My place or yours?

[Seraphina]

The Nix pulls up to the apartment in her rented SUV. Still on the fence about just outright buying, though she wasn’t sure why. Two coffees in hand, cause it was what she did, bring something to say hi to the new person.

The apartment was close to downtown, a relatively nice neighborhood, close to where she used to live before moving. Having only recently finished the paperwork and decorating it, she hoped it would fit what she was looking for. If not? Well, the Nix tried.

Wearing a long wrap dress, she stood in front of the building, sipping her coffee, a translucent leg peeking out of the a slit. Her long hair danced around her feet, the gold and silver reflecting in the light. She wore no jewelry, except for an engagement ring on her hand, also translucent. Her gilden skin and golden scales also caught the sun when she moved, if her hair didn't give her away, her skin surely did.
Roshon Cayce

[Roshon]

Somewhere nearby it sounded like a small jet engine was being fired up, and then an shining black muscle car screeched to a stop next to the curb, it's angular, aggressive body gleaming like polished obsidian. The stench of burnt rubber drifted by on the wind, carried from the wheels of the beast, and then the driver side door was popped open and a strange figure stepped out. Twin, twisting horns rose from a mane of black hair, shaved close to the scalp along one side, though two mismatched animal ears sat on either side of her head. A pair of mirrored sunglasses hid her eyes, but when Roshon caught sight of Sera, she smiled, flashing small tiger fangs that hid behind her lips. Fitting, perhaps, due to the tiger tail lashing behind her, though that didn't explain the striped hyena mane that grew along her spine and disappeared beneath the collar of her studded leather jacket.

"Damn," the mismatched fae breathed, taking a moment to appreciate the Nix's beauty. True, she was already married, but you had to be a bleeding idiot not to appreciate the glory of the sublime when it was staring you in the face.

The tan furred dhole ear twitched, and then Roshon locked up her car and stepped forward to greet her potential landlord.

"You must Sera," the courtless drifter observed, extending a bird-scaled hand. "I'm Roshon. Thanks for reaching out."

[Seraphina]

While Sera wasn’t a car girl, not knowing anything about them, she did know a nice car when she saw it. And that was a damn fine car.

But the Lost that stepped out was, well, a hodgepodge of animals. She couldn’t remember seeing anything like her before, but there was some grand about her beauty. It was unique, if mismatched. But that added to it’s beauty to the Nix.

“I am!” reaching out a translucent hand to shake the bird-scaled hand. Her grip was firm, but polite. “Nice to meet you Roshon, and no problem!” the angelic voice friendly and welcoming, “And that is a very nice car!" she compliments. "Oh! Before I forget, I brought another coffee if you drink coffee. If not, no biggie, but I wanted to offer.” Because it was polite and the nice thing to do. Reaching into the SUV she produces said coffee and offers it. “It’s black, and I have cream and sugar if you wanted.” Taking a sip of her own, “So you want to take a look? It’s not very big, only two bedroom, but it does have a garage.”

[Roshon]

"Fastest thing on four wheels...for 1987," Roshon replied with a half smile.

"And ooooh, free coffee!" she exclaimed a moment later, eagerly snatching the cup from Sera, clearly enchanted by the gift. Her animal ears bobbed comically as she took in a big sip and gave a satisfied sigh.

"Welp, you got me. Now I'm poisoned, so take me to the kill shack! I mean, the two bedroom, please. Although...it sounds to me like there's a catch."

Roshon slipped off her glasses, revealing a pair of yellow cat eyes that sparkled with mischief.

"I've already traded one language, so if you're looking for memories, you might be out of luck."

[Seraphina]

“Oh, it’s from 1987?” sapphires looking at the car again, “It’s in remarkable condition! Obviously well cared for and loved.” She’s heard of people that take such good care of their cars. And this was clearly one of those cars. The wording for a garage made sense now, keep the car out of the weather and safe.

Laughing, “Feel free to stop by my coffee shop sometime for more.” Always nice when a gift goes over well. A small giggle as she watched the ears, so adorable.

Blinking a few times, “A catch?” she asks, entering a code into the door to let them in. There was an elevator, they were going to the second floor. Shaking her head, “No catch. This is a place I recently picked up. Not knowing what you were looking for exactly, I thought it best to let you know it was only a two bedroom in case you need more space.” Some people like a large living space, some liked small. “And I have enough of my own memories to want more.” A wink added. Exiting the elevator, “Though if you want a catch, I’m sure we can work something out.” Walking down the hallway to a corner unit, she unlocks the door and steps inside.

Walking in, you enter a living room, furnished, with an open dining area and kitchen branching off it. While it wasn’t the biggest living area, the way the furniture was placed made it seem larger.

[Roshon]

"Yup, a 1987 Buick Grand National Experiment," Roshon clarified as she followed Sera into the building. "It's my bae. Get's all my love and support. How about you? I noticed your ring."

It was awfully hard to miss, after all.

Of course, then they were walking inside the apartment, surprisingly spacious and cozy considering they were downtown. Which, Roshon wasn't quite sure how she felt about that. She knew some people would kill for the location, centrality being a major factor for property value, etc, but she hadn't lived in one place for a long time, and the thought of being around so many people was...strange.

"What's the soundproofing like?" the mismatched courtless asked as she strolled through the apartment, taking it in. "Can I blast music at 3 am, or is it more like I'm going to get woken up by a dog when my neighbor goes to work?"

She wasn't a fan of dogs. Or most animals, honestly. Unless she was eating them. Then she loved animals. Like Jeffery. Mmmm.

[Seraphina]

“I have to confess; I don’t know anything about cars. But it’s gorgeous.” Had to give Roshon credit for taking such great care of it. “It shows, and it explains the requirement about a garage, which is under the building. Best keep the beauty out of the weather and safe.” She got that. On some level. “Oh,” glancing at the ring, which had started to feel like part of her. It took a bit. “I suppose I’m loved and well cared for too.” A chuckle as her cheeks briefly flushed. “How’s the area been treating you so far?” changing the topic.

Leaning against a counter, “From what I’ve been told, it’s pretty decent. It’s a newer building, not one with paper thin walls, there is space between these walls and the neighbors.” Her next question, “Uh, I suppose it would be fine. It’s not a crowded building, though I’ve never lived here. I’m going off what I gathered from the owner of the building. A nice guy, pretty laid back. And I haven’t seen any dogs in the time I was here cleaning and decorating. If you wanted, you could spend a couple nights, get a feel for it, see if it’s for you and then decide.” Shrugging, “No worries if it isn’t. But it’d be rent free for as long as you needed it.” Yes, she said rent free. The coffee shop was doing well, and with her dipping her toe into selling her dresses, the money was coming in.

“And the furniture doesn’t have to stay either. I can put it in storage if it wasn’t something you liked, so you could make the place your own.” She still had a few pieces in storage from her apartment.

[Roshon]

"M'kay, m'kay," Roshon mused aloud, turning slowly to face Sera, her red panda ear canted with a skeptical look on her face.

"Lemme get this straight. Free coffee. Delicious by the way. Modern apartment, great location. Furniture. No rent. For as long as I want it."

The dhole ear canted down next, and she pursed her lips for a moment.

"You also said there's no catch. Now, I don't know you, so just keep that in mind. But, I do know deals, and this is a shit deal. For you, obviously. Not for me, for me, this deal is great. But you know what they say about great deals: they empty your pockets. So fill me in, what am I missing."

[Seraphina]

Sipping her own coffee, she watches and listens. The ears were noted, a cute thing to be able to do. Some get all the adorable features, and she gets see through hands and legs.

“I’ve always offered free coffee to the Freehold. Once I got my coffee shop open, it seemed like a nice thing to do. And sometimes others come into the Freehold without anything, so being able to offer free coffee, tea or something to eat is good thing.” Least it was to her.

“As to the apartment?” a shrug, “When I first moved here years ago, there was a boarding house, where we could stay while we got on our feet. Only thing expected was to help the Freehold and keep the place clean. When that option was gone, I wanted it back, I wanted to be able to have that option for new faces. Not all of us are lucky enough to have money to afford a safe place to stay while we get our stuff figured out. Not having that security can cause problems not only for those people, but the Freehold as well. So I wanted to pay it forward, provide the same gift that was given to me all those years ago.” Another sip, “And I get that we’re not used to people being nice, used to someone always wanting something in return. But that’s just not me, I just want to help.” It was just who the Nix was. “Though I won’t be paying for the bills, like lights and all that. You’d be on your own for that.” She had to draw the line somewhere.

“If it still makes you uncomfortable or not trusting of me, we can have a Pledge. Or some other type of arrangement.” She got it. Trust was hard. Someone not wanting something in return was hard to accept. But Mhairi had done that for her, and she wanted to do it for others.

[Roshon]

Roshon sipped on her free coffee as she listened. Thankfully, it wasn't poisoned. She'd been half serious about that. Like, sure, there was the stone. If Sera was some kind of deranged killer, the stone would have theoretically warned everyone a long time ago. Hence, why she'd accepted the coffee. Well, that, and the fact that Roshon didn't particularly care. She was a little fatalistic, that way. Whatever the fuck would happen would happen, and while she liked to be careful, it was a little half-hearted at best.

Still, she wasn't quite liking what Sera told her, though for a different reason. It took her a moment to put her finger on it, but then she realized what it was.

"M'kay, that's fair, and I'm not saying 'no', yet, but just let me ramble for a mo," Roshon explained, starting to pace.

"This place is prime real estate. Which means, even if you got it cheap, is a serious asset now. To give that asset to me would actually be a net loss for the freehold. Sure, I'm fuckin' great, but whether or not I become a permanent asset is debatable. Now, a boarding house, on the other hand, that's got more, shall we say, logistical capacity. It's intended for volume. Transitory volume. Probably no money involved, but, it serves it's purpose. You'd be better off renting or selling this place and using the money to make further investments. Then, using the gains from those to fund those that need it. Especially with stocks. Make a pledge with a broker, watch the cash flow in. S'what I do."

Roshon took another quick look around the space, and then finished the coffee in another big few swallows.

"Mm, still though, I guess I will accept your offer, on a temporary basis, at least. It'll be nice to spread out a bit. I used to get motel rooms sometimes to catch up on shows and stuff, but this is a hell of a lot nicer."