Fangs: The Order

by Sapphic

Dinner before Dessert

*~~~~*~~~~*~~~~*~~~~*...Octavia...*~~~~*~~~~*~~~~*~~~~*

"Are you sure she'd be okay with that? I mean, she doesn't have to come with us; it was just a request Vinyl made and I'm sure she can go without it." I stammered to one smiling stallion.

"Oh no, if one of them is hoping to be friends with the other then it's up to us to make sure the other agrees. Besides, she hasn't said a single thing against Vinyl ever since your performance and I think now would be the perfect time to take advantage of that." Harpo said with a bright smile.

I had come to where the two of them lived and rang the doorbell with the intention of fulfilling Vinyl's request; it was the least I could do after her comforting me. She decided to stay home and sleep some more before getting ready for dinner. Of course I wouldn't be satisfied with just this being her payment, she deserved more and I was determined to find a way to pay her.

"I know but...well, what if they don't get along at dinner. I could play out plenty of scenario's where one of them ends up getting hurt." I said with a hint of caution on my voice.

My main concern was for Beauty if Vinyl got hungry during the meal; she had been fasting for a while now and I had begun to notice that even the mention of blood got her acting twitchy. I was lucky enough that she had such astounding self control, though I knew there was more to come in time until she was out of the thick of it.

"Well then I'll take Beauty home and we would still be in the same position as before." He said matter-of-factly.

"That's...true, but I-" I began to protest further, but he seemed dead set on making this happen.

"Octavia, in order to make progress you need to take risks. Who knows, this could be the first step of many to get Beauty to stop bickering about her. If that manages to blow over I'm sure we'd all be a bit more relaxed." He chuckled. I also noted his specifications that it was exclusively Beauty who was bickering.

I sighed in defeat.

"Fine. Vinyl and I decided that we'd meet at the bar near the theater." I said, finalizing the deal.

"Oh? The one that was just rebuilt?" He said, sounding a bit excited.

"That is the one." I replied, taking note of his apparent knowledge of the bar.

"Perfect. I'd been wanting to go there ever since I saw it in the paper. I'm amazed I've never seen it before with how...acquainted I am with the bar scene." He said with a sheepish smile and chuckled before we parted and I was on my way back to the apartment to tell Vinyl the great news.

Her motives for this whole meeting were a mystery for me. I mean, she hadn't shown any interest in making friendly with Beauty prior to the concert and she seemed quite content with that. But of course, she was still a mystery to me when it came to motivations for things; somethings she did on a whim as if they were instinct and others revealed that they had motives of all scopes behind them. She wasn't simple, despite her appearance and how she acted.

I sighed.

"I still wish she was more readable than a blank sheet of paper." I mumbled, my head staring down at the concrete with some my mane falling into my sight.

I normally brush it when I go out, but I didn't feel like it this time. I just blamed it on my release from the orchestra and that I was just "sad and mopey" as Vinyl had described it.

Regardless of whether or not I was sad, I wasn't ready to go and let something like getting fired ruin a night for me and Vinyl. Not by a long shot.

*~~~~*~~~~*~~~~*~~~~*...Shakes...*~~~~*~~~~*~~~~*~~~~*

"Man it's a slow night..." I mumbled, slumping up against the wood counter and sighing at the lack of business.

There was a total of three ponies here tonight, a few of the loyal ones who had came along when the bar first popped up, and they looked positively bored out of their minds. It seems like Vinyl was the life of this place. And so when she left, so did the business. Not to mention even after the renovations and the introduction of the jukebox, ponies still weren't coming.

"Was there ever a fast one after Vinyl left?" Sweeps asked me, laying her broom up against the bar. She had been sweeping the same spot over and over again and I guess she got scared that she might sweep the wood right off.

"Nope. I still didn't expect that she was the sole reason they came." I sighed, eyeing a bottle of booze behind me.

"The few I asked said they would come back even if she wasn't performing. I guess it was literally just her." Sis agreed with me, slapping my hoof as it snaked towards the booze.

"Come on, just a little." I whined.

"If you pay for it." She said sternly.

"Awww." I sighed in defeat.

Seconds began to tick as silence came over us, the only sound being the tink of ice when one of the three ponies in booths and chairs took a sip.

I sighed again.

"Gimme the stupid booze." I mumbled, opening it with frustration.

Me and my sister drank off the single bottle for a few minutes with the complete intent on drinking til our hooves went numb and the last few ponies in this bar left because of how rowdy we'd get. That is, until someone interrupted us.

The door swung open and in stepped a white mare with an even whiter smile.

"Hey Shakes!"

It was Vinyl.

"Thank Celestia." I mumbled, watching as she walked towards me with her glasses glinting.

I also got a great view of the three ponies in the building turn their heads on a swivel at the sight of the mare who'd they'd been yearning for to return. It must've been like something close to a miracle for them, but I knew it was one for me. She got a few calls and welcomes from the small crowd, and waved to each of them with a warming smile as if she had known them for years.

She didn't even know them.

"Oh thank Celestia you're here Vinyl." Sweeps sighed in relief.

"Yep!" She chirped.

"So what brings you down here, I'm very busy you know." I said, gesturing to my crowd of three.

"Well, I'll be quick then." She said genuinely, the sarcasm going right over her head while I inwardly hit myself.

"No...we're not busy Vinyl." I murmured, but she didn't hear me.

"Me and Tavi are gonna be coming in a bit later with a few of her friends, but she might seem kinda down because she lost her musical job in the orchestra. Just giving you guys a heads up so you don't ask her what's wrong." She said, sounding sympathetic towards Octavia.

"Well that sucks." I said honestly.

"Yeah, that must've devastated her." Sweeps added.

"Kinda, she held it together at first but I knew that wouldn't make it better. So, I got her to cry and get it out of her system." She said, sounding proud.

"Got her to cry?" Sweeps asked with a raised brow.

"Yeah, didn't take much more than a hug before the dams broke." Vinyl responded, getting a sigh from me and my sister.

"Wait," I said, the pieces coming together. "that's how she made money right? The Orchestra?" I asked.

Vinyl nodded.

"So she's unemployed?"

Another nod.

"Man, that rent money might be hard to get like that." I said, scratching my chin in thought.

"Yeah. If it comes to it, I thought of getting a job too." Vinyl said slowly.

Me and Sweeps stopped everything at the mention of that and whipped are heads towards the white mare who stammered backwards at the sudden gazes. She was what? Thinking of getting a job? I mean come on, she was a potentially a homicide waiting to happen; if she came into the slightest contact of blood after her feedings not to long ago she could go full blown feeding frenzy. What was even scarier is that she could easily mask it once she was feeding. And all it took was a drop, even if it was diluted.

"Vinyl, you can't be serious." I deadpanned.

"I am."

"You know what could happen right? Remember what you did to the castle? You leveled the place because you got mad. You know how mad a boss can make you? Vinyl if he set you off we may have a potential war on are hooves." It was dramatized a little sure but it definitely wasn't off the 'stuff that could happen if Vinyl lost it' list.

"If it helps Tavi, i'll do it."

"I'll get the boards." Sweeps sighed, going off into the back and taking her broom with her. Was she seriously going to get the planks and nails?

I turned to Vinyl, who was already looking at me, and looked dead into the pools of purple that sat over her eyes. I thought hard about it. She couldn't get a day job for obvious reasons so she was limited to the night shift. She had plenty of strength but maybe not the sharpest wits so any brainy work was out of the question. That left her with the shady jobs, ones where she could easily cause some big trouble, so she would need a job where she was within sight at all times. And finally, her innocent personality crossed out any sort of sales because of how out going and manipulable she was.

"Hmmm..."

I pounded my hoof on the bar table as the idea finally came to mind.

"I got it!"

Vinyl only tilted her head.

"I'll let you work here!"

Her head tilted even more, but I noticed the few heads of the customers lean out and look at me at the mention of Vinyl coming back.

"I thought my records and stuff were in that box thingy." She gestured to the jukebox.

"They are, but that's not what I'm working at. You won't be performing here, you'll be waiting here." I explained.

I heard the sound of dropping wood and I turned my head to see my sister standing in the doorway with a hammer in her mouth and a pile of planks at her hooves. She looked at them and then to Vinyl before spitting out the hammer and sighing again.

"Hmmm," She hummed, brows squinting. "Gonna need more wood." She said before trotting off again.

Vinyl turned back to me.

"But I hate waiting!" She whined, the wrong type of waiting in mind.

"No, no, no, no that kind of waiting. Like taking orders waiting. You go to the customers and ask them what they want to eat and talk to them and stuff, then give me the orders and I can make them what they want!" I explained with glee.

Having Vinyl back would not only make my job easier and put some more options on the menu, but also bring some life back to this dead joint. She was perfect! Outgoing and friendly with a great smile and a knack to befriending ponies whether they liked it or not. It would take someone sinister to drive that mare away, and even then it would be a great challenge.

"'Waiting'..." She said slowly, pausing to think on the job for a few minuets which did a number on my suspension, but it was all worth it when she finally looked up with an answer.

"I can try it!"

"Great. You get paid depending on how much money we make. Tips are all yours for the keeping." I said.

"Oh! Can I start tomorrow? I'd better get home to meet with Tavi so we can get back over here for dinner. It's almost dark out too, but I might waste a bit of time til it's dark." She said, eyeing the window.

"No problem, just get here tomorrow around sun down tomorrow and I can get you started.

"Alright, I'll be back in a sec." She said happily before walking towards the door and exiting.

I turned and giggled to myself at the thought of her being a waitress, and my waitress no less! She'd bring me money and make my job easier all in one package; not to mention bring in some more customers just for her service. And thanks to these three witnesses here, this decision could get out soon and I might be back in business by as early as tomorrow.

"Good job Shakes." I said, giving myself a mental pat on the back as I turned to see the three ponies with their heads still stuck at where Vinyl had left.

"Very good job."

*~~~~*~~~~*~~~~*~~~~*...Octavia...*~~~~*~~~~*~~~~*~~~~*

"So, she's n-not home?"

"No, she wasn't home when I came back myself. I assumed she was sleeping or something along those lines, but when I looked around I couldn't find a trace of her." I replied to Beauty, who breathed an instant sigh of relief.

I had been waiting around my apartment, finding that Vinyl wasn't home like I had thought, and had ended up waiting long enough for Beauty and Harpo to arrive. I had wondered where Vinyl was, but it hurt my head a bit more than I preferred. I was amazed that Harpo had managed to convince Beauty to come, but what amazed me more was Beauty's oddly nervous demeanor; definitely not what I usually saw from the typically strong willed mare.

"So, any idea when she'll be back?" Harpo asked, the clear eagerness to drink obvious in his tone.

Seemingly on cue a door opened from the hallway and all heads swiveled to look at the bathroom door open with a disheveled looking Vinyl stepping out.

"Vinyl?" I gasped.

I hadn't checked the bathroom, but then again that was just my manners getting the better of me.

"Hey." She sounded exhausted.

I noticed Beauty seize up a little at the sound of Vinyl's response.

She trotted into the living room and took a quick survey of the small crowd gathered in my living room, giving both Harpo and Beauty a smile. She even trotted up to Beauty and laid a hoof on her shoulder, smiling warmly to her before she spoke.

"So nice you could make it."

Beauty looked almost terrified at Vinyl.

"Y-yeah..." She mumbled.

"Well, I didn't mean to keep you guys waiting too long. But if you're all ready to go than so am I." She said, prompting Beauty and Harpo to rise. I did as well, but took into consider Vinyl's looks.

"Vinyl, do you not need to run a brush through your hair?" I asked, getting a giggle out of her.

"It's a bar Tavi, not a grand ball." She laughed, Harpo joining in.

I blushed a little before meandering towards the door, behind Beauty and Harpo. Vinyl seemed to linger behind and wait for me to get up to her before beginning to move. She pressed up close and whispered.

"It's sweet of you to worry about my looks...Tavi." She whispered, sending a small chill down my spine as she nudged me out the door and down the hall.

*~~~~*~~~~*~~~~*~~~~*~~~~*~~~~*~~~~*~~~~*

We got to the bar with little event. Me and Vinyl had taken the lead with Harpo and Beauty hanging behind us and making small talk with each other and sometimes us. Vinyl pressed up next to me about halfway to the bar and began nuzzling into my neck while shivers rocketed down my spine. I felt a blush cross my face as she did it, tried to push her off, but she just kept latching onto me. I asked her what she was doing, but my only response was a giggle. What had gotten into her?

I swore I felt her turn back and look at Beauty and Harpo at some point, but I didn't dare look down at her or much less back at the two guests we were carrying.

When we finally got to the bar I managed to pry her off me long enough to get through the door. She, for some reason or another, decided to hold open the door and follow in after Beauty.

"Hey there!" Shakes called with cheer to me.

"Nice to see you too Shakes." I said with a small, but warm, smile.

"Ah," She sighed. "well, I'm pretty happy!" Her tone proved her claim.

"Any reason why?" I asked.

"I would tell you, but that'd ruin the fun of it all." She said vaguely, getting out from behind the bar and guiding me and the group to a small booth.

Me and Vinyl piled into one side while Beauty and Harpo into the other with Vinyl and Beauty on the inside seats across from each other; me and Harpo got the outside seats. She took are drinks and left; Me and Beauty getting a water while Harpo went straight for the alcohol and earned a chuckle from Shakes. Vinyl declined and got a look from me and Shakes, but we both dropped it.

Shakes came back with a menu just as we began small talk; apparently they were now serving food here?

"Well, with Vinyl's dance floor being turned into more sitting space, I decided to push out some walls in the back and install some kitchen area. Nothing serious can be made, but we can make basic stuff. Well, Sweeps can; I can't cook for my life." She chuckled sheepishly before trotting away and getting back to the bar counter.

"So Octavia," Harpo said after opening his first. "sorry about what happened to you at the Orchestra. I had half the mind to go argue with him, but Beauty talked me out of it."

I felt a pang of sadness, but it didn't hurt nearly as much as before. I guess crying really does help.

"It's no problem, my main concern is income. Without that job I'm back onto the job floor to try and find something." I said, mustering a smile.

"Hm. I'm sure you of all ponies could find something." He said with care as he took a sip.

I noticed that Vinyl wasn't contributing to the conversation, and neither was Beauty, and decided to take a chance glance at the two. What I found, was Vinyl staring at Beauty with a small smirk while Beauty had her head down and failed to meet the gaze save for a few glances up at her every now and then.

I was about to say something until Harpo continued his topic.

"Heh, maybe you should go solo. Or find a label and start making your own music. You've got the talent for it you know." He said, his first bottle half way done already. "Need something stronger..."

"Oh, uhm, I'd rather not go independent; it's a chance game that I'd rather not take right now. It's a bit too risky for my current predicament." I mumbled, getting back to looking at Vinyl and Beauty, but Harpo was a persistent.

"Maybe join a band then? You can certainly read music - best pony I know for that matter."

And so a cycle began.

*~~~~*~~~~*~~~~*~~~~*...Shakes...*~~~~*~~~~*~~~~*~~~~*

I trotted back to the bar and began wiping off the bar counter again; by now it was showing my reflection better than mirrors. I took occasional glance over at the booth with Octavia and Vinyl, but for the most part stuck to wiping and waiting for them to finish deciding. It looked like they planned on chatting a bit before getting down to ordering, so I relaxed a little.

I did manage to pick up on something at the table; there were only two voices in conversation. And one of them wasn't Vinyl.

The fact the mare was quiet got my attention quickly and I took a bit longer of a glance over at the table.

Vinyl was staring into the face of a terrified looking mare that was failing to meet her gaze; I felt sorry for the mare, but was even more confused on what Vinyl was doing. The look on her face suggested she didn't have a problem with the mare, and actually gave me more of the feeling that she was entertained by the mare's reactions. Octavia seemed to be glancing at them too, but the stallion talking to her kept her from doing anything about the two - her manners wouldn't allow her to interrupt him. I decided to take the situation into my own consideration and give my assessment of the scene.

"Hmm." I hummed at her actions.

I had observed Vinyl for awhile, and this wasn't totally unnatural of her, but ever since Tavi came into the equation she seemed devoted to her. I assumed she still was, so Vinyl's affections weren't the things in question here. It was something else. I considered the possibility of Vinyl doing this to toy with Octavia, and even though it seemed to be bothering her, it wasn't making her blush so it wasn't Vinyl's style. Vinyl typically took a more direct approach if it was to tease.

"Maybe...No." I dashed the thought from my mind, but yet it lingered.

"Couldn't be that." I decided, removing myself from the bar and trotting over to the table with the intent of getting better idea of Vinyl's mindset. If it was what I thought it was, Sweeps may have been justified in getting those boards.

Author's Note:

It's been kind of dull recently (most the story this far ) so I'll try to make the next chapters more motion forwards with a bit less "talk talk talk" and more action. I hope this wasn't too boring to read through.

Happy Halloween!

Comments

[Witchery]

Damned cliffhangers, leaves me wanting more.

[Azure Ravenscroft]

You called Harpo 'Frederic' at one point in the chapter

So Octavia," Fredric said after opening his first. "sorry about what happened to you at the Orchestra. I had half the mind to go argue with him, but Beauty talked me out of it."

[Sapphic]

6597591

Whoops

Thanks, I've fixed it accordingly.

[bella6547866699]

Why the boards, Sweeps? I must know!

[The Batmane of equestria]

Hapo and Beaut

The Petch and Lonk of Fangs.