{"id":158,"date":"2023-04-14T01:00:10","date_gmt":"2023-04-14T06:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/?p=158"},"modified":"2024-02-10T10:23:15","modified_gmt":"2024-02-10T16:23:15","slug":"one-room-three-wolves-and-a-disapproving-manager","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/one-room-three-wolves-and-a-disapproving-manager\/","title":{"rendered":"One Room, Three Wolves, and a Disapproving Manager"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

10:02 PM \u2013 Sleepy inn on the edge of town<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The van rolled into the cracked parking lot of the Sunrise View Lodge<\/em>\u2014a bold name for a squat, two-story motor inn surrounded by chain-link fencing and exactly one half-lit palm tree. The only view here was the Waffle Depot across the street and a dumpster large enough to be haunted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhy does this place look like it\u2019s been condemned twice and is trying for a third?\u201d Mark asked, clutching his soda like a protective talisman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey had a group rate,\u201d Thane grunted, stepping out with a clipboard still in hand. \u201cAnd they don\u2019t ask questions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gabriel grabbed his duffel, tail flicking behind him. \u201cPerfect. I\u2019m gonna take a four-hour shower and cry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cassie, Maya, Rico, and Jonah piled out of the van in various states of road-worn disarray, dragging cases and backpacks across the pothole-laced parking lot like a pack of exhausted cats. Rico dropped his duffel and muttered, \u201cI will give my soul for a towel that doesn\u2019t smell like armpit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inside the lobby\u2014which was 50% ficus plants and 50% outdated regional brochures\u2014a lone front desk clerk blinked at the approaching wall of band.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She was maybe 22, clearly underpaid, wearing a name tag that said \u201cHAYLEY :)\u201d in a font that tried too hard to be friendly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her smile faded the instant she saw Gabriel\u2019s clawed hand resting on the counter. Then her eyes traveled to Thane\u2019s clipboard, Mark\u2019s permanent scowl, and Maya\u2014who was glaring at the decorative moose painting like it owed her money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUm\u2026 can I help you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thane leaned forward. \u201cFeral Eclipse. Three rooms under Thane. Two doubles, one single.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hayley tapped at the keyboard like it had insulted her. \u201cRight\u2026 I have you in 102, 103, and\u2026 205?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maya stepped up. \u201cNo. No stairs. Not with this amp. If I have to carry this up a flight I will set the building on fire with my mind.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hayley looked panicked. \u201cWe don\u2019t have an elevator.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThen swap with Jonah. He\u2019s like, four ounces and lives in the floor tom anyway,\u201d Maya snapped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jonah, still yawning, held up a hand. \u201cI\u2019ll allow it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thane pinched the bridge of his muzzle. \u201cEveryone just go inside. I\u2019ll figure out the keycards.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gabriel slid over and offered a charming, toothy smile to Hayley. \u201cSorry. We\u2019re a little… road-cooked.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hayley, unblinking: \u201cDo you have a pet deposit form for\u2026 um… that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gabriel blinked. \u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She pointed. \u201cYou\u2019re\u2026 I mean… claws?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gabriel\u2019s smile went full fang. \u201cOh. Right. Sorry. I\u2019ll try not to shed in the ice machine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hayley backed away slowly and handed over the room keys without another word.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Outside, Rico had given up and was now laying on his duffel in the parking lot. \u201cThis is where I live now. My spirit has left my body.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mark walked by, sipping a second soda. \u201cDon\u2019t leave a forwarding address.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the time everyone had their keys and semi-agreed on roommate arrangements (Maya demanded her own room with a \u201cdo not disturb ever\u201d policy), the band trickled toward their rooms like migrating zombies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gabriel flopped onto the bed in 102, still fully clothed, tail twitching once before going still.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thane followed, dropping his rigging notes on the table with a grunt and flopping down beside Gabriel, stretching out his clawed toes with a tired sigh. \u201cI swear, if the AC unit growls at me again like last time, I\u2019m just throwing it out the window.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mark opened the door, stood there for a beat, looked at the ugly painting on the wall, and muttered, \u201cI\u2019ve made worse choices.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From somewhere down the hall, Maya\u2019s voice echoed: \u201cIf the water pressure in this shower is weak, I will scream.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jonah answered, \u201cPlease do. I want to sample it.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

10:02 PM \u2013 Sleepy inn on the edge of town The van rolled into the cracked parking lot of the Sunrise View Lodge\u2014a bold name for a squat, two-story motor inn surrounded by chain-link fencing and exactly one half-lit palm tree. The only view here was the Waffle Depot across the street and a dumpster […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-158","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tour-life"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=158"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3307,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158\/revisions\/3307"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=158"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=158"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=158"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}