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“Can we get a dollhouse?” Roman said after a few minutes of silence. Logan looked down at the little borrower next to him, standing on the spare pillow on the bed.
“Wouldn’t that feel a bit...demeaning?” Logan asked, surprised at the question. “After all, you’re not a doll.”
“Well, it’d be better than this.” Roman gave the spare pillow below him a kick. “I’ve just been sleeping on this oversized, second-hand pillow.”
“What? And you deserve so much better?” Logan teased.
“Exactly!” Roman nodded, not catching Logan’s sarcasm. “Not to sound ungrateful, but we’ve come a long way, and I think I deserve my own bed.”
“That’s fair.” Logan took a moment to process the idea. It had crossed his mind a few times before, but he hadn’t wanted to offend the very proud (and stubborn) borrower with such a suggestion. It would be nice for Roman to have his own space.
“Yes, I think we can do that.” Logan pulled his laptop up onto his lap, beginning to look for one online. “Although what made you think of it?”
“I saw one in the background of the book I was reading.” Roman explained, climbing down off the pillow. He had recently taken to reading fairy tales that often had elaborate pictures. Logan was more than happy to help Roman access these, seeing as Roman couldn’t exactly use the library himself, although Logan did wish that Roman would read more educational texts.
Seeing Roman approaching, Logan picked him up and put him on his shoulder so he could see as well. Roman held onto Logan’s shirt collar, eyes shining with excitement as he looked at the computer screen.
“That one!” Roman pointed, and Logan stopped scrolling.
“Roman, I can’t see which one you’re pointing at.” Logan reminded him. It was difficult for him to see the borrower when Roman was sat on his shoulder.
“The one with the gold.” Roman described it. “And the columns, and the big staircase…” Logan clicked on it, eyes widening at the price. He had no idea dollhouses were so expensive.
“What?!” Roman gasped as Logan clicked back to the main menu. “That one was perfect!’
“And impractical.” Logan said, resuming his scrolling. “You don’t need a whole mansion.”
“Yes, but I want one.” Roman retorted.
“Besides, it’s far too large.” Logan explained. “We have nowhere to put it.”
“This apartment is mine too, you know.” Roman huffed, crossing his arms in irritation. “I think I’m entitled to half the space.”
“Nice try, but no.” Logan smiled. “You don’t take up nearly enough room to get half the apartment to yourself. Besides, you don’t even pay rent.” Logan scrolled down further, looking for something a bit more practical.
“What about this?” Logan clicked on a much cheaper option.
“Noooo.” Roman groaned. “That one’s ugly.”
“”It doesn’t have to be pretty, it has to be functional.” Logan rolled his eyes.
“But it’s not functional either!” Roman looked as Logan viewed it from various angles. “It’s missing a whole half of the house!”
“A lot of dollhouses are made that way to provide easy access for humans.” Logan reminded him. “After all, these aren’t exactly designed with borrowers in mind.”
“I’ll say.” Roman leaned forwards slightly to get a better look. “Look- it doesn’t even have stairs. How am I supposed to get up there?”
“Use your climbing hook.” Logan advised.
“Maybe I don’t want to pull out my hook everytime I want to travel between rooms in my own home .” Roman emphasised.
“I thought you did that in your old house?” Logan asked, remembering tales of Roman’s home within the walls.
“Well, yes.” Roman admitted. “But if there’s an option to avoid that I’m not doing it again.”
“I think being with me is making you lazy.” Logan observed, but he clicked out of that model to search for a new dollhouse. The two went through a few more designs, getting vetoed for one reason or another. Roman tried to ask for one with a pool before Logan reminded him he couldn’t swim. Then…
“There!” Roman called out at the same time as Logan clicked on that very dollhouse.
“This might work.” Logan appraised it. “It’s not too big and provides you some actual privacy. Not to mention it’s cost-effective.”
“I don’t love the color though.” Roman frowned, now looking at the inside.
“Well we can paint it.” Logan offered.
“And by ‘we’ you mean you?” Roman looked up at Logan with a grin. Logan reached up his free hand and blindly poked Roman in the side, causing the borrower to quickly regrip the shirt for fear of falling.
“Yes, I’ll paint it for you, you diva.” Logan rolled his eyes. “Any other objections?”
“Hmm.” Roman rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “No, it looks alright. It will need some other decorations inside though to liven up the place. Maybe a canopy bed and colored lights. And a disco ball. Maybe a dance floor, but that can wait a little bit. And maybe we can convert that room to have a stage...”
“You’ve been spending too much time on pinterest.” Logan replied, putting the dollhouse in the cart.