JENNA: "Maybe .." She reaches over to draw from the pile, then makes a satisfied noise, laying two cards down on the field. From there, the game only becomes more intense, leading to a rematch and another rematch, though the last is broken when servants finally come with their cots and they're forced to hastily put the cards away. The first night does pass with little activity besides this, however, and the pair enters the second night with expectations that it will be equally dull. It finds Jo sitting on the edge of her cot and staring vaguely after a servant who's just left with the remains of their dinner. "I sure hope there's a caravan out of here ..."

JUSTIN: * Shane stretches, lying back on his cot for a moment and staring at the swirled pattern of the ceiling. "We have our pecos. If there's no caravan, we'll just go to the next city, that's all." He rubs his nose, turning his head to stare at her. "We still have more money than we need. I haven't blown through all of my first paycheck just yet." He smiles slightly.

JENNA: "Neither have I.. but still." She rubs her nose, getting to her feet. "Doesn't pay to get complacent.. never know when the market'll dry up." She glances up the hallway, then wanders to her gear, strapping her daggers on and returning to her seat. "I guess I wouldn't mind just traveling a bit, though.. instead of on a job."

JUSTIN: * Shane smiles broader, giving her a speculative look. "Travel, without a job? That doesn't sound much like you." He reaches over to grab his own pack, sifting through it and pulling out a box of ammo. He sits up, sliding his gun from his holster and double-checking its load. "I thought you didn't like vacations."

JENNA: * She gives him a hard look. "It's not the same as lounging around an inn ... we'd still be moving. Just at our own pace." She sighs a little, gaze drifting up the hall again as she calculates what time it is. If the servants just brought dinner, it's likely getting dark outside. "Where would you want to go? I haven't been to Geffen in a while.. but there's not much employment there."

JUSTIN: * Shane tilts his head, with a very quizzical look. "You're asking me? I wouldn't even know what Geffen is." He grins, reholstering his gun and leaving the box of ammo where it is. "In case you forgot, I only just left Juno for the first time when I met you."

JENNA: "You can read maps," she scolds, then leans back slightly. "Geffen is known mostly for its magical prowess. One of the finest academies was built there, so they say. They're only a little more bent on study than the scholars in Juno." She grins faintly. "Obviously, there aren't many jobs available besides ferrying supplies, unless you want to be a test subject."

JUSTIN: "Haven't tried that before, but I think I'll give it a miss." Shane takes a sip from his canteen, sighing fitfully. "And there is a bit of a difference between reading a map and knowing about a city first-hand." He turns her a mildly annoyed look at her first comment. "So unless you want me to randomly pick our next destination from the map, I hardly think it matters." He smirks, tugging his hat tighter on his head.

JENNA: * She frowns at him. "I could tell you about them, if you wanted." She looks at the floor, smiling briefly. "I guess I just want to go see it again. We've been seeing a lot of Alberta and Prontera and roads in between, you know? A change of scenery is always nice." Her gaze goes momentarily distant, past the tiles beneath her feet and to whatever place she's imagining.

JUSTIN: * Shane shrugs his shoulders lightly, crossing his legs out in front of him and leaning back on his hands. "I can't argue with that. Where ever you want to go, Jo. It's all new to me, anyway." He quirks a brief grin, watching her drift off into her own world for the moment. "Any other favorites you'd want to put on the list?"

JENNA: "Geffen, then," Jo grins. "I promise we won't take any test subject jobs." She glances at him sideways, expression impish. "Even if the pay's really good." She then sighs, standing again, and gives a long stretch. With the easy nature of the job, she'd wondered why she didn't take them more often -- and now it was clear. They were incredibly boring.

JUSTIN: * Shane turns his attention to his canteen again, taking a long drink before recapping it. "I dunno, it would have to be more interesting than this. Maybe I'll reconsider." He smirks, standing to his feet and fixing his equipment belt. He takes a good look at his coat, pants, and worn boots, looking thoughtul. "Hm... what do you think, Jo. Should I buy some of the classy, Al De Baran fashion before we leave?"

JENNA: "Only as long as you don't mind if I pretend I don't know you," she replies drily, going into a set of exercises to pass the time. "You probably do need something new, if they're wearing out on you, but there are better places to buy than here." She finishes the routine with what's intended to be a false throw of one of her knives, but she releases it unexpectedly, and it goes flying up the hallway. "Oh, /damn/."

JUSTIN: * Shane grumbles, closing his arms over his chest. "Oh, that's what you said the last time, too." He yawns unexpectedly, eyes closing and causing him to completely miss the ill-fated knife toss. He snaps his head back down at the tone of her voice, though. "Oh damn what?"

JENNA: * She spreads her hands, one of which has a knife in it and one of which suddenly does not. "Hope it didn't hit anything.." She scratches her head, sheathing the other and starting up the hall. "That would figure ..." She glances back with a slightly sheepish smile.

JUSTIN: * Shane shakes his head, grinning amusedly. At this time of the night, at least there shouldn't be any worries about her finding it embedded in some poor, old maid. "If you have to pull it from a priceless painting, just say we got attacked in the middle of the night, and blame it on the thief." He rubs the back of his head, moving his other hand to fix his hat afterward.

JENNA: "Yeah, and then they'd cut our pay for letting the thief get away ..." She ambles up the hall, casting her gaze about in the dim light as she searches for her dagger. She finds it at last, happily having done nothing more than scratch the tiles when it struck the floor. Sighing with relief, she starts back toward Shane. She's about halfway up the hall, when a faint sound -- or something like one -- causes her to lunge sideways, nearly into the wall, to avoid an entirely different knife that pierces the air where she'd been standing and goes skittering across the tiles.

JUSTIN: * Shane tuts quietly, bending down to tighten the lacing on his boots, just when the sound of another knife clattering along the tiles reaches his ears. "What, /again/? Are you doing it on purpose now?" He marches toward the hallway, and another knife whistles by his nose, causing him to screech to a halt and nearly fall back on his ass. "What the bloody hell are you doing?!"

JENNA: * Jo, instead of answering, makes a dash toward him, catching his arm and attempting to drag him out of the light of the lamps and into the shadows. "It wasn't me," she hisses. "Guess we're earning our pay this time." From up the hall comes a faint curse, and another voice says in a berating tone, "Nice, missed them twice. And lost us the element of surprise." Jo tenses briefly, then relaxes. It couldn't possibly be someone she knows.

JUSTIN: * Shane's eyes widen at her news, and he quickly moves his feet to keep up with her. "Damn it." He crouches down to take an assessment of their location and the probable location of their adversaries. "Did you get your knife back, at least?" He slides his gun out of his belt holster, cocking back the hammer.

JENNA: "Right before that other got thrown at me ..." She inches backward, easing her other knife out of its sheath. "Now I really wonder what the hell he's keeping in there." Up the hall, there seems to be a brief debate taking place in the shadows. It's difficult to say which side wins the argument, but the end result is that three figures charge out of the shadows, closer than they seemed at first, apparently angling to close the gap overwhelm their opponents.

JUSTIN: * Shane edges up against the wall, straightening to his full height so he can pull his sword from its sheath. "Let's hope we don't have to find out." He says in answer to her comment, and preempts the charging enemy by leaning out from their nook and taking a shot -- purposely angled downward, as to prevent any accidental destruction of pottery, paintings, or weavings.

JENNA: * The bullet stings the floor near one of the attackers' feet, and he lurches aside in surprise, though it doesn't throw him off balance. Jo seems to have no such compunction, leaning out to fling a pair of slim knives at the group. Only one strikes home, embedding itself in the thigh of the man who was nearly struck by the bullet, while the other flies off up the hallway. She then ducks back behind Shane with a mild curse as the trio scatters to what minimal shelter can be found.

JUSTIN: * Shane ducks back down beside her again, giving her a shrug and a forced smile. "Speaking of pay cuts, what do you suppose happens if we trash all these priceless artifacts, but still capture the thieves?" He peeks out to see if there is a target in his line of sight, lifting his gun and preparing another shot.

JENNA: "Why are they after the vault anyway, with all this crap in the halls?" Jo mutters, but the job does not seem to be what's bothering her. In fact, she flinches sharply when a female voice calls out, "Is that really you, Jo? I heard rumors, but you actually went straight? And with /him/?" Jo glances darkly up the hallway. "Not really your affair, is it?"

JUSTIN: * Shane sighs heavily. "Keep talking, you make a better target!" He calls up the hall, then fires a shot in the direction of the voice before turning to Jo again. "Maybe we should get out of the hallway, back into the vault room. They aren't going to come out into the open, otherwise."

JENNA: "Had to be them," Jo mutters, sidling backward on his advice as the woman retorts, "The boss isn't gonna be too happy, is he? He took all that kind of personal, Jo." Jo rolls her eyes heavenward and continues to scoot. "His problem, not mine," she says under her breath.

JUSTIN: * Shane fires off another shot to keep their rivals' heads down, and helps Jo up to make a quick dash back to the vault room. "Don't your friends know that you're supposed to be quiet during a theft? Is everyone from your guild that dense?" He asks in a quiet, irritated mutter. Not that he's really complaining -- they're certainly making his job easier.

JENNA: "I think the idea is to get me riled up," she replies, grinning at him. "Lei and Manuel were never too bright, though." Behind them, the thieves seem to have noticed their plan, and they lunge out again, the woman making a slightly frantic attempt to heave a pair of knives after them.

JUSTIN: * Shane glances back in time, the clumsy attack as easy to dodge as a meer shift in weight. "Well, as long as you don't like them, I guess I don't need to worry about blowing a hole in them." He quips, then tucks Jo around the bend ahead of him into the vault room, before scooting around the corner and dropping to one knee. "Makes my life easier." He turns and leans into the hall to fire a shot straight past the ribs of the lady thief.

JENNA: * The injured thief is hanging back, though he manages to shout a warning at Lei. The woman, unfortunately, doesn't move in time, and the bullet grazes her almost as planned. "Gun," grunts the third, silent until now, and he drags her out of the way. "I hope this doesn't last all night," Jo mutters.

JUSTIN: * Shane glances over at Jo, smiling in that miserable sort of way. "I really have better things to do with my time." He eyes his gun thoughtfully, scratching at his head. "I don't suppose you'd prefer to stick them up close? I really shouldn't waste bullets, they're expensive."

JENNA: "I can try." Jo shrugs slightly, then raises her voice. "Speaking of the boss, Lei, did you ever get anywhere with that? Last I heard he mistook you for a tavern maid and slopped beer down your front." The atmosphere in the hallway chills perceptibly, though no one answers, and there's a faint scuffling noise, as if someone (presumably Lei) is being held against her will. Jo scratches her cheek and shrugs. "Guess it was true," she says in a lower voice.

JUSTIN: * Shane smirks, shaking his head. "Try something that will get them all angry. Otherwise I'll just have to start shooting again, and that would be an awful mess." He shoves his gun into its holster for the moment, passing his sword to his better hand. "And wait. What was that remark they made earlier? 'With him'? Just what do they mean by that?"

JENNA: * The ghost of a smile flits across Jo's lips. "I'll explain later," she murmurs, patting his shoulder, and she raises her voice yet again. "You ought to just give it up, Lei. Manuel'd suit you better, and you can't be dumb enough not to have noticed he's been pining for you for yea --" There's a bellow before her statement has even finished, and the third and largest of the trio comes roaring out of hiding. Lei gives a shout of protest, but he appears quite enraged.

JUSTIN: * Shane ignores his concern about previous commentary for the moment, hopping up to his feet in a ready crouch. "Good job, Jo. If only they were all so easy." He waits for the stomping footfalls to reach their bend in the hallway, then tenses to spring their ambush.

JENNA: * Jo lets Shane take the lead, crouching nearby to provide backup, as Lei is following the first man rapidly. The third seems to be frozen in his hiding place, shouting for both of them to stop already. Jo pauses to take aim, then sends a dagger whistling toward Lei. It catches her in the leg, and she stumbles, sprawling short as Manuel rushes toward the vault.

JUSTIN: * As Manuel comes bullrushing around the corner, Shane ducks past him and under a careless swipe of the thief's arms, stabbing his sword between the brute's legs as he goes. Completing his circle around the larger man, Shane's grip on the sword causes the blade to catch the back of the other's knee, sending tilting forward face-first. A howl of surprise barely makes it out before the thief's ambusher whirls and kicks him in the back of the head, knocking him senseless onto the tiled floor.

JENNA: "Manuel!" Lei gives a despairing cry, struggling to her feet, and Jo's halfway past Shane to meet her when the third member of the group dashes out of the shadows, his leg hastily bandaged, to snatch at Lei and drag her back the other way, in spite of her protests. "We pull out -- this has gone to shit." Jo pauses, glancing questioningly at Shane, as if to ask whether they should just let the pair go.

JUSTIN: * Shane looks to her, then at the retreating pair and shrugs his shoulders. "They're your friends, what do you want to do? We've got one. He'll be plenty useful to the local authorities." He takes out his gun as he speaks, holding it up and pointing it after Lei before arching a brow at Jo and waiting for her word.

JENNA: "Friends, my arse," Jo retorts, but she folds her arms, watching Lei glance frantically backward as they retreat. "Why bother?" she says at last. "If the guild tries for the vault again, it won't be Lei they use anyhow." She turns away from the pair to retrieve her daggers, one by one.

JUSTIN: * Shane returns his gun to his side, nodding slightly and turning to check on the one thief that's left behind. He's out cold, but still breathing, so Shane retrieves some rope from their packs to tie up the man's hands and feet before returning to watch Jo. "Hopefully nothing's damaged. I'm sure everyone in the house must have heard the gunshots, so it's only a matter of time before people start poking about." He leans against the wall, finally stopping to catch his breath -- not that there's much need.

JENNA: * Jo sighs, retrieving the last of her knives as well as the ones Lei left behind. "I was not expecting my guild," she says, returning the knives to their proper slots. "Of course, I wasn't expecting anyone.. but still." She glances at Manuel, kneeling next to him. "How the mighty have fallen." It isn't entirely clear whether she's referring to him or herself.

JUSTIN: * Shane retrieves his sword from the floor, sliding it into its sheath. "That depends on your definition of might." He says quietly, uncapping his canteen and taking a sip from it, then offering it to Jo idly. "Which I am sure is a matter of debate, based on who you ask."

JENNA: * Jo takes the canteen and takes a drink, shrugging. "Who can say." She nudges the fallen man with her foot. "I didn't think he'd get that mad. Guess he's a little sensitive after all." She then wanders over to her cot to sit down. "Should we wait.. or should we go find someone?"

JUSTIN: * Shane ambles back to his cot, seating himself and then flopping onto his back, bringing one knee up. "I suspect someone will by shortly. We're to remain at the vault until relieved of our shift, after all, right?" He looks over to her with an oddly bored smile.

JENNA: "You do have a point," she replies agreeably, attempting with little success to keep mischief from her grin. "Hate to lose the contract by being lax in our duties, right?" She pulls her legs up into a crosslegged position, resting her arms on her knees. "Wonder how they got in ... guess one of the other guards wasn't doing his job."

JUSTIN: "If his in-house security is that bad, I hope he's prepared to lose the contents of that vault the next time it gets hit." Shane yawns and moves to grab his canteen again, half-frowning at its absence. "I don't suppose you're done with my water, Jocasta?"

JENNA: "Ehh." She takes another sip before capping it and tossing it back to him. "At least it won't be on our heads, right?" She glances up the hall, where there's another scuffle of activity, and she gets to her feet, sitting back down again almost immediately when several servants poke their head around the corner. There's a great deal of chatter for a moment, then the lot fall silent and stand aside as someone higher ranked than they walks through. "Oh good," says Jo. "The cavalry."

JUSTIN: * Much to no one's surprise, the ever-enigmatic Mr. Hofferson makes his way through the crowd of servant folk, giving the body tied up on the floor a long stare down his nose. "I expect he isn't dead, as he is bound." The old man starts, deftly avoiding the occasional blood spatter and he makes his way to inspect the vault door. "You would expect right." Shane answers, sitting up again and holding his canteen while he toys with the cap. "For the local authorities, should they want him." He stares sideways at the butler, who finally turns to speak to... Jo, actually. Shane sighs and shakes his head, uncapping his canteen to drink. "Any damages will be /deducted/ from your pay." Emphasis on his favorite part, no doubt. "Since you captured one of the intruders, a bonus from the authorities /may/ compensate for it." He could obviously care less. "I need not /remind/ you, you are still on contract for another six hours. So do not /leave/ the premises."

JENNA: "I don't think a couple chipped floor tiles is gonna do you too much harm," Jo says pointedly, but she shrugs and stands up, folding her arms. "We'll be here another six hours, as promised." She meets his gaze blandly, waiting for him to leave, as the rest of the servants hurriedly return to wherever it is they should actually be. Manuel gives a faint moan, and she glances at him boredly.

JUSTIN: * Hofferson leaves without another word, apparently having no more interest in the company present. Shane gets up to his feet and scratches at the back of his leg with the opposite foot. "I guess we go back to being bored, then." He says quietly, looking down at the man who's apparently starting to wake. "Then again. This ought to be good."

JENNA: "Maybe we should knock him out again," Jo remarks, almost hopefully, as Manuel stirs and moans again. Jo crouches next to him with a lazy smile. "Morning, Manuel. Have a nice nap?" The thief spasms violently, attempting to all appearances to lunge at her, but pain from his injuries stops him short, and he moans again, directing a hate-filled stare at her. "Nice to see you, too."

JUSTIN: * Shane wanders over, stopping just behind Jo and staring down at the man with clear distaste. "Jo, don't waste your breath on him. Honestly, had he been any stupider, he'd probably have tripped and broken his neck on the way in here."

JENNA: * Manuel turns his gaze to Shane and looks for a moment as if he wants to spit, but he knows that would bring on pain worse than talking. Instead, he looks back at Jo and manages to grunt out a faintly accusatory, "Bitch." Jo glances at him with interest. "No sense being pissed about it now, Manny. You should have just told her when you had the chance." She walks back over to her cot and sits down. "Too late now."

JUSTIN: * Shane looks distinctly displeased with the man's choice of language, and he taps his boot against the tiles just in front of the man's face. "If you don't want my boot to connect with the back of your hollow head a second time, I suggest you remain silent until the city guards come to remove you."

JENNA: * Jo glances at Shane with some faint amusement, as the remark really didn't bother her at all, then she looks at Manuel, who falls silent obligingly, though he stares angrily at them both for a while. It's toward the end of their shift that the authorities finally make their appearance, and Jo watches them with an air of distinct mistrust, letting Shane take the lead in dealing with them. Old instincts, it seems, die hard.

JUSTIN: * Shane relates the events in detail to the guards when asked, well versed in the protocol surrounding such incidents. Due to his cooperation, the process goes quickly and smoothly, and before long they're hauling Manuel away. As the yips and screams of pain fade down the hallway -- sadly for Manuel, both his leg and his knee are in great disrepair -- Shane turns back to address Jo. "Well, they said they would provide the bonus directly through the home owner, so we'll get everything in one payment."

JENNA: "If the old bastard doesn't try to gyp us," Jo replies, no small amount of contempt directed toward the homeowner. "If his butler's any indication, he'll use any excuse not to pay us." She turns to gather her gear, looking cheerful despite her dire pronouncements. "At least it's almost over, yeah?" She glances up the hall as if hoping to see relief on its way.

JUSTIN: * Shane nods firmly, hovering for a moment before turning to gather his own things. "At least it is. Anymore time in this house, and I'm afraid I'll end up a zombie like the butler. What /is/ his problem, anyway?" There is an immediate, and unexpected answer as Mr. Hofferson rounds the bend, with his usual lack of flair. "Forty years as a butler, sir, and you learn to /dislike/ everyone." There is, however, no humor in the man's voice -- only fact. "If you /desire/ to get whatever pay the 'old bastard' has for you, I would encourage you to /follow/ me."

JENNA: * Jo grins at him, highly amused. "Maybe you should look for another job, then. Plenty of work out there for people who dislike everybody." She trots after him, all her gear in place, bidding the vault a satisfied farewell. A good bit of her doesn't care how much pay they've lost, as long as they never have to set foot in this house again.

JUSTIN: * Shane holds back a grin of his own until they are out in the hallway and marching toward the far end of the house, at which point it slips through his defenses. "Well." He turns to look at Jo. "Only about five minutes of actual work, no new injuries, and none reopened -- I'd say it could have gone far worse, right?"

JENNA: "Much," Jo agrees, glancing at her arm. "Forgot about it, actually." She wiggles her fingers and grins. "Guess we'll have to pull the stitches soon." Her expression becomes slightly pained, as she isn't much looking forward to that. A slight shadow crosses her face as she remembers the encounter with her guild, but she gives a very faint shrug in an effort to chase away her worries.

JUSTIN: * Shane watches her hand as she moves it, and smiles a bit. "It's passed the stress test, I suppose. Give another day to rest, and I'll take a look at it." The walk ends shortly, depositing them into the same room they first met their employer in. He's sitting there upon their arrival, looking no less patient than before. "Let's get this over with, I have other business to attend to." He gets slowly to his feet, heaving a sigh and waddling over to them. In his hand is a small, brown package, which he offers to Jo. "If you're paranoid, I will wait for you to count it. But if you must, make it quick."

JENNA: * For a brief moment, the temptation seizes Jo to take her sweet time about counting every bill, but her desire to exit the premises wins out, and she beams a winning smile at the man. "Oh, I'd hate to take up any more of your incredibly valuable time," she says sweetly. "We'll be happy to be on our way." She takes the package, glancing over her shoulder at Shane. "Ready when you are."

JUSTIN: * Shane clears his throat, settling his hat onto his head. "Certainly." He says finally, and the nobleman seems at least slightly pleased they'll be vacating his property. "Good. Mr. Hofferson, if you would." The butler motions toward the hallway and begins walking, presumably to lead them to the front door. Shane glances at Jo and shrugs lightly, turning around and following.

JENNA: * Jo stretches lazily, sticking her hands behind her head and following them both with a spring in her step. She lets her gaze wander over the house's valuable once again, wistfully, but she manages to suppress any last minute desire to backslide, coming up alongside Shane with a faint sigh. "Being good is boring," she says.

JUSTIN: * Shane gives her a blank stare, then shakes his head. "Not being bad isn't the same as being good, Jo. What you mean is, being /indifferent/ is boring." He pats her lightly on the back, then glances at his hand and shoves it behind him, looking somewhat embarrassed -- and perplexed. "You'll get the hang of it, eventually." There is little ceremony when the butler opens the door and ushers them out, only taking a moment to inform them that their pecos are being brought around from the stables for them.

JENNA: * Jo gives him a sideways glance and sniffs, waving an overly cheery farewell to the butler, who ignores her. "Bet the pecos got lazy again." She looks skyward, scratching her cheek. "Looks like we have a day to kill before we can go see the fountains ... want to stop at an inn and get some real sleep?"

JUSTIN: * Shane goes silent for a moment, eyes closing as if in deep thought. Then, anti-climactically he reopens them and says, simply, "Yes." He stands up a bit straighter as he sees their pecos come ambling into view outside the front gate, and he smiles. "They certainly look like they've been treated better than us."

JENNA: * Jo clicks her tongue disapprovingly, but she's pleased enough to see the birds in good condition. She trots out to meet them, asking rather fondly if the dirty birds are doing all right. The birds themselves don't pay her too much heed, and she mounts up without much ceremony, looking thoughtful as she tries to remember where there was a good inn.

JUSTIN: * Shane grins as she attempts to strike up conversation with the pecos, and turns to thank the stable workers, only to find them already hurrying back to their station. He shrugs, patting his bird lightly on the neck before climbing into the saddle. "So, where we off to, then?"

JENNA: * Jo tilts her head, considering. "I'm not sure where I stayed the last time I was here ... but it wasn't in this district." She grins at him faintly. "Guess we'll just use whatever's nearest." She steers her peco around and sets off -- away from the residential area and more toward the businesses. "We can afford one day just about anywhere, right?"

JUSTIN: * Shane answers her grin with a smile, trotting his peco along beside her. "Just about. Whether they'll take us, that's a different story." He repositions his sword absently, watching the buildings as they go by.

JENNA: * It doesn't take Jo terribly long to locate a suitable place with reasonable prices, and before long the pecos are stabled and they're on their way to their room, Jo looking upbeat -- if sleepy. "We should probably just hit the road after visiting the fountains," she says, unlocking the room and slinging her gear in one corner. "Not much point in staying, really ..."

JUSTIN: "Still want to check for a caravan before we leave?" Shane asks casually, knowing it's redundant since she's already brought it up at least a dozen times. He steps into the room behind her, paying less heed than usual to the room and its layout -- or even whether it has one bed or two, he wasn't paying attention during that decision. He sets his pack down next to hers, slipping his hat down from his head and combing back his hair.

JENNA: "That would mean waiting 'til morning," Jo replies drowsily, ambling over to one of the beds -- there are, in fact, two. "Let's just head for Geffen." She sprawls down, not even bothering to pull back the covers as she lazily works her boots off. "For now I just want sleep ..." True to her word, she rests her head against her pillow, curling up slightly.

JUSTIN: * Shane is admittedly surprised, but he only shrugs at the answer and looks around -- happy to notice that she did, in fact, rent a room with two beds. He wanders over to his and begins to undo his boots, slipping them off and depositing his coat on the floor beside them. "Well, I certainly won't argue with you." He says quietly, and tosses himself onto his bed, rolling over and closing his eyes to sleep.

JENNA: * Sunset's well past by the time Jo wakes, and she sits up with a jolt, jogging her injured arm a little harder than necessary. She huffs a faint sigh, stretching and yawning before she swings her legs over the edge of the bed and sets about putting her boots on. "You awake?" she calls to Shane, supposing he probably isn't, but figuring she may as well get the process going. "Time to move!" She wanders past his bed to tug the curtains open, glancing out to note with some pleasure that the moon is close to full -- perfect for night sightseeing.

JUSTIN: * Shane sleeps through her first attempt, but the louder and closer second call manages to rouse him from his slumber. He flops over onto his back and stares at her almost indignantly. "Already? You're kidding..." He tries to sit up, half sliding off the bed with a yawn during the attempt. "I swear it's only been a few hours." He plops onto the floor butt first, and lazily pulls his boots on.

JENNA: "It's been all day." She points outside, where the moon and stars are clearly visible. "You should be plenty rested, lazy -- or are you scared this stuck-up city is going to show you up?" She ambles over and crouches next to him, grinning. "Trust me, it'll be worth it."

JUSTIN: * Shane gives her a playfully doubtful look, arching a brow. "We'll see about that. I certainly can't pass up a chance to prove this stuck-up city won't show me up." A brief grin sneaks out, and he gets to his feet, snagging his coat and slinging it over his shoulder for now. "Well then. After you, madam."

JENNA: * Jo snorts, hopping to her feet and snatching her own gear from the floor. "Guess we can pick up the pecos after. We're good for stabling 'til morning." With that, she ambles out the door, pace quickening as she makes her way out into the street. She pauses long enough to get a look around, waiting for Shane before setting off toward the middle of town.

JUSTIN: * Shane follows after her, slinging his pack over his other shoulder and looking fairly casual for once -- a rarity, at the least. He does his share of watching the stars, watching the buildings, and watching the woman ahead of him to make sure he doesn't lose her along the way. Before they can get to this supposedly fabulous sight, he decides to add a little twist to the plan. "So, Jocasta... what do I get if you're wrong, and I'm not impressed? Something to make it worth my time?"

JENNA: * Jo glances back at him, arching an eyebrow. "Why should you get anything? All you've lost is time." She grins at him. "Besides, I don't think you'll win. I'll take first watch for the next three jobs if you don't like it." She pauses again, then sets off down a side street, remembering her old route to the fountains, when she was smaller.

JUSTIN: * Shane considers this for a moment, scratching at his cheek and tilting his head back and forth as if weighing the possibilities. "Well... I suppose that's reasonable." He smirks, slipping his hands into his pockets as they wind down the pathways.

JENNA: "Hmph." Jo trots down a stairway near one of the city's canals, trotting alongside it. "I still don't think I'll have to pay up." She glances back over her shoulder, then springs up a ladder resting against a bridge over the canal and scratches her head. "I can't believe that's still there." She waits for Shane to catch up. "And I'll know if you're lying, so don't even try it."

JUSTIN: "Oh, you think so?" Shane grins, bounding down, around, and back up the ladder behind her. He politely averts his eyes until he's got his footing beside her again, and he sets his hands on his hips. "Why would you even think I'd lie to you, anyway? Surely I'm man enough to admit when I'm wrong." He scratches near his temple, looking at least fairly innocent.

JENNA: "Sure, sure," Jo grins, then takes off along the bridge, darting into a narrow alleyway and trotting to the arched exit on the other side. She pauses here again, glancing back at him. "Over here," she says, waving for him to catch up before slipping forward into an empty, moonlight-splashed plaza filled with the sound of splashing water.