Fung brightened considerably at the reminder.
"Ah, yes!  I was going to get...oh."
His ears drooped when he turned back in the direction he had originally come from to find the stall he had intended to visit had closed during their conversation.
"No harm done, I suppose.  I will just have to get it in the morning."
Something about how he says it makes it seem like he doesn't enjoy the thought at all.

He brushes the dejected look off when he looks back to Moonsong.
"I must apologize.  You seemed a little uncomfortable earlier, and I did not have a chance to alleviate the tension."

Moonsong smiles in understanding as she recognises the expression the kirin wears; she doesn't look too thrilled to not be able to finish her shopping, either.  "If you want, I can share some of my groceries with you?"  The mare offers her grocery list as she speaks.  Each item on the damp paper that has been purchased has a small check next to it, but only a third the roster of foods have been checked off.

At the apology, Moonsong offers another little shrug and a smile.  "It's...  It's alright.  I wasn't expecting...  Well, when grocery shopping in the rain I guess I didn't expect to have so much company?"  She finishes as though asking a question and scuffs a hoof against the soaking ground.

"Absolutely not.  I'll not have you suffer for my poor time management.  I have enough to get through to tomorrow, at the very least.  If anything, I should be making it up to you for distracting you needlessly."
Though he refused, Fung was impressed by her selflessness.  It wasn't often you met a pony who was willing to go hungry because another had acted foolishly.  Unfortunately, Fung couldn't really follow up on his own declaration of fault.  He didn't have anything he could give her, and it was just too late in the day for him to suggest something else.

Hrm.  Unless...looking at her grocery list, Fung gets a thoughtful look.
"I believe I may have an idea.  If I am not mistaken, I believe I have most of these items that you're missing at my home.  And judging from what you've already purchased, I would be more than capable of cooking a meal large enough for both of us.  This way, neither of us need go hungry.  And I would be more than able to replace what you lost in the morning once the stalls have reopened."

"It wouldn't be that bad,"  Moonsong replies in light protest.  Even with only half her groceries to take home, the mare would be so much better off than she presently is.  As Fung Shui continues, Moonsong listens thoughtfully and with surprise, then amused delight.  "If you'll let me help you cook, then I'd be happy to share with you."  Her previous timidness is still there in the friendly request, but the mare is warming up rapidly now that she doesn't feel quite so surrounded.  "I could meet you here in the morning, too?  I need to finish my shopping anyway, and we could help each other cut down on the time it will take."

Fung answered her a with a quick nod and a small grin.  Somehow, Moonsong's stipulation that she be allowed to help cook makes him curious to see if her cooking is as good as her singing.
"It's agreed then.  Shall I bring the food to your home, or would you prefer to come to mine?  I will admit, my home is rather sparse in terms of amenities, but it should suit our purpose well enough."
Though he made light of it, Fung actually found himself a little anxious about the state of his loft home.  He'd always lived in a bit of a spartan environment, and didn't like having a lot of belongings about compared to some other ponies.

She considers for a moment before laughing in embarrassment.  "To tell the truth, my apartment is only recently unpacked.  It's pretty tidy, but I'd have to say it's probably fairly sparse too."  Moonsong admits, then goes on:  "I certainly don't mind to host our dinner, though.  It's probably as clean now as it will ever likely be."  She pauses just long enough to realise that her words have likely made her seem like a complete slob and hastily continues, stammering in her rush.  "Not that I don't c-clean!  I try to be tidy, just m-maybe not as much as my parents always are."

The bat-pegasus mare stops her rambling before it can get too far away from her, and instead scuffs the wet ground with a hoof once more.

Fung allowed himself a silent chuckle at Moonsong's flustered attempt to recover from her gaff, though he hadn't actually assumed that she was particularly slovenly at all.  In fact, judging from her rather fastidious personal appearance, Fung judged that she was probably quite cleanly.
"Not to worry, Moonsong.  I am certain your home will be more than sufficient.  And, in that case, I should hasten to my own home to gather the rest of our supplies."

He turned to make his way to his studio, but stopped when he realized he didn't actually know where she was living.  Coughing lightly to mask his slip-up, he smiled sheepishly.
"Or, perhaps you had better give me some directions first.  I don't believe I know where to find your home."

She nods in response to Fung Shui's words, and when he turned to go she very nearly did as well.  In fact it seemed as though she realised right about the same time as the kirin that he'd have a devil of a time finding her again without some sort of directions, and she looks almost as abashed for not thinking of giving them outright as he looks sheepish over not initially asking.

"If you fly straight in that direction it's hard to miss.  It's a small cluster of three apartments and mine is in the middle.  I'll keep the balcony door open for you unless the rain picks up."  Moonsong points with the tip of one briefly extended wing, its leathery surface glossy with the rain, and as she folds it to her back again the mare quietly laughs.  "I'll set some towels out, too."

---> Enters from TARDIS

Peeking out of the ally, Loose Leaf was thankful that the rain had subsided a bit. She closed her umbrella saddle and entered into the main road. Now that she thought about it, she hadn't gotten any of the decor browsing she had intended to do.

"Drat," she mumbled, looking about at all the closed shops. At least she got to see the inside of the Doctor's home. It had been WELL worth it.

Fung follows Moonsong's outstretched wing and marked the direction with a practiced eye.  One had to be good with sensing direction when flying out to sea was a common occurrence.  Satisfied that he could find her apartment, he nodded once in self-affirmation.
"Thank you, I think towels may be a necessity at this point.  I- Oh!"

By chance, Fung happened to notice that the pony from earlier, Loose Leaf, had suddenly returned.  She looked just as downcast at the closed stalls as he and Moonsong had been.  Still curious, he waved a cloven hoof in her direction.
"Hello again.  I see you survived your strange rendezvous."
That was Fung being polite.  He wasn't sure what he'd say if he wasn't being polite, but it would probably be in pretty poor taste.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I did... you guys are still out here?" Loose Leaf asked, pointing at the two. "It felt like hours in there."

For a moment, the mare wondered if the strange phone booth held it's own space and time dimension or something crazy. Though at this point, it wasn't exactly a far-fetched notion. She had seen quite a lot of "crazy" this evening, and figured it was better not to question them.

Her deep train of thought was cut off by a rumble in her stomach. She blushed and looked down at herself.

"Hush," she mumbled, hoping the other two hadn't heard her speak to it.

Nodding happily as the kirin clearly seems to find her slight directions sufficient, she's giggling a bit at his response to her offer of towels and blithely replying before she realises his attention has wandered.  "I should have brought one with me--you never know when you'll need a towel, after all."  As her words finish the bat-pegasus is half-turning to spot Loose Leaf as Fung waves to her, and she offers a friendly smile to the other mare.

"It's only been a few moments,"  Moonsong assures, though she does throw a surreptitious glance at the sky just to be sure that that time hasn't progressed further than she'd noticed.  She glanced back to Loose Leaf and almost asked about the sound before her own stomach, perhaps prompted by a fellow empty digestive tract, rumbled in soft protest.  Moonsong coughs softly to try to hide the sound, then looks to Fung with a silent question on her expressive face--to invite the hungry artist to dinner so that the three of them could share?

The mare found herself suddenly unsure as to whether or not she should have even posed the question.  Would it be rude?  Would it be rude not to invite Loose Leaf?  Fretting over the matter, Moonsong suddenly finds the squelching ground at her hooves to be fascinating in the hopes that Fung Shui will know the proper answer.

As her stomach grumbled, Loose Leaf peered around. Indeed, there was not a single vender of any kind open. Drat. No she regretted not socking up on cheap rations the day prior, or perhaps raiding her parent's pantry before moving (they wouldn't have mind too much, as their steadier jobs kept them and the lil' man fed). She wasn't so lucky.

"I see you guys didn't get much food either," she started eyeing their groceries in an attempt to make small talk. "There, uh, isn't anyone open this late is there? I mean, I'm sorry to cut into your conversation, but I sort of need to figure out my dinner plans."

Loose Leaf let out an embarrassed laughed and her stomach rumbled along.

The growling of Loose Leaf's stomach threw Fung off kilter for a moment, and he was unsure of how to respond without sounding rude.  When Moonsong's followed suit, however, he let out a laugh at the coincidence.  He also took notice of her sudden interest in her shuffling feet, and gave himself a mental nod.
"Well, I'm sorry to say that I don't think any other food vendors are left open for you to make purchases from.  However..."

Fung motioned between himself and Moonsong as he continued speaking.
"Moonsong and I were just discussing how to overcome out own dinner difficulties this evening.  If you'd like, you're more than welcome to join us.  We are all in somewhat the same predicament."
If nothing else, Fung knew how to be gracious and hospitable.  That smile could probably put an angry Chimera at ease.

"R-really?" Loose Leaf asked, obviously over-joyed by the idea. "I... I mean uhm... well uhm... I don't have any food to contribute."

She made an embarrassed smile at the two. She knew Moonsong well enough, and a part of her knew that the exotic pony would have no problem with her joining them for dinner. At the very least, she could pay her back with some art, or a job, or maybe - just maybe - make her dinner. The kirin, on the other hand, was a much different story.

Remembering the way he had eyed her peircings, Loose Leaf wasn't really sure how she stood with him. He seemed like a nice enough stallion, and he had offered for her to come along... still, she felt a bit bad mooching off of him. Actually, she felt bad mooching off of both of them, but at least she knew Moonsong would forgive her.

"Uhm, maybe I could help cook? Or anything else? I don't want to be dead weight or anything..."

Moonsong smiles happily as the kirin invites Loose Leaf to join them, though when the artist makes her uncertain protests she shakes her head slightly.  "We were going to share in the cooking, so I don't see why you couldn't help.  My kitchen might be a little small for the three of us, but maybe it'll be more fun that way."  She giggles softly as she speaks, then continues a bare pause later.  "You could either go with Fung Shui to help him gather his things, or you could come with me and help me tidy a little?"

"Well, I guess I'll go help Fung. Might be hard for him to get to your place without somepony who can fly. Besides, I don't really want to be in your way while you clean. Might as well make myself useful," Loose Leaf started. "you know, help him get his stuff. I mean, if that's alright with you."

Loose Leaf turned to the Kirin, waiting for his answer. Although she wasn't going to admit it, part of the reason for wanting to go with the unique stallion was because he was just that. Already, she was picturing what kind of modeling he might be able to do for her, if she had the time to talk him into it. If she played her cards right, she might even be able to sell a commission to him!

At the very least get some form of odd job. She couldn't mooch of her friend's cooking forever.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:34, Mon 13 Aug 2012.

Though one of his eyebrows quirked at Loose Leaf's comment that he would need a pony who could fly, Fung didn't correct her.  In fact, he almost seemed to be smiling.  It was clear from her earlier reaction to him that she'd never met a Kirin before, so he let the slight pass.
"Wakatta, understood, you'll assist me then.  With three mouths to feed, though, I would say time is of the essence.  We will meet at your house then, Moonsong.  Loose Leaf, if you would follow me..."

Wasting no more time, Fung trotted off at a leisurely pace that would allow Loose Leaf time to make a polite farewell and still catch up.  Of course, Fung was wasting a little bit of time because he wasn't flying yet.  He was still feeling a bit above the clouds from the race, and he felt like having a bit of fun at Loose Leaf's expense.

The mare starts to open her mouth to suggest that the kirin can fly, but when Fung doesn't make mention of it himself she lets the matter go.  Perhaps Loose Leaf didn't see the amazing star-chase between Fung Shui and Rainbow Dash, but Moonsong is at the moment already thinking about what potential messes she might have left behind in her apartment.  "I'll see the two of you shortly!"

She waves to Fung and smiles to Loose Leaf, and though the bat-pegasus means to give a moment for the other mare to reply, she seems otherwise quite eager to take wing and get out of the wet.

"Oh! Uh, ok, wait uh... hold on," Loose Leaf stammered, trying to sort herself at the pace the other two - especially Fung - were moving at. Her head was still in a bit of a daze after spending so much time in the Doctor's weird, not-so-little phone booth. A part of her felt like it was still trying to turn back an internal clock to re-calibrate the time difference she swore she felt. There was no time for lofty, mind tinkering now! Besides, she sort of figured it would be in vain.

Making sure not to slosh in any puddles, Loose Leaf trotted towards the Kirin, calling back to Moonsong her farewells and "see you soons". She followed the strangely jocund stallion. She raised her one pierced eyebrow at him a bit, because it seemed oddly out of character, even though he was a stranger. Looking at him a bit closer, Loose Leaf could have sworn she had seen him before. Bah, the notion was fairly impossible. At least she figured.

"Whatchu' so happy about?" Loose Leaf asked with a friendly smile.

"Hrm?  Oh!"
Fung is a bit surprised to find that he'd been smiling a bit too openly and caught the young pegasi's attention with his exuberance.  His mane bounced a bit as he bobbed his head at the thought of why he was happy.
"Well.  I suppose it's because I just lost a race."
The backwardness of that statement was almost enough to make Fung chuckle aloud, but he settled for a continuation of the happy smile.  He figured she would want a little more information than that, so he went more in depth.

"Before the Emperor selected me as the Ambassador to Equestria, I was rather prominent in Neighpon as an Arashi no Katsushi.  Competitions were fierce.  Honor was always on the line, and personal affluence as well.  The fact that I did as well as I did was partly due to my Mark."
He motioned idly at his flank, where the mark was.
"Since coming to Ponyville, I haven't really competed much as I did in the past.  To do so again, even losing, was nostalgic.  Enjoyable even."

"Oh, well I guess that makes sense, even though I have absolutely no idea what a... uhm..." Loose Leaf made a face as she tried to pronounce the foreign word. "Ah-rye-shee no Cat-sushi..."

It didn't sound that great of a tittle. Of course, it sounded a bit cooler and much less stupid when he said it. Loose Leaf blushed a bit at her inability to pronounce it properly. She figured it was better not to try again and butcher it any further. She wondered what that even meant. Sounded like some sort of sport, he did say competition.

But then again, he said sushi.
Maybe it was some sort of chef title? Or maybe the sport was like... sword fighting, but instead of fighting another pony, you fought giant fish! Oh wow, that sounded cool. Wait no, that didn't make any sense either. He had mentioned something about a race and it being nostalgic. It must have something to do with that then. Race... race... why did that seem so familiar. She hadn't seen any race recently. No wait, there was that one earlier. Granted she didn't watch it, but everypony their was. She remembered going to try to sell some art... FUNG SHUI!

Loose Leaf suddenly stopped in the street and pulled out her sketchbook, flipping though the pages ferociously. How could she be so stupid! Forgetful! Some other synonym that she was too stupid to even think of at the moment. He was that stallion guy! The one at the race!

Just as she had thought, on one of the pages of her sketchbook, right after the one of Rainbow dash, was a posed sketch of Fung Shui with his name sprawled across the bottom and Loose Leaf's signature.

"Sweet Celestia..." Loose Leaf mumbled, slapping her hoof to her face a bit. Now she was officially embarrassed. Awesome Loose Leaf. So very awesome.

Moonsong pauses a moment to watch the pair depart, then eagerly takes wing toward her home.  She doesn't mind the rain so much once she's in the air, but the mare does worry that the gem dust Rarity had so kindly brushed into her mane is going to drip away with the water.

>>To Residential District: Moonsong's Home>>

Oblivious to the fantastical voyage her mind was taking in search of some kind of meaning behind what he'd said, Fung continued on talking in response to her confusion.
"I believe in Equestrian Arashi no Katsushi translates to 'Storm Skater'.  Not as illustrious, I feel, but adequate.  It's a little hard to describe if you have not seen it in person but-

Fung cuts off when Loose Leaf suddenly stops and begins flipping through her drawings.  He watched, curious to see what she was suddenly so desperate to find, and leaned in over her shoulder when she finally stopped.  His brow arched in surprise to find a surprisingly accurate and well done sketch of himself.
"This is quite well done, Loose Leaf!  I am surprised you had enough time to sketch this."
He noticed her holding her face in her hand and finally did allow himself a chuckle.
"Forgive me, but I could not help but have a bit of fun at your expense."

Looking up at Fung Shui, she couldn't help but look confused. Really confused.
"What do you mean?" she asked, stealthily sneaking the sketchbook back into her bag before it got wet. In fact, the drops were starting to come down again, and she really wanted to move before everything on her got soaking wet. "Here, let's head to your place and we can finish talking their. Moonsong is waiting. Then you can inform me all about the apparent fun you've been having at my expense."

With that, Loose Leaf smiled and started trotting back in the direction they had been heading. Mostly, she just didn't want him to see how red she had become over her little... forgetful moment. That, and she could never help but be giddy when somepony complimented her work, especially when it was of themselves. A lot of ponies tended to be critics of themselves, and usually didn't enjoy any artistic casualties in their portraits.

<--- Exit to Fung's Studio
This message was last edited by the player at 04:11, Tue 14 Aug 2012.