Tempted Rose

Chapter by Hobo

Testing this on someone else…

The thought was tempting, your imagination almost getting the better of you as you let it ruminate. Eventually, you shelve it for now; You had more pressing things to deal with than some lost jewelry.

Like two-days old Calculus homework that needed to be done by Monday. As time-consuming as it was, it wasn’t something that you could avoid. T.C.E. was the dream, and you weren’t about to let it slip through your fingers whilst you still had the energy.

…Maybe you’d leave it to the ‘next-morning you’, but regardless it needed to get done. While on that thought, a train of thought eventually got the gears turning as you made it back to your apartment.

As easier as a campus sorority would’ve made things, such luxuries weren’t in your modest budget. Well, ‘modest’ was selling it a bit too much when you had to live out of a two-room apartment with next to no noise insulating.

At least utilities were covered in the rent and the place wasn’t infested with roaches. Or worse.

The ride up the elevator did little for you, only serving to highlight how weak in the knees you were after almost a day out with a few friends. Four-consecutive hours of bowling topped off with a trip around the local mall had worn you out physically, and if you didn’t get that second wind in you by the time it got to your floor, you were doubting your chances of getting any semblance of work done tonight.

When it came time for you to get off, your body showed little sign of being in the mood for a homework sesh. Yawning as you came to your apartment, it was clockwork getting the key in the door.

Inside, your modest home away from home was about as clean as you remembered it, save for your desk. A sizable mountain of textbooks and a notepad littered that poor piece of furniture. You were already patting yourself on the shoulder as you walked in, having remembered to do the dishes and leave a window open before leaving.

As such, the place wasn’t reeking and you had some rather pleasant smells from the outside coming in. At least it puts you in a good mood.

Undoing your blouse and kicking off your shoes, you meander to the desk in only a tanktop and some khakis, getting into a staring contest with the second-term Engineering textbooks that you’d bought months prior. The one for Calculus is staring at the top of the pile, almost telling you to get some rest before even trying to get some work done.

You barely begin to pick up your notes before a noise in the apartment above you interrupts. You don’t even have to focus to hear them.

The Yales. A pair of romantic wolves who didn’t make anything they did a secret. Hence why you could hear their bed creaking rather enthusiastically. They were at it again.

Your gaze is brought to the newly acquired ring on your hand, its micro test-run in the park giving you some ideas. Maybe they’d be good candidates?

As soon as the idea came, the sound of presumed love-making ceased, and you hear softer sounds from upstairs. The sound of creaking metal, and strained grunts.

Another distant neighbor, Erron Leigher, a hunk of a Horse if you’ve ever seen one. He was the one who’d helped you move your things in when the moving company ghosted you. From the sounds of it, Erron had a home-gym setup in his own place.

Such a massive body was tempting, though you weren’t sure if it was right. Erron was a good guy after all. At least to you.

Trying to think of other candidates, you were admittedly drawing a blank. It wasn’t that you were asocial to your neighbors, you just didn’t have all that time to go and greet everyone.

Going back on that initial train of thought, you dust off a shoddy laptop from a shelf on your desk before opening it up and hitting the power switch.

Fortunately it still had power, and booted. Two for two was a great streak of luck thus far. Once it was finished powering up, you quickly search for pawn shops nearby. There’s a few in the area, and the closest one wasn’t further than a fifteen minute walk.

If magical rings with no clear inscriptions weren’t your thing, maybe you pawn it off for some extra cash. Maybe it’d be enough for a few tutoring lessons?

It was mid afternoon on a Friday night. What would Rose Tenenbaum do?