Lighthouse Cottage - Friday Afternoon

Yelena had lived in a lot of different places in her life: a floating, sterile prison in the sky, countless hotel rooms, shadowy safe houses, more hotel rooms, and, on one particularly memorable night, an HVAC duct.

But there was something strange about the cottage she found herself in now. It was clear it had been years since anyone had called it home. A fine layer of dust coated the floors and every flat surface, disturbed only by her footsteps and Fanny's occasional pounces on a stray dust bunny. The place was completely empty—no couch, no bed, not even a chair.

The tour didn’t take long. It was just a couple of small bedrooms, a combined kitchen/dining/living room area, and a single bathroom. And it all needed work. Yelena walked through the space a few more times, Fanny trailing behind her, sniffing at corners and darting after imaginary prey.

She pulled out her phone and sent out a text. This place is a dump. She didn't have to wait long for a reply.

You could use a project.

The sigh and eyeroll was epic, even though there was no one around to see it. "Fine."

She wandered out on the porch of the cottage and sat down on the bench pulling out her phone. As she started doing a search for a place to get furniture, Fanny ran out into the yard to sniff and explore.

It didn't take long for Yelena to discover a nearby feature of Fandom.

"There's an IKEA island?"

Truly a voyage of discovery.

[Open. Sure. Why not?]