124
|
Post by Toad on Jun 3, 2020 13:09:13 GMT -5
Date: Saturday, June 10, 2023 Words: 200 Tags: MistTodd had forgotten he had set up an email for the boarding house. He was a bit startled when he got the email notification on his phone, but figured it wouldn't hurt to respond.
It was from a woman who had apparently done her research, which was impressive and suspicious considering Todd did little to no marketing for the Brotherhood Boarding House.
Of course, to find out what the Brotherhood was all about meant that one had to be researching something very specific...
Todd rolled his eyes when the email requested that he take in a teenager. How the hell was he supposed to handle a teen? He remembered being one. Teenagers were shit.
Yet, the lady in the email -- Dorothy Nolen, who sounded like a bad habit -- didn't seem like she'd take no for an answer, informing Todd as to when her daughter would arrive.
Now Todd was waiting for the kid to show up. it wasn't even close to the school year, so he couldn't even escape the kid during the day if he wanted to. Taking a deep breath, Todd hoped that he and the teenager wouldn't try to kill each other before the week was up.
|
|
|
83
|
Post by Mist on Jun 3, 2020 16:32:37 GMT -5
The Brotherhood Boarding House looked like a well-aimed twister would knock it to the ground. It was about half the size of her mother's estate, and had the cracks and shadows to welcome Halloween.
Olivia probably would have loved it if she wasn't so pissed at being shipped off to Bayville.
She supposed it had been a matter of time before her mother got tired of paying off people to look the other way from her mutant daughter. Well, with the exception of sending a decent check to the Brotherhood for her so-called rent or tuition or whatever it was supposed to be.
The taxi barely waited for Olivia to grab her four suitcases before leaving her stranded in the front yard. She dragged her belongings to the stoop and banged on the door. The door swung open and she took a deep breath.
"Olivia Nolen," she said with an awkward wave. Handing a check to who she presumed was the landlord, she added, "My mother will send in a payment every three months. If she doesn't, I know the bank account info and can transfer whatever you want to your bank account. Gonna help bring my stuff to my room?"
WORDS 201
NOTES Woo, glad to be back!
|
|
|
|
124
|
Post by Toad on Jun 4, 2020 7:25:54 GMT -5
Words: 254 Tag: MistBad enough that Todd would be playing the role of babysitter to a teenager, but to a female teenager that sounded like she already ruled the roost at that.
The check was nice, though.
Todd took the money, glancing at it in vague surprise before pocketing it, then grabbed a couple of the suitcases. He didn't quite feel like waiting for the girl to drag everything in herself.
"Todd Tolansky," he said as a way of introducing himself. "You can get your pick of the rooms right upstairs. Mine is the last on the right. Curfew is eleven, and it'll be ten on school nights when Bayville High starts up its classes again in the fall. I don't really give a shit about the curfew, but the truant officers do, and neither one of us want to deal with them, especially if it's the same lady I had to deal with when I was in high school. The old bat looked like a vampire back then, I wouldn't be surprised if she's immortal and still causing hell for students."
He brought the two suitcases up the stairs, talking all the while. Pausing in the hallway, he shrugged and said, "Pick a room. You'll have to sign the contract your mother signed too, stating that you're here, you'll follow the rules, you're under my care as a minor, all that shit. I'll get than in a few minutes. Any questions?"
He really had no idea what he was doing, but he hoped it sounded okay.
|
|
|
83
|
Post by Mist on Jun 5, 2020 6:40:43 GMT -5
Well, it was nice that Todd didn't sound all formal and stuffy. He took a couple of suitcases and Olivia followed him with the others, liking the idea of choosing her own room but wrinkling her nose when he mentioned a curfew. She smoothed it out when he casually threw out that he really didn't care but the truant officer did.
Olivia gave his back a crooked smile. "I'm very good at giving others the slip, don't worry. I won't do anything to get you into trouble, either."
Maybe. At least, she'd probably try for a while, anyway. It really wasn't Todd's fault that she was here.
At the top of the stairs, Olivia paused with Todd, nodding along when he mentioned a contract before glancing at the available rooms to her. Eventually she picked out the one to the right of the bathroom, hoping that the walls were sufficiently thick enough so she wouldn't have to hear any of the other boarders doing their business. The bedroom itself was quaint, giving her enough room for a full bed, a set of dresser drawers, a closet that would take some getting used to with its small size, and a large window that overlooked the front yard and street.
"Any restrictions on decorating?" Olivia asked. Depending on Todd's answer, she may listen. Hell, if she was a pain in the ass, he may kick her back to New York City.
WORDS 237
NOTES None.
|
|
|
|
124
|
Post by Toad on Jun 5, 2020 14:41:43 GMT -5
Words: 173 Tags: MistTodd raised an eyebrow at the way Olivia mentioned she gave people the slip. "That what you do?" he asked. "Your mutation? Turn invisible or somethin'?"
He hoped she wouldn't cause too much trouble. Rather, if she caused trouble that it wouldn't affect him or the building too much, if at all. Being a teen, Todd was sure Olivia would cause some trouble. He wasn't quite looking forward to when the school year started and all the drama that she would undoubtedly bring back to the Brotherhood.
...Shit, was he supposed to care if she brought back guys? Sounds like Todd would also have to take another look at the contract that he had Olivia's mother sign.
Then Olivia asked about redecorating rules and Todd shrugged. "Don't blow up the place, I guess?" he said. "Don't go hiring any contract workers to extend the walls or anything without my okay. Guess you can do whatever you want in your room as long as it's not permanent or reaches any other space, got it?"
|
|
|
83
|
Post by Mist on Jun 7, 2020 12:57:55 GMT -5
Olivia contemplated not letting her new landlord or guardian or whatever he was supposed to be what exactly her abilities were, but she supposed she should start living at the Brotherhood on a good note. Besides, Todd hadn't done anything to annoy her just yet, other than the fact that he was connected to the place that her mother shipped her off to.
Yet, Olivia guessed there were worse places her mother could have sent her.
"I can turn into mist," Olivia said. "Guess that's the easiest explanation I can give. Like, I mimic the air and can float around without anyone seeing me. I suppose what you do is... that?" She gestured to all of Todd, figuring that his mutation was his greenish skin and really long legs.
She rolled her eyes but gave Todd a crooked smile when he basically said just don't blow up the place. "Alright, no explosives and no redecorating that does anything to the building's structure. Got it."
WORDS 164
NOTES None.
|
|
|
|
124
|
Post by Toad on Jun 9, 2020 9:14:11 GMT -5
Words: 204 Tags: MistMist? Really? With the way the kid's mother wrote the email, it made it sound like Olivia could self-detonate or something more devastating.
"That's not too bad," Todd said. "Sounds like it could come in handy. Anything I should watch out for? You don't have trouble, uh, re-materializing or something, do you?"
Not that Todd had any idea what he could do if that kind of thing happened, but he supposed he should know about it just in case.
"The physical mutation is just part of it," Todd said, when Olivia turned the question about mutations back on him. "Got a wicked tongue. Earned me the nickname Toad as a teen. Wasn't the worst name that could have come up." That award may have gone to Blob, despite the friendly terms Todd and he had been on. Blob wasn't exactly a nickname Todd would have want to go through life with.
Even though Olivia rolled her eyes at his response to redecorating, she agreed easily enough, and Todd hoped that the pair would be able to get along with -- or at least tolerate -- each other just fine.
"Uh, any other questions?" Todd asked. "Otherwise, I'll go and get the contract for you to sign."
|
|
|
83
|
Post by Mist on Jun 9, 2020 15:53:16 GMT -5
She raised an eyebrow when Todd mentioned how her ability could come in handy, wondering if he meant anything deeper than just a vapid compliment. Olivia did, however, avert her gaze and give him a half-shrug when he asked if there was anything in particular he should watch out for, such as her having trouble solidifying again.
"Not that I know of," she said. "Besides, even if I did have trouble forming up again, what would you be able to do about it? How would you even know if I was having trouble?"
Olivia herself never wanted to think of the possibility, and she was planning on ignoring that part of the conversation by dragging one of her suitcases over to the bed and popping it open to start unpacking. She waved off Todd as he mentioned getting the contract for her, and she frowned slightly at the closet being smaller than what she was used to.
"Totally know I just said I wouldn't do anything to the structure of this place," she said, when Todd returned with the contract, "but is there any way that we can, I dunno, expand the closets at some point? This thing is small."
WORDS 200
NOTES None.
|
|
|
|
124
|
Post by Toad on Jun 14, 2020 9:03:29 GMT -5
Words: 217 Tags: Mist"Suppose I wouldn't know," Todd said when Olivia asked how he would know if she was having trouble, "but, hey, you're here now. I'm supposed to keep an eye on ya. If you don't show back up to the place after curfew or if I don't hear from you after a certain amount of time, I'd like to have a plan. What should I do? Contact your mother?"
Which he supposed he would do, legally he was probably required to contact the kid's mom if something like that went down.
"There anything special you can do in your mist form?" he asked. "Maybe there can be a signal or something we can set up if you ever can't transform back. Like, I dunno, you start swirling or picking up something special as a signal to me."
Or was that too weird to think about? All Todd needed on his plate was one of his teenage tenants going missing because she was nothing more than a breeze.
He raised an eyebrow at the question about the closet. "How much space do you need? You have enough room for a week's worth of outfits. If you need more room, there's the dresser drawers over there." He jerked a thumb to said dresser on the other side of the room.
|
|
|
83
|
Post by Mist on Jun 15, 2020 8:34:42 GMT -5
What the hell was Olivia supposed to say to all that? She had just meet her landlord and already he was mentioning plans on what to do if he couldn't reach her if she didn't meet her curfew or something. Not even her own mother cared if Olivia stayed out all night.
Case in point, Olivia scoffed when Todd mentioned calling her mother. "Go for it, if you want," Olivia said with a weary shrug. "I bet she won't care. Even if she did, she wouldn't be able to do anything about it, anyway...
"If you really want, I guess we can work out a system or something," Olivia said. "I mean, I guess if I was missing, you'd call the police? If I was just stuck in mist form, which I am never planning on doing by the way, we can work something out..."
She wanted to change the subject and grabbed at the chance to give Todd a mock horrified gasp when he mentioned the closet's size. "Only a week's worth of outfits? Are you kidding me? You need to have at least a month's worth as back-up. I can't be seen in the same thing week after week."
WORDS 201
NOTES None.
|
|
|
|
124
|
Post by Toad on Jun 20, 2020 9:21:24 GMT -5
Words: 166 Tags: MistOhhh-kay then. There wasn't much love between Olivia and her mother. Noted.
Todd took a moment to respond before saying, "Alright, fine. I'll call your mom because that sounds like the logical thing to do after the police if I don't know where you are after curfew. Honestly, if you know you're gonna be late, just let me know. Curfew is kind of a suggestion, I guess. Just don't end up in jail or something and make sure you go to school a majority of the time, that's all."
The idea that Olivia couldn't solidify after being mist for a while seemed to have hit a nerve, but it sounded like a legit concern to Todd. "Okay, maybe we'll get, uh, a special magnet for the fridge that you can throw at me if you're stuck as mist... Can you pick up stuff as mist?"
He gaped at the idea of a month's worth of clothes. "Are you serious? Who the hell needs that many clothes?"
|
|
|
83
|
Post by Mist on Jun 21, 2020 20:38:58 GMT -5
Olivia didn't know how she should feel that her landlord had already demonstrated that he may be concerned with her well-being than her own mother was. It was probably just out of obligation that Todd was trying to figure out how to keep an eye on her. After all, how much trouble would he get into if he lost one of his teenage tenants? Even if he didn't get into much trouble with Dorothy, he would probably get in trouble with the state.
At the idea of having a special magnet and throwing it at her landlord as a signal, Olivia's brows furrowed at the same time her lips quirked into an amused smile. It was a little baffling, but she didn't argue against it.
"I suppose we can do that," she said. "But I get to pick out the magnet."
She actually laughed at Todd's surprised exclamation about clothes. "Oh, you're such a guy. Seriously, I'm going to need more closet space, even just for the clothes I brought with me, never mind the clothes I'm going to buy."
WORDS 180
NOTES None.
|
|
|
|
124
|
Post by Toad on Jun 24, 2020 19:27:33 GMT -5
Words: 195 Tags: Mist Notes: Perhaps this is a good ending? If you want to respond, that's cool. If you want me to lock this, that's cool too.Todd rolled his eyes when Olivia mentioned that she got to pick out the magnet, but he wouldn't argue. "Fine," he said. "Let me know when you get it. I'm not paying for it, either."
He shook his head when the teen mentioned that she had even brought too many clothes to fit in the current closet. "Look, this is all you get for now. Maybe down the road we can get a bigger dresser or somethin' but we're not doing any construction work right now."
And probably never, if Todd had his way. Still, if for some reason down the line, they needed to renovate the boarding house a little further, maybe Todd could be persuaded to make a couple of the rooms bigger. Not for closets big enough for a month's worth of clothes because no one in their right mind needed that much stuff, but maybe a little bigger.
With that, Todd turned on his heels and walked out of the room. "I'll let ya get settled," he said. "C'mon down to the kitchen when you're set and I'll have those contracts for ya."
At the very least, this will be interesting.
|
|
|