Red Sky at Night, Bassist's Delight (Closed)

Wait, she was flattered?! The weight fell off of Low Key's chest as he smiled, "No, you can have the bed. Really, I insist!" This whole conversation had gone so much better than he could have imagined, he was almost sure something would come and screw it all up. Still, he turned around the way he originally came, "It's back this way. Follow me!" With Niara in tow, he began to trot off with a little spring in his step, stopping every so often to readjust the position of his guitar.

(( May want to say that Low's character is going to change noticeably, seeing as I think the Night to Unwind thread happened before this one. Just saying this so that you're not caught trying to figure out why he's acting different. ))

Low Key's mind was absolutely full of questions, chief being that he still could not figure out why she had agreed to come home with him. How she found anything likable in him, he could not understand. His bass playing surely wasn't that good, either. He was just a failure, that was all he was and all he ever would be. Why didn't Niara see that? Was he really that manipulative?

Just then he felt her come up alongside him and support the end of his bass. The moment their sides touched, Low's body went stiff and his mind flashed back to yesterday. He could remember it clearly, the look of anger in her eyes as he came without warning, the insults shouted out so loud that every patron in the bar could hear them, and then his cheek started to hurt as he found himself lying in a puddle of alcohol mixed with his own blood and tears.

Instinctively, Low Key jumped away from Niara, looking at her with wide eyes filled with fear. Seeing her look of confusion, he says, "I-I'm sorry, w-we kind of touched b-back there a-and I didn't w-want to invade your p-personal space."

"Oh, of course! No hard feelings." Low Key was starting to get confused at this point. Niara was acting like it was her fault she got too close to him, but that simply wasn't the case. If anyone was at fault, it was him for allowing her to get close to him. He still didn't know why he was taking her home, what if when they got to his apartment she thought it looked messy or smelly and never wanted to see him again? In fact, why was he so concerned about making sure she was okay when he knew damn well that she would regret ever seeing him? She was a nice mare who deserved some other stallion, somepony who wasn't a total loser like him.

The finally reach the apartment complex and Low leads Niara up to the second floor. He unlocks the door and opens it, revealing a small, one bedroom apartment. Right in front was the living room which was simply furnished with a red sofa and coffee table. Next to it was the kitchen, which was fully stocked with all the necessities. Further on was a corridor with the bathroom branching off to the right and the bedroom at the far end.

Low Key levitates the bass off his back and takes it out of its case. He then gently places it in a special stand and sets the case on the carpet next to it. He looks back at Niara and says, "I'll, um, show you to the bedroom." He couldn't help but feel dirty and perverted while saying that. Hopefully, Niara hadn't noticed.

Low Key blushed from embarrassment. He hadn't intended to make her feel guilty about getting too close to him, he just wanted to dissuade her from doing so. He just couldn't figure it out, the moment that he tried to keep his distance was the moment that ponies wanted his attention and the minute he showed attention, they wanted nothing to do with him. He couldn't win, he just couldn't.

"Niara, it wasn't you, it was me. You have nothing to be ashamed of, it's just that I'm not really used to physical intimacy." It was a small fib, but it also had some truth to it. His mouth went dry as he watched her undress, and he wasn't at all sure he should be in the same room. As his eyes roamed over her, he felt like he was molesting her and his cheeks burned with shame. He didn't deserve to see her like this, so he averted his eyes. Still, thoughts of her and him getting closer ran through his head as he beat them down, one by one. As much as he yearned, he was not going to offer himself to her because he knew what would happen; if she accepted, it would only end with Low Key humiliating himself and Niara would have to find a way to finish herself off, just like the first and last mare he went with.

Hoping to change the subject and maybe brighten up the mood, he asks, "Is there anything I can get you? A glass of water? Tea?"

As he leaves Niara to get ready, Low Key walks into the kitchen and puts a kettle on the stove. As the water boils, he takes out two mugs and teabags. By the time she comes out of the bedroom, he has a cup of tea waiting for her. When she inevitably asks the question, he says, "Mint Melange. It's my personal favorite when it comes to relaxation." He straightens up as he uses his magic to open up the pantry and pull out a honey bear, "It's best when you mix in about a teaspoon of honey." He squeezes small amount of honey into his tea and stirs it around with a teaspoon. In spite of the heat, he takes a sip, quickly gulping it down to avoid burning his tongue.

Despite his attempts to control himself, he couldn't help but glancing over her body. He double takes on her rump when he notices that she doesn't have a cutie mark. Quizzically, he looks at her and says, "You don't have a cutie mark? Is that a thing with Saddle Arabians or..." Low wasn't quite sure how to phrase that last part. There were stories of ponies who went decades without finding their talent, and the thought of that shook him to the core. He held little doubt that Niara had no cutie mark for the former reason.

"That's...actually an interesting concept," Low Key said, taking another sip of his tea. With the promise of an intellectual conversation, he hoped to get his mind away from more physical matters, "There's been a lot of talk about how ponies shouldn't feel shackled to a single talent. What if a mark on your rump is just that? Sure, you may be talented in that, but what about other things? Who says that somepony with an apple for a cutie mark can't enjoy oranges every once in a while? Or what about a pony with a candy cutie mark also being good at science? Or even what if there was a pony with an instrumental cutie mark who was also very empathetic?"

Low Key stopped himself and cleared his throat after the outburst, taking another sip of tea, "I'm sorry to rant. Anyway, you were talking about how everypony in Saddle Arabia has their own goal. What was yours, if I can ask?"

"Well, maybe a few," Low admits with a grin. "I've always wanted to play in a band. It doesn't have to be an actual band that writes their own material and tours around Equestria and beyond, but that would be pretty nice." He looks behind Niara to the bass standing in its corner, the smile slowly beginning to drain, "It's been my dream for years now, and I've had many opportunities. I've missed all of them, though, for one reason or another. Either it was too inconvenient, or I wasn't good enough, or my fears got in the way. Some days, I wonder if I'll ever find my way." He takes a sip of tea and looks back to Niara, an apologetic smile on his face, "I'm a bit of a downer, aren't I? Let me change the subject: Do you have any exotic spices on you right now that I can try in the tea? There's more hot water and the teabags should be good for another cup."