Furry-Within

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" The otter girl's voice was sincere, her brows furrowed and a sweet smile on her face. Remi did her best to smile back, genuinely good at hiding any sort of negative emotions, and gave the girl a gentle squeeze.

"Of course, Abi. I'll be absolutely fine! I've already got postings up for new roommates, and I've set up a few meetings. I'll find someone to fill your empty room in no time. Besides," the lynx paused to wink at her close friend, "I wouldn't dare keep you from Brian anyway." Her last bit was suggestive, and she knew that the mention of the otter's boyfriend, who she was moving in with, would take Abi's mind off of where she was leaving and onto her new roommate.

Of course, Remi's thoughts of a new roommate weren't quite as pleasant.


The house had gotten a deep cleaning just the day prior in order to prepare for her new potential roommate to come meet her and see the living space, and yet, for some reason, she still felt unprepared. Of course, the real reason for that was that she just wasn't prepared for the vulnerability of living with another and all of the baggage that could come with that. Remi was a remarkably private person, and, as such, found it quite hard to bond with people very closely. Abi had been her friend since childhood, and knew most of Remi's deepest and darkest. A new roommate wouldn't have a clue. Sure, they could lead completely separate lives. But Remi didn't feel comfortable with that either. She would need to know who this person was. To watch them, obverse them. Maybe that's why Remi didn't have very many close friends. But that was a can of worms for another day.

Shaking off the plethora of overwhelming thoughts, Remi rearranged, for the seventh time that morning, the books on her coffee table. Stepping back, she tried to envision seeing the house, as it was now, for the first time.

The house was of modest size. Plenty of room for two people to live comfortably compartmentalized and individual of one another. The outside, though, suggested it was a bit smaller. It was a two-story medium grey colored house, with white details. There was a porch on the front, that held a bench swing on one side, and a couple of large stationary chairs on the other. From the outside, it looked as if a small, settled family would own the place. Remi didn't own it yet, though; well off she was, but not quite that well off yet. She was paying it off, and renting out the spare bedroom helped with that. Of course, the arrangement seemed like a much better deal when she was renting the extra space out to her closest friend.

Just inside the front door was a small entryway. There was a coat closet, and a small shoe rack alongside a table which held a mail sorter and some other odds and ends. In addition to the closet, there was a half-bath just inside the house, marked with a quaint "Toilet" sign. The place immediately felt warm, inviting, and well lived in. Through the entry way, the house opened up into a rather sizable living room. Bookshelves lined the wall immediately to the right, filled with (mostly) books, some movie and video game titles, and more odds and ends that looked as if they came from around the world. Along side the bookshelves, slightly hidden from sight and tucked away, there was a stairway that curled around to lead to the upstairs section of the house.

Straight across from the entryway, in the back of the room, there was a window seat, graced with plush seating, and a cozy throw blanket or two, which looked out upon the lush greenness of a small but well-kept backyard. Just in front of the wall of windows there was a blue grey sofa, soft and inviting. It too had a couple of throw pillows and a blanket draped over the back of it. To compliment it was a plush chair to match, large enough that two people could cuddle up in it. These were the center of the room, arranged around a coffee table, on which lay the books Remi meticulously tried to organize, and on the wall next to the door from the entry way, across from this sitting area, was mounted a television.

The left side of the living room was, seemingly, an open wall entry, a step down, into a 'den' like area. In truth, there was hidden slide doors, but Remi kept them pocketed into the walls most of the time. The den was home to a warm fireplace, a loveseat to match the set from the living room, and a desk with her computer and office set up. It seemed to be the catch all room for Remi. Warm, inviting, and a quiet and calm place to get her work done. There was another wall of windows here, though no seat this time, but they were graced with heavy, closed light canceling drapes, which Remi rarely drew back.

If one were to turn immediately to their right, they would find a normal doorway to a small kitchen. The kitchen was fairly well spotless at this point, but the fresh bowl of fruit, the bread cabinet, the cookie jar, all helped contribute to the feeling of a welcoming kitchen. In the kitchen, there was a glass door which lead to the backyard. There was a very small kitchen table, on which no more than four could have a meal. It was modest, but a well equipped kitchen, even having a nice stand mixer, indicating that at least someone who lived here was an avid baker.

Wandering upstairs, one would be met with a full bathroom at the top of the stairs, and a short hallway either way. One led to a smaller, but still nice size bedroom, that which was to be rented. It had the bare minimum of furnishings. A desk, a full size bed, and a chest of drawers. But it had otherwise been emptied out by Adi's leaving. Down the other short hallway was the master bedroom--Remi's private space. The door was closed and locked, but it was clear that this space was a decent size bigger than the first bedroom. The second bedroom also had its own private bathroom, the entrance to which could only be accessed through the bedroom.

With a deep sigh, Remi decided that this was good enough. The house didn't look overwhelming, but it wasn't sterile and cold. She hoped the scent of fresh air and beach, coming from a couple of burning candles in both the living room and the den, would help to make the place feel more welcoming. If whoever was coming to possibly move in with her did not like the house as it was presented today, then this simply was not the place for them. Remi was not often outwardly nervous, and no doubt as soon as her potential roommate arrived all emotion would be swallowed by immense concentration, but she felt, at this moment, nearly panicked. Slow, deep breathing helped her find a pace.

She heard the door bell ring, and perked her ears at the sound. For a brief moment she wondered if she should have dressed herself up a bit, but decided that her original plan of just being her every day self would give her a better feel for the type of person she was possibly going to be living with. So, a black pair of worn in jeans, a dark tank top, and a grey zip-up hoodie were all she wore. The darkness of her clothing in contrast to her unusually bright coloring gave a striking effect that the lynx truly did not realize or appreciate.

One more calming breath, and the feline approached the door. Not having a clue what to expect [as the potential roommate had been pretty skimp on any details; she didn't even know gender or age at this point], she was barely managing to keep her anxiety in check. But a faint, easy smile played across her face. No one outside her own mind would know just how important those deep, slow breaths were to Remi.

     It had been about a week since Azon had called and left a voice message, saying that he would be there for an interview today. He didn't really say much about himself in the message; he was rather bad at describing himself, so he preferred to leave his first impressions until he was right there.
    After finding the right street, he parked his car and grabbed the slip of paper that stated the address of the house and the flower that he had bought to give to the interviewer as a thank-you gift , and started down the street.
   Azon checks the address on the slip of paper that he had gotten from the poster. It had declared "Roommate Wanted," and he needed a place to stay. He looked up at the address of the house in front of him. Yep, it was a match.
    Azon folded the piece of paper and placed it back into his pocket. He closed his eyes and took a breath in through his nose. The fresh air flooded his senses, and he smiled at the situation. Fresh air for a fresh start. A fresh start that he had been seeking for a long time now. He brushed the hair from his face, only to have it fall back in its usual place between his eyes. This is it. He smoothed out his vest and dress shirt and headed up to the front door.
    Before ringing the doorbell, he stopped on the porch. He looked over at the porch swing and smiled. He could see himself and another sitting on that bench, just talking and enjoying the moment. But he put that thought in the back of his head. I AM still just in the interview stage, after all he thought to himself. He took a shaky breath, reached out and rang the doorbell, waiting patiently and anxiously with his paws held behind his back politely, his tail flicking in anticipation as he waited for the interviewer to open the door.
    As the door opened, Azon put on his best friendly smile. First impressions were important, he knew, so it would be best if it was a good one.
    "Hi. I'm Azon" he said upon seeing the interviewer, his voice a smooth upper-baritone. "I'm the one who called last week, about the roommate add." He offered his paw out to her in a friendly gesture, not over assertive. "May I be so bold as to ask your name?"

Opening the door, the lynx held her breath. It wasn't that she was nervous to be around other people, but the prospect of opening her home, her's alone now that Abi had moved out, to a stranger was intense.

"Oh, hi Azon. I'm Remi." She was quiet, but not so much that she was deadpan. She took his offered paw with her own, shaking his hand with a firm grip, to show that she wasn't a push over of any kind. "Nice to meet you. Come on in?" She gestured for him to enter the house, slightly nervous about how he'd feel about it. Remi was a worrier. But she tried to put that aside for now, in order to make a good first impression.

The feline led her guest in through the entry way, and gestured for him to sit with her in the living room. Perching herself on the couch, she grabbed her wine glass and took a steadying sip.

"Would you like something to drink? A snack?" She waved her hand to indicate an additional glass of wine, a merlot, and a platter of cheese and crackers. It wasn't too extravagant, but the lynx's good taste was very clear. Also was her hesitation to jump too far into the heavy questions right away.

"Ah, well," regardless of if he took her up on her offer, she thought maybe she should open the conversation to make him feel more comfortable. "Well, I'm a travel writer, freelance for a few magazines and online sites as well. I do a bit of traveling, but I also spend a good majority of time at home. Recently, venturing into a few different sorts of writing, namely food writing. So I get to work from home a lot, right now, and have been engaging in some cooking of my own." She took a breath, sipping at her wine again. "I'm looking for a roommate who can do their own thing, but I've only ever lived with my best friend, so I'd rather not live with someone who's completely disengaged. I'd like to know a bit about my roommate, you know?" She took another breath, leaning in to grab herself a cracker and piece of particularly sharp white cheddar, an excuse to shut up for a bit and let him do a little talking so that she could feel him out.

Azon smiled as he took up the offer of the snacks, picking just a cracker. He didn't want to seem rude by refusing it, but he didn't want to over stay his welcome.

"Well, first of all, I want to thank you for considering me to be your roommate," He says, looking around the room. "Oh, and before I forget..." He takes out the flower- a white rose, to be specific- and offers it to the Lynx. "Here for your troubles."

"Yes, I can- and often do- be independent, but I much rather prefer to get to know the people around me. And, I have to say, you look like someone worth getting to know." He took a sip of wine. "I do like the place, though," he commented, looking around. "It's very nice. You must love it here."

Azon looked at the magazines on the end table. "So, you said you were a freelance writer? That's pretty interesting. I rather enjoy reading. What do you normally write about?" He asked, real interest in his expression.