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Gene was still smirking from time to time as breakfast ended, thinking back to the quip her brother had made. There were so many levels of irony to that joke and it was a shame that the others were clueless to it. One day - hopefully not too soon - it was possible that some of them would understand. She didn't know what the Lord Major had been talking about with the Captain before they got there, but she nodded at his offer to just ring the steward if Vera needed anything. She had to hold back a quip that she was pretty certain her brother was going to be fulfilling that duty until Vera's cold passed. However, her interest was piqued as he mentioned the bazar in Benha.

She always made people retrieve a token or something for her when they went off on travels without her. She considered briefly if she ought to extent the favor and get things for the people back home. Maybe if anything struck her fancy, she would. But if not, she hardly owed them anything. Things were tense at best and presents might give the wrong impression. Ensuring that she had her things, Gene then got up and had a bit of a skip in her step as she got off of the ship with the others. It was a contrasting image to Nora, who was more calm and collected, while Gene was a bit of a bouncing ball of energy.

"If you would not mind, Lauren, I would be glad to accompany you," Nora said quietly. It was her obnoxiously British way of saying ~please don't leave me alone~ without actually saying that. Emotions had to be held back in speech, her mother and father had always been very clear on that growing up. She knew that she was supposed to be trying to emulate Josephine - to live life to the fullest a bit more - but it was difficult to just change one's entire world view over night. Still, however, Nora was determined to try to engage a bit more with the world and have more self confidence.

She then nodded a bit at the Lord Major's suggestion of meeting up again later around lunch - however she also still did not wish to journey alone. She was in a strange place she had not yet been before, with no notion of what danger could lurk around any corner. Even if they had not been in this mysterious Fellowship business, she was a woman. It would be safer to travel with Lauren. And besides, the last time she had walked alone in a city had resulted in her being branded along the Nile river.

"So!" Gene looked at the people gathered there. "Who wants the honor of getting to go around with me?" she asked. Nora sighed slightly. George's sister really was a bit much.

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Notes: Now onto a new city.

*Okay, check update carefully - everyone that wasn't already disembarked it being pushed off the ship now.

Benha: It seemed that those that did not take the polite suggestion to go tour the town for the day were left with less than a kind shuffling directly off the boat by security. It took Vera vomiting on one of the staff members for them acquiesce to her and George remaining on the boat but it was under a locked door and a stationed guard and after a fully search of both their persons and the Lauren's room. By the time they left George had a look on his face as if he was about to just give them matching wounds to his own and Vera was spent. Falling asleep hard on the bed once the door was shut and locked.

The rest were escorted off the ship, with a hard hand if needed. "Captains orders," was repeated many times. "Not right now you won't," was repeated even more as people demanded to speak to the captain. It didn't take long before the ship was clear of everyone it seemed but the crew and the two remaining guests that were locked away in Miss Ridegway's room. (Now, this boat is clean LOL)

Coming out of the crowd there was a slightly familiar face to those that were about the evening before. J.C. seemed to be coming out of the city and towards the docks. Spotting the Lord Major he held his hand up and waved. "Mornin' Sir," he said with a grin. "Me and my girl were gonna tour the town but talked to Georgie boy and he asked for me to check in and see if y'all needed any help today. Told him I would, don't know what helps I'll be but if you needin' a tour guide my lass prolly knows a thang or' two," he said before looking around. "Where da hell she get off to..?" he muttered under his breath. "Damn Bella always wandering off after things that catch her eye," he said as he turned back around and smiled over towards Gene. "You looking to have some fun?" he asked in a cheeky manner.

Out on the dock there were signs both in Arabic and English that pointed in different directions. To the left they would find the market and bazaar, straight ahead they would find the rose gardens and perfume dealers, to the left there was a sign for Tours to Athribis and Leontopolis. Leontopolis was known for it's ancient tiles. Athribis was known as the birth place of Amenhotep ad many artifacts in the museum back in Cairo held pieces from many a dig that had happened there, transported on rails by trains funded by a George Jay Gould. "So, what you say Lord Major? Use another set of hands today?" J.C. asked as he clapped his hands together. "Be happy to help out if you want."

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Lauren looked over towards Mahendra and gave him a friendly smile and nodded towards her friend. "Glad to see that you are up and about today." She said towards him, and gave Mosi a friendly nod towards her as well, it seems that everyone was now slowly getting off as she occasionally looked over at the ship seeing a few remaining guests were being ushered off by some of the security staff. Lauren was just glad that they started to look into what was being stolen from, her eyes turned over towards J.C. seeing him coming over towards him and waved towards him as well. "Good morning." Lauren said, as she listened to Reginald as he suggested that they have a meetup place by lunch time.

"Sounds like a good idea to me, should we just meet up here by noon, and find a place to eat?" Lauren asked as she smiled towards Nora and nodded she was glad to have her friend with her. She then started to think a little bit and looked around the area, and spotted the tours, though it wasn't really her area it would certainly be interesting to go on the tours. "We should go to the tours." Lauren suggested as Gene asked who wanted to accompany her, looking over towards Nora for a moment having a feeling that she didn't want to have her go with them, before making her way over towards the Athribis and Leontopolis tours.

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It was something of a polite nod that Priscilla wholeheartedly agreed with the his suggestion to have the Fellowship meet up for the midday meal, giving them ample time to pursue their own interests in and about the city of Benha otherwise. He smiled a genteel smile, if tinged by just a bit of smugness. Of course it was a good idea! Downright practical, if you asked him. But the following statements given by the younger, adventurous young lady gave Reginald the urge to scratch his head and wonder a bit. Okay, so there might be a cause for further consideration by the rest of the group as well, being as specifics were not really mentioned at any point in the discussion following until Lauren happened to come up with a compromise. "Quite, madame. I suppose that is the best that our group may hope to accomplish, awash in the newness of a fresh location to explore. Let us then plan to gather hereupon the Docks, and select a local eatery at that time. There must be several nearby. Now, on to business!"

Reginald took a look around as if he was forgetting something, when it occurred to him that he really hadn't the slightest notion as to what "business" was, aside from exiting the ship. Well, something drew them all together. The horrifying chunks of death and mayhem aside, whatever that something was it was guiding them along on some purpose or another. But just in case there was something that one of them could do, he asked aloud, "I don't suppose that I am speaking foolishly, but is anyone in our little band qualified to appraise or decipher those tiles that Vera was on about? It should bear some looking into, I would imagine. Mr. Zalil... have you any experience with this?" Sadly, the Lord Major did not. But a good commander (despite his not commanding this expedition) deferred to the knowledge of specialists within his squad. Though he had no bearing whatsoever, someone else might.

And speaking of someone else, a man whom the Lord Major did not see depart the ship, though somehow made his way to them from within the city, appeared before them. The very man who risked life and limb to assist Mahendra and later Vera out of the Nile following their perspective incidents with involuntary diving lessons. "Ah yes, Mr. ... Mr. C, I believe. It is a solid pleasure, sir. I did not know that you were aboard the boat with your, ah, your lass, sir." It was not a word that he had the habit of using, lass. Assumption of any relationship that he and this woman might have could lead to disharmony, which he sought to avoid. "I shall be rather open, you see. Our merry collective of adventurers are heading in our perspective directions to amass what knowledge and experiences as one may in this town whilst things are handled aboard the boat. If you've the inclination to assist, I shan't stop you. But for myself, I would be quite satisfied to go where fate would have me. Where then would you recommend? I've til noon to occupy my time. After you, sir, with whomever else would care to join us."

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Reddish stayed toward the periphery of the conversation unfolding among the people with which he had set out from Cairo. They seemed to have a touch of a difficulty with organization. This might be expected; after all, they didn't have the superior planning and task-mindedness so commonly associated with His Majesty's Royal Armed Forces. Moreover, none of them appeared to give a more or less rat's fuzzy hindquarters about what he was doing with himself in their presence, so he didn't feel the need to contribute to a conversation to which he was not party. Besides, he had his own plans for the day. Those plans involved scouting the Bazaar for just the right pocketwatch, provided that he could suss out which one it might be, if indeed it was there. In any rate, the best way to find something is to look, or so his dear old dad would say. Reddish was not the type to be idle for very long.

As the others continued plotting their hours for the day, the Corporal slipped a little farther away from the knot of Fellowship persons, scanning the few trickling off of the boat that security had given the heave-ho, and then the people around them with the intent of locating Josephine and beginning his epic quest with someone who could identify the pilfered item. He was still very clearly in view of the rest of them, merely stepping to more closely read the street signs. The one which caught his attention pointed him toward the very location(s) to which he was hoping one might; Market and Bazaar. Just the place to find hot merchandise procured by vendors of questionable moral outlook. He glanced back to the others, scanning for the American starlet, before taking his first couple of steps toward his intended destination. "Back at noon then, Lord Major! I shall strive to be punctual, worry yourself not, Sir!" He checked his own watch to gauge the hours at his disposal and wound it for good measure. Reddish had somewhere to be.

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She was a bit miffed that no one else seemed to find her missing item of the utmost importance. Lady Munn gets robbed and everyone is asunder, but she gets robbed and its off to the town to go shopping! Really! At least Reddish seemed to be concerned for her. And she was, of course, sad to hear Lady Munn was ill. "Yes, I suppose you are right darling. Though I do feel I would get more done than the lot on this ship, if the thief is a member, they would have to come off. Plus, seeing the sights might do me a world of good."

So with more of a spring in her step than she had before, she followed the others off the deck and onto the docks of Benha. "I am down for a bit of fun. I would love to see the shopping here. It has been ages since I've toured a market." She wanted to go along with the group, though Reddish seemed determined to get her attention too. "All right, darling, but I do want some time to look around. For both business and pleasure."

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Faye would ignore the subtle jab at her use of the word premonition. She knew, by the end of this trip, that if Richard wasn't a believer in some sort of otherworldly thing, she would not have done her job. "We got leads and not a whole lot of time to get at them so let's get cracking!" The staff were all but pushing everyone off the ship. Faye noted that the staff would still be on board. Would it be possible for someone to stay behind? Perhaps fake an illness? It would give them an almost run of the ship. She made a mental note of that.

As she exited the ship with Richard, Benha appeared quaint. It filled her with wonder, but Egypt had been doing that so far easily. "Hospital seems like a good step. Perhaps we can find out more information from the locals too, especially in the markets. He would have had to stock up supplies and maybe someone knew him. Either way, I am excited!" Faye was practically giddy in anticipation. This was what she had been working hard for.

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It was a most pleasent sight to behold the remainder of the Fellowship safely on land. Mahendra both enjoyed their company, but it also meant safety in numbers. And after all they'd experienced the previous days, safety was something even a colonial gentleman wished for. Mahendra followed suit after Mosi, making his way over to them as well. "Good morning everyone, it is a pleasure to see you all." Mahendra greeted the group, only to notice that a few important members were not present. As it would seem, Vera was not fit to join them. A true shame!

"Good morning Lauren, thank you dear. I feel much better so I shall enjoy today as best I can." Mahendra said more specifically back to his new American friend, giving her a kind smile at her concern for him. Then it was agreed that if the Fellowship would prefer to split up and go their seperate ways, then they should rendevouz at the docks at noon. Mahendra nodded in agreement to the proposal, pulling out his pocket watch and taking the time, before putting it back as his name and duty was called by no other than the honorable Lord Major!

"Oh...I will certainly do my outmost to assist in any way I can, Lord Major Sir, though sadly I am not particuarly qualified in that field. I am a geologist, not an archeologist. In the very least, I may be able to recognize the tile I found in the archives when..." Mahendra began his explaination to the Lord Major, only to cut his words short when about to bring up the most dire death of the journalist. No, it was bad sport to speak of such, and he tried focusing on something else. With Mosi having gone her merry way on an adventure for herself, he had the choice between going with Lauren and the others on a tour, the American starlet with the vocal corporal looking for a watch, or assisting the Lord Major in their quest. Even with the gentleman's duty of accompanying the ladies, as a former soldier of the Empire he felt a duty to assist the Lord Major. Now possibly with the assistance of J.C. as well, to which he objected not. "Do enjoy your tour, Lauren. Ladies. I am at your disposal, Lord Major! It would be an honour to serve His Majesty once again."

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As Richard let his cheaply rolled cigarette dangle as safely as a monkey from the top of a wet skyscraper and pulled out his pair of sunglasses, Faye came up with an actal good idea for a line of inquiry. Richard looked up at her with a brief smile on his face, placing the sunglasses on his scarred nose. "Now that's a good idea. I like your enthusiasm, Faye, you might make a good private dick in the end." Richard complimented her, though it might come across as a bit rough. Richard wasn't the most social person after all. "Let's go, I'll check our notes."

Richard had begun to move in a certain direction as he pulled out his notepad to read it quickly, but stopped his already casual pace as his eyes quickly read the first page. Or rather perhaps it was the line of text that filled his brain, a mental filing cabinet of a sorry-ass detective with a typewriter in dire need of maintenance. "...I'm not usually wrong, but we might scratch the hospital-idea, at least for now." Richard said back to Faye, his sunglasses hiding what could be a shameful look in his eyes. "Chances are he wouldn't have been in a hospital here since he died over in Frog Eating Country...he might never have been here in the first place, Jesus H...So..."

Now he was riffling through his little notebook, trying to come up with a better place to start looking for clues. He might have had a good brain, but today he just felt like a flop! In the end Richard looked up from a certain page of his notebook and back up at Faye, smoke coming out of his mouth as he spoke. "New plan on my end: Trains. He was a railroad tycoon, right? It might be a better idea to ask questions there rather than at a hospital." He closed his notebook, pocketing it safe from any long-nosed thieves in the area and placing the cigarette between his fingers. "Okay, you know that I don't buy into that mumbo-jumbo Houdini-talk you know about, but...I can't believe I'm asking this...but perhaps you could perhaps, I don't know Faye, think of some 'magical' approach? Anyway, let's get going. We're burning daylight faster than dirty accountant with phony papers."

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Mosi frankly couldn't wait to get going and away from this place for the time being. She barely waited for Lauren to come up with a solution that covered the best points of what the Lord Major and she suggested. She smiled and nodded." Great idea." She agreed as she turned back to Mahendra, gave him a pat on the shoulder and bailed in the direction of the Rose Gardens about as fast as her two legs could take her.

She was well aware that their time in Benha was limited to today and they were going to be departing later today, so there wasn't even a full day of time to spend so every hour counted for much here. Thus she wanted to see as much as she could, find as many interesting things as she can and grab some souvenirs... Well thinking about it she had not many to give souvenirs to... Well she'd send something to her family in the States... and she also thought of Rosheen so she could buy the redhead something too. Then there was just the personal souvenir she wanted to have to hang on a wall somewhere or something once she gets her own home. She planned once that happens to decorate the entire thing with souvenirs from her journeys! And also to have a weapons room where she was going to display all her weapons!

Still the people on the streets were not to be underestimate sheer numberwise. She was forced to quite literally make her way through the crowds, dodging and weaving in between them and push her way softly at other times. Her great pace had slowed a lot because of this, but it also gave a unique charm to this place. There weren't such scenes back in the states... well there were, but it wasn't all the time frankly and not everywhere.

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"Always," Gene told J.C. with a smirk. However, she had a feeling that if Bella had run off somewhere, then there was fun nearby to be had. All of these people from different backgrounds - it just made her giddy. She hated being cooped up places. Back home, it felt like the same day was repeating over and over again, as if nothing ever really changed and time never really passed. Here, there was life, energy, a certain bit of seductive charm to the intensity of it all. "Though what did you have in mind for fun, hmm?" she instinctively reached into her pocket, grabbed a sweet, unwrapped it, and popped it into her mouth.

Nora nodded a bit, smiling slightly at Lauren's suggestion. The tours did seem to be the most interesting of the options available. Rose gardens and perfume could be found in England just as easily as here in Benha - but these tours were something unique. She'd regret not getting to go see them since she now had the chance. "I would like that," Nora told Lauren, though she also couldn't help but wonder if they might stumble upon some clue dealing with this entire mystery. Coincidences and strange events were happening no matter where they went. Or if they were lucky, perhaps they would illuminate enough of the pattern in order to predict the next strange happening.

Gene then raised a bit of an eyebrow as the Lord Major struggled to come up with a word to describe Bella. It was cute, how hard these Brits tried to be as proper and polite as possible. In a way, the struggle reminded her of a puppy trying to remember what trick to perform in exchange for a treat. The comparison ended there however - she didn't imagine anyone ever calling Lord Major the various names given to dogs. It made her shudder a bit at the thought, wanting to wash her brain and remove that entire train of thought from memory.

The soft spoken British woman departed to the left with Lauren, noticing that this was the same direction as the bazar and the market. Of the three options, those would be her second choice. She imagined that Lady Munn would have loved to go on these tours - and perhaps if she hadn't been so ill, Nora could have imagined her having a lively and polite discussion with George to pass the time with. She was glad that her friend seemed to have recovered mostly from Peter's death. The pain of Neema's death was still lingering with Nora and she had known her for far less time than Vera had known her Peter.

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Notes: As a reminder this is the direction you need to go to hit the 3 main areas of the town -
To the left they would find the market and bazaar.
Straight ahead they would find the rose gardens and perfume dealers.
To the right there was a sign for Tours to Athribis and Leontopolis. Leontopolis was known for it's ancient tiles. Athribis was known as the birth place of Amenhotep and many artifacts in the museum back in Cairo held pieces from many a dig that had happened there, transported on rails by trains funded by a George Jay Gould. This is also where you will find the main train depot in the area.

*You should be able to reach each place by the end of this round if you should so chose.

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J.C. shook his head. "Your guess is good as mine Lord Major, I ain't be knowing a lot about this area. More of an old west man myself. I like to have some tumbleweeds mixed in with me sand," he said with a chuckle before looking to Gene. "Shit, anyone got a sled? I bet them damn sand dunes would work like snow," he said with a cheeky grin before he started looking over the crowds again. "Where day hell is that woman," he muttered to himself before placing his fingers at the corner of his mouth and giving a piercing whistle in different directions.

Slowly walking against the crowds, long fingers laced together around the shaft of a black umbrella that was carried high over a dark haired womans head. She was dressing in long flowing black linens, much in her usual style but obviously not her usual fit. She seemed to glide across the ground. "Oh darling do desist with such piercing whistles before you spook a camel, I do not wish to be spit on today," she said as she came over to him and laced an arm through his. Taking the umbrella from her, J.C. held it over her head to keep the sun off her face. "Are you doing to introduce me?" she asked, her eyes moving towards Gene and giving the slightest of smiles before looking towards the man who seemed to be in charge.

"Oh right, Lord Major, this is me girl Bella. Bella, this is the Lord Major Keystone," he said and she quirked a brow as she looked over towards J.C. "Yes, he is Peters uncle," he confirmed her unspoken thought. Nodding she turned back to the Lord Major. "George asked for some help today, they needin' a tour guide of sorts."

Reaching out her long painted fingers to the Lord Major she gave a nod of understanding. "Tis a pleasure Lord Major, I have heard much of your nephews bravery from George. If you are indeed in need of someone to show you the sights I would be honored to do as much. I do so have a certain level of obsession when it comes to the crypts in the area and have studied them to some degree. By no means do I know all their secrets but then again if I did, what fun would it be to return?"

Market/Bazaar: The market and bazaar are crowded, it seemed that the majority of those from the boat decided to go here first. Like to many such places there are many a table set up under make-shift tents. It doesn't seem as if anyone has a permanent set up. Each easily able to be disassembled and moved when needed. A traveling market if you would so people can set up, sell for a time, and then move on to the next city. From clothing to silks to honey to flowers and more is all set up. There doesn't seem to be a system of how things are set up. Food and drink vendors dot the area and people are standing around trading and bartering prices in various languages. It seems nothing is actually priced and one must negotiated and hope to get a good deal without insulting the vendor.

Rose Garden/Perfume Dealers: The rose gardens are set up in long rectangles of different varieties of roses. Some long stem, some smaller bush like ones, and in so many colors and varieties. It looks like a rainbow if one were to look from one side to the other once they entered. There are people set up along them to sell freshly cut ones or to follow you as you pick what you would like. Some are much more fragrant than the others. Perfume dealers line the outside far end of the gardens where people can chose from already created fragrances or chose different notes in which to create their own.

Tours/Train Depot: Where the tours are located there is a smaller train depot that has a schedule for trains going to both Athribis and Leontopolis. There are also camel tours but those are full day that leave in the morning. They have already set out for the day. The Train depot can compensate for an hour to hour schedule to each place and bring a tourist back in a much shorter amount of time for those that just wish to make a quick viewing of places. There are two sets of tracks set up, one to go to Athribis and one to go to Leontopolis. There is a map that shows it is actually just one long continuous loop of a track that makes four stops over the course of an hour. The main depot, Athribis, the main depot track 2, Leontopolis, and then back to the main depot. It seems that four trains run constantly from morning until evening circling to each place and having a stop every half an hour.

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Lauren gave Nora a friendly smile she was glad that her friend was coming with her, as she turned right towards the train depot that was there. Looking at the bazaar for a moment, if she had time later in the day then she would stop by and see what was there and maybe bring a thing or two back home with her. Whenever she did get back home anyway as Lauren made her way towards the train depot, she took a moment to look at the sign that said camel tours which would have been interesting to ride. But sadly they were long gone by now by the sounds of it anyway. Lauren adjusted her purse just a little bit as she got to the train depot and looked over towards her friend, they could go to two places.

"So, where did you want to go first Athribis or Leontopolis?" Lauren asked, she didn't know either of the places to well since her brief time being in Egypt but she wanted to see where her friend wanted to go. They had until noon so they still had a bit of time before going back to the docks to meet the others for lunch as well. Everyone seemed to have also gone and went to do their own thing which was probably good then and it was just the two of them.

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Reginald gave a polite nod and accepted the lady's hand. "Madame, it is an absolute pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am pleasantly surprised that the two of you are likewise acquainted with my dear late nephew." He paused for a second or two, allowing himself to feel the painful brush against what was still a raw memory for him. There had been so much death recently. So much. While he had grieved for Peter's passing long ago, his brief presence followed by his being snatched away yet again had left a hollow within his soul. Reginald was able to remove himself from the abyss of his welling emotion and back into the present. "Hmm, yes. It does seem like the world has gotten smaller as of late. Ah, but it does give a sense of adventure, now doesn't it? I shall be succinct, Miss Bella: We are on a mission of great personal and academic value. Our expedition leader and primary scholar, a Lady Vera Munn, is at this very moment indisposed due to illness that we do pray is very temporary. If you've the inclination, I believe that we were about to pay a visit to the local tiles, though I daresay that I've no knowledge on the subject."

Reginald released the woman's hand and turned slightly to J.C., "And might I say that your companion is a lady of timeless beauty and old world charm; you are a lucky man, sir."

Giving an eye up the road, the Lord Major noted the shrinking form of Mosi toward the distance. He wasn't sure what she was doing, nor what advantage she might get from touring the roses of this fine city, but he hoped that is was worth the expenditure of what time they had in town, before the riverboat set off yet again. More than that, "I hope that young lady will have something to show to the lady footing the bill for her expenses, or to myself for arranging her 'vacation', as it were." He sighed a little. Maybe she did have some hunch that could be followed up by a visit to the flowers. He might keep his fingers crossed that she caught something that the rest of the group might have missed, were he the ardent finger-crossing type. All he knew was that there was a mission afoot and he hoped that all parties in their Fellowship remembered this, contributing in their own unique ways.

Speaking of which, "Ah, but where are my manners. Mr. Zalil? I appreciate your sense of imperial patriotism, my good man. However, I must remind that, even in the absence of the Lady Munn, neither the Crown nor myself can rightly claim ownership of this little mission. You would serve not the interests of His Majesty, but those of modern Academia, sir! A task to which, I am certain, your scholastic achievements can be better set against than my own, you see. Consider me but your humble organizer and quartermaster, pitching in where I can. The only man who may claim service to myself is the Corporal. To be quite frank, I desire his day-to-day service less as time passes, though I cannot admit that he is a motivated fellow."

Reginald began to walk in the direction of the trains. "Miss Bella, J.C., Mr. Zalil, and the remainder of the Fellowship not wandering toward the Bazaar: Let us be off! Our new friends might guide in the temporary hiatus that our dear Vera takes now, if they are willing. Come along, then!"

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"Why ma'am," declared Corporal Reddish, smiling in a manner that seemed rehearsed yet with a tiny veneer of being shocked, "shopping is precisely the sport I'm after! Taking a look at the mercantile flotsam and jetsam of the city of Benha is definitely in order, most especially if we must locate that which we are after. It would look frighteningly suspicious if we merely harass the local hawkers for a single suspect object which they likely know is recently illegally acquired, if you'll follow my line of reasoning, Miss Clarke. Why, it'd be downright incompetent of us otherwise." He offered the young starlet his arm as he began his trek toward the Bazaar, careful not to seem too eager. The truth of the matter was that Reddish was overjoyed to see Josephine out and about that morning. He had a memorable evening with her the previous evening, and barring any mishap that came with the territory of being him, he hoped to have another such hour or two with the young lady while hopefully getting something useful accomplished.

"I should add, and candidly, Miss Clarke; the photography has not yet been delivered to my stateroom. I fear that the bow-to-stern search that the staff is undertaking might very well delay that for a little while. I had hoped to return your clothing as a concurrent gesture, of course." He spoke apologetically, brimming with a goofy sort of confidence of action. Like a man who had everything planned out in some series of steps that, while delayed, still had the expectation of clockwork action following the break of activity. He began to lead them toward the sights ad sounds of the Bazaar, discreetly moving his wallet from his more convenient carrying place to the breast pocket of his uniform jacket. It made the attempt of lifting it from him a less worthwhile, more noticeable endeavor. Call it a holdover from a less innocent time of his youth, plus a healthy respect of a location that probably had its own cutpurses on standby to work the tourists. "Oh, ma'am? Keep a clutch on your personals. Places like this are bloody notorious. And Miss Clarke? Please let me know if anything catches your fancy whilst we are about. I've a mind to get some of that local honey for afternoon tea, m'self." He gave a reassuring smile, "If it's about, we'll find it." The change in intonation indicated that he was not talking about the honey with his last statement.

"Right! Now, try to look like a sun-addled tourist, ma'am." He had almost halfway accomplished that very thing already.

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As she walked through the crowds, Priscilla had spotted many a person, all seemingly of different origins and all going about their business in this town. This nice atmosphere she was getting, was affecting her nicely. In fact this was the exact type of things she had left the states to experience. She wouldn't mind living here in Egypt actually, she had about enough of the states and Europe. She didn't quite enjoy the Europe as it was right now. Had it been some other time like ancient greece or rome it might have been ever more fun, but right now not so much.

With these thoughts in mind, she made her way through the crowds. Slowly at times, faster at others, she weaved in between the sea of people, pushing her way through them when she had to also. All in all, she wouldn't be surprised with the amount of people if there were pickpockets running about. That was certianly an... possibility. Anyways, she steeled her focus and she had reached the edge of her destination so far. She had finally reached the so called Rose Gardens.

All in all, it was rather lovely locale. Even from first overview, she could see some details. Like the roses nicely arranged or the people milling about or those selling the flowers and surely perfumes. She nodded ot herself as she closed her eyes and breathed in for a moment, allowing other senses to take over for a brief moment. Yeah this was a great place, she was going to need to by some souvenirs for the few friends she had. On that end, what better present for a lady than a bottle of perfume? Well admittedly a bottle of rose oil would be far better, but she wasn't sure if they had that here." Well better start looking!" She said to herself with a smile and stepped forward into the Gardens.

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Josephine had all but forgotten about the photographs, given recent events. She was once quick to anger, but she had decided that the crew should be more focused on the search. After all, her watch was still missing along with Lady Munn's belongings. Had it just been the two of them robbed? What for? And was it by the same person? After all, the person only too her grandfather's watch, which might fetch a pretty penny but that's about it. Whereas museum knick knacks would surely go for much more on the black market.

She waved the thought away. She was in a new place, with her compatriots, and she was determined to enjoy herself. And keep an eye out, as Reddish had suggested. After all, the thief may be among them. "Quite so, darling. I am eager to peruse the goods here. I have so far enjoyed what I have seen fashion wise here. Quite a bit different than back in the States." She kept her purse close to her. She had assumed pickpockets would be about. She was already robbed once, she would not have it happen again.

"Let us make haste then, darling. The honey awaits." She found it rather cute he was hiding their motive and far be it from her to break character.

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Now Faye would have let the "magic" comment slide because she was in a good mood. However, this was not the first time (and surely not the last) that Richard made a comment like that. "Richard, I have already explained what I do. There is nothing "magical" about it. Occult deals with far broader topics than magic and, even then, I have no abilities to speak of. So no, I cannot just make something magically appear." She let her anger subside, because they had a job to do.

"Let's start at the train depot and work our way back. If all else fails, I am sure someone around the market would have seen him or know of him." She made her way towards the depot, not really waiting for Richard to follow. She was still angry at him, but she could also not blame him. Anyone not trained like her would see all of this as mystical and magical, flights of fancy. She knew better though and was eager to prove it.

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Whatever patriotic duty-infused delight Mahendra might have felt vanished in an instant as soon as our beloved geologist-gone-assistant lay eyes on the lady, who of which was the companion of J.C. She, it was her! Mahendra's eyes, face and whole posture froze colder than a poor man from the Subcontinent being thrown into the cold waters of the river Nile. Standing in front of him, J.C. and the honourable Lord Major, stood the very same lady who Mahendra had followed the previous night. The same woman he'd spoken with in cryptic phrases and unknown intentions, moving in mysterious ways on a boat that sailed on the river, as if untouched by the waves. But of all those things, the worst was the last event.

She had been there when Mahendra fell into the water the night before. Had she been witness to his most shameful accident? Had she seen or heard it? Or even worst of all, had she spoken about his ridicoulous mishap to J.C., who appeared to be her companion? Oh the horror!

Mahendra's brain worked on overdrive on this thoughts, leaving him standing like a fool for a moment while he simply looked at Bella. Then his Bengali bravery kicked his British manners back into gear, waking Mahendra from his transfixed trance and making him appear as his normal educated self, if a bit shaken. Mahendra gave a courteous smile to J.C., as a new member of the little group, then looked back at Bella and gave her a short bow as required of a proper gentleman. "Mahendra Huq Zalil, a pleasure to meet you madam Bella." Mahendra managed to say through his still shaken demenour, though it was quickly consumed by the presence of the Lord Major!

"Yes, of course Lord Major. It will be an honour very much still, be in it His Majesty's service or not. I shall do my outmost not to dissapoint the dear Lady Munn and my academic credentials." Mahendra restated his determination to assist in whatever way he could, though now in a less military-esque manner. He was right, the Lord Major, this was not the army anymore. Mahendra wasn't a soldier, but a geologist who just so happened to know a little about Egyptian beliefs. But as the Lord Major stated, Mahendra was the scholar of the bunch, and that he would attempt to fulfill. As the Lord Major began the march out towards the trains, Mahendra followed suit. Not in a marching order as he'd almost wished, but in a casual stride beside the older British gentleman.

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Richard let Faye give her his rebuke about his use of the word "magic", changing between looking at her through his dark sunglasses and at the diminshing crowd around them of ants in a anthill with too many different types of ants. Yeah sure she justified her ability to deal with the "occult" with more of the typical mumbo-jumbo that the cheap magicians spewed out on the overly-priced circus acts in New Jersey, but he couldn't bring himself to throw into yet another sarcastic comment, not when she was so adamant on it all being real. Whether or not she could just make something happen, she still believed in it.

Then again people belived that an old man up in the sky was controlling everything from the weather down to which sorry asshole got the short straw and had to fish out the poor kitty from the shitty sewers, and Richard wasn't overly enthusiastic about that either. Perhaps the difference was that Faye he had to deal with? "Okay, call it whatever you want then. I just wanted to ask if you had any other ideas of approaching this..." Richard began to form his half-apologize, half-reality check to Faye, but his words fell out a whole lot easier than the cigarette that refused to let go of his lip.

Before Richard could fully turn around to face Faye again, she had gone ahead of him, towards the train depot. "Hey...hey! Wait for me!" Richard quickly hurried his pace behind Faye, a miracle that neither his sunglasses, fedora or cigarette fell off as he went along. He couldn't fault her for being angry at him, much less actually going where he said they should go. But like that? Richard caught up with his younger partner, looking at her not in disbelief, but almost a smile. "I've said it before, and I'll say it again; I like your enthusiasm. Anyhow, like I said before you walzed off to Hollywood and the silver screen; Mr. Gould may never have been here, so we should widen our search. And since you're an...expert in your field, let's be honest about that, I'm not doing this alone. But yeah, let's go check the trains first, the market. A man like Mr. Gould must have left more than a few steamengines and an impression bigger than his moustache in a place like this."

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Notes: Remember - all directions are from the Docks. So if you want to go from one to the other you would need to head back to the docks and then go to another place. (Two rounds to get from one place to the docks, two rounds to get from docks to next place.)

To the left they would find the market and bazaar.
Straight ahead they would find the rose gardens and perfume dealers.
To the right there was a sign for Tours to Athribis and Leontopolis. Leontopolis was known for it's ancient tiles. Athribis was known as the birth place of Amenhotep and many artifacts in the museum back in Cairo held pieces from many a dig that had happened there, transported on rails by trains funded by a George Jay Gould. This is also where you will find the main train depot in the area.

*What is posted below is general observations stuff and any character would see. I will only take rolls for something very specific from here on out - 1 roll, 1 skill. Use skill roll form if you request.

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Market/Bazaar: Over at the Market and Bazaar there is an interesting mix of smell from the coffees and teas being brewed, the street vendors for food (much of which is on a stick and can be carried with one as they walk), there are samples of sweets and others boxed up for the buying, dates and pastries. Plenty of clothing and many a stall to tell belly dancer like costumes to the tourists. Some of course are more cheaply made while others look to have golden and silver coins of perhaps ancient nature strung onto them. If one cannot find an outfit they like there are bolts of silks and linens in bright colors woven with golden patterns in them.

There are also more modern stalls that sells watches, pens, clocks, diaries, and more. All with Egyptian flair. There are trade stalls where it looks like people are trying to pawn things or buy from a pawn broker. The battering is hard around here and it seems to get heated. Not only be the tone and volume of the voices but also from the fact there seems to be a lot of police standing around and making rounds through out the area. One can buy horses and camels, buy small pets, and cats are abundant roaming the streets. All in all, if it exists within Egypt, chances are one could find it here if they looked hard enough and could get a good bargain.

Rose Garden/Perfume Dealers: In all the city, this seems to be the only place where one does not see animals. No cats wandering around and one must leave any horses or camels or goats outside of the garden. The guards will not permit passing and there are high walls free of things for felines to climb. Though it probably isn't needed considering the fact there are so many flowers and so much honey about. Chances are there might be a bee or two around but from the looks of things, everything is calm. While there are many people there that look to be purchasing something, there are many couples here just seeming to take in the romantic oasis in the middle of a desert.

At each rose "station" - depending on color and type of rose - there is an explanation of the rose. What perfumes it is used in, whether they are for looking or for using as something more and some ancient information on them. Sad fact of the matter is, most of it is in Arabic. Only the actual name of the roses is printed in English as well. Over where the honey is, there are vendors, each honey looks slightly different, thicker or thinner, different shades. Some with honey comb in them, some without. And then of course there are the perfume vendors. Over by them the smell gets very strong.

Tours/Train Depot: All those headed to the trains will get there this round. J.C. seems calm and cool as he walks with Bella on his arm, making sure to keep the umbrella over her as the group heads towards the train depot. Everyone headed for the trains will be able to take note of each other. Richard and Faye will notice the group heading towards the train. Now since Faye and Richard didn't speak directly to anyone but NPC's last night, the PC's are not going to notice them anymore than any other in the crowds. The crowds are thick heading for the trains but there are enough to make it like a slow day at an amusement park or on the boardwalk. Faye and Richard will notice J.C. though since Faye spent time talking to him last night at the bar where Richard set himself on fire. Bella will comment in passing. "As facinating as the tiles that were made are, I would suggest Athribis, first. Much more mysterious. It dates back to the Twelfth Dynasty. Oh, about 18-1900's B.C. Quite the time, then during the middle kingdom. Did you know there was a demon by the name of Gilgamish that supposedly fought against the Second Great Empire during this time? Rather interesting. Many battles took place in these sands."

At the train depot, there will be a line to a stall that is selling tickets. Day trips to one or other location as closed as they leave early in the morning. One can now purchase a ticket to either location with notes that a second train will leave every so often to bring them back to the train depot here. If one wishes they can purchase a second ticket to go to the other location - ticket purchases for the day stop at 4 p.m. Last train leaves the sites at 5 p.m. Next train will arrive at 6:30 A.M. - There is a warning that if you do not make the last train you will be stuck there for the evening and there is no where to rent a room for the night as these are ancient settlements.

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Gene chuckled a bit, grinning at the thought of using a sled on the sand. She was pretty certain that it would work as well - though at that point, would it really be a sled? It would be more of a sand glider in her opinion. She could just picture it, standing up on a sled as it ran across the dunes, kicking up clouds of dust in her wake. It sounded a bit like paradise. She gave a bit of a wave to J.C's friend, grinning a bit at her. She really did admire her sense of style. Not very many could pull off all black but she certainly did it with style. She had to stop herself from giggling a bit at a pun that not everyone there would be aware of. Oh, the pains of having inside jokes and having those in on them not present...

Hearing Lord Major scoff about Mosi going off to smell the roses, Gene chuckled a bit. "I doubt there's much thought behind it," she said simply. No matter what some people were trained or told to do, they would pick the silliest of options and run off without putting thought into it. Maybe Mosi would get lucky and the roses were the place to be for this. She just hoped to never see the woman turn up back home, as Gene was already feeling a bit of a headache forming at the thought. She shrugged her shoulders slightly, heading along with Lord Major and the others to the train depot. She might as well have some fun while she's here, no?

"Yes, let's do that one!" Gene chimed in, approving of Bella's idea.

Nora meanwhile had gone off with Lauren, turning in a bit of confusion as she corrected her course and went right. She noted the sign for the camel tours as well, thinking that while that would have been fun, they didn't have enough time for a full blown day long excursion and the rides for the day had already been filled and left. The trains however seemed to be much more manageable and appropriate for the time frame they had in mind. She hesitated between the two destinations. She knew next to nothing about both of them, just having the names to go off of. Athribis and Leontopolis. There was something about the first name that stuck out in her mind and she had no better way of making a decision.

"Would you be interested in Athribis?" Nora asked her friend. She didn't want to pressure Lauren if she had her heart set on Leontopolis. Her intuition was telling her that they would find something pertinent to their travels - perhaps if there was nothing of interest at one site, and they were quick about it, they could have time to take the train to a tour of the next one. She did not imagine it to be likely, but it was a slight comfort for her intellectual curiosity, just to think that they theoretically might have that option. "I must confess, I imagine that we will find something of importance... There have been so many events that have been dismissed as coincidence as of late that I am beginning to expect the unlikely to occur."

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The rose gardens weren't a location she had seen anything similar to in the past. It's not that she hadn't been to a bazaar street or two, or a big market with lots of people, but a whole location like this one focused on just perfumes and roses and apparently honey wasn't something she had been at before. She knew such places existed, they had to, but they never happened to be in her pathway. She liked it though at least in atmosphere and the living vibe of hte people who were moving about and doing their thing. Still there were also some negatives about the whole thing, for example the scent of roses and perfumes. Those having so many flowers and so many perfumes about, meant the scent could very well be described as overpowering for some. She wasn't quiet in that cathegory, but she did think it was a few ideas too strong for her taste. This location was just to visit, do your business here and leave before your head starts hurting from all the overpowered senses.

Still she noted the lack of animals and the big walls that lined the gardens. It certianly was well protected, she supposed those people made their livelyhood with these flowers so it was normal for it to be guarded like it was. She also pondered the fact if the lack of cats might not be partly because of the powerful scent too. Getting over those walls looked like impossible ordeal for even the springliest of cats, but still. Why weren't the felines trying to sneak inside with the crowds? Was teh smell too much for them? This was a curious question that troubled her mind for all of a few seconds before she completely forgot about it and strode into the Gardens proper, looking around the different stalls where they were selling perfumes.

It didn't take long to locate one close to her that seemed to have a variety of different ones. She got close and studied the presented items." Hello." She greeted, unsure if the merchant will know english, but from what she knew of merchants they usually would know a greeting on my languages. Greetings, money and NO DEAL were usually the words and phrases that were needed for a trade to be ran, in her opinion at least." That's a wide variety." She mused, looking at the merchendise." Are they all 100 percent quality? No watering down right?" She asked for confirmation and some small talk.

"Say, I'm looking to buy some perfumes for friends, family and myself. I personally am looking for something more.. mellow for myself? Not too strong or intrusive." She explained. She liked her perfumes somewhat gentler, mostly because her mother in the past used very strong and heavy scents that made her grimace." Also wondering if you have actual rose oil also?"

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"Well then, I'm positively chuffed to have you aboard, old boy!" bubbled the Lord Major, in response to Mahendra. This was an odd collection of people that he had chosen to surround himself with on this day, as it was on the previous few days. A rag-tag selection of persons from varying walks of life each with their own histories and skills that hopefully were able to mesh well together, or make life entertaining at the very least. That sentiment certainly carried over with the newer additions to their company. Maybe not "additions" persay, more than people who had chosen to associate with them on the perceived temporary: J.C. and Bella, to be precise. If this woman wished to be of use as their interim scholar, then so be it. It was an awfully convenient arrangement. Funny how somethings went like that. Fate appeared to hand out luck with an eyedropper and honestly, Reginald sometimes didn't know when to view situations such as that with gratitude or with suspicion. As with so many things lately, the Lord Major was going to have to take this on faith.

Reginald took note of Bella's suggestion that they visit Athribis first. Much as he was not overly a fan of following someone else's lead blindly, he had to admit that he was not the man with the operational knowledge necessary to make the proper informed decision for anyone else. The fate of their little day trip was int he hands of these strangers. Polite people, certainly. Willing to lend a hand, it seemed. And J.C. was quite the storyteller over decent whisky last night, which counted for a bit in the Lord Major's estimation. But still virtual strangers. However, as he had no basis to go against the advice of the lady, Athribis it was.

Bobbing his head from one side to the other as if weighing options, Reginald responded with a light-hearted, "Oh heavens, young lady! I've a mind to tell you, I have been ensconced in the grip of Arthritis for quite some time and I'd not recommend. Curse of getting older, I'm afraid. But if you insist..." Reginald chortled a bit at his little joke. "Ah, what ho? I've gone and made a funny, you see. HA!" His smug grin at his own amusement continued as he assembled into the line and counted the people in his entourage. Making a quick count, he prepared to procure the appropriate tickets. "I say, were we all traveling to the same locale?"

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Haring was not a professional actor like the lady with whom he was associating, though he did have his own talents. One of which was the amazing ability to appear exactly like a bumbling, nondescript, nigh stereotypical buffoon employed by the Crown with the dubious distinction of being issued a firearm. A walking, talking, oblivious, Lord Majoring stereotype of Britishness as viewed by people in this part of the world. He roamed about a little bit with Josephine, looking at this and that as he went about. He looked at many an item but did not actually make a purchase at that time. Instead of really taking a good look at the wares about, aside from the casual glance at thing he might peruse in earnest if only they had the time after their initial business was concluded, Reddish was mostly listening to people talk.

The best way to hear something was to listen. It was a sentiment echoed by his father's words as a child, complete in its simplicity. Granted, that simplicity made him think that dear old dad was a raving lunatic and/or utter dumbass sometimes. As he grew older, Reddish realized that the very lack of specific intent of those words made them a point of honest, subjective wisdom. He wanted to gather information. He had to listen.

That didn't mean that he wasn't going to talk. Oh no, in order to be read as a tourist among the locals, he had to play the role. "Oh heavens yes, dearest. We mustn't keep the honey waiting, hmm? But before our foray into sweetness, Sweetness..." he paused to allow for the obvious pun to sink in. Even winked a little. Damn, he was good at acting like a goofball. It was acting, right? "...I find myself interested in the local knickery and knackery about! Shall we?" He gestured over to one of the stalls where the vendor and another man seemed to be arguing. In a much quieter, more serious voice, to his market strolling companion, "Keep an eye out for your watch, Miss Clarke. I shall try to find out what they are going on about. One might learn something."

One thing was obvious, he did learn something. Reddish learned that these people could speak their native language a hell of a lot faster than he was comfortable translating it, as enraptured as they were in their heated negotiations of currency. The object in question was a saber, though he was not paying especial attention to the item as he was assembling the hasty ramblings of them men into understandable English in his brain, alternating with the words and phrases which were more familiar that seemed to slip their meaning through the haze of the linguistical fence through which he had to peer. It was bartering in Arabic, and it took some concentration on Reddish's behalf to appreciate.

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Lauren looked towards Nora for a moment and then over towards the others who seemed to be going for the tours as well, it seems like it wasn't really going to be just the two of them anymore. "Athribis seems to be like a good place to start. Maybe we will actually find something useful for our little expedition there as well." As she took a moment to look at all of the other people going to be seeing the tours as well. "With everything that has been going on lately seems to not be a coincidence at all either really, after having some people dying mysteriously does seem to be really weird." Lauren said softly as she ran a hand through her hair, and eyed J.C. knowing him from the night before.

She didn't really know the other woman really all that well either, maybe she could learn more about her later on as well after hearing she seems to be pretty knowledgeable as well. "Do you think Lady Munn will be alright?" Lauren asked her friend, she wanted to go back and check up on her as soon as they could get back onto the ship. Lauren then started to pull out her money as well to buy a ticket for herself, and Nora as well figuring that she would be nice to pay for the ticket first. She was pretty interested in doing a little bit of exploring in the old town as well and she wanted to see what it looked like as well. "It should be pretty interesting to learn whats there as well." Lauren said smiling a bit.

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Notes: Remember - all directions are from the Docks. So if you want to go from one to the other you would need to head back to the docks and then go to another place. (Two rounds to get from one place to the docks, two rounds to get from docks to next place.)

To the left they would find the market and bazaar.
Straight ahead they would find the rose gardens and perfume dealers.
To the right there was a sign for Tours to Athribis and Leontopolis. Leontopolis was known for it's ancient tiles. Athribis was known as the birth place of Amenhotep and many artifacts in the museum back in Cairo held pieces from many a dig that had happened there, transported on rails by trains funded by a George Jay Gould. This is also where you will find the main train depot in the area.

*What is posted below is general observations stuff and any character would see. I will only take rolls for something very specific from here on out - 1 roll, 1 skill. Use skill roll form if you request.

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Market/Bazaar: Hustle and bustle of the Market and Bazaar kept whirling around. It seemed to be the main destination of choice for any visiting the town. One could easily spot a few here and there that had been on the boat and disembarked with the others. Through the whirling sounds of people moving about, horses ninnying, camels grunting, goats bleating, people bartering it was a constant assault on the ears. Though it did make picking out the rare English speaker easier to pick out as it was as out of place as a pig dancing at a ball.

It could be difficult to breathe here and there, not from smoke or anything, but from the onslaught of different smells converging. From the food to the animals, one moment it could be pleasant and then next it would be like a barn. Sadly, one had to watch where they stepped as well. The animals that were for sale or being used as beasts of burden were not exactly cleaning up after themselves, and cats liked to dart through the crowd. The cats seemed better at steering clear of things than people did, much more used to having to make sure they were not trampled.

Two vendors close to each other seemed not to sell as many items as others but it looked like they were set up for a different main business, repair. A cobbler (shoe repair person) was sitting on an upside down turned bucket renailing the sole of a shoe. A few nails held between his lips as he worked. One next to him, a few feet away, looked to be working on a small trinket of a box with some tools. It looked to be a music box of sorts that he was repairing. They would exchange words every so often between each other while they worked.

Rose Garden/Pefume Dealers: Looking up at Mosi an older man stared at her slightly as she spoke before rambling off a slew of words in Egyptian Arabic. He was still in mid talk, holding up bottles here and there, when a younger man came up behind him and rested a hand on his shoulder. The two exchanged a few words before the older man shrugged and nodded, setting down a bottle he had been holding up down and walked to the other end of the stall and started talking to a couple down there that looked to be locals.

"Sorry about my father, he do not speak your language," the man said as looked over towards Mosi. "Yes, most of our perfumes are diluted but that is needed. You see once, when we make each base scent it is highly concentrated. If we were to combine scents and not cut them, they would be over powering and some may even burn the skin," he explained. "Each of our perfumes are made of three base scents but they are reactive to people's own bodies, so if you were to take this one." Picking up a bottle. "If I were to put a drop on your hand, and a drop on say." Looking around he pointed at a random person in the crowd. "And one on them, it would smell vastly different." Placing the bottle back down he shrugged a bit.

"I would recommend if you are buying a gift to buy just a simple 1 note oil or even rose water as any perfume you were to buy I could not guarantee it would be pleasant on their skin. Now for you, we could build something that would be designed just for you," he added as he stood there. "Tell me, what do you like?"

Tours/Train Depot: Over at the stall selling tickets, the man behind it called out in Arabic and then in English, repeating the same message. "Train to Athribis leaving station in 10 minutes." Some people that were milling about looked over before heading over to the train and board it, going through a small gate before handing their tickets over to the collector at the door.

Bella looked over to the Lord Major and gave a slight smile. "Oh my you are humorous," she said with a slight chuckle before glancing towards Gene and nodding a bit in response to her wave. Her long fingers coming back and returning the gesture. Glancing over towards J.C., she took the umbrella from him. "Do be a dear and push your way through the crowds to get the tickets," she said in a smooth voice before holding out a hand towards the Lord Major. "If you would, Lord Major, could you escort me while he fetches the tickets?" she asked in a cool voice.

"Righto, let's see," he said to himself as he started counting those that were with them, getting a number since it seemed they all were headed in the same direction. "Be right back," he added before muscling his way through the crowds that were just standing around, still deciding where to go or waiting for the next train that would be going to the other destination. It wasn't long before he had returned with a collection of tickets. "Here we go, seven tickets, that should do it," he said before handing them out. One for the Lord Major, one for Bella. Turning he handed one to Gene and then to Mahendra. Finally, he handed two more, one to Nora and to Lauren. "And one for me!" he said slipping the last ticket into his pocket.