Maple Shade Apartments

The Maple Shade complex was funded and as far as anyone knows is still owned by an Indian developer who made a number of investments up and down the American West Coast. It was only finished in 1974, just long enough for it to fill up with residents while retaining a sense of newness to it.

The neighborhood the Maple Shade was constructed in is a relatively poverty-stricken area of the SE Portland Brooklyn neighborhood. It isn't far from Winterhaven Elementary, an area that is steadily improving (unlike some of the more destitute portions of Brooklyn).

The Maple Shade has seen some terrible things in the last few years, including mysterious murders (including the death of the complex's security guard that seemed to be an occult sacrifice!) and an all-out gang attack and gunfight in the building's park and atrium. Things seemed to be calming down until six months ago when the Gypsy Jokers, a biker gang, firebombed the black-owned Fast-Shop in the street-facing storefronts, an attack that both the owners of the shop (who have since moved away) and the police said was racially-motivated.

Staff

Myrtle Connor Manager • Apt A10 A divorcee and former bank manager, Myrtle's bosses saw her interviewed on the news and decided they didn't want their bank associated with those goings-on, and promptly fired her. Though she is around much more often these days, Myrtle is surlier and clearly unhappy. When she's not at her office, she is locked away in her apartment.

Haywood Mane Security • Apt A01 A Vietnam vet, Haywood is just getting back on his feet after a difficult time re-establishing a normal life for himself (including a bout of homelessness and heroin abuse). When the previous security guard Roger Milowski was brutally killed last year, the position of security went unfilled for about six months. When the Gypsy Jokers started causing problems for residents, culminating in the firebombing of the Fast-Shop, Haywood walked into Myrtle's office and insisted that she hire him for the job. Though he walks with a prosthetic leg, he has demonstrated a willingness to stand up to bikers and other riff-raff who come poking about the apartments more than once. Haywood is a quiet, unassuming man who loves dogs and makes a mean omelette.

Ground Floor

• Management Office: A sizeable office set aside for the use of the complex's manager, this office goes largely unoccupied.
• Security Office: A much smaller security office is usually manned most days during normal work hours.
• Play Area & Courtyard: A small pleasant green space where the few kids in the complex frequently play, or other residents may take in the infrequent sunshine during brighter parts of the year.
• Sanderberg Tailory (Tailor): Mr. Noah Sanderberg (Apt A07) works in this shop with his wife Esmie, who is also a seamstress of some experience. Between the two of them, they maintain a robust service. Though they seemed to be struggling for a while, their shop seems to be on an even keel now.
• King's Salon (Beauty Salon): A small beauty salon run by Lori King and her sisters.
• CLOSED: Formerly the Fast-Shop, this storefront was firebombed six months ago by bikers suspected of being the Gypsy Jokers, late at night when only the shop's owners, the Scott sisters Reneesha and Imani, were along doing inventory. Though both escaped with only smoke inhalation, they quickly moved away, claiming the attack was racially motivated. The storefront remained locked down as a crime scene for almost two months before the police gave the go-ahead to the complex to refurbish it, a task which has taken some time. The windows of the place are still boarded up, though contractors have been hard at work for the last month re-doing the interior.
• Laundromat: A business run by the apartment complex, with fancy new washers and dryers, and vending machines that sell detergent and fabric softener sheets. It is lit by bad flourescent lighting, and the floor and countertops all covered in the same, off-white linoleum.
• Apollo's Athenaeum (Bookstore): An esoteric book shop, of the sort made popular in the "Age of Aquarius." It has a loyal following of hippies and former hippies. Its owner has been traveling abroad for the last year, leaving it in the capable hands of Noelle Britt (Apt XX) and Eli Sanderberg (whose parents own the tailory).
• Marisette's Garden: Formerly Excelsior Comics, this shop is owned by Marisette Davis (Apt A02), who sells plants, pots, and the in-vogue crocheted yarn-and-wooden bead hanging baskets for houseplants.

First Floor

Floorplans

• Apartment A01: Haywood Mane
• Apartment A02: Marisette Davis
• Apartment A03: The Thomleys
• Apartment A04: The Forrester Family: Craig, Cassidy, Emily
• Apartment B01: Rex Bagby
• Apartment B02: Vivian Blackstone
• Apartment B03: Martha Schneider
• Apartment B04: (unoccupied)

	Marisette Davis Shop Owner • Apt A02 xxx
	Craig Forrester & his daughters Cassidy and Emily Construction Worker widower & daughters • Apt A04 Craig is a construction worker whose wife and brother died in a car accident a few years ago. Craig spends a lot of his time working, so his social life is fairly anemic. His daughters Cassidy and Emily love dogs, and are polite, delightful young girls who spend lots of time with babysitters.
	Rex Bagby Biker Record Seller • Apt B01 Widely regarded as possibly the most handsome man in the complex and without a doubt the coolest, Rex rides a motorcycle and works in a record shop downtown. He always has the best new music, and is usually out at the discos most evenings. He's fairly quiet spoken, though, without any of the bravado or obnoxious "party animal" ways that lots of people might expect from him, and has been known to swoop in like a guardian angel with feathered hair to help his neighbors. Though he's received harassment from the Gypsy Jokers in the past, they seem to leave him alone these days.
	Martha Schneider The Cat Lady • Apt B03 Syrupy sweet in personality, Martha knows everything about everyone. Despite the fact that nearly everyone knows she is an inveterate gossip, it's hard not to find oneself in conversation with her. She has a handful of cats that live with her in her apartment.

Second Floor

Floorplans

• Apartment A05: The Windalls: George, Shirley (Slaughter), Kamphong "Rose" King
• Apartment A06: Russel Diggs
• Apartment A07: The Sandberg Family: Noah, Esmie, and son Eli.
• Apartment A08: Noelle Britt
• Apartment B05: The Yales: Bruce, Desiree, Malcolm
• Apartment B06: The Denly Family: Tom, Minnie
• Apartment B07: (unoccupied)
• Apartment B08: xxx

	Shirley Slaughter Punk Chick • Apt A05 Brash and aggressive, Shirley takes no shit from anyone. She is very enthusiastic about the burgeoning punk scene coming out of New York and the U.K., and wishes fervently for a punk scene to take hold in Portland. She is good friends with Rose King. She lives with her dad, George, who is a trucker; her estranged mother lives in Malibu with her two younger siblings.
	Russell Diggs The Recluse • Apt A06 A larger man with a somewhat unsettling way, Russell keeps to himself for the most part. He has a habit of watching people in a very direct manner, particularly women. He doesn't ever say anything, even in response.
	Noah Sandberg Tailor • Apt A07 Trained by his father in a craft that is largely falling victim to high-volume clothing retail in the modern day, Noah stubbornly refuses to abandon his vocation. In the past, a man of his skill might have been immensely successful; these days, he barely scrapes by. He's a sullen man who works incredibly long hours.
	Esmie Sandberg Seamstress • Apt A07 Noah's wife and business partner, Esmie is easily as skilled as her husband. Esmie worries about her husband's health and her son's distance, but other than continuing to keep everything afloat, there doesn't seem to be anything she can do about it. She is a gregarious woman who gets to know her neighbors; it's an open secret that she would love to host dinners, but she is an awful cook.
	Eli Sandberg High Schooler • Apt A07 A quiet young man, Eli is largely self-sufficient, with his parents working long hours. His grades are high and he never causes trouble, but his mother worries about him: he tends to restrict himself to his room when his parents are home, and can go entire days without actually speaking to his parents.
	Noelle Britt Shop Proprietor, Spiritual Advisor • Apt A08 The woman hired to manage Apollo's Athenaeum got the apartment of one of the residents who moved out in the wake of all the murders and chaos. She is happily settled in and friendly with her neighbors, who adore her and her bookclub, the Daughters of Portlandia.
	Bruce Yale Salesman • Apt B05 A salesman at an appliance store, Bruce has a reputation around the apartment complex as being loud. When upset, his neighbors can hear him yell at his wife and son, and general consensus is that his probably violent toward her. Still, he takes care of his family, and that's more than can be said for a lot of men.
	Desiree Yale The Housewife • Apt B05 Bruce's wife Desiree mostly keeps to herself, taking care of her husband and son. She does occasionally socialize with other women doing laundry down in the laundromat, and sometimes wistfully looks in the windows of the salon as she passes it by, but never enters it.
	Malcolm Yale The Yale Boy • Apt B05 Eleven year old Malcolm can often be found playing with his construction truck toy set out in the courtyard. He's a quiet boy who is never rowdy or loud.
	Tom & Minnie Denly Janitor, Waitress • Apt B06 Tom and Minnie are a young married couple. He works as a janitor at Winterhaven Elementary, while Minnie is a waitress at an Italian restaurant a couple of blocks away. They are relatively quiet and unassuming, polite without maintaining active friendships with most of their neighbors. Both of them were friends of Emma Milowski's, and were grieved at her hospitalization and subsequent refusal to return. They have both started looking for second jobs to allow them to move away from the Maple Shade.
	Christine Ethan The Hopeful Model • Apt B08 xxx

Third Floor

Floorplans

• Apartment A09: Scott Powers
• Apartment A10: Myrtle Connor (Manager)
• Apartment A11: (unoccupied)
• Apartment A12: (unoccupied)
• Apartment B09: (unoccupied)
• Apartment B10: Conrad Doom
• Apartment B11: Winnifred "Winnie" Suttle
• Apartment B12: The Washfords: Joshua, Imelanie, Josh Jr, Rudy

	Scott Powers Veteran • Apt A09 A divorcee who returned from Vietnam with lung damage necessitating his occasional use of oxygen, Scott's life is fairly simple: drinking down at the pub, visits to the VA, long hours alone spent reading military fiction. During the recent chaos, it triggered something quite bad, and Scott was hospitalized in the VA Hospital for three months. He has been back in his home since, and has a home health nurse visit him twice a week.
	Conrad Doom The Partier • Apt B10 Conrad Doom is a weird, shady dude who has moved into a previously unoccupied apartment. He is something of a businessman, with investments in a variety of places. He travels a lot for his business, only occasionally returning home to stay in this apartment for a few nights. Every night he is there, a party inevitably happens, much to the aggravation of his neighbors.
	Winnifred "Winnie" Suttle The Gardener • Apt B11 Most of the neighbors know Winnie: she can often be found in the courtyard on nice days, enjoying a book or watching people. She maintains a couple of large pots of flowers down in the courtyard, and is happy to chat with anyone interested in a conversation. Her daughter Vanessa and Vanessa's husband Perry used to live with her, but they moved out about eight months ago, when Vanessa found out she was pregnant. Winnifred remained in the apartment, though she seems a great deal lonelier than before. She is excited about becoming a grandmother, and seems to have channeled some of that into helping Nancy Olson with her new little one.
	Joshua Washford xxx • Apt xxx xxx
	Imelanie Washford xxx • Apt xxx xxx

Fourth Floor

Floorplans

• Apartment A13: Jason Rubelau
• Apartment A14: The Rutherfords: Evelyn (mother), Isaiah (son)
• Apartment A15: Mariah Jones & Leslie Fisher
• Apartment A16: (unoccupied)
• Apartment B13: (unoccupied)
• Apartment B14: The King Family: x
• Apartment B15: Oscar McMillan
• Apartment B16: Carol Weaver

	Jason Rubelau Train Yard Switchman • Apt A13 Jason is an unassuming blue collar fellow who has lived at the Maple Shade since it opened. He works at the Brooklyn Train Yard as a switchman.
	Evelyn Rutherford Single Mother • Apt A14 A single mother, Evelyn has raised her son Isaiah for many years. She works odd jobs here and there, picking up a shift at the grocery on the street level sometimes, other times doing mending or house cleaning to make ends meet. She is cheery and good at ignoring the ugliness life has to offer; she'll happily tell anyone who'll listen that she used to do a little singing and dancing when she was younger, and would like to maybe get back into it at some point. She was terribly sad to see the Scott sisters go.
	Isaiah Rutherford Student • Apt A14 A quiet young man, Isaiah graduated high school last year and has already enrolled himself in university, shooting for a journalism degree. He works in a school work-study program to help make ends meet at home, and is very protective of his mother. It has been common knowledge that Isaiah is a member of the Black Panthers, frequently attending its meetings (sometimes with Shirley Slaughter and Rose King). Since the Scott sisters were chased out of the Maple Shade, he has become much more overtly angry, to the point where he's gotten into altercations with bikers in the neighborhood on more than one occasion. The police have arrested him at least one for such an altercation, and warned him against further trouble.
	Mariah Jones DMV Clerk • Apt A15 Mariah is a clerk at the local Department of Motor Vehicles. Divorced several years ago, she is sometimes visited by her daughter Audrey for a weekend (her husband's high-paid lawyer got him almost complete custody). Disturbed by the violence in the neighborhood, Mariah has started a petition asking the Portland PD for a stronger presence in the neighborhood.
	Leslie Fisher Between Work • Apt A15 A gym teacher by training, Leslie is out of work at the moment. She trained in karate and judo in her early 20s, and has started offering a women's self defense class on Sunday mornings for female residents of the Maple Shade.
	Lori King Veteran's Wife and Beauty Shop Owner • Apt B14 Lori married Captain Walter King when he was stationed in Vietnam. Everyone knows that the Kings - Lori, daughter Rose, and a whole pile of Lori's female relatives, have come over to the U.S. following the disappearance of Captain King. Lori is very contentious of her dignity, and insists that her daughter is too much of an American sometimes. She operates the beauty salon on the ground level.
	Mary Pham Grandmother • Apt B14 "Grandma King" (as the neighbors often call her) largely runs the household, staying at home to see to meals and many household chores, which she frequently recruits her grand-daughter into helping with. She is an old fashioned Vietnamese matriarch, and a devout Buddhist.
	Holly Pham Auntie and Nail Specialist • Apt B14 Lori's sister Holly has a talent for good and fast work on manicures and pedicures. She is also an excellent cook, and quite devout, frequently going with her mother Mary to the Nam Quang Temple. In recent months, Holly has started dating a gentleman from the temple, and spends a lot of time out of the house. There is a running bet among her sisters how long it will be until a wedding is held.
	Tammy Pham Auntie and Hair Specialist • Apt B14 Always on the cutting edge of hair fashion, Tammy manages most of the hair-dos and styling at the salon, although she frequently recruits her sisters' help. She is stylish and trendy, often going out on dates. She considers her mother and older sister Holly to be hopelessly provincial. She is quite the dancer. Tammy has started going out clubbing and bar-hopping on some nights of the week.
	Lisa Pham Auntie and Cosmetics Specialist • Apt B14 An amazing painter, Lisa tends to the occasional cosmetics make-overs or preparation for weddings or proms. By and large, though, she simply assists her sisters quietly. Though much of her style is traditional Vietnamese, she has recently become fascinated with some of the art she's discovered in the museum. Lisa has become fast friends with Vivian Blackstone, often getting together with her to talk about art.
	Officer Oscar McMillan Police Officer • Apt B15 One of the Portland PD officers who works the Brooklyn neighborhood patrol, Officer McMillan moved in a few months ago. Some of the neighbors whisper that Myrtle gave him a rent break to move in, hoping for an added degree of security. In reality, though, he spends a lot of time away from his place, working long hours. He has made friends in the complex, however.		Benjamin Pardo Salesman • Apt B16 A local salesman for some industrial parts company, Benjamin and Carol have been dating for just shy of a year now. The two discussed things recently, and decided to move in together. Benjamin has just signed onto her lease and just moved in. He is a handsome man regarded as very polite and chivalrous by everyone who knows him. He is always happy to give a hand with small maintenance issues, particularly for the older ladies of the building.

Fifth Floor

Floorplans

• Apartment A17: Ajeet Singh & Leena Kaur
• Apartment A18: (unoccupied)
• Apartment A19: (unoccupied)
• Apartment B17: The Olson Family: Harry, Nancy, and Natalie.
• Apartment B18: Matthew Wright
• Apartment B19: Lucas Beloi

	Ajeet Singh & Leena Kaur The Newlyweds • Apt A17 Last summer, the newlyweds Ajeet and Leena moved into the Maple Shade. They have largely kept to themselves - Ajeet works in maintenance at the Bullseye Glass Company, and Leena is involved with the local Sikh community. Some in the complex have whispered that they're not actually married, due to their different last names.
	Nancy Olson Waitress • Apt A17 Harry's wife, Nancy works occasionally at a local diner part time. She has some kind of ties to important or rich people, but married Harry as an act of rebellion. The two recently had a little girl, named Natalie in memory of a dear friend.