MCA Lobby, Tuesday evening

[cataclysmicluck.livejournal.com]

For whatever reason, Zayne decided that tonight would be yet another shot at one of his favorite games: trying to open the unmarked door on the strange corner sticking out of the wall in the lobby, next to the laundry room.

He went through every key he could find. Again. He tried picking the lock. Again. He tried breaking the door down. Again. He tried lightsabering it. Again! And once again, nothing worked. Just like always.

"Someday," Zayne said, shaking his head at it as he gave up for the hundredth and something time since he bought the building. Since he wasn't going to be able to solve the great mystery tonight, he was going to just go into his office off the lobby, do some paperwork, and passive-aggressively ignore the door.

Which sounded insane, yes, which is why he wasn't going to admit that part to anyone.

[OOC: Primarily for one, but open to all!

Information on apartments is here.]

Comments

[allie-vamp.livejournal.com]

Ever since Eric had told her to get a place to stay that didn't involve shaking dirt out of her hair, Allie had been checking out the various places in town.

After making her habitual attempt to cross the causeway, Allie made her way back into town. In the mental coin toss between MCA and MHA, MCA won because someone was actually there at that moment.

Despite hearing a heartbeat in the room off the lobby, Allie decided to wait. "Hello?"

[cataclysmicluck.livejournal.com]

Zayne stepped over to the counter between the office and the lobby and spotted the person behind the voice. "Good evening," Zayne said. "Can I help you with something?"

[allie-vamp.livejournal.com]

"I'm looking for a place to stay while I'm on the island," Allie replied. "Do you have anything available?"

[cataclysmicluck.livejournal.com]

"Sure. I have a few apartments available," Zayne said. "Are you looking for anything in particular? I have everything from a simple one bed-room to an underground unit with a wild rumpus living room."

[allie-vamp.livejournal.com]

She shrugged, after spending years in the Fringe living in an abandoned school, Allie really didn't need much. "Something small? I don't have much." Zayne was looking at all she did have, a change of clothes and a sword. "And some place out of the sun."

[cataclysmicluck.livejournal.com]

"You don't get less sun than you would in the sub-basement apartment," Zayne said. "But if you'd like a smaller apartment on the third floor, we can cut down on the light if that's an issue."

[allie-vamp.livejournal.com]

On one hand, sub-basement. Definitely not a lot of sun there. On the other? A third floor apartment would probably have more ways to get out of it.

"Sunlight is an issue. You don't have a problem with that?" Although the fact that she could smell Eric in the building meant that he probably didn't.

[Sorry for the SP, distracted by the debate & yelling at my TV.]

[cataclysmicluck.livejournal.com]

"I'm from another galaxy. There's a talking pony on the top floor," Zayne said. "All kinds live here. And that's why we have windows for people with sunlight-related medical issues. I can get those installed tomorrow, if you can make due with blinds and drapes during the day."

[OOC: No worries! I'm watching, too.]

[allie-vamp.livejournal.com]

"Blinds and drapes would be a luxury compared to where I've been." Sleeping in the ground. "I can make due."

She was not touching the pony comment. Let Pinkie Pie be a surprise.

[cataclysmicluck.livejournal.com]

"Do I want to know where you've been until now?" Zayne asked as he went to get the key to #6. "Oh, and I'm Zayne, by the way. I own the place. You may have figured that part out already, what with asking me for a place to stay."

[allie-vamp.livejournal.com]

"Probably not," Allie said, cracking a tiny smile. "I was hoping you were in charge. And not just randomly going to lead me around."

She made a joke. Get the snow shovels ready.

"I'm Allie."

[cataclysmicluck.livejournal.com]

"It's a fair concern. I usually only lead in an extremely random manner," Zayne said. "Fortunately, this is pretty straightforward. Want to check the apartment out before you sign anything?"

[allie-vamp.livejournal.com]

"I'm good," she shrugged. "Trust me, a building with solid walls is a huge step up for me. What do I need to sign?"

[cataclysmicluck.livejournal.com]

Zayne grabbed a form from his desk and put it and the keys down on the counter. "Just a thing saying you'll pay rent on the first of the month, you won't make any knowledgeable attempts to end reality, and, well, that's about it," Zayne said. "It's a pretty low-key renter's agreement."

[allie-vamp.livejournal.com]

Allie read through the form, thank to Kanin for insisting that she improve her reading ability. The form said pretty much exactly what Zayne had said it would. "No world ending. I promise," she said.

"What did you mean by another galaxy?" Sorry Zayne there wasn't much science knowledge in a post-apocalyptic world run by vampires.

[cataclysmicluck.livejournal.com]

"When I visit my parents, I take a ship out of the atmosphere and then I keep going for a while," Zayne said. "It's kind of a weird coincidence that I'm human like most of the people here and speak a nearly identical language."

[allie-vamp.livejournal.com]

Thank you Zayne for keeping that simple. "A lucky coincidence. And now I realize how lucky I was. If I'd crossed over and people didn't understand what I was talking about." Because there was no way acting out that she need to drink your blood was going to end well.

[cataclysmicluck.livejournal.com]

"My experience is that around here, you're more likely to get people who understand way too well, and then it takes an even crazier step," Zayne said. "There are other people here from my galaxy, but thousands of years in my future. That's an extreme case, but watch out for things like that.'"

[allie-vamp.livejournal.com]

"At the rate things are going, a thousand years in the future of where I'm from, there's not going to be anyone left." Not with the Red Lung and then Rabidism had spread.

[cataclysmicluck.livejournal.com]

"Things can change. You'll have to excuse me if I hope for the best, sight unseen. It's a habit I have," Zayne said. "But why are you less optimistic than I'm blindly being?"

[allie-vamp.livejournal.com]

Allie shrugged. "Because people are struggling to survive in what's left of a dying world. It's a wasteland mostly. There's a few cities, but they're controlled by the vampires. The people in the cities are nothing but cattle."

[cataclysmicluck.livejournal.com]

"I'm still going to have unwarranted faith in a world I know nothing about," Zayne said. "Once you've seen people come back form the end of reality, it's easy to hold out hope."

Yes, to people like Zayne, the Nothing was inspirational. Well, surviving it was. But still.

[allie-vamp.livejournal.com]

Once again Allie was faced with a strange feeling of bemusement. Hope was something that had been in very short supply during most of her life. "I'm going to have to take your word for that."

Of course she had helped Zeke get all the research on Red Lung and Rabidism to Eden. So maybe the scientists there would be able to do something with it.

[cataclysmicluck.livejournal.com]

"Honestly, that's probably the best way to deal with me," Zayne admitted with a slightly sheepish smile on his face.

[allie-vamp.livejournal.com]

She was going to have to go talk to Derek again. Just to get another dose of miserable attitude. It was way more familiar and understandable then the friendliness of most of the other residents of the island.

Allie smiled back, amused. "So can I go up and check it out?"

[cataclysmicluck.livejournal.com]

"Go right ahead," Zayne said. "Stairs and elevators are right around the corner. Go up to the third floor, turn right at the hallway, and it's the first door on your right. Just let me know when I can change your windows out tomorrow and I'll take care of that."