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"That's a relief, just a bit stinging is bearable it would seem. I hope so too, these last hours have truly been unnerving to say the least, but it'll all make for a better article and movie later on!" Haakon's positive tone was a breath of fresh air to himself, who hadn't realized his muted excitement. Yes it was mind-bogglingly unexplainable what had happened tonight, but underneath the layer of seriousness (and pain) that had marked this evening, Haakon's journalistic instincts once again called out one of his dearest desires.

A scoop!

Josephine's question pulled his feet back onto the ground again, however, as he found himself standing beside her outside the Grand Continental Hotel. He looked at his American friend, a friendly smile forming on his lips as he felt glad that she hadn't gone home. "Oh...of course, Jo, anything else would be rude wouldn't it? I was just surprised that we got here so quickly. After you?" Haakon held out his arm, gesturing Josephine to enter the hotel's grand entrance before following her inside. "As much as I'd like to dwell deeper into this mystery, perhaps it would be better to have something else to think about. At least until tomorrow, it has been an awfully long day after all, don't you think? Can you handle another drink, I surely could need another one."

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It was perhaps quite fortunate that Nora had not penned her notes with a pencil, as otherwise, from the sudden calamity that broke the silence of the museum, the tip of the lead would have surely snapped. She slowly raised her head from her work, recalling the frightful noise. The words had come to blows, so it would seem. Her brothers had gone to fists many times throughout her childhood, but she feared that perhaps Mr. Drake had decided to seek his "prize" in another matter. Rising from the workspace, Nora carefully walked towards the closed door, only to hear the prolific scolding delivered by the Lady Munn.

Clearly, Nora mused, as soon as she had regained her wits about her, the Lady Munn had not been on the receiving end of that blow. The Countess was in a great deal of pain, that much was to be certain. Would it be proper for her to go to Lady Munn's aid? She hesitated on the threshold, the echoes of the shouts still at the center of her mind. If she had been in such pain, wouldst she enjoy the comfort of a stranger?

Perhaps not. Nora frowned a bit, torn between rushing to the Lady Munn's aid, and remaining at the work station as she had been asked to. There was something quite peculiar afoot in the museum, and despite the still tingling brand on her finger's insistence, it was not the mystical events of that evening. No, the oddness resided in the hearts of Lady Munn and Mr. Drake. Nora bit her lip. It was clear the Lady Munn was in a great deal of pain, yet she may enjoy the privacy to collect herself. And perhaps her knowledge that Nora had heard the entire spat would not ease the Lady Munn's mind either.

Walking back over to her notes, Nora sat down and returned to her work. She did, however, make a solemn vow to invite the Lady Munn for tea. Perhaps then she could approach the subject of the man who proved to be more of a scoundrel with each and every passing minute.

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"Prematurely?" questioned Reginald with some exclamation, "Dear boy, I have re-acquired my presumed deceased nephew after harrowing years, and have now received the joyous news that he intends to resume the courtship of a perfectly lovely and appropriate young lady, with whom I have the privileged distinction of calling my own family, blood ties or no. Point of fact, Peter, were she to eventually accept your proposal, I could refer to her as my niece in an official capacity instead of merely expressing sentiment."

The champagne arrived, courtesy of the slender, fez-wearing bartender. The Lord Major selected a magnum bottle with an earthy red cork, its label featuring the word "Brut" in its descriptor. Reginald selected two additional champagne flutes from above the bar, and deftly removed the cork with a dramatic pop. Pouring the pale, platinum liquid into each of the glasses, he summarized, "Lord Captain, it is an excellent occasion to celebrate."

He pushed a full flute to both Peter and Lauren, and raised his own to toast. "Your health and prosperity."

Reginald noted that Lauren had done a worthwhile job summing up what had been occurring to them all. There were some parts that were left out. He tried to continue the story. "Vera <ahem> ...Lady Munn believes that they are all connected, a sentiment to which I agree most wholeheartedly. These incidents connect those of us tapped by it, though for good or ill I've not the fuller scope to see. The Lady Munn also believes that this is somehow related to an ancient deity named Bastet. Starting tomorrow, we all have our little jobs, preparing for an exploratory venture up the Nile. As for myself, I am playing the role of Quartermaster for this venture. The Royal Military has long been a source of supply for undertakings of this variety, when presented by the Peerage."

The older man took a formidable sip from his glass, and noticed Lauren eyeing the spread nearby. "Oh by all means, Miss Ridgeway, please do help yourself. I would recommend the fresh figs; they do not keep long and are particularly excellent. Then again, most all of the food out this way is particularly excellent, though one does often miss the epicure of one's youth."

"And don't you give too much concern to formalities, Miss Ridgeway. We are British, if you'll bear notice. It's how we show respect and civility. If I use your first name only, then either we are very familiar, I am trying to get your attention, or I am moderately intoxicated and forget my manners."

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Peter looked over to his uncle and chuckled as he rubbed his face, shaking his head a bit in the process. "Fair enough Uncle, I can't find any harm in it." He wasn't going to fault his uncle for wanting a bit of a celebration at the moment. What he said was true. He had been thought dead for quite some time and now that he had returned he was going to try to move on with his life. Taking the flute of champagne as it was offered he raised it slightly and gave a nod. "To affection and honor my dear uncle," he added before smiling over towards Lauren and taking a long sip from the crystal glass. Letting out a satisfied breath he found a seat and rested himself down, letting his cane rest next to him as he took in the story of what was going on with this group of people his (he hoped) soon to be fiance was helping.

"Well that is quite the story uncle and if it had come from anyone else's mouth I doubt I would believe it but you are above reproach when it comes to such matters. I would like to help if you think my services and knowledge would be useful over the course of the expedition. Granted, I presume that Vera has taken charge of this? I cannot imagine her letting anyone take the lead in such a trek without giving them an ear full," he laughed before taking another sip.

Lowering the glass he looked over towards Lauren. "Etching? That does sound odd, well as do the dreams. Well if anyone can solve a mystery of ancient Egypt I would place my bets on Lady Munn. She has been fascinated with the culture and history of these lands ever since she was a little child. Granted, I cannot blame her. Her mother was Egyptian you see and growing up in England, she was long cut off from half her heritage. She always read and examined everything she could on it to try to have a feel of who she was. What about you Miss Ridgeway? You sound as if you are American but you carry yourself as if you are from the British Empire in some ways. May I ask where you hail from?"

Out in the streets of Cairo, the evening crowds were out in full swing. The museum was now locked up from the outside but light could still be seen through many of the windows. It just meant that people could walk out but could no longer just stroll into the place. The air was thick with perfumes and noise from the crowds that were still out and about at this hour. It was passed dinner time but it was far from the time for everyone to be turning in. It was Cairo after all. A travelers paradise and history lovers dream. Granted it was also a pick pockets Eden and there were plenty of people out and about that looked liked they fit in far too well, as if they were doing too much nothing.

In the museum as Lady Kingston examined the texts before her and the rubbings, she would note that certain hieroglyphic symbols were just slightly different than others there. As if they were marked in some way but it wasn't clear in the rubbings. She would need to see the actual tiles they came from to see if it was an actual marking or if it was just a smeared rubbing. Two of them were above two markings that looked like owls, one above a reed, and one last one above a ripple of water on one of the tiles. It was beginning to look like a cypher marker but in an odd position. Taking a closer look at where the markings above certain hieroglyphics they followed a certain flow to them. Phi... the markings seemed to be laid out in Phi. The golden ration was staring Nora right in the face.

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She definitely didn't mind the company. While it could be said she played around with men for her own benefit, she didn't feel like Haakon was like the others. She actually liked the man. There wasn't anything to gain from knowing him, other than a spot in his paper perhaps? She wouldn't be against it, that's for sure.

She entered the hotel after he bid her in, "I can hold my liquor quite well, darling. It takes a lot to get me tipsy. Perhaps we can discuss some more fun things. Like where you call home. Where is that again?"

She took out her compact to check her make-up. Perfect, as always. Not a hair out of place. She was still being seen by many people, so she had to look her best. Even if these people didn't know of her (which was horrendous), she could still show them that they were missing out.

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Taking another long draw from his cigarette, he sighed as he watched her, flicking a fair bit of ash from the tip of the cigarette as he kept taking the occasional drag, quickly wearing it down. Standing there, he listened quietly to what she was saying, he found himself somewhat taken aback by her words, he immensely appreciated what she was trying to do, but it felt odd to him, why was she so insistent on helping him, and so seemingly trusting of him, after all, they had not known each other for a particularly long period of time.

Turning his gaze over toward her, he watched as she began to show him the faded scars which dotted her skin. Watching her as she moved closer, he reached out and gently wrapped his arms back around her, hugging her back and holding the woman close as he sighed. He was no longer shaking, it seems her words, the cigarette or both had done their purpose and helped him relax somewhat. However, now his expression betrayed something like confusion as he pulled back, looking down at her. "Why is it that you trust me so much?" He asked softly, eyes locked on hers as he kept his hands resting at her sides.

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William paused as the slap came, he hadn't exactly expected that, and while it hadn't exactly hurt a great deal, it was the fact she had done so at all which caught him off guard, looking down at her with the same stunned expression, he listened to her words, eventually his expression changing as well. He was clearly not as hurt as she seemed to be, but he certainly seemed to be insulted as she spoke, the venom from her lips seeming to at least strike one nerve as he didn't seem particularly smug or amused by the conversation any more. Moving after her as she spoke, he was of course, confident not to let her have the last word, he himself not seeming to much care for how loud they were being, or how much of a scene they made.

"You would have a much better time of this all if you'd stop lying to yourself, Vera. I might be a habitual liar but at the very least that's given me some damn foresight to know lying when I see it, and it's all over your damn face! Oh believe me, I get it, the 'ghastly' American, all that could ever be on his mind is how many women he's captured the hearts of, and how many more he can steal away, god, a gorgeous, intelligent noble woman would just be the greatest conquest he could dare achieve!" It was, at this point, that William seemed to be getting slightly off-topic. "How could he ever hold a legitimate interest in me, a lowly, beautiful, smart, charming woman such as myself, poor Vera Munn!" He continued again, before it seemed to dawn on him what exactly he was saying, and he moved quickly to deflect his own comments. "Maybe I should go speak to 'Lord-Captain' Peter, eh? He seems a might interested, after all, maybe his is legitimate."

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Lauren looked between Reginald and Peter as the two of them spoke, she smiled and accepted the glass of champagne and brought it up to her lips. She closed her eyes as she enjoyed the taste of it, but then again she did grow up with her father working the bar when she was old enough to. "I will try that then." Lauren said taking Keystone's advice as she excused herself for a moment and grabbed herself a fig and came back to the bar where everyone was sitting. Lauren smiled softly and nodded she didn't mind being called by her last name as she ran a hand through her hair Lauren then took a bite out of the fig which was very good actually and smiled. "This is good, and Miss Ridgeway it is then."

Her attention then went towards Peter as he asked her where she was from, biting her lower lip for a moment she wasn't going to probably give a fake story why she is in Cairo in the first place. "I was born and raised in Philadelphia, my pops and I ran a small bar in the city and my mother worked as a nurse. Nicest woman you would ever meet, my grandparents were from England so I probably got that from my mother and grandparents." Lauren answered giving Peter a soft smile.

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"Where is..." Haakon's words floated quietly out from between his lips, his eyebrows suddenly raised upon his forehead. It wasn't often that Josephine was in the mood of talkin about him and his life, and Haakon hadn't been minding it all that much, it was Jo who was the movie star after all. But where he came from? If there was one thing Haakon had been certain of, that was that Josephine knew where he came from. And she didn't remember? Or didn't she care?

Haakon regain his composure, once again placing that friendly smile upon his face. No, he wasn't going to let this get to him, she surely knew him well enough by now to know where he came from. Surely she was just tired, surely. "Norway, of course Jo. A small but tall land far north, just above Germany and west of Russia. But it's nothing like you home, and certainly not nearly as fun." Haakon said jokingly to Josephine as he led them to the hotel's bar. "One Cassis de Dijon, please. Or any other French liquor if you must. And whatever this lovely lady wishes, I'll pay." Haakon quietly cursed himself for saying those words; he had spent a whole lot of money on their dinner earlier that day. But she did look spectaculer tonight, so did he really mind?

"You don't often ask of my home, but anything in particular you'd like to know, Jo?"

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As the sounds of the Lady Munn and Mr. Drake appeared to die down, Nora glanced over her notes on the rubbings. She attempted to be precise each time she copied down a symbol, as to ensure the hidden meaning--wherever it was--was preserved. Biting her lip, Nora frowned slightly as she examined the symbols on the page. She must have made some sort of error. Some symbols that appeared multiple times had variations--perhaps the calamity had distracted her.

Turning her attention back to the rubbing, Nora frowned slightly. She had copied them down perfectly. Squinting at the page, she couldn't quite determine whether it was simply a smudge in the rubbings, or an actual intent. However, as her eyes flickered to the door, it didn't seem Lady Munn was returning within the next few moments. It would be perfectly well of her to operate under the assumption the smudges were intentional alterations, and see where that brought her, until she could confirm whether or not there was meaning there.

Nora opened to a fresh page in her notebook, and carefully redrew the altered marks. There had to be some meaning to them. She bit her lip anew, recalling Vera's words--that the translated words had been all nonsense in the end. Could it be the identification of the cipher to use? But the position was perplexing. She had never seen anything like it before--but, as she reminded herself, she was an amateur in this field. Flipping to the front of her notebook, where Nora had sketched a brief alphabet of sorts, she attempted to read the symbols-- but all she found was mmhn. That hardly seemed right. Flipping the page, Nora started anew, retracing the symbols once more.

And then, an idea struck her. She crossed out the symbols, and instead, only focused on the positions of the markings. Nora beamed as something recognizable came from the flow. Phi. It was the golden ratio, the divine proportion. It was a geometric relationship, then! In neat letters, she wrote phi down on the page, biting her lip anew.

Now to attempt to apply this rule to the message. She could not help but feel certain the Lady Munn would be quicker than she, given that Nora had to reference her earlier notes each time she attempted to decode a message. The Egyptologist appeared to be fluent in the language--a skill Nora wished she had attained. She had learned gaelic from her nurse as a child, as a severe illness kept her confined to her room, turned infirmary, for a great deal of time. The Irish woman had been her only company, and thus, the young Nora picked up the language quickly.

But now was not the time for regrets. Biting the inside of her cheek, Nora resumed her work.

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Vera didn't looked back over to William, listening to his words as her face kept hidden beneath the curls of her hair as she continued to move the tiles that Lady Kingston would need. Her fingers curling into the tiles as she stopped and stood there, still refusing to look at him. His words hitting her hard but perhaps not for the reason he might suspect. Lifting her head slowly, she stared out at the racks of shelving across from her, barely able to place the last tile on the cart before she snapped the fragile piece of history in half.

Then she spoke and her voice was angered, guttural, and cold. "I am under no such disillusion's to my feeling towards your Mr. Drake and you have more than made yours clear. I am nothing but a conquest. Perhaps a great conquest but a conquest nonetheless. Like any tomb with you, to be raided, and destroyed from within. To be left in ruins with no hope that another would dare come within. To be left cold, dark, and alone while you move onto to your next."

Swallowing the lump in her throat she moved to the end of the cart and placed her hands on the bar, fingers curling around it as she looked down at the tiles. She knew better than to ever say her feelings out loud to him, she would not give him the satisfaction. Love wasn't a game, it wasn't something that people should toy with. People that did so were the most loathsome and she refused to become a piece in such a game. Love wasn't something to have to fight for, or to keep. You stood by the one you loved, you didn't fight to keep them or to obtain them.

"As far as the Lord Captain goes, feel free. I will not try to stop you. He has returned and already spoken about a promise I made him many years ago. A consideration of marriage I suspect he is wanting to discuss come the morrow and consider it I will if that should be the case. No because he is more legitimate but because I know a marriage of respect would be far more acceptable than becoming a conquest. Respect is the best I can aspire to," she said before she pushed the cart passed him and began to make her way down the rows of relics that lined deep storage.

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Aziza smiled softly as she felt his arms return the gentle hug and felt his body relaxing somewhat. It was good to feel that his nerves were soothing at this time, she had hated to see him distressed like he was. At his question she had to think to herself for a moment before she leaned back, her arms still resting on his shoulders as she gazed up at him and found herself chuckling a bit.

"I know a good man when I see one," she said gently before her smile faded. "I have known bad men in the past, I know their looks. I know their ways. I know what they can do. You are not that type of man. You are kind, you offered to protect me this evening even though you knew it could put yourself in danger. You've kept me close and watched out for me. You have always been so kind to me when we have spoken and you have never expected anything in return. Never once trying to take advantage of a situation. I have every reason to trust you Sgt. Walsh and not a single reason to not," she said as her hands slipped up and cupped his cheeks gently in her fingers, her thumbs running lightly over his skin.

"If you can trust me enough to be allowed so close, then I owe you the same respect to allow you as close to me." Letting her hands slip from his skin she stepped back and adjusted her shawl, pulling it back to her shoulders. "Shall we go find Lauren? It would probably be good if we all turned in for the evening, it's been a very long night so far and seems to be a long week ahead."

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Reginald drained his glass of fine, brut champagne, and gingerly set his glass upon the bar. "Yes, Peter, quite. The Lady Munn shall be taking full control over this enterprise. As much as I prefer to assume the mantle of leadership in overland endeavors of this sort, I must concede the fact that this is indeed not a military exercise. I'd haven't the foggiest notion how to continue past the first leg of our journey, nor what to do as we arrived."

With a sigh, the Lord Major slid from his barstool and ambled the few steps necessary to reach the platters of culinary delights he requested earlier. It had been a long day and he had really intended to grab some supper out and about in Cairo, but certain events put those plans on hold. A bit of date bread, some assorted fruits, and smoked, savory meats. If there was but a single complaint he could utter, and he would only very quietly, it would sound something to the effect of, "...i do hope this isn't goat again... ...even camel would suffice..."

"<ahem> But yes, dear boy. The Lady Munn is quite capable in many regards. I can only hope to speak to the right people, get the right equipment, and have my clerk fill out requisitions in triplicate for what we can spare here. If you truly wish to jump into work at a time like this, I could certainly use the assistance of a younger man who knows proper protocol. We can discuss in greater detail on the morrow. But I should be honored to have you on the team, such as it is, were you to decide to join us."

"But for the meantime, I am suddenly curious as to the plight of our new friend, Miss Ridgeway. (Oh, and by the by, do feel welcome to more than a mere fig. I cannot possibly consume all of this myself.) I believe you had mentioned that your family used to be in the Noble Profession of Purveyors of Fine Distillations and Fermentations. Had you given consideration to continuing your family's practice in more legally forgiving locales, possibly with investors?"

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Lauren got up from the bar once more as she let Reginald and Peter continue their talk about Lady Munn and more about the expedition into the desert. She grabbed a plate and dropped a piece of bread down onto it as well as a bit of the smoked meat and another fig off of the table. Lauren felt her stomach grumble slightly as she came back and started to eat, she wasn't sure if it was rude to be eating in front of them or not. Lauren looked in between the two men then Reginald brought up her family's business mainly she smiled slightly as she ran a hand through her hair. "I would certainly love to open up my own bar someday. But I was thinking of just taking the mantle from my father's bar and run it once things settle down back home." Lauren answered.

She closed her eyes for a moment and sighed missing her daughter back home she knew that her husband was taking care of her family back in the US. "I do know of a recipe my father had passed down ever hear of Moonshine?" Lauren asked Reginald her father passed it down to her and they did sell it in her father's bar.

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She flittered about in the lobby as Haakon talked. They sat down and began their order. She quickly put in what she wanted "I'll have the same actually. Sounds delicious!" She turned her attention back to Haakon as he spoke about Norway. She never told anyone apart from her grandfather, but she always wanted to travel. It's part of why she became a movie star. Obviously, the fame and fortune are nice as well, but being able to see the world in all its glory, that made her even more excited. It's why she was here in Egypt, sitting with a journalist, while a burned ring mark still showed on her finger and they were planning a trip to some tomb to investigate a curse.

Really now...life was funny.

She smiled as Haakon spoke, she detected a bit of pride in his speech. He was proud of where he came from even if he didn't say much about it. Even if he put it down. "Oh really now, darling, I am sure Norway is fantastic! We may seem glamourous in America, and truth be told we can have a bit of fun, but the world is so much more than the States. Or England. I want to see it all, so humor me a bit and tell me anything interesting about Norway."

As she let that out, her attention was drawn to a man speaking rather loudly in the lobby. Her senses twinged, especially when she heard the man utter a certain name. One she believed she heard uttered before, in the museum. She shushed Haakon before he could talk and directed him to listen to the man in the lobby.

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Haakon felt a sense of relief lower his shoulder as Josephine seemed geniuenly interested in what he had to say about his home. But what he to tell her? What about Norway was interesting now really? "These days, it seems that the world is just the US and England, if you know what I mean. The American giant, home of jazz, democracy and industrial might. And England with her Empire that the sun never sets on." Haakon said casually to Josephine, trying to give himself time to think of something interesting.

The coming drinks was warmly welcome, Haakon glad to have something familiar and delightful for his tounge to taste for once this whole day. Ever the water tasted different down here, but by God, Cassis de Dijon was the same all over the globe. He took a sip from his glass, placing it carefully down as he found one something interesting to talk about; Skiing.

He didn't get to utter any meaningful sentence though, as Josephine hushed him down and gestured him to look at something. At first Haakon didn't realize he was to look at, but it became bleeding obvious to the journalist; the two men talking loudly to each other and the one thing he could understand from their conversation.

"Jo...isn't that one of the ladies we met at the museum? The one in company of...what's his name, Walsh? Today still has a ton more of surprises for us, it would seem." Haakon tried to look casually over at the pair of arguing men, looking back and forth from Jospehine and across the bar. The man was dirty-looking, and from his voice pretty darn angry. "But what would he want with her? My senses tell me those two wouldn't be a perfect pair of shoes, so to speak. What do you reckon, Jo?"

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Nora felt like she was tugging away at a string. The more she pulled, the more gigantic the knot became that she was attempting to untangle. The thread went through twists and turns, the intricacies compounding, even despite the slight clue behind it all--phi. Mathematics, and by extension cryptography, was logical at its core. But even armed with her wit and cleverness, Nora found herself no closer to the truth.

She'd need Lady Munn's assistance, that much was certain. The Egyptian web puzzled her, and had it been in English, she couldn't help but imagine it would have been less of a challenge. Even the rubbing itself had missing pieces to it, causing the puzzle to become only the more impossible to unravel. It was one thing to have a complete mystery--but a mystery with pieces missing? It only served to increase the difficulty.

Having gone as far as Nora felt she could adequately without the aid of the Lady Munn, she set her pen down on her paper, and closed her eyes for a moment, allowing herself to breathe. In the next moment, she glanced down at her newfound branding, examining the strange symbol, the very one that appeared in her dream. She could not fathom an explanation that relied on the principles of logic. Perhaps it would not serve her well to be dismissive of fantasy for much longer.

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Watching Aziza as they stood there, Harry couldn't help but smile as she spoke to her reasons, he hadn't expected such praise from her, he had made no particular effort to get so close to her, but to know how well she respected him struck a chord with him, one he certainly didn't expect. As he felt her hand cup his cheek, he kept his eyes locked on her own, smiling softly as he nodded his head slowly. "Thank you, Aziza... it means a lot." He said as he watched her, nodding at her suggestion. "Yes, I suppose we shouldn't keep them waiting, and I could definitely use some shut-eye..."

He let out a soft chuckle, turning his gaze over his shoulder and starting to head off with her toward the officer's club where he'd spotted the others head to before. He let her take the lead, preferring to remain her shadow, than to get dragged into any more conversation or what-not, he wanted to just get out of there and to get somewhere he could rest as soon as possible, this had been far too long of a day.

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William just rolled his eyes as he listened to Vera utter the same sort of thing, denying the affections he was all but certain were there for him. However, his own frustration at her denial was what stopped him from pushing further, though he could tell hers were there, the anger in her voice, the venom to her words. Though really, they just made him all the more certain of the reality of the situation. Moving along with her, he shook his head as he listened to her go on, scoffing audibly at her comment about the Captain.

"Hah! Respect? Please, if that's what you're hoping to get with the Lord Captain, you can look again, I know somebody sleazy when I see them, and the good old 'Lord-Captain' oozes it, trust me, he's probably just interested because of the 'Lady' before your name or your looks, respect is the last thing he cares to give you." He shook his head, at no point did it seem to occur to him that jealousy was what brought the words to his mind. Moving along beside her, he shook his head, considering his words, there was something about the Lord Captain he didn't like, he figured people didn't just show up after missing for years only to be interested in marriage unless they had some motive behind it, well, then again, he didn't know marriage that well.

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Vera felt her jaw clenching with each word that came out of Williams mouth, the way he was speaking of a man he never even met before, a man that she had known practically her whole life. "You needn't worry about such trivial matters when it comes to the Lord Captain! He is a Keystone, his father is the Earl of Sussex. My title means nothing to him. His honor and allocentric behavior is beyond reproach but one such as yourself would know nothing of such things would you Mr. Drake. Putting the needs of others above yourself must be as foreign a concept to you as not destroying thousand of years of history for a few bobbles and trinkets."

Stopping outside of her office door she looked over towards William and had to restrain the urge to let her hand do the talking once again. Her fingers going white as they curled around the bar of the push cart. "Peter has sown me more respect over the years I have known him than anyone in this life. Never once has he looked down on me because of my interests or profession, never once has he held my half breed status with the Ton against me. He has and will always treat me as an equal. Should he wish to discuss the promise of courtship and engagement with me come the morrow I will gratefully accept for I can see that when I let my heart chose affections, it chooses poorly," she said with a cold glare and a huff before making her way into her office.

Seeing Lady Kingston there, she swallowed slightly. Even though she had been retrieving items for the woman to examine she had completely forgotten that voices traveled easily in the museum at this hour. Taking a deep breath she gave a regretful look towards Nora. She had not meant to aire such personal matters to someone outside of her inner circle but it could not be helped at this moment. Pushing the cart over to the desk she pushed her hair back and tried to compose herself but it was obvious that there were tears struggling to wash from her ears that she was choking back. "My sincerest apologies Lady Kingston for the delay. Have you been able to discover anything that had been to this point over looked?" she asked in a strangled voice, struggling to quickly change topics.

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"Yes of course, Vera is always the most capable I know in such situations. I will speak with her on the morrow as I am meeting her for an early brunch to discuss more private matters. If she does not have any qualms with me assisting I shall be most pleased to do so," Peter said before taking another sip of the champagne that his uncle had procured for them.

Looking over at Lauren he smiled as he picked at some of the fruits that were provided. "Sounds like a most interesting venture Miss Ridgeway. I have never sampled the drink known as moonshine but I did meet several during the war that were from across the pond and they spoke highly of the drink, though I will admit that they warned me of it as well. That it could have quite the burn when ingesting."

"There is no need to thank me, it is what friends do," Aziza said softly before slipping her arm back through Harry's and letting him escort her into the officers club. Looking around it did not take long to find the Lord Major and guests. Giving Harry a reassuring pat on his arm before she continued on her way with Sgt Walsh to rejoin the group.

"Please forgive our delay," she said in a sweet voice.

"There is nothing to forgive my lady, we were just getting settled in. Please join us," Peter said as he stood from his seat and nodded towards Harry and Aziza. "It seems you all have been through quite the adventure this day and look to be engaging in more over the next weeks. If there is anything I can do to aide you please do let me know. Anyone that is a friend of my dear uncle here is a friend of mine."

"Thank you so very much," Aziza said as she accepted a flute of champagne from the steward, keeping herself next to Harry with her free arm laced through his. "How are you finding the Lord Majors hospitality Lauren? Hosting is something he excels at."

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As those last words echoed into the office, Nora could not help but feel conflicted. The thought of marriage, truthfully speaking, terrified her. She would never be able to produce an heir for a husband, and nor was Nora certain that a husband could bring her any happiness. The life of a spinster appealed to her, rather than the life of a housewife. And from Lady Munn's words, she would be marrying the Lord Captain not for love, but for respect.

As the Lady Munn shot Nora a regretful look, pushing the cart with the tiles, Nora rose from her seat. Her voice shook, and Nora could not help but feel for the woman. The Lady Munn reminded her of her sisters, Esther and Emmaline, in a way. But at the same time, the Lady Munn was entirely different. The woman was far braver than anyone Nora had ever known before in her life. "Yes, I have managed to find a pattern in the rubbings but...Forgive me if this is too bold, Lady Munn."

And Nora cut herself off, pulling her into a hug. The talk of the rubbings could wait for a few minutes. From the loud conversations in the museum, she couldn't help but feel that the Lady Munn might need some attention paid to her emotions, rather than to her work for the time being. Nora hoped desperately that she had not made a false step in her budding friendship with the Lady Munn, but Mr. Drake had caused her such a great distress that Nora would feel cruel if she simply ignored it.

"You need not concern yourself with men such as Mr. Drake," Nora said quietly. "You are far too intelligent and strong to fret over the concerns and impressions of the other sex, Lady Munn."

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Lauren looked over towards Peter as he spoke to her she smiled softly Moonshine was an acquired taste if you can get past the burning sensation. "It's an acquired taste, its very potent if you want to get drunk pretty quick." She said with a light laugh and smile. "If I had the materials I could make a batch for you two if you'd like." Lauren said as she turned her head and smiled as she saw Aziza and Henry coming into the room she was glad to see that they were alright now. "These lovely gentlemen are very great hosts I could spend more time if I could."

Lauren took another drink of her champagne as she looked at Henry and then towards Aziza once more. "How are the two of you doing if I may ask?" Lauren was wondering if the two of them were both alright when Lauren left Henry seemed to be reliving something that had happened to him during the war. She started to take another quick bite out of her bread and got up offering Aziza and Henry a seat if they needed. "Did you guys want to spend a little more time here or go back to the hotel?"

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Reginald became very aware, all of a sudden, that the conversation had gone quite past him as he sat, seemingly lost in thought. It must have been frightfully rude to the others assembled before him; here he was, their host, staring off into space as if he were caught raptly by some manner of quiet seizure.

"Ah, dear girl. My sincerest apologies for the conversational hiatus. I was just now exceedingly curious as to what the great Michelangelo would have done with this ceiling, proper. Artistic musing, you understand." Every so often, the Lord Major thought himself somewhat hilarious. He gave a wink in Lauren's direction following his statement, partially to indicate that he was indeed joking, and letting her know that he understood that he had displayed a lapse of hostly etiquette. Mostly, it was to cover the fact that he felt a bit foolish.

"I have indeed heard of this "Moonshine", madame. A fancy name applied to quick brewed grain alcohol; the lads in the Highlands have been known to make very young whiskies that, to be quite transparent, were not the most sophisticated of beverages. Yes, a good snort of that stuff might be just the thing to exorcise the flavor of sour haggis from one's palate, but by Jove, the cost one paid for an antiseptic gob was high, indeed. Now, some gentleman from the Colonies I had served with insisted that, like with many things, you have The Good Stuff, and you have The Frightful Stuff. I do not have the experience to select one from the other. Pity, that. I fear my education involving intoxicants has been rather slight in that regard."

He raised his glass to the young lady, and drained it. After pouring himself another, he poked about his plate of goodies for a bit, satisfied in the quality of the breads, meat, and local fruits. "Yes, yes of course, you are all welcome to stay for as long as is needed. I can have diplomatic rooms readied in a quarter hours' time. And it should go without saying, but I shall do so anyway - The food and drink of this Officers' Club, indeed this Barracks, is intimately at your disposal. Or as you Yanks so ineloquently phrase it, "Dig In", Sirs and Madames."

"Now... Miss Tarek, Miss Ridgeway, Lord Captain, Retired Sergeant Walsh... The night is quite young yet, so all are, of course, welcome to continue the festivities. Indeed I would be most grateful for the company and good cheer. But, if some or all of you feel the need to pursue other venues, or even go so far as to end your evening early (by means of your own lodging or what can be provided here), then I should prefer to have us all take a toast."

"To our continued health, well being, and inevitable success in our forthcoming mysterious adventure! May it be educational as well as profitable, and may we all come back to this place to toast our fellowship when it is done, wiser and stronger for it."