Margo was not the best at coping.  She was particularly bad at coping when it came to one Kurby Bagnold.  Being in the same building as him and even the chance of running into him put Margo in a foul mood.  So, when Nona had begun talking about finding an apartment, it occurred to Margo that maybe it was an opportunity.  If she was out of the building she wouldn’t have the impulse to walk downstairs and knock on his door in the middle of the night… or after a particularly liquid fueled evening. 

So, when the apartment search yielded a result, Margo was ready.  She packed up her things (with as little magic as necessary so she didn’t accidentally burn her stuff), and prepared Lizard for another move.  She was saying goodbye to Dragon Towers (and its wonderful proximity to Rover’s Fancy), but it was hello to a less awkward life around one such human she needed to break away from.  At least for now. 

Finally, when it came time to shrinking her boxes and making them a manageable size to be carted across London, Margo was plenty excited to get there.  Sure, she was used to living alone and having free reign of her place, but she could get used to sharing space with another person again and it wasn’t like Margo was always home anyway.  Between the reservations and her… adventures… it was a place to keep her stuff and when she was home, to relax. 

Thankfully, there was no one to even spare her a glance as she walked through London carrying the box (she didn’t trust Muggle transportation, nor did she trust herself to apparate), so a girl carrying a box was just that.  When she did approach the front of the building, Margo looked at the address she had scrawled on her forearm and then back to the building, satisfied. 

The landlord said the door would be open and they could pick up the keys… but Margo assumed she should wait for Nona to do that.  She hadn’t owled or anything to say she was already there and Margo was notorious for being late… it was another level entirely when she didn’t know what time it was.  But, to be fair, after the previous evening, they were all lucky she was even ready to move.  Thankfully, she had some hangover relief on hand or she wouldn’t have been able to handle even the smallest bit of sunshine. 

Her shoulders slumped and she put the box down on the ground before she too a seat on the stoop, her shoulders hunched forward and elbow rested on her knee.  Her prosthetic leg was stretched out, and how desperately Margo wished she could flex her foot – it just felt like she needed to.  Grunting, Margo just stretched her shoulders, tattoos moving with her muscles and rolled her neck.  At least she wasn’t a muggle moving, she thought.  Or else this would really suck. 

She was doing it, actually doing it - moving, that was. The thought hadn't occurred to Nona really until the moment she was packing up the last of her things from the family home in London. Well, actually, it was the second home which was hardly ever used because who needed to live in London when you could floo yourself just about anywhere in the world or apparate (if you didn't have an inherent phobia of splinching yourself, which Nona might have had in spades).  The point was she happened to be leaving the place she had considered home since she left Hogwarts, save those few years she was off seeing the world.

Really, it had come down to the fact she didn't want to feel so responsible for people, when the twins had moved in after their graduation, Nona had found herself changing her habits, censoring herself all the time. It didn't help that she constantly found her clothes in Finn's closet or that Eoin put pumpkin juice bottles back in the icebox with hardly half a swallow left in the bottom. Despite the size of the townhouse she felt as though she were being smothered. This was possibly because her smother mother randomly dropped by to check up on things.

It was after one such visit, in which Nona had had to ask a friend to hide in her closet, that she had her brilliant idea. Why not just go somewhere else? Margo was always bemoaning the fact she couldn't even walk down her own hallway without the legitimate uncomfortable possibility of running into Kirby (what she had ever seen in that man Nona would never know, he was dreadful). Why shouldn't the two of them put their heads (and funds) together and find some place free of petty annoyances and nosy mothers? Obviously she was brilliant.

She was also late, which was mostly unlike her. Generally she was ten minutes early if it were at all possible, but saying goodbye to a home that had been your home off and on your whole life was harder than one might have imagined. Also she'd had to rummage through Finn's closet and bedroom floor to be sure none of her especially prized articles of clothing weren't left behind. Little sisters could be such a chore, and also extremely greed with older sister's wardrobes.

Which was how she found herself briskly making her way down the street, awkwardly trying to handle a very oversized purse, a charmed box of moving-type-things, and a bundle of fresh cut flowers.  Her expression was bright and cheery as she approached the other woman, "'Lo, Love! You haven't been waiting long have you? I meant to get here ages ago but Lachlan confiscated my last bottle of Ogden's and Finn hid my favorite peach pumps. Clearly they're never coming to visit lest they rob us blind," she dropped a quick air kiss on either of Margo's cheeks, "shall we"?

Letting her sunglasses slip down her nose, Margo was so glad she had taken a hangover remedy.  She wasn’t sure she’d be able to handle the move if she didn’t.  Nona was lovely and the cousin of her most favorite boss ever, but she had a lot of energy.  “Not waiting long at all,” she assured her and laughed as she indicated her siblings had pilfered her things. 

Margo could relate to that, her siblings had always nicked her things and she’d done the same things with them.  It was like a sibling thing, you just had to do it.  “Sounds like they’re just gonna rob you, since I hide my liquor,” Margo laughed and pushed herself off the stoop with a grunt.  The air kiss was received and Margo looked to her box on the steps and then back to Nona.

Even if it was only one box, Margo vaguely remembered there were many stairs involved in this and she was fundamentally lazy above all other things, at least when it came to real life matters, so it seemed hopeless.  “We might as well get this going,” she bent her knees and hefted the box up so it could rest on her hip. 

“D’you have the keys?” Margo looked at her expectantly.  Certainly Margo hadn’t been considered mature and responsible enough to get such a thing and keep it safe. 

Nona looked up at the building, impressive as it was from the outside, once inside she knew it nearly tripled in size. Hiraeth Gardens was the place to live for up and coming witched and wizards and the pair were very lucky to have landed one of the three 7th floor flats. It didn't hurt that Nona was friends with a few tenants already (and that she had maybe done most of the talking with their landlady). She held up two sets of keys when Margo asked, jingling them on her finger, "Mr. Banerjee owl'd them yesterday after he'd made a second copy for you. He's a very nice man".

Giving the second set to Margo, Nona bounded up the stoop, holding the door open for her newly acquired roommate. She was absolutely giddy but trying to put a lid on it. After all, Amherst was typically very laid back and nonplussed about things. Or she tried to seem that way, ever the cool kid who couldn't care. Nona was acutely aware this was a crock of shit but saw no point in ruining the other woman's good time. If she wanted to act like nothing got to her (when clearly she was still upset and moderately obsessed with Bagnold) who was Nona to try to dictate her behavior.

"Also," she dug through the top of her box producing another set of keys, "elevator access! I was so excited when Banerjee told me! He said they don't tell applicants it actually works to 'dissuade lazy buggers'" she snickered as she unlocked the cage in the lobby and stepped inside, "alright then. Come on. I've got a bit of a surprise for you anyway"! The apartment came partially furnished, which was good since she had very little in the way of all that to contribute but she had also raided the family attic and had a few things sent over, to keep the apartment from feeling barren and empty when they first got there. She hoped Margo would approve, but figured she wouldn't be able to tell anyway.

Margo wasn’t entirely sure who Mr. Baneriee was, but she was grateful he’d given them two sets of keys and one of them was hers!  Margo was just so happy to be out of a building that she couldn’t be herself in.  Not that Margo ever wasn’t herself, but it was harder in some places when you were worried about being evicted.  Sure, there was the whole lower neighbors thing, but even then, magic did wonders (if cast by someone who wasn’t going to burn the place down).  Margo wouldn’t do the sound proofing, but she was positive Nona had mentioned it to Mr. Baneriee.  If not, it’d probably come up shortly.

So, Margo took the keys with a grin and shoved them in her pocket.  “Wicked,” she announced and picked up her box full of things.  But even more wicked than that was lift access.  Margo’s jaw dropped at the note.  She’d been sort of dreading a seventh floor walk up.  It wasn’t that she was lazy, but stairs were hell on a leg (so much chaffing) and she was not excited about it… but a lift!  This was even better than she hoped.  “Thank Merlin,” Margo sighed and heaved the box up a little higher with an umph. 

“Let’s get this going, then,” Margo beamed and opened the way for Nona to take place in front of her.  Goodness knew no one wanted her trying to do anything and she wasn’t sure what number their apartment was… or where the lift was… this was going to be so weird.  But a good weird.  Like waking up handcuffed to a table: crazy weird. 

But not.

Alright, Margo was still a little… out of it.  Following behind Nona, she glanced around.  Place wasn’t bad – definitely didn’t look like a shite hole, which was a good thing.  She didn’t figure Nona would live in a place like that, like Margo’s first flat (which was ridiculous considering what her parents could afford – but Margo hadn’t really thought about asking them… or anyone… because she could obviously figure it out herself).  “A surprise?” she raised her eyebrows, “Is it a liquid?” she raised her eyebrows with a half-grin.