The Ivy Garden Boarding House

[bigxsisxsara]

When Natalie peeks inside the library she will see ceiling to floor bookshelves with a rolling ladder to use. The room itself wasn't that big but the bookshelves were stuffed to capacity with various volumes. There were a couple of chairs to sit in eith many more piles of books stacked on the floor dince the shelves eould not hold anymore.

Taylor smiled at Natalie. "You can go inside if you like. Iris keeps a wide range of books in there for anyone to look through."

[Mademoiselle Alvinette]

The library reminded Natalie of the library scene in Beauty and the Beast, on a smaller scale, and she was grinning ear to ear. "I'm totally gonna have to go inside!" she said to Taylor. "I wanna look and see what kinds of books are in here!"

[bigxsisxsara]

Taylor chuckled and held the door open for Natalie. "Go for it. I was the same way when I saw it for the first time." She said smiling.

The kinds of books were diverse. Fiction of many genres were on the left while nonfiction of many topics were on the right. A lot of the books in nonfiction were based on floral plants. Myths, meanings, and facts. However there were also books on various cultures and legends, and quite a number on history. Magical topics were also among the titles including one book on oculamacy.

[Mademoiselle Alvinette]

Natalie grinned. "I dunno, you might not see me for a few hours if you let me go in a book room unchecked!" she said. She delightedly started looking at the books. In the fiction section, there was a nice little collection of mysteries, including some first-edition Dashiell Hammetts. Oh man, if only Joe was here to see these!

And then in nonfiction, she saw things that she knew Iris was interested in, like botany and history and magic. And then there was a book on occlumency. Goodness knows I need to get a better look at this one! I need all the help I can get!

[bigxsisxsara]

Taylor smiled. "Feel free to get lost in the books. I will let you know when food is ready." She invited Natalie. Goodness knew with as many books as there were in the room it would take a long time to get your fill. And with various people bringing in new volumes the collection was expanding.

[Mademoiselle Alvinette]

Natalie smiled. "That would be great! Thank you!" she said. She sat down with a copy of The Maltese Falcon and the book on occlumency. "I might fall asleep, though!"

[Guardian_Fairy_Navi]

A boarding house, huh? Well it wasn't an inn, but maybe it would be an alright place to stay for a short while. A whole new world to explore, and what's the first thing her family members do? Run off without her! The young lady scowled to herself. If they went and left her out of an adventure, they'll be sorry!

"Guess I'll just have to find one of my own," she decided, nodding resolutely to herself. As she walked down the path leading to the cozy building, she ran her fingers along the ivy. It was alive and well; someone was a caring and dutiful gardener. You didn't get this level of lush around human settlements without some hard work.

She stood at the front door, hand poised to knock. Usually she frequented public buildings. Was this considered a public building? Was she supposed to knock before entering or just go inside?

Decisions, decisions.

Being the direct kind of person she was, the woman opened the door and crossed the threshold.

"Hello...?" she called out, hand resting on a brown satchel held firmly at her hip.

[bigxsisxsara]

Taylor smiled. "That's fine." She said as she left Natalie to her reading. As soon as the door closed she heard someone call out. Zack poked his head out and spotted Taylor. "No!" She said with a smile to him before pointing back. "Kitchen duty." Zack grumbled and went back inside. Taylor made her way to the entrance where she spotted a young woman. "Hello! How can I help you?" She asked with a smile.

[Guardian_Fairy_Navi]

She heard someone approaching before they came into view, so she wasn't too surprised at the arrival of another. The woman smiled, though her teeth showed just a hint too much.

"Word on the street is this is the place to look in for a place to stay." And maybe a bath.... She looked like she'd just walked out of a thick forest, which was pretty much the case.

[bigxsisxsara]

Taylor smiled and nodded. "Well you came to the right place." She said while giving her a once over. "You're pretty." She said with a nod. Sure she would need a bath to remove the mud but it was clear the woman under the mud was pretty.

[Guardian_Fairy_Navi]

"Uh.... thank you?" she said after a moment, brain needing time to process the compliment. She wasn't used to receiving them for her appearance. "So, about a place to stay, what are you rates like?" Normally she'd just rough it, but a girl needed a nice, long shower now and then. In her opinion, internal plumbing and hot showers were one of the best inventions of human civilization.

As for her appearance, she was currently dressed in a pair of faded and torn jeans. Her thin jacket was pulled over a tank top. Her was her preferred clothing style, since it let her maneuver just fine if necessary. She carried no luggage aside from the bag hanging off her hip, and even that looked pretty small.

[bigxsisxsara]

"The rates are different depending on your stay and it is easy to work something out with Miss Blackheart if you need to. Currently she is making breakfast with Zack." She said with a nod. "Would you like to join us for breakfast?" She asked seeming to be thinking of things. Anyone who knew Taylor would know to stop her now before it became too late.

[Guardian_Fairy_Navi]

"Makes sense." So this Blackheart owned the place, or at least had the authority to discuss rates. Breakfast huh? "Sure, I guess. If you don't mind that is." The woman could already smell the food cooking. Hopefully they made a bit extra for surprise guests.

[bigxsisxsara]

Taylor smiled widely. "Great! I'll let them know. So is there anything else you would like before I take off?" She asked happily. This girl may become a new resident. This meant she had a new person to try and matchmake!

[Guardian_Fairy_Navi]

"Nope, i'm good for now," she assured the excitable other female. She wasn't so sure she liked that gleam in the dark haired woman's eye.....