User:MatthiasRat/Convention Building
 | [[:Category:Paradise|Paradise]] story universe |
[[Setting::Paradise| ]]
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{{#if:Nuvola apps bookcase.png|}} | Works by MatthiasRat on Shifti |
This is the next story of Christopher's life in the Paradise setting, and the first set in 2003.
{{#ifeq: User |User| Convention Building | Convention Building}}[[Title::{{#ifeq: User |User| Convention Building | Convention Building}}| ]]
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Spring.
The arrival of Spring in Blacksburg was occasioned by strong winds, overcast skies, and a steady warmth that nevertheless gave way suddenly to chill and thunderstorms. Flowers bloomed and brought brilliant pinks and violets to gardens. Green grass thrived, and the many farm animals living outside the town center contented themselves with the new growth.
The many students at Virginia Tech greeted Spring with renewed enthusiasm. The semester would be over in only another six weeks, and bounteous Summer waited. On the Drillfield students engaged in sports and games even when the winds rose and tried to carry them away. Some students even flocked to the library to study harder in preparation for the coming exams.
But for SOAP, the work of many months had brought them to Technicon, the local Science Fiction and Fantasy convention at which most of them were staff. They had organized a hotel, wrangled guests and dealers, prepared panels, and pulled hair out. But now they could enjoy the con.
At least that was the theory.
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"If people would stop asking me ten questions at once I might be able to answer them!" Van said as he rifled through the boxes sitting behind the registration desk next to the stairs at the bottom floor of the Red Lion Inn. "No, I don't have the string. Talk to Trevor about that, he's Facilities. He's supposed to know where this stuff is. Yes, what do you need?"
Christopher, who sat nearby tried not to chuckle at his friend's exasperation. He was in far too good a mood to allow the craziness of the convention to get to him. Finally, after so many false starts and confusion, they would have a gathering of Changed.
Despite Patrick being in the know -- and Audrey a week later when Rob showed her -- they hadn't been able to visit the Bristol Changed, nor had their plans for a gathering around New Year's gone anywhere. But Technicon was an established event. All Christopher and Rob needed to do was invite every Changed living in Virginia and nearby East Coast states. The bear had even invited Carter, but the wolf couldn't get away.
And now he sat in registration with Van to make sure any of the Changed that did show up received the invitation to the special party Saturday night.
"I can't get you any chairs for the writing panel because all of my volunteers just walked off!" Van exclaimed in his level voice into the radio.
While Van dealt with the many crises multiplying by the minute, Christopher gently but quickly tapped his claws on the borrowed laptop to process the registrations. The line of people waiting turned to the left and back up the stairs to the main lobby. About one out of every three was preregistered which made things move slow. So far that afternoon, he hadn't seen any of the other Changed. After taking the latest attendee's money, he picked up his radio and called, "Brett, Patrick? Can one of you get over to Registration? We're swamped here and Van is taking care of everyone else's problems."
Van threw up his hands in frustration and shouted, "I don't need people here! I need people to start doing their damn jobs!"
Christopher smiled. Yeah, it was a typical Technicon.
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"Here, plug this cable in the extension outlet." Rob watched the volunteer carry the cable toward the wrong side of the room. "No, the other one! Over there next to the special effects generator."
"The what?"
"The thing with the shiny buttons that looks like you would use it to blow up Alderaan!"
"Oh!"
The skunk shook his head and turned back to setting up the speakers. He smelled a familiar scent come from behind. He smiled as her fingers ran up through the fur on the back of his head. His tail twitched and he turned his head to one side. "Hello Audrey."
"I can almost feel it," she said as she drew her fingers back and forth. He brushed his tail across her side, but she didn't seem to feel that either. "Does it feel good?"
"Oh yeah!"
She smiled and giggled. "How many of you are coming?"
"Chris has the numbers. I've been making sure Technicon works!" After learning that CM had told Patrick about them, he'd made good on his long-standing desire to let Audrey know that he'd become a skunk. She'd taken the news surprisingly well. The only thing he hadn't mentioned was that CM had become female in addition to being a bear.
"I'm going back to Art Show. I'll see you later." She gave him one last scratch behind the ears and then went back the way she came.
His smiled vanished quickly. A moment later he glared at the volunteer and shouted. "No! That's not an extension outlet! Other side of the shiny buttons!"
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By the time the first of the Changed arrived, Registration had finally sorted out its problems and was running as smoothly as things run at a convention. The line had been reduced to a few individuals standing in front of the registration desk. At the back of the group, rubbing his paws together, stood a chipmunk dressed in a medieval tunic and breeches. A plastic sword was slung across his back. Dark brown eyes fixed upon the bear, but Christopher made sure everyone else was taken care of first.
Christopher knew the chipmunk from his profile, but he couldn't admit that in front of Van. When the chipmunk moved in front of him he smiled and said, "Welcome to Technicon! Do you want to register for the weekend or just the day?"
The chipmunk grinned, scalloped ears twitching at every noise. "The weekend. I'm Kyle Paglioni. I'm coming here to Tech next year."
"Oh?" He hadn't mentioned that in their last email. "Well, you've picked a very good school! This is a beautiful area, and everybody here is really friendly. Where are you from?" While he made the overeager chipmunk chat about things they already knew, he processed Kyle's registration. He surreptitiously scribbled a room number onto one corner of his program book. He then handed him a badge and grinned, "Well, Kyle, you're ready to go enjoy the con. I'm sure I'll see you again later."
Kyle nodded and affixed the badge to his tunic. "Definitely. How many others?"
Christopher cast a quick glance at Van, but he was busy registering another attendee. "Five, not including us. Tomorrow, eleven o'clock."
"Night?" Kyle grinned, his incisors sticking out two inches from his lips.
"Yup. Have fun!" He gestured with one claw to the person standing behind him. "Yes, welcome to Technicon!"
Kyle nodded and slipped out of the way. Christopher watched his short tail flit back and forth as he disappeared into the con.
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Rob walked past the hotel rooms toward the main lobby and listened to the chatter on the radios. "We've got Carolyn here, but Steven's plane is just now landing," Trevor said. "Somebody needs to be driving to the airport to pick him up."
"We have somebody running transportation," Van replied. "Why aren't they at the hotel already?"
"They just got back with Tom," Trevor replied.
"I'm on my way," Nick replied. "I've just got to drop one thing off and I'll be on my way."
He smelled them first. Rob passed beyond the line of hotel rooms and stared down the concrete steps at the patio at the group of individuals seated around one of the wire-mesh tables. A chipmunk, otter, opossum, and an older man who looked like a Golden Retriever, sat chatting animatedly, their voices complimented by churrs, barks, and chittering exclamations. As soon as he came into view, they turned and waved at him. The chipmunk shouted, "Hey! Here we are!"
Rob grunted and climbed down the steps. He tapped his staff badge with one claw as he came over. "Sorry I can't talk long, I'm on my way to take care of another crisis. Is everyone okay?"
"Doing great!" the chipmunk said. "You're Rob, right?"
He nodded and extended a paw. The chipmunk and he shook, and he said, "And you're Kyle." He then turned to the otter, who still managed by her dress and the color of the fur on her snout to appear in her thirties. "And you're Claire from Bristol. Sorry it's taken so long for us to meet."
She smiled, her whiskers bushing over her lips. "That's all right. It's been a crazy year. This may be the craziest thing of all. I've never been a science fiction fan."
"That's okay," Rob said. "We've got other panels you might like." He looked at the opossum whose age he couldn't quite tell. He was filing his nails and sliding his jowls over rather sharp looking teeth. "I don't know you. Did CM find you?"
"Edgar Burlow," the opossum replied. He half-stood in his seat, long tail dragging against the decorative iron,and shook paws with Rob. "I'm actually Hokie alumni, but I live in Richmond now. And yeah, I met CM on the forums. She said this was the best chance to meet folks like us."
"We hope it will be," Rob admitted. "It's the only con in the area with two Changed on staff at least!" The skunk finally looked at the old dog. His paws rested on a cane and he had an unlit pipe propped between his teeth. "Carl, I'm glad you could make it."
The dog's tail wagged once and his ears turned back. "My nephew always had good things to say about Technicon. Now ya'll better not disappoint."
"Your nephew comes to Technicon?" That genuinely surprised Rob.
"Few years back. He's overseas with the Navy servin' his country."
"Good for him." Rob clasped his paws together and nodded, long tail flitting behind him. "I'd love to stay and chat, but I have to go strangle one of my volunteers who's fried a circuit board in Main Programming. You guys have fun, and remember, keep track of your fur. This hotel has a no pet policy, and we'd rather not get in trouble!"
"Rob! We really need you in Main Programming!" one of the video staff shouted through the radio.
The Changed laughed as Rob rolled his eyes and vaulted up the stairs.
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"I'm going to take a break," Van announced as he stood up. There were only a couple people waiting to register, but as it was already getting late, they both knew that registration would slow to a trickle soon.
"Going to get some food?" the bear asked. His stomach rumbled eagerly. In the last couple of weeks his appetite had finally returned. Over the course of the winter he'd lost nearly a hundred and fifty pounds, dropping him to something reasonable for his height and build. But with winter over, he felt the hunger growing again, and just the mere thought of food made his fur twitch with rapacious desire.
"Yeah, I was going to stop by Staff Suite. Do you want anything?"
"Oh yes, please!" He grinned and made a show of licking his jowls. He wondered what Van saw, but his friend just rolled his eyes and climbed around the registration desk. "Just grab me whatever. I'm sure it'll be fine."
After Van left, Christopher finished the last of the registrations and then pulled up his browser on the laptop. During a previous lull he'd surreptitiously logged onto the Changed networks to see if there was anything he should take care of. With so many humans around, he wouldn't use his mantra to put himself in CM-mode, but as he began to type a few replies, a little of the she-bear started to come out.
But her mind snapped back to the present when an unfamiliar scent came to her nose. CM... Christopher lifted his head and sniffed again, turning to his left and staring in surprise at a tall black cat. The cat stood five and a half feet tall, slouched from a backpack over her shoulder, and seemed to be greying at the sides of her muzzle. She was dressed in an old blue jacket, jeans and sagging paisley shirt. The way she stared at him with trembling paws and quivering jowls, he knew that he was the first Changed she'd ever seen.
Christopher rose and smiled to her as best he could. "Do you need some help?" he asked, trying not to sound too excited. His heart pounded and his nostrils flared, and he wondered how well she'd be able to read his expression. The registration area was mostly empty, as everyone else was attending panels or over at the gaming area. When the one human staring at their hotel map finally disappeared inside another room, he ventured in a low voice, "How long have you been a... panther?"
She took a single step down the stairs, wary, but calming down. "Since August... and how long have you been a bear, miss?"
Christopher cringed and touched one of his breasts with a paw. "That's complicated. And it's Mister. I was a man before this. Have you never seen another of us before?"
She shook her head, but she did come down the stairs and over to the registration desk. Her green eyes blinked in sock, but also in delight. "I thought I was going crazy at first."
"We all did. But there's several of us here at Technicon. I'm Christopher Mattiaz. And you are?"
He extended a heavy bear paw and she took it gingerly with her much smaller feline paw. Her scent was wild and strong, mixed with many different flowers and herbs. Did she do gardening? A faint smile pierced her jowls. "I'm Barb Fletcher. Your name sounds familiar. How long have you been coming to Technicon?"
"A few years now," he admitted. "I moved here in 98."
"I think I may have seen you a few years ago then," Barb let go and frowned. "You were human then?"
"I haven't been human in a long time. So you live in Blacksburg?"
"On the other side of Main Street near Nellie's Cave Park."
"I know where that is." His eyes stole to one of the conference rooms when a pair of humans stepped out laughing and talking to each other. "Look, we can't talk about this right now. Too many people around. But tomorrow night we're all getting together. There's six of us here already, and I expect another pair tomorrow evening."
"Well is there anywhere I can wait for them? I don't feel like searching around for anyone."
"This is a good place. Everybody has to go past here, or up in the lobby. Either one will work. First, let's get you registered. Security will kick you out if you don't have a badge."
Barb smiled, her long black tail dancing behind her backpack. "That's why I'm here." She leaned in a little closer. "How'd you end up female? And how can you type with claws like that?"
Christopher shrugged as he typed her name in the system. "I don't know, and a lot of careful practice. You just get used to it." He smiled and growled deep in his belly. "That makes three of us living here in Blacksburg. And another is coming to school here next year. So from now on you don't have to worry, you'll have plenty of support."
"Well thank you very much, I do appreciate it." She nodded her head and smiled broadly.
He handed her the program book and tapped the back page with one claw. "Here's the room number. Eleven o'clock tomorrow."
"That's a little late for me, but I'll make it."
"Oh good, I–"
Van's voice in his ear interrupted him. "Hey Chris, they've got spaghetti, chili, sandwich fixings, chips, whatever you want. What can I get you?"
"Snag me a sandwich. Two of everything for fixings."
Over the radio, Van sounded dubious. "Okay. That's going to be one hell of a sandwich."
Christopher grinned. "I know. Thanks!" He turned back to Barb who was reading the schedule. One of the conference room doors opened as the panel let out. He motioned with his eyes, but the black panther had already seen them. "If I don't see you again before then, I'll see you tomorrow night. I hope you enjoy Technicon, Barb!"
She smiled enigmatically, and turned, long tail bumping against the registration desk. "I'm sure I will! See you tomorrow, Chris."
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Rob found Brett milling about the Dealer's Room. His lanky roommate had elected to work Security at Technicon this year, and held a bundle of ribbons in one hand as he patrolled the tables of merchandise. Some brought gaming supplies, dice, books, maps, even plush toys. Others brought clothes both medieval and modern. Many sold art and fiction. And a couple of them sold honest to goodness weapons, though most were for display. But even those could kill if they weren't careful.
"Everything going smoothly up here?" the skunk asked his friend. Behind him, he could see one of the ladies rubbing her nose. Great. He'd need to use more cologne to cover his musk.
Brett grinned and stammered, "Yeah... everything's fine up here. When am I going to get somebody to replace me?"
"Hungry?"
"A little."
Rob nodded. He was starting to feel a little hungry himself. Hearing Chris and Van talking about food over the radios an hour ago didn't help either. "The Dealer's Room should be closing in a half hour. Can you hold out until then?"
Brett made a "murr" noise but nodded. He chuckled then and pointed to one side. "What's that guy doing?"
Rob turned his head and saw the opossum sharpening his claws on one of the swords. To a human, it would look like he was waving his hand back and forth over the blade. The skunk felt his tail fur frizz as he stomped over to the opossum. Edgar saw him coming and grinned, revealing a wide plethora of sharp teeth.
"Oh, hey Rob. Nice stuff you guys have here."
"Is there anything we can help you with, sir?" Rob said, making sure to use his I'm-in-charge voice.
Edgar's scalloped ears folded back, and his long tail curled tightly about his pants-leg. "No, just admiring these blades."
Rob leaned in closer and hissed between his fangs, "Can you not sharpen your claws on them? Everyone is watching you!"
The opossum glanced around, as if suddenly aware of everyone else standing around the Dealer's Room for the first time. He chuckled nervously and set the blade down. "Right. Just couldn't help myself."
"Just cause there's a few of us here doesn't mean you can loosen up." Rob patted him on the shoulder, and dug in a tad with his claws. "Enjoy the rest of the con!"
Edgar glared at him for a moment, then shrugged and went back to admiring the blades. This time without his claws.
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As the first night of Technicon wore on, Christopher realized that the mountain of a sandwich Van brought back for him wouldn't be enough. So, after closing down Registration for the night, the she-bear lumbered out the lobby and down along the hotel. Only the main lobby and conference room were set indoors, the rest of the hotel opened out to the parking lot or the sidewalk and woods in the back. Most of the con-specific rooms faced the parking lot, including Con Suite and Staff Suite. And both of those had food, which is exactly what the bear wanted.
Staff Suite was two doors farther down from Con Suite to discourage the regular attendees from trying to crash the place and get the better food. But a canine scent in front of Con Suite mad him change his mind. With one heavy paw he pushed the door open and saw the tables lined with chips, gummi bears, cookies, and an assortment of snacks as well as a pot of chili burbling contentedly in a crockpot. Carefully spooning out some of the chili was the elderly golden, Carl.
His tail wagged as Christopher entered. A few other con-goes were there as well and a staff member whose name he'd forgotten. He waved to them and then sidled next to the canine. "Enjoying the con so far?"
Carl glanced up at him, being gentlemanly enough not to so much as stare at his breasts. "I'm not much for science fiction, but ya'll have some interestin' things goin' on."
Christopher grabbed a handful of cookies and, making sure no one was looking, stuffed all of them in his maw. He crunched them with his molars, rubbing his huge tongue back and forth as he swallowed. He still managed to get crumbs on his wide, black nose, but another swipe of his tongue and they were gone. Satisfied, he asked, "So what have you seen?"
"That them there art show was somethin'. If not for what's happenin', I wouldna believed anybody could have an imagination like that!" He grinned and panted as he moved down the food line. Christopher noticed that apart from the chili, he'd not taken anything else. The golden sniffed at the table curiously a few times, but didn't seem to like anything. The bear couldn't blame him. Most of the rest of the goodies were chocolate or had too much sugar for a dog's heart.
"There's a lot weirder stuff out there; stuff even I don't want to know anything about."
Carl set his bowl of chili down and glanced over the drinks, "So ya stayin' at the hotel?"
"No, I live here in town. After I eat I'm driving back home to get some sleep. I'm surprised to see you up still."
The dog shrugged his shoulders. "Ya want us up late tomorrow, so may as well git used to it."
"True enough!"
"Hey!" a third voice cut in. Both bear and dog turned their heads to stare at the girl standing over the chili pot. "Who put all this hair in the chili!" She lifted a wad of shed brown fur out of the chili.
Christopher tapped his claws together and whispered to the dog, "Time to go." Carl chuckled under his breath.
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Things were finally winding down for the first day of the con. Rob was tired, but he could stay up at least another hour. Not that he'd have to, as the last panel for the night had just ended. Chris had already left to go home, and Van was busy securing all of the registration equipment. Brett and Randall stood security outside the last panel and one of their very few adult panels. Although they talked to each other, Rob could tell just form their scent that they were ready for sleep.
"Hey Van," the skunk asked, "when's Reg opening in the morning?"
"When Chris gets here. I told him to be here by eight o'clock."
"Not that any of us will be up then."
"I'll be up," Van muttered. "Nobody can get this system to work without me."
Rob wanted to say something more, but the doors to the panel opened and people started filing out. What surprised him was that he saw Claire the otter and their surprise arrival. They saw him and immediately came over.
"Ah, there you are," the black panther said. Her name-tag read "Barb". "Is there somebody who could give me a ride home? The buses stopped an hour ago."
"I can take you," Rob offered. "Just tell me where you live."
"Thank you very much. Claire and I were just enjoying one of your many wonderful panels."
"Wonderful?" the otter sounded quite dubious. In fact, now that Rob looked at her, she looked positively appalled. "I've never heard of such things! How can they live like that?"
"Polyamory is definitely not for the faint of heart," Barb admitted.
Claire shook her head, her long thick tail pressing against the back of her legs as if it was a child clutching to its mother for safety. "I jut can't picture it. I wouldn't want to have anybody in my life other than Harold. There's just something not right about more than two people together."
"Whatever floats their boat," Barb replied with a shoulder shrug.
Claire didn't seem convinced, but she didn't press the subject. "I'm going to go to my room and sleep. It was very nice meeting you, Barb. I'll see you tomorrow morning. I didn't finish telling you about my boy."
"You should bring him next year," Barb suggested.
Claire glanced back at the panel they just left and shook her head. "I don't know... good night, Barb. Rob." She waddled up the steps and out the lobby toward the hotel rooms.
Rob fished in his pocket for his keys and waved to Barb. "Let's get you home."
"Do you have anything you need to do?"
"Just take you home. Then I'm going to sleep. Good Night guys!"
"Make sure you don't drive off the bridge and kill yourself," Randall suggested.
"I'll remember that," Rob laughed and flicked his tail as he and the black panther headed toward the parking lot. Yeah, it was a typical Technicon all right. Thank goodness the first day was finally over! Another day and a half and he could get some real sleep.
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The bear didn't get a lot of sleep that night, but now that his hibernation was over, his body was just fine with that. In the last few months, he'd snooze for ten to twelve hours a night if he didn't use his alarm or if Leslie didn't make him get up in the mornings. It was a crummy way to lose weight he decided, but he couldn't deny that it felt completely natural.
So after pulling on a bra and t-shirt, he popped online to check his messages. Carter had some good news about the demographics models they were using, but Christopher didn't have time to look over that now. The two other Changed he was hoping would come today hadn't left him any messages, so he had to assume they were on their way. He would have sent them a message to let them know he was coming, but not everyone was as thoughtful.
He growled at himself for his Momma Bear moment, wished Leslie a good day, and squeezed into his Saturn and left the Chasewood Downs parking lot. The morning was cool and bright, with the sun peeking beneath the cloud cover and casting weird shadows across the sky. The weather report had called for rain in the afternoon, but they'd probably only get a drizzle if anything.
"My name is Christopher Mattiaz," he said to himself in a rumbling growl. "I'm a she bear and I'm going to be in the presence of those who see me as a she bear, and also those who see me as a man. All those who see me as I truly am know to treat me as a man. I will not fear exposure, and I will compose myself carefully. I will relax and enjoy this convention being both bear and man. And when the time comes for me to become CM, I will enjoy that also and be as much of a Momma Bear as my instincts warrant."
He chuckled and growled as he finished his mantra just as he pulled into the Red Lion Inn parking lot. It was time to get started with day two of Technicon. He couldn't wait.
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"Facilities to Con Chair!"
Rob put the brush down and grabbed his radio. "This is the Con Chair. What is it, Trevor?"
"I'm having some complaints from the hotel staff that a couple people brought pets to the convention."
Rob blinked and stared at his long black and white tail which he'd stretched out on the hotel bed. In the dog brush bristles and all around his tail was piles of shed fur. He could already imagine what had happened.
He tapped the radio with his claw and said, "Tell them we'll look into it. Ask them for the room numbers and I can investigate."
Trevor replied in his usual cheery voice. "I will relay that message and get back to you when I have the room numbers."
"Thank you, Trevor." He put the radio aside and quickly scooped up his fur and stuffed it in a trash bag. He'd take the bag with him when he left. No need for his room number to be added to the list! Great, one more thing to tell the Changed to watch out for. What better time for them to get together like this than the beginning of the Spring shedding season!
He churred to himself, shook his head, and grabbing his radio, walked out to see what other craziness Technicon had in store for them this day.
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"Excuse me." A woman wearing thick glasses with faded blonde hair came to the registration desk during a lull. She carried a light coat in one hand and a program guide in the other. "I'm looking for the Edward room. Can you tell me where that is? I'm supposed to be heading a panel there in a few minutes."
Christopher blinked in surprise at the question before his eyes settled on the woman's con badge. He growled a laugh. "Oh, of course! It's just down this way. Wait, I have a better idea." He stood up and glance down the hallway. "Hey Brett! Can you escort Mrs. Cloves to her panel in the Edward room?"
Brett had been lounging around the Operations desk chatting with Isaac. His head snapped around at the sound of the bear's voice and he stuttered, "The.. The Edward room? Sure, it's right this way."
Mrs. Cloves smiled to Christopher and followed Brett. The bear sat back down and brought up the Changed forums page again. He was reviewing emails from Linda Blayless asking for an update on behalf of Walter Lundh. Not having any of his research materials on paw, he couldn't easily answer the ewe, but it did allow him to compose his thoughts in the meantime.
He looked up from his work to find somebody staring at his real face. The otter from Bristol was there, a confused look on her short muzzle. "I'm trying to find the Henry room, which one is that?"
"The Henry room is right over there. You have to go through that little passage. See it now?"
Claire thanked him and headed off.
A minute later, another set of guests asked him where the panel with Carolyn Cloves was being held.
A few minutes after that, Kyle came buy and asked him where the Fest Halle was.
And a few minutes later Christopher put aside the Changed Network, opened his word processor, and within forty seconds created a sign informing everyone on exactly what page in the program book where the hotel map could be found and taped it to the front of the Registration booth.
Two minutes later, Randall, with an evil glint in his eye, asked him where the Stuart Room was.
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