Backwater Blues [Sweetheart, Open] | The Fun Has Been Doubled!

blues
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Backwater Blues [Sweetheart, Open] Dec 28, 2012 13:01:18 GMT -6

Post by blues on Dec 28, 2012 13:01:18 GMT -6

Manehattan was the place of dreams. Tall, tall buildings, bustling with ponies who could appreciate the finer things in life. It seemed like every basement door led not to a lonely water heater or unused furniture, but to a club that emanated the greatest music you'd hear in Equestria. A place like this was really where Blues could feel at home; a place where his music, his dream could be realized.

So here we was in Appleoosa.

For obvious reasons, his being here had nothing to do with his career. It didn't seem like a town where anypony would really appreciate jazz, anyways; and he didn't know how to play a banjo. No, Blues was here to visit a cousin of his, and to be fair, he was quite excited for that (he wouldn't have made the long trip otherwise). He just felt rather out of place in the decidedly agricultural, backwater town.

Stepping off the platform of Appleoosa Station, Blues began trudging across the dusty main road of the town. His cousin's farmhouse had no spare room, and frankly he liked having some personal space, so he was going to have to find lodging. Even a settlement this small had to have an inn, and sure enough, after a few minutes of wandering, Blues found a place that looked, well...like an inn.

Pushing the door open, the stallion glanced around, taking in his rustic surroundings before coming all the way in to the building. "Hello?" he called. "Anypony here? I'd like to rent a room..."

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Backwater Blues [Sweetheart, Open] Dec 28, 2012 20:48:19 GMT -6

Post by Deleted on Dec 28, 2012 20:48:19 GMT -6

Today was just shaping up to be an average, happy day for Sweetheart. She currently had four guests in the inn, and two of them were paying for luxury suites, and the other two were long-term stays. This meant that her cleaning responsibilities were fairly light today, though she had been running up and down the stairs a bit. At this point in the afternoon, however, all the rooms had been tidied up, all her guests had currently been settled, and she could turn her attention to dusting the lobby.

Not that she allowed it time to gather much dust, mind you. It was beautifully decorated in a Victorian-Western style, which went over well with Appleoosa as it's setting. Dark wood on tables and chair legs, elegant velvet in rich colors, and a lot of pillows, cushions, and lamps to make everything bright and comfortable! It was the area in which Sweetheart spent any time she was not cleaning rooms or preparing meals, or sleeping. The lobby was the crowning jewel of her pride and joy!

She was just finishing her dusting with a careful brushing-over of an antique lamp with her feather duster, when Sweetheart heard the door open. Setting down her feather duster and readying her smile, she turned to greet her new guest!

"Welcome to Sweet Hearth Stables! I'm the innkeeper, Sweetheart. We have three different kind of rooms to offer. If you're looking for a simpler kind of room, we have standard rooms for ¢50 a night. If you're traveling with a large group, or a family, we also have family suites for ¢75 a night." Although she really didn't think he looked like the type to be traveling with a family, you could never be sure. Sometimes they arrived a bit later. It was always wise to put the option out there!

"But if you're looking for the V.I.P treatment, we also offer Luxury Suites for ¢100 a night. Whatever type of room you prefer, the rent also covers two free meals a day, either brought to your room or in our dining hall here." Sweetheart gestured discreetly with her hoof to the door that lead to the dining room, then turned and trotted the few steps to the registration desk, where she brought out the guestbook. "So!" she said cheerfully, as she opened it, "What kind of room would you like?"

blues
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Backwater Blues [Sweetheart, Open] Dec 30, 2012 23:19:39 GMT -6

Post by blues on Dec 30, 2012 23:19:39 GMT -6

"Welcome to Sweet Hearth Stables! I'm the innkeeper, Sweetheart. We have three different kind of rooms to offer. If you're looking for a simpler kind of room, we have standard rooms for ¢50 a night. If you're traveling with a large group, or a family, we also have family suites for ¢75 a night."

The prompt response was certainly informative. However, that very fact, combined with its somewhat rapid delivery, left Blues a bit in the conversational dust. So he stood there, trying not to gape as his mind rushed to catch up to Sweetheart's friendly sales chatter.

As her spiel drew to an end, the stallion found himself with very little actual thinking to do. Blues had nopony with him; the idea of anypony offering him a family suite almost made him laugh (he liked to think that he didn't look old enough to be a parent, and besides, he didn't even have a coltfriend). But that would probably be rude, so he limited himself to an amused grin. The idea of a luxury suite was lovely, but it was just that--an idea. Fifty bits a night was already going to be quite a drain, as he'd been hoping a room in a town this...well, this out-of-the-way would have been cheaper.

So a full 100 bits a night was not in the budget, with or without included food.

"So! What kind of room would you like?"

"Well, I'd like a luxury suite, but...I think I'll have to go for the standard," he said wryly. Glancing around the immaculate, if rather inactive, lobby, he asked, "Is this as busy as it gets around here?" If his cousin was ever busy working the orchards, Blues was going to have to find some other way to occupy his time for the week--and that looked like it was going to be a little difficult.

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Backwater Blues [Sweetheart, Open] Dec 31, 2012 4:08:39 GMT -6

Post by Deleted on Dec 31, 2012 4:08:39 GMT -6

It was a good thing Sweetheart had never quite mastered the art of mind reading. She would not have been at all pleased to hear Appleoosa considered 'an out of the way town.' Nor would she have been pleased to know that somepony felt her rates were too high, if only because she herself had agonized over that very thing many days. She did know there were hotels in Canterlot, Manehattan, Fillydelphia, and Las Pegasus where you could get rooms for less, as long as you didn't mind sharing. With rats. And roaches. And probably worse.

But her hotel was clean, and fresh, and most of all, new. It was in the best condition it could be, and therefore, it's best earning years. But- well, she had been through that all before. She felt it was worth the value in cleanliness and condition, and she tried to make it a good deal with excellent service. Luckily, she could not read minds, so instead of having to try and explain all this, she merely smiled happily, as though a standard room was an excellent choice anyway.

"Very good, sir! I have a nice room on the second floor that I think will suit you very well."As Sweetheart turned to get the key, he asked if it was always this quiet. That rather stung, just a little, until she realized (or told herself she realized) that he was referring to the whole town, not just her hotel. "Well, usually, no. But it's Winter you see. You cant build, you cant plant, and you can't harvest at this time of year. So things tends to be a bit quieter." Sweetheart gave him a sunny smile as she set the key on the desk. "Would you be so kind as to sign the guestbook?"

blues
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Backwater Blues [Sweetheart, Open] Jan 2, 2013 13:36:46 GMT -6

Post by blues on Jan 2, 2013 13:36:46 GMT -6

"Very good, sir! I have a nice room on the second floor that I think will suit you very well."

Blues nodded, smiling appreciatively. "Works for me." And that seemed to settle it, as Sweetheart went to fetch the room key for him. His casual question about the town's activity level was apparently out of line, if the brief flash of offense on the mare's face was anything to go by. Frankly, Blues didn't see the problem. Of course he didn't expect Appleoosa to be anywhere on the level of a large city like Canterlot, but even a smaller town like Ponyville had a few things going for it at any given moment.

Then again, even Ponyville was larger than here.

"Well, usually, no. But it's Winter you see. You cant build, you cant plant, and you can't harvest at this time of year. So things tends to be a bit quieter."

Again, Blues nodded. "Makes sense," he commented, hoping that would appease the innkeeper. "Easy to forget it's winter, warm as it is here," he added. True, you couldn't really call it toasty, as even deserts get colder in the winter; but there was no snow, and as far as he was concerned, that was enough. For a moment, it made him question why there wouldn't be more ponies there, as getting away from the cold up north would certainly be a good selling point on a vacation...but then, most of those ponies were probably on the train to Los Pegasus as they spoke. So he decided not to bring it up.

"Would you be so kind as to sign the guestbook?"

"Sure, he replied, walking over to said book. The relative emptiness of the pages made him realize why Sweetheart might not have been thrilled with his question earlier; it looked like the inn wasn't exactly bustling with customers--or their money. Signing his name and other information in, the stallion set down the pencil and turned back to the mare for a less...normal question. "Excuse me, this might sound odd, but...how thick are the walls here?"

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Backwater Blues [Sweetheart, Open] Jan 2, 2013 23:18:44 GMT -6

Post by Deleted on Jan 2, 2013 23:18:44 GMT -6

Blues seemed to be an agreeable type of stallion, so Sweetheart forgave him his accidental remark. "It is nice here for Winter, isn't it?" She agreed happily with him as he signed the guestbook. Blues Noteworthy she noted to herself, A Musician? He did have a music related mark! When he asked about the walls of his room, she couldn't help smiling at the hint of confirmation of her suspicions. Well, that and anything to do with her inn delighted her!

"The walls are fairly thick, and your room is a corner room, so you only share one wall. And anyway, the other room is unoccupied at the moment. I am sure that you wont be disturbed by- or be disturbing... any other pony with noise." Sweetheart picked up the key and glanced at him, thoughtfully. "If you're ready, please let me show you to your room. Do you have any baggage you would like carried up? Or any left at the station to be picked up later?"

Sweetheart deliberately left out the part about her being the one bringing it up, or going to get it. She had noted that some ponies, particularly stallions, felt awkward about letting her carry stuff for them, even though she was perfectly capable. She was an earth pony, after all! Anything she couldn't manage was probably not meant to go into a hotel room! But still, anything to make her guests feel more at home.

Last Edit: Jan 2, 2013 23:19:58 GMT -6 by Deleted

blues
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Backwater Blues [Sweetheart, Open] Jan 8, 2013 1:14:15 GMT -6

Post by blues on Jan 8, 2013 1:14:15 GMT -6

Blues was visibly relieved when Sweetheart proclaimed his room to be insulated by both thick walls and another empty room. Even when one played quietly, it was difficult to mask the sound of a wind instrument--particularly a brass one like a saxophone. And having to find a quiet place outdoors to practice was a pain; as much as Blues was devoted to his music, inconveniences like that were sometimes enough to make his indolence take over. Not that he'd ever admit it, of course, but he wasn't above napping when nopony was looking.

"If you're ready, please let me show you to your room. Do you have any baggage you would like carried up? Or any left at the station to be picked up later?"

The question was, in a way, amusing to Blues. He was only staying for a week, and ponies didn't usually wear much; what exactly was he going to bring that he couldn't fit into one suitcase? Especially in a town like Appleoosa, he wasn't going to need formal wear. So the stallion shook his head, replying, "No, it's just these. I've got them." He was able to deftly tip his saxophone case onto his back (he'd practiced that maneuver fairly often), but his suitcase was small enough that he could pick it up with his teeth.

"Lead the way," he then said cheerfully. Or at least, he tried to; with a suitcase handle in his mouth, what came out was more like "leee da aaay."

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Backwater Blues [Sweetheart, Open] Jan 8, 2013 5:10:42 GMT -6

Post by Deleted on Jan 8, 2013 5:10:42 GMT -6

Sweetheart smiled and nodded. "This way, if you please." she said, turning and heading up the staircase. She had the sense not to ask Blues any questions while he was carrying his suitcase, She just hummed quietly to herself in a friendly way. The stairs weren't particularly long, but they were a little steep, and at the landing, Sweetheart paused. "Just a moment," she explained as she stepped to a door that was surely too small to be a guest room door. Indeed, it turned out to be a laundry closet. Sweetheart collected a set of sheets and towels, explaining, "I like every guest to have fresh linen, so I don't make up the bed until I know the room will be used." His door was the first one on the street side, so it wasn't much further to go after that. Sweetheart unlocked the door and pushed it open, stepping aside for Blues to go in first.

It was a nice room. Aside from being both new and clean, luxuries not available in all hotel rooms, it had clearly been furnished for a stallion in mind. The wallpaper was a simple pattern of smoke grey and slate blue stripes, running vertically, and though the floor was hardwood, and not carpeted, there were two dark blue rugs on the floor, one by the bed and wooden wardrobe, and the other by an extremely comfortable-looking overstuffed chair and footstool, by the window whose blue curtains were partly drawn. There was a bookcase near it as well, filled with classical literature, and a table, whose only adornment was a hurricane lamp. A discreet packet of matches, tucked behind it, invited the guest to light the lamp if he felt the need. The furniture was simple and sturdy, rather than delicate and ornate, and whole air of the room was that of a gentlecolt's bedroom. Which was the idea.

By the time Blues had time to set down his things and look around, Sweetheart had nearly finished making the bed. In fact, she was just spreading the coverlet neatly into place. "If you look in the corner by the door," she said, concentrating on what she was doing, "You'll see a bell-pull rope hanging there. You can always ring me if there's anything you need." She gave the coverlet a smooth and fluffed the pillows once more for good measure before looking up and smiling. "The key is on the bedside table. I hope everything is satisfactory? Is there anything you would like brought up right away? Something to drink, or a meal, perhaps?"