"What, do you think somebody caught you installing that ladder in the vents?" Alice suggested as Jane stuck her head out of the vent.

"Nah, that ain't it. Besides, it ain't a ladder, it's an assisted ventilation climbing system, got it? The AC guy'll thank me when it breaks down again." Jane said, making sure the cover to the vents required a bit of force to pull off so the common viewer didn't notice it flapping around.

"What'll you tell him when he finds out you can get into everyone's rooms from there?" Alice asked the goblin girl, currently tucking her tools back into the large belt she wore.

"I'll tell him ta tell the management to stop buildin' frikkin' huge vents if they don't want somebody takin' advantage of 'em." She said, climbing out. "Besides, 's faster than stairs. Too bad you can't fit in 'ere, eh?"

"Yeah, I think I'd have a slight problem with that. I think anyone who isn't two and a half feet tall would have a problem with that." Alice said. Ever since her tiny upstairs neighbor had gotten excited over the possibilities the vents held she had been spending a lot more time down here. Not that she really minded, Jane was nice enough, if a bit crude at times, and incredibly messy. The girl's apartment was a mess of inventions in various stages of completion and Alice always felt like she was going to break something whenever she came in. Between the ice machine that had apparently started as a flamethrower, the spring-powered cutlery sorter, and the fridge that doubled as an oven, it was kind of a relief to be told not to lean against the bed that was rigged to tilt to its side so that the tiny girl could climb up onto it more easily, just in case she accidentally put too much weight on it. Alice thought it'd be easier just to get a lower bed but apparently not. Jane made her living repairing pretty much anything in-between inventing things, which for the most part she had the self-control to keep straightforward and without much in the way of "improvements", although Alice had to convince her that attaching a water-powered battery-charger to an iPad was in fact not fixing a glaring design oversight, only succeeding by assuring her that portability was more important than better battery life.

"Hey, that's a solid three feet, 'an one third 'o an inch to you. I'm tall for a goblin, ya know." Jane said with slight indignation. "Anyway, to get back ta what I was sayin', something ain't right. I can feel it, y'know?"

"What do you mean?" Alice asked.

"I dunno, I just see this elf lady on the news and it don't feel right for some reason. Like she ain't supposed to be like that, ya know?" Jane said. Alice didn't think she got it at all.

"What, be a reporter or an elf? I thought you were ok with elves." Alice said.

"I don't, it's just like... Oh, forget it. Least she's not a bloody dwarf." Jane said. She couldn't quite place her finger on what was bothering her, but half the time for the last week whenever she looked at one of the non-human races something just felt off to her. Although she had been getting this feeling less and less lately, and she figured that at the rate it was going she'd have forgotten about ever having such a feeling in a week or two.

"You need to get over your dwarf problem. That postman was just doing his job and not he refuses to come here without knowing that you're not going to come out in advance." Alice said, Jane pouting in response.

"He was askin' for it! Those components were delicate an' he was handlin' em like there were a lump o' bloody iron!"

"He wasn't and you know it, you just didn't like him touching your mail." Alice said as Jane tried to look innocent. "Well, whatever. I'm going to go get some groceries. You want to come?"

"Do I have to walk?" Jane asked hopefully to her neighbor.

"Not if you don't want to, but I'm going as-is."

"But it sucks riding bare-back!" Jane complained.

"I'm not putting on a saddle just to go get groceries." The centauress said. Alice at least didn't feel awkward when she had such a tiny passenger, but she didn't want to put up with any complaints.

"Alright, fine, I'll walk. But you're carrying, ya got it?" Jane told her. Pack mule comments aside, carrying Jane's groceries for her was worth not having to worry about appliances breaking down or paying for cable tv. It was better than watching a goblin drag a plastic bag along behind her. Goblins were not known for their upper body strength. She trotted out of her room, wondering why she had gotten an apartment with a human sized door as she ducked it to avoid bumping her head. Probably because it was on the lowest floor. Sure, that was it. Jane closed the vent and made sure that the screws looked like they were securely fastened without actually fastening everything. She was just about finished in here, anyway. Besides, she had to pick up more of that Kaja'cola stuff, anyway...