NOVEL NEXT Chapter 80: Impulsive Thoughts
A week had gone by. Marcus didn't let the trio do anything for their guilds and also made sure that they didn't get hurt, since they were getting into life-threatening situations in almost all their interactions with other people.
Nova and Elesch were at the apartment, fully healed and legarthic, since they wanted to fight. For them, they liked to live in the moment, so if their mortals were to die or experience pain, they would act appropriately; but in reality, they don't care about death or pain or anything of that sort, since if they were to die, they would just reanimate back in Inner Heaven, so for them, dying with a mortal soul was nothing but some cheap change.
Elesch was attending to the cats, as Nova grabbed the handle in the bathroom, having eaten a lot of spicy Mexican food, which Elesch wasn't complaining about, and realized that she could compete professionally in eating spices, whereas Nova was about to release, or attempt to release a large horde of poop, thay may or may not require more energy and stamina than fighting that B-rank lackey.
He squeezed the handle tight, crushing it in the process, then released the horde of shit that was being piled up, his eyes wide from pain, and from relief as all that shit finally came out, his anus going back to his normal position.
He gulped and looked lifeless, his head aching, his body trembling, as he felt as if a third of his weight had been drastically reduced. He felt very hungry again, feeling as if there was a hole in his stomach.
He came out of the bathroom, with Elesch making some breakfast. Nova grabbed the check on the counter and told Elesch was going to deliver it to Talia for the upcoming month's rent. She nodded as she continued to cook, the aroma filling the apartment and releasing into the world, as Nova opened the door.
He was slightly touching his ass in pain, as the shit he just took was... deadly, to say the least. He slowly, dragging his steps, walked along until he reached her office. He opened the door, greeted the secretary, who told him that Talia was available, then entered to give Talia the check.
Upon greeting her and giving her a check, Talia wanted to have a somewhat trivial conversation with him, so he sat down slowly, not wanting his ass to feel more stingy. As he sat down, some of the pain triggered in his body, pushing his head back up, as his body performed a wave.
"Are you okay?" Talia said, bewildered by the sight she saw.
"Yeah, yeah," he said, still in a lot of pain, but put on a fake smile to reassure her, which didn't work. "I'm fine. Don't worry about me. Anyways, what did you want to talk about?"
"Oh yeah, I just wanted to ask if everything was fine now that Elesch," Talia said, speaking with a slight southern accent. "Was with you. I can try to get you a better apartment, which is maybe in your budget."
"Nah, we're fine right now, though I might consider it in a couple of months," Nova said, fully settled into his seat. "And probably go for something bigger than just a two-bed and one bath. If you have like three bed and two baths, that would be better."
"Oh," Talia didn't look excited. "I don't know if you will be able to afford it right now, since you just started earning from the guild. It's about six thousand dollars. I mean, that's a lot of your monthly paycheck."
"That's true," Nova was unfazed, as he didn't care about material possessions but now that he was moving up in the world, his philosophy was also changing. "But I will still get it, say by December? If that's possible."
"Of course, that's possible, but are you sure about it? I mean, six thousand dollars is a lot, and I don't charge you the actual price of the apartment you're living in. So, that jump may disrupt the way you live now."
Nova thought about it, then suddenly an impulsive thought emerged in his head, which seemed to have taken control of him. "You know what, I'll take the apartment if you have it right now. I'm feeling a little impatient."
"What...?" Talia asked, confusion scribbled across her face. "Just to make sure we are clear. You want the apartment right now. And you know that your monthly rent is about a large chunk of your paycheck, about two-thirds, but you still want it. Is that correct?"
"Yes, why not. Might as well move in right now, rather than wait until December." Nova said, his voice enthusiastic, with a broken, childish smile appearing as he didn't even realize what he was signing up for.
Talia blinked at him for a moment, her lips pressing into a thin line as she reached for the drawer behind her desk. She pulled out a thick stack of papers bound together by a clip.
"Alright then," she said, her southern drawl softening into a professional cadence. "This here is the leasing agreement. It'll take a little while to go through everything. You sure you're in the right headspace to sign today?"
Nova, still slightly leaning to one side to ease the sting in his ass, waved his hand dismissively. "I'll manage. Pain makes me focus sharper."
Talia raised a brow at that but didn't argue. She slid the first set of forms forward and pointed at the sections. "This page covers your rent, fees, and utilities. Six thousand, due at the first of every month. That includes water, trash, and one covered parking space."
"Got it," Nova said, scribbling his name without even scanning the fine print.
She paused, watching the reckless speed of his pen. "You're not gonna read any of this?"
"I trust you," he said simply, though his stomach was beginning to growl again, hunger gnawing at him as though he hadn't just evacuated a third of his body weight. "Besides, if I mess up, it'll be a lesson for later."
Talia exhaled slowly, as though she wanted to argue but didn't have the energy. "Fine. Here, insurance rider. It covers damages in case something… odd happens. And with you, Nova, I don't doubt it might."
He smirked faintly, signing again. "Yeah, odd things follow me around."
The process dragged on for nearly an hour, Nova's hand cramping as he signed form after form, initialed boxes, and nodded along at terms he half-heard. By the time the final signature was done, his back was sweaty, his legs stiff, and his ass still throbbing with pain.
Talia gathered the stack back together, tapping it neatly against her desk. "Well, that's it. You've officially locked yourself into the bigger apartment. Move-in can be as soon as tomorrow. I'll have maintenance prep the place."
Nova leaned back in the chair, trying to look triumphant, though exhaustion rolled over him in waves. "Perfect. Elesch and Marcus are going to love this."
"Let's hope so," Talia said, giving him a nervous smile. "Because once that first rent hits, there's no going back."
Nova stood slowly, wincing as the pressure shifted against him again, but forcing a grin anyway. "Story of my life."
He collected the spare key she slid across the desk, then staggered to the door. The thought of telling Elesch and Marcus impatiently excited him, though part of him couldn't ignore Talia's words: no going back.