Living accommodations might be tricky. Demand was high, and it was a pretty steep drop in quality from the central areas and the fringes. Many companies were putting up five or more houses a day or an apartment complex over the course of a week, slapping them together like there was a gun to their heads. When it came time to find renters, they were more interested in filling the spaces fast. They had no reason to answer questions or have a potential buyer investigating the nooks and crannies or checking the plumbing if they could turn that person away and have someone else on their doorstep within minutes.

It was a minefield. Word of mouth, cash, contacts, or luck were required to get a proper house that wouldn’t start falling apart after the fact. Fume Hood was one of the ones who’d been unlucky.

In more than one way.

My homepage was Parahumans Online, though. On top of the missed calls and messages on my phone, I had a slew on the site.

♦ Unread Private Messages from NW_Brandish (2)
♦ Unread Private Messages from Glitzglam (8)

I deleted the messages from my mother.

I opened the second link.

♦ Private Messages from Glitzglam:

Point_Me_@_The_Sky: Staying the night at work. Don’t fuss about me. Tell the Dallon parental units if you think it’s necessary to keep them from going on warpath. I want to be left alone for now

Glitzglam *New Message*: i can field them
Glitzglam *New Message*: I’m *so* sorry that happened i want to explain
Glitzglam *New Message*: I arrived and then Amy did and my eyes must have bugged out of my skull but your mom said it was okay we were trying this and you knew it was a reunion and I was wtf
Glitzglam *New Message*: It didn’t sound like you but I thought okay if you thought you were down I could roll with and back you up
Glitzglam *New Message*: Then Uncle M came and oh man if a man could shit crocodiles and piss bears Uncle M would have been doing that he was so fucking pissed b/c HE wasn’t told and he knew the story from the funerals right?
Glitzglam *New Message*: and he brought his wife/kids there
Glitzglam *New Message*: I knew something was up and tried to call but no answer? & then you didn’t show so I let my guard down. I thought u knew and had cold feet and was relieved
Glitzglam *New Message*: I am so sorry. I had no part in this. I should have been smarter. I did not know really truly

I marked it as unread and minimized it. I didn’t want to think about it for the moment.

News. Inquiry into the circumstances of Lachlan Hund. Not a trial, but an inquiry, some questions by people with more official standing. He’d fallen in with some sketchy people, and there were thoughts about there being powers involved.