Ch.15d Baton Rouge

[Philulhu]

Monday February 9th, 1931 5.30pm
Baton Rouge Train Station, 100 South River Road, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Their journey south had been uneventful but everyone had become more pensive the further they had travelled.

For Lawrence and William, there were memories of events just eleven months before, events that had lead to the death of their friend, James Fraser. For Alex and Ivy, the question of sleeping arrangements was the thing that hung over their heads. They were posing as husband and wife, after all…

Eventually, the town of Baton Rouge came into view as they rolled along the Yazoo and Mississippi Valley Railroad, with the spires of churches and the large white neo-gothic castle that was the state capitol building towering over the rest of the buildings. As they got closer and the train bore left to run alongside the Mississippi and into the station, they could see rough shacks of the homeless and destitute, victims of the Great Depression that stalked the land.

The porter assisted them with their luggage and guided them to the front of the station where a queue of people waited for a taxi to take them to their destination.

Do you know where you’re going?

[jp1885]

Taking her place in the queue next to Alex, Ivy takes a deep breath and then reaches for his hand.

"I supposed we had better look the part," she whispers, cursing herself for feeling so awkward.

No idea! Ivy is content to follow William's lead.

[Silver Priest]

Alex takes Amy's hand and gives it an encouraging squeeze. They may not be in the belly of the beast yet, but they were about to enter its mouth, surely.

He makes sure the both of them are not seen with Lawrence or William now-- any plans they made would have been done on the train. He's unsure how deep the cult's tendrils reach and wishes to avoid getting their attention.

OOC:   Alex would prefer we have made our plans on the train and avoid each other now unless absolutely necessarily.First plan would likely be checking into a hotel, preferably close by to our friends.

[Bullfrog]

"I'm not a smart man, William, but you are. Once we get some place to sleep, I think we should comb the libraries for any kind of books about our snake-worshipping friends; not knowing what was going on is why things went so bad last time." Lawrence quietly suggests, suspiciously looking around at every stranger in his line of sight. How could he know who to trust in this unfamiliar place? Even now, could the Father of Serpents himself be watching his escaped sacrifices from on high?

[Mr. Handy]

"Good idea," says William. "I think we should also talk to Oscar before we see the Sheriff, if we can find him. If it's a trap, he'll tip us off." He checks the taxi stand to see if any of the cabbies happens to be Oscar. If not, he reasons they can ask the cabbie who does give them a ride if he knows Oscar.

[Philulhu]

The scarcity of taxis meant that some people were sharing so it wasn’t a problem for the four of them to take the same taxi to find a hotel. The driver recommended the King Hotel, a modern three-storey building about ten minutes away.

As they drove, William asked about Oscar. ”Oscar? Yeah, I know the guy!” drawled the driver. “I heard he’s down on his luck. There ain’t so much money going around, what with the depression and all, and his car’s off the road so he ain’t earning nothing. Last I heard, he was living in that shanty town, down by the river.”

[jp1885]

Ivy tuts, deciding to play the tourist.

"Oh, I don't think we'll be wandering around shanty towns will we darling?" she says, forcing herself to look into Alex's eyes and hoping she doesn't blush too much.

"Driver, where would you recommend we go and where is best to avoid during our visit?

[Silver Priest]

"Oh course not, dear," Alex responds in turn, remarkably out of practice.

"Say, This King's Hotel seems nice. Only the best for my girl, after all. I do think the two of us will be heading there." He turns to his companions. "Sounds like you two gents may want to go and visit your friend. Maybe he'll be able to tell you what's been going on here and see what's worth seeing?"

[Mr. Handy]

"Yes, I think we should stay at the King Hotel too," says William. "Then we'll go find Oscar and see if we can help him. Can you please give us directions on how to get to the shanty town from the hotel?"

[Philulhu]

”Head north on River Road and you’ll find it on your left hand side,” said the driver. “Don’t go down at night though, don’t reckon it’s safe for decent folks after dark.”

He glanced at Ivy in his rear view mirror. ”Places to visit, ma’am? Baton Rouge ain’t exactly a tourist town and I shouldn’t think shootin’ gators in the swamps is your thing. I suggest you ask the concierge at the hotel and see if he can give you some ideas.”

[jp1885]

“And to the second part of my question?” Ivy snaps.

“Where to avoid? Should we get ourselves lost of course - I am of a very nervous disposition,” she adds, attempting to mollify her tone.

Snake cultists are more likely to congregate in shunned locations, she reasons.

[Bullfrog]

"I'm not sure what her problem is, but one of the reasons I came here was to shoot alligators in the swamp. It's absolutely my thing." Lawrence states. "You know where a guy like me could get a gun strong enough for a gator?"

[Mr. Handy]

"Thank you," says William, "we'll wait until morning to go there."

[Philulhu]

The driver looked at Ivy for a long moment. ”Stick to the centre of town, ma’am. People are friendly enough, if you’re polite to ‘em.” The rebuke was obvious.

His gaze switched to Lawrence. “You want Latil’s,” he said. ”Jimmy Latil runs the store on Main Street. His brother runs their other store but it’s a bit further out. Tell him that Jack Clancy sent you.”

The driver leaned over and tapped the indicator, which caused the indicator arm to drop and signal they were turning left before they pulled up in front of the King Hotel.

”Here you go, folks. That’ll be 50 cents,” said the driver.

[Silver Priest]

Knowing how much of an acquired taste Ivy can be, Alex pays the fee and gives the man an extra dollar on top as a tip. "Thank you for the information," he says.

[jp1885]

“I thought I was being perfectly polite…” mutters Ivy, after alighting from the taxi.

Catching herself before she storms off in a huff, she takes Alex’s arm.

“Let us hope this hotel lives up to its name, hm?” she says, scanning the joint with a critical eye.

[Mr. Handy]

William takes his luggage and climbs out of the cab. "Thanks again," he says.

[Philulhu]

Monday February 9th, 1931 6.00pm
King Hotel, 200 Convention Street, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

The hotel concierge arranged trollies for their luggage and lead them to the reception desk where an older man with thinning, pomaded hair, welcomed them to the hotel.

Addressing Lawrence and William first, he said, ”Will it be two single rooms? Or I have a twin room if you prefer?”

[Mr. Handy]

"Would you like to share a room?" William asks Lawrence, thinking it will be safer if they share the same room. "I'll pay for it."

[Philulhu]

The receptionist glanced over to Alex and Ivy while he waited for Lawrence to reply.

If he registered any surprise at their apparent age difference, it didn’t show on his face. ”A double room, Sir? Ma’am?”