Navy giggled as Locke and Penwrite argued, still eating as she looked back and fourth between them. She'd resigned to grabbing Sunset later and getting her alone, so she could get the space-case's undivided attention...

Penwrite shot one last glare at Locke, before turning to look at Shin. He took a deep gulp of his soup before saying anything. "By the way, I never got a chance before, thanks for all the help last night. We'd all probably be dead or worse without you. If you need help with anything, anything at all, just ask. I'll be there."

Galaxy's jaw dropped as the writer pony then took an orange gem from a secret wallet he always kept in his mane and tossed it to Shin. "Hey...don't ever tell me not to give those things away if you're going to..."

Shin caught the gem. "No need to thank me. I can't leave anypony in danger." He said doing the whole humble "I'm not a hero" thing, but then he added "That being said, I'll gladly take this gift. So why is this one special?"

"Yeah you were pretty cool back there. Where'd you learn to fight, I learned from my acting mentor....yes." Locke said holding out one of his sapphires. Having verity in his treasure was alsways important, plus he could always steal it back later if he cared enough.

"I come from a long line of Ninja ponies. I trained with an ancient master in Neighppon," Shin said proudly.
"Don't listen to him, he took a class in a martial arts studio next to a bowling alley," Moon said with a smirk.
"Spoilsport."

(( Doing EVERYONE a favor here. ))

Navy had departed from her seat off screen, and now tapped Sunset from off the other side of the screen (Pinkie Pie Style). She gestured for Sunset to follow her, then grabbed her hoof and pulled her away to a quiet area...

(( There, now CTC doesn't feel pressured, and you guys don't have to wait on us. ))

Penwrite sat and drank his soup. His eyes darted around, wondering where Navy and Sunny had gotten off to, but not worried. "You'll find out what they do soon enough."

Galaxy did likewise.

[You don't need to be so condescending when you point out my screw-ups. Jerks.]

(( And in doing so, they did not answer ANY of the questions directed at them. ))

[Wait, what? What questions?]

Penwrite suddenly leapt from his seat and pointed in a completely random direction, away from anyone else in the restaurant. "I already put an answer in! Can we please move on from this?"

Locke just stared at him for a moment. "Over dramtic much" Locke shoved another hoof full of food down his mouth, finishng the last of his supply. "Leave the overacting to actors, like me." Locke jumped onto the table and stretched out his wings dramticly, accidentally dropping his knife into the table. "Hark, fellow patrons lend me your ears. As an expert in all things food and delicious, I must give my compliments to those who run this establishment. For there food is the best I have eaten in many a year!" Locke jumped back down in his seat reclining with his hooves behind his head. "And that I learned in my very first role." The role of an insane pony who thought he was a duke. Worst one I ever got with those guys.

"That was some great overacting," Moon said, clopping her hooves together.
"Bravo," Shin said through a mouth full of food.

"So," said Penwrite between mouthfuls of soup. "What's out next move?"

(( *Waits for CTC and Daemon, who have gone AWOL...* ))

Sunset stops slurping her noodles for a moment, a stray noodle flopping about unladylike out of her mouth, as she noticed Navy. She slurped it up and cantered following Navy. When the got to a quiet area, "What's up Navy? Something on your mind?"

Navy glanced around to make sure they weren't being observed. "Remember that book from last night? The one with the teleport spell?" She reached over and opened her saddlebag, carefully showing Sunset the top of a journal, "I got it." She quickly closed the saddlebag, making sure it was shut tight, "I've been... uh... you know... skimming it while no one was looking..." she lied, having actually been conversing with it, "...aaaand I wanted you to look over some of the things inside it with me in a bit... they're a bit... unnerving..."

Locke shrugged, slumping in his seat. "I dunno. I guess we need to take down this Hate guy. At least thats what Blu is so dang worried about. I just want to take whatever treasure might be laying around that mansion." I only wanted to ask Shin and Pen, but the more ponies there are, the less chance there is for me to die. I love probability. "I'm just waiting for her. I ain't going inside that place by myself. I may not be able to get any info on Drake's Heart with others around though.

"I don't know," Shin said after swallowing his last mouthful of food. "We may not need to take him down. Yes, he nearly killed us with a rage demon, but we broke into his house. Everything else he did was over a thousand years ago, and we don't know why he did it in the first place. We should learn all we can about the enemy before going after him."

Penwrite gave a nod as Shin finished speaking. "I've already lost a horn to Hateful Shade. I of course really don't like him, but I'd rather not start a fight where there isn't one."

Galaxy waggled a hoof. "I'll go along with whatever Pen decides to do."

Darn they make good points, but someone that old has to have good treasure and good info. Hmm "Well in that case" Locke got up from his seat "I guess I should try spying up on the guy. Just sitting outside the place shouldn't be too bad for me. The rain storm makes this a good time for it anyway. New plan on the fly. I am so clever.

Sunset's eyes widened a little. An ancient and powerful magic tome, perhaps containing powerful spells and incantations, potent potions and elixers, astounding tricks and conjurations? "Yeah!" She said, enthusiastically, before putting a hoof over her mouth, blushing at how loud she responded, "Oh, sorry! I mean, yeah, I can look it over with you." She said at a much more appropriate volume.

Navy nodded with a smile, "Great! Lemme tell you, he has quite the story to tell, this little journal, and he... uh..." she stopped, realizing that she was personifying the books to others again, and only she could hear their voices, "Well, it's a good book. How much more do you wanna eat?" she asked, picking up the chopsticks from a bowl of noodles and holding them in her fetlocks.

Sunset smiled, not realizing Navy's possible gaff about personifying the book. She often talked about inanimate objects like that, so she thought it to be of no note, "I'm actually kinda full already. The noodles are really filling." She said, "We can take a look at the book soon, if you want! And maybe I can get your *assistance* with a potion I'm brewing!" She said, cheerfully. Though, in Sunset's case, "assistants" usually meant "test subjects".

Navy cringed, knowing this, "Uh... I dunno about actually using or even touching the potion, I mean, you DO remember that I have alot of allergies, especially to magic and potions, right?" She shook it off, putting down an empty bowl of noodles before grabbing another egg-roll with her chopsticks (They moved back over near the table, alright?) "I suppose I'm pretty full now... It's not like I can't just get more food if I get hungry again later..." she shrugged, "Anyway, lemme finish this egg-roll and tell the other's we're leaving, ok?" she dipped the roll in some sauce and munched it... She was REALLY good with those chopsticks, for somepony using just her fetlocks...

Sunset nodded, "Oh yeah, I forgot. Maybe I can get Penny and Shinny to 'help' me with the potion?" She pondered as she used her magic to pick up another egg roll to eat. She followed Navy as she chewed.

At that moment, at another table and out of earshot, Penwrite felt a cold shiver run up his spine. Instinctively knowing what it meant, he shot a look over at Sunny and saw her talking to Navy. They seemed to be getting along well enough. Nothing good can come of this..." Suddenly losing his appetite, he pushed his remaining bowl of soup over to the vacuum that was Locke.

Navy shrugged, "Maybe... Book first though, we can worry about magic another time..." She turned to lean over to Locke, Penwrite, and the others, "Hey guys, we're heading back to Sunny's lab to get some work done, feel free to stop by if you want..." With a little wave, she turned and started leading Sunset out...

"Hmm? Oh cool soup!" Locke cheered, standing between the two tables now. He took the bowl by the hoof and tilted it before his mouth swallowing the entire thing in one chug. "Mmm, Today is a good day. Well I going to go do the thing, so I gotta go." as Locke passed Navy he turned to her for just a moment "Blue, I got my own plan right now so I'm going to head out. Don't bother worrying about me to much. If I don't come back by tomorrow morning it only means I'm dead." He said with his subtle smile.

Navy blinked, "Huh? Where're you going?"

Locke shrugged with cocky little smirk. "Just gonna go see if I can maybe sneak in a little spying. Know your enemy, right? I figure as long as I stay outside the house I won't die... horribly."

Navy cringed, "Locke... I don't think you should do that until we know exactly what sort of enchantment he has on the place... For all we know, he could be able to nab you the second you walk through the gate... Don't you have anything else to do in town first?"

"Like mug a little old lady or something?"

Galaxy hit Penwrite upside the head."That was funny, but I'm obligated to hit you for it. Anyway..." She coughed and stood up from the table. "I have some very important work to get back to if we don't want Penny's house to blow up. If you all will excuse me, I will see you later."

And with that, the gem-eyed mare teleported away. Penwrite sat looking at where she had been for several long seconds. "...the worst thing is, I know she wasn't kidding."

Locke rolled his eyes. "Please, when do little old ladies ever have anything good on them." Locke stopped to think for a moment "Well... I'm still homeless. We're the nearest place that no one lives? I could probably try squatting."

Navy blinked, then sighed and shook her head, commenting quietly, "What's with all you unicorns and winking like that? I thought it was like, advanced magic that draws more energy than most unicorns have..."

(( Oh, wow, ninja.... now I GOTTA post... ))
She glanced over at Locke, closing her eyes with a sigh of exasperation, "Didn't somepony already offer you a room? You know, you could always sleep on my couch for a while if it's such a problem..."

Penwrite looked over at Navy, and after a moment chuckled. "Galaxy's from a very old family of unicorns, renowned among the Canterlot elite for their natural magical strength. Along with that, Galaxy is a kind of mechanical genius, and helped pioneer the use of crystals to store magic. Those eyes of hers aren't just for show."

Penwrite then sighed. "Too bad she's too eccentric and single-minded to hold onto the fortunes she made. When I left Canterlot to move here, she didn't have a bit to her name that wasn't inherited. She's also crazy."

===ELSEWHERE!!!===

Galaxy sneezed, and then looked in disgust at the snot-covered inside of her welding mask.

"I knew a pony like that once, kept blowing everything he made on gambly stuff. That's why I left all my money with some one trust worthy, someone that nopony ever knocks off. I just have no way to get to him. So yeah about that squatting?" He smiled, redirecting the topic back to his needs.

Penwrite ponders who that pony could be.

Shin and Moon can't really think of anything to say, so they're just eating right now.

Navy sighed and shook her head, "Look... Just try and stay out of trouble... If you can't find somewhere to stay by tonight, you can always sleep on my couch again, but please don't go after Hateful right now. He's really dangerous and I'm worried about what might happen if he catches you prowling around his estate..." she gave him a worried look to emphasize the worriedness...

(( I'm... Assuming CTCs character spaced out? ))