Two days went by, and not a single reply to Gilda's letter. She had to hand it to Gabby, she was good at hiding who the real writer was by being methodical and patient. The few times Gilda had spotted Gabby in her room, the armoire cabinet was closed and most likely locked for good measure, the desk was clear of writing implements, and she'd simply been napping in her nest, relaxing, or reading.

Maybe Gilda was just assuming too quickly. Gabby might just need rest from her injuries, or she might be actually relaxing. Gilda couldn't remember the last time Gabby had taken a day off or a vacation. The thought of having to wait for her reply though kept gnawing at Gilda. Even more worrying, how long could Gilda keep up her side of the charade? Gabby almost always caught on when when something was up. Gilda was a terrible liar, and horrible at keeping simple secrets.

Any time Hearths Warming or a birthday came around, Gilda would have Gallus hold all her gifts at his house for everyone else. Trying to hide them herself ended up more often than not with them all being found weeks before they were supposed to be opened. Gabby thought her terrible stealth skills were adorable, but it actually aggravated Gilda a lot. She was a griffon for crying out loud, stealth was a must for them.

The weird butt wiggle thing they did when trying to pounce? Eh...She could do with less of that honestly.

Currently downstairs in the kitchen, Gilda was cleaning the counters before the store opened up. She had maybe twenty more minutes before customers began arriving and pacing outside. The display cases were all chalked full of still piping hot confectionaries she'd baked not an hour prior. Her most recent addition to the case, her Rose Buns, were selling so fast she had to put one batch in the case at morning light, with two more batches already baking in the oven just to keep up with the requests. They'd already made it to five bits per bun in two days without a single complaint, the fastest any item in her case had reached her sell limit.

My meat scones came close, but that was expected, its a city of carnivores. She thought with a smirk.

Beyond the doors, in the outside seating area, three griffon chicks of varying colors and breed scampered and hopped around looking for any scraps of garbage or debris they could add to their collection. The chick with the most garbage gathered before she opened shop got first dibs on yesterday's treats. Every chick, cub, calf, kid, nymph, or foal, knew that first dibs was everything. One did not leave first dibs up to fate or luck. It was that fine line, that special difference between gaining access to something sweet and delicious like a raspberry scone, or something boring and healthy like a bagel.

She chuckled as they all lined up at the door, tails wagging, feathers fluffed proudly as they waited to show off their catches. She grabbed the trash bin and waltzed over to the door. Halfway there she stopped as Gabby came tromping down the stairs, blearily yawning and stretching. Her head feathers were all over the place, her wings weren't preened in the slightest, and her eyes had bags under them. She walked like she was only half awake as it was! Gilda grimaced as the hen grumbled a rough sound that miiiiight have been the word 'morning', and then half dragged half prowled over to the coffee makers. Gabby's beak nearly scraped the floor as she did so.

Gilda held her frown as she turned to watch the hen as she barely managed to connect the carafe lip with her mug as she poured a cup of steaming coffee. The creamer also barely made it in, and twice Gabby looked from her cup, to the carafe as if she hadn't poured anything in it. A sugar cube was lost to the underside of the counter as she dumped a smattering of the little shapes into the now muddy colored drink. Gilda hadn't seen her like this since Gabby had taken on a triple shift at the post office.

"Yeesh, Gabby, what the hell happened to you, girl? You look like something your back end dragged in." She watched as Gabby crawled up into one of the chairs near the window, took a deep slow slurp of her coffee, and then face desked hard.

"I couldn't sleep." She grumbled into the wooden surface, nursing her drink between her claws. Gilda glanced at the door to see the three chicks giving her curious and confused expressions. She held up a claw and pointed at Gabby as if to imply 'one second' and then walked over to her.

The look of absolute betrayal across those three chicks faces as they smooshed up against the glass door was priceless. Normally the way she 'abandoned them' would have her snickering. Right now though, Gabby looked horrible. Reaching her friend, Gilda stretched her wing out and over Gabby's back. Gabby leaned into it and 'mmmed' softly.

"I couldn't tell, sleep eluded ya huh?" She glanced at Gabby's healing arm and wing, and whispered quietly. "The pain keeping ya up?"

Gabby shook her head, then nodded, then shrugged. "Not exactly, maybe, but it was a factor. I kept rolling over onto my bad wing. Every time it'd happen I'd wake up sore." She looked up at Gilda sourly, "Just my luck too, I like sleeping on the side with all the angry bones."

Another slurp of her coffee made her perk up a little bit as she hummed in thought. "Other than that I was filling out paperwork for my job. They had a bunch of it in my stuff from my desk, injured pay stuff and all that. Kept me up well past my normal roosting time." She glanced out side and smirked. "I see you've got some tiny guests outside that seem very interested in getting inside."

Gilda huffed and watched with Gabby as the chicks smeared their faces on the door glass, one on top of each other, trying to see what had stolen their precious treat giver away. She sighed and pulled her wing off Gabby's back but not before leaning and nuzzling Gabby's unbandaged shoulder. "Alright, I'll take care of the ruckus, you just focus on staying comfortable kay?"

When she pulled away, Gabby's cheeks were flushed and she quickly hid it behind a 'mm hmm' and a gulp of her coffee. Gilda purposefully gave her a confused look before shrugging and heading to the door. When she opened it up, the three chicks jumped back and quickly resumed a horizontal row before her. Their tails wagged anxiously as she eyed them.

"Good morning my little garbage guard, I got three hot treats inside waiting for ya, what's the numbers today?" She asked in an almost gruff military style growl. The first chick, a scruffy looking snow leopard robin mix, held out her claws proudly.

"I got seven scraps, Miss Gilda!" The adult hen whistled proudly and held out the garbage bin for her. "Well damn, some pesky griffon must've been a real slob, huh?"

They all cheered in agreement. The next chick, a dark furred panther kestrel mix tom, held out his claws grumpily while scowling at the previous hen. "I only got four scraps, cause she got in before me!"

Gilda hissed gently, and clucked her tongue, hushing him. "Don't pin the blame on someone else, ya gotta be quick on your paws and claws if ya want first dibs, you know the rules."

The scraps were deposited with a hmmph.

The last chick, a cheetah hawk mix, surprised Gilda when from behind her back she pulled a whole small grocery bag of trash out and dumped it in front of herself. She grinned like she'd won the lottery. "I got forty-seven scraps!"

They all stared at her in shock. The average numbers Gilda got were rarely ever above ten, let alone forty-seven! Gilda blinked slowly and then frowned, and pointed at the bag. "Uh...huh, if I remember correctly, I said only trash within my territory was acceptable."

To her continued surprise the hen whipped out a pad of paper from under her right wing and grinned coyly. "I thought you might say that, so I took notes!" She flipped through the pad several pages back until it stopped and she spoke up once more, confidently puffing her little chest fluff out.

"On the first day of creating our garbage squad your definition of the trash rule was, and I quote; 'Any trash found near or around my building."

She flipped the note pad closed with a flourish of her tail tip and smiled. "So that got me thinking, why do we only clean up the front part? If Gilda says any trash is acceptable within the per...the perim...the area, then couldn't I clean up on the sides and back too?"

The little hen flared her wings proudly and kept her chest fluff out as far as it would go. "Judging by your shocked reaction, and by your original words, then yes, yes I can." The hen lifted her bag and dropped it with a uncharacteristically heavy thunk into Gilda's trash bin with the most powerful shit eating grin a hatchling could have.

Gilda knew her mouth had fully opened, her claw, previously pointed at the bag, now drooped in submission. "I...that...you took notes!?"

The hen nodded, cocking her head to the side cutely. "Princess Twilight takes notes on everything, so I can too." She held out her tiny little talons and made cute grabby paws with them. "I'd like first dibs now, please."

Gilda blinked, went to speak, thought better of it, and then reversed that action and growled, leveling a shrewd glare at the hen. "Alright, listen here you little sh--"

A wing firmly whacked her in the back of her head, making Gilda yelp as Gabby came slinking up next to her almost silently. "Gilda, don't cuss in front of our clever little bird!" Gabby said excitedly.

Gilda watched as the hatchling hen practically preened at the compliment. Gabby leaned down and held out a tray with three steaming treats from yesterday's sales. The little cheetah hen looked them over with a critical eye and then pointed to the middle. Gabby scooped up the griffon's claw pastry and handed it out to her in a wax paper wrap.

The tom next to her groaned and flexed his claws, "Awww, I wanted that one!"

To their surprise the hen paused, and looked him over for a moment. "You...wanna share? Half of mine for half of yours and we can call it even."

The little tom shuffled his wings nervously. Gilda had to admit it was kind of sickeningly cute how his feathers fluffed up in embarrassment. "You mean, you'd be willing to do that? What if I don't pick something you like?"

The hen shrugged, her eyes rolled in their sockets as she spoke. "Um, I can always save it for later, I guess. Do you want the offer or not?" She finished with a huff.

When he happily nodded, she smiled and took the treat.

Gabby trilled happily at the little interaction, putting one of her curled talons to her cheek. "Ooooh that was so nice of you! You are just adorab--mhpph!"

Gilda clamped her claws over Gabby's beak before she could finish and sighed with a wry smile. "I swear to Grover if you call her what I think you were about to, I will bite you." She glared back down at the little hen who chuckled nervously and hopped excitedly over to one of the outside tables and scrambled up into a seat. Gilda let go of Gabby's beak and kept glaring, but it was half hearted at best. "Evil little fluffball got one on me, Gabby. I won't have you inflating her ego."

Gabby giggled and shook her head, before letting the other two pick out their treats. As they scampered over to the table to share in the delights with their friends, Gabby sighed and smiled warmly, almost leaning on Gilda's shoulder. The taller hen noticed and leaned into it, letting Gabby have this moment. "Mmm, it's good to see some of the morals from Equestria leaking into town, ya know?" she said quietly.

Gilda slowly nodded, watching the trio chatter away about unknown kid stuff before they all seemed to agree on something and split their treats together. They spread the morsels around the table, all three seemed to love sharing the dishes more than hoarding them.

"I...yeah, yeah it is." She was quiet for a moment before looking pointedly at Gabby and poking her in the beak." Didn't I tell you to go get comfortable? What are you doing out here, and standing no less? You were barely conscious a second ago!"

Before Gabby could retort, Gilda had turned on her and pushed the hen back indoors with her claws on her chest feathers. She lightly shoved Gabby backward and waved a claw at the café with a false growl escaping her beak, "Go find a nice window to curl up in or something, before customers arrive. You know they'll get grabbed before we can blink and then its bye bye to pleasant sunbathing for you!"

Gilda caught the slightest hint of a smile on Gabby's face as the hen shuffled forward to her table and slowly sat back down. Gilda hid a smile under her wing as she mimicked a quick preen of her feathers. This was kind of fun actually. In a way Gilda was making memories out of it. The little things were what usually held a bond together any how, so in a way she guessed she was okay with waiting a little longer.

The first customers started landing outside her business and Gilda grinned as she wrapped her apron around her neck. She sat resolutely behind her counter, ready to wade through the hours of the day, all in the name of profit! She could feel it in her bones, today was going to be a good day.

"And I told you four times, pal, I don't give a flying dung heap about your stupid questions, either buy something or FUCKING LEAVE!" Gilda practically roared across the counter, her beak inches from the newest entry to her store's nose. The pale green unicorn stallion had earned all of her ire in a matter of minutes. The scent of Canterlot snobbery was all over him. His white washed mane and tail were expertly cared for, his coat trimmed, combed, and polished to a shine. She swore she could see it sparkling in the sunlight. His teeth pearly white to the point she could see their reflection in the counter top she'd been leaning over.

His voice was clean and crisp but had that clip to it whenever he spoke, as if everything around him was lesser and debasing his reasons for even being there. His ears pinned back against his skull and his eyes bored daggers into her. Ohoho she glared right back!

"I cannot believe this! I was informed you are one these, these pillars I keep hearing about! The pinnacle of Griffon society, they said. A noble griffon of outstanding lineage and an elite, pah! You let your emotions get the best of you too easily, hen. You can't even answer one simple question or two without blowing your fuse!"

He went to speak further but a sharp set of claws on the back of his nape silenced him with a very unstallion like 'eep!' from his muzzle. Gabby, ever the patient one, had also lost it with that jerk wad. She slowly but effortlessly lifted the stallion off his front hooves and dragged the poor sap back away from the counter and to the door. "Why you ungrateful creature! I dared to grace your shop with my presence and this is how you show your hospitality?! I should have you--"

Gabby yanked the door open and unceremoniously threw him out of it, sending him sprawling into the snow with a shout of indignation.

Gabby then blocked the doorway, clasped her claws in front of her waistline and with the sweetest, air ship attendant like voice possible, spoke to him as he clambered to his feet. "Sir, we have a rule in all Griffonstone businesses. You should be firmly aware of it because you work in Canterlot, and they have a similar rule to ours. Your pony version is nice and gentle for those that don't like harsh words. 'if you don't have anything nice to say, please refrain from speaking.' The griffon version is a little more clipped than that but it gets the point across just fine!"

She snarled. A guttural, visceral, from-the-bottom-of-the-stomach sound, that sent chills of excitement rocketing up and down Gilda's spinal cord and into her chest. "Be nice to the folks around here, or beat it ass hole!" Gabby then slammed the door so hard the frame shook, and then locked it for good measure. Around her, the few griffons present chirped, warbled, and cheered their approval. Gabby made a mock bow as best she could and then blew a frustrated huff out. "Finally, I thought he'd never leave." She mirthfully commented.

"Good riddance to that ungrateful cur!" Grandpa Gruff hissed from a nearby window seat. Him and the council were all seated around one another to plan the next big social event of the year. Some kind of history holiday dedicated to the founding of their country. Everything had stopped when that pompous pony had tromped in demanding answers about Gallus. Gruff and the other old birds started chattering away once more, but Gilda paid the nearly senile buzzards no mind as she watched Gabby hobble back up the stairs. The poor girl had disappeared up to the apartment around noon, and Gilda was sure she'd been trying to sleep when that pony had rudely interrupted such a good time. When the hen disappeared from view, she sighed.

That's been the second pony to come in today asking questions about Gallus and Twilight...I guess Pivot wasn't kidding about these private investigators. The lioness hen mused while opening an oven and reaching in to poke at some blackberry muffins with a claw. Her tail whipped back and forth as her irritation slowly abated.

Hmm, still too soft in the middle. Another couple minute should do it, then I can glaze em.

She closed the oven back up and turned to walk out the kitchen when she caught Gabby coming right back down the stairs once more. She could see Gabby had a couple mail envelopes hidden under her healthy wing. It was blatantly obvious as well that Gabby was trying to be sneaky. Gilda quickly busied herself with counting the trays along the far wall as if she were taking inventory, making sure to keep Gabby just within her peripheral vision. When the hen saw Gilda wasn't looking, she slipped quickly out the back door to the bakery. Gilda smirked and felt elation fill her chest until she trilled firmly. Gruff looked up at her in confusion when the sound reached him.

The old buzzard's beady eyes tracked her as she expertly slid the muffins out of their personal furnace and set them on a cooling rack. Knowing how long Gabby might be gone, she put up her little plastic 'back in five' sign on the counter and headed for the stairs to the apartment. She passed by the council members who all nodded to her and she did back. Gruff squinted at her. "What's gotten you all excited?" He groused.

Gilda smirked and smacked his shoulder with her tail tuft. "None of your beeswax, ya old coot."

He hissed at her and waved a ragged wing threateningly before she made it up the stairs. Looking back down she caught the glimpse of a proud grin on his beak before he turned away. She chuckled. He might be rough around the edges, and entirely too old, but he was as good as the three of them were gonna get for a fatherly figure. Once atop the landing, Gilda opened the door, slipped inside, and quickly zipped up stairs. She first checked to see if Gabby might have left her door open. It wasn't, but that was okay, she was pretty sure if she did open the door, she'd see the writing implements out again.

Coming back downstairs, she entered the living room and sat to wait. Gabby would be back and notice the break sign on her counter.

But how will she react to seeing me up here, I wonder? She chuckled and spent some time playfully batting at her tail tuft. It had come to her the night before, how would Gabby react to Gilda in-between the letters being written and delivered. Gilda had hemmed and hawed about it for an hour so before deciding action was better than thought and set forth her plans.

Another two or three minutes went by and then the sound of the back door opening caught her ear. She listened as Gabby made small talk with Grampa Gruff, the words 'healing up' and 'well soon' could be heard, before the paw and claw sound started coming closer. Gilda took a deep breath and calmed her nerves. Standing up on all fours just before the apartment door opened, she feigned confusion as Gabby came around the corner.

"Gabby? That you?"

Gabby froze up halfway in the door. Her eyes widened to their largest. " G-gilda?! What...what are you doing up here?" She smiled, but was a nervous smile. A twitchy tail, nervous shuffling of wings, and eyes that looked anywhere but at her. Gilda fought not to grin. Caught with your claw in the cookie jar...though In Gabby's claws was a package, the word fragile stamped all over it. That certainly got Gilda's attention.

"I was looking for a certain dark furred hen, how bout I turn that around on ya and ask what you were doing outside of the bakery hmm?" She looked to the package and raised a brow. "Were you getting our mail?" She sighed and gave off a fake groan as she put her beak in her claws. "I said I'd do that, you need to be resting!"

Gabby chuckled nervously and clutched the package slightly harder. Gilda watched her friend's eyes dart left and right quickly.

"Heh, uh, yeah! I was cooped up in my room all day after those investigators came by, didn't want to say the wrong thing you know?" She took a few steps inside the door and looked up the stairs. "So I uh, checked the mail. I had a package come in and figured I should go get it!"

Gilda cocked her head slightly to the left, squinting at Gabby. The dark hen shuffled on her feet, moving a little closer to the stairs. The silence extended a little too long. Gilda meant to do that though. "Gabby? You're acting kinda weird..."

Gabby laughed quickly. Too quickly to mask it as a real laugh, and then whispered "No I'm not."

Gilda took another step toward her. "Gabby..."

"You just surprised me is all, I thought you would be downstairs when I got back! You were baking stuff!" The darker hen lurched forward and started going upstairs as fast as she could hobble. Gilda walked forwards just enough to where she could see Gabby's closed door from her spot. "A-anyways you got customers downstairs, They look a little miffed, and I need to make sure my package arrived safely and in one piece, okay?"

Gilda feigned confusion. "Uh alright...see ya later then?"

Gabby flung her door open and slipped inside almost seamlessly, the door shutting just as her tail whipped inside. "Yep! Definitely later!"

Almost seamlessly. Gilda had seen the enchanted rose on Gabby's writing desk for just a second. The red glow of the magic surrounding it had been unmistakable. She smiled, her heart beating just a breath faster than before.

"Okay then, Gabby." She whispered. "Later."

The hen slipped back downstairs and immediately she found five griffons at the counter with scowls on their faces. They looked to her and then two of them growled. She put her claws up defensively. "Okay! Okay! jeez, Can't a girl take a break?"

Gruff cackled and pointed his wing at her. "The sign says 'back in 5', Gilda, not 22. I was counting."

She let out an exasperated "Argh!" and snatched up the sign and with a nearby pen, scribbled additional things on it. She then smacked it back down on the counter with a huff, half playful, half flustered as she started helping the first customer.

"Well there! Now it says back in 5 ISH!"

The door to the bakery closed shut with a resounding click. The deadbolt clacked loudly as Gilda turned it to the locked position. Her mouth betrayed her as a yawn made its daring escape, her beak shuddered and clicked rapidly as she finished. The little feeling sent a sensation through her body that made her fully wriggle for a moment. She flipped the open sign to closed with a well practiced flick of her tail and slowly turned to look around her shop. All the nightly cleaning was done The treats for tomorrow were ready to be reheated for the little hellions that called themselves her garbage crew. She huffed with a grin on her lips at the uppity cheetah hawk chick she'd dealt with earlier that day.

She'd checked out back to find that the whole back area and the sides were clear of debris. She'd been meaning to switch them over to this side in a few days anyway, but the chicks had beat her to it. She supposed she owed Twilight a smack with her wing when next she saw her.

I could always hit Gallus next time he's around and then tell him to pass it on, he'll be so confused.

Arching her back down into a bowing like pose, she mrowled and flexed her claws out to their longest, hissing as two vertebrae in her spine popped pleasantly. Her tail flagged high as her rump reached it's highest point. A good stretch after work always seemed to be the ticket to end a day. Standing and ambling casually to the stairs, she scaled them one by one, until she reached the door to her and Gabby's apartment. Opening it, she found the lower area dark. The lights were all off, covering the room in shadows.

Odd, Gabby usually has them on by the time I come up. hmm. She hummed and began flicking them on, letting her eyes adjust to the dim light. She scanned the area. Gabby had certainly been down here at least one more time, if the new dirty dishes in the sink were anything to go by. Normally she did those too...

She was pretty tired this morning, I wonder. Climbing the stairs slowly, she caught sight of Gabby's door cracked open enough to let a subtle glow from a lamp escape. She fell into a crouch, slowly placing each of her claws down as if walking on glass. Her paws and wings ceased their shuffling, and she even made it to the door with out a single butt wiggle.

Small victories were the best.

Sitting up ever so slowly, Gilda caught the sound of strong purring and she peered through the crack. The room had papers strewn about everywhere. Some were wadded up, others were crumpled with only a couple paragraphs too illegible to read from the distance, and a few were tacked up on the wall with little pins. From the angle she couldn't tell what they said either. The enchanted rose was back in the cabinet, locked up and hidden from view. The package Gabby had been carrying was no where to be seen either.

None of that mattered though. Her eyes fell on the single griffoness in her life that Gilda knew she cared about with all of her heart. Gabby lay curled up cat like, beak under her good wing and tail curled around her feet. She was burrowed deep into her nest of pillows, stuffed animals, and blankets, sound asleep. Dead to the world around her, the dark furred hen twitched in her sleep and purred so deep Gilda swore she could feel it in her claws outside the door. Gabby's beak shifted outward, nuzzled into the side of a pillow and she nipped at it sporadically.

Gilda couldn't tear her eyes away. The smile on the hen's beak was the most wonderful thing she'd ever seen. A gentle curve that swung up the side of her face and pushed her cheek fur into the crease of her eye. Gabby, in this moment, was truly happy. Whatever she was dreaming about seemed to be the culmination of all her hopes and aspirations.

Stepping backwards, Gilda gripped the handle of Gabby's door and twisted, pulled it forward slowly enough that the door made nary a sound as it fully closed. She then reversed the handle action just as slowly, so the latch barely clicked at all.

She held a claw to her feathers for a moment, gently sifting through them until her leathery digits touched her bare chest. Deep inside her body, her heart beat ever onwards, and she only hoped that one day soon she could feel Gabby's as well. Turning around, she went back downstairs.

The kitchen got cleaned up first. She did the dishes, took the trash outside to the bin, making sure nothing fell out, and swept up the kitchen floor. She then wiped the counters down with a firm claw and a scrutinous eye, old habits died hard. After putting her supplies away, Gilda opened the enchanted ice box and peered inside.

They had a lot of left overs. Chicken alfredo, barbequed short ribs, Teriyaki stir fry, The list went on. Lacking an absolute craving for any particular dishes, she grabbed a bit of everything and started throwing it all into one pot.

"Looks like mystery stew tonight." She mumbled with a smile. Stew was fine, but every now and then her predatory side longed for a hearty chunk of thick roasted meat with some big bone between her beak edges to gnaw on.

The short ribs were soft, and the meat was thin, so they didn't count. She leaned back and kicked the ice box shut, cursing when one of her primaries got caught in the lid. Gilda grumbled and rescued her wing tip. It had been one of those days after all. The pot now set on the stove to heat up, Gilda felt a nagging itch in her right wing. Fanning the feathers, she started to preen. She was so upset that she'd practically jinxed it earlier.

The first problem had been the investigators. By the end of the day more than five different ponies had come trotting into her shop, only one of which who was considerate enough to buy something, and had proceeded to hound her for details about her blue nest mate and his attraction to Twilight. Gilda had told them all the same thing. She didn't have any answers, she didn't care about their inquiries, and if they didn't buy something then they could buzz off.

Sometimes she even said these things nicely.

Sometimes was once.

Like true Canterlot ponies, they hadn't taken well to griffon hospitality and threw all sorts of slander her way. One even threatened to bring her to court so she'd lose her business license. Grampa Gruff had laughed uproariously at this and said

"What license?"

That pony had been the only one to buy anything and Gilda loved how they looked aghast from the scone they were eating to Grampa Gruff before running outside, gagging.

"They probably imagine we don't know what soap is up on that mountain." She groused. Her claws found their way to the side of the stove, a dial was turned a little higher.

The second problem had actually been the council, though on a far less order of magnitude. They'd pulled Gilda aside during the last hour of her day, and asked her a bunch of questions concerning Gabby and her condition. Telling them the info was accessible at the hospital didn't help. Telling them what she knew, made it worse. When it all came to a frustrating boil, she'd finally slapped her claws down on the table, and asked why it was so important. Like every griffon she seemed to know, it wasn't even that big of an issue.

The mail had simply slowed down, albeit considerably. Griffons had noticed, and wanted their mail delivered in the same fashion Gabby did it. While they applauded Gabby for being the most efficient bird at her job, the other griffons working at the post office were now taking fire from all sides of town for 'not doing it like Gabby does.'

She'd told them she had no idea when Gabby would be able to work again, and also made it very clear that they shouldn't push it. Gabby needed as much time as she could get to truly heal. Then the muscle work and retraining would begin and that would make it longer. They'd be lucky if she was fully healed and ready for work in a month or so.

In the end the council came to the decision that They'd meet with Gabby here in a few days to figure out if she could help teach the other griffons at the post office to do things her way. Gruff had said something about map gathering, two of the older hens present had started arguing about coordinating a meeting at the post office, and Gilda?

Gilda had quickly walked away before she got roped into more of it. Politics and bureaucracy were so far from her skill sets that she knew when a fight was out of her claws. Her beak nares picked up the delicious scent coming from the pot, and her stomach rumbled. Patting it with a set of claws she smiled and stirred the contents. The bones from the ribs were slowly extracted, to be disposed of later. One might have gotten chewed on, but that was for Gilda to know and no one else. The noodles from the stir fry were nice and soft, and the chicken alfredo made the warm meal congeal together better.

It looked as ugly as ever, shape and palate wise, but boy did it smell good. Lowering the heat on it, she let it simmer for a little while longer, and in the silence she heard a noise. Paw pads and claws, coming down the stairs, quietly enough that Gilda almost missed it. At first she wondered if Gabby was trying to sneak out again, but then the hen came plodding into the kitchen. Her eyes droopy, her feathers mussed. She looked pretty bad, but the smile on her face said otherwise.

Gilda waved a lazy claw at her, and Gabby did back. She eyed the pot, a light warble escaped her throat and then transitioned into a yawn. Gabby came over and sat next to Gilda at the stove. "Something wonderful smelling woke me from my nap. I believe I found the culprit. What's cooking?"

Gilda hummed and lifted the lid so Gabby could see the horror within. The hen's expression as she laid eyes on the monstrosity in the container changed a few times. Curiosity, then revulsion, followed up by a lick of her lips and a smile.

Gabby pointed at it "It looks positively atrocious, can I have some?"

Gilda hissed while grinning. "Oh hardy har har, its just left overs." She fished out two bowls from the cabinet and handed one off to Gabby. "I came upstairs and the lights were all off, you just crash or something?"

Gabby ran her claw around the rim of her bowl, the two hens heads slowly tilting this way and that as it made a light but pleasant ringing noise. "I sort of fell asleep while doing paperwork. I think I drifted off around four in the afternoon? Woke up at my desk and then managed to find my way to bed. I've been out since."

Her stomach rumbled and as a reply, Gilda's did the same. They both looked down at each others bellies, and then up at each other. Gilda laughed. "Well I guess that works as a reason to get up. Looks like we both need something tasty to eat."

They fell into silence once more, but Gilda felt the urge to keep talking. She remembered how Gabby had been twitching in her sleep, and nuzzling her pillow. That smile she'd had was still fresh in the lioness hen's memory. She stirred the food a little. "So, how well did you sleep? Get any dreams going in that noggin of yours?"

Gabby chuckled and looked away, her wings shuffled. "I...Y-Yeah, I dreamed. I was..." She went quiet for a moment, and Gilda watched as her eyes darted around quickly. Gabby was about to lie to her...

"I was...shopping, with some friends. We were trying to find a special gift, but it was eluding us for a long time." She rubbed her wrapped arm gently. "We ended up getting lost in the city, and I got separated from my friends. In the end though I found my gift. It was in this back alleyway, a little curio shop. I liked it, lots of odds and ends, strewn about. When I purchased it, the shop keeper gave me a second one so I could share."

Gilda nodded. "Huh, interesting, I guess." She turned off the stove and started pouring food into her bowl.

Gabby was not telling her the actual dream, that much she was aware of, but if that was the case then the dream Gabby did say to her could have multiple implications. Was it a hidden message? Were the gifts in the dream important?

Or am I just over thinking it again? Gilda held out her claws and Gabby gave her the bowl. She filled it with a good portion and then the two walked together to the table.

For a few minutes they simply devoted time to eating. The sound of slurping noodles, warbles of joy when a meaty morsel was found, and the crunch of occasional gristle filled the kitchen. Gilda thought back to earlier in the day, when Gabby had snuck off to her room with the package.

"So you checked the mail today," she said between bites. "Anything for me?"

Gabby shook her head, swallowing before going for more. "Not that I saw no. We got the power bill though."

Gilda rolled her eyes. "Oh goody, How many bits do they wanna gouge us for now?" She took a another slurp.

"20,000"

Gilda's eyes bulged in their sockets, and she sucked in her breath, immediately regretting it. Her lungs burned as she started coughing and hacking harshly. A noodle ejected itself from her mouth and landing horizontally across Gabby's beak, and the hen exploded with laughter.

"Like--cough--like hell they do!" Gilda gasped and smacked her chest several times, watching through teary eyes as Gabby chirped and laughed across from her. "You...you little brat!"

Gabby sat proudly and fluffed out her chest. "Guilty as charged!"

She would have looked so noble like that too if it weren't for the noodle mustache on her face. In a sudden fit of eager playfulness, Gilda leaned over the table until her beak was centimeters from Gabby's. Gabby froze up, her laughter died in her throat, and her pupils became small little pin pricks in a sea of deep greenish blue. Gilda leaned in, her beak brushed up against Gabby's smoothly as she carefully nipped the noodle right off her nares. Gabby's breathing had stopped in that split second. Gilda leaned back and slurped up the noddle before growling.

"My noodle."

Gabby stared. Redder than a tomato and fluffing up by the second on all sides. Her good wing looked like it wanted to lift up but she forced it back down. Her claws shakily lifted, and tenderly touched the area Gilda had glanced across.

"G-gilda...I...you just..."

Gilda lifted her fork, a meat chunk stuck on the end of the prongs. "That was for nearly killing me on a noodle, you--

"You just...kissed me..."

Gilda blinked. Her fork slowly drooped in her claw, and then dropped to the table in a clatter. With terrifying clarity, she realized what she'd just done.

Oh...oh shit! Oh shit shit shit!

There were two ways griffons kissed. The first way was via firmly locking beaks together in an attempt to force the other tongue to submit. It was a feral, primal form of kissing, usually reserved for inside the nest, and initiated by the dominant partner. The second way was far more tender and intimate. By brushing, nuzzling, or rubbing the beak against the sides, top, or underside of a lover's beak. It was meant to instill comfort in a mate and say I'm here for you."

Gilda hadn't even realized it until it was too late. For several seconds, neither one of them spoke, unable to look each other in the eye, or even speak. Any words Gilda had died in her throat. Her feathers fluffed out to the maximum and her wings nearly exploded off her back, but she managed to tamp them down at the last second with sheer willpower.

Crap! I didn't mean to do that! I mean I did but not like this! What do I do!?

Gilda frantically searched her mind for any and all options. If she told Gabby it was an accident, the hen might take it badly, she might assume it meant Gilda wasn't into her romantically. But if she didn't say it was an accident, then she might blow her cover!

Sometimes the right actions are the hardest ones... Gilda heard the words of Grampa Gruff, words he'd said a long time ago, but they rang true in the moment.

So after taking a deep breath, and letting her feathers settle a little more, Gilda did what she felt was right.

"Is...Is that a bad thing?" She asked quietly

Gabby's eyes shrank, her wing twitched. She looked like she might bolt at the slightest movement or words.

"I...what...what do you mean?" She whispered.

Gilda looked away, "I uh...I mean is it bad that it happened? I didn't mean it to be like that...I've never played the love game, so the letters, the jewelry box, the rose petals, It's made me understand that even if the writer is a hen or a tom, that doesn't matter to me... I guess that's what I'm trying to say. I don't know..."

She trailed off.

The words felt so lame in her head, and twice so as they were spoken. The more she did speak, the worse she felt it was getting. Before Gabby could give a reply, Gilda scowled and scooped up her bowl. She walked to the kitchen sink and leaned over it.

"Ah forget it, I made things awkward, and I wasn't trying to kiss you. Look, I'm just happy you're down here, awake and feeling bett--"

"What...did you mean it to be?" Gabby asked.

Her voice barely carried across the room, but Gilda caught it. She held the bowl over the sink and for once questioned the sound a dish made when it shattered. Was the sound made from multiple pieces? Or was it made from one single connection colliding with another? Her claws shook slightly. Her thoughts felt like a shattered bowl.

Do I tell her? Do I just let it out? Should I keep it secret?

For several seconds Gilda didn't answer. Her own eyes darted back and forth frantically as she thought...and in a split second of fear, she hoped Gabby couldn't see them doing that.

Because it meant Gilda was going to lie, too.

"I um, I meant it playfully." She dared glance back. Gabby was watching her closely. "I wanted my noodle back, sure, but I didn't realize what I was doing until you mentioned it. Come on, Gabby, you know me!" Gilda turned back to the sink with a forced chuckle and turned the water on.

"You know this love stuff is...ah, hard for me to grasp. I never played around or fooled with males, or females for that matter...I'm trying to wrap my tail around the fact that I even have a bird out there that likes me that way... so, yeah... it's...hard."

Everything is hard right now. Everything is complicated and for once I want it to be simple again! Her mind screamed to her. She almost dropped her bowl when it over flowed with water. Setting it in the sink to lose the weight helped.

Now if only this weight in my stomach would disappear. Gilda didn't like lying, and avoided it as much as she could.

Especially not to a friend...

Behind her, Gabby shuffled off her seat and came over. The two hens stood side by side in the light of the over head bulb. Gabby reached over and put her bowl under the water. She set it down as it filled and then she smiled. It was weak, but it was there. "Its okay Gilda, I understand a little bit of that." She said quietly.

Gilda nodded. "I know."

Gabby blinked in surprise. "You...you do?" The fear danced in the back of her expression and Gilda inwardly cursed.

"Y-yes? I asked Gallus if her knew why you were acting so funny recently...I brought up the letters and what not, and he said...something."

Gabby's eyebrows furrowed instantly and she ruffled up her feathers. Her claws click-clacked in a rapid staccato across the floor. "Oh? What was it he said?"

Gilda mentally backpedaled. Crap crap crap I don't think I should have said that!

"I uh...he said you've... seen some shit."

BRAIN WHY!?

Gabby went from defensive to totally confused. Half her brow raised like it was trying to leap off her forehead. "I saw some shit..." It more a statement than a question really. Gilda nodded and started scrubbing her bowl.

"Um, yup." I need to keep my big mouth shut!

Gabby stared at her for several seconds, Gilda did everything she could to act normal. She did so by leveling the same expression back at Gabby. "What? do I have something in my beak?"

The suspicion grew deeper. Gabby furrowed her brow again. "You're lying to me..."

Gilda smirked both in fear and humor and rolled her eyes. "Yes I am, just like you were earlier."

Gabby balked, lifting a claw in front of herself. "W-what? I wasn't lying!"

Gilda slipped a towel around her bowl and began drying it. She chuckled. "Oh really? Well then I guess we're both liars lying!"

Gabby puffed up her feathers and flared her good wing open, it was a dominancy display, in retaliation so did Gilda, only both her wings flared open. The bowl clattered to the floor in the towel.

"I didn't lie to you, Gilda." Gabby growled.

Gilda growled back. "Neither did I."

Nearly beak to beak, the two hens glared at one another for several seconds, before Gilda's hackles raised and she leaned forward, hissing lowly. Gabby immediately backed up and shrank down. For several tense seconds, the tension in the room held, the territorial display going strong, and then Gilda sighed and folded her wings firmly to her sides. Gabby cautiously closed her good wing and sat down, curling her tail around her paws.

"S-sorry." Gilda said weakly. "I didn't need to be like that."

Gabby shook her head. "S-fine...seems we both have secrets, we should respect them."

Gilda shook her head. "No...no you're right. I did lie to you. If we are going to uphold those damning pony moralities, well, I know honesty is one of em."

She slumped down next to Gabby and draped a wing over the smaller hen's back. "Look, I spoke to Gallus when you were in the hospital, and he accidentally-very heavy emphasis there-- accidentally gave away some information about you that I didn't know."

And he'd be trying to shut my beak if he were here right now.

Gabby tensed up under her wing. Her eyes were scared. "W-what did he say?"

Gilda held up a claw. "Ah, ah, first we both promise this doesn't get out of hand. I know Gallus felt bad for doing it but he was trying to help me. I was...I was very distraught when you were hurt, Gabby. He felt the information would benefit my mental state."

Slowly, Gabby nodded. "Okay, I'll not beat him up over it." When Gilda glared at her she sighed heavily. "Fiiine, I promise it stays between us."

Gilda nodded. "Good. So...I guess as a preface to this, I should say that I was panicking about...the love stuff. It was eating me up inside. I didn't know what to do. I barely know how to act now, and just by this noodle incident alone you know that's true."

Gabby nodded, listening.

"That on top of your injured state had me so out of sorts I couldn't keep it together. So I asked him a simple question. I asked if you had any experience with love...with partners and whatnot. I was trying to gain stability by asking, I've never seen you with any one so I figured it was a harmless question..."

"It wasn't." Gabby immediately murmured. Her head was down and she was glaring at the floor.

Gilda winced. "Ah, yeah...He basically said you've had experience, but it was mostly bad. He also said it wasn't his place to tell me about the nitty gritty details. So...yeah. In summary, you've seen some shit."

She gently shook Gabby with her wing and the hen sighed and gently shrugged off Gilda's wing. She walked forward until they were a good couple feet apart and then Gabby began pacing. She didn't speak for several seconds, and Gilda felt it prudent to let her have the moment. After several turns and cycles, Gabby stopped and to Gilda's surprise she chuckled. not a fake laugh, but a real one.

"Heh, so you weren't lying."

Gilda blinked. "Huh?"

Gabby smiled and faced Gilda. "Basically you were telling the truth about what he said, albeit in your own Gilda way." She giggled and then frowned, gently scraping her claws across the floor. "Seen some shit, yeah that sums it up pretty well actually."

Gilda frowned, unsure of what to do or say. "Er, yeah." After a moment, "You um, so you've got experience but its not good..."

Gabby paused in her scraping and wrapped her arms around herself. She warbled weakly and looked away. Gilda could swear Gabby was shaking slightly. The barest of shivers moved through her feathers. Even with out the bandages...Gabby looked hurt. "Listen, its...not something I'm ready to talk about yet...sorry, Gilda."

Gilda held out her claws. "No, no take as much time you feel necessary, okay?"

More silence between them. Gilda hated it and so she sought to fix it. Flexing her wings out she stretched and forced a yawn. Gabby watched her stretch from the corner of her eye and Gilda inwardly smirked as Gabby's eyes trailed farther back towards her rump. She then stood and walked over to her friend. Slowly, Gilda reached out and wrapped her arms around Gabby. Gabby flinched away at first, but then accepted the hug with a smirk of her own.

They held each other for a few seconds, before Gilda pulled back and gently gripped her arms. "No matter what, I'm here for you okay? I know I'm rough around the edges, and I don't have much tact in my words, but I am here for you, for anything." She watched as Gabby blushed lightly and warbled softly.

"T-thanks, Gilda."

Gilda backed up and watched the hen make her way up the stairs. Gabby paused halfway up and looked at the floor. "You um, you asked me earlier what I thought of your letter..."

Gilda tilted her head. Gabby looked down at her and that genuine smile reappeared for a second or two.

"I liked it. I think you're helping whoever this griffon is find their courage a little bit more."

Gilda nodded, she wished Gabby good night, and Gabby did the same. When Gilda dropped into her nest that night, she dreamed of Gabby and her flying together, exploring the world. Gilda slept soundly.

Gabby did the same with Gilda in her dreams, but for the second time that night her dreams were far more...intimate.

And far away, a lunar Alicorn smiled.

Author's Note

Next chapter!

hope you guys are enjoying this. As always If you spot an error, feel free to point it out, I don't bite.