Excuse Me, Miss?
The sounds of ponies rushing about the station was loud, almost deafening as the citizens pushed past one another, their eyes glued to times, be it on their wrist, in their hooves, held in magic, or times posted on walls with clocks or LED overheads. Most ponies were wearing suits, their ties close to their necks, their jackets freshly pressed and cleaned, although some where devastated to see that their effort was in vain, their clothing getting soiled by coffee or other morning foods. Although a brief moment to mourn the loss of their hard earned cleanliness was warranted, they soldiered on, some with more charm than others, those having a grumbling fit as their attitude plummeted deeper into a pit, further than before, if that was possible considering the state some of the older ponies seemed to be in. However, this was not the case for all of the ponies at this station. A small group of ponies gathered by the platform, their eyes watering, and smiles on their face.
Here in this group, we see a young grey mare, her mane combed and fresh, her teeth brushed, her fur in order. Nopony would ruin this day! Oh no, not this day, for it was her day! Yes this mare was Octavia Philharmonica! Her face was stoic but proud as she stood before her family. Her mother, a sweet older unicorn mare, her fur of the yellow variety, her mane a solid blue with a single grey stripe, showing her age and wisdom. Her sister was also there, a young Fiddlesticks, her yellow fur and shining blue mane, she looked like her sister, but unlike her, carried the colours of her mother. There also stood her father, home from teaching at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. He was, as most mares would say (to his annoyance of course!) a handsome stallion for his age, his black mane and grey fur was a small tribute to his personality and stoic, prideful demeanor. Octavia truly loved her family, but one must leave the nest at some point. To jump from the branch of birth and fly away to make a new life, as it were, for she was, and we know, not a pegasus.
"We will miss you, Tavi," the father murmured, just above a whisper as not to make his whimpering apparent. That wouldn't make for a good send off.
"Be safe out there, sis," Fiddlesticks was less shy of her emotions, flinging herself over her sisters withers, holding her close, hoping, wishing she wouldn't have to let go. The mother, as well, held her daughters close, this would be the last time for a long time she would be able to do this. A single tear fell as Octavia pulled back, reluctantly, from the embrace, although her face would say she felt nothing. Her father was never one for hugs, he was also never one to say things like "I love you" or any nonsense like that. He simply nodded, and gave Octavia a firm pat on the back.
"ALL ABOARD TO CANTERLOT! PLATFORM 12 IS NOW BOARDING FOR CANTERLOT! PLATFORM 11 IS BOARDING FOR-"
Octavia blocked out the rest, it wasn't necessary. Onto the train and into her seat before looking through large windows, her family still staring back at her, waving, and it looked... no it couldn't be... Her father seemed to be saying something to her. But that was silly... he couldn't have said...
"I love you..."
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It was raining in Canterlot. The sky was grey and drab, but the stars in Octavia's eyes didn't cease to shimmer with the sight of the town. Everypony seemed famous, all of them seemed familiar! Was that Fine Tune over there in the cafe? Is he sitting with master pianist Fredric Horseopin? No... no those are normal ponies. But what if they were? What if they were the real deal? Octavia almost squealed with glee as she looked around the unfamiliar town. Nopony knew her name, but that was fine, they would know it soon enough. Octavia Philharmonica! Master cellist! The best in Canterlot! Nay! All of Equestria!
"That's enough daydreaming for now," Octavia mumbled to herself. Her hooves carried her briskly to the counter where her luggage was pre-shipped; how cumbersome would it have been to carry such a heavy cello on the train?
The Canterlot station was plain, aside from the small golden flourishes, and the ponies there seemed tense. They looked about, their eyes wandering, quickly dodging from her to other locations far from where she stood. Octavia didn't think much of it, as she was sure they had never seen her around, and normally, in her town, it would warrant some estranged glances from regulars. Octavia thought back to the ride. It was long, and the longer she stayed on the train, the more the ponies looked at her, their eyes seeming more focused on what she did. 'It is a city,' Octavia thought to herself, 'ponies might be fearful of robbers or something.' But why would anypony think she was a robber? That was thinking for another time. Right now she had to gather her luggage and shuffle off to a place to spend the night.
Octavia finally found the teller who handled the luggage. A tall, thin blue unicorn colt who gave her an almost warning glare from his post. He seemed on guard for something. His eyes stayed fixed on her as she stepped before him, and he stayed silent as she shuffled nervously in front of him.
"Hello there," Octavia started, a small smile finally making its way to her muzzle as she said the first words, "I'm here to pick up my luggage." The stallion just raised a brow and scowled as he shook his head.
"Sorry, you'll need a ticket, and proof of luggage." He said flatly. A strong unicorn stallion walked past, turning and giving a sure smile to the guard colt and grabbing a bag from the pile. Right next to a familiar cello case.
"B-but that stallion-" Octavia began shakily.
"Is an upstanding citizen!" The colt said a little louder. "How do I know you aren't trying to steal something from this pile?"
"How do you know he wasn't trying to steal something?" Octavia protested with a little irritation.
"Unicorns are very well off and gifted ponies, they don't need to steal anything."
Octavia felt a sinking in her gut. She knew what was happening, but she refused to admit it. She wouldn't fall into some stupid fit because of a slight assumption. Besides, maybe this guy was just having a bad day.
"I own that cello over there," Octavia finally tried, pointing out the large case, "I have my ticket here as well as an updated I.D if you need it."
The colt inspected the I.D, then the cello case, then he looked over the mare again with a grimace.
"You play the cello?" He only half asked, the other half, Octavia was sure, was the sound of poorly hidden disgust.
"Yes, and I'm very good at it."
"I bet..." This time the colt seemed more irritated than bitter. "Get your things, and leave." As Octavia grabbed her things, she was stopped by the colt's hoof on her shoulder. She turned sharply to see he was about to say something. There was a sullen look on his face. "Be careful around here. Ponies in this city aren't used to seeing earth ponies around." He paused, "And I'm not used to seeing non criminal earth ponies around." The colt removed his hoof, leaving the mare to grab her things and trot out, a horrible feeling growing in her chest.
'Not all unicorns think like that, Octavia,' the cellist thought as she trotted through the rain. The large droplets feeling more like a thousands of tiny buckets full of water were emptying their contents all at once. The water began to soak through her grey fur, and stuck to her body, chilling her to the bone. 'There are plenty of unicorns who don't think I'm some sort of delinquent! Surely!' Octavia had hardly gotten past a small cafe before-
SPLASH!
A small misstep, and her hoof fell into a deep puddle, splashing the contents onto a nearby pony. What luck! It was another unicorn. It was a younger mare, her creme coat was now soaked, and it was bad enough she had been caught in the rain, but now she was covered in mud, and to her, by a horrendous earth pony!
"How dare you!" The mare began, her voice almost sickeningly feminine, "I was only trying to walk and here you are, trying to cover me in dirt! You filthy mud dweller! Go back to the dirty pig pen you crawled out of!" With that, the mare swished her tail, flicking the water that had collected in the hairs to splash over Octavia's distraught face. Not that the water made much of a difference as the mare was already soaked, but it was an insulting gesture! Not to mention those horrible, horrible words! Octavia had never heard something so foul leave the mouth of any pony she had ever met. She had heard about it from her father, who complained that this city was in dire need of a new paradigm, and boy did it!
Octavia didn't get a chance to apologize as the mare trotted off and hailed a cab. Whatever; her loss. Octavia turned to see there were a line of taxi's in front of a larger building, it seemed to be a very fancy theater. As a matter of fact, the whole district was rather nice. 'Sad to think I was so caught up in what these ponies were saying that I hardly noticed the beauty of this one street alone!'
A beauty it was indeed! Although the rain pelted the streets, they seemed to look lovey as a consequence. The streets, although dark in the ever waning daylight, reflected the golden street lamps in their puddles, and the glossy sidewalks shone with the lights from bars, restaurants, and shoppes. The streets reached almost forever, and the ponies that trotted about made the street come alive with the sound of hooves clapping against the ground. Their conversations mixing with their hooves, the water splashing onto the ground, and the wheels of carriages being dragged over the cobblestone to make a wonderful backing score to the town. The sensory didn't end with eyes and ears however, as the smell of freshly baked goods and coffee, even this late, wafted into the air, drifting and mixing with the smell of ponies and their expansive perfumes. It was almost too much to take in, but it did take Octavia's mind from the ponies that cast disapproving glances her way.
"Is that an earth pony?" A voice traveled from an unknown location, soon drawing the attention of Octavia. "By Celestia, it is! We best hurry home..."
Octavia decided it best to move from her spot, trotting further down the ever darkening road. The sounds of ponies murmuring came back with a fury, and the words didn't seem to get any less harsh. Trotting faster to avoid staying near any unicorn longer than needed, Octavia dipped into a side street, hoping to find a hotel somewhere, anywhere! Stopping, she noticed a nice older mare, her mane curled and white, and her face in a sweet smile as she hobbled down the slightly darker road. Perhaps she knew a hotel?
"Excuse me, miss?" Octavia called, being sure to make her presence known before approaching lest she be maced for surprising the poor old mare.
"Oh? Huh?" The mare turned slowly, being sure to look over the street, and seeing a young grey pony walk up slowly, a smile on her young face.
"Oh thank goodness!" Octavia breathed in relief as the older unicorn didn't seem to be on the offensive. "Could you please-"
"Wha-? Gah!" The older mare began to shake, her knees knocking and teeth clattering. Octavia watched in horror as the old mare looked around, seeing as there was nopony around to save her, she threw her purse at the cellist, and fell to the ground shaking in fear.
"What is this for? I-I just wanted to know-"
"P-please... just take it and leave me be!"
Octavia knew that earth ponies didn't always have an idealistic image to the public, but this was crazy! With an angry huff, Octavia threw the purse back to the cowering mare, and trotted around the mare to delve deeper into the city. There would be a hotel somewhere. Octavia had wished she had a way of booking a hotel before getting here, but her family was short a phone. "Not a useful thing" her parents would say.
"You disgusting mud ponies are all the same!" The old mare shouted, even as Octavia had dipped further into the shadows.
It seemed like hours since Octavia had left that damned train station and wandered out here into Canterlot. 'Stupid Canterlot, and their stupid promise of fame and fortune!' Octavia grumbled as she thought of it all. These unicorns were all the same. There was no changing them. She had run into several unicorns, and they all thought the same thing: earth ponies were criminals or horrible low lives.
The sounds of skittering hooves caught Octavia's attention. Looking up, she noticed a mint unicorn trotting down the street, her hoofsteps growing slightly quicker every time she looked back to see Octavia close behind. Well, Octavia was conflicted, for she was close enough to this pony to look as if she were about to rob her, but she couldn't speed up and pass her, and she couldn't slow down, since the rain threatened to freeze her solid if she seized her muscles for a second. The mare began to get more nervous, trying to move faster, but it seemed like there was something in her magic.
If Octavia knew anything about unicorns, it was that the less magically adept ponies tended to need more concentration to carry things, and running was usually something only a pony used to heavy lifting and multi-tasking was able to do while carrying anything in their magic. Octavia couldn't quite understand it, but she didn't bother trying to learn it, as she would never use it.
Octavia opted to keep her pace, trying her best to avert her gave away from the pony ahead of her, although that would be hard, considering she was close, and not only that, she was headed onto another main street, where there were no other turns to be made. Octavia took a deep breath and powered on, trying to concentrate on something else. At least she would know in her own heart and mind that she wasn't considering hurting this poor mare. However, before the cellist could begin to think about what a lovely bed she would be sleeping in once she found a nice hotel, she bumped into a soft body, about the same size as hers.
"What do you want?" The mint unicorn almost hissed as she looked over the cellist.
"N-nothing! I was just walking, and you happened to step ahead of me!" Octavia tried, her voice finally breaking a bit as tears bubbled in her throat. This was horrible! An absolute mess!
"You had me spooked!" The mare said looking around the street. There was nopony there.
"I-I know... I'm a filthy mud pony that wants nothing but to steal... I've heard it enough..." the cellist said walking past the other mare. The mint unicorn almost seemed shocked at this.
"Uhm..." was all the mare could utter before the strange cellist disappeared around a corner on the main street. The mint unicorn stayed back, her eyes still shaking as she tried her best to understand what had just happened. With a heavy sigh, the unicorn continued back on her path.
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The hotels were just as bad. Octavia sighed as she thought over the hotel managers giving her questioning looks, and despite her money, they were insistent that she get the filthiest and most bug ridden rooms. What a fate for an aspiring cellist!
"I'll show them! I'll show them all once I'm rich!" Octavia tried to say in pride. However, her bravado died as she was bombarded with memories about her few hours in the city. There was no hope. She would never be famous when the ponies here acted so rude towards her. Who would get her a concert? When would she ever play? How did the great Fredric Horseopin get his start? How is he even famous?
The lights of the city began to dim, the sun has since fallen, making way for the glowing moon, so sweet, yet foreboding, giving cover and life to those of ill intentions. Octavia rushed a bit further, her hooves taking her down a few still well lit streets. That is, until she stood before a large glass pane, the warm golden glow from the place filled her with an artificial warmth. Oh what she wouldn't give to have some real warmth. The fleeting relief from cold coming only in the form of trying to get a decent room. Most of those offered rooms lacked heaters, and leaked more water than the rain outside. The rain, however, had gone by, it was a nice rain free thirty minutes.
'Surely I'll be served properly here,' Octavia prayed more than stated. Pushing the doors, she looked around again. It was a regular diner with a bar that served alcohol. 'I guess I'll enjoy a few drinks as well. If I can't find a decent place to sleep, I'll need all the drinks I can afford.'
A short walk to the counter, Octavia felt a small pull towards a table. Well, it was closer to the window, and Octavia always felt better sitting near a window to escape the awkward need to constantly avert her eyes from ponies that might accidentally cross it. Just to stare at the sky, ponies don't typically bother a pony staring into space, right?
Octavia climbed onto a chair, the table she chose was in a far back corner, a window to her left, and to her right, the rest of the diner, to her front, the door was visible, and that's how she liked it. Able to observe everything at once, but able to escape the looks of nosy ponies. With little wait, a tired looking creme earth pony came out with a menu, a white apron tied to her waist, and her blue and pink curled mane bouncing with every step. Octavia looked her over: no wings, no horn! She worked here? How? Did she get the same insults? The mare seemed to be giving Octavia a similar once over, taking note of the large case on the floor beside her.
"Ponyville?" The waitress finally asked with a small smile.
"How did you know?" Octavia asked in slight shock. The creme mare simply pointed to a small sticker that stayed slightly tattered on the bottom of the case. It was a delivery sticker used by the train station. Octavia nearly face hoofed for forgetting it was there.
"You must be new here," the mare began again placing the menu on the table before the cellist, "My name is Bon Bon, I own this little diner. Well, me and my fiance Lyra, that is if she ever decides to get here..." Octavia nodded slowly, she wasn't sure who this other pony was but she was more concerned about the one before her.
"Well, it is a pleasure to meet you, Bon Bon," Octavia reached down a hoof for a shake that Bon Bon returned with a larger grin. "Uhm... have you..." Octavia tried to ask with a quite voice, although there were no other ponies in the small diner yet, "Have you been told off by the unicorns yet?" Bon Bon seemed slightly taken aback by this and her smile faltered, but she slowly nodded.
"When I first got here. The upper crust unicorns tend to be very... blunt... about their opinions." Bon Bon allowed her smile back as she continued. "Well, not every unicorn here is like that." Octavia huffed rolling her eyes.
"Well they aren't making a good case for themselves."
A loud bang was heard, the sound racking the two mares with fear and turning sharply to see two unicorns in the doorway; one white unicorn mare with an electric blue mane highlighted with lighter blue, and another mare Octavia had seen before.
'It's that green unicorn that thought I was following her!' Octavia turned to Bon Bon who was busy glaring at the two unicorns.
"I hope you plan to pay for that!" the creme mare shouted. The white unicorn simply shrugged and trotted over to the counter, grabbing a menu and looking it over. The mint unicorn looked over the door, it seemed the white mare had left a hefty dent in the wall from the over excited entrance. Octavia knew this had to have been another unicorn thinking she was better than this poor earth pony. Well she wasn't going to sit by and watch her new friend get pushed around by a bunch of uppity magic using bullies. Standing up and storming over to the white unicorn first, Octavia firmly tapped the mare's shoulder. She turned to see a very angry, but very pretty, grey earth mare before her.
"Oh..." was all the mare could muster before getting a sharp hoof to the gut and snout.
THUNK! WHACK!
"Oh, Vinyl," the mint unicorn chuckled, "you're totally going to be feeling that tomorrow!" another strong laughed escaped the unicorns lips as Octavia turned with an equally pissed expression.
"You too! You're the one who thought I was going to rob you!" Octavia shook her head quickly trying to gather her thoughts. "What do you think you have the right, just because we earth ponies are different, that you can just come around blaming us for crimes and damaging our property?" Octavia almost shouted, her wits at end.
"Wh-? Oh!" The mint unicorn stuttered with a light blush. "I didn't think you were going to rob me because you're an earth pony! I thought you were trying to rob me because you looked as if you were trying too hard not to look like you were following me!"
"Yes, Lyra is paranoid," Bon Bon said walking to the mare called 'Lyra', "she thinks ghosts exist!" Lyra rolled her eyes, giving the creme mare a hug.
"They do! I know they do!" Lyra protested. With a smooch, Bon Bon shook from the mare's grasp.
"Oh... oh geez..." Octavia looked between them. "Th-this must be your fiance?" Octavia asked. Bon Bon gave a firm nod. "Oh my, I'm so sorry for that outburst!" the cellist shook Lyra's hoof with vigor, small quiet apologise falling from her lips before hearing a loud groan from behind her. She had left that other mare on the floor.
"Yeah..." the last unicorn grumbled from the clean wooden floor, "I-I'm V-Vinyl.... by the way...." she seemed to be heaving breaths. Octavia quickly rushed to the mare writhing on the floor, turning her over and noticing large shades, slightly cracked from the punch, and tilted on her nose. At least there wasn't any blood.
"I-I am so sorry!" Octavia finally said realising the damage she had done. Was this pony also an earth pony hater? Chances were she wasn't, 'That doesn't change the fact that she busted Bon Bon's wall!' Despite Octavia's, in her opinion, warranted anger, she helped the sore pony to her hooves. "Vinyl, was it?" the cellist asked trying to fix the mare's glasses and mane.
"Woah," Vinyl began, she held her hoof up to stop the grey mare from continuing her actions, "you know, ponies typically by me a drink before they start putting their hooves all over me..." Octavia gave Vinyl a confused look. "But for you..." Vinyl started again, this time punctuating her words by scratching her chin and raising her brow, "I think I can make an exception." Octavia only gave a haughty 'humph!' and turned back to her table.
"I've given you my apology for my over reaction," the cellist started with a frown, "I think you will be fine, and better off not trying to come on to me, especially after doing so much damage to this shoppe!"
"Damage?" Vinyl looked over to the large dent in the wall and huffed a heavy sigh, throwing a pile of bits on the counter. "Buy yourself somethin' nice with that, 'kay Bonnie?" Vinyl chuckled as she moved towards the grey mare, her face still solid, unreadable, Vinyl had never seen a mare so... hidden and mysterious. But that also could have been from the romance novels Vinyl insists on reading and getting her lines from. With a single smooth motion, Vinyl slid into the seat across from Octavia, a bright smile on her face, and a large crack down her shades.
"I'm sorry about your glasses by the way..." Octavia half mumbled before waving Bon Bon over for an order.
"These?" Vinyl pulled the shades off, her eyes mostly closed, dusting them with a hoof, leaving scratches and dust on the lenses, they were honestly much better off without the "cleaning". "Don't worry about it, I can buy whatever, whenever. It's nothing." Octavia simply raised a brow, obviously interested in the story behind such a mare having so much money. "I bet you don't believe me." Vinyl said nonchalantly, brushing a hoof against fluffy alabaster chest fur, "Don't worry, not many mares do at first, but then I show off my bits, and they're all over me!" Vinyl finished by throwing her hooves in the air, a huge grin bearing shiny teeth.
"Can I assume that those same mares leave relatively soon?"
"Uhh..." Vinyl seemed to shrink a bit, a sheepish grin on her muzzle now, "Well... yeah, my girls don't stick around... but hey! It's whatever, you know?" Vinyl leaned back as Bon Bon finally came over, a tray of coffee in her hooves. It had taken mere seconds to gather the order, a simple salad and a light beer, and a large oat burger and a glass of whiskey. "How do you keep that figure?" Vinyl asked as Bon Bon left the table. Octavia gave a slightly disgusted and uneasy look to the unicorn.
"Comments like that make me nervous to eat around other ponies... that's how."
"Oh geez!" Vinyl shot up from her reclined position and waved her hooves frantically, "I am SO sorry! I didn't mean it like that! I mean to say you look gorgeous! Absolute perfection, babe! I honestly didn't mean it as an insult!" Octavia blushed at the sudden praise, but stayed silent. "I.. uhh... I'm on a diet. I so much as look at a potato chip and BOOM! I've gained like, ten pounds out of nowhere!" Octavia stifled a giggle, her hoof pressed to her lips.
"Hmm, yes, I'm sure that must be horrible...."
Vinyl only leaned back again as the food was served, her eyes drifting over the mare before her. 'Who is this mare?' Vinyl thought, her eyes soon moving down to the large leather case on her side.
"You can take a picture, it'll last longer!" A jeering Lyra shouted from the counter, receiving a sharp glare from Vinyl, and a hearty punch in the shoulder from her wife-to-be. "What?!"
"You were staring?" Octavia asked only taking a second to look up from her burger. Vinyl felt like stone, her face hot, but dripped cold sweat.
"I.... like your cello case!" Vinyl said quickly trying to salvage the pieces, "I-is it like a novelty case, or like.... do you actually play?"
"I play." Octavia said flatly. 'Here it comes...'
"Huh, that's cool, I scoped your cutie mark, you must be pretty good?"
'Wait, what did she say?' "You what?"
"I said I saw the cutie mark.... um on your case, so you must be good?"
"Hmm, my 'case', is that what they're calling it now?"
Vinyl stayed quiet.
"Yes, I'm very good with a cello. But try telling the agents here that. All the unicorns... well most of the unicorns... they don't like earth ponies, so.... I don't know what I'll do. I'll never be able to step hoof into a nice hotel or even a studio for that matter."
"A hotel?"
"Yes, I've been rejected from almost every hotel."
"They can't reject you, it's against the law!"
"But they can give you a crappy room that would lose to a stone bench in comfort."
"Whoo.... these ponies are tough..."
"You're telling me." Octavia sighed, taking another bite of her burger, and a long swig from her glass. "How did Fredric do it?" Octavia finally mumbled, "I want to know who signed him, and got him to where he is." Vinyl whistled idly, looking around the room and tapping her hoof.
"Yeah whoever did that must be super cool!"
"And very nice..."
"And totally rich!"
"And very popular..."
"With a smokin' hot single daughter to boot!"
Octavia stopped and looked at Vinyl with question. Vinyl only chuckled and placed a small card on the table. It had the large name Fancy Pants and Family Talent, in gold and below it were two names, Fancy Pants, and Vinyl Scratch in a blue and almost cyan print. Well, Octavia was familiar with Vinyl Scratch, a popular musician she had hear every now and again. She was very famous in Canterlot, but Octavia was never "graced" to see the face of such a prevalent DJ, as her parents found her music to be... too fresh for a home. As for Fancy Pants, she wasn't exactly sure who he was. An agent she knew, but she didn't know anything about him. Octavia only took a few more seconds to look over the card before looking back up at Vinyl who wore a huge stupid grin on her face.
"Vinyl.... are you...?" Octavia hardly wanted to finish her question, luckily, she didn't have to.
"Daughter of the legendary mega rich Fancy Pants, and the super famous, super hot, super rich DJ P0N-3 a.k.a Vinyl Scratch? Why yes! Pleasure to meet you, and congratulations, you punched a celebrity in the face!"
Octavia only scowled as Vinyl held out her hoof for a shake. "I hope you aren't expecting me to lay with you or something..."
"Lay with me? Well, that's always a plus.... but no... we're trying to start some stupid classical ensemble with earth ponies to up social moral and boost tourism. I mean... not that there's anything wrong with classical...." Vinyl quickly tried before seeing a smirk on the cellist's face.
"That's okay Vinyl, I'm not partial to classical myself. I prefer swing, jazz, anything with a nice pounding bass, and a nice beat to dance along with." Octavia finished her food, a grin as she saw the blush on Vinyl's face.
"W-we h-h-have a uh uhm... ahem... an open room in our studio for rent.... you could um- live there..- or with... uhm.... me. I mean to say that I-" Vinyl was cut short with a gentle hoof on her lips from the cellist across from her, the grey mare's voice almost a low, but humming whisper.
"Vinyl that is very sweet of you, I'll take up your offer, either would be fine."
Vinyl's bright red blush wasn't going anywhere, if anything, it was getting worse. Vinyl nodded, the sweat on her forehead dripping as her voice shook her next words.
"My place isn't far from here..."