Chapter Text
The rent was cheap and the area was good, that should've been the first red flag. From her research, there was a popular nightclub nearby that rarely causes problems, that should've been the second red flag. Both city and county officials have had high remarks for the area, that should've been the last red flag. Now, either out of desperation or sheer color blindness, Nightingale still agreed to the apartment with her new roommate, Faye.
With a grunt, Nightingale placed the last box in her room before laying down on the wood floors. The fan lazily whirled above and she appreciated every little breeze that reached her exposed skin. The pull switches gently knocked against the light to create the natural rhythm of the swaying like a grandfather clock. With no blinds up yet, the sun's rays warmed the floor and tugged at her consciousness as she laid in the beams. A scene of tranquility that was quickly interrupted.
"Oi!! Nightingale!"
Faye's voice was muffled by the walls and distance.
Times like these Nightingale is grateful for her youth and training. In a swift move, Nightingale got up and walked over to the balcony just past her doorway to peer down at the offending voice.
"I'm goin' out with some friends tonight," Faye, wearing sunglasses and haphazard attire, announced, "The fridge is full and the kitchen and utensils have been cleaned!"
Faye gave a thumb's up and only received a blank stare in return.
"Uhm, thank you?" Nightingale raised a brow more to herself than to Faye below.
"The nearby restaurants will be busy tonight so if you try to order takeout then, hah, good luck," Faye gave the odd explanation without prompting.
"Ah, that's right, it's Friday," Nightingale sighed. She just wanted to relax after moving all those boxes up the stairs to the apartment, then another flight of stairs to where the bedroom was. But the beast of the weekend is never quiet and with a Nightclub right across, of course it was going to be a long night.
"My aunt already moved your start date to Monday anyway," Faye waved a hand in the air, "So relax a bit."
Despite knowing each other for a couple of days, her roommate already seems like a long lost friend. Maybe in a different life they were friends.
"Really? Is she sure?? I can--" Nightingale tried to protest but apparently stubbornness runs in the family.
"The store survived before you, it can last two more days."
Faye's answer was absolute as knocking came from the entrance.
"Ah! If you can't sleep, don't be afraid to people watch. We have a great angle here and most people that go to the club are locals so at least familiarize yourself in who they are," Faye waved and bounced off to go on her grand adventure.
Nightingale only gave a small chuckle as soon as the door closed. She appreciated the advice but as she walked back to her cluttered room, she realized the fatal flaw.
How can she familiarize herself with the locals if she doesn't have names?
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The only saving grace from all this unpacking was the simple fact that the room was small and she had minimal belongings. Her frugal ways meant trivial work but it still felt draining. Especially setting up the full bed, nightstand, small desk with a chair, and bookshelves. The oddly shaped room meant the bed had to be pressed against the wall, desk also pushed against the opposite wall to ensure walkable space in the room, and bookshelves near the door as that was the only space left for them. The nightstand was a problem for tomorrow as the sun had finally set behind the building and the stars of the city lamps twinkled beyond her window.
With one last stretch, Nightingale felt comfortable enough to finally make herself something to eat.
With efficiency, Nightingale went downstairs straight to the kitchen. A couple of steps and the fridge opened before her. The coolness was refreshing, but the contents were disheartening. Premade meal boxes and not an ounce of green in sight.
"Ugh, Faye has a weird understanding of full," Nightingale muttered to herself as she investigated further in the fridge for anything that can be cobbled together. Eventually she pulled out some chicken breasts with a small cry of victory.
Another step to the side, Nightingale began to search for the spice cabinet. Luckily, it was right where she guessed and for the first time today Nightingale was impressed. The spice cabinet was a lazy Susan with some extra mechanism to extend the shelves to a more reachable height, and it was full with various spices. Common use spices were easy to reach while more exotic spices were towards the top. As much as it was tempting to make a mental catalogue on what all the spices were for future reference, a cranky stomach made such a task impossible. A quick swipe of basic spices and Nightingale was content. There was only one thing missing.
What should her side be?
Another quick search, and the answer was simple.
Potatoes.
With grace and expertise, Nightingale made herself a chicken and potato dish for the night. Even making sure to make enough leftovers for herself for those boxed meals did not seem appealing to her whatsoever.
After placing the dishes aside to be done after her meal, Nightingale stepped beyond the counter to sit at the circular dining table. The grand ceiling light above was her only company before the sounds of the awakening nightlife reached her. With a hum of delight, the impromptu chicken and potato dish tasted amazing, Nightingale finally stilled enough for the effects of the day to ram into her. Her muscles felt drained and her mind was dull. She was finally on her own and away from home and it feels like she's nowhere near close to being an adult like she envisioned.
The small meal was done quickly and muscle memory took over as her mind thought of the next steps she has to take now that she's here in the city.
Turning the faucet onto hot to rinse the dishes Nightingale contemplated how many applications to send out tonight. Looking underneath the sink to pull out the soap, Nightingale reflected on the lessons that she had learned about resume refinement. Once the water was to her ideal temperature, she began her washing process while wondering how high she should aim in terms of salary and what her boundaries should be. She can't aim too high or else it would be hard to defend but can't lowball herself either. But how low is too low? She's confident with herself and her abilities that she knows minimum is too low but how can she articulate that without sounding too haughty?
Dishes complete, dried and put away, Nightingale retreated back to her room and to her desk with an aged laptop on it. With a hesitant finger, Nightingale pushed the power button and the roar of the struggling fan brought a sigh of relief. The laptop lives another day.
Time vanished from her purview.
Not even the thriving bass and drum from the club across the street could pull her away from her duty. The only break was the alarm for her to go take a shower.
By the time Nightingale broke away from the tired laptop it was already near 2 AM. Finding job openings and discerning which ones were worthy of her time was the easy part, the hardest part was tailoring each resume to the job in order to maximize her chances in the candidate pool. Oh, and also filling out another application for the job with information that is easily available on the resume.
Leaning back against the creaking chair, Nightingale finally took note of the lights that were invading her room. The colours were as expected of a nightclub, but with a heavy emphasis on red, and the colours flickered to match the beat of whatever was playing inside. The only saving grace was the lights weren't as fierce as she thought it would be. As if the lights are being dampened by something just like the sound is. The club owner must've considered the neighbors when designing the club.
Contemplating sleep, her phone rang with an annoyed buzzing against the desk.
"Hello?" Nightingale quickly answered once she saw the ID.
"Heeeee~~y," Faye's voice rolled and lulled with intoxication, "Prove you real!"
Nightingale could only blink at the wall.
"What??"
"Prove you are da real!" Faye's voice sounded distant that time and a scuffle was heard. Faye's complaining was drowned out by the music and noise of the club before another voice took over.
A sober voice.
A tired voice.
A warm voice.
"Sorry, we were teasing Faye about finally having a roommate and in her stupor she was going to, uhm, show you off??" The voice was confused as she was, "I don't even know. Sorry for bugging you."
The voice gave an apologetic chuckle.
The chuckle was full of warmth like a summer sunset.
"All good. At least this was a warning on how Faye will be tomorrow," Nightingale wanted to hear the other person talk more, "How bad is she? Do I need to set up a care package?"
"Oh god she's dancing. Nox, get her down please. Hey! No throwing things!" The voice was distracted before focusing back on Nightingale as various thunks were heard in the background, "Yeah, she's going to be hungover like mad tomorrow at this rate. I'll send a care package with her so don't worry about it."
"Oh, thank you....??" Nightingale's voice trailed off as she had no name for her savior.
"Where did you get a A CANDELABRA?? Wait, no, stay away! Faye!! No--Ack!"
Another scuffle and Faye was back on the line with various voices behind her.
"Lookie! It's for you!"
Nightingale sighed. The only way to end this was to comply.
With a push away from her desk, Nightingale finally went outside to her balcony. The name of the club, Sinners, blinded her at first but Faye was right. The height of the apartment meant she could gaze down onto the rooftop patio portion of the club without much strain and saw the chaos. The sparkles of the stars were drowned out by the blazing nightlife.
Faye was waving a candelabra towards her. The patrons gave her a wide berth and the real reason was evident soon enough. At the edge of the semi circle Nightingale saw a woman in a grey coat looking perplexed. Nearby she saw two figures approaching from behind like predators. A blond woman and a white haired woman. Looking at the rest of the crowd, Nightingale noticed how tall everyone seemed.
"Ya think this candle thingy would, like, clash??" Faye asked as she continued to wave.
Nightingale seemed to make eye contact with the woman in the gray coat despite the distance. Was that a pleading look on the woman's face?
Nightingale sighed again for a new record today as she leaned forward against the railing. Despite her lacklustre attire, shorts and tank top combo with unkempt hair, Nightingale chose the middle of the railing to get Faye to focus on her even if it met being exposed to the other patrons.
"It would clash if it's only one," Nightingale served as a distraction, "Unless it's a statement piece.
"Haaaah? Hmm, you right, you right," Faye gave an exaggerated nod, "You want one too??"
The two, what she could only assume bouncers, were easing closer and closer.
"Hmmmm," Nightingale pretended to think, "No, it would mess with my room's aesthetic. Unless it was a lantern."
"OH! A lantern would be even cooler!" Faye's excitement couldn't be contained by voice and tone, "Lemme see if I can find one! Think one of the kiddos has lanterns...?"
Faye turned around to only be met with the bouncers.
Frozen in place, Faye slowly raised the still connected phone.
"Et tu, Brute?" Were Faye's last words before she was finally shuffled off. The phone was given to the woman in gray.
From her balcony, Nightingale could hear Faye pleading with her captors. Nox and Vanilla seemed to be names of them.
"I'm so sorry."
Nightingale looked at the woman with the gray coat. Even from this distance, the sincerity of the apology was evident. She saw the woman looking sheepish. Even as the patrons went back to normal and surrounded the woman, Nightingale was fascinated by how much she stood out. The grey attire and plain look should mean that the woman should be easily hidden in the crowd, but not to Nightingale. To Nightingale, the woman before her in the distance, grabbed all of her remaining attention.
"It's not your fault," For once Nightingale did not want to end a phone call quickly.
"We'll drop her off with a care package here soon," The woman continued, "Hopefully she doesn't cause too many problems for you."
Another warm chuckle.
"God, I hope not. I'm not ready to be a mother," Nightingale's inner thoughts slipped out.
Warm laughter encompassed her. Ambrosia for her ears.
"Heh, if she is too much, just tell her aunt. Usually that works."
From her perspective, it seemed like that woman in gray wanted to say something else but was interrupted by a woman with pink hair and bedazzling gems. She draped herself on the gray woman and was saying something that couldn't be picked up over the phone. She could only hear the response back.
"Alright, Chelsea, alright. I'll help but please no more betting on sugar baby status," The sigh over the phone was a sentiment that was shared before the tone perked up as the attention was back to Nightingale, "Thank you for your help tonight. Hopefully this doesn't deter you from visiting."
"Depends on your pricing," It was surprisingly easy to be honest with the other person on the phone.
"Yeah, that's valid. Well, tell me your name and I'll give you a special discount. Sound better?"
Nightingale saw the gray woman stand tall as she posed the question. Who wears a coat on their shoulders when it’s so warm tonight?
"It's Nightingale," There was no hesitation and her nerves were on fire. What was there to be nervous about? It's just civil matters being discussed. But, there was a faint line that she could feel in her soul. A thread that led to something she couldn't fathom.
"Nightingale...." The way the voice said her name sent shivers down Nightingale's spine, "I'll let everyone know then. I can't wait to meet you, Nightingale. Have a good night."
One of the bouncers appeared next to the woman to fetch the phone and give it back to its rightful owner. With a wave that Nightingale matched, the woman in gray ended the call. The interaction was quick yet felt like it was in its own time bubble. For once in her life, Nightingale's interest was piqued. From her observations, the woman in gray was plain in comparison to the patrons that surrounded her. And yet there was a level of respect for the woman in gray.
Fascinating.
With a deep breath, Nightingale finally ventured back inside as she saw the club was starting to shut down for the night. The woman in gray began to dance with a woman with blue hair as everything else faded around them. The bass and drums of the club music switched to more classical and jazz music to calm the patrons as they left for the night.
Plugging in her phone to charge, Nightingale went downstairs to wait for her intoxicated roommate. As she waited, there was only one thought in her mind. She gave her name to the gray coated stranger and yet she never got a name in return. An imbalance that must be fixed.
The knocking on the door was gentle and stern. Attention grabbing without being overbearing and disruptive.
As soon as she opened the door she was met with an imposing presence and form. The woman in front of her was in all black and flowy attire and her complexion was fair and pale to the point of almost seeming like a ghost. A haunting figure with a giggling Faye on her back.
Nightingale offered to take her intoxicated roommate but the figure simply shook her head as she turned to show the tight grip that Faye had on her. A battle that could have more consequences if they weren't careful. With an understanding nod, Nightingale let the woman enter the apartment and, after locking the door, was about to lead the woman to Faye's room but the woman was gone by the time she turned around. This must not have been the first time this has happened then. Nightingale could give an internal groan at the thought of this happening more.
Swift steps carried her to Faye's room as the haunting woman, in a fluid motion, unclasped Faye from herself. The drunk woman collapsed onto her bed and promptly fell asleep with mild grumbling. With more fluidity that seemed inhuman, the woman positioned Faye on her side with a trash can nearby for the worst case scenario. Faye mumbled in her sleep and the woman gently tucked a blanket around her.
If it was a different scenario, Nightingale would think the scene before her was tranquil and sweet.
With a grunt of satisfaction, the woman turned around to face Nightingale and spoke with a voice so tranquil that Nightingale had to force herself to focus.
"Here," The woman placed a small bundle of necessary hangover items into Nightingale's hands, "It should have everything for her when she wakes up."
"Thank you," Nightingale was amazed at how hefty the bundle felt.
"For you," The woman continued as another bundle appeared from the void that is her attire, "From Chief. An apology for tonight."
Nightingale freed a hand to take the bundle. It was delicately wrapped and there was a small card tucked into a fold.
"From...Chief?" Despite the odd name, it came out naturally.
The woman nodded before stepping around Nightingale to leave the scene.
"Thank you....?" Nightingale was going to get someone's name tonight even as she broke another record.
Before going down the stairs, the woman turned to answer the question. If she wasn't fully awake, Nightingale would swear she was talking to a ghost. A hauntingly beautiful ghost.
"Nox."
The woman, Nox, gave a small nod before finally leaving as quickly as she came. If Nightingale hadn’t followed her down towards the door then she knew her brain would think that she was communing with spirits. It was her first night here and already she had communication with interesting people.
Nightingale locked the door before going back to check on Faye and to set up the care package to make it easier to access. She felt sorry ruining such a carefully wrapped package but she was delicate as to not ruin the wrapping too much. Placing the items in order of importance, Nightingale felt comfortable enough to leave Faye be.
The calling of her bed was welcoming but she had one more thing to do before giving into the void of the night. Sitting on the edge, Nightingale delicately held the package in front of her in contemplation in what order to approach this. Open the card first then the package or package then card. Harmless decisions.
Opening the card first, Nightingale saw intricate handwriting. A note that held the observations unknown to her.
Again, sorry for the ruckus. I saw that you don't have blinds yet so I'm giving you these in advance until you get some ^^; Let me know if they work for you or if you need something else. -Chief
Flipping the card around, a phone number greeted Nightingale's gaze. A number with a simple tagline.
Call if you need anything :)
A cool scent reached her nose. Was this the scent of the gray woman called Chief?
Opening the rest of the package, the gifts showed the amount of care from a stranger to a stranger. A sleeping mask, made of fine material, along with two different ear muffs. One was simple in design and meant for blocking of sound and the other did the same thing while also having Bluetooth capabilities so it can be used as everyday wear. Underneath the items was another card with a schedule on it. With a shimmering gloss and letterings done in such a red that it stuck out, Nightingale absorbed the information with dedication. This was the Sinners schedule for the next two months.
"Jazz night? Battle of the bands? Rap battle?? Art exhibit???" Nightingale muttered to herself the ones that stuck out the most in terms of content. It was a nightclub, how could it host such events as these?
Without a second thought, Nightingale placed the schedule next to her laptop to serve as a reminder. Maybe she can go visit during one of those events since the club was never her forte.
As she was walking back, she glanced outside her window. The outdoor patio had long since cleared out except for a few figures. The woman in grey, Chief, was in the middle of two tall women. The tall ones seemed to be teasing Chief about something if the slumping woman while the other two smirked was an indication of anything.
Finally, after a long day, Nightingale welcomed the void with the relaxing eye mask.