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*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.

Special Note: That Haze will remain until further notice, so make sure to keep to it. ^_^

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Boat (Sun Deck): The Doctor goes with Mosi and heads up to the Sun Deck, helping her if she needs it but careful since the stingers from the bees are still in her skin. Once they get up there he points to a seat and pulls over a table. Setting what he brought up with him down, he lays it out and gets to work. Carefully removing the stingers in her skin from each of the wounds. This is going to take some time considering how many times that Mosi did get stung. Thing is even though she got stung a lot on the bare skin, she got stung a lot on her clothing as well. "Well I hope it is gas," he says before looking around. "We will need to get you changed into something else once I am done with the skin itself," he adds before going back to removing the stingers. Her hands and wrists are done now but he still need to do the flesh on her face and neck.

Boat (Thief's? Room): Vera kept flipping through the pages. She was in a semi panic now. It couldn't be gone. No, it couldn't be but it was. Swallowing hard she looked up at Josephine and shook her head. "No, it was ripped out," she said as she opened her journal to where it had been and showed the tiny remains of where the pages had been torn from the spine of the well worn book. Closing it she swallowed again. Sadly for Reddish there were no lightbulbs going off this round, call it side effects from the head trauma.

Vera took a deep breath and closed the book. "It was a map and clues. An old legend of unseen forces, a terror that couldn't be named. A plague on the earth from Egypt that was left out of the texts for the most part. I have been piecing it together for years. My father and mother started long before me. It was the culmination of two life's works. All mumbo jumbo most likely but it was.. a tie to my parents. And if any part of it was true, just the practices or site itself, archeologically, it would be a find far more valuable than even King Tuts tomb..."

Athribis (Underground): Nora is on a warpath, or a pathfinding path, a DnD path? Shit I don't know but the woman is a map making wiz right now. Using her skills, even though she doesn't speak and can't read the ancient legends her ability to pick up on the patterns and use them to map out a course seem to be proving themselves above and beyond hope. At this rate Nora will be able to lead the other deep within the ruins quickly, no wrong turns, and without triggering any booby traps this round. She is sure that where Belladonna had fallen to lays just beyond a wall they come to. That is if they can figure out how to get through it. There has to be a way. No other path down here so far makes sense.

Gene isn't doing to bad herself. While she is looking around and following, she will figure out a few things herself. One of which is cats. Yup, cats. While there are not any living cats down there that one can see or hear, there are plenty carved into the walls. One such carving might even make her chuckle a bit. Looks like a cat nearly got exploded and sent out a window of a building. Now, how did that get there? Meow. Cats on the walls look very much the same, Save the one flying out of the building and one on the wall blocking their path.

Sadly for Mahendra, he isn't as lucky as the girls are. Maybe he pissed LLA off? LOL Either way, nothing is coming to him this round but he is able to keep up with the women thankfully. That being said. Does anyone smell smoke? You should be ~whistles innocently~

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Gene shrugged as the woman stepped from the shadows. She could babysit another person if she needed to, it wasn't too big of a deal. Yes, the haze thing was concerning and Belladonna had fallen into a pit, but it wasn't a complete disaster. There had been more horrible things that happened in the history of the world and she knew that the future would likely have even more tragedies. For now, things were at a tolerable level of horribleness - but there was real excitement as interesting and unique things were occurring! Gene hated knowing what was coming next, as much as she did love to do tarot readings with her Cards.

"Please do not repeat such behavior like that with me - and I do appreciate your apology," Nora told Mahendra simply. She wasn't very enthused about welcoming strangers into the group, given that they were all being connected by some sort of mystical force, but perhaps these individuals had ties to these strange happenings as well. She had been right in her belief that they would find something of relevance when they came here, despite the lack of apparent connection - perhaps these people would have some sort of clue that would be helpful too.

"Oh, so not only do you try to steal credit for her work, now you're volunteering me for the supposedly perilous task? Real gentleman you are. Do you hate women or is it just a strong dislike?" Gene asked Mahendra, baiting him slightly with her words. The revelation that they were here looking for whoever ran the dig site was amusing - Gene was fairly certain that J.C. had gotten rid of them, but she wasn't about to volunteer that information. It required explanations that would blow their minds and she didn't have the time to coddle them and hold their hand as they realized what a massive universe they lived in.

Nora had really found a way to exercise her unique gifts here. Despite the horrible circumstances, she wondered if perhaps this was something she could make a proper living out of, independent of her father and family. This was her purpose in life, she just knew it. She could not wait to tell Jo, Lady Munn, and Lauren once they were alone. She was leading them expertly through the labyrinth, going deep inside the ruins relatively quickly. She didn't make wrong turns and no further traps were triggered. Eventually, she came to a stop in front of a wall. "Belladonna should be on the other side - there must be some sort of mechanism to clear a path..." she murmured, thinking on it.

While not pathfinding, Gene managed to spot numerous images of cats on the walls. She spotted a familiar looking cat and smirked slightly, wondering just how the little orange bastard was doing. Of course, that was the only cat that stood out really to her - the rest of them looked the same. "So many cats..." she mused. She then caught the scent of smoke and frowned slightly. Maybe it was just coming from the torches they were using for light, but she wasn't so sure. "Oi, newcomers - do you see and or smell anything odd?" Gene then asked, looking rather serious for a moment.

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One again they were making progress down in the darkness, hopefully brushing away the proverbial layers of dirt and soil that had hidden some buried gem Since Time Immemorial. They had been standing around for a long time now, both discussing the best ways to approach their mysteries down in the tunnel and dealing with the two newcomers, but it would seem that had been decided on by several members of their Fellowship. Most importantly was the Lord Major's authority that settled the issue. Mahendra himself was still weary of these two new Americans, but perhaps they could be of use? Like the Lord Major said, in the very least now they wouldn't run into them if and when the time to leave came. Mahendra gave a friendly smile to Lauren who volunteered to hold the rear, and a polite nod to the Lord Major for his consideration. But now, down into the dark tunnel with Nora and Gene he went!

Richard turned sligthly to give Faye a glancing look with his eyebrows raised, before looking back at the odd troupe of fellow Yanks, Limeys and the one Indian fella who were beginning their descent into darkness. It had worked, surprisingly well and without the need for violence; They were in. Richard looked at the older military man and gave him the tip of his hat at his confirmation that they could come along, before beginning to follow them himself. "Yeah, I'd like to keep myself from turning into an Egyptian roadkill for a few more years. Thank you, Sir." Richard said back casually to the Lord Major, looking ever so often over at Faye to make sure he kept close to her. They were with the group, but were they safe still? And why wasn't his eyes adjusting to the darkness? Was he the only one was dealing with this?

"You have my word, dear Miss Kingston. And thank you." Mahendra felt a weight fall from his chest with Nora taking his apology, as he followed her and Gene downwards and kept his wits about him. Not that his attention for traps was needed it seemed, not with Nora's expectionally expertice. Perhaps it would have helped if neither the haze obscured his eyes, or Gene wasn't bombarding him with more troubling words, to which Mahendra looked at her with shock and a certain disdain. "Well I've never…I will not even bother with a response to such vile accusations of my character! Not now…Miss." Mahendra responded to Gene with equally curt words like Nora, though he kept true to his word and didn't say any more. Perhaps later when they were on the boat, he would protest her intrusive and reckless behaviour to the responsibles of the Fellowship. For now, they were working.

Thanks to Nora and her excellent pathfinding, they soon found their way down the dark tunnels illuminated by their burning torches, to eventually stand before a wall. A very solid wall, to which Belladonna was presumed to be found behind. "Some kind of mechanism…?" Mahendra repeated after Nora's assumption, watching her for a moment inspect the wall. If Belladonna was behind that wall, then time was of the essence! Mahendra began to inspect their general area for such a mechanism. Now he didn't find any levers, door handles or anything that was an overly obvious mechanism, but something did stick out to the Bengali geologist. Cats, or one of the cats. "This image, the cat one. It is more carved than the others on the wall. As if it is more important or more recent, maybe? Could this be it?"

Richard wasn't an academic of any sorts, not like the eggheads up front he presumed were leading the charge. The only smarts he could brag about were not so elegant as one roaming around a library or university. He couldn't explain to you how Roman architecture had shaped western civilization, or the intricate doings of cells, but if you needed to find someone and beat the truth out of them, Richard was your man. For now as they descended further and further down into darkness, Richard was of the earlier. Torch in one hand and his cigarette going back and forth from his dried lips, Richard listened to the tense exchange of words up ahead. He had no idea what the beef between them was, but right now he wasn't about to ask as he gave Faye another look of "Tough crowd". He did take note of the names being thrown around, trying to attach them to the individual members. "Name's Barker, by the way. If we're going the same way, might as well introduce myself." Richard introduced himself to the Lord Major, refraining from asking his name. Best not to push too hard for information just yet.

What he did push for, so to speak, was his nose and its ability to function after years of damage and bullshit. As they went further and further down, one of the American ladies asked Richard and Faye if they saw or smelled anything odd. "…No? Do you…" Richard began to ask back, until his nose registered it too. Smoke? Instinctively Richard raised his hand and looked for his sleeve on fire again, until he realized he must have looked like an idiot as it was just fine. "Well now that you mention it, Miss, I do smell something." Richard's trained detective eyes scanned their subterrainian surroundings, his nose working like a blood hound pulled out of a Sherlock Holmes book as he tried to pinpoint where the smell came from. While he didn't see anything, probably thanks to that cursed haze that was still messing with his vision, his nose for once worked. "That wall." Richard pointed at the wall some of them were studying like a critic studied a new art museum. "I suspect it's coming from behind it, the smell. What,did you lose someone behind that wall?"

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"Well... " Mosi started saying something when the doctor expressed his preferrence for it being a gas. She thought it over for a few moments, made a pondering expression and then shrugged her shoulders." It would depend on the type of gas it is. If it's the type that gets set off by a spark or the like, it would certainly be one memorable way to go." She bluntly replied to him, probably sounding just a tad bit too upbeat about possible exploding death. Then again she almost died one today already and sudden immediate death of getting blown up in a massive explosion, seemed preferrable over slow death of being stung by what seemed to be thousands of bees.

She felt the stingers being removed, one by one, until the hands were clear. It was a relief to not see or feel those evil things stuck on her like that. It was exptremely uncomfortable, but not that they were being removed it felt at least a little better. Another thing that made her mood feel better was the fact that all the bees who's stringers were upon her, were all also dead by now. Poetic justice!" Well... my cabin's on the deck above us." She replied with a tired smile." All my clothing and the like's there, so once you are done it's easy to get some clothing, but I did say the captain I'm going to be here so he and his people can do their work in peace. After they are done with the rooms, I'm certainly thinking about the possibility of just going in my room and not leaving for a day or two. Simply sleeping this off." She added, throwing a look at the doctor. Admittedly she wasn't over hanging about in her underewear. It didn't matter to her much at this point and she might actually get a nice tan going while she was at it as matter of fact. This was a possibility too.

"So... it's time for the neck and face." Mosi mumbled and looked at the man before taking a deep breath, unbuttoning the top few buttons of her shirt as to allow him good access to her neck without the collar of the shirt hindering him and then calmly stood still, waiting for him to start removing the stingers. She noted the haze was still going strong too. Suddenly a thought occured to her." Just out of curiosity, why would you prefer it being gas? Is it so bad a possibility of it being some unknown force from beyong our understanding?"

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Josephine left the fumbling Reddish to go tend to Vera. She came up to the woman and placed an arm around her shoulders, allowing the woman to lean on her if she needed to. Jo had managed to find what was truly valuable to her, only for another to lose theirs. And judging by her reaction, these notes were of vital importance. ”There there, darling. We’ll find it. If we found my watch we will find these pages for you. We already have a solid lead I feel. Whoever had this room is the thief or one of them, as I am beginning to believe there is more than one person at work here. Call it woman’s intuition. Since the journal was in here, I would naturally assume whoever took it took your pages and that was their main goal.”

Jo was piecing information together in her head as things started to make a bit more sense to her now. ”What are the chances that all of these things just happen to our group in a matter of hours and days? I find it hard to believe we are cursed with this much bad luck. The robbery of your belongings may be connected to the journal and to my watch. I don’t see how, but maybe we can think on it. I would recommend us leaving soon though. They are surely looking for us now on this ship.”

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Faye quickly followed alongside the others. This was not how she intended to continue her investigation, but it was better than having Richard ruin it. Plus, as she stated, she highly doubted this group was who they were looking for. ”Faye Masterson. Pleasure to meet you all, though I wish it was under better circumstances.” She didn’t know what the conversation had really been before, but it seemed the Egyptian man was being chastised by both women around him. She fought off the urge to ask, believing he probably deserved the tongue lashing he was receiving.

As they continued, she got a whiff of something. Soon, it was brought up. She sniffed again. ”Yes, I smell something. We should proceed with caution then. We are in cramped spaces and if it is something dangerous, such as gasoline, then one wrong move could end in disaster.” She came upon the wall that the others were examining.

They had lost one of their own, it seemed. This Belladonna. ”If there is a smell coming from this wall, there must be a way around it or through it. I don’t understand symbols much, but I know a good puzzle when I see one.” She began examining the wall for traces of a clue.

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Lauren looked towards Reginald and nodded slightly she just hoped that they would be able to hold off the boat from leaving them behind, and she wasn't to sure how long the boat would be staying with the haze around them as well. "I'll be careful see you guys safe and sound okay?" Lauren said as she watched them go down into the dark tunnel, and Lauren started to make her way back towards the way she had come from and started to make her way back towards where the trains would stop to pick up the tourists. Lauren ran a hand through her hair feeling the heat around her now again as well, as she tried to ignore the heat as best she could.

Lauren looked back the way she had come from, and hoped that the others wouldn't get hurt down there trying to search for Belladonna as well, she wasn't sure what to think of the other two new people who decided to follow them down into the tunnels. But it was their choice to follow them after all anyway, and she wasn't sure if they could be trusted yet or not either. Lauren just continued to make her way back towards the train station. Lauren shifted slightly as she tried to look around for the train everything was still really hazy for her to see through and she still wasn't sure what it was up with that as well.

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There was a measure of relief that the Lord Major felt, owed to the fact that everyone was moving onward to hopefully help a fallen member of their group. Additional relief that no more Americans were creeping up out of the woodwork, and yet even more than the group was, for the most part, no longer bickering at one another. Well, quite as much. Such things were often unavoidable in eclectic groups of rugged individuals and so long as it did not postpone the work they were trying to accomplish, a measure of latitude could be afforded. Granted, his relief about their continued forward advancement was kept to himself, to the best of his ability to suppress such things from other people. Again, there was a mission in play. Two of them, point of fact, the first being to research what secrets Athribis might have for their expedition, and the second (though not second in priority) being the rescue or recovery of their guide, Bella. The sudden surety of Nora was appreciated, worthy of congratulation even, as they wound their way down the corridors which no man, woman, nor child had set foot in many an age. Perhaps he would do so when they were all back to the ship and they could share experiences with the other groups that were out and about in the city.

One thing that did get his attention was the strange turn of phrase from Gene. The irritable Miss Benaszewski had made some mention that brought confusion to Reginald's features. "Cats, you say?" he mused, curious as to what she meant by that. Again, mention of cats by Mahendra, even pointed out along the wall. "I say, what is the situation with the preponderance of felines these days, hmm? Does this mean we are on the proper course, or that we are being led astray by some mouser cult, set to festoon us for duty as their personal scratching posts and scat-box attendants? Equal chances of either, I should expect with this lot." A touch of humor tinged the older man's voice, as if attempting to defuse a building situation. He did take the opportunity to respond to the newcoming American man who introduced himself as "Barker" with a simple, "Lord Major Keystone, in service of His Majesty King George, sir." He too wished to keep conversation simple for the time being, so long as they were otherwise occupied and he was reasonably certain they did not mean immediate harm.

"Smoke, quite," said Reginald, joining in on the discussion at large but, having little to add kept himself merely adding minimal commentary. To his senses, he likely could, though now came to great debate as to whether it was as the others asserted or holdover from the cigarette displayed in the American fellow's mouth. He did feel the need to mention something more substantial then, though he still knew very little about what was going on. "If I may, provided the cindered vapours aren't from the brash gentleman's cigarette, then perhaps this is ...something of import, I suppose, though I haven't the foggiest what it might be. It gives me concern, quite." It also gave him a polite craving for a fill of his own pipe. Egypt did grow a superior smoking weed, approached from proper channels, of course, though now was not the time to indulge. "Has anyone tried petting the kitty on the wall, then? Perhaps it just needs a bit of attention."

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The wheels and gears of Corporal Reddish's tightly wound brain started the process by which he would insert all of the information gathered thusfar, feed it into one side of the complicated but effective fact-digestion of his rational, logical trains of thought, from which he could render out pieces of truth and open proper doors leading to skillful examples of inductive and deductive reasoning. He could feel the mental coagulation occurring, coming together as the Idea Monkeys got their daily stack of bananas to fuel them onward, powering the springloaded steel trap of his fine brain to provide precisely what was needed to make this situation right again. It was like a lightbulb went off behind his eyes. He pointed his finger into the air and took a deep breath to share his findings in grand fashion. Yes, here it came:

"Yeah, I've got nothin'."

Reddish shook his head while his optimistic expression wilted away. It did come back, and suddenly, as he began to draw that optimism from a different source, "Oh absolutely, Miss Clarke is correct, Lady Munn!" he exclaimed, nodding his head vigorously. "We've only just begun this bit of investigating, and we've much more to go on at the mo' than we had earlier. Now we keep to it, as knowing what they were after might help in getting a'ead of their next gambit, wot. We'll get them back, you wait and see." He smiled. It wasn't overly charming nor reassuring, more the smile of a man plotting something uncomfortable for someone else. "In the mean', I'm with Miss Clarke on getting back. Our cover was finding help for the ship's physician. Best not to dally." He spared a wink and a knowing look, offering his arms to the women present in the fashion of a gentleman of the time, "Lady Munn, Miss Clarke, might I have the honor or escorting you both to the Infirmary? There's a doctor what needs assistance, I'm led to believe."

He wouldn't mind getting a supplementary look at that file, either. Plus, having the arms of both women might provide an effective counterweight against whatever spill or horrifying accident Vera might get into next. Though it would be a first for him to have both a noblewoman and a Hollywood starlet on either arm simultaneously, in truth he was really only had eyes for one of them, as unlikely and out of his league she might be. A more superficial man might have viewed the situation differently. "...oh yes, we're getting those pages back... hmm."

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*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.

Special Note: That Haze will remain until further notice, so make sure to keep to it. ^_^

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Boat (Sun Deck): The doctor looked oddly at Mosi. "Your room is on the deck above us? Are you feeling alright? We were in the infirmary last, which is the second to the top deck and now we are out on the sun deck. The only things above us is the sky. Your room would be far below us." Maybe she was delusional. Sighing he got back to work on her hands and neck, making sure to get the rest of the stingers out of her. It would take sometime due to the amount of stings she got but eventually he was sure he had removed them all.

"Better the devil I know than one I do not," he said in response to her asking why he would prefer gas. At least gas was something tangible, an unknown force causing it meant they had no way to combat it and no real information. "Like with disease, I can treat one I know. An unknown, chances are high more people will die before a cure is found. I will take gas over spirits," he added as he rested his instrument down and cracked his fingers. Time using tweezers made them sore.

Boat (Thief's? Room): "Yes, I believe we should go," she said looking around. Her notes were not here and from the looks of things on the ship and the fact they were having to be sneaky, it was best to go and quickly. "Though I believe it would be best to find the others, this ship... I do not know, this haze bothers me. Clean air would be better," she said as she slowly stood up and braced herself against the wall. Tucking her journal into the belt of her clothing she blew her curls out of her face. "I could use a cup of tea..."

Looking over towards Josephine. "If we are to run into another, yes, you were headed to find someone help with the doctor but found me. As I have been sick and the haze you didn't wish to leave me alone. I was looking for someone to help me because of the haze. Let us head up, air, and Miss Clark, could you tell the lie? I am no good and you are an accomplished actress. If anyone can convince them of our ruse it would be you," she suggested. Vera was no actress and had a hard problem just walking without tripping up, a lie was beyond her but what was acting but lying with flair? Out of the three of them,Miss Clark had the charms and skills to deceive better than she or Reddish did when looking at it logically.

Athribis (Underground): Oh Mahendra, you lucky dog you. Well lucky cat in this case. On examining the cat, he will see that over the years there has been a build up of debris such as dust and sand along the edge which makes it look less carved into the wall than it actually it. It looks like the head, collar, and tail of the cat can be manipulated to move. Thing is, which way to turn each one? He won't be sure but what he does know is this, going off superstitions and history, a correct turn will get them where they want, a wrong turn however - death is usually on the menu. Best not to do anything until one is sure. Richard however isn't near as lucky when it comes to trying to figure things out - as far as he knows, it is only the smell of smoke, he can't pick anything else out about it.

Nora won't see what Mahendra does until he points it out - however, once he does, knowing the importance of mathematics and equations to the Egyptians she will be sure that it will have something to do with this and that there is probably a way to figure out what to do in the wall carvings that are around them. (As one would look around an office to try to figure out what is important to a person when you are trying to figure out their computers password.) Gene isn't getting anything from the cats but that smell, well I will pm you that. Faith isn't having any luck looking in the areas she can get to on the walls to the left or the right of the one ahead of them. (The front one is blocked by others looking already)

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"Hmmm? Above? Yes... ehh..." Mosi made a sound of confusion, following by a sudden realization as her head tilted backwards and she looked up at the sky. She continued to look at it for a good few moments, incapable of saying out anything as she blinked and looked down again, moving one hand to cover her face as she sighed heavily." Sorry." She apologized, before relaxing the hand down again and looked at the doctor." Guess I must be more tired and affected by this than I suspected. For a moment there I got confused that we were down on the open air launge instead up here." She mumbled out and closed her eyes in slight embarrassement. Maybe for the moment she should be thinking things through a lot more before she spoke out, least something like this happened again." Yes... ahm... awkward..." She cought slightly." Room's on the Second deck..." Mosi said the location properly this time somewhat pretending she didn't fail in quite a sectacular way just a moment earlier.

As the man explained his preference for gas over supernatural about the current state of events, Mosi couldn't help it and nodded at his arguments. He did make sense, after all, what you knew was less scary than what you didn't. Fear of the unknown and all that, the all manner of ghosties, ghoulies and long leggedy beasties that were fumbling around in the darkness were the stuff of nightamres, that they were all fed up form the moment they were born. 'Be good or *add scary monster name here* will come take you at night.' She just sighed slightly at the thought of it. Recalling all hte times her parents were trying to scare her into doing their bidding while growing up or trying to get her to turn out the way they wanted.

"That is true, but..." Mosi began saying as she looked at hte man in the eyes." The possibilities lie in the unknown, you know." The woman stated somewhat resolutely." What you call medicine now, once upon a time would have been seen as magic to the people. Who knows what other wonders are hiding out there, waiting to be discovered." She looked the parts of herself that she could, finding no more stingers. The feeling was absolutely divine.

"Thank you, doctor." She finally thanked the man from the bottom of her soul." Had it been not for you, who knows what might have happened." Mosi stated and took a really long deep breath of relief." Will also thank the captain properly later for helping me out, despite the fact I lost my ticket." She promised and looked at hte doctor." I'm in your debt for this, if you ever need help about something, I will surely try to help you out to the best of my abilities!"

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Before Mahnedra could be given a reply about the his inquiry into the prosepects of a possible mechanism or his discovery of one of the carved-out cats, the issue of something smelling like smoke was raised by several members of the Fellowship, pluss the two newcomers from America. Indeed Mahendra could smell it, but he could nor would use his wits to identify its origins. Clearly others were hard on that task, and he himself was still inspecting the wall with the cat symbol for all it was worth. Looking through his magnifying glass with the flickering light of the torch, Mahendra's mind started to formulate thoughts, possibilities of what this could be…

"Lord Major, glad to make your aquintance then. Sir." Richard made sure to repeat the old fella's rank and name in a respectful manner, making an effort not to comment to loudly on his previous comment on mice and the lot being led into a cult of those little rodents. Richard didn't find it particularly funny, but then again Richard hadn't been a funny guy for many years. Rodents, more like the dirty rats of New York following the flute of the Big Cheese himself. Speaking of rats, Richard continued to smell at the smoke and continue his attempt at figuring out just what the Hell it was, when the Indian guy spoke up.

"You may just so be precicely on the point, Lord Major Sir! The cats are the clue." Mahendra exclaimed in a restrained excitement, pulling his face and magnifying glass away from cat he had been looking out with his trained eyes. This wasn't merely the symbol of a cat, be it chiseled in deeper or not. This was something different. "This symbol, the cat. The parts of it can be moved or manipulated, like a code! The head, collar and tail…Miss Kingston, if you would be so kind? If we can put them in the right order, I am certain we can get behind that wall." Mahendra informed the group of his findings, wiping his eyes with his shirt as sweat dripped from his forehead from having stood with the torch so close, having given up on wiping away the haze. Who knew how long it would remain? For as long as they remained in the ruins? Until they found Belladonna? Forever? "What do you require of us, Miss Kingston dear?"

"With all due respect, Lord Major, I'm pretty sure it ain't my dugans we're smellin'. I can't say for sure what it is, but I still got the bright idea that it's coming from behind that wall your associates are playing ball with." Richard pointed out to the Lord Major, flicking some ash off his cigarette as if to corroborate his claim. He was sure that if someone lit a cigarette half-way across New Jersey, Richard would be ablet so smell it if he hadn't smoked himself for a week. But today he couldn't make heads or tails of the smoke and what it originated from. It was smoke, plain and simple. But considering everyone smelled it, including himself who was smoking the damned thing, it wasn't the paper stick of niccotine pinched between his fingers. "But you may be right, ol' Sir, the smoke can't be anything good…" Richard continued, turning back to Faye in realization that she mentioned gasoline as a possible source, before holding up the cigarette in front of his eyes. "…Aw, shit…" He muttered to himself, tossing the cigarette to the ground and killing the flame with the heal of his shoe. Better safe than sorry, right? "So, anyone going to pet the cat? Faye? What do you think?"

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As Mahendra called Nora's attention to the cat and how it could be manipulated, her mind instantly began to analyze and dissect the problem. Mathematics were highly important to the Egyptians, making it fortunate that Nora was down here with them. Besides herself, Peter was the only one with mathematical training in the group and he was currently merely a corpse. Lady Munn likely would have been able to solve this puzzle as well from a different approach, but she had fallen ill. Lord Major, meanwhile, had a proclivity for falling into holes and only being saved by his undergarments - so they were already off to a fantastic start. She hated to imagine how they would have fared without her presence.

It wasn't long before she had come to a sort of conclusion - the answer would lie within mathematics and the nearby carvings. Nora was reminded of a lesson her mother had taught her once - when attempting to win the favors and affections of a suitor, observe the decor of his household. There will be clues as to what he values and finds important. Similarly, the carvings on the walls may very well help her to discover how to manipulate the cat carving in order to reach Belladonna. "The wall carvings around us should carry instructions on how to manipulate the cat carving - I must impress that no one should touch the carving until we have come up with a working hypothesis on what to do, as otherwise... Well, we would be very fortunate if we did not lose another member of this company." She then started looking at the carvings, hoping to find some sort of answer.

Gene took in a whiff of the smoke and it finally struck her what it was - brimstone and sulfur. "Fuck." There was no other way to describe it. She had promised George that she would protect the Lady Munn and look after her. This was meant to be a vacation of sorts from her responsibilities. And yes, this dig was very exciting and she was enjoying herself - so of course it all had to come to an end eventually. She sighed slightly, chewing the inside of her lip. These people had a hard time believing magic that was happening to them, so there was no way they would believe her if she told the complete truth.

She'd need to modify it, make it easier for them to understand. The brimstone and sulfur scent had last been on Peter's corpse. These people believed that he had died in a fire - but she knew better. One of the few things in the universe that scared her was lurking within these ruins potentially. And this wasn't the time or place that she imagined dying - she always figured she would die in Norway. "Look, I'll make this quick - I'm psychic. It's why George sent me to look after you all, I've dealt with these sort of things before - the strange and unusual. There's a shadow monster lurking within these ruins and unless you all want to die, you need to run NOW. It won't hesitate to rip you limb from limb and trust me, that is in the top ten worst ways to die."

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Satisfied with their next course of action, Josephine stood up, helping Vera. ”Oh trust me, darling. I’ll put on the show of a lifetime for you. No need for them to find out what we really intended on here. The thieves could become privy that way. Heck, the crew might be involved for all we know. Anyway, shall we head off then? I don’t wish to remain here a moment longer, though I would love to meet the man who stole from me so I can let him have it.”

She gave Reddish a skeptical look as the man seemed to be enjoying his situation more than he ought to have. But she let it slide. After all, how many people got to run around with Hollywood fame and a lady of such class as Lady Munn? The irony of that did not leave her too, given Vera’s clumsy nature, but she still held herself, which was impressive. With the three of them on the same page, she left the room and made her way out on to the deck.

She gave a cursory glance around, to see if anyone spotted them. They had their cover story, just in case. ”All right, which way was it? I’m afraid my sense of direction is not the best and this haze around is still not making it easy to find one’s way around.”

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Faye hadn’t been given much room to work with, so her best guess was nothing more than conjecture at this point. She was, however, thankful Richard had put his cigarette out. ”Yes, we wouldn’t want you catching on fire. Again.” She gave him a warning look. She tried to inch her way closer, but it seemed the members of the crew before them had a good idea.

The one woman, Miss Kingston if the Egyptian man was to be believed, seemed to have a knack and an idea of what to do. ”I don’t mean to intrude as I am sure you are capable, but I pride myself on my own puzzle solving abilities. Perhaps if we put our heads together we can figure it out?” And the sooner the better, in her opinion. The haze wasn’t leaving, and the smell was worse, if anything. Though that could be getting to her head.

The other woman with them let out a curse word, but one she had grown accustomed to in New York. And any sane person may have looked at her and listened to her story and thought of her as nuts. Crazy? Psychics aren’t real and neither are monsters. But Faye knew better. She knew the danger of crossing the other unknown. ”The smell is from this…monster then? That means….oh goodness. Yes, we should leave now! Even if it isn’t that, it could be something worse.”

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Lauren continued to lean herself up against the wall looking over her shoulder towards the entrance where everyone had gone down now, she wasn't sure what they would find or how long it would take them to. But seeing that the haze she couldn't really see anything right now or very well at all. Lauren started to think about her family again and smiled at the thought of seeing them again soon as she rubbed the back of her neck slightly. She was getting pretty bored while she waited for the others, but she didn't have anything else to do and she was feeling pretty useless right now as well. Lauren wasn't good with math or reading ancient Egyptian either as well, as she rubbed the back of her neck slightly.

Lauren made a note to talk to Vera whenever she was feeling better and maybe she could help her out in someway since she didn't know what else to do to help out right now. As Lauren looked around the room and then her eyes wondering down over towards the hole that Belladonna had fallen down in. She did hope that the woman was alright as well, she didn't want to end up falling down that hole either and end up either injured or dead either as well.

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"Limb from ...limb, you say?" responded the Lord Major, a look of anticipatory wonder crossing over his face, "By Jove, how astonishing." It was probably the first time that Gene had said something that motivated him in any sort of positive manner. It was odd that he just glossed over the idea that she was psychic, or that she had experience with the dangerous and supernatural. Much of the time, Reginald lived by an adage penned by ‎H. Rider Haggard about one of his most memorable characters of fiction from the previous century; that he did not believe in ghosts, though he'd seen his share of them. That was to say, he was firmly rooted in the physical world and the laws which govern it, be they civic, social, military, or scientific, and was skeptical of people who claimed connection to the hereafter. At the same time, he was not so much a skeptic as to deny that which he had experienced for himself. Reginald's travels with the military had taken him to many parts of the world, civilized and savage both, and they all seemed to have their own myths that were likely rooted in something preternatural.

Nevertheless, he wasn't drawing from his sense of skepticism in that moment. He heard something about a great monster lurking about in the ruins of this place, possibly even very close to them, that dispatched the un-fleet of foot by barehanded drawing and quartering. A beast of shadow and smoke which stood between them and their guide, whether living or dead, was likely also trapped down here. This sounded positively adventurous. What a splendid way to expire, memorably, and in the service of others.

If the intellectuals die, their mission was over. Period. They were the crux upon which this expedition hung, ironically, the keystone that kept the metaphorical archway from collapsing. An old man dies, it wasn't as bad. He'd already signed the documentation that gave the military's assistance, and he'd quartermastered the journey. His batman was fully capable of handling most arrangements in his name moving forward. An old man, a soldier? There were others who could take his responsibilities and be in a better position to fulfill them. Vera or Nora, their geologist Mahendra, or even the social abilities of Josephine would be harder to replace. So much less expendable than the Lord Major.

Reginald unclipped his sword scabbard from his belt and held it by its throat, as if readying for a quick draw. Likewise, he unclasped the catch on his revolver's holster, removing one of the two stops necessary to retrieve his weapon. ‎In a much more sober tone of voice, he spoke aloud, "Our mission might die here, if we do not uncover that which we require. Should we have to run, protector, see to their safety." Not that he was amazingly confident in a slip of a girl to face down monsters unnamed and the forces most supernatural, but it was spoken to the rest of the group as much as to Gene. Plus, the Lord Major had seen enough in his decades of combat not to fully judge a book by its cover. He said nothing of why he might charge another with the protection of their group, even temporarily or in jest. He did look preoccupied. It was like Reginald was waiting for something.

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"Heavens yes, that's got the ring of crackerjack planning, Lady Munn! Going with strengths and whatnot. Miss Clarke is positively the right one for a bit of interpersonal wool-pulling, if you take my meaning, m'Lady!" He nodded vigorously, adding a knowing wink toward the end of his monologue. "And worry not! I shall continue to display the very image of a boisterously vocal, vacuous dunderhead with the social acceptability of a floppy, well-trained Saint Bernard."

It was time to head back out. Onward and upward, as the saying went, which went fully along with the fact that they had to traverse the deck a ways and ascend a flight of stairs. Reddish did note the look shot to him by Josephine, and tried hard to put on a confused and innocent look that probably came off a little risible. His intentions were honorable, mostly. A tiny, childish part of him did enjoy hobnobbing with the aristocracy, be they ennobled or of the Hollywood elite. After all, at Reddish's heart he was just a kid who from a horse ranch in Middle England. He never expected to do over half the things he did in his life, and this little adventure was quite the experience indeed.

Keeping to the ploy, Reddish sidled up to Josephine and wondered aloud in support, "Oh absolutely! Bloody haze making things perilous. Well, I daresay if we follow the deck 'round the perimeter, we're bound to locate those blasted stairs eventually, Miss Clarke. I do hope everything is alright." In a quieter voice, he asked, "But do tell me, if you would, who do you suppose you'll recommend to play us in the movie? I mean, you simply must turn this into a story, yes?" Despite the Corporal's appearance of being the fool, he was actually keeping tabs on their environment. The last thing they needed was to be taken by surprise by something unexpected, be it the crew, the villains aboard, or something more sinister.

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*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.

Special Note: That Haze will remain until further notice, so make sure to keep to it. ^_^

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Boat (Sun Deck): The doctor finished pulling out the last stinger and nodded. "Thank you, I will consider it," he said as he finished up. Making sure to check that where he had pulled the stingers out where clean. Thing was, as she sat there, the stingers, stopped stinging. In fact, they started to heal. The doctors eyes widened and he wasn't sure what to do. Was he seeing things? Had he seen this before? Before his mind could wrap around that though, all the wounds healed and he fainted. Again. O.o The man hit the deck with a rather loud thud.

Boat (Elite Room): Vera nods and points. She knows the layout of the boat well enough. The woman is a quick study and tend to spend a lot of time taking in details. She has to, since she is constantly tripping over her own two feet. Imagine how bad things would be if she didn't take the time? Yeah, it ain't pretty. The group will make it to the Elite deck stairs no problem and will hear a loud thud from the Sun deck about the time they get there. Reddish will notice Josephine taking on a bit of a glow, is that afterglow? Oh my! LOL

Athribis (Underground): Where there is smoke there is fire. Or maybe not. Nora will figure out just exactly how to turn each part of the carving to get it to open safely. She is sure of it, 100% sure. Now the question is, should she? Gene isn't really going to be that persuasive this time to the group as a whole if they weren't straight up convinced. In fact, she sound a bit batty saying certain things. Sure some might believe her but the skeptics sure wouldn't. Reginald is ready for battle and will notice any around him glowing or items glowing.

Something New: Oh my, that was a short update wasn't it? Well, that wasn't everything. You see. Anyone with the dreams is going to start having them play through their minds once again, with a new little item in the mix, the dreams are in haze now as well. Those with items that had an emblem come about? Yeah, that's starting to glow. Those with brands - They too are glowing now (They are not burning you this time but they are glowing.)

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While she was in mid talk with the doctor, Mosi felt something off, or rather she didn't feel something off. She followed the doctor's gaze and sure enough her eyes locked onto the places on her arms that were stung by the bees! She rose an eyebrow as she sensed and watched the damage lessen and eventually seemingly heal into nothingness as if she was brand new. It wasn't limited to only the arms too. She could feel it across the rest of her body as well. For whatever mystical reason, her entire body seems to have healed from the damages caused by the bees in matter of moments. Before she could speak out to the man and even look at him, there was a heavy thud as the man simply fell down on the ground again." What. For real?" She mumbled out, with raised eyebrow, wondering if the doctor had a medical problem or something to be falling unconscious all the time or maybe it was a occult issue, given the situation.

Never the less as she stood up from the chair, so she could try to help the man, the next odd thing happened. She saw something shiny from her torso. It was shiny through the shirt, a shirt she in rather hurry unbuttoned all the way, to get a better view of it. Sure enough... the brand was GLOWING, but it wasn't burning in any way. Mosi blinked, rose an eyebrow, thought about it for a moment and looked about the haze around." This's new." She mumbled out, as there didn't seem to be anything around. If it wasn't for the fact the thing was glowing and she healed so rapidly, she would have thought nothing had changed. The haze remained the same. She now wondered if the rest of the crew had fallen unconscious as well.

Still not finding anything happening quite yet, she crouched down by the doctor as she patted him carefully on the shoulder." Doc, Doc! Wake up!" She called him, still nudging him, trying to get him to come about. Great, the doctor was out cold, there was no one from the crew about and if he didn't wake up, she was going to have to venture out in search for someone. Given how unexpectedly he just fell over, she suspected something was up and looked about for anything that might suggest a reason.

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Nora raised a slight eyebrow at Gene, taking in the words she had said. While a great many strange things had happened before, none of it had anything to do with a psychic. And the term Shadow Monster lacked the credibility to it that Neema's tales had, using vocabulary that dated back to Ancient Egyptian times. Perhaps George's sister was a compulsive liar, a coward that wished to run back to the ship, or insane. She couldn't be sure, but she doubted her story greatly and returned her attention of the carvings. They had come this far. Belladonna could still be alive (she similarly doubted this) and the noises they heard... well, perhaps there would be a logical explanation for them. They certainly had come too far to just turn back now.

"Wow, you actually believe me? I'm shocked, I'll have to admit," Gene couldn't help but say. The American woman, Faye, she hadn't expected anything either way. The Lord Major though? She was anticipating for the old Brit to laugh in her face and then foolishly go charging off into danger. Instead, he seemed to be filled with astonishment and wonder briefly, before his demeanor changed to seriousness. Her own happy surprise quickly soured - he wasn't telling people to run. No, he looked to be gearing up for a fight and from what he said, he wasn't about to turn back.

Abruptly though, something else began to happen. The dreams Nora had been plagued with, as well as the one new one that had occurred after she was branded along the Nile River, began to play in her mind - and they were in the haze as well! Her brand began to glow and she stared at her hand, removing the slight coverings on it as she stared intently down at it. She could speculate all day as to what it meant, but they didn't have the time for that. They stood at a figurative crossroads as a group - but also Nora as an individual. She could turn and run, go back to safety and hide - or she could attempt to use her gifts to save a life, even if it meant the cost of her own. "Nothing so far has indicated the existence of this Shadow Monster she speaks of," Nora said softly. "I have to wonder - perhaps you have imagined it?" she asked Gene.

"But this... This is real and it means something," Nora said, holding up her branded hand. There was no pain, but it continued to glow. She had to wonder if this had to do with the protection of the Bastet, as Neema had spoken a bit about.

"Look, believe me or not but I am telling the truth - you are all in grave danger and will most likely die if you encounter this monster!" Gene snapped. "Lord Maj and I can go on, rescue Belladonna - the rest of you need to get out of here while you still can. This isn't the time to grow a spine and decide to be a hero." Her irritation was plain, but Gene was being sincere in her pleas for them to run. She wouldn't be able to protect all of them by her own. And even then, it took a monster to kill a monster - a side of her that she preferred to keep hidden and under wraps due to the heavy baggage associated with it. Those memories simultaneously felt thousands of years and just minutes old. "Now go!"

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It was a good sign, an excellent sign of progress when Nora astutely stated the way to understand the correct combination of their little puzzle lay in the walls around them, and their carvings. Certainly now they would be able to pierce that wall that possibly separated them from Belladonna, save her and learn what they must from the underground ruins. Knowledge that an academic such as Mahendra would appriciate and give much due credit to those who discovered it, like Nora even if she had voiced her opinion of the opposite.

It was with such optimism that Mahendra was taken back by Gene's sudden declaration to the group; She was a psychic, and something down in those dark and ancient tunnels were out to kill them. Rip them limb for limb and cause them very much pain. Mahendra could only turn in perplexion, staring at Gene with wide open eyes. What on Earth was she saying? A normal person would have rolled their eyes at such a ridiculous statement after all she had spewed out that day, perhaps even Mahendra…but he was a man of faith, of things inconcievable to man and out of his control…Did he knew what she spoke of?

Richard on the other hand would have began laughing at this point, weren't it for him being a man lacking humour. Strange how getting your nose cut open, your wife leaving you and your kid getting kidnapped changes you? He wasn't buying it, giving Gene the same treatment as the Indian guy had, only with less a frightened look on his face. Richard eventually turned his head to look at the other members of the group, taking in their reactions to Gene's outburst before sighing under his breath something akin to "At least she ain't wrong on the 'strange and unusual' part…"

It was Faye's reaction that got him more into a sober line of thought. Now he didn't believe a single word that came from Gene's mouth about monsters or or psychics or whatnot, but Faye took her seriously. She wanted to leave and leave fast. And Richard? He took another good look at Gene, reading her words and mouth, eyes and hands, her voice, trying to pin her motivations as to why she wants them to leave so badly. Was she pulling their leg, or was there something more? In the following exchange of words, all Richard could figure was that Gene really did believe what she said herself. That, combined with Faye's wish to leave and the sight of Nora's glowing hand was starting to make up Richard's mind for him.

"What the…Okay guys and gals, I don't know what is going on, but I'm starting to get a real bad feelin' about this…Your glowin' hand ain't helping one bit, madam. This is starting to feel like a one way trip to the cemetary, so perhaps we should take this conversation outside?" Richard told the group as politely as he could, though his words were clearly not those of a believer but more just wanting to get out. He didn't want to leave per say, since he and Faye were looking for their own clues to their own mystery as a matter of fact. But when it came to it, even the hard-boiled detective wasn't ready to put Faye's life in danger if something really was about to murder them all rather violently. That he reserved for himself, and Faye he was going to keep safe.

Mahendra had tried to remember anything about such a monster Gene was speaking of, but nothing came to his mind. Perhaps it was the thought of such a monster resting just behind the wall that frightened him, or the sight of Nora's hand starting to glow that fogged his memory just like the haze, but he couldn't remember a thing! And for that matter, something was glowing on him too. Slowly looking downwards to his own stomach, Mahendra lifted up his tucked shirt to reveal a glowing mark akin to Nora's; His branding. "It seems you are not alone in that, Miss Kingston." Mahendra told the others, eyes going back and forth the group for any answers, but only finding questions there too. This was not good. Not good at all. But he was unable to simply retreat just on Gene's command, unlike the cigarette-smoking American and his lady friend who wished to leave. Looking to the Lord Major, Mahendra tucked back his shirt and did his best to stand tall and proud like the soldier he had been years earlier. "Awaiting your orders, Lord Major Sir."

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Josephine had already considered this adventure and what it would look like on the silver screen. But she knew she still had that agreement she signed with the Lord Major. He would not be happy about it. ”Oh of course, darling. I have so many lovely ideas for how to adapt all of this to the screen. However, I am under that contract I signed with the Lord Major to not share what happens here. If he allows it later, I fully intend to put this on the screen.” She continued along the Elite Deck. ”As for actors, I simply cannot say. I would play myself, of course, as I see no one else in the role. We would need so many handsome men and lovely ladies though. The audition process alone would be an ordeal, but it is my cross to bare when the time comes.”

As they continued, Jo heard the telltale thump of someone collapsing to the ground. She fully expected to turn around and see either Vera or Reddish on the ground in a heap of clumsiness, but she knew it was not them. ”Did you hear that? Sounds vaguely familiar.”

Jo stepped forward only for an intense glow to come up. She lifted her hand to inspect it and found the brand she had on her finger now glowing. ”Well, that does not happen often. I always knew the spotlight favored me, but not to this extent.”

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Faye had believed Gene. She had no reason not to. Sure, to others it would sound insane. But Faye knew better. She knew that there were forces at work beyond the mortal eye that did not have their best intentions at heart. ”I have no reason to doubt you. I have reason to believe that whatever is here is the same or closely resembles what happened to my sister. And since then, I vowed to discover those mysteries. But I know the danger it possesses and I am not about to die in some underground cavern system.”

The others were still bent on going forward to find their friend and she could hardly blame them. Richard, however, seemed to side with her and she could have hugged him if the spaces weren’t already cramped. ”Thank you Richard. Truly.”

She didn’t relish the idea of leaving anyone behind, but if anyone could tackle this, she had a feeling Gene would be able to. The Lord Major, perhaps not, but the old man seemed to have no inkling of backing down. ”I would prefer we all leave, but I can see that will be a fruitless effort. So everyone else, we need to get out of here now.” Faye would turn to make her way out of the caves. She had no intention of battling this beast without some power on her side.

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Lauren stood there as she started to remember the dreams that she had been having since she had been in Cairo for sometime now, seeing the battle going on, and then her and the lord major standing in front of someone and a scale in front of her. Something started to glow in the dream as she noticed the haze as well the same exact one that was happening. She was really confused why it was coming all back to her now but she shook her head slightly, looking over at the entrance that the rest of the group walked down into. Lauren started to walk down the hallway now and started to catch up to the others as she started to hear them talking amongst themselves as she stopped and stared at Nora and then Mahendra as well seeing them glowing slightly from their branded areas.

Lauren wasn't sure what they had all been talking about, but she didn't want to be down here any longer than they needed to as she looked towards the rest of the group. "I really think we should leave." Lauren said as she looked at the group crossing her arms over her chest she hoped that none of them would be stupid and stay here she was getting bad vibes right now. Seeing the other woman from before say she was. "I'm with her." Lauren said softly as she started to follow shortly behind Faye.