“I love it!”
Jordan lowered her head to prevent scattering. The texture on the floor paneling was exceptional. The place was OK.
“It’s OK” she responded.
Her words were so dry, they practically evaporated on their way over.
“I’d prefer something a little bigger” she continued.
“Bigger? Are you insane?”
The agent stood motionless. Probably ordering coffee.
“Look, it’s nice, don’t get me wrong. I just want a little room to move”
“Come on buddy, I can barely touch the sides!”
Farah stretched her arms out as far as they would go. She was trying to be cute and gentle, but the frustration was clear.
“Any bigger and what’s the point in moving? I’m already waking up with agora every night”
“Comfort is key!” The agent was back. “It’s why cavity subdivision and residence is on the fly!”
“I know”
“There’s an old 4 bedroom house for sale out towards the lake” he jeered, unhelpfully.
“Yeah, there ya go Jordie. A classical mansion for you to clean and worry about” Farah paused briefly. “I’m sure there’s plenty of bugs for you to make friends with” she paused again.
“…and I’m sure the air is wonderful”.
The expressive sarcasm was about as tactful as a fart, but she was right.
“Only 300k as well!” the agent added cheerfully.
The tag team was complete.
“Yeah ok. But how much is this one? Two million?”
“Two point five” came the almost prescient response.
“…and you won’t find better value. One single reinforced clauster. Paneless. Hermetically sealed. Single entrance. Only eight square meters. Premium space economy for maximum comfort and safety…”
He seemed almost proud.
“…it’s also wet-wired to a private virtual landscape simulating 12 acres of natural forest adjacent to a beach…if you like space. Totally secure.”
The agent gestured towards the reticulators by the bunk, then touched his forearm and the vscape changed. It was a nice looking forest. A lot nicer than any real one.
Jordan gazed through the trees at waves lapping rhythmically against the shore. She could swear she saw dolphins somewhere just within draw distance. This was ok. This will do.
“Ok, so what are the next steps?” she asked, trying to mask any signs of disenchantment.
Farah, on the other hand, could barely contain her excitement. Finally, she might get a good night’s sleep. That was more important. Jordan regretted being so difficult to begin with.
“Well, before you make any decisions, I’ve got one more spot to show you…”
Oh no.
“…recent development. A new stack has just gone up around the corner. It might be a little out of your price range. It’s 3 million. But with places in the five to six square meter range, you won’t find a safer and more comfortable living experience anywhere”
“Let’s go check it out!” came the expected response.
“Actually, I’ve got to get to a meeting” Jordan lied.
The agent suddenly looked worried about losing a deal. “We can visit tomorrow if you like? Same time?”
“Fine”
“Careful of all the bugs out there. I hear it’s terrible up your way”
“Thanks” Jordan feigned a smile at the agent, fired off a couple of emojis at a dejected looking Farah, made apologetic eye contact and disconnected.
‘It’s not that bad’ she thought to herself, unplugging and stretching her legs.
She walked over to the only window in the apartment and peered out. These things were supposed to make a place practically worthless these days, but Jordan couldn’t see the problem. She liked looking outside. And the people weren’t that bad.
Gazing down from a solitary crack of soft white light on the 7th floor, she could see them out in the open, scrambling around. They were just busy.
‘They’re not bugging anyone’, she thought.