[CLOSED]

[selfconfidence]

who. Lisbeth Salander & Randolph Lyall
what. Apartment hunting and conversational attempt at being roommates ):<
where. Zeta District | Apartment Complex Area
when. ~fluid time and space~
warnings. None.

The apartments were the first thing Lisbeth had considered after that little deal with Aria, because it meant a starting point where she could finally be alone and sort out the emotions that came with arriving here. Not that she wanted to, because there were some things she needed to process and move on. Omega served as the basis for a place to hide, somewhere she wasn't likely to get caught at all, and because of that, she finally felt a slight relief come off her shoulders. Until today, she had been moving here and there, blending in as best as she could with the crowd with black lipstick, eyeliner, her entire outfit looking as if she just came from a rock concert. She was an outsider back home, and just the same here, shrugging off the occasional glance with a glare right back.

Making her way towards the latest complex, she had already dealt with a handful of rejections, just because she didn't look capable enough of holding her own, or they cost too much, or whatever bullshit reason it seemed the latest alien species used to keep her out of them. Roommates were her last resort, and one she absolutely wanted to avoid at all costs, just because she didn't trust anyone to keep out of her personal possessions and business.

"Are you kidding me?" She says, glaring at the Vorcha that had flat out said she needed a roommate, because Aria's protection, or rather, Aria herself, didn't cut it for a reference. "Do I look like the kind of person who wants a roommate?"

Comments

[selfconfidence]

Lyall's movements and words are hardly much of anything to anger Lisbeth, who had already taken out her frustrations on the Vorcha disagreeing with her. She fists her hands into her pockets with the intention of just walking away and trying again, but Lyall is anything but aggressive at first glance.

“A few,” she answers curtly, curiosity etched across her face. She knew better than to trust someone right off the bat, but the tip of the hat, his tone has her speaking as politely as possible. “They require a roommate.”

Lisbeth isn't the kind of person forward enough to actually admit she needs one, but at this point there's desperation, and there's desperation in the form of asking a complete stranger to fake being a friend.

“You might have better luck with another building if you can afford it,” she tacks on with a half hearted shrug.

[professorwolf]

"I'm afraid 'affording' is something I'm not likely to manage any time soon," Lyall admits ruefully. "I know next to nothing about the technology here, though I have at least learned how to question the Vee Aye."

He still says it as if it's a word unto itself rather than an abbreviation, and it probably sounds a bit silly.

"I know so few people here, I cannot imagine finding a roommate without it being a completely blind sort of affair." And of course it won't occur to him to offer to her. She's a young lady he's only just met. It wouldn't be appropriate to put himself forward like that. He does, however, add an introduction: "Professor Randolph Lyall, originally of London, eighteen seventy-five. How do you do?"

[selfconfidence]

“Lisbeth Salander,” she responds politely. There are moments when she can be abrasive and moments where anyone around here isn't inclined to call the girl easy to get along with, but here, in a brand new location, Lisbeth finds it easier to put together a fake personality, one that rarely, if at all, came out to play back in Sweden.

Her hands are kept to herself, shoved back into her pockets, though she offers Lyall a good natured smile, because he looks harmless. It's a premature judgment on her part, but it's a security measure all the same. “The technology isn't so hard, but if you're not caught up on the times,” she continues, noting the particular time period with a raised eyebrow. “I guess it's kinda complicated.”

She's made it such a habit not to socialize with people, but Lyall isn't after anything particular, and if it turns out that he's going to be a Huge Problem, it'd be something Lisbeth can deal with right away. “I don't know anyone here either. Easier to keep to myself than to make friends in a pointless location.”

[professorwolf]

Not offering a hand is fine with Lyall. He, instead, offers a little bow, and then a question, meant in honest curiousity. "What about the location is pointless? It seems like we are trapped here, at least until someone catches one of those shuttles back to wherever they came from, and I have yet to hear of anyone managing it. Oughtn't one to make the best of it, and try to at least settle in a bit, for the interim?"

As much as he would love to be back with his pack, rather than alone out in the void that is this... strange place, Lyall is at least resigned to it not being a short trip.

[selfconfidence]

“Cause it's not permanent,” she counters, a half shrug. “You can settle down all you want, but if you're still trying to get home, why bother?”

Maybe that's her own subconscious speaking, but she just wanted a place to settle down without any particular needs or details. She wasn't specific, beyond the current argument over money and roommate requirements, but like Lyall, Lisbeth only saw the place as a temporary resident.

“Unless you're looking for someplace nicer than these?”

[professorwolf]

"Mostly because I am growing a bit weary of a lack of amenities," Lyall explains with a slight cough. He doesn't want to get more detailed than that in police company, given speaking about toilette is not generally done where he's from. Even a mention of shaving-- which thankfully he does not have to contend with-- is taboo. "I really should at least settle for the moment, as escape does not seem to be immediately forthcoming. If you have any suggestions that a more modern individual would be aware of, as opposed to one of my time, however, I would be... glad of the advice."

She seems to at least have herself well in hand, even if her luck with finding housing is not much better than his own.