I drink alone

[Sierra]

* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d100 and gets 60."12 [1d100=60]
<El-Cideon> Paris in spring! After taking a ferry across the channel and a brief train ride through the country, you arrive in the city of lights. It's the perfect time to be here: cool spring breezes waft flowery scents through the tree-lined boulevards. The city proper is clean and well-maintained, mostly neoclassical 19th century facades in good repair.
<El-Cideon> (OOC: your first move here? Also not going to make the travel cost anything, a ferry + train ticket is surely cheap enough to not register.)
* Nadia_Chekova sets to putting her ear to the ground and finding out about any exiled Russian aristocrat groups settled here in the capital of the first European country to begin the grand tradition of slaughtering the nobility.
<Nadia_Chekova> roll 1d20+13 gather info
* Hatbot --> "Nadia_Chekova rolls 1d20+13 gather info and gets 32."12 [1d20=19]
<Nadia_Chekova> After a bit of cafe-hopping, Nadia reports her findings! "It sounds like Masha was involved with a lot of informal groups of Tsarist refugees," she tells her companions. "In her absence, her nephew Andrei is looking after her affairs here in Paris - he might be our best first contact."
<El-Cideon> OOC: anyone with K: pop culture can make a roll regarding Andrei Konstantinov.
<Yomi> roll 1d20+2 sire
* Hatbot --> "Yomi rolls 1d20+2 sire and gets 10."12 [1d20=8]
<Yomi> "Directly, you mean?" Yomi asks. "He will almost certainly alert her to our visit, causing her to increase security as a result."
<Erin> "We might be able to pretend to be interested collectors, or buyers of some kind. Disguises have served us well up to now," replies Erin, shrugging. "That could get a foot in the door."
<Nadia_Chekova> "From what I gather he's not as... motivated, as his aunt," Nadia smiles. "I'm sure he could be convinced to share a few things he shouldn't for a pretty face... or we could disguise ourselves and pretend to be sympathisers for 'the cause' whatever it might be."
<Yomi> "He's some sort of writer, so if you pick up a book of his, it could serve as a pretext," Yomi suggests. "I think I shouldn't make an appearance, as it would just be too much."
<Nadia_Chekova> "Ahh, an admiring fan?" Nadia considers the possibilities. "Yes, I could take that approach. Lets canvas the bookstores to try and find a copy of his work, first, then?"
<Yomi> "Shouldn't be too hard," Yomi readily agrees.
<El-Cideon> It's a minute's effort to find some dog-eared copies of his books in a second-hand store. There are two of them, apparently: "Against the Silent Night," and "Untoward Reminiscences."
<Erin> "They sound like romance..." guesses Erin, picking one up to have a glance at the blurbs.
* Yomi never got the chance to read one originally, and hardly finds herself interested now, leaving it to Nadia and Erin.
<El-Cideon> Erin's not far off. The second one is explicitly about a growing relationship between two expatriats in France, from what you can tell. The first looks more like a coming-of-age story about a foreigner growing up in Paris.
<Nadia_Chekova> Oh, how she must suffer for her own cause... "I suppose we should read these to better play the part. Why don't we check into a hotel and do our homework before seeking young Andrei out directly?" Nadia suggests, with less enthusiasm now that she has to do some reading.
<Erin> "Homework? You make it sound like such a chore!" remarks Erin, heading to the cashier.
<El-Cideon> Nadia and Erin will have to do the research here, as this is France and the editions of the books are in French.
<Erin> OOC: So, concentration checks to read the no-doubt awful books?
<Erin> OOC: Because there's no task that can't be improved with dice amirite
<El-Cideon> OOC: I was just gonna tell you stuff, but if you want *special insight* into this then I guess you can make, hm, wisdom checks?
<Nadia_Chekova> roll 1d20
* Hatbot --> "Nadia_Chekova rolls 1d20 and gets 3."12 [1d20=3]
<Erin> roll 1d20+2 it was a joke
* Hatbot --> "Erin rolls 1d20+2 it was a joke and gets 12."12 [1d20=10]
<El-Cideon> "Against the Silent Night" is about one young man's struggle to adapt to a foreign culture. There's a lot of authentic detail about Parisian life, but it's fairly directionless as a whole, really, and meanders to an unsatisfying conclusion. "Untoward Reminiscences" is about two refugess finding each other amidst the chaos following the Great War and engaging in a passionate courtship. It's all very maudlin and treacly.
<El-Cideon> .
<Erin> "I've read auto-haigigraphical novels before," mutters Erin, closing the book with a snap. "We're dealing with someone who thinks very highly of himself. Actually, I'd say he's insecure, as well."
<Nadia_Chekova> After several hours of reading, Nadia sighs loudly and tosses the book aside. "So dull!" she complains. "What was yours about, Erin? Mine was just a whole lot of nothing about being a foreigner in Paris."
<Erin> "It's about two refugees finding each other just after the Great Wall. But the characters are too idealized; the women, their bodies are described in too much details. The story makes excuses for the protagonists actions whilst relentless demonizing his opponents... honestly, my guess is that he's simply rewriting his own experiences-
<Erin> "-in a more positive light."
<Nadia_Chekova> "Well... since you're more literary-minded than I, why don't we approach him together tomorrow? You can engage him on an intellectual level in case that's the best way into his confidence, and I'll play the innocent nymphette needing her eyes opened to all the true deep meanings of... whatever all that garbage was, in case that's what catches his interest?" Nadia suggests, laying on her stomach with her legs kicking idly in the air.
<Erin> "Since we're trying to get on his good side, that means you'd need me to... lie... about the quality of his writing?" asks Erin, frowning. "My teachers would be so upset, but it sounds like the best way. Ahem. It might be hard to restrain myself from more accurate commentary, but somehow, I suspect his attentions will turn to you soon enough."
<Nadia_Chekova> "I'll do my best for that to happen," Nadia smiles cattily, "But we should prepare for both possibilities."
<El-Cideon> Masha's apartment isn't hard to track down--given that she's a highly public figure whenever she's in the city, getting directions to her residence is easy. The apartment building is nice enough, and clean, but also plain and most. Quite a step down for an aristocrat. The apartment turns out to be on the fourth floor at the back of the building.
<El-Cideon> *plain and modest
* Nadia_Chekova is dressed nicely but not indecently, her attire tailored to accentuate her figure without revealing overmuch as she trots up the stairs with Erin. "Shall we use fake names?" she asks quietly in English as they start the climb.
<Erin> "Alright. I'll be.. hm... Margaret Wilcox," replies Erin, wearing an oversized scarf and a pair of glasses; her hair's done up in a bun for effect, as well.
<Nadia_Chekova> "Katarina Gagarin," Nadia decides for herself. "Might make it easier to form a connection with the same heritage."
<Erin> "We're expatriates ourselves," continues Erin, nodding.
<El-Cideon> At first, no one answers when you knock on the door. A moment of silence, then there's some grumbling from the other side. "What? What? Who is it?" The voice is deep and sounds slightly inebriated.
<Nadia_Chekova> "Ah, is this the home of Andrei Konstantinov?" Nadia asks in breathy Russian-accented French, trying to strike a note of nervous excitement as a starstruck fan might have when confronted with her idol.
<El-Cideon> "Yes...Yes, what of it?" Footsteps approach the door from the other side.
<Erin> "Ah, and I'm Margaret Wilcox. We're from the... Parisian Literature Society," adds Erin. "We would very much like to speak to you, if you have some time?"
<El-Cideon> A slightly bitter chuckle. "Time? Time I have." Locks click, and the door opens. The man on the other side looks to be in his twenties somewhere. Dark hair, thick mustache, blue eyes. He could probably be handsome if he was motivated to be, but right now his hair is uncombed and his clothes are rather disheveled. (more)
<El-Cideon> The top buttons of his shirt are undone; he seems to remember this and buttons them once he sees what's waiting on his doorstep. "Yes? May I ask what your business is?" he says, more politely. You can faintly smell alcohol on his breath.
<Nadia_Chekova> "Oh," Nadia blushes in a perhaps maidenly manner. "We... we read your books," she murmurs, as if terribly embarrassed. "They were so real, and so much heart was in them... I bothered my friend Margaret to help find you, to meet the man behind such soulful words." Then as if suddenly realising, "Oh! My name is Kataraina Gagarin!" she introduces herself in a torrent of shy excitement.
<Erin> "Kataraina, you introduced yourself already," replies Erin, sighing. "But it's as she says- I thought her own writing might benefit from talking to the author of such inspired books- she doesn't seem to pay much attention to my advice. If it's not a bother."
<Erin> OOC: Ex my thing
<Erin> OOC: Well, the first bit.
<El-Cideon> "Ah. Oh, I see! Please, come in. You find me perhaps not at my best, but a gentleman can always make time for time for a lady." He stands aside and gestures inside the apartment. There's a living room in the immediate vicinity, with low sofas and a coffee table, and a small kitchen to your right. There's a short hallway across from you with three doors to other rooms. (more)
<El-Cideon> The light in the apartment is fairly low, most of it coming from a lamp in the living room. A pile of books and a bottle sit on the table.
<Nadia_Chekova> "Thank you so much!" Nadia gushes, "We don't mean to impose at all... but I knew from reading your books that you'd be a nice gentleman," she smiles.
<El-Cideon> He shakes his head. "It's not trouble, no trouble at all.," he says, closing the door behind you. "Sit down, please. You would like something to eat or to drink?"
<Nadia_Chekova> "Perhaps a little drink?" Nadia looks to 'Margaret' as if seeking permission.
<El-Cideon> Though clearly slightly intoxicated, Andrei seems to take note of the look and follows it.
<Erin> "Just a little one," replies Erin, absently taking residence on a sofa.
<El-Cideon> Andrei bustles around in the kitchen for a moment, collecting three glasses and an unopened bottle of wine and placing them on the coffee table (the original bottle disappears tino a cupboard somewhere). "So you are admirers of my work?" he says, pouring the wine.
<Erin> "They're very good examples of the social romance genre," replies Erin, with a nod. "Each of these texts is rich with meaning- only someone who had lived a life of wide experiences can produce such work. It's a pity that they seem underappreciated, though..."
<Nadia_Chekova> "Well I loved it!" Nadia blurts out. "Everything was so *real*. Not like the books I had to read in school about things that happened hundreds of years ago or with stupid morals beaten over your head. It was something I could really relate to, and see in the real world."
<El-Cideon> He nods energetically, smiling broadly at "Katarina's" enthusiasm. "Yes! Yes, this is what I try to capture in my work, the struggles of ordinary people in daily life. How does your average reader identify with these oversized heroic figures? I think they do not, so I write the world I know. I am glad to find someone who understands. Especially such a beautiful young woman, looks and intelligence are a wonderful combination.""
<El-Cideon> combination."
<Nadia_Chekova> "Oh, I'm not that smart, really," Nadia smiles bashfully. "I just know what I like," she adds, keeping her eyes on him.
<Erin> "That's exactly right. People often take their cues from these texts on how to act in life!" replies Erin, nodding. "But they need to dispense with their exaggerated expectations eventually."
<El-Cideon> Andrei sips at this wine, holding Nadia's gaze. "Ah, well, knowing what you want in life, that is more than some people do. All this critics who hold me up against outdated ideals, I think they should try writing their own books instead." He shrugs. "You are enjoying the wine?"
* Nadia_Chekova grabs her glass and takes a gulp!
<Erin> "It's been aged well- oh, please don't feel too obligated!"
<El-Cideon> He shakes his head and refills Nadia's glass. "Nonsense, there is plenty for all of us."
<Erin> "Anyway, I think you are exactly right," replies Erin, taking a slight sip. "Too many simply read instead of write, even when it's quite an experience in itself. Are you working on anything at the moment?"
<Nadia_Chekova> "It is nice," Nadia giggles, "I don't get to drink much, to be honest," she confesses, her demeanour slacking a little as she pretends to be more affected than she is.
<El-Cideon> "Ah, well, this is no convent or boarding school. You can drink as much as you like." He shakes his head at Erin's query. "Little. As much as I talk, the poor response to my books, it was disheartening. I am...taking sabbatical, gathering ideas."
<Nadia_Chekova> "It's a little bit sad, isn't it?" Nadia asks, lip quivering slightly, "There's such a feeling of what's been lost in all of them - it's something I never really realised, but I'd felt it all my life and reading your work helped me realise it. Do you ever think Russia will go back to the way it was for our parents?"
<El-Cideon> "Ah, you did not know the old country yourself? I suppose you were too young. I only have a child's memories of it myself, a country house looking out over a river..." He sighs. "I think the Russian people have chosen another way and I don't know if it is for me to tell them otherwise. I have spent so much time here, I am as much French by now." He downs the contents of his glass with this.
<Nadia_Chekova> "Mother taught me the language, and told me stories of the old country," Nadia swills her glass morosely, "But it is something I can never see for myself, gone forever..."
<Erin> "Now, now. We write stories and keep records just so we can always recall the past," replies Erin, frowning. "It's forever locked within the words we put to paper. So the old times will never truly die- not as long as someone remembers them."
<El-Cideon> "Ah, well, maybe we each remember enough, you and I, Katarina, to reconstruct it together," he says, smiling at Nadia. He seems to only remember "Margaret" is here when she says something. "Yes, what your friend says is right. There are those who actually want to set things back to the way they were, but sometimes I think remembering is all we can do."
<Nadia_Chekova> "Is it, though?" Nadia wonders. "As the generations pass, the stories will become as meaningless as the books I loathed in school. Will our children even care about what was lost?" she considers in a thoughtful tone before suddenly blushing at the seeming implication.
<Erin> "Perhaps words by themselves can be dismissed, but real, actual evidence of the past lies all around us. Who can deny the history of palaces that still stand today, of the finest artwork preserved forever in the Louvre?"
<El-Cideon> "So you suggest we can do nothing?" he says to Nadia. "This is the kind of thought that starts me drinking evenings, so I try not to dwell on such matters anymore. It is a shame to not be at my best when a young woman comes calling, after all."
<Nadia_Chekova> "I'm sorry," Nadia looks ashamed. "It's just... I wish there was *more* we could do than remember. Perhaps you are right, though... who would exiles such as we be to tell those still in the old country how they should live? What can we really do?"
<El-Cideon> He shifts a little in his seat, glances around the apartment, and pours himself some more wine. "Well, there are some people who still want to change things. The arts are enough for me, though."
<Erin> "We should try to keep abreast of the times nonetheless. It's one thing to write about our experiences, but seeing the world change is of merit as well!"
* Nadia_Chekova takes a sip of her own wine. "Perhaps that is the best way. My mother told me of all the priceless treasures that were destroyed by the Bolsheviks, but I know some were saved - I've seen them in museums. They're a physical part of our heritage, something we can look at and touch... well, maybe not touch, in a museum," she giggles headily.
<El-Cideon> "Sometimes destroyed, sometimes stolen. I know some who speak bitterly of such things. But I think a country's true heritage is its people, don't you, Katarina?" He tops off Nadia's glass.
* Nadia_Chekova smiles gratefully and takes a sip from her refreshed glass. "Maybe you're right," she agrees, "But symbols are so easy to understand and recall, I think they help a lot in ensuring the people don't forget themselves."
<Erin> "Many listen to those who speak with bitter tounges," remarks Erin. "Their bad feelings can bring down the hearts of many..."
<El-Cideon> "Mm. Yes. I am not one for collecting material things. Other pleasures occupy my free time." He takes a swig of his wine, a little slowly, as if the alcohol was starting to take a toll on his coordination. "Others, though? My aunt goes to some effort to find such things. Symbols of the monarchy. I think her time is better spent when she worries about people."
<Nadia_Chekova> "I... think I've heard her name before," Nadia looks thoughtful as if struggling to bring up a memory. "M... Masha Konstantinov, wasn't it? Everyone seems to hold her in high regard."
<Erin> "Now that could make a good book," remarks Erin, taking another gulp and finishing off her own. "A rich, travelling member of the old aristocracy, finding all the relics of the past to restore glory to her name..."
<El-Cideon> "Yes, I think it's hard to be Russian in this city and to not know of her. She sets up concerts, speeches, that sort of thing. Lately she travels, though..." He trails off and nods to Erin. "Mm, yes, an adventure story. I wonder how it will end."
<Nadia_Chekova> "Is it actually exciting, though?" Nadia looks skeptical. "I know what the adventure serials on the radio are like with their adventuring archaeologists and such, but surely the real world is far more dull." It's a testament to her self control that she keeps a straight face through that.
<Erin> "Oh, who knows what it's really like out there?" asks Erin, eyeing the bottle of wine. "If we could speak to her, get a first-hand account... or even see some of the things she's brought back, well, that'd be something. You know, I'm getting the idea that I could write this book myself..."
<El-Cideon> This brightens him up. A little at least. "Ah, well, the adventure serials, they are not my genre, but I always encourage people to try, whatever their style. I have travelled little myself, for all that I talk of experiencing the world. My aunt has seen much. I could try to arrange an audience, although...well, it might be difficult."
<Erin> "Of course, it would be hard to catch up with someone who's always on the go, wouldn't it..."
<Nadia_Chekova> "What sort of things has she recovered, Andrei?" Nadia asks, following along with the conversation.
<El-Cideon> "That too, but...well, it may be nothing, but last time she left it seemed as though she expected not to return. Just a feeling I had." He shrugs and pours himself another glass of wine. He's starting to spill the overflow on the table by this point. "Oh, jewelry, personal items of the emperor and his family, art. That sort of thing."
<Nadia_Chekova> "Oh, I like jewellery," Nadia sighs girlishly. "I remember my mother telling me about the time she saw the Tsarina once, bedecked in a fortune's worth of diamonds and gold..."
<El-Cideon> "Yes, yes, that," he says, fumbling a little as he picks up his glass again. "The tsarina wore a great many such things, I am told, though for all of it I am sure she was not as charming as you." This might come out better if he weren't starting to sound rather taxed and tired.
<Erin> "You know, did your aunt ever leave some of these relics in Paris?" asks Erin, leaning in closely. "I'd very much like to see them- I'm sure they'd be quite inspiring..."
<El-Cideon> "Hm?" he says, briefly distracted from deep contemplation of all things Katarina. "I don't know if she keeps them here. But she does lock up her room when she is away."
<Nadia_Chekova> "Don't they go to museums?" Nadia asks, deciding that a robbery might be a good idea. "I thought such things would be exhibited... I'd so like to see them, too..." she still attempts manipulation anyway, though.
<El-Cideon> "I don't know all of her affairs. I think some of them she places somewhere for safekeeping." He smiles at Nadia. "Maybe this is why she locks her room when she is away? I do not know. It would make you happy to know?"
<Nadia_Chekova> "Oh, yes!" Nadia grins, "Just thinking of such beautiful treasures... I'd love to see if my mother's stories were accurate at all."
<El-Cideon> "Well, I cannot turn down a request from a beautiful woman, you know? If there is anything there, we will just look, ant it will be our secret." He stands up and walks to the short hallway across from the front door, moving to the door on the right of the hall. He rattles the doorknob for a moment, but it does indeed seem to be locked.
<Nadia_Chekova> "Does she not have a spare key hidden somewhere?" Nadia asks as she walks over to join him.
* Erin rubs a pinch of sand between her fingers whilst she waits.
<El-Cideon> He shakes his head. "She is sometimes not a very trusting woman."
<Nadia_Chekova> "A pity..." Nadia sighs in defeat. Looks like a night-time robbery it is, then. "Well, it was only a little fancy of mine."
* Erin mutters something under her breath and flicks the sand at the man, intending to try and have him fall asleep on the spot. (will, DC 14, let's see if my 2d4 beats his HD!)
<Erin> roll 2d4
* Hatbot --> "Erin rolls 2d4 and gets 5."12 [2d4=1, 4]
<El-Cideon> roll 1d20+1 yeah, 5 is enough HD for him
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d20+1 yeah, 5 is enough HD for him and gets 4."12 [1d20=3]
<El-Cideon> "It is a shame. I hate to disappoint such a charming young woman. If there is anything else I can do for you--" And then Andrei collapses into an unconscious heap at Nadia's feet.
* Nadia_Chekova blinks in surprise. Was the wine drugged? She doesn't feel bad herself, but she drank far less... she looks over to Erin to make sure she's okay.
<Erin> "Sorry. I was getting a bit frustrated," mumbles Erin, flicking sand off her fingers and glancing pointedly at the door. "Do you think you'll be able to get inside?"
<Nadia_Chekova> "You... used magic?" Nadia asks, dumbfounded. Looking down, "How long will he be out for?"
<Erin> "Around four or five minutes, normally... but he's so drunk that he might not wake up," replies Erin, glancing at the body.
<Nadia_Chekova> "Okay, I'd best hurry then," Nadia reaches into her handbag for her lockpicks and sets to work on the door...
<El-Cideon> Andrei is breathing like someone dead to the world and looks to be sleeping quite contentedly.
<Nadia_Chekova> roll 1d20+12 disable device
* Hatbot --> "Nadia_Chekova rolls 1d20+12 disable device and gets 14."12 [1d20=2]
<El-Cideon> Apparently the wine hasn't helped Nadia's coordination. It's going to take more work than that, as it looks like a fairly sturdy lock.
* Nadia_Chekova dilligently keeps at it, not one to give up easily!
<Nadia_Chekova> roll 1d20+12 disable device
* Hatbot --> "Nadia_Chekova rolls 1d20+12 disable device and gets 27."12 [1d20=15]
<El-Cideon> *click* This time she gets through! Masha's bedroom is fancier than the front rooms of the apartment. Indeed, quite a bit of glitz has been crammed into one little room. All the furniture is quite ornate and looks like it was taken straight from an old Russian mansion. There's a canopy bed in the center of the room, a couple dressers, a desk with cabinets and bookshelves built in, a nighstand, and a closet door.
* Nadia_Chekova steps inside and quickly starts rooting through the dressers and cabinets in search of her mother's legacy!
* Erin is willing to aid Nadia, and keeps an eye out for any journals or address books that might be lying about!
<El-Cideon> OOC: roll search?
<Nadia_Chekova> roll 1d20+2 i wish it was a class skill for me
* Hatbot --> "Nadia_Chekova rolls 1d20+2 i wish it was a class skill for me and gets 15."12 [1d20=13]
<El-Cideon> OOC: Erin?
<Erin> roll 1d20+3 i have int
* Hatbot --> "Erin rolls 1d20+3 i have int and gets 6."12 [1d20=3]
<El-Cideon> The dressers contain a wide variety of fancy dresses for all occasions, but not much more. Ransacking the desk's cabinets proves more fruitful: there are several personal logs, address books, daily itineraries going back years, that sort of thing. Nadia finds some mundane personal jewelry, but nothing on the level of the Aurora. There is, however, a locked drawer at the bottom of the desk.
<Nadia_Chekova> While she could probably find the key by searching the room, Nadia is too impatient for that and feverishly jams her lockpicks into the locked drawer, fiddling to open it!
<Nadia_Chekova> roll 1d20+12
* Hatbot --> "Nadia_Chekova rolls 1d20+12 and gets 23."12 [1d20=11]
* Erin pilfers the most recent logs and the address book, prepared to thoroughly read through them once they head for better pastures.
<El-Cideon> Again, Masha seems to have invested in curiously good security for whatever the contents of this drawer are. Nadia's attempts are gradually successful at producing the gentle *click* of a lock turning in place, however.
<Nadia_Chekova> Time to open it and see what hideous secrets are concealed within!
<El-Cideon> As soon as the drawer is opened, however, a great rush of air roars out at Nadia! From nowhere, a woman's angry voice shouts at Nadia, calling her a criminal in Russian as invisible lashes tear at her! (OOC: reflex save)
<Nadia_Chekova> roll 1d20+8 evasion save me now!
* Hatbot --> "Nadia_Chekova rolls 1d20+8 evasion save me now! and gets 22."12 [1d20=14]
<El-Cideon> Nadia's quick response saves her from being slashed and thrashed, however! Dropping to the ground prevents her from taking any injuries.
<El-Cideon> And despite the noise, Andrei continues snoring happily in the hall.
* Erin belatedly activates her magical senses and peers around the room!
* Nadia_Chekova breathes a bit heavily after that close shave, picking herself up and looking into the box after confirming Andrei is undisturbed. "You are the thief," she mutters bitterly in Russian. Not that this will stop her from stealing some of the other shinies Masha left here, of course.
<Erin> "Damn her- I've never heard of a trap like that. Sorry, I should've- well, at least there's nothing else."
<El-Cideon> There's no jewelry in the drawer, unfortunately. There *is* another book, however, a plain, unlabeled one with a black cover, and a bundle of letters.
<Nadia_Chekova> "I am unhurt," Nadia reassures Erin, picking up the book and letters disappointedly and handing them to Erin since she seems to like that sort of thing. To soothe her pain she grabs a few of the jewels and stuffs them into her handbag. "Perhaps her correspondence will reveal who she entrusted the Aurora to? I think we can wake Andrei up then make our excuses and leave," she suggests.
* Erin has accured quite the collection of materials, but all vanishes into the unfahtomable realm of her bag. "Alright. Let's at least put him on the sofa."
<El-Cideon> Hauling Andrei to the sofa takes a little bit of work, but you're quite capable of moving him with the two of you.
* Nadia_Chekova closes all the cabinets and locks the door behind her when she leaves. Since Erin went to the trouble of hauling him onto the couch, she sees no point in waking him up, and instead suggests they show themselves out. All the letters and books can be read back at the hotel.