Gel sits beside Rhino's bed, leaning over him. She glances at his clock, preparing herself. According to my notes, his alarm sounds around this time. She smiles slyly, lowering her head and gently pressing her lips to his. This should be the way he wakes up. Her eyes flutter closed and she allows herself to start getting lost in the kiss.

As she gets more and more into the kiss, Rhino's eyes slowly crack open from the pressure on his lips. Once he sees what it is, he closes them again and responds in kind. As they kiss, one of his hooves slowly slips out from under the sheets and around her, not making contact yet.

She eventually breaks the kiss, gasping softly for air. ...this is just...great...I'm happy that we're finally together... She leans a little further, tenderly nuzzling his cheek. "...Wakey wakey, Rhino..."

The hoof that had been working its way around her suddenly closes in and sweeps her onto the bed next to him. He opens his eyes fully and gives her a beaming smile. "Good morning to you too."

She squeaks, blushing brightly. "...g-glad to see...that you're up..." She rests her head under his chin, making little circles in his fur with a hoof. "...s-so...did you sleep well?"

He shrugs. "Oh, nothing really memorable. It served its purpose." He rubs her back with a hoof. "I did enjoy the wakeup call though. Speaking of which," he clicks off the alarm with magic, "don't want that ruining the moment."

"But of course." She giggles, a playful thought coming to her mind. "...say, Rhino...you said you liked how I looked..." She gently kisses his neck, her horn rubbing against his cheek. "...is that part of the reason you're dating me?" She slyly smiles, trailing up along his jaw, subtly moving her circling hoof lower on his body. ...let's see how much you'll let me get away with, now...

He thinks for a moment before looking back down and smiling at her as she lies halfway on his chest. "Well, it was part of the reason, yes. The deal breaker for me though, has always been personality. Many wise ponies have said, you have to love what's on the inside, because the outside can change."

She stops, staring up at him with wide eyes. ...h-he can't possibly know, can he? She softly sighs, kissing him once more. ...I doubt it, but it's a nice sentiment... "...that's sweet, Rhino...thank you..." Her hoof trails even lower, teasing the area right above her goal.

He smiles softly at her. "I'm just telling the the truth. What about you? What made you want to date me?"

"...Well, you're a kind pony...one that I feel cares for others before himself..." She blushes a bit, averting her eyes. "...not to mention you gave my interests a chance...despite sweating heavily..." She giggles, kissing along his neck once again, her hoof gingerly touching his sheath. ...being so handsome helps a little, too...

He doesn't notice where her hoof has wandered due to her other actions. "It's just the kind of pony I am." He nuzzles the side of her head. "I just wanted to make sure you were happy."

She smiles softly, looking up at him. "...that's why I like you...but I also want to make sure you're happy..." Her hoof starts to tenderly rub him, trying to coax his little friend out even as she lovingly kisses him.

The repetitive movement starts to register in his brain. He looks down at her with a quizzical face. "What are you up to?"

Busted. She sheepishly smiles, carefully moving her hoof away. "...um...n-nothing..." She bites her lip, turning onto her back to avoid his gaze. ...here's to hoping he doesn't get annoyed or upset...

He turns onto his side to better see her in her new position. "Is something wrong? Is there something I can do?"

She shakes her head, smiling softly at him. "...there's nothing wrong...I just..." She trails off, unsure how to continue that sentence. I just what? Want to arouse him again so I can see that perfect example of virility? I can't say that! She groans quietly, covering her face with her hooves.

He frowns and gently takes her hooves off her face. "Ok, now I know something's wrong. You can tell me you know. Whatever it is, I'll help if I can."

She blushes brightly, her eyes darting about for a bit before she forces them to look at him. "...I-I'm sorry, Rhino...I just..." She closes her eyes, steeling herself. "I'm really aroused right now and I'm having trouble controlling myself!" She covers her face once more, burning with shame.

He blinks but otherwise doesn't react. "Oh, is that it? That's fine, it happens." He removes her hooves from her face again and plants a small kiss on her forehead, just under her horn. "Nothing to be ashamed of."

She stares at him in shock. "...Y-you're sure?" I'm surprised he isn't reacting to my scent...then again, he does seem to have a great deal of self-control... She traces tiny circles on his chest, still uncertain. "...e-even when I just...tried to make you aroused, too?"

He raises an eyebrow. "Is that what you were doing? Didn't you get a good enough view last night?"

"...W-well...I just..." She squirms uncomfortably, embarrassed. "...w-wanted to make you feel good..."

He chuckles and gives her a quick kiss on the lips. "You're doing that right now." His eyes flick over to the clock. "Unfortunately, I should probably start getting ready for work." He turns back and nuzzles her. "Think you can stand to be away from me in your state?" He smiles teasingly at her.

She looks down at her hooves, nervous. "...honestly...I'm not sure..." Steam starts coming off the top of her head, and her hindlegs start rubbing together. "...I-I don't think I've been this aroused, before...e-except that one time at the lake..."

He stays silent as a few things click. "Oh... that was one of those romance books..." He gently slides out of the bed before turning back and waving a hoof through the steam coming off her head. "Probably not the most subtle sign of it, now that I think about it..." He focuses back on her face, his own starting to burn with a blush. "Umm... do you just need one of your books and some alone time or...?"

She bows her head, ashamed. "...I-I'm afraid it's not that simple...I-I can't really...p-pleasure myself..." She groans softly, gripping the covers with her forehooves. "...I-I just...don't know how...so I kind of...wait it out a bit..."

Rhino rubs the back of his head as he looks down to the ground. "Umm... well... I don't really know what else... I mean, do you want to take a cold shower? Maybe something else? I'm not sure what to do here, to be honest."

She leaps up, clopping a hoof against the floor. "That's it! A cold shower!" She rushes out the door, brushing against him as she heads off to the bathroom. "Thanks, Rhino!" With that, she closes the door and starts up the shower, letting the cold water rush over her body, quickly turning to steam and filling up the room. ...might not be the best idea, but it's helping me calm down, a bit...

The stallion, slightly shell-shocked from the mare's rapid departure, shakes his head to clear it. "Well, that's one situation avoided... but now the only bathroom open is the downstairs one... and all my stuff's in the one she just went into..." He puts a hoof to his forehead. "I need milk..." He goes downstairs to fix himself a nice tall glass of cool nirvana.

Soon enough she's out of the shower and heading down the stairs, still dripping wet. "...that's better...I hope he's alright with me using his shampoo..." She glances into the living room, curious. "Rhino? Where are you?"

He calls from his spot at the table where he is nursing his drink. "In the kitchen!"

She walks in, smiling softly at him. "...um...sorry for taking up the bathroom with your toiletries..." She moves closer, lovingly nuzzling his cheek. "...next time, I'll leave the door open...is that fine with you?"

He clears his throat as she brings up yet another blush. "Er, umm, no that's... that's fine, I needed to get a drink anyway... Are you better now?"

She nods, smiling brightly. "Definitely! I really needed that cold shower." She puts a hoof on her chin thinking to herself a bit. ...I'm not sure how long my arousal will stay down, though...

He chuckles before getting up. "Well, now that you're wet in a more controlled way, I need to go do the same thing. Try not to drip too much okay?" He winks before heading into the bathroom himself.

She blushes a vibrant red, embarrassed by his words. ...I can't let him get the last word...I need to say something to tease him right back... She follows him up the stairs, slyly smiling. "Don't worry, I can dry myself off just fine. I'm just wondering if you'll be in there fantasizing about my drenched body." That should do it. With that, she heads back down the stairs, using her brilliant blue flames to dry herself off.

Rhino stumbles from her words as the image floods his brain. Darn it, I thought I won that one... Ok, come on, focus, you need to get ready for work. The image of her wet body floods his brain again. Not gonna be easy...

***

Gel enters the employee lounge, sighing softly. "...some of those stallions sure are grabby..." She approaches the board, searching for her name. ...don't know why they changed the system...I like chatting with Miss Tease...at least, that's what my journal says...

The mare in question enters the lounge, fluffing some of her frills. She spots the unicorn and walks over with a smile. "Afternoon Angel, how's the board treating you?"

She smiles back at her kindly, nodding a bit. "...It's nice, Miss Tease..." Not entirely sure if this is better than the old way, but I digress.

The older mare waves a hoof. "Now now, enough of that formality. Call me Silk, unless I call you into my office for official business, casual is fine. We're all friends here after all."

Gel nods, embarrassed. "...o-okay, Mi-" She cups a hoof over her mouth, blushing a bit. "S-sorry, I mean Silk." She pulls out her journal and starts to jot down this new info. Don't want to forget that...huh, my journal's almost full. I guess I'll need to get a new one.

Silk giggles. "There you go, not so hard is it?" She consults the chart. "How've the tables been treating you? Got any questions?"

"...Um...I just have one..." She scuffs the ground with a hoof, her nerves getting to her. "...w-what should I do...if a customer gets hooves-on?" Please tell me there's something that can help with that!

"Well that depends on if you want it or not. If you don't, tell him to stop. If he doesn't..." she motions to the lounge where some other waitresses are, "just whistle and all the mares that aren't serving will come and... sort the situation out. That's the reason we always have more staff on hoof than we actually need, so we always have spares to help out with that."

Gel blinks, stunned at this answer. ...okay, I did not expect that. "...um...t-thank you for letting me know...I-I'll try not to whistle while I work..." She giggles shyly, transcribing the conversation in her journal. That was a terrible pun. I should feel bad...and I do.

"The girls can generally tell between a normal whistle and a help whistle, so don't worry if you end up doing that." The manager moves a few names around on the board. "So how have things been going while you're not at work? I don't think you've ever really talked about that kind of thing."

"O-oh, um..." What can I say that won't be trouble later on? "...I-I played some paintball this weekend with a few ponies...m-my team won against Dash's..." ...well, it might not be too much trouble, I guess. She looks up at the board, noticing her name on the couple's booth again. ...this'll be interesting...

The yellow pegasus raises an eyebrow. "Really? I wouldn't have pegged you for the paintball type. Just goes to show that ponies have all kinds of interests." She adjusts a few more names before turning fully to Gel. "We should talk more when your break comes around, it's nice to chat with new ponies."

"A-agreed." She shyly smiles as she slowly backs away. "I enjoy our chats, Silk. I-I'll just go work at my tables, now." She turns and leaves the room, feeling embarrassed by her own words. Why can't I ever just be comfortable around friends?

Soon enough, she's at the first table of the day, pen and pad at the ready. "H-hi, my name is Angelic Grace, and I'll be your waitress today...can I get you something to drink?"

***

Gel picks up her customer's bill, taking it straight to the mare in charge of the bits. Break time. There isn't a better pair of words in the world...at least, not one I can think of, at the moment. She enters the lounge, laying down on the couch and writing some notes down in her journal. ...let's see...a nice red stallion who didn't talk much...extremely nice...met once before with Rhino...a single gray mare... Her thoughts trail off as she continues the short list.

Soon enough, she's done writing, closing her book and putting it back in her uniform. There we go. Five normal tables and two couples, each with about a two bit and four bit tip, respectively. She giggles, blushing softly. The way things are going, I'll be able to afford it for sure...

The other mares in the lounge seem to be in their usual places. A couple are taking power naps while another group are playing cards and laughing. As Silk walks in, they all give her a quick wave before going back to what they were doing. The boss spots a comfy looking spot on the couch across from Gel's and settles herself on it, a few small clinks from her tips jingling in her pockets.

She looks over at the disguised changeling. "Nicely paced day right? Not too fast, not too slow."

The white unicorn smiles, nodding kindly. "...I'd say so...and I didn't need to whistle at all..." She rests her head on her hooves, thinking a bit. She really is a kind, smart mare. She could've easily been a boss somewhere else. Even at the weather factory. She looks up at her, blue eyes wide in curiosity and nervousness. She keeps her voice low, so only the pony across from her could hear. "...this may be odd, but...w-why did you decide on this job, Silk?"

She sighs wistfully. "Well, it's less of a case of me choosing the job and more of the job choosing me. I didn't open this place you know, I started right where you are. Pegasus or not, weather work just never really appealed to me all that much." She slides up her skirt slightly to reveal a cutie mark of a circle of lace. "I figured I'd wait tables for a bit while wearing a uniform I'd love and find a better job while still having income. Over time though, nothing seemed as appealing as the place I already was. So, I focused on my work and when you do that, the boss notices and you get additional responsibilities, promotions, then one day you look up and realize you're running the place."

"...Wow..." Gel stares off into space, thinking a bit. ...that...almost sounds like how I was with my corps... She shakes her head, smiling softly at her. "...I'm glad you enjoy working here...I enjoy working here, too...but..." She sighs softly, resting her head on her hoof. "...sometimes...I wish I could do more...help others on a bigger scale, you know?"

Silk nods. "You aren't the first pony to have that thought, honey, and you won't be the last. I found my place here, just as each pony that's made a difference has found theirs. I won't pretend to know what to tell you other than to find what it is that you can do. You find that, work from there, and I'm sure we'll see your name in the papers in no time." She winks. "For now though, you'll have to get used to seeing yourself in one of my uniforms."

"...Oh, I'm used to it..." She absently plays with one of the frills, a blush slowly growing on her cheeks. "...and so is my coltfriend...I can still get him to blush, though..." She giggles quietly, picturing his flustered face. I can't wait to see him after work, today...

The other mare's tail flicks almost predatorially as her eyes narrow. "Oh? What's this new bit of gossip? A coltfriend... now what kind of stallion could go and capture the heart of a sweet little thing like you?"

"...um...a-a kind one..." She curls up into a small ball, intimidated by the look her boss is giving her. "...h-handsome...caring...a bit silly, sometimes..." ...of all the times for my brain to lack words to describe Rhino...

Seeing her employee shrink into herself, the yellow mare laughs. "Relax Angel, I was just eager to hear about all this. Sounds like he's a real tongue-tier too."

"...y-you could say that..." She nervously uncurls her body, resting on her side. She glances at her journal, frowning softly and thinking out loud. "...only two pages left...need to get a new one, soon..."

"You sure like your notes, don't you?" Silk looks to the journal. "You could always go pick up some blank ones at the bookstore down the street. They've got all kinds of supplies like that."

Gel blinks, looking at her. "...um...I-I kind of need them..." She shyly smiles, rubbing the back of her neck. "...I-I have some...memory issues..." I suppose I should've mentioned this in the job interview.

Her boss shrugs. "Well, you haven't made any mistakes yet so it seems you've got it well handled." She gets a sly smile. "Though I wonder how much that stallion of yours would find out about you should you ever decide to share with him."

...buck, I didn't think of that. "...I-I'm not sure I could share this with him...t-there's some...personal stuff in here..." She blushes brightly, a wisp of steam coming off her head. ...I just had to remember that fantasy, didn't I?

Silk giggles again. "I understand completely, honey. I didn't mean you have to show him, I just wanted to see what your reaction was when you thought about it."

"...o-oh..." Gel glances up at steam currently coming off of her. "...I-I guess you know, then..." She nervously smiles, writing down as much as possible without using too much space. "...C-could I possibly have a longer break? I-I don't want to be accused of smoking in the restaurant..."

The other mare puts a hoof to her chin. "Alright, I'll give you that. Steamy moments are really supposed to stay confined to the private booths anyway."

"...T-thank you..." She sighs in relief, resting her head on her hooves. "...it’ll take me a bit before I can calm down...s-sorry..."

Silk gives a short laugh. "Honey, if you'd have seen some of the drama queens that have tried to work here, you'd know just how much I don't mind. You aren't nearly as bad them, so take the time you need." She gets up and straightens one of the bows on the outfit. "We'll talk more another time. Good luck with your stallion!"

"...I-I will..." She tilts her head to one side before holding up a hoof, curious. "...I-I know this might be strange, but...w-would you like to meet outside of work? I-I like talking with you, even with the teasing..." She nervously giggles.

"Sorry, hon, it's in my name so you should have seen it coming." She gives her a smile. "If you want to hang out sometime, it's fine by me. It's good to have some mare time with friends."

The white mare smiles, looking down at her hooves. "...friends...I like that..." She looks back up at the pegasus, smiling kindly. "...maybe we could meet this weekend? At the spa?"

"Sounds like fun."