Chapter 23: 20 Rude
Eliza avoided around from the front entrance as it was blocked by a big crowd. All hovering at the code gate for no good reasons. Young punks with similar hoodies and phones out and was messing around while videoing it. Even the landlord looking out from window watched in a deep frown, a nice guy she spoke in interview for the apartment. Before she viewed it, it was a empty room that needed painting. Her job had a moving company fill in basic furniture like bed, sofa and wardrobe. So the boxes she has stacked on wheels was kichten stuff, personal possessions and food shop. Where her backpack from last night was basics. Following this was that she hide important things in her shadow pocket but no one actually would comprehend such a thing.
"Miss Fallown, right?" The guy in a full body boiler suit and fancy tool belt. She has no reason to trust a guy but the van he came from is always parked here and she seen him in and out already.
"That's me." She was stopped in trying to debt risk of wheeling past these delinquents.
"I am Daniel, Mr Gosbul hires me for hand repairs for his tenants." Shaking left hands, "I don't blame you not going that way. So follow me." She nods. She watched him get a big box from the van and close the big door shut. He huffed looking at them kids. Lifted the box woth some strain. He crossed the path and leads through a thin alley, of which she followed around. It was barely enough for him to carry the wide box of his, so no wiggle room to swing at her if this was some trick. He stops to a thicker gate with the same code pad lock system as the front does. Its a different number and she doesn't watch what those numbers were. He grunts with having to squeeze behind her in muttering annoyed of something. She holds the gate he unlocked open ad he disappeared the thin way back. He looked a little relieved in return and smiles warm that she waiting for him, even holding that gate.
"Thank you sir. I really appreciate it." She helps with her foot stopping the gate so he carries his box. It was some heavy box with fragile labels, "Looks like a new ordered sink." She helps close the gate and he sighed. He shows the way with that heavy box to a service elevator and they ride together up the floors. Getting off the same floor. They stop short of watching the girl kicking a door. Handy Daneil putting the box down and rushed over stopping her from kicking more door. Mr Gosbull rushed over too from the struggling sound and toy boy steps in pulling the girl and Dan apart.
"What the hell you thinking kicking doors?" Daniel being fine from being knocked into a wall. He wasn't fighting but just restraining her. The toy boy frozen up a moment in having to rethink the situation as he only seen a guy in a boiler suit holding a weak girl. Where Mr Gosbull knows Daniel and took a look at the kick marks into the door. Eliza leaned down and managed, holding the big box with a sink and wheels her stuff closer. Eliza sees its her door that being kicked and passed over the big sink box to Daniel that thanks her and nods impressed of her strength.
"Why you trying to break into my flat?" Her accent made everyone sort of stutter in whatever they were about to say. She carts more forward as they moved aside. She unlocked the door, "I don't know what your playing at but I have literally just moved in. There is absolutely nothing in here but a few bits. I had to buy a Kettle today." She opens it wide and posed to invite in, "Look for yourself if you want. I have nothing to hide."
"No Miss Fallown. This is Miss Haper trying to have her way. Better to not let her indulging in whatever she got going. We have talked about this, haven't we Miss Haper?" Mr Gosbull the landlord is highly aggravated toward this girl with sharp glare. But she has that wobble bottom lip and deep red tantrum shake.
"I left my headphone there. When I helped paint the living room." Eliza wheels her stuff in through to the kitchen and 'Miss haper' lets herself in trying to push the boxes out of her way but could pass until Eliza unblocked the way, "Look she hung pictures!" thrown a frame off the wall to only find a sticker hook that isn't a nail in the wall. The glass survived being tossed.
"Stop this." Grabbing her from throwing more stuff, her boy toy not amused by her behaviour, "This is ridiculous. If you want to find your headphone then stop messing with people stuff. You lost it, it's not the new person's fault you lost it."
"I told you." Mr Gosbull putting the picture back up for her. Shaking his head. He was also looking around himself for a short while in the space there is and empty as she said it was.
"I should apologise anyways. Last night I was a little tipsy from celebrating my 18th. I remembered stumbling about trying a few doors before I actually remembered my flat number. Maybe my hiccups being loud too." Eliza giving a soft bow toward the group, "I might have been rude this morning with my headache."
"No. No. No. You at least were partying outside of here and came here safely. That's more important." Mr Gosbull must be sick of those that treat his building like they do, "Miss Fallown, you wouldn't have been given the flat if you were going be another one these lot." Which was blunt honest. It seems those not British but beat around a Bush when it comes to these things.
"I am just going to sort out this." Handy Dan waved off and leaves.
"Thank you again. I send a message if i find a problem. I will always of course take photos and address them with Mr Gosbull too." She sighed, "Oh... there was something I did find odd since were here." She moved to her living room to the only wall with nothing and posed at it, "Was there like a hole or something here. It's difficult to hang things and seemed a concern." Both Gosbull and Dan steps feeling the wall up. While toy boy and Miss haper were in a argument between them. His holding her back from more rude antics. Eliza directly watching them.
"This is a indeed a hole that been covered up. We had a survery check it but..." Dan uses a a sting and plumb stone in checking that angle. Both men nod.
"I would not recommend putting a TV here." She softly nods.
"It's fine. I don't need one. I will keep it in mind with what I put there." Everyone helps getting the girl out of the flat as she lied about her headphones. Eliza nods gladly of the awkward leave everyone has, like saying she didn't need a TV, "When I get settled in more, I wouldn't mind inviting folks around for tea or whatever is the common thing you do here."
Mr Gosbull nod grateful that she a normal girl and so far has acted within his expectations. Daniel smiled that she treated him like a human then just part of the building. The toy boy and his girl problem were so wrap up in whatever that they didn't even acknowledge anything said. Rather they final went separate ways, girl smash door shut. Handy Dan helps himself into the guys apartment to clearly replace the sink there. She goes nearly closing her front door completely to only widen it to let Curiosity back, as he was squaring eyes towards Mr Gosbull. The two nod and finally Curiosity got into the apartment. Steps around to sit at her sofa, lazed in looking at the area of wall. Eliza minding her own business sets up everything. Multitasking with her mask side helping to unpack the kitchen stuff and food shopping. Cleans up the already built in appliances like the fridge and chest freezer. The washing laundry machine runs empty with cleaner products.
"They picked this apartment for you because of this hole." Curiosity posed flatly, "It's a gate set by my queen. Thus making this a sort of access walkway. This building is in a eclipsed pocket between realms and thus is its own pocket. The landlord isn't what he seems." She stood up from crouched at a lower point to over look her living to Curiosity. She blinks a lot to process what that meant. It made her change her mind about where she going to hang her art. She also would have to change the method of it being on display, as the images were sensitive to portals gates. She blinks a lot in so many thundering voices in her head, that clatter down to five main ones. Each a value thought like how best to regard Mr Gosbull in future and the living room layout. The change for flooring and runic protections for her bedroom. It makes reasonable sense she choosen to protect the gate in her flat. She got back to sorting out her flat, accepted this is what it will be. Curiosity tilts of how she got back to unpacking, that she was fine with the choose.
"Just fine." He noted and off the coach. He heads through past her flat door and clearly left to speak things with the the landlord. She go her phone out and click through to some playlisy of music. She plays it in a mid level as background sound in the otherwise to quiet. She can hear other flats TVs or the boiler pipes in the walls if she didn't have something.
"Neat." tap steps of someone hopped in.
"So they did find a human willing to put up with ghosts." Another huffed.
"Curiosity went to talk to the landlord down the hall." She announced and they jump like cats all claws out and fluffy. She stands straight at her kitchen looking on, "You seem more like a pair of cats than undertakers." She tilts sideways to them and they recover quickly from the embarrassing situation. She about finished with the kitchen and moved around to the living room to unpack the next box. She wasn't going to cook food or anything until later. Time flys by working hard at organising things, skipping lunch but she not hungry and will wait to do a big dinner instead. As before but in hiding around better, her shadow side does a lot more work in a given moment. She put up flat pack shelving in a hallways toward her bedroom for her not essential book collection. She rearranged the sofa to a more better spot and lifted up a coffee table she hide in storage. She has other better character peices of furniture just sort of pulled from no where. Like the locked ornate wood chest with inlay wood patterns, clearly some sort of hand craft that was gifted to her at somepoint. It fits in being unassuming in the environment she created of this flat, but really a lot of her personal stuff isn't.
"Wow, a girl knows how to work." Heard rather plain. She steps out from her bathroom as she was putting stick shelves to organise her skin care products. She got back around to the living room where a lot of spirit types are just standing about chilling. She pulls long face in debate and just sighs. She goes to her kichten. She sorted out some fancy drinks and cooking her own food for herself.
"Ah, miss Fallown. I like what you done with the art." Mr Gosbull but not in his human illusion. No a common African decent man with a big smile as she seen before. Instead he seems like a sort of spirit from there, tribe paint pattern that makes face features and a more tree with no bark body. A strange curse tribal guardian. She still keeps calm and was steady in where she guesses his eyes are.
"I was debating what frame of wood to use." She used left hand to pass over a spirit drink. He takes it with raised eye section. He smells it and poured it over himself. He gave back the glass, "I was also going to maybe ask Daniel to help put in a floor that be easier to mop. Carpet is hard to say clean looking." He softly nods at her idea.
"Your a good soul but clearly whatever you fear must be terrible." He moved away in clearly not finished saying his words. But then again, all these spirit do that. Like it's a habit. She picked up a tray and several folks take the drinks. Some drink and others pour it on themselves. The undertakers declined, well expected Curiosity. He picked a glass and holds it in his hand. She takes the now emptied drink glasses to her kichten and sits at the breakfast bar overlooking her living room. Curiosity joined her there, watching eagerly.
"I can appreciate who you choosen to be here." Mr Gosbull shakes his hand to a very skantly dressed undertaker. Not only was her curves about to put seams but her pear shape didn't fit well with the uniform. Heavy in painted makeup. She stiff as any dead person could be, back held perfect alignment and legs somehow fine with the pin high heels. She makes fashion easy.
"Well Miss Fallown or rather Miss Marionette is another unique sort like you are. Someone attached to the living realm and its law. But we cannot loose a cog ranker like her to any unwanted kingdoms. We have been for the less then 2 human decades trying to accommodate where best to fit her. So this opportunity was in good position for both of us." Strong grasp and slow release, "I hear that she quite an able sort. She might even have some trade of her own ability to help us both." The lady queen turning with Gosbull to look Elizas way.
"The only downside about having me around is the attraction of God slayers I create." Eliza shurgs like that was normal, "Or some entities that have a habit of not following laws of normality. If anyone thinks that there strange graffiti staring at you, you will want to pretend you didn't notice it."
"Is that so?" Gosbull ponders in cross arms and taps chin. He then points and up and flats hand, "You wouldn't happen to be able to help the lad out then. He doesn't have pets but there always... marks around."
"Claws marks?" Eliza asking slowly.
"No... like smells." She nods at that understanding.
"I guess I have a look into it. If of course the girlfriend realizes I not into him." Gosbull huffed in that long aggravated huff. He can get rid of that girl and can't complain either. The girl has something over the landlord to get her way it seems, "There's hope for the girl to get her head out the clouds. It not going to take long for nightmares to be attracted to her habits. She be paid full by karma for sure. We have that as a certainty of law. They say the world's work in mysterious ways."
Eliza got up and gives a soft bow of welcome, "Forgive my rudeness. I should actually make things a little more straightforward about me." She soon stands straight and began a long wave of actions in hand gestures, easing off casting her mask to her right hand. She makes a second proper courtesy but didn't wait to stand straight in the queen's command, "The way I see and work is that I am a neutral party of my own. I respect you both individually and I will follow the laws as I should to the extent I can. But I am duel titled by sigil, I have hard enough things to worry about then just my human life in melt down by another human. I am happy to be hired in tasks and often as my rank show, find my own payments. I don't do things for free but most times I will have some payment for what I do which means I not needing you to try to reward me. After all, I am simply both an outsider and a cog ranker. I have my own duty to tend to which is payment enough in your allowance."
"Ah, cog ranker... that makes more sense. But an Outside ranker too?"
"Just another book keeper as any other Seer is. I am both Fallown and Seer. But I don't belong to both families. I am alone and only have my own side. The names I carry will only seek revenge over the two sides. As the poor soul as go between book and realm law. I don't get much of a choose in things. Even since I ended up a living human wasn't my choose." Eliza dully spoke and blinks a bit, "Anyway. I am looking forward to whatever adventure is to be offered. There little I can cause or do that matters."
"You know your place in this universe, Miss Fallown. That a gift to treasure knowing." Gosbull pats her shoulder, "You are a good kid no matter what illusion you try to hide yourself with."
"I wish I had such hope like that." She shook, "Anyway, don't let me be in the way. I have to finish up hanging more papers." collected the last box and away from them. She gets on with placing these strange marker covered jars around in strange places. She especially was particularly in which way they faces and the light that reaches them. Gosbull tilts to how one the drawing on her wall was different for a moment. Yet gladly everyone important takes a seat and Curiosity was quick in passing the drink he been holding to the queen. He stays at the Queens side in full kneel and obeying to be so still. She finished that drink and the glass placed balance on his head. Hat at his chest to pay proper respect.
"We couldn't pick any better with her ranking and way of things." Gosbull sitting across, "But clearly there a lot to unpack and you clearly distrust her as equally ad her names. But I will tell you in my humble opinion, there is nothing I can sense from her soul as a bad thing. Not even from the shape in her shadow." He poked the coffee table, "I do not know how someone can carry the so much with such little fragments of soul can be so strong. That there is someone who wishes to protect us, willing take a fall in order for others to rise." Another Demigod type with xray insight. The Queen sighed in not being sure of taking this value before her. It seems just as past monarchs of undertakers before. Everyone of them has had something against Eliza before she could even be chanced to understand and explain herself. Just what cosmic problem has these undertakers distrustful of her? She stood in holding a last jar in having overheard what she did. As it was for her other fragments in her existence, she faced again with future dilemmas. Taking this conversation in foreshadowing whatever court action will be when she looses her human life. Curiosity loyalty to his duty was unfathomable unshakeable. So there once again grows a bed of thrones for their future. Is she always going to have this repeated nightmare? This the krama waiting to pay debt to her for leaving existence in a messy manner.
She places the jar to its new home for now, staring up towards it with so many of her inside voices trying to find justice or rationality in why undertakers always have a knife to her back like always.
"Hello!" Rude banging of front door. Eliza looking up that way. She sighed in just having to put her feelings aside and dealing with this crazy girl that lives here too. Kept peep hole, the weird girl blocked it. So door on chain, blocks full open. The push attempt was weak and a failure to get Miss Haper force entry.
"No your not coming into my flat. You lack manners and I don't want to deal with your temper tantrum. I still have a headache from last night. Whatever you think you coming it for, is not here."
"I lost my phone." Bold lie ruined with it buzzing in her back pocket. Eliza drops her pretense being nice with her expressions and just looked at this little girl. Of course having dead cold eyes makes the girl thinks that she about to be murdered. The fear of the little girl back herself away to the wall opposite of the front door.
"I will act nice because I don't want trouble. But if you try my patience, then I am not going to need to keep pretending to act fake. I have ture colours but I don't wear them in front of little kids like you. So leave me alone." Door closed and the girl takes a while to leave. Goes back to her own flat shaken. Eliza guarding the door while also letting her mask side enjoy whatever negative energies ate away from that kid. She doesn't move away until she certain to hear the flat door close at the end of the corridor. Fairly follow that handy Dan and toy boy were also exiting into the common corridor over talk about the sink replaced issue.
"You going to have to really discuss your issue with Gosbull over the strange problems. Constantly having to repair your walls and stuff is not going to be easy for everyone. Fear whatever happens if the electric or gas lines are caught." Handy Dan passing by as they moved together towards the little miss Haper. Go check in with her.
"Whatever is that girl, she's not human!" Screamed plain for all to hear, Eliza huffed in evasedropping at how much of extent do these folks know about things.
"Seriously this again?" Toy boy is angry now, "You keep saying that about everyone that as lived in that room. You keep trying to prove some nut case conspiracy. You even accused Mr Gosbull being inhuman, but you seemed to at least came to your sense about him. I bet you just really upset Miss Fallown with your nonsense and she wasn't going to continue this game you think up in that head of yours." Over bloated bubble has finally Busted. He clearly had this for a long time and was being gentle about it. Now, she crossed a line. He wasn't going to take it anymore. He said enough and goes back to his flat. Handy Dan sighed and takes the service elevator down away. She slams her door with soon sobbing. Eliza huffed, it seems karma came a bit to swiftly then normal. Or was there more things to it then that? If anything, the way his words sounded as he definitely is hiding something from her. Lied at her for being the crazy one. It could be he knows what his apartment problem is and is trying to keep things secret. A terrible job of it.
"Miss Marionette." She looked up from the floor, "We aren't the only two unique folks of this apartment. But best not to be in others business." Gosbull knows then.
"I don't intend to be. Rather I just want to be able to know what concepts are safe speaking to which people. It's not my place to say anything or ask unnecessary questions."
"Would you shake a strangers hand even if you know they were something else?" Gosbull pondered.
"I would shake death by the hand and wish him and his people good fortune." She softly mutters, "It's not like I can blame anyone for what happens and why it happens. I can't complain in wondering why the scales of reality are what they do when I am a witness to those that keep those things for the rest of us." She tilts, "It doesn't matter what way a river will flow or what becomes washed away in the torrent of currents." She softly opens the door for her guests to leave as they wish, "I can simply only wish those well and grasp to what little finds strength to take my hands." She looks them in the eyes, "Because taking the hand of strangers is a two way street. It takes both sides to hold on."
Gosbull nodded at such strange way of her courage. He also can see what why the undertakers seem so uncertain about her. But even then, she does indeed offer her right hand. Gosbull could barely even make reach of it in feeling every bit of himself pulled inside, that a sharp feeling of so many waves torn through and lashed in a testing him. He moved his hand away from her and this feeling subsided.
"No one has been able to carry the burdens of broken names like I can. It is why my name was once written in the core index of this universe. I have yet to turly find another soul strong enough to replace what name was erased." Her mask spoke of its own voice but it carried the depths of many emotions. It were indeed the source of why Gosbull felt tested, "Forgive me for testing you in such a rude manner. I shall just continue to cling in dying hope. The embers of my will has been at a fade. I shall just wait until to late, again." She took the mask off and break it across the wall behind her. She bows softly in knowing it said to much. Gosbull can't help but stand in terror of a painful thing to do. Moved away to the hallway to reflect over her words and actions. She puts her hands behind her and in continue bow as the Queen and her partner walk through. Curiosity close at her heels and some guardians. A fella she met before pushed his reading glasses at her with an attempt to see her in the eyes.