks of jet-black mane sticking out.

2804132
[She noticed. None of her business, so she's not going to interfere. Besides, she's timid. How are they going to talk if he's knocked out? The point of the thread is to get them to talk, after all.]

2804167 [Alright, let's see, how does she react to theivery?]

2804186
[Towards herself, a thwack on the head with her staff. Against anyone else, none of her business.]

2804313 [Alright.]

The pony slowly stirs. The unicorn tries in vain to pull his horn out of the table, before finally snapping his head back and away from the wall. He gingerly rubs his horn, angry. He pulls back his hood, revealing a long black mane, silver eyes, dark grey fur, and, without the hood, He was revealed to be a she. She growls n frustrastion, looking around before noticing the white-cloaked pony, and smiling when she saw the cat. She gets up, tosses the box in the garbage after checking it for anything of value, then moves over and sits by the mare. "Hullo, couldn't help but notice your cat, what's his name?" She smiles warmly.

2804404
[Over 95% of calico cats are female. Weird genetic thing. And again, she's timid. She doesn't want attention, so approaching her gently is best, not sitting down at her table and asking her questions straight out of the blue.]

The little mare squeaked timidly and huddled away from the strange mare who had suddenly sat down at her table without warning, moving so she was further away from her. The calico cat still purred and slept on her lap, and she kept eating her dinner while scratching the kitty between the ears. She didn't know this mare, and most ponies weren't kind to her; she hoped she would either go away or be much, much quieter.

2804450 "Oh, I-I'm sorry...I just thought the cat was really cute...d-didn't mean to scare you..." The mare sighs and smiles weakly. "I'm Fossil...What is your name?" She asks gently, hoping the white-cloaked mare wasn't too scared.

2804504
The mare whimpered and spoke softly, her face still hidden by her hood. "I'm M-Maria..." She looked down and stroked her kitty's back affectionately, still eating her dinner. "Her n-name is Lucy...." The little mare said nothing more, quietly eating her dinner and keeping her gaze averted from Fossil.

2805185 Fossil smiles gently. "Hello there Lucy." She smiles at the cat and slowly reaches out to the feline, her finger stopping a few inches away. "I know I smell like the forest, but I hope you don't mind ya little cutie-cat."

2805223
Maria scooted away and held Lucy protectively as she saw Fossil trying to reach out to her. The little mare didn't know this mare, and trying to pet her baby without even asking first was getting her very close to whacking Fossil upside the head with her staff. "She's my baby." Maria said softly, but firmly. "I raised her myself." Lucy, sensing her mommy's distress, climbed onto her shoulder and nuzzled her cheek, but she didn't pay any mind to Fossil.

2805317 "Oh, sorry, I...I'm going to just...be quiet now...sorry..." Fossil sits back, visibly saddened. "I just thought...she was...adorable." She frowns, looking away and undoing her cloak, revealing. Her white tank top and her camo pants. "Please, accept my apologies." She bows her head to Maria.

2805382
Maria let out a soft sigh, holding Lucy in her arms and nuzzling the kitty. "I'm sorry, Miss.... I'm just... Lucy is my baby.... and she's all I have..." The little mare set the cat on the table, and Lucy sat down and meowed at Fossil. Maria smiled and pulled back her hood, revealing a white-furred face with a stunning feminine beauty, with a cute button nose and dimpled cheeks, and a long, flowing white mane. She had a pair of striking blue eyes, like sapphires. "You can pet her. Just let her smell you first."

2806769 "Holy Luna!" She exclaims in a whisper. "You're...you're..." She seemed at a loss for words, then she shakes her head vigorously and slowly reaches out to the cat, and stops her finger an inch away. "Hullo."

2806994
Lucy sniffed Fossil's hand for a few seconds, then purred and nuzzled it, seeming to be smiling. Maria smiled affectionately at her cat, but when she heard the mare stammer, she shrunk back a little. "I... I'm what?" She asked in her soft, sweet, angelic voice,

2807420 "You're...beautiful." Fossil says, smiling hopefully and nervously as she scratches the cat's ear. "Actually...I'm very jealous, I've seldom been told I am pretty, but repeatedly told I'm cute...you cannot be anything but absolutely beautiful." She says, a bit nervous.

2807471
Maria smiled as she saw her cat purring, and she looked at Fossil. "Um.... I think you're beautiful..." The mare said with a soft smile and a timid posture. "So... What was that box you were messing with before?"

2808252 Fossil blushes heavily, then smiles. "Oh, just something I found in the ruins out in the Everfree. Turns out it was a trap." She giggles furiously at her own stupidity, then looks to Maria critically. "You...you really think I'm beautiful?" She asks hopefully.

2808301
Maria blushed and nodded as she fed Lucy some of her steak. It was then that Fossil had the opportunity to notice something. Both Maria and Lucy seemed underweight, malnourished even. This might have been the first real dinner they've had in a long time, and that was probably why Maria was so adamant that she keep eating.

2810309 Fossil blushed heavily when Maria nodded, but then looked very concerned. "When...when was the last time you had dinner like this?" She asks as gently as she can muster, concern in her voice.

2810357
Maria's fork trembled in her hand, and she sniffed and held back tears as she whispered "It's... I-it's been a w-while..." The little mare looked up at Fossil with her ears flat to her head, and she only stopped for a second before ravenously returning to her meal, making sure Lucy got bites of meat as she ate.

2816849 Fossil nods once and gets up, moving over to the barcounter and quickly coming back with another plate of what Maria had already ordered. "Here ya go." She says gently. "Do you have a place to stay?"

2818842
Maria gasped and went wide-eyed at Fossil's generous offer, something she would have never expected from anyone after being treated so horribly for most of her life. She shed tears of joy as she pulled the taller mare into a tight hug. "B-bless you..." She sputtered out. Lucy purred and meowed, rubbing her cheek on Fossil's hand as if trying to thank her. After a minute or two, the little mare began devouring her second plate of food, giving pieces of meat to Lucy as she ate.

2818970 Fossil smiles as Maria did so, happy to see her cheered up. She scratched Lucy's chin and leaned back, thinking. "You know...you never did answer my question...Do you have a place to stay? Or are you still looking? I have an extra room if it is the latter." She offers, smiling warmly, hoping Maria trusted her a little more.

2818983
Maria looked up with flattened ears. "Um... I'd like to stay with you, if that's alright... I'm trying to save what money I can for food...." The little mare gave a hopeful smile, still eating while feeding Lucy bits of food so the cat got a meal as well.

2819246 Fossil smiles and puts a hand on Maria's shoulder. "You may stay with me." She says softly, looking into the smaller mare's eyes with kindness. "And you need not worry about food while staying with me, I'm a competent cook, I will make sure you don't starve." She says lightly, giggling. "I'm just glad you have a cat, I'm allergic to dogs."

2819282
Maria smiled thankfully before returning to her food, and she set aside a big chunk of steak for Lucy on a napkin. The kitty wiggled her hips and pounced on her dinner, taking bites out of it and purring happily. Maria squeed as she saw Lucy so happy. It was something she didn't get to see very often. "Thank you, Miss Fossil. Do you mind if we pack up the rest of this food and go to your house? I don't like to be in public more than I need to..."

2819321 Fossil giggles softly and places a hand on Maria's. "You are welcome." She scratches the cat's ear and puts her cloak back on. "Shall we go?" She asks as she stands, smiling down at the mare and her kitty-kat.

2819357
Maria bundled up the remaining food in a leather wrap, and put it in her heavy backpack. She then put her pack on with surprising ease, and she set Lucy onto her shoulder and picked up her staff. "Ready when you are." She said softly.

2819495 Fossil nods and gently pats Maria's shoulder before walkign outside, pausing to wait for Maria before leading the small mare to a medium-size house, then inside.

[Gtg]

2819521
[Describe the house, please.]

The house was rather Spartan, a few pictures of Fossil as a child at some random dig sites, and a couch in front of a window, no TV, but there were shelves of hundreds of books to read. Fossil tosses her cloak onto the couch and yawns, stretching and purposely showing off her body.2819937

2819962
Maria blushed and raised an eyebrow at Fossil's stretching, but she said nothing as she set her backpack next to the couch, then sat down and bundled up with her cloak, with Lucy in her lap. "So.... Um... What now?"

2820432 "Get comfortable." She yawns. "I need to take a shower." She takes off her tank top, tossing it onto the couch as she walks off to the bathroom, stripping down the whole way there, not seeming to care about decency. "Oh yeah! Guest room is right here." She points to the door next to the bathroom.

2820472
Maria had closed her eyed and kicked her shoes off, not noticing that Fossil had begun to undress in front of her. She wrapped herself up in a blanket and her cloak on the couch, cuddling Lucy to her chest and waiting for the mare to come out of the shower.

2850483 Fossil had washed quickly and got out after only two minutes. She had put a fresh pair of panties on and her white pajama pants, covering her upper body with a light grey bathrobe. She walks up to the couch and sits next to Maria. "Done!" She grins, then yawns softly.

2851081
Maria smiled softly at Fossil and continued snuggling Lucy, wrapped up in the blanket and relaxing in front of the fireplace. "Thank you for taking me in..." She said softly, her hands stroking her kitty's back under the blanket.

[Fossil is gonna have to make the first move.]

2851540 Fossil scoots closer and puts an arm around Maria's shoulders. "No problem, I couldn't let the nicest mare I have ever met just stay out in the streets." Fossil kisses her on the cheek. "And that cat is the second reason, it's supposed to storm tonight, and she will be terrified."