Forums » General Roleplay » Students vs Burglars [18+]

"You're back," Meg replied. "That was fast!"

"Uh, yeah," Danny said. "Turns out, I'm your new next-door neighbor, so um good call! Thanks for letting me put my stuff in here for a moment. I don't want to be a bother or anything like that. I haven't even seen the inside of my new place yet. I better grab my stuff and get settled in."

Danny wasn't exactly Mr. Social. He had few friends. Actually, one really. Dani Lockhart who was now thousands of miles away from him. She had been the only reason Danny ever went out at all. Left to his own devices, Danny would stay in his apartment all of the time. As long as he had the internet or his phone could get service, he could pretty well get whatever he needed.

Danny was the type of guy that tended to order things online. He was a big fan of delivery services, particularly when it came to food. For other things, he tended to use Amazon. On the rare occasion he chose to get groceries, he tended to order those as well. When he did leave his apartment, it was typical to go to a fast-food restaurant just to get out of his place. Dani often would make him go do things with her for his own good. They used to meet halfway at a gas station between their houses.

Danny wondered if he'd have much reason to leave his new apartment. He noted on his way in that there was a bus stop near the corner of the apartment complex. Perhaps he'd pick Meg's brain later about what there was to do around here. He did wander sometimes when he got bored. There was also an entire campus to explore a few blocks away, but Danny planned to take most of his college courses online if not all of them.

"Sure, uh need a hand with your stuff," Meg asked quickly. She eyed the instrument case.

"Do you play guitar," She asked. That seemed like a stupid question.

"Bass," he said quickly.

"Oh, cool. I play guitar. I'm half of a duo called A Week from Wednesday," She offered. "I'm sort of the John Oates or Art Garfunkle of the group. Ever been in a band?"

"Not really," Danny answered as he began gathering his things. "I just tend to learn songs and play along with MP3s really."

"Cool," Meg remarked as she grabbed his laptop and one of his suitcases. They were only going a few steps next door. Meg wondered if she as overstepping by offering help that wasn't asked for.

Danny didn't seem to object. He stepped out and cut through the grass and onto his new porch. He sat his bass gig bag against the railing as he slipped the key to his new front door into the keyhole.

OOC: Aaron and or Matthew can happen by if you want them to now.

Meg came to stand at the doorway, when he noticed Aaron walking to the courtyard from bike racks. He was wearing a t-shirt, and there seemed to be some yellow stuff around the shirt. Also, his left arm was shaven. It looked really weird. Aaron was actually quite hairy guy. Now his right arm looked normal, but his left arm was all pale and bit reddish. Aaron also looked somewhat exhausted and painfull.

"Hello Meg. Best day ever at work. One arm looks like a Yeti and another like Kim kardashian on a beach without sunscreen". Aaron said with greatly sarcastic tone.

Aaron was so glad to be finally back home. His mind was still spinning around what had happened at the shop. When he had ended his shift, one customer had broken a can of polyurethane foam at the cashier station. It spayed a massive amount of sicky mess everywhere. Cashier got hit, customer buying the stuff got hit, floor and cashier station were thoroughly sprayed. He got his own fair share, as he attemped to do some damage control. He had already changed civil clothes on, so they got hit as well. One older worker finally rushed to the rescue, and started the cleanup process with water spray and some cleaning chemical that smelled very unpleasant. They gave first priority to clean the customer. When the situation was finally in control, foam had partially dried into his hand. It had to be removed with blade, while shaving the arm in the process. His colleague told, that the surface of the foam will dry faster if it is sprayed with water. Wet areas could be cleaned using the stinking chemical. Dried areas could be cut or scraped off. Aaron was amazed how much stuff could such a small looking can have.

"Oh hey," Meg replied. She was still in her Starbucks uniform having not had the chance to change into her normal clothes. Aaron noticed Meg was actually in front of the apartment next to hers. Beside her was a boy Aaron hadn't seen before. He was rather tall, standing over 6 feet with brownish hair and green eyes. He had several pieces of luggage scattered around him and looked like he was about to go inside.

"This is Danny Logan," Meg said quickly. "He literally just arrived. He's my new next-door neighbor. Danny, this is Aaron Greenvalley. He lives here, too. We just met the other day."

It was then that she noticed Aaron's odd appearance. "Good lord," she commented. "What happened to you?"

"Today I found a new exiting product that we sell. Polyurethane foam!! A customer broke one can at the cashier lines and it turned into maniac goo dragon, spinning 360 degrees twice per second, covering everyting in close vincinity. Its like instant whipped cream in a can on steroids, but instead of cream it shoots glue. Once it got dry, my hand had to be shaven to remove it. My boss told that it is normally used in insulating doors and windows."

Aaron turned towards Danny.
"Nice to meet you Danny. Im not usually this weird. Just.. bad timing today. I moved in some days ago, so im kinda new here too"

"Today I found a new exiting product that we sell. Polyurethane foam!! A customer broke one can at the cashier lines and it turned into maniac goo dragon, spinning 360 degrees twice per second, covering everyting in close vincinity. Its like instant whipped cream in a can on steroids, but instead of cream it shoots glue. Once it got dry, my hand had to be shaven to remove it. My boss told that it is normally used in insulating doors and windows."

"You mean spray foam," Meg asked, horrified.

"Yeah, Polyurethane is the name of the actual substance," Danny explained.

"Oh my gosh, you're so lucky you didn't get it in your hair," Meg said cringing.

Aaron turned towards Danny.

"Nice to meet you Danny. Im not usually this weird. Just.. bad timing today. I moved in some days ago, so im kinda new here too"

"Hey man, it's cool. I totally get it," Danny replied.

"Yeah, we're all pretty new here," Meg explained. "I've been in town and at the university a few years, just just got moved in a week ago. I just met Aaron and some of the others that live here yesterday. We were hanging out down by the lake."

"I heard there was a lake in walking distance from the apartments," Danny commented. "I have never even been here before. I used an apartment finding service who took care of everything."

As they spoke, Danny pulled out a key ring and added the new apartment key to it. It had a rubber figurine of Batman's sidekick, Robin the Boy Wonder on it.

"So, what brings you here besides school," Meg asked.

"Well, my best friend Dani got a scholarship to study abroad. I couldn't afford to go. I was attending community college back home in Portland. When I found out, I applied to Pinecone University. Who wouldn't want to live in a town called Squirrel Den?"

"Oh, I see. So he's gone for a year...," Meg started to say before Danny cut her off.

"No, no. She. Her name is actually Danielle," Danny explained. "I'm Daniel. We were Dani and Danny back home. It was like our thing."

"Oh, so you were dating," Meg asked.

"Huh? Oh no, just good friends. We met in junior high. Her last name is Lockhart, mine is Logan. We had nearly identical first names and our last names gave us lockers by each other and we shared the same homeroom and coincidentally she sat in front of me in class. We just kind of clicked."

"So, uh, besides the lake, what else do you Squirreldenions do around here for fun," Danny asked.

"There is a beach and a lake literally on our backyards. Just walk through that passageway, and lay down for tan or dive in. It is rather popular. I have a miniture trebuchet, if you wanna try. And if you are in for sports, my neighbour Matthew can take you to his regular 3 mile morning runs. Im sure there are many more curious persons around here. My choise of activities is moving gadgets made out of wood. I live in A-building, third floor. Matthew lives on your side, but in fourth floor."

Light conversation made Aaron feel much better. Even tough he could work alone with some project for 13 hours in a row, he still needed some social activity as well. He even started to forget how messed up his day had been.

Tall and slim blond haired lady, who he saw on the day before entered the yard. She seemed bit older than other students he had seen before. Her high heels made sharp sound on the stone surface. She looked gorgeous from the viewpoint of a young man. She was carrying some kind of large box, when she suddenly stopped and gave deep look into eyes of Danny and Aaron.

"Greetings gentlemen, could I ask you a little favor? I need to get my box upstairs, and its kinds heavy." She asked.

Danny nodded when Aaron talked about building things. "That's cool that we're so close to lake," He remarked.

About that time, another resident came along carrying a large box. "Greetings gentlemen, could I ask you a little favour? I need to get my box upstairs, and its kinds heavy." She said, while blinking her long eyelashes.

"Uh sure," Danny replied. "I just literally arrived and need to get my stuff in my place. Give me one sec, and I'll be happy to give you a hand, Miss, uh..."

He glanced between Aaron and Meg to see if either of them knew her to make an introduction.

"Oh, I can help you," Meg volunteered. Poor Danny hadn't even seen the inside of his new apartment yet and he'd already been bombarded by three of the residents. She didn't know the newcomer and glanced to see if Aaron might know her.

"I'm Sandra. Thank you for your help. I live at the top floor"

Sandra looked slightly disappointed as Meg rushed for the box, but she agreed the assistance. She gave the box to Meg. It was not terribly heavy. Any person could have basically carried it. Meg got a feeling that this woman was either bit lazy or tried to test her charm to make some guys to do the dirty work for her. Aaron look just as clueless of the situation as Danny.

"Is it heavy? Do you need more hands?" Aaron asked.

"I'm Meg. I just moved in about a week ago. Danny just got here, literally," She explained. From her reaction, it was quite clear she wanted one of the boys to help her which is why she had asked. It was unclear if she was hoping a specific one would assist her or if she just wanted one of them to notice her. This became even more apparent when Meg realized the box wasn't even that heavy despite its size.

"Is it heavy? Do you need more hands?" Aaron asked.

"It's not that bad, really, but if you want to help, then sure," Meg replied.

Aaron picked the box and headed upstairs behind Sandra.

"It is so nice from you to help. Sometimes I get exhausted when im climbing up here. Do you know are there any free rooms on lower floors? It would be sooo nice to have shorter distance, you know.."

Sandra was talking really fast. She vanished to the stairs with Aaron and her voice echoed from the walls making it difficult to understand any longer. Meg and Danny could hear her babbling something all the way to the top.

Aaron meanwhile got very little space to say anything. She sounded like a nice person, but Aaron did start to wonder, was is such a good idea afterall to aid a "damsel in distress". 4 floors up with a box was a long climb. Matthew would have done it without breaking a sweat, but Aaron was not nearly as athletic. He left the box next to Sandra's door, said brief farewell, and headed back down.

Meg offered to take the box from the new girl and Aaron quickly stepped in and offered to carry it instead. "I'll be around in a bit," Danny told Meg. "I need to get inside and check my new place out."

He inserted the key into the lock and a moment later was looking at the interior of his new home. It resembled a typical hotel room, only slightly bigger, but of course, had no furniture which probably was the two characteristics that distinguished an apartment and a hotel room. Danny dragged his suitcases in first and a moment later retrieved his bass guitar and laptop. The only other difference between his new place and a hotel room was there was a kitchenette. Of course, only an extended-stay type hotel room would have such amenities.

Danny set about investigating. The kitchen contained a stove, oven, microwave, refrigerator, and dishwasher as was expected. There was a small pantry closet for storing larger dry foods and cabinets and drawers above and below the sink area. Everything seemed pretty typical.

There was an empty bay for a washer and dryer, luxuries Danny couldn't afford. That area would work for additional storage. Danny would have to wash his clothes onsite using the apartment's laundry facility or find a laundromat nearby. A sliding glass door led to a small patio just big enough for a chair or two should Danny want one protected by a 4-foot high railing.

The place had been freshly cleaned and he could still smell the carpet shampoo. Obviously, everything had been given a good thorough cleaning prior to his arrival. Danny pushed open the door to the bedroom. It was, of course, empty as well. Danny made a mental note of the things he would need to order including a bed, a nightstand, and a computer desk. He could worry about furniture for the living room later. After all, he tended to watch movies and videos on his laptop so there was no reason to have a big screen tv. He hadn't brought any of his gaming consoles with him, so he'd just stick to playing online games using his computer.

Speaking of, he noticed the cable modem sitting on the floor connected to the wall outlet. The LEDs were flashing indicating that it was on and the service was working. The apartment had taken care of getting the internet set up as he had requested. The apartment finder service had made arrangements with the leasing office to have the technician from the cable company come in and set it up. He'd prepaid for everything so all he needed to do was set the wireless network up on his laptop with the wi-fi and he'd be good to go.

Besides the door he had entered from the living room, there were two other doors in the bedroom. The first led to a small storage closet and the other was for the bathroom. It contained a bathtub, sink, and toilet. After completing his brief, self-guided tour, Danny grabbed his laptop bag, sat on the floor, and began setting up his Amazon Prime account so he could order some essentials after he got set up online. He'd have to sit on the floor until he got a desk and chair.

Once online, Danny made a note of his immediate needs including a sleeping bag or inflatable mattress so he'd have somewhere to sleep for the night, a bath towel, and a few other things. He wondered if Meg would mind running him up to the closest Target or Walmart to help him get the things he couldn't wait on for delivery. After about 30 minutes of getting the essentials in place, he decided to go next door and find out if she was home. He hoped she had her own car. If not, maybe he could ask Aaron or he'd just call an Uber.

About half an hour later, Meg heard a knock at her door and found Danny outside. Aaron had helped Sandra carry her box to the top floor. Apparently, she was looking for attention because Meg could have easily dealt with the package herself. She had gone back into her apartment figuring Danny needed some time to settle in. She assumed she'd run into Aaron later.

"Hey," Meg said as she opened the door.

"What's up," Danny returned.

"So, happy with your new accommodations," Meg asked.

Danny nodded. "Yup and the management took care of making arrangements letting the cable guy in so I had working internet when I got here."

"Yeah, I figured someone was about to move in. I saw a guy from Frontier working next door a couple of days ago," Meg confirmed.

"Cool. So, I hate to bug you and I don't know if you have your own car or anything, but I really need to pick up a few things. Since I just arrived and don't know the layout of the town...," Danny began and trailed off.

"You're wondering if your awesome next-door neighbor who does actually happen to have a car could run you to the store," Meg finished.

Danny nodded, obviously a bit awkwardly.

"I mean, yeah, if you don't mind and aren't busy. I just need to get a few things like an air mattress so I have something to sleep on and a few other necessities that I can't be sure that Amazon wouldn't deliver before bedtime," Danny explained. "Generally, I pretty much order everything off Amazon if it's not edible. Then I usually use Uber or DoorDash."

"Oh, I suppose I can help you out this once," She teased. She grabbed her car keys. "Any particular preference? Target? Wally World... Bed, Bath and Beyond?"

"Whatever's close," Danny replied.

"Okay, I can show you around the area, too, if you'd like," Meg offered.

"Uh, yeah! That would be great," Danny said quickly.

Meg lead the way as they headed out of her apartment. She paused to lock her door.

OOC: If you want Matthew, Aaron or anyone else to join, they can encounter Danny and the Meg as they leave.

As Meg and Danny were about to leave, Matthew came down jogging with his bicycle helmet on.

"Oh hi Meg! Just bumped into Aaron. He looked like a mess, and was not much on the mood to talk. Im heading to downtown. As I visited library this morning, I forgot to remove my quick lock bike lamp. Somebody stole it. Fortunately they did not remove any more valuable parts. Its a little nuisance, but a good reminder to take even the insignificant parts along as I go. So now, I gotta go buy new one."

He looked and smiled to Danny.
"New face around here?"

"Yeah, Aaron had an unfortunate accident at work when a customer did something stupid with some spray foam," Meg replied. "I'm sorry about the headlight on your bike. That really sucks! I hate thieves!

"Oh yeah," Meg said quickly. "This is Danny Logan. He literally just moved in next door to me."

She turned to face Danny. "I just met Aaron along with Matthew yesterday" Meg explained before turning back to Aaron. "Matt was helping some chick named Sandra carry her box to her apartment on the upper floor. I hadn't met her before either. We spoke to him just before she came along and he told us about his mishap. Anyway, Danny just got here and his apartment is completely empty. We're gonna run to the store so he can get a few necessities to tide him over tonight. You're welcome to come with us. We'll probably just go to Target or Walmart. I may also show him around the area since he's new in town and just came from out of state."

"Nice to meet you, Danny". Matthew said and turned to Meg. " yea, I can hop along. Is quite a ride to the store, so Im in." Matthew gave a bit puzzled look to Meg.

"Umm, Sandra with a box? That must have happened to Aaron, not to me. I know Sandra. She is.. a bit of a honey trap. She is sugar dating some older dudes, but she does not hesitate to make all her neighbours to do her bidding as well. She is good in persuation. She is not mean, but.. kinda lazy. So if you want to avoid getting stuck to some weird scenario, just smile, and tell that you are busy. I have lived here bit longer, so I know her quirks." Matthew said.

"Nice to meet you, Danny". Matthew said and turned to Meg. " yea, I can hop along. Is quite a ride to the store, so Im in." Matthew gave a bit puzzled look to Meg.

"Umm, Sandra with a box? That must have happened to Aaron, not to me. I know Sandra. She is.. a bit of a honey trap. She is sugar dating some older dudes, but she does not hesitate to make all her neighbours to do her bidding as well. She is good in persuation. She is not mean, but.. kinda lazy. So if you want to avoid getting stuck to some weird scenario, just smile, and tell that you are busy. I have lived here bit longer, so I know her quirks." Matthew said.

"I think the word you're looking for is manipulative," Danny replied. "Good to meet you, too. Normally, I order things online but given it's already the afternoon, I don't know if my stuff would show up before the evening. I brought a blanket, but I don't have anything to sleep on and no pillows. I figured I'd get that stuff once I arrived. I'll just get an air mattress and a compressor and the things that can get me through tonight. I don't tend to leave my place a lot. I live off deliveries."

"You sound a bit... reclusive," Meg remarked.

Danny nodded. "Well, my friend Dani back home would do stuff with me. We'd get out and just explore. We would ride the busses around and sometimes hop the light rail. There was a lot to see and do in Portland. I'd go with her just for a change of scenery. Otherwise, I was working and taking classes online," Danny explained. "So what do you guys do besides school? Are you a student, too, Matt?"

"Yea, Im studying as well. I should have graduated, but there happened.. number of things. Im working with Bachelor's degree on Phys Ed. I hope this would be my last year. I was running low with my money, so I started doing delivery jobs." Matthew explained.

"Chances are, if you order lots of stuff, I will be knocking your door more frequently than any other door." He laughed.

"But for other activities I do lot of sports and search some science stuff online. Recently I found some debates between christian and muslim science claims. That is really fascinating stuff, but there is lot of weird things there as well. Today I found a muslim claim that there is some kind on energy field center in Mecca, and muslims connect to this energy field by stiking their heads to the ground as they pray. And I was like 'whaaaat?' I dont know was the publisher of the video a real scholar, or just some troll. Well, I suppose people can claim just about anything online."

"That's true. It's hard to tell anymore what's real and what isn't. I spend quite a bit of time listening to podcasts and researching conspiracy theory and supernatural stuff. I follow George Norray's Coast to Coast AM at nights sometimes. I also listen to Alex Jones' Info Wars. He's a total nutjob. There is a podcast called Knowledge Fight that debunks all the stuff he claims. I also listen to one called Qanon Anonymous about that weird group of people that believe JFK is going to come back or some crap. Pretty wild stuff. I've also been teaching myself to play bass guitar, but never been in a band or performed live. Meg mentioned she was in a band and played guitar."

"Yeah," Meg replied. "I'm one half of a band called a Week From Wednesday. I'm sort of the Art Garfunkle or John Oates of the group. We have a gig at a local coffee shop next. You guys should come."

Meg led the way to her car. The parking lot was across the street and down about a block from the apartment complex. As they got to the sidewalk, just passed Meg's apartment they passed a bus stop sign. It was the typical blue and white picture representing a bus. Below it were the letters "SDRT" and the number 43 beneath it. There was no shelter or bench, just the sign in the ground indicating the bus stopped there.

"What's a suh-dart," Danny asked pointing at the sign and sounding out the random letters.

"Squirrel Den Rapid Transit, or S.D.R.T. for short," Meg replied rolling her eyes. She picked up on the fact that Danny was being a smart ass. "It goes to campus, but then you can transfer to other routes. There is a train station not far that you can take into the bigger city."

Danny nodded. Meg led the group to a small, boxy-looking grey Kia Soul.

"Wow, you drive a giant rollerskate," Danny remarked.

Meg shrugged. "At least it's paid for and it beats having to take the bus," Meg remarked. She clicked the remote and the doors unlocked.

"I have a green VW beetle back home. It hasn't run in a while," Danny explained. "I decided to use the money I was saving to fix it up to try going to school here. Back home, Dani and I got around using the bus system pretty much. It's not so bad, honestly."

"Well, the good news is between the buses and Uber, you can get pretty much anywhere you need to go around the clock," Meg replied. "So, uh, does Target work for you on getting your stuff? I can show you where a few places are and we can swing by the university so you can see the campus if you want while we're out."

"Sure, works for me," Danny said with a shrug. "Matt, you good with a quick tour around town? I'm sure you've already seen the place."