[21:06:29] GreenHoof walks up to his house's door, saddlebags on his back. Fiddling with the lock, he sighs before opening the door and entering what he thinks is an empty house. [21:07:38] Sugarcoat zips back in time and mutters something unintelligible under her breath as she searches the main room of the house she was coming to know almost as well as her own, taking a look around for any ponies there. No Tide -- good. No Hearth, Sunny (she had only seen them a few times, anyway, good). She looks around for her crumpled skirt which had been kicked under a cushion, [21:07:39] Sugarcoat the reason for her coming back and jumps suddenly at the sound of the door opening behind her, hooves flailing a bit as she turns around. [21:09:00] GreenHoof shuts the door before turning back around and looking around the main room... He really needed a good wash, get all this dried blood caked to his fur washed away. Some of it was his, some of it was the ones he killed. Eyes adjusting to the dimmed light, he sees a pink-coated mare near the couch. In a quiet, timid, raspy (not to mention exhausted) voice, he speaks. "Y'alright?" [21:14:10] Sugarcoat gasps quietly as she takes stock of the pony before her, her pristine cotton candy colored fur looking extra smooth and well groomed while her eyes looked -- somewhat wild. Predatory, even, as she looks at him up and down before shaking her head, blinking herself back into her typical demure countenance. Without thinking she takes the few steps from around the couch to [21:14:10] Sugarcoat meet him in a hug, uncaring if she got his grime against her coat. "Hoof, Ho-of, what, ahm, happened..?" She asks in a quiet voice, voice soft with concern, but layered with a hint of huskiness. The sweet smell of the mare becomes apparent as she hugs him close, worry for him pushing the other thoughts out of her mind. [21:17:51] GreenHoof tenses up a bit at the sudden affection, caught off guard, and starts to lift his forehooves up to hug her back, but he decides against it, not wanting to get her silky smooth coat dirty with his smelly bloodiness and filth. Catching a hint of the sweet smell emanating from her, he figures she must've been cooking again. "Well... we got Phoenix back." He says flatly, but ominously quietly. [21:22:20] GreenHoof also has a clear distinct new wound on his chest, appearing to be a sword stab wound. [21:23:54] Sugarcoat wags her tail slightly from that, "Back? He's, here, al... alive?" Though at first she only intended to hug him for a moment, she gives the soiled pony another gentle squeeze, more of his scent and muck rubbing off against her. Sheblinks at realizing what she was doing, but for some reason felt reluctant to let him go, doing so after a moment's hesitation. "A, and you're.. [21:23:55] Sugarcoat Hurt.." She adds, ears flattening against her head. The mare's voice has a slight stutter to it, and she looks at him with a frown playing at her mouth. [21:24:47] High_Tide is napping on the couch, probably after coming home recently from work [21:26:39] GreenHoof blinks, looking down to Sugar for a moment silently. Something seemed... odd. Maybe she was just really glad he was okay. Regardless, he walks past her, heading to the kitchen behind the main room and going to his bedroom door, opening it, and walking in. Expecting Sugar to follow him, he keeps talking. "Well... yeah, but it's not too bad. And yup, he's alive. Pretty bad off, and he can only r [21:26:47] remember a few things, but alive and safe." [21:29:00] GreenHoof takes his saddlebags off and leaves them ontop of his chest before going back in the kitchen and getting out a waterskin. Taking a few gulps, he reaches in a drawer and pulls out a rag, pouring water over it and beginning to try to loosen the clumps of dried blood before he goes out to the river for a proper wash. [21:32:35] Sugarcoat stares at him unmoving for a few long seconds, picking up her hooves to trail after him. She lets his words sink in after a few long moments, finding they brought her some clarity to focus on as she flicks her ears in cocentration. "That's, great news! 'f he's alive then he can heal.. So, can, ah, you heal too now.." She makes a mental reminder to tell Golden as soon as [21:32:36] Sugarcoat possible, even if she had to interrupt him and Weiss. "H-ere, let me help you with that, you're hurt.. Don't push yourself.." Idly wondering if the clinic's practice was so lax to not have helped him at all (or had he gone to the clinic? it was hard to tell from the state he was in.) she reaches to take the rag from him, gently dabbing it against his gore smeared coat. [21:34:55] GreenHoof stands there still, a little thrown off by her eagerness, but too tired to really notice anything. "Uh... Well thanks. You don't have to do that, y'know. I'm pretty dirty right now. Surprised you can stand the smell." [21:39:41] Sugarcoat twitches her head, birdlike and blinks at him. Frankly to her the smell wasn't that overpowering, better still than some of the only scents to make her cringe. If she really wanted to spare a thought to it, then she might even say the natural loam scent of the stallion was somewhat appealing, though masked by his current state. She brushes the rag against his coat delicately, [21:39:42] Sugarcoat pressing in in spots where the matted coat was at its worst. "Course I have to, don't.. Ah.. Wat you to push yourself, like this.." [21:42:04] GreenHoof just sort of stands there awkwardly, not used to having another pony washing him. He watches the mare as she works on his coat, thankful, but a bit curious as to why she seemed so... flustered? [21:47:14] Sugarcoat leans in close as she swipes at a particularly nasty looking glob of what-was-once-pony stuck to his neck, breath playing across his short fur as she finds her thoughts slipping, a mixture of worry mixed with self hatred mixed with, there it was.. The feeling she had been growing all too familiar with in the last few days. Perhaps it was just her but the room seemed to at [21:47:15] Sugarcoat once both shrinking and growing hotter as she rubs the damp cloth down his neck and chest, where his poncho hadn't quite protected him from any unfortunate bodily splatters. "Mm.. You've, well, you've been gone a while.. We were so worried.. I mean, I was.. Or Tide and I, as, the 'we'... mm." [21:51:32] GreenHoof nods absentmidedly, trying to keep his thoughts together from wandering off. "Oh yeah? You and Tide hang out while I was gone?" [21:56:22] Sugarcoat drops the rag from her hoof at that, bowing quickly to pick it up and hide her blush which stained her nearly as bad as her history of mistakes, "Uh.. Um..." [21:57:12] Sugarcoat shakes her head and walks to his side where he can't look at her face, continuing to clean him with more forceful scrubbing than she was using before to fight her distraction. This was her friend, and there her mind was wandering. "Y, yeah, I guess you could say we're.. Friends.. maybe.." [22:00:37] GreenHoof raises an eyebrow. "Uh... Good for you." He notices her intense scrubbing, wincing a bit as it gets a little rough. "Hey... That should be good. Wanna come with me to the river? I need a real bath." [22:04:06] Sugarcoat feels her tail pomfing out as it waves behind her bare flank, odd considering the mare's sudden penchant for wearing clothes. "Sor-ry.. If, if you think I should come I can.. I, ah.. Not too, cold?" Her face reddens as she was thankfully from her position he couldn't look at her, shaking her head and biting her lip at her selfishness. He needed some help to bathe and not [22:04:06] Sugarcoat strain those wounds, she shouldn't be so foalish and jump to any, other, conclusions. Especially when it brought her such shame before. [22:06:06] GreenHoof shrugs, starting to walk to the door. "Whatever. You don't have to come if you don't want to. Was just offerin'." He says, with no particular inflection or tone. "I promised Phoenix I'd stay by his side, so when I'm done I gotta go find him. He went on a walk with Liven or somethin'." [22:09:03] "No, no, I will," she adds quickly, her tongue feeling heavy and strange in her mouth. Mentioning Phoenix seemed to stir her from her thoughts, even as she was hoping the pony was rescued she still had the matter of making things right with him.. Something she felt could wait while he was with his true friends. "I want to, help, you Hoof.. Then you can go off." She smiles shakily [22:09:04] and follows after him, casting one last look in the living room for her skirt. Well, if she couldn't see it, hopefully no other ponies could. [22:12:01] GreenHoof turns his head, casting a sideglance at Sugar as he stops before the door. "A-alright, sounds good, I guess." He opens the door, gesturing for her to go ahead, giving her a small, teasing smirk. "Ladies first... Actually, gotta lock up behind you." [22:15:42] Sugarcoat looks at him with a curiously meek expression for the opinionated mare, skitting around him slowly as she tries to avoid showing off her plot. Why did Fox and Lamon have to mention it to her, too..? She bites at her inner cheek guiltily and passes by him, her tail swishing against his own side unconsciously. Wishing she could really just focus, she replies, "Y..yeah.. I [22:15:42] Sugarcoat mean, course you do.." [22:19:21] GreenHoof notices the tail swish against him as he passes. Weird. The apathetic pony closes the door behind them and locks it before trotting the short distance to the river with his friend. He puts a hoof in the shallow water, wincing at the cold at first, but slowly, he walks into it, making sure he was in a nice and shallow spot. Reveling in the cool water flowing against him, starting to clean the n [22:19:47] nastyness from his fur, he gives a small, unsure smile to Sugar. "Water's a little chilly, but feels nice. Heh. You should come in. Pretty relaxing." [22:23:21] Sugarcoat walks at his side, looking a bit distastefully at the river as she settles on her haunches, hindhooves trailling against the cold surface of the water. She takes the moment to look at her reflection in the water, and the warped vision of the sky mirrored in it, happy to have a distraction to avoid looking at the nude (why did it matter! they were nude almost all the time, [22:23:21] Sugarcoat silly pony)stallion. "'S, cold, but.. I can h-help you get the hard spots.." [22:27:31] GreenHoof blinks, staring at Sugar. Something really was odd with the mare right now. He was bad at picking up signals. Despite his quiet nature, the stallion was rather simple. What you saw is what you got. But figuring out the female mind was something he never did get down pact. Maybe that's why Hesi left him. "Uh... sure, I guess if you want." [22:28:20] GreenHoof starts rubbing his hoof at some tough clumps of blood, the cool water flowing against him helping with the process. [22:32:03] Sugarcoat slides into the water after his response, dipping her head under the fast current to resurface with her mane pressed sleekly against her coat. The rubbed off smears from their hug wash off with one firm brush of her hoof, and she swims nearer to the pony, the expression on her dainty face cryptic. Her hooves shake as she reaches out to touch his body with her own, the [22:32:04] Sugarcoat brisk chill of the water a stark contrast to the warmth consuming her form. Ruining the inside of her cheek with her biting, she presses a delicate hoof against his back, knowing it was a difficult spot to reach from her months at the spa. "Least I can do for a f-friend as good as you.." [22:34:24] GreenHoof stands still, letting her get his back, thankful to have someone to help bathe him after months of doing it by himself. But... he couldn't keep ignoring this. Why was she acting and talking like this? "Hey... Sugar?" [22:36:15] Sugarcoat twitches from her name, hooves shuddering gently against his back from where they were rubbing at his fur. After a moment she swallows, ducking her head close to her body though she knew she was behind the other, nothing to worry about being seen there. "Y, yes? What's up..?" [22:37:41] "Somethin's botherin' you. What's up?" The green stallion says. And... for some reason, it seemed more appealing to think about someone else's problems than thinking about the events of the last few days. He remembered Honey going through some times of repression. Always thought it was odd. Guess he understood now. [22:41:42] Sugarcoat rubs at his back for several long and slow moments before responding, giving the pony as much of a massage as it was a proper cleaning. Getting her mind from her corrupted thoughts in the form of a repetitive action, however, didn't work as well as it normally did, and she sighs while breathing in quietly. For a while there, she was so thankful both this pony and the other [22:41:42] Sugarcoat town renowned farmer pony had been kind of, oblivious, to her problems, and so hoping he'd accept the excuse as the other mare, she answers. "S..sick, you know, change of.. Uh.. seasons...." [22:41:52] "Not con-tagious or anything." [22:49:09] GreenHoof shakes his head, not buying it. "No... Not that. You're acting, like, w-" he cuts off midsentence, the realization hitting him like a ton of bricks at the word 'seasons'. He remembered how Hesi would act during... *that season*. The twitchy, swishy tail, the awkward mannerisms, the increased affections... Sugar was in estrus. And here he was, letting her rub all over him. His body tenses up as [22:50:08] as fails to think of the next proper course of action, or even if there is one. So he just stands there silently, trying to think of what to say or do. [22:54:41] Sugarcoat dips her hooves lower, innocently, to comb through the tangle of dried blood at his tail, combing through it. She was a spa pony and proud, damn it! She'd done this countless times, so why did it feel so strange now..? Especially knowing the hell her friend must have been put through. She doesn't heed the telltale bunching of his muscles beneath his skin, timidly cleaning [22:54:42] Sugarcoat the rest of him up. "I, well, it's just me..Sugar. Sorry, if, ah.." [22:57:44] GreenHoof decides not to say anything, but instead act like he doesn't notice anything amiss. Perhaps the best course of action would be to just finish this and be on his way, right? Then they could meet up again after estrus, right? Wait... oh god... did she and Tide...? *SLAM!* He shuts off that line of thought, unable to handle it right now. He needed to be with Phoenix. Make sure he's okay, and make [22:58:42] sure he's really Phoenix. 'Just take it easy, Hoof... Let this happen, and you can be on your way. You'll deal with this some other time', he thinks to himself. "Uh... You're pretty good at this, Sugar. I think I'm plently clean now, though." [23:03:56] Sugarcoat responds quietly, a hint of amusement to her ton, "It is, my job, ehe..." Although this dismissal was clear enough, her body didn't seem to want to move and respond to her mind, as she slowly wraps the short stallion in a hug from behind, her hooves feeling extra light. "I'm really glad you're back... Safe.. With Phoenix too." She was unsure of what she should be feeling, [23:03:57] Sugarcoat after the guilt had eaten away at her for the better part of the afternoon, the sudden and fierce happiness of having two friends returned left her heart fluttering in her chest. Of course, accompanied with the everpresent feeling of something she did not want to name. [23:08:49] GreenHoof tenses a bit as he's hugged from behind, wanting to enjoy the affection but knowing it's probably not real. She didn't really mean it, she was just in heat. Probably wasn't even that happy to see him... just hormones. And to think, he was stupid enough to mistake it for genuine joy. The stallion's demeanor drooping a bit, and his tail moving between his legs, he starts to try to wade to the sh [23:09:16] shore with the mare still hugging him. "Right... me too. I better go see Phoenix now. He's probably at the barracks." [23:11:12] [Hooooof gosh such a downer~] [23:14:09] Sugarcoat lets him go after a few moments, however crazy she had been feeling lately, she was genuine in her happiness that both had returned safely. She hadn't been in her right state of mind, but she was starting to get really concerned that her friend might not be returning.. Even if she knew, after hugging him like that, the pony was stronger than he looked.. She traipses out [23:14:10] Sugarcoat of the water shortly after, stumbling in the shallows from her height, and looks after him with her brows knit in worry. "Yeah. Um.. I'll be around to, see you two again..? Sometime.. Maybe not for a few days.. If that's okay.." [23:18:02] GreenHoof nods, not turning around as he heads towards the barracks. "That sounds like a plan. Come by anytime. I'm sure you'll wanna see Tide." he says flatly, walking off. [23:19:57] [already we're getting such scorn~] [23:20:10] GreenHoof stops midstep when he realizes what he said. This wasn't right. This wasn't her fault. This was his friend. And here he was treating her like some lesser being slave to hormones. "Wait..." [23:20:28] Sugarcoat bristles in place as her face flushes, ashamed. "N-no, I want to see you...!" She calls weakly to his retreating form, staying still and not bothering to shake herself off. The rivulets of water kept her body feeling all too cool, and her plan changed. She had to get her skirt back, somehow, today, or...She shuddered in revulsion of what would happen if her best friend [23:20:29] Sugarcoat would scorn her, sensing he would not understand what she'd been through. Her ears flatten and she looks dejected. [23:21:18] Sugarcoat raises her head slightly from where she stood, corners of her eyes drooping with a hint of depression. "..." [23:22:21] Dreamcatcher [~Dreamcatc@2606:6000:e5c1:f901:743e:92bc:a17e:ba4c] has joined #FourCannon-GreenFarm [23:22:57] GreenHoof turns around, suddenly guilt-stricken. He slow canters back over to Sugar and stops in front of her, looking down at the small mare. Reaching a hoof, he lifts her head to look into his eyes. "Thanks. Thanks for caring." He wraps her in a gentle hug, hoping that, perhaps through the hormones, she took it as a sign of love... between friends. [23:24:32] [Sugar you just got friendzoned :DDDD] [23:27:24] [>implying shipping with Hoof wouldn't be miserable] [23:28:12] Sugarcoat looks unusually shy from being looked at, her body shivering in his grasp from both the suddenness of the action and from her turbulent emotions. Lifting her hoof to hug him back, she curls her face into his shoulder in a snug carress, pressing the damp of her face against his own coat. If she was crying, and not even she could say for sure, it would be hidden against [23:28:13] Sugarcoat their shared wetness from bathing. "Y, you're my best friend Hoof.. Don't, thank me for that.." She whispers with some effort, trying not to stutter as heavily. [23:28:27]  [>implying sugar doesn't walk the path of depression] [23:33:57] GreenHoof gives Sugar a gentle squeeze, each second of the hug washing away the negative feelings towards what he realized she's going through. Even if she did *do that* with High Tide... probably in his house... Everyone makes mistakes. And she's going through some bodily phases that he couldn't even imagine. [23:35:20] No, he remembered what he was taught about friendship long ago: Being a friend, truly loving someone, means that you accept them for who they are, flaws and all. After a few seconds he lets her go, looking down at her with a soft smile. "I saw the pie you made. Can't believe you managed that. Haven't tried it yet, but maybe I'll bring Phoenix by later and we can all enjoy a piece." [23:38:27] Sugarcoat shuffles her hooves against the ground, wishing she could read what was going on in the stallion's mind.. What caused his change in mood from his curt answer to her earlier to this. Her ears slowly pop forward to their usual perk, and though she still blushes, the encounter with a pony whose opinion mattered to her so much left her feeling more like herself. She smiles [23:38:28] Sugarcoat despite herself, almost chuckling as she replies breathily, "Yeah..! I think, that would be a nice welcome back.. I'll get more things whipped up, ah.. soon.." [23:38:46] Sugarcoat straightens up a little in place, "B-ut for now, maybe, you should go see him yourself..!" [23:43:36] GreenHoof nods, giving a confident, lopsided grin to the little mare and he starts backing away to turn around. "Sounds like a plan, Sugy. I'll see you soon, okay?" [23:46:10] Sugarcoat nods and gives him an excited wave goodbye, a few droplets of water spraying off her from the motion. "Soon! Bye, bye Hoof.. Yay again for a safe, return!" She calls after him cheerfully, shaking the rest of the water off herself. Though her heart felt considerably warmer after that, she realllllly had to get back in his house now, if he was going to have company over.. [23:46:11] Sugarcoat Oh god. [23:49:07] GreenHoof walks off, heading to the barracks, wishing he could dwell on his thoughts more but having to steel his mind for the task at hand. [23:51:16] Sugarcoat waits for the stallion she loved as a best~ friend~ to be out of side before looping and redoubling on the path to his house, hoping she wouldn't be sighted by any nosy ponies. As if stealth worked so well for her last time.. She sighs and wonders if there was a window or something she could shimmy in through, knowing he locked the place up.