Bunnie trotted after Redd eagerly, glad that someone was finally acknowledging her and Gulliver. He led them behind a humongous block of flats, towering over their heads. It didn't smell like the best thing in the world back here, but it was ok. Bunnie could bear it, if it meant getting a place to live.
The kitsune eyed Bunnie furtively. He needed to appear kindly if he wanted to pull this off and make a profit. "This is my…partner is business, Fists," Redd explained, gesturing towards a burly figure stumbling towards them in the darkness.
Bunnie felt cold and hot at the same time, her forehead moist with sweat. She was beginning to become terrified of this whole situation.
"Stay close to me, Bunnie," Gulliver whispered, grabbing her wrist urgently and drawing her closer.
"Ow, geddoff!" Bunnie muttered, pulling away. She rubbed her arm angrily, glaring at Gulliver, who sighed wearily and gave up. The silhouette's face became clearer and more distinguished as he came into a sliver of light streaming across the floor.
"Good day," he greeted in a low, ominous tone. Fists was barely audible due to his scarily deep and rumbling voice.
"Good day to you, sir," Bunnie chirped naively, as politely as she could through her fear of this muscle-bound stranger.
Redd leant over as discreetly as possible to Fists, muttering in his ear. "You better stick to the deal. Half of the money."
"I've got a nice little apartment you two could share," Fists offered, splaying his huge, meaty hands. They were calloused and covered in nicks and scars. "It's only 100,000 per month, and as long as you can make that amount in time, you can keep it for as long as you want."
Bunnie's heart plummeted into her stomach, her mouth puckering at the edges. She had money, but not nearly enough to cover it for enough time to get her own house, to get around to new places. "Don't worry," Gulliver comforted her. "I've got loads of money stuffed in the Bellpoint."
"Thanks," Bunnie uttered back, keeping her eyes fixed on Fists. She trusted him less and less. It was a better deal than buying a house from Tom Nook, right? He charged millions of bells, and she didn't even have to stay here forever, right…? Bunnie's mouth ran as dry as cardboard. "I-We'll take it," Bunnie rasped, surprised at how old and worn her voice sounded. It was a thing anxiety did to her.
"Deal!" Redd and Fists chuckled cheerily enough in unison, though as the kitsune turned he glared maliciously at Fists and hissed another warning about money. Fists smiled through the grim gleam of his eyes and began to tramp through the littered streets that were wired behind all of the flats and houses. Bunnie picked up the hem of her shirt in disgust. She wouldn't've been surprised if a hoard of cockroaches had swarmed over her feet.
Luckily though, there was no such dilemma, though Gulliver had begun convulsing from when his webbed foot had landed straight in a half-eaten carton of festering takeaway. They eventauly reached a particularly crummy, dank building, droplets of dirty rain sliding down the crackling cement and bricks. Fists pulled a key from his greying shirt and unlocked the door with a creaking click! The wood was bloated with rain water so it took a few pushes and almighty heaves to get it to force open.
Bunnie attempted to stay positive and as optimistic as always, but her face fell for the 1ooth time that day as she saw what she was living in. It was the revolting smell that hit her first; a mix of mildew, over ripe, expensive cheeses and plain, disgusting dirt almost bowled her over. Bunnie tried not to retch as they all took a step inside. Gulliver's face had started to turn a pasty green as well, his beak wrinkling in shocked queasiness.
Fists confidently stamped upstairs, his feet making the rotting banister tremble. There were a few muffled coughs heard from a nearby room, smothered quickly with some sort of material. Bunnie swallowed, paling rapidly. Oh God, she thought, her body freezing in place until Gulliver gently prompted her to start following Fists.
The room they had gotten wasn't actually terrible. It was cramped, slightly damp and had an unpleasant smell to it, but it could've been worse. There was a working fridge, a leaky sink and even a tiny television, broadcasting the news. Bunnie flicked the remotes off switch and sank into the dingy cream couch. Well, at least we've got furniture, Bunnie noted, trying to make the best of things. It looked like they were going to have to sleep on the sofa, unless the floor was an option.
"I'll leave you two to settle in," Fists announced, clapping his paws together and breaking Bunnie's endless train of thoughts. "I'll be expecting pay by the end of the month. 'Till then, ta ta!"
Fists left the room, slamming the door on his way. Whether this was intentional or not, Bunnie didn't know, but it told her that Fists had a massive amount of power and strength in those bulging, muscle woven arms. Gulliver looked up at the ceiling blankly, his eyes clouding over, the sparkling blue seeming to become duller and more like a dead husk. "So…what do we do know?" he sighed.
Bunnie slumped to the floor. "Stock up on food, but only get a little. Just the things we really need. Tomorrow, we should go job-hunting. We're gonna need to keep this place for as long as possible." She picked at the wallpaper absentmindedly. "Plus, we should get some paint to brighten the walls up!"
"Can we just rest first? Look, it's already becoming night and I don't need to eat," Gulliver whined, slithering onto the couch and groaning exaggeratedly. Bunnie rolled her eyes but gave in.
Gulliver rummaged around in the cupboards. Nearly every single one was barren of anything, but one had a thin, flimsy sheet that would probably cover both of them for the night. It would be awkward, being huddled so close together, but it would provide some warmth at least. It was frosty in that flat!
Bunnie lay the blanket over the sofa and bundled herself up in it, hugging the material to her face. Gulliver swept some up for himself and gave a half-hearted yawn.
