The floors were meticulously washed before she got there, the carpets feeling as comfortable as a mattress. The chandeliers sparkled more than the lights they contained, the bathtub was an expertly-chisled statue of bluish Carrara marble, and the library was lined to the bursting with bookshelves, each containing books that perhaps 10% she's read. The house, newly bought, was in perfect condition for Gwendolyn Rosebuds. That is, until she walked into one of the doors on the right side of the hallway.
The first one she picked was the farthest from her front door and its cut-to-precision hedges. On the other side laid a small room whose tiling and walls proceeded right towards the center, suddenly replaced by a band of grass and unpainted wall, as if no one had bothered with this one bit of the house. Following that, encompassing the other side of the room, the floors had a very cheap-looking wood panel across them and the walls were painted a plain red. Of course, the first thought that crossed Gwendolyn's mind was about how this room can look so horrible at this price? That's when she noticed the rest of the room. In the center of the grassy area was a single pathway of black and white tiles, whose sides were blocked off by a barrel and a trash can, and between them, a chessboard and two chairs.
Whatever this room was, Gwendolyn hadn't been told of it. She nearly turned back and checked out what was up with the other three doors on this side of the house, but that's when the door on the other side of the room creaked open, sounding like no one's ever oiled it. In walked a man with tattered, plain white rags tossed over his body and a red and white bandana wrapped around his head. He was the sort of company Gwendolyn would never dream of keeping. Simultaneously, the two opened their mouths in shock. What is this man doing in my house?
The intruder was the first to speak up. "Uh- wow- hi. You look..." He took a few seconds to take in the surprise, "...good."
Gwendolyn had other priorities, expressing them with a "Who are you?!"
The man quicky took a step backwards, his eyelids widening for a second. He knows no more than the woman in front of him about this room, and really didn't think he'd see some kind of princess with such clean, orange, well-done hair here. "Uh... I'm Negs. Negs MacKenzie. The bartender's letting me crash here while I, um, get a job, I guess."
The 'princess' felt she may as well put her guard down - MacKenzie was the on the other side of the chess board, after all, he couldn't do any harm to her from there. She simply gives him a "Gwendolyn Rosebuds," with her eyes piercingly squinted.
Negs MacKenzie felt a bit off here, since his own last name was also Rosebuds. Of course, it had to be a coincidence, how could he be directly related to someone of this obvious status? Regardless, he knew at this point only one thing felt truly right. "So... you wanna play checkers?" he offered.
"It's chess," Gwendolyn corrected, following it up with "But... okay. I don't see why not." The two sat down and began to play, MacKenzie getting the first move.
As he moved his first pawn, he asked one thing: "Are you a fan of any sports?"