Head to the general store and buy some food. Are there windows in the store that would allow observing the hotel front? Don't say much, but just listen.
Also double checking to make sure that amp is installed and ready.
Milno has all the money, remember, and the store isn't open yet. It's like 5-6 in the morning, by local standards. 28 hour days.
Hmm...I wonder what else is around here?
Walk around the next closest blocks and look for anything else of interest and staying alert for any other suspicious people(besides us), hopefully with Skylar so Thaddeus doesn't get mugged, while Milno gets a room
The block behind the hotel is mostly tenement houses and private buildings, while the block in the other direction is crowded with a line of stores similar to the general store, though selling different things. There are electronic stores, clothing, used goods stores, book shops, cafe, a few restaurants, all manner of things. They're all still closed, for the moment.
Head to the abandoned building and frown / read the sign on the door while waiting for Milno. Look as if I'm annoyed that something has been closed. Head in with Milno to get the rooms, chatter with him about the 'attractions' pamphlet if he finds one.
The sign says, in a language that seems to have it's roots in english but with modified grammar and some words you don't recognize, that the building has been repossessed and is slated for resale by some Realtor group.
((Sick, terrible morning headache. I'll post this and may edit the action later to be more detailed or correct any mistakes.))
Already waiting for quite a while, Milno notices the rest of his teammates approaching. Although he has considered giving some of the cash to his teammates so they get different rooms and pretend they don't know each other, that plan only had high chances of crashing since they'd eventually have to meet somewhere and all of them had the same cases. Putting some of them inside the Green Mansion and the rest in the other hotel also faced the problem that in case their mark is paranoid enough, all of the place's rooms could be under surveillance.
They needed a base of operations as quick as possible to gather information before making any moves.
Get into the hotel and discreetly check for any free pamphlets detailing the city's attractions and any other useful info - a library's/equivalent place's location would be good. Then check the price for two or three rooms capable of holding the entire team, preferentially in some price table displayed somewhere in the lobby. Pay for them.
If were taken to our rooms, discreetly check whether they have some kind of surveillance system, pretending I'm just checking the place's quality.
You head into the hotel. The lobby is fairly small and rectangular shaped, with one door to the right of the entrance, and one straight ahead. The door to the right is blocked off by the check in counter. It's all quite old looking with faded jade colored wallpaper and mouldering wood paneling. You highly doubt this is the type of place to have pamphlets. You ring the bell on the counter and, about a minute later, an older looking man with a scruffy white mustache and tired eyes shuffles out of the door behind the counter wearing a robe.
"I need two rooms for myself and my friends. Next to each other, if you have them."
"It's 25 night by room. Don't pay, we kick you out." The old man says, looking you over. "50 now."
You hand him the money, careful to not show him the size of the wad of cash you're carrying.
"Third floor, rooms 1 and 2. Stairs there. Pay here tomorrow morning, or we kick you out."
"Excuse me, I was wondering if you know where the library is."
The man, who was rummaging under the counter, looks up at you "No library. Book store next street."
The man hands you two keys, real brass keys with teeth for an analog lock. How quaint. He shuffles back off into the other room after giving them to you.
You head through the door he indicated and find the stairs, a narrow set of wooden stairs that stretched up the length of the entire building and were crammed in the back corner. On the ground floor there's a second door leading off away from the stairs. It's closed and won't open from your side, but you can see through a round window in the top that it appears to lead to the kitchen. You head up to the third story and into the first room, which is just left of the stairs. The room itself is fairly large, all things considered. Big enough for two beds, a low dresser, a shitty TV and a bathroom with a shower. There are no windows in the room, but it is connected to the second room, so thats a plus.
You didn't see any cameras anywhere on the way up, though you've not seen much of the actual living area yet.