I must apologize for our host's terrible choice in décor, but one can't help what one has no control over.

[He says this with the driest of chuckles. The best way to stay on top of a situation? Make fun of it. But on seeing the hairpin, his eyes brighten (not that way, not yet).]

A master of lockpicking, then? Better still and less tricky to manage in a tight place like this.