Wind chimes swish around, signaling the end of Ashlynn’s shift as she walks outside. Her lips creep up into a rare smile. It felt like an eternity waiting for the clock to strike six. She’d been cooped up in the instrument repair shop since late last night. There wasn't anything to do, not a single customer came. She runs a hand through her medium length hair while sighing. The graveyard shift is never busy, but it pays a lot more than day time hours.<br/><br/>At least it’s still somewhat cool outside. The sun hasn't risen all the way, making it easy to view her surroundings without sunglasses. Olive colored eyes skitter down the road, spotting a bus stop. It doesn't take long to reach the bench. For once, it’s her turn to host band practice, so it’d be nice to take off soon. Her new flat is located on the poorer side of town, but the building is great for musicians. The complex used to be a DVD store. She lives in the basement, which was used to sell music related videos, so the insulation is decent. Reaching into her backpack-purse, she pulls out a smartphone to check the time. Her shoulders slump forward. Waiting is never fun.<br/><br/>Twenty minutes pass by before the bus arrives. Her lips straighten from a frown into a more neutral expression. Stepping inside, she sits by herself, leery of the only person sitting alone, and leans against the window, almost dozing off. She should be home before sunrise, giving her time to prepare. The ride isn't long, but a few stops are made before she reaches her destination. Her exit is two blocks from the apartment complex, which aided the landowners in finding tenants.<br/><br/>After a short walk, she turns onto her new street. The manager’s son isn't doing yard work, so she assumes everyone is asleep. Shrugging, she ventures to the left side of the building. There is a metal stairwell that leads to basement level apartments. Hopefully, the insulation is good enough to block out drums. Walking down stairs, she spots a tabby cat outside her door. It was pawing at the handle, but turned around after hearing footsteps and began to meow. She shakes her head before smirking.<br/><br/>“You're being such a needy cat this morning,” she mumbles, not surprised by him wandering town.<br/><br/>The animal runs inside after she unlocks the door, heading for a small bucket of water. Concrete walls box them in, adorned by acoustic panels that came with the place. Ashlynn rubs her neck before throwing her purse beside the futon and lying down. Less than three hours are left for her to nap before setting things up. Half her body is sprawled across the makeshift bed while the other half is hanging off. She reaches for her purse and digs out the phone before setting the alarm to nine.<br/><br/>“Telli, you know where to find food,” she yawns before crashing. At least it’s on her couch this time.<br/><br/>Two and a half hours later, the alarm goes off, yanking her out of dreamland. She sits up and slumps against a cushion. Several seconds pass before her vision focuses on tall homemade room dividers standing around her “formal living room." They’re made out of the cheapest acoustic foam she could find. With any lucky, that’s all they’ll need to keep neighbors happy.  Ensuring her band mates arrive in a timely manner, she grabs her phone and texts her address to everyone.<br/><br/>(Wow, this took a lot longer to write than I anticipated, and I'm still not happy with it.)