Diamond Tiara just let out a breath she didn't know she was holding in as she stepped down.  Being in a portrait was exhausting!  She hoped that Miss Loose Leaf would be able to finish some day soon, not in years like one of the fabled 'masters'.  Still, she was able to relax as she got herself down, and that left her willing to not question the artist's methods for now.  Daddy was still paying her, and she seemed nice enough, so there was no reason to jump to conclusions just yet...

"You want to take a look Diamond Tiara?" Loose Leaf asked as the filly stepped down from her seat. "I should be able to finish it in a day or two at the most, but the first layer is done. Just have to let it dry now."

If and when Diamond Tiara did come over to the painting, she would find that the painting almost looked done on some level. Seemed odd to be adding more after the way it already looked, both her and her father's faces beaming in each other's presence on the canvas, their outfits surprisingly coordinated, perhaps a slight tint to add to the effect. Loose Leaf had stayed as realistic as possible, forgoing her usual technique of lengthening the bodies and abstracting the faces as she did in many of her more personal pieces. It was really like looking into a picture, but much more richer in color and atmosphere. If she looked closely enough, Diamond Tiara could see the small brushes of her paint over the canvas, small dabs of colors working into the larger picture to create more.

"Thank you." Diamond Tiara was quick to have a look.  When she did, her eyes widened and she quickly took a step back, before leaning in closer to get a better look. "That's...amazing.  How did you do all this so fast, and it's not even done?!?"

At least the artist wouldn't have to worry about dashing the filly's hopes!  That smile couldn't be ruined by all but the worst knowledge.

Loose Leaf blushed a bit. "Well, years of training. Draw every day, took every art class I could, still practice all the time," she said, tucking away tubes of her paint. She had been saving them for a special occasion after her father bought them for her, but she had figured painting Filthy Rich and his daughter had been more than a worth wile breaking in of the new oil paints. "Art is my special talent, I'd like to think I'm rather good at it," she laughed.

"But I'm really, really glad you like it. It means a lot to me." Loose Leaf smiled genuinely down at Diamond Tiara, almost as excited about it as the filly was. After all, this was what it was all about, and Loose Leaf had to admit that now and then she forgot that, sipping veggi noodles in a cramped shack with no money or recognition to her name. Even today her and Rarity had discussed the joys of fame and fortune. But now, even as Loose Leaf had a check in her bag that would keep her comfortable for at least a little while, the look on Diamond Tiara's face when she saw her painting... now THAT was what made it worth it. That was why she picked up art in the first place. She silently thanked Diamond Tiara for helping her remember that.

Diamond Tiara nodded and repeated her thank you.  She said nothing else, at least for the moment, clearly humbled by the artist's dedication and skill.

When the time came to finally move again, Filthy Rich took a few moments to stretch out his limbs and work some feeling back into his rump.  He was rather pleased to see how keenly interested in the painting Diamond Tiara was... he hadn't always pegged her for having an eye for the arts, but was happy to indulge her wherever he could in such a worthy field.  He himself was a great patron to artistic Ponies in and around the area.  The thought of his daughter following in his hoof steps warmed him.

"I think it's a fine start, Miss Loose Leaf.  Now I'm more eager than ever to see the finished piece." the stallion chuckled as he spied the base of the painting himself.  Was his chin really that squared?

It was just then that Miss Peppermint stepped demurely into the den and cleared her throat to gather attention her way.  "Dinner is served.  The first course is Soupe d'Hiver, followed by a Saláta Pastináki.  Our main course is a baked Rigatoni Pomodoro with assorted heirloom tomatoes.  The dessert course is a light strawberry Castella cake, prepared in a Neighponese style."

"I see Toque Blanche has been globe trotting with his cookbooks again." Filthy Rich said with a laugh over the variety of dishes.  Of course, he trusted their live-in chef implicitly when it came to making sure all the dishes blended well with one another.  He looked to Loose Leaf again.  "Will you be joining us for dinner?"

"I love the way he does tomatoes," Diamond Tiara muttered, looking at Loose Leaf and wondering if she'd stay...or go.  She seemed like a nice enough pony, even when she wasn't being an artist.

"Please stay.  You deserve a good meal for such good work."

"Are you kidding? I'm starving! I wouldn't want to pass up a good meal like this one for any..."

There was a moment where Loose Leaf stood in Filthy Rich's living room, stone. Dead. Frozen. Her eyes bulged into saucers, making her look reminiscent of a sad puppy dog but dazed and very confused. She just stood there a couple of minutes, staring at nothing utterly specific in the room as her mind sloshed around in its thought juices for a moment.

Neighpon made desert? Neighpon? Kirin? Fung Shiiiiiii...

"Oh no..." the blank husk that had once been the great artist Loose Leaf said. Fung Shui. She was supposed to go to his dance studio for a free lesson today when she got off work. The clock in front of her dinged to the evening and her blood drained from her face. Summersong had closed forever ago! He was probably waiting for her.

No, wait, this is Fung Shui we're talking about here Loose Leaf. He probably forgot also, considering how busy he gets. And even so, he was her friend and an accomplished guy. He knew how important her work was to her, and he certainty knew the limited number of bits she had. She needed this job. How important it was to her. She would explain and no doubt he would understand. And here THE Filthy Rich was offering her dinner! A dinner where she could not only dine on luxurious food, but also talk about art, and maybe even become friends! She could show him her portfolio. Show him some of her work that wasn't portraits. Her personal work. The work that nopony seemed to care about. If she stayed with him, there could be a whole world opened up to her. A new friendship. Fung Shui would understand that. He barely tolerated her anyways. The whole thing at the dance studio was just the result of banter. It wasn't as important as this opportunity. It just wasn't.

"I'm sorry mister Rich," Loose Leaf said evenly. "But I promised a friend that I would see him tonight, and I was so busy with my work that it completely slipped my mind. I'll have to take a rain check on this dinner if you allow me."

Loose Leaf passed a sad glance over to Diamond Tiara. "Sorry, but I can't stay, but I'll come back tomorrow and finish up the painting. It needs to dry overnight and I can't move it until it does. I really, really am sorry. I was really looking forward to eating with you two."

She took a deep breath and finished putting all of her stuff in her satchel as she spoke to them, waited for their answers, and helped herself to the front door as civil as possible.

It wasn't until she was outside the door of the Manor, that Loose Leaf kicked it into a panicked high gear, frustrated at her own stupidity and the opportunity she might have passed up on.

<---Exit to Fung Shui's Studio

Diamond Tiara nodded as Loose Leaf accepted, but looked sad as she ran off (though she did speak a polite good bye).  She understood why Loose Leaf had to leave, of course.  If Meadow Lark or Silver Spoon needed her help, she'd jump to help them...

One did need her help!  And like brave Miss Loose Leaf, she could do that, too!

"Daddy, if he wanted to, could Meadow Lark come over sometime?" Though she surely knew that just about anypony among her friends could come over, she looked from left to right quickly as she made the request.

While Filthy Rich was a bit disappointed that Loose Leaf had to run off in such a hurry, he understood priorities better than most and wished her a good evening.  The painting would remain where it stood until they were all ready to continue it the following evening.

"My, but she was in a rush..." the stallion chuckled softly as he turned to head down the hall with his daughter and servants in tow, eager for dinner himself.  When Diamond Tiara asked about her friend, he smiled and nodded.  "Of course, princess.  So long as it's alright with Merriweather, he can come over whenever he likes.  You know your friends are always welcome to visit."

Frankly, Filthy Rich was just happy that the two even were friends at all.  Having the two spend time together at the Moon Raising was a bit of a gamble, but it all seemed to pay off in the end.  His daughter was really showing a lot of emotional maturity as of late and he felt that having more friends would only be a boon for her.  "I'm glad you two are getting along so well.  I... I was actually thinking; perhaps we should have a little get together one of these evenings?  We could invite Meadow Lark and Merriweather over for dinner."  He noticed Miss Peppermint subtly hide a wry grin behind her hoof and coughed, adding:  "Silver Spoon and her family as well -- goodness knows I haven't had a chance to catch up with the Silvers in ages."
This message was last edited by the player at 22:30, Thu 10 Jan 2013.

"That would be very nice, daddy.  Meadow Lark wanted to play some music, and Merriweather doesn't like him doing it in the cafe..." Diamond Tiara nodded his way, smiling softly. "And get togethers are always fun."

That was a relief to hear.  Filthy Rich knew that Diamond Tiara liked the soirees that were sometimes held in their home, though normally they were for the sake of business and there weren't many opportunities to just enjoy the company of friends.  The notion left him with a smile as he took his seat at the table and flared out his napkin while the first course of dinner was served up.

"Good, good." he nodded and couldn't help but hesitate a moment before he spoke again.  "Princess... what do you think of Miss Merriweather?  I know the two of you haven't exactly gotten a lot of time to get to know each other or anything, but what are your first impressions?" he chanced asking and hoped that she wouldn't hold the disciplinarian meeting they'd first met in against her.

Diamond Tiara stopped suddenly as her father asked her such a deep and sideways question.  Usually, though he asked her opinions on quite a few things, he never really needed her opinion on other ponies.  He was usually a good judge of character after all.  Then again, it was sometimes hard to tell her father's angle with things...after all, he was a businesspony and being forthright wasn't always the way to solve problems.

She took a moment to prepare herself for dinner, thinking over the question posed to her. "She's...scary, really.  Even when she's smiling, I can only really think of how...strong she is...but...it's not like she's mean about it..."

After all, most of her interactions with Merriweather were through other ponies...or staring into eyes that could make Princess Celestia whimper...

Ah... he'd been afraid of that.  It was true that Merriweather could be frightening due to her size, scars, and severe attitude.  Filthy Rich took a moment to sip at his bowl of delicious soup and dwell on the matter before he spoke up again.  "I know she can seem fairly intimidating, but you don't think badly of her, do you?  She used to be a royal guard, remember?  That means the reason she's strong is because she was protecting Ponies, or the Princesses."

 Diamond Tiara shrank away from the question, at first.  However, as she sipped at her soup, she realized that the question seemed so out of place.  Why did it matter if she liked one adult or another?  As long as she behaved herself and Miss Merriweather didn't hurt her, it didn't matter.  Armed with her own question, she found new confidnece  "Why does it matter, anyway?  I'm not mean to her, she's not mean to me...you said we all have to be nice to ponies we might not like that much, right?"

"Well... don't you agree that it would be better if we could all get along?  Friendship is better than mere tolerance, isn't it?" Filthy Rich advised, though he otherwise left the matter alone.  It wasn't like he needed to press his daughter on that line of questioning... particularly since he wasn't quite sure how far he intended to go on it himself.  Some things just needed a bit more time to develop.

"Maybe...but it's not like I need to be Miss Merriweather's friend.  That's something you're already doing, right?" Diamond Tiara slipped just enough accusation in there to make her uncertainty on that matter plain too.  After all, if a matter was unsafe for her, it was also unsafe for her father...and Merriweather stepped around a line that had dangerous written all over it.  She just didn't cross it enough to show her true self...

Filthy Rich coughed softly to clear his throat and silently took a moment to compile his thoughts.  Well... he was always urging his daughter to be a critical thinker.  Nice to see she took the lessons to heart, even if she was using it on him at the moment.

"I just want to make sure there's no bad blood between the two of you.  She seems to think you're quite a nice filly, after all." he explained simply between sips at his appetizer.

"She does?" Diamond Tiara nibbled at the appetizer, her interest piqued.  It didn't at all seem like Merriweather to be nice and think nice ponies were nice, but it also didn't seem like Meadow Lark to be deeper than stealing and wanting his Cutie Mark.  "Well, I don't not like her, like I said, Daddy...but..."

Stopping mid-sentence, she looked at the stallion, stopping her partaking of the meal. "I didn't know you talked to Merriweather, Daddy."

She couldn't see her father's true intent, of course, but the little girl could pick up some of the lessons he didn't teach her directly, like poking through the subtleties of conversation and seeing what others want.  Appleoosa had taught her a bit about that...

"A bit, yes.  She makes excellent coffee and I've been dropping by the cafe for a cup when I head out to work.  That's how I met Miss Loose Leaf and organized the portrait.  She's a waitress at the cafe."  the stallion explained.  It wasn't the entire truth and he shot the maids a look when two of them couldn't help but giggle softly in the corner.  Naturally Filthy Rich had nothing at all to hide, especially not from his own daughter, but he just wasn't quite ready to delve into that particular topic just yet.

"Naturally we get to chatting, and seeing as how our children are by far the most important things in our lives, it's no surprise you and Meadow Lark are often the topic of conversation." he said with a flattering smile.  Quite true, that.  He never missed a chance to brag about his darling daughter and she knew it.  So did all their friends.  And his co-workers.  And his employees.  And the foreign partners...
This message was last edited by the player at 03:01, Sat 19 Jan 2013.

"Hm." Diamond Tiara could help but smile and get back to her meal for a little while.  The maid's reactions were a little curious, too, but she could always grill them later.  She knew, of course, that they'd probably not give all of the story.  They might give some of the story or even none of it.  There were quite a few things that some of them talked about that were 'I'll tell you when you're older' kind of subjects...

Her mind started to wander back to Meadow Lark as the meal went on, and she started to think about Meadow Lark and what he said at the schoolhouse.  As she went back to her meal at last, she whispered, "he's not the most important thing in her life..."

[Day 9]

Diamond Tiara woke up peacefully that morning, feeling warm and comfortable in her sheets.  As she rose up, she quickly headed to get ready.  It wasn't school and she wouldn't have done all of her homework anyway, seeing as a lot of it isn't fun and her book report is already mostly done anyway...

Naturally Diamond Tiara was assisted in her morning routine, like always.  As per Filthy Rich's instructions the servants didn't do everything for the filly, but they certainly made life a lot easier for her.  They prepared her bath, got all her accessories set out for her, tidied up her room and bed while she was out, had meals ready and waiting... really, most of what she did were things she chose to do for herself.

As the filly went through the paces of getting ready, Miss Peppermint was at her side the whole time along with a clip board tucked in her wing.  "Your itinerary is rather lax today, Lady Diamond.  Your father will be off in Manehatten on business later today and will be returning tomorrow morning.  You still have a meeting with Miss Loose Leaf for another painting session this evening before dinner, which your father has trusted you to handle accordingly in his absence.  There is also the matter of your diction and enunciation lessons after lunch.  Also --"

The Pegasus was cut off by the sound of voices echoing up from down in the foyer.  Familiar voices at that... bickering too.  Peppermint giggled softly at the noise and shook her head.  "-- Pennyworth wanted me to tell you that your friends have injected themselves into your schedule as well.  Silver Spoon and Meadow Lark showed up a little earlier.  I trust we can pencil in a playdate today?"

Diamond Tiara nodded to Peppermint as she went through the other things.  They were standard and normal things.  Besides, it cultivated an all too adult persona if she took the issues of the day in stride with minimum comment and complaint (and it made it easier to concentrating on doing what she could to speed up the getting ready process).

"Yes, Ms. Peppermint, I suppose I can find just a little time for my friends today.  Thank Pennyworth for bringing this cruc-cal matter to my attention." Nodding one last time, she gave Ms. Peppermint an affectionate nuzzle before heading off to see her friends.  Her mane had been left hanging loosely and her tiara had been left behind, but she seemed to forget that in her attempts to be grown up.  Standing tall and trying to look regal, she walked out to greet Silver Spoon and Meadow Lark.  Whether they knew it or not, they were about to be in the presence of somepony whose majesty was undeniable!
This message was last edited by the player at 01:33, Wed 13 Feb 2013.

Miss Peppermint held up a professional air and expression as long as she could manage, but Diamond Tiara's quick nuzzle broke her stoicness with a sweet smile.  She hugged the girl with a curl of her wing and sent her off to play while she tidied up in her wake.  It was times like those that made her wish for children of her own... but watching after Diamond Tiara was a good enough alternative for now.

Downstairs, Diamond Tiara would come upon her friends standing in the foyer having an 'energetic discussion' with each other.  Amazingly, Meadow Lark's unruly mane had been brushed back into a tidy slick not unlike the one Filthy Rich usually wore.

"I'm just saying, it wouldn't kill you to use a little mane gel every now and then." Silver Spoon rolled her eyes at the grimace the boy made in return.

"Your braid's so tight it must be cutting off bloodflow to your brain." the Pegasus grumbled.  Given that Pennyworth was nearby, it seemed as though the Butler had something to do with Meadow Lark actually looking presentable for once.