It was fortunate then that Yorda only had a penchant for open doors. There had been a conversation about knocking on closed ones and not just wandering in. She didn't quite understand the reasons for it, but if she was going to live in this world, she could follow such simple instructions.

Closer inspection would reveal Yorda was no ghost. She cast a shadow, however much else her body repelled them otherwise. And she had weight enough to leave faint footprints in the carpet.

"I have clean sheets and towels," she said, just a bit defensively, and pointed to her little bin outside the door. In exchange for a room, Anton had her doing chores. No hard labour - just the sort of thing one could entrust to a teenager. Delivering clean linens, washing dishes, dusting the common area. It wasn't much but it helped, and it was better to be in the hotel than aimlessly wandering the alleyways.

"What here needs a cage? Anton Shudder doesn't allow for hurting."