JUSTIN: * The knock interrupts any reply Shane might have been formulating, and he quickly crosses the room to answer the door. Sure enough, there is a uniformed young man outside with a tray of food waiting. "Ah, thank you very much..." Shane wastes no time in trying to get the tray inside, the various aromas drifting from it causing him to finally notice his own hunger.

JENNA: * Jo watches expectantly, her own stomach feeling like it's trying to gnaw its way out of her belly. "Smells good," she remarks, shifting impatiently as she waits for him to bring it around. She manages not to let her impatience creep onto her face, instead asking, "What did you order?"

JUSTIN: "A little of everything." Shane smiles sheepishly. "All things that I hope you like. I have a decent memory, or so I'm told." He wheels the cart around the foot of the bed until it is resting in front of her, and he begins to uncover plates of piping hot, freshly cooked food. Pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, toasts with butter and jellies, and the list goes on. "There's probably more than we can finish, so don't be shy about digging in."

JENNA: * Jo nods, not hesitating to go after the food laid out before her. More than hungry, she's positively ravenous, and it takes some effort to keep up a pretext of politeness as she eats. She does manage to pause, taking a long sip of water, and glances at Shane with an almost sheepish smile. "It's good."

JUSTIN: * Shane bows, managing to keep a wide smile from turning into a ridiculous grin. "I'm glad my intuition didn't disappoint." He piles some food onto a plate and steps back to sit on his bed, digging in with the same, barely-polite table manners.

JENNA: * Jo concentrates on her food for the moment, not surfacing from her meal until she's quite satisfied her stomach's recovered from its time without food. She then sits back with a faint, happy sigh, watching Shane. "Was there something you wanted to do today?" she asks, most of her good mood recovered. "I could sleep for days," she admits.

JUSTIN: * Shane has slowed his pace some, if only because he'd been taking some amusement from watching Jo shovel it in. He attempts to look like he hasn't been staring, however, when she directs her attention at him. "Ah... no, not really. Just relax, I suppose." He sets his plate aside and stretches, emphasizing the point, before leaning back on his hands. "If you want to sleep, I promise I won't make much noise."

JENNA: * Jo nods, glancing lazily at what's left of the food. "If that's okay with you," she says, pulling her feet up onto the bed in preparation to lie down. "I guess it's all I know how to, so." She flashes him a brief grin and leans back, working her way over to rest against the pillow again.

JUSTIN: * Shane smiles, shrugging his shoulders lightly. "Of course it's okay with me. I might take a brief nap, myself, in a bit." After all that food, he's feeling pleasantly lethargic anyway. However, for now he burrows through his pack and pulls out one of his books, rolling over onto his bed and lying down to read.

JENNA: * Jo sleeps well through until evening, either wearier than she suggested or unable to find a better way to spend her time. She stirs at last and sits up, looking around the now-dim room absently and beginning to feel a bit restless. She glances over at Shane, wondering idly if he's still awake, and gives a long yawn.

JUSTIN: * Given the length of time, Shane's already fallen into the nap he alluded to, the book sharing the pillow nearby. He's on his back, much in the same position he held while reading. It's hard to tell how long he's been out, but he doesn't look like he's in a very deep sleep.

JENNA: * Jo watches him for a few minutes, then wanders past his bed to the window, tugging the curtains open to have a look at the darkening city. She mentally maps a few places to look for work, expression indecipherable. There are always merchant caravans on the move, even if the work is less than interesting, and at this point in her career she's a beggar more than a chooser. She sighs and straightens, moving to tug the curtains closed again.

JUSTIN: * The noise and movement isn't much, but it's enough to jostle Shane from his light cat nap. He murmurs inaudibly, stretching with a grunt before attempting to sit up. "Mph. Finally awake, I see..." He yawns a little, covering it with a hand. "You're gonna be awake all night now, you know." He gives her a smile, though it looks silly with the half-awake look on his face.

JENNA: * She glances back at him, startled from her thoughts, and manages a brief smile. "I doubt it. I may go run around the block first, but I can go back to sleep." She finishes closing the curtains, walking back over to her bed. "Did you sleep well?" she asks mildly, seating herself.

JUSTIN: * Shane shrugs, moving a hand to comb at his hair. "I don't know, I didn't even have time to deam." He looks down at his book and scoops it up. "I assume your sleep must have been decent, to last all day." He places the book back in his pack, moving to sit on the edge of his bed in the process.

JENNA: * Jo nods. "I suppose. I didn't dream. Or I don't remember." She gives a long stretch, pulling her legs up so that she's sitting crosslegged on the bed. She's careful not to mention work, since Shane's made it clear this visit is for recreation -- however that works. "Maybe I'll go through some exercises before I go to bed."

JUSTIN: * Shane nods agreeably, yawning again before getting to his feet. "I may take another bath. Might as well enjoy it while it lasts." He pats at his stomach, which is still content from breakfast, despite how many hours have passed. Fearing his companion might not feel the same, however, he turns Jo his eyes. "If you want some dinner, we can order some. I don't know how late they have food available."

JENNA: "I'll be fine until morning." Jo gets to her feet, shrugging. "I guess I'll go do a few runthroughs. .. Doesn't feel right doing 'em inside." She gathers up her gear, starting toward the door. "I'll be back in a little while ... not too long."

JUSTIN: "Okay. Don't scare any of the locals" Shane quips, heading to the bathroom at the same time she makes for the hallway. "Oh, and--" He pauses midstep and midsentance, apparently mulling over something. "Mm, nevermind. Have fun, Jo." He disappears into the bathroom and closes the door behind.

JENNA: * Jo gives him an odd look, then shrugs, not bothering to say farewell to the closed bathroom door. Though she's not certain she's strictly allowed, she makes her way to the roof of the building, staying carefully away from the edges in an effort to pretend she isn't as high up as she is. She eventually manages to banish her concerns by going through an hour or two's worth of exercises, finding herself depressingly rusty on some of them.

JUSTIN: * Shane strips down and fills the tub for a bath, slipping in and in the course of things, managing to eat up most of the time that Jo spends gone. By the time he's done, he's quite refreshed, and he uses the time alone to take apart and clean his pistol.

JENNA: * By the time Jo returns to their room, she's sweaty and worn out -- and ready for another bath. She pushes the door open, peeking inside before she actually enters and tossing her gear aside. "My turn for a bath," she remarks, running a hand through her sweat-damped hair and grinning.

JUSTIN: * Shane looks up from the table at the sound of her voice, turning to glance over his shoulder. A grin creeps onto his face at the sight of her, and he turns back to his work. "Don't worry, I left you plenty of hot water. Unless you're planning to use cold?" He smiles pleasantly as he reassembles his pistol, polishing each part as he goes.

JENNA: "Refreshing, but no." She snorts, then ambles into the bathroom and starts running water, poking her head out long enough to make sure she's got everything she needs before closing and locking it behind her. She takes a good long time, as by her reckoning, it's the last she'll be having for a while. Her plans for the morrow include hunting up a job -- though she doesn't necessarily share this information with Shane.

JUSTIN: * Shane finishes his work and returns the pistol to his belt, which he then lays out on the table for the time being. Expecting Jo to take a while, he decides to go ahead and hit the hay early, his earlier nap only encouraging his body to start slowing down. He sits heavily on the bed and pulls off his boots, working his way out of his shirt and dropping it on the floor. Then he crawls under the covers and spreads himself out over the generous space to fall asleep.

JENNA: * Finished with her bath, Jo steps back into the room, pausing to watch Shane sleep before she goes over to her bed and lies down. It takes her some time, but she eventually drops into a doze, waking a little before dawn and tugging her boots and leggings on hurriedly. She glances over at Shane, scratching her head and wishing briefly that she could leave him a note. Then she shrugs, hoping he'll sleep in, and slips out the door to hunt for a job.

JUSTIN: * Shane is out for a while after she's gone, waking toward the later end of the morning hours. He's surprised to see Jo gone, but he manages to keep the usual panic in check, noting her things are still next to her bed. He orders breakfast before it's too late, getting enough for two even though he's not sure when she'll be back. Either way, he refrains from eating, deciding to wait as long as his stomach will allow.

JENNA: * Jo returns before too far into the day, looking a little worn out but somewhat satisfied. She doesn't give any explanation for where she was as she enters, making a beeline for the food and snatching a piece of toast before she even says hello. The edge taken off her hunger, she seats herself with a comfortable sigh.

JUSTIN: * Shane watches her with a blank expression, sitting quietly on the edge of his bed. He's a little disappointed that she doesn't say anything, but he's fairly used to being the one to start conversations by now. Waiting until she's seated and still, he opens his mouth with a slight smile. "Welcome back."

JENNA: * Jo glances at him, flicking one hand out to get another piece of food. "Thank you. I would have left a note, but ..." She shrugs, glancing at him. "Aren't you hungry? Or did you already eat some?" She takes a bite of her food, watching him curiously.

JUSTIN: * Shane scratches his cheek, his eyes sliding off to the side. "No, I was waiting..." He reaches out, taking a piece of toast gingerly and giving it a small nibble. "Did you go shopping?" He peeks around the breakfast tray, searching for any packages.

JENNA: * Jo shakes her head, picking up a piece of fruit and munching on it comfortably. "I was .. just looking around," she says evasively, remembering her intentions to let him have his vacation. She decides he's unlikely to accept this explanation, however, and continues her explanation. "I got a good lead on a job -- there's another caravan on its way out in a couple days."

JUSTIN: * Shane narrows his eyes slightly -- not menacingly, but suspiciously. The mood passes quickly, however, and his face returns to normal. "I suppose that's good for us. Unless someone else takes the job before us." He continues to nibble on his bread, unmoving from his spot.

JENNA: "Word is they've been having trouble finding a crew to take them ... I asked around, and it turns out it's 'cause they're from a little place in the boonies." She scratches her cheek. "I figure it's not too big a deal. They're saying it's just a pit stop and turnaround, so I doubt we'd be stranded." She reaches over to take a drink of water.

JUSTIN: * Shane finishes off his toast after several more measured bites, and he takes a glass of water for himself, sipping. "I guess there's no reason not to take the job, then." He sets the glass on the nightstand, leaning over to take a small plate and place a meager helping of eggs and biscuits on it. "What is this little place, exactly?"

JENNA: "Little burg north of Payon ... I didn't catch the name. It's nowhere I've been before, though." She glances at him sideways, uneasy. "Like I said, they're not leaving for a couple days... thought I'd talk to you before taking the job." Following this, she snatches up another portion of food and starts eating to cover whatever emotion might show.

JUSTIN: "I trust your judgement." Shane says simply, minding his food as he eats and not looking up. He takes a break to sip at his water again, then continues. "If you want to take the job, I'll be there with you when you do."

JENNA: "All right." She turns back to concentrate on her food, shrugging away the last vestiges of her doubt. "I'll get in contact with them later today. They're supposed to be in the market. We'll still have time to kill after, anyway." From here she falls silent, working through the rest of her food.

JUSTIN: * Shane doesn't disturb the silence, picking at his food slowly, but deliberately. It disappears like clockwork, with regular breaks for water, and occassionally to add a piece of fruit or toast to the plate. When he is finished, he stands and places his plate on the cart, arranging and stacking any empty trays and bowls.

JENNA: * Jo watches him silently, beginning to feel a touch annoyed, but she lets him go about his business and pulls her legs up on the bed, tugging one of her daggers out. She toys with the blade, pretending to inspect it for nicks and scratches, then goes diving into her pack for something to clean it with.

JUSTIN: * Shane leans over to pull a book from his pack, retreating to his bed quietly and using the headboard for a backrest as he settles in. He opens the book, by memory, to the page he last left off at, finds his place, and begins to read quietly.

JENNA: * Once she's finished with her knives, Jo sets them away, flops down on the bed, and rolls away from him with a yawn. She's sure she must have done something, but she doesn't know what, and she's bound and determined to pretend she doesn't care. Nevertheless, she plucks irritably at her blanket, glaring at the far wall.

JUSTIN: * Shane doesn't look at her, though it takes some effort to resist the multitude of urges that spring up every few minutes. He tries to lose himself in his reading and forget about it, but the more he reads, the less he reads -- in a manner of speaking. The words become a blur, and he has to reread sentances several times before his mind can manage to hold onto their meaning.

JENNA: * Jo manages to maintain her silence for the couple of hours it takes for afternoon to roll around, at which point she sits up and gives a long stretch, turning to swing her legs over the edge of the bed and stand. She grabs some of her gear -- largely for the sake of looking professional -- and starts strapping it on, deciding to leave the pack just in case it makes her look desperate.

JUSTIN: * Shane takes this opportunity to finally give in to the constant nagging in his brain, and looks up from his book to watch her. He maintains silence for the time it takes her to get her gear together, and then he lowers his book from his face to clear his throat quietly. "Going already?"

JENNA: * She glances up at him, almost startled to hear another voice. "Yeah -- gonna go make an offer." She shrugs. "I'll be back before too long, unless you want to come. They'll say yes, or they'll say no." Then she turns to start for the door.

JUSTIN: * Shane turns back to his book, letting her go. It just seems to be the simpler option at the moment. He flips a page, and nods absently. "Just let me know when you get back." Apart from that, he maintains his focus on the pages in front of him, only barely making sense of the letters with his brain churning over other things.

JENNA: * Jo's expression turns annoyed again, but she forces a shrug and walks out the door without saying anything. Down at the market, she does in fact find the caravanners in question, who are so grateful for the assistance they offer twice the money Jo was prepared to ask for. She agrees, dumbfounded, and makes plans to meet them in two more days on the outskirts of the city. Then, mystified, she starts back to the inn.

JUSTIN: * Shane puts his book away not more than a few minutes after she leaves, rubbing at his face and sighing wearily. He gets to his feet and stretches, pacing for a little, and then sets the cart out in the hall for pick up. He spends several minutes at the entrance to the room, looking things over with his arms locked militarily behind his back. It doesn't take very long for him to decide on a bath, however, and he locks himself in the bathroom to partake of some watery relaxation.

JENNA: * Jo pushes the door open warily, feeling a guilty wash of relief when Shane is not present. The closed bathroom door gives her a hint as to his location, and she hopes it's a bath and not a potty break keeping him there as she unstraps her gear and lies down on the bed, gaze drifting up to the ceiling. The thought of being on the road again fills her with almost palpable relief.

JUSTIN: * Shane doesn't notice her entrance, the sound of the door opening and closing too muted where he is. He's only filled the bath halfway, so that he can relax almost flat on his back, half-floating in the water. He's not sure how long he's been in there -- ten minutes, thirty minutes, an hour -- but eventually the water becomes lukewarm and he realizes it's time to dry off. This he does at a relaxed and unhurried pace, eventually coming back into the main room wearing not but his pants and a towel around his neck. He's a little surprised to see Jo lying there -- reinforcing how little he noticed the passage of time -- and he almost backpedals into the bathroom, but manages to stand fast.

JENNA: * Jo sits up with a start, leaning back on her elbows and blinking at Shane, framed in the bathroom doorway. Her brows lift, and a faint hint of color rises into her cheeks before she jerks her gaze away to rest on the bed instead. "Got the job," she says without preamble. "They're paying more than I expected."

JUSTIN: * Shane doesn't do anything for a handful of very long seconds, then he blinks, shaking out of his spell. "Ah... well, all the better, then." He quickly moves the towel to rub a few wet spots dry, and pulls his shirt on. Hastily buttoning up as he crosses the room, he attempts to alternate between that and combing at his hair. "How much, exactly?"

JENNA: * Jo waits until he's fully clothed to look back at him and shrugs. "Seven fifty both ways." She leans back again, gaze returning to the ceiling. "The village isn't far, and they only want passage to Prontera from there. I didn't figure it would put us out. Prontera's a good place for jobs, too."

JUSTIN: * Shane nods absently, not really caring despite asking. As long as they have food and the occassionally some shelter, that's all he needs to know. "Sounds good, then." As if he would know. A slight smile quirks the corner of his lips, much to his own surprise. "I don't suppose you'd mind if I popped your friend Avery in the jaw while we're in Prontera?" He is of course joking -- he would never willingly assault an officer -- but after saying it, it does hold a certain temptation.

JENNA: "Only if you can beat me to it," is her retort, and she glances at him sideways. "If it's all the same, I'd rather avoid him. He's a nice enough guy, but he's not too bright." She's pretty sure she'd like to avoid encountering any other members of her childhood band as well, but she doesn't bother bringing that up.

JUSTIN: "Well, I'll keep that in mind." Shane fixes a missed button on his shirt, and rolls the sleeves up to his elbows. "Anything else I should know about the job, or is it routine otherwise?" He sits down on the end of his bed, and starts to pull his boots on, then decides better of it and kicks them to the side.

JENNA: "Looks routine to me," Jo replies. "Easier than usual, if you want." She nestles down slightly, gaze thoughtful. "Two wagons, only five people in 'em total." She sneezes suddenly, then grimaces, rubbing her nose. "I think they were hauling produce." She casts him another glance, expression wary. "You don't mind, do you? Moving on again?"

JUSTIN: * Shane shrugs. Sitting at the end of the bed, his face is hidden from her without requiring him to purposely look away, and it's hard to tell if he would anyway. "Should I be? I don't know..." He rubs at his arm, staring sideways at the window by his bed. "It was just a vacation, after all. We'll always be moving. I should be used to that by now, right?"

JENNA: "You haven't been traveling long." She sits up, leaning back on her hands. "There's no reason for you to be used to it." She shrugs slightly. "It takes time." She looks at the floor, uncomfortable, and unable to come up with an antecdote that might lighten the mood. "So, you know.." She pauses, not sure what he should know.

JUSTIN: * Shane turns from the window, not-quite looking at Jo and clasping his hands between his knees. "Well I can't go back. So I can only go forward, right?" He half-smiles, and turns to look her directly in the face. "I haven't grown that attached to Alberta. If I'm going to settle down again, it certainly won't be anywhere this busy." He stands to his feet, rubbing at his still damp hair. "I've got more on my mind than that. But nothing important."

JENNA: * Jo gives him a sincerely puzzled look, but she nods, leaning back again and frowning. "All right." Weary of the guessing game, she decides to let him work it out of his system on his own, and she yawns, kicking her feet boredly. "Hey, when can we order dinner?" she asks curiously, noticing the cart is gone and feeling a twinge like the onset of hunger.

JUSTIN: * Shane turns her another look, arching an eyebrow and scratching at the back of his head. "Why... whenever you want, I would suppose. If it's too early for dinner, perhaps we can get in a late lunch." He walks toward the door, opening the small, wooden panel next to it. "Ah... this is the call lever I was telling you about." He pulls on the lever, which offers expected tension from the (no doubt) yards of twine that run through the walls and under the floorboards to connect it with the bell downstairs.

JENNA: * Jo watches him curiously. "You just pull that..? What does it do?" She sits up, looking for a moment like she wants to try it herself. "That's how you got breakfast and all?" She makes her way over to the edge of the bed and hops off, wandering over to peer at the device curiously.

JUSTIN: * Shane stands up a little straighter, finding himself suddenly in the position to impart knowledge. "Oh, it's simple, really... There's a string attached to the lever that runs through the wall, all the way down to the front desk, where it's also attached to a bell with our room number on it. So when you pull the lever, it pulls the string, thereby causing the bell to ring." He smiles, looking between Jo and the lever. "Very effective, really. Although I can imagine that a snapped string would require some effort to replace." He sighs quietly, rubbing at his chin in thought. "It's probably only a matter of time before some scholar in Juno catches wind of it and makes it his business to one-up whatever clever fellow designed it."

JENNA: * She tilts her head, staring at the device a moment longer before straightening. "I wonder what they'd do to make it better ..." She then puts her hands behind her head, ambling away. "I wonder how rich the guy who made it is ..." After a few moments, she flops on the bed again with a sigh. "I guess we'll order when they get here?"

JUSTIN: * Shane ambles back after her, fixing his sleeves as he goes. "Yes, when they get here..." He stretches, reaching back to lace his fingers behind his head. "And you never know, when sages are involved. Part of the time it's some new mechanical contraption, sometimes it's some new use of magic... often, some mix of the two." He wanders over, letting his hands fall to his lap as he sits on the edge of Jo's bed, watching her over his shoulder. "You know, I don't think I've ever seen you lie down so much since I've known you."

JENNA: * Jo has the grace to look embarrassed, levering herself up on her arms and frowning. "I don't know what else to do." She drops down again with a sigh. "It's been nice to get the sleep, but I'll be glad to be back on the road again." She tilts her head to look at him, offering a wan smile. "Sorry," she says, looking apologetic.

JUSTIN: * Shane smiles, at least half of the gesture out of amusement. "You don't need to apologize." He pats the bed and shrugs, smoothing the comforter. "It's a comfortable bed. Might as well get what we paid for." He looks toward the bathroom, then back over his shoulder at her. "You better take a bath tonight -- it might be the last you get for another few weeks. I don't want to hear about your regrets it if you don't." A grin twitches onto his face.

JENNA: "Meeeh." Jo sits up, swinging her legs underneath her with a grin. "I refuse to stink any worse than you do, so I'll take you up on that." She scratches her cheek, grin becoming more thoughtful. "At least Payon's got plenty of water along the way, right? Not that we'd get a chance to bathe in the river with a caravan ..."

JUSTIN: * Shane refuses to blush, though it doesn't seem to be up to him. He masks it by looking back toward the bathroom again until he feels the heat subside. "Well, I suppose not. Unless you want to take turns distracting them while the other slips off to bathe." He has rather convinced himself that bathing in the open can only lead to trouble, either way.

JENNA: * Jo snorts. "I don't think they'll let us take a break to go bathe, either way ... we're supposed to be guarding and all." She heaves a sigh. "So we'll just have to wait a piece!"

JUSTIN: * Shane scratches his cheek, grinning impishly. "I suppose that would be a problem, wouldn't it? Yes, it looks like we'll just have some waiting to do." There's a knock at the door then, and Shane hops to his feet, making his way over to open it. Sure enough, there's the same uniformed young man who brought them their breakfast, a notepad under one arm. "You rang for service?" He asks boredly, and Shane waves for Jo to come over. "Is it too early for dinner?" The boy shakes his head. "The cooks are just preparing for dinner now, if you're willing to wait longer for the food to arrive."

JENNA: * Jo peers over curiously, then gets up and walks to the door, poking her head around Shane to have a look. "Dinner's fine, we can wait. Right?" She glances at Shane, grinning and leans against the doorframe. "The hungrier we are, the better it'll taste -- and I can catch that bath." She makes a face at him.

JUSTIN: * Shane smirks, nodding his agreement. "Dinner, then." He lists off a number of things for their order, double-checking with Jo on a few occassions to make sure she's okay with some of the choices. With that completed, the young man takes his leave with a promise of "around an hour" for their wait. "Best hop to it, then, Jo. An hour is... what, a quickie for you?"