Ch.15d Baton Rouge

[jp1885]

“Yes, naturally,” replies Ivy, a little too quickly.

[Silver Priest]

"Yes," Alex says. He'd been prepared to sleep on the floor or a couch, so another bed would be nice.

[Bullfrog]

Lawrence shakes himself out if his dead-eyed thousand-yard stare after a few seconds of awkward silence.
"Yeah, I could share a room." Lawrence offhandedly answers, before affixing his eyes on the receptionist- staring not at him, but through him. "Excuse me, sir, but does this establishment happen to supply any extra linens or anything like that? I like to have an extra top layer when I sleep."
Rest assured, there would be no venomous snakes coming through the door sill tonight. Shoving a blanket under the door seemed like a pretty damned brilliant idea to Lawrence, at least.

[Philulhu]

”Of course, sir,” said the receptionist to Lawrence, obviously used to guests and their demands.

He picked up two forms from under the desk and slid them over the counter. ”If you could just complete the forms with your details and I’ll sort out your keys,” he said.

[Silver Priest]

Alex fills his and Ivy's out, giving fake last names just in case.

[Mr. Handy]

William fills out his form with Lawrence, also using pseudonyms.

[Philulhu]

The receptionist took their forms and gave them the keys to their rooms, ringing the bell on the counter to summon a bellhop to carry their luggage.

”Dinner is served at 7.00pm,” he informed them as the bellhop lead them away.

You have less than an hour before dinner so I presume you wish to unpack and freshen up. Are you planning to do anything after dinner?

Also, what names are you using to book into the hotel?

[jp1885]

Playing the role of the dutiful wife, Ivy looks over Alex’s shoulder and commits whatever name he writes down to memory.

I’ll go with whatever name SP uses.
Ivy is happy to freshen up (keeping an eye out for snakes slithering out of plugholes etc.)

[Silver Priest]

Forms filled out, Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Arbuckle head to their room. Along the way, Alex takes Lawrence and William aside. "From now on, I'd prefer we not be around one another in public until we know more of what's going on. If you wish to discuss anything with us, it should be in one of our rooms, where we have more privacy. But I would not recommend eating together."

[Bullfrog]

Lawrence, having always lacked a certain creative spark, puts his name down as Larry Johnson. Not a great pseudonym, but it should work for apathetic hotel staff.
"I don't plan on it, seeing as how you two are strangers and all. Now please, sir, stop talking to me." Lawrence winks, before heading off to his room.

Lawrence will probably head to find a library after dinner, provided one is open. Preferably with William accompanying, since Lawrence isn't much of a book-finder.

[Philulhu]

The evening meal was very pleasant, although ‘Larry’ would dearly have enjoyed a beer to was it down. By the time they finished eating, it was almost 8.00pm.

There is a public library in town but the ongoing effects of the Great Depression mean that opening hours have been slashed and it won’t be open again until the morning. Is there anything else you wish to do that evening?

[Bullfrog]

I don't suppose that gun store's open, either? Never know when you might need an elephant gun to deal with those pesky snakes.

[Mr. Handy]

William has adopted the name Theodore Logan for his stay at the hotel. "Maybe we should pack it in early tonight so we can get an early start in the morning," he says. "I think we should look for Oscar first thing in the morning, after breakfast. Then we can decide what to do next based on what he tells us."

[Philulhu]

Nope, no gun store either. The 24-hour culture is decades away in the future.

[jp1885]

After eating her meal largely in awkward silence, Ivy dabs her mouth daintily with a serviette.

"Well dearest, shall we retire?" she asks Alex.

[Philulhu]

Hubba, hubba!

[Silver Priest]

Alex is unused to Ivy being so quiet, and does not make up the slack when it comes to conversations.

"Yes," he says, as she suggests they head to bed. "Who knows what tomorrow will hold for us. I'm sure we can find something to occupy our time; Baton Rogue is an important city, after all."

He is glad they opted for the double bed.

[Bullfrog]

William Preston and Theodore Logan... Those names certainly make an interesting pair.

"Seems like the best choice to me. Nothing we want is open at this hour." Lawrence comments as he gets up and pushes his chair back under the dining table, waiting for William to do the same so they could depart. "It's strange being down south again. It hasn't been long since our last trip, not even a year, but it feels like it's been years. I guess you and I have a little different view of how time works."

[Mr. Handy]

William also rises and pushes in his chair. "That is certainly true," he says.

Thank you. I would even say excellent.

[jp1885]

A double bed being a bed that accommodates two people? As opposed to a twin room, in which there are two single beds?

“Indeed. A good night’s sleep will do us the world of good, although we should check the room for points of possible snake ingress first.”

Prior to performing her ablutions, Ivy will do just that.

[5] = 5
Spot hidden 65 1d100: [ 5 ] = 5

And if there’s anything amiss, she spots it easily.