Finned Foals Make Marvelous Hired Help
IC date: Summer 38, 1008
OOC date: July 28, 2013
Location: Horseshoe Harbor - Portside
PCs: Moon-Willow, Spearmint, Thunnini
NPCs: The Contact
GM: N/A

A certain dock worker checked the weather forecast for today before setting it. 'Partly Cloudy', it said. 'High temperatures in the low 90s' it said.

Yeah, right.

The orange earth pony in oil-stained coveralls is frowning at the choppy waters below, which are currently being kicked about by a strange chill wind. "This is messing up everything," she mumbles before moving towards the seaside marketplace to see if anypony is offering any interesting goods. Maybe some floaties to help deal with the unsettled sea.

Spearmint does not have floaties. Or, really, interesting goods of any variety, at least not that he's showing off. What he does have is a hat. And a scarf. It's the middle of summer and he's bundled for a walk in the market as though he's out for a romp in the snow. (Possibly because there's actually some snow on the ground.) From the look on his face, it was not his idea in the slightest.

And then there's the ponies who don't need floaties to handle the water. Still, Thunnini is on land in her bucket-kart, wearing the seacloak she sort-of inherited from Spindrift, poling along. "I'm glad it's not truly winter - dealing with that one season per year is bad enough," she sighs.

The dockworker stops in her tracks as she sees the little seapony rolling along in a bucket on wheels. "Hey, kid," she calls out. "Kid! You're a seapony, yeah?" As if that wasn't obvious from the fins. "Will you do me a favor for a few bits?" She almost trips over another foal walking along the portside— some green kid in a winter hat and scarf. Luckily she's very light on her hooves and catches herself with ease!

Eeep! Spearmint gives a little squeak and scurries back out of the way as hooves are suddenly tripping around him. "Yah! Sorry, sorry!" Stupid snow. He hates snow. He can't hear right in snow, it makes everything all mushy and muffled and cold and crunchy and and and… He skitters backwards. "Sorry."

Thunnini blinks, quickly glancing to make sure there's no other seapony foals in the area. "Yep, I'm a seapony! My name's Thunnini; what do you want me to help you with?" she pipes up.

"No need to apologize, kid," the dockworker mare says as she glances back at the green foal she almost tripped over. "…hey, I know you. You're that colt who won the cooking competition a while back. Where're you keeping the trophy?" She turns her attention back to Thunnini. "I'm trying to find an old, sunken ship, but I can't hold my breath long enough to look down there myself."

Spearmint flushes faintly, dipping his head a bit to hide under his hat. "I, er… y-yeah, I guess that was me. …It's in my room," he admits after a moment. "Well, half of it. It was a tie." He perks his ears slightly as he recognizes Thunnini's voice. Hey! There's somepony he knows!

"Heya Spearmint!" beams Thunnini as she poles over to the colt and gives him a hug before turning back to the dockworker. "An old sunken ship? I know that there's several wrecks of various ages in the area," the seafilly muses. "Is it a kinda old, still-mostly-intact wreck, or is it a really old, 'well, that used to be a ship' wreck?"

Moon-Willow trots inside quickly, shaking her wings as she does. "What kind of place is this?" She grumbles. "Snow at such a rediculous time! Celestia help me, mother would be HORRIFIED." She seems more interested in warming her hooves, seeming not to notice the others.

Moon-Willow swoops down for a graceful landing, shaking ice from her wings. Sharp green eyes scan around. "Goodness. Mother would faint at the very sight of this place." She chuckles to herself, "Ah yes, far to much snow and dirt for her." She looks down to see a green foal practically underhoof. "I'm sorry child. I didn't step on you did I?"

"That's right," the orange mare says, stomping one forehoof in rememberance since she doesn't have fingers to snap. "The bartender from the Champagne Bay won the other half, right?" I remember seeing part of it on display in the restaraunt. He got kinda mopey when I asked him about it, though, I think he wants to win the other half back from you next year.

She scratches her chin at Thunnini. "Well… it's recent, but I don't think it's in one piece. Have you heard of a ship called the Destiny?" The sudden appearance of a pegasus from the sky causes the orange earth pony to take a step back in surprise. "Careful now!" she says with mild alarm. "Try to find some open space to land in next time, you might step on somepony by accident."

"He's welcome to it," Spearmint states as he returns Thunnini's hug, at least until it's interrupted by MORE HOOVES. He skitters backwards again and flushes - hey, this time it wasn't his fault! He wasn't even moving! (Maybe grown-up ponies are like bees, they can only see you if you move?) "Oh, er, no, ma'am, I'm fine," he states as politely as he can manage.

»GAME: Thunnini made a skilled roll with an outcome of Great.

Thunnini's eyes get wide. "I've heard stories about that one! It involves ghostly pirates, exploding ships, and lots of adventure!" she squeals, a big grin on her face. "Is that the ship you want me to find? Are there any treasures on board?" This sounds like an adventure~!

Moon-Willow pats the green foal on the head before turning to glare at the orange mare. She snorts angrily and stomps her holf close to the foal. "I'll fly where I want. I didn't hurt him, clearly, I'm an excellent flyer." She then looks to the other pony, "And…what in Celestias name are you?" Its clear from her confusion she's never seen a seapony before.

"There might be treasures!" the dockworker says cheerfully. "I dunno! It exploded when it sailed into port so if there was any treasure on board it went down with the ship. Mostly I just want to know where it wound up, and how much of it is intact. Especially the captain's quarters, I'll give you a few extra bits if you can confirm that those are intact." She simply shrugs at Spearmint, not that the little blind foal will be able to see the gesture. "I don't think he'll take it if he can't win it. You know how adults get with their pride."

And speaking of pride… "Watch your mouth, featherbrain," the orange mare replies. "He's not the only one you almost ran down, I'm standing right here, too." Granted, she is standing right there because she, too, darn near stepped on Spearmint, but that is hardly the point!

Spearmint jumps and gives a faint squeak at the loud stomp in front of him. He clears his throat a bit and skirts over to the safety of where Thunnini's voice is coming from. She's got a cart! Surely nopony will miss the cart. "Well, yeah. I still dunno how I won. I just made stew."

"Exploded in port…" Thunnini quietly says, a thoughtful look on her face. "Could you point out about where it was when it went down? That'd help shorten the search," she asks the dockworker. Looking at the grumpy pegasus, she smiles and replies "I'm a seapony! Nice to meet you!"

Moon-Willow tenses. "Featherbrain?" She hisses in outrage, shaking her spiky red main wildly, "I suggest you take that insult back."

"Well, that's where it gets complicated," the orange mare says. "It went down at port seven, but it's not there anymore. Thanks to that big maelstrom in the center of the harbor last winter, the entire sea floor got mixed up. It could be anywhere now." Moon-Willow's aggrivation is casually ignored. "Nope. I'll take it back when you do something to deserve it," she says plainly before going back to negotiating with Thunnini. "So what do you say? If you're gonna be swimiming around the port anyway, I'll give you thirty bits to keep an eye out for it, and… let's say fifty bits if the captain's quarters are intact and you can show me where they are."

"Sure!" beams Thunnini. Money for goodies and better parts for the bucket-kart? Sounds great! "Where should I meet you when I've found it?"

Drawing herself up Moon-Willow spreads her wings and stomps her hoof challengingly. "By insulting me you insult my ENTIRE family. Appologize now."

The dockworker waves her hoof dismissively. "Don't worry about finding me," she says. The hoof reaches into one of the pockets of her oil-stained coveralls and pulls out a postcard-like piece of paper, red with an embossed gold globe in the middle. "Just put this somewhere conspicuous so I'll see it, then I'll come meet you the next day down on pier seven."

When the pegasus starts getting her feathers ruffled the orange mare rolls her eyes. "Then your entire family is featherbrains. Buzz off already, will you? We're trying to conduct business here and you throwing a tantrum is distracting."

Thunnini nods, tucking the red paper into her cloak. "Sure thing, Miss Dockworker!" the seafilly smiles, already thinking ahead to swimming search patterns in the harbor.

Moon-Willow can hear her blood pounding in her ears. She could probably wound the mare, even kill with luck. She knows that. She plants her hooves in the ground, forcing her temper to reign in. Using her talents to hurt somepony surely wouldnt make her excepted in this new place. She tosses her mane. "Forget you. Filthy Earth ponies like you aren't even worth it." She stomps past the mare and approaches the seapony instead. "I haven't met a seapony before." She says, studying her with interest. "My parents only ever let me see certain elite amongst those of Canterlot." she gives the green foal another pat, "Well aren't you adorable. I'm Moon-Willow. Whats yours?"

Spearmint by this point is looking very confused and somewhat shy. What's wrong with earth ponies? …He's an earth pony. His ears droop a bit, though it's hard to tell under the big ol' winter hat. He straightens quickly at the pat, though, possibly half out of worry he's about to be near-stepped-on again. "Huh? Oh, uh, me? Er… Spearmint. Ma'am." Maybe she thinks he's got a horn under that hat. Well he's not gonna correct her.

"And I'm Thunnini," adds the seafilly, smiling, but with a slightly wary expression. "Why don't you like earth ponies, ma'am?" Can't stop curiosity!

The orange mare reaches into her pocket again and pulls out the first thirty bits. Hopefully this is a trustworthy little fishfoal! "Like I said, you'll get the other twenty if you find the ship. It's a pleasure doing business with you!"

She narrows her eyes at the prissy pegasus. "And a racist to boot. It's not nice to go around making assumptions about ponies. You don't know what I might have hiding under this cap." The dockworker taps the pageboy cap that hangs low over her eyes then glances back to Thunnini and Spearmint. "You watch your fins around this one, kid. You can't trust ponies who look down on others for being who they are." She gives her hat a small tip in farewell and, having finished conducting her business, walks away.

Moon-Willow Moon-Willow huffs. "I don't dislike Earth ponies. I dislike people who call me things like Featherbrain." She scowls, "Racist! And she accuses ME of making assumtions!"