The P-Files

((I forget if I already described Labrynth's United. If I did, I apologize for the following))

Hours earlier…

Having walked further uptown past the afternoon crowds on the sidewalk and the wall to wall shops to either side of the street - Whisper, Chitin, and Gleeda now find themselves in front of the Labrynth's United Main Office.

The building itself is of monolithic proportions, and even up close, it seems to be made of solid gold (or gold plating), with streaks of green plexiglass windows rise up it's sides. On the street level, the building is surrounded by lush, landscaped flowerbeds and hedges that make a miniature maze - the stone path cutting through it flanked on either side by a double-line of golden minotaur statues like the ones you've already seen scattered throughout the city. Also, as you look way way up above, once again you make out the two pointed towers spreading outward from either side of the building, rising up to crown the top of the high-rise and give it the impression of having a large set of minotaur horns...

This is definitely the building you saw silhouetted against the night sky yesterday.

There's no doubt about that.

As you walk up the stone path that leads to the main entrance, you get a closer look of the golden statues - each in a different pose and each holding different props. You spot two that look just like the ones that were standing infront of the Salvation Minotaur and Mike's Coats for Kids, and you spot many others that you recognize from shops you passed - from restaurants and toy stores, to antique shops and art museums.

As you near the end of the procession of statues, you also notice minotaurs holding up trophies, medals, and what looks to be a championship belt or two. In these latter cases, the minotaur (who you can only assume by now is Big Mike himself) sports a suit and tie, along with a pair of sunglasses - smiling and looking down on you from above.

You open the green glass doors and walk into a huge lobby with a ceiling set at least 30 feet above your heads.

The first thing that hits you as you enter the building is the change in temperature - compared to the relative humidity outside, in the lobby it feels as cool as an autumn evening.

The next thing you notice are the mozaics and frescos adorning the walls with depictions of minotaurs doing mighty deeds; and a giant, golden chandelier that hangs from the rafters. At the far corners of the room you notice the sliding doors of gold-plated elevators, and before those, set in the center of the lobby, is a circular desk of black marble, where no less than five secretaries of varying races sit, talking to lines of ponies, griffons, buffalo - and every race in-between. Those aforementioned lines are pretty long, and even though the lobby's quite large, you're somewhat surprised by the size of the crowd gathered about the front desk.

As you look around the lobby, not knowing quite where to begin in all this mess - Chitin's ears flick up at the sound of a familiar voice, and making his way through the crowds, Whisper also spots a familiar face.

Up ahead by the front desk, Buck Quicksilver grimaces as he surveys the crowd. Rising up on his hind legs and towering over everypony else around him, he spreads his black and red wings to their full length, forcing ponies to make room for his impressive wingspan - then he leaps into the air and takes flight, hovering above the gathered masses.

He crosses his arms, looking sternly down at the herd before him, "IF YOU'RE HERE LOOKING FOR WORK," he yells, loud enough for everypony to hear, his voice just as deep and gravelly as ever, "WE'VE JUST DONE THE LAST INTERVIEWS FOR THE DAY! We appreciate your interest in Big Mike Enterprises..." Buck pauses for a moment, "Sorry for any inconvenience... but if you want work, you'll have to come back tomorrow. We won't accept any further applications until that time. No exceptions."

As Buck descends back to the ground and lands on all fours, the crowd falls silent and instantly starts to disperse, exiting through the front doors you just came through. Interestingly enough, it seems like most everypony here was looking for work just like you (excluding Whisper) - as most everypony is exiting the building.

Buck watches them leave, still grimacing as he scans the crowd with his one good eye - and then he catches sight of Whisper and his whole demeanor changes in an instant. He waves at you energetically, then comes bounding up hrough the herd, a stupid grin spreading across his scarred face. He comes to a screeching halt before the group. "WHISPER!" He bellows with excitement, then blushes and instantly drops his gaze. "Hi," He mutters, tracing a circle in the floor with one talon. After a moment, he glances up again, and noticing Chitin, he nods, "Dawn, good to see you too."

He glances between Chitin and Whisper, seemingly having failed to notice Gleeda as of yet.

"So what brings you guys to Labrynth's United?"

Whisper, having barely avoided being trampled as people left, reels back a step from the force of Buck's voice. Whisper laughs and says, "It's nice to see you too Buck. I guess we're too late huh? Unless there's an exception to the lack of exceptions? Not that I'm exactly lacking in jobs to do. Just funds and decent kitchenware and ingredients. Looks like you've had a busy day already eh?"

((8(roll)+11(perception)=19 on the statues, to try to see what the trophies or belts are for or any writing on them for example))

---

Chitin looked around at the statues as she passed them. "Somehow I doubt Mike is a very shy minotaur... credit where it's due though, these are pretty well made." She continued to look around as she walked towards the door. "...and everything is very very...gold... isn't it. You'd think he were a Midataur, not a Minotaur." As they made it through the door Chitin blinked surprised at the crowd. She wasn't expecting things to be this busy. Just as she was beginning to wonder how long it'd take to see about that job, her ears perked up and she looked around. Spotting Buck as he took to the air and told everyone to go home. Bringing a hoof to her face she sighed, stepping aside a little to let the crowd by. She looked up when Buck nearly tackled them all. "Hey Buck!" she tried to put on a smile. "Oh, I dropped by to see about that security job but we're guess I'm a bit late huh?" Chitin turned to Gleeda for a moment. "Looks like this might take a little while after all... Oh! Gleeda, this is our friend Buck! Buck, this is Gleeda."

---

((16(roll)+11(perception)=27 on the ponies who left. To see if they generally looked like mercenaries, buff, scarred, carrying weapons ect... or like regular citizens.))

And Gleeda tries to size up the huge Griffon... "Mmm... Do I know you? Cause I recall I once fought a Griffon of your size."

Ramsus wrote:Whisper, having barely avoided being trampled as people left, reels back a step from the force of Buck's voice. Whisper laughs and says, "It's nice to see you too Buck. I guess we're too late huh? Unless there's an exception to the lack of exceptions? Not that I'm exactly lacking in jobs to do. Just funds and decent kitchenware and ingredients. Looks like you've had a busy day already eh?"

Buck lets out a deep sigh, grins, and nods. "Yeah, lately it's been pretty crazy 'round here. They've kept me pretty busy today, helpin' to keep the peace so nothin' gets out of hoof while the job screening's goin' on." He shrugs, "A little ironic if ya think about it, me keeping the peace, after what happened on the train the other day... Speaking of which, I still can't believe you guys stood up for me back there. I really owe ya one."

Dr Blight wrote:"Hey Buck!" she tried to put on a smile. "Oh, I dropped by to see about that security job but guess I'm a bit late huh?"

"Well..." Buck scratched his head, "Maybe I could..."

Dr Blight wrote: Chitin turned to Gleeda for a moment. "Looks like this might take a little while after all... Oh! Gleeda, this is our friend Buck! Buck, this is Gleeda."

Xel Unknown wrote:And Gleeda tries to size up the huge Griffon... "Mmm... Do I know you? Cause I recall I once fought a Griffon of your size."

As soon as Chitin mentioned the name Gleeda, Buck's one good eye had gone wide, and as Gleeda looked him over, he started to break out in a cold sweat.

"Uh... uh..." His eye darts back and forth rapidly, as if contemplating his best escape route.

"Nah," Buck shakes his head quickly, "Nah, we've never met. Ya must... uh... must be mistakin' me for some other griffon..." He begins to tremble uncontrollably, "-Yeah... That's it... some other griffon... I mean... why... why would I have ever met royalty?" -And as that final word, royalty, slips from his beak, Buck quickly drops into an awkward bow, "-Forgive me, you're highness."

XandZero2 wrote:As soon as Chitin mentioned the name Gleeda, Buck's one good eye had gone wide, and as Gleeda looked him over, he started to break out in a cold sweat.

"Uh... uh..." His eye darts back and forth rapidly, as if contemplating his best escape route.

"Nah," Buck shakes his head quickly, "Nah, we've never met. Ya must... uh... must be mistakin' me for some other griffon..." He begins to tremble uncontrollably, "-Yeah... That's it... some other griffon... I mean... why... why would I have ever met royalty?" -And as that final word, royalty, slips from his beak, Buck quickly drops into an awkward bow, "-Forgive me, you're highness.."

Gleeda looks a little pale at that comment. "Um... What royalty...? You must be mistaking me for somebody esle too! See..." Then she nervously laughed at this.

Whisper looks at Buck, then at Gleeda, then back to Buck, then back to Gleeda, then at Chitin, then at Buck, then at one of the statues, then at Gleeda, then at the 4th wall, then at Buck, then back to Gleeda, then at the ceiling and says, "Dear Princess Celestia, in the past two days I've met a university professor who may or may not be dating my old schoolyard bully nemesis and who certainly met a vigilante who has been crashing at my home without paying rent or even cleaning up, a fanfic writer, some sort of detective pony who requested a pie, a secret psychic pegasi warrior, a changeling whose hobby is turning into a fly, the biggest and loudest griffon I've ever seen, some vodun zebra who were more rude than scary, a rock and roll zebra who told me to find someone I find oddly familiar even though I'm sure I've never met her with a strange name, and another griffon with a bow fetish who turns out to be a penniless princess in hiding. What the buck? Also, why do you never respond to these? Signed, Whisper."

Hours later...

As Coffee Mug looks into Do's Hall, he's overwhelmed by the sight... of knowledge. The building itself seems to be awash with the light of enlightenment...

-Or it could just be the sun's glare reflected in his glasses, either way.

Meanwhile, Blade Blocker's too preoccupied with thoughts of Ms. Beauty to notice anything else. He nearly walks headfirst into a wall without noticing it.

Ms. Beauty looks at both of you a little curiously before leading the way into the building, holding Ozzy in the crook of one arm. After you recollect yourselves, you both follow after her - taking the rainbow trail that leads on through Do's Hall. You pass a few students and professors in the hall - all staring up quizzically at the rainbow magic; you also pass by the doors to numerous classrooms - some closed, some open - and through the open doors you catch glimpses of students sitting at desks: sleeping, drooling, whispering amongst themselves - some even taking notes - as professors drone on, scribbling formulas and dates across blackboards.

You pass a set of double-doors that lead on to what looks to be a cafeteria (the wonderful smells come from there) and a ways further down the hall, you turn a corner...

-And almost collide with the mayor.

"Greetings, everypony!" D'Orreigns exclaims, sitting in the middle of the hallway and waving a pop-tart in one hoof, "What took you so long?" He takes a bite and grins with delight, "Mmm... Wildberry..." he says through a mouthful of pastry.

Past the mayor, the rainbow trail leads on into what appears to be a dimly-lit auditorium. You hear a strangely booming sound coming from inside, and as you poke your heads in, you see an old mare standing before a podium, her head and front hooves resting upon it as she snores loudly into a microphone, a line of drool dribbling out the corner of her mouth. She has a faded brown coat and grey mane, wears a green shawl and glasses, and has a pop-tart cat dancing around her head.

Otherwise, the auditorium seems to be completely empty.

-But before you can go in, Mayor D'Orreigns grabs you by the arm and pulls you back (getting pop-tart crumbs on you in the process). He puts a hoof to his muzzle. "Shhhhhhh. She's sleeping."

XandZero2 wrote:
"Greetings, everypony!" D'Orreigns exclaims, sitting in the middle of the hallway and waving a pop-tart in one hoof, "What took you so long?" He takes a bite and grins with delight, "Mmm... Wildberry..." he says through a mouthful of pastry.

"Side trip? Or do you happen carry pop-tarts on you all the time? Because if you did, I'd have to ask if you have any more?"

Past the mayor, the rainbow trail leads on into what appears to be a dimly-lit auditorium. You hear a strangely booming sound coming from inside, and as you poke your heads in, you see an old mare standing before a podium, her head and front hooves resting upon it as she snores loudly into a microphone, a line of drool dribbling out the corner of her mouth. She has a faded brown coat and grey mane, wears a green shawl and glasses, and has a pop-tart cat dancing around her head.

Otherwise, the auditorium seems to be completely empty.

-But before you can go in, Mayor D'Orreigns grabs you by the arm and pulls you back (getting pop-tart crumbs on you in the process). He puts a hoof to his muzzle. "Shhhhhhh. She's sleeping."

Coffee wipes the crumbs off with a mild application of PK. Does he recognize the sleeping pony? Does Ozzy react to the sleeping pony at all?

Cardbo wrote:Does he recognize the sleeping pony? Does Ozzy react to the sleeping pony at all?

((Good questions!))

Coffee gets a good look at the sleeping pony, and now that he thinks about it, she does look just like the Ancient Relic he remembers - only with the added line of drool...

Glancing over to Ozzy, Coffee also notices the cat's perked up a bit, but for the time being at least, he seems perfectly content with staying in Ms. Beauty's arms.

D'Orreigns clears his throat and you turn back to see another two poptarts in his hooves - the first one in his mouth. He nods and hands you the pastries - they're still warm. "Terribly sorry about my manners CM," D'Orreigns adds, taking the poptart out his mouth, "It's been such a thrilling day, I haven't had any time to catch a bite! Isn't that right, Ms. Beauty?"

"Yes, Mr. D'Orreigns..." Ms. Beauty stares at him with half-lidded eyes ((thanks again for that one DB. It's a keeper!)), "What with your morning chair race, your noon-day stroll, your afternoon storm run, and your evening spent singing while you chase down a poptart cat... Where would you ever find time to eat?"

"EEEEEEEE-xactly! - I'm glad we agree." D'Orreigns nods to his tart, "But I got these from the cafeteria while waiting for you slowponies to catch up... So I guess I found the time... right now! -Oh, and I almost forgot!" He reaches into his vest and pulls out another two pastries, offering them to Blade and Beauty, "Have some BBs! They're delicious!"

Coffee glances at the proffered pop-tarts with just a bit of envy.

"Well I'm pretty sure thats Ancient Relic, and I'm pretty sure she's sleeping. We should probably swing by the cafeteria for a bite to eat. When we come back she'll probably be awake."

EDIT: "Though you know, we probably should check on her, just to be on the safe side. I promise to be quiet."

Coffee heads down to where Ancient Relic is, softly and as quietly as he can.

OOC:Stealth roll + Moving Silently FK
Roll(1d20)+11:
10,+11
Total:21

XandZero2 wrote:"Have some BBs! They're delicious!"

Blade grabs onto the pastry and starts eating, needing to get anything in his stomach. After Blade's finished he gives a sincere. "thank you," to the mayor and wonders if it was just a coincidence or he'd noticed our stomachs growling. Of course Blade stays next to Beauty as Coffee goes in to check on Ancient Relic.

"You get a pretty diverse crowd here don't you? Not often you see Diamond Dogs around, or grown dragon-kind for that matter..." Chitin was quiet for a moment wondering if she'd be able to disguise herself as a Diamond Dog before shaking her head and looking between the two griffons. "So you two know each other then? That's a neat coincidence!...or not if you're really part of the ruling class..." Chitin was quiet for a long moment looking at Whisper. "I'll be honest, you're pretty much nothing like my first impression on you on that train."

"Oh? I guess I could say the same about you Dawn. I suppose I'm pretty shy when I meet new people." Whispers asks, wondering how Dawn meant that and hoped it was a good thing.

((Sorry it's taken me a while to post guys. Like I mentioned last week, I've been busy commenting on papers. I'm still not done with them yet, but I'm taking a bit of a break. So...))

Cardbo wrote:Coffee glances at the proffered pop-tarts with just a bit of envy.

((You know the mayor offered Coffee some pop-tarts too))

Cardbo wrote:Coffee heads down to where Ancient Relic is, softly and as quietly as he can.

OOC:Stealth roll + Moving Silently FK
Roll(1d20)+11:
10,+11
Total:21

Coffee doesn't have any trouble sneaking up to Ancient Relic without waking her (she seems to be in a pretty deep sleep), and looking her over, the old earth pony seems to be okay. Her breathing looks relatively normal, and she's definitely snoring soundly enough... Although, it does strike Coffee that her sleep seems a bit fitful. Every now and then she stirs slightly, muttering something to herself and squirming about restlessly on the podium.

((Here's a pic of what Ancient Relic basically looks like... when she's awake, that is))

Spoiler:

((Let me know what you guys decide to do. If you'd rather get dinner and come back, or...))

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Earlier...

When Whisper had went off on her tangent and mentioned,

Ramsus wrote: "...the biggest and loudest griffon I've ever seen..."

Buck had completely forgotten his own apprehensions of Gleeda. His shoulders had slumped a bit, and he'd muttered, "Hey. I'm... not that loud..."

-But then he'd remembered Gleeda again, and how she'd denied her royal status...

He rubbed his one good eye, then looked at Gleeda for a long, hard moment, "Aren't you THE Gleeda, eldest princess of the Royal Griffonhoof Family? You look just like her."

((You know the mayor offered Coffee some pop-tarts too))

OOC:Wow. Completely missed that.

Coffee heads up and takes a pop tart from the mayor.

"Looks like she's okay."

Coffee takes a bite of the pop-tart. "Mmm..chocalate."

XandZero2 wrote:Earlier...

When Whisper had went off on her tangent and mentioned,

Ramsus wrote: "...the biggest and loudest griffon I've ever seen..."

Buck had completely forgotten his own apprehensions of Gleeda. His shoulders had slumped a bit, and he'd muttered, "Hey. I'm... not that loud..."

-But then he'd remembered Gleeda again, and how she'd denied her royal status...

He rubbed his one good eye, then looked at Gleeda for a long, hard moment, "Aren't you THE Gleeda, eldest princess of the Royal Griffonhoof Family? You look just like her."

"I hate that title with a passion that burns greater than the sun..." Gleeda mutters and sighs. "Yes... I am... I'll admit it... Just keep it quite please... I swear... I don't know what I'll do if I'm found out..."

"Found out by who?" asks Whisper.

((@Cardbo: Yeah, the mayor actually handed two to CM originally, but whatevs...))

Cardbo wrote:
Coffee heads up and takes a pop tart from the mayor.

"Looks like she's okay."

Coffee takes a bite of the pop-tart. "Mmm..chocalate."

"OF COURSE!" D'Orreigns pumps a hoof in the air. Then he looks at everypony and grins, "-And now that that's settled...Who's up for dinner?!"

Ms. Beauty looks from Ancient Relic snoring away in the auditorium, to Coffee Mug eating his pop-tart, to the Mayor grinning like a maniac, to Blade Blocker standing beside her.

"Excuse me gentlecolts," she says, nodding towards the snoozing pony, "but do we really intend to just leave her there? What if another class needs the auditorium?"

"Ms. Beauty," D'Orriegns shakes his head, "Don't be silly. There's plenty of room for everypony!"

Ms. Beauty sighs, then goes back to petting Ozzy.

XandZero2 wrote:
"Excuse me gentlecolts," she says, nodding towards the snoozing pony, "but do we really intend to just leave her there? What if another class needs the auditorium?"

"Ms. Beauty," D'Orriegns shakes his head, "Don't be silly. There's plenty of room for everypony!"

Ms. Beauty sighs, then goes back to petting Ozzy.

"I agree. We should invite Ancient Relic to dinner as well."

Coffee whisper to Blade Blocker. "I'm going to need to borrow some money from you if we go out."

Ramsus wrote:"Found out by who?" asks Whisper.

"By my family... They wish to punish me for my choice to reject the Crown and remove my freedom from until I decide to take my birthright..." Gleeda explains quietly

"I see. That sounds like trouble. Have you considered dying your feathers so that you look different? We could get you a whole makeover in fact. Uh..... oh right. No bits. Not thirty two, not even eight. Unless of course..... Buck, my friend, what were you saying before her highnyness distracted you?" Whisper says after briefly considering the problem. Briefly like someone who has read one or two or twenty too many pulp novels and thought about this sort of think more than a couple times.

Cardbo wrote:Coffee whisper to Blade Blocker. "I'm going to need to borrow some money from you if we go out."

Blade nods ever so slightly. "You sure we should wake her up? I just assumed she was asleep because she's exhausted."

"Okay, maybe we should let her sleep. The dinner idea was still good."

Coffee continues to munch on his poptart, making sure no crumbs fall with his PK.

Ramsus wrote:"I see. That sounds like trouble. Have you considered dying your feathers so that you look different? We could get you a whole makeover in fact..."

Buck nodded his head in agreement to this part, "Yeah, worked wonders for m-" Then he quickly covered his beak for a moment, before lowering his talons and grinning awkwardly as if he hadn't said anything.

Ramsus wrote:Buck, my friend, what were you saying before her highnyness distracted you?"

"Friend huh..." Buck seemed to consider something for a moment, then he quickly cleared his throat. "Uh... Yeah... Well, I was sayin'-" He paused for a moment, staring at Gleeda, "So you don't have any guards here?" His eye pans back and forth in it's socket, as if trying to detect any signs of betrayal - like a team of crack griffon commandos camouflaged in the ceiling frescos, or a battalion of royal griffon guards busting through the front doors.

"You haven't come to take me away have you? To drag me back to Griffenland? To lock me back up in that tiny, tiny buckin' little cell again?!"

-At this point, Buck's rolled his giant minotaur-sized bulk up into the fetal position, rocking himself back and forth on the floor, shaking his head, muttering to himself. "I-I can't go back. Not again. Not ever again.... Don' wanna go back... That cell - Ohhhhhhh that buckin' cell... Couldn't move... so tiny... soooooooo, so buckin' tiny..."

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((I'm going to assume Coffee Mug and Blade Blocker are going to go get dinner at the cafeteria with Ms. Beauty and the Mayor, then come back to check on Ancient Relic afterwards. I'm going to speed through the dinner segment. The Mayor will pay for everypony's meal, and if you guys want to mention anything during dinner, let me know. If not, I'll move on after a bit. Aka - after I get done commenting on papers!))

Having settled on the dinner idea, Coffee Mug, Blade Blocker, Ms. Beauty, and the Mayor - with Ozzy in tow - backtracked to the cafeteria. Ms. Beauty still seemed a bit less-than-excited to just leave Ancient Relic lying on the podium - "She can't possibly be comfortable lying there..." - but she dutifully followed after the others and they got in just as the dinner trays were being set out at a buffet-style dining area. The mayor paid for everypony at the door, grinning and nodding to the cafeteria workers like they were all old friends - and the food wasn't exquisite, but it wasn't half-bad either. There were also a lot of choices to choose from (which was a plus) - bread, vegetables, and different varieties of flower were all set out so you could make your own sandwich; there was also spinach quiche'; oat dumplings; mustard greens; red-bean gumbo; soy-bean jambalaya; more pop-tarts; cake; pie; etc.

The Mayor ate like a horse and talked like a mad mare throughout the entire meal, chatting it up with Coffee Mug, along with other professors and students trickling in and out of the dining room.

Ms. Beauty got Ozzy a bowl of milk, then helped herself to a couple daffodil sandwiches and a salad, talking with Blade Blocker (she made a point to actually call him 'Blade' now - smiling whenever she said it) and petting Ancient Relic's cat at varying intervals. While they talked, Blade couldn't help but notice the number of male college students and professors that kept glancing - or openly staring - at Black Beauty; a number of them didn't even watch where they were going as they walked by - running into walls, tables, and each other as they gawked at her. After the tenth or so student rammed smack-dab into a wall and dumped their tray on themselves, Ms. Beauty glanced back - then shook her head.

"You know?" She said, putting a hoof to her mouth to hold back her snickering, "I get that a lot."