//------------------------------// // Chapter Fifty-Four - Legalese is a Breeze // Story: A Daughter and her Dragon // by Level Dasher //------------------------------// “Let’s see, Rose Lane, Rose Lane… I remember that name. Howitzer said it was this way…” Flying over the middle of Uptown, Cotton looked for the address she’d seen on the empty store’s window sign, remembering the basic directions the guard had given her. “But why am I going to a residential area?” She took a sheet of parchment out of her saddlebag, looking at the crude lines and street names. After ten minutes, Cotton touched down on the street she’d been flying over. She walked down the main road until she found the sign she was looking for. “Here it is—Rose Lane. Huh. Figured the guy would be in an office building or something. This looks like a nice neigh— oh, this is the block that needed the new road. Looks good.” Putting the parchment back in her bag, she turned onto the street and went through the house numbers. “Let’s see, two-seventy-five… This is two-fifty-three, so I’m on the right side of the street… Two-sixty-one… Two-sixty-nine… Here we go, two-seventy-five.” After trotting up the walkway of a two-story house with a yard, she knocked on the door three times. She heard what sounded like the clip-clop of little hooves, then the door slowly opened a crack, and she was greeted by a little yellow-coated unicorn colt peeking through. “Hewwo?” After getting a look at Cotton, the colt’s eyes suddenly bulged as his hooves scrambled and he galloped back into the house after slamming the door. “MOMMA! ISSA ZOMBIE!” “Comet! What have I told you about opening the door to strangers?!” a mare’s voice called from inside. “And I am certain it is not a zombie!” Cotton couldn’t help but snicker to herself when she heard a deep sigh. Then she heard hooves approaching once again. The door cracked open, and another eye appeared in the gap, this one level with her own. The eye widened slightly; there was a moment of hesitation, but then an orange-coated unicorn mare opened the door, putting on an apologetic smile. “I am so sorry. He’s only three.” Cotton giggled. “It’s okay. I’ve heard a lot of names over the years. That is the first time I’ve heard ‘zombie,’ though.” “Still.” The mare looked over her shoulder and called, “Comet Tail! You come back here and apologize right now!” Cotton heard a little whimper. “But-but-but—” “Yes, get yours over here and say you’re sorry!” The mare huffed, then turned to Cotton. “I’m sorry, Miss. Can I help you with something?” Nodding, Cotton replied, “Yes, I’m looking for Mr. Pro Rate. Am I at the right address? I was expecting an office.” The mare chuckled. “Yes, you’re in the right place. My husband works from home. What’s this in regards to?” “I wanted to ask about renting the corner store space on Oak Street,” Cotton answered. The mare’s eyebrows rose as she continued, “I hope it isn’t too late—the sign said he was available until seven.” Shaking her head, the mare replied, “No, you’re fine. We have dinner late most nights either way, so you didn’t interrupt anything. I’m sorry, what’s your name?” “Cotton Candy.” “Sun Flower,” the mare said, holding up a hoof. “Pleasure to meet you.” Taking the mare’s hoof, Cotton responded, “Likewise.” The two of them then heard the quiet steps of tiny hooves, and they turned to find the little colt creeping up behind his mother, his head low as he stared at Cotton. “And this…” Sun Flower continued, “…C’mere, you… this is our son, Comet Tail. Say you’re sorry for calling this young mare a zombie, Comet.” When the colt kept himself pressed against his mother’s side and remained silent, she leaned down and told him, “Honey, her name is Cotton Candy. Now how could a pony with such a sweet name do anything to hurt you? Come on, say you’re sorry.” The little colt shrank back for another moment, then finally hung his head and said, “Sowwy…” “That’s better.” Sun Flower then turned and called over her other shoulder, “Hon! There’s somepony here who wants to talk to you about Oak!” “I’m in my office! I’ll be there in just a moment!” Looking back at Cotton, Sun Flower smirked. “That means he’ll be down in about ten minutes,” she chuckled. Her tone shifted as she continued, “If I may, you seem a little young to be renting your own space. What is it you’re looking to do there?”  “I’d like to open my own bakery. It’s—” “A bakewy?” Comet suddenly cried, his eyes lighting up as a grin spread across his face. “Wit cookies?” Sun Flower and Cotton both laughed. “Well that was a quick change of heart. I think you just became his new best friend.” Tilting her head just so, she asked, “How old are you?”  Cotton shrugged. “I’ll be eighteen in a few months.” Sun Flower’s face suddenly fell. “Oh… That might be a problem.” “Huh? Why?” “Well, talk to my husband. We’ll see,” the mare replied. When they heard light thumping from upstairs, she added, “Ah, speaking of whom.” A light green unicorn stallion descended the staircase behind them. When he turned and saw Cotton in the doorway, he paused for a moment, then approached her. “Hello there. You’re the one who wanted to speak to me about the store location on Oak Street?” Cotton nodded. “Yes, sir.” “…How old are you?” Cotton saw Sun Flower grimace. Then she answered, “I’ll be eighteen in a few months.” The stallion sighed before he shook his head. “I’m sorry, Miss, I can’t accept tenants younger than eighteen.” “But Daddy!” Comet whined, moving around his mother and jumping up his father’s leg, “She wansta make a bakewy!” Cotton heard Pro Rate snort under his breath as he tousled Comet’s light blue mane with a smirk. “Hold on a second there, buddy, hold on.” He looked back to Cotton with a raised brow, still smirking. “You’ve barely known him for five minutes and you’re already siccing my own son on me?” Cotton lifted a hoof and replied, “I do have a way with kids, but I didn’t tell him to do that.” Sun Flower chuckled and added, “I can attest to that.”  “Pwease, Daddy?” Comet pouted. Pro Rate chuckled as well and guided Comet back to the floor. “Alright, alright, I’ll at least talk to her.” “Yay! Cookies!” the colt said, bouncing up and down. Pro Rate tilted his head at his son as he looked at Cotton. “You’d need to pay an additional cookie fee.” Cotton giggled and shook her head. “That wouldn’t be a problem.” “Alright, come in,” the stallion said, waving Cotton inside as he walked into what appeared to be a dining room, passing a framed, colt’s hoof painting in watercolor.  As she stepped through the foyer, Sun Flower smiled and closed the front door behind her, then whispered, “Good luck. I bet you’ll win him over; you already got Comet.”  “Thanks,” Cotton responded. “I’ll try.”  She followed Pro Rate into his dining room and found him standing in front of a chair at a table, a quill and parchment hovering in his aura. “What’s your name, Miss?”  “Cotton Candy.” She held out a hoof. “Nice to meet you.” He smiled and shook her hoof. “Nice to meet you as well. You clearly make a good first impression.” He pointed at a chair across from him, then sat down. “Take a seat. Normally I’d turn somepony your age away without a second thought, but somehow you convinced my son to tell me to give you a chance,” he said with a smirk, “so let’s chat.”  “Thank you, sir,” Cotton responded with a nervous giggle, setting her saddlebag down before she took the offered chair. She sat and immediately stood as the chair made a comically high-pitched squeak. Yelping, she looked down to find a soft, plastic cookie on the seat. Flustered, Cotton stammered, “B-but I d-didn’t mean to tell h-him to s-squeak that!” “I understand, I believe you,” he chuckled again, using his aura to toss the ‘cookie’ on the floor. He let out a quick breath as he put the parchment on the table. “Alright, down to business.” He dipped his quill in an inkwell on the table and started, “You said you’re seventeen, right?” “Almost eighteen, but yes,” Cotton replied. Simple question. “Alright…” He wrote a note on the parchment. “Are you currently employed?” Cotton hesitated only a moment. Did getting paid at home count? “Yes, I am.” “Okay. My son has already informed me that you intend to open a bakery; I assume that this would be your primary source of income going forward,” Pro Rate said. “But how much are you currently paid?” “Right now? Twenty bits an hour. Eight hours a day.” And the occasional gifts for no reason from her aunts. He laughed again, “No, I mean how much in a year.” Cotton stopped. Great, math! “Uh, I’m not sure.” More scribbling. A pause. Then more definitive scribbling. “About forty-two thousand bits a year, minus taxes. That’s impressive for a filly your age. What do you do?” “I… cook. For… some ponies. And… other things… in their home.” Telling him she was a part-time judge at the castle that towered over the city probably wouldn’t be the best idea.  “Other things like?” “…I’ve stood in for some of their other help when they aren’t available.” Technically, she did fill in for Tasty Twist that week he wasn’t feeling well. So what if she was doing it anyway?  “So you’re a housekeeper. Does the family you work for know you intend to leave?” Mr. Rate asked. “Oh yeah, they know,” Cotton answered. “They’ve known for a while. They’ve even encouraged me to put aside part of what they pay me just for this.” Every part. Pro Rate smiled. “You must have a very kind employer. Are you a live-in? If so, will you have somewhere else to live after you terminate your current employment? Assuming that is your intention.”  Not unless her father had planned to kick her out. That was doubtful. “Oh yes, I’ll have somewhere to live. I wouldn’t need to live in the store, if that’s what you’re worried about. At least, not literally.”  The stallion smirked. “It sounds like you have a good work ethic if you think you’ll spend that much time there. Okay, an easy one: have you ever been involved in the court system?” Cotton went pale. “W-what?” He looked at her, one brow raised. “Have you ever been convicted of a crime?” “N-no!” Cotton blurted. “Good. Now, this will be a tough one for you since you’re so young: do you have enough saved up that you can cover two months of rent up front? The minimum amount of time for a rental contract is six months, and I need a security deposit.” “Yes, I can do that. I was actually looking to lease; I don’t plan on going anywhere.” Pro Rate raised his eyebrows at her. “Really? Are you that confident in your abilities? A lease is a one-year minimum contract.” “Yes, I am. And I can do two months no problem,” Cotton responded with a nod. More scribbling. “Okay, now for the big question: Who’s going to cosign for you?” “Cosign?” Cotton asked. “Yes, you’re too young to sign a contract. You need someone else to sign the contract as a cosigner. If something goes wrong… say you have an unfortunate baking accident and get baked into a pie—” “What?!” “—who’s going to pay the rent that month? And pick up the Cotton-pie?” he asked with a grin. Cotton turned pale again. “A legal adult. Somepony who can pass a background check. Somepony responsible. Perhaps a parent? You seem to have a very kind employer; would they be willing to sign for you?” Cotton cried, “I wouldn’t bake myself into a pie!” “Well, I’m not a baker, but I imagine all that fire and ovens creates a dangerous working environment. I’m only kidding, but not really.” He looked at her somberly. “What if something happens to you while working?” “My dad would take care of me!” A lightbulb seemed to go off over Pro Rate’s head. “Oh? A good relationship with your father? Would he be able to cosign?” Cotton settled herself in her chair. “…Oh. Yes, my dad would cosign.”  “Alright, I guess I’ll find out about him when I run a background check on the two of you. The only other thing I need is the processing fee and then we can sign the contract.” After another line of scribbling, Pro Rate put his quill down. Leaning back, he slowly tapped his forehooves together. “Hm. Well, you meet all the requirements. You’re very pleasant, that’s for certain.” Cotton blushed. “Thank you, sir.” More tapping. “You’ve already won my son over…” He looked into the front hall, where he saw Comet Tail and Sun Flower watching them intently, both of them with smiles on their faces. “…and if that look is anything to go by, it seems my wife is in your corner as well…” Cotton smiled at the mare and colt in the hall, but otherwise just sat quietly and waited for an answer, not daring to interrupt his currently positive train of thought. Pro Rate let out a sigh. Then he nodded. “Alright. I’ll give you a shot.” Yes! “I can draw up the paperwork for you. I’ll just need your father to come with us during the tour so you both can sign the contract when we’re finished.” Cotton flinched. “Uh, can I bring it back to my father and have him sign it at home?” Pro Rate shook his head. “I need you both to sign while I’m present. You do appear trustworthy, but I need to be certain I’m not a victim of forgery.”  Cotton felt lightheaded. “Okay. I understand.” Looking at the clock on the wall behind him, she asked, “I know it’ll push past seven, but… do you think you could give me like, fifteen minutes and I can have him come sign it for you now?” The stallion cocked a brow. “Miss Candy, it takes longer than fifteen minutes to draw up a contract. I meant for you to come back another time. Besides, there are other things to be done before we set up anything.” “Oh… like what?” “Wouldn’t you like to actually take the tour first?” “Oh. Right,” Cotton responded with a nervous chuckle. “That’d be good.” The stallion nodded. “Okay, we can set up a time for that. Now, I have a couple more questions.” He picked up his quill again.  “What else do you want to know?” Pro Rate smiled. “I try to be accommodating for my tenants if possible, so just a few little details.” Returning the smile, Cotton responded, “That’s very kind of you, sir.” “I prefer to keep more positive relationships with my renters so we can avoid getting into arguments. Now, first off, generally rent is due on the first of every month. Is there a different date you would prefer? We could have you pay on, say, the nineteenth, if you think it would be more convenient.” Cotton furrowed her brows as she looked upward. “Uhh… I don’t think so. I don’t see any reason why I can’t pay on the first.” The stallion nodded as he scribbled on the paper. “Thank you, that makes things easier for me. Now, speaking of rent dates, there’s a twenty-bit fee for each day you’re late on your payment, so if you end up paying me on the fourth, that’s a sixty-bit fee.”  Cotton nodded in return. “Totally understand that.” “Good. And the other, are there any special accommodations you might need? Depending on what it is, I might need to charge you higher rent.” Tilting her head, Cotton asked, “Accommodations… like what?” “Well, as the lessor, I’m responsible for keeping my properties habitable, so the rent includes heat, air conditioning, electricity, water, and gas. I have special gems that generate the first three for each property, and they last me a few years at a time; I cover water and gas like any other household. However, I have an elderly couple living in the apartment above the property you’re looking at. Since they needed extra support to climb up the stairs, I paid to have a hoofrail installed, because as I said, making the place habitable is my responsibility. That was a one-time installation, though, and doesn’t require any other maintenance, so there was no need to raise their rent.” Cotton nodded. “Alright. What kind of accommodation would raise the rent?” “What would raise the rent is something like: I assume each household requires one refrigerator, which is already provided. Now I can’t imagine this would be the case for anypony, but say you needed ten refrigerators. That would require more electricity than an ordinary residence, so I would need to increase your rent to cover the extra electricity generation,” Pro Rate explained. “Oooh, okay, I understand,” Cotton responded. The stallion continued, “Now, this particular store lease has always been some kind of eatery ever since I’ve been its owner. Based on what I’ve seen, there’s always been more gas usage due to the frequent usage of stoves or ovens. There are also currently two refrigerators already there, so there’s some extra use of electricity as well.  “However, that extra usage is already covered in the lease price. The residential units have a fifteen-hundred bit rent, this one is two-thousand. I just went over all of that with you so you understand the cost breakdown. I do this with all of my tenants.” Cotton nodded again, as if she understood everything. “That’s smart. I’m guessing that’s because you’ve had other tenants asking why their prices are different?” “Exactly. So then, given all of that, do you know if there are any other accommodations you might need?” Cotton put a hoof to her chin. “Hmm… Well… Maybe, but… I don’t know if it’s the same kind of thing.” Pro Rate lifted his eyebrows. “Oh? What are you thinking?” “Well, I’d need to have a display case next to the counter,” Cotton explained. “I don’t know if you’ve baked before, but some baked goods, like certain pies, don’t last if they aren’t kept cool, so I’d need that case to be refrigerated.” The stallion nodded. “So you would essentially need a third refrigerator?” Cotton could feel the sweat trickle down her back as she wiggled a hoof back and forth. “I mean, not really. Maybe like, half of one? It’d only be on during the day. I’d want to make everything fresh every day, so anything that doesn’t get sold wouldn’t need to stay in the case overnight, and I can turn it off.” She hadn’t seriously considered all of the details, and now that she was here, it all came to her in a rush.  Pro Rate lifted a brow. “If I may ask, what would you do with the leftovers? It sounds like a lot would go to waste if you don’t sell everything every day.” “Well, I could always bring them home for my fa— my employer’s family,” Cotton replied, “but I’m thinking I’d donate them. There are a bunch of homeless shelters and… orphanages in the city that could use food donations. Or would just be happy to have them.” She giggled as she lightly tilted her head towards the hallway where Sun Flower and Comet Tail stood. “If I have leftover cookies, I could give them to you.” Smiling, the stallion said, “That’s very kind of you. And I might just take you up on that.” He tapped the feathered end of his quill on his muzzle a few times, then shook his head. “No, I don’t think I’d need to raise your rent for that. Part-time usage shouldn’t require too much extra electricity.” “Thank you, sir,” Cotton responded. “You’re quite welcome.” Tapping the tip of the quill on his parchment, he asked, “Is there anything else you can think of? Any kind of accommodation for yourself or your potential customers?” After a moment of thought, Cotton shook her head. “Not that I can think of, as long as the kitchen works like it should. Everything else would just be furniture, plates, cooking ingredients… I’m assuming that’s all on me since I didn’t see anything in there when I looked through the window.” Nodding, Pro Rate replied, “Yes, they would be. The previous renters took their inventory with them. That’s always the case; different eateries have had different levels of formality.” Glancing up at the clock on the wall behind Pro Rate, Cotton put a hoof to her muzzle. “Oh geez, I’m sorry. It’s after seven. Do you want me to go? I don’t want to waste any more of your time.” Pro Rate smiled and shook his head. “Don’t worry, you haven’t wasted any time. There are actually two more things I need to tell you. First of all, since we are in the middle of the month, if you decide to sign a contract with me quickly, I’ll give you the last two weeks of the month for free. You’ll need to start paying rent at the beginning of next month, though, even if you aren’t open for business.” Cotton nodded. “Okay, that makes sense.” “And two—and this is something I tell all my renters that have used that space—there is a company in Central Canterlot that specializes in restaurant supplies, such as tables, tablecloths, chairs, flatware, and practically anything else you could need. Casual and fancy. I would highly suggest going there to at least browse their supplies and see if you like what they’re offering. I can give you the address.” With wide eyes and raised brows, Cotton responded, “Oh, wow. Thank you so much; that’ll definitely help.” “You’re welcome. Now…” Pro Rate set down his quill and tapped his hooves again. “Do you have any questions for me? You can ask me questions about the store itself when I show you around, but is there anything you can think of that I may not have covered?” Cotton thought for a moment. “Hmm… Actually, yeah. You said that it was your job to make things habitable, so does that mean you’re supposed to fix anything if it breaks? I’m not living in the store, so do the same rules apply?” Pro Rate nodded and replied, “That’s a very good question, and I’ll clarify in the lease agreement. Repairs made to anything that comes with the lease—meaning the refrigerators and stove—or issues with the gas, electricity generation, or water supply are my responsibility, as long as they aren’t caused by something you did directly. So say the air conditioning just stops working of its own accord, that’s something I need to take care of. But if you, say… I don’t know, you toss a ball of dough down the sink, and it gets clogged and causes a flood, any required repairs are your responsibility. The problem is, if anything happens that is my responsibility, I can’t always guarantee I can get something crucial repaired at the drop of a hat, and since you would be running a business, that could be problematic. That said, if you do need something repaired immediately, and you pay somepony to make repairs yourself, keep a record of the price and show it to me, and I’ll deduct the costs from your rent. But with anything else you bring in—like the tables, chairs, or this case you want installed—if any of it gets broken, that’s up to you. Understand?” “Totally,” Cotton replied, nodding her head.  “Good. Now, there will be other parts of the contract that will need to be agreed upon—nothing major that we haven’t already covered, but there are other nitty-gritty details—but I will have you and your father look through the whole thing line-by-line before you sign anything, including the fine print,” Pro Rate said. “I’m not one to try and finagle a potential tenant into signing a contract they don’t fully understand.” Smiling, Cotton responded, “From what I understand, you’re probably one of the few, sir.” “Honestly, Miss Candy, it wouldn’t surprise me. After I draw up the paperwork, if there is anything you or your father don’t understand, I’ll explain as best I can. And if you find anything that you don’t agree with, or something we may have forgotten, I can accommodate it within reason. Is there anything else you need or would like to know?” Pro Rate finished. Cotton tapped her hoof on her muzzle, then looked upward. “I… No, I can’t think of anything. My father might, but not me.” Looking back at the stallion before her, she said, “But I’ll ask you the same question.” “No, I believe that’s it for me as well,” Pro Rate said. “Obviously nothing is final just yet, but if we follow through with this, it would be a pleasure to have you aboard, Miss Candy.” He smiled, then stood up from the table and held out his hoof. With a wide grin, Cotton stood up as well, taking his hoof as she responded, “It’ll be all mine, sir. And please, just call me ‘Cotton.’” “Will do. So, when would you like to get a tour of the shop?” the stallion asked as he walked toward the main hallway, Cotton putting on her saddlebag. “Oh, right. Uh, well, the sooner the better, so is tomorrow at six alright? I work until five,” Cotton replied, following him into the hall. After a moment, Pro Rate nodded. “That’s fine. It’ll take me a little time to get there from here. I can have the contract ready by then; I’ll bring it with me, and you bring your father. If the two of you like what you see, you can sign right away.” Cotton’s eyes widened for a moment. “Oh, uh… He may n—” She thought back to the shop location. Wait, the park’s right there… He might fit… She nodded. “I mean, yeah. Sometimes he’s pretty busy, but he should be able to make it.” “Good,” the stallion responded. “So then, I’ll see you at the shop tomorrow at six. We can determine other details while we’re there. In case your father is unavailable, I’ll give you the contract to bring home to him so you can both look through it. If and when you both are ready to sign, you can contact me to ask any questions you may have, if necessary. However, you’ll both need to sign in my presence. How does that sound to you?” Cotton smiled. “It sounds perfect.”  Glancing over the stallion’s shoulder, Cotton saw Sun Flower standing behind him, a sedate Comet Tail lying on her back. The mare smiled and winked before her husband stepped to the side and opened their door, allowing Cotton to exit. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Cotton.”  “See you tomorrow, sir. Thank you.” She looked at the mare in the hallway and added, “And thank you, Missus Sun Flower.” Sun Flower nodded with a smile. “A pleasure. I hope to see you around.” “Me too.” Cotton looked at Comet Tail, whose head lay upon his mother’s, and put on a big grin. “And especially thank you, Comet Tail. You’ll get the first batch of cookies that comes out of the oven.” The colt immediately shot out of his pacified state. “Cookies!” he cried, nearly falling off his mother’s back. Cotton almost snorted as she watched the colt’s excitement. “Oops. Maybe I ought to leave before he gets any other ideas.” “Too late,” Sun Flower said with a smirk, turning around to follow Comet Tail, who had jumped off his mother’s back and bolted into the kitchen. “Sorry!” Cotton called, holding in a snicker. “See you tomorrow, sir.” Then she turned around and trotted down the walk before she lifted off and flew toward the neighborhood’s main stretch. The colt suddenly came galloping back out of the kitchen, jumping up onto his father’s leg with a big grin before he jumped back down and stepped over the door’s threshold to watch Cotton fly away. As Pro Rate chuckled and tousled his son’s mane, his wife walked back into the hallway. “I think you did the right thing making an exception for her. I just have a feeling.” “Well, can’t argue with a mare’s intuition.”  After a moment, all three of them could hear, “YES-YES-YES-YES-YES!” Then they looked out the door and up at the filly to find her loop-de-looping in the air. With another chuckle, the stallion looked down at his son and asked, “What do you think, buddy?”  Comet Tail looked up at his father and bounced on his hooves. “COOKIES!”