The Day After [Arc, Nova, Xeshir, Aquilinus][Finished]

Xeshir smiled weakly at Arcs disorientation. It was kinda cute. "I panicked a bit too. Seeing Aqui there was just...Fuck. I don´t know how to describe it. Fucking emotions." She rubbed her hooves on her forehead and then turned to Arc. "Sorry I´m begin a bit bitchy...This hangover feels like an axe through my skull." She slowly got up and took another drink from her flask. "So...Was it your first time?" She asked, a slight grin on her face. At least teasing the stallion would distract her from her emotions.

"Ah. Alright, I guess that's understandable, and..."

Arc stopped in mid sentence and vibrantly blushed second time that morning. Considering how direct that question came, Arc suddenly found himself slightly nodding without even knowing it.

His attention turned to the tea pot, trying to hide how awkwardly he looked. He checked the timer on his pip-buck. Then he realized he had no idea why he was doing it and just peeked into the pot, finding the colour inside acceptable.

Arc searched the cupboard above the stove for four cups, none of them matching the others, placed them on a tray with the tea pot and lazily floated the whole tray on the coffee table in front of the couch, still trying to look away from Xeshir. Then he trotted back to the bedroom and peeked inside.

"Nova? If... if you want, the tea is ready."

Nova simply remained in the bedroom trying to piece together what she'd done last night. Nova slumped against a wall and slid to the floor, clutching her aching head with her hooves as she struggled to see through the haze that was her memory of the events.

Right... Went to that party with Arc. That much I do know. What happened next... Oh right, we met Bake and made a toast... Then... The yelling! The yelling happened and I slipped away. That's when I met Xeshir, who was with Cuppa... The Sandwich! Then they disappeared as well... Had a small chat with that other zebra.. Marcus was it? Trotted back inside to get a drink, met Arc at the bar... Another toast I think... Xeshir showed up again looking dishevled...

Nova banged her head against the wall slightly as she groaned, the rest of the memory blurring into a haze, with a few clear images standing out.

A fiery drink. No wait... drinks, plural. A hooded zebra, must be Aquilinus. Then... blank! Gah!

Nova slowly stood up again, clutching her forehead with a hoof again.

"What happened?" Nova asked herself.

That was when she noticed Arc trotting back in with tea and smiles sheepishly again to him, a light blush on her cheeks.

Why am I blushing? Nova wondered.

Still, Nova nodded and slowly got back to her hooves properly.

"Thank you Arc. I think I'll have some."

Aquilinus just stayed where he was, a look have sheer sadness was starting to cover his face. In his mind the only thoughts he had were of him fucking something up that he didn't know what it was. All he wanted was to try and make Xeshir happy but... He decided to listen to her and he just sat on the couch burried his face into his hooves. "Fucking party..." could be heard through his muffled voice.

Xeshir walked into the bedroom and slumped into the bed, nodding to the black pegasus as she did so. She heard Nova´s question and let out a sight. "Think about it Nova...We all woke up on the same bed...And I´m pretty sure some of the stains I´m seeing are seeing are..." She blushed sightly and quickly changed the subject. "The last thing I remember is locking this rooms door and then doing some...Stuff which I would rather not mention, but the point is..." She sighted again and dropped her head on a pillow.

"We had a foursome. You, me, Aquilinus and Arc...And this is the dreadful day after."

Nova looked to Xeshir, blinking a few times as she let what the zebra mare has said settle in. Once Nova had run over the very short statement in her mind, multiple times, she eventually settled on the fact i was right. If nothing else, it made more sense than some other theories Nova had come up with. Nova turned her attention back to the present, smiling sheepishly once again as she rubbed the back of her head with a hoof.

"Well... At least I can say this isn't the most awkward situation I've had a hangover in." Nova tries to laugh slightly as she slumps against the wall again. "... Nor is it the first time something like this has happened..."

Nova thumps her head against the wall slightly, mumbling to herself a little under her breath as she tried to think clearly. Eventually Nova stood back up and looked to Xesh.

"Sorry... I think."

Arc turned around. He was looking at Xeshir walking to him, though her eyes seemed fixed on a point behind him. Arc cleared the bedroom door and let her pass, his eyes still afraid to look straight at her.

Arc trotted back into the living room, where Aquilinus was sitting on the couch. The zebra seemed to be fully immersed in his own thoughts and problems, muttering out silent curses. Arc decided to leave him be, thinking that there was little he could do or say at this point that would make him feel better. The unicorn turned his attention to the tea pot and cups.

Arc carefully wrapped the pot in his magic, feeling that the hum the magical field his horn produced was going to split his head into two. Still, even though the pot wobbled as it sailed through the air, Arc managed to fill all the cups without spilling much tea onto the tray. Arc picked one cup and placed it in front of Aquilinus, then he took two more and walked back to the bedroom.

He peeked through the door and floated the cups of tea onto a drawer that stood on the left of the door frame.

"Here's... the tea, if you want it..." muttered Arc and returned back to the living room, sitting in an armchair well away from Aquilinus. He took the last cup and sipped at it.

Xeshir looked at Nova surprised. "You had more awkard situations like this? I thought me and Aquilinus sleeping with your coltfriend and you would take the cake on awkardness. Guess I was wrong...I also want to hear what those situations were later." She said with a sly grin at the end.

Her attention was diverted to the floating teacups left in the drawer. She grabbed them both and handed one to Nova as she sipped on her own. Not exactly tasteful but it helped reduce her hangover headache a bit. She then remebered and pulled the BCB flask from her saddlebags, then threw it to Nova. "Here, drink this. Unless you want the night to catch up with you." She said as she kept sipping on her tea.

Aquilinus gladly started to sip the tea as he sat there. Looking back up he muttered a thank you to Arc as he walked back in. Setting the cup down he looked up to Arc, "Can I ask you something?"

Arc floated the cup to his lips and took a sip of the tea. Should have added sugar... lots of sugar.

"Can I ask you something?"

Arc winced and looked up. "Um... yes, I suppose..." came out in a slightly self-concious tone.

Aqui sighed as he looked at Arc, "When I got in here to talk to Xeshir, she seemed really pissed at me... and I have no idea why. I guess what I'm asking is, do you have any idea?" He forced the words out in a ragged manner as he has until this morning, never made a mare that upset before.

Nova blinked again a few times after she caught the flask, a little confused from a few things Xeshir said. Still, she had no reason to doubt the mare and took a small swig from the flask before passing it back. Nova then turned to her tea and took a sip, sighing slightly as it helped her relax again.

"Right..." Nova began to run over Xeshir's comments again, blushing slightly. "I'm fairly sure you wouldn't want to hear about them..." Nova then thinks a moment longer. "Wait... did you say coltfriend?"

Arc blinked few times, his mind trying to swim through what memories of yesterday he had left. When they got back here. Ah. Perhaps this.

"She asked where is Green, Aquilinus. She thought you might be someone else, perhaps? Since we had costumes?"

Aquilinus sighed again as he face hoofed, "Why do I do this to myself..." Shaking his head he grabbed the tea and started to sip from it again. Cursing his bad luck on matters like this.

Seeing the discussion over, or, well, at least interrupted, Arc took another sip from the cup, emptying it. He looked down at the dry bottom of it and frowned, finding the holding capacity insufficient. He reached for the pot, poured himself another cup and leaned back into the armchair, partially sinking in it. His head was clouded with thoughts, his expression openly showing this state.

Xeshir nodded. "Yeah, aren´t you an Arc a couple? I think I recall you two saying yes to that...Or maybe not...I dunno, still hangover." She then refused the flask and gave it back to Nova. "You´ll want to take a few more sips, just to be sure." She continued sipping her tea and after a few moments she managed to relax, her headache reduced to half of it´s original strengh, then she clarified.

"Oh, and BCB means Birth Control Brew. That´s what your drinking."

Nova shrugs slightly as she takes Xeshir's advice and takes a few more light gulps of the brew before finally passing it back. Nova then returns to her tea, finishing off what she had left as she thought of how best to respond. Nova thought on what she'd said, and didn't know what to think of the idea, but didn't throw it away.

Best just to be honest for now.

"I'm... Kind of not in a relationship right now. Considering how I recently... Nevermind." Nova looks at the empty mug for a moment. "Thanks for the brew, by the way. Talib's make?"

Aquilinus looked up to Arc as he was in a state to far from his. Getting up he walked closer to Arc and sat next to him. "What has you in this funk Arc?" Putting a hoof around him Aqui tried to bring him back to the world, smiling slightly he did his best to show Arc he was doing fine and he shouldn't worry.

Xeshir looked surprised at Nova. "You know him? I only met him in a party there was the first day I arrived. Shy guy, but pretty sweet. I was drunk and tried to hook him up with another zebra...Don´t remember how it went." She said with a shrug, then finished her cup of tea. Not bad, she thought, but then again with the state her throat was in any liquid was a gift from heaven.

Nova laughs and shrugs slightly as she smiles a little more. Nova sets the mug aside and stands up again, no longer slouched on the ground.

"Sounds like him. Glad to hear he's doing alright." Nova laughs slightly. "He always likes to leave that hint of faux-fruity-ness. At least that's what I think he called it."

Nova stretches out her wings slightly, feeling them ache a little. Although she wasn't sure if was because she slept funny or from something she couldn't remember yet.

Arc winced again when he felt the hoof around him. The magical field collapsed and the cup spilled the tea on the floor. Arc managed to at least catch the falling cup.

He nervously looked at Aquilinus. "I... funk? I mean... I mean, you mean, this situation? Just... Nova wanted a company to take her to the celebration and... well, Xeshir got us drunk, and... now it's now. Just... I don't know what Nova will think of me now. Considering what happened, and... oh," Arc finished with a slight whimper, proceeding to curl up a little.

Aquilinus smiled at Arc, "Hey it wasn't your idea to do what happened last night. Xeshir got you all drunk and caused it to happen, I was trying to stop her the best I could to get her away from the both of you. But we all know how that worked out now..." Laughing slightly on the inside Aqui let Arc go and sat down next to him. "I'm sure Nova wont think any less of you for last night, really."

Xeshir raised a brown. "Faxywhatnow?" Then as Nova flapped her wings and a scene of what had happened yesterday on the room flashed through her mind...Oh my. She blushed sightly. "I wouldn´t move those for a while if I were you." She said with a giggle. "I think I recall your wings begin used a lot last night. I don´t think you want to know how." She may have been lying a bit about the wing part, but she wanted to see Nova´s reaction.

Nova listened to Xeshir intently. At least somebody was able to remember the exact details already. Still, Nova wasn't even sure if she wanted to remember. Nova shook the thought from her head as she examined her wings, before taking Xeshir's advice and leaving them be for now. Nova blushed again as she looked over to Xesh, laughing slightly.

"For all the awkwardness there's meant to be... This just seems like a normal conversation for me." Nova smiles sadly. "Or at least after Her it seems like a normal conversation."

Nova tried to change subject as she looked over herself again.

"Don't suppose Arc has a shower, does he?"

Arc hung his head. "Yeah... well, time will tell, I suppose, Aqulinus."

Arc sighed."Well, what Xeshir thinks of you we already know." He downed the rest of the tea, feeling how it slightly burned his throat as it went down. Arc slightly hissed from the pain. Then Arc stood up. "I'll be outside. Going to take a shower or something..." said Arc as he trotted to the front door.

Sleeping in a curled up position in front of the door was a sizeable male griffin. Arc vaguely remembered that he saw him yesterday on the party. Arc stoically stepped over him. Like there was anything this morning that could faze him more than he was.

Arc trotted to the back of the house. A simple shower head hung from the house wall, connected to the Stableton water piping. Arc stood under it and turned the valve open. His body was suddenly engulfed with a burning freezing sensation. Normally Arc would yelp and would try to step from the stream, but now... now the pain at least distracted him from feeling even worse.