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Third Star of Fate ☯

[Video]

[The feed starts up with a slightly sheepish-looking Aoi. This... may have something to do with the large gate behind her.]

So... It seems my house has appeared in Hinoto-Ri. It's strange seeing it here instead of in Tokyo, but... I've been in contact with the government and they have agreed to pass the ownership over to me. It will take another week or so before it has electricity, so I will be moving here then.

However... It's a large building, so I'm not sure if I can take care of it by myself. [Understatement.] So, I thought I would ask the network if anyone here knows how to maintain a garden, or would be willing to help me with housecleaning. I can't offer much in the way of money, but there is plenty of space if you don't mind using a futon. I would be happy to offer living space in exchange for help around the house.

If you're interested, just contact me through this post or through my inbox. [A bow, and then the feed ends.]

[Action; Libra Ward]

[So yeah, there's a large building in Libra ward now, and has been for the past week or so. But today, the gate is open, and Aoi can be found walking through the familiar rooms. If your character seems interested, she may just give them a tour!]

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I've... never actually done it myself, but I've seen the servants at work enough times before. A lot of it is the usual housecleaning to keep the floor clear and get rid of dust. It's very time-consuming, and with both school and work I'm not sure if I can do it by myself.

And... there's also the garden.

*He'll undo his boots so he can slip those off, and leaves them next to her shoes, before following her inside, looking around.*

Isn't it mostly sweeping and dusting, beating the rugs out, and wiping the windows clean? *...very quietly, he was making that cooing sound again under his breath. His wings lowered a bit, guard down a bit as his attention went to the house. Apparently, he already liked what he saw, very much.*

[It certainly looks time consuming...]

Oh... I'm, uh... probably not servant material, but I don't mind helping with the floors when I have the time. Ahh, it sounds strange, but I feel like it's... something I've done a lot of.

You're sure? I'd like to, if it's not imposing.

[It's not every day you get to walk around a mansion.]

Oh-! I never meant to imply taking you on as a servant or anything! [That would be... weird. And she doesn't even have the money anyway.]

But... if you don't mind, I would greatly appreciate any help. I'm not sure how much money I would be able to spare outside of what it takes to maintain the house, but I'll try to do what I can to pay you back for it. And if you ever wish to use any of the facilities in the building, you are free to it.

Not so much rugs, but... The tatami mats will probably need to be rotated every so often, as well as aired out on occasion. And the wooden flooring will need to be cleaned as well.

[He may note that the wood is extremely smooth - whoever built this building was careful to plane every piece of wood into a completely flat surface, negating any worry of splinters. Before long they arrive at a sliding door, which she opens to reveal a medium-sized room that opens out into the rest of the garden.]

...As you can see, there are also many antiques decorating the rooms. My father liked to collect them.

Not at all!

[She turns and begins to walk back to the building, sliding the door open once more to reveal a spacious entrance.]

Tatami mats...? *He's never heard of those before. He knows what a mat is, but tatami...? Not like it's that important; he's sure it wouldn't be difficult to figure out what to do with them, from her little description there. He follows her to the room, looking inside as hinted... and pauses.*

*Firstly, it's only a little smaller than his actual bedroom, in his quarters back in his own world, and thus much bigger than the little bedroom in the quarters the government gave them; he could probably stretch his wings out fully if he wanted to, albeit perhaps one at a time. And it's not on the eleventh floor, which was something he'd never thought he'd be quite so particularly concerned about, before. The house didn't seem to go above two stories, perhaps three, if he'd mis-judged, and three wasn't anywhere near as bad as eleven. There was space for--*

*Wait, did she say--*

...

*She-- those items over there on display, on the shelf and in the back? Curiosity was already getting the better of him again.*

Those are antiques? ....How old are they, if I might ask?

*What was it humans considered "antique" here, exactly?*

((I'm sorry, I'm laughing so hard here already....))

She looks a little embarrassed, now. "I'm sorry... I never paid them enough attention to know. My father enjoyed purchasing them from a business that my... my friend now runs. But I never asked him for details."

Her father's habit of requesting some new rarity had always been a point of small exasperation for her, and she had thus never made it her business to know much about the various oddities that Hisui would bring with him during his visits to the house.

"It's quite all right; I suppose details like that don't matter much, so long as they're nice to look at."

He glanced at the items again. However old they were, he was fairly certain he had a few years on them. Did that make him an antique?

"I suppose things like those would need to be dusted as well?"

"Yes, that's right. There are probably ways we could wash them as well, but so long as we keep the dust off of them it should be good enough." She... wouldn't even know where to begin with cleaning them properly.

"Also, you might notice the mats in this room. They are the tatami mats I was telling you about."

He nodded, looking down at the floor and what was on it. "I see."

Well, this didn't seem so overwhelming so far. Even if it were only the two of them, surely not every chore had to be done every day, and would thus be manageable? Though... he could already see why she wouldn't want to handle it all herself.

It seemed he'd already made up his mind to help her with this. Even if his days had gotten busier, he had a lot of experience with household chores; helping here shouldn't be out of his reach at all.

[Weird, yes. He tries not to seem too visibly relieved when she dismisses that particular idea.]

Oh, don't worry too much about it... I offered. Being able to seek a safe haven once in a while might is good enough for me. N-not that I have anything against my friends, but... [They're a little bit difficult to swallow sometimes.]

"And from here, we can continue on..."

She begins guiding him through the rest of the house, starting with the kitchen and the other reasonably spacious (...for Japan) rooms, eventually moving up to the rooms on the second and highest floor. "This is where the bedrooms are. There is one for myself here, and another for my parents down the hallway," she points to the sliding doors as she walks. "And there is my father's study as well."

Although she will open these rooms on request, she doesn't seem to be quite as quick to let him explore, less because there are things to be hidden and more because... well, even without her parents it feels a little like intruding.

...It's a little stressful at times?

[She's definitely gotten that impression, at least.]

You can stay as much as you need. You'll have to use a futon of course, but there is plenty of space to accommodate you.

He took note of the rooms as they went, mentally tallying up how long it ought to take to sweep and dust in each of them. It was still nowhere near the size of his clan's castle.

By the time they were at her parents' rooms, his mind was on how much he was looking forward to having a place to stay which was big enough that he could find a bed to bring in which suited him. ...Though... before he began getting his hopes up, he really ought to make certain it would be all right by her, and that whatever room she decided he could have, it would fit in.

He nodded to her explanation, not able to keep the little smile off his face.

"It's a very nice house," he said, absently rubbing one of his thumbs' nails. "It's beautiful. I haven't seen anything at all like it in the Citadel... and... I think I might like to help." If that weren't already obvious.

He paused, fidgeting with rubbing his thumbnail a little harder. But... seemed to hang there, unsaid. He wanted to ask something, but he wasn't sure how to get to that.

The bed was a pretty big deal to him, honestly... though, if she said no, for some reason... he'd surely be piling up extra bedding anyhow. On the floor, this time. He'd figure out somewhere more comfortable to sleep, than a bed designed for humans, one way or another.

She visibly brightens when she hears that. She certainly wouldn't mind Avitus' help around the house, and she can't imagine him being a bad roommate.

"Really? That would be wonderful! I would love to have you here."

Unfortunately, what with not actually being a vampire bird herself, the whole bedding situation doesn't exactly occur to her.

Ah, so that was what she was hoping he'd say. Well, that was a relief! He'd make for a good roommate, honestly! He was generally pretty quiet, he kept things neat, and he didn't enjoy conflict, so he wasn't likely to be belligerent....

But....

He took a breath, trying to be brave. The worst she'd say was no, and if she did, he'd simply pile up his pillows and blankets on the floor. That was all; no big deal.

"I did have a question, though... about the beds. Because... as nice as I know the ones in the apartments are, they're... well, they're meant for humans, and...."

Oh, just ask already!

"If I should be able to make a bed which suits me better, or find one... that would be all right by you? You wouldn't object if I were to end up bringing in a bit more furniture?"

"...Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't even think about that." Of course he would need a different type of bedding. Especially with those wings...

"Hmm... I think that should be okay. We can set aside one of the spare rooms."

[Minako follows, glancing all around as she does.]

This is really impressive.... Did all the furniture come with it?

As far as I can tell, yes. Of course, that means all of my father's antiques came as well...

[She smiles a little wryly at the small and clearly ancient statue adorning a chest up ahead.]

"Oh, I... don't think I'd need any extra space. I mean, it wouldn't be much different in size from the apartments' beds, just a different shape. I just... wasn't certain if it would be all right with you, to bring in more furniture like that, and I didn't want it to be a surprise, and...."

He paused. Suddenly, saying it out loud made it sound entirely ridiculous, somehow. He gave a sheepish smile. "Better to ask and be certain?"

....Or did she mean as in set aside a room for him to move into here, if he was to stay and help out? He'd assumed he would be, since that's what she'd said she was offering, but-- No, he didn't feel like hurting his brain trying to figure this out. He'd brush that thought aside for the moment, since they'd surely work it out between them anyhow.

"But you would still need room to set it up, wouldn't you? And it would be easier if we didn't need to dismantle it every day to make room for the other furniture. I think having your own room would probably be for the best."

"Oh." So she did simply mean a room of his own? "Right. It probably would be."

That's it. No more second-guessing in this conversation with her; if he's wondering about anything else, he'll just have to be straightforward and ask about it.

"I was actually heading out to the market for some groceries... but after that, I could certainly come by and start helping out here, if you'd like?" Oh look, he's available right away!

"That would be great. I'll be out for a little bit while I bring my things over, but..."

She fishes around in her pocket, retrieving a key. "This will work on the main gate. If I'm not back by the time you get back, you can let yourself in."

It's her only key, but if it's just the gate, she can easily clear that herself with a single jump if she needs to.

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Third Star of Fate ☯

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