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"Distraction, you say?" inquired Reginald, his voice hushed in such a way as if to indicate that they were discussing something scandalous. An adventurous twinkle might be glimpsed in his eyes as he regarded the possibilities abound with potential to distract. He might consider something as mundane as throwing a nearby cat into the face of the local constabulary, though that might bring with it the promise of a footrace through the ruins wherein the winner gets nothing - but the loser gets arrested. Sure, he could get out again with a couple of well-placed phone calls, but not soon enough to continue on the journey with the rest of his Fellowship (plus their new, helpful friends). Ah, distractions... Shooting someone was right out. That was a proper distraction only when one was at war with the people they were trying to distract as a whole. And it was quite final. The cat idea was better.

Reginald gave Belladonna a knowing look and craned his neck down to attempt to locate a spare cat or two, but was stopped prematurely by the sudden assumption that J.C. was taking the reins with the whole distraction game. Well, all for the best, really. A person in charge of a such a feat is best being younger and fleeter of foot; while the Lord Major might be able to do many of the things he could as a younger man, the bare truth of it was that he simply could not keep up the kind of pace necessary to ensure a clean getaway with the reliability of his former years. "Ah yes. Very good, then. Quite. Well ladies and gentleman, when in Athribis, do as the Athribians." Reginald rested his hand on the hilt of his sabre in a casual manner and began to follow the willowy, dark Bella to places elsewhere.

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The apology from the Captain about the state of confusion from his last exchange was, to Reddish's mind, highly unnecessary. One who knew the inner workings of the Corporal's mind might be inclined to say that the man lied in a state of near constant confusion. A little bit more from the outside wouldn't upset the apple cart of his psyche too horribly much. "Oh, think nothing of it, good sir! Nothing at all! Why, it does my heart good to see a man in a position of authority (such as yourself, wot wot) take a measured exception to protocol in the name of compassion. I applaud you, Captain. Indeed, sir." He turned to Josephine, making sure that the handkerchief was still maintained with pressure upon her facial wound. He made it a point to lock eyes with her and give a showing of moving his eyes around, as if searching the area for something, followed by a conspiratorial wink at the young starlet. "Salt of the earth, that Captain, yes?" he inquired.

To be fair, Reddish was highly concerned with the physical health of his companion. It was a tragedy on a personal level, not to mention a loss to the silver screen. Additionally, insomuch as he was bound by orders to the Lord Major, he was also acting as the public escort to Josephine and as such, felt responsible for her well-being. But an opportunity like this, that was paid for with blood no less, it would be neglectful not to take advantage. Nothing too invasive or obvious, just a steady sensory sweep of the area around them as the pair followed the Captain onward and upward. Sporadically, he said warm, reassuring things to Josephine, such as "Just you hang on, madame," and "I hear wonderful things about these ship's surgeons. Marvelous, really," or even, "A lady of your standing, Miss Clarke? You shall make that mark a fashion statement, I'm positive!" But just the once.

Once they entered the Infirmary, Reddish made sure to stay out of the way of the professionals at work, namely the Doc and the Captain. He gave a quick "at attention" stance as the Captain passed by him, moving further out of his way in the process, but did not give his general salute owing to the fact that the man was not active military nor in his personal food chain. Respect to station was warranted, however. So far as to what happened, "Cultural disagreement with the locals, Mr. Doctor, sir! If the lady wishes to provide detail, that is her affair. I am overly grateful that you can see to her, my good man. Credit to your profession, you are!"

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Lauren looked around at everyone there as she watched the tour group for a moment and then made sure that she was close enough to the others as she ran a hand through her hair. She was pretty much ready to find and explore this area without having to deal with an annoying tour guide. JC and Bella seemed to be whispering to one another about needing a distraction of sorts, which she wasn't sure what they had in mind at all either. As JC turned and walked away from the group, she hoped that it wasn't anything illegal that would end up getting all of them into some kind of trouble. Lauren decided to follow shortly after Bella as she took in the sights a little bit more now as well enjoying the little scenery there was.

"What did you have him do?" Lauren whispered towards Bella as she was pretty curious what kind of distractions that he would or if he would end up distracting the tour guides. Lauren continued to look at some of the old structures that were there seeing that some of them had looked pretty withered from all the sand that was in the air that blew around. "Did you tell him to do something weird and funny to do make the distraction?" Lauren whispered again.

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And thus it was decided, it would seem. The Fellowship would disregard the voiced questionable expertice of the Egyptian tour-guides and head straight to the source; The dig-site. Mahnedra would find it interesting to find himself once again in a proper sight of excavation, after having spent too long outside of one. He missed his time excavating the Norman castles in England, and unlike their need for someone proficient in Egyptology, excavation was something Mahendra could contribute to. Though he did raise a brow at the whispering between their self-declared guide Bella and J.C., something about a distraction? Lauren beat him to questioning it, however, and so he would not pick it up himself.

Now Mahendra was not familiar with specifically Egyptian excavations, but as they began strolling towards their intended destination, he felt a sense of excitement grow in him. Pushing aside the dreadful feeling of fear and death from earlier, it was a nice change of scenery. Speaking of scenery, Mahendra casually looked around the Fellowship as they moved, looking at the never-ending landscape of desert, people, ruins and less-ruined structures. He wasn't sure was he was looking for, but as his eyes moved around the landscape, something stuck out to him. Mahendra paced forward to reach the Lord Major, getting within talking distance.

"Lord Major? I am not certain it is a cause for concern, but I find this interesting." Mahendra quietly tried to get the Lord Major's attention, his head nodding at various areas as he continued. "Do you see, Sir? Some of those areas, they appear as if they should be part of the excavations and whatnot. But they aren't, not even by the tourist guides. If I may spoke boldly, Sir…" Mahendra stopped for a moment of dramatic effect, looking at the non-used areas. "…it appears they are being avoided. Appears, I must point out, I have only my suspicions or thoughts. Sir."

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Richard leaned back in the reasonably worn-out train seat he had beside Faye, enjoying the comfort he could give to his sorry ass once in a while as he looked arond the train cabin. As the train was pulling out of the station and the landscape was pushed past the windows, Richard was leaning more and more on the point that fewer people meant fewer prying eyes on the unlikely duo. Richard noticed that people were minding their business, which frankly was something more people this day and age should do. Stop spying at the neighbours through your window every waking hour of the day and feed your damn cat!

Then again, who was going to pay Richard to snoop around then? Yeah, it was a neccesary evil that put bread on Richard's table. Not for breakfast, mind you.

With few to no one bothering him and Faye, Richard rested his head for a moment backwards on his seat, continuing to use his fedora as a fan in a heat he swore was going to kill him someone, 'less he do it first. Something was grinding inside his head. A question. "Who's the Americans?" He asked Faye, not looking at her as his eyes rested looking up at the ceiling. Richard tried to remember, had he heard anything about Americans digging in the huge sandbox that was Athribis. It was a long shot, he wasn't as consumed by the whole Egyptology fad that most upper-class wine-sippers were back home. As he grinded his gears, nothing came to mind. Typical, perhaps he should start reading some books or something?

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She allowed the Captain to lead her away to see to her injury. She wasn’t too thrilled with the question, but she would have to explain it somehow. She was thankful Reddish could accompany her though. She needed someone with her at this time. She had been holding it together to the best of her ability, but she had been terrified when the man attacked. She had jumped in with both feet essentially and it cost her a cut on her face. If she ever faced the man again, she would do worse than nick his skin with a knife.

“A shop owner attacked me when I confronted him about trying to overcharge us for a purchase. Really now, it was most upsetting. Not the kind of attitude I was expecting to face on this trip. Makes me wonder what else could happen.” She would not mention the theft again. So far, this trip was proving to be a disaster.

“I am not worried about it, darling. Make-up can easily cover it up if it proves to be a problem. No, I am still upset we didn’t find my grandfather’s watch. I was sure we would hear something there. And now we are forced back on the ship due to my antics.” She sat down where she was directed and awaited treatment. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be too long.

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Faye had been slowly thinking things over. She knew they were on the right track now. And she would get to enjoy a nice train ride. She had enjoyed train rides whenever possible, though they were few and far between. It was nice to be able to sit and enjoy yourself and let others move you along, though not at a fast pace so you could enjoy the surroundings of whatever city or country you were in.

Faye noted they were alone for the most part and could speak freely. People kept to themselves which made for an easier time snooping. Richard had kept speaking to her and she wasn’t really in the mood to continue discussing her thoughts on the matter. She had shared her opinion already. “I am not sure myself. I would imagine he is a more well-known archeologist given his access to the ruins, but I do not keep up to date with those matters. Kind of a pity now given what has happened. I am convinced something odd occurred there. Hopefully we will find answers. And we get to enjoy a nice, relaxing train ride with no one to bother us.”

With that, she closed her eyes and let her mind wander to their upcoming destination. She hoped that the answers they needed would be easily obtained, but given Richard’s accident prone nature, she was sure there would be no easy time.

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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.

*Roll requests can be made in chat or can be left at the bottom of your post for results in the next update.

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Boat: Well, there was a lot of ways this could go but fuck me. LLA, I don't know. Maybe someone put her on meds. Maybe she got laid. I got no fucking clue but here is how it breaks down as best as I can put it. Because frankly I am too stunned to try to say this in any other way. Right, okay, the doctor is going to have no problem cleaning up the wound, and prepping it to make sure infection doesn't set in. You know how some characters got branded? Well, this cut is working in reverse and suddenly the cut seals itself and her skin is perfect once again. The doctor is flabbergasted, so much in fact, he swears he is seeing things and faints. You might want to get out of there. Oh and while we are at it. Reddish? Investigation? He is going to see notes about another patient, someone who caught a cold and was soaking wet but wouldn't say why, found in the hallway of the Elite deck during the search. On the person, a watch. The person is resting in their quarters, two doors down from Vera's room.

Just Outside Rose Garden/Perfume Dealers: Poor Mosi, she is surviving but she looks like she went three rounds with a god and lost. It isn't pretty. No one wants to help her or find her a doctor but who could blame them? It's like the plagues have returned and focused on her. Yikes. Granted, no one wanted to help a woman that got cut in the face either. So is this really a big surprise? Maybe she should try heading back to the boat and hoping they will let her on. Right now that is looking like her best option. That is, unless she wants to go back into the Rose Garden and keep shopping.

Train to Athribis: The train pulls up to Athribis, slightly ahead of schedule and things well are chaotic as hell. People are running around, screaming. The place is in chaos. The few passengers that are on the train are craning their necks to try to see what is going on. There is no sound of gun shots or anything but the place looks like a cyclone went through it. Camels and horses are breaking off from the tours and tearing away from the crowds into the desert as people are chasing them. Something went down but what happened?

Athribis: Right now things look clear as Reginald is following Belladonna. He isn't seeing anything or anyone that looks like it shouldn't be there or following them. Belladonna looked over towards Reginald and gives the faintest of smiles as sh steps over to him. "Care to escort a lady before things get interesting?" she asked in a smooth tone. Glancing over towards Lauren the smile grew somewhat. "Oh I just told him to butt into matters for us," she said, casting a look towards Gene. Mahendra wasn't far off and Bella nodded in agreement, looking at one of the areas. "Just give it a minute," she added in general. It wasn't exactly clear who she was speaking to but it was made very clear very quickly just what type of distraction was going to happen.

A goat came bursting through the place, turning over tables and knocking over people that were leading tours. People were screaming, trying to get away from the mad goat that was chewing and eating on anything he could get his chompers on. "Oh my, I would say that is our signal," she said with a slight chuckle as she started to move smoothly but quickly towards the excavation site and turning as one of the roped off areas dipped down and went out of sight. "This way," she added, waving the group over with her as the goat kept baaing and bleating and causing all sorts of a ruckus. With everyone elses attention on the goat, it wasn't hard for them to slip away unnoticed.

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Mosi couldn't find help and no one came to help her. She couldn't see herself right now, but she had a feeling here. She was sure she wasn't looking too great right about now, the mere fact she felt uncomfortable in her own skin suggested she wasn't looking too great right now. 'God... how many stings was that? 50? 100? More?' She thought, struggling as she moved ever forward in search of salvation. She saw the faces of those around her, the people who were moving away or averting gazes in attempts to pretend they didn't notice anything. Yeah she wasn't going to get any help here...

Still she wanted to live, the desperation had not filled her mind as for her to just give up! She finally figured that at the ship at least there was bound to be someone who could help her. On ships many bad things and injuries could happen, there was bound to be a doctor or at least someone with rudamentary enough knowledge enough to help in some capacity! She took a deep breath as she started moving towards the ship she had just arrived on a while earlier. Moving was hard and keeping focus was harder, but she god dman well did it.

Finally she had found herself by the docks, still looking like monster or at least she presumed so, she moved towards the point where their ship was at. Greater hope was rekindled as she walked all the way to the gangplank, finding guards blocking the way. Well this was to be expected since they were performing a search supposedly." Excuse me... I'm a passanger on this ship." She panted as she explained to the guards." Got attacked by bees at the gardens... Please, I need some medical help!" She added, hoping her horrible look to be convincing enough proof of what had transpired.

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Gene giggled slightly as the cat looked up at J.C. and yawned, before it scurried off. If she ever was reincarnated, she couldn't help but think that becoming a cat would be an excellent choice. They got to have attention and companionship on their own terms - something she highly valued, given her past - and their biggest worries were what human they would turn into a minion and where they would be getting food from next. Besides, there was something just adorable about the fluffy and sleepy little guy - especially since when they yawned, their teeth showed like a little lion about to roar!

As they departed the train and Belladonna proposed that they could either follow the tourist trap route or go somewhere more meaningful, Nora's intuition seemed to be correct. Her hypothesis that no matter what site they went to would result in them finding something significant - or some bizarre happenstance to occur. They were the common denominator, the group of individuals key towards this perhaps paranormal pattern. She had to wonder just how much Belladonna knew about their circumstances. She had a knowledgeable air to her, similar to how Neema did.

"If the gods aren't smiling on you, perhaps the Fates are," Gene mused after Mahendra's comment, a bit excited to see what sort of distraction J.C. was about to cook up, though she had a decent idea of what it would be. If anything of course, she was a little disappointed that she wasn't about to do something... but the easiest distraction she would be able to make, well... It wasn't appropriate for civilized company and could easily get out of hand. She knew better than to mess with that unless it was strictly necessary.

"...That was convenient," Nora said quietly, a bit confused as to how J.C. had accomplished that. She supposed that perhaps someone there simply had a goat and J.C. had let it slip, but she didn't know if goats normally went a bit crazy like that when released or not. As much as she resented being seen as a product of her upbringing, just another member of the peerage, it also did mean that she lacked life experiences others had - namely, how a goat behaved when set into a crowd. However, she wasn't going to look this gift horse in the mouth, so she followed after Belladonna, as did Gene.

Gene thumbed the tarot cards she kept in her pocket again as they entered. Perhaps once they had a moment, she would do a reading. Sure, others didn't place much stock in those things but Gene believed strongly that a card reading could help reveal the paths that were before them. It didn't always say what must happen - more of what could happen. And if things were truly dire, then why not mine for additional information?

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Lauren looked towards Belladonna when she answered her question, as she looked over her shoulder wonder what the distraction was and then a few seconds later she noticed a goat come barging through the area. She hadn't seen one up close before as it started to act like a bull in a china shop. Knocking down things and barreling into the crowds, it was actually fairly entertaining to watch the scene unfold as well and laughed slightly. "Well that is certainly a pretty interesting distraction.." Lauren said mostly to herself. Lauren then moved forward following shortly after Belladonna under the rope and further into the digsite as Lauren started to adjust her hair a little bit putting it into a pony tail.

She looked over towards Gene for a moment she started to wonder if Bella and her knew one another seeing that look she had given her just as the crazy goat came through. The distraction by the goat was fairly convenient for them as well which was interesting to say the least. "So what exactly should we all start looking for anyway while we are behind the barrier thing while we look deeper into the site?" Lauren asked, since she has never been in one before she didn't really have any idea what she would actually be looking for in the first place either.

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Taking to step at the direction of Bella, the unseasonably keen eyes of the Lord Major did not detect anything amiss in regards of persons from the train, boat, or crowd around them earlier attempting to follow this detachment of the Fellowship. It was for the best for a few reasons, the safety of all parties at the top of said list. Recent events had proven that unnatural fate spared neither the nefarious nor the merely curious. Besides, if more blood was needed to secure the success of their adventure, it could come from Reginald.

It seemed that, no sooner had he mentally checked off the lack of people following them, that Mahendra came to him with he observations. "Indeed?" He mulled over the new information. "Oh no, please do speak boldly, Mr. Zalil. Fortune favors the brave, and whatnot. Lord knows it has been painfully favorable to me... hmm..." Reginald appeared lost in thought for a second or two before returning to the present. "Given the improbable yet undeniable truths of our situation, dear boy, educated suspicions bear credibility. And if I am to recall, you are lettered in related pursuits? This should be related to our guide, I believe."

Reginald looked to Bella, who had chosen that moment to ask him for formal escort. "Upon my honor as a gentleman, madame!" he exclaimed, swooping off his cap and taking her arm. The moment he replaced his cap upon his silvery pate, a random goat began to cause havoc. The Lord Major had a pithy comment awaiting it's moment; sadly it was not to be as Bella identified that as the grand diversion for which they had waited. "Yes, well... with a mad goat about, I shall certainly escort you until your man J.C. returns. Let us be off, then."

With the horned, livestocky terror behind them distracting the locals as only a berserk farm animal could, Reginald did as asked and accompanied their sultry guide away to parts roped off and forbidden to the general populace. "Ah, Miss Ridgeway and Mr. Zalil both make compelling points," he commented, still making tracks onward, "What shall we look for first, and might it have anything to do with those untended areas?" He kept his speaking points brief as they escaped the area - partly for stealth and partly because he wasn't the young man he once was. Conservation of energy, and the like.

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Today had already shaped up to be an interesting and potentially noteworthy day. Reddish was certain that his portion in the mission at hand had reached its zenith the previous evening, but no, the hits just kept on coming. The bare moment that he figured this would be like any other assignment, escort, or information gathering expedition, something else happened that altered his perception of things in general. Not that the good Corporal needed a reason to have his perception altered from societal norms, seeing as he appeared to live in a constant state of ...whatever it was that afflicted him.

Case in point. While Reddish was using the opportunity of Josephine's injury to nose about and take in detail in hopes of furthering their investigation, he happened across a piece of highly pertinent information. It came in the form of paperwork inside of the Infirmary, as apparently the corridors and decks were mostly clear of personnel or clues at that time. But to point, the Corporal's inquisitive nature revealed to him the top section of a piece of paperwork - notes on another, very recent patient. He was just in the onset of committing the details to memory for later use when he heard a sound like a sack of hams collapsing onto the floor. Wide-eyed and potentially alarmed, Reddish turned around to see the ship's physician prone and unconscious.

He then got the most devious expression. Reaching back, he snatched up the paperwork and gave it a more thorough read, speaking to Josephine about his find. "Bloody fortuitous, this is. Miss Clarke, your antics, as you phrased them, just got us SWEET MERCIFUL BANGERS 'N' BLOODY MASH YOU'RE A WITCH one brilliant pip of a lead." Reddish had apparently just noticed Josephine's minor miracle and processed it within the span of his sentence. "We should be off smartly, before this bloke comes to, Miss Clarke."

Reddish carefully replaced the paper and cracked open the door to the infirmary. He peered out, gauging the best opportunity for moving with stealth and/or nonchalance. "Right then. Miss Clarke - I've a mind to speak with that man. Perhaps you might be as kind as to join?" Just before setting out, the Corporal asked with some humor in his tone, "Care to borrow a weapon just in case, Miss Clarke? Or would you prefer to use your witchy-powers on possible opposition?" The tiniest of chortles later, Reddish made his move. If caught, he could always use the excuse that he was going for help for the doctor.

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"Very well then, Sir." Mahendra replied in agreement to the Lord Mayor, who took both interest and approval of his observations around the dig-site. Where doubt had set in as to Mahendra should both show vigilance in this unknown territory and voice his suspicions to his would-be superiors, a sense of confidence and duty filled up Mahendra's chest at the Lord Mayor's words. Mahendra politely refrained from commenting on the Lord Mayor's thoughtful distraction, but gave him a firm nod to the latter. "Improbable, yet undeniable. Those words are worryingly fitting, if I must say so. But yes, I'm more befitting the art of excavating, so I shall d my outmost. Sir."

Without further ado, the very floodgates of the Ganges was unleashed upon the unsuspecting visitors of Arthribis. Of all the things that could have caused this madness of the masses; camels, horses, lions, crocodiles or even elephants, Mahendra watched in disbelief as a goat roamed around the area, causing people to scream and run in utter insanity. Now true, the goat was trying to eat both people and things alike, but to Mahendra that did not seem out of the ordiary…too much. But like Bella said, this was both interesting and it would appear this was the signal for them to move.

Mahendra suit after the Fellowship as they left the goatly madness behind them, and made their way under a separating rope towards their non-tourist trip. As Lauren asked what they should be looking out for while behind the barriers and the Lord Major complimented Mahendra's earlier observation, the Bengali geologist-turned-assistant tried to repeat his earlier observational success as they continued to head deeper into the unknown. But nothing stuck out to him as he tried not to fall too far behind Bella and the rest. "While I may be of assistance in the areas clearly avoided by the excavators, we may have more fruitful findings with the already dug-up parts of the ruins."

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"You're da…you're right that something odd happened here's away, that much's for certain…" Richard repeated after Faye in agreement, something wasn't right with this whole package. A riddle all tied up in an enigma, a question within a question, and all that jazz. Richard was about to voice his opinion again, but he easily noticed that Faye was closing her eyes and trying enjoy the train ride. He couldn't blame her. They weren't the best of partners, regardless of who was the odd one out of the two. So Richard tried to enjoy the ride as well, mouth shut and air breating in and out of his scarred nose. Though the words still kept crashing around his mind, a maelstrom of clues, unsolved cases and Richard's failures in general.

It didn't take long for the train to finally reach their destination, Athribis, much to Richard's satisfaction. Like he said, he wasn't a big fan of trains after his stalking of the ol' husband. He was eager to get out and do some actual work that might be worthwhile their time, and Richard's dearly-needed money for rent. Richard sat up straight in his chair and was getting ready to stand up, when he too noticed it. The Chaos. Up ahead in Athribis, something was wrecking hell more than a wild dog let loose in a china shop. "What the…What's going on?" Richard asked no one in particular, though he instinctively turned towards Faye as he asked. Then again, how would she know? Odd things kept happening, and Richard wanted to find out what exactly.

"Excuse me, I'm just going to…" Richard began to apologize to Faye as he reached out, getting ready to stick his head out of the window to get a better look. But Richard, poor Richard was having no luck. What he did have was an already damaged nose, too much speed and a closed window. Richard rammed his face head-first into the train's window, his nose contacting it with a solid crack. "OW! Son of a bitch!" It wasn't difficult to figure out why Richard cursed loudly. As he realed back in pain, blood spewed from his face, Richard cluching his hand tightly around his nose as he pulled off his tie to stop the bleeding. "Jesus Christ!"

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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.

*Roll requests can be made in chat or can be left at the bottom of your post for results in the next update.

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Boat: Well the man is still out cold but the hallway is clear, at least it appears that way at first. The hallway itself is free from foot travel but beyond the hall, one can see through the portal on the door to the bridge. People were up there but they were working and didn't seem to take notice of Reddish and Josephine as of yet. This was good and perhaps their only chance to book ass out of there and try to get around on the ship some. They had two choices, try to get past the bridge without being spotted or go back through the infirmary, out the back door, and down the stairs behind it to the Elite deck.

Docks By Boat: Well that was unexpected. They had already had one person show up injured and now another. Thing was, this person obviously had had a bit worse of time about things than the previous. There was a problem though, it was hard to recognize the woman. She was stung up pretty bad and didn't exactly look like herself. "Um, woah..." one of the guards said as he looked at her. The other took a step back, as if she had been infected by one of the plagues of Egypt, boils and sores. "I... do you have a ticket?" he asked. Even if he felt bad for her condition, he couldn't do anything until he had a ticket and even then, it would take time. First thing was first, he'd have to have a ticket. Then they could try to help, maybe.

Train at Athribis: Poor Richard. His nose. Yeah, that thing is busted and there is blood. On him and on the window. Window is in tact however. Now, this doesn't seem to get the attention of anyone else on the train, they were forced on what was going on outside of the train. I guess, all we can say is at least he didn't set himself on fire as of yet. Maybe Vera's luck got transferred to Richard, only time will tell. People are allowed to leave the train now but are being cautioned to be careful out there. It doesn't seem to be an attack or anything but there is a line forming outside of the train as people are buying return tickets, ready to get the hell out of there as a goat rushes past the windows of the train, chasing some poor woman.

Athribis: As everyone got out of sight of the rest of the people running around like chickens with their heads cut off, or like a mad goat was chasing after them laughing in baa's, whichever works, it seemed a bit calmer where the group was. Nora wasn't able to pick anything out grand. Just able to follow Belladonna. Gene, well she was having a pull in her stomach and in the back of her mind. And she wasn't the only one. Belladonna turned slightly and looked around, as if something was off as she pressed her palm to her abdomen. She had had this feeling before, it was almost like a calling, a need, but it felt off. Looking over towards Reginald, who was escorting her for now, Belladonna looked towards where the path took them further, down and beneath the main dig, into the ruins. "Somewhere out of the sun," she said before she started walking again.

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Mosi eyed the men guarding the ship as they backed away when they saw her up close." Do I look that bad?" She asked, but didn't really expect an answer, seh was swarmed by bees earlier, she lost track of all the stings she recieved and frankly highly doubted there was a place on her body that wasn't swelling from it. She felt the pain, and had a feelign her condition might be even worse than it appeared. As the men asked her for a ticket seh nodded and started searching her pockets." I swear... I will not get close to a flower garden ever again and will invest heavily in pesticides if I live a long and productive life..." She mumbled as she rummaged through her pockets.

Then as she did so, her expression froze, hand still in the pocket as her other hand covered her eyes for a moment. Her breathing sped up." GOD FUCKING DAMMIT!" She cried out, head hung backwards in fatigue and minor desperation at the situation." Ticket's missing... where... why..." She mumbled as she crouched down and sat on the ground tired." Wait... I fell back in the gardens when the swarm of bees was upon me!" Mosi exclaimed in realization. There was a good chance it had gotten lost then, maybe it fell from her pocket or maybe it was stolen even before that.

"For crying out loud...damn. Were the bees not enough? What cosmic grand power has it out for me right now..." She mumbled, rubbing her temples." Is there no way to recieve medical aid? Maybe check my room, I can tell the number, my bags there are marked and some of my clothes are embroidered with my initials..." She said, her voice a lil tired about this whole situation." Or at least ask the medical worker on the ship to see if he can treat me? If it's about payment I am more than willing to pay for it. I just need something for all this swelling..."

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Josephine had been dreading the fact she would have a visible scar on her face from her time here, but also wondering about the potentially sexy scenarios it would bring that, perhaps, a genie had granted her wish, because soon her scar had vanished. The doctor was naturally surprised and fainted to the ground as she checked herself. It was gone, indeed. ”Darling, really, a witch? If I was a witch I would have used my powers long before this to find whoever took my watch or to blast away that vile man at the market. However, a lead is a lead. I suggest we find this gentlemen and gently persuade him to see our side of things.”

Jo took a cursory glance around and her eyes landed on a scalpel. It was small, but it had a blade and could be concealed. She picked it up and slid it under her top. ”Let us be off then.” She followed outside and along the hallway, seeing people working on the deck. They hadn’t noticed them yet, but that could change. Perhaps if they were caught they could explain that she had come on board to fix an injury and was on her way to her room.

”I’ll leave it to you darling, but perhaps we shouldn’t risk being seen and should turn around and head back through the infirmary. I will follow you though.”

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Faye had let her mind wander too far, it seemed, because they had arrived at their destination rather quickly. She was about to stand up and depart when she heard a commotion coming from outside. She looked around and saw people scrambling, but she could see no logical reason as to why that was the case. Perhaps this was the thing they needed to be sure of that they were on the right track. Richard had a similar idea as he made his way to check outside. Faye, in a moment of brain lapse, allowed him such and before she could stop him, Richard had rammed his head into the window, slightly cracking it but fully cracking his nose.

Blood came out readily and she quickly sprang into action, finding some cocktail napkins nearby and running over to put them over his nose. They would need to see about a doctor possibly looking into it, but it should stop the bleeding until that time. ”Really now, Richard. You need to be more careful. At this rate, you are going to wind up dead crushed under a box or something.” She looked around, seeing a goat run past the window as it chased what appeared to be a woman.

”What in the….Ok look. Let’s get off the train and see what can be done about your nose. We’re here at any rate and I am curious as to what is going on.” She would help Richard if he wished, but she wanted off that train.

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Nora was not altogether certain what precisely they should be looking for. She did know that they would likely know it once they found it - a sad but likely result in her opinion. Had Lady Munn been with them, they might have had more idea and direction as to what to look for that might symbolize Bastet or Set or any other force that was at play. The Lord Major then saw fit to ask essentially the same question as Lauren, something Nora could not help but note. She generally remained quiet, speaking when she saw it to be necessary. Her mannerisms were a product of both her upbringing and her personality. At the very least, Mahendra gave some valuable input. Even though some parts had not yet been excavated, at least the excavated portions would have things more or less easy to find.

As Nora continued to follow Belladonna and looked around, she couldn't really notice anything of interest or relevance. It was a minor source of frustration, certainly, but she figured that something was bound to turn up. They had just entered the area after all and perhaps as they continued to walk, they would find things of relevance and importance. Maybe the things that would be pertinent to the Fellowship would be found at the dead center? She could appreciate the important things being in the center - there was a certain bit of... almost logic to that she found to be peaceful.

Gene felt the pull in her stomach and the back of her mind. She was no stranger to sensations like that. In fact, she had experienced things like this on and off throughout her lifetime, though they had different meanings. Sometimes, the need went away if she took a breath and conducted a tarot reading. She swore by her cards and got extremely angry if anyone else even tried to touch them. They felt like an extension of herself. Sometimes, of course, the need simply indicated that she just needed to go to her family. She knew that someone as logic driven as say Nora would never understand, but Gene was a spiritual person. Her life had shown her that she had to be.

Spotting Belladonna press her hand to her abdomen, Gene had a slight guess as to what was going on. "Unexcavated areas are just more fun," Gene then mused, continuing to follow Belladonna. She knew that Mahendra had indicated that they might have better luck where things had been excavated, but she had to strong disagree. Whatever was going on with this group, just turning over the same things that every tourist looked at wasn't going to do much. They had to strike out on their own, see new things and encounter new ideas in order to do this. She was considering smacking someone the next time they suggested doing things that had already been done and trying to squeeze what had happened into their narrow perception of the world.

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Lauren looked over towards Mahendra for a moment, she didn't really agree with his train of thought either going through the area where the tourists have been whatever was of interest or use was probably already excavated from the area. "I think there would be more interesting things where there is far less foot traffic, something can easily be overlooked or already removed by then." Lauren said, though this was far from her area of expertise. She just knew how to make drinks for people and worked at bars for most of her life as well, Lauren then ran a hand through her hair. Lauren really did wish that Vera was alright, or some other way to get a check up on her and see how she was doing.

Lauren continued to follow Belladonna and the others, as she looked over towards her friend. "So, after visiting here would you like to get some drinks later on the ferry?" Lauren asked, as they continued to walk around with the others and wondered if there was anything else of interest here. She could use something to cool off and hopefully also get out of the sun, which was getting fairly hot for her now as well. Lauren was getting curious on what they would actually find down in the non tourist areas as well to, and hoped that there weren't any guards there. "So is there any security in this area anyway?" Lauren asked.

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"Yes, of course," agreed Reginald, speaking to Bella. "The sun in Egypt can be unforgiving, quite. Especially on fair, aristocratic skin, don't you know?" He went so far as to remove his very dignified officer's cap and use it to shield the worst of the sun from Bella's face as they walked along. "Sadly, I do not have present access to a parasol, madame. This shall have to suffice for the meantime." While Reginald could not see the physical reaction (if any) that affected Gene, he did see discomfort in Bella. Quietly, he spoke to her about just that. "Miss Bella, is there something which troubles you? Something for which I may provide assistance?" On the one hand, if they had to continue without their guide, then that was simply that. On the other hand, allowing a lady in obvious distress to continue without appropriate action was positively ungentlemanly. Reginald had many character flaws. That was not one of them.

In an attempt to lighten the mood, and while steering in the direction of shade for the betterment of their guide, Reginald spoke aloud, "Lad has quite the gift for distraction, that J.C.; though I daresay I do find it ever so slightly tedious to continually refer to the man by his initials. Ah well, it is a thing to which I must adjust if I wish to maintain his friendly acquaintance, I imagine. But I digress. Yes, gift for distraction! I do wonder how the boy managed to initiate a goat rampage, you see. We might have used that bit of tactic against the Boers back in Eighteen and Ninety-Nine! Goat Rampage..." He chuckled softly, "Credit due to you Americans and your outside-the-canister thinking, indeed." Funny bit of casual conversation aside, they needed to move, and preferably out of the sun for their guide. With these thoughts in mind, the Lord Major continued deeper into the site. "I do wonder how the remainder of our Fellowship fares back in Benha proper."

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A slow smile spread across the Corporal's face. It was accompanied by a knowing look that he aimed in the direction of Josephine. He had to give the starlet this: She was handling everything that was being thrown at her remarkably well. A cool head in the face of uncertainty. Not to mention observational skills and a vindictive streak that, if well placed, made her an asset that only appeared to be a liability. There was a twinkle in his eyes as he whispered to her, "Miss Clarke, you simply must remind me not to cross you later on, hmm?"

It occurred to Reddish that this was the first actual miraculous event that he had witnessed since imposing himself onto the Fellowship. In truth, he didn't know what to expect from these people. The Corporal had his own reasons for being there. Seeing something like this for himself? It changed things a little bit for him. Definitely not something to put in the report later on. Curiously, it also made him feel like more of an outsider. Or a fraud. These people might actually be part of something much bigger then themselves. Meanwhile, he was just tagging along. Well, he still had his reasons. Just because magic existed, it didn't change that aspect of his presence. So to hell with it. If he was an uninvited guest to all this, he was at least going to help the ones chosen accomplish what they were supposed to. While serving as the right hand of the Lord Major, of course.

The Corporal ducked back into the Infirmary and closed the door quietly. "Capital idea, Miss Clarke," he said, traversing the Infirmary with purpose. He quickly slipped out of the back door and, holding his hand out for Josephine, surreptitiously made his way down the stairs. "If we are spotted by the staff," he reminded, "wave them over. The physician needs help, remember?" One of the basic rules about being someplace you shouldn't: Always have an excuse for your presence. It even helps if it's believable. The "sick doctor" routine, even if it worked, would nix this chance to investigate, but it would at least keep them in the game overall. Now, the trick was to not get caught.

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Mahendra didn't say much as the Fellowship wandered deeper into the excavation area of Athribis, though he collected the various snippets of conversation going back and forth between the group's members, while he himself continued to look around them. The Bengali geologist/amateur archeologist was amazed, of course in a most gentlemanly and collected manner, at how the dig-site looked. Now he did not see anything especially interesting, as his mind was occupied by the conversations and himself comparing the sight to those he'd taken part in, but Mahendra could not help but smile. This was the closest he'd gotten to taking part in a proper expedition to Egypt, and perhaps he would never get this close again?

As they left the rampaging assault of the goat behind them, Mahendra turned his attention briefly towards Gene and her unmannerly behaviour, giving her a stern but polite look. "That may be, Miss Benaszweski, but with all due respect we are not here to have fun. Unless you are ready to start playing in the sand, dear miss." Mahendra told her, frankly annoyed the lack of seriousness Gene was taking to this mission. Lauren shared the basic opinion of Gene, she however put it fourth in a more logical manner, to which Mahendra could agree.

"Now that, Lauren, is true. Though I do not know how much time we have to spare in order to do a search like that. It is not as simple as sticking a shovel in the sand and digging. Archeology is a systematic art, time-consuming and very delicate." Mahendra continued, before continuing after Lauren's question of security. "I certainly hope not, though I find that hope unlikely. So we must show dilligence, else we get caught…Lord Major, Sir, do we have…what is you English call it again…Alibi?" While Mahendra asked the Lord Major for the word his Bengali tounge rarely used, he quickly looked around for something that might aid them if they indeed had to start their own excavation, ad-hoc.

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Jesus H Christ, his nose was hurting real bad. Worse than getting trampled over by the military band on a hot 4th of July after a far too long night the previous day. Richard had felt a similar pain before, also in regards to his nose. Sufficient to say, getting your nose cut open by a barber knife was a real painful experience, and this wasn't any better. Richard forced himself to sit down in his seat, clutching his nose in agony and in an attempt to stop the bleeding. He was one lucky man to have Faye by his side, something he was unlikely to tell her himself, as she quickly held some napkins over his nose. What would he do without her?

"Thanks, kid…" Richard managed to say through painful, gritted teeth as he controlled his breathing, feeling his every heartbeath amplify the pain in his nose. Thankfully nobody appeared to pay them any attention. Good, he'd already made a fool of himself several times over the past day. "That, or I might just get stupidly drunk and end it myself…" Richard replied quietly to Faye's cautionary words, not a hint of irony in his voice. But he agreed, it was time to get off that fucking cursed train. He didn't tell her, but he gladly accepted her help as he slowly stood up from his now blood-stained seat with Faye's assistance.

Richard began to exit the train, one hand holding the cocktail napkin over his nose and the other hiding the mangled mess underneath his fedora for the moment. He'd rather not attract any more attention to themselves than needed, unless he wanted a doctor. Which he frankly did, he wasn't an idiot. Exiting the train and finally stepping into what folks called Athribis, Richard looked around for anyone who could help him. His mangled nose was really getting in the way of their investigation, and he needed it fixed. But it was clear it was like a kid asking for a bottle of milk in the middle of the Wall Street Bombing; people were too occupied saving their own skins in the chaos of a goat to bother about a tourist with a bloodied nose. Typical, just like home. "Looks like we're on our own for now, kid. Something bad swept through here…" Richard said to Faye, his words muffled by the napkin and fedora, as he looked around again for someone else.

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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.

*Roll requests can be made in chat or can be left at the bottom of your post for results in the next update. You can get a roll during your post and add another in the update at the bottom of your post! Ever in doubt of what to post, just drop me a message and we can talk.

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Boat: With pretty much everyone but the crew being off the ship, and them searching rooms, it seems most of the coast is clear right now as this pair works their way away from the infirmary and down to the Elite deck. This is good because Reddish isn't exactly being stealthy right now and slips on a stair going down. He doesn't get hurt but does land on his rear and slide down a few stairs but he manages to recover nicely and continue on his way with little hassle. Josephine, as graceful as ever is having no problem getting from point A to point B this round. The two end up in the corridor for the Elite Deck where the rooms are this round. While their destination might be one room, there is a sound in another, and then it sounds like someone is calling out but one cannot make out the voice. It is coming Miss Ridgeway's room, where Vera was left to recuperate.

Docks By Boat: The men looked at the woman, she looked horrible and it was obvious by the look in their eyes they were torn. They wanted to help, and they wanted to run away screaming. It wasn't every day that someone came by looking like this. Yet, they did have orders and it seemed their sympathy didn't out weigh the need to save their own asses. They came to a middle ground. "What is you name?" one of them asked. She hadn't given it to them, so they couldn't even check the register to see if someone by the name she would claim was on the ships manifest. "You get her name, I'll go find the captain," he added before turning and making his way quickly up the gangplank. The other man stood there and waited for a name as he pulled out a copy of the ships manifest from his pocket and unfolded it.

Train at Athribis: Getting off the train is a great idea. Because as soon as the two step off the train people start boarding. They are wanting to get the hell out of there. There is some passing conversation about a mad goat as people push past Richard and Faye. As they get further away from the crowd they can finally get a better look at just what the hell is going on. Animals are loose and running off, spooked by something. And some woman is crying about some goat that nearly ran her over and then just vanished into thin air. Everyone is thinking she is crazy. Not about the goat being there but they are trying to convince here that goats don't just vanish out of thin air. As far as finding someone to take care of Richards nose or where the American's are that are running the dig, with all the upheaval there doesn't seem to be anyone to help. A few people are trying to help those that were hurt in all the chaos but they don't appear to be medical, just general people trying to get people patched up enough to move back on the train.

Athribis: Gene has a small idea of what is going on with her stomach, call it a sixth sense, or maybe just a bad sausage at breakfast. Belladonna is also rubbing her stomach some and looking around slowly. J.C. wasn't back yet and she figured he would be. Glancing over towards Lauren, she gave the slightest of nods. "Yes, a drink sounds marvelous," she said. Granted Lauren wasn't speaking to her but she responded none the less. Continuing into the ruins she placed her hand against the wall. "I do believe what security they had here is being tied up with the events by the station," she added. If that were the case, then it explained to her why J.C. hadn't rejoined them. He couldn't get back to them yet. It wasn't like he could risk drawing attention to them right then. OR maybe he decided to wait for them to be coming back out so he could cause a second distraction so they could get out without being seen.

There do not seem to be any spare tools laying about right now for the group to use if they were to find something to dig. He is able to find some half burnt torches laying about. This could be good since they are moving out of the sun and it is getting harder and harder to see down there. Bella comes to a dead end and quirks a brow. They are under ground now. Rubbing her hand over the wall, she tilts her head to the side. There are hieroglyphics in the wall, carved deep but worn with time. "Lady Kingston?" Her head turning slowly and looking at the woman. These markings would resemble the ones that Nora and Vera had gone over back at the museum.

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Sigh there was the boat an arm reach away yet so far. Her shoulders slummed as she thought of what to do, seeing the conflicted faces on the guards. To her luck it seemed they decided to give it a chance at least." Ohh ... what was I thinking." She realized, blinking a few times. Of course they wanted to ask that! She forgot to say her name." Sorry... I just... was too nervous and it slipped my mind." Mosi added as she took a breath and nodded.

"Priscilla, Priscilla Edgard Harker." She introduced her full name that she rarely used." Most call me Mosi though... I got on the ship at Cairo along with a group consisting of a number of other passengers like the Lord Major. A big old guy... soldier of rank. Also the guy that fell overboard, Mahendra... in fact I was the one who hurried to inform one of your colleagues on board when it happened." She explained with a sigh and then finally proceeded to simply sit down on the ground, tired. She had ran all the way here in a hurry, while being stung by bees and suffering the swelling from those stings. It wasn't pleasant and she felt a lil tired to say the least.

"Seriosuly, I swear those bees are evil. What manner of creatures are the local bees?" She spoke aloud, just searching something to talk to with the guy who was left." I should never have went to the Rose Gardens..." Mosi added." Why didn't I go to drink coffee or tea? Would have been so much better... and less stinging. Well what's done is done and I'm of half a mind to almost say that there's a curse haunting that museum and anyone who's tied to it in some way..." She mumbled recalling all the incidents that had transpired since she first entered the museum, crate on teh head, someone torched, someone nearly drowning, THE BEES... what else? Locusts?

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Lauren looked over towards Mahendra and nodded slightly, if they needed to go soon they shouldn't be here for very long then either as she followed everyone until they were now underground now. And the air started to feel a little bit cooler now that they were out of the blazing sun. Lauren ran a hand through her hair as she looked at the walls seeing the hieroglyphics that were on the walls. Though she couldn't understand what they meant at all she simply just looked at them for a bit. Lauren decided to move over to the nearest wall and started to look at them out of curiosity. She looked over towards Reginald when he brought up being American again which she didn't really mind or care really.

Then Bella mentioned about joining for drinks as she looked over towards the woman and gave her a little smile and nodded, she certainly didn't mind having more than one person. "The more the merrier." Lauren said smiling as she leaned herself slightly up against the wall, she didn't have any clue what to do at the moment, or how to help either right now as she looked around the area a little bit more. "Is there anything I can do, or suggest to look for?" Lauren asked, she wanted to help but she didn't know what they were actually looking for.