It's your birthday, just us and your birthday! [Private action to Morgan]

[neighfeni]

It was a lovely Tuesday eve as the couple exited the building nuzzled up against each other, neither really caring what other ponies thought as they laughed in tandem at some joke shared. It felt nice to laugh like this, especially considering the day before...but it wouldn't do any good to stay in and worry herself to sickness again. She did wish it had come at another time, but...hopefully Mae would be back soon. Until she returned, all Nephenee could do was go forward, and that included going ahead with plans made more than a bit ago. Besides, her coltfriend had a birthday to celebrate, so she'd do her best to help him with that, even if this was the night before. The party would be tomorrow, but she'd stolen him away tonight for some time alone, away from prying eyes...

Well, maybe not that last one, since they got looked at anyway. Whispers about how cute it was or something floated about, but her mind was very much focused on her Knight. She'd surprised him with not only the fact that she'd pretty much tackled him to the ground in a hug when she'd met him outside the dojo, but the little black dress, tail wrap, and overall simple, but radiant look had gotten a great reaction too! Neph knew Morgan liked black and he liked leg and he liked how she wore her dresses, so she just combined them, then whisked him off for dinner and dancing and anything he really wanted to do -within reason.

Her heart still pounded from the physical exertion of the dancing, or perhaps just being this close to him kept it at such a rate, but she was rather happy right now, even if it was tinged with a little melancholy, and she couldn't help but be a little happier knowing he'd love his other gifts. Because apparently, a bag-of-holding and a custom lance weren't enough for her to give!

She liked spoiling friends, alright? Plus the main one was from the family, so.

Sneaking a kiss to his cheek, the Sentinel sighed happily. This night was quite wonderful.

"So, enjoyin' your birthday yet, my Knight?"

Comments

[morganknight]

"Hell yeah, I'd love to see all that!" See where his Neph had fought, and all the places her stories brought to mind? He was behind that 100%!

[neighfeni]

"Can't promise we'd be able to get everywheres, but some o'the places in Crimea, we should be able to get to easy..." Actually, a few places they'd only be able to see ruins, now that she thought on it. But that was still something!

"Show ya where Ah grew up, too. Brom watches the old house for my family, an' it ain't much, but it'd be nice to see again...ya could meet Brom an' his family, too! Ah think he'd really like ya..." And she had to laugh a little at a sudden memory. "Heh, he always did want me to bring a nice fella back to the village!" And if Morgan thought Nephenee could hug, he'd not yet experienced the bear hugs Brom gave, or the back slaps that could bowl some men over!

[morganknight]

"That sounds wonderful. Pretty much anywhere you've been that meant anything to you, I'd like to see, and anyone you'd want me to meet, I want to meet!" Everything he knew about Neph was from her own viewpoint, after all, and he knew that viewpoint had certain biases. He'd love nothing more than to learn more about her... and to meet the people she valued.

"Of course, I'm sure everyone you ever knew is going to tease you about me."

[neighfeni]

"Oh, Calill already did plenty while she was here, an' so did my brothers when Ah went back...but Ah'm sure they will more. Not sure whether they'll tease me more or beg ya for lessons if they saw ya show off, though."

Being a soldier and the eldest child had a few interesting consequences with younger male siblings. Especially as a female.

"We can grab Malva an' another horse, pack 'em an' a mule, maybe, up, an' ride across the countryside...or, uh..if ya don't know how to ride..." Her ears folded back, and blood rushed to her cheeks as she squeezed him a little tighter from behind, "Ya can...ride behind me, holdin' onto me...w-wouldn't mind none..."

Did her voice just drop unconsciously saying that? Don't mind her, she might have been imagining him holding her a little like he had when they'd been human and she'd sat in his lap, his strong arms around her, fingers caressi-w-whoa, there, Nephie! Still, she was a bit spaced out from the image.

[morganknight]

"I'm more used to riding birds than horses," Morgan said with a grin that indicated he might have guessed a little of what was going on her in mind. If she thought putting them both on one horse would be a good idea, who was he to argue? (Although poor horse...)

[neighfeni]

Nah, Malva was strong, used to carrying more than one person when needed. But hearing his response shook her from the daydream she'd almost gotten lost in, and she tilted her head in a way he could see her confused expression.

"Birds? Uh, ridin' eagles or somethin' ain't anythin' like horses..." Neph, this isn't The Lord of the Horseshoes...though for all she knew, people actually rode eagles in some world or another.

[morganknight]

"No, no... chocobos. Big birds," he said, stretching a hoof above him as high as it could go. "If you've ever seen an ostrich or an emu, bigger than that, even. "Most of them don't fly, but they run really fast."

[neighfeni]

"!" The lancer practically jumped a little when he said that. "Oh, Miss Shan's got one o'them! Big an' yellow an' kinda fat."

..Okay, really fat. But in her eagerness, she loosened her grip on Morgan's shoulders, coming around to sit her rump down beside him, an excited, expectant look in her eyes.

"You've ridden those before?? H-have ya been to Eorzea, too?" Swish swish swish went the tail; she was looking rather like a big, enthusiastic puppy right now!

[morganknight]

"Doesn't ring a bell, but remember, I was living on a nexus world. All sorts of things from all sorts of places were there, so who knows where they started out from originally?"

Morgan shrugged, then abruptly jumped back to an earlier point. "But Vector wasn't fat!"

[neighfeni]

"Well, maybe it ain't fat? Maybe it's jus' that fluffy a birdy! Ah mean, they do look real fluffy..."

No, that chocobo of Shan's was fat. No two ways about that...though that did remind her she needed to give him the other present!...Well, after hearing about Vector. Then she had to give it to him!

"Ah guess ya can ride 'em a lil' like horses...their gait's different, though. Ah reckon it'd require relearnin' ridin', in a way, since Ah'm so used to horses. But ya got one o'them, too?"

The image of Morgan riding a giant, yellow, glorified chicken was an odd one, for certain. But still, it seemed like fun...

[morganknight]

"I basically taught myself, so I don't think I could botch riding a horse too badly. Still, Vector was a smart bird. And fast. He could give a car a run for its money on a city street." Morgan grinned, a bright smile tinged with melancholy as he got to thinking about the faithful steed he couldn't see any more.

[neighfeni]

"Really?"

Recognizing that tinge, she rubbed his shoulder, keeping her own smile cheerful. "Ah mean, reckon he ain't as fast as your car...but how fast we talkin'? Malva's pretty fast, but Ah don't think she'd be racin' cars."

[morganknight]

"He could sustain 60 for a while," Morgan said brightly. "Long enough to get me anywhere nearby real fast!"

[neighfeni]

Now that Nephenee actually had some background, she could appreciate that that was, well, pretty dang fast! "Gosh...that is fast. Heh, what a way to run to the store."

She may or may not be imagining carrying paper bags with groceries atop a big yellow bird running around now. "Why's his name 'Vector'?"

[morganknight]

"Because that's a math term about force, and because I thought it sounded cool." Mostly the latter, if she knew Morgan at all, of course.

[neighfeni]

Yeaaah, she was willing to bet the latter was more it, even if the Akashic used Forces a lot. "It is a neat name. My an' Ma's horses are named for flowers, jus' old names for 'em."

Tilting her head, there was a self-effacing chuckle. "Didn't know that 'bout math, though..not that it's my best subject or nothin'." It was better than it was, at least? She shrugged at her own unasked question. "So...if Ah teach ya horseback ridin', will ya teach me chocobo ridin'? 'Course, even if ya learn.."

To that, the country girl scooted in front of him, and leaned back against his chest, the better to wrap one of his forehooves around her waist, if with a bit of fluster. "Ya can still hold onto me sometimes..."

[morganknight]

Didn't take much effort to get that wrapping done, since he was a willing and eager participant in the whole affair.

"If we ever get somewhere with chocobos, I'll teach you in a heartbeat," he pledged." Neph's family kind of had a thing about flower names, didn't they? "You'd love Vector. He's playful."

[neighfeni]

It's a thing in Ohma, agrarian society and all. Plants and animals were kind of a big deal, so names stemmed from them all over the village. Brom, Meg, Neph...

"Ridin' one seems bouncier than a horse from someone on the ground...though Ah reckon a playful chocobo works good for a coltish fella." She planted a fond 'boop' to his nose, chuckling at her own joke. "What's he do that's so rascally?"

[morganknight]

"Meep," Morgan said obligingly. "Naw, he's got a real smooth gait. He's no fancy-colors chocobo, but he's a quality bird all the way. High-energy, though, and playful. I'd tug his tail and he'd chase me. Also he tended to say hello by vigorously butting his head right into the center of your chest."

[neighfeni]

"If he's as tall as Miss Shan's, reckon it could knock a normal person over." But he wasn't normal in the least, so Nephenee figured that wasn't much of a threat. "Heh, if he tried that with me, he'd jus' hurt his own noggin'! Hittin' metal ain't good for birdy heads!"

Chuckling, she 'clonk'ed her head into Morgan's in play. "Malva does similar. She can be a bit prissy, so if she wants attention an' she knows ya, she'll nudge your hand to get ya to pet her, keep doin' it harder 'til ya do it. And make noises." In demonstration, Neph made a nickering noise, one that was a bit eager and bratty and 'pet meeeeee' all at once. "Ah had to keep apples an' fruit away from her reach. She's tricky..."

[morganknight]

"And you wouldn't know anything about a tricky equine, would you?" Morgan bonked her right back, gently of course.

[neighfeni]

"What?"

Neph put a hoof to her chest, drawing her head back as she affected shock. "Lil' ol' me? Why, Ah never! Do Ah look like the sorta gal that'd play tricks an' such?"

There's clearly a halo above her head, alright. "Ah'm jus' a country gal...we'd never do somethin' like that..."

[morganknight]

Morgan practically choked on his sudden laughter. "Oh my God, I've ruined you. No one you knew back home will ever even recognize you." He could tell this sort of behavior was entirely his fault, after the countless times he'd pulled it on her.

[neighfeni]

"Oh no." Her voice was completely deadpan. "Whatever will Ah do? Ah've been with ya almost a year..."

The Sentinel let that hang before grinning, "Guess it's too late for me. Done been ruined, guess you're stuck with me. Not like it could get any worse..."

[morganknight]

"Sure it could, I'm not done ruining you yet. Oh wait, you mean worse for you. Nope, being stuck with he is as bad as it gets." Morgan nodded with solemn gravity.