|
|
Post by Heather Glass - VerMillion on Nov 16, 2011 2:22:21 GMT -5
"Thank you," Heather calls back as the cab she took home pulls away. Four bags of groceries to fill her new (as of three days ago) apartment so that she can stop eating fast food all the time. Or at least, that's the theory - something is telling her that it will take more than a stocked fridge to make her abandon food prepared by someone else. Well, two bags per hand - a bit heavy, but she can manage to carry it all at once.
Then again, no sooner does she get to the main doors of the apartment building than she encounters her first obstacle: trying to open 'pull' doors while your hands are literally full of heavy bags. She pauses and frowns as she has to set down two of the bags so that she can open the door herself and do that whole awkward thing where she has to prop it open with her foot while she picks the bags up again and gets herself in. And this building has a double set of doors in the entrance to help keep the weather out.
"You wanted to get your own apartment," she mutters quietly to remind herself of that fact as she starts the process and mentally notes that she'll have to do a similar thing to get into the elevator, push the button for her floor, and finally enter her apartment. Living completely alone has its drawbacks, apparently.
|
|
|
|
Post by mm on Nov 16, 2011 5:13:31 GMT -5
"EXCUSE ME! You think if I could actually find a different job that I wouldn't take it? And don't talk to me like that. You have your nerve even looking at me that way." Mary Bromfield snapped at the tail end of a rather heated debate. Perfectly normal, the type that happens all the time unless the person is sitting in front of a mirror and the brunette frowned with the realization that she might slowly be losing her mind. Kitrina was out and about doing whatever it was she did with most of her time. Mary didn't know and didn't really care. The don't ask don't tell policy the two had developed when they first became roommates worked quite well. Of course if she thought something crooked was going on with her roommate as was the truth of course she would take a hands on approach. Fortunately for Kitrina that wasn't the case
Her shift for the day ended 90 minutes ago and she had no real plans for the day except taking the rest of it off, and that included giving her other self the rest of the day off too. She just needed a break. Too much on her mind to keep her from sleeping even though she could use it. Too much Gotham, too much FBI, Red X, crimefighting on the brain. Gotham was winding her too tightly. Why else would she be sitting here talking to herself?
Grabbing a couple Advil from her purse and snagging a glass of water from the kitchen she then trekked out of her apartment to check the mail before seeing the young woman figuratively swimming upstream with 4 bags of groceries. "Allow me to help." She offered without a second thought after spanning the distance between herself and the double doored entrance. "Please?" She smiled and reached to grab two of the bags. "Are you new here?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Heather Glass - VerMillion on Nov 16, 2011 12:36:25 GMT -5
Not noticing the other girl until she hears the offer, Heather hesitates for a moment as she glances up at her. Five years of living in the big city is enough to make anyone as paranoid as a native when it comes to strangers handling your stuff. On the other hand, it's only groceries, the one offering looks nice enough, and it really would be very helpful. "Oh, thanks, yes," she finally says, looking slightly relieved, "And, yeah, I moved in a few days ago. Finally filling the cupboards. Heather Glass."
Most of her groceries are stuff that can sit around for awhile: canned stuff, cereal, that sort of thing. With only herself to feed, she shouldn't have so much to haul from now on. But that's the real hassle with moving anywhere - the hauling of stuff out of your old place and into the new ones. "Yeah, I'm just finishing my degree and got my first solid job, so I got a better place," she explains as she switches to carrying two bags in one hand and using the other hand for door. Much easier going that way!
She supposes that she's lucky in that way; most people in Gotham seem to be losing their job, getting their hours cut, or having to make do with a worse job thanks to all this lovely business with the FBI. But with the borders of the city cut off and all sorts of trouble going on WGGZ figured that people are itching for news and entertainment, and VerMillion would be happy to give it to them.
|
|
|
|
Post by mm on Nov 16, 2011 12:57:30 GMT -5
"Mary Bromfield, and you're welcome." The eighteen year old nodded, shifting two of the bags into her arms and securing a firm grip before motioning for Heather to lead the way toward whatever apartment she rented. "I just relocated to this building myself so I know full well what a pain in the butt it is to move when you have to do it solo. For the price they charge for rent this is a pretty nice place I think you'll like it." With a bag in each arm, Mary flashed a meek smile of appreciation when the new tenant held the door open for them both, although quite curious to see which of the places was hers. Hopefully she had no surprises waiting for her when she moved in the way Mary did. Her already dim view of the landlord would grow even darker if that were the case.
"We seem to have a few things in common. I started a new job not long ago myself. I'm a cab driver, not the most glamorous of professions but it keeps the rent paid and the food coming in so beggars can't be choosers, not with the city in the state it's currently in anyway. If you do not mind me asking what kind of job do you have Heather?" She asked, probably being to bold and inquisitive all at once but that was just her nature, Not really the shy type, she had a habit of trying to make friends quickly probably to a fault.
|
|
|
|
Post by Heather Glass - VerMillion on Nov 16, 2011 14:15:18 GMT -5
Nodding to Mary's first comment, she says, "Yeah, seems nice so far. Loads better than the student housing I've been stuck in for the last while." She hardly had the same problem that Mary did. And if she had, she definitely wouldn't have accepted a roommate. Ditching roommates completely was one of the reasons why she's moving, in addition to wanting more space in general.
She gets the second door open for Mary while she listens to the girl talk, then heads for the elevator and pushes the 'up' button. And if Mary's being bold by asking such a question, Heather doesn't notice. "I'm on the radio. WGGZ at 9pm if you want to tune in. I host a call-in show called 'News and Views', under the name VerMillion," she says with a smile as they wait for the elevator. She is so, so, so happy to have that job, but that pleased smile is the only sign of it. The level of enthusiasm she expresses about anything while not at work is vastly different than the amount she has while working.
But that's just one of those things - being behind the mic at the station seems like a different world to her entirely than the one where she's hauling groceries up to her apartment. When her mom heard her show for the first time she'd commented that Heather must have been bottling up half of her energy for the past 20 years in order to save up enough to be VerMillion.
|
|
|
|
Post by mm on Nov 16, 2011 23:18:02 GMT -5
"News and views, hmm?" Mary's smile grew a little while one of her eyebrows cocked inquisitively. "Sounds like a job that really keeps you occupied. Plenty of news to go around with all the FBI agents flooding the streets playing god, the vigilantes acting like they own the city. villains breaking the laws and heroes trying to defend the laws. These are crazy times we live in." She3 answered, taking note of the woman's words. She seemed nice enough but then a person's behavior away from a microphone can be quite different from when you put one in their hand. Seeing as how her twin brother was in the profession, he was an exception to the rule but other people she has heard over the waves can be crude sometimes, or foul-mouthed, or very down to earth. It takes all kinds.
"I will make a point to catch your broadcast this evening and I look forward to it." She smiled once more, shuffling her feet in wait before the elevator doors finally opened. "You know it's funny you are a radio personality. Funny in an ironic sense. I am adopted but my biological brother is a radio broadcaster as well. His name's Billy Batson, from Fawcett City. Have you heard of him?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Heather Glass - VerMillion on Nov 16, 2011 23:46:43 GMT -5
Shrugging a little at Mary's first comment, Heather says, "It's the nature of the news business: bad news sells easily. I don't have to pull out the bells and whistles to make people listen to bad news the same way I do with good news. Of course, I only need one thing to report on per day - the FBI is giving me a lot more bad news than I need." She shrugs as she steps into the elevator, which arrived while she was talking.
Once they're inside, she pushes the button for the third floor. "Nah, I've never been to Fawcett before," she replies as she suppresses a comment on just how many radio broadcasters there are and how ridiculous it is to ask if you've heard of one in particular. Unless, of course, they have one that gets rebroadcasted nationally - but Billy Batson doesn't ring a bell to her either way.
|
|
|
|
Post by mm on Nov 17, 2011 4:07:38 GMT -5
Mary knew full well before she asked there are countless broadcasters in this country but some tend to know others in their line of work Billy has been to conventions and that kind of thing before so she had to ask even if she knew the answer would probably be no. She couldn't suppress the frown or the sigh that came with Heather's statement of the FBI giving more bad news than she needed."Welcome to the club." She whispered before turning her attention back to her hometown. "Fawcett's a pretty quaint city, kind of old fashioned but i am probably biased by saying how nice it is. Only place I've ever lived before moving to Gotham."
|
|
|
|
Post by Heather Glass - VerMillion on Nov 17, 2011 6:45:51 GMT -5
Heather just kind of shrugs off the FBI's presence herself. Sure it's caused some problems, but not so many for her and it may have even indirectly helped her get her new job. Really, the biggest complication is trying to keep her comments on her show largely neutral about them - she's connected enough to have heard that some of their tactics are a little... unsettling, so she'd rather not give them any reason to investigate her. She doesn't have anything to hide from them, but she'd certainly not want the experience anyway. So she definitely tries to be nice to the feds on her show, though it's difficult to do that when she's badmouthing pretty much everyone else trying to impose law and order on the city.
When Mary starts talking about Fawcett, Heather gets a bit quiet and her attention turns to watching the lights showing the floor the elevator is on. Sure, she could reminisce about Kansas, which isn't actually that far away from Fawcett when compared to Gotham, but she'd not fond of speaking about her origins so she'll refrain. As far as she's concerned, she was born to be a city girl even though she comes from a small town in the middle of nowhere. "Sounds like a nice place," she comments politely as the doors open and lets them out on the third floor, "How long have you been in Gotham?" She starts down the hallway, fishing her keys out of her purse as she goes so that they'll be on hand once they get to her door.
|
|
|
|
Post by mm on Nov 17, 2011 9:10:34 GMT -5
If you counted the time she pent living in New York City rooming with Bea DaCosta then Gotham isn't the only place she's lived outside of Fawcett City but to Mary there are so many similarities between Gotham and the big apple it slips her mind sometimes they are 2 different places. "Over a year. About a year and a half." She answered after recounting the months. "After I moved out of Fawcett City I spent about 6 months with a friend in Manhattan then I moved to Gotham. All in all I've been on my own for about 2 years. There's alot to be said for it although the biggest pain the FBI is causing me is that of not being able to get back to visit my family and still return." She lied. That was the least of her FBI worries but you couldn't tell it by looking at her expression just now.
Mary paused for a moment to adjust her grip on the grocery sacks, watching as Heather found her keys then moved quickly to catch up after her brief delay. "At heart I'd have to admit I'm more of a country girl. The hustle and bustle of a bustling place like Gotham is tolerable to live in and I have gotten used to it but there's nothing like wide open spaces, fresh air as opposed to smog and the great outdoors." She shrugged while they moved down the hall. "What do you like to do for fun besides sit behind a microphone?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Heather Glass - VerMillion on Nov 17, 2011 15:40:53 GMT -5
"Hmm," Heather says with a nod to the comment about family. She somewhat misses hers, but then again she hasn't kept in very close touch with them since moving out. She kind of feels like she's outgrown the place where the grew up and her family along with it. They're still her family, but they are also still the type of people who eat a lot of corn. "I've lived here five years, going to the University," she comments. That's really why she chose Gotham: it was the funnest-looking of the big city universities that accepted her when she applied. Which is actually saying something because her grades were good enough that she didn't get that many rejections.
She finds her keys and turns toward her door, fumbling just a little with the still unfamiliar lock. "Oh, I read, listen to music, shop, hang with friends, that sort of thing," she replies about having fun, "Work is hard, but it doesn't take much actual time." Just an hour in the evening in front of the mic, and however much time it takes researching a story each day - which usually doesn't take very long.
But then her door is open and she leads Mary inside. Heather's apartment is decorated in an extremely modern style, with white walls, a black rug covering most of the carpet, and every piece of furniture that didn't come with the place being either white or black. Actual color is sparse, but quite bright, like the vermilion blanket that's been left in a heap on the black leather couch. But most of the color comes from the framed graphic t-shirts that hang on the walls instead of art.
Heather heads for the kitchen area and sets the groceries that she's been carrying on the counter. "Thanks again for your help, by the way," she comments idly before she forgets, "I wish those doors had one of those buttons that open them for you. Good for more than just wheelchair people."
|
|
|
|
Post by mm on Nov 17, 2011 19:40:15 GMT -5
Mary would have related instantly if Heather had told her view of her parents. Mary's parents and brother they were still her family and she would visit if she could but not in a frequent habit. She enjoyed her independence and once you've had a taste of that you can never go back home. "This day is a rare occurrence for me. Between driving a cab and whatever else I can find to put my hand to when I'm not, i am rarely at home except to lay my head down at night."
With the wide array of black and white colors spreading throughout Mary's first opinion was that the decor of Heather's apartment seemed a little goth, or maybe it was just her. T-shirts on the walls were definitely not something one saw every day but to each their own. Despite the fact her adopted parents were rich, Mary wasn't in the habit of fussing over luxury or making a big deal of the decor of her apartment. She had her basic needs met but again to her it was just a place to lay her head down at night. Constantly on the move between work, occasionally indulging in hobbies, and naturally the other part of her life that Heather would never make the connection to if Mary could prevent it.
"I hear you. Sadly, the best piece of advice I can give you is not to hold your breath waiting for something like that. Our landlord acts as if he was born in the dark ages." She added with a touch of regret in her voice while she placed the rest of Heather's groceries down on a kitchen counter.
"Your apartment is nice and the pleasure was all mine. If you ever need anything stop by and let me know. It was a joy meeting you, Heather." She smiled and stuck her hand out, her other now fishing for her own keys.
|
|
|
|
Post by Heather Glass - VerMillion on Nov 18, 2011 1:01:33 GMT -5
Heather nods sympathetically to Mary. Her free time is newly freed up, so she's actually still getting used to it. Before all these changes, being on the radio was a footnote and most of her time was spent with school. Now she has hours and hours of doing whatever she wants.
She smirks at Mary's comments on the landlord. "Hey, compared to my last one, he seems okay. My last landlord took a week or more to get around to getting anything fixed if it broke. Which happened all the time since it was all worn out. I'll take 'stone age but working' any day," she says with a shake of her head. This apartment building may seem somewhat unpleasant to Mary, who downgraded her living space to get here, but for Heather it's a move up so it seems really nice to her.
"Same here - if you need a cup of sugar or something I have it now," she says with a smirk at the grocery bags, "Which place is yours?"
|
|
|
|
Post by mm on Nov 18, 2011 4:45:45 GMT -5
A pity that Mary couldn't tell Heather how lame the landlord really was without revealing the truth about her roommate. How lame was it that he had a trespasser occupying one of his apartments and sponging off of him without so much as being the least bit suspicious and lifting a finger to investigate? It wasn't a major problem, it just indicated, based on that and his general attitude that he wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer. "You have a point, Heather and I will keep that in mind next time I run out of coffee." She laughed a little in jest. "I'm on the 4th floor. #408 to be exact, and I have a roommate that can be a little crabby but you're still welcome to drop by any time. It's a nice 2 bedroom place." She nodded. "Is there anything else I can do to help you move in?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Heather Glass - VerMillion on Nov 18, 2011 14:27:35 GMT -5
Nodding to that, Heather says, "#408, and beware the roommate. Got it."
She opens her mouth to say that there isn't anything she needs, but then she stops herself when she thinks of something. With the addition of these groceries, her new apartment is pretty much all set now. While she may live alone now that doesn't mean that she's lacking in friends, many of whom helped her put this place in order during the first couple of days. But there is one little detail that's still missing...
"I know that this is very random, but you wouldn't happen to have an empty toilet paper tube somewhere, would you?" she asks curiously with a smile appearing on her face, "Bobby destroyed the last one when I moved him here - the stress probably got to him."
|
|