Lunistra
Timothy's Condominium

Neither Laurence nor Timothy had sent for a car for her when she moved in a day later to Lunistra. She had to take the bus, once again. It wasn't a peaceful discussion, too, when she announced to her mother that she found a good-paying job at the city but it required her to stay there. Her mother, of course, had a lot to say.

"You'll be alone! A young lady, alone in a big city! Who knows what could happen?" Her mother's warnings echoed in her mind as she gazed at the tall building they passed. The people, milling about as they rushed to work. It looked busier than what she was used to. Still, Lunistra was a comfort. The only fully-human city left in the world. No metamorphs lurking in human crowds, no elementals peddling promises for her soul, and no Animas waiting to prey on mortal flesh. Just humans. Ordinary, flawed, and perhaps a little predictable, except for the mystic grid, of course. But that was almost mundane compared to the rest

Moving into Timothy's condominium in the afternoon had been a flurry of emotions for Emily. First, she felt rushed with nerves and excitement at how fast she was moving into his home. Second was awe when she stepped into his abode. She stood immobile at the entryway as she took in the interior of the condominium, her eyes lingering on the small intricacies of the decor. She heard Timothy chuckle at her reaction and immediately schooled her expression.

"Shall I give you a tour?" He asked. Emily only gawped at him, only now noticing that he wasn't dressed to the nines like he usually would. He only wore a grey sweatshirt and matching sweatpants. Although he was only wearing loungewear, Emily couldn't help but compare herself, in her nicest floral blouse and cleanest jeans, to him. She still paled in comparison.

"Miss Choi?" She looked up to meet his gaze, "Huh? Yes--yes, please." She muttered. The man took the luggage from her as he walked her around the unit, reminding her that she was free to use the property amenities as she saw fit. Emily merely nodded at this. Timothy still felt as cold and distant as he did at the cafe and his office, but there was that air of quiet ease that made her slightly lower her guard.

"This will be your room," Timothy said as he opened the door to one of the rooms down the hall. It was a massive flat that had 5 bedrooms spread in 3 floors. The third emotion she felt was some form of longing--hoping and wishing that her family would be able to experience the same, but this was immediately followed by the guilt and shame for not being able to provide something nicer for her family. Here she was, in a large property, while her brother and mother stayed with auntie Mariel whom her mother hated.

"I'll be meeting an acquaintance in the afternoon so I'll be leaving you to get settled." He informed as he started closing the door to her room.

"Okay. What time should dinner be ready?" She asked, harried, remembering that she was supposed to be the 'Domestic Manager'. A fancy way of calling her a housekeeper, but she wasn't one to complain.

"6PM, but I usually have dinner elsewhere. A light supper at 9PM would suffice." was his response and finally closed the door to her room. Emily was left sitting on her double bed, mentally taking note of this: No dinner, only supper. 

She looked around her new room, admiring the quality of the furniture, her fingers grazing the soft cotton of her sheets, the thick linen blackout curtains and the beautifully carved Elm of the vanity table. A single stemmed Sunflower sat on the corner of the table in a fancy looking light blue vase. It looked magical and the added flair didn't seem like it came from Timothy.

She would have to thank Laurence for that unique personal touch in the room. She was caressing the flower when Timothy's voice broke her reverie, making her jump and nearly knocking the vase off the table. "Oh, and before I forget, we have provided you a few essentials as my companion in a safe inside the top far right of the closet." She spun, clutching the vase to her chest. Her eyes were wide with surprise and Timothy only arched a brow at her.

"Well then, I'll leave you to your flower." He said, still as emotionless as ever, but as he closed the door Emily was positive she caught his lips curve into an amused smirk. Heat blossomed on her neck and ears and she was thankful the man wasn't there to witness her blush.

Once she has calmed and was sure that her employer won't be coming back, she placed the vase back on the vanity and went to check the safe in her closet. There, she found the code written in a clear script: 0809. 8th of September. Her birthday. She was almost taken aback by this detail if not for the realisation that Laurence did provide them with necessary details of each other to make their "companionship" believably realistic.

She punched in the code and the metal box popped open, revealing the contents: A set of keys, a stack of papers that held Timothy's daily schedule and the list of people she apparently needed to memorise--who they were and what they did, a white leather wallet that had a black plastic card with Timothy's name in print that said credit on the corner, as well as a manipulated photo of what looked like her and Timothy vacationing in a different country. There was also a feature phone that also unlocked with the same code as the vault. The same photo from the wallet was set as its wallpaper. Emily took a doubletake at how realistic it was. There she was, smiling at the camera while Timothy held her waist, looking very smitten. How in the world is that even possible?

It was eerily realistic that it made her skin crawl. Who knew what else the cousins were capable of?

Suddenly, she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket.

Laurence:
Heard that you've moved in. There are formal attires inside your closet.

Emily haven't finished reading the message and immediately checked the rest of her closet and Laurence was right. There were these fancy looking shiny dresses that would probably make her look like a homing device and some pantsuits in dark neutral colours--perhaps to match with Timothy's. She continued reading the message once she was satisfied checking and admiring the clothes. Everything's my size. She thought, astonished. Although, she should've expected this level of detail from Laurence and nothing less.

The fridge is not well stocked. Use the credit card for house upkeep ONLY. Keep the receipts in the locker. Will check every month with the bank.

Emily spent the rest of the afternoon what felt like snooping, but she reassured herself that it was more of getting a hold of the lay of the land. She did as she would in her shop: inventorying everything in the house to make sure everything was in order. She had a system when she worked and being a domestic worker did not change that.

She began with unpacking her things and storing them in drawers and hanging them in the closet. She sent a quick text to Joshua to assure him that by the end of the week, she would pay the initial three hundred thousand. She also assured her mother that they're getting back the house in its entirety next week. She was determined to make this work out.

Once she was done in her bedroom, she moved on to check the bathrooms, checking the supply cabinets for toiletries. Those were well stocked. She checked the other rooms of the three levelled condominium, clutching her new phone as she typed in all the things that she would account for. She decided that she would have to restock the toiletries at a monthly basis. She made sure everything was organised to the way she found them. 

Perfect. She thought and smiled to herself.