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_{Cunningham Bookstore
Interactions: @PerfectThought}

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Kaito gave a friendly smile as Bonnie introduced herself. “I know the town better from the air than I do the ground but I can still probably give a pretty sweet tour if need be. Can’t promise we won’t get a little turned around though. Need the aerial view most times.” He chuckled observing the others who had entered, explaining that they too were tenants. Not many of them appeared to be the flying type and he would be lying if he said that, despite his 22 years in this town he still didn't get a little lost when he had to travel on foot.

Bonnie introduced herself to everyone else and then started the tour of the place they would all be staying. “I don’t blame you, I come from a pretty big household myself. Couldn’t imagine living in total silence all of the sudden.” He commented to Bonnie as they walked to the first few rooms. Most of the rooms were narrow and long which, honestly, he was pretty used to. His family’s home was built in much the same manner, seeing as he had to house so many people. Peering in her figured most if not all of his stuff would fit into a room pretty well.

The group paused at the third room to wait for the tall furry guy to join back with them. What was his name again? Has he introduced himself yet? Kaito took some time to look about and try to remember the names he had already learned. Minerva was the human woman he had spoken to when he first arrived. If he remembered correctly she went by Min. Next was Mia, she wanted the attic if possible? That was an interesting request, attics were generally not the most comfortable, but to each their own he supposed. The tiefling male, either Kaito hadn’t caught his name or he too was yet to give it. Now that he thought about it, only the 2 others had actually introduced themselves by name. He brow furrowed, he would have to change that when and if they all decided to settle in. He makes it a point to remember the names of everyone he meets.

By the time he was done pondering things the furry fellow had joined them. Commenting on the woodwork of the place. It felt almost rude to have assumed the giant bipedal beaver was good with wood but the revelation didn’t seem to phase Kaito. He would certainly not be telling the furry one about that assumption. He looked back to Bonnie waiting for her to resume the tour so that he mind would stop making assumptions of the other people with him based on appearance and body language, something he had gotten used to doing working with animals but was not the most polite thing to do with actual people.

The boy was staring at her. Could he see through her glamor, or...?

Something that worried Mia was she hadn't seen a bathroom, or just a closet with a toilet. Surely there was one somewhere on this floor? It didn't bode well for the other floors, and there wasn't likely to be one in the attic. Or maybe there were, left over from the days the staff slept there.

Shared bathrooms could be a problem. She wondered if they still made chamber pots...?

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"Are you sure you really want me to go? I swear I can handle the commute, Ma." Varis tried to reason out but to no avail. His bags were full of his clothes and other necessities, all packed and ready to go, although it seemed that the only one who wasn't ready was their owner.

His mother, Winona shook her head and wagged her finger at him. "Nuh uh. We talked about this, dear. You're always waking up so early in the morning and coming home very late at night. You barely have time for rest and recreation especially when you're studying and doing your assignments. You almost caught the flu back then and this time, I refuse to see my son getting sick."

"Your Ma's right, kiddo." Markus said, nodding in agreement with arms crossed against his chest. "Besides, it's always school and home, school and home for you. Maybe living independently will help you meet other kinds of people, y'know? Gain new friends! Be a part of something! You're still a teen, V. Leave the adulting to the adults." Varis's stepfather added as he gave the young carbuncle a pat on the back.

Amity stood by the living room, glaring at her brother while grasping her teddy bear tightly. By her constant request (moreso nagging), Winona helped dye her hair black. Being naturally white-haired, whenever the color of her root hair's showing again, it made her look like either a skunk folk or a nine-year-old grandma so their mother-daughter time consisted of mostly hair-dying. The little girl ran up to her brother and gave him a tight hug. "Message me all the time, dum-dum." She said, her voice muffled against his shirt. Varis giggled and hugged his little sister too. "I promise I will come visit you whenever I can, Ames." He softly said, patting her head as she fought back tears.

Winona wiped a tear from her eye as she and Markus joined in on the family hug. Amity usually didn't like sweet, sappy acts of affection, but she just let it pass this time. Varis promised himself he will never cry in front of his mother as he claimed himself for being her rock but like his sister, he just let it pass this time.



"Here we are. The owner said the rooms are up top." Markus said as he parked their rented car in front of a bookshop. Varis looked at it through the glass. His parents did mention they found him an affordable room to stay at during his studies but they never mentioned it was at this place. He would pass by this same bookshop almost all the time whenever he commuted. Who would've thought fate would bring him back here again?

"I'll get my stu-" He started saying while he removed his seatbelt, but his stepfather was already on it. He chuckled and got out of the car as Markus brought out the last of his stuff. "Now, if anything happens, message us. Call us. Your ma insists." Markus reminded Varis, the latter smiling and nodding. "Okay, okay, I promise."

"We mean it, kiddo. We can't be there for you all the time, so this is the chance for you to find out what it looks like to be independent, to be making your decisions. We know you are capable of doing a lot of things, V. We just hope that you also realize that you don't need to do everything. Understand?"

Varis sighed and nodded again, this time more earnestly. "Yes... Yes, I do. I'll message you guys whenever I can, I'll eat at the proper times, and I'll take care of my health. I won't make you, Ames, and Ma worry. Again." He sheepishly said before the two hugged.

"Take care of them, Pa." Varis said as Markus chuckled. "Already on it, kiddo."

Markus then ruffled Varis's hair and got in the car. "Oh, and don't forget, V! Have fun!" He said with a smile and a wink as he drove down the road. Varis looked back at the bookshop with a signage that said 'Cunningham's Bookshop and Binders'.

"Okay, Varis. You got this." The young carbuncle said to himself, steeling his resolve and fixing his bangs to cover the red gem on his forehead. Breathing deeply, he grabbed his bags and entered the bookshop. He was surprised to find out he was beginning to like this place just from the get-go. The interior felt warm and cozy, like a soft hug from a friend or two. No one's here, though. There must be not a lot of people going to bookshops nowadays.

"Uh... H-Hello? Miss Cunningham? Is anyone there?"

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Oh dear lord, more people. Why did there have to be this many people in one building? Now Kyrus felt awkward not saying much.

"I am Kyrus Lohenn. And yes, I'm here about a room. Any is fine, I'm not picky about it-" Oh, oh they're walking away now, Kyrus hurried along to keep pace with the group, taking care not to walk too close to those knightly constructs the one girl was puppetring around. They looked big, and that stuff looked heavy. Between the Harpy boy's wings, the statues, the seemingly blind girl using that puppet as a frankly ingenious aid, this place felt almost hard to breathe in. Kyrus kept up with the group, listening intently to the things everyone was saying to try and keep up with everyone and hopefully not forget something important that was being said. The first room needed to be dusted for what might've been days, but Kyrus was considering taking that one. Maybe, he thought. He didn't exactly have much cash to fill it with things but it was just a space to crash in. "Are those your constructs? They're impressive." He said to the Minerva girl, to strike up some sort of conversation with somebody. "I don't do constructs, but I do make things." He said, holding up his magic, mechanical arm. "Technosorcery."

@scrawls

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Min smiled at Kaito, Bonnie, and several others who trickled into the bookshop that was becoming notably much more… cozy! And as Bonnie exchanged pleasantries and began to lead them around the place, Min waved at her living statues, Abott and Costello, to keep apace in the back, as to not block the view of others. They dutifully complied, and Min followed after Bonnie, listening to her tour. Looking into the three rooms upstairs, Min found them all to look rather similar and small, but comfortingly so. Back in Linkhaven, her room had been somewhat small as well, yet it had felt achingly empty as an only child and she had to fill it up with “companions” for it to feel like home. At least here, she’d have a roommate that wasn’t her own creation! How exciting. Min liked the smell of the first room, reminded her of her parent’s pastries and candles. The scent of lavender was a welcome one.

As they walked further down the hall and Bonnie showed them the rest of the rooms, Min heard the tiefling—Kyrus was it?—ask a question. “Oh ‘ello! Yes those two are a couple of my constructs! Couple of sweeties I made a few months ago… rather helpful friends eager to aid me in my move in.” Her eyes widened as she looked down at his mechanical arm. “Wow, that’s incredibly advanced sorcery!” Min had seen some magitech like that, but she’d never up close to such an intricate device.

“I’ve mostly worked with non-mechanical autonomous constructs— statues, homunculi, I’m sure you’re familiar. But I haven’t really looked into integrating actual mechanics and motion into my sculptures, pure magic tends to do the heavy lifting. But your arm clearly does that… Hmmm, and not only is it magic and technology but it’s integrated with your biology… a union of anatomy and technosorcery. Very fascinating!”

Min stroked her chin, clearly impressed, but beginning to float off into her own grandiose imagination, pondering the possibilities of creating constructs that were made of inorganic and biological parts. Some sort of… half-statue half-flesh golem.

"Ma-am," Mia called out. "Does this floor not have a... loo?"

They were going to stare back at her, she was sure. Phalorm House had privies in the back garden, which stank in summer and froze in winter. She had hoped the boarding house would have indoor plumbing.

She could feel warmth in her cheeks, which the glamour would turn into a pink blush instead of blue. She wondered who among the other boarders would reveal themselves by saying something about it?