[1:12] Lavender Valley

You wasted an hour sitting behind your laptop, trying to fool yourself into believing you weren’t totally distracted by that Post-It. Over and over you’d push it out of your mind, start reading the email and the words would become a meaningless jumble of letters and you were back to wondering what it could mean. If it meant anything at all! Finally, surrendering to your curiosity you shut your laptop and threw on your shoes and hoodie and back headed out. 

Hurrying down the front walk you breathed a sigh of relief when you saw her car hadn’t been moved. It was still sitting crooked in the spot. You tugged your hood up to protect against the rain…but also to maybe try and hide your identity for when you had to get on your hands and knees to peer under the car to find the apartment number painted on the reserved spot. 

You crossed the court at a pace just shy of a jog and got to the front doors. You punched in the security code in a small number panel off to the side. Luckily the code you were given worked for all buildings. You slipped inside and winced with every wet, squeaky footstep on the polished floors.

Her apartment was on the ground floor, near the rear of the building. You followed the gently lit corridor until you found her door. Most of the door handles were shiny rose gold. It accented the rich purple and light pink decor pleasantly and matched with the understated frosted shell-shaped sconces that lined the hall. 

You stopped and listened before knocking. You could hear the low murmur of a TV. You got the sense it was a soap opera from just the cadence of the muffled dialog as well as some distant clatter. Chances are someone was home. You took a breath, thought what you might say when she opened the door and knocked. Hoping only after the fact that she actually parked in the right spot. 

There was no answer. 

You waited half a minute then knocked again. Maybe she hadn’t heard you. It’s then you realized the clatter had stopped, but the dialog continued on the TV. You froze, listening so intently you held your breath, and could hear the clomp of heels slowly getting closer but not coming right up to the door. 

“Umm hi?” Your voice broke the silence of the hallway and you actually startled yourself. “I’m your neighbor. I live in The Lilac building. I saw you, I think it was you anyways, earlier today. You were getting out of your car and your arms were full and well you dropped a Post-It and I don’t know if it was important or not so -”

“It’s nothing!” an anxious, raspy voice barked from somewhere within the apartment. 

“Oh. Oh-okay because it looked maybe important.”

“It’s not! It’s not, you can slide it under the door. Thank you. You don’t need to read it. Goodbye thank you for stopping by.” 

She hasn’t moved. You didn’t hear any clomping of her chunky heels. It was clear she wasn’t ready to open the door but this wasn’t the first time you talked a woman into opening the door after they’ve locked themselves in a room. Your high school friends seemed to attract drama and you were often the peacekeeper…

                     (Brains: TN 50; roll 50 - 10 (for Just One of the Girls) = 40. Success!)

“I - I couldn’t help but notice earlier today, and maybe I’m totally wrong, but … I got the sense maybe you were having a bad day and I just wanted to let you know that if you wanted to talk to someone I would be happy to listen. I could pick up coffee and we could chat, there’s a really cute place around the corner, I could run and …"

You heard a new noise. It kind of sounded like soft crying but you couldn’t be sure. Just as you were about to continue the clomping slowly approached the door and it cracked open, just enough for her to peer through. 

She was several inches taller than you. Her uncombed hair still fell wildly around her meaty face. She had deep set green eyes caked with uneven liner and too much mascara. She had a clumsy gradient of purple shadow that was too dark and too large. It was garish. Her mouth was a tight line, her lipstick a glossy bright pink that didn’t match at all. She was struggling to hold back tears. 

Slowly, as if moving stage by stage, she looked up until she met your eyes. He was losing the battle to hold back her tears. She held your gaze for a few seconds before she shook her head ‘no’. 

The click of a door being opened came from a short ways down the hall. Her head flashed up to see where the sound came from. You followed but the moment you were distracted she snatched the Post-It out of your hand in a flash. Her nails were long and chipped and pink. 

Fear overtook her sadness as she hissed, “You need to leave! Leave Now! Tonight! Leave!”

The door slammed in your face and both the chain and the deadbolt clicked into place. You listened as she hurriedly clomped away into her apartment. 

“That’s Misty,” a delicate voice said. 

From where the door popped up stood a woman in her late thirties or early forties. She was wearing a pink satin blouse, black pencil skirt, and black pumps. Her jewelry was delicate pearls and small gold bands. She was slender, with styled shoulder length hair and a full face of makeup. She wore a lot around her chestnut eyes but it worked. Gave her a mysterious/femme fatale kind of a vibe.

“She’s a sweetheart who is just having some troubles at the moment. She’s coming around though. I think she’s just finding herself at the moment.” She said as she walked up to you and offered her hand to shake. There was a melodic quality to her voice and her movements.

“Paige Marshall. I am such an awful snoop but did I hear you say you were our neighbor? Must be new.” 

You shook her hand, introduced yourself and said, “Yeah, just moved in. I saw her today getting out of her car and she was – “

“-- a mess? We know. Tsk tsk tsk. You know we have tried to find out what the matter is but she just won’t talk. Barely leaves her apartment. Us girls have tried to get her to come out and join us but she doesn’t want to. Can’t even get her to talk to us but no luck. Heck, we couldn’t even get her to open the door so congratulations to you. You must have the magic touch.”

“I mean, apparently. I just wanted to make sure she was okay ya know?” 

“And you came all the way over to check on her? Aren’t you the sweetest? That’s something you don’t find in men all that often!” She laughed and placed her hand on your arm and held it there,  then, “I’m sorry! That was mean! I take it back! I hang out with all ladies and I’m sure you can guess there are some rather sexist jokes that get thrown around. I apologize. So when did you move in?”

There was an intensity to her stare, the way she was waiting for an answer with her hand still pressed against your arm that felt disarming.

“Umm about a week or so now.”

“Oh you’re NEW new. Well welcome! Which building? Lotus or Lilac?”

“Lilac.” 

“I have a ton of friends over there. Have you met Lillian?"

“Umm no, I haven’t.”

“Oh she is a riot you’ll love her I’ll introduce you have you had a chance to settle in?” 

“Not - not really.” Distantly you realized that you were answering without really thinking. Something about the melodic tone to her voice and the pace at which she spoke just drew the answers out of you.

“Well, I'm sure we can make you feel like this place is home in no time what do you do for a living?”

“I - um - nothing at the moment. I’m currently looking-.”

“Oh no! That’s awful! But you know, let me ask around and I might know someone who might have something for you!”

“Really? That’d be amazing! Thank you!”

You looked up and realized she had at some point moved next to you, guided you away from Misty’s door and to her own. You were looking into a white and clean modern apartment with a pink couch and teal accent pillows. The walls were covered in a combination of watercolor paintings of flowers and the kind of art you’d buy at Target or Home Goods with affirming slogans in feminine fonts.

“You are very welcome you have to come in and gab I just got a cappuccino machine and I have been experimenting and I would love to know what you think. Come, come.” she said, giving you a gentle guiding push past her threshold and into her apartment. It smelled faintly of her perfume. 

She struts in, shutting her door behind her and locking it. Her pumps click on the floor as she heads into her kitchen. Beckoning you to follow. She immediately starts fiddling with a big brass machine on her counter. “I like to make a seasonal brew for the ladies at our little get-togethers. They all love it and you are the perfect guinea pig to try my new concoction!

“Oh this will be fun. I love meeting new neighbors. Please, sit, sit. We’re kind of a community here at Lavender Valley. I know it sounds cheesy but we’re kind of a tight knit group. It’s important I feel. To be a community that is. So often nowadays you don’t find one we’re all on our phones or whatever. Maybe we have work friends that we tell ourselves are friends but never go out with or spend time with outside of work. I think it’s sad. Don’t you?”

You take a seat at the bar and she whisks over to a hanging rack of coffee cups and takes two and places them on the bar as the cappuccino machine starts to hiss and chug. It was like a bombardment. You could barely keep up with her.

“Oh. Yeah. Totally.”  

“So I like to make it a point to welcome everyone. See who is going to fit into our little clique here.  So who have you met thus far?” 

“Just my neighbor Sophie and Josh.”

“Sophie is a sweetheart!” She exclaims. The cappuccino machine begins to gurgle and she grabs the cups and starts filling them. She doctors them up with some powders and a small carton of maybe creamer before turning and setting one in front of you and cradling hers between her hands. She’s smiling brightly. The cup is white porcelain with a gold feminine filigree pattern. There’s a printed (you hope) lipstick mark where your lip will rest. 

“Josh though,” her smile dims and she grows serious, “I can’t say he’s part of the community. He’s…well…if you two are friends I don’t want to say.” 

“What? No go ahead. I hung out with him once. He seemed okay for the most part.” you say, grabbing the cup and cradling it like her. 

“Well. He and my friend Andrea were spending some time together and they seemed cute and happy and then next thing we knew he was avoiding her and not answering her calls. Still hasn’t. I used to see him leave for work and I think he changed that time so that he wouldn’t see her! Can you imagine? Honey, you just don’t do that to a person. It shows me what kind of a man he is. I’m sorry.”

You lean in to take a sip but could feel the heat on your lip. Paige watched with anticipation as you prepared to drink. But it was going to obliterate your mouth so you lowered it, letting it cool a bit more to spare yourself.

“No, you’re right. He told me all about it. Said he ‘felt weird’ and he got freaked out. I know. I know. It’s a lame excuse. He didn’t know why but from what he told me, he just kind of freaked out. I think he got uncomfortable being surrounded by all women and the conversations that he didn’t really feel a part of. I can kind of understand how that might be.”

You lifted the cup to drink again but it was still too hot. 

“Oh girl, are you for real? Between you and I, that is kind of sad. Maybe Andrea dodged a bullet!”

Just as you were going to take a sip you put it down again. She shifted and it seemed almost like she was forcing a smile. As if something was irritating her a little. “I kind of told him to text her and apologize,” you admitted. 

“You didn’t! Was he going to do it?”

You choose to answer instead of sipping the cappuccino, “He did. He sent the text. I haven’t talked to him yet to see how that went.” 

“Oh no. Well I am going to have to call Andy tonight and find out what happened. I am dying to know.” Paige sipped her coffee. Her eyes narrowed as if she were studying you. Then she asked, “So he felt ‘weird’ huh? That’s not the first time we’ve heard that from a man who lived here.”

There was a hesitation in what she said next, “How about you? You haven’t felt ‘weird’ have you? I know it’s kind of disorienting to move into a new place but how are you feeling about living here?” 

Her dark eyes bore into yours with a kind of intensity that felt as if it were drawing you in. She had a bright charisma and an energy that drew you into her orbit. You felt excited to be chatting with someone new and eager to tell her about Lavender Valley.

She sips her cappuccino again and you become suddenly aware that you haven’t. You bring it to your lips and…

                                                                         (Brains roll TN 30. Roll 15. Success!)

…just before you take a sip you catch the briefest floral scent. It was heavier, almost with more body to it. It was there and gone in an instant, overcome with cinnamon and coffee. But there was no mistaking it. It was the exact perfume that filled your apartment this morning…

1.) GET OUT! You know what you smelled and this is just too weird. Don’t drink the cappuccino and find the fastest way to get out of her apartment. Whatever is going on here she is part of it.  (This will result in a Cunning check and other consequences)

2.) Don’t Drink It! Trust your instincts. You’re not sure if you smelled that perfume, but you don’t want to take the chance. Not until you know what’s going on. Figure out some way to avoid drinking it while still continuing to chat with Paige who seems sweet. . (This will result in a Resolve check)

3.) This Again??? You tell yourself to stop being absurd. Hell, you don’t even know if you actually smelled it. Drink the cappuccino. Don’t be rude. Then continue to chat with Paige, who seems very sweet. (This will result in a Resolve check and other consequences)