304/Home Is Where Your Stuff Is

Home Is Where Your Stuff Is
Date of Scene:	06 May 2017
Location:	Midvale, New Troy, Metropolis
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Insect Queen (OMara), Raven

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Insect Queen (OMara) has posed:
Midvale, New Troy! Center of the cultural life of Metropolis, where people from all over the country, no, the world, no, actually, according to latest reports, the /galaxy/, move to experience an environment thriving with ideas and stimuli. The art, the culture, the life, here one can find anything, from the thespian primadonna, to the operatic singer, from the Street Yoga/Parkour Fusion enthusiasts, to the bohemian struggling visual artist. No wonder this district counts the highest concentration of art supply stores, theatres, Urban French/Asian Fashion outlets, and cheap ramen shops in the city.

After climbing the stairs up to the fifth floor, where finally it can be seen that the cleaning lady has dropped her brush, which is currently jamming the elevator (and providing a glimpse inside it), Violet is now finally done unlocking the door to an apartment.

"There, please, come in, come in!", says Violet, cheerful. She's dried up a bit (not completely, but slightly better than before), and now ushers Rachel into...what looks like an extension of the main floor? It /is/ the entrance corridor of an apartment, and it has five doors (two per side, one at the end), but three of those look like the outside of an apartment door, not /room/ doors.

"The owner decided to capitalize on the demand of cheap apartments by budding artists trying to make their way in the scene. See, pretty clever. The bathroom and kitchen are common..." she says, pointing at the door at the end of the corridor and the one immediately on the right, in turn. "Each bed/living room is rented separately," she says, as she turns a different key into the side door directly opposite the kitchen's.

Raven has posed:
    "Sounds like a school dorm. Or a nursing home," is Raven's creaky opinion, offered in a tone too flat to tell whether it's an observation or a criticism. "I guess it forces you to meet people. How are your neighbors?"

Insect Queen (OMara) has posed:
Violet O'Mara beams, "Yes! I love the college dorm vibe. It has this cultural je-ne-sais-quoi to it." She begins, "Oh, well, and about the neighbours, actually..." slightly embarassed. "...we barely meet. See, my room-" She turns to face Rachel and goes wide-eyed. "Oh, please keep your voice down from now on!" she whispers, and opens the door, slowly, with a worried wince. The door creaks just a liiiittle bit, which seems to make Violet tense.

The room behind the door is pitch dark. The only light coming in is through the crack of the recently opened door. A large wooden board, hanging from a pair of nails through a thin, but robust piece of rope, covers the window completely. Apart from that, the room is barely large enough to house a minimalistic bunk bed for three people (currently filled to capacity) placed against the opposite wall, and a filing cabinet (probably taken off some curb outside some office) that it looks like it's straight off the late-mid-20th century off to a side. A couple of dresses, shirts, and business outfits hang from hooks added to the side of the filing cabinet. Otherwise, the room is bare, except for a wooden notice board with tables, schedules, and a couple of postcards pinned to it.

"...I actually come here only to sleep," whispers Violet. "We're five people renting one three-bed room. We have to take turns, and there's physically no room to hang around outside our turn, as you can see." She comments, as she breathes in to flatten her abdomen, and slide through the crack in the door: the room is so tiny the door doesn't even open all the way, it hits against the bunk bed. Meanwhile, the three other girls sleeping in the bed seem not to take notice of what is going on. "Just one second..." she says, heading straight for the bottom drawer of the filing cabinet, whose label reads "Violet", written in neat cursive with a thin ballpoint pen; the "t" has a flourish that ends in a surprisingly realistic depiction of the flower that's the owner's namesake.

Raven has posed:
    Raven nods, but she keeps her mouth shut as she looks around. A tiny living area, a bedroom so small it's pretty much a closet: she's never had a social life, but she tries all the same to imagine how this situation works out. You can't have friends over, let alone lovers, so any function would have to be at another person's home...
    Raven thinks she might have an idea why you come across so shy. You have a lot to deal with. The monks of Azarath had better living space than this.
    Oh well. While you change into dry clothes, Raven holds her hand out toward the bedroom door. Once you take off her cloak, it will return to her in shadow form.

Insect Queen (OMara) has posed:
Violet O'Mara pulls the drawer open, and it makes a satisfying whirring sound, as old filing cabinets are wont to. "Don't get me wrong," she says, as if for answering Rache's thoughts (but it must clearly be a coincidence). "I have /tons/ of friends. I usually work at the park, or in cafes. You meet the most interesting people! You'd be surprised of the adventurous life a barista can have. One of them was even a costumed hero, briefly!" With a soft clunk, the drawer closes, and the most that this cause is some light stirring and mumbling from one of the sleeping girls. Tiptoing outside, while locking the door and just before heading into the bathroom, Violet turns to Raven and /beams/ to her. "See? I made it. I made it in the big city. I'm no longer living with my parents. I'm paying all this /on my own/. With my work. Every month. Bang on the dot." She cants her head slightly and her eyes roll up in thought. "Well... ok, bang close enough to the dot. Ish." One finger extends forward. "...but never skipped a month up to now! And was only /three/ days late at the latest!" She spins around, arms spread up and sideways, and smiles. "This, my firend, is the tangible sign of my success." And the last words she says before disappearing into the common bathroom are, "...it may not be much, but it's a starting point! I've /just/ moved here and started only a few months ago. Just /wait/ until my career /really/ picks up!"