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Mar 3, 2017

Potential Roomies - Tinney

WHO: Sydney Porter & Tina Cohen-Chang (@tina-noelle)

WHEN: February 26, 2017

WHERE: Sydney’s House

WHAT: Tina has seen an ad posted around campus for someone looking for a roommate. With her currently living situation being turned on its head, Tina contacts Sydney and is quickly granted a grande tour of the house.

WARNINGS: None.

Tina was sort of nervous. She was possibly going to meet someone who would let her move into her house and be her roommate. She hadn't had one since freshman year, with Melody, so she hoped that she was still a good one. Tina had talked with Sydney before, but she couldn't say that they were close; more like a little friendly she guessed. She liked the girl though, so that was definitely a plus. After the hour was up, she got her stuff together and drove to the address of her potential new home.

Sydney had posted ads on campus, in each building a number of weeks ago pertaining to the open bedroom in her house. At this point, she had honestly forgotten she had even put them up, but when Tina contacted her, Sydney was more than overjoyed to have someone interested in checking the place out. With everything that had been going on the last few weeks, it was going to be nice to have someone in the house with her. Even though she didn't know her well yet, she figured she wasn't a bad person and she was likely to make a good roommate. Or so she hoped. Unfortunately, the timing of the visit was a little off, what with Kendall's dogs being her current roommates for the foreseeable future. They were good dogs and listened to command without much fuss, so she knew it wouldn't be all bad, but that didn't mean they didn't accidentally make a mess of some things - especially with their tails swinging around constantly. She quickly tidied up the place and changed into something more presentable than her sweats.

Tina noticing, as she was getting to the neighbourhood, all the houses were extremely beautiful and big. Much like her parents house and sisters house, but ones she never thought she'd buy or live in, at least for a while. 'Oh wow' she thought as she pulled up to the driveway. The house was way better than the pictures could describe, large and it looks spacious. She stepped out of her car and waked up to the door, the ringing of the doorbell bringing the sound of dogs barking to her ears. The door opened and the first thing she could notice was..."Are those my sisters dogs?"

Sydney practically jumped up from her spot on the couch when she heard the doorbell ring, rushing her way over to it, all while trying to keep her new companions settled down. Just as her hand touched the handle, she stage-whispered a command to the dogs, getting them to stop barking before she finally pulled open the door. The greeting was definitely a little less informal than she had expected and Sydney turned her head slightly to look at the dogs who were wagging their tails excitedly at their guest before she looked back at Tina. "You're Kendall's sister?" This living situation might turn into something far more awkward than she was expecting. After a beat, Syd stepped to the side slightly, pulling the door open wider and gesturing for Tina to come in. "You found the place okay? I mean, the neighbourhood isn't crazy big, or anything, so I hope it wasn't too much of a hassle."

Tina was still kind of stuck on the fact that her sisters dogs were here, but managed to answer the question. "Yeah, she's my big sister. I'm Tina." She walked into the house, bending down to let the dogs say hi, even though she hasn't seen them for a while. They seemed to remember her, as evidence by the way they completely jumped on her. They brought a smile to her face always, and she knew her sister loved them dearly. "No, everything was fine. It's a nice neighborhood by the way. I don't think I knew it was over here." Standing back up she looked around the entry way, taking note of the decoration and how light and open everything seemed. It was a lot of white for her, but it was still really nice. "It's hard to believe that you don't already have a roommate. This place is really beautiful."

Sydney smiled warmly at the response, keeping the extreme awkwardness she felt about it repressed, for the time being. "Sydney," she said, closing the door once Tina had stepped in, allowing herself to be practically pounced on by the dogs. With how stressed out a depressed she had been - especially over the last few days - she had found great comfort in the dogs, even if they had only been around for less than 24 hours at that point. It was going to be hard to give them back to Kendall, when the time came. "Yeah, it's a little out of the way of everything, but it's quiet out here. It's nice," Sydney explained with a small smile before offering up another command for the dogs so they would give Tina a bit of space so she could take her on the grande tour. "I had one for about a year, but she eventually moved in with her boyfriend and kinda left me roommate-less. But I guess that's a good thing for you, right?" she teased. A moment later she leads them over to the main living space that is just off from the entry way. "That was like the sort of formal area. It doesn't get a whole lot of use, since I don't throw parties or anything like that, so it's mostly just this area that people hang out in...and by people I mostly mean me." She looked at Tina, trying to gauge her reaction to the place - trying to see if she was into it enough.

Tina chuckled a little, "Yeah I guess it is. Else I'd probably have to move in with my sister in a few weeks." Looking around the living space, she really liked the feel of it. "I'm not a big party thrower either, though I do have friends over from time to time." She ran her hand along the back of the couch, feeling the soft cushions. The fabric wasn't one of those stiff ones either, which Tina likes, as she loved to lounge around on the couch on her lazy days. "I hope you like some company then, cause I'm always on my couch at my place. Makes me feel like I'm being somewhat productive, even if I don't change out of my pjs."

Sydney breathed out a small chuckle. "Looks like you're already halfway there anyway, seeing as I have no idea how long these guys are staying with me," she said somewhat jokingly. Kendall's house was far more extravagant and - in Sydney's opinion - far bigger than necessary, so her own place definitely wouldn't have the same spacious feel to it as if Tina opted to live with her sister. Sydney was relieved to hear that Tina wasn't big on parties either. Of course she wouldn't have minded if she had been, but knowing that there would rarely, if ever, come a time when she had to clean up the aftermath of a college party, made her happier than she care to admit. Gesturing to just across the open space, Sydney pointed at the kitchen. "I'm not one of those sticklers for people not touching what groceries I buy that are around - you're more than welcome to anything and everything at any point...you know, if you decide to move in," she explained. "And I'd love the company, honestly. I mean, I could live here on my own, but the company is what I was really looking for when I posted those ads." She let Tina look around the open concept living space a bit more before moving to the patio door. "Pretty basic backyard. There's a pool and a patio. Nice big grill, if you're into barbecuing at all." She didn't bother giving much of a tour out there since it was pretty well all right there for her to see through the glass panes of the door. "If you don't mind me asking, why is it you're moving out of where ever it is you're moving out from?"

Tina nodded as she looked around the kitchen. The space wasn't terribly big, but it seemed to hold everything nicely and not seem crowded. "Thanks. I honestly don't cook as much as I probably should, as I definitely can't recreate my fave general tso's chicken recipe." Walking over to the patio doors she looked out, liking the outdoor furniture. She could already see herself siting out there writing songs and listening to demos. "I've never had the urge to use an outside grill. My father likes to, even if he's not great at it." Turning away from the doors, she faced Sydney again before answering her question. "My landlord has decided that he needs to raise rent for the entire building. And while it isn't that much, its enough to where I either need to move, or take up more shifts at my job, which I don't really want to do. I tried looking for my own roommate, but no one has responded to my ads either. And everyone has said that I should just go to my parents for the money, or just move in with Kendall since she lives in a giant place, but I don't always like going to my family for help, even if it is easier. But I like finding my own way first and making my own mistakes before running to my mom and dad for help, ya know?" Tina really didn't mean to spill all that out, but with everyone getting on her about it before, she was sort of sensitive about it.

Sydney smiled at the comment. “Well, feel free to attempt that recreation as many times as you want. Whatever doesn’t make the cut I’ll have,” she said, her words obviously teasing. She allowed Tina a bit of space, stepping back a few paces, as she took everything in. She busied herself with scratching Horus - who’d taken a quick liking to her - behind the ears all the while listening to Tina’s short anecdote about her father. Kendall hadn’t ever mentioned her parents much - all she knew was that he ran a pharmaceutical company and Kendall planned on taking over for him someday. Sydney was about to open her mouth to apologize for her landlord raising the rent on her, but was cut short as she went off on a tangent. She blinked a couple of times before smiling lopsidedly at Tina. “I totally understand. I mean...my parents pay for this place for me because I’m busy with school and stuff, but I completely get it. Your rent here won’t be too much, mostly just to cover half of the electricity and water bills. And then whatever food you want is all on you, obviously,” Sydney explained. Honestly, in her mind, it was a pretty sweet deal and the fact that no one had taken her up on it yet was a little baffling. “Hopefully that helps you not having to get more shifts at your job. Where is it you work anyway?”

Tina "That's nice. Mine pay for my tuition, and probably would pay for my place too if I hadn't asked them not to." Listening to what she would half to pay, Tina was grateful. It was dramatically less than what she paid for everything now, meaning she'd have more money in the bank to do what she wanted. "That's great. And it'll be no problem giving my half to everything." One of the dogs, the white and pink one, decided then to hop up on on her thighs and attempt to lick her face. Giggling a little while rubbing its back she answered, "The music department has a small record store that is open to the students and some of the public. I'm a cashier/stocker there, since I'm part of the music department."

Sydney could almost see the sense of relief Tina seemed to feel when she explained what she would have to be paying for, if she decided to move in. “Isis, let’s not scare off my new potential roommate by jumping all over her,” she teased the dog that was all over Tina. Obviously it was a joke, given that the woman knew the dogs long before Sydney even had. The answer took her by surprise a little, having not known there was even a record store on campus - she blamed it on the fact that her building was on the opposite end of it from the arts building. “That’s so cool. I honestly didn’t even know there was one on campus,” she admitted. After a beat, she realized she had an entire other level of the house to show off so she pat Horus’ head before starting their journey toward the staircase. “Your room is a bit smaller than mine - I hope that isn’t like some sort of weird deal breaker or anything. I know some people can be weird about that sort of stuff.”

Tina grinned, Isis was her favorite. She was the only one who basically ignored anyone who told her not to jump on people, unless it was the person she was jumping on. "Kendall has tried forever to get her to stop, yet she basically doesn't care." Following Sydney, they started going up to the second floor. "Yeah, most people don't really know we have it. Only the people in the music department really use it, and some other in the actual music industry will come and check stuff out, maybe look for some vinyls they don't have." Reaching the top, she shook her head. "Of course not. It's your house first, and you've been here longer."

Sydney offered up an interested hum in response to the newly shared knowledge of the record store on campus. “What is it you’re studying again? I’m going to kick myself for forgetting, cause it’s probably something pretty obvious...” her words trailed off, and she glanced at Tina for a moment as they moved down the hallway - pack of dogs in tow - until they got to the guest bedroom. “This is just the spare room. Y’know, if ever someone needs to crash the night and you don’t want them in your bed or whatever.” Sydney was certain that the room hadn’t even been used once since she moved into the house, however it looked immaculate thanks to the maid she had that came in every other week. “Oh and there is a maid that comes in every week. My stuff is usually pretty clean - she sorta deep cleans the bathroom and stuff, of course - but I’ll let her know there’ll be someone else here so she doesn’t scare you or anything,” she said, breathing out a small laugh before guiding them a few steps over to the master suite that was at the end of the hall. “This is my room. Totally not off-limits, you’re more than welcome to come and bug me or whatever.”

Tina looked into the guest bedroom, wondering if her room was anything like this. "I am a major in music, specifically song writing, with a minor in dance. I don't think it's terribly obvious, most people don't think to even ask me." Nodding at Sydneys comments, she took in the design of the room, and the white crisp look of it. "Hopefully she won't have much to clean in my room. I try not to be too messy, but I look forward to meeting her." The master bedroom made Tina a little jealous if she was honest. The room was spacious and light, with nice seating and what looked like a balcony. "Your room is really nice."

Sydney nodded when Tina answered the question, mentally kicking herself. they had definitely gone over this at some point and she felt bad for forgetting. “Telling me you’re in music should’ve kickstarted my brain, but it’s been a little jumbled as of late,” she says, a barely-there laugh brushing past her lips. “She usually comes in when I’m at school, so I’m not sure if you will meet her...maybe during the next break or something. But, yeah, she’s super nice and incredible at her job.” Over times such as Christmas break and even during the summer sometimes, Sydney had offered to cook the woman dinner as an added thank you for all she does, allowing them to get to know one another a bit better. “It is...it’s honestly way too nice and like...gigantic. So, like I said, you’re more than welcome in at any time. Even if you wanna hang out on the balcony and write or whatever.” As if having been struck by lightening, Sydney jumped slightly and looked at Tina. “Do you know Stevie?!”

Tina shrugged. "I don't think most people see me as being in music. I'm kind of a wallflower, so I don't think they see me putting myself out there and being in the industry." She figured that she'd probably meet her at some point, as she doubts that her and Sydney have the same schedule, but she didn't say anything. "I'll definitely take you up on that. It looks like you have a beautiful view." Tina was sort of startled by Sydney's outburst, but she answered back as calmly as she could. "I don't know her personally, but I've heard about her, especially since everyone and their mom is talking about her accident. But I haven't met her."

Sydney furrowed her eyebrows slightly, tilting her head to the side just a bit as she did as if trying to find the logic in the correlation between wallflower and music industry. “It would be a little more confusing, if you were performing, or something. But I can totally see you being a songwriter,” she said with a small grin. “I mean, I think the people who are more of people-watchers have a completely different and introspective outlook on things.” Stevie was very much the same way - not a very social person - and it worked out well for her, as far as songwriting went. She was sure it was the same for Tina, even if she didn’t want to admit it herself. “You should meet her! You two would have so much to talk about with songwriting and stuff. She comes over sometimes,” she said, trying to move her tone of voice back into calmer territory. The sudden outburst was unexpected, even to herself, so she could only imagine how Tina viewed it. “Sorry...anyway, yeah. So, that’s my room. Yours is right here - slightly bigger than the guest and you have your own bathroom and stuff,” she said, stepping to the side a little to show the room right across the hall from the guest room.

Tina had never thought that being a wallflower had ever helped her songwriting, but maybe it would now. "I can't say I ever thought of it that way, but maybe it has helped me." An eyebrow raised at the blondes still sort of excited tone of voice, but kept her thoughts to herself. "Maybe. I'm sure she's gonna be kind of busy getting better, but maybe you can let her know that I'd be glad to meet her if she wants to talk about song writing and stuff." Moving across the hall, she stepped into what could potentially be her new room. It was a little bigger than the guest room, with access to a balcony as well. Tina stepped fully into the room, and could see part of the view from the balcony, and she could say that she loved it. Again, the white was a little much for her, but she figured she could accent it with colors. Going into the bathroom, she fell in love with it as well. it was spacious enough for one without being too much. Coming out she turned back to Sydney and the dogs with a smile on her face. "I really like it."

Sydney gave the woman a brilliant smile when she agreed to the notion of her introversion being of some help to her songwriting. The smile didn’t falter when Tina agreed to the possibility of meeting Stevie. It was going to be a little harder to make happen now that Stevie was avoiding her like the plague thanks to the Valentine’s Day incident, but she was sure she could make it work. She gave Tina space as she moved into the room and over to the balcony. “I didn’t mention the balcony in here because it doesn’t have quite the same view, but surprise,” she said, the excited tone to the word ‘surprise’ causing the dogs to jumping all over her. Sydney laughed, giving each of the dogs some love as they settled down, before turning her attention back to her potential roommate. “Do you really?! That’s awesome! Do you have any questions for me, or anything?”

Tina didn't really care much how the balcony was compared to Sydneys. Being in Cali, the weather was almost always great, and sitting on her parents balcony feeling the cool breeze was one of the ways she calmed herself down whenever she was being bullied at school, or she'd go out there if she felt some inspirations. "Yeah, I really do. It's an awesome house, and it's in a pretty secluded neighborhood where paps can't get to us easily.” Moving back towards the door, she said "Do you want me moved in by a certain time? I think the longest it would take would be till the end of March, depending on when Spring Break is. And are there any house rules that you had with your past roommate that you want to start again?"

Sydney wasn't entirely sure why she felt a sense of relief when Tina assured her that the compliment she had questioned was true, but she let out a small sigh - a breath that she didn't even realize she was holding - and offered a smile up to the woman as she moved back over to the door, where she was standing. "No, not at all - you're completely free to move in whenever you'd like. I won't charge you rent for March, cause that would just be silly, if you don't move in for a couple weeks, or whatever," she answered with a nonchalant shrug of her shoulders. She had to take a moment to contemplate the second question, tilting her head to the side slightly to indicate that she was thinking. "As of right now, I think the only thing I ask is that you let me know when you're having, like, more than a couple people over, if that were to ever be the case. And, of course, I'll do the same for you. Do you have any rules for me?"

Tina shook her head as she came to stand in front of Sydney at the door. "I guess just to ask me if you want to use or borrow my stuff. I can't really think of anything else, though maybe some thing will come up later? I haven't lived with someone in a while, so it'll take some getting used to. But that's the only thing right now." Tina didn't think that her and Sydney would have any problems, as she seemed like a nice person, so she was sure they could live together peacefully. "I'll definitely be moved in by April. I don't really have a lot of stuff, so it won't be a messy move in or anything. And I have a question about decorating. Do you mind if I paint a little bit? If not, I can just get like accent colors with bedding and stuff like that."

Sydney nodded, smiling warmly in response to Tina. She hadn’t really been expecting a whirlwind of questions because that usually came more when everything was finalized and everyone was settled into the new arrangement. The only thing that came to mind as being a potential issue was Kendall being over from time-to-time, but, even so, that wouldn’t be a problem that Tina would have to deal with. Not as much, anyway. “Oh, of course you can paint! I’ve been considering hiring an interior decorator to get that all sorted out and squared away - the white is a little bit much, to be honest - but by all means, you can decorate your room however you’d like.”

Tina smiled back, "Awesome. I can't wait to move in then." While Tina did love her own place, and being on her own, she did like the house style better, and she thought living with someone again would be fun. She waited for Sydney to lead the way back, as she had no remembered the way back to the front door. "So is there anything I need to do now before I start bringing anything in?

Sydney grinned, clapping her hands a little too excitedly before pulling Tina in for a hug. Maybe it was a bit much, but she was genuinely excited to have a roommate. She had spent a number of months alone, at this point, and they had been some of the worst months in the past few years. Whether that had anything to do with her living alone had yet to be proven, but having someone around was always nice. Just as quickly as she started the hug, she stepped back, letting go of the woman before leading the way back downstairs. “Nope, I don’t think so. Just shoot me a text beforehand so that I can make sure I’m here. And I’ll get a key made up for you right away,” she responded as she led them over to the door.

Tina: laughed a little, and hugged Sydney back, before following behind her. "Definitely. Here, put your number in my phone." She pulled it out as they got to the door and handed it to the blonde. "It will probably be a few weeks before I start moving anything, so I can give myself time to get boxes and pack everything."

Sydney took the woman's phone when it was handed to her, quickly punching in her number before handing it back with a smile. "Absolutely, no worries. Just let me know whenever and we'll get you all settled in. Hopefully there won't be dogs in the way, by then," she half-joked as she pulled open the door. "I'm so excited to have a roommate. I promise not to be too overbearing with my excitement, though."

Tina shrugged, "Even if there are, I don't mind. I love those little buggers." Giving one last hug and pat to the dogs, she gave Sydney another hug before walking out of the door. She was excited about this new chapter in her life, and was glad to have met someone new as well.

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