Bottles of Red and White (Corrie in this World)

Oh God, why did I go through with this? A frantic Corrie thinks to herself while bolting out of the shower. In her mind's ear she can hear the alarm reminding her that her date will be here soon. Grabbing her towels she makes her way to the bedroom, wrapping her small frame up from hair to hip. A few small pieces of makeup on a tray sat next to the foot of a tall standing mirror she borrowed from one of her co-workers. She could have done her makeup downstairs in one of the employee bathrooms, but she was getting ready for a date after all. Her first date on this strange new world.

Sitting on the floor now in her towels, she went over the collection of jars and boxes. A few of the powders or concealers on this world yet could cover the little imperfections she would have liked to cover on her arms. Shrapnel scars, burn marks, sensor patches, some surgery scars. And no amount of makeup would cover the surgery scars and damage on her back. At least she wasn't chromed up as much as the rest of her team was. Only her left hand and a bit of her left forearm showed any signs of augmentation by machine. The rest were all concealed in her body.

Pausing for a moment, Corrie realizes she's never seen a seriously messed up pony before. A few had scars here and there, but surely industrial accidents happened? Hospitals were abundant here in this place, and that was all well and good. But was magic just that good enough to replace limbs? She'd have to look into that. Making a mental note and hearing the save chime she focuses on the image before her and continues to work.

In the end though it all added up to just a tad too much that she'd like to show out in public. And there was no way in hell aside from magic would ever make her nose straight again. Always a little crooked an to the left a titch now. She never really considered getting it fix or replaced on her old world. It would just keep breaking anyway. Why waste the Nuyen? And nothing doing about the amount of freckles over her pale skin. 'Dotted from the rooter to the tooter to the scooters' as Momma Cat Mojo used to tell her.

She could have went with contacts too. She oddly missed her green ones, back in her old apartment. Human or metahuman if you had red hair, everyone expected you to have green eyes, not brown. Sometimes blue was acceptable too. But green got you laid quick, when you were in the mood. She liked her eyes however. Hazel just seemed to her to fit her red hair perfectly. But what could you do?

A few opened mail parcels behind her on the bed with various pieces of clothing strewn about them. A riot of colors in the otherwise drab tones contrasting against her usual tastes. Less likely to get shot at in a crowd if you don't stand out, in her own world. Her last dress was considerably shorter. And tighter. Okay, it was a miniskirt she concedes to herself. But under plated to absorb a shock or two. That was a good party dress. This though, this was odd. Made her shoulders itch feeling that exposed.

Standing now in front of the borrowed full length mirror placed in her bedroom, Corrie wondered if there was time enough to change. Dressing up was one thing, but this might be too much. Looking at the reflection of herself in a little black dress made her really feel exposed and uncomfortable. No padding, no armor plates. Scar tissue from the nape of her neck down to the middle of her back almost fully exposed. At least they got the length right, she concedes. When she twirls or walks quick in it, the clips for her Ares strapped to one leg didn't show. She should have requested a full backed dress. Maybe a hoodie and sweatpants. Frowning, she ignores that problem for the moment to work on the next. Her hair.

Flaring out the dark black dress with her hands a little she gives herself an unsure turn in the mirror. The feeling was almost like being naked. Two little straps on her shoulders, no firm armor plates on anything. The breeze on her ankles when she walked, only blocked in one area from a pair of pistol clips strapped to her lower leg. It was all so new. They did get the belt right, the holster for her Ares fit like a glove in its place. A little loop strap for her bit pouch. Top notch craftsmanship from an old human leather worker. Corrie smiles and runs her right hand across it again. Not bad at all. She's going to have to meet this man some day. Worth every Bit. After playing quick draw a few times to bleed off some nervous energy, she holsters her Ares and heads to clean up the mess she made while getting prepared.

"One moment!" Corrie yells to whomever it was knocking on her door. Considering the hour it was probably her date. It could be work though, but the evenings now have turned more into catching up on paperwork, than it did face to face meetings. People were starting to get into their little rhythms of living new lives here in Manehattan, which made her job a little bit easier at night. It even allowed some free time to herself now and again, like this evening. Shoving the last of her clothes haphazardly in the closet and shutting the door, she gives herself one more quick look in the mirror.

Barefoot and making her way though the living room she gives a silent prayer to Momma's Cat Spirit for luck while opening the door. "Octavia" Corrie says, and her words catch and stop right in her throat.

Standing on her hind hooves, front right hoof extended and resting on the doorway for balance just above the doorbell stood Octavia. Corrie suddenly felt like the cheapest Joygirl she'd ever seen working in a coffin hotel. Her throat felt dry and she was finding it hard to blink. And talk.

What Corrie did in haste, Octavia did in perfection. From her makeup, large purple eyes accentuated with eyeliner, mascara and lifted eyebrows making every blink a sultry affair. Just the right amount of a deep red lipstick on her tiny lips. Not a smudge or a smear. Blush? Please! Corrie thought nothing manufactured could beat that shade of blush radiating from her cheeks at this moment. Her hair was done up and the perfect amount of bangs hung just above her eyes. The rest pulled to the side and tied with a little purple bow.

It was the dress though. Matched her cutie mark color and eyes to a T, just right. A small v-neck just dipping down to where if she had cleavage, the right amount would be shown, and no more. Every snug curve on her small outstretched frame on display tactfully. Full length down to just above her freshly manicured hooves. Said hooves had no color on them, just the natural shade buffed up to an almost mirror like shine.

"Corrie" Octavia says in a low, husky voice. Apparently from the look in the little humans face this was without a doubt the right outfit. Although she wasn't moving. Or blinking for that matter. Letting a little smile encroach on her lips, the young mare realizes she might have shorted out her date.

"Corrie." She nods politely to the human. "May I come in?" she asks, a whisper of humor in her accent.

'You can come on anything you like right now. Preferably on my face' Corrie catches that errant thought at the last minute before the brain to tongue transfer could be completed. Thank god for small favors.

Her clock display informs her they have been staring at each other for about fifteen seconds now, before Octavia gives a little cough. An excuse to break eye contact Corrie takes. She didn't think she would have been able to without it.

The young woman nods, watching the mare cross the threshold into the apartment with grace born of one with near perfect balance. She resists wolf whistling at the shimmying flank going past. Barely. Just barely. "Please, make yourself at home." She says while face palming herself in the doorway. Fuckin' perv so ka? Rolling her eyes she closes the door and follows Octavia into the kitchen.

A few moments later the pair find themselves staring into each others eyes at the kitchen table. After the usual pleasantries and offers of refreshment, the conversation just sort of stopped between the mare and the maiden. Corrie was still trying to figure out how Octavia didn't get a single smear of lipstick on the glass of water she just sipped from. A comfortable silence surrounded the pair, the only sounds their light breathing, and the radiator ticking to life, warming up the kitchen nicely with it's magic and heated water.

Corrie looked up at the same time as Octavia, in the interest of saying something. Anything really. But something in that mare's eyes stopped her. There was a look in those eyes she'd only seen a couple of times. Admiration. It was a strange feeling to be considered something to be admired. By anyone or anything. Sure, going out and having fun was one thing, but that look hinted at something else. Long term planning was going on in that mare's mind, she surmised. Was that really a bad thing though? It would have to be something to ponder later on. For now it was time to go.

Reaching forward she meets Octavia's hoof, already heading for her left hand. Surprised at the the early contact between the two, Corrie grasps her little hoof in her hand and gives it a gentle squeeze. Nervous laughter from the two rings gently in the room before the comfortable silence returns.

"Ready to go to dinner?" Octavia asks her politely, removing her hoof and hopping down off the chair.

"Listen. I'm not really good at this kind of thing?" Corrie tells the little grey pony while standing up as well. Giving a little shrug she adjusts the strap again on her dress that started to fall down from the movement. "But thank you for saying yes. I know we got off on kind of the wrong foot. Hoof. Whatever. Both? Gah!" Putting both hands up in a gesture of pleading to some unhearing deity she bemoans off key "This place is going to kill me with this language drek."

Octavia gives her a laugh. "It's alright. I'm actually looking forward to spending some alone time with you. It's a good chance to get to know each other without interruptions. Walking through the house with the human, she helps turn off the lights before heading out the door. "After all, you were kissing my marefriend when we met." She cheekily bumps Corrie with her flank as the human closes the door amid stammered apologies.

Manehattan was having what they called on Corrie's world an Indian Summer day. The warm weather of the day inviting ponies and people alike a reprieve from the chilly air, even if just a short lived one. More beings were out and about in the street as Corrie and Octavia decided to instead walk to their destination instead of hailing a taxi. It was only a few blocks away all told, an easy walk to work up the appetite they both agreed.

The contrast between here and her Seattle was apparent in everything from the near litter free streets, to the lighting. No sewage flowing down the gutters from makeshift pipes out of the tenements. No bodies in the alleyways. She didn't even have the smartlink to her gun activated. No overcast sky promising acid rain, just water falling free of the pollutants of her old world. But for today at least, clear skies.

It was a big town, although she never could get a straight answer about the total population. It seemed to be in flux quite a bit. But it was by no means as big as her old stomping grounds. No skyscrapers reaching past the heavens trying to reach the stars. No mass transit or hours waiting in cabs and buses to go to one side of town to the next. No bike gangers trying to kill you between the bad sections of town either. That was a plus, she conceded to herself. The image of a little pony biker gang, all leather and spikes chromed up and ready to rumble made her bark out a laugh for a moment. Waving off the question her mare friend obviously had. She would tell her that later.

Reaching their destination the two stopped a few feet away from the garishly colored green door. A sign above it with a chef's hat jauntily tilted to the side. 'Tonio's' was all that was on it, in an overly ornate script. "Been here before?" Corrie asks the grey mare.

Octavia shakes her head. "No. It's a fairly new place. Human run, with a Griffon chef for the meat eaters of your kind as well." Looking sideways to her date "Do you eat meat?" she asks, trying to keep her tone neutral.

Corrie catches the gist pretty easy on that question. "I have before yes. It's been a long time ago, and nothing that would be served at a restaurant." Moving closer to the mare and lowering her voice she continues "Most of the food on my world was algae and soy based. Synthetic flavor tubes could make you just about any flavor you like. Meat was only commonplace for the richer of our society. Or wildly primitives who still relied on hunting to survive. But the answer to your unasked question behind that question is no."

Leaning closer still she watches her little ear twitch at each puff of air from her mouth making it dance like it had a life of it's own. A little revenge was in order. Tit for tat, after all. "I've never eaten horse before. Never seen one in the flesh before coming here. But that could change tonight, couldn't it?"

Holding in a laugh at her date expense at the look of dawning understanding on Octavia's face and growing blush she reaches out and opens the door, as she was taught proper to do. A slightly off balance grey mare nods her thanks and makes her way into the cozy atmosphere of the eatery.