Starcrasher nodded. She just hoped she could still have her job back, nevermind the new assistant Quill had hired. She'd leave that explanation to the small dragon.

- "Completely understood. I'll be back soon... Wait, last time i said that i said i'd be back by lunch. Eh, won't be gone for long this time."

She took the umbrella in a hoof before heading off to walk outside, closing the door behind her before heading off in the direction Quill had pointed her in. She hadn't expected there to be a library in Ponyville, though going by that somepony lived there she guessed it had to be the size of a modified living room at best, nowhere near the size of a library back in Canterlot.

--> To: Ponyville Residential District - Books and Branches Library -->

<<< FROM: Games & Tables Game Store

Widget lowered his head as he and Twilight came to the door of his workshop home, the latch inside sliding up and pushing open for them right away. "After you," he said brightly to Twilight as he stepped aside for her. There was a mat for which to wipe your hooves on just inside, next to the umbrella stand and one of his many work desks. The place did have a different appearance than it did before - apparently, Quill had been doing his work, at least for the most part.

"Quill! Star!" he called into the empty workshop behind Twilight, almost absently wiping off his hooves and pulling off his damp vest to hang up near an ancient cast iron stove that had been converted to serve as a fireplace. His glasses lenses were nearly white from the fog... Leaning down, he tapped the tip of his horn to the iron belly, causing fire to flicker to life within. "That's better..." he mumbled softly, pulling off his glasses magically and rubbing them with a cloth on the mantle, the lenses too fogged up from the rain to see much of anything inside the workshop.

<-- Entering from Games and Tables Game Store

Twilight's magical umbrella faded away once the both of them were inside, leaving the water that had bee on its surface to splatter away outside.  She closed the door in their wake and took a moment to look around the place -- it did indeed look rather different with Quill's obvious activity about.

"Looks like you got some mail." she noted as she peered at the shipping crates that had been delivered earlier that day.  However, her attention was drawn to a sprawled mess of tape, string, cardboard, and other components trailed along the floor.  What in the world?

Quill was back in the kitchen when the pair arrived - after all, one slice of toast is never enough, and Quill was starting to feel pretty confident about turning bread in to toast. Hearing the door open, and then his name being called out, he quickly finished off his second, or maybe third, slice of toast and poked his head out of the kitchen door.

"Widget! Miss Twilight! You're, um, wait," he looks at the obvious Starcrasher shaped hole next to the two of them, "is, is Star not with you? She, um, well, I kind of asked her to go and, um, we were worried, and it was raining, so she took the prototype out so you'd not get wet and I'd have time to work out how to explain the whole new assistant thing."

"I mean, um, welcome home."

"Oh, do I?" he said a bit vaguely as he put his glasses back on and went back to Twilight, looking down at the crate that had been delivered that day. "I dont remember ordering any parts, but then again, I order so much, I probably just forgot." He magicked over a well used crowbar from the nearby desk, but Quill's comment about Starcrasher gave him pause. Had the girl gone out to look for them? Surely it wasnt that late... The rear of Quill's long-winded comment rapidly caught up, giving Widget a somewhat confused look on his face.

"New assistant thing? But youve and Star already explained all that last night and this morning, didnt you- Oh..." His expession immediately went from confused to dead pan exasperation. The crowbar dropped onto the crate, momentarily forgotten. There was a pause between them as Widget glowered slightly at Quill, doing his best not to let his temper flare again. "What new assistant thing, Quill?" he asked in a tone to match his expression - exasperated, stressed, and a little heat behind it. Best he have it now before he go up to another stranger in his bed...

As Widget and Quill got to it, Twilight found it prudent to develop a sudden fascination with a point on the wall over there somewhere.  She stepped aside to warm herself by the stove and be unobtrusive for the time being.

"Weeelll," Quill began, taking in a long, deep breath, because this was going to be a fairly long explanation, "the mail-pony arrived, with this big crate, and some letters, which I've organised by size and neatness of handwriting, because I didn't want to open them to sort them by urgency or alphabetically based on the first letter of the, um, letters. And then the mail-pony also had my suitcase!"

Quill gestured to the battered looking suitcase at the base of the stairs, as he'd still not plucked up the wherewithal to drag the paper-filled suitcase up Mount Stairwell.

"And I know I should have mentioned it earlier, um, really earlier, but I had a friend come along with me, um, except he got a bit lost along with the suitcase, because the train was really, um, busy and by the time I'd managed to get off and kind of, um, nurse the feeling back in to my tail, the train was already going on to the next stop! With my suitcase! And, um, my new.. um, your new assistant."

Rather than continue the explanation, Quill quickly made a dart for the kitchen, returning a few moments later with the new assistant. This particular stuffed toy was vaguely sewn together in the shape of a bear and, though only he only possessed a single button for an eye and patches of slightly singed fur, Quill didn't seem to mind. Sheepishly, he sat the bear down on the floor in front of Widget and, after nudging him a little closer with his foot, took a step back. If Widget was going to explode, he didn't want to be near the epicenter.

"Mister Widget, um, boss, this is Bearington. Bearington, this is Mister Widget."

There was another pause that stretched as Widget stared down at the bear in obvious surprise, and there was a moment when one might think he was going to burst, either with a sigh of exasperation and annoyance or with hearty laughter. However, he did neither of those things. Instead, a smile came across his face as he cleared his throat, lowered his head and nodded to the bear. "Well then, Bearington, it's good to meet you," he said, before raising up to look at Quill. Any stress there had been had drained well away from him as pieces began to make sense and solidify. Quill acted so mature on some things, seemed to be so responsible - he had, after all, done very well with the work shop that day. But Twilight had been right before... No matter how he talked or walked or dressed or spoke, Quill was a baby dragon. Having no experience around children of any kind, Widget knew he would have to learn more patience about a lot of things...

"Quill," he said, only slightly stern, "I know I've talked to you about this sort of thing before. You can't just invite ponies, or bears, to be our new assistant without talking to me first. But... well, since Bearington had such a rough trip, and he did come all the way from Canterlot, I suppose, this one time, I'll let it slide. He can stay."

Looking rather relieved that the anticipated explosion wasn't happening anytime soon, Quill stood very still as he listened to Widget speak on the importance of not hiring any other ponies or bears to be his assistant. Still, it was fortunate that Widget didn't need much convincing, as even Quill wasn't entirely sure that his planned argument involving how Bearington could guard the shop would sway anyone. Bearington was not exactly the mauling type.

"Thank you! I'll, um, well, I'll get my suitcase out the way of the three of you," he carefully stepped around the bear and Widget as he headed towards the bottom of the staircase, "so you can get to know, um, one another, and you can all handle that crate thing, and, um, yes, suitcase, out of the way, on it!"

Grabbing the handle of the suitcase, he began to slowly drag it up the staircase, with the case making a loud thump! as it came to rest on each stair.

Twilight returned to Widget's side once Quill was started upstairs.  She had an idle grin on her face and surprised the stallion with a fond kiss on the cheek out of nowhere.  "That was really sweet of you, Widget.  You're learning~."  she seemed to approve of how he'd handled things with Quill.  Life was going to be a bit difficult for her beau... Celestia raised Spike alongside Twilight herself, so she was far more accustomed to living with Dragons than someone who just started later on was.  Still, her book would surely be helpful and she was eager to offer any assistance she could herself.  Plus there was always Spike as well, who she was sure would be thrilled to have another like-minded Dragon around to talk with.

"Well, now that that's under control... I think we should go find Starcrasher." Twilight advised.  As nice as dinner sounded, it wasn't like they could just settle in and eat while a filly was running around in the rain.  "If she went looking for us, then the most likely place she would've gone first would be the Library.  Assuming she's not just running around at random.  You stay here and get dinner started while I pop over back home for a quick look, okay?" she reasoned.  There was no need for both of them to go around in the wet when she could cover more ground on her own with magic.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:49, Mon 27 Aug 2012.

Widget watched as Quill hauled the suitcase upstairs, letting out a low sigh and a small shake of his head as the dragon disappeared up the wooden foyer. He stayed looking up, in thought,as Twilight approached, but was pleasantly surprised by the kiss she gave him, turning to look at her. He flushed slightly and grinned at her. "Thanks," he said with a small chuckle. He did have a lot to learn to be sure. He would have to read Twilight's book faster than he had anticipated, it would seem. Maybe it would be difficult... but he had no doubt it would be worth it. Only the best things in life were difficult, as his mother had always told him.

"Yeah, good idea. I don't like the idea of her out in the rain," he said as he looked passed his girlfriend out the rainy front window, his brow slightly furrowing. "The library would be a logical place to start..." He looked back down at her, and smiled softly. "Alright then. I'll get dinner started for all of us. Then I need to get bedroom logistics straightened out. As comfortable as the cot was that you conjured last night, I plan on sleeping in my own bed tonight. I think I just need to whip up a Quill-sized bed like Spikes, and we'll be alright, at least for now."

While he didn't have very much in his cupboard or refrigerator, he had enough of his own favorite staples to, he hoped, impress or at least surprise Twilight. He wasn't a fantastic cook by any means, but his mother had been particularly blessed in the art, and passed at least a few tricks down to him. A lot of his more nonperishable food was actually shipped to him or made special for him, mostly because it was staples he had grown up on and found comfort in, but they were eccentric to say the least.

"I got Spike's bed from the local market, so it shouldn't be hard finding one for Quill too.  Just make sure you get his opinion before making any purchases.  Dragons are very particular about their beds."  Twilight said with authority, though really, she was only basing it off her experiences with Spike.  And even he tended to just fall asleep wherever he was at the moment when he got tired enough, though she did notice he seemed to prefer very solid surfaces as opposed to anything soft.

"Anyway, I'll be back in a flash~!" the Unicorn gave a quick word of parting as she lit her horn in a pale violet hue.  Just like that she suddenly snapped out of existence with nothing but a brief twinkle of magical sparkles marking where she'd just vanished from.  Teleportation was an exceptionally rare magical feat, but Twilight used it so often that she made it look easy.

--> Twilight exits to Books and Branches Library

Watching his girlfriend disappear to find Starcrasher, Widget gave a low, soft sigh, his smile still visible on his face. He turned back up to the stairs, wondering if Quill was doing alright, before turning back to the box that was still at his side. Might as well open it to see what part he wasn't expecting came in before starting dinner, he supposed.

"Quill? Do you like carrot coconut soup?" he called up as he magicked the crowbar up and wedged it into the lid of the crate, prying it up and open at last.

"It sounds interesting," Quill called out as he nudged the suitcase in to the corner of the guest room and, rather than dealing with the whole unpacking thing, decided to come bounding down the stairs, enthusiastic at the prospect of food, "but is it usin-"

Realising that he didn't have to shout, the young dragon lowered his voice back down to reasonable, indoor levels and sat himself down on the bottom stair of the staircase.

"Is it going to use the milk, the oil or the water? Coconut water is very sugary, and coconuts require a lot of rainfall, and annual production of coconuts.. um, which is, well, carrots are much easier to grow, and carrot production was up almost sixteen percent this year, so it's a good time to be eating carrots. I guess, um, yes," he finally settled on an answer, "I think I'd like the soup."

--> From: Ponyville Residential District - Books and Branches Library -->

- "--head outside before... Wait, we're here already?"

Starcrasher looked around, a bit puzzled that she was standing right in the middle of the Workshop. Then again, Twilight did mention it would be faster, she just hadn't expected it to be this fast.

<-- Entering from Books and Branches Library

Just like she'd said, Twilight was back in a flash... literally... and with Starcrasher in tow.  Teleportation was by far the best way to travel as far as she was concerned.  Well, flying was the most exhilarating, sure, but nothing beats the efficiency of point-to-point spacial transposition!

"Told you it was faster." Twilight giggled again behind her hoof.

- "That you did..."

Starcrasher giggled along with Twilight, looking around the workshop to convince herself that yes, she was really there. It looked like a real handy spell to have just in case she'd end up getting lost again.

- "Today's been quite the day... I went out for a walk in the forest, and ended up making friends with a Griffon, a Camahueto and a Thunderbird and was chased by Reptans and a unicorn poacher while running an errand for a pack of Timberwolves. Is the forest always that busy here?"

Twilight took a moment to think back over her own experiences within the Everfree Forest and its surrounding areas, then simply nodded in return.  "Yeah, pretty much."

Starcrasher gave a low whistle, obviously impressed.

- "Wow, remind me not to get caught there after dark."

Seeing nothing of interest inside the crate, Widget left the lid angled for Quill or Star to put away the next day as he went to work on dinner. It would be interesting, to say the least - couscous with carrot coconut soup. It wasn't difficult by any means - carrot coconut soup was fairly simple if you knew what to do, though Widget was a little heavy handed with the coconut milk. Still, thickened with a little roux (a corn flour and oil mix, in this case), it went well over the couscous, along with more thickly cut carrots, onions, shavings of fresh coconut, and a sprinkling of curry, it was by no means unpalatable.

The rest of the evening was spent in pleasant company. After Twilight went home, reasserting that she and Widget would have breakfast the following morning, Widget was quick to fashion a bed for Quill that was to the dragon's temporary liking, so Starcrasher could have the bed. It would do, for now, until space enough in the upstairs store room could be cleaned out for Quill, or a better bed be built to be placed Widget's room...


>>> WIDGET TIMESKIPS!!! <<<

>> After Timeskip, Day 8 <<

Starcrasher sighed as she looked at the workshop. Even after a whole week of working there she still couldn't quite figure out what was Widget's Special Do-Not-Touch Organized Mess and what she was supposed to clean up, so she had figured that the best thing to do would be to leave everything as it was and carving a pathway to walk between the stairs, the kitchen and the front door. In the beginning things had seemed to clear up, but then Widget had gotten a couple of extra assignments -- likely either due to his two new assistants allowing him to take on more orders, or forcing him to do more orders to pay for the necessary modifications to house them. Also, food. In the end it all ended up pretty well, one of the storerooms was now converted to Quill's bedroom, she got Quill's old bedroom and Widget ended up sleeping better as well after his new bed arrived as payment for some invention or another she didn't quite understand the function of.

After one more look around, and deciding that it likely wasn't going to get any cleaner, she carefully made her way to the front door, two saddlebags stuffed with papers. She walked carefully, she had learned what it felt like to not pay attention and step into a sharp object -- or any object at all -- and felt no desire to go through the trouble of picking something out of her hooves again.

True to Widget's style, the inventor had been up since sunrise. A phonograph was playing in the corner, churning out classical music softly as Widget sat at one of his many desks at work. Blueprints were spread out on the desk, a pair of jeweler's lenses over his glasses as he worked on his latest prototype of mechanized flight. He hadn't even looked up from his work as Star had woven about and gathered things for the day, though he had said a good morning when she had come downstairs to find bread and jam ready for breakfast.

"Heading out, Star?" he asked as he switched tools magically without looking up from his work, finding a smaller screwdriver as he worked on the tedious gears that made up the interior mechanics of his clockwork device.

- "Yeah, i don't really know what time i'll return though."

Starcrasher looked at the two saddlebags filled with papers, checking to see if they were indeed closed so that none would go flying out or -- if it was raining -- get wet.

- "Twilight's homework assignments, i need to drop them off... I'll probably get more when i'm there, but it's easier to research in the library, y'know? See ya."

As she headed for the door, she took a deep breath.

- "...Hope it's not a pop quiz again."

--> To: Ponyville Residential District - Books and Branches Library -->

Quill had managed to sleep through almost everything until he heard the door close behind Starcrasher. It'd been a fairly long day yesterday, coupled with a late night spent advising on just what the perfect bed would be like (large enough to run little risk of falling out, not too high in case you do fall out and with little space underneath to prevent anything hiding under there), well, it was perfectly understandable that he'd sleep in for a little while. After going through his morning routine, which mostly involved wrestling with his tie, he came downstairs to find Widget already hard at work.

"Um, good morning, boss, I'm sorry about the over-sleeping, it won't happen again, it's just, you know, two busy days and two late nights in a row, next to no time for, um, naps," Quill paused a little here, before quickly correcting himself, "well, some naps, and, um, I was thinking... did, um, you have, any, um, plans for this morning? Apart from getting lots of very important work done, obviously."

"Have fun," he called after Star as a smirk crossed his face, keeping his eyes on his work. He hummed softly along with the music as he worked, once more not looking up as Quill made his way downstairs shortly after Starcrasher left for her morning lessons with Twilight.

"Don't worry about it, Quill, you aren't late yet. You even have time for breakfast," he said in the way of morning greetings as the dragon approached from the bottom of the stairs, magicking up a few small gears from the work table and slipping them into place in the contraption he was working on. "Not really any plans. Nothing needs my immediate attention, though I was hoping to get to the library and ask Twilight if she wanted to have lunch. Have something in mind?" He picked his screwdriver back up to start working on the new gears, glancing at Quill momentarily out of the corner of his eye.