Beneath the Surface (Adventure, slight Gore)

Ician stares at them and blinks. "I wonder..." he whispers quietly to himself. "Are they... no. No, they aren't."

He strides forward to the tent. "I just need that map."

Divine smiled at him as he stepped inside. She cocke her head. "Is she still standing outside?" She giggled at the thought.

"I think so." Ician answers. "I need to find a copy of that command map. We'll probably need it for the journey."

He trudges to the other end of the room and silently digs at the pile for a few moments. "So, um... how's life?"

She giggles and leans closer to him. "You want to know what she asked me, aren't you?" She smiled slyly.

Ician rolls his eyes. "I would not pressure you to reveal something you two shared in the strictest confidence. It would be most unfair of me." He coughs. "But, um, I am slightly curious, yes. But only in the sense of my natural inclination towards knowing everything." He touches his right hoof to his chest. "I am a tactician, after all. And knowing is half the battle."

"It's actually more like a third. And she asked me if I like you. Standard mare stuff." She purred, resting her forehooves on her chin.

"Oh. Of course. Standard mare stuff, right." He looks around, trying to fix his eyes on anything that wasn't Divine. "Um. So. If I may ask... your answer was..."

She giggle again, and blushed a little. "Well, I said I liked her as much as I like you, which, by the way, is a lot. And sort of a problem... Cause there's two of you and one of me."

"Two of..." Ician raises an eyebrow. His snake peeks its head out from under its armour and slithers up Divine's leg.

"Are you referring to Theria?" He hesitates. "Not Theria Theria, but Theria Th... the snake."

His eyes widen.

"Oh wait. You're not talking about... you can't be talking about..."

Griff follows Ician into the tent and sits down inside, listening to the conversation.

She nodded. "Us three. I'm sure you wouldn't any objections? I mean..." She blushed and shut her mouth with a snap.

Ician flounders. "I mean, well, that's not to say, I... actually, you see..." He trails off awkwardly. "Um..."

He whips around and stares at Griff. "This is a private discussion. If you could leave us, please."

And give me a moment to think. He adds mentally.

"Sure, I am sorry." Griff says and walks outside.

Divine blushed and rubbed the back of her mane.

"Thank you." Ician says. He turns back to Divine, reply prepared.

He opens his mouth and his mind vacates immediately.

A moment passes before he becomes aware that he is staring at Divine, mouth agape, as if about to say something but failing to produce the words. Not too far from the truth, really.

Slowly, he closes his mouth. "Um... well, it's... kind of... a lot to take in at once. I mean, I was in love once, and you know how that turned out." He takes a deep breath. "This isn't a no, but... maybe could I have some time to think it over? Please?"

She giggled and kissed him gently. "Of course you may. I'm not forcing anything on you." She sat down as Ruby came in.

Ruby's eyes darted between the two of them suspiciously.

"Um." Ician looks between Divine and Ruby. "What... now?"

"No idea. We wait and then move out?" Divine guessed.

"Yeah. Yeah, let's do that." Ician stands up, wobbling slightly on his hooves as he moves to the tent flaps. Why do I feel as if I just navigated my way through a social minefield and got blown up a few times?

That sounds familiar.

"Griff." He calls out. "The, uh, private discussion is over. Why don't you come in and I can show you guys the map?"

Divine giggles. "Ummm... Good luck with that. But it is just a desert with a forest." She shrugs and kisses Runy's cheek, who blushed a deep red.

"It's not just a desert with a forest." Ician replies indignantly. "It's a desert with a forest and a coffee stain. And little figurines."

There was a brief, awkward silence.

"And that makes all the difference." He adds.

Both Ruby and Divine snorted, before bursting into laughter and hugging each other as their laughter filled the tent, collapsing to the ground as they laughed.

Griff walks back inside. "I can only guess what it was about.." he says as he sits down by the map. "I've seen it from above."

Ician glares at the two as he speaks to Griff. "But now you get to see it on paper. Which is better. I bet you didn't see that quarter-kilometre wide coffee stain when you were flying over it, did you?" He taps the paper. "But now you do."

"The coffee stain is nothing compared to the actual thing. I saw some lightning bolts shoot around in the forest. Changelings must've had some practice." Griff says.