To (Un)Live and Die in Las Vegas...Part 1

Las Vegas is one of those vibrant cities of which it can truly be said that it never sleeps.

We rolled into Vegas with a plan, with all of the vehicles except the psychedelic van heading for the hotel in which the Convocation was to take place. Rowan and Morrigan would be a problem at that particular place, so the young couple who had their private time interrupted so rudely by my makeover assailants were headed to the western edge of town, far off the famous Strip, and were going to get a room in a residential style motel that rented rooms by the week. We already knew which place that was going to be, as one of the John’s students from the reservation had scouted it out for us and rented the room during our trip from Chicago. This place accepted pets, even large, fearsome looking beasts that might better belong in zoos, as long as the desk manager received his extra $20 (each) at check-in.

Actually, there were several rooms rented in that off-site motel, since Jim felt we might need a a place to fall back to in the event things got squirrelly, as somehow we knew they woould.

The rest of us joined that vast stream of nearly parked traffic that passed for the Strip nowadays. The hotel for the Convocation was one of those really big, really famous places that could be identified by just about anyone from just about anywhere solely based on its name, which I will avoid mentioning at this time for legal considerations.

(You just don’t fuck with the people who run these things, after reading about these events you will understand why I have chosen not to identify the exact location.)

I had my trepidations as we approached the hotel, I simply was not used to being around this many people. I had carefully examined myself with a mirror after my makeover and didn’t see how anyone would be able to recognize me, since the ladies had done such a good job blending everything together and putting together such a complete look. But I still felt unsettled. Perhaps it was a general anxiety about being in such a public setting, but something was gnawing at the back of my mind.

No one else seemed to have these same feelings, except perhaps Cerrydwen. She had returned to her dour, gloomy self shortly after the makeover, and was no longer smiling. She seemed almost as nervous as I did, staring at all the people with a challenge in her eye, like she was daring them to mess with her. Hardly anyone met her gaze for long without looking away or looking down quickly.

I was riding in the back seat of Jim’s truck, with Herne riding shotgun (almost literally if you counted all of the hidden weapons on his person, from his semi-automatic pistol to the newly confiscated stun gun to the hunting knife he kept sheathed in the small of his back). Cerrywen was sitting right behind him, spending most of her time staring out at passersby, while Ravyn sat in the middle between Cerrydwen and myself. She seemed her normally bubbly self as she kept badgering Jim about how much money he was going to give her to gamble with. She seemed to think she had some special skills that would help her with Roulette and some of the dicing games.

Jim remained stoic throughout her banter, making non-committal noises about gambling being risky and how the house had all of the built-in advantages. As we approached the parking garage for our hotel, Ravyn turned her attention to Cerrydwen, “Sis, isn’t this going to be great? I just love the energy of all these people, all this stuff that is going on here. I can’t wait to get inside.”

Cerrywen turned her glare back to Ravyn, a withering look if I had ever seen one, “Yeah, great. All these people. I can’t wait.”

Oblivious to the tone Cerry was using, Ravyn blurted out, “I’ll bet you and I can make a killing at the tables. You know, if we got you in the right poker game, your winnings alone could pay for this whole trip!”

“I’m not playing poker against her,” said Herne, smiling as he looked back. “But we need to focus on the matter at hand of the Convocation, darling, gambling will have to wait until afterwards.”

Ravyn sat back, crossing her ams, lips drawn down in a pout, “You guys are no fun. I’ve been cooped up all winter long!”

Jim pulled into a parking spot on a lower lever of the garage, followed soon after by the other vehicles that remained in our group. We grabbed what bags and stuff we didn’t want to leave in the truck and went inside to get our rooms.

It felt strange walking so freely, so openly, in the middle of the afternoon among crowds of people, and not attracting the stares of fear and revulsion that I normally get. The worst I got now were looks of amusement and curiousity. It was like a tremendous weight had been lifted from my shoulders, I felt free and easy as I walked through the teaming crowds, I even loved having to push my way through like a normal person. With my normal look, people made sure to keep as far away from me as they could manage. Perhaps everything was going to be OK after all.

Jim handled the check-in, which went smoothly. I am pretty sure that I saw him wince in pain though as he reached for his wallet and pulled out the corporate charge card to pay for all of the rooms. I got the distinct impression that spending money was NOT one of his favorite activities, even if it wasn’t his own. No wonder he did so well in building up the finances of the group so quickly.

Our rooms were in mostly adjoining blocks on the tenth floor, while the conference room we were assigned for the Convocation was on the second floor above the main casino floor but near some of the private gambling rooms that the hi-rollers used for their private gambling with other rich folk.

I ended up bunking down in the same room with Jim, since Herne’s wife, Moira, was already checked in from the day before. Herne was grinning like a fool as he waved at us on the way up to go see her, obviously intent on catching up with some much needed private time with his wife.

John was met in the lobby by a gaggle of his students from the reservation, they seemed amazed at seeing him again, but happy. The various students we had brought with us took off in groups of two or three for their own rooms.

Cerrydwen, the Frau and Ravyn were in the adjoining room. I unlocked the privacy latch on our side of the door between the rooms and knocked.

Ravyn peeked through the cracked door, smiling as she exclaimed, “We’ve got hot tubs in these rooms, Jim I’m going to give you a big hug!”

Jim looked down at his feet, “Yeah, well, you don’t need to be SO surprised, I’m not that cheap!”

The Frau called out from behind Ravyn, “Remember, we’ve got a meeting with the council at dinner, everyone should get freshened up and ready for that!”

I closed the door and looked for the remote control for the big, flat screen television that hung on the wall opposite the beds. Jim already had it in his hand, he turned it on and we vegged out to a couple of hours of SportsCenter.

After about the fourth cycle of hi-lights we got a call on room phone, Ravyn letting us know in which of the many restaurants in the hotel to meet at for the council session...