Door to door, pony to pony, looking for friendly folk willing to give her directions to different places in town. Starry had gone to about five ponies' doors at this point, one was a cute little bakery, another was a dress shop, and a third was a sweet little library. But time and time again a pony told her that there were no open jobs, they were sorry, but there would be nothing they could give her.

Starry had started to feel the ebbing dejection that gnawed at her stomach.

She sighed as she reached the sixth place Jester had given her reference. It was a large apartment building, about four stories tall with lovely lofty glass windows and a flat top. It looked slightly run down, but otherwise, a nice place to stay. The lunacorn mare sighed, trying to keep her wits about her.

She did not want to return to Jester's tavern and tell him that no one had a job to give her, to ask him for her room and maybe a part-time job until she could buy a train ticket to a new town. She did not want to tell the spirit that they would be roommates for a little bit and hear its grumbles of descent.

She had to try.

Starry trotted up to the doors and pushed them open, glancing around the blank and empty lobby with metal mailboxes lining the walls and a desk with a back room separated by glass. In the room, there was a stallion, someone she couldn't quite place in her mind but he looked familiar, counting bits and setting them into piles.

She carefully closed the door behind her, not wanting to interrupt the stallion in his work, but she noticed the twitch of his ears, how his body stiffened and his head snapped up towards her. His warm brown eyes did not match the expression on his face, stern and suspicious at the same time. His orange mane fell over one side of his face, almost hiding one eye. 

She gulped, trying to gain her wits again.

The shaky smile that crossed her face did not draw one from the stallion, but he stood, a bat-like wing stretching out to keep him balanced. It was massive, covering his side. She gulped slightly as he opened the door and trotted slowly towards her. He was massive, his mind blocking out all emotion and his body blocking everything else. Starry couldn't help but notice these things about him.

She also noticed the lack of a wing on the right side of his body.

The mare took a deep breath as he stopped in front of her, holding herself higher than before. She tipped her head up to the stallion and stood her ground, "Are you a Mister Stone River?"

"Yes", His voice was deep and firm, like a wave crashing against the cliffs on an ocean shore.

"Well-" She stumbled over her words ", I- Sir- I've come for a job. Jester sent me and told me you might be looking for help."

She could feel her mouth drying, wishing for a glass of water where she stood. He scanned her, tipping his head from side to side and taking her in. Her matted fur, her messy pulled-back hair, and her fierce blue eyes.

"You know how to clean?" He asked simply.

"Yes," She stated, pulling forth her will and her strength ", I can clean, I can do hard work, and I can balance your checkings too."

He took her in for another moment, "What's your name, girl."

She could feel a bubbling of anger in her chest when he called her 'girl', she frowned and tipped her head up to him in defiance.

"Starry Specter," She stated with her strongest finesse.

"Well, Starry Specter," Stone River said with a slight chuckle under his breath ", Let's give you the grand tour of this shit hole."

She was shocked by his use of profanity, not even her father swore so casually as this stallion did. Her legs stiffened slightly as he turned and started down the hall, his hoof-steps loud in the empty lobby around him. Her own steps were lighter, and quiet when she did her best to stay that way, it was almost like sneaking down to the kitchens with Nova to get a snack in the middle of the night.

The stallion gestured to the wall of mailboxes with his wing, "Mailboxes-  We got about thirty apartments here. If a pony loses their key let me know and I'll get a new one made."

He continued until they reached a small and narrow door ", Water heater and generator are in there. Don't worry much 'bout those, I'll handle that work."

His steps quickened as he started up a flight of stairs and Starry noticed that each flight caused him to pant and huff. His flanks shook slightly as he trotted up and Starry could see his cutie mark, a maned lion roaring a bout of fire-colored feathers. 

She wondered how he got it.

The thought left her mind easily when he glanced over his shoulder to glare at her. Glare at her of all things! He looked at her as if he wasn't sure he wanted her to be there. Starry lowered her gaze, still reading nothing from this pony's mind, no emotions. She could hear the fleeting emotions of the ponies living in their apartments, muted happiness, a little bit of sadness, and even some delight in their minds.

"You'll have to sweep and mop the floors, each floor closet has a mop, bucket, and broom," The stallion said as they reached the top floor ", Smokin' happens up here, no smokin' in the lobby or halls, if a tenant is smoking in the hall, make sure they come up here."

"I'm sorry-" Starry cut in with the baffling sense of missing something in her mind ", Smoking? You let ponies smoke here?"

He turned and raised a brow at her, smirking slightly, " A cigarette, and it's not like I can stop or judge them."

He turned towards a back hall and Starry followed, he gestured with his wing towards a large panel of windows that overlooked a pool.

"Pool gets cleaned twice a week," He smirked and tipped his head down the hall ", And it gets covered in the winter. The gym gets wiped every night even if no one uses it."

She nodded and filed the jobs in her mind, she'd have to wander around more later so she could find everything she needed. The Bat pony looked at her and smirked, large fangs poking out from between his teeth, vampire bat pony.

"Got all that, Sweetheart?"