In which we see the suite, and Renard becomes Sean.
As Monroe, Nick, and Bud were texting the ladies in their lives, Renard and Hank made their way over to the desk for check-in. Nick was frustrated to see no less than five 'Where are you?' texts from Juliette. This was not going to be fun... oh well, he supposed he could ignore some of them, at any rate... Renard came back over with a slight smile.
"Shall we, gentlemen?" he asked, waving his arm toward the elevator. They got in, and Nick could see Monroe visibly shaking with excitement... or perhaps it was the sugar/alcohol buzz from the birthday cake vodka. Renard inserted a keycard into the slot, and the number 29 flashed on a small screen.
"Our floor is accessible by key card only, so when I give you these, don't lose them," the Captain muttered. They finally reached their floor, and the elevators opened. Renard steered them to the right, and eventually they found their room. He turned to Monroe. "You ready for this?" Monroe shook his head.
"Probably as ready as I'm gonna get, though..." Renard opened the door and held it open as Monroe walked in; the other followed. Monroe stopped cold and just stared ahead at the giant panoramic windows facing the Strip and the Bellagio's famous fountains.
"This is a dream. This isn't real, this can't be real... Oh my God, is this actually real?" Monroe muttered before turning to his companions. They were all similarly standing agog at the view before them, except for Renard, who was smirking.
"Welcome to your penthouse suite," the Royal said, clapping Monroe on the shoulder, "come, let's have a look around." The suite was large and sumptuous, with three bedrooms and seven bathrooms. Renard turned to the group, all of whom looked absolutely gobsmacked. "I think this will do nicely, don't you gentlemen agree?" They all nodded, still dazed. Renard chuckled and checked his watch. "Well, we have about an hour before dinner, so once you pick your jaws up off the floor, we can start figuring out what we plan to do this weekend. I'm going to go freshen up. I think the Man of the Hour gets the Master Bedroom. Each of the other rooms has two beds, and they both look about the same... Oh, for God's sake, Klaustreich got your tongues? What, you've never been in a place like this?" All four men shook their heads. "Oh... well, anyway, welcome to the high life, my friends..." With that, Renard took his bag, turned, and headed toward one of the bedrooms.
"This place is probably worth more than I make in a year," Bud muttered.
"Us, too, probably." Nick agreed. He was starting to wrap his brain around it all, when he heard Hank rustling behind them. Of course Hank found the bar.
"I think this calls for some more alcohol..." he joked. "Let's see what they've got in here..." Nick watched Monroe go over to the window and start taking pictures with his phone. The fountain show started below as Hank handed Nick and Bud shots. They walked over and joined Monroe, watching the fountains.
"This is just... wow... I don't even know anymore..." Monroe stuttered, clearly at a loss. He took his shot, smiled at his friends, offered another "Prost!" and turned back to the window. "I wish Rosalee could see this... this is just amazing..." Hank snorted.
"I think we might have to start a drinking game... take a shot every time you say Rosalee's name."
"That might not be such a good idea," Bud interjected, "we'd probably all die of alcohol poisoning!" The Blutbad held up his hands.
"I'm sorry, I've just been so worried about her. She's been so stressed... I hope she can relax and have fun this weekend..."
"More alcohol?" The group turned to see Renard had changed out of his suit and into a nice olive green polo shirt and khakis. Nick couldn't help notice the green shirt really brought out his eyes. The Captain noticed them staring at him. "What? Aren't we here to relax and have fun?"
"Yeah, but..."
"No buts, Nick. For the rest of this weekend, I am not your boss, I am not the Captain, and I'm certainly not a Prince. I'm just Sean, looking to show my buddies a good time, and send a good man off to a long and happy marriage, alright? Now, where's my shot? I'm itching to show the Blutbad what a Zauberbiest can handle." Hank poured him one while refilling the other glasses. "Santé!"
"Santé!"