fusty
[fuhs-tee]
adjective
having a stale smell; moldy; musty.
fusty rooms that were in need of a good airing.
old-fashioned or out-of-date, as architecture, furnishings, or the like.
They still live in that fusty, gingerbread house.
stubbornly conservative or old-fashioned; fogyish.
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When he entered the old house, the first thing that his Ryan was the smell. It was the smell of age. An old, musty smell that made it seem like even the dust was older than he was. And it soon became obvious that it wasn’t just the air. Everything looked to be older than him.
The carpet, the furniture. Even the paint could probably be considered an antique. He made his way through the house that could have easily been a museum. Old paintings, hard wood furniture, statues that could have been from the Renaissance.
He entered the study and found the person he was there to meet. The man was positively ancient. He stood with a sever hunch and wore clothes that could have been from the previous millennia.
“Ah, good. I was wondering if you had gotten lost.” The old man said.
Ryan was right on time. Punctuality was important for him. Apparently, his host did not agree. Either that, or it was a poor attempt at humor.
“Yes, well, finding this place was not easy, but it wasn’t impossible either.”
“Good, good. Please, have a seat and we can begin.”
Ryan sat on the musty leather seat that could have been as old as his grandparents. It was not a comfortable chair. The leather was old and stiff. The cushioning was old and thin. The wooden frame was poking through towards the back. Still, he put up with it and brought out his computer case and set up the laptop inside.
“Now then, once I get connected to the internet, we’ll go over everything.”
“Internet? I’m afraid I’m not sure what that is. I can’t keep up with all that new technology. Best to steer clear of it all, if you ask me.”
Ryan sighed. Of course such an old house would not have Wi-Fi. Why had he thought otherwise. He would have to come back another day with the actual papers. But for now, he could mostly get the process started with what was downloaded on the machine.
“That’s fine.” He said, “I’ll come back another day and you can sign the paper then. I have enough here to get the ball rolling. Just take a look at the screen and let me know if anything needs to be changed.”
Ryan made sure to zoom in quite a bit so the old man could see the words. He scrolled slowly, letting his host and client read. The man’s already wrinkled brow gained a several new lines as he frowned.
“I’m afraid I have no idea what any of this means. The wording is all so obscure. I can’t make out any of it.”
Ryan looked at the displayed document. It was fairly clear in its wording. At least, he thought so. No legalese or slang terms. Just clear, obvious statements and easy to understand clauses. Nothing hidden or obscured by complex wording that could be interpreted a hundred different ways.
“I’m sorry, but if you’re having trouble understanding it, I’ll do my best to clarify.”
“Thank you. I can never keep up with modern language. It’s all so odd. Now, please, go over it all from the top.”
Ryan took a deep breath. This was going to take a while, he could tell. He just hoped his laptop battery would last long enough to go through everything.
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Not everyone gets technology. Go easy on those who aren't able to understand it.
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