As much as she would have liked to be, Rarity could not profess to be familiar with the Manehattan scene. Regardless, the Blue Orchid restaurant was a name that ponies from all over Equestria knew.
And from her place at the table, Rarity had to admit that, after surveying her surroundings, its reputation was justly deserved. Had she not been waiting for Coco Pommel to arrive, she would have forfeited her table and gone up to her room to get dressed into more suitable garb than what she was... or, rather, was not wearing. But fortunately, the low-lit atmosphere and the boxed-off placement of her booth provided her with enough concealment from the other well-dressed diners that she felt safe from any judgmental glares that may have otherwise come her way.
Rarity recalled quite well Coco's offer to pay the bill for her meal in a letter sent to her only a week prior. She, of course, had politely declined the offer and insisted that she be responsible for her own tab. But after looking at the menu, Rarity was starting to wish that she hadn't been so insistent; her coin purse would certainly feel a lot lighter by the end of the night. She sighed.
"Ohh, come on, Coco..." she whispered under her breath. A full water glass sat on the other side of the table, but it hadn't been touched since it had been poured. Hers, however, had been refilled three times already. "Come on..."
The waiter, a stallion who Rarity had to say was quite the handsome fellow, had insisted a few times already that she was welcome to wait as long as need be. Rarity was unsure if he would continue to extend the offer at this rate, especially since the restaurant was beginning to fill up, but his insistence had allowed her to shed some of the worry she felt.
And at least, after all this time, she now knew exactly what she wanted to order.
For the third, or maybe fifth, or perhaps even the sixth time, Rarity took a good, long look around the room. From her booth seat, it was a bit difficult to see anything past her aisle, so she craned her neck and pushed up into the foam-cushioned seat with her forehooves to see over the alabaster stone wall on her right.
Another booth lay directly on the other side. Four ponies sat at the table in full formal attire, two couples sitting across from one another and chatting in low voices so as not to be overheard. Rarity had seen them a few times already in her past three... six investigations, and as far as she knew, they still hadn't noticed her head peeking out over the wall.
She shifted her attention over to the other side of the restaurant, scanning over the more wide open table areas, where quite a few more groups had taken seats since the last time she'd looked. A waitress, dressed in a more form fitting blue suit and a petite bow tie, waltzed between the tables with a wide metal platter balanced impressively on the top of her head, containing various colored pitchers and bottles of wine. With a deft hoof, she plucked one of the bottles up and refilled a mare's glass without so much as eye contact exchanged between the two, before setting it back onto the platter and moving onto the next table.
Rarity could not help but be fascinated with the sight. To the server, of course, it was most likely not a big deal at all, but nonetheless, the fact that an Earth pony could have managed to effectively balance that many items at once without magic was not something she was used to seeing. Rarity watched her move from table to table, performing the same task repeatedly like it was muscle memory until she made it to the last one...
Two ponies sat there. Two stallions. The same two stallions she'd seen in the lounge downstairs. They sat across from one another, but neither one was speaking to the other. In fact, they were hardly making any eye contact at all. An appetizer sat in the space between them, but it was hardly touched.
One of them turned his head in her direction. Rarity, for a reason she could not quite explain, felt a stirring in her gut and an electricity in her spine that made her shiver. She quickly, as if in a panic, dropped her head back down below the wall of the booth and faced forward again. A tinge of red showed itself on her cheeks.
"Ma'am?"
A voice to her left. Rarity snapped her head around, only to have the embarrassed blush darken in color. Her waiter, poised with a covered platter in one hoof, regarded her with a sympathetic eyebrow. Rarity stammered.
"Uh, uhh... my apologies. I, um... I was just..." She winced. "I was just admiring the atmosphere. What is it?"
The question came out a little more quickly than she would have liked. She berated herself inwardly for coming across as rude, but the waiter did not seem to mind. He gestured to the platter in his hoof.
"I know you have been waiting for a while, but I wanted to bring you a complimentary appetizer for your wait. Would that interest you?" he asked. He pulled off the cover, revealing an ornate setup of several different kinds of bread, lined up in circular rings around a large pad of herb butter and a smaller plate of various different cheeses. A silver butter knife lay halfway inserted into the butter like a boulder housing some kind of sword relic of pony's past.
Rarity's eyes widened, and her stomach responded with an approving purr. It took every bit of her willpower to ask, "Are you sure?"
He nodded. "Of course, miss. The chef insists it is on the house." He set the platter down on the table. Rarity followed it with her eyes, but had to peel her gaze away from the food to make polite eye contact with the stallion. She smiled.
"Why, thank you very much. I must say that all this waiting has made me quite, err..." She wanted to say 'ravenous,' but thought better of it at the last second. "...has given me quite the appetite."
He smirked, and gave her a quick bow his head. "Well then, I hope this will help tide you over until your friend arrives..."
"Rarity!"
In the quietness of the restaurant, the loud voice was out of place. It came from a short distance away, but its clarity was unmistakable. Rarity whirled around in her seat, and immediately, her whole face brightened enough to lighten the dark atmosphere. She shot the waiter a glance.
"That's her!" she said, a little too excited. The waiter allowed himself to break formality long enough to chuckle, and stepped back, gesturing to the platter on the table with a sweep of his hoof.
"Seems I have perfect timing." He turned around and headed to one of the other booths where another couple had seated themselves. "I will be back to take your orders in a bit. Enjoy."
He quickly disappeared from sight. Rarity acknowledged him with a nod before addressing the fast approaching mare in a jovial tone. "Coco! What took you so long? I've been waiting here for ages!"
The mare she was addressing, along with the hostess escorting her, stepped into view. A short, cropped hairdo, accentuated by a flowery hair clip on the back of her mane, formed a nice frame around her facial features. And unlike Rarity, she wore a small article of clothing around her neck, a shallow white sailor's collar housing a red-ribbon tie. It was her usual attire, minimalist in nature but still respectable in most of the high life's more casual settings... but certainly, no so much in here. Rarity gave an inward sigh of relief; she was not the only pony who hadn't gone up to change. Coco bared her teeth in an apologetic grimace.
"So sorry about that, Rarity!" Coco bared her teeth slightly in an apologetic grimace. "I was held up by... well, a lot of things. Business things, clients being really picky about orders and all of that... but I'm here now!"
Her grimace turned into a smile of relief. Seeing this was the right table, the hostess stepped away, leaving the two of them alone. Rarity grinned.
"Not to worry, Coco. I know that feeling quite well, believe you me. Fortunately, our waiter..." She turned to introduce him to Coco, only to realize that she'd forgotten that he'd gone. She smiled sheepishly. "...who is not here at the moment, brought us some food free of charge. Which for this place is probably a good thing."
Coco's mouth opened up at the sight of the plate. She sat down eagerly. "Oh, thank goodness. I haven't eaten anything besides a raspberry scone this morning thanks to working so much. I'm starving."
In a manner rather unbefitting of her demure demeanor, Coco snatched one of the appetizer plates and set it in front of her before quickly unbundling the set of silverware at her place. Rarity, having already done likewise when she'd first arrived, wasted no more time in selecting a few slices of cheese and bread and putting them onto her own plate.
A nearly empty platter later, their conversation returned to normal. Coco Pommel was the first to speak.
"So... how was your trip?" she asked. Rarity shrugged, taking a few more chews of her bread.
"Fine. Lots of traffic going through Times Mare, but good..."
"There's always traffic there," said Coco. "Just the way things go in Manehattan. Scheduling times for meetings is a nightmare, I have to say. But anyway," she said, wiping her mouth with a napkin, "Do you have the designs with you right now, or are they at the suite?"
And just like that, it was business. Rarity supposed the small talk had to end at some point, and considering the delay, it was probably for the best that it was now. She nodded.
"Both, actually. All but one of them are up there, of course, but I do have the most important one with me right here." She opened her saddlebag in the seat beside her and pulled out a neatly folded slip of paper in her magic aura. She set it on a portion of the tablecloth that did not have bread crumbs on it. "I wanted to show it to you first thing. It's by far the most prominent piece for the contest, and I think we should start working on it right away. Take a look."
Rarity opened the paper and turned it toward Coco Pommel. Coco set her napkin down, forgetting the food for a moment to give it a look. She pursed her lips and let a slow whistle escape through them.
"Wow, Rarity. That's quite the design..." She sounded a little intimidated. "I feel complimented that you trust me to pull it off."
Rarity laughed. "Of course, Coco! Why, do you not feel confident you can do it in time?" she said, her tone immediately turning concerned. "I could simplify the design if that's the case-"
"No no no, it's fine!" Coco shook her head emphatically. "I could do it! Sorry if what I said made you think that, it's just... it'll be a challenge. But that's alright; Suri put me through much worse!"
She giggled. Rarity, faced with her friend's reassurance, decided (although reluctantly) to take her word for it. Besides, simplifying some of the curls and flows in the fabric design would take time, too. She shrugged.
"Alright, then. If you're sure." She sipped from her water glass. "I certainly don't want to make you feel like you're working with Suri again, that's for sure."
"Oh no, don't worry! I'm positive you won't," said Coco reassuringly. She took a sip from her own glass. "Anyway... There are supposed to be five designs per entry for the exhibition, right? Are the other four in the room?"
Rarity swished the water around for a moment before answering. "Mmhm. Yes to both. Though, those four aren't nearly as demanding as this one, fortunately. But either way, all of these dresses should showcase your sewing abilities to the public quite well, especially since this one is going to be the final one in the lineup." Rarity smiled. "I'm sure it will leave quite a lasting impression."
Coco Pommel seemed to smile at that. "Yes, I'm sure it will... and I know I've already said this fifteen times, b-but I just wanted to say thank you. You know, for asking me if I wanted to be your seamstress for the contest... It's been hard getting started on my own hooves in this city since I left Suri, but this is going to help me out a lot with getting my... our names out. So... thank you."
She looked down at the table, avoiding eye contact. Her voice softened until it was difficult to hear, but Rarity, having had a lot of practice with her quiet friend Fluttershy, was able to understand everything just fine. She hovered the piece of paper back into her saddlebag and closed it up.
"Of course, Coco. Anything to help a friend. And besides, when I found out that this was a contest to be done in pairs, you were the first pony to come to mind anyway," she said. A wide smile accompanied her statement. Coco Pommel's ears perked up at the compliment, but she stayed silent, trying and failing to hide the flattered blush on her cheeks.
The period of awkward silence was mercifully short as the waiter strolled up to their table. He took the spot between them. "Are you ladies ready to order?"
Rarity, having already had a thorough look over the menu, answered promptly. "I'll have the Gruyer and polenta pie, please. It sounds heavenly."
In a manner akin to these sorts of restaurants, the waiter did not even scribble any of the order down. He nodded. "Of course. And you, ma'am? Could I also start you out with something else to drink?"
Coco Pommel, upon seeing the waiter approach, had flipped her menu open so hard that it fanned some of the crumbs on the table onto the floor. She scanned over the choices rapidly, eyes panning it over as the question was directed at her. "I'll just stick with water, and uhh..."
The stallion raised an eyebrow. He gave her a few seconds pause before starting to ask, "I am sorry, do you need more time to dec-"
"No no no, I'm fine, just, uhh..." Coco Pommel focused in on one of the listed items near the bottom and blurted out, "I'll just have your... blumenthal risotto!"
Coco's voice reached a near shout as she chose the item in a near panic. No sooner had she done so that she winced with embarrassment, looking around to see if anyone else had noticed. Fortunately, from their location, no one would have been able to see her anyway. The waiter gave her a nod, his face betraying nothing.
"An excellent choice, ma'am." He proceeded backward. "And is there anything else either of you ladies would like?"
Rarity spoke for them both. "No, that will be all. Thank you very much, err... I apologize, I must have forgotten your name."
The corners of his lips curled into an appreciative grin. "No worries. My full name is Silver Tray, but you can just call me Silver." He turned around. "I will tell the chef your selections."
As he walked away, Rarity caught a glimpse of his cutie mark. Sure enough, his namesake matched it perfectly: a silver tray with a domed metal lid cover, the latter tilted to the side just enough to reveal part of the dish underneath. He passed around the corner. Coco Pommel let out a deep breath, one that she had been holding in for a little while.
"I don't even know what 'blumenthal' is." She sat back and slumped in her seat. "Oh well."
Rarity suppressed a laugh. "I'm sure it will be lovely. A place like the Blue Orchid wouldn't put it on the menu if it wasn't." She took another sip from her water glass. "You didn't have to rush it, you know."
Coco gave her a sheepish smile. "Yeah, I know... I just didn't want to keep you waiting any more, that's all."
She cleared her throat. Then, after snatching it up, she took another sip from her glass.
Silence reigned for a short while. In that time, Rarity took it upon herself to finish the last of the appetizer, after Coco Pommel insisted with a wordless shake of her head that she didn't want any more. Five minutes ticked by with only the occasional chatter exchanged, and meanwhile, the dull background roar continued to grow louder as the restaurant continued to fill up. The hostess walked by their table with another trio of guests, all dressed for the occasion, and seated them in the booth behind Rarity.
Finally, Coco broke the silence by sliding out of her seat. She gazed around the restaurant before turning to Rarity, asking, "Do you know where the restroom is in here?"
Being in an unfamiliar environment, it was an impulse for Rarity to shake her head. But then, only a second later, her eyes brightened up, and she turned it into a nod. All the time spent looking around before had paid off.
"If you go straight and turn left when you reach the wall, it should be right at the end," she said. Coco nodded in understanding and mumbled 'thank you' before trotting off. She was obviously in a hurry. Rarity smiled, feeling good about herself.
But then, once again, she realized that she was alone. Their meals hadn't arrived yet, so there was nothing to occupy her time. Almost as a reflex, her head turned every which way as she tried to find something to occupy her attention, but she'd seen everything already. Then, she glanced down at her saddlebag, lying in a heap beside her.
She quickly ruled it as a change in scenery. Her horn glowed, and she opened the flap. Being a small bag, and with the rest of her belongings up in her room, there was not much inside: her coin purse, the design sketch she'd shown Coco, a few beauty accessories...
And right next to her eyelash curler, there was the neatly folded hotel brochure she'd gotten from the front counter and that Amble had insisted she read. Since putting it in there, Rarity had completely forgotten about it until now. She tilted her head to the side, bit her lip, and then shrugged inwardly. She was here on business, but it couldn't hurt to take a gander at what this place had to offer. At the very least, it was something to do until Coco got back.
She floated it to the table, and with the front page caught in her aura, flipped it open. She stared.
And stared. The breath caught in her lungs like she was choking on smoke.
Capital letters, in red ink, written clearly over the printed words and pictures of the brochure. A hoof-written, hastily scrawled message. Every hair of Rarity's coiffed mane prickled out like spines as the five word letter stared back up at her with nary a blink.
DON'T GO TO YOUR ROOM.
Author's Note:
I hope this beginning sequence captured your interest! It's going to get more and more intense from here.
And please, let me know what you think of this so far! Constructive criticism on anything is much appreciated!
~Arwhale
