In the interests of saving a bit of money, and because they know her, the party hires Fava Lakhdar to lead them out of the Terminal, and consequently manages to get out of the building in fairly good order, with none of their remaining luggage lost, and without being killed/maimed/attacked by Turbanites, etc.
Needless to say, the rush to escape from the Terminal is tremendous, with literally thousands of stranded passengers trying to flee the premises by any means possible. Total Taxi and Giovanni's Cabs are both in high demand and difficult to flag down. Eventually, the party does manage to flag down a jitney, however.
For those unfamiliar with the concept, the jitney is the missing link between a cab and a bus. It is a privately owned microbus or minivan which can transport up to a dozen or so people to various locations. Usually the driver of the jitney puts a placard in the window advertizing the specific area to which the jitney is travelling, and anyone interested in going there can hail the jitney as though it were a cab. The driver collects a fee (usually $1.00-$2.00, but jacked up today because of high demand to $5.00) and drops the passenger off at the desired address.
The jitney that pulls up in front of the party appears to be an old Ford panel van of the type used to make deliveries, which has had the roof sheared off and had the shell of a Volkswagen beetle welded onto the top. It wheezes up to the spot in front of the party on creaking shock absorbers and the doors pop open. Rather than a listed destination, the sign in the front window of the vehicle reads simply, "OUT".
Having learned from prior experience, Bruce menaces a party of fat German businessmen who try to cut in front of the party from one side, while Kitty gives an "I wonder what your liver looks like" stare to a group of Lebanese peasants who make a try from the other side, and Sam uses his suitcase to flatten an old woman with the idea that age gives you an excuse for line cutting. Leo and Marda hop aboard and confront a wizened Chinese gentleman (who looks like Egg Chen from "Big Trouble in Little China" - another movie part stolen) who grins at them through broken teeth and says, "Five dollars each to get out of this place, burger! Total Taxi charge you much more! You get in now! We go now! Hurry up and get luggage!"
With all the speed and desperation of the last US diplomats out of Saigon, Leo and Marda hustle the party's luggage aboard the jitney while the more combat oriented individuals keep the vehicle from being swamped by others waving money and/or luggage in a threatening manner. During a particularly difficult moment when Sam comes close to being overrun and losing his travel bag to a horde of Al Amarjan urchins, a young man of Asian extraction steps out of the crowd and helps fend the rugrats off with precise, measured martial arts moves that leave the children unharmed but prevent them from snatching the luggage. Once Sam has regained his composure (and his travel bag), the young man nods solemnly to him, then tosses his small backpack to Leo, who loads it aboard. Nigel, François, Charlie, Sam, Charlie, and Bruce leap aboard, with Kitty and the young man holding out as rearguard until last. They finally leap through the doors which the driver slams closed in the face of a final determined rush by the German businessmen, and the jitney rockets away from the curb with a speed most people would have thought impossible for such an old and heavily laden vehicle. The crowds thronging the Terminal exit areas part before the speeding vehicle like the Red Sea before Moses, and within minutes the party is on the highway sailing underneath a sign saying "AL AMARJA WELCOMES YOU", and a smaller one saying "The Edge - 5 km".
Once on the road the old man cackles at the party. "So, where you all want to go, eh? Chateau Melmoth and Midas Hotel - BOOKED!" He snaps his fingers to punctuate this last remark. "Totorum Hotel - NO PLACE FOR STUPID BURGER!" This time he makes a slashing motion across his throat. "EZ Sleep cheap, but SERVICE CRUMBY! YOU NO LIKE!" He waves his hand in negation. "Bienvenudos Hotel in Flowers Barrio - nice hotel, but area maybe TOO MUCH FOR STUPID BURGER!" He tugs on his noose necktie for emphasis. "Cesar's Hotel good place for Burger, but DULL!" He sticks out his tongue and makes a hawking noise for emphasis. "Maybe you want find apartment? Chen say 'YOU STUPID BURGER! NO LOOK FOR APARTMENT! YOU NOT KNOW WHERE SAFE!'"
The van whips past a Porsche and sails down an offramp, braking hard enough to send luggage tumbling towards the front of the vehicle and make the passengers hang onto their seats for dear life. At the bottom of the offramp, there is a wide street heading vaguely south named "Victory Highway". The neighborhood looks nice, with a relaxed suburban feel to it. Nice homes constructed in Mediterranean style are surrounded by manucured green lawns and pleasant, shady trees.
"Come on Burger, chop chop! Where Chen going to drop you off?"
"Mmmhmm, it sounds like the hotel choice is limited!" he shouts over the sound of the engine and the whistle of the wind. "EZ Sleep, cheap but unpleasant; Bienvenidos, nice but dangerous area; Cesar's, safe and dull." He leans forward, with an ingratiating smile. "Mr. Chen, maybe we don't know where apartments are safe, but you must know... What would you recommend?" Mentally, Leo tries to evaluate how much of a tip this means.
Charlie clears his throat. "Ahem. Cheap and crummy sounds good to me... but dull sounds even better, eh?"
Bruce, rubbing his newly healed scars through his shirt, says "Uhhhmm, maybe 'safe and dull' ain't so bad..." Thinking for a moment, and looking through his wallet to see how much money he has left, Bruce adds "I'm all for findin' a flat. All this 'otel stuff is too... public. If I'm goin' to 'ave a blue, I want to 'ave at a pub, not where I'm stayin'! Plus, a flat may be heaps cheaper in the long run."
Kitty is enjoying the sunshine and relaxing with the fact that for a moment there is a common crowd. "A Slow Dull Flow sounds good to me..." Looking through her wallet and pockets, she muses: "I have to agree with Bruce though. A shared flat could be less expensive and maybe safer."
Chen takes both hands off the wheel and begins ticking off his points with his fingers. During this interlace the jitney continues to sail through traffic like the Queen Mary plowing through a sailboat regatta.
"First, Arms Barrio - STUPID BURGER NOT LIVE IN ARMS BARRIO! Not welcome! Nobody welcome! Even Chen not welcome!"
"Second, Broken Wings Barrio - STUPID BURGER TOO POOR AND GRUBBY TO LIVE IN BROKEN WINGS! Get legs broken!"
"Third, Flowers Barrio - Burger could maybe live in Flowers Barrio BUT PROBABLY GET FOUND IN ALLEY SOMEWHERE!"
"Fourth, Four Points Barrio - Four Points cheap, cheap, cheap! Burger maybe live there but likely DIE AND NEVER GET SEEN AGAIN, HAVE BODY PARTS USED AS FERTILIZER!"
"Fifth, Golden Barrio - HA HA NO STUPID GRUBBY POOR BURGER IN GOLDEN BARRIO! YOU GOTTA BE STUPID NEAT RICH BURGER!"
"Sixth, Great Men Barrio - great place for Burger - ONLY HOPELESS, HELPLESS LOSERS LIVE IN GREAT MEN, SO BURGER FIT RIGHT IN!"
"Seventh, Dead Men Barrio - not quite so nice as Great Men Barrio - BURGER WIND UP SACRIFICED!"
"Eighth, Barrio of Justice - I hear they gonna hang some American pro wrestler there today - YOU ALL FOREIGNERS, YOU NOT WANT TO STAY THERE! GET BEAT UP!"
"Ninth, Barrio of Science - YOU NOT STUDENTS, YOU NOT STAY THERE!"
"Tenth, Sunken Barrio - lotsa Burger, safe and quiet, good place to stay 'til you know where to go, what to do, who to pay for protection. Chen think burger go to Sunken Barrio, but Chen just drive jitney, not know nothing. Stupid burger dig own graves, decide where they want to die."
"Now, chop chop! Chen not have all day to give burger tour of the Edge - this jitney, not tourist bus! Many peoples stranded at airport, Chen make much money. You tell Chen now, where you want to go!"
His sandy hair whipping in his eyes because of the wind, Leo frowns for a moment in reflexion, then looks around at his companions. "Well, look, that Cesar's Hotel place is in Sunken Barrio too, so why don't we head off to the Sunken Plaza, maybe get rooms at Cesar's for a night or two, and look around for some place to rent an apartment, uh, flat, or whatever? That will give us some time to look at the area..."
A solemn look comes across Kitty's face at the mention of the American wrestler. "Anything quiet and out of trouble is fine with me. Just some peace and quiet. Peace and quiet." Her eyes close and begin to dance around under her lids as if entering a quick dream state.
Charlie, quite disconcerted, suggests, "Errr... Soonken it tis, I suppose. 'ope it doosn't live up to th'name!"
"Okay, Chen take you to Sunken! You like! Safe for burger!" The jitney takes a tight right-hand turn and roars down a narrow city street between whitewashed mediterranean style buildings
Leo turns to the Asian gentleman who helped save Sam's travel bag, and grins amicably. "Sir, I don't think we got a chance to thank you in all this excitement! Your help was most appreciated!" He offers his hand. "I'm Leo Barbeau, and these are Ms. Kaila McComb, Ms. Marda Ordilescu, Mr. Sam Dart, Mr. Nigel Timmons, Mr. Bruce Cooby, Mr. Charlie Kennedy, and Mr. François Nedelec. We all met through shared inconvenience in the Terminal..."
The bald 20-25 year old man is wearing simple battered out clothes and ragged shoes. Not clothes that one would see on a street bum, but not much more. In spite of the oriental looking clothes, he doesn't have an oriental face, but rather something more like a European.
Starting from the street fight and through the crazy driving style, he never once lost the calm and tranquil expression he had on his face - as if he has some inner peace and is not affected by the events around him. Actually it's a little too strange when one thinks of it...
Anyway, he warmly but firmly shakes the hand offered to him by Leo and speaks with an oriental accent: "My name is Ghishu. Pleased to meet you. Thank you for allowing me to get on your jitney. I hope it will not cause too much of an inconvenience if I joined you. I think the Cesar's at Sunken Barrio is a good place for me too. And renting an apartment is much cheaper when you have someone to share it with." He then smiles a smile so innocent that would look more fit on a child than on a seasoned martial artist.
A rather thin man with hair resembling that of someone who's just stuck their finger in a light socket tips his hat to the newcomer. His eyes look right at the man, but he gives the impression that he's somewhere else...
"Hello there, my good man, Nigel Timmon's the name. Pleased to
make your aquaintance, and for the record, I also agree with our prescribed
destination. I shall look forward to a little peace and quiet..."
After a few minutes travel through this neighborhood, the jitney rolls down a ramp and into a large, sunken plaza. In common with many european cities, there is no intersection here, but rather a traffic round surrounding a central area. In this particular case the central area is occupied by an attractive fountain surrounding a large (4 m) bronze statue atop a large (3 m) pedestal. The statue is of a female angel of distinctive and striking features, with feathery wings extending from her back. The angel holds a sword upraised in one hand and a book in the other (striking a pose somewhat reminiscent of the Statue of Liberty), and one foot rests solidly on the back of a groveling man in a military uniform of some sort. The man wears a terrible grimace, and those who look at his face for too long find the image vaguely disturbing in some undefined way, yet oddly attractive as well - it makes viewers feel uncomfortable, but is somehow compelling, and people have a hard time looking away. Inscribes on the pedestal in large letters is the word "LIBERTY".
The area of the plaza is too small to contain too many businesses, though it is nicely landscaped and park-like, and thronged with people (both tourist types and street vendors).
The jitney cruises through the traffic round, out and up the ramp on the other side, and pulls up in front of a modern, three-story building made of stone and glass. There is a terrace overlooking the front entranceway. A sign proudly reads "CESAR'S HOTEL."
Chen slams the doors open, whips out business cards, and starts handing them out. "OK burger, you at Cesar's. You need ride call Egg Chen! Group rates! Can rent jitney for evening. Visit Web page! Management not responsible for lost luggage, so check under seats before leaving! You enjoy stay! You not do nothing stupid and wind up in dumpster! Here are brochures! You want to sight see, call Chen! Tours possible! You go now! Chen gotta go! More people stranded at airport! Hurry hurry! Thank you for business!" [Pats Marda on head] "You be good girl! Must go now!"
The instant the last party member is out the doors, they swing shut behind him or her and the jitney roars away down the street. As the group gathers their things they note the rather obvious approach of a black man in his mid twenties, wearing a brightly colored kaftan.
"Good morning, friends," he says in heavily accented english (those with an ear for such things will identify his accent at being from eastern Africa somewhere). "My name is Saul. You are new to the Edge, yes? I am a guide and procurer. Perhaps you will need my services, yes? Here is my card." He brandishes several, offering them to any who might take them, but not forcing them on anyone. "My rates are $10.00 american dollars per hour, or $60.00 american dollars per day. If you need anything, please contact me, I know many people in The Edge, and can find for you whatever you may need."
Saul hovers near the party in case anyone wants to talk with him, but as soon as the group heads inside he walks off.
Kitty looks around the hotel and park area and smiles. "How original, get to the tourist before they get to the hotel, pretty much seen at every tourist town. Thank you Saul, I'm sure someone will contact you if they need something." She walks hurriedly through the hotel doors.
Ghishu takes the two offered business cards and treats them like a small child handling a new toy. He reads them thoroughly, flips them to see if there's something on the other side, and then shoves them in his backpack. It is quite obvious that these are among the first business cards he has ever seen. He then 'returns' to reality, and noticing the group started entering the hotel, he hurriedly follows them in.
Leo picks up a card and looks at it with interest, checking whether the card gives an address or phone number, but sees only a pager number. After all, they may need just such services to find an apartment in the Barrio, or even just to get the feel of the area... or perhaps he may need help looking for Serena.
He smiles cheerfully at Saul, still basking in the contentment of being out in the sun instead of trapped in the Terminal. "Thank you," he says, "I think I may be interested after we've settled down." He pockets the card and walks into Cesar's Hotel.
Nigel takes the card and smiles at the gentleman. "I'm sure I've got one or two questions for you after we've quite settled in. Thank you my good man, I shall certainly be in contact soon." Nigel pockets the card and walks into the hotel lobby with the rest of the group.
Bruce looks at the card and sticks it into his pocket. Leaning
in close to Saul, he says, "Might you be of 'elp to a bloke in need of
a job? Seems I owe 'osptial 'ere 'eaps of money!"
Behind the desk is an african woman in her early forties with very dark skin, and her hair braided in cornrows. She has a confident and open demeanour, and those who meet her eyes will find her gaze penetrating. She seldom holds the gaze of any individual for long, however, as her eyes constantly scan the hotel lobby, lingering on other members of the hotel staff. Unlike most of the staff she wears a small red dagger badge on her lapel. A larger version of the insignia is repeated on a placard beneath the plexiglass countertop of the front desk, along with the logo "Safe n Sound". A price list is also noticable under the plexiglass.
Single: $70.00
Double: $85.00
Suite: $120.00
Executive Suite: $200.00
Diplomatic Suite: $300.00
Ask about weekly, group,
and convention rates
Kitchen open 24 hours
Cesar's Restaurant Hours:
5:30 am - Midnight
Cesar's Lounge Hours:
3:00 pm - 3:00 am
Happy Hour begins at sundown
Pool, and jacuzzi open 6:00
am - Midnight
Weight room and sauna open
6:00 am - Midnight
As the party approaches, the woman begins, "Hello, and welcome to Cesar's. How may I help you?" Unlike most flunkies party members have encountered, who mouth that sort of thing out of habit and/or because they are trained to, she seems to really mean it.
Looking at the plexiglas, Kitty politely tries to cover up a possible heart attack due to the prices of the place. "I may be a stupid burger but I don't think I'd last here long," she mumbles.
Leo approaches the counter along with his travel companions. He smiles at the employee, vaguely reminded of Cheri Friedman at the Jean-Christophe d'Aubainne Airporter Hotel, but in more cheerful. No nametag is visible - it's the one item missing from the reasonably standard "Hotel greeter" outfit.
"Hello, ma'am," he salutes. "We'd like to hear about your group rates, please. That would be for, er..." He turns around and starts counting heads. Sam and Marda, one room; Kitty, one room; Nigel, Bruce, François, Charlie, Ghishu, and Leo himself can probably bunk two by two (sorting it out later should be entertaining), so three rooms.
"...Uh, five or six rooms," he finishes.
Charlie reflects that he doesn't need to economize, but he will enjoy some company, and so keeps his mouth shut and looks about discreetly for a hotel bar. It's probably the lounge mentioned on the flyer, but it isn't apparent from the lobby.
"How many will be staying, and for how long? Or are you attending EdgeCon?" the woman asks.
"Uh, nine people," answers Leo, "for at least three days. Maybe longer than that if the price is good; in fact, do you have monthly rates? We're looking for long-term accommodations in the area. And no, we're not with EdgeCon, although we might like to check it out. Did they leave any brochures with you?"
He glances around, looking for banners or signs about the convention -- and takes the opportunity to check his companions' reactions. Noticing that Leo is looking for the group's feedback, Ghishu nods slightly with his head, giving Leo a green light to handle all hotel arrangements.
The woman shakes her head minutely. "I'm sorry sir, but our group rates are usually reserved for groups of fifteen or more, and we only give reduced rates for stays of seven days or..." she pauses to look over the rather bedraggled group which has trailed in behind Leo and sighs, then starts again.
"The group rate will give you a 10% discount, and if you prepay for a week or more you get another 10%. If you want to pay for a month you get 20% off plus complimentary coffee and pastries every morning."
Thinking quickly, Kitty says to Leo in a hushed tone, standing away from the clerk, "Leo, that would nearly be $1500 a month for one room. We might want to bunk up in threes or fours if we have to stay here for a month, breaking it down to roughly $500.00 a month."
Piping up a little louder: "I would be more than happy to bunk up with someone, if that option is open."
"You know, " Ghishu says discreetly to Kitty "I think that this is actually a VERY good idea. I don't know about you, but I'm a little short on cash."
Still full of the initial bubbliness of actually being in The Edge, Leo sails on through. "So, do you get a better discount for the Diplomatic Suite? Let's see, four rooms at $85 a night, that's $340 a night -- If we all fit in the suite, it would be a neat bargain!" For a moment, his prospects are full of olympic-size swimming pools, jacuzzis, and complimentary champagne.
At that point, he looks around and sees faces that clearly say 'Not with my money, you moron!' Somewhat crestfallen, he turns back to the front desk person, and continues in a more subdued tone: "And, uh, how much extra per night for a cot in the regular rooms?" He counts heads again: "Kitty with Sam and Marda? Then the six of us other guys three by three; even at $10 a night for the cot, that's $285. The Diplomatic Suite would still be a good deal if we take turns between who's in the pool and who's sleeping..." His voice trails off under the skeptical (or glaring) looks of his companions.
Charlie is disappointed to hear the words, "Kitty with Sam." He looks again for that hotel bar.
Marda's only response to the proceedings so far is to say, "Oh, boy! Cake!" when the group discounts are mentioned.
Kitty perks up at the sound of a pool and gym. " I don't mind taking
the floor if there is a better price," she agrees. "Leo, I'm sure
that you will make a good choice. Would the Suite be a better price?"
She then tiptoes to see if she can glimpse the pool from the lobby.
No sign of it. It might be in the basement, or on
the roof. Then again, on Al Amarja it might exist in n-space.
Nigel listens to the debate... "I'm all for getting ANY room. I'd like to find a nice quiet place to relax, after I've procured a beverage or two. If the suite is less, then by all means let's take it. I'm sure there's a couch that folds out, or perhaps the gentleman here could tell us the price for a few rollaway beds? If there's a seperate bedroom, the ladies could have that and the gentlemen could divvy up the living room."
"The diplomatic suite is single or double occupancy only, sir," the woman responds. "Extra cots in the regular rooms are $10.00 per night, with a maximum of two cots. Those," she continues, looking in Marda's direction, "are normally reserved for children."
"If you stay for a week with four people to a room, you will be paying $588 for the week at the rate of $84.00 per night, or $21.00 per person. If you stay for a month that price drops to $73.50 per night - that's $2,205.00 for the month, or .$18.38 per night per person."
"Oh, well," sighs Leo. "Let's get those regular rooms, but let's keep it to three per room, all right? There nine of us anyway. And let's start with two nights, then we can see." He plops some his own money on the counter and glances at his companions significantly.
While the employee takes cares of the paperwork, he looks around the hotel lobby and through the front windows, eager to vist The Edge -- or at least parts of it...
Charlie whispers "I think it's customary to pay on the way out..."
Leo looks at the Irishman. "Uh, Charlie, I don't use a credit card; all I have is cash, so I have to pay my share up front. You guys can do whatever arrangements you want otherwise."
Bruce, who lagged behind talking to Saul, finally walks in and joins his travel companions. He looks through his wallet, releasing a small moth which flutters away. Bruce asks the desk clerk, "Uhh, Miss, do we pay now or at the end of our stay he-a?"
Turning to Leo, Bruce says, "I join ya, mate! I would like to see what other jobs are about other than this!" He holds up the card Saul gave him. "Some office is looking for blokes to kill rats." Bruce looks at the card to see if there is any other information on it other than the office address. "Well, it beats a desk job!"
Gathering up his stuff, Bruce says, "So, who will be bunking where? I would like to drop off my gea-a befo-a headin' out!"
"Bruce, me lad, I think we'll be sharing a room, if ye loike." Charlie gives the clerk a credit card to secure the room, and scribbles her a discreet note: One week only, no room charges -CK. Charlie takes a key and his small suitcase, and offers Bruce a hand if he's overloaded.
The woman behind the desk runs both Charlie's and Nigel's credit cards (both of which pass inspection by whatever electronic inquisition they are given) and waits patiently fo a third credit card to appear, meanwhile checking the computer for rooms. "Do you want the three rooms together, or does it matter?" she asks.
Nigel looks at the others " I think it would be better if the rooms were adjacent, does everyone agree?" Nods answer him.
After a brief pause waiting for further comment the woman taps some keys on the keyboard. "I have you in room 213," she says to Charlie, returning his credit card, "and you in 215" she says to Nigel, returning his. "I'll have a rollaway bed sent up to each. Thank you for staying at Cesars, and I hope you have a pleasant stay. If there is anything we can help you with, please let us know."
She continues to wait for a third credit card to appear, and doesn't touch the money that Leo left on the counter, managing to studiously ignore it without even an occasional glance in its direction.
A bell hop appears, as if by magic, to take the party bags up. Various party members are no doubt surprised to note that it is none other than Chip!
"Hi, I'm Chip! Can I take your bags to your room? My name is Chip and I am happy to give you a hand. Welcome to Cesar's! Chip's the name, and if you need any help I would be glad to carry your things up."
Charlie lifts his own satchel, wondering who this Chimp fellow is. Kitty grabs her duffle bag and looks at Chip. "Hey, boy, do you work two jobs, or what?" she says casually. In a whisper to herself, she adds with a wry smile, "Chip... hmmm... android???"
Charlie's writer's instinct says something's strange here... He murmurs, to Kitty: "You've met?"
Chip looks somewhat confused, then a little lightbulb goes on in his head. "No, ma'am. I quit working at the Terminal. Too weird for me. Now, can I take your bags?"
Smiling at Chip for a thankfully common answer, Kitty nods. "I know what you mean. Um, sure, I wouldn't want you to get in trouble for not doing your job".
While the employee takes care of the paperwork, the circus artist glances again at his quiet companions. "Well," he sighs, "once this is taken care of, I need to find some employment. I figure, until I have a source of income, it's going to be hard figuring how much I can pay in rent. I plan on starting with the two employment agencies, 'Deadly Temptations' and 'Found Hope Agency'. I thought maybe some of you guys might be interested in going too." He shrugs. "I also have several places to check out in the barrio of Flowers."
Too bad Charlie wasn't drinking when Leo said "Deadly Temptations"... he can't spray beer, as the script requires. But he snorts and looks astonished.
While paying for the room, Kitty talks over her shoulder. "What is Deadly Temptations? Sounds like a strip club... I for one have to go find a dojo, anyone's more than welcome to come along... actually I would prefer if someone would come along."
Leo gives another shrug for Kitty's benefit. "I don't know exactly why Deadly Temptations has such a suggestive name, but it looks likes it's actually a regular temp agency, with all sorts of different jobs, and not a brothel." He pulls a crumpled phone book out of his duffelbag and starts leafing through it. Clearly, this item must have been purloined from the Jean-Christophe d'Aubainne Airporter Hotel...
"As for the dojo," Leo continues, "the only jobs I could get there are as janitor or practice dummy, but I'll be happy to accompany you if you'd like, especially since this one here, Kuan Tun's Black Belt Academy, is also in the Flowers Barrio. Hey, you'll probably be ensuring MY safety!" He chuckles, remembering Kitty's lethal moves in the bar fight against the Turban crowd.
"Lady Kitty", Ghishu says, "I would be more than pleased to accompany you on your quest for a dojo. I was wondering how one could find a martial arts training court, and you seem to be already one step ahead of me."
Kitty, hopeful, answers "I would be more than happy to have you travel with me to the dojo. Hopefully the sensei is looking for additional teachers." Turning to Bruce, she adds "Aye, Bruce... I would be careful about getting a job killing rats... Hemight not be talking about rodents of the animal kingdom." She waves her hand in front of her nose as to signal the job smelling like really awfully aged cheese. "Though I do have to say if the dojo doesn't work out, I might have to use that business card myself. Now, how are we going to cut up the rooms? I would love to drop off my stuff and head out, to get back soon enough to use the pool tonight."
Bruce, noticing that Charlie has just got a room, says, "Ehh, mate! Sharin' the same room seems fine with me! 'Course, we need a good bee-a to seal the deal!" Bruce gives Charlie the little wink-wink-nudge-nudge-let's-get-to-a-bar-pronto look while gathering up his stuff to follow Chip and Charlie. Bruce, looking around for his shadow asks, "François, are you going to be in on this?"
"Well, Bruce, that seems fine to me, although perhaps you might allow me to introduce you to a plutôt good Côtes du Rhône." François picks up his small bag and follows behind the two chums. Charlie hotfoots it up to 213, carrying his own dam' bag.
Leo shakes his head as if to dismiss the question of room partners. "I'm easy," he says. I'll share with whoever. Let's see, if Charlie, Bruce and François take one room, that leaves Ghishu, Kitty, Marda, Sam, Nigel and I." He turns to the little Roumanian girl. "Marda, do you have any preferences?"
Marda clings tightly to Sam's leg and says, "I wanna stay with Tata."
Kitty smiles. "Well, I'm sure Marda wants to stay with Sam; Leo I have a feeling that you want to keep an eye on Marda." Looking at Nigel she asks, "Would you mind sharing a room with a female, or did you want the room to yourself?" Sauntering over to the desk clerk, she adds "Ma'am, you wouldn't have a envelope available, would you?" as she pulls out a dollar from her pocket to pay for it.
Nigel nods. "By all means, dear lady. I'm happy to see someone elected to stay with me, I was beginning to get a complex." Nigel gives a cordial smile "Now, I think we should retire to our rooms to freshen up and meet down in the lobby in perhaps 30 minutes? Is that agreeable to everyone?"
"That sounds good to me," answers the young American, smiling politely. "I'm sure we all would think better at least slightly by then."
Leo nods his agreement to the proposed arrangement, and turns to Sam and Marda.
"With your permission," he says, "I'd like to go drop off some of my gear upstairs." He jabs a thumb in the direction of the far end of the lobby where one might expect to find an elevator or stairways. "Maybe we can look for the restaurant, pool, jacuzzi, sauna, and weight room, and maybe even find out about that EdgeCon." He hefts his dufflebag and starts walking away to explore.