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Anna had insisted she could take time off to help, but Björn had been equally adamant that it was something that he needed to be able to do on his own as well- he was well on the way to needing to be a full adult, since college wasn't an option to prolonge parasitic youth. He'd been priming for this for a long time- taking care of his own meals as much as he was able, learning how to fill out taxes and managing his own checkbook with award and competition monies, and studying local and national laws as much as he was able to, and reading how-tos in magazines for things like basic plumbing, contracting, electrical, and other handy-man jobs that one had need of when living alone or on their own in the world. They'd settled on her joining him for the first 5 places, and then he'd looked at the last 5 on his own.

It wasn't a guarantee that he would be completely alone- in fact there were good chances that he would have at least one roomate, maybe two. But he wanted to be useful around the place, as there was a good chance that the roommates in mind wouldn't have a lot of experience with things considered manly arts of being manly- Colin's father being a non-present entity and the the youth being a dancer, and Avior? He didn't really know much one way or another about the senshi, but he didn't strike off as the most macho, construction and dry wall sort. If the little sailor still hadn't found a place to live, though, Björn's extended offer of a safe haven was still an open one. No one should be without a roof and the security of sleep and food.

The considerations of size had an impact on what he looked at for the second five places. Instead of the wiser, cheaper focus of efficiencies that he and his mother had looked at to begin with, the last five were all two bedroom affairs at the very least. He didn't know if Colin would want an individual room, or at least the option of one and his own domain/space to fill with his own personal effects. Having a space to call one's own, even in love, was both grounding and important for healing the self outside the unit. Avior, for certain, should have a space to call his own and establish himself if he was going to join the community. By leaving the white moon, he was leaving a lot. It would be important to have a 'base' to start from.

And for himself? He was starting life as well. He didn't have much, or need much, but doors, shower and kitchen. Places he could be without hurting himself or hurting the place inadvertently. He'd narrowed it down to a few choices -

The first was a two bedroom apartment in a townhouse community located four miles south of the river district, and fifteen miles outside of the official metropolitan downtown. The community had a fitness center, heated swimming pool, and nature trails nearby. The floorplan included a private balcony; wall-to-wall carpeting; fully-equipped kitchen with range, refrigerator, dishwasher, and garbage disposal; electric heat and wall-unit air conditioning. The laundry was communal to each building and coin-operated.

The second, that he leaned towards was a renovated Victorian. It was a third-floor apartment, one of only 6 in the whole building. It came with a wood-burning fireplace; terrace; hardwood floors; wall-unit air conditioning; modern kitchen with refrigerator, range, and dishwasher; private storage lockers and the same sort of coin-operated laundry; off-street parking available for an additional monthly fee... none of the 'clubhouse' amenities, but he had a gym membership.

In both cases the tenant paid the electrical, in the Victorian there was the addition of gas as well. Both were two bedroom and one bath. The Victorian's spaces, however, were lofty, as well as the promises of fireplaces and the wonders of cuddling, the fun of splitting wood, roasting marshmallows, in general all infinite wonders of that old heat installation that most modern houses lacked or corrupted with gas, trumped nearly everything else. It had wide ways, as well, to allow for ladies bustles- or his own shoulders.

Which really, settled it for Björn. Number two. He just needed to look it over one more time, meet with the landlord, negotiate and sign the lease. Then?
Move in, and make an apartment into a welcoming home.