Chapter 306: Sounds like Home
The scent of syrup and sizzling butter hung in the air as the group crowded around the largest table the café had to offer. Plates were stacked with golden pancakes, eggs, sausages, and thick slices of toast. Cups clinked gently, and the comforting sounds of a busy breakfast filled the space between them.
For a moment, everything felt... normal.
But Penny’s voice cut through the peace just as she reached for her fourth piece of bacon.
"So, uh... are we going to talk about the real problem?"
Every fork paused. Every head turned.
No one needed clarification. Except for Greg.
He looked up from his plate of pancakes, confused. "What problem?"
Everyone else exchanged tired glances.
"Housing," Leo muttered. "Eight people. Three bedrooms."
"More like two beds," Rachel corrected, slouched in her seat as she drank from her chocolate milk like it was coffee.
"I could sleep in the bathtub," Lily added helpfully, stabbing yet another pancake like it owed her money.
Luna simply shook her head and simply replied "No."
Lily and Luna had spent so much time together over the years that sharing a bed now and then was nothing to them.
"Adam and I take turns on the floor," Leo said flatly.
"Rock-paper-scissors," Adam added. "I’ve lost three nights in a row."
"I’m on the couch," Rachel said, lifting a finger.
"Me too," Penny chimed in. "But I call dibs on the left one. The other one squeaks."
"Well it wouldn’t squeak if you didn’t jump on it like some kind of dumb monkey!" Luna growled back with some annoyance leaking into her tone.
"Hey! I am sitting right here ya know!"
Rachel raised her voice, semi insulted that she had been called out indirectly with the monkey reference. Luna turned her head back to Rachel with a small smug smile as if to say ’Yeah. I know. So what?
Greg blinked, setting down his fork slowly. "Wait... all of you are crammed into that place? That tiny house?"
Luna’s head whipped around to glare at Greg
"Whose house are you calling tiny?!"
"Now Now Luna, I am pretty sure that isn’t what Greg meant" Leo remarked, trying to calm her down before she lost her temper. Granted he was also a little annoyed. It was his childhood home too after all.
Greg leaned back, rubbing his chin. "Why didn’t anyone say anything earlier?"
"Well it wasn’t very high up on our list of things to do with all the potental near death experiences we have had over the last few days." Rachel remarked with a casual shrug
Penny wanted to say something but she kept her mouth shut. The dungeon was too fresh in her memory to forget.
Greg looked thoughtful for a few seconds, then shrugged and returned to eating.
"I mean... I might have a fix for that."
Seven heads turned toward him.
He kept chewing.
"Well?" Penny asked.
Greg swallowed and pointed his fork. "Back when I took over the gym, I found out the previous owner built a boarding house next door. Used it for his athletes years ago. It’s old, but livable. Got about eight rooms, most of them with bunk beds or doubles."
Rachel squinted. "You’ve just... been sitting on this information?"
Greg raised an eyebrow. "I didn’t know you were living like stray cats."
Adam narrowed his eyes. "Is it safe?"
"It’s still got water and electricity. Roof’s good. Windows are fine. Needs cleaning, but I’ve been using one of the rooms myself. Has its own bathrooms, too."
Leo sat forward, hope creeping into his voice. "You’re saying we could all move in?"
Greg nodded. "It’s not a mansion, but it’s better than what you’ve got now. And it’s private. We wouldn’t have to worry about being overheard or crammed together."
Luna looked across the table at Lily, then at the rest of the group. "That actually sounds... perfect."
"Way better than sleeping on springs," Penny muttered.
"Or the tile floor," Adam said under his breath.
Crystal looked at Greg. "You’re sure?"
He nodded. "I trust you all. And you need space. Consider it yours until you find something better."
There was a long pause before Aria spoke.
"Thank you, Greg."
He shrugged again, already back to his pancakes.
The table gradually returned to the clinking of cutlery and soft murmurs as everyone processed the news. The looming weight of cramped sleeping arrangements had always been there in the background, a quiet pressure none of them had addressed head-on until now. But with Greg’s offer, it felt like the first step toward stability.
"So," Leo said, wiping syrup from his fingers with a napkin. "When can we check it out?"
Greg didn’t even look up from his pancakes. "We can head over after breakfast. It’s just behind the gym."
Rachel leaned back in her chair with a long groan, letting her head tilt dramatically over the backrest. "Ugh, I could cry. Actual beds. Actual privacy."
"You don’t get your own room," Adam pointed out.
"I’ll take a top bunk and pretend," she muttered. "Let me have this."
Penny poked at her eggs, then looked over at Leo. "Are we sure we won’t get in trouble moving in? Like... legally?"
Greg snorted. "It’s off the books. Nobody checks up on the place anymore. Long as you don’t blow out the windows or throw a rave, you’re fine."
"I make no promises," Rachel whispered with a mischievous smile.
"You will be sleeping outside if you try that," Luna warned, not even bothering to look at her.
"Geez, hostile much?" Rachel said, though she looked more amused than offended.
Crystal set her fork down and leaned forward. "Can we help clean it up? I don’t want Greg doing everything."
"Yeah, that’s fair," Leo added. "We’ll chip in. Maybe after we check it out, we can make a plan to move in tonight or tomorrow."
"I’ve got cleaning supplies at the gym," Greg said between bites. "And the power’s already on. Shouldn’t take too long to make it livable."
Lily finally looked up from her now-empty plate. "Do we get to pick rooms? Or is it a death match?"
Rachel’s eyes lit up. "Room battle royale?"
"No," Adam said instantly. "We are not doing that."
"Coward," Rachel muttered, finishing her chocolate milk.
Luna let out a small sigh, but there was a slight upturn to her lips. "Let’s just see the place first before we start making battle plans over bunk beds."
Greg pushed his empty plate away and stood up, stretching until his back popped. "Alright, let’s go. I’ll give you the grand tour."
The others followed suit, rising from their chairs and gathering their things. A few plates were still half-full, but no one seemed to care anymore. The excitement of the potential new home buzzed just beneath the surface.
As they exited the café into the cool morning air, a new kind of energy surrounded them. It wasn’t relief exactly, but something close. A step forward. A solution. A place to breathe.
Leo glanced over at Adam as they walked. "Rock-paper-scissors for first pick?"
Adam smirked. "You wish."
Rachel immediately ran ahead. "Dibs on the biggest room!"
"You don’t even know where it is!" Penny called after her.
"Details!" Rachel shouted.
Luna sighed again. "We should just let her tire herself out."
"Like a monkey," Lily added, completely straight-faced.
"I heard that!" came Rachel’s distant reply.
Greg chuckled under his breath. "This is going to be chaos."
Aria giggled softly as she remarked
"Sounds like home already."