Monic hunched in front of her computer and dragged her half-closed eyes over the screen. Four days and not a single– she sat up straight and smiling, demeanour suddenly bright. Caught one!<br/><br/><span style="font-family: ' times new roman'">Hello Monic<br/>
<br/>
I would like to apply for…</span><br/><br/>As she read, her eyes drooped and she raised an eyebrow.<i>'A gamer, huh? You better be good, uh…'</i><br/><br/><span style="font-family: ' times new roman'">…<br/>
Yours<br/>
Max</span><br/><br/><i>'… 'Max'. I am going to want a challenge.'</i>she thought, smiling. She'd recently picked up a PS3 and a couple of the most violent games she could find, Killzone 2, Resistance 2, Manhunt, and on some whim, Gran Turismo 5; she'd already pieced together an HD TV and an entertainment system, now all she needed was… Player 2. But she wasn't particularly keen on his reluctance to cleaning duties. In fact, she made a note of it.<br/><br/>She stood up and walked down the hall, slid down the banister, walked into the kitchen, stared at the calendar as she opened the fridge blindly. No more beer? She frowned, and ducked into the fridge. No more beer. She closed the fridge and wrote onto the attached magic-marker board, 'buy beer ASAP'. A thought struck her. There might soon be others living there, might be advisable to find out what they like to drink.<br/><br/>When Monic returned to her computer, she'd gotten another email.<i>'This one's from…</i>she scanned the email,<i>'… Vanessa? Cute name.</i>She re-read the email, this time paying attention.<i>'Parkour, huh? Sporty, stable job, intellectual– eeee, a girl, it's about time!'</i><br/><br/>Monic considered it for a minute. So, a gamer; she had the inkling suspicion that he may be a bit of a shut-in or something. She'd have to be tough on him, and admittedly, she was sort of looking forward to it.<br/><br/>It was nearing the end of the month and if she wanted a strong deposit she'd have to let them move in before the rent-payment day. But that brought up yet another issue: how would she get their money? She owned the house, but she didn't want to intimidate them with the fact. Certain flatmates in the past hadn't liked the idea of living with their landlord. Wait! She still had the 'coffee shop fund', maybe if they paid their checks out to that one… Yes, that would do quite nicely. She opened up a new message and began to write.<br/><br/><span style="font-family: ' times new roman'">Max,<br/>
<br/>
Thank you for your interest As it happens, the space is available. If I may ask, with whom are you employed? I'm definitely okay with gaming, so long as it doesn't interfere with your share of the house work.<br/>
<br/>
I'd love to meet with you, actually. If you'd like to see the house, drop by at [address] anytime between 11 and 2 tomorrow, thursday or sunday, and I'll show you around the house. If those times don't work for you, feel free to let me know, and we'll work something out. Looking forward to meeting you.<br/>
<br/>
Thanks,<br/>
Monic<br/>
</span><br/><br/>She cracked her knuckles and pressed send, then got to work on a second message.<br/><br/><span style="font-family: ' times new roman'">Vanessa,<br/>
<br/>
No, you're in good time, there's still a vacancy for you. Everything sounds in order, actually, so if you're interested in seeing the house, you can drop by tomorrow, thursday or sunday anytime between 2 and 5, and I'll give you the tour. Hope to hear from you again.<br/>
<br/>
Thanks,<br/>
Monic<br/>
</span><br/><br/>Monic hoped she didn't seem too polite, or too eager.