Back to the Drawing Board

[sailorgenerous]

Who: Rarity, anyone who'd like to visit
What: In the wake of sudden appearances and disappearances, Rarity's just trying to find some sense of normality. This, of course, means fashion work.
Where: Carousel Boutique, Traverse Town location
When: After the fourth wall event ends, afternoon
Warnings: None so far.

Rarity was, at the moment, doing everything she could to keep herself busy. She hadn't truly expected everypony who showed up in that large group to stay - the dream was simply too odd for anything like that to happen.

Then again, she hadn't expected any of her longtime friends to leave either. Jaime and Point Man had gone home a good while ago, true, and she'd known Chell was planning on moving out - she just hadn't thought Chell would leave the dream entirely.

Yet here she was with only Emile left in the house. She had been keeping a closer eye on him than he really needed, and so she'd excused herself to her studio to try to work. With any luck, a bit of design work would keep her attention well enough to calm her down.

Comments

[sailorgenerous]

To her credit, Rarity didn't wince when Emile paused. She knew exactly what he'd been about to say, and she'd long since come to terms with it - well enough that she didn't have to go lie down when the subject came up, that is.

What she didn't have was context for what exactly a Spartan was, aside from the fact that Emile and his friends were all Spartans and that the Freelancers, by contrast, were not. She and Emile didn't talk much about his past, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to change that.

Maybe later. Not right now.

"That's good to hear," she tried, falling silent. Conversation wasn't working, and she'd rather they not stay sad like this. It was time to change tactics.

"Go get changed," she told him, tapping his knee again. "I'm going to bake a pie, and I want you to help me." It was a very spur-of-the-moment decision - very Pinkie Pie - but it was better than nothing, and if it worked for Pinkie, why wouldn't it work for them too?

[spaceracist]

It was probably for the best that he didn't have to explain concepts like child soldier and genocide to Rarity, so he was happy not discussing it if she was happy not to bring it up. He still needed an actual shrink, though. That part wasn't liable to change.

"A pie? And you want my help," he said dubiously, since Emile really sincerely doubted that his skills could in any way improve a baked good. But hey, if she was insisting....

A few minutes later, he made his way down to the kitchen in civvies.

[sailorgenerous]

It was less of an actual need for assistance and more of a distraction, really, but she didn't need to tell Emile that. "Yes, I do! Come down when you're ready."

By the time Emile made it to the kitchen, Rarity had already laid out the ingredients for a blueberry pie and was measuring flour into a bowl while Spike studiously licked flour from his nose. (How he'd gotten it on there and nowhere else was anypony's guess.) "Oh, good, you're here!" She magicked open a drawer on the other side of the kitchen. "Be a dear and bring me the rolling pin, please."

[spaceracist]

Emile hunted for the rolling pin a moment before grabbing it. He flipped it up and down a few times in his hands as he brought it over to her, setting it down next to her and observing the ingredients. He's still not sure about all this, but at least it's something to do.

And he could always eat pie. Maybe two or three pies.

"You got the pans already? What should I do?"