Silver Spring, MD

[joan_notjane]

Joan was excited about moving in to the new apartment she and Hoshi had found. It wasn't that she hadn't enjoyed her time at home with her family, it was just that she had gotten used to having more freedom.

Anahata was eagerly sniffing her new dwellings while Joan unpacked boxes.

[mostly for the new roommate but can be open for phone calls too

Comments

[itsjustlanguage]

Hoshi had planned on staying with her parents for a few extra days, but it seemed that the entire Sato household was relieved that Hoshi managed to get an early portal.

"Joan? Are you here?" Hoshi called out as she entered the apartment.

[joan_notjane]

Anahata raced over to greet Hoshi, tail wagging frantically.

Joan wasn't far behind. "Hey! You're here early. What happened?"

[itsjustlanguage]

"My mother happened," said Hoshi. "She gave me a piano as a graduation present, along with piano lessons, which I would have to take in Kyoto. When I explained that it was a nice gesture but not something I could use, she flipped out."

Hoshi petted Anahata before retrieving Porthos from his carrier so the two dogs could get acquainted.

[joan_notjane]

Joan's eyes got very wide.

"Are you kidding? Did she think you were going to change your mind about living here?"

[itsjustlanguage]

"Apparently," said Hoshi. "My father tried to talk to her, but he didn't have much luck. Within a few hours, I was on the phone with a Portalocity rep, begging her to find me an earlier portal."

[joan_notjane]

"Wow, I'm glad you were able to get an earlier portal then," Joan said. "When do you start classes?"

[itsjustlanguage]

"Next week, so at least I have some time to get settled," said Hoshi, pulling Four-Dee out of her backpack before it could start beeping. The mouse droid immediately took off to explore the apartment.

[joan_notjane]

Anahata took off after the beeping droid, sniffing it to try to figure out what it was.

"I start on Tuesday," Joan said. "I'm just taking two classes to start. I need to find a job."

[itsjustlanguage]

Porthos wasn't about to be left behind. He quickly joined in the game of chase. After all, he'd been playing this game with Four-Dee all summer.

"I might do some tutoring myself, but I'm not exactly worried about money," said Hoshi, looking a bit shifty. It wasn't her fault that 21st century banks weren't built to keep out a girl with 22nd century computer skills.

[joan_notjane]

Joan smirked. She wasn't exactly sure how Hoshi got her money, but she suspected it was less than legal.

"I'm not worried worried," she said. "My parents had a decent college fund for me. But I like earning my own money."

[itsjustlanguage]

"It's always a good feeling," said Hoshi. "I told Hurley when I visited him that he should open his own music store since working at the chicken place didn't work out. He loved working at Groovy Tunes when he was in Fandom."

[joan_notjane]

"That would be a great job for him," Joan agreed. "I may look for something at a flower shop since I have experience."

[itsjustlanguage]

"That would be a fantastic idea!" said Hoshi. "I'm sure you could call Miss Vida and she could give you a good reference."

[joan_notjane]

Joan chuckled. "I suspect you're right about that. So did I miss anything interesting over the past month or so?"

[itsjustlanguage]

"I managed to convince Hurley's mom that he wasn't make up the story about his girlfriend from high school," said Hoshi, looking rather amused. "His mother was very nice, though she thought that I wasn't calling and visiting often enough. Hurley and I didn't want to try explaining the time difference to her."