The Remington Suite Hotel and Spa

[onceaviking]

The Remington Hotel and Spa is a large, white building with a vague neoclassical air. It looks quietly elegant. And expensive.

Inside, the reception area is quite big, done up in dark wood paneling and scattered with small glass cafe tables and delicate ironwork-like chairs. Green plants dot the tables as well as the desk. Real plants with real dirt.

A man is seated in a corner reading a newspaper and a family is headed out of the door, likely on their way to a restaurant.

The receptionist is young, pretty and professionally bubbly, greeting Jay enthusiastically as he approaches the reception desk.

"Good evening, sir. How may I help you?"
She's blond and according to her name tag, her name is Marie Anne.

Comments

[runningred]

Jay who looks and probably smells exactly as grubby as he should after a day in the garden. He smiles to Marie Anne. "Hey. My name's Jason Todd. I believe there's a room booked for me?"

[onceaviking]

"Let me just check," Marie Anne says and taps at her keyboard.
"There sure is. Our King Size Dekuxe suite is all ready for you, booked and prepaid for three nights. "

She looks up at him, smiling.
"Checkout is at twelve at the latest, there's breakfast in the dining room from seven till ten thirty, you're free to use our complimentary dry cleaning service and wifi, and you have free access to the use of our spa, though some treatments will require pre-booking and are paid for separately. It's a non-smoking hotel, but we do have an area on our patio where you are free to smoke. Do you have any questions?"

Sweet, personal, not batting an eye at his appearance.

[runningred]

"I feel terribly spoilt, thank you Marie Anne." Jay gives her his best charming smile. "Any chance of booking in for a massage later this evening?"

"Hey, can you recommend a restaurant for dinner?"

[onceaviking]

It seems to work. The smile.

"Of course. Our massage therapist, Connie, is available tonight. She's from Sweden but her English is really good. Would you like a Sports or a Wellness Massage? "

As for his other question, "Well, I would probably recommend The Steakhouse a little further down Travis Street. They have T-Bone that's to die for.'

[runningred]

Sweden, perfect. "I look forward to it. A sports massage would be awesome. It's been a long day."

"Ah, a good steak. I like the sound of that. Any chance you could book me a table?" He glances down at himself and gives her another charming smile. "But I should really get cleaned up first."

[onceaviking]

She tries to hide a giggle.

"How about I make sure that Connie is ready for you at a quarter to nine? And then book a table for you at a quarter to seven? Or is it better for you the other way around? "

[runningred]

"Marie Anne, you're an angel. If you could swap them around, that would be awesome. That way I can linger over a good steak" Jay croons. "Thank you." He hefts his rucksack, ready to get cleaned up.

[onceaviking]

"I'll get right on it. Here's your keycard, the lift is right that way, your room is at the top floor, and Connie will be ready for you in half an hour or so. The Spa is down this way and to the left. The dressing room is the first door right inside and you can use your keycard to open the cubicles. "

She beams at him.

[runningred]

"You've made my evening." He smiles again before heading to his room.

Wow! Eric didn't skim. Jay admires the room before throwing himself in the shower. No point turning up to see Connie with dirt in his hair.

Half an hour later he bounces down the stairs, looking and smelling a hell of a lot better. He finds a cubicle and changes into a robe, looking for Connie.

[onceaviking]

Connie looks just like you'd expect. Tall, blond, smiling and efficient. She's sitting behind the sales counter with rows upon rows of oils, candles, bath salts and what have you, but gets up as soon as she spots Jay.

"Mr. Todd? I've set everything up for you in here. "

The room is well lit and kept in white and seagreen as are her clothes.

It smells of clean linen and very discreet flowers.

She pads the massage table.
" If you'll get ready here, I'll be right with you. "

She leaves and leaves the door ajar.

It's gotten dark already. Outside.

[runningred]

"Please, call me Jay." He waits till she's out of the room to strip off and lay down as directed. He stretches out, ready to explain the scars if she asks. But given how professional this place seems, chances are she won't but you never know.

[onceaviking]

A tall blond Swede enters.

It isn't Connie.

"Good evening, Jay. Is the room to your satisfaction?"

Eric doesn't need an invitation to get inside the spa.

[runningred]

"Hey Eric," Jay smiles, he should be surprised but somehow he isn't. He rolls over to look up at him, perfectly comfortable as naked as he is. "It's gorgeous, thank you. What d'you think of the garden so far?"

[onceaviking]

"It looks like it is coming along nicely," Eric says, leaning against the wall. He's in black as always, a stark contrast to the white room.

He's about to say something else when Connie bustles in. She stops and says, "Oh, I'm sorry, sir, but there's only one person -"

And then she stops, stiffening as Eric is suddenly right in front of her. His pale skin and red eyes clearly mark him as not human in the bright, overhead lights.

"Hello - Connie." Eric says, putting a finger beneath her chin. She's tall, but she still had to look up.

"Now listen to me, Connie. Are you listening? Good. You only have one client in the room. There's just Jay here, no one else. And he is quiet. So quiet that he might be asleep. Not talking. Do you get that?

The woman nods dreamily and repeats Eric's words. "Very good," he says, stroking his finger across her cheek. "Very good. Now, do you have any other clients after Jay?"

She shakes her head, mutely. Transfixed by the glittering eyes of the vampire and his soothing voice.

"When you're done, you'll go get ready to go home and leave Jay to rest here. Okay? There's a tip for you in an envelope behind the counter. He will have been very pleased with you."

She smiles, happily, still looking vacant.

Then Eric moves away and she comes to, turning her back on Jay to get the oil for her hands.
"Are you ready?" she asks, brightly.

Eric moves a little, just to be out of her way.
"You don't mind me staying, do you?" He asks Jay. Connie is oblivious.

[runningred]

Jay watches the exchange with interest. He catches Eric's eye and mouths the word 'glamour' with a questioning eyebrow.

He stretches out on the table. "Yeah, I'm ready. Thanks Connie."

"Not at all." He smiles over to Eric. "I'd be glad of your company. Interesting town you've got here."

[onceaviking]

Eric nods. " Yes. It's a handy skill."

He leans against the wall again and watches as Connie massages Jay, oblivious to his presence.

"It's okay, I guess. Downtown's a bit more interesting, but I like the anonymity of my neighborhood."

Connie is skillfully working her way across Jays back. Quietly.

[runningred]

"Not as anonymous as you might like. Even the local school girls seem to know you live there. Mind you, they're just interested because you're cute." Jay chuckles.

He groans softly as Connie finds a particularly tight knot.

[onceaviking]

"We don't hide, that's true. But I try to keep business at Fangtasia."

His eyes glide across Jay's skin. Warmed by the oil and Connie's hands.
"Were they pushy? The little girls?"

They tend to be.

[runningred]

"They were sweet and flirty and too fucking young to bear." Jay sighs as Connie works on him, trying not to enjoy having Eric watch him like this. "It was almost embarrassing."

[onceaviking]

"In my day, they would have been married already," Eric says. "And if they'd been living in some of the small towns around here, they likely would have been too, now."

He stretches. "Have you eaten?"

[runningred]

"Maybe." Jay shrugs, "but I've got a real thing about people messing with kids.It's just... my thing."

He snorts. "I'm guessing from what I've heard here, some of them would be married to their own cousins." And he wouldn't make that joke if he thought Connie could hear him.

"Not yet. I've got a table booked at the steak place up the road. Care to join me? I know you're not much for steak but..." He flashes Eric a playful grin.

[onceaviking]

"And it's not just hearsay," Eric replies, stretching.

"If it's the one I am thinking about, they advertise that they serve Tru Blood, so yes, I think I'll do that."

Pam was told not to expect him today.
She was not happy about that.

[runningred]

Jay gives a little shudder of disgust, probably scaring Connie.

"If not, we'll go there." Jay shrugs, letting himself enjoy the massage with a sigh. "After all, you know this place better than I do."

Sorry Eric, Jay's having trouble forming words at the moment. Connie is very, very good.

[onceaviking]

Connie pauses and then continues, a little more soothingly perhaps.

Eric watches the proceedings, leaned against the wall.

After a long while, Connie wraps Jay in warm towels and tiptoes off.

She passes Eric on the way, looking straight at him with no signs of seeing him at all.

[runningred]

"Damn, she's good." Jay purrs as Connie leaves, uncurling and getting up slowly. He stretches with loud series of snaps, crackles and pops. "Oh gods, that feels so much better!"

He smiles to Eric and struts over to him, picking up the robe that's sitting next to him. Naked and warm with oil and right up in Eric's personal space. "So? Dinner?"