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 Posted: Tue May 24, 2016 6:26 pm
Melody held her phone up, checking her DMs again to be sure she was at the correct house. If it was, he clearly had wonderful taste. The house wasn't fully painted yet, but what had been was snow white and caused the beginnings of a garden to pop out quite beautifully. Like thick winter snow melting away to expose patches of spring concealed underneath.
She knocked on the door.
While waiting for an answer, she curiously mingled about on his front porch. She admired what had been completed thus far while trying to to get a feel for his taste in architecture. There was a touch of southern inspiration she could sense almost instantly, like the old well-maintained plantations she's come across back home. Though obviously not quite as vast or mansion-like.
She wondered if all the houses were like that in the area.
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Posted: Wed May 25, 2016 3:44 am
The house itself was a Victorian style affair made of grey stone with high windows, their wooden frames recently replaced and painted white. They had no insect screens despite being on a tropical island because insect simply were not an issue on the island beyond the very large famine sort. All in all the house looked like it was from the UK, and it was this which leant it such an out of place mansion feel surrounded as it had been with jungle. Someone had removed the high plants around the building, barring the trees, chopping them down to knee level with something very sharp.
The front door was actually a set of two doors and were something Lawrence himself had paid for out of pocket, the outer weatherproof door was thick and heavy, painted simple white and the door on the inside, the “true” front door had a neat little welcome mat in front of it and was a bright white and ornate wooden one inset at the top with a stained glass window of an angel, wings outspread and at the bottom of a demon, the letterbox and handle were both bright brassy and gold coloured. There wasn’t a conventional porch out front, instead simply a path leading up to the front doors themselves through the front garden, what passed for a porch was round the back of the house, overlooking the much larger garden, this one more choked with undergrowth and weeds.
The outer door was propped open with a doorstop and everything inside smelled like new wood and paint. Lawrence answered the door with a bright smile, he was dressed in paint covered overalls and looked more untidy than usual as a result.
“Good morning.” He chirped. “Come in, mind the walls though, some of them are wet still.” And he beckoned her inside.
On the inside of everything had been fully refurbished in white, the damp riddled floors and siding replaced here and there with new wood, stark next to its ancient grey peers. Lawrence was making progress re-treating and painting the replaced parts. There was no furniture as yet other than a paint splattered folding chair he was using to rest on between working.
“I know this is no place for a lady.” He said “But I did not want to stop my work when I was almost done with this room.”
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Posted: Wed May 25, 2016 11:10 am
Melody followed Lawr with her legs. The rest of her twisted and turned to allow her eyes to wander his home. "It's so lovely," she was genuinely impressed. She had no idea such options even existed.
She did not understand why so many chose to remain in dorm rooms.
"Have you been doing all of this on your own?" She did not agree with his statement about not belonging there but did not voice it as it made her sound... Weedly.
"And all while unwell?"
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Posted: Wed May 25, 2016 11:38 am
"It isn't as lovely as it will be when I am done with it." he said with a smile. "Right now it is just the shell of a home but one day it will be realised as one."
As far as the work, he shook his head. "No, I simply paid for the basic work to be done and what extra needed to be purchased for the place, I've simply been doing a little painting. I'm a little too one-handed and inexperienced for do-it-yourself work."
He looked it all over proudly regardless. "I'm sure I'll find other people to help with it also."
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Posted: Wed May 25, 2016 12:34 pm
"I've been told this is one of the things that Moon division does," she sounded unsure of that. "I don't think I am so skilled with..." she gestured vaguely at what had already been accomplished. "...This part of it."
"Perhaps decoration. But I suspect you already know how to do that."
She turned and looked him over, she seemed intrigued by his paint splattered overalls. "You have such great taste." Usually.
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Posted: Wed May 25, 2016 1:49 pm
"It can be. Though anyone who has any experience in this could do it, there are often people who are only too happy to do work for a price or some sort of trade. It is interesting to learn though, even if a little undignified."
He nodded though. "Ahahaha. Yes, I love decoration and enjoy it most of all, I would not relinquish that part."
Shrugging he smiled brightly at Melody. "I don't know if I'd say it was great taste but it is certainly mine. I have my things I enjoy and I like to be surrounded by them. This is going to be my little palace."
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Posted: Thu May 26, 2016 3:26 am
"I can certainly see that... This place feels like a mansion." Then for added effect she gave a quick spin with her arms outstretched.
"I must admit, I'm a bit excited to see it completed. Based on what you've done thus far I'm sure it will be amazing."
She stood still and eyed him over curiously.
"How are you feeling, though? You said you were ill, but you look as handsome as ever. You look so much improved from when I last saw you, even."
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Posted: Thu May 26, 2016 2:15 pm
Lawr smiled broadly. "Not quite a mansion." he said. "I lived in a much larger, much grander house back in Florida, but we make do. I reckon I can make this place a home given time, a home worthy of any mansion."
He nodded "So yes, I am excited too, it's something to work on in between duties, improving everything one step at a time."
At the question of the illness he looked just a little uncomfortable. "Well. As you might have read on twitter, I was attacked on a mission and brought something fairly unpleasant back with me. An STI, it predominantly effects my libido, it was why I was behaving so out of sorts for a time, until I could get it in check. It's quite significant but as far as I can tell the side effect is sterility."
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Posted: Sat May 28, 2016 6:14 pm
Melody looked uncomfortable too at his explanation at what had happened... down there. She almost regretted even pressing it. But she had to know, for her own reasons. "Well, at least I know the truth now. That it was not drugs making you act so..." She gestured vaguely with her hands.
"I am glad to hear you have control over it now, at least. You were acting so very... unlike yourself." It was more un-nerving than she let on. Still, now felt like a good time to let the subject shift naturally back to something less personal. Well, she hoped it was less personal anyway.
"Is everyone going to be living here?"
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Posted: Mon May 30, 2016 6:41 am
He nodded. "Yes I was behaving entirely out of sorts, I offended a lot of people but I do not have a huge amount of impulse control at the best of times and my illness only made it worse. The painkillers simply amplified this." He shrugged his shoulders. "I apologise for any offence, I might still slip up on occasion, but it is a difficult condition to live with, though I am coping better now"
"As far as everyone living here, possibly, if they wish, there is ample room and I wouldn't like to live in an empty home." he gestures at the stairs and the many rooms.
"We were a little cramped in our apartment. This should solve it."
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Posted: Tue May 31, 2016 3:23 pm
Melody decided not to ask any follow-up questions on the disease, content in just being leery and always aware of it being there. More than that felt like prying too deeply into something he did not ask for but is simply afflicted with.
She kept the focus on the house instead, "I believe it."
"So there's you, Rodney, and Melvin?" She recalled based on certain things being mentioned via twitter in passing. She hazarded a bit more carefully as she was not sure about the rest, "Horace too?"
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Posted: Tue May 31, 2016 3:36 pm
"Yes, at present." he said, picking up a paintbrush again and getting back to some siding.
"Possibly Horace, possibly America. Probably not. But they will have rooms, there will also be a guest room if someone is interested in renting it."
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Posted: Tue May 31, 2016 6:42 pm
Melody followed him a bit uncertainly, she wanted to help but not the way she was currently dressed. This meant the offer was never posed. Her guilt over this fleeting as she double took. "A guest room?" she repeated for clarity.
"Can just... um... anyone rent it, or Like, do you already have a tenant lined up?..." she followed a bit more closely. She was smiling but carefully tamped down the excitement at the possibility of what he was suggesting.
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Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2016 3:42 am
Lawrence gave Melody a gentlemanly smile. “Well.” He said “I was hoping to offer it to you as first port of call. I am rather choosy with tenants you see and you seem of the correct attitude and decorum. However if you do move in I am afraid it will be with an agreement in place, simply to protect my home you understand, I wrote this up in case you did not accept and I might need it to lay down ground rules for other people.”
He moved to set down his paintbrush and to pick up a piece of paper from the table, it was written on in a very neat calligraphic hand with startling symmetry and neatness. It almost looked like it had been printed, yet the texture of the paper implied it had not been. On reading it detailed the amount of rent, the expectations of helping with maintenance to the property and if attacked the obligation to help protect it. It protected the rights of the homeowner to go where he pleased within his own home an if circumstances merited it to evict the tenant without notice. All in all it was a very restrictive contract which leant Lawrence no small amount of power.
“You aren’t obligated to take me up on my offer.” He said “But I would be glad to have you.”
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Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2016 8:47 am
"I... I am honored!" She glossed over the contract he'd offered, purely due to how beautiful the hand writing was (it just begged to be taken seriously). She gladly signed where it requested and offered the document back to the paint flecked man.
"Would it be appropriate if I hugged you?" She asked, suddenly jittering just slightly with excitement. She still tamped down all of her urges, she wanted so badly to squeal with delight. A large unwavering smile never left her face during the entire transaction.
"And.." she swallowed hard as the pitch of her voice heightened, "...do.. do you need me to do anything right now? I feel like I should be doing something. Especially to help." There was a pleading inflection to her tone. What she was really wanted to say was, 'Oh my god oh my god oh my god, please give me something to do. Anything. I'm dying here.'
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