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Post by Francis "Shadow" Maines on Sept 7, 2010 20:39:31 GMT -5
Shadow moved around his house with Timber by his side. The faithful wolf rarely strayed from his side. Timber was all Shadow had, though he was ok with that. The wolf was always there for him and didn’t judge him like people did. Scratching TImber’s ears, which must have felt good for the wolf, Shadow looked at the area of his house he was cleaning out. Times were hard and he needed to make money to keep up with the costs of repairs the farm needed. He didn’t like the idea but it was all that he could come up with on short notice.
When he stopped scratching Timber’s ears, the wolf nudged his hand with that cold nose as if saying “Keep going dammit. That felt good.”. Shadow smiled down at his faithful companion and said ”In a bit Timber. In a bit.” The wolf licked his hand in an understanding way. Shadow often wondered if the wolf knew more about what was happening than he did.Wondering about that would have to wait for a night when he wasn’t bust or tired.
Shadow turned on his heel and walked to the kitchen table where he laid the sign. It read the very simple “Room 4 Rent”. It wasn’t fancy, but hopefully it would work. He wasn’t going to ask for much, just enough to help pay for the cost of repairs.Which, if he did it over a span of time, wouldn’t cost the possible tenant very much. He would hold on the spot interviews for those that were interested, well him and Timber. Timber was a good judge of character, so the wolf would ultimately choose who would move in. Shadow reached down and picked up the still wet sign before walking out to the front lawn and driving the cut wood into the earth.
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Post by Ariadne Edelmann on Sept 7, 2010 21:33:44 GMT -5
'You slut!'
'Take your broom, you old bitch.' Ariadne shouted at the grey-haired old crone who liked to think that being a landlord gave her control over her tenant's life. With one swift toss, she threw it at her feet. She shoved the last of her worldly possessions into the burlap sack and the hoisted it over her shoulder. She spun on her heel, her hair sweeping around as she went and then she started off down the staircase, pounding each step as she went.
'Just try and find a place to live, you little whore!' screamed the woman from the top of the stairs. Ariadne turned and glared before slamming the door.
Outside seemed oddly quiet after the screaming match inside. If there had been people in town who didn't know about her profession before, they knew now. It was how the argument had started in the first place. The old lady had objected to Ariadne bringing a legion of men up and down the front stairs. "I don't allow loose women in my house'. Ariadne had proclaimed that she paid for the room and could do what she liked with it. They had traded insults and it had quickly escalated into a huge shouting match. Ariadne was still fuming.
Her feet felt suddenly chilled. Looking down she realised that in the furor of her departure she hadn't put any shoes on. She trudged over to a low wall and plopped on to it, suddenly feeling very tired. She reached into her bag and dug around for her sole pair of shoes, a thin pair of slippers. Couldn't find them.
She turned the bag upside down and emptied its contents on to the dirt road. No shoes. She had left the damn things inside. There was no use going back for them now, the bitch would never give them to her. Ariadne felt a bit like crying. With one hand, she shoved everything back inside and swung it over her shoulder. Where'm I gonna live? She forced herself not to cry. Walking somewhere was the only thing she could do.
Her eyes burned with the effort, but she trudged off down the mostly empty lane. She garnered a strange look from the young woman who lived in the end house on the left, but other than that, no one seemed to notice the thin girl with the long hair and the still-red eyes.
Ariadne turned the corner and made her slow way on to the next block. Rooms to be rented were not in abundance and she didn't really have any friends.
Perhaps Clovis would take me in? she remembered how the overweight Peacekeeper had enjoyed her company. She was weighing the risks of asking him when she came upon a small home and a sign out front that very definitely read 'Room 4 Rent'. And there was a man standing beside it. A man who was perhaps three years her senior.
All thoughts of Peacekeeper Clovis left her head and she strolled right up to the man.
She pointed to the sign he had obviously just staked into the ground. 'I'd like to inquire about the room for rent?'
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Post by Francis "Shadow" Maines on Sept 8, 2010 8:35:46 GMT -5
Shadow was about to turn around and head back into his house when a young barefooted teenager walked up to him. That was one thing that he both liked and disliked about rent signs.They usually attracted attention rather quickly, but it also attracted allot of people. He blinked his eyes to bring his attention back to the moment at hand. The teen had rather long hair, was kind of cute but too young for him, and she seemed rather fragile. He knew he would feel guilty if he didn’t let this teenager rent the room.
He continued to look her over with a degree of intensity that suggested he was peering into her very being to find the darkness that every human had.He liked to do this whenever interviewing a possible tenant. Most cracked under the pressure of the look. He brought his right hand up to stroke the small stubble that he let grow over the past day while resting the elbow on the back of his left hand. He wanted to seem as if he was contemplating something.
”What do ya think Timber? She trustworthy?” Shadow abruptly asked, breaking the silence that had fallen.
The wolf immediately took a few steps forward and started sniffing the teen. Shadow watched the wolf intently, Timber’s reactions were the main factor that determined if the possible tenant would be trustworthy. He saw the brief flick of Timber’s tail before the wolf backed up and sat next to Shadow’s right leg. The wolf’s golden eyes peering at the teen, much like Shadow had done a few minutes earlier. The wolf nudged Shadow’s hand with it’s snout, indicating it was alright to let the teen in.Shadow smiled at the wolf before gently ruffling the fur on the top of it’s head.
”Alright, follow me.” Shadow said as he ripped the sign from the ground before anyone else could come up and inquire about it, ”there are a few rules if you wanna live here. Rule one; If you make a mess, clean it up. Rule Two; Do not do anything that would bring Peacekeepers here. Rule Three; Do not go into my room. and Rule Four; You break something. You replace it. Any problems with the rules?”
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Post by Ariadne Edelmann on Sept 8, 2010 16:33:57 GMT -5
The man stared her down, assessing her. She was used to being judged in this way, but he seemed to almost be peering through her. Ariadne held firm, her chin jutting out with pride. She was good enough for anyone, she was tired of being looked down upon. She locked eyes with him, unwavering in her resolve. Sliding the sack off her shoulder, she let it settle at her feet.
'What do ya think Timber? She trustworthy?' She had barely noticed what appeared to be a small wolf by his side. Now the mongrel was burying its nose in her leg. Ariadne flinched, but only slightly. Animals rarely liked her. Shifting her weight from one foot to the other, she adjusted her dress, so the dog couldn't stick his nose where she didn't want it to.
Timber returned to his master. The dog seemed to approve of her. Ariadne sighed with relief inwardly. That could have gone worse. She allowed the wolf a small smile. Maybe they would get along just fine, after all. Her eyes found his master's face again. He had become business-like; he was pulling the sign out of the ground.
'Alright, follow me.' She swung the bag back up, and followed him, trudging through the dirt and grass. First thing after she got settled, she was going to buy some shoes. There was only so long she could walk through this much grime without protection.
As they reached the door he began to rail off a list of rules and conditions to living with him. Did he think she had never rented a room before? Well, she was rather young to be on her own, but... He mentioned Peacekeepers, Not if I'm lucky. Ariadne contemplated giving him a withering look but settled on politely interested. 'Got it.' She gave a nod. 'No problems with the rules.'
His hair was a light brown. She studied the back of his head before piping up, 'I don't think I caught your name.'
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Post by Francis "Shadow" Maines on Sept 9, 2010 12:06:42 GMT -5
Shadow heard the teenager’s response as he grasped the door knob for the front door on his home. Good no objections to the rules. This just might be a good choice after all. Though he still wished he didn’t have to rent out a room. Many people knew he didn’t like other human beings and also knew he just barely tolerated certain ones. Mainly those he traded with. But if Timber approved of the teenager, than she was alright. Most people didn’t realize how good of a judge of character Canines could be. They can pick up on certain. . . vibes that regular people couldn’t.
Said vibes could be either good, bad, or a combination of both. Canine’s could tell if someone were say an axe murderer, not that uncommon in this day and age. Well only in the poorer districts that couldn’t afford food. Most of the people in 8 weren’t murderers, only a select few that Shadow wished he could get his hands on. He still wanted revenge for what those few did to his parents. Oh what he would love to do to those people. He had their faces burned into his mind, and he has seen them around the Town Square. He was plotting when and where to abduct them for his revenge.
His attention was suddenly ripped from his thoughts as the teenager asked him his name. Dropping the sign inside the door but to the left in case he would need it later, Shadow turned and offered his right hand to her. ”Name’s Shadow.” He said while politely waiting for her to respond before he showed her her new room.
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