JUSTIN: * Shane hugs his arms around his chest loosely, looking far more aggitated by the encounter than he has a right to be. "Well, if he'd been properly trained, he would have been the one in control of the situation, not us." He sniffs, letting his arms down and sitting heavily on the edge of the bed. "Okay, okay -- so it isn't his fault..." He sighs again, rubbing at his face and feeling suddenly very tired. "There are just a lot of things I'd like to say to the Colonel that I'll never have the guts to."

JENNA: * Jo wanders over to him, folding her hands in front of her for a moment before reaching out to brush her fingers through his hair again. She smiles wanly. "You could always write him a nasty letter.. can't fire you again, can he?" She pauses, feeling a faint pang of guilt for her role in that particular incident.

JUSTIN: * Shane stares at the floor awkwardly, noting how bizarre he feels at her affectionate brushing of his hair. It isn't a bad sensation by any means, but it is something he is entirely unused to -- and honestly, it's very difficult to accept as reality, even when it's happening. "You're right, of course... I don't know, do you think it would be... childish to do something like that? It shouldn't even be my concern anymore." He reaches up to take take her hand from his hair, holding it gently. "I think I just need some sleep. It's been a... busy day." He grins at her lopsidedly.

JENNA: * Jo reddens faintly, scratching her cheek with her free hand. "Can't argue with that.. can I?" She glances over her shoulder at the closed door, hoping the rest of their company's gone on its way. "Want a bath first..? If not, I think I'll take one."

JUSTIN: * Shane tenses for a second, then exhales with relief when she finishes her last statement. He blushes, feeling very silly for thinking she would even suggest such a thing. "You go ahead, I think you deserve a good, long bath after braving the airship today. Twice, at that. I'll leave a lamp on for you." He lets go her hand, rolling over onto the bed and crawling to the other side, where he sits and goes about untying his boots.

JENNA: * Jo gives a brief smile, then turns and ambles to the bathroom, stretching lazily and kicking her boots off as she goes. Once inside, she strips down and runs the water as hot as she can stand it, waiting for it to fill sufficiently before stepping in. She feels a certain pang of disappointment at the interruption, slipping below the water with a low sigh and settling in for a long soak.

JUSTIN: * Shane removes his boots slowly and lazily, falling back onto the bed after and sighing mutedly. There is a part of him that still can't accept events as reality, since the most rational parts of his mind were certain these things would never come to be. Regardless of what his brain wants to believe, however, there is an unmistakable, warm feeling filling him, and it is probably the best thing he's ever felt. It's a pity, then, that he's too tired to do anything more about it at the moment. He pushes himself back upright, stripping off his shirt languidly, and turning an eye to the bathroom door.

JENNA: * Jo seems to be settled in for the long haul, and it's nearly an hour before she rises from the water, now lukewarm. She takes her time toweling off, then tugs her clothes back on with a yawn and another sigh. They'll have to start looking for work in the morning. Before she leaves, however, her eyes drift to the shadows and stop suddenly, finding the book Shane tossed aside that time earlier. She trots over to scoop it up, looking at the cover for a moment and wondering if she'll be able to convince him to read it for her. Still eyeing it, she pushes the door open and reenters the room.

JUSTIN: * Shane's long since freed himself of his clothes -- except his pants -- and is lying in the bed beneath the blankets. He's turned out the lamp by his side of the bed, but as promised, has left a light on for Jo on her nightstand. He isn't quite asleep, however, and the sound of the bathroom door opening is enough to get his eyes open again. Edging up onto his elbows for a look, he finds that even the act of watching her, of sitting there casually, feels different than he's used to.

JENNA: * Jo notices the motion and glances at him, arching an eyebrow. "Still awake?" She walks over to the bed and seats herself on it, facing him, then looks at the book again, frowning. "I always wanted to know what was in it that they were willing to pay so much for it, you know? I wasn't really expecting to find it again." She glances at him sideways, only slightly wary of any forthcoming lecture.

JUSTIN: * Luckily for her, Shane isn't in the mood to lecture. And if anything, their new familiarity is enough that he'll hear her out instead of jump straight to judgement. "So that is the book that brought you to Juno in the first place." He reaches out a hand, taking it from her grasp and staring down at it. "Only your guild leader seems aware of what it's true value is. He never trusted you to know what it was?"

JENNA: "Teague was never very generous with information -- particularly if he wanted something for his own gain." She lifts her shoulders and lets them drop. "I don't know what he would have wanted with it.. guess the old man just liked collecting old books." She tilts her head, frowning slightly. "It's a diary? I don't know how much that'd be worth.. and I've never heard of any Omar what-you-may-call-him, either."

JUSTIN: "Mm..." Shane flips through a few of the pages, the hand-written scrawl only barely legible. "Well, whoever he might be, he has poor handwriting." He shuts the book, running fingers over the old, cracked leather binding. "If I had to guess... I don't think the book itself is of any value -- it isn't even in good shape. It must be what's written in it that's worth so much." He slides the book back toward her across the comforter. "Perhaps that's why he sent someone who... who can't read. Just in case they would get too curious during the trip back to Morroc."

JENNA: * Jo glances at the book again before picking it up. "Maybe. I never got it, though, so I guess it doesn't matter. Maybe he thought I ran off with it anyway ..." She slides off the bed, walking to her pack and kneeling beside it to place the book with her other belongings, then makes her way back to the bed. "I want to know what's in it, though." She gives a long stretch before settling down on the bed again. "If it's so valuable, maybe we can turn it to a profit."

JUSTIN: * Shane turns to reposition his pillow, fluffing it up a bit before turning on his side to face her, propping up on his elbow. "Or at least keep those brigands in Morroc from getting any richer." He scratches at his cheek, remembering she was one of them not so long ago. "No offense." He sighs quietly, shrugging his shoulders. It isn't something he'd really want to get involved in under normal circumstances, but things haven't been normal in a damn long time. "I'll look it over, if you want. I'll do it with you. But right now..." He lowers himself down from his elbow, curling an arm under his pillow and getting comfortable. "We should enjoy our last night in a cozy bed before we're on the road again."

JENNA: "All right." Jo grins at him, standing once again and pulling back her side of the covers in an uncharacteristic move to crawl underneath. She doesn't seem particularly bothered by the change, looking for all the world as if it's normal as she settles against her pillow and yawns. Then her gaze refocuses on him for a moment. "Do you want to look for a job here or head somewhere else first?" She nestles down, looking drowsy, and tugs the covers up over her nose.

JUSTIN: * Shane notices the change, whether Jo does or not, but he's determined not to make a big deal of it. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to check here first... At the least, there might be a caravan without an escort." He smiles a little, finding the sight of her nearly buried in the blankets to be surprisingly cute. "Let's worry about it in the morning. Over breakfast, okay?"

JENNA: * She wrinkles her nose at him, though the motion is barely visible under the blankets. Then she huffs a faint sigh, wiggling around to turn her lamp off and let darkness fall over the room. "Okay, okay." She's about to protest she really isn't sleepy, but that would be a lie, as drowsiness washes over her as soon as her head touches the pillow again. "Good night," she mumbles into the blankets, yawning again.

JUSTIN: "Good night." Shane settles onto his back, staring into the dark for a while as his brain continues to question the nature of the universe -- or at least the part of existance where Jo factors in. It's the silent arguing with himself that eventually causes him to drift off, into a surprisingly pleasant sleep considering the methods used to reach it.

JENNA: * Jo drifts off almost immediately, her own brand of pragmatism preventing her from debating the events of the day. They were incalculably rough, swinging from one mood to another, but the outcome was more than she would have expected. More than content, she's actually quite happy, and her sleep is undisturbed by doubts or dreams.

JUSTIN: * Shane's sleep isn't quite so undisturbed, as his overactive imagination simply doesn't allow for dreamless -- or even motionless -- nights. As per usual, he begins to toss and turn over the course of the night, migrating across the bed in all directions. One time nearly falling off the side, another time colliding with the headboard. At some point, he ends up on Jo's side of the large bed, and it's there that he seems content to stay for the time being.

JENNA: * Jo stirs drowsily as he comes to rest, barely awake enough to register that it's Shane next to her and not some other, random warm object. She yawns, perfectly willing in her state of half-awareness to let him stay where he is -- with one minor modification. She wriggles closer until she's curled comfortably against him, nuzzling his shoulder drowsily before she drifts off to full sleep again.

JUSTIN: * Shane doesn't wake while Jo makes her modifications, but he is very accomodating of them anyway. He slips an arm around her, snuggling into this cozy, friendly pillow, and remarkably, this seems to cure his toss-and-turn fixation completely for the rest of the night.

JENNA: * The sun is long up before Jo wakes, blinking drowsily and somewhat disoriented -- first by being under the covers and second by being cuddled up next to Shane. She starts at first, not remembering how it happened, then decides she's comfortable anyway with his arm around her and lets her eyes drift half shut, enjoying the sensation.

JUSTIN: * Sleep is long in losing its hold on Shane, and it is a good ten to fifteen minutes after Jo is awake that he begins to show signs of rousing himself. At first he only shifts in place, giving Jo's waist a squeeze and murmering nonsensical words as he climbs out of slumber. His eyes open slowly, and they're barely half open when he begins to gain some sort of awareness of his position. He's about to ask what time it is when he realizes Jo's face is nestled right into his shoulder, and his time-hardened instincts cause him to jolt up and away in a panic. "Oh my gods!"

JENNA: * Jo, badly startled by this reaction, sits up as well, shaking the last of her drowsiness away. "Is something wrong?" she asks blankly. "Are you okay?" She doesn't rememberhim acting like he was having a nightmare, but she's willing to give him the benefit of the doubt -- for the moment.

JUSTIN: * Shane doesn't seem to notice -- at least not consciously -- that she isn't even upset, and he continues to sit up straighter, backing up against the headboard and shaking his head. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to! I mean, I didn't realize I'd... I don't know why I -- my arm, around you!" There is an acute moment of fear, where he expects a foot to connect with his face, or worse. All of a sudden, he becomes aware of his completely bare chest, as well, and he scrambles back down again, grabbing his pillow and holding it in front of him as a shield against her eyes and her fists.

JENNA: * Jo folds her arms, pulling her legs underneath her and giving him a level stare. Then she sighs, rolling her eyes heavenward, and reaches out to snatch the pillow away from him, scooting closer in a rapid motion and rearing up to bring her face level with his. "I was /comfortable/, stupid," she growls at him, leaning forward to kiss him firmly -- just as a reminder.

JUSTIN: * Shane opens his mouth to question the sincerity or accuracy of that comment, which then becomes the urge to complain about the loss of his pillow -- but they are all squelched before they can leave his lips, which are now pressed solidly against Jo's. He places a hand on either side of her waist, kissing back dazedly for a second before pulling her away from him and staring at her eyes with a little bewilderment. "So... so I wasn't dreaming, then? I thought..." He sighs quietly, looking deeply embarrassed, and snugs her up against him again. "Gods, I really need to stop overthinking things."

JENNA: "Hmph." Jo lets one arm curl comfortably around him, resting her head against his shoulder. "It wasn't a dream," she confirms with a faint sigh, shifting to seat herself next to him. "I didn't want to get up yet," she says a little plaintively, poking him in the chest.

JUSTIN: * Shane blushes noticably, moving his free hand to rub at the back of his neck. "I'm sorry for my outburst... it's sort of a habit." He almost feels dizzy, thinking back on previous occassions. It's still shocking how completely they've come around, in such a short span of time. "I suppose... we don't /need/ to get out of bed yet. If you don't want." He turns his head, nuzzling at her hair a bit and feeling a warmth grow in his chest. "We technically have the room all day, so there's no rush."

JENNA: * Jo makes a noise that sounds suspiciously close to a purr, nuzzling his neck and snuggling closer. She's about to draw back to kiss him again -- a contact she seems to enjoy -- when a business-like knock sounds at their door. Jo slumps, and the knock repeats, a crisp voice calling, "Sir? Ma'am? We've got to clean this room for other customers."

JUSTIN: * Shane shifts into a straighter sitting position, staring at the doorway with a mix of confusion and annoyance. "Then again, maybe I was /mislead/." He turns to Jo and, after a second of hesitation -- wherein he smacks himself mentally for hesitating at all -- he leans in and pecks a kiss at her lips. "I guess we have work to discuss and breakfast to eat, anyway." He slides away from her, slipping off the bed and grabbing his shirt to tug on as he walks to the door. "Just a moment, I'm coming."

JENNA: * Jo grumbles, scooting off the bed herself and trotting hurriedly around the room to collect her belongings. These she packs rapidly in her bag before stalking back to the bed to tug her boots on. Whoever's knocking at the door seems to be taking Shane at his word, waiting patiently for him to open it before speaking again.

JUSTIN: * Shane buttons his shirt at least halfway, curling his toes against the carpeting as he opens the door and takes a look at whoever is standing in front of him. "Is there some sort of mix-up? I paid to keep the room until evening." He doesn't quite sound mad, but it's certainly no secret that he's aggitated.

JENNA: * The young woman beyond the door stares at him blankly, tapping the handle of her mop against her shoulder. "Look, I don't know anything 'bout that ... manager told me to clean up this room and make sure whoever was in it was out of it, all right?" She shrugs. "You wanna rent the room another day, you prolly better take it up with him."

JUSTIN: * Shane crosses his arms over his chest, and /now/ he does begin to look a bit on the angry side. "Oh, is that it? Lucky for you, we're getting ready to leave already." He places a hand against the doorframe, leaning heavily. "Come back in ten minutes. And while you're out there, tell the manager I'm expecting a day's rent refunded." That said, he steps back and shuts the door solidly, turning the lock. He grunts, then spins to head back to the bed and finish dressing.

JENNA: "Guess they didn't like the noise," Jo remarks, lacing up her boots and glancing up at him with a tired smile. "We were pretty loud." She gets to her feet, belongings all back in one place from where they were scattered the night before, and scoops her pack off the floor. "Guess I can't argue with getting some of our funds back, if you really want to fight him over it, though." She glances at Shane curiously.

JUSTIN: * Shane gets to his feet again, picking up his coat and slipping into it. "I don't know. He certainly owes it to us. Loud or not, it's not like we were carrying on for hours." He snorts, grabbing his belt from the nightstand and fastening it around his waist. "Why is it that we always have our worst stays at the expensive inns?" He turns around to face her, smiling wearily.

JENNA: * Jo returns the smile with a grin, starting for the door. "Because the people who run expensive inns are uptight." She pushes the door open, stepping into the hall and shifting her pack slightly. "Which is why -- aside from cost -- we don't stay at them very often." She sticks her hands behind her head, glancing back at him. "Besides, it wasn't all bad ..."

JUSTIN: * Shane picks his backpack from the corner where he left it the night before, slinging it over his shoulder and following Jo out into the hallway. "Well... no, I suppose not." He finds his hat among his things, and placse it on his head, watching Jo out of the corner of his eyes. "There was a bath, after all. And the blankets were plenty soft." He smiles teasingly, and starts down the hallway.

JENNA: * Jo gives a soft "tch," following him as he goes. "Where do you think we should look for a job? The market? I'm not really looking forward to another merchant caravan." She ambles up level with him, giving a faint huff. The truth is she isn't really looking forward to getting back on the road, but it looks like they're not going to get anywhere by lingering.

JUSTIN: * Shane scratches at the back of his head, turning the corner to start the descent down to the first floor. "I'd say it's our best bet. The sages are too secluded, and you know my opinion of the Guard..." He sniffs, looking over his shoulder at her. "We don't have to get a job here, if you don't want. To be honest, I feel a little... out of sorts. Maybe we should just get used to the road again before picking up another contract."

JENNA: * Jo shrugs agreeably. "That's fine by me. We've been running into the Guard way too much on this trip anyway ... not that they have anything they can pin on us except disturbing the peace, if they really wanted to try." She pauses, thinking back on the book again, and decides to bring it up later, once they're out of town and camped. It's probably a better bet if they're not employed, to be honest.

JUSTIN: * Shane tugs at his sleeves as they reach the bottom of the stairwell, smoothing the fabric and sighing lightly. "At least none of them are likely to chase us halfway across the globe. Only I would show such dedication." He smiles vaguely, turning her another look.

JENNA: "Lunacy," Jo corrects him almost affectionately, then stops, looking ahead slightly to a small cluster of people standing near the reception desk. "Well, there he is if you want to talk to him about it." She tilts her head. "Looks like he's busy, though."

JUSTIN: * Shane sets his hands on his hips, apparently contemplating his options. "He does look it, doesn't he? I'm sure he'd hate to look bad in front of new customers." He starts walking toward the desk again, moving his arms to fold squarely behind his back. "Pardon me, if you would -- I hate to interrupt, but we really must talk."

JENNA: * The manager turns to him with an aggravated stare -- a stare that becomes outright hostile when he realizes who is bothering him. "Is there a problem, sir?" he asks, not even pretending to be polite. "I have non-disruptive customers to attend to, if you don't mind." Jo's eyebrows lift as she comes upon the group, and she folds her arms, watching interestedly.

JUSTIN: * Shane turns his attention to the customers, lifting a hand to tip his hat and bow respectfully. "My apologies, I assure you this will only take a moment, and then I'll be out of your hair." He then turns back to the manager, standing to his full height and walking to stand directly beside the desk. "There is a matter of a refund I'd like to discuss with you. You see, I paid to keep our room until evening, but one of your staff has informed me that the room is no longer ours."

JENNA: * The manager draws himself up, bristling slightly, and fixes Shane with what is doubtless meant to be a fierce stare. "Sir, I assure you, our policy states that checkout is at noon on the last day, and we do not waive it!" The receptionist looks a little surprised at this, and Jo gives a faint "tch" as the customers behind him begin to murmur amongst themselves.

JUSTIN: * Shane taps a finger on the desk, smiling faintly. "Whatever your policy is, that is not the sale I was given. And according to the law, you must abide by the sale given to me, whether it matches your policy or not." He folds his arms over his chest, giving the manager a very stern look, very befitting a captain of the guard. "I paid to keep the room until evening, and I expect to get a day's refund. A few minutes of noise is not grounds to break an agreement."

JENNA: * The manager quails, then looks practically outraged, blustering for a moment before slamming his fist down on the receptionist's desk. The girl behind it looks alarmed -- then a little bit annoyed. "Give him his money," the manager barks, then he fixes a harsh stare on Shane. "And I'll thank you not to set foot on this property again -- you or your /partner/." His inflection on this last is made to be as insulting as possible, and Jo's brows lift again -- as does her hand, forming a rude gesture at the man behind Shane's back.

JUSTIN: * Shane arches a brow at the manager, not letting anything show. "I should also remind you that harassment of customers and employees is also a quick way to get your license revoked. I would beg you control your temper in the future, if you care about your business." He smiles then, and steps over to the receptionist to retrieve their money. "And I wouldn't worry about us coming here again. In fact, I doubt I will ever suggest your establishment to anyone in the future." He hands back half of their refund to the receptionist, covertly. "For the inconvenience." He mutters quietly.

JENNA: * Jo starts out the door with a rolling shrug as the manager splutters something incoherent in Shane's direction. The receptionist darts the man a worried look, then shakes her head sharply, pressing the money back on Shane. "Couldn't," she mutters weakly, casting another glance at the manager. Jo, meanwhile, is headed for the stables, stretching as she goes.

JUSTIN: * Shane shrugs lightly, not having the time or desire to argue, and retrieves the money with a smile. He does "accidently" drop the largest bill on the floor by her desk as he makes his exit, however. Once out on the street again, he takes a deep breath and sighs. "And that is exactly how much respect I would have gotten if I was still a captain in the guard." He trots down the short steps, stretching a bit before shoving his money into his pocket. "But as a guard, I'd never be able to get any satisfaction in causing him such frustration."