It Takes All Kinds [private]

Sugary would briefly stare at Lift as the edge of his lips twitched lightly into a smile while scratching his mane. "No one's called me that in a long time, but I didn't show my flank to anyone here, di-... Cherry! Did she tell them about my flank!?" As much as he wished he had the time to amuse himself at the thought of her checking him out on the bed, he still needed to talk to the old stallion. "It's Sugary... But Taffy is fine. And I wanted to ask you to help me find the broken door that needs fixing, and the tools for it and the broken window. I also wanted to talk to you in private a bit, which is why I'm asking for your time."

Lift Lever tilted his head and blinked. "hmmm..." he grabbed his sandwich and then got up. "Yes, sure why not sonny." he gave a little laugh before taking a bite of his sandwich. He looked toward's his coworkers and waved at them. "I'll be back in a few. Gonna show Taffy the door." He would walk past Sugary and patted him on the shoulder. "Come on, sonny." His pace of walking wasn't fast, nor was it slow. It was nice and steady, a perfect pace for an elder pony. He would lead Sugary to where the broken door was.

The broken door looks like someone clear bucked it in half. From the looks of it, it looked like someone bucked it from the outside. But it was snapped in half. on the wall near it was a near door that was to be used to replace the door and a chair that had gloves, screws, screwdrivers. "Well this here is the door." The broken door was still on it's hinges so it would need to be taken off first before putting the new door.

Sugary inspected the door and the doorframe closely with curiosity and furrowed brows. "Sheesh... Broken!? This was practically torn off...! But thank you, I'll get right on it." And as he moved between the tools and the door for preparation, he spoke to Lift further as he meant to while making sure as few as possible were around. "... As for why I wanted to talk in private, it's because Cherry herself seemed wary about even talking about it... I'm looking for a place in the Badlands, Mr. Lever. Do you know anything about anything over there worth talking about? There's something very important to me I need to reclaim... It's also for the sake of helping out the sleeping beauty under the maid's care."

Lift Lever would munch on his sandwich when Sugary made mention about the broken door and he only chuckled. "Oh that's nothing. Just some young buckeroo who thought he could get in here on his own. Ahahaha, I gave him a one-two I tell ya." He lifted a hand and waved it a little in a stoke of 'hand-chopping' motion. He kept an eye on Sugary who then brought up the Badlands. "Well I take it yer not from here are yeh, Taffy?"

As Sugary began to unscrew the remaining hinge joints, he chuckled along with Lift's own telling of events. "Good on ya. Sometimes a good smack does the trick for brats..." When the conversation continued, he'd keep to his task by removing damaged piece by piece till he could get the remains of the door off. "Not at all... But I won't have much of a place to call my own either if I don't get my stuff back, and soon... So please, don't spare me any details. I can take anything you throw at me. Directions or not, I'm still heading out there." He felt that Lift asking him about whether he was a local or not was enough to clue him in that he probably did know a thing or two after all.

Lift Lever would listen to Sugary and look at him. Soon he'd laugh. "ohohohoho...that sucks for you, Taffy." He took another bite of his sandwich and munched it at a comfortable pace. Once it was munched enough he'd swallow it. "It's a wasteland. Not much life lives there. Sand and rocks as far as the eye can see. I know there is a tribe of Zebra's that live over there, but it's been ages, so I don't know if they moved or not. There are dangerous creatures there that can take advantage of you if you aren't careful. Over the years, many have gone into the Badlands, but very few have ever returned." He would then finish off his sandwich. "So if you plan to head in there, make sure what you're searching for is really there. I'm tired of seeing young stallion's head there for one reason or another and not coming back." With that he would leave Sugary not giving him a chance to respond. Her headed back for the table he once was.

((Felt the sharp tip of that one...))

Sugary paused briefly as Lift just laughed at him. No real words of encouragement, no wise words of guidance, just the cold truth and a kick to his hopes. Since the older stallion left while he remained thoughtful about what he was told, he continued to fix the door again, but faster and more focused, with renewed vigor. "Fine, laugh it up! I'll do just that, and keep finding answers then! I didn't come this far to stop now! Maybe the next elder has something to say, and if not, I'll look and ask the next one! And the next one! And the NEXT one till I get what I want...!" And so he'd work with the door and tools in record time, determined to get what he set out for done along with Kimi as he made the necessary adjustments before testing the new door himself. It was then he thought about Kimi herself further as he opened the door and looked outside into the distance. "... I gotta find some solid clues... Last thing I want is to drag her into a lost cause and make things harder on her... She still has her problems to deal with... I still got a whole town to ask though." And from there, he'd clean up after himself, close the door, and proceed to go fix the window this time after putting things away where he found them, asking around to anyone else he could find to tell him how to fix it proper, while looking for a place to toss the broken pieces of the door at. He had no intention of stopping for a lunch break until he was done with the final chore of the day...

And once the window was fixed as well, however long it took as he would treat the process with greater care than the door, he'd be making his way back to the house for a quick meal if he could get one, as he had every intention to head into town as soon as possible... after getting the smell of the work day off of him with a quick shower and checking on Kimi, of course.

Once Sugary was done with his chores and he had gone back to the main house. There would be a meal prepared for him by the Moe-Maid because she was ever so good at her job. A good portion of the day had passed and it was getting to the late-afternoon. (so like...4-6pm?)

When Sugary had checked upon Kimi, he would find her there awake and sitting up. Peeling an orange quietly.

Sugary had made a strong sacrifice when inside the big house. The maid had indeed cooked a sterling meal, but he felt he'd ruin it by eating while stinking up the place. He'd apologize to the maid for delaying it, and tell her he'd go clean himself up when he got the chance. For when he was done, wearing red shorts and the green sleeveless shirt with a matching bandana, he passed by Kimi's room briefly. "Mm... Oh!? K-!! Lotus! Hello!" And so his mood rose as his cheeks colored a bit while his smile broadened, happy to see her well again as he walked closer to her. "How long were you awake? And how do you feel?" He, of course, also sounded perhaps a bit too cheery for the lady who may have just woken up, but he was genuinely happy to see her awake after all.

Kimi shifted her gaze to Sugary, the look in her eyes were pretty obvious that she was still tired, but she was also severely hungry as well. Her first response to him, as her ears dropped. "Watch your volume. You're too loud..." she sounded grumpy as well. She yawned once again. she continued to peeling the orange. "I woke up about an hour ago, a maid came in and got me fruits. I've been eating since then." she would pause a moment. "So what is this place?"

Sugary's own ears dropped slightly as his tail swished, looking sheepish and speaking quieter now as he realized his folly. "Er... Sorry... As for where we are? Well, here's what happened..." He'd sit down before her on the floor and cross his legs while looking up at her while she ate. "We're at Cherry Jubilee's place; You know, the friend of Applejack's she told us to ask help from in a pinch? That's right, I managed to get us to Dodge Junction... The late night before yesterday by the way, so yes, you were asleep for as long as you probably feel you were... I've been doing some work for her in exchange by the way. She might lend us some more supplies, but she won't be back till later tonight. I was also getting started on asking around for info about the Badlands, and the place we're trying to find... She also can't actually let us stay for more than a couple days, just so you know... Anything else you'd like me to tell you?"

"Uhuh..." was her only response as she finished peeling the orange. She broke it apart into it's slices and pulled one and popped it into her mouth and quietly chewed on it as she was processing the information in her mind. So they were in Dodge Junction in Cherry Jubilee's home. They can't stay for long, but they may get supplies and now Sugary's going around to ask for information. As a long silent pause Kimi would swallow the slice and nod her head. "Okay." She pulled another slice. "No, unless there is something else I should know?"

Sugary seemed to stare at nothing in particular as he furrowed his brows in thought, but there wasn't too much he could come up with. "Not sure if you saw out the window or not, but we may be dealing with rain once we set out; Hard to tell for sure though. That aside, what I learned so far is that the elderly are the most likely to know of the Badlands from Cherry, and that Zebras used to live in tribes somewhere over there from Lift Lever... That's really all for now." He then got up, and stretched a little as he kept looking to Kimi. "I'll be going downstairs to have my lunch... Or linner, I guess? And then keep looking for information. Wanna join me for it later, or do you still think you need rest?"

Kimi popped another orange piece in her mouth and she munched it quietly with her mouth closed as she listened to Sugary. When he was done she nodded her head. "I see..." She pondered something in her mind based on that information that was given. Well it's obvious to say it's going to be a dangerous trip if it's just the elderly that know about it. It must be a taboo place to go for some reason or another.

She looked at Sugary. "I"m going to rest some more, but are you certain you want to ask around some more?"

Sugary just gave a casual stare at Kimi before staring out the window, before he spoke softly, though a bit dramatically. "Well... We could head out blindly to the mysterious wilderness that the Badlands are to a couple like us, facing dangers untold while we venture forth with little more than our wits, legs, and some supplies; Never knowing if we'll ever return, or ever find what our hearts desire..." He then smiled playfully and began to walk out slowly, speaking more cheerfully. "Or I ask around and hopefully get some directions for a change; Maybe even find a guide, so we'll actually know which way to go before we head out to the mysterious wilderness that the Badlands are to a couple like us, facing dangers untold yadda yadda yadda. You know how it goes..." He stood by the doorway looking back at her once more, still smiling. "... You were out like a rock... If you wanna keep resting, I'll leave you be. Besides, I already decided to do this anyway while I had some time. Later."

And so he went, closing but not locking the door for her as he moved to the dining table to eat. Afterwards, if Kimi still hadn't decided to follow him, he'd be making his way to the rest of the town, looking for the first elder or zebra he could spot if he was lucky.

Kimi eyed him and she would nod her head. "Alright, you seemed to have thought this through. I'll leave it to you then." she popped another slice in her mouth and munched it as she watched Sugary leave. Kimi would stay in the room and quietly eat the orange and then just lay back down.

She didn't follow Sugary. She kept to the room. As she said she would leave it to Sugary, so this was now his mission!

The rest of town by this time, was still fairly active, though not with the workers, just people out and about having casual fun. Idle chit chat. There's the saloon, there's a bank, there's a clothing store, theres a carriage store, there's the sheriff's office and a bunch of homes as well.

When it became apparent he'd go solo for a while longer, Sugary would simply walk about as could be expected, glancing at every face and place he could. It didn't seem like any from the regular crowd were gonna tell him much, so he decided to stop by the office of the first citizen he met since he arrived: The Sheriff himself. "Stallion of the Law... Would he know were Outlaws lie in waiting?" It was an ironic stretch in his mind, but perhaps he'd be on the right track as he entered the building and looked for the stallion... If he found him, he'd introduce himself and try to ask him the same thing he asked to Lift earlier, as well as ask if he knew about the zebras dwelling in the Badlands.

The sheriff's office building wasn't anything extraordinary. Once inside the building you can see a high counter that separates the civilian entrance/waiting area and the area where the sheriff works at. Behind that counter area, the working area, there were a couple desks. On each of these desks there were various things, like small photos, paperwork, and other random office supplies. There was a pony there, but it wasn't the sheriff, rather it was the sheriff's partner who normally stays in the building when the sheriff is out on patrol.

This pony has a badge just like the sheriff did and had a cowboy hat on. Dressed much like your typical western fashioned cowboy sheriff. His coat cream colors, mane and tail a fire red.

Sugary was mildly disappointed at the lack of a Sheriff at the moment, but he wasn't about to walk back out when he just got there, and so he approached who he assumed to be the Deputy Sheriff after getting a good look at the office, beginning to speak with an eager tone. "Good evening, Officer! I'm a traveler from afar and I'm hoping you can tell me about any points of interest in the Badlands. Gonna make a name for myself through self-fulfilling adventure, so the more rumors of danger the better!" He then looked towards where he assumed their jail cells were. "... Say, you don't have any prisoners here too who could tell me about it, do ya? Daring souls like them are bound to give me a challenge!" In his experience, anyone was worth asking information from. Ne'er do wells sometimes had clues about treasures they may have missed, and might share if they fancy you enough.

Officer Shackle lifted his gaze to look at Sugary. His brow arched at how friendly Sugary was and how curious he was about not only the badlands, but also the lack of prisoners. Officer Shackle would walk up to the counter to look right at Sugary. "The only point of interest with the badlands is they are bad. I suggest yah don't waste my time." Not like he was actually doing anything, but Officer Shackle didn't have a look on his face that gave sign that he was being friendly toward's Sugary at all. "I suggest you leave, if you don't need any actual help, I need to get back to work." Of course, he didn't even bother with acknowledging Sugary's question about the prisoners.

((Side quest?))

Sugary's smile didn't waver at the officer, though his stare in return was anything but casual as he never blinked, nor did his determined gaze ever look away and falter against the disapproving glare. "Shame about that then. Guess I'll go elsewhere for tips..." He certainly wouldn't try to apologize though as, unlike the Officer claimed, every moment counted for him still. "And he was so rude too."

He'd leave the building without making a fuss though, but he'd also look around somewhat casually while actually trying to circle around the building as discreetly as possible. His immediate goal was to check and see if he could spot windows for the jail cells, and try to get near enough to hear voices, or see into the rooms...

Officer Shackle would nod his head and watched as Sugary left. Once Sugary was gone Officer Shackle went back to his desk, sat down and kicked his legs up onto the table and adjusted his hat over his face. He went and took a nap there, there was a silence and then soon a snore.

There were a couple of ponies in the prison cells, but none of them were really talking about the Badlands. It was just a bunch of random talk about drunken street brawls, or visiting the saloon after they finish serving their time. It was a small town so the crimes that did happen, weren't really anything all that bad. Just some people getting drunk and starting fights is about the worse that happens.

Despite what he could hear, Sugary got nothing from the prisoners worth looking into. Rather than risk sticking around for long and get apprehended for acting suspiciously, he decided to go onto his next location he felt might yield better luck... so he went straight for the typical place to ask information for by going to the pub, though he'd still try to spot the Sheriff if he could. He'd first look, and listen, to those inside to decide if he should go for a drink right away for a semblance at formality, or of he should join a table of interest instead.

The bar, the cliche place for information, is the prime spot to gather information of all kinds. It makes sense to go there for information though it's a double edged sword. When drinks are involved people tend to be far more talkative and it was fairly proven quite easily as the sounds of endless chatter echoed out from the bar. There were lots of chatters about various sorts of topics ranging from Cherry's sweet tits, to work all the way to talking about racial remarks about Zebra's and the badlands. Heck even the sheriff was there taking a load off and drinking a little bit by the bar. Though the conversation about the badlands came from a group in the back comprised of six ponies, all various in their ages from a young and hearty stallion to an old elderly colt.

It wasn't too hard to hear what was what, and what was coming from where, but Sugary certainly drifted over to the table with the talk of the Badlands casually. "Cherry does have stunning features though, but that's another matter..."

He'd watch out to see how he'd be received once he got close enough, but either way he'd try to grab a chair if he could. If he couldn't, he'd try to make an offer regardless with what little he had. "Gentlemen, I'm willing to buy a drink to each one who can tell me what they know about the Badlands." He could probably afford it, but he did hope he'd get some of it back later through Cherry and he work he did at least.