The Boarding House-Mina Aiko

 Thanks Greg for being a part of the Boarding House RP! Find out more about Greg at Book Haven

 

The place was kind of cute. 

Older but cute. It had character, as they say. Not a dump, by any means. Well, not really. Not exactly new, but... it was a boarding house. And that's what she needed.

Mina looked up at the salmon-colored exterior and the somewhat wild vegetation out front. It needed some work, but she needed a place to stay.

It would have to do.

She approached gingerly and knocked tentatively, then a little more assertively, on the front door. Butterflies in her stomach a little. She heard movement inside, thought she heard someone say "just a minute."

Friendly voice.

Then the door opened and a blond woman smiled widely to greet her.

"Mine! You must be...?"

Mina smiled and nodded. "Yes. I'm Mina." She looked beyond the blond to take in the interior. It was cute, a little messy but in an endearing way. Fussy chic, as it were. But that was only her initial impression.

'Come in, come in," the blond offered. "I'm Olivia." She held the door wider and practically pulled Mina in. "You can call me Livy. Or Liv. THE... this is home!" She seemed a little self-consciously earnest, but nice enough. She made Mina feel at ease.

"Everyone is welcome, as long as they follow my rules. Which there aren't much of. I mind my own business and expect my boarders to do the same. In the drama, as I like to say. It keeps us all happy." She clearly liked to talk. "We've only got one other at the moment, but I'm sure there'll be others. Right now we have Kirby. He's quiet and kind of keeps to himself, but he's friendly enough. Ex-military. Navy, I guess..." she whispered conspiratorially.

Mina nodded absently, only half hearing her as she looked around.

"Did you know this used to be an old dorm house...?" Olivia was saying. Smiled mine. Yes, this would do nicely. And it wasn't packed yet. She didn't think this Olivia would tolerate any parties or shenanigans. Which... good. Mina needed quiet really.

"... breakfast every day at six on the dot, and dinner every night at six as well. No extra charge," she added rather smugly.

"I'd like to see the room," Mina asked shyly.

"Of course, of course. Just this way!" She put her hand on Mina's arm companionably and led her upstairs, the stairs creaking a little bit as they ascended. Mina held on to the railing as they went, avoiding a small basket of knick knacks on one of the steps. The place had a certain charm to it, a lived in vibe. It really did feel like a dorm... minus the obnoxious college students. She smiled as they came out into the hall upstairs and Olivia led her off to the left, there was a side table with a spray of flowers and into a small room at the far end, facing the street.

Cute.

There was a faint trace of lavender and some vintage books in a corner, but otherwise, the room was spare. It had a double bed, a bookshelf that looked like it had come from the resale shop, a small closet, and a worn desk. She ran her hand over the slightly scarred wood as she looked around, a faint trace of dust in her nostrils. It was lived in but comfortable, and it would be just fine.

"This is cute," she murmured, and somewhere, she heard a door close. Olivia was puttering around the room. She had a Swiffer in her hand and was absently dusting a little as she looked at Mina out of the corner of her eye.

"What do you think?" the older woman asked.

"I'll take it," Mina replied. "It's perfect."

"Oh, good," Olivia seemed pleased. "You can move in... well, whenever, really. You're welcome anytime."

"Thank you," Mina blushed a little. "I was hoping to move in soon, maybe even this weekend..."

"That's fine, that's fine," Olivia huffed. Let's go back downstairs, I'll show you the rest of the place. Laundry is shared, it's off the kitchen...." She led the way back downstairs. This place has atmosphere, Mina was thinking as Olivia showed her around. The kitchen was large and had one of those old-fashioned tile floors. The laundry was indeed off the kitchen and someone was in there, loading clothes from the dryer into a basket.

'Oh, good timing. This is Kirby, the young man I was telling you about. Cute, isn't he?" she said in a quieter voice, only for Mina's hearing. "Kirby," she said a little louder. "Well, there you are. Meet our newest boarder. This is Mina..."