True Sneakiness, True Feelings
IC date: Autumn 39, 1007 A.N.
OOC date: October 28, 2012
PCs: Ruby-Blossom, Kludge
NPCs: None
GM: None

It's been a couple days since the raid, and Ruby after much confusion was separated from Will - but the mare hasn't been seen about much since then. She rummaged through Will's belongings, but has mostly kept to herself - that bodes true of tonight as she sits in a secluded corner hoofing through a book. "I don't get this stuff at all." she mutters.

"Don't get what?" inquires Kludge as he walks by. He has a collection of wooden odds and ends that are a bit beyond even his ability to use in carpentry, plus some improvised twine.

Ruby-Blossom promptly shuts the book with one hoof - which she keeps on the cover to conceal it's contents - of course Kludge can still read the spine and see's it's an elementary level magic book. "Nothing." the mare softly snaps in reply. "Solar-Wind must have strange tastes, huh? I mean why else would he keep hitting on me? I thought I'd ask your advice, cause you know we're good friends and all." Was that a jab?

Kludge sits down, a thoughtful expression on his face. "I can't say I blame him," he finally admits. "You're quite lovely, and you're a good pony at heart - no matter how much you try to deny it at times." More thoughtful pausing. "I wonder if he feels the same concern I have when you're out there doing your stealth and your recon. My mind knows that you can easily take care of yourself, but my gut still feels uneasy until you return safely."

Ruby-Blossom 's gaze is totally as far away from Kludge as possible at the moment - the mare looking the opposite direction - one hoof on the book cover - the other propping up her chin. "Yeah, I worry about my friends too. That's why I don't mind putting myself in harms way - ponies like you and Maggie aren't the fighting type; not that I was before. But I'm adapting, and I'll see you guys back to the Harbor."

Kludge looks over at Ruby, then moves closer. Turning the mare's head with a gentle hoof under the chin, he gazes into her eyes with a melancholy smile. "Don't forget to get yourself back, too," he reminds her in a soft voice.

Ruby-Blossom suddenly jerks her head away from the gentle touch - eyes cast downwards and away. "I know, I know. Cause I totally got so much waiting for me." A sarcastic and mildly bitter remark.

Ruby-Blossom huffs softly before offering a small (fake) smile "I'll take care of it, like I said."

Kludge hugs Ruby. "I know Dream-Daze would miss you, and Siyana looks up to you," he points out. "Also, *I'd* miss you. Being around you makes things more bearable, and you give me enough courage to face the unusual challenges life throws my way."

Ruby-Blossom is hugged and huffy! "I suppose you're right." Her tone suggests she might just being saying whatever is needed at the moment. "So, has anypony discussed what to do with Will - I mean aside from binding her magic to prevent any shannigans; I know that was already done. I have the perfect idea as it is."

"If there was anything mentioned, it wasn't when I was within earshot," admits Kludge, still hugging Ruby. "What idea did you have in mind?"

Ruby-Blossom swirls one hoof about in a small circle. "When I first disguised myself as Will, Redmane suggested the undead and ghosts won't approach me. I intend to disguise Will so she can experience Nightmare Night first-hoof, and see /exactly/ what she's responsible for putting everypony through. If she survives the night then we can discuss what else to do with her.

Kludge's eyes widen. "Oooo, talk about fitting!" he winces. "Anything I can do to help with setup for that?"

Ruby-Blossom replies while grinning faintly. "Naw. I got all the dye I need - stuff is real permanent, only one way to remove it." she glances down at her book. "Think any pony around here can teach us a fire spell or two?"

"Actually *studying* a spell might work better than trying to improvise on the fly," admits Kludge as he finally lets go of Ruby to tap a hoof against his chin thoughtfully. "All we need to do is find somepony willing to teach us magic who won't mention that we're not earth ponies." Simple, right?

Ruby-Blossom glances off to one side. "Yeah - that's kind of the idea. A spell or two wouldn't hurt, admittedly this whole trip has just made me hate magic more.

Kludge nods in understanding. "Nothing wrong with a small spell, but the larger and more complex the spell, the likelihood and magnitude of mishaps increases," he agrees.

Ruby-Blossom glances briefly towards Kludge then away again. "Soo…what are you up to anyways?"

Kludge glances at his materials with a wry grin. "Working on my Nightmare Night costume… such as it is," he shrugs.

Ruby-Blossom hmms curiously "Yeah? Clearly I have mine all figured out. Do you need some help or something?" the mare asks while yawning. "Who'd think a life-threatening world could get so boring.

Kludge gives this some thought. "Having an extra set of hooves and eyes will likely make this easier," he admits. "Mostly, I just need to get it done, and I think I have all the materials I need."

Ruby-Blossom hops to her hooves. "Sounds good. Lets go work on this in Will's cell - I can work on her while you work on your costume." the mare grinning at Kludge "She's still out cold - they intend to keep her that way.

"Works for me," nods Kludge as he makes sure his materials are still gathered up.

A few minutes later the pair find themselves in the presence of a bound, gagged, and asleep Will. Ruby can't help but grin as she sets her saddle bag on the floor and begins to pull out various bottles and vials. "I'm thinking brown and green - very earthy colors, so…" Will's voice rings out "Uncivilized." chuckling as she shoots Kludge a glance.

Kludge chuckles as he starts laying out the chunks of wood. "Who knows, maybe the color scheme will be mortifying enough that she's rendered senseless," he observes. Let's see, large pieces for the torso, smaller pieces for where articulation is required…

Ruby-Blossom pours dye into two sperate bowls - one gree, one brown; gingerly mixing each of the colors to a consistentcy and color of her liking. "Of course, if she finds out /I/ did this; she'll call for my head." grinning at Kludge before setting a bowl aside and picking up her sheers. "Long manes are so last summer." *snip* a large chunk of purple mane falling to the floor, *snip* *snip* Again and again!

"More like she'll call for your head *first*," Kludge points out as he starts tying the pieces together. "I suspect she'd likely call for all of our heads, but you'd probably be at the front of the list… or the end of it, if she wanted to try breaking you psychologically."

Ruby-Blossom chuckles softly "Oh, I'm sure. But you can rest assured that she wont' get anything /she/ wants." Will's mane is cut into a cute little bob - care taken despite the mare being a horrible enemy; and so goes her tail. Ruby returning to her dies to confirm their colors. "She'll be in for a shock, that's for sure.

Kludge chuckles and continues assembling his odd-looking costume. It looks like it's a pile of wooden scrap, but there's surely more to it than that. As the work progresses, Kludge gets more and more thoughtful. "Long term, what do /you/ want?" he quietly asks Ruby.

Ruby-Blossom gently slides a comb through the sleeping Will's mane followed by a stroke of her dye soaked brushed, and another slide of the comb; repeating this process to ensure even and natural coloring. "I thought I wanted a filly, but clearly that's a bad idea - I can't even interact properly with Maggie."

Kludge contemplates that for a moment as he keeps working on his costume. "Back in your days on the streets when you were taking care of your 'little sister', how would you have reacted if an adult had shown the level of interest that you're showing Maggie?"

Ruby-Blossom shoots Kludge a very cold glare. "That's entirely different." the mare hisses softly. "By that point I already knew nopony cared about me. Maggie isn't at that point, and I don't ever want her to feel that way. I'm sorry if somepony who grew up with parents and family can't understand this."

"Mmm," Kludge replies as with a sheepish grimace. Being disowned due to the havoc caused by your out-of-control telekinesis isn't quite that bad, true. "I still think you're making progress with her, though. She's at least willing to listen and talk, even if she doesn't want to be hugged."

Ruby-Blossom having moved onto Will's tail proceeds to color it green to match her mane. "I know, I know." sounding extra grumpy at the moment. "What about you, huh? I'm sure you've got plans other than building stuff - taking a shining to Winny maybe?"

That causes Kludge to pause with befuddlement. "Winny's a good mare to have on your side in the event of a fight or when you simply need extra muscle. Still, I'd rather hang out with you, and I feel more concern for you than her when it comes to being topside."

Ruby-Blossom harumphs adorably as she color's Will's tail. "No need to be concerned for me more than any other friend - I'm just as tough as Winny; even if not physically.

Some things start clicking into place in Kludge's mind. "Hey, Ruby? What's some of the things that ponies do or feel when they're in love?"

Ruby-Blossom jumps a tad at Kludge's question. "Wh..why hey would I know? It's not like I've ever been in love, or nothing." now keeping her back to Kludge while blushing adorably. "I wouldn't know where to begin - or who to ask; actually Jelly would know. Ask Jelly, yeah Jelly."

The things Kludge has heard over the years regarding love start coming to mind. "Wanting to spend time with the one you love, doing things you might not have otherwise done because of love…" His eyes widen as another thing sinks in. "Acting flustered when you're in love and you don't know it, feeling uneasy when you hear someone else is interested in the one you love…"

He hugs Ruby, being careful not to splash the dyes around. "Well, they say that love makes you silly," he muses with a smile, before leaning forward and nuzzling Ruby. "In that case, I think we're a pair of silly ponies."

No chance of Ruby spilling, cause she goes rigid the moment Kludge hugs her from behind; the mare tense as can be. "I…uh…" The mild flush grows into a full-on blush that extends to the tips of her ears. Ruby previously told Kludge she 'didn't dislike him', pointed out Solar-Wind's interest, and even got all cranky over the whole thing - clearly Ruby /knows/ how she feels even if she won't admit it. "I…I…" Of course - there's only thing Kludge can do to really blow her mind.

Kludge leans forward and lightly kisses Ruby on the cheek, then rests his head against hers. "I love you, Ruby Blossom. Will you be my marefriend?"

Ruby-Blossom is red as as could be at the moment, and tense as a board. A small quiver runs through her body, sputtering. "Y..you better not be toying with me." A soft little gulp - sure she doesn't say the words back but perhaps Kludge will recall she said them in her own way a few weeks back.

Another nuzzle. "I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it. Love is too important to treat as a prank," Kludge murmurs. A grin spreads across his face. "Wow, I can't believe it took me this long to realize I was in love," he admits sheepishly. "This feeling is just… wow."

Ruby-Blossom huffs adorably - eyes darting off to one-side and away from Kludge. "Y..yeah." It couldn't be more obvious that Ruby knew too, heck she even asked Kludge about it earlier this week. The flushing mare gently elbowing Kludge in the ribs.

Kludge looks at the dyes, then at his odd costume… then lets go of Ruby with a sheepish chuckle. "Yeah, we should get back to work on our little projects," he admits. He turns to get back to work on his costume… but steals a quick kiss before returning to the scraps of wood, a cheerful grin spreading across his face with no signs of stopping.

Ruby-Blossom just sits there for the longest moment after Kludge returns to his project - a full two minutes passing before the mare shakes her head and gets to work on Will's coat - silent for at least a full five minutes before she pipes "I'm still sharing a bunk with Windrose."

"Makes sense, actually - the current sleeping arrangements work, and we've only now started dating," replies Kludge. "Officially, anyway," he adds after a moment's thought - in retrospect, some of those times together could be interpreted as dates. Well, hindsight's 20/20, and all that jazz.

Ruby-Blossom is painting a pony - how many other ponies can claim to have done such a thing? The mare gingerly turning the mare from white to brown, carefully moving her unconscious body to get every last nook and cranny until the mare is utterly brown from horn to flank. "Officially." she parrots right back. She sneaks up behind Kludge after setting the brush down, and plants a quick peck on his cheek "Idiot."

"Well, when all one has to go by is the occasional foalhood crush, my cluelessness might be understandable," Kludge admits, turning and nuzzling Ruby. "Could you give me a hoof with this? I need to make sure it fully covers me," he adds, waving a hoof at what looks like an uncut suit of wooden armor.

Ruby-Blossom nods softly "Of course, just tell me what to do." the mare whipping her hoofs on a handy towel while awaiting directions.

Kludge helps guide Ruby in how the outfit is put on, and he gives it a shake or two once it's finally on him. With his costume on, he looks like…

…a pile of lumber. "So, what do you think?" he asks.

Ruby-Blossom can't help but smirk before dryly replying. "You look totally cute." Snickering behind one hoof.

Kludge shrugs with an unabashed smile. "Work with the materials you're familiar with," he remarks. With an impish grin, he moves the face covering out of the way. "Besides - you're much cuter," he adds as he nuzzles Ruby.

Ruby-Blossom acks adorably as she's nuzzled again. "Knock it off." she laughs softly while gently pushing the stallion away.

A smile still lingers on Kludge's face as he moves the face covering back into place. "Still - any gaps in the coverage?" he inquires.

Ruby-Blossom closely inspect the outfit before knocking on it with one hoof "Looks good."