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"I'll take a quick stop to my cabin, just to make sure that things are in order." Lauren said towards George giving him a slight smile as she flashed her ticket to the steward that was there. Who allowed them to go through as she proceeded to go down to her cabin, she made sure that her key was out and ready. Lauren could hear a few familiar voices there, she was certainly going to go and see them further down the hallway. "Once that's done we can go and check on Mahendra down on the lower deck." Lauren said, she still wanted to make sure that he was okay and taken care of. She assumed that he had his food already by now after handing it over to the steward by now anyway, as she made it to the door.

Lauren slipped the key inside as she twisted it and heard the door unlocked, and stepped through into her cabin as she started to look around. Lauren was glad to see that all of her things were still all in order, as she turned around to look at George and smiled a bit towards her. "Everything is good." Lauren said, glad that none of her things had been taken and closed the door behind her, and proceeded down the hallway. Lauren stopped in front of Vera's door seeing Gene, Nora and Vera there, as she stared down at the mess that was there. "What happened here is everyone alright?" Lauren asked staring at the mess that was made there.

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Josephine was used to being admired by men and hated by women. It came with the territory. Once viewed on the screen, she became a sort of prize. A trophy to be won by whoever wished. Some men saw pursuing her as a game. Something to brag about to the other fellows in the cigar lounge. "Lads, you won't believe who I had the other night." It turned her stomach the way some men would see other women in this light. Even those not famous like her. She had a sort of power, though. And she would not be a victim. No, not again.

Reddish, however, seemed unlike those other men. She had to admit she was skeptical at first. After all, her dealings with the Lord Major and his army lads did not start off on the right foot, remembering the talk the Lord Major had with her and Haakon. However, she had hoped that this was over with and that she was a trusted ally among these people. After all, here she was on the ship with them. Reddish was different though. He was almost cute in the way he was so flabbergasted at having her there. "Why darling, of course. It is the least I can do for your kindness. We should find a better vantage point for the photograph though."

As she moved, entranced by the beautiful night, she missed the hole in the floor as her heel hit it and she began to fall forward. She let out a breath, trying to gasp or scream, as she began to plummet to the deck floor.

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Faye giggled again, noting that Richard seemed to be in better spirits. He was, after all, her only "friend" on this ship. Losing him as an ally was not the smartest option, even if he didn't believe in her profession or abilities. She followed after Richard, looking around as she did so. They were on a ship with others bound to the same destination. Surely there had to be information to be gained on here.

Once on the main deck in the lounge, Faye noticed a blonde haired man drinking from a bottle of booze. Normally one would drink from a glass, but this man was doing so in a nervous nature. "I believe we may stand a better chance apart to start. I am going to go talk to that man." She referred to the blonde man drinking. She parted from Richard and made her way over to him. "Do pardon my intrusion, good sir, but I could not help but notice you drinking without a glass. Is everything all right?"

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The meal that the steward had brought him had been an enjoyement to eat. Really, it had filled a spot in him that he didn't think was that deep. The burning sensation that still clung to his stomach was perhaps partly to blame for it, but the pain was by now bareable thanks to a good rest and a healty meal like that. Mahendra was satisfied at least, and neatly placed the plate on a vacant tablespot for a maid or someone else to take it later. He himself was going to freshen himself up after his bed rest, his hair and moustache sticking out in odd angles and shapes while he did smell a bit iffy himself.

One fresh scoop of water in his face, hair and certain other bodily parts later, Mahendra stepped out of his quarters which had served him so well and started walking towards the area around the stairs. As he walked, he noticed the sound of entertainment in the background of the more audible conversations going on around. Most of the passengers took little interest in the musicians and whatenot, and focused more on talking amongst themselves and gambling. Gambling, a concept Mahendra had born witness to in England during his stay there, but never really gotten a good understanding off. He was no stranger to taking risks to earn a quick buck, he was a trader's son after all. But to such an extent that people were willing to throw away their hard-earned money?

Mahendra didn't say or project any of those thoughts outwards to the people around him however, and instead tried to casually slip into a conversation a small group of gentlemen were having around the stairs. He had a good idea that Lauren would be checking up on him sooner or later, and that probably meant she would pass those stairs. So he would wait for his kind and caring lady-friend there, while he joined in on a conversation about the intricate prospects of the future of cricket and the British Empire. The cricket was the main subject, however.

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Richard waited for Faye to join him on the Main Deck as he poked his nosy eyes around the deck, watching the varying group of people congregating there. It was like a subway going straight through the various ethnic quarters of New York, but with more Little Italy and Egypt, Greenpoint and Lapskaus Boulevard, and less Harlam and Chinatown. There weren't really anything sticking out to him as the deck was so varied from the beginning, but as he felt Faye join him, he saw something that caught his interest. A light-eyed man standing in the corner of the open air lounge, holding what looked like a journal. A journal that really didn't look like belonged in his hands. It was too femine for him, and in that time and age that meant two things; either he had taken it from someone else, or he was going down the other lane so to say.

Richard's instincts placed his bet on the first horse in this case.

"Do that, just be careful. I'll check out our friend with the journal." Richard said back to Faye as she went for the lone-cop routine, pulling out his pack of cigarettes and starting to fiddle with one without lighting it. "Call out if it gets hairy. Watch yourself, Faye." With that, Richard began calmly walking in the general direction of the Lady-Journal Man, hoping to get closer to him. Observe first, then go in.

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The puzzling bit of mystery concerning the Corporal and the Starlet gave Reginald some pause. It was not a social pairing he might have foreseen, be it temporary, momentary, or otherwise. He wondered if there was something amiss with the rest of the group, and this was merely a splinter of the whole that got caught unawares in one another's company as they plotted... But that was getting silly. Not the part about something befalling his Fellowship, as it seemed they could not go a hour without some tragedy or drama being inflicted upon them by forces equally mundane or supernatural. No, if the pair of them were aware of something negative happening to the rest of the group, there might have been other signs. If nothing else, that Reddish fellow would have made it a point to speak out, rather than salute and keep to his walk. Or Josephine might have looked distressed. Something. The sight he was made privy to must have evolved out of common and deliberate courses of action followed by mutual decision to do whatever it was they were up to.

But just leave it to the Corporal to insinuate himself into a social situation. The man seemed to have a talent for it, hence his presence aboard the boat. Or on his personal staff at all, now that he gave it some thought. The Lord Major shook his head. This was not an important thing to toss about his brain at this late hour. Be the man a source of constant incredulity and motivator for one to purchase earplugs, he had been nothing but loyal and efficient for the term of his service so far. Those two were younger people (younger than himself, for certain), and the generation gap was significant enough to cause a level of misunderstanding, especially as it came to socialization among peers.

Reginald gave a light chuckle, musing over the fact that he was indeed an old man. This may very well be his last adventure, and he was wasting part of it just standing there, outside of his room, giving unnecessary wonder at something that was clearly none of his business. The Starlet owed him no allegiance nor explanation, and the Corporal was told directly that he was Off Duty for the remainder of the boat ride, unless circumstances dictated otherwise. So that was just that. The Lord Major had his own recreation to which he wished to attend, and that was also that.

When this eventual internal monologue of crisscrossed thoughts finally reached their conclusion, Reginald realized that he was seemingly in a daze, oblivious to the world outside of his own head, conscious only of the fact that he was on a boat. Yeah, maybe it would be a better idea to follow the music playing and hope that there were drinks being served nearby. That idea almost resulted in a spontaneous "Tally Ho!", but propriety got the better of it. Perhaps next time.

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A polite and cheery smile formed on Reddish's face when Josephine agreed to be photographed with him. It might have gone fully into a childlike grin at that point, were he not to have glanced away for a second and recollected himself. Of course, anyone who knew the man might point to the general futility of containing the man's enthusiasm for very long. "Why thank you, Miss Clarke, ever so much for allowing yourself the potential hit to your reputation, if you'll allow my saying so, ma'am - to be photographed with someone as below your station as Yours and Truly." The smirk on his face indicated a marginal degree of self-depreciating sarcasm in his statement, but he was really just pleased with Josephine's response.

He was curious about one point she made, expressed by selecting the key phrase in her sentence and turning it into a question, "Vantage point?" arching an eyebrow thoughtfully. Perhaps the conversation would have continued in a calm and fluid manner after this, wherein Reddish received clarification of the point and they could make plans from there, but he was almost caught off guard by the sudden forward pitch of his companion. Almost.

Josephine's fall wrenched her arm from his nearly altogether, but the Corporal had the wherewithal to maintain some contact. As gravity sought to claim her for itself, Reddish speedily placed a foot forward and bent at the knees slightly, forcing himself to wait the fraction of a second necessary to close his fingers loosely around her wrist, arresting Josephine's fall without inflicting injury. He deftly slid his hand around hers and moved to support her at the waist, swinging the young lady into an extremely passable ballroom dancer's dip. A strange look of adventurous accomplishment settled upon him, and he used the occasion to bring Josephine back to a standing position and give her a twirl, just before settling into a respectable Waltz.

The music from elsewhere on the deck seemed to come together in Reddish's movements as he led Josephine to steps of - one two three, two two three; one two three, two two three - in an ever reaching, expanding revolution of steps and pauses. It was an International Waltz, or something very much like it. Astounded by his own actions, The Corporal whispered into Josephine's ear as they held one another and moved in tandem, "Please forgive my liberties, Miss Clarke; the moment took me. I had absolutely no idea I could even waltz in the first, ma'am." He shook his head to emphasize his point, but it didn't do a thing to throw him off of his steps.

When the music came to conclusion, Reddish smiled mischievously and gave Josephine a deep, one-handed dip. The moonlight served to silhouette the pair with dim but steady illumination while Reddish held his companion about the waist, barely allowing her hair to brush the deck below their feet. With a nod, he confessed, "I'm just as surprised as you are, I think." and smiled with warmth and vigor.

It was then that Reddish noted the presence of someone else nearby. Still in "dip position", he craned his neck to the side. As it turned out, they had completed their dance directly across from the photographer that he had noted before. A nervous laugh later and the Corporal raised Josephine to her feet, his arm still loosely about her for support. He then raised a finger into the air, noting, "I'm so amazingly sorry, Miss Clarke. I interrupted you earlier. You were saying something about a Vantage Point, yes?"

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Reminders: Remember your tickets, it allows you to certain places on the ship. Please note that if you are trying to go ~up~ a deck, to call for a roll! We will have to see if your character 1) Remembered it, 2) Hasn't lost it or 3) To see if it has been stolen. >.> Also, if your character goes to their room make sure to grab a roll from me to let you know what, if anything, occurred in there.

Over half of the people on the boat have decided it was best to go to bed and won't be back out tonight, well unless something happens that makes them get up. About 25% are back out and about on the decks, another 25% are moving from room to room having after dinner coffee and drinks away from the rest of the crowds. (Perception rolls for those out and about to pick up on anything.)

Ever Had Shit Hit The Fan?: Yeah, well it isn't - just yet. On the main deck we have Mosi and she is pretty much keeping to herself and sketching away. People are milling about and passing her as if she isn't there. Yet that is how most things in life are. If it isn't directly effecting you chances are you will miss most of the things that are going on around you. Why people are missing the woman sitting there and drawing. One so much in fact she nearly tripped over her. Catching her foot on the edge of the chair. Looks like the woman has two left feet and it isn't Vera. Looking over sharply, her dark eyes and olive skin are only partly seen from under hair that falls over her face. "Sorry," she says in a rough voice that has a lack of accent before she moves on.

George nods and keeps up with Lauren. Walking with her as she went to check on her room. "Mmm, sounds good," he said as they walked. It was good that things were calm in Laurens room for when they got to Vera's it was obvious that things were not as calm there as they should have been. Vera looked rather worried when they arrived and didn't notice them at first. Her body turning as she face planted right into George's chest as he stepped into the room that had been turned upside down. His arm wrapping around her waist to keep her from falling. "What happened mmm?" he asked, more to his sister than to Vera.

The man drinking from the bottle was not having any better time than Vera was it seemed from the look on his face. He looked over towards the girl and shrugged. "What does it matter? Just as soon as you think you have things figured out, everything turns upside down again," he said before taking several long chugs from the bottle. As he lowered it he let out a hell of a burp that almost sounded like a goat bleating. "Excuse me," he said as he sat the bottle down, now spent, and pointed towards the bar tender, snapping his fingers a few times. "Another one," he said as he tapped the bar top and threw down some money with his other hand.

At the stairs, things were calm, save one woman of pale skin and dark hair moving passed Mahendra slowly, her dark eyes casting a sideways glance towards the man and it seemed that red flickered in her eyes as she gave a sly smile towards him. Lacing her fingers together she continued to walk and headed down the stairs, the legs of her pant suit swishing as she did. Her eyes cast back to him before she disappeared around the corner and was out of sight.

Closing the journal the man slipped it into his inner front pocket of his tan jacket and looked around. His lips pursing together as if he was in thought. His hand coming up as he scratched his chin. It looked like he hadn't shaved in a good few days and his skin was tanned. Not in a I have been out in the sun a few times but leathery as if he had been out in it far too much over the last week and it was trying to heal from an under lying burn. The veins in his hand were bulging a little, whether he was thin or they were aggravated was anyone's guess.

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"Reddish - that's the other one, right?" Gene asked, quite unhelpfully. Gene studied the lock first, figuring it made the most sense to begin at the start of this crime. The lock had been tampered with - it had been a forced entry - which caused the list of suspects to increase from just Reddish and Vera herself to a far greater number. She wasn't able to glean much else information wise - not yet, at the least. "Lady Munn, they didn't use a key - look, see? Been jimmied open," Gene explained, trying to draw Lady Munn's attention to the lock.

Nora frowned, noting that Lady Munn was right to be worried about their items below deck. This sort of adventure - it didn't seem to mesh well with the social norms and expectations. Perhaps they should have taken meals in their cabins and kept all of the fragile items with them at all times, customs be damned. "Someone has committed a robbery," she told Lauren in a soft voice. At least they were all fine.

However, as Nora glanced around the room she noticed something suspicious in her own right - it was too messy. Things were torn up and thrown all about without any sort of sense to it. "...They were hiding their tracks..." Nora then whispered. The criminal that committed this crime, they hadn't wanted them to know what they had been looking for in the first place so they turned the entire room upside down. The only logical reason to not want them to know what had been taken or searched for, in Nora's mind, was if it was of some clue in its own.

"Someone broke into Lady Munn's room," Gene told her brother. "And I don't doubt they were covering their tracks. This sort of chaos just isn't right - it'd be like my almost sister of sorts going through and trying to make a mess...She's too orderly for her own good...Anyways, Lady Munn, deep breaths and let's start getting things sorted. We'll be able to find what's missing that way, if anything."

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Mosi was having the time of her life right about now. In this fine night for a first time in quite a long while she felt like the inspiration had stuck her with the magnitude of a bomb! She was drawing away at a great speed with great joy and it was turning bloody perfect! She felt like a renaissance artist right now, this was a masterpiece that she was glad she got to do! Such inspirations struck rarely after all and the results were displayed well into museums! Maybe one day hers will be in a museum too? Maybe, could be, she weirdly didn't care as much, so focused on the drawing she was.

Then suddenly a disaster struck! Her whole world shook! It was as if something struck her. Time felt funny right now, she had all the time in the world to pull away from the drawing, but she also couldn't quite do it for a few moments. Then she somehow succeeded! In a grand urgent manner she managed to pull the pencil and sketchbook apart in just the right moment as to not ruin her masterpiece. She was breathing heavily at the effort, her eyes revealing a shocked expression as she barely even noted that someone mumbled something to her. She didn't pull any of her attention from the sketchbook, her eyes stayed locked onto it the entire time.

“You're alright, my little masterpiece!” She called aloud and started laughing and caressing the spine of the sketchbook.” Phew... this was bloody close, a little too close. Luckily it's safe.” She smiled, returning to drawing.

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Lauren took a step to the side as soon as Vera turned around and bumped directly into George's chest, knowing how clumsy her friend was, she tucked a stray strand of hair out of her face and behind her ear. Looking over towards Nora when she answered her question, and nodded a bit she was pretty familiar with break ins. Her family's bar back in Philly had a few break ins in the past, she wasn't sure who would actually be interested in robbing Vera's room. Maybe some valuables that were inside, but Lauren shrugged a little bit as her eyes turned towards Gene as she spoke.

"It could have been another guest maybe?" Lauren asked, she doubted that it was a member of their group as Lauren started to help do the cleanup in Vera's room she looked over towards her friend. "If you want I can offer you to stay in my room." She said towards her, just in case that Vera felt unsafe being in her cabin now. Which Lauren would do the same thing if someone broke into her room and stolen somethings there.

As Lauren started to search around, she stopped for a moment as she put somethings away and tried to get it as neatly as possible, when she realized that she couldn't find Vera's journal. "I cant find your journal anywhere Vera." Lauren said looking over at Vera, she felt bad for having it being stolen from her. "Is there any kind of information that pertains to our little expedition there?" Lauren asked as she tried to get things all neat and putting them back in order.

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Jo had embarrassed herself publicly before. The press always liked circling celebrities, eager for any juicy morsel they could get their hands on to shame them. Hell, the reason she was here in the states was more or less the same thing. Even still, she had considered herself as one with grace. So when she saw herself plummeting down to the ground, her mind blanked.

And then she was pulled up. She had forgotten she was linked with Reddish and the man had saved her. More, he had moved her into a dance position and began to sway and move around the deck in a manner of suave that Jo did not link to the man before. And as yet, she kept in step with him, it being easier on the lady as the gentleman often led. She hadn't expected it, but considering the alternative was a face full of ship deck, she was not about to complain.

Once their "song" concluded, she stepped apart from the man, taking him in. "I daresay I am still more surprised. I didn't...I must...how did that happen?" She was stunned into disbelief. She had completely forgotten what she was previously talking about. "Vantage point? Oh yes, I think we can get more of the horizon in the picture from at the front of the ship's deck. Maybe with the moon and stars in frame, if possible."

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Far be it from her to deny a person a drink, but she still felt the man was maybe overdoing it a tad. However, his words spoke the truth even she could understand. "I quite agree, sir. Life has a habit of throwing wrenches into best laid plans." She was concerned the man would drink himself into a tizzy and do something drastic. Fall off the ship maybe?

So when he ordered another drink, she saw her chance to help, and maybe gather some information. "I don't suppose you'd share your troubles over a drink? I could use one myself. On this ship to escape. Name's Faye, by the way." She did her best to appear like the girls she would hear over the radio or on the screen. Those sultry ladies that coudl get men eating out of their hand.

This was her first attempt at such things.

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The conversation Mahendra had entered continued to revolve around the status of the Empire and cricket, both of which Mahendra could relate to. He had played several games of the "Jolly good sport of the English gentleman" in his academic years in England, but never quite gotten the hang of it. The talk about the Empire was perhaps of more interest, with the talk of independence movements in several of the Crown's jewels so to speak, including the Indian subcontinent. What did Mahendra think about that, and independent India? Not probable, seen as the various peoples of India were as different as those in Europe, so an united India was unlikely. However...

That's when he caught sight of her. The woman. Dark hair and pale skin, and eyes locked onto him. But those eyes...by the gods, for a moment Mahendra swore he saw them flicker in the shade of red! Mahendra felt both uncomfortable with her sly smile aimed at him, as if inviting him to follow her, yet felt a compelling interest in what this creature was. For with all the divine happenings of the last days, he didn't put it past her to be something more than mortal. But as his mind raced to think of just who and/or what she could be, he either thought she could be everything and nothing at the same time; there were too many options to narrow down. That didn't make him feel any more comfortable though.

Giving him one last look before she descended the stairs down to the Main Deck, Mahendra unknowingly took a step after her, before stopping himself. Why follow her? But why not? His own dark brown eyes looked at the stairs leading up, knowing that Lauren and the others were up there somewhere. But at the same time, his gut told him to follow her. Not because it could mean anything good, but sometimes fate made you do things that made sense in the greater scheme of things. The Gods moved in mysterious ways, as they said. He took two steps back, twirling his fine Bengali moustache as he cotemplated waiting for the others to say who, or what he saw, but...no. In the end Mahendra excused himself from the cricket-conversation, and followed after the red-eyed lady downstairs.

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Time to dust off his old private detective routine from his golden (more likely faded bronze, but hey it was an expression so just roll with it) days in New York. Richard didn't look directly at the Journal-man, instead looking around a casually and acting as normal as an American on an Egyptian steamboat going up the Nile could be when he wasn't avoiding people going past him. The unlit cigarette rolling between his sweaty fingers, Richard got the occasion look at his man. For a man that looked like he'd spent too much time under the sun, he sure didn't look like a native. Very few Arabs Richard knew had light eyes like that, which meant he probably wasn't local. But what had he done out in the scorching sun for so long, with that leathery tan and stub, and what about the journal?

The private dick made slow and steady progress towards his target, watching him put the journal away and apparently deep in thought. The bulging veins in his hands he saw too, but what that meant was beyond him. He was better at spotting people lying to his face, not so much at distance. Richard walked up to the man, cutting the introductions as he held his unlit cigarette up in front of him and asked him "Quite the tan you got there, pal. Been out too long in the sun?" Richard stood beside the man in the corner, taking off his fedora and using it as a fan to cool himself down. "The heat, you never get used to it do you?" He continued, trying to make small-talk while idly fiddling with the still unlit piece of cheap tobacco between his fingers. "Name's Richard, by the way. Nice to meet you. Sorry for bothering you, but I couldn't help but notice that journal of yours. Just wanted to say it looks mighty fine." The conversation continued, as Richard put the cigarette in his mouth and lit it. "Looks just like my girl's. May I ask where you got it from?" The detective asked, breathing in the nicotine and out again in one long puff while looking casually at the man. His gut told him it wasn't his, but in the event that the perp wouldn't talk, he was ready to put up the pressure.

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Music. It stood to reason that where there was music, there would eventually be lightly alcoholic beverages served, preferably by persons trained in the art of dutiful service to ensure the utmost of guest comfort. It made sense. It was the right time of evening and absolutely perfect weather for an after-supper tidbit and classic digestif. And of course, this was a vessel equal to the task of imparting luxury to its guests. Perhaps this was why Reginald was so confused as to why he couldn't find anything of the sort, and up here about the Elite Deck, too.

The earlier sight that gave him so much consternation might be to blame for the sudden fog that had rolled over his perception. Briefly, Reginald considered that it might be one of those pyramid related curses that the public seemed to love so much, yet one that sought to remove him from anything involving merriment or social hobnobbing. He dismissed it offhand, citing that he had not ever heard of a thousands of years old curse designed to do something as pedestrian as throw a wet blanket over someone's evening. Nope, the Lord Major refused to accept it. Carry on, as is people would call the situation; and thusly he would, indeed, carry on. It was not within his nature to simply break camp and move on when the going got a little bumpy.

But for a certainly, if he could not locate a portion of recline and jocularity, he was bound for his own quarters to dip into his private stock and spend a quiet evening in.

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The intrepid Corporal took in Josephine's words and, seemingly dipping into a more philosophical bent, remarked, "Not the foggiest, Miss Clarke! Nary an idea whatsoever, but I'll tell you ma'am, and confidentially: I see a spot of good luck, I don't question the whys and wherefores of it too closely." He smiled, looking into Josephine's eyes with an earnest expression, "I appreciate the new experience as fully as I can while it hangs about. I've seen too many people fade out of this world, and almost every one of them expressed one regret or another about things they didn't do." He held her gaze for a short moment, then almost instantly switched to a more jovial demeanor. "To bloody short, life is. Too bloody short. And it can be taken from us, besides. So when I work, I toss every bit of myself into it. And when I play, madame, I expect that I put every piece of my effort into that, as well. So take this evening, if you would; I'm just a footnote in someone's story (speaking in metaphor of course), whilst you're a solid header. We've a whole page of words and phrases between us, yet somehow here we are. I'd like that page to be a compelling read, if it's all I've got."

Reddish noted the breeze from the river drifting across the deck and, out of a habit of service, adjusted his uniform jacket about Josephine in an attempt to ward off any coming discomfort to the lady with a quick, "Pardon me, Miss." Propriety was important, even in times of leisure. He recovered his wallet and removed a note or two, regarding the very nearby photographer. In a quick subject change, he jumped back to the initial discussion, "And madame is quite astute, with a professional eye for detail, I'd wager. Absolutely!" He handed the bank notes over to the man with the stand-mounted camera, continuing, "Toward the bow, my good man! Horizon, moon, stars, and the loveliness of the Nile itself, which pales in its own comparison with the young Miss at my arm. And if you can somehow, sir, somehow get a snap of the native crocodiles in the background, then wouldn't that be a thing to write home about, yes?" Let it never be said that the Corporal did not find himself mildly amusing.

As luck would have it, their impromptu waltz had taken the pair nearish to the fore of the boat, so it was but a short series of steps before an appropriate vantage point could be located. The photographer set up his device with practiced efficiency and motioned for the two of them to come closer together. The man did not spare the odd looks for Reddish, though whether it was for the man's eccentricities of speech or the fact that he was an NCO on the Elite Deck escaped him. Before the camera clicked, the Corporal asked a hasty, "Ah, pardon me? When do we get the prints back, sir?"

"Tomorrow morning. Or at least before midday. Closer, now. We can discuss the prints after."

"That soon, eh? Marvelous, my good man. Just marvelous." And to Josephine, "And thank you so much, Miss Clarke. I am amazingly grateful for this. Now, please pardon anything overly familiar, if you would..." he murmured, moving in closer as the photographer insisted. As he settled into a proper position for the picture, Reddish whispered, "In your debt, ma'am, as you see fit. Thank you again."

"Are you comfortable? Alright, in three, two, one..."

...

...

click.

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Reminders: Okay, changing things up a bit. If you are changing decks at anytime while we are on the boat - roll in chat before you post. If you roll a 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 - drop me a line because your ticket is missing. If you roll a 6 though 20, you have your ticket and can proceed without issue.

Same goes with leaving and returning to your characters room. If you enter your room, drop a roll in chat. 1, 2, or 3 drop me a line before posting. If you roll a 4-20 everything is fine and you can proceed without issue.

Please remember to do this every time you change decks and every time you enter your rooms.

Also remember - If you are Elite you can do to any deck. If you are Secondary you can go anywhere but Elite unless you are on record as working for someone with an Elite ticket. If you are Lower Deck, you can only enter Lower or Main deck.

Sailing Sailing: George looked at his sister and then the room. This couldn't be good and Vera was looking rather distraught over the situation. Especially when it was mentioned that her journal wasn't about. Getting up she started to frantically search for it. Tossing things here and there. Shirts, skirts, a dressing gown, knickers. She wasn't paying attention but George sure was as he had to pull said night gown off his face as it landed on him. One could easily see the red creeping into his one exposed cheek as he gingerly placed it aside and cleared his throat.

"Mmm, will go check cargo, and inform the Lord Major," he said before making a beeline for the door and down the hallway. Vera still didn't notice as she was tripping over her own things, falling to the floor, and sending more clothing into the air.

"No good, my journal, all my notes, our map," she kept muttering in a frantic tone under her breath as she tossed a pair of silk stockings over her shoulder. Who they landed on this time she had no idea.

Moving down the hallway it did not take long for the half faced man to find the Lord Major. "Sir, mmm, Lady Munn's quarters have been breached," he started before explaining what he knew and letting the Lord Major know he was heading to the bowels of the boat to check on their luggage and cargo for the journey.

The man looked at Fay and gave a crooked half hearted grin and a shrug. "And just why would you want to listen?" he asked in a tone that had a bit of drunken smugness to it before placing a cigarette between his lips and lighting it up. The bar tender walked over and set another bottle on the top, removing the old, and taking the cash that the man had left there. Blowing smoke out of his lips the man looked back over towards Faye as he pulled the bottle over to him. "Names J.C."

The woman's eyes were dark now as she walked along the main deck and over to the railing, away from most of the people on the boat. Resting her pale hands on the wood her slender fingers ran over it as her red tipped nails clicked against the surface. "Not my first choice of a pleasure cruise," she said to herself as she stood stoic. Several people passed her and one or two seemed to stop before moving on quickly as she cast a gaze in their direction.

The man looked over towards Richard and nodded. "Long enough," he said frankly as he shifted in his seat and straightened his back a bit. "And no, you never do." He kept watching Richard and quirked a brow. "Franklin," he added as he introduced himself in turn. There was a bit of a cheeky grin on his lips and he shook his head. "I don't mind you asking as long as you don't mind me not answering. Not really any of your business now is it?" he said before giving a motion to a waitress for a round of drinks. "So why are you talking to me? Didn't I see you come in with that pretty little woman?" he asked pointing over towards Faye.

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And just like that suddenly the magic was all gone. Mosi was caught surprised mid drawing a line as she froze in place, not continuing to push the pencil in any direction as she just stared at the sketchbook in her hand. Her eyes were filled with the mixture of confusion, surprise and sadness at the realization. Her inspiration had vanished just as suddenly as it had arrived and more likely than not whomever was that pushed her chair was responsible. She despaired at the fact that such inspiration might not appear again anytime soon if at all.

Finally she pulled pencil and sketchbook apart, her hands relaxed in her lap as she leaned backwards in the chair at the Lounge and looked upwards...” God dammit!” She cursed rather loudly and sighed. She wanted to punch whomever it was that pushed her earlier, but her attention was too caught in saving her art and drawing, so focused she was that she missed taking a look at their face.” I screwed up...” She sighed.

To pull her attention from this screw up and bad luck aside, she looked around at the people, hoping to notice anything interesting or worthy of notice about them, but nothing really stuck out. Mosi shook her head as she put her sketchbook and her pencil away in her pockets. Maybe she should go order something to drink? Yeah... or she could return to her room now and get some rest after today's events. She was torn between the two possibilities and finally decided to head back to the second deck. She'd grab a drink there and head to her room afterwards.

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Lauren watched as Vera quickly started to go into a frenzy when she said that Vera's personal journal was missing, and started to frantically search around for it. Lauren would dodge whatever clothes that were thrown around as one of them hit George, as she looked at him, she noticed his face blush a bit when a bit of Vera's undergarments were thrown in his face. Lauren started to calmly look around the storm that went through Vera's cabin. She felt bad that her friend was panicking over the stolen journal, and then moved over towards Vera making sure that her friend wouldn't end up falling on her face or injuring herself at all.

"Vera calm down, we will find it. It's not like they would end up jumping ship and getting it wet, we still have two or three days however long the boat ride lasts." Lauren said gently resting a hand on Vera's shoulder while looking at the mess that was there biting her bottom lip feeling bad about the whole situation. George had gone off to inform Reginald what had happened, as Lauren rubbed the back of her neck, she certainly wouldn't feel safe after her personal cabin was ransacked. "Vera you are certainly more than welcome to stay in my cabin tonight if you need to." Lauren offered doing her best to try and calm her down. "I assure you we will all find it, it couldn't have gotten far." Lauren wasconfident that the journal was the only thing that was stolen from her cabin.

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Walking down the stairs he and Lauren had a few hours earlier ascended, Mahendra found himself once again on the main deck of the steamboat. It looked the same as he thought it had when he was half-awake around the table amongst the Fellowship, although it was considerably less people crowding the deck. That was a breath of fresh air for him, although he was not as relaxed as he'd ought to be after a good nap. The Woman he was following walked with elegance across the deck and over to the railing, to which Mahendra followed. Fate was leading him to her for some reason, it had to be!

Mahendra walked more steadily than he had earlier, making his way past people passing him as he too stood against the railing. The boat floated on the water, gently moving with every force counteracting it, making Mahendra hold the railing as to steady himself. The woman spoke, Mahendra thought to him for the lack of other people standing with her, making him look at her with her red fingernails, pale skin and dark eyes; No longer red, but yet a fine dark colour. "I would have to agree, my dear lady, perhaps second or third. Although I have to admit that there are worse places to spend your evening on. No? I mean, Egypt managed to pull me back to her beauty twice in my life now." Mahendra said casually back to the woman in his thick Bengali accent, looking up from the water passing below him and up to the open sky, to where only Gods could go.

Mahendra looked at the lady for a moment, giving her a polite smile as he tried to take the situation into mind while continuing the conversation. "May I be so bold as to ask what brings you to these parts of the world, Miss...?" As he looked away and behind him casually, all was as it was meant to be behind him. But turning back again to the railing and the woman, he noticed her posture - in a most gentlemanly way, mind you, no drooling or anything of that sort. She was holding perfectly still up against the railing, in contrast to the others that passed them as the boat moved forward on the water. How was she seemingly not affected by it? Mahendra looked quickly away from her, stroking his moustache as he swallowed a big portion of disbelief. Who was she?

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"At least we can agree on something then. May I?" Richard replied to Franklin's statements of the weather and such and such, having figured that he'd get the response he got. Pointing to an empty seat beside him, Richard didn't want for a Yes or No as he sat down alongside him, placing his trusted fedora on the armrest and leaning back to enjoy his cigarette. But really, Richard was working. He was always working, like the ticking clocks of The Big City that slaved for its inhabitants to tell them the time. For him it was time to do what he was good at.

"Ah, I see. Completely understable, Franklin." Richard placed the cheap cigarette between his lips and filled his lungs with nicotine-filled smoke, looking empty into the air in front of him as if just enjoying a stroll in Central Park. Exhaling with the cigarette resting on his dry lip, The Detective looking to Franklin with a thoughtful look, though the hint of a smile visible too. "Thing is that I did ask, and in my experience when people don't like to share, it means it's pretty good stuff. You know what I mean? But you may be right, it may or not be any of my business." Richard said, watching the man's every movement in his face, wrinkles and nosehairs and all, trying to crack the mystery behind the face. Nothing came to him as he followed the man's finger towards Faye, and Richard looked back at the man. "Then again, who I'm with aren't much of your business either, Franklin. But hey, just means we're the same two mice on the sinking ship."

Richard took another good drag from his cigarette clamped like a snitch between the Feds and the Mob, placing it back between his fingers and resting that hand on the armrest, flicking off the ash accumulated on it. Keeping Frankling away from Faye, as the question about her implied, was important for Richard, so he would have to get back on track. Perhaps getting a drink too, it was getting hot again. A weird sense of déjà vu tried to kick open the door in the back of his mind, but Richard focused on his man. "As to why I'm talking to you, let's just say that journal of yours peaked my interest. In my line of work, I've learned to follow that. So where did you get it?"

Once again Richard, however tough or professional he was, failed spectacularly to notice his sleeve. It was on fire. AGAIN. Faith was a cruel mistress, wasn't she?

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The way that Reddish spoke, with accent and all, left Jo feeling a bit tingly all over. His words were true enough, she supposed. And what a delightful message it played. Whenever life gave you a moment, one should enjoy it without question. She could learn to live like that. "You know what, darling. You're right! Life is too damn short to go through it with questions on your lips. We should live in the moment. We are on a boat on the Nile in Egypt. Life is surprising."

Jo followed to the bow of the ship along with the photographer. She sidled up closer to Reddish and gave her best starlet smile. Smiling with the eyes too. Once it was over, she moved a bit away from the edge. "Pleasure was all mine, darling. Do save me a copy of that, yes? And please do not tell anyone I was here. I left America to get away from it all, you see." This was more or less to the photographer, but Reddish also fell into the category.

"So, darling. Anything else you wish to do?"

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Faye held herself up to meet the man's gaze. She tried her best to look interested and aloof, hoping the man would bite and share, but so far he was more curious and closed off. Perhaps a drink or two more would loosen his lips. "A pleasure to meet you, J.C. And to answer your previous question, I find drinking alone to be boring. Surely a man like yourself isn't alone often." Was that flirting? She didn't know! She complimented him and maybe he was drunk enought to accept it.

"Figured you would like some company. You seem a bit down. I wouldn't mind listening if you wished to share? I'm quite the listener." Psychology was in equal parts talking as it was listening, so maybe this would help the man. Or it would all fall through. She wondered how Richard was paying off. This was more his wheelhouse than hers. She had no doubt the man would be on fire.

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The notion that Vera's quarters had been breached, as was reported by George, gave the Lord Major an immediate sense of militant urgency. One hand strayed to the hilt of his sword while the other rested upon the holster of his custom Webley revolver. It was not until the younger American explained the particulars of the situation that Reginald reined in his desire to rush off in spirited defense of Vera. Cooler heads must prevail. Vera was safe, she was not alone, and he must put more trust in his Fellowship. All the same, it was obvious that whomever had been shadowing them in Cairo had made it onto the boat with them, ever curious as to their plans and seemingly intent upon stopping them. "Why do you suppose that could be, Mr. Benaszewski? This outing is academic in nature, you see. Except for the odd sort of dreams, spontaneous burnings, and odd compulsions to seek out symbols in the small hours, I mean. But why would someone not wish for us to get answers?" Of course, if Reginald had the answer to that last question, it would reveal much about their situation.

The other questions would have to remain lurking in the background of Reginald's mind for at least a little bit longer. As he and George entered the section of Cargo that contained their goods and supplies, the Lord Major took to scrutinizing the area. At first it seemed that all was well and their belongings had avoided the same sort of intrusions that were visited upon Lady Munn's quarters above. Then Reginald noticed something amiss - a label at an off angle. Further inspection gave him the impression that it had been removed, looked over, and put back by inexpert hands. And there were others. One replaced backwards. Another upside down. Almost as if they were removed and replaced hastily by unknown parties. "I say, Mr. Benaszewski? Look here... this appears to be out of order. Say what you will about the Corporal; he is an obnoxious fellow, loud and grating, but the man is nothing if not meticulous. To a fault, I should say. There is an order to which the British Military stores and categorizes supplies, and that man would have himself flogged publicly (or likely do so himself), were something out of that order on his watch."

The Lord Major reached into his uniform's inner coat pocket and produced an item of paperwork. "The Corporal handed over our individual manifest as we were boarding, among other things. I daresay I shall not be useful for identifying much from the Museum, but perhaps we may do a preliminary?"

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For all of his supposed suave confidence and very British propriety, Reddish seemed to initially tense up in a manner that could have been described as boyish, even a little nervous, as Josephine moved in closer to him for purpose of taking the picture. As the countdown proceeded prior to the actual photograph being taken, he forced himself to adopt more a more relaxed posture. After the picture was snapped, he even chuckled at himself a little under his breath. It was silly for him to act in that way, even for a second - the unbidden reaction that a schoolboy might have for the pretty girl he was crushing on. Reddish was a veteran of the Great War and presently in the service of a living legend. Yet now that he had been left to his own devices, however interim his free time might be, Reddish found himself quite beguiled by the American starlet. He silently reminded himself to act in a manner respectful and appropriate to his station and her own, noting the difference in the two, and simply be grateful that she acquiesced to be in his escort at all.

He listened attentively to the desire for a print of the picture, beaming a proud smile at her for the mention. "Oh absolutely, Miss Clarke! Though I daresay it makes less of an impression, you being immortalized in photography with a nameless non-com. I should be happy, ma'am, to know that you wish to remember the evening. Positively giddy." Addressing Josephine's further concern of gathering unwanted attention, Reddish nodded his head vigorously. "Say no more, madame! Say no more. I've no desire whatsoever to cause any sort of a fuss nor scene, that I can promise you. I desire only to keep the picture as a memento of one very noteworthy time during my service to look back upon, maybe prove to the occasional nay-sayer that I was indeed in your presence were they to, well... to nay-say." His smile turned to the wistful, "Or perhaps to look to a back genuinely happy moment when the inevitabilities of life weigh too ponderously, Miss Clarke. Thank you, madame. Thank you very much for humoring me."

The Corporal gave his request for number and size of prints to the photographer, providing his room number for the next day's delivery. It must be a tidy source of income for the man, he reasoned, even if it involved lugging about cases full of equipment from place to place. Not too unlike what Reddish did, thinking on it, though he was salaried modestly by The Crown. After satisfied with the coming pictures, he took to note what Josephine had just asked: Was there anything else he wished to do? There went that schoolboy nervousness again. Perhaps it was like anticipating a battle; the wait was killer, but he tended to operate just fine once the actual conflict began. There were several things he might wish to do upon a well appointed riverboat along the Nile, given time and opportunity. But again, propriety and simple manners begged for gentlemanly modesty and the desire to maintain comfort of the lady at all times, unless she directly dictated otherwise.

As he paused to formulate an answer, he could not help but notice a sudden change in the temperature. The desert tended to do that at night, but this seemed more drastic; even unseasonably so. As a chilling breeze whistled past them, Reddish pushed his sleeves back down fully, covering the marks on his arms and hopefully promoting a little resistance to the sudden drop in temperature. "Well, Miss Clarke, ah... at the risk of speaking out of place, I was hoping to behave in a manner that was so befuddlingly charming as to have us make an evening of it. But! But, if I were forced to pin down a single activity that speaks to convenience, or at least a segue elsewhere, I do believe that I had promised to find you a drink more suited to your preference, ma'am. Something less sweet? And if it please you, perhaps someplace indoors, away from this wind. Even with my khaki drill jacket, I do not believe that you are dressed suitably for this sudden chill." That was strange, the turn of the weather. Something to note for later.

He looked to her expectantly, "Unless I miss a point of etiquette, ma'am, and ladies' preference applies here, in which case I am more than happy to attend to your own ideas on the subject." He gave a light bow of his head in deference to Josephine, whatever she decided. "Miss Clarke?"

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Gene had to stifle a bit of a laugh from the expression on her twin's face as Lady Munn's nightgown hit him. She hadn't really expected that he would be so easily flustered, but she was learning many new things about her brother on this adventure. She knew that any romance between George and Lady Munn ultimately wouldn't last - they walked different paths in life and unless something disastrous happened to one of them in particular, those paths would never meet again. As her brother fled and the other woman, Lauren, began to search and she asserted that Lady Munn's journal was missing, Lauren's calm presence impressed Gene.

"Of course, if they stole your notes and your map, we might see them at the dig site," Gene pointed out. There was more than one reason to steal information, as far as she was concerned. Either it way to keep it from someone else - or because the thief in question needed to use that information for their own purposes. In this case, Gene had a gut feeling that it was a mixture of the two. "Let's go and ask the staff if anyone has had their ticket stolen - I doubt it was someone of elite deck standing that broke into your room like this," Gene added.

Nora nodded, still examining the mess and the chaos. She kept her leather bound diary on her person at all times, never quite sure when inspiration would strike and she would need to jot down a note. "I have my personal notes on me as well," Nora told her friend, hoping to reassure her. Her voice was soft as ever and Gene wondered when this one would learn to speak up. Of course, Nora hadn't opened her purse to check yet but she had not parted with it since they came onto the boat.

"Perhaps Gene is right - we could investigate for the source of the theft - but I feel it might be prudent to have you write down everything pertinent you remember that is not within my own notes, just to salvage our source of information and guidance," Nora suggested. Human memory was flawed and she figured that they had a better chance of recovering the information from Lady Munn's mind than they did of catching the thief on this ship.

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Reminders: Same as last rounds reminders but I suggest you reread them so they stay fresh in your mind while you are posting. If you are changing decks at anytime while we are on the boat - roll in chat before you post. If you roll a 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 - drop me a line because your ticket is missing. If you roll a 6 though 20, you have your ticket and can proceed without issue.

Same goes with leaving and returning to your characters room. If you enter your room, drop a roll in chat. 1, 2, or 3 drop me a line before posting. If you roll a 4-20 everything is fine and you can proceed without issue.

Please remember to do this every time you change decks and every time you enter your rooms.

Also remember - If you are Elite you can do to any deck. If you are Secondary you can go anywhere but Elite unless you are on record as working for someone with an Elite ticket. If you are Lower Deck, you can only enter Lower or Main deck.

Sailing Still: As per usual, there are staff at every stair point to check tickets. They had seemed a bit over whelmed right after dinner but that was most likely due to the crowds. Now that it was later and less and less people were moving through it was a less stressful and they were more relaxed. The evening hadn't cleared out enough for them to get bored though, so it was a good middle ground, at least for now.

Vera looked over towards Lauren and nodded before taking a deep breath and huffing the curls out of her face. The woman was right. It was a logical train of thought to think they could get the journal back. They were on a river, on a moving boat that was not docking for some time. Yet, everything that happened was anything but logical in her mind. In fact there was plenty that was not logical. Maybe they would just jump ship and ruin it, maybe they would copy what they needed and dispose of it, maybe they would take one of the life boats, there were other possibilities.

One thing was certain however, she was not staying alone tonight. Peter and others were dead. Some killed but she didn't think Peter's death was murder. Or was it? It was something she did not want to dwell on. Looking over towards Lauren she cracked a small smile. "Yes, please. Safety in numbers," she said quietly but was that even truth? Haakon had died when they were together and it seemed that the older woman was burned in the streets. Was anywhere safe?

The woman stayed looking forward but she spoke. "Indeed it does, many a night have I spent on her waters or with my feet in her sands. Time marches on but in certain places such as this, it stands still far longer than others." Her voice was even as she spoke but there was a melodic chill in it as the words left her lips. At his question her eyes darted to him but her head did not turn. "Only if you are bold enough to tell me your reasoning to be here. Speak truth, lie and I will know it," she said, it the words were a warning and the chilled delivery even more so.

Franklin quirked a brow as he sat down without waiting an answer but said nothing to counter him and made no move to leave. He listened to what the man was saying but didn't answer. Simply watching him as a small grin seemed to grow on his lips. What was happening before him was interesting that was for sure. Or at least entertaining in his mind and it came through on his face. Reaching for the pitcher on the table he pushed it forward towards Richard as the grin grew. "You might wish to worry less about my journal and look at your sleeve," he said with a chuckle before taking a drink and downing it.

Glancing over towards Faye the man smirked a bit. "Only by choice usually," he said in reference to being alone. "Most don't understand," he added before taking another swig of drink, this time from the new bottle that had been given over to him. "Though you don't look the type to be alone either. Why would you seek out a drunk at a bar? I am sure there are far more entertaining men out there for you to pass your time with. Ones that would come to you," he said as he lowered the bottle and placed it on the bar top. Shrugging he leaned back in the tall chair. "How about you tell me why are you alone and then I will answer a question from you," he proposed before taking a drag from his cigarette.

"Mmm, because some just want to watch the world burn," he said quietly as he looked around with his single eye darting this way and that as he walked around slowly. As Reginald pulled out the inventory he nodded and held his hand out slightly as he stepped closer. "Mmm, divide and conquer," he suggested. It would be easier for them to each take part of the list and start going over it than one at a time. A moment of thought and he continued. "Mmm, maybe not alarm Lady Munn until we know if something is missing?" he added, he didn't want to put more on the woman's plate than was already there.

Listening to what Nora and Gene were saying Vera had to agree with both of them. See if anyone had reported a missing or stolen ticket and write down what she could remember while it was still fresh in her mind. Thing was, the reason for writing things down was so that someone did not have to remember. Then again, when someone did write things down it was more likely they would remember them without the need of notes. It was an odd balance of things. Nodding she tripped and scavenged around until she found pen and paper. Sitting down on a chair and pulling over a side table and started to write down what she could remember. Looking up and over to the other women there she bit her bottom lip. "Would someone ring for the purser?" she asked as she pointed over to the bell pull by the door. She knew if she got up she would probably trip again.

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All in all, Mosi was finding this day to be rather tiring. A lot of nasty stuff happened and somehow or other she ended up on a ship heading for what appeared to be an archeological dig of some kind. She couldn't say she had weirder days before and it certainly for hell was rather curious and interesting so far. With the minor disturbances such as the deaths that happened... and her lack of meeting Rosheen. She had been looking forward to chilling out with the redhead. Thinking about that, made her a lil sad as she pulled her ticket, showing it to the man at the staircase to the Second deck.

She had mostly missed that her pal Mahendra had appeared at the Main deck too. She had other things to think and care about right now. His shenanigans with a pretty lady were going to be a discussion for a later time, probably tomorrow when she starts asking him for details about his companionship with that woman and if something fun happened.

When she reached the second decks and having claimed the stairs, she took a breath and looked around... Sort of, she didn't really pay much attention to what she was seeing really. There were other stuff weighing on her mind such as redheads, deaths, the nice atmosphere and feel of the place and the missed inspiration chance she had experienced just now. That last one was especially annoying since she's been waiting for such a inspiration strike for a long while! For an artist, his art was important and she missed a chance to create a masterpiece!

“Need a drink...” She mumbled and directly headed for dining area with the hope of securing a drink there. A quick drink and then she was going to her room. Might as well get a good sleep and rest, so she could be really active tomorrow!