Traveling Tantalus and Tree Tits Troupe. (Private)

Sakura nodded proudly an happily. "For a library, Twi's place sucks for learning. The pink one, umm...I don't remember her name but I called her Pink...She taught me how to cook with stoves and also she told me how to play video games...some are quite interesting." Sh gigles softly. "And I have nothing else to do or to get here, we can leave immediately."

Sugary grinned a fair bit as he finished up his meal, and then gave Sakura a quick kiss on the lips. "Alright! Get dressed and meet me at the bridge... Which is the upstairs room. I'll get freshened up and warm up the engines below."

And as chipper as he could be, he took the plate and the shirt he had nearby and went to wash the utensils in the kitchen. Afterwards, he put the shirt on as he headed to the bathroom and brushed his teeth. He then moved further downstairs into the Engine room to manually check on and turn on the Black Mambo's main engine.

After a few minutes of watching the intricate machinery work with no issues so far and seeing the magic spread about efficiently through the conduits, he walked up towards the bridge, where a few books on navigation, piloting, and maps could be seen as well as a table with a map of Equestria and the main controls as well, and got to the wheel and began to activate the propellers and magical stone that slowly allowed the airship to rise upwards meters upon meters into the early morning sky where a few pegasi could be seen fairly well as they cleared up the remnants of yesterday's rain clouds.

Once he was sure he could accelerate without interfering with the weather pegasi's work, and wondering if maybe one of them had actually seen Sakura on the deck the night before or not, he pushed a lever forward and the Black Mambo began to move towards the horizon at a moderately fast speed as it passed over Ponyville...

Sakura wandered in with a smile, and stood near him, quiet. She was fully clothed and looked very happy. She yawned and adjusted her belt while wondering where she last had her jacket, and realized it had been left in her room, next to the bed. She chuckled and leaned into him. "Better than walking." She grinned.

After flying over the countryside for a while, the sight of a familiar mountain would become visible over in the distance. It was the mountain where Canterlot Castle town was, and looked rather beautiful as the morning sun shone its light on the waterfalls, causing fully natural rainbows to form here and there.

Looking over to the mountain himself, Sugary spoke to Sakura. "Quite a sight, isn't it? I often wondered what the castle was like inside... Say, you wanna go onto the deck and watch from there with me? I can keep the airship moving as is just fine..." And no sooner did he say those words that he let go of the wheel... and let a pink aura grasp it in his place as his horn glew in a similar color, urging for her to follow him and take him up on his offer. "We'll be just fine. The winds ain't gonna bother us at all. I promise."

She reluctant went with him to the deck. "It is beautiful, but I prefer the sight of you showering." She said with a grin, hinting at her voyeurism. "And I don't mind the wind, I find it quite nice." She hugs his arm slightly, and thinks about their shared shower. She had truly enjoyed and loved it, but she wasn't so sure about loving him.

Keeping the steering even from a distance with his magic, Sugary calmly walked out onto the deck along with Sakura, and as promised, despite the speed, the winds around them were calm due to the innate magic allowing the Black Mambo flight with little wind resistance in the immediate air space.

He chuckled and playfully bumped his flank with hers after her comment. "Heh... You just might see it again soon enough. It's even better with company~" He was a bit flirty about it, even if it was a little moot as they already seem to be in good starting terms as lovers, though he would not soon forget their first time by any means.

He then urged her a bit to follow him over to the Starboard(left) side of the airship where the propellers could be seen working closer still, though it would take effort for them to reach out and touch them as they were still a safe distance away, and rested an arm on the solid wooden wall and looked over at the castle town and mountain with a serene smile while still holding her close. "Say... What do you want out of life?"

Sakura had giggled at the flirt, and nudged back with her shoulder. She lost her smile at his question. "I guess... I just want someone to love, something to care for. Like a pet or long-term lover. But want I really want.. Is to experince life to it's fullest, love, adventure, maybe even an eventual family." She sighed wistfully and stared off into the sky above, leaning against the railing, hands in her pocket.

Sugary quietly took in what she said with a smile, and blushed a little bit at the thought of being her lover and more later on if it came to be. He'd keep the pleasant thought to himself for the time being though, and instead share his own ideals. "... I'd like to become a more accomplished Sage. Use my magic and might to do good... A 'corny' ideal, perhaps, but it's the reason I set out to do what I do in the first place..." He then looked over to her face instead of the mountain for a moment. "By the way, I like what you want from the future... I'd be glad to share that experience with you... Even if it's not all of it in the end... Sound good to you?"

Sakura blushed softly. "Y-yeah, with you..." She looked away to hide her enormous smile and now watery eyes. Her posture was either embarassed or excited, and she wiped her eyes quickly, and stretched widely. "Your plans are pretty good, too. I'd love to help if I can." She mumbled, looking down and fidgeting lightly. She spoke louder, confidently. "That is, if you want to keep a sexy mare like me around?"

Sugary laughed heartily and gave Sakura another playful bump with his flank. "My, aren't you modest~? Anyway, I got more planning to do for the future, really. Right now, I'm just trying to do what I can to make a decent living here. Might be a while before I set on a sure path for that future... But having you on board is very much welcome." He kissed her cheek afterwards and urged her to follow him into the ship once more...

*One agreed upon scene-transition later... o3o*

Sakura had opted to nap during what followed of the trip while Sugary kept piloting the Black Mambo. After a few hours, the Crystal kingdom would come into view as the sun almost signaled mid-day approaching on the territory and vast open green plains of the once fully frozen in time empire.

He'd eventually settle down a few dozen yards away from a spot where walking into the Castle City would be easier. After that, he'd turn off the engines and go over to meet up with her and try and wake her up gently with a light shake. "Hey, wake up... We're here... You ready to get moving about yet?"

Sakura waved him off groggily, burying her head under a pilow. She mumbled something about mangoes and went back to her light snoring. She looked very tired, and simply didn't want to get up just yet. Her body went limp once more and a pleased smile came upon her face as she resumed the dream she had.

Sugary chuckled and let Sakura be, telling her to wait in the ship as he first began to seek out where exactly was it that he needed to go regarding the offer for the voluntary investigations.

His first stop, was the border guard as he needed to identify himself as a visitor and as a mercenary interested in seeking to aid the local effort for investigation. Later on, after signing in and getting the basic information he needed, he'd find himself inside of a large tent were higher ranking Imperial Guards were interrogating and accepting, or rejecting, volunteers for the effort.

However, the moment he had arrived, the guards were currently taking a break and volunteers that were waiting in line were simply told to please come back in an hour to continue the screening process. Meanwhile, he'd begin to ask around and share some info with other volunteers and mercs nearby at random, hoping to learn more about the situation, and also hoping to learn of possible allies...

A tall mare stood nearby, seeming to not care about waiting. She was easily six foot four, and was decked in thick, black plate armor. She had dull, bone white fur and a pristinely white mane and tail. There was no armor on her neck or head, oddly, and she had a jgged scar along the left side of her fave, marring her intimidating beauty. Anoher scar was quite a clean one, perfectly made around her entire neck, as if she had been decapitated and had her head put back on. A black, jagged, crystalline dagger of obsidian hung at her left hip, a ruby on it's hilt. She noticed Sugary and raised an eyebrow, noting his shortness but saying nothing. She seemed to ignore most of what people did, but any experienced pony would notice how she was actually listening and noting every little thing. "Hey small fry, what are you doing here?" She asked, joking at Sugary and pointedly ignoring his muscles, it seemed.

Sugary's ears flicked a fair bit at being called 'small fry'. A light grin came over his mouth as he looked over at the tall mare, seemingly undaunted by her size and appearance. "Small body, big heart...! And I'm here to volunteer for the investigations being made. Gotta make a living, and may as well do something good while I'm at it... How about you?" While his response was a lively one, he was somewhat concerned over her scars as they seemed rather serious looking, yet she seemed okay. While he knew better than to underestimate the will of others, even more so than the scars was the feeling he got from her. Her lifeforce felt very odd to him in nearly every conceivable way.

She smiled. "I'm just here for a bit of money, and I also hope we run into something fun." Her eyes lit up as she said 'fun'. She noticed a stallion staring at her and let her aura, a powerful sense of hatred and Death, flare beforw she grinned as the stallion hurriedly moved away. She looked back to Sugary. "Big heart, huh? Think you got guts enough to kill anything that attacks you?" She asked, eyes full of challenge.

Again, he had to ponder much about the tall mare when she released some of her aura. Her entire being raised a few Red Flags, but she seemed genuine yet casual in her 'bravado'. "... Well, I can't very well try and kill anything that attacks me. Might be a sparring partner or something... But if I didn't have the will to fight -and win-, we might not be talking right about now. Does that answer your question, Miss...?" He was curious for a name. But more than that, he was curious as to whether she was an adrenaline junkie, or bloodlust... or both.

The mare simply smiled. She seemed amused, but hid it quite well. "My name is Evoltit, an ironic name, but my name nontheless. I prefer to be called Eve." She added, then held out her left hand. Her posture was proud, defiant, if a bit tense and frustrated. Her smile said she was happy to joke about her name, however. "Ever heard of a Dullahan?" She asks softly, her grin saying more than words could explain about the question.

Sugary flinched lightly at the mention of 'Dullahan'. It was then that a few things started to click about Evoltit, but he'd keep them to himself for now as he extended his own arm in greeting to hold hers. "Sugary Market... And yes, I have heard of the Dullahan... Mighty undead that generally serve as guardians... or literal head hunters... Why?"

Eve grinned. "Nothing." She lied. "Just wondering." She shook his hand firmly, her cold armor like icy steel. "Ever wondered what you would ask if you met one?" She asks, sitting in a nearby chair and pulling one up for Sugary. She drew and toyed with her dagger quietly. She stare at him, reading his entire body's movements. Her aura weakened, turning somewhat more normal as a finger traced the scar on her neck quietly.

He somewhat warily accepted the chair offer and sat down next to her. He wasn't afraid nor intimidated by her. He had seen plenty in his time, but he also paid attention to her own movements for good measure. "No, not really... But I do have a question for you... Do you feel well?"

Her smile vanished, replaced by a grim expression. "I never feel good, only neutral or bad. I am one of the Dullahan, but I won't prove it until here are less to witness. I hear they are only hiring a few people" She stared at her dagger, and smiled. "Now you know, don't go telling." She said, sheathing the dagger.

Sugary had to ponder, quite profusely, why Evoltit would share such information with him. "Does she think I'm not qualified to be here? Or is she just saying that for kicks... What's her story...?" "Only a few people...? I heard several where being hired, but maybe it was just the number of applicants and not the ones actually getting the job... And no, I have no reason to tattle on you..." "Maybe they want to keep this investigation on a low profile...? I can sympathize if that's the case... But then... what COULD be out there...?"

He felt oddly quiet thinking on both the possible job if he got it as well as Evoltit herself. She raised so many questions, but he just couldn't bring himself to ask any just yet. When he was about to finally talk to her again after glancing at her curiously time and time again, the officers that were hiring made their return and went into the tent with papers in their arms, signaling and calling out to everyone that had yet to be screened and explain that they would be running investigations along with members of the Imperial Guard within the territory of the Crystal Empire.

Sugary and Evoltit would be in line with the taller one being just behind. For him, it was a tad unnerving, but not due to her size so much as her cryptic words thus far. Eventually, it would be his turn to be interviewed quickly by the officers.

"Name?"

"Sugary Market."

"Nationality?"

"... Nomadic."

"... Age?"

"33."

"Any particular specialties?"

"... Open combat and group support with magic, armor, and weapons. But I am willing to improvise and adjust for other scenarios."

"What's your wage request?"

"That... is something I prefer to discuss after work. Unless you feel this is something that would take some time, in which case I shall accept 100 bits in advance, and 200 for every other week until the job is done or cancelled and we might then discuss final payment."

"Hm... Do you have a lodging in our Empire?"

"My airship just outside the outskirts of the castle town. It's also my house, so I've no need of local lodging offers unless it were mandatory."

"Very well... Last question... Why do you want this job?"

"Honestly? I want to help. I'm curious. And it might help to further my training as a Warrior Sage... Plus, I gotta make a living somehow. Selling baked goods isn't nearly as lucrative for me even if I dedicated an entire month to it."

The officers looked at each other for a moment and jotted down on the papers and scrolls that they had.

"Very well, Mr. Market. You're hired. Please wait over by that chair while we decide on a partner for you... Next."

The guards would then ask Evoltit the same 7 questions.

Evoltit stood in front of them, posture confident as she answered the questions in a gruff voice. "Evoltit. Nomadic…29…Any form of combat and interrogtion tactics. 200 now, 100 every ten days afterwards…I need the money, and I am a simple Merc, I just go get different jobs, I don't care what, and I am a bit bored." She waited, hoping they did not comment on the age hesitation. The age she gave was also a lie.

The officers seemed to take longer on agreeing and writing down having Evoltit be a part of their investigations, but eventually they would raise their gaze towards her once more. "... Very well... You're hired, but be advised that you are expected to follow orders. We don't need trouble happening because you suddenly felt 'bored'... Now, you, and Mr. Market, are to go over to the castle gates with these scrolls, and present them to the other officers waiting there. You'll receive further instructions then. But first..." One of the officers signaled on of their men to open up a chest being guarded nearby and had the initial bits requested by the duo given to them as part of the deal. "Now you may go..."

Sugary had to ponder if he really was going to be teamed up with Evoltit, but said nothing as he awaited for her outside the tent with his own scroll. He was open for conversation along the way, but if she choose to remain quiet instead, he'd understand... Though he did have one particular question for her... "... Any particular reason you didn't answer if you had a place to stay, Miss Evoltit?"

Eve had nodded to the officers and taken the scroll and bits with a grim smile. She exited the tent and nodded to Sugary before sighing when he asked the question. "I do not have a place to stay, that is why." She mumbled something in Germane and sighed. "I normally stay in hotels whenever I have a long assignment." She started walking with him. "Besides, most ponies can sense my aura, and tey refuse to either hire me for jobs, or let me stay in some hotels. It is annoying, and I really do not ever get angry, I have lived far too long and hav gotten used to it." She sighed.