Lupo's Lair

It was only the second property he'd looked at, but Bastian saw no reason to continue trying to find anything better when what he saw now was perfect.

The realtor had prefaced the first place he'd been shown with 'I have something else I really think will be better, but let's have a look at this one first'. And though Bastian thought then that the realtor had pretty much written the death warrant for the first home, he said nothing and toured it just the same. Of course with the idea that there was something better already implanted in his brain, Bastian really couldn't judge the first place fairly.

However, just driving onto the property of the second house showed Bastian that the realtor's assertion had been spot on. While the turn on to the property was right off the main highway, it then became close enough to make him accessible to townsfolk, but also to those who chose to live farther out in the country, and still be far enough away to offer Bastian the privacy he so desperately needed.

The ranch had previously been used to raise horses, so there was a well equipped barn that he would update, and keep for boarding purposes. And there was enough land that Bastian could build his kennel as well. He would also be able to fence off a large area of land to create several dog runs, and not cut into the horse pasture at all.

Then too there was the house. Built about 1820, it had a look one would expect an old farm house to have, on the outside anyway. On the inside Bastian marveled at the modernizations that had been implemented, and yet the attention to detail that kept the old world flavor abundant.

All the plumbing had been updated, along with the electrical, but in the kitchen the appliances were chosen to resemble what might have been found in a house of 1820. The stove, though electric, looked like an old Peninsular wood burning appliance; however, the difference being that the top just 'looked' like it had the removable lids for adding wood. Instead what was actually there was a one piece cooktop, with very modern electrical elements below. The upper oven was a microwave, and the lower two ovens were standard and convectional.

The refrigerator was completely modern, but its face resembled the cabinetry, and therefore seemed to disappear into the woodwork. Unless you knew where to look, a person wouldn't even realize a refrigerator existed in the kitchen. The counters were tile, as was the floor, with an old farm style sink. The lighting fixtures were a combination of modern florescents hidden among faux beams, mixed with older looking lanterns suspended over the areas that would see the highest level of traffic...the sink, stove, and island counter. The bulbs in the lanterns were those that resembled flickering candles, but were for atmosphere only, supplemented with the hidden flourescents. The whole effect of that room was of being transported back a hundred years, without having to suffer the inconveniences, and had cost Bastian more to decorate than any other room in the house.

His concern was that the lower level retain the look of the original house, while the upper level resemble that of modern comfort. So each of the rooms, including the library that he converted into an office, the living room, the dining room, kitchen, and parlor, which he used as his entertainment room, were decorated accordingly. All the media equipment was hidden behind floor to ceiling cabinets that were continued on into the library/office. The same wood was found on the floors and wainscotting throughout the lower level, and helped with the consistency of the period feeling.

The living room was set up for conversation with two areas of seating grouped both in front of the corner fireplace, and then between that area and the dining room. The dining room was probably the least descriptive place on the lower floor. It was second only to the powder room, with both rooms having been constructed for functionality more than anything else. Plumbing fixtures in the small bath were again created to look like they were from the turn of the century, and since the bath consisted of a sink and toilet only, easily accomplished that look.

Upstairs it was as if you had walked into another world. The master suite took up 2/3 of that level, with one guest bedroom and bath adjoining. The only odd thing found in the renovated farm house was what Bastian called the 'full moon room', which was more like a very large closet than anything else. There were no windows in the room, but it was decorated for comfort, for that was where Bastian would spend the one night a month should necessity dictate. The room was framed with stainless steel beams, and boasted concrete block walls. If the original need for its construction was ever removed, it would serve nicely as a safe room. The steel door was set to automatically lock upon closing, and wouldn't reopen until twelve hours had passed. It was not something he intended to make much use of, because he had learned how to curb his beast over the past few years. However, on the off chance something might tempt that beast, he felt it was necessary to have as a safe guard. It resembled the room he had built in his New Orleans loft, so many years ago, and had used nearly once a month for two years. It gave him a sense of peace just to know it was available.

On the exterior of the wood sided home ran a porch, encircling the entire house. Upstairs there was a porch that covered the rear section, and was accessible from the master suite. Bastian set that deck up with outdoor lounge furniture that he would utilize in the evenings. He enjoyed the peace and quiet of the sunsets, and being that the rear section of his home faced west, he intended on using that part of the house a lot. The rising eastern sun also served a purpose when it hit the 'full moon room', in that it signaled that the locked door be opened, on the off chance that the twelve hour cycle had been extended for some reason.

All in all he was very happy with the final result of his remodel, and had given the construction firm a hefty bonus for finishing the job under budget, and in less time than they had originally contracted for. And as he stood on his back deck now, and looked out over the land behind his home, his thoughts were on one thing, and one thing only.

When would Reign come back to him?

First Floor

Upper Floor