Chapter Two
The next day, as Saisho was headed home from work, she ran into one of the nice women she met yesterday, Kai. Kai told Saisho about a festival that was going on in the neighborhood.
"It's a geek convention," she said. "But it's a great way to get to know some of the people in town, even if you're not that nerdy."
"Will they have Star Wars stuff there?" Saisho asked excitedly. "I just saw the new movie, but none of my friends back home were really all that interested."
"Of course!" Kai laughed. "Let me give you directions."
Once Saisho arrived at Geek Con, she nearly fainted from excitement. Everywhere were sims enjoying video games, deep conversations about hacking, and even sims dressed in costumes equally from popular and obscure fandoms. Saisho spotted a girl dressed up like Princess Leia and rushed over. She and the cosplayer got into such a deep discussion about the newest movie that Saisho completely lost track of time. Before she knew it, the convention was over, and Saisho was left starving and exhausted... She had managed to snag a few free posters, so she quickly sold them so she could grab a bite to eat at the karaoke bar nearby.
While grabbing a bite to eat, Saisho was approached by a handsome stranger named Jake. He sat down beside her and they began to chat.
"So you moved here with literally nothing?" Jake asked incredulously. "Your apartment at least has a toilet and shower, right?"
"Nope!" Saisho replied cheerfully, through a mouthful of food. "My landlord offered to let me shower at her place twice a week, but other than that I'm on my own! Thankfully, there are public restrooms everywhere, and I'm starting to save a bit from my paychecks to buy some furniture. Everything's just so expensive!"
"Then you should go to the street sale tomorrow," Jake offered helpfully, discreetly putting another sandwich on Saisho's plate.
"What's a street sale?"
"Sims get together and sale their used furniture or things they've made, like artwork and such. It's in the adjacent neighborhood, near the spice market, so it shouldn't be too hard for you to find. It's a bit of a gamble, but sometimes you can find nice furniture for a good discount."
Saisho finished her sandwich thoughtfully. "I'll definitely check it out! Thanks!"
"No problem," Jake laughed, finding her unerring enthusiasm infectious.
After work the next day, Saisho gathered all the money she'd earned (minus her food expenses) and headed off to the street sale. She was amazed at how much stuff was there. It was hard, but after focusing on just the essentials from what was available and a bit of haggling, Saisho managed to get some good deals on a sofa, desk, and a chair. With her leftover cash, she was able to finish furnishing her house with all the essentials, including a computer for writing her columns for work.
After getting her furniture delivered and set up, Saisho felt a bit more at home. It was still smelly and run down, but at least now she had somewhere to sleep out of the cold!
That night, as Saisho slept in her new bed, she was awoken abruptly by the sound of scratching nails on her floor. Flipping on the light, she screamed when she saw the completely unwelcome sight of a fat, furry rat scampering off into a hole in the wall. Trying not to panic, Saisho realized that this apartment needed much more than just a used sofa and curtains. For the rest of the night, she sat in bed and brainstormed everything she could think of to make her apartment better, while keeping a fearful eye out in case the rat returned.
The next day was Saisho's day off. She had originally wanted to explore more of San Myshuno, but instead she visited her landlord to ask for some advice on how to fix up her apartment. The landlord gave her some rat traps, with an explanation on how to set them up. It took Saisho a few tries, but a couple swollen fingers would be worth it if she got rid of that unwelcome critter. The landlord also gave Saisho some spray for the bugs. The smell made Saisho cough and sneeze, but what else could she do? All she knew was that she could not stay in this apartment for much longer.
After writing a column for work, Saisho decided to do a quick web search. She found that a lot of sims were able to afford making their apartments nicer by getting a roommate. Saisho couldn't think of anyone who might want to move in with her, but she placed an ad on Simslist to sublet her second bedroom. Hopefully, someone would reply soon and she could make her living situation better.
