[Aedile] A Man's Home Is His Castle (Crimson, private)

[Thracyn Caldor]

OOC: continued from here


The brown Mousai who greeted Thracyn on his arrival at the Aedile's office skittered away after he asked his initial question then returned just as quickly, clearing its' little throat softly and squeaking up at Thracyn to follow along. The young sergeant nodded politely enough though he was not overfond of rodents, even the oversized talking variety, and followed the little brown creature over towards the Senior Aedile's desk. He noted the extreme distance between the two desks and smirked at the sight of the Senior Aedile, a beautiful white tigroness, while the room placement became suddenly clear. He had a brief imaginitive flash of the regal tigroness snapping up the scurrying little Mousai in one bite and he worked to keep the amusement off his face as he sat down at her invitation.

He leaned back and listened while she outlined the property and location she had in mind, presumably based off his first inquiry with the brown Mousai. The price sounded good, as did the location, and Thracyn realized he really didn't need anything with more than two bedrooms, now or for the forseeable future. Still, his curiosity about some of the other properties available was evident in his tone when he replied to the tigroness.

"The provenance of the place, as well as the price, suits me just fine," he agreed with an easy smile before he spoke on, "though I had in mind something perhaps a bit bigger. I've got with me the deed to a property I inherited in the city that I'd like to sell, as part of the transaction. It's nothing much, a one-room hovel really, but whatever you'd offer I would probably find agreeable. With that in mind, do you have anything in the 1,500 to 2,000 crown range?"

Thracyn wondered what other options might be available as he pulled the deed to his inherited hovel out and placed it on the tigroness' desk for her initial inspection.

[Crimson]

The Senior Aedile purred for a moment before picking up a pile of yellowing parchments on her right. She shuffled through the stack before quickly placing three separate documents between herself and the Sergeant. "Three stands out" she said with another flash of teeth "this one, 1,580 crowns, has a spacious plot, about 1 and a half acres plus a cellar to keep foodstuff; the next one, 1,850 crowns is much roomier than the 1,000 crown villa but otherwise identical; this last one is the most expensive and is essentially a combination of the properties I mentioned."

"It has a wide, 2-acre plot, a cellar, and has almost twice the space of the 1,000 crown villa. It will suit a successful Sergeant as yourself" she absentmindedly flicked her tail from side to side, like a cat about to pounce on an unknowing mouse.

[Thracyn Caldor]

Thracyn watched the tigroness as she seemed to think for a moment then set out three pieces of parchement between herself and Thracyn while she outlined the properties in general. He listened with interest while his mind whirred, his current and future financial status along with whatever he could get for the hovel from his mother should cover any of the three places he chose to buy. He thought for a moment about returning to the original two-bedroom the Aedile had suggested, but the white tigroness' words, as well as her apparent knowledge about his profession and rank, served to make the final decision for Thracyn as he opened his mouth to speak.

"I think the third property you mentioned would be the most agreeable. You say it has twice the space of the 1,000 crown villa, am I to assume it's twice the price? Or a bit more?" Thracyn slid the deed to his one-room hovel across the desk to the Aedile as he spoke, "Either way I'd like to dispose of this property as well, use whatever comes from it against whatever I'll owe for the new place." He was faily sure that with that, plus his savings and income from winter, he would be able to afford the third property but he of course waited for the Aedile's confirmation before he spoke any further on the subject.

[Crimson]

"This deed is worth 800 crowns on the current market" the tigroness remarked with a snowy smile "and yes, the largest villa is twice the amount of the smaller one I mentioned beforehand; minus the amount on this deed, it comes out to an even 1,200 crowns total for this purchase." She purred, obviously pleased by the transaction.

"Take note that the villas have not been occupied in some months but" she stuck a furry finger to prevent Thracyn from interupting "you won't find a better price anywhere else. It's a perfect place for someone as yourself, monsieur. You will find it lacking in furnishing, sure, but not something you cannot easily fix non?" She flashed another toothy grin before setting out to produce a new document, "what is your full name, monsieur? And do you have your Visa with you?"

[Thracyn Caldor]

Thracyn nodded in satisfaction as the Aedile outlined all the relevant details and he found himself coming out very much better for wear financially than he thought he might, though of course his thoughts now turned to procuring furnishings for the place. Pushing the tertiary concerns aside he listened as the tigroness asked him his full name and for his Visa. He was glad he had thought to bring the document along and he quickly slid it onto the Katta's desk beside the deed to his one-room hovel for her inspection.

"Thracyn Caldor," he replied to the Aedile's inquiry about his name while he simply nodded to the document he had already placed on her desk when she looked for his Visa. The neatly folded and clipped banknotes in his pocket would more than cover the rest of the expense and he found himself unaccountably eager to have the place and get a chance to look around. All this of course was internal as he watched the tigroness with polite patience as she set to work on her paperwork.

[Crimson]

Without looking up, the tigroness' fur-covered paw swiped the Visa toward her as her free hand seamlessly flew over the parchment. She dipped her fire red quill only once before she picked the piece of parchment, squinted her amber eyes as if straining to seek any and all errors, before waving the newly drafted document in the air between herself and the Sergeant. "Just a moment" she smiled toothily before placing the parchment on the table again. With her other hand she sprinkled white sand on the document to dry it even faster. And with another flick of her paw she passed Thracyn's Visa back with a nod.

"This document is your new deed" she began "it states you as the owner according to the property laws of Jaedaxia. It also holds you responsible for paying the 5% tax at the end of every era. So" she clicked her tongue smartly "at the end of Era XV Post Fractum, you will pay 5% of your property's current market value. This information can be accquired officially by submiting a request here" the tigroness they pointed at the mousai sitting several dozen paces away "with my assistant."

"When we evaluate your property's value you are required to pay the tax within two cycles. Failure to do so will result in penalties. Acquire enough penalties and the city may seek to file formal charges. Failure to appear in court will result in the removal of your title from the property. So on and so forth." She waved her paw dismissively then, as if flicking away invisible details that Thracyn didn't (or shouldn't) need to know.

"Here are your keys." The Senior Aedile rose from her seat, revealing a powerful build covered by a feminine set of robes to and some official looking seal along her long sleeved tunic. She walked over to a long set of drawers and pulled out an envelop. Walking back to her desk, she passed the item to Thracyn who immediately noted that a pair of bronze keys were sealed within. "We have a copy. If you loose those" she motioned to the envelop "you'll have to replace the locks to the property and provide us with an extra set. Any questions, monsieur? If not, just sign at the bottom of the document. And you're set to go."

[Thracyn Caldor]

Thracyn watched as the Aedile swiftly swept his Visa across her desk and towards her line of sight, then set to work on the paperwork with what looked like practiced ease. After only a few moments she spread sand over the document she had filled out and slid Thracyn's Visa back, which he took with a nod of thanks as he listened to the Aedile rattle off a long list of obligations and such assiciated with his new property. He looked over the deed casually while the tigroness rose and walked to a set of drawers along the wall.

He accepted the envelope she passed him and weighed it in his hands experimentally before he broke the seal. He dumped a pair of heavy bronze keys into his hand and smiled slightly at the first physical manifestation of what he had just purchased. The Aedile finished speaking and Thracyn set the keys back on her desk while he withdrew a neatly folded stack of bills and began counting out the requisite crowns for his new home. After he was finished with this he picked up the proffered pen and inked it in the well before sliding the deed close enough to sign.

"No questions about any of the obligations of course," he said as he signed his name neatly then set the pen back in its' place, "but as I'm relatively new to the homeowner's market I was wondering if you might have some advice on where I might find some reasonably priced furnishings. I'd also like to look into hiring a housekeeper. Would the employment office be the best place to go regarding that, or is there a more specialized place dealing with domestic servants?"

[Crimson]

"Oui the employment office is best to inquire about workers" the tigroness replied "consider sending them a letter of sorts. Save you the time to go there yourself." She nodded, apparently pleased by her answer before continuing. "Furnishings are rather decent investments. They raise the price of your home but only if you choose to sell it. Usually, when we evaluate the official value of your property once per era, we do not include the possible bonus of it being furnished, etc. So any improvements you add will definately for your benefit both now and later."

[Thracyn Caldor]

Thracyn nodded and made a mental note about starting correspondence with the employment office while the Aedile spoke on. The possible wages he would have to pay a housekeeper ran through his head, though he had already decided to offer room and board as part of the employment to hopefully cut down on the salary he would have to provide. The katta's words were reassuring, insofar as the value of furniture, but she did not share where one might acquire said pieces and Thracyn smiled a bit in hidden bemusement while he waited for her to finish speaking so he could reiterate his question.

"I'm sure it would be of benefit, now and later," he agreed, "but for now I'd like to find just a couple of pieces. A bedroom suite and perhaps a table and chairs for the dining room, The rest could be acquired gradually. Is there a furniture store in the city?"

He shrugged almost apologetically while he watched the beautiful white tigroness and waited for a reply.

[Crimson]

"Oui, oui" she replied with a slight tilt of her head "there is the furniture shoppe on the western corner of La Rangée Du Négociant." With that, she noted on a separate piece of parchment some direction that would lead Thracyn there. "I know the owner, and he likes you to be exact like his wood." She purred a soft chuckle before shaking her head "yes, so be prepared to know what type of wood you like, the approximate dimensions for your furniture, etc."

"If you have any questions, monsieur" she added with a wink "do not hesitate to ask me, non? If that is all, Serale and congratulations on your new home."

[Thracyn Caldor]

Thracyn nodded in thanks as the Aedile wrote out a short set of directions to the furniture shoppe she had indicated then passed him the parchment. He nodded in understanding as she indicated the shop's owner would likely want exact specifications, he had no doubt he could come up with them at need, but he would first of all have to determine how much this was all going to cost. Pushing the irrrelevant thoughts from his mind Thracyn nodded again and smiled at the white tigroness' wink as he accepted the deed to his new home and pocketed his two bronze keys.

"No more questions for now. Thank you very much mademoiselle. You were most helpful."

With a short bow Thracyn turned and made his way out of the Aedile's office, his next destination his new home, to get an idea of the layout and floorplan in his mind before he went in search of the furniture shoppe.

[Crimson]

Thread Closed.