Eclair

Eclair is a heroine in Colonial Bay. She has a DNPC, Gina, Rodriquez, her roommate. This is the story of how they met.

Meeting Gina
Avril sat in her dorm room, looking through GreggsList postings on her phone. Graduation was just 10 days away, and she still hadn't found a place to stay that she could afford. She liked Colonial Bay. She liked being around all sorts of different people. And food. And public transportation. You know, civilization. The exact opposite of her home town, Ten Sleep, Wyoming, population 260. Well, 259 if she could help it. She never could understand what in the world possessed her parents to move from Montreal to help lead an experimental auroch ranch.

She sighed. She had a job lined up at the Big Buy in the Mega Mall. Sorry, the Boardwalk Mall. She'd have to remember the official name when she started working. She figured she could count on 20 hours a week, 30 on a really good week, at $20 an hour. Which left lots of time for her other job. The non-paying volunteer one involving violence. But, at about $1600 a month, that didn't leave a lot for rent. Or food. Well, food was covered, mostly, by EBT. Yay, foods stamps. At least between her metabolism, occasional violence, and not being able to afford fast food, she'd have no trouble staying thin. Yay, bright side.

The minimum monthly payment on her student loans was $900 a month, and she still had to pay Medicare and Social Security taxes, even though she wasn't going to make enough to worry about income tax. After tax she had $1477.60. Can't forget the 60 cents, that's almost a dollar. After her loan payment, that left $288.80. Her phone plan cost $111.24 a month, and she couldn't live without her phone. After subsidies, her health insurance cost $24 a month. That left $442.36 for rent, her share of utilities, and, you know, having a life. At least she could commute by flying and didn't have to worry about car insurance or car payment or gas prices or bus fare.

Which is around the point that a listing from a female looking for a female roommate to share a studio apartment for only $300 a month started to look really good. That would leave $142.36 a month for her to buy clothes and stuff! OK, there were some warning signs. Must not need much personal space. Any personal space, really. Must being willing to share a bed!? She almost closed the entry and started looking again. But, $300 a month. And it was in a pretty good location for her commute. If anything in Harrisburg could be called a good location. She looked around her dorm room. Not like she had much beyond her phone, her textbooks, which she was going to sell back, her clothes. Her other clothes. You know, the ones for violence. A few little mementos. Not a whole lot really. She sighed. It wouldn't hurt to check it out.

The building was a ten story brick apartment block that had been divided and subdivided over the years. The apartment was on the 9th floor. No elevator. Not a problem for her. Yay, accidental experiment enhanced physique! She knocked on the door. Waited patiently as various bolts and locks were unbolted and unlocked. She found herself face to boob with a tall, slender woman. Looked up. And up. She saw a smiling boyish face with a boyish haircut, other than the pink hair, looking down at her.

"Um. Hi. I'm Avril. Audouin. I called about the room?"

"Oh. My. God! You are so perfect! I love that accent, is that French? Hi, I'm Gina Rodriguez, come in!" Gina stepped back to give Avril room to enter.

"Um, thanks? Yes, it's French. Canadian. Perfect for what?"

"Just perfect!"

A 8' by 12' room dominated by a full-sized bed, with cinder blocks under the posts to create more storage space underneath. One wall was covered by a complicated system of hangers, rods, and pegs, from which hung dozens of colorful, fanciful costumes. Another wall was covered by closely spaced narrow shelves holding several hundred anime figurines. The third wall was covered by hanging mesh bags holding all sort of cloth and sewing supplies. The fourth, smallest wall, between the doors, held a large flat screen TV. A small sewing table was under the TV.

Avril blinked. "Uh..." Gina smiled frantically, "Wait, don't run away yet! Let me show you the kitchen and the bathroom." She opened the door that Avril had thought must have been a closet. It opened into a 4' by 6' kitchenette, with a small refrigerator, a sink, a stove, and no counter space. There were cabinets above the appliances at least. To the left was the only window in the apartment, leading out to the fire escape. On the fire escape was a garbage can. Convenient. To the right was a narrow door leading to the bathroom. Well, toilet and shower. No sink.

"So, what do you think!?"

"Um... it certainly, uh, makes the most of the available space."

Gina grinned, "I know, right? It's really cozy!"

Avril considered that statement. It wasn't entirely wrong, and despite being very full, the apartment was clean, no bad odors, or anything.

She gazed around the room, stopping on the figurines and costumes. Gina's smile became a little more desperate. "Do you like anime? I'm a big fan! Ah, not that I'm weird about it or anything, I mean, I don't like tentacles, or under-aged girls. Or boys. Or that sort of stuff. I like magical girls and yuri stuff mostly!"

"I, uh, don't really know what any of that means, but, OK?" Avril sighed. "Honestly this isn't really what I'm looking for, but I can't afford what I'm looking for."

Gina's smile brightened, "So you'll move in!?"

Avril waved her hands, "Wait, wait. Don't you want to ask me any questions? I could be a serial killer or something?"

Gina's expression turned serious as she bent down to look Avril in the face. "Are you a serial killer?"

"No! I mean, of course not! But that's what I would say if I was one!"

Gina laughed. "OK, OK, so tell me why I shouldn't accept you as a roommate."

Avril shook her head in amusement. "First, we're going to be sharing a bed and, well, I'm a lesbian."

Gina's eyes widened. "Oh!?"

"See, that's a problem, right?"

"Ah! Nonononono! I'm a lesbian too. But, I can keep my hands off you, I promise. I don't even know if I'm your type. Am I your type?"

Avril gave Gina a sidelong look. "You're looking for a female roommate to share your bed, and now you mention you're a lesbian?"

Gina rubbed her head sheepishly. "Um, I just didn't want to scare off anyone before they at least got to meet me."

Avril sighed. "Leaving that aside for the moment. I'm also a superhero. I'm not going to tell you which one, maybe later. I do have a secret ID and all. So there's a non-zero chance that some bad guy might track me down and, you know, kidnap or murder you to get at me."

Gina's grin widened. "What!? Really!? That is. So. Cool! Um, not the being kidnapped and murdered part, the part where you're a superhero. That wouldn't be a problem for me." She looked slyly at Avril. "That gives me an idea."

"Uh-oh?"

"What!? I haven't told you what my idea is yet!"

"I just felt like it was appropriate."

"Fine, see if I tell you about my idea for reducing your rent to $200 a month."

"Suddenly I feel much more interested in your very well thought out and insightful idea."

Gina grinned. "OK, hear me out. I do a lot of cosplay, I go to cons and stuff, and I sell costumes to other people. But I'm really tall, so I'm only good at modeling bishounen costumes. But if I had a short, petite, oh my God cute, girl to wear my costumes, I could sell a lot more!"

Avril grimaced. "I suddenly have a bad feeling about this idea."

"Let me finish! If you agree to come to cons with me and model my costumes, and allow me to use your image on my website, I'll knock $100 off your rent. It'll only be one weekend every three months or so, and I'll cover all expenses. It's not like I'm talking about going far, I can't afford to travel outside the region either."

"Ehhhh... I don't know, that sounds like kind of a pain."

"Um, um. OK, how about this! I'll, I'll knock your rent down to, to $150 a month, but you have do the con and model thing, and you have to let me design a superhero costume for you."

Avril considered the offer. "Hmm. My current costume is pretty sad, I just threw together what I could."

Gina snapped her fingers, "Ah! You must be what's her name, ElectroBleu!"

"Suddenly I feel very insulted."

"But I'm right, right!?"

"Er, well, yes, as it happens, but I--"

"Awesome! And we'll have to do something about your name..."

"Wait wait wait. I haven't said I'm taking the deal yet! And we haven't finished talking about the whole lesbian thing."

Gina smiled and took Avril's hands in hers. "Just because we'll be sharing a bed doesn't mean we're lovers. We'll be roommates. If we become friends, or more, then, that's what happens. If it doesn't, it doesn't. Besides, I'm the one who should be worried about the electric eel sleeping next to me."

Avril glared at Gina. "I am not an electric eel! Look, I don't think this is going to work, I mean it's just got bad idea written all over it."

Gina went down on one knee and looked up at Avril with puppy dog eyes. "~One hundred fifty dollars a month~"

Avril looked away, scowling and blushing at the same time. "F-fine. I'll do it. But don't get any weird ideas. I'm just doing it because I really need the money!"

Gina stood up and offered her hand. "Shake on it, roomie!"

Avril grudgingly shook Gina's hand. "Thanks, roomie."