1 BR West End apt (IC)

[Heritage]

Outside Silberman's Books, the corner of Pratt and Frederick. Monday, August 4th, 2014. 9:58 am
 
Sitting on the stoop in front of her shop, Lynn checked the time on her smartphone again; whoever these girls were, they were far from late, but she really just wanted to get this over with as soon as possible. Her ad had introduced the store owner and future landlady to a broad spectrum of Freedom's citizens, and she was being to feel discouraged. She was basically inviting someone to move into her house, so yes, she was being rather picky, but so far...eyugh.
 
The Poodle Twins. Mr. and Mrs. Bowling Shirt. Patchouli Pete and his Amazing Jacket of Many Smells.
 
I just want some who's more or less normal but still interesting; is that so much to ask? Or have I turned into an old fart?
 
Lynn had on her favorite style of sunglasses, big clunky plastic things from a time gone by, a faded Willy Wonka t-shirt, boot-cut jeans and a pair of light hiking boots; her hair was in a practical ponytail and she fiddled with the ring that hung around her neck.

Edited August 8, 2014 by Heritage

[Raveled]

The car pulled up smoothly to the curb, but the way Tona Baudin was clinging to the door it might as well have fish-tailed out of an explosion. She jumped out of the vehicle and staggered to the building, whispering her normal post-ride mantra of "Never again, never again, never again" to herself.

After a minute her face had regained its usual pallor and she turned to the woman in front of the door, running a hand to settle her short hair and tugging at her shirt half-heartedly. Her friends had talked to her about how important it was to make a good impression on a future landlord, but all she owned were tee-shirts and jeans. At least these ones were clean.

"Um. Are you Miss Epstien?" Sh didn't look like a miss. Se didn't look anything like the instructors at Claremont or the older heroes.

[Heritage]

The young woman got up, brushed off her pants and approached, offering a warm smile and a firm handshake. "Yeah, hi! You can just call me 'Lynn'. Are you Tona?" She took a few seconds to size the girl up.

 

Okay, so piercings are no big deal nowadays; if I wasn't brought up Conservative, I'd probably have a lot more myself. Doesn't look insane, so yay there. Dresses fairly well, smells clean, no visible scars...

 

Then she bent down slightly to peer into the car. "Uh...so just how many of you guys are in there?"

Edited September 15, 2016 by Heritage

[Thunder King]

Mali took a moment to gather herself before getting out of her car and locking the doors. She was a bit amused and concerned over Tona's distaste for riding in vehicles, but it worked out anyway. Mali wore black jeans and a black, stylish blouse. She wore black leather shoes and carried a black handbag to match. Her blouse had sleeves that were long enough to cover her muscular arms. All in all, her outfit was picked out to complement her tanned skin.

 

She had recently come back from Thailand, and under her blouse she sported a few new small scars and a tattoo, but those were well covered. To celebrate the completion of a stage of her training, she got a stylized tiger tattooed on the back of her right shoulder. It was also a celebration of her graduation from Claremont. A different sort of training.

 

"Hi, sorry, got a last minute text message. Nice to meet you, I'm Mali Benjawan." She said, as soon as she entered the door.

[Blue Rose]

Sam is the last out of the car, taking the time to stuff her iPod back in her purse.

Note to self. Sharing music is not distraction enough.

Getting Tona accustomed to riding in a car has been slow going, and the most effective method Sam's found to distract her wouldn't exactly be polite with Mali there, so it was a long ride for everyone involved.

She steps out of the car with the click of low-heeled sandals, wearing a pale green sundress, a white shrug covering her brand without being too heavy for the summer. She dons her straw hat to protect her gingerness from bursting into flames in the sun. That horrible, horrible sun.

"Hello, Miss Miss Epstien," she greets with her cheeriest smile. "I'm Samantha! I'm not here as a tenant; I'm just helping with the house hunting." She slips her hand in Tona's and gets close in a way that should say everything the landlord should need to know. And if she has a problem with it, then clearly they need to look somewhere else.

[Raveled]

"Mm. Tona, yes. Lynn." She took Sam's hand and looked up at the building, doing her best to judge the defensibility of the structure from the outside. "Stone facade, good resistance. Lots of handholds though. Mm, will need oil. Or maybe weaken obvious holds, rig for alarms. Could hide caltrops there, but they rust. Mali opinion on --" She turned to the other girls, about to mine their opinion, when saw Lynn watching her and realized just how she sounded. Her mouth hung open for a minute while she tried to figure out how to salvage the conversation.

"... Opinion on windows?"

[Blue Rose]

At the dissertation on home defense, Sam's eyes go wide, darting back and forth between Tona and their prospective landlady. And when her girlfriend starts trying lamely to salvage that fumble, Sam jumps on it.

"Curtains!" she blurts out. "I think they could use some lovely curtains. Yellow, I think. With daffodils!" she turns the cheer up a notch, determined to overcome the gaff through pure sunny disposition. "Oh, but I do believe it would be easier to plan during the tour, yes?" She turns an enormous smile to Miss Epstien. If she were psychic, she would be radiating waves of, 'Pleasepleaseplease ignore my girlfriend's plans to turn your apartment complex into an unassailable fortress.'

[Heritage]

Lynn just sort of stood there, hands on her hips with her head cocked slightly to one side as she peered over the top of her sunglasses; she looked from one girl to the other, chewing on her lower lip. At last, she cleared her throat.
 
"Uh, it's nice to meet you, Mali."  She gave her a firm hand shake; her voice was pleasant, but there was a hint of a warning. "I take it you and Tona will be sharing the apartment?" Then she turned to the pale redheaded girl. "Hi Samantha." Another firm handshake. "Do you go by Samantha or Sam? You look like a Sam." She looked the girls over one more time, and then sort of nodded to herself. "Well Sam, it looks like you'll probably be over a lot, so it's nice you're helping out." There was no judgment in her voice.
 
At last, Lynn took in the building with a wave of her hand. "To be honest, I understand your concern about the building's construction; we all know Freedom's...not like other towns. Stuff happens here there doesn't happen anywhere else." The brunette shrugged and scratched her head. "I mean,  I sure as hell have seen things I'd never believed if I hadn't see 'em with my own eyes." She scrutinized the building herself, hands once again on her hips. "So yeah, it's over a hundred years old, very solidly built." She casually looked over her shoulder at Tona. "By the way, you don't wanna use caltrops; they're like landmines, can't tell friend from foe." Lynn grinned and gave her a quick wink.
 
"Okay, let's head on in, shall we?" She pulled open the door and beckoned them into the entry hall, which was roughly ten by fifteen; to the right was the entrance to the bookstore, which was just about to open for the day, while to the left was a stairway that wound up and around. A set of bookshelves displaying heavily-discounted books was tucked under the staircase. Inside, the main doorway was flanked by a pair of statues, one a gargoyle, the other a griffin. "Our security detail. Actually on that note, the main door is open as long as the store is, but after close it's locked and you have to buzz people in. There is a security camera so you can see who's out front, so...well, let's just head on up and I'll show you."
 
Lynn began to take the stairs two at a time, in graceful loping strides.

Edited August 11, 2014 by Heritage

[Raveled]

Tona started breathing again when Lynn piped up with her own suggestions on home defense. At least, it seemed like Lynn wasn't too fazed by discussions of extreme home defense. The young archer reminded herself that she was living outside of Claremont now, and she would have to keep discussions of superhero work on the quiet. She wondered if she and Mali would have to soundproof the apartment.

The young woman reached out and stroked the plumage on the stone griffin. She had never seen anything like it in the real world, but the idea of a monster protecting them while they slept was a comforting one. They had fought enough monsters, after all, they deserved to get a little back up from one once in awhile.

Tona glanced at the door that lead out onto the first floor of the building, at the large SILBERMAN'S BOOKS sign. It was weird to think that there would be strangers under their feet at all times, but she would have to get used to it. She climbed the steps, staying just far enough behind Lynn to keep an appreciative eye on the older woman's rear end all the way up the stairs.

[Blue Rose]

"Mm-hm!" Sam interjects cheerily as Lynn guesses at her preference, and follows along, though she doesn't get far past the doorframe before the overwhelming presence of power starts assailing her senses. As Tona reaches out for the griffin, Sam nearly lashes out to stop her, but cuts herself short.

"And what a fine security detail they are," she says instead, keeping up her peppy demeanor. Wouldn't do to let on. So, she follows upstairs. And wonders just what Tona is looking... at... so... intently...

Well.

She screws up her face, and catches up to her girlfriend at the top of the stairs, giving her a playful punch in the arm, her look somewhere between a pout and a smirk. Of course, even if she were trying, it probably wouldn't be a very impressive punch.

[Thunder King]

Mali avoided facepalming. Tona was a dear friend, but still made the occasional blunder. Still, it seemed as though their potential landlady took it in stride, so there was nothing to be concerned about.

 

"Yeah, Tona and I are going to probably share it together. I'm starting up college soon and I do not want to live in the dorms, so I figured a nice little apartment would work, even if it were a bit of a commute." She smiled. "Sam and Tona are two of my best friends, but Sam has her own arrangements for somewhere to live. I wanted a bit of independence, but I don't want the typical party hard drinking stupidity kind of independence a lot of dorms give."

 

Mali followed up behind Lynn and, with a backward glance, noticed where precisely Tona was looking, then watched their antics. She gave a bit of an amused smirk before turning back around. Not that Mali quite blamed her. There were more than a few guys, from Claremont and elsewhere, that Mali had an appreciation for.

Edited August 11, 2014 by Thunder King

[Heritage]

On 8/11/2014 at 1:17 AM, Thunder King said:

"Yeah, Tona and I are going to probably share it together. I'm starting up college soon and I do not want to live in the dorms, so I figured a nice little apartment would work, even if it were a bit of a commute." She smiled. "Sam and Tona are two of my best friends, but Sam has her own arrangements for somewhere to live. I wanted a bit of independence, but I don't want the typical party hard drinking stupidity kind of independence a lot of dorms give."

 

Lynn nodded as she fished out her building keys and began to unlock the door to the right.

"That's smart thinking; I mean yeah, you want to have some fun in college, y'know, do some partying, but if you have too much fun, especially your first year, it's kind of easy to lose your way." The door swung open easily. "So, you guys would be in here, I'm right across the hall."

 

Inside was a fairly open space, roughly twelve by twenty-four, with polished hardwood floors and white painted walls; to the left was a large, three-sash window looking out onto Pratt Avenue, straight ahead was a gas fireplace, and to the right was a thick wooden beam that marked off a sort of dining area, which featured a small round table surrounded by four chairs. A ceiling fan with a built-in light gently swished overhead; with the front windows open, the room had a pleasant breezy feel.

 

"So here's the living room with attached dining nook; not huge, but decent-sized. If you don't want the table and chairs, I can just take those out." Once the group was inside, they could see a few other features: to the right of the door was a small flatscreen monitor mounted on the wall that seemed to be part of the entry/security system, and to the left was a large walnut armoire. Lynn paced around the room, gesturing this way and that. "There are a few downsides to a building this old; not a lot of closet space and no way to add central air. You've got radiator heat, which works great and is free, and there's one AC unit already installed in the bedroom. With the windows open, you get pretty good airflow, but if it gets really hot, you'll probably want to get another AC unit."

 

A long hallway stretched to the back of the apartment; before it left the room, there were three salvaged stained-glass windows and what looked to be a door back to the outside.

Edited September 15, 2016 by Heritage

[Raveled]

Tona flashed a grin at Sam, and darted in put a peck on her cheek. "You're my one," she reassured Sam. "Of course, if there could be a two or a three, that could be fun." The first thing that struck her about the apartment was the size; it wasn't large by any means, but that wasn't a downside to Tona. She enjoyed the smaller, more defensible areas. The furniture seemed solid, and as far as she knew neither herself nor Mali had anything to move in, besides trophies.

The windows were a striking feature, much more colorful than anything else she was used to seeing in a home. Of course, as pretty as they were they blocked sight to the outside. Tona put her face against one of the clearer portions and peered through, spying an out-of-doors space that seemed at least partly enclosed. It perked her interest, and she turned back to ask, "Is that another room out there?"

Edited August 12, 2014 by Raveled

[Heritage]

 

Quote

"Is that another room out there?"

 

Lynn nodded as she moved over to the door. "Yeah, kinda; I call it a patio, but it's more like a glorified light well, to be honest." She turned the bolt, slid off the chain and swung the door wide open. "As you can see, it swings all the way flush to the wall, so it won't get in the way, which is good because as you can see, there's actually a screen door here, too."

 

A lovely fresh breeze smelling of green things wafted through the apartment. "I've got the same thing on my side, and if the weather's nice I keep it open all the time when I'm home." The shop owner pushed open the screen door, and led them out into an odd narrow space about six by fifteen; it was open to the sky with gravel under foot. Two lightweight aluminum garden chairs were here, as well as a low charcoal brazier and several large ferns and other potted plants that did well in low light. "I like to come out here to relax sometimes; there's the door into my place." On the wall opposite there was a row of three curtained windows, and the wall to the left had a single one.

 

Lynn stood with her hands on her hips and shrugged. "My grampa put the stained glass in so he wouldn't be staring across into the neighbors' place, and vice versa; that way you guys still get the light and a bit more privacy." Then she pointed up somewhere toward the roof. "There's a tiny security camera hidden up there to cover the two doors, but it doesn't get any of this area down here, so..." She indicated the seating area with a vague wave of her hand.

Edited September 15, 2016 by Heritage

[Blue Rose]

Sam glances ahead at Tona's suggestion, not thinking it one to discuss with others in earshot, then pulls Tona's arm around her waist as she sidles close to whisper in her ear, "We can talk about that later, but your future landlady would probably be a bad idea." A fun thought, but a bad idea.

She looks about the room as Lynn gives the tour. "No dancing naked in front of the door. Got it," she jests about the camera, before adding the more serious, "I hope you forgive me if I dome the field of view to make sure it can only get the door? And no microphone, I hope? I'll want to see the feed. It's a privacy concern, so we'll need to know a few details."

[Thunder King]

Mali nodded. "Yeah it would probably be a good idea to check that out." She said, eying the area. "I am, well, a bit of a fitness nut." She said with a chuckle, flexing her right arm to showcase her rather impressive musculature. "I can get my workout elsewhere if I need to, but would you object if I moved in something like compact? For training, I mean." She turned to Tona. "Would you be bothered if I got something like that?

[Raveled]

Tona snorted and rotated her arms, making her toned arms more obvious. Next to Mali she could look almost tiny, but it was obvious that the archer took more care of herself than most people, and certainly more than most teenagers! "If you bring something up here," she said, "you're going to have to fight to get me off it."

She gave the breezeway a last, lingering look as she moved past it and deeper into the apartment. She understood that there was only one bedroom per say, but Tona was still holding out hope that there was somewhere that she could sling a hammock or lay down a bed roll and have some room of her own.

[Heritage]

Lynn cocked her head once or twice as the young women talked quietly among themselves, but said nothing; however her expression did show hints of amusement as she responded to their questions. "You can see the feed right here; not sure what you mean by 'doming' it, but no, there is no sound." She led them back to the monitor by the front door; the screen was split four ways, showing the main entrance to the building, the second floor landing, the two doors on the patio and what must be the rear door.

 

"And as far working out goes...well, if I let you take the place, and you don't turn out to be psychos..." She sighed, looked away and crossed her arms. "I suppose you can use my little gym over the garage. Y'know, if you're cool..."

Edited September 15, 2016 by Heritage

[Thunder King]

Mali grinned. "That would be appreciated, thank you. I'll treat the stuff the same way I would my own. Which is to say as well as I can." She nodded. "That works for me." She looked to Tona. "That work for you, too? Or would you rather also have something in the apartment proper? I could go either way, myself."

[Heritage]

Lynn took the three girls around the rest of the apartment, showing them the bedroom with its small closet and master bath, the kitchen with its attached half bathroom, pantry and laundry closet, then out to the rear deck; it was partly enclosed on two sides, but open to look out over the small yard.

 

Lastly she took them down the back stairs, across the yard and over the garage; the room was fifteen by thirty and surprisingly well-equipped. In addition to a fixed cycle and weight set, there was a speed bag, heavy bag and focus bag; there was even a wooden Wing Chung dummy!

 

The final item was an FIG-standard balance beam; approaching it, Lynn slipped off her sandals and easily mounted it. As she began to go through a basic routine, she chatted amiably with her prospective tenants while still displaying excellent form.

 

"So, are you interested? I gotta admit, I like you guys, and would love to offer it to you."

Edited September 15, 2016 by Heritage

[Blue Rose]

Sam raises her hand before Mali or especially Tona can answer.

"The apartment is lovely, Miss Epstien," she begins. "But I'm afraid we've skipped over an important part of the terms. In the ad, you mentioned a twenty hour per week alternative work in lieu of rent, with an additional ten dollars an hour." She's already done the math in her head. Though never particularly bookish, the master thief knows money.

"That comes out just shy of twenty dollars an hour, starting pay. That seems a rather generous offer, and I think we should hear more before making the final decision."

Or hear the scam. One of the two. As hot as this place is, the offer may be more than meets the eye.

[Raveled]

Tona followed along behind Lynn and Sam, peering into the back rooms as they passed. A kitchen and a bathroom, and a couple of closets. She had been holding out hope for a smaller room at the back, or maybe the rear deck would be enclosed; no such luck. Maybe that was something they could work on later. She wondered if she could handle sleeping in the same room as Mali, or if they could sling a hammock in the living room? That would be a pretty nice feature piece, actually.

The gym was sparse, but three people being considerate should be able to share it. Of course, Lynn's acrobatics made her start fantasising about working out while she was around. Her mind started drifting off to a world where she and Lynn and Mali were exercising together, and then Sam came in with smoothies...

And then that same Sam started speaking gibberish in English. She shook herself out of her daydream and looked at her girlfriend. "Sorry, what is all that?"

Edited August 25, 2014 by Raveled

[Heritage]

Lynn smiled and shook her head at Tona's confusion. "That is your girlfriend trying to work the deal, something I imagine she does quite a lot." The older woman arched her back, did a quick handstand and then continued the move until she was standing on the beam again. "But she's right; the online ad had a few extra details that weren't in the print ad." She slid down into an effortless split, sighed and crossed her arms across her chest; the effect was rather unnerving.

 

"Frankly, I need more employees; everyone's part time and scheduling can be difficult. If either Toma or Mali could work at least twenty hours in the shop, I will cut your rent in half." She raised a graceful eyebrow in Sam's direction. "I think that's more than fair for two young people in their first apartment." Lynn spun her legs around and was somehow back up on the beam again; just how flexible was she? Finally she did a double backflip and stuck a perfect dismount on the mat. Grabbing a towel off a nearby rack, she approached the trio as she dried herself off.

 

"So that's four hundred a month for the both of you, plus one of you earning ten dollars an hour; combined with being able to do your own wash for free and I think you just might make it." Lynn sighed and suddenly looked much older than her face suggested. "Look, here's how it is: I'm not hurting for money right now, and my needs are small; I own this building outright, and I'm running the bookstore downstairs out of love and nostalgia." She jerked her head back towards the apartment building. "I have a unit that needs to be filled, and you seem like nice kids; lots of people took a look at the place, but they were mostly d-bags." She shrugged one more time. "It's really not that complicated."

Edited September 15, 2016 by Heritage

[Raveled]

Damn, Lynn knew how distract Tona during the negotiations. At least Sam was around to handle all of that stuff. To take her mind off it, she moved off to examine the lifting bench. After a moment she realized that everyone had stopped talking and used the situation to jump back into the conversation. "I can work in the store," Tona said. "Anything you need moved around, I'm the gal for the job." She flexed one arm, letting her muscles show off. She worked hard to be as strong as she was, and a job right at home moving stuff around sounded like the best option she had.

[Heritage]

Just the way Tona talked made Lynn smile; there was an innocence to her, despite all that talk about defenses and what not. "Well yes, we do have stuff that needs to be moved from time to time, but mostly we sell stuff; books and coffee, mostly." She casually walked over to the rack she'd grabbed the towel from, reached behind it and pulled out three tennis balls, which she began to casually juggle. "Now looking at you, Tona, I don't see a natural salesperson; that's not a bad thing, really, 'cause most salesmen are jerks. But I do see something else-"

 

And with that, she started tossing the balls at the girl to see if she could join her 'routine'.

Edited September 15, 2016 by Heritage