Elk indicated a side street across the uneven road from them. "That street, Redding Street, is a very interesting place. I would strongly suggest not going that way after dark or between the hours of one and three in the afternoon. If you do need to go, I would recommend taking Mug with you."
Mug glanced over upon hearing his name, his forehead wrinkling.
"No, not right now. Later," Elk assured Mug.
Mug huffed and turned back to their current walk as if annoyed that Elk had caught his attention for no good reason.
"In any case, there is usually not a particularly good reason to go that way unless you need a shortcut to Tanager," Elk informed her. "It is mostly just a bunch of residential places. No shops or anything. Other than Redding street, you're fine to walk wherever you please around here."
Mug glanced over upon hearing his name, his forehead wrinkling.
"No, not right now. Later," Elk assured Mug.
Mug huffed and turned back to their current walk as if annoyed that Elk had caught his attention for no good reason.
"In any case, there is usually not a particularly good reason to go that way unless you need a shortcut to Tanager," Elk informed her. "It is mostly just a bunch of residential places. No shops or anything. Other than Redding street, you're fine to walk wherever you please around here."
"Interesting?" Anna's left eyebrow quirked upwards and hid behind her ashen bangs. "I had a friend who used to live near a store we 'fondly' called the Stabbing-Super, do you mean that kind of interesting?" If so, she wasn't particularly bothered. That particular kind of danger was easy enough to avoid if you knew how to read a parking lot and, indeed, didn't tempt fate after dark. The recommendation to not go there in the early afternoon, though, piqued her curiosity.
"Maybe we'll go on a walk sometime, huh?" She cooed at Mug, holding out her trembling hand with a treat in it at a second attempt at diplomacy. She already knew that she would try to find out more about why exactly Redding Street was deemed risky at such an odd time during the day, but Elk's tone told her that it would be wise to follow his suggestion to bring the giant dog with her.
A summer breeze rustled the leaves, and she suddenly shivered in the shadow of the buildings. With one last look at Beldad's, Anna began the home stretch back to their apartment at a brisk pace. She was going to ask her cards about Redding Street.
"Maybe we'll go on a walk sometime, huh?" She cooed at Mug, holding out her trembling hand with a treat in it at a second attempt at diplomacy. She already knew that she would try to find out more about why exactly Redding Street was deemed risky at such an odd time during the day, but Elk's tone told her that it would be wise to follow his suggestion to bring the giant dog with her.
A summer breeze rustled the leaves, and she suddenly shivered in the shadow of the buildings. With one last look at Beldad's, Anna began the home stretch back to their apartment at a brisk pace. She was going to ask her cards about Redding Street.
Mug glanced at the treat and turned away, dismissing it. It was not something he was interested in. He would go with her if she needed him to walk with her because Elk asked him to, but he was not interested in making friends.
Elk made a few casual comments as they walked, keeping things light and positive, not wanting to focus on the more unsavory aspects of Anna's new home area. She'd learn them well enough soon enough. There was no point in making things out to be worse than they were, and he had no doubt that she was clever enough and potentially skilled enough to find out what she needed to know in her own way.
When they arrived home and Mutt was freed from his leash, Elk asked, "So, how would you like to handle the food situation? Do you want to share regular meals on a schedule, fend for ourselves most times, or perhaps a weekly or monthly catch-up time?"
Elk made a few casual comments as they walked, keeping things light and positive, not wanting to focus on the more unsavory aspects of Anna's new home area. She'd learn them well enough soon enough. There was no point in making things out to be worse than they were, and he had no doubt that she was clever enough and potentially skilled enough to find out what she needed to know in her own way.
When they arrived home and Mutt was freed from his leash, Elk asked, "So, how would you like to handle the food situation? Do you want to share regular meals on a schedule, fend for ourselves most times, or perhaps a weekly or monthly catch-up time?"
"A weekly catch-up dinner sounds great, actually. I have a pretty boring routine; I don't even have colleagues I can bitch about to you," Anna replied with a crooked smile. "But I'm sure you keep busy." He struck her as somehow both scatterbrained and highly organized at the same time. The type to lose his passport the day of a flight but remember exactly under which pile of books he had seen it six months ago. "Take turns cooking?"
It wasn't terribly late, yet Anna could feel the new impressions and physical exhaustion of moving creep into her body. She remembered with delight that there was a bathtub in her new bathroom. Some other time, maybe. She had something more important she wanted to do before she crashed.
"I'm gonna hit the hay," she told Elk, stifling a yawn. "Thanks again for letting me move in with you and Mug. I know I'll come to really like it here." A half-empty cup of tea in hand, she left for her bedroom. It still looked like a mess, with nothing exactly where she really wanted it; the distinct feeling of a state of being in-between. The door swung gently closed behind her with a soft click. She registered somewhere in the back of her mind that it didn't reach all the way: A thin stream of light flowed under the narrow gap at the bottom. Unimportant. The box of stormproof matches was sitting innocently on her writing desk.
She shuffled the cards, finding herself unable to decide on what to ask for. Redding Street? No, too mundane. The apartment? She'd learn its quirks soon enough. Elk? She paused. That ‒ felt almost invasive. She'd done readings about people before, plenty of times, but asking for magical insight on people she herself was close to felt like prying. Even if she didn't 100% know if what she was learning was true.
Screw it.
She spread a handful of the cards into a fan, chose three at random, and flipped them over. The Wheel. Eight of Wands. Five of Mirrors. She frowned. The Wheel made sense, it was all about fate and the unknown, with a side order of things being out of her control. She'd just moved into a new place with someone who occupied a space inbetween stranger and acquaintance, and she filled the same role for him. Nothing too surprising there. It was the other two who worried her: They spoke to acting with speed and decisiveness, and keeping up appearances that would eventually shatter. Learn fast or die trying. The tea lost the last of its warmth as she sat, mermerized by the story she was being told.
What on earth is he hiding from me?
"I'm gonna hit the hay," she told Elk, stifling a yawn. "Thanks again for letting me move in with you and Mug. I know I'll come to really like it here." A half-empty cup of tea in hand, she left for her bedroom. It still looked like a mess, with nothing exactly where she really wanted it; the distinct feeling of a state of being in-between. The door swung gently closed behind her with a soft click. She registered somewhere in the back of her mind that it didn't reach all the way: A thin stream of light flowed under the narrow gap at the bottom. Unimportant. The box of stormproof matches was sitting innocently on her writing desk.
She shuffled the cards, finding herself unable to decide on what to ask for. Redding Street? No, too mundane. The apartment? She'd learn its quirks soon enough. Elk? She paused. That ‒ felt almost invasive. She'd done readings about people before, plenty of times, but asking for magical insight on people she herself was close to felt like prying. Even if she didn't 100% know if what she was learning was true.
Screw it.
She spread a handful of the cards into a fan, chose three at random, and flipped them over. The Wheel. Eight of Wands. Five of Mirrors. She frowned. The Wheel made sense, it was all about fate and the unknown, with a side order of things being out of her control. She'd just moved into a new place with someone who occupied a space inbetween stranger and acquaintance, and she filled the same role for him. Nothing too surprising there. It was the other two who worried her: They spoke to acting with speed and decisiveness, and keeping up appearances that would eventually shatter. Learn fast or die trying. The tea lost the last of its warmth as she sat, mermerized by the story she was being told.
What on earth is he hiding from me?
"Taking turns sounds fine with me!" Elk said cheerfully. "Have a nice evening! See you tomorrow."
He turned and went about cleaning up the kitchen and generally tidying. He would be the first to admit that keeping things tidy was not his forte, but now that he had things nice and clean and tidy, he was going to do his best to keep it this way as long as possible. His decision had nothing to do with trying to keep a roommate, of course. Nothing at all!
He walked around the end of the kitchen peninsula toward Anna's room, intending to take out the trash, and her door was on the way to the front door. He paused briefly when he saw the door slightly open, feeling a tingle of magic tickle his skin. She was using magic? Now? How curious! He peeked through the gap in the door, taking great care not to touch the door itself, and saw the cards laid out. Ah, she was doing a reading, and judging by her expression, she wasn't too pleased with the results. He cast his eye over the revealed cards, barely able to make them out with his less-than-optimal situation. Card reading was not his strongest skill, but he could make out enough to guess what she was asking about. Doing a reading on her roommate? Both understandable and just a bit rude. Ah, well, it was unlikely the cards would be able to tell her anything dangerous about him.
He walked away, stepping outside and taking out the trash. It was a very nice night, but he did not delay, not wanting to invite trouble. The night itself was not typically dangerous, especially not for him, but there were always visitors to the area. Visitors who did not understand the rules. He had no interest in playing teacher tonight, so he slipped back inside quickly and headed upstairs.
Mug waited for him, giving him a studious look as Elk washed his hands and then headed to his office. The dog followed him into the former bedroom, nudging the door firmly closed behind them.
"Don't worry," Elk assured the dog as he picked up the large, glowing green stone. "It'll work out. It always does! Eventually. Now, shush. Tonight is the perfect night for this ritual, and I need to get it done quickly and quietly."
Mug sighed and laid down across the door, conveniently blocking out any light that might seep out through the bottom of the door.
Elk worked late into the night, not going to his bedroom until the wee hours of the morning. Mug groggily followed him, and the office door magically locked behind them. The spell could only be unlocked by either the person with the "key," or the magic equivalent of brute force. For those trying to open it without a key, the spell would give them the strong impression that there was something they had forgotten to do, which was usually enough to distract anyone who was merely curious and send them off elsewhere to do whatever it was they'd forgotten, or be annoyed by the lingering idea that they were forgetting someone. As a bonus, it recorded whenever someone touched the knob, preserving an impression of whoever or whatever tried to open the door. The same spell was set on the window. Not even the front door to the apartment had that much security.
He turned and went about cleaning up the kitchen and generally tidying. He would be the first to admit that keeping things tidy was not his forte, but now that he had things nice and clean and tidy, he was going to do his best to keep it this way as long as possible. His decision had nothing to do with trying to keep a roommate, of course. Nothing at all!
He walked around the end of the kitchen peninsula toward Anna's room, intending to take out the trash, and her door was on the way to the front door. He paused briefly when he saw the door slightly open, feeling a tingle of magic tickle his skin. She was using magic? Now? How curious! He peeked through the gap in the door, taking great care not to touch the door itself, and saw the cards laid out. Ah, she was doing a reading, and judging by her expression, she wasn't too pleased with the results. He cast his eye over the revealed cards, barely able to make them out with his less-than-optimal situation. Card reading was not his strongest skill, but he could make out enough to guess what she was asking about. Doing a reading on her roommate? Both understandable and just a bit rude. Ah, well, it was unlikely the cards would be able to tell her anything dangerous about him.
He walked away, stepping outside and taking out the trash. It was a very nice night, but he did not delay, not wanting to invite trouble. The night itself was not typically dangerous, especially not for him, but there were always visitors to the area. Visitors who did not understand the rules. He had no interest in playing teacher tonight, so he slipped back inside quickly and headed upstairs.
Mug waited for him, giving him a studious look as Elk washed his hands and then headed to his office. The dog followed him into the former bedroom, nudging the door firmly closed behind them.
"Don't worry," Elk assured the dog as he picked up the large, glowing green stone. "It'll work out. It always does! Eventually. Now, shush. Tonight is the perfect night for this ritual, and I need to get it done quickly and quietly."
Mug sighed and laid down across the door, conveniently blocking out any light that might seep out through the bottom of the door.
Elk worked late into the night, not going to his bedroom until the wee hours of the morning. Mug groggily followed him, and the office door magically locked behind them. The spell could only be unlocked by either the person with the "key," or the magic equivalent of brute force. For those trying to open it without a key, the spell would give them the strong impression that there was something they had forgotten to do, which was usually enough to distract anyone who was merely curious and send them off elsewhere to do whatever it was they'd forgotten, or be annoyed by the lingering idea that they were forgetting someone. As a bonus, it recorded whenever someone touched the knob, preserving an impression of whoever or whatever tried to open the door. The same spell was set on the window. Not even the front door to the apartment had that much security.
Anna woke early the next morning, just as a pale, gray dawn crept through the curtains. She blinked, irritated ‒ she was a light sleeper, and doors being opened and closed during the night had disturbed her rest. Elk must've gone to bed much later than her, she guessed. She made a mental note to get darker curtains, and maybe some earplugs later. Just another thing to get used to.
Deciding that any more sleep wasn't happening at this point, she swung her feet over the edge of the bed and into a pair of fluffy slippers. In her faded, oversized t-shirt, bearing a motif of a rubber duck that said 'Bath-lieve in yourself
', and frizzy bedhead, she couldn't have looked less like a witch as shuffled into the kitchen, laptop under her arm, to make a cup of tea. Couch. Blanket. Emails. And then maybe a 9 AM nap... As the kettle did its thing, she fished out the packet of dog treats again and placed it strategically on the coffee table next to the laptop. If Mug decided to wake up, she wanted to be prepared for another attempt to win his friendship. Hell, she'd settle for just his approval.
After brief consideration, she took out a second mug and bag of tea from the cabinet and placed it next to the kettle. She stopped short of pouring the water for him ‒ if he'd gone to bed late, he might not be up for a while yet, and though she didn't know Elk very well yet, she doubted that cold, over-steeped tea was very high up his list of favorite presents to be given. If he didn't make an appearance in an hour or two, she'd just put it back. If the couch hasn't claimed me by then, I guess.
Deciding that any more sleep wasn't happening at this point, she swung her feet over the edge of the bed and into a pair of fluffy slippers. In her faded, oversized t-shirt, bearing a motif of a rubber duck that said 'Bath-lieve in yourself
', and frizzy bedhead, she couldn't have looked less like a witch as shuffled into the kitchen, laptop under her arm, to make a cup of tea. Couch. Blanket. Emails. And then maybe a 9 AM nap... As the kettle did its thing, she fished out the packet of dog treats again and placed it strategically on the coffee table next to the laptop. If Mug decided to wake up, she wanted to be prepared for another attempt to win his friendship. Hell, she'd settle for just his approval.After brief consideration, she took out a second mug and bag of tea from the cabinet and placed it next to the kettle. She stopped short of pouring the water for him ‒ if he'd gone to bed late, he might not be up for a while yet, and though she didn't know Elk very well yet, she doubted that cold, over-steeped tea was very high up his list of favorite presents to be given. If he didn't make an appearance in an hour or two, she'd just put it back. If the couch hasn't claimed me by then, I guess.
About an hour after Anna got up, Mug nosed open Elk's door and wander out. He yawned, stretched, and then sniffed at Anna suspiciously before walking over to his food and water bowl and helping himself. Anna was studiously ignored. Once he'd gotten his breakfast, he headed back into Elk's room.
Inside Elk's room, Mug got up on Elk's bed and pawed at him. That didn't stir the redhead, but a couple of "woof!" blared right in his ear did wake him up enough to moan and roll out of bed. He grabbed a pair of shorts and pulled them on with minimal falling and grabbed a robe as he staggered out of his room. The short, floral, clearly feminine robe did its job in covering his bare chest, but its length covered his shorts and gave him the unfortunate appearance of being pantless. Still half asleep, he wandered toward the front door, grabbed Mug's leash, and clipped it on the patient dog. He never even noticed Anna.
A brisk, chilled walk outside to let Mug take care of business in the closest grassy area did wake him up enough that when he returned about fifteen mintues later, he blinked blurrily at the kettle and sniffed at the scent of breakfast. He spotted Anna and stared at her blankly. "Hello."
Inside Elk's room, Mug got up on Elk's bed and pawed at him. That didn't stir the redhead, but a couple of "woof!" blared right in his ear did wake him up enough to moan and roll out of bed. He grabbed a pair of shorts and pulled them on with minimal falling and grabbed a robe as he staggered out of his room. The short, floral, clearly feminine robe did its job in covering his bare chest, but its length covered his shorts and gave him the unfortunate appearance of being pantless. Still half asleep, he wandered toward the front door, grabbed Mug's leash, and clipped it on the patient dog. He never even noticed Anna.
A brisk, chilled walk outside to let Mug take care of business in the closest grassy area did wake him up enough that when he returned about fifteen mintues later, he blinked blurrily at the kettle and sniffed at the scent of breakfast. He spotted Anna and stared at her blankly. "Hello."
A booming bark shook Anna out of the doze she had drifted into; her laptop had slipped halfway out her hands and was resting precariously halfway off of her lap. She was wiping a bit of drool away from the corner of her mouth with the base of her palm as Elk came into the living room, sporting a look on his face that told her that all he was currently registering was that there was a front door and he needed to go out of it. Her cheeks flushed bright red as she realized he probably wasn't wearing pants under the floral robe he was wearing, and she hurriedly fixed her gaze on the window behind him instead. Either he's forgotten that he has a roommate now, or he is way more comfortable around strangers than I thought he'd be. Waiting until the door clicked shut behind him and Mug ‒ whose interest in Anna could clearly still fit in a matchbox ‒ she scarpered into her room to put on a pair of sweatpants so as to reduce the amount of bottomless people present.
Hello.
Having busied herself with toast, tea, and scrambled eggs, she hadn't noticed that Elk had come inside again. She startled, sending a spoonful of hot egg onto the floor where it splattered on the yellowing linoleum and her foot, making her yelp in pain and surprise. "Hello, good morning, all of that." She winced at Elk, allowing herself a chuckle at the situation once her body realized that she hadn't been badly hurt. "Ow. Come here often?" The toaster dinged by way of punctuation. "Oh, perfect timing. I've been up for a while, or at least, that was my goal, to get some work done, but then I fell asleep on the couch and I don't think you noticed I was there when you left, but, I mean, that's also new for you, right, to have people in your living room at all hours of the day..." She was babbling as she put down plates and cutlery, warring instincts of politely looking at people when you talked to them, but also trying to avoid looking too much at a half-clothed person she barely knew making her eyes dart all over the place.
Hello.
Having busied herself with toast, tea, and scrambled eggs, she hadn't noticed that Elk had come inside again. She startled, sending a spoonful of hot egg onto the floor where it splattered on the yellowing linoleum and her foot, making her yelp in pain and surprise. "Hello, good morning, all of that." She winced at Elk, allowing herself a chuckle at the situation once her body realized that she hadn't been badly hurt. "Ow. Come here often?" The toaster dinged by way of punctuation. "Oh, perfect timing. I've been up for a while, or at least, that was my goal, to get some work done, but then I fell asleep on the couch and I don't think you noticed I was there when you left, but, I mean, that's also new for you, right, to have people in your living room at all hours of the day..." She was babbling as she put down plates and cutlery, warring instincts of politely looking at people when you talked to them, but also trying to avoid looking too much at a half-clothed person she barely knew making her eyes dart all over the place.
Mug heard the splatter of eggs and trotted around the kitchen island [might be a peninsula, I'll check later and fix this] to lap up the fallen goodness. He even cleaned up Anna's foot for her, whether she actually wanted that or not. Satisfied he'd done his duty, he went to his water bowl and
Elk peered blankly at the woman babbling before him, his sleep-deprived brain slowly providing the necessary information for who this was and why they were standing in his kitchen talking to him far too energetically for so early in the morning. "Right!" he suddenly blurted, cutting off the tail end of her sentence about having people in his living room at all hours. "You're the new roommate!" He smiled, brightening a little, that mystery cleared up. "Anna. Right. Yes. You're my new roommate and all of that." Then he frowned. "Why are you saying ow? Did you hurt yourself?"
Elk peered blankly at the woman babbling before him, his sleep-deprived brain slowly providing the necessary information for who this was and why they were standing in his kitchen talking to him far too energetically for so early in the morning. "Right!" he suddenly blurted, cutting off the tail end of her sentence about having people in his living room at all hours. "You're the new roommate!" He smiled, brightening a little, that mystery cleared up. "Anna. Right. Yes. You're my new roommate and all of that." Then he frowned. "Why are you saying ow? Did you hurt yourself?"
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