Rhy'Din Realty
7:30 PM
"Mister Mann will see you now, Miss Rynieyn," said the lady who was wearing white after Labor Day.
"Thank you, and that is Missus Longden. You see, I married again. Do update your records," said the redhead who was not wearing white after Labor Day but a mauve number that could and did stop traffic when worn properly and off the shoulder so as to leave a little to the imagination.
She got up from the couch and walked into the office she was directed to. Inside was an aging mortal who reminded her of a football coach. The type that are too old to play the game but do so vicariously through the youths they teach.
"Good evening to you, Miss Rynieyn. My secretary mentioned you were interested in some property?" said Mister Mann.
She sighed. "The name's Rynieyn-Longden, and that is Countess, not Miss. I am married, you see, to a Count, his name is Talomar, and yes, I wish to purchase some property for my business."
"What type of business would that be?" he asked and began to open up some listing books he had on his desk.
"Water filtration. I'll need something large, perhaps large enough for a building the size of, say, twenty Red Dragon Inns," she said and sat herself down in front of him.
"Ahh, so very large then. Alright, let me see here. The only two properties that fit that description and which I have on the market are these two," said Mister Mann who pointed to the two listings which were situated side by side on the page.
She looked at them. The one on the right was a generous piece of property but it was behind a school and she didn't think she wanted to listen to the sounds of children laughing and at play all day so that was out. The one on the left, however, was a piece of land cut off from civilization but located near some crossroads that were obviously trade routes. This was perfect since the RSW water trucks needed to be able to get to the filtration plant by way of normal roads and not the ones they were taking now which led them all throughout the forests. She could just hear her drivers singing her praises now.
"I'll take it," she said abruptly and reached for her pocketbook where she took out her checkbook.
Mister Mann blinked. "Do you not wish to see the property first' I'll also need to check with the bank to see if they will lend you the money," he said with a frown.
She stared at him stonefaced. "I don't need to see it. I like it, therefore I want it. I hope that's simple enough for you to understand and as for finances, you dare insult me with such a statement' I've got more money than God, Mister Mann. I don't need a loan," she said with a snort and rolled her eyes up to the ceiling.
A woman burst into the office and screamed. "Yureeka, George! We sold the old Whitmore property today!" Mister Mann jumped and looked to the woman. Tara turned her head slowly and sneered. She hated interruptions of any kind when she was doing business but she hated hyperactive mortal females even more.
"Excuse me a moment, Missus Longden. Jennifer," said Mister Mann quickly as he hurried across the office to take the woman by her arm and escort her outside. "What did I tell you about disturbing me when I am with a client?" He closed the door but she could hear their words clear as a bell.
"Didn't you hear me! I said we sold it! Finally we can get it off our books! The guy's very interested. Paid up front too. He's asked us to get him a construction team to build this enormous compound for his business so we'll make some commision off that too. Isn't this wonderful"!"
"Oh dear," Mister Mann said and stroked his chin.
"What's the matter?" Jennifer asked. "I thought you'd be thrilled!"
"No, I am, it's just Missus Longden has her heart set on that property and now I have to go back in there and break the bad news to her."
"Oh don't worry, George. I'll help you," she said with a smile.
"Alright but let her down easy, Jennifer."
Tara smirked and crossed her arms, hearing this. Let HER down" Were these people drug addicts" There was never a time in her life where she had to be "let down", that she didn't get what she wanted. Didn't they understand the definition of Spoiled Brat' She shook her head and waited for them to come in which they soon did.
"Is there a problem?" Tara asked, knowing full well there was and would continue to be, if the two of them tried to get her to back away from this particular piece of property. She wasn't going to budge and she didn't care if the other man wanted it for HIS business, to her mind, she saw it first and therefore, the Finders/Keepers rule applied. This man, whoever he was, would just have to deal with it and get another piece of property. Whitmore was hers. Period and paragraph.
"I'm sorry, Missus Longden, but my associate here tells me the property you wish to buy has already been sold," Mister Mann said with a sheepish smile and looked to Jennifer who was nodding eagerly.
"I beg to differ," Tara said and opened her checkbook. "To whom do I write the check to?"
"Uhh," Jennifer said and stepped forward, "you don't understand, Missus Longden. The property's already been paid for by the buyer."
"How much did he pay' I'll triple it."
Jennifer stammered. "Well, I am not at liberty to..."
"Did he give you all the money up front or did he just give a deposit' You know I'm prepared to write out the entire amount right now," she said and began to tap her foot, growing impatient with the two mortals in the room with her.
"I can't tell you that. I'm sure we have another piece of property you might like. Why don't you come with me and I'll take you to a similar..."
"I dont WANT another piece of property, I want THIS one," Tara snarled and drove her fingernail into the picture of the Whitmore lot. When she lifted her finger the book split apart and she glared at the man and woman.
Mister Mann and Jennifer exchanged surprised looks. "Missus Longden, please don't get upset, I'm sure we can..."
"My NAME is Tara, you stupid fool and I am not changing my mind. I want to know who this man is so I can murder him where he sleeps. Of all the nerve...trying to move in on MY property....who the hell does he think he is!"
"Tara?" Jennifer said with a startled blink.
"Let me get you some coffee," Mann said and went over to the pot.
"I don't like coffee! I like to make money! And YOU and your little kissup associate here are preventing me from doing that by giving MY property to someone who has no right to it!" she screamed.
"You said your name was Tara?" Jennifer asked, stepping even closer to her.
"Yes! What the hell does it matter what my name is you little twit! Get away from me!" she said and waved dismissively at her.
"Well, you see, the man that bought the property you are also interested in called me by that name today. I just thought it kind of odd since I told him my name when we met and because your name just so happens to be Tara.."
Tara shrugged. "So' He made a mistake. Big deal."
"Yeah, that's what he said but I got the feeling he thought he was speaking with this Tara instead of me and when he realized his mistake he looked somewhat sad. I guess it was just one of those odd coincidences."
"Look, are you going to tell me who he is or not, lady' I don't have time to discuss how many other Taras there are out there with you...I want to get my property, find this guy, convince him to drop this futile purchase or I'm going to rip his spleen out from his belly with my pinky finger..." she stopped and gasped.
For most of her life many people thought Tara Rynieyn now Tara Rynieyn-Longden as crazy as an outhouse rat but crazy did not equate to being stupid and she was far from it. She knew a lot of things and one of the things she learned very early on when coming to Rhy'Din was that there were no other Taras out there. This is why she always said she was the only one because she always had been and always would be. So there was no way this man could have made a mistake unless he knew her .Her eyes narrowed at the woman. "What did this man look like?"
"He was tall, charismatic, almost giddy like a young boy when he was describing what he planned to build there. It was so cute to watch."
Tara bit her lip until it bled. "What color hair did he have...did he give you his name...you said he thought he was speaking to me..."
"He had brown hair, no name, and yes, he thought he was speaking to a girl named Tara."
"Brown hair did you say?" she asked and the gooseflesh began to pop up along her arms.
"Yes."
"He was young looking, kinda thought he owned the place already? Thought he owned you?" she asked in a soft whisper, hoping she was just being silly and this man was just a guy that knew a girl named Tara and she was getting her hopes up for nothing.
"Yeah, wow! That's exactly how he was! Do you know him?"
Her heart sank and she looked to her lap. This was not happening she would tell herself. She was misunderstanding this Jennifer. Everyone knew eyewitnesses were so unreliable, at least as far as the courts were concerned. He could have had black hair, was old. There was no way to know for sure.
"I mean, don't feel bad if you do, he probably didn't want you to know he was buying the land..I mean I guess that's an odd coincidence too, you two folks wanting the same thing for a business. As I said we can always find you another piece of property."
"Did he have blue eyes this man' Real blue, the kind you look at and get lost in?" Tara asked, her throat feeling like it was going to close and she coughed a little.
"Yes, actually he did, the bluest eyes I've ever seen. Beautiful, for a man. I'm sorry, are you alright, Tara?"
She began to frown. This just had to be a coincidence like the lady said. It's not like He owned the only set of blue eyes out there. Other guys had them, didn't they' So the lady thought they were beautiful, big deal.
"Oh and George, we're going to need to get a landscaping company in on this one as well, said he wanted sand pits, poles, chains and a 'fantastic' garden, if I recall correctly. I didn't want to ask what for," Jennifer said, rambling on, and undoubtedly counting the commission money she was going to make off of this sale in that airy little head of hers.
Tara looked up at her when she said garden. She blinked several times. Now there could be no denying it was Him. She knew of no other man that liked vegetation like Blue Eyes did. Except maybe Talomar, he loved his roses her husband did and he reminded her so much of the other because of their strange similarities.
She was dreaming, having a nightmare, she had to be, this was not happening.
"And a bay window...marble floors......high walls..." she asked the real estate woman as her own head began to shake very slowly.
Jennifer looked back to her and nodded. "Yep. So you do know him. What's his name" Is he single" He's kinda cute. I just got divorced. Does he like kids" I've got two. I mean you don't have to set me up with him but just put in a kind word and I'll take only five percent commission off the sale off your property when we find it for you as a favor."
This was happening, like it or not. He had come back. He thought of her. She would not let him go this alone. Her loyalty was not up for discussion.
"His name is Brutin, Lord Brutin Vitellus, and I am his secretary. Yes, he is single but he hates marriage, refuses to understand the very institution of it, always has, he loves children and you can't have him," she said sharply and stood straight up from the chair so fast it tipped over. She scribbled something on the check she had started to write, dated it, signed it and handed it over. Then she walked to the door.
Jennifer blinked at the check and showed it to George who just about spit his coffee out all over himself when he read that she had made it out to cash.
Tara turned her red head over her shoulder and with a deep sigh, said "He wants for nothing, never has. See that his instructions are carried out quickly. He doesn't like to wait and that garden better be fantastic or the next time we meet you'll be very sorry. Keep me apprised of all developments, no matter how silly or trivial they seem to you."
She left them standing there, scratching their heads in confusion, and walked out of the real estate but as soon as she got outside the enormity of the situation hit her and she began to cry.
He would soon send for her.
She knew not when but it would be soon knowing him and that was something else she knew very well.
