Tess looked around the old flat and sighed. This wasn't necessarily her first choice, her eyes were set on the Laguna complexes, but her brother had insisted she find a housing community with people like her. Something about social interaction was important, whatever that meant. Now she was thrown into an old lady's flat. The woman had been kind enough, elderly and wishing to retire from her life here as a resident advisor and move with her daughter who had offered her a permanent home. Merlin knew that Tess had no interest in the old woman's life, yet the woman tended to chatter about everything.

"Remember dear, we have no housekeepers"

"You do have neighbors, so if you have guests be mindful. I know how you young people can be."

"It tends to be a bit chilly, make sure to put a nice heating spell to keep it all togethers. Oh but you can have my curtains to shade yourself"

As if she was going to trust anyone in the complex to even enter her house let alone clean it. She had remembered how gobsmacked she was as the old lady chatting on about how having partners were fine, it was normal in the sixties and all the more now. She assured her that would not be the case and she was a very private person anyways. But as the old lady offered her those horrid dark olive colored curtains, Tess tried to keep calm.

Three weeks later, the woman had finally left, and in turn left Tess an ugly flat that she needed to make like her own. She had asked the maids to put everything needed in to complexes, so she wouldn't have to do too much lifting and all had volunteered to help her clean. She didn't know if they had done it to please her and her parents, or because they genuinely saw the state and were horrified, it seemed like a mixture of the two. But she was grateful nonetheless.

Through she cleaning she noticed many things. While the only lady prided herself in cleaning, it seemed she didn't do this enough based on all the dusting they did. She didn't want carpet and immediately removed it, glad to have the dark wooden floors shining under it. The walls were painted from the dreary olive to a softer peach, bringing life into the whole flat and she threw every olive shade that the old lady had "gifted" her with. Instead royal blue curtains covered her apartment providing a pop of color while keeping the sun out if need be.

Her kitchen had been remodeled, her mother had seen the state and had gone into a fit. It had forced Mycroft to give her a new one, much to her amusement and his annoyance. She had been teased mercilessly that she didn't know how to cook and they were absolutely right. Looking at the stove as if it was going to just feed her was not a way to start off her living alone. So she'd bought herself cook books and figured it was just like chemistry.

But her biggest accomplishment was the large bed in the master bedroom. It was gorgeous and she had to admit she had thrown herself over it as everything had been done. Two rooms were perfectly done, one for her guest, which would have probably been Rhian if she ever came to visit her and the other for her personal enjoyment. She wiggled around over her sheets and sighed as the cool fabric touched her skin.

After a good shower, she changed into a pair of shorts and a loose shirt, thankful everyone had left. Soon she had found herself padding through her flat curiously. She'd never lived alone, and being almost eighteen to have this much about of space for herself was not new, just different. She couldn't just call a maid or elf and ask for them to make her something to eat. Instead she had to figure out how to eat. Speaking of eating, she walked over to her kitchen and touched the marble countertops, something about adding value was what Mycroft had said. She looked into her pantry and realized she needed food. Frowning she walked over to the fruits and thankfully had some apples for her to enjoy. Biting into it she walked onto her couch and sat down, stretching her legs and sighing, pleased with herself.

Rhian made her way through the village, happy for the freedom of college life. With Hogwarts, it had been all about 'permissions' and restrictions. But now, she could go anywhere, do anything, that she wanted. And it was wonderful. Having dumping her trunk and few possessions into her private dorm, she'd grabbed a light sweater and ran down the stairs. There was a lot to see in the castle, but she wanted to see how Tess was doing in her new place first. Then they could explore.

Reading the small piece of paper with the address, she tucked a stray hair behind her ear, looking up at the building. It looked a bit too large for just Tess. Her eyebrow raised in curiosity, though she wouldn't be surprised if the girl's family had bought out the whole thing, she rang the bell.

Humming softly to herself she leaned her head back looking at the ceiling and studying her sitting room's state. She hadn't noticed those holes at the top of the roof; she frowned, this was definitely not in the contract that she had signed with the old woman. Taking another bite of her apple she wondered if her father could get that fixed, it wouldn't take too long, she just didn't want to deal with neighbors. It was nice though, quiet, really quiet and for a second she was a bit put out. Her plans about living together with Rhian had been dashed immediately after the celebration dinner. Rhian had plans of living in the dormitories something she definitely did not agree with. Despite her logical arguments, Rhian had been very firm about wanting to experience the "university life" at the actual castle. She snorted, typical Rhian.

Still, Tess wasn't giving up, she had her ways of swaying Rhian to possibly stay with her. Slowly but surely she'd convince the older girl that there was no point in her dorming when she could have the freedom of her own room. She smirked at the thought and threw her apple in the air, only to be interrupted by the ringing. Barely catching her apple, she got up and popped her door open. Seeing a girl at the door, she walked outside in just her thigh high socks and opened the door. Smiling slightly at the girl, she pulled the door open all the more and signaled her in.

"All settled in your prison cell?" she drawled out walking to her flat door. "Come in, don't want the neighbors to snoop" still biting her apple as she showed her the flat.

Rhian smiled warmly seeing Tess already getting comfortable in her new place. At the comment, she couldn't help but laugh. "It's not that terrible. It really isn't."

Not that it was great, by any means. Better than Hogwarts, at least, she had a room with only one other girl, with a dresser, a desk, and a closet. There was one other bedroom, and they were joined by a common room and one bathroom. It was simple, and devoid of too much paraphernalia. When she'd gotten to the main area for the first time, there were some girls putting up nick-nacks here and there, and posters. Rather odd, in her opinion.

Following Tess into the building, she noticed a set of stairs leading up to a closed door at the second floor. When the other girl lead the way to a door across the landing, Rhian had to ask. "You don't have the whole building? I didn't think you knew how to share, Holmes," she teased with a smirk.

The downstairs flat was...exactly what she imagined it would be. Well, after Tess got ahold of it. Blue adorned every surface that was tastefully possible. And she could note the hints of more interior design than Tess would bother with. The girl loved things to be just so, but put into place by others. Moving through a few of the rooms, she stopped dead in the kitchen.

Sending Tess a skeptical look, she smiled playfully. "And who's to be using this, hmm?"

"You don't have the whole building? I didn't think you knew how to share, Holmes," she teased with a smirk.

Tess rolled her eyes at her Rhian's comment, but couldn't help but smirk herself at the comment. She was often teased about the way she was a bit frivolous with money, it wasn't in any way bothersome to her. Hell she heard a lot worse, and it never truly bothered her. Instead she led her friend in and closed the door behind her. The warmth from the heating spell brought her more comfort than she cared to admit.

"The only reason I don't own this place is because father said that I was too young to hold real estate" she joked. Throwing herself on the couch she signaled her to sit down and relaxed finishing her apple. "But no really, I wanted a nicer place, but you know how Mycroft is. He argued this place was closer than Laguna, and well as for upstairs? Apparently the old woman had a contract instilled already for someone above. Don't know who they are and definitely don't care"

She studied how Rhian took the room in, and she smiled pleased with herself that the girl found it appealing. Soon the girl would figure out she was being stupid for being in the dorm. Pleased with herself, she threw it in the trash without even moving, using her old Quidditch skills to help her out. Being too lazy she wiped her fingers at the bottom of the shirt and sighed. Throwing her head back she saw Rhian pay attention to the kitchen and groaned.

And who's to be using this, hmm?

"Certainly not me, at least not yet. What's so hard about cooking?" she whined, "Plus cooking is boring, how about you just move in and you feed me" she said grinning charmingly.

Everything Tess was saying, about why she was in this house, made a bit too much sense. Rhian hadn't formally met Tess's parents, but she had met Mycroft once or twice. He'd been out of Hogwarts before the girls started, but over the years she was bound to meet him. The man seemed civil enough to her, though not overly warm. He must have come to the Academy as well in his own time, to have suggested living places to Tess. It wouldn't surprise her if the entire Holmes ancestry grew up in that castle.

Leaning up against one of the counters, she crossed her arms. "You never know. They may not be all bad." Rhian wasn't one to open up fully to people, but she knew it was expected of normal, well-adjusted people. "Maybe they're healers, too."

It always surprised her that Tess wanted to go into healing. It wasn't the potions aspect, as the other girl was a natural at that, it was the people. Tess would actually have to interact with loads of people, and some not so nice people. It wasn't that the other girl was completely naive. She just wasn't a social butterfly either. And bed-side manner? Yeah...

And there it was again. They'd talked about it for a while, and Rhian's answer never changed. She told Tess it was because of wanting some kind of experience, but that wasn't quite it. Rhian was not used to relying on others, not for a over a decade. Tess was her best friend, but there were just some lines that were too hard to cross.

Avoiding the girl's eyes, she opened the refrigerator door. "So I can become your personal cook? No way." Her tone was light, she knew Tess didn't look down on her because of her past. "I won't let you starve."

Tess snorted and leaned her head back. She wasn't much of a people person that much was clear. No Holmes really was, and she knew that Rhian knew she was an exception when it came to that rule. It wasn't that she hated people, but rather she hated interacting with them on a personal level. She didn't know exactly when Rhian had wiggled her way into the best friend position, but she'd solidified it all the more since her heartbreak six months ago. That was definitely not something she wanted to think about, especially as the dull pain started once more.

"Healers? Well then maybe I'll see them in class, no need to bring them into my personal life" she shrugged.

Since she learned her lesson, she was not fond of bringing new people into her life, she was satisfied with dying alone. So dramatic her mind taunted her, but she ignored it. It was not the time to think about her pity party, that was for later when she was alone.  At her light comment, she could see Rhian not taking it so lightly, and she didn't mean it to be to be frank.

"So I can become your personal cook? No way." Her tone was light, she knew Tess didn't look down on her because of her past. "I won't let you starve."

Tess laughed softly.

"I'd pay you nicely" she said amused, "Also, what the hell is that box thing? It's taking up room in the kitchen."

She wasn't fond of that thing, the old lady was a muggleborn, that much was clear from some things that she decided to leave it alone. But that box was so easily opened she wondered what the hell it was.

Rhian chuckled softly. As much of a social butterfly Tess could appear to be, she knew the girl had a general dislike for most people. At least beyond what they could do for her. It wasn't from a place of spitefulness, no. That was just how she was raised. Over the years, Rhian figured if Tess could accept her as she was, at least Rhian could return the favor. And, in all honesty, it was best for her if Tess didn't try to pull her along into an overly social lifestyle. Best for everyone.

At Tess's question, Rhian smirked, not surprised in the slightest. "It's called a refrigerator." She pulled the door wide open so the other girl could see inside, probably for the first time. "It stays cold, through electricity. Great for keeping food cold for a while, so it doesn't go bad. Milk, eggs, things like that."

Really, she wasn't shocked at all that the girl may not know. Rhian didn't know much about the pureblood ways of life, other than what she'd gleened from Tess over the years. She knew they weren't accustomed to the use of electronics, and that large amounts of magic would usually interfere with their usage. But she had to wonder how they dealt with cooking and all that without a fridge. Shrugging inwardly, she figured they had a way.

It was easy to see inside that there really wasn't much. Just some essentials. Moving to the cupboards, she pulled out a few things and started working. She may be choosing to live in the castle, but if she didn't make sure Tess ate, who would?

Calling over her shoulder as she put together the mix for some pancakes, something easy, she continued the conversation. "Have you found out what you're taking this year?" Since they were in different majors, Rhian hadn't the foggiest idea what a Healer would study.

"Refrigerator?" she repeated confused.

Muggles objects wasn't something she was quite used to having around her. Growing up, muggle things were never in her home, seemed unnecessary and poisoning to her mind. Her parents never did take her to the muggle world and even now she wasn't fond of it either. Blood prejudices might have been a thing of the past, but for her family, it was still a thing that mattered. She remembered clearly her father saying Having a unclean friend is one thing, marrying one is unacceptable and that mantra stuck in her mind to this day. Her parents weren't exactly too keen on having their daughter be friends with a halfblood, but at least it wasn't anything that lead to blood mixing, so they left it alone.

"It keeps things cold? So how long do things stay fresh? Do I have to charge it?" her eyes widened and she got up walking to the so called refrigerator. Popping her head in her face got cold and she let out a delighted noise and did it once more. She usually would not have been so raw in her expressions but Rhian was trustworthy.

"Fascinating the things that muggles have" she murmured tracing the door. "Electricity? Do I have to pay something?"

Tess smirked seeing Rhian already making her food. She was a blessing sometimes to Tess' absentmindedness. Sitting on the bar stools that she'd been given she wiggled around and placed her elbows on the counter peering over as Rhian worked on.

"Have you found out what you're taking this year?"

She made a noise of discontent.

"So far I'm taking healing potions with Mycroft. I thought I'd escaped him once I got out of Hogwarts, but that was not the case. You?"

Adding a few blueberries into the mix, Rhian hummed in response to Tess's musings. It wasn't til she looked over at the fridge, seeing the other girl with her head buried in the nearly empty box, that she burst out laughing at the sight. Leave it to the spoiled pureblood to be completely surprised at something so simple in the muggle world. Sure, they may not have magic. But electricity was practically a magic unto itself. Especially in reference to communications and data access. Floo had nothing on Wi-fi.

"I'm going to guess that if the landlady didn't leave any specific instructions, then she's taken care of any maintenance." Rhian didn't know how the witch would have hooked it all up in a wizarding neighbor hood, but she mentally shrugged and decided not to worry. "As for payment, it's probably part of your rent."

With that part done, and the pan having warmed up properly, she poured a bit into it, spreading the batter around enough to make a decent sized pancake. She could hear the obvious annoyance in Tess's tone. The other girl talked the talk, saying how much she wanted away from her brother, by Rhian knew her better than that. The man was the closest thing to a real family member that Tess had. At least, what a family member should be, Rhian thought. Loving, even if it was in an unwelcome and not easily distinguishable way. Purebloods, they were a strange lot.

"I'm actually taking that as well. I guess they think people that deal with dragons may get hurt or something," she smirked back at her friend. "Don't know where they come up with that bollucks, personally."

It didn't take long after that to finish the rest of the mix. Stacking the lot of them on a plate, she brought a few plates over to the island, along with butter, syrup, and the pancakes. Leaning against her side of the counter, she put a few on her plate and dug in, enjoying the richness of the syrup with the burst of berries.

"There's a few others, but I'm still waiting to hear about them."

"I'm going to guess that if the landlady didn't leave any specific instructions, then she's taken care of any maintenance."

"Father will take care of that I suppose" she commented shrugging.

"I'm actually taking that as well. I guess they think people that deal with dragons may get hurt or something," she smirked back at her friend. "Don't know where they come up with that bollucks, personally."

Tess made a noise of agreement and sat down watching her cook. She wasn't fond of cooking, she'd never actually done it, but had she done it, she'd figure it wouldn't be for her. Holmes women didn't cook, at least thats' what her mother had told her (forgetting the fact she was the first one in 500 years). Her mother never lifted anything in the kitchen, instead having things handed to her. 'You don't want to be like your mother' her conscious reminded her. And it was very true, she shuddered at the thought. This was not what she wanted to do.

Placing her head in her hands, she pouted softly. Sometimes she wanted to be more independent but it was hard. She was almost eighteen, and she'd never really lifted a finger to do something for herself. In Hogwarts her only relief was Quidditch, the mud, the bruises, the fact she was one of the boys at one point. But that all disappeared, now she was trying to do this for herself. As Rhian brought over the plates, Tess grinned brightly and felt her stomach grumble. Taking two for herself, she avoided the butter and syrup and had it dry humming happily at her food.

"You should teach me how to cook" she murmured. "I need to thrive on my own that you're abandoning me."

There it is, Rhian thought, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. She didn't know the older Holmes' very well, having only met them once or twice, but she was not their biggest fan. It wasn't that they were horrible parents, not in the obvious ways. Tess was well taken care of, actually. A bit too well. The girl had never wanted for anything, and that sometimes worried Rhian.

Tess's next comment only solidified her worry. Rhian poked fun at her a lot, but what would Tess actually do if she wasn't there to cook for her? It wasn't that living in a flat with her best friend was a bad idea, but Rhian had decided that she wanted to try out campus living. At least for the first year. While she'd obviously done well enough in Hogwarts to warrant a scholarship, she didn't want to chance letting her grades slip. Especially in the first round of lessons.

Taking time to savor the pancakes, and adding a bit more of the sweet syrup, she smiled at Tess. "I can teach you. It'll be our own project for this year." Leaning back, she opened her arms as if holding up a banner. "'The Culinary Education of one Tess Marie Mionette Holmes'."

With their meal finished, her eyes showed brightly. "How 'bout we start with the basics. Cleaning dishes," she gestured to their plates with a sly grin.

At the mention of her whole name, Tess groaned, not liking one bit hearing all of it. She wasn't fond of her whole name, so much more posh that she thought herself to be. Shuddering lightly she cut deeper into her pancake and took a bite. She knew that her attempt of a joke had failed miserably, and Rhian was worried about her. The way that Rhian's expression changed, was enough for her to know that she was genuinely worried about her. Rolling her eyes she went along with the joke.

"Cooking can't be that hard right? Isn't it just like potions? You read the recipe, follow directions and hope it's not poisonous. I think I can handle that" she said cheekily. "I've survived this long without cooking, I figure I should start now."

As their meal was done, Tess had to quietly admit that she was relieved that her stomach had settled. As much as she joked around about not knowing how to do manual labor, it was becoming a bit worry to see that for a bit fruit would be her main source of food.

"How 'bout we start with the basics. Cleaning dishes,"

Rolling her eyes a the expression in Rhian's face, she threw the napkin at her and got up.

"I think I can handle washing dishes on my own" she replied as she picked up their plates. "I can clean, I cleaned this whole place" with the help of some maids was what she didn't mention, "and I used to get covered in mud all the time when in Hogwarts. I think cleaning is far from something I need help with."

Turning on the faucet she began to wash the dishes. Her hands covered in bubbles ,she wondered briefly if this would have been something she would have done before. With Dominic going to work and her having to do house work. He used to joke about her being a good housewife who'd treat him right, and she'd go along with it laughing at their antics. Frowning lightly, she placed what was clean on the dish rack and continued to clean.

Rhian laughed openly at Tess's assessment of cooking. "That's the basic idea, yes. Though when you're dealing with taste, it gets a bit trickier." She'd learned the hard way, back when she was in the home, that feeding multiple people got harder, as they all had different preferences. At least with a potion, it was what it was.

Nodding her head along with Tess's words, she smirked. They'd both gotten rather dirty on the playing field, but that was different. She didn't quite know how, but it just was.

With Tess taking care of the cleanup, Rhian moved to an empty stool at sat down. Looking around, she honestly couldn't hate the place. There was a bit more blue than she would have chosen, but that wasn't surprising. Overall, though, it was done very well, the balance of colors and all that. While it made it very clear that Tess came from money, it wasn't overly flashy or anything. Just...well thought out. Really, she wouldn't mind living here. Maybe next year.

Looking back, she noticed Tess get quite. She'd been doing that for a while now, on and off. While Rhian was no mind reader, she couldn't help but feel there was more going on in that mind than her friend let on to. It didn't help her concern for the girl, the fact that Tess was going to be here alone.

"You sure you're going to survive out here, without me?"

Tess looked down at the dishes, slowly letting the warm water run through her fingers, and onto the dishes. Her hand moved around hoping to wipe whatever was left of the syrup before putting them on the drying rack. Methodically she washed through the pans, bowls, and plates as she let her mind wander. It was something natural, something she always did; having such an age gap with her brother, she was used to having that space to just think. That was always a double-edged sword, the way it made her a quick thinker, but made her forget reality once there was little to react to.

"You sure you're going to survive out here, without me?"

Flinching at Rhian's words she nearly dropped a plate before letting her brain catch up and rolled her eyes, hoping to get herself composed. Dominic had been a sore subject, as she'd constantly push for Rhian to understand that she no longer cared for him. The more she repeated it the more real she hoped it would become. Putting the last plate on the rack she huffed.

"I survived eleven years without you, I think I can survive being hours away.."she snorted, "shame you can't be at my beck and call"