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The stallion felt some kind of warmth in his chest seeing the fleshy-pink babben investigate the space. Maybe there was some joy to leading her out beyond a haven where she could pretend to be a chicken forever. Perhaps introducing her to more of Phonyland and its wonders brought out some kind of paternal pride? And hope that she would have more places she would want to go and maybe even have more interest in socializing with other phonies?

While Scrambled was tasked with finding a seat (and struggling; he forgot how difficult it was to navigate without wings), a new voice and tall, pale visage caught his attention.

"Well hey there, cowpoke!" King greeted. This place really went all-out with the buttered-and-fried rancher vibes, right down to even the staff. Charming.
He also couldn't help but notice that Country Kitchen had a very nice mane and tail. And he wasn't too bulky for a draft horse, either. Not that it mattered.

So taken was he in the moment, he didn't notice that Scrambled end up under a table. But, you know, it was fine. Kids do that, and she probably could use some exploration- oh, wait. There was food still on the floor and-

"Honey, don't-"

And it was in the babben's mouth.

King sighed. Secondhand embarrassment set in. He could, perhaps, bother to be upset that the diner wasn't cleaner. But he had enough of a head on his shoulders to understand that a place could only be so spotless. He could also be upset at Scrambled, but she didn't know any better. He could only work so hard to curb her worm-eating habits at home (read: he mostly left her to her devices when she was outside, especially when she was on her own. He was a busy pegasus and also had faith that if worm-pecking was a habit to be kicked, she would get there on her own).

He rubbed his face with a hoof, then just had to chuckle. The other stallion's patience went a long way to ease his weary thoughts. "She's definitely a li'l scavenger, uh-huh. Thanks for the booster seat, and I'm sure she would love some fresh fries. Right, sweetheart?"

That was another thing he wanted to work on- getting her to talk more. If that meant a cluck or words, either seemed like progress as far as he was concerned.

He also nodded in thanks regarding the menus, and was ready to sit and look things over once he was sure Scrambled was comfortable.

Although...

Wait.

Could she read?

Note to self: remind child that hot food is hot and needs to cool

"Oh, um...thank you for the snacks!" Should she have brought snacks, too? Fair Pace brought a drink, but it was for 'the host'. Maybe she should have done the same...?

Too late now, she had to tell herself. Maybe it wouldn't matter! Hopefully.

And she didn't really know which of the two colts was supposed which. It might be rude to ask... But the blue-maned one seemed nice, though a bit...reserved. The yellow-haired one she wasn't as sure how to respond to. "Um... Hi..." was really all she could come up with.

They were waiting and she would have to take the lead eventually. None of her family was here to swoop in if she needed a nudge.

So she took a breath.

"So we make a little zone here..." Hovering, she traced an invisible circle on the floor. "And then we put the marbles in the zone. I have some shooters...enough for the three of us, I think... They're the bigger ones. You knock your shooter into the rest of the marbles, and any that leave the zone, you keep! Whoever has the most after the zone is empty wins."

She mostly played the game on her own at recess and at home when it wouldn't get in anyone's way (and usually after she would tire of trying and failing to do art next to Fair Pace and Off Copic), so it would be interesting to see how the game played with others.

King knew how to feed himself and how to feed chickens, but feeding foals elduded him a little bit. Babbens were supposed to eat a lot of nutrients to get big and strong. Or something.

Maybe he failed to eat enough greens? Was that why he was shorter than the average pegasus?
A thought for another time, maybe.

If anything, he knew Scrambled needed to eat more than worms and birdseed. Based on how he found her, she could probably do with a heartier meal than he usually could put on the table.

So today he decided on an excursion to the Country Diner. Good old fashioned hearty cooking, and at breakfast time he was hoping to avoid a menu full of cooked chicken-centric options. Anyway, hash browns counted as a vegetable! He could pat himself on the back already.

He took a moment to hold the door for Scrambled on the way into the establishment. "Go see where we can sit, kiddo, and I'll be right behind ya."

Bright Gallery didn't know what to think when Fair Pace told her that he was taking her to spend time around other foals. When she asked what she was supposed to do, if there was anything she should bring, her guardian waved her off with a hoof and said to just do what she did at recess. But make sure to include other foals! He said something further about a good first impression.

The filly herself was too busy considering what would be a good recess-based shared activity. Probably not art supplies...those were messy, and those were for when she wanted to spend recess inside, away from the other foals.

Maybe...these? She looked at a bag, and poked at the contents inside.

Yes, those would do.

Not much later, Fair Pace left her in the company of other phonies around her age while he fluttered away with a bottle in tow.

Bright Gallery clutched her bag in her hooves and swallowed. "Um...hi? Do you want to play...marbles...maybe...?"

Fair Pace let out a soft laugh. "Thank you for your concern, but there are no allergies to worry about."

And hopefully they wouldn't ask Bright Gallery down the line - he worked hard enough to check for allergic reactions without breeding paranoia. Elsewise, he was very sure he wouldn't get her to eat food just about ever.*

"So... It seems to me like everything's settled. Thank you again for the eggs, and I look forward to our rendezvous!"

*This may or may not be based off of some unfair bias and Unreliable Narrator Syndrome on Pace's part.

Yeehaw let's mosey!

King blinked. "That's- well, shucks, thank you very much!" It didn't much matter what was inside the basket, the thought alone was enough to throw him off.

He moved out of the way to make it easier for phony and hen to reunite. King glanced at the basked, Dude Food, then cleared his throat and gestured back towards Henrietta.

"Egg-ceptional service, as promised, thank you very much!" he puffed up with a little bit of pride.

Oh no, the student she chose to copy had noticed what she was doing! That was always the beginning of the end for a contestant on Pace's cooking shows!

"Um, I mean, well..." Bright Gallery was small and out-of-sorts. If she didn't ask for help, she probably would keep having trouble. And then the instructor might notice. That could get really, really embarrassing. And Mended Memories wasn't here to cling to, either.

With few options at hoof, and already falling behind... Well...

"I might..." But where would she even start? Being scared of screwing up? Struggling from being small, even though their instructor was also a flutter phony? Could her little babby brain even put it all into words?!

"It's...a lot..." was all she could say.

Between the two flutters, it was Pace's job to seem self-assured and in control. But the farther along they flew, the larger the crowds grew. He had to keep a strong face, not the least because he could feel Bright shaking.

Being a dainty, meandering sort, he was able to stop in due time as a phony stopped their progress.

And it seemed to be a miracle that a dashing, handsome phony appeared when he did. Someone who seemed like he knew what he was about, to boot.

Pace took a moment to look Rigged up and down himself.

"It is in fact, kind stranger." Fair Pace's voice stayed rather serene and almost too quiet for the excitement around them.

"Isn't it, Bright?"

---

She could hear yelling and laughter and maybe an explosion or two, while bright lights and colors seemed to be everywhere.

Fair Pace pulled her attention back as he wiggled her arm with his crooked hoof.

Her eyes focused on the stallion in front of them. When had they stopped moving forward...?

The smaller of the two flutter phonies swallowed. "Oh. Um. Yes..."

---

Bouncing off of the bare response from his ward, Pace then added, "And we don't even know where to start! There's so much to do and see... It's a lot to take in!" he laughed a little dainty laugh.

Pace tapped his chin with a thoughtful hoof. "A spider... Now that presents an interesting challenge." He thought further. "The body could be done with...and the legs could... Yes, yes... And the patterning could be like..."

As an artist did, he went off into his own little world for a moment as he pictured the process.

"Eureka!" Even when exclaiming aloud, his voice was still soft and pleasant. "Yes, I know exactly how to make that work," he said with a nod to Paladin.

"And beautiful enough to cherish, artisan's promise," he added with a wink to Blind Love.

The flutter returned his attention to Paladin, ever the professional. "Now, I won't be able to finish the eggs today, but I can give you an estimate of when to come back to pick them up. Or, I could perhaps make a delivery once they're ready, if your mother is agreeable."

Once again, he took a moment to think. "In fact, I have my own little one at home that would probably love to make a new friend with such good character. If you're so inclined, of course."

Pace: I can make good business connections, flirt a little bit, AND maybe find somewhere else to pawn off my ward! Win win win!

[I SSSPY]

I SSSPY
Your new prophesy: You will, in fact, finally finish that show you've been meaning to

[CURSE YOUUU]

CURSE YOUUU
Your new curse: May you never quite get all the lint off of your clothes

[PLANT INVESTMENT]

PLANT INVESTMENT
Gl!tch~: 8

Confirmed - M

[CLOUD SEEDING]

CLOUD SEEDING
Username: Gl!tch~
Preference list: Plant witch, yellow-red jellyfish, yellow-green jellyfish
Familiar species: Bear

His immediate response was to be grossed out and maybe even a little embarrassed. But hadn't he been that same child once, not knowing something was too hot until he tried to eat it? King sighed, his long breath helping keep his patience.

"Shoulda warned you about that. Sorry, kid. If you blow on it, that should help."

Did he have to tell her how to do that? Did she even know how to use a fork?

King wasn't sure what to assume or even what to believe. For all he knew, Scrambled really did just roll in the dirt all day and eat worms and didn't know anything besides that at all.

"If...you need help, don't be scared to ask."

@Ruriska

His day went on as normal. No one appeared to kick up any fusses about lunch or recess or 'naptime'. The regulars went home with their owners like clockwork, and the one-and-dones were timely, too.

So King sat in the daycare with one hen left, plus his own two that were milling about as they tended to. He started to wonder about the last-second client not too long before he heard a knock on the door.

Grateful that his day would end not too much later than usual, he opened the door. "Welcome back, champ. Your girl's waiting just inside. She had a pretty good day, if I do say so myself."

King tended to think that any hen in his care was bound to have a good day.

"I think you'll find Castle Coop more than adequate and- oh, hey, what's the basket for?" His showmanship and boasting sidelined by novelty.

@Ruriska