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 Posted: Sat Mar 11, 2017 8:12 pm
 Time had passed since the explosion, and much repairing had gone under way. Though she had been new to the Tree when the traumatic event happened, she had felt its pain. And it still had frightened her when she was stirred from her nook with a bang.
A horrible, tragic event that would not be forgiven. Still, after so long life would have thought to return to some semblance of normalcy. But still the curfews. Still the guards. Still every faun looking over their shoulder. Well, Amarie wasn't one to be cooped up. She had been in a little bubble all her life with her parents, and she wasn't going back to one now. So she bounced out of her room, down the stairs, and out the Tree with a woven basket with food inside for lunch. Just like yesterday and the day before. She liked exploring as much as she could before the sun went down.
But as she walked down the normal path which normally she then branched off to a random direction, she caught sight of one of these guards. A pink fellow, she'd seen him around before but never talked to him. She should change that. As a warm smile spread across her face, she happily moved towards him. "Hello~! Beautiful day isn't it?" The green fauness chimed almost musically.
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Posted: Sun Mar 12, 2017 3:34 pm
 Glistening Gauntlets, like his brother, had gotten up early that morning and resumed their patrols. They weren't legit patrols, mind you. The two of them weren't quite accepted into the ranks... yet! Still, they did their part, and more often than not, their father promised them that their consistent and vigilant efforts would not go unnoticed!
As usual, the two brothers split up, one taking one side of the tree and the other taking the opposite. Eventually, they'd meet halfway around lunchtime, discuss their findings and resume their path eventually leading them back home at the end of the day. They had organized scheduled stops and locations to be extra watchful over (namely the doors leaving the tree, the bridge outside, or the doors leading to the root cellar) and if anything looked amiss or awry, either jump in and help, or alert the true authorities!
Sadly, nothing had gone astray in a very long time....
This left GG rocking back and forth on his hooves in his quiet boredom while he stood at one of his 'designated watch posts'...
This one was actually one of his more favored places. It was outside the tree, under the warm sun and in the cool gentle breeze! It gave him a small bit of a chance to relax and let the wind filter through his feathers. It also gave him a decent view of the bridge not too far away.
An ear had pivoted to approaching hoofsteps behind him. His blue eyes shortly followed to land upon a Faun. He gave a gentle nod to let her know he acknowledged her presence and was about to resume his duties when she spoke...
Wait... a girl was actually talking to him?! 'Oh, Princesses?! What do I do?!'
He turned, trying not to look so lost in the efforts of continuing this harmless conversation.
"I-It is! Enjoying the sun today?" he asked, then took note of her basket. He quickly grew skeptical. What was the basket for? Was she smuggling things out of the tree to the enemy? Wait. Was her talking to him a distraction?!
His ears began turning this way and that, immediately trying to pick out someone or something trying to sneak by him, or trying to sneak up on him. He'd seen her about the tree before - never knew her name - and she seemed relatively harmless, but one couldn't be too careful, right?! Tartara Seabreeze XD Forgive him. He's just special this way. XD
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Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2017 5:50 pm
The fauny seemed almost flustered when she addressed him. She watched in fascination as his ears twisted and flicked like a leaf caught in the wind. Did she startle him? "I am! Today's picnic should be nicer than two days ago. But I guess similar to yesterday. Two days ago it was a little more overcast, so chillier." After speaking, the faunness gave a little laugh. "But I suppose you know that. Being out here patrolling. I do appreciate the vigilance."
Now, to do what she had approached him for. She stuck out her free hand while flashing a bright smile. "I'm Amarie. But my friends call me Ama."Seruta She thinks he's funny XDD
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Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2017 6:02 pm
GG's ears seemed to settle and slow as the pieces began falling together. So it was a picnic basket, then? He inwardly scolded himself for jumping to such wild conclusions before and seemed to blink as she extended her hand out to him.
Now, he might still be young and downright nervous when it came to talking to girls (at least when his brother wasn't there as backup support and/or distraction), but his parents didn't raise him to be a blumbering foal. They raised him into a proper young GentleColt! And he quickly straightened himself to follow through the motions correctly.
His back snapped upright, one arm folded behind him so a fist was at the small of his back, his hooves clicked together at the heels, and this his waist bent at the hip as he took her hand delicately in his own. He'd seen his Mother and Father do this many times and his Father had made numerous points to him and Chevy that all Ladies be treated as such.
"Glistening Gauntlets," he offered before kissing the tops of her knuckles. He then stood, pulling his hand back and folding it behind him with the other. "Most call me GG."
He gave her a small nod and a faint but still somewhat uncertain/nervous smile. "It's no trouble really. So long as all our friends and families remain safe, I'm honored to be able to offer my assistance in the watches and rounds."
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Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2017 6:16 pm
She blinked in surprise when he suddenly straightened and bowed while scooping up her hand. A warm blush to match the red of her eyes sprung at the soft kiss to her hand. When he returned it, she brought it back her chest. "Such a gentle faun, Sir Gauntlet!" Amarie spoke with a smile. GG! That was a cute nickname.
"What's it like being a Guard? Do you just go around in a circle? Is it tiring? When do you know when you're done for the day?" And there she went with her thousand questions, ever the curious one. Her little tail gave an excited flick at the opportunity.
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Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2017 6:36 pm
He gave a small beam of pride at that. His parents would be pleased, at least. Her praise was proof enough for him that he did it correctly.
And then the whirlwind of questions flew at him. He mentally took a step back, however he chuckled and shrugged. "I wouldn't know completely, in all honesty." he answered truthfully to her first question.
"My brother and I are merely Volunteer Guards. We haven't been fully accepted into the Guard Ranks yet, but my Father seems to think that'll change soon." he nodded seemingly matter-of-factly.
"Otherwise..." he turned his gaze out towards the bridge, scanning the area again before returning to focus on her. "It's a pretty satisfactory job. It's hard work, but it's well worth it when you are able to help someone in need, or protect someone who requires it."
"My brother and I have watched some of the Guards and have taken notes. As well as learned a few lessons from Dad. We came up with a route and schedule. Keeps us focused and busy. And also makes it easier to spot if something's amiss."
He chuckled a bit and then shrugged again at her final inquiry. "The way we planned and mapped out our schedules, makes it easy to determine when we're done. At least done enough to get some rest and ready for the next day's rounds."
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Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2017 6:54 pm
To her utter delight, the male answered each of her questions in stride. Not only answering all of them, but in order to boot! What a nice fauny! She had more questions to ask, but also her picnic. And he had a job she was sort of, kind of, taking him from. "So you do the same route every day? Does it get boring? Or lonely?"
She tilted her head slightly. "Would you like some company? I could tag along. I even come with food!" With that she pulled up her basket to add to her point of delicious treats. "And I could learn more about Guarding. I find it interesting."
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Posted: Thu Mar 16, 2017 7:53 pm
Well, she was certainly inquisitive! He'd give her that! Not that he minded, though. It helped take off that uneasy feeling he got when even thinking of talking to a girl. This was more or less his kind of conversation. He could dig it!
"Not every day. Sometimes my brother and I like to change things up. Keep it different and new, but also so if the enemy was to be watching and planning another attack, they wouldn't be too sure if our schedules over all." He seemed to take some small bit of pride in that fact, as it was - in part - his own idea.
"It does get boring sometimes," he then admitted, looking back at the bridge a moment while he continued. "If all you're doing is walking in a circle day after day after day, it would get a little monotonous, but that's another reason why we switch up our schedules from time to time. And there's plenty of Faun and Fauny that we pass regularly that it's never a lonely job." he then confirmed, then blinked.
Having a small and brief conversation like this was common. Pae he passed in his rounds often make small talk, but none had ever offered to stick around and give him company before... He took a moment or two to seemingly process this request, looking up at the sky, judging the sun's location for the time of day and then looking back at the bridge. Would his brother understand if he missed a lunch or was late just so he could spend a little extra time with a citizen of the tree? There was still another hour or two before their generalized meal break, so he assumed there'd be no harm in it. And Chevy would understand. He had to! They were brothers. And that's what kept them so close, after all.
"Uh..." he then broke the brief silence before shrugging and offering a bit of a smile. "Sure. I see no harm in a little company and a snack." He turned a bit and gestured with a wave of his hand to a small patch of sitting rocks nearby under the shade of a few trees. "After you?" he then offered and then turned in behind her to follow.
"Are you that interested in Guard work?" he then asked. It was uncommon for a female to want to be a guard. Usually that style of work was left to the men because ladies were generally more delicate. It wasn't unheard of though. He was one of the very few who could easily vouch that his sister was just as strong as any Stallion and would likely be just as good as them in the position... if that's what she ultimately decided to do. Not to mention, there were a few others that displayed male-like strength and fortitude that he'd seen around the tree.
Still, the idea that someone interested in the position came to him, no less. To say he was flattered was an understatement, but he reacted still like a gentleman.
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Posted: Fri Mar 17, 2017 9:10 pm
She nodded thoughtfully as he spoke about the schedules. Thank spirits it wasn't lonely. The faunness had felt guilty for the guards working to keep them safe, since they always looked so solitary.
After her last question, she waited patiently as the wheels in his head turned for an answer. When he did, her smile bloomed even wider as her eyes sparkled with excitement. "Great! Thank you Sir Gauntlet." Amarie spoke with a soft giggle before starting towards the little patch of rocks.
Oh, he had a question for her! Was only fair. "Mmm, a bit yes. I'm curious about most things though. I try to see what life is like in some other fauns hooves, so to speak. I find it gives you a greater appreciation for what you do have." Her bright red eyes flicked from the rocks back to the fauny as she lifted a hand to tuck a piece of hair back into place. "You see, every day I go out and try to learn something new. See something different. Every day I pass the guards without much thought. And that just isn't right. Your job is so important and it's something easily taken for granted." Another laugh as her cheeks reddened like her eyes. Ah she was rambling again! He was going to think she was a weirdo. "I hope that made sense."
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Posted: Sun Mar 19, 2017 12:03 pm
"Such formalities are not necessary, Miss Amarie." He started kindly. "GG is fine." he smiled and then listened as she continued.
They closed the gap to the rocks steadily and he offered a hand to give her something to hold on to as she settled herself down. He soon followed, of course, only doing so after she was seated.
"It makes perfect sense, really." he then chimed in. "Most Faun are merely satisfied sticking to what they know. There aren't many that want to expand their knowledge and to explore other possibilities. You aren't alone, you know. I've often questioned what it would be like to do other things..."
He looked around briefly - his mind still on his job, of course - before he tilted his head. "And what about you? Do you have a job in the tree?"
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Posted: Sun Mar 19, 2017 6:53 pm
A brilliant flash of a smile as she nodded. "GG then!" The female happily slipped her hand into his as she turned and lowered herself to one of the smoother rocks. He was such a gentle faun! When properly situated, she took her hand back to place on her lap.
It was relief to hear that he understood where she was coming from, and didn't think she was a basket case. At least in this regard. She had plenty of other quirks that could qualify her as one. "You should give it a try! I had a lot of fun following the cooks. Very messy work, but fun."
At mention of her own job, her smile turned sheepish. Idly she opened up her basket. "Well...Not in specific? I mostly help gather various fruits when they come in season. But I do help out when I can with all other jobs. Like the cooks. I helped make last weeks pecan nut salad!" She popped out a loaf of bread from the basket to tear in half before offering him one of them. "Maybe after I learn about all the jobs, I'll know which one I fit most for? Who knows, maybe I'll be a guard like you and your brother? Or an acorn tender? Or a farmer?...Probably not a farmer. Despite me physically having a green thumb, I'm not very good with growing things!" A warm laugh before taking a nibble from her bread. "When did you know you wanted to be a Guard?"
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Posted: Sun Mar 19, 2017 10:27 pm
He pondered on that for a moment. "I'm not sure that cooking will be my forte." He half chuckled. "My mother tried to show me how to make cookies once. Needless to say, we ended up eating at Uncle Mo and Aunt Luna's that night."
"And that salad was pretty good!" He confirmed then shifted where he sat. "Oh man. Well, technically speaking, my Dad was the head of the Royal Guard back when him and mom lived in Equestria. My brother and I were both pretty inspired by the stories at a very young age." He smiled as he thought for a bit on past memories. "We used to take turns giving each other orders and teach each other fighting techniques. As we got older, we just kept hold of those times and turned them into dreams and aspirations. So now we work together on almost everything."
He thanked her for the bread and took a bite. "Mmm!" He started then swallowed. "Did you make this?" He took another near ravenous bite while he listened for an answer.
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Posted: Fri Mar 24, 2017 9:24 am
Amaries eyes widened at the story before laughing. "Oh no!" She could only imagine what had transpired in that kitchen.
She all but beamed with pride at his compliment. "Thank you! I was rather proud of that raspberry dressing." Then she settled into listening to his story, taking little nibbles from the bread.
His father, head of the Royal Guard! She had SO MANY more questions now! "Oh wow! So, you're dad was really important." Which meant he was important. And he was spending his time on a faun like her! There was a split second of indecision on whether to fawn over his link to royalty. But she took it in stride. Royalty were the same as any other faun or fauny, and Glistening Gauntlets seemed just as normal - albeit a little awkward. "Did you live in Equestria? I wonder what it was like."
Another bite before happily nodding. "I did! The cooks let me come in if I want to make my own food. They figure less work they have to do. I also made the sweet tarts in there but that's for later." It was turning into quite the lovely day! The sunshine was warm, she was comfortable on the rock, and she was enjoying her company. "I bet if you wanted to, I could teach you to not burn the kitchen down." She couldn't hide the grin that crept on with that.
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Posted: Sat Mar 25, 2017 9:47 am
GG chuckled and shrugged. "Well you should be! My dad raved on about that dressing for a while. I'm surprised my mother didn't get jealous!" he laughed softly and then moved where he sat so that the rock would support his back and leaned against it that way.
"He was." he started. "And my mother was one of the Princesses." His gaze drifted a bit. "My siblings and I were born after they got here, so we never got to see it. But sometimes I feel like they talk about it often enough, I can almost picture it..."
He took a few more bites, humming as he chewed in his delight of the flavor. "That's very kind of them!" he then offered once his mouth had cleared. "And...." he started, then paused. At first, he had suspected he'd tell her no. Shoo off the notion of ever learning to cook. One fail was enough. Besides, they had lots of patrolling to do. When would he ever be able to meet up with her to even learn?
Both he and his brother knew that there were certain days to dismiss themselves from patrolling. They'd done it once or twice before to just relax, recoup and plan out new tactics and routes. Father even said that all good Guards must take a break or two if only to have a moment to breathe or unwind from the stress such tasks may cause! How would taking a day to do something a little different be a bad idea? Well, it wouldn't. And who knows, maybe he'll like it?
And the company wouldn't be bad either.... 'Oh Princesses... Mom will want to meet her and embarrass me!'
The doom and gloom of pure embarrassment of his parents fauning over him and meeting a girl - regardless on whether they were just friends or not - would be torture... but at the same time, GG didn't seem to be all too bothered by the idea.
"Uh... Sure?" he then shrugged. "I can't guarantee that there won't be a little smoke... but I could give it a shot!" He then smiled, then looked at the remaining bit of his bread.
"I'll save it for my brother." he then noted, tucking the piece into his pouch strapped to his hip. "I'm sure he'll appreciate it."
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Posted: Sat Mar 25, 2017 7:18 pm
His family sounded so lovely and normal. Full of love. She grinned ear to ear that they enjoyed her salad so much. Maybe she should help the chefs out more often!
At the statement though that his mother was a princess, her eyes widened all over again. Spirits! He wasn't just close to royalty, he WAS royalty! At least back in Equestria. "Maybe one day you'll see it for real?" She didn't really know about the Fauny lore, but she was pretty sure Equestria still existed. And maybe in the far future, they'd be able to visit? "What was it like? Do you know if fauny really sat on clouds? Did it have more magic than here?" Equestria was a whole new land, completely unfamiliar. Of course she had questions!
He seemed to pause after she suggested helping in the kitchen. Had she embarrassed him? Oh she didn't want to do that! The green faun opened her mouth to retract the invitation, but before words had left her mouth, he responded.
"Great! I'll keep a bucket of water handy, just in case." Another laugh before noticing him tuck the bread away. That was her cue to break out the next item on the list. She reached into her basket and pulled out some delicious seasoned rabbit jerky. "Now this I didn't make. I...didn't do so well in the 'hunting' thing." She spoke while offering him three decent size slabs of jerky. There was an extra slab given for his brother, if he wanted to share that as well. What must it be like to have a sibling? They seemed close. "My trap may have caught me more than it caught the prey."
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