Next morning, when both had breakfast with toast, tea and the leftovers of the apple pie they were tired and jaded.
"Did you sleep well, Eternia?"
"So-so. I was too tired to properly put clean bedding on, that wasn't very comfortable. How about you?"
"Similar experience. I need a few days to get used to the noises and couldn't fall asleep for a while. But at least the mattress was much better than I thought!"
"Uh-huh. Mine is okay, too. Guess I can take my time with buying a new one." Eternia sighed.
Sinistra said: "I'll give you that: you know how to choose good food! This toast is truly delicious!"
"Being praised for toasted bread... Now, that's a feather in my cap!" Eternia grunted.
Sinistra preferred not to react to the sarcasm and grabbed her mug. "Don't you have to work today, Eternia?"
The other one grimaced. "I don't have a steady job. We'll get the weekly newspaper with job offers tomorrow, until then I'll take care of my boxed stuff and make sure we'll get contracts for internet and phone. How about you?"
"I was just about to ask you how to find employment in this city!" Sinistra smiled happily. "Oh well, then I'll wait for the newspaper too. There's still so much to do in the garden and in my room. Do I have to leave the house for something too or are those 'internet' and 'phone' things the only contracts we still need?"
"You could go to the bank and get some money", Eternia suggested.
Now it was Sinistra's turn to furrow her brows. "Before I moved here I researched and calculated that my savings would allow me to live here for approximately a year, and now they melt faster than ice in the spring. What do we need money for this quickly again?"
Eternia stared at her. "Hey, I paid for the large grocery bill yesterday, didn't I? Don't act like you're the only one here who pays for stuff!"
"But I don't!"
The blonde put down her mug. "I thought we agreed on needing help for cooking, a book, for example. Or that we have to buy vegetables so I can make salad. And for emergencies we should at least have some cash at hand if we have to order a pizza after a failed cooking attempt."
"Don't you have any money, then?"
"I spent it all at the supermarket yesterday. After all, I thought we'd have some use for all those groceries! At least most of it is non-perishable."
"I thought you're a model?"
"Yes, but as the landlord sadly guessed correctly I'm just a part-time model. I'll have a small fashion show at a boutique on Friday, that will earn me some fresh money. I also wait for a check for photos for a brochure but I won't get that before the brochure is in print! I'll quickly have to find something steady now until I take off as a model. Perhaps waiting tables or something."
"Could I work that job too?"
"Not with that outfit, that's for sure", Eternia disagreed promptly.
Sinistra politely ignored the remark and said: "It's probably best if I pay a visit to Elizabeth at her magic shop soon and ask her if she can recommend me for a job."
"If you have connections you should definitely use them! Shall we go and put up more of our stuff now?"
"Good idea." Sinistra quickly shoved the rest of the toast slice into her mouth. "This is so delicious!"
"Thanks for giving me space in your shelf!" Sinistra watched with interest as Eternia stashed her own treasures in the pink piece of furniture. It was obvious that both of them had wildly differentiating opinions on treasures. While Sinistra had put up her most important magic books and some bottles with magical seeds and ingredients to have them readily at hand for gardening, Eternia distributed small trinkets like a bottle of coloured sand and a teddy bear.
Outside of this shelf both of them had set up very contrasting things on the other storage too, but the result was still comfortable for both of them. Sinistra noticed that Eternia didn't put up even a single photo of her family and she didn't seem to own anything that could be a family heirloom. While that didn't strike her as odd, since she didn't have many keepsakes from home either, it didn't help her quelch her curiousity.
Eternia put the cactus she had gotten from her former landlord's wife up on the shelf. "We agreed on this. Say, do you need the table in the corner?"
"No, you can have it."
Eternia fetched a lamp and her old laptop from a box and put them on the table. "Okay. Then I'll put up a workplace here. Once we have internet we can use the computer to find jobs much more easily."
"That sounds exciting! Are we done setting up in the house, then?"
"Guess so, at least I don't have anything left to put away. There are still a few clothes over at the boarding house but those go into my closet."
"Oh, great! That was easier than I thought."
"Indeed, we found good spots for everything and despite our very different styles it doesn't look half-bad here." Eternia was relieved.
Sinistra felt likewise. "Then I'll tend to the garden now. Perhaps you can show me later where to buy flower pots."
"Sure."
"Can you take care of the dishes?"
"Huh, why me? I need to visit the city for the contracts!"
"I have to go to the city too if I shall get money from the bank and need pots. Let's go together later."
"But..."
"Alright, if you want I do the dishes, then you can rake up the leaves in my stead", Sinistra suggested with an innocent voice.
Eternia grimaced. "Ugh. Well, then I'd rather do the dishes! But as soon as we have jobs we'll make a housework rota!"
"Good idea." The elementalist smiled smugly to herself. This time she had outwitted Eternia! 'Tee hee! Raking is so much more fun than dishes, her loss!'
Dolltopia 0017 <- # -> Dolltopia 0019