Finn had hauled himself upright, albeit briefly. He was not, strictly speaking, supposed to be out of bed more than he had to, and he was especially not supposed to do any heavy lifting. So - Aleksy was going to be on his own for all of his moving needs, and Finn was just here to hand over the keys and do a walk-through.
Easy enough. It was good that there was finally someone else moving into the building - he hated to think that Kaatje’s vision wasn’t being fulfilled for as long as it was just Finn and Arkady living here. Maybe the tides were turning, and soon he’d have plenty of people interested in the community he was supposed to be building here! Or something.
Or, he could just hope that Nick and Tallulah would come home soon and things wouldn’t be so weird and empty all the time.
Finn hauled himself down to the bottom of the stairs, which was its own trial given how sore his groin was, and waited for Aleksy in the vestibule. He checked his phone. You almost here? he texted.
Shibrogane
outside, typed Aleksy offhanded, and then he bumped the door with the toe of his shoe.
The fact of the matter was that, though Iouri was likable enough, Aleksy was not the kind of person to crash on someone's office couch for three months and not be looking for a better option. He liked his brother a lot, even. But neither of them really liked to share space and in the end they'd more come to the kind of understanding that Aleksy would move back out into the world than they had ever discussed it. "You still look like s**t," Aleksy said to Finn, being a wonderful model of kindness and tact as per the usual. "You should not be up. Arkady will eat you alive."
Always friendly, that Lyosha Spektor. What a nice boy.
The fact of the matter was that, though Iouri was likable enough, Aleksy was not the kind of person to crash on someone's office couch for three months and not be looking for a better option. He liked his brother a lot, even. But neither of them really liked to share space and in the end they'd more come to the kind of understanding that Aleksy would move back out into the world than they had ever discussed it. "You still look like s**t," Aleksy said to Finn, being a wonderful model of kindness and tact as per the usual. "You should not be up. Arkady will eat you alive."
Always friendly, that Lyosha Spektor. What a nice boy.
“Yeah, well.” Finn shrugged. Aleksy was exactly right. He should still be in bed - but he was building manager and he wanted to hobble through at least the most basic part of his job, which was handing over the keys and doing the initial walk through. Kaatje didn’t ask him to collect security deposits, but he still wanted to make sure there weren’t any maintenance issues that needed to be fixed ASAP.
“I’m going to show you the place and then I’m going back to bed.” He offered the keys to Aleksy. “Silver one’s your apartment. Little brass one is your mailbox. Your unit is up the stairs, first door on the right. I’m across the hall - don’t read into that any. It’s just a single bedroom and it doesn’t face the street, I figured you’d like it best.”
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Keys in hand, he followed Finn at a painstakingly slow pace up the stairs and then to the right, where there was a door marked 2A. “Yes, that is preferable,” he said. He unlocked the door, dropping the borrowed duffel just inside. “Thanks.” Moving into the apartment, he put the keys down on the kitchen counter and gave the space a once-over. Two doors, one on the opposite wall, and one to his left. The room was bare, but he liked it that way, and he could acquire furniture the same way he’d acquired his clothes and technology: Carefully, slowly, and with a judicious amount of breaking into the evidence locker where Irinei Lazarev’s possessions were being kept.
It was a flawless plan, really. It’d worked so far. Evidently, Irinei had either not had LoJack or he’d just not left the transponder code anywhere anyone else could get it.
“Is it you, I, and Arkady,” asked Aleksy, following some weird hind-brain instinct to investigate the fridge, the taps, the stovetop burners. He’d done this before--moved into apartments--even if he didn’t remember exactly when, or what the apartments had looked like, or where they had been. “No one else in the building?”
It was a flawless plan, really. It’d worked so far. Evidently, Irinei had either not had LoJack or he’d just not left the transponder code anywhere anyone else could get it.
“Is it you, I, and Arkady,” asked Aleksy, following some weird hind-brain instinct to investigate the fridge, the taps, the stovetop burners. He’d done this before--moved into apartments--even if he didn’t remember exactly when, or what the apartments had looked like, or where they had been. “No one else in the building?”
“Kaatje’s got a place upstairs - Sailor Gunn? Not sure if you ever met her,” said Finn, pointing briefly towards the ceiling. She’d been gone for months, he thought, and as much as things blurred together he was certain it was longer than even Melanite had been making the rounds in Destiny City. He’d texted her about the new tenant, of course - and gotten an emoji of a thumbs up and a winkie face in return. “She owns the building, but she’s in the Air Force and stationed overseas right now. You’ll meet her at some point. Maybe.”
She, like, had to come back to Destiny City eventually, right?
“Oenone and Europa live downstairs,” he added. “Married senshi. Oenone’s a doctor, good guy to know. Helped get you your, uh, shots?” He gestured awkwardly, like he was pushing the plunger on a syringe. What did it say about him, Finn wondered, that he found this sort of awkward to talk about? Probably that he had a healthy sense for when he was way too involved in other people’s medical decisions.
“They’ve been out of town for a few months for civilian job things, but they’re coming back later this week. They’re nice.”
At least the building wouldn’t be so empty anymore.
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Aleksy nodded. "I look forward to meeting them," he said. He had already met them, of course, months back when Oenone had hauled him to an emergency room doorway and saved his life. But the story was not a flattering one, and he was not going to tell it unprompted. Satisfied with the state of the kitchen appliances, he gave the two doors on the far end of the room a cursory look. He would examine the state of affairs in that direction when he was on his own, thanks.
"When will you be capable of patrolling again," asked Aleksy, gesturing to Finn's... Well, junk. "This healing process cannot be long. Can it?" He didn't have balls, personally. It seemed like a salient life choice at this junction, to be honest. "It is just stitches and bruising."
"When will you be capable of patrolling again," asked Aleksy, gesturing to Finn's... Well, junk. "This healing process cannot be long. Can it?" He didn't have balls, personally. It seemed like a salient life choice at this junction, to be honest. "It is just stitches and bruising."
“I’m supposed to be taking it easy,” said Finn, turning a little red at Aleksy’s gesture. He was not particularly in the mood to discuss his testicles with anyone, regardless of whether they personally knew the pain of being whacked in the nads or not. “A couple of days. Maybe a week.” Whenever he needed to stop taking pain meds, really. Knights might heal quickly, but Finn still felt like he’d been through an ordeal.
“Anyway,” he said in hopes of changing the subject. “Bedroom on the left. Bathroom on the right. I checked the taps before you got here but if anything’s not to your liking, let me know. Unless you’ve got a problem with the tile color because ******** that I am not regrouting the bathroom. I don’t really care if you paint stuff as long as you don’t, like, bust down walls or anything like that. We’ve got to consult with an architect before we can do that.”
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The rather utilitarian aesthetic of the empty spaces appealed to Aleksy. He was sure that Finn was as good as his word, and that repainting the walls would be permitted and even welcomed--he couldn’t imagine Arkady living with white walls willingly--but at that moment, he had no intention of doing anything of the sort. Dark floors and white walls worked for him. “When you are better, I would like to show you Camlann. It should be safe if we do not go into the catacombs.”
He nodded. “Thank you for your assistance. I would like to be alone now.”
He nodded. “Thank you for your assistance. I would like to be alone now.”
“Alright,” nodded Finn. “I’ll leave my door unlocked in case you need anything, but I’m going back to bed.”
