The Time from Before

Further Integration

Marina tapped on her phone screen, enlarging a picture of an apartment. She smiled and turned the phone towards Mel, who was sitting next to her on the couch.

"Here's a good spot. A decent view, close to everything, and it's cheap." She said, pointing at the image. "Look at that balcony. You can see the whole city from there. And it's only a few blocks away from the subway station, in case you ever need that."

Mel leaned in, squinting at the small screen. She saw a cozy-looking apartment with wooden floors, white walls, and modern furniture. The balcony had a glass railing and a few plants. The city skyline was visible in the background. She could imagine herself sitting there, enjoying the breeze and the view.

"Wow, that does look nice." Mel said, impressed. "But how cheap is cheap?"

Marina chuckled. "Cheap as in... For that price, you can feed yourself comfortably for a few days. Maybe a week or two if you stretch it...?" She said, shrugging. "I mean, it's not a luxury penthouse, but it's not a dump either. It's a decent place for a decent price. Trust me, I've seen worse."

Mel nodded, still looking at the picture.

Meanwhile, Allen stood in the doorway leading to the kitchen, holding Pearl's phone in his hand. He was browsing through various websites, looking for a job for Mel. He had borrowed Pearl's phone because his own PDA wasn't set up to handle the internet the Inklings use. He still had to spend an afternoon sitting down and figuring out their net structure.

He also was using his PDA to translate everything using the camera, so he could reliably read everything.

He scrolled through the list of job openings, feeling a little frustrated. He couldn't find anything that suited Mel. He sighed and closed the website, deciding to look elsewhere. With enough time, he'll find something.

He opened a new tab and typed in a new search query.

"Ooh, I like that." Mel said, pointing at another picture on Marina's phone. It was a different apartment, but it had a similar style and layout. It also had a balcony, but this one had a view of the sea.

"I know, right? This apartment was going to be my first choice back when I went apartment hunting, but it was too crowded when I went to visit. For you, though, it should be perfect!" Marina said, excited. "It's in a nice neighborhood, close to the beach, and it's got a semi-private indoor pool."

"It looks amazing." She said, admiring the picture. "But, it's a little far from the center, right?"

Marina shrugged. "The Square? It is, yeah. But it's not that bad. If you want to walk for a little while, it might take maybe ten minutes?"

Then, her phone started to buzz. A notification appeared at the top of the screen. It was from the octo-group chat.

Marina glanced at the notification and simply swiped it away. She'll deal with that later.

Mel took note of the event.

"So, do you have any other ideas?" Marina asked. "We can always go back to this, you know. No rush."

Mel opened her mouth to answer, but before she could say anything, she heard a voice from across the room.

"No, find her a place. Today." Allen said, looking up from Pearl's phone. He had a serious expression on his face. "I know Mel. She'll put this off until it's absolutely necessary, then she'll compromise for anything."

"Uh... Well, yeah..." She said, trying to sound casual. "But it's not like I have to decide right now. I mean, it's a big decision. I need some time to think."