"So we each go to the hotels and homes that each of the families are staying in and tell them the news, then we give them a voucher that they give to their hotels and the hotels petition the Princesses for the costs. After that we all meet at the fountain in the center of Canterlot and from there we all go to inform the new family and present them with the necessary paperwork. Do I have this right?" Artex asked.

Razor Wit and Oriana both nodded in unison. They had taken the time to inform him that the same system was used in Oriana's homeland and Equestria. The initial votes and subsequent debate had not taken very much time fortunately enough, and the trio had plenty of time to distribute the vouchers and give the news to the chosen family. Oriana had been acting as organizer and had taken the time to retrieve the vouchers even before they voted. The young Zebra mare was quickly proving herself to be an invaluable member of the group.

"While I was out I made us reservations at a restaurant for this evening. It's a little place called The World's Cuisine and the service is exquisite. They specialize in foods from all over the world." Artex proclaimed proudly.

Oriana's ears laid flat back against her head and Razor stomped her left forehoof,
"Artex," she said in a warning tone, "You really need to ask about some things before you do them."

The Human was confused and planted his fists on his hips, his eyebrows merging on his forehead,
"What did I do this time?"

"Since Oriana is thinking of joining our herd SHE is the one who is supposed to make the reservations and pay." Razor said.

Artex groaned and rolled his head around on his shoulders,
"Well I'm sorry. I was trying to do something nice for everybody. Back on Earth it's the men who pay for outings and everything." he crossed his arms petulantly, "Fine, I'll ask before SNEEZING next time."

Razor snorted,
"That kind of an attitude isn't going to help. Just ask before you do something."

Oriana stepped between the two,
"Stop it." she ordered calmly, "Deciding on the future parents of a child has been stressful on all of us. I understand that this is a big responsibility, but snapping at each other isn't going to help us." she looked back and forth between them, "Artex was trying to do something nice. His heart was in the right place, and I know you normally have more patience for his mistakes Razor. I will put you both in a corner if I have to. This is no way to act. You're both concerned for me and I appreciate that. This is a new type of herd. We're all going to make mistakes and we need to be willing to learn from them. Have patience with each other. What if we end up accepting another species into the herd? What if it's a Diamond Dog? We'll all have to adapt to all the different cultures and the same thing applies here so ease up, take a breath, and calm down."

Artex awkwardly scratched his head,
"S-sorry for assuming. I'll remember in the future."

Razor's ears splayed out to the sides,
"I wasn't trying to fuss at you Artex, I just felt bad after what happened before when you caught Oriana sleeping with us and didn't deal with it. I'm sorry if I sounded condescending."

Artex shrugged,
"I suppose my reaction could have been better, my bad."

Oriana's head snapped toward him,
"You're not bad, it was an honest mistake."

Artex and Razor briefly blinked in confusion before they both burst into peals of laughter, leaving Oriana to wonder what she had said that was so funny.

* * *

Razor Wit was the first of the Emissarial staff to make it to the designated meeting place at the fountain. She had spoken with the six families she had agreed to, in a quick and polite manner. There were no hard feelings, perhaps a touch of disappointment, but they all knew that only one family would be chosen so it was expected. The tan mare breathed a sigh of relief that the worst part of the experience was done with. She sat down on the edge of the fountain and admired the statue in the center. It depicted an Earth Pony, a Pegasus, and a Unicorn all reared up on their hind legs, backs pressed together, and spitting water out of their mouths. The sound of the cascading water induced a feeling of calm on the mare and she closed her eyes for a moment, just enjoying the waning sunlight against her eyelids.

"So you finished first?" Oriana's voice sounded next to her.

Razor nodded, keeping her eyes closed,
"Yeah. I'm not surprised you're the second one done. Artex doesn't show it much unless you know what to look for, but he has a big heart." opening her eyes, she turned toward her striped companion, "Do you find him difficult to understand? I mean he speaks very clearly but gauging his moods and emotions is like a study in subtlety. Is it hard for you too?"

Oriana chuckled at the question,
"Extremely. His ears hardly move at all and the changes in his facial expressions are so small I actually thought he was emotionless at first. I'm only barely beginning to understand how to read him, it's more trouble than talking to a Pegasus who only learned to express themselves with their wings."

Razor giggled at the comparison,
"It is tricky." she sighed and relaxed somewhat, "He really is sweet though, once you get to know him. He was married once before, did you know that?"

Oriana tilted her head back in thought,
"I think he mentioned something about that before. What happened? Did she die?"

Razor shook her head,
"No, she's back on Earth. She didn't come with him. He was really upset about it for a while. He seems like he's gotten better, but he still cries once in a while when he thinks he's alone or when we're not looking." she rubbed her left ear with her forehoof, "One of the things I've noticed about Humans and Artex in particular is that despite how we perceive them, they are a very passionate species. They feel the same range of emotions we do, they simply keep them hidden or try to minimize their outward effects. I've yet to approach Artex about it, but I don't think he realizes how difficult it is to respond to him. Like you said, it's more difficult than talking to a Pegasus. At least with Pegasi, their ears move. He may seem harsh or unfeeling at times but trust me, he feels everything we do. If he makes an attempt to do something nice for you it should mean that much more because of his lack of obvious emotions."

"Then why did you get on him about it when he made the dinner reservations?" Oriana asked.

Razor hung her head and flattened her ears to the sides, searching for answers on the cobblestones of the road,
"I don't know." Razor answered miserably, "I don't think I've ever snapped at him quite like that before. Yes, he can get quite cranky, especially if he doesn't get enough sleep or if he's hungry, but he also bit right back when I made a fuss. Heh," she chuckled dryly, "At least he won't be a pushover. Oh that reminds me, the Human world is male dominant so if he gets too pushy, just let him know and he'll calm down. He doesn't mean to get like that. He's never shown it until today, but I know the transition has been very rough on him. He becomes confused by things that we take for granted or learned just by growing up. He makes a TON of mistakes and he tries not to let it show, but he has a good bit of pride and it grates on his nerves whenever I correct him on it."

Oriana looked around,
"Speaking of Artex, what's taking him so long?"

Razor waved a hoof absently,
"He'll be along when he's done. I learned early on that if you rush him, he'll still get the job done, but you'll have to hear about it in subtle hints for weeks after the fact. He really doesn't like being pushed. What I think he really needs the most is a vacation. He's always running around learning and making mistakes then scrambling to correcting those mistakes. He has no time for himself. The first time I've seen him take any time for himself was a couple of weeks ago when we found him working out in Whitetail Woods. He needs a break or I'm afraid he may wear himself out. I still don't know everything there is to learn about Humans, maybe they like to work like that all the time."

Oriana hesitated to bring the subject up, but she felt it was prudent,
"Um Razor," she began quietly, "You're in a relationship with him and now I am too, but I just thought of something..." she braced herself to ask the question and leaned in close to Razor so she could whisper, "What if Humans aren't... physically... compatible with us? Has he gone to be sized by an interspecies doctor yet?"

Razor nearly choked even though she wasn't drinking anything,
"What!? No!" she realized how loud her voice was and lowered her volume, "No, it's a bit of an odd subject with him. He'll freely talk about the sexual habits of Humans in general, but once the topic moves specifically to him trying to get him to open up is, as he would say 'like pulling teeth'. The most I've heard him talk about himself in that regard was during our date. He said he wanted to discuss it openly and honestly, but I ended up getting drunk before we made it that far. Hmm... maybe we can get him to talk about it tonight?"

Oriana's ears suddenly perked and swiveled around to the far side of the fountain,
"He's coming. Let's finish this later."

Razor nodded,
"Right, we still have one, soon to be very happy family to tell."

Awkward typos, give them the eternal rest they deserve.