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

Crackle gradually fought his way back to consciousness. Naturally, the first thing that greeted him was a splitting headache. He didn't move or open his eyes, growing accustomed to the pain. Once he could manage a few coherent thoughts, he began his usual morning-after mental checklist. gun? ...check. Knife? ...check. Pants? ...nowhere to be fou-wait, I dont even wear pants... All limbs attached? ...check. With that done, the only remaining question was perhaps the most important one. Where the buck am I?

Xeshir shrugged. "I was too busy singing drinking songs to notice if he had a shower. You could go ask him...Although he seemed a bit mortified by you if you ask me. No idea why." She said with a shrug. She looked at her empty mug and decied to refill it. She opened the bedroom door and noticed Aquilinus.

Buck.

Xeshir quickly closed the door again and turned to Nova. "Mind to refill this for me please?" She asked with a small smile as she handed her the teacup.

Aquilinus watched as Arc left outside, thinking to tell the rest of the group he got up and walked over to the bedroom. Noticing the door had been shut he knocked on it, "Arc went out back if you need him." Standing outside the door he waited around for one of the mares to respond

Nova looked a little confused now, wondering why exactly Xeshir wanter her to be the one to refill the drink. However, as Aquilinus came knocking, saying that Arc had gone outside, Nova had to think again. Eventually, she settled that the best thing to do would probably be to talk to him. Nova took Xeshir's mug and trotted out of the room, noticing the pot nearby. Nova quickly refilled the mug and passed it to Aqui, smiling sheepishly.

"See that she gets it?" Nova queried before trotting off in search of Arc.

However, as she opened the door, she couldn't help but notice the half awake gryphon that was on the doorstep. Nova was now really confused, having never even spoken to this gryphon in her life.

"Uuuuh... Hi?"

Aquilinus nodded to Nova as she handed him the mug. "Will do Nova" turning around he stepped into the room knocking on the door. "Xeshir, I'm coming in and I have your tea. Please don't hit me across the room again." As he stepped into the room he handed Xeshir the tea as he sat down onto the bed. "I don't know what I did wrong last night, but I'd sure like to know..."

Leting out a groan, Crackle gradually opened his eyes. Looking around, he took stock of the situation. It appeared he was still in Stableton, which was a plus. At least he hadn't wandered off into the wasteland. However, he had no idea where in stableton he was. The sound of running water drew his attention, and he turned his head to see a brown unicorn stallion standing under a shower. he blinked a few times, having no memory of the pony whatsoever. gradually, he managed to form a coherent thought and directed it to the unicorn.

"...Well, you aren't the worst thing I've woken up to, although I must say my drunken self has some highly questionable preferencess... Where the hell am I?"

At this point, he heard a voice from the other side. Turning his head back the other way, he saw a striking black pegasus with distinctive neon-green zebra strips. Although he had never spoken with her before, he vaugly recalled seeing her at a different party a while ago, on the night he had first arrived in town.

"...I take that back, my drunk self has excelent taste. Hello to you too. Mind pointing me back to the bar? I think I left some stuff there..."

Arc's mind decided to go mercifully on him for a while, and remained vacant during the ice cold shower, leaving him with only the physical pain of being him at this precise moment in life.

His pondering on self-loathe was interrupted when a new voice talked to him. Arc opened his eyes and saw the griffin has woken up. Preferences? What is he... oh. Arc blinked, now having a response for this in his current state.

Nova appeared around the corner. Arc suddenly felt a new wave of panic wash over him, listening to what the griffin just said to her. Arc's hoof closed the valve and the water stopped falling. He patted to griffin on his shoulder and pointed his hoof.

"Take this street until you pass under a large pipe, then go straight, you shouldn't miss it."

Arc then shifted his look onto the black pegasus. A hint of blush showed on his face. "I... apologize for this, Nova. Is there anything I can do for you?" came out in a voice that tried to sound calm, but the nervousness behind it was very poorly masked.

Xeshir didn't say anything as Aquilinus entered the room, he accepted the teacup and silently drank from it as Aquilinus asked for an explanation. After a few moments of sipping the cup she sighted. "When I first arrived in Stableton, you where the first zebra I talked in that party, you where the first which I told a hint of my past and the first to become close to me as a brother..." She sipped the tea again and continued. "I guess you could say you were the first one I really trust...I never saw you as a lover, but, as I said before, a brother...And when I saw you in the bed..." She sighted and sipped her tea again. The message was clear, at least from her point of view.

Aquilinus sat and listened as Xeshir explained what had happened. When she said he was like a brother to her his mind just stopped, as his mind went blank he just stood up. Walking out the door he turned to face Xeshir, "I'm sorry that I'm not good enough to be a lover then." As he walked outside the room he quickly trotted into the living room and dropped his head down before hitting himself on the forehead. I shoulda known that she only saw me as a brother... I shouldn't have been so god damn sympathetic to her that night, now I'm like her brother and this just got annoyingly hard.

Nova raised a brow at the gryphon's statement, unable to stop her natural reflex to lightly blush. Still, when Arc came over and told the gryphon what he wished to know, Nova simply smiled and shrugged, not actually having a clue herself. Nova then turned to Arc, noticing both the blush and the nervousness. Nova smiles sheepishly once again as she tries to remember what she was after.

"Oh, I was just wondering if you have a shower?" Nova blushes brightly. "I... think I could use one."

Xeshir stared wide eyed at Aquilinus as he said those words. From Xeshir's point of view, lovers where something temporal, a one-night-stand where two got together and after it ran along with their lives. Was Aquilinus saying that he would have preferred to buck her once and then go on his merry way? She watched him leave the room still with the wide eyes, but when he finally left rage started to tale over her. Stupid, stupid, stupid. She thought as she returned to Arc's bed, trying to suppress the urge to get up and break Aquilinus legs. She almost got up and destroyed Arc's room to take some of the pressure off, but decided against it and just sat there, bottling it all up. Like she always did.

Aquilinus froze in his seat as the slow realization dawned on him. "oh crap..." Jumping up he ran as fast as he could to Arcs room where he slid into the door frame. "IDIDNTMEANITLIKETHAT!" He blurted out in one quick sentence as he curled up waiting for the inevitable beating she would give him.

Xeshir stared at Aquilinus as he broke into the room, rage filling her eyes. She slowly got off the bed and walked towards him.

1 minute later.

Xeshir panted as her beating ended. Aquilinus was covered in a fair share of bruises thanks to her kicks, bucks and hooves. She then finally lifted him, grunting as she noticed how heavy he was, and, standing on her rear legs, she heaved and threw him at the closed window, making the zebra buck break through it and land between Arc and Nova. Xeshir grunted and walked towards the couch, where she sat down and growled, the beating he gave Aquilinus diminishing some, but not all, of her rage towards him.

Aquilinus flailed as he felt himself being lifted up. He knew the beating was coming but he didn't see this, as he watched in horror he was tossed out the window. As he was flying through the air he tried to cover his vitals as best he could, as he landed on the ground he looked around and saw he was next to Arc and Nova. Getting up he coughed a bit, "Sorry for the window Arc..." limping off he walked back around to the front of the house. Opening the door a bit he paused and peeked in, seeing Xeshir on the couch he sighed as he stepped in. "I didn't mean what I said like I only wanted to have sex. I ment... ugh! I ment that I like you as more then a sister..." Sighing he collapsed on the floor as he shut his eyes, not even caring if she beat him more.

Arc watched Nova talk. Far too long. Few seconds after she asked, he kicked himself back into attention, flushing the thoughts on how cute that blush looked.

"Eh, yes. Shower, here," pointed Arc at the shower head and stepped away from it. "It's cold though. Probably good for tha-"

A zebra sailed in between them, followed by a shower of glass shards. Arc blinked in surprise at him when he got up. He had no response for him, so he just stared as he returned back into the building.

"Darn. My window," said Arc in an unfazed tone. "Seems... like they have a lot to talk about," Arc continued, talking to Nova. He looked down and pulled away all the shards from under the shower with his magic. "Don't want you to get cut. Or anypony else too, of course."

Crackle had just managed to get back on his talons as a zebra came smashing through the window. He merely watched with a stunned expression on his face as the battered buck trotted past him and back inside. And I thought my hangover was bad... After a moment he shook his head and gave a large, cat-like stretch. Deciding it would be best to get the buck out of dodge before it was his turn to go through a window, he quickly walked off and stretched out his wings, calling out a rapid "I-have-no-idea-what-the-buck-happened-last-night-but-it's-your-problem-now!" over his shoulder. Launching himself into the air, he proceeded to fly off in the general direction indicated by the unicorn.

Xeshir didn´t even turn around when she heard Aquilinus enter. She refused to hear him and only turned around to stare at him with cold, heartless eyes. "Cut the fucking chase Aquilinus." She spat. "Am I some sort of tool to you or something? Even after that promise?" She turned around and groaned in frustration. "I ought to wring your neck, you know..." She said while shaking a little bit.

Aquilinus slammed his hoof into his head as Xeshir spat back at him. Sighing again he looked up at her, "Xeshir... I never ment to use you ever. All I want is to be there for you and show you that not everyone from that camp is evil. I still don't know who I was but I know who I AM, and who I am is a zebra who wants to help you get over your past so you can live a better life tomorrow."

Nova was a little phased out as she watched several things happening at once. Firstly, when Aquilinus suddenly came sailing through the window, Nova jumped slightly, not having expected it. Ten, when the gryphon had flown off because of it, it left Nova looking seriously confused. Nova laughed sheepishly and rubbed the back of her head with a hoof, looking to Arc.

"Well... That was strange?"

Arc nodded. There was no better response for that in his state. Just... to nod.

"Well... since the griffin is gone and the zebra will probably find a window with intact pane to fly through next time, I think this place should be calm for a while. I'll let you shower in peace," said Arc with slight sheepish smile.

He started to trot back into the house, then stopped and turned around, a slight blush on his face. "That is, if there's anything else you might need. From me. I mean, something for breakfast. I mean, of course you want something for breakfast, but if it's anything specific?" he blurted out.

Xeshir kept her gaze away from Aquilinus. "I am very aware not everyone on the Legion was evil, and don't act like you're the only one, because you certainly aren't." She sighted. "If you really fucking care about me...Then just leave me alone." She didn't want to see Aquilinus. She could live her whole life without seeing him again and she would be fine. Or at least that was what she was thinking right now.

Aquilinus let out a sigh as he stood up, his voice sounding like he was about to break down he calmly tried to say to Xeshir, "I never ment to hurt you in any way and I never ment to hurt you." His voice gaining slowly a steely feel to it he slowly turned around and glanced over his shoulder, "But if you don't want to see me then so be it, I won't bother you again."

As he walked out he made sure to do his actions calmly as he was at Arcs house and not his own. Stepping out back he looked over to Arc and Nova, "I'm heading out, I'll see you two around town maybe." Walking past them he turned down the ally and started walking towards his house.

Nova nods and smiles sheepishly once more to Arc, before noticing Aquilinus approaching and nodding, understanding what he'd said. Nova then turned back to Arc, still sheepishly smiling.

"I think I'll be fine for now. As for breakfast, I'm okay with whatever you can put together."

Nova then trotted back around to the shower Arc had pointed to and turned on the water, finding it cold but not unreasonably so.

Arc nodded towards Aquilinus as he left the house. "O-Ok, see you later?" he stammered out, slightly derailed. He watched the zebra trot away on the street leading away from the house. Few whiles later he took it around a corner of another house, vanishing from where Arc could see.

Well... they might not had that much to say to each other then, thought Arc as he turned away from the road and back towards Nova. He intended to ask if there was anything else he could do. He looked at the mare, the water already flowing down on her, her mane already wet, copying the curve of her neck and upper back. Arc watched for three seconds, vibrantly blushed with eyes opened wide, turned around and trotted away back into the house, looking like he was in a dream.

Arc opened the house door and walked back in. He glanced at Xeshir, seeming gloomy, brooding over something. He decided to let her be with her own thoughts and trotted across the living room in silence. He entered the kitchen again, walked to the pre-war refrigerator he managed to get working again, and opened it, peeking inside. Shit. The refrigerator looked like a band of raiders decided to roll into it and went very liberal with privatization of the contents inside. No, wait... scratch that one Arc. Raiders would never leave things THIS clean of... anything. Lets just hope that... Arc closed the fridge and looked into the small cupboard standing next to it. Yessss... thank Celestia for small favours. The cupboard contained several freshly grown pears and apples, courtesy of the hydroponic farm of Stableton. Arc intended to place them in the fridge, but in all the commotion of preparing for the party yesterday, he forgot to.

Arc took them and sliced into quarters. Then he stopped and though. It was precious and rare thing, and expensive as well... but he had amends to make. Arc fished slicing the fruits and lined them on a tray. Then he stuck his head into the cupboard and came out with a salt shaker. His magic picked it from his mouth and and sprinkled several of the apple quarters with brown dust from the shaker. Arc lightly sniffed the cinnamon dust that filled the air and contently sighed.

He trotted from the kitchen and set the tray on the coffee table in front on the sofa, trying to be as silent as he could. "If you want, some... fruit, Xeshir," said Arc silently as he sat in the armchair with another cup of tea.

Xeshir looked at Arc with a slightly confused expression as he offered her fruit. She simply nodded and grabbed one of the pear slices while still thinking about Aquilinus. Had she made a mistake? Was he speaking the truth? Ugh, so many thoughts, so little time. She absently-minded chewed on the slice when suddenly her taste buds declared this the best damn thing she had tasted since Cram Shanklets.

Xeshir stayed frozen for a few seconds, enjoying the taste of this delightful fruit called pear, before grabbing another slice and nibbling on it. This didn't make the situation she was in different, but at least it made her smile a little. "Thanks Arc..." She said.