23 Griffin Way, Sunday evening

[justlike_a_girl]

If Dani could travel back in time, she would go back to last night to warn herself not to drink all that champagne. Unfortunately, that was not possible. Still feeling the effects of the hangover, Dani stumbled out onto the front porch for some fresh air. "I'm never going to drink champagne again," she vowed to herself.

Too bad she'd break that resolution by the end of the week.

[Open!]

Comments

[onlysmokesnics.livejournal.com]

Hayley just happened to be walking past the house when Dani had stepped out. It was not the strangest way she'd ever encountered anyone.

"You got somethin' against bubbly drinks?" she asked, taking a moment to adjust the strap on the duffel bag over her shoulder.

[justlike_a_girl]

"Only when they go down so smoothly that you forget how much alcohol they have," said Dani, wincing slightly as she rubbed her temples. "I haven't had a hangover this bad in a long time."

[onlysmokesnics.livejournal.com]

"I know a good hangover cure, if you want one," Hayley said. "But you've gotta have tomato juice, pepper, and tabasco."

It tended to work. And clear your sinuses a bit.

[justlike_a_girl]

"I have no idea if I have any of that," groaned Dani. "Maybe pepper. I'm sure I have some of those little packets that come with take-out. You know, considering how nice the kitchen is in this house, I've never used it. I always get take-out."

[onlysmokesnics.livejournal.com]

"Always?" Hayley said, thinking that sounded pretty extravagant. "So you don't ever cook? Not even make a sandwich?"

[justlike_a_girl]

"Pfft! I don't need to make sandwiches. There's a perfectly good sandwich shop on the mainland that is brave enough to deliver to Fandom," said Dani.

[onlysmokesnics.livejournal.com]

"What are ya, some kind of millionaire?" Hayley said, sort of boggling at this extravagance.

Then she realized her opportunity.

"...you want me to see what sort of hangover cure I can whip up from whatever is in your kitchen?"

[justlike_a_girl]

"Be my guest," said Dani, waving her hand at the open door behind her. "You might have a better shot of finding something than me. Just go straight through the foyer into the great room and make a right to get the kitchen."

[onlysmokesnics.livejournal.com]

"Foyer?" Hayley said with a little bit of a stare. "Sounds like all you're missing is a butler."

This did not stop her from heading towards the door, of course.

"You got this big place all to yourself?"

[justlike_a_girl]

"I probably should get around to hiring a butler. Meant to do that a while ago, but I've been getting along just fine with the two maids," said Dani, oblivious to any staring.

"And yes, I've got the whole place to myself at the moment. It's a shame, really. I pretty much live on the ground floor. Haven't found a use for those three bedrooms upstairs. And then there's the rec room..."

[onlysmokesnics.livejournal.com]

"...so it's got lots of space that you don't even visit?" Hayley said. "When exactly did ya win the lottery?"

[justlike_a_girl]

"Oh, I don't bother playing the lottery. I bought the house with the settlement I got from my dad when he forced me to sell my share in the family business," said Dani. "Real estate is usually a fantastic investment."

Except when you buy a 3-story McMansion for just one person and the market tanks. Dani considered herself fortunate that she had no need to sell.

[onlysmokesnics.livejournal.com]

"Ohhhhhh," Hayley said, not actually having totally understood that. She paused on her way into the door.

"Okay, I'm gonna come out and ask. How much exactly would it cost a girl to rent one of those rooms?"

If it was too much... Hayley could possibly try and squat in one of them and it might totally escape the notice of this pretty rich lady.

[justlike_a_girl]

"Rent?" asked Dani, struggling to think clearly. She wasn't so far out of it not to recognize an opportunity, but her headache was making the mental calculations difficult."

The monthly rent she finally offered was really pretty reasonable, but it would still give Dani a nice increase in her cash flow. "Would you be interested? You could move in right away."

[onlysmokesnics.livejournal.com]

"I can manage that, absolutely," Hayley said as a bold-faced lie. "You don't need a security deposit though, do ya? I just... came from the sixties, so I don't exactly have a lot of cash on hand right now."

[justlike_a_girl]

"Nope, I can do without as long as you can make the first month's rent," said Dani. "In fact, if you want to do a month-to-month lease instead of a long-term one, I'm fine with that."

[onlysmokesnics.livejournal.com]

"Perfect!" Hayley said. "I'm... Hayley, by the way. You know, since you invited me in and all. Probably good for you to know that."

She had no problem with people trusting her that fast, of course.

[justlike_a_girl]

"And I am Danielle Davis," said Dani, struggling to sit up. "Though everyone calls me Dani. The only person who says Danielle is my dad when he gets angry."

[onlysmokesnics.livejournal.com]

"My last name is Fitzpatrick, but everybody just calls me Hayley. It's really nice of you to offer all this, Dani. I never lived anywhere this big before."

She'd had the opportunity, but really hadn't wanted to live under the same roof as Roy.

"I used to go to school here on the island. Decided I really couldn't stay away."

[justlike_a_girl]

"Oh, good. I don't have to warn you about the gremlins, then," said Dani. "I wouldn't have minded going to a school like this. The fact that it's on the other side of the country from my family would have been an advantage."

[onlysmokesnics.livejournal.com]

Hayley chuckled a bit. "So how about I fix you that hangover cure, huh? Then you can show me to my new room..."

She turned to head into the house proper.

[justlike_a_girl]

"While you fix that, I might just take a little nap..."

There was no way to ignore the pain of her headache anymore. Dani shut her eyes and laid down on the front steps. "Ahh, that feels so much better," she mumbled.