Coulson walked down the stairs, pretending to pick up a travel guide from a table in the lobby's seating area. He heard the man say to the receptionist, "Yes, I rushed over from there... Never expected to run into this here... Yes, it really is quite interesting..."
Because Coulson was some distance away, the man's words came through in fragments. Still, from the way he pronounced the few words Coulson could make out, he could tell that the man was either British or had learned British English. He was very likely a scholar as well.
Could he be a professional the town had brought in?
Still, that was not especially strange. Canada was, after all, a Commonwealth nation. Though geographically it was practically America's backyard, plenty of Canadians had relatives in Britain.
Many Canadians, living in the cold conditions of such high latitudes, longed for Europe's warmer maritime climate. They regularly went to Europe to study, vacation, or even settle down, with friends and classmates over there.
Coulson heard the receptionist chuckle, and knew they were having a pleasant conversation. To figure out what was going on, he decided to move closer and listen.
Of course, not in an agent-like manner. The lobby was not large to begin with, and there was nowhere to hide his figure. He might as well walk over openly and strike up a conversation. Coulson had great confidence in his own approachability.
"Hello, sir. I just arrived too. If you don't mind me asking, did you come from New York?" Coulson walked up to the front desk, turned, leaned casually against it, and smiled.
"Yes, I just got off the plane." The man smiled back at Coulson. "I rushed here straight after attending a conference in Hong Kong. It's rather cold here, isn't it?"
"Winter