•MPHFPC ONE SHOTS•

<=NIGHT AT THE MOTEL=>

[Spoilers for The Desolations of Devil's Acre and some Caul x Murnau again, cause yes]

Two men stood in front of a rundown, two-level building with a glowing sign in front of it that read The Falls. Underneath that sign was another one that glowed even brighter and seemed to yell TV IN EVERY ROOM.
This was a motel and the two men were gaping at it, as if they were promised a five star rated hotel and that all they got was this in the end.

But then the shorter one of the two clapped his hands and smiled. "A TV in every room? I've always wanted to try them out!"
"I'm not sure if we will get the chance to do that." said the taller one. He was a heavily built man and the way he was standing next to the other, made them look like a celebrity and his bodyguard. Which wasn't too far from the truth.

The little man was about to take a step toward the entrance when the other's big arm shot out in front of him, holding him back. "Sir, you're not dressed accordingly." the taller man said. "If they're in there, they will recognise you right awa—"
The other got on tiptoes and held one finger on his partner's lips. "But, Percival, I look good. That's what matters. And I want to confront the hollow hunters in style."

He was dressed in a coat, a cape draped over his shoulders and a bow tie complimenting the rest of it. Here and there was golden jewellery hanging from one side to the other, as if the man himself was some gothic themed Christmas tree. Only Caul would dress like this.
"Well, you do look good, but—" Percival said, but Caul interrupted him again.
"And you look like a construction worker." Caul said, looking him up and down.

Murnau was wearing simple work pants and a buttoned shirt, as if he was about to help repair the motel's pipes. Another thing he was wearing was a fake mustache. The two weren't matching at all. Fixing pipes was not the reason why they were there, though.
Caul sighed. "Give me that sun hat and sunglasses." he said and Murnau opened the suitcase he was carrying and pulled out a wide, floppy, black sun hat. The sunglasses were stuck on top of it.

"Thank you, dear." Caul said and took the hat from him, putting it on his head and adjusting it. The sun hat cast a shadow over his face as he reached for the sunglasses, put them on and then let a smile flash across his darkened face. "Let's get inside then, shall we?"

They went in to see a desk and an empty chair behind it. Caul strode toward it and looked around, frowning. He clicked his tongue and turned to talk to Murnau. "Do Americans know what good service is?" he said, shaking his head.
Caul turned back around and spotted a bell on the desk. He started to hit down on it over and over again, while yelling, "HELLOOO? SOMEBODY THEEERE? WE'D LOVE TO GET A ROOM!"

"Sir—" Percival was about to rush over to him and stop him from being so loud, lest it will draw too much attention to them and give them away to the hollow hunters, when a clerk came from a nearby room. Even as he was walking, he seemed to be deeply interested in a newspaper. He sat down on his chair and continued reading.
Caul, very loudly, cleared his throat.
The clerk looked up, unimpressed.

"I said. We. Would love. To get. A room." he repeated, glaring at the man behind the desk.
"What clan you with?" the clerk asked.
Caul laughed. "Clan? We're not from here, silly. Couldn't you tell by my accent? Maybe you can tell by this..."
he said and lowered his sunglasses, revealing his blank eyes.
A visible chill went through the clerk as Caul grinned at him. Caul nodded at his newspaper. "I'm sure you've read about me before, hm?" he cooed.
The clerk nodded slowly, gulping down a lump of fear in his throat.

Caul's fingers tapped the table as he leaned in closer. "Sooo...about the room..."
"Of course, sir, of course." the clerk said, nervously and quickly took a key from the wall. "Your room is number 204."
Caul snatched the key from his hand. "Thanks." he said, winking at the man and slapped a bundle of money on the desk. "Here you go."