Chapter 16: Surprise
Leo walked into the store. He saw a lady at the desk at the end of the store. She saw him walk up to her. She looked at his condition and frowned, but she didn't say anything. He reached the desk.
"Hello. I am Leo." He introduced himself.
"Hello, Leo. I am Adira. How can I help you today?" She responded. Even though she was visibly uninterested in helping Leo, she still treated him like a regular customer.
"I am looking for a small house in the Commoner's District to rent. Do you have any houses that I can rent for around 2000 Star coins?" He asked her.
She was taken aback, but she quickly recovered.
"Y-yes. We have a few houses around that range. You can get small cottages with two rooms and a living room as well as a kitchen for that price. Of course, it will all be cramped up and the rooms will share a bathroom." She gave him some details.
He smiled. "That is exactly what I need. Can I rent one of those?"
Adira looked at him. "You will have to pay the first 2 months of rent in advance or show some proof of income to rent a house."
He was shocked. He did not know this piece of information. But he didn't want to go back and give his money to the Blacktooth Gang. So he requested Adira for some help.
"I am sorry, Adira. I don't have that much money. Currently, I have enough for one month. I came here because Trevor said you can help me." He explained to Adira.
Her face changed when Trevor's name got pulled up.
"Trevor sent you? Do you work for him?" She asked him. She didn't even ask for any proof that he actually knew Trevor.
He nodded. "Yes, occasionally. I can definitely pay the advance for the three months during the first month. If you want, I can pay the first month the minute you give me a house."
Adira thought for a second. She looked at him and asked, "Do you want to see the house? Do I need to arrange a tour?"
He shook his head. "Not at all. I trust you because Trevor said you were trustworthy. Just show me the house, and I can give you the money. As long as you don't cheat me, I will be a good customer."
She went back into thought. She nodded her head and stood up.
"Okay. I can show you the house and give you ownership. Just wait one minute."
Adira went to the back and got some documents. She placed them on the desk and gave a pen to him.
"Sign these and you will have a lease."
He immediately signed the papers. The minute he signed them, she took them back to the back. When she came back, she was ready to take him to his house.
"Come with me."
They left the store and walked toward the commoner's district. It wasn't very far from their current location. It was only 15 minutes to get there. They got there quickly and he saw his new dwelling.
He entered his new house. It had a comfy living room and two snug rooms to sleep in. The kitchen was in the back. This wasn't a lot, but to him it was luxury. He immediately took his wallet out and took out 2000 Star coins in notes. He handed them to Adira.
Adira took them with a small feeling of astonishment. She was surprised that such a young person was handling so much money and renting a house for himself.
"Thank you. Is there any proof of my lease?" He asked her.
"Yes. Here is the token and the key to the lock." She said and handed him a small black token as well as a key.
"Can I go now? Is there anything else to do?" He asked her.
She shook her head. "You are good to live here. Nothing else. You can pay the advance in 30 days to keep staying here."
Leo smiled. He immediately ran toward the slums to his shack. He was gleaming because of the good news. By this time the sun had already set. It was dark outside, but the lamps hung by inns and bars were lighting the way.
He got to the shack and entered it. He saw Daphne waiting for him like the last time he went into the forest. She saw him enter and stood up. Before she could say anything, he stopped her.
"Pack everything up. We are leaving this place." He said to her.
There wasn't much to pack up, and it would take 10 minutes at best to do it. But Daphne didn't do it immediately. She was a little confused.
"Did you fail? We still have two days, I think. Why are we leaving in the night?" She asked him.
He smiled. "Just do as I say. I have it figured out."
Daphne sighed and got up. She folded the blankets and held them up. That was all they had that they could bring with them. The only other possessions were the satchel and whatever was in it.
"Follow me, now." He said to her.
She followed him as he asked. They started walking toward the commoner's district. While they were walking, people gave a few weird glances, but no one said anything. Daphne was still confused.
"Where are we going in the middle of the night? Why are we doing this-"
They got to their destination. They were in front of a small cottage. The cottage was in a line of similar cottages.
"We're here."
Daphne looked at the cottage.
"We can't be here. The owners will call the guards." Daphne was worried.
"You don't have to worry about that. This is our new home." Leo said proudly.
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A/N: Sorry for the slow pace. From now, the story progression will start to become more apparent.
I would greatly appreciate comments about the story at any point. I would also appreciate reviews.
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