Reading by Moonlight

by Duelist925

Chapter 02

Frost handled the majority of the report. She knew the ins and outs of the guard well enough that it only took a few minutes of her explanation, a short excerpt from Reed, and contact information for both of them, and they were on their way.

She stepped back out into the sunlight and suppressed the instinctive wince, dragging her goggles back in place. She’d have to get used to that, but damn, it was going to take a while. She glanced to the side and found the stallion she’d rescued staring out over the rim of the city, still visible from where they stood.

“…Hey. You ok?” She said quietly. He didn’t respond until she nudged his shoulder with a hoof.

Shaking his head, he sighed. “My boss is gonna kill me.” He said glumly. “Losing a shipment is bad enough, but a shipment to a princess, and the balloon?” he sighed again. “I need to go let them know, and see if I can beg well enough to keep my job.”

She felt a pang of sympathy for the stallion. Hell, she wanted her old job back, and she hadn’t even been fired, really. “That sucks.” She tilted her head, an idea percolating idly. “Hey, I’ll come with you. I can corroborate your story. Not like it was your fault, so there’s no way they can fire you. Especially with me as a witness.” She said with a grin.

He blinked at her, looking somewhat startled. “Are you sure? I uh. You don’t have to do that, really.” He said, ducking his head to one side.

She shrugged. “Yeah, sure. If you don’t mind swinging by my place on the way there so I can drop my stuff off. It’s getting a bit heavy to lug around.” She said with a chuckle, nodding her head back at her pack.

He gave her a tentative smile. “Sure. Only fair.”

They fell into step beside one another, Frost leading slightly. “Where do you work anyway?” She asked curiously.

“Hmm? Oh, I’m a librarian, level three, second class, for the Royal Library & Archives. Mostly work as a general archivist, with some time at the front desk or re-shelving.” Reed responded.

Frost nodded, mentally discarding everything other than “Librarian” and “Royal Library” as unimportant. “Huh. That must be interesting.” She said in a non-committal tone.

“It’s pretty nice. Unlimited renewals are always sweet, and they have the best collections. I’m trying to get up to fourth level, but I have to hit third level first class before that can happen.” He looked stricken for a moment. “Oh, this is not going to help…I really hope they don’t bust me back to third class.” He muttered.

She shook her head, nudging his shoulder with her own. He twitched away, and she bit back a snarl which turned to confusion at the slight redness she spied in his cheeks. She was saved from having to puzzle it out by their arrival at her flat.

The thestral took off, skipping the stairs with a few wing beats and dumped her stuff inside. She took a look around the place—not quite untouched, but it didn’t quite look like a place someone had lived in for a few years. Still, that would change. She dove back to the street after locking up and gave Reed a smile.

“Lead the way. I’m sure they won’t go too hard on you. After all, it’s not like it's your fault.”

-|-

Frost could hear the yelling from her seat outside the office. At least there was plenty to look at while she waited.

The Royal Library & Archives was an interesting place. Scores of bookshelves, radiating out from several central areas, each filled with tables and papers for those doing research and taking notes. She sat near one wall, examining the carvings that served as book ends on the shelf facing her. The one on the left, to her eye, was either an extremely ugly gryphon, or possibly a brilliant surrealist satire of Celestia’s rule.

She wasn’t an art-pony, so she couldn’t really tell.

She’d been waiting for perhaps ten minutes on a rather comfortable bench. They’d been whisked away by one of the surprising number of ponies working to a stern looking mare who took both their statements. He’d said his piece, she’d said hers, corroborating him as much as she could. She didn’t know him well, but he seemed nice enough. She hardly wanted him to get in trouble for something outside of his control.

She glanced over at the mare sitting next to her, studying a clipboard—the same one that had brought them here. Mmm.
“So, you think he’ll keep his job?” She asked out of the blue. The mare looked up, a touch startled, and she gestured towards the door from whence the ranting was coming.

The mare shrugged. “Probably. If everything’s as you said, the worst that could really happen would be a small fine for losing so many books, and even that’s unlikely. Reed does a good job. Book End’s just had a stressful day. I imagine she’s taking it out on him.” She looked a touch sympathetic. Maybe she’d been the brunt of such venting herself.

Frost had had more than a few seargents pull something similar on her from time to time…she could sympathize as well. “I hope he’s ok.” She glanced at the door, but her attention was pulled back by a burst of giggles. She quirked an eyebrow at the mare, who had a fore-limb pressed against her mouth to help silence the laughter. “What?”

“N-nothing! You just…sorry. Kind of an inside joke.” She responded with a little giggle. “You sound like you’re little sweet on him.”

Frost was still rather puzzled. “….And? I’m not seeing the funny.”

The mare raised her own eyebrow. “…You really don’t know him that well, huh?” She paused, both eyebrows shooting into the air. “Hey, wait, are you actually interested?”

Frost’s eyebrow climbed higher. “Not really? I mean, he seems nice enough, cute, if a bit…reticent.” She recalled the way he moved away from her touch, and stifled, again, a flare of annoyed anger.

“Reticent is one word for it.” The mare said dryly. “Completely hopeless is another.”

“How do you mean? Headmare a massive bitch or something?” Frost asked.

“Reed was hired here just a couple of years before me. He’s been working here for about six or seven years. Maybe eight, but somewhere in that ballpark.” The mare explained patiently. “In all that time, I have never once seen him ask anypony out or flirt with one. And anytime somepony tries to flirt with him, it either goes completely over his head, or…” She trailed off, looking thoughtful. “Honestly, it’s almost like he panics. I’m surprised he managed to even talk to you, considering, well, you’re pretty darn good looking.” She said with a shrug. “So, if you were thinking of something along those lines…It’d be an uphill battle. At best.”

A pony that had spent some time developing more martial skills might have caught the odd little gleam that slid through Frost’s eye at the tail end of that little speech. A pony that had spent more than ten seconds with any of the Cutiemark Crusaders would have likely run screaming from it. The librarian mare speaking with the thestral was neither of these ponies.

Frost glanced up as Reed stepped outside, looking slightly more chipper than most might after being yelled at by their boss for several minutes. Not exactly happy go lucky, but he didn't seem like he'd just gotten a pink slip.

"So, how'd it go?" She asked, eyeing him with an odd, thoughtful expression that he completely failed to notice. Uphill climb. Bit of a challenge. Hmm...

"Oh, not bad. I'm suspended with pay until the investigation is complete, but as long as the Guard can confirm what happened I'll be reinstated without penalty." He said, offering her a shy smile. "Thanks again. It really helped that you spoke up for me." he said, glancing down at his hooves.

Well...he was kinda cute, if a bit, shall we say, softer than she was normally interested in....

"Awesome. Glad I could help. Suspended? So, guess that means your free tonight then?" She said easily. His head bobbed back up and he blinked owlishly at her.

"I...yeah, I suppose." He said.

"Got any plans?" She asked. The mare she'd been speaking to was looking at her with wide eyes, glancing at Reed curiously.

"Not really? I guess I'll catch up on some light reading, maybe try out a new game or something." He looked just a touch confused. She was happy to relieve him of that confusion.

"Well if you don't mind putting all that off, how about dinner? Can call it payback for the whole “rescuing you from a burning balloon” thing!” She said with a teasing grin. “There’s a nice cafe down the street from my place, think we passed it on the way here. Meet me there about..." She trailed off, glancing up at the clock as she hopped to her hooves. "Five thirty? Couple hours from now. Sound good? Great! See you then!" She said cheerfully, trotting past a rather stiffened Reed.

-|-

Frost leapt into the air once she was out of the library, angling towards her apartment. A part of her was somewhat reluctant or even apprehensive after asking the colt out—he seemed nice enough, sure, but if what that mare had said was true, then tonight might be more than a little awkward.

Still, she knew she’d been on worse dates. A scene of a crying unicorn mare covered in spaghetti sauce and a righteously annoyed thestral storming off rose to her mind, and she snorted. There was no way shy-colt could be nearly as bad as Miss “Everyone knows Thestrals give it up on the first date” and her stupid mane-do. She still had to get Gleaming Edge back for that setting her up with that prat.

Yeah. Worst case scenario, a mildly awkward dinner. And that’s only if he turned out to not like mares at all. She was sure she could get through to him. The mare had to be exaggerating—shy was one thing, but panic? He couldn’t be that bad.

-|-

Reed stood, seemingly petrified, as several of his coworkers circled him curiously.

“What happened?” A teal maned mare asked, poking at Reeds shoulder.

The mare Frost had spoken to looked like she was stuck halfway between concern and a case of the giggles. “Reed’s got a date!”

Three mares looked at one another, looked at the frozen Reed, and promptly dragged the one pony that had seen what had happened away.

There would be much gossip in the coming days! Soon, bits would pass hooves as bets were made.

Reed stood there, almost as petrified as a cockatrice victim…

Comments

[Grekoy]

And so it begins.

[Boulder]

The mare Frost ? looked like she was stuck halfway between concern and a case of the giggles. “Reed’s got a date!”

? = talked to, (missing words here)
Damn librarian chicks could have helped him snap out of it!