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Ray would've preferred to make this drive with Ecto, but the guys needed her too much back in New York. He's therefore rented a car on the State Department's budget for the sake of getting to Port St. Helena, Oregon, without having to deal with some of the nimrods at the airlines and Amtrak. Said nimrods have an issue with the contents of the passenger seat.

"Okay, Jhalak," Ray says to said contents. "Welcome to Boise, Idaho. We're gonna stop here for the night, if you don't mind. I know it's been tough being stuck in the car and all." Mind you, he's made a point of buying several reference books at any bookstore in each of the towns where they've stopped, along with a big honking quantity of fresh fruit. But still.

Comments

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"Hi there," Jhalak echoes. "Armchair! Nice and cushy!" "Applaud approve adopt admire." "On our way to Oregon. Night Moves?"

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"Yup. Just about the most famous haunted place in Boise," says Karen. "They've been having cold spots at random and ghosts of all kinds of folks show up there for years."

"Can't say I ever heard of it," says Ray. "Sorry."

"Oh, well. Gonna be in town long?"

"Just until morning."

Karen nods. "All righty, then. Here's your key, sir; you're in room 720. Have a nice stay, and thank you for choosing Hotel 43!"

[facile-fivefold.livejournal.com]

"Thank you," chirps Jhalak. "Room 720. That's right. Approve!"

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Karen waves a little as they leave the lobby. If one of the Jotok's eyes is pointed in the right direction, it might notice the young woman picking up the telephone and starting to dial before Ray turns a corner and she drops out of sight.

"Ever been in an elevator before, Jhalak?" Ray inquires as he pushes the 'up' button.

[facile-fivefold.livejournal.com]

"Ever been in an elevator before?" "Elevator?"

It looks around curiously and closes all its free hands for a moment.

"Nope. No elevator before." "Elevator?"

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"Okay, then," Ray says. "An elevator is a metal box inside a building that humans use to get from one floor to another instead of the stairs."

There's a ding, and the doors in front of them slide open.

"Here's one now."

[facile-fivefold.livejournal.com]

"Here's one now." "That's right." "An elevator." "A metal box inside a building that humans use to get from one floor to another instead of the stairs." "Okay, then."

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Ray ducks just a little and slips into the elevator. "We push the button that corresponds to the floor we want, and it takes us there," he says. "Can you read the numbers yet, or should we go over those next?"

[facile-fivefold.livejournal.com]

"Numbers." "Read the numbers." "One two three four five..." "...six seven..." "Seven?" "Seven."

One arm directs its eye queryingly at Ray. "Seven?"

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"Very good," Ray says. "Seven it is. You can push the button if you want, but otherwise I'll push it myself.:"

[facile-fivefold.livejournal.com]

Jhalak extends a hand and carefully pokes at the button in question. It takes two tries to muster enough force to get it lit up, but the Jotok takes the light as a sign of success and wiggles its digits in delight.

"Seven!"

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"Bingo!" Ray says as the elevator starts to rise. "Very good, Jhalak. Now hang on. This shouldn't take long."

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"Bingo!" "That's right!" "Approve admire applaud!" "Very good, Jhalak!" "Very good!"

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It's the enthusiasm that gets him, really. About everything. Ray scritches Jhalak's central mass and points out the strip of numbers as they light up.

[facile-fivefold.livejournal.com]

"Two." "Two." "Three." "Three." "Four." "Four." "Five--" (an arm spreads its digits indicatively in the air) "--six--" "--six, six." "Seven!" "Seven!" "That's right!"

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"Very good," Ray says, and steps out of the elevator. "Okay. Rooms 701-710, left. Rooms 711-720, right. So we go right."

Fortunately, the only person in the hall to see him keep up the stream of constant chatter doesn't see him for long enough to do more than blink at the weirdo, and doesn't notice his shoulder passenger. Or if they do, they don't say anything about it.

[facile-fivefold.livejournal.com]

"Room 720." "We go right." "That's right." "Right!"

Freckled(arm) made a funny, it did!

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As soon as they reach the room, Ray tosses his suitcase on the bed and indicates the armchair. "Does that look like a good place for you to sleep tonight?" he says. "I'm just going to ask them to bring us some food. If the lady at the front desk recognized me, we're probably going to have people staring at us in the restaurant, and I don't think we want to spend all supper answering questions."

[facile-fivefold.livejournal.com]

Jhalak leaps confidently to the armchair from Ray's shoulder, turns around completely several times, and settles down to sit on its undermouth with its wrists arranged around it for balance.

"Good place to sleep," it confirms. "That's right. Approve!"

"Food?" adds the ever-hopeful short(arm). "Kiwifruits strawberries grapes?"

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"Or whatever other fruit they have on hand," Ray confirms, reaching for the phone. "Hello, room service?"

It's a pretty good hotel. When Ray hangs up the phone he says, "They're bringing us a whole fruit platter. Hope you like melons."

[facile-fivefold.livejournal.com]

"Melons," it says contemplatively. "Fruit platter! Approve."

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"I kind of thought you might."

There is going to be so much staring when the delivery guy arrives.

[facile-fivefold.livejournal.com]

Jhalak wiggles its digits agreeably and trills a melodic giggle.

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The bellhop wiggles his fingers back, eyes wide. Ray, in a rare moment of realizing what's going on inside another human's head, doubles his tip. It doesn't stop the bellhop from bolting, but enh, Ray tried. He looks ruefully at Jhalak. "Some people are going to be like that," he says. "I'm sorry."

[facile-fivefold.livejournal.com]

"Some people are going to be like that," it echoes, mimicking his rueful tones.

A moment later, however, it has darted forward and absconded with the fruit tray back to the floor in front of its armchair, whereon it starts feeding bits of melon to its undermouth.



Someone's gonna have to tell the kid about carpet and food and how the two don't mix.