[IC] 🦄 Deeper Than The Sands - Merged With T.S.

[ONL]

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Mahendra Huq Zalil

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Location: Benha (Exiting to Train depot -> Train depot)
Skills: Understanding of Egyptian superstition

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The group of intrepid explorers of the ancient and unknown appeared to once again grow in size, now that the members of the Fellowship were joined by J.C. and the lady known as Bella. The Honorable Lord Major seemed to very much approve of Mahendra's presence in the party, so Mahendra gave a delighted smile, forcing himself not to salute the man. He was a civilian after all. "Pleasure is all mine, Sir." The thought that they would be safer in larger numbers once again crossed Mahendra as he walked with his group towards the trains and tours. And it would seem that their loss of Vera, which was a true shame indeed, could be temporarily recovered by what Bella appeared to know about one of the sights. She suggested them going on a tour to one of the ancient sites, Athribis.

Athribis? Did that name ring a bell in the Bengali geologist's mind? As they kept walking, Mahendra didn't take much note of those around him as he tried to think. And think hard he did, perhaps too hard? Of all the ancient legends, stories and lore of the supernatural in Egypt, his mind failed to bring forth any valuable information. Not even something trivial that could have brought Mahendra into the conversation between Bella and the Lord Major, who knew something about it.

No wait, that was a joke. Mahendra tried to understand the joke to the best of his abilities, seen as English was not his most proficient language, but the joke's meaning did eventually make him laugh a controlled, polite laugh. "Good one, Sir, good one." Mahendra told the Lord Major, before he turned to the others of the group. More specific Bella, as J.C. went off to get their tickets, even if he dreaded the thought that they both knew about his accident yesterday. "May I inquire whether you have been there before? Athribis. It does sound as if you have knowledge of the site's history, which is quite interesting." He asked her, awaiting politely an answer as J.C. returned with a ticket for everyone, including him. "Thank you very much, my good man."

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Richard Barker

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Location: Benha (Exiting to Train depot -> Train depot)
Skills: Observation

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Richard pulled out the cigarette burning dimly from his mouth, holding it loosely between his idle fingers craving for something to do. They were talking towards the trains, brushing past and getting passed by a varied cabal of people who were going the same way as them. Richard thought that Faye and him were the only ones not going there to enjoy the views, they were out for clues. Or perhaps not? As they were walking in a moment of silence, Richard took note of some of the people in the river of men. Richard tapped Faye on shoulder and nodded his head in the direction of J.C. "Hey Faye, look. Ain't that the fella you were talking with yesterday? The guy drowning his sorrows more than a broken sewer."

Why was he there? At the one hand it made sense that he was there, since everyone had been shuffled off the ship for the day. Then again, Richard didn't like coincedences. He hated it, more than the pants he was wearing. Richard gave another curious look at the guy as he returned the cigarette back to where it belonged in his mouth, before starting to look around. "So where do you want to start looking here? The depot itself or the ticket stand? Unless you want to ditch the whole investigation and go take a train ride." They were approaching trains, and if they wanted to find anything on Mr. Gould, Richad figured their best bet would be to find someone in charge. Richard tried to look past the people obstructing his view, not paying enough attention to where he was going. Typical, why would fortunes smile on a hard boiled New York detective with a heart darker than his late shadow.

Richard found himself lying on the ground, head spinning and nose hurting. "...Son of a bitch..." he muttered through gritted teeth, looking up at what revealed itself to be a telegraph pole. Richard had walked face first into the pole, just his good old luck.

[FantasyChic]

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Josephine Clark

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Location: Benha (The Markets)
Skills: N/A

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Josephine kept pace with Reddish as they toured the marketplace. While she would have loved to look over the baubles and merchandise being peddled to her, she had other thoughts on her mind. Namely, her watch. So far, it had not stuck out to her. And to top it off, there were many sounds and smells overwhelming her senses. Not to mention how they were speaking in a different language she did not understand. She hoped Reddish was picking it up for her.

“Yes, darling. These knick knacks are to die for! We must look them over sometime and pick some up for the darlings back home. They would get an absolute kick out of them.” She eyed the people, seeing if anyone would recognize her instantly and decide to flee, but no one had. Growing ever more frustrated, she kept up the searching despite the odds against her. She knew it was less than likely she would find it out and about on some merchant’s stand, but she had to hope.

Otherwise, it had to be on the ship still. And since no one on board could remain except the crew (and Lady Munn) then either the culprit was out along with them somewhere or was one of the members of the crew, in which case it was not likely she would find the watch. The crew could access places she could not. She had to hope that was not the case, but she would sink that ship and find the watch if she had to.

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Faye Masterson

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Location:Benha (Train Depot/Tours)
Skills: N/A

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Faye continued to storm off. Was it a bit childish? Sure, but she was getting tired of trying to explain herself to people like Richard. She hoped that their time together last night would have opened his mind up a bit more to at least not think of her work as “magical”. It was more than that. She could hear him running to catch up to her and she was not about to slow down and wait for him. Let him tire himself out a bit.

Then she remembered the events of last night. The suit catching on fire (twice), the falling through the chair, not to mention the dishes falling outside of their rooms. He was a klutz or he had a bad luck demon following him. As she finished her thought, she heard a loud sound like something hard hitting something. She turned to see Richard sitting on the ground, rubbing his head. She stifled a laugh she wanted to unleash. She ran over quickly, offering a hand to help him up. “You really need me around Richard. If you keep this up you are going to get yourself killed.” She would help him up before she looked around her. She didn’t spot anything of note, but at least she had not run into any poles. “Are you all right to keep walking? I believe we are almost there, and I hope we will find something closer to the trains. So far, nothing is jumping out at me.”

[rivaan]

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Priscilla Harker

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Location: Benha(Rose Gardens)
Skills: N/a

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Mosi was rather curious as the man replied in what could only be Egyptian. She didn't know this language so she had no way of actually knowing what was being told, but she was looking very focused at him non the less. Her eyes followed the new arrival as a younger man appeared and started speaking out with the older man. Then her turned to speak out to her as the old guy moved away. Mosi gave the older man a polite nod as she returned her attention to the son." It wasn't a problem." She replied with a grin as she nodded and started thinkign over hte man's next explanations on the topic of perfumes and the like.

"I see, so they are that concentrated huh..." She mused and nodded, studying some of the displayed ones. Mosi then rose an eyebrow as she was said how the perfumes react differently for different people." Really? Ohhh, this I weren't aware of." She suddenly had a realization and nodded.

"In this case, I suppose I will have to indeed pick up one note oils or rose water... Maybe both as gifts." She nodded as the man gave her a sound suggestion. If they couldn't assure hte way the perfumes would react to the ones she was giving them to, what would be even the point in buying them? There was no point! Thus she nodded. Rose water itself was pretty good thing so were oils. They would do wonders." Guess I will take two of Rose Oils and 3 rose waters as gifts." Frankly she was planning to gift her mother one, the others she'd hand over to people she actually considered great friends and there weren't many of those. She was also keeping one for the Redhead Rosheen. Next time they met, she was going to have to tell her stories of her adventure in these parts.

"I personally? Well I don't like too overpoweringly strong scents." The american replied with a shrug of her own." I prefer more mellow ones... something softer, but still capable of catching attention. Maybe we can mix something like that? Any suggestions?" Mosi asked with curiosity.

[Sigil]

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Reginald Keystone

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Location: Benha (Trains)
Skills: Engineering

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That Reginald got a chuckle out of his little joke wasn't an unexpected thing. It was nothing but a tiny bit of punnery and he was occasionally accused of being a little smug. He didn't really expect much of a reaction from the rest of his group, which is why he wasn't surprised by the verbal nudge from Mahendra that was motivated, no doubt, by social politeness more than actual amusement. Well, no matter. The Lord Major appreciated the gesture nonetheless. The mention by the lady introduced to him as Bella, on the other hand, did. He was not certain why it stood out, but there it was nevertheless. Again, no matter really. Reginald smiled politely back at her and, when she offered her hand, accepted it in the proper manner of a gentleman of noble breeding. "But of course. I am your man in the intervening moments, Miss Bella." He gave a polite nod and, confident that the fellow would procure the tickets faster than his ordered attempt, began to escort her toward the train they intended to board.

Along the way, he took note of the great iron machine that was to deliver them to the ancient site of Athribis. Looking first to Bella, then broadening his attempt at conversation to include the others, Reginald vocalized his findings of the train. "This is a lovely machine," he began, sweeping his hand toward the locomotive engine. "While some many things do not change in the vast wonder of Egypt, this grand conveyance was quite recently installed here. From the looks of it, a year or less ago. Yes, quite the stalwart and efficient machine. Piques an old man's interest; we hadn't trains like this during the Great War, don't you know."

So much as he could have gone into the expectations of the train ride, including comparisons of stopping distances and mechanical delay times between fuel priming and noticeable increase of velocity, it was sometime around then that he (and the others) acquired his ticket from J.C. "Oh, thank you so much, my good man. Jolly decent of you." The Lord Major handed Bella back off to J.C. with a curt bow and stepped toward the embarking stairs of the train, curious and anxious both about where they were going next. "Ladies, gentleman, come! We must away."

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Haring Reddish

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Location: Benha (Bazaar)
Skills: Investigation/Espionage

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The constant stream of common Arabic being flung back and forth was difficult for Reddish to follow, even though the man was versed in the local language. Truly, this sort of setting was a massive contributing factor in the commonly held stereotype of the Arab Trader. Well, if a people are good at something, it would be a disservice for Reddish to speak ill of it. Or at all, at this point. The nature of their surroundings were a touch chaotic and he didn't really want to miss out on a detail of what was going on, just in case something of note revealed itself.

Reddish decided to focus his attention away from the back-and-forth conversation in front of him, instead dealing with the Bazaar, or at least the part of in in which he was standing, as a whole. Intelligent eyes studied the people and wares around them, all the while setting a look of nigh total joyous obliviousness to his countenance. While he was amazingly successful at appearing like he lacked any sort of practical cognizance, the more investigative attempt was met with failure. Maybe it was time for a change in tactic.

"Oh Dearest," he began to Josephine, putting an arm about her waist and stepping away from the merchant's table, "this is the most interesting little roadside stall, now isn't it? But I've a mind for..." he leaned in closer and spoke as quietly as he dared, wishing to avoid other ears from understanding him yet still conveying his words to Josephine, "_{Right, might not have been handed off yet. If it hasn't, it won't be so long as we're in plain sight.}" Returning to his normal pitch and volume, he continued with, "...so I'd just be overjoyed to examine the wares over, hmm, well... over there, Miss Clarke." Reddish pointed to another merchant stall fairly nearby, one that seemed to be selling clothing. He hadn't taken too close of a look at where he was pointing, so when his head angled around in the direction of the stall, he seemed to be surprised to see that he was, in fact, staring down an intricate looking belly dancer's outfit surrounded by others of its ilk.

A rather considered look moved over his features, as if he was processing a thought that he dare not speak aloud. With the slightest hesitation, he asked Josephine, "Mayhap we should, ah, look around a bit, Miss Clarke? I do so appreciate the fashions of the area. Especially that piece! That would look just smashing on..." He appeared to weigh his options, such as they were, "You. Yes! Of course, you. Smashing. Would you care to give it a gander, madame?" At the very least, she might walk away from this day with an exotic souvenir courtesy of the Corporal, be it a paltry replacement for a family heirloom. They could circle back after a bit and see if any of the wares had changed out.

[Nallore]

Lauren Ridgeway

Location: Benha, Train Depots
Skills: N/A

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Lauren smiled towards JC when he offered to go and grab the tickets for them, she was gratful for that and she wouldn't have to buy one for herself or Nora saving some money at least. "Thank you JC." Lauren said towards him as she looked over towards Mahendra for a moment, he seemed to be doing a lot better now than he was yesterday as well. "So, how was your morning Mahendra?" Lauren finally asked him, as soon as her ticket was finally given to her and Nora Lauren accepted the ticket from JC. She made sure that it was tucked into her purse until it was finally their turn to get through the gate. She ran a hand through her hair and rubbed her arm slightly and looked at the people who were gathered around waiting to get tickets and board the train as well.

"They are pretty amazing." Lauren said towards Reginald and gave him a slight smile as soon as it was her turn at the gate she presented to him and walked through the gate now as well as she looked up at the train. It would be about ten minutes before the train would be able to leave from the current station to Athribis. She turned her attention over towards Nora and gently gave her friend a slight nudge to see that she was okay. "How are you doing by the way?" Lauren asked her friend curious if her friend was alright or not as well.

[Morose]

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Gene Benaszewski & Nora Kingston

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Location: Tours/Train Depots
Skills: N/A

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Gene couldn't help but laugh at Lord Major's silly joke about aging, knowing that she shouldn't be so openly entertained by it but she just couldn't keep the giggles in. Once the corners of her mouth started to rise, it was too late and the curls of her hair shook a bit as she had a good chuckle. "Are there any other curses of getting old?" Gene asked him, the amusement plain in her voice. Whatever had tickled her funny bone, she wasn't going to share it - or maybe she really just was feeling the Lord Major's sense of humor at the moment. "I've got to tell Georgie that later," she then added, still giggling on and off. Nora just sort of stared at her for a moment, wondering if she was deranged. Yes, the Lord Major's joke was humorous but it hadn't been that humorous... Maybe it was an American thing.

Nora then nodded at Lauren, having been essentially thinking the same thing. "Though..." she paused for a moment, not entirely certain as to how to phrase her thoughts. It was a notion that she wanted to put delicately, since it wasn't an idea she was entirely positive on but she was trained to deal with patterns and to recognize them. Beyond the artifacts at the Museum and their location of Egypt, there was one other common denominator behind all of these events. "... I believe that a strange occurrence will happen no matter where we go, as long as we go there," Nora hypothesized. This group of people was the commonality behind it all. Strange events were not just happening where they went - perhaps they were happening because they went there.

"Yes, I think she will be," Nora then said honestly, though there was a bit of worry in her features. She did not believe in curses but she could not deny that strange things had been happening all over Egypt - supposedly linked to a curse. If the curse was real, then Lady Munn could simply be the next victim to it. Perhaps she had been poisoned rather than falling ill. She doubted it, but there had already been deaths in their group... She was beginning to reconsider the answer that she had given Lauren, but she trusted Lady Munn and she trusted George to care for her. They could not return to the ferry anyways. They would just have to hope things would be well and trust.

Gene was rather pleased that the train was leaving in ten minutes. Ten minutes meant that they could get moving - that they wouldn't have to wait around for ages before getting to the interesting things. She was rather impatient and easily lost interest/focus in things, likely attributed to her demeanor and apparent age. Taking her ticket, Gene clicked her heels together giddily. She had to keep herself from speeding on through, waiting her turn with the others and presenting her ticket as/if needed. She wanted to board the train and get moving already. There were so many things to see and so little time! Usually, time wasn't that much of a problem for her but today it was and every second was both agonizing and precious.

Nora meanwhile gave Lauren a nod and slight smile. "I am well... How are you?"

[Lady Absinthia]

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Deeper Than The Sands

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Date: October 6th, 1924

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

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

*What is posted below is general observations stuff and any character would see. I will only take rolls for something very specific from here on out - 1 roll, 1 skill. Use skill roll form if you request. Information provided in World Narrative Updates will become less and less per round and more and more dependent on rolls calls.

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Market/Bazaar: Same as before for the most part - you have basic information on the bazaar and market place now. You will continue to see and smell the same things. What happens now, what you can discover, what you can understand and find - well that is up to you and the rolls. Most of your information now will come either as part of the roll results of what you call for, or direct interactions with people.

Rose Garden/Perfume Dealers: The man looked at her and nodded. Picking up two rose oils and three rose waters and setting them to the side. He pulled out some boxes to begin to pack them in for traveling so the glass containers they were kept in didn't break. Looking back at her he quirked a brow. "I could give many but they might not be what you are wanting. When I ask what you like I mean by tones. Anything can be made subtle or mellow or strong. Do you prefer the smell of woods or flowers? Musk or spices? Which kind?" he asked as he moved over and down the stall a bit to where there were small vials with
corks in them and motioned his hand over them. "Carefully pull the corks and smell, find one from each of these sections that you want," he said s he pointed to the 1, 2, and 3 above the different sections. "Then we can do a small test mix to see if it is what you are going for."

Tours/Train Depot: It seemed that people were starting to board the train. Over at the stall selling tickets, the man behind it called out in Arabic and then in English, repeating the same message only changing the time as time had passed. "Train to Athribis leaving station in 5 minutes."

Bella glanced over at Mahendra, there was the slightest of nods from her. "Yes, though I must admit it was a life time ago," she said before casting a glance in Gene's direction. Turning her attention back to the Lord Major she gave a small smile. "It is truly amazing how far we have come when it comes to modes of transportation," she said before taking J.C.'s arm once again and being escorted onto the train. Turning left and right, she made her way to a line of seats.

The train inside was set up that there were two seats on each side of the isle and each car had 8 rows. There were two passenger cars behind the engine. The seats were well crafted and of plush material but it was obvious they were getting regular use, a few of them had mending's on them but everything was well kept and tended to. J.C. took the window seat and Bella sat down next to him, she preferred the isle seat, it was easier to speak to people. J.C. got comfortable and grinned as he pulled out a toothpick and placed it between his teeth. "Oh yeah, this will work better than a bleedin' camel."

[rivaan]

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Priscilla Harker

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Location: Benha(Rose Gardens)
Skills: N/a

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"Ahh, my mistake then. Apologies. Never actually had a perfume made for me before." She replied with a happy smile as the man corrected her on what exactly he was meaning when he asked her what she preferred. Well considering she wasn't one to be overly focused on perfumes usually, it was kind of expected of her to not be aware. Not that seh didn't use them, she just never was really interested in them in details so far. This was actually proving to be an educational voyage it seemed. She notted." Alright, let's see then." She muzed as she moved over to the different bottles with the 3 base scents types as he called them and reached for the first one that picked her fancy.

Mosi really carefully pulled the cork and took in a little of the scent that was contained within. This was the first of the three one to choose. And to her surprise it was a rather musky scent." Ahm... " She grimaced as she quickly closed the bottle back and placed it where she took it from. Alrighty, she might have just slightly underestimated the strength of the scents prior to being processed into a perfume. Yeah better adjust her checking method accordingly with care. She didn't want to think how hard it would be to get red of these scents if some got onto her clothing by mistake. Though she did like the idea of mixing her own perfume. One she chose out herself down to the finer details.

Following that, she checked a number of the bottles and encountered a variety of scents, there were animalic ones, the musky ones, wood ones and there were also resin like ones. She nodded at a number of them and then went ahead for the second selection, to check what was there. The second base scent turned out to be the more aromatic ones, she recognized flowers and spices of different varieties. Frankly it was a little overpowering to her nose, so she was really careful when she checked the scents. Finally she reached for the final set of scents. These ones were more fruity ones. There was also some citrus ones, but overall she gave the whole selection a nice study before she returned to the first base scents. After some pondering she finally pulled one of the bottles. Ambergris was the one, then from the second set she pulled out vanilla and for the final set she pulled out one that appeared to be apples like scent.

"I'm thinking of these ones." She said and showed her selections to the man. This was her first go at it, but since she had no way of actually knowing what the final product would be like, she had no way of knowing if it was a good selection. But she liked them on individual basis well enough, just had to see how was the combined result here." So... how long does it take to mix up a test sample?" Mosi asked with some curiosity and threw casual looks around the other bottles, wondering for the second try what she should try. There was such a wide variety to choose from!

[ONL]

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Mahendra Huq Zalil

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Location: Benha (Trains)
Skills: N/A

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It was a pleasent surprise to be reunited with other members of the Fellowship, even if the surprise wasn't that surprising to Mahendra. But it was none the less a comforting feeling to be around people, friends if you'd like, that he'd been around for a little while at least. Especially around Bella, as her presence still discouraged him and his reputation. To him she answered that it had been a life-time since she last visited Athribis, making no further note of it as she talked to the Lord Major. Something about those words didn't sit right with Mahendra, ever the superstitious man if one took into consideration the unexaplainable events that had befallen them. It was probably nothing though.

His concerns were as brief as the desert was hot, as his attention was demanded by the other members of the Fellowship. The Lord Major commented on the technological marvels of the trains they were to ride in, while Lauren asked Mahendra how his morning had been. "It has been far better than last night, that much is certain. Except for a brief cold shiver, I am able and ready, thank you very much. I wish the same goes for you, Lauren?" Mahendra kindly spoke to Lauren, carefully placing the train-ticket in his wallet as they were getting ready to board the train. He did take note of Nora's assestment of their situation, and it too sent a brief shiver down his spine. Were they destined to be befallen by accidents, curses and death wherever they went? If the Gods so commanded, but Mahendra hoped not.

Mahendra remained outside of the train for the moment, letting the ladies of the Fellowship board the train before himself, as dictacted by the manners of a proper British gentleman. "Quite so, Sir! Ladies first. Lauren, Miss Kingston and Miss Benaszewski." Mahendra said to the remaining group outside the train, waiting for them to board it before he himself would.

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Richard Barker

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Location: Benha (Trains)
Skills: N/A

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Richard wasn't sure of what hurt the most. His nose or his professional pride. It could have been both for all he cared, because his nose was from as sturdy as it once had been back in his prime. After the barber knife incident and his now signature scar right up in his face like the lights on Broadway, it was both a mark of shame due to all the attention it drew to him, and now sore after his run-in with the telegraph pole from Hell. Then again he had made a fool of himself the whole day prior, and today was faring no better for the detective. If he kept up at this rate, perhaps he'd much rathed preferd what Faye suggested would happen to him. Death. At least then he wouldn't have to be the only sore loser around the block.

"Yeah, yeah I'll be fine...Let's just get there before anything else cathces up with us and screws us over three-fold." Richard answered Faye as he accepted her help to get back up on his feet, wiping the dust and sand of his pants and looking around like Faye did. He made damn sure to ignore her opening remarks about him needing her, but the fact that she hadn't been scratched this whole ordeal spoke loud enough. So far Faye hadn't seen anything if importance, which made Richard sigh audibly. "Just out luck. Come on then, let's go."

Richard made his way past the thin crowd of people and towards the line of folks getting their tickets to the trains. More specifically, he wanted to talk to the loud-mouthed fella yelling about the time the trains were leaving. "That guy sounds like our best shot so far. I'll ask him." Richard told Faye, having pulled out his cigarette and getting himself a good breath of fresh air before he promptly placed it back firmly between his lips. He went over to the stall and got in line for those buying tickets, figuring that going around and asking him would only give an already bad impression of the hard-boiled egg of a PI. Once it was his turn, Richard pulled off his sunglasses and looked at the man in the stall, starting his inquiry in his knowledge of Arabic. "صباح الخير ، السلام عليكم. هل تعرف أين يمكنني أن أسأل عن السيد جورج ج. جولد؟ الرجل الذي مول تلك القطارات الجميلة التي تبيع التذاكر لها؟ أنا أعمل من أجل عائلته ، في محاولة للحصول على بعض الأسئلة التي لم تتم الإجابة عليها.*"

[FantasyChic]

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Josephine Clark

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Location: Benha (The Markets)
Skills: N/A

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Josephine felt herself growing more desperate. So far, the search had yielded no results. Granted, would the thief try to sell the watch right away knowing they would be amongst the others on the ship? Surely, they would hide it until the time was right, most likely when they reached their destination where they could travel away somewhere, perhaps selling it underground-like. And why the hell did they steal just her watch? That was the piece of the puzzle that continued to trouble her. She had all sots of lovely things any thief worth their weight in alt would grab, but they went after her prize possession.

And then it hit her. Events leading up to this were beginning to make some semblance of sense now. Perhaps this thief had been tailing them for a bit now. Perhaps this was a way of telling her to get off this journey. The accident in the museum with Haakon? Hadn’t she assumed it was not an accident? She had a gut feeling for it. Too many mystery novels perhaps.

She eased closer to Reddish to maintain their ruse, but she dropped her voice to a whisper. “Darling, I am beginning to think we may not find it out here, but I’ve been thinking. I think whoever stole from me and possibly Lady Munn did so as a warning. A way of saying we are on the right track with all this mystery and that we could be in danger if we continue. The accident at the museum made me think that before.”

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Faye Masterson

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Location:Benha (Train Depot/Tours)
Skills: N/A

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Faye brushed the dirt and sand off of Richard, keeping quiet about her thoughts. So far, she had avoided anything dangerous, but Richard seemed almost a magnet for chaos. Maybe it wasn’t a coincidence he mocked the supernatural and kept getting into trouble. But she bit her lip. She needed him as much as he needed her, that much was evident.

“That makes sense. He would be the best bet at the train depot. Surely if our man came through here, he would have needed a ticket. Good show Richard.” She followed her companion along as he began to speak to the man in Arabic. Thankful he was able to speak the language, as she knew barely any of it, she kept her eyes out for anything of note. Some other people had come along in their direction, but she paid them little mind.

She was now more determined than ever to solve this, especially to prove Richard wrong. It was doubters like him that made her job more difficult but also more rewarding. Especially when she would be looked down upon due to her age or gender. If one thought about it, women did hold quite a bit of power. She thought of the women she saw on the silver screen. Or the many women before her fighting for a chance to make it in a man’s world. She would do them justice, even if it meant getting involved in the supernatural spookiness.

[Sigil]

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Reginald Keystone

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Location: Benha (Trains)
Skills: N/A

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"Many such curses that mortality brings us, madame," he said curtly, responding to Gene's sudden outburst of hysteria. "As we all enter the autumn years of our time, the leaves must inevitably turn to rusts and reds and browns; it is the signal of coming winter but has its own blustery, quiet beauty. Minus, of course, the trips to the lavatory in the night. Utter rubbish." The young woman seemed to sway between being vaguely amused and completely bored at their expedition. In truth, even being George's sister, Reginald had no earthly idea why she wished to join them. Well, sibling bonds and all that. One does not choose the family into which one is born.

Upon entering the train proper, Reginald engaged in conversation with another of the newer guests of the Fellowship. J.C.: "Yes, quite superior to a camel," agreed the Lord Major. He settled into a nearby seat and tucked his saber along the seam of his pants in the tradition of old military men of the era, removed his cap, then sat with posture befitting his station. The accusation of being old fashioned would not be wasted on the man. "Not as I have anything against the beasts, understand. Ships of the desert, I have heard described. ...were it not for that blasted spitting, though..." He shrugged. "So far as means of conveyance one must throw a saddle upon, I much prefer a good horse. Noble creatures, of course. The ones here in this part of the world are reputed as some of the best worldwide, you see, though I hear that your American breeders are giving them a run for their money."

Be it that he made sure to note that he was, in fact, not in charge of this expedition, old habits die hard. He craned his neck about, taking note of the people who had entered the train from their group, and decided to make a quick tally. "Gene - 1, Miss Kingston - 2, Bella and J.C., that's 3 and 4, Mr. Zalil (and I do hope your health is returning, sir) - 5, and... ah, has Miss Ridgeway boarded yet?"

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Haring Reddish

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Location: Benha (Bazaar)
Skills: N/A

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Reddish maintained the perpetually goofy smile that seemed to give him a vacuous, totally British quality, all the while overexaggerating his facial expressions as he listened to Josephine's concerns about their current difficulties. Though he put on the appearance of a mentally underdeveloped lackey, his voice betrayed this; serious and thoughtful, pitched in low volume so as to not attract unwanted attention. "Such as it is, Miss Clarke, I cannot refute a sense of logic to your theory. Though I should wish to have something supporting that claim." His smile turned into something slightly more genuine and he turned to face Josephine directly. "Let us assume that you are fully, fully accurate, Miss Clarke. This means that this is truly an adventure worth having! I do despise the frightfully unpleasant nature of the loss of your ancestral timepiece (which I do still maintain some hope of recovery, mind you), let us assume that we all back off and go to our perspective homes now. Do you expect that the offending bastards will drop it off in the post? We shall find it, or we shall not. But if you are right? We are winning, madame." He nodded his head, eyes widening in the solid wonder of their plight. Whatever their Fellowship was really about, it was truly something adventurous. He even felt a little left out that the supernatural oddities hadn't happened to him yet.

He did feel a little bad about one thing in Josephine's address of her concerns, invoking the beginnings of a frown. "I am terribly sorry about the incident in the Museum. I understand that he was a friend of yours. Bad show all around, Miss Clarke." He shook his head slightly and placed a hand on her shoulder in a sympathetic manner, before changing his face back to something more as it was earlier: Oblivious. "Come along then! I've a mind to add to your wardrobe, if you'll allow, of course." He stepped up to the merchant selling the coin-embellished Arabic dancer's apparel and pointed in the direction of a couple of the finished products that had caught his eye from earlier. "How much, sir?" he asked the merchant, using slow syllables of English as a foppish tourist might, though he stood ready to listen with his other linguistic skills; Arabic, French, and of course German. The first two he wouldn't be surprised to hear in this part of the world, but German? He might actually have a conniption. Still, if only for now, Reddish had his mind on the task at hand: Find the watch or find a lead, unless Josephine expressly bid him not to. While searching or waiting for an opportunity, a souvenir wouldn't be entirely out of the question.

[Nallore]

Lauren Ridgeway

Location: Benha, Train Depots
Skills: N/A

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"Lets just hope that there wouldn't be anymore deaths in the strange occurrences to soon." Lauren said towards Nora and gave her friend a slight smile, as she looked over her shoulder towards Gene for a moment raising an eyebrow hearing the woman giggle a little bit more than necessary to Reginald's joke. She wasn't sure what to really think of the woman still she was completely different from her brother George as well. She wasn't going to be rude though either as Lauren made her way closer towards the train and smiled towards Nora, she was feeling pretty good so far. "I'm doing pretty well thank you." Lauren said towards her friend, and turned her attention towards Mahendra asking how her morning was so far. "Aside from watching Vera getting sick, I am doing pretty well thank you." Lauren said as she started to get onto the train now.

"I am here." Lauren said towards Reginald once she had boarded onto the train and started to look around the train was pretty nice as well, though some of the seats were pretty worn, but they were still taken care of. She started to look around before finding an open seat and sat down in the isle seat. Lauren had no real preference on where she sat, and she figured that Nora would prefer the window seat more than she would anyway. Lauren ran a hand through her hair and rested her purse down onto her lap as she started to watch more people starting to board the train, at least they would be leaving in five minutes now which was good and maybe they would actually be able to get some answers to what is going on at Athribis.

[Morose]

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Gene Benaszewski & Nora Kingston

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Location: Tours/Train Depots
Skills: N/A

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Nora smiled slightly when Mahendra addressed her as Miss Kingston - it was a nice change and her preferred manner of address. She had not done anything in her life that warranted being called Lady Kingston - and besides, to her Lady Kingston referred to her mother or her sisters. She was just plain Miss Kingston - just Nora. She wished to stand on her own merits and not based on the circumstances of her birth. Nora took a seat down next to Lauren, glad that the window seat was the one available for her. She adored looking out windows and watching the world go by. There was something serene about it. And at any rate, she knew that Lauren was the more conversational of the two.

Gene chuckled slightly and nodded at Reginald's description of old age. She was tempted to ask him what season of her life she was in, according to his analogy. It would have been amusing regardless of his answer. Pausing for a moment as she glanced around, she saw that J.C. was sitting with Bella and Lauren appeared to be saving a seat for Nora. She was infinitely amused with the Lord Major and Gene decided to sit down next to him. It wasn't like George was there for her to bother anyways - she hoped that he was having at least something akin to fun, back on the ship. "Hope you don't mind," Gene told the old gentlemen, having not really asked if she could sit next to him or anything.

Miss Kingston did have to wonder if her theory would be right - that no matter where they went, something odd would happen. She did not understand why this group in particular had been selected for these occurrences, but she similarly did not understand the brand that had appeared on her body. She knew that Neema had told her she had been marked, needing to protect the Bastet - but from a scientific standpoint, she was having a hard time rationalizing it all. There had to have been some sort of cause for the brand, something beyond magic and mythos. But if magic was the only answer that remained... perhaps it was indeed real. Just because she had never seen it before in her life did not mean that it was impossible - merely improbable.

Gene swung her legs slightly, hoping that the train would get on with things and pull out already. They had about five minutes until they were going to head on over, from what the conductor was announcing. It was funny - she sometimes felt like she was stuck in a boring loop of repetition, with nothing every really changing. And here she was, someplace vibrant and new and Gene already was bored with the train. She wanted to press onwards, to get to the exciting ruins and features in this area. There was so much of this world to see and while she had seen a lot already, she wanted to see more. New things were finally happening!

[Lady Absinthia]

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Deeper Than The Sands

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Date: October 6th, 1924

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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.

*Mystery RP, time to step up. Call for rolls, use skills. More you put in the more you get out of the RP. Less you give, the less I will give back. Roll requests can be made in chat or can be left at the bottom of your post for results in the next update. Upvote this post to note you read the red section here and didn't skim. I won't remind, those that don't will get LLA wrath.

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Market/Bazaar: The man will look over both Reddish and Josephine before spouting off a lot in Arabic very quickly and then, just as slowly as Reddish spoke to him, will quote some very obviously outrageous prices for each item he picked out. Not an uncommon practice in any open market like this, try to get as much out of a tourist as possible. Especially if they think they are dealing with an idiot. Seems Reddish is playing the roll well, and well Josephine hasn't done or said anything to look the fool but she is with Reddish, Beauty and the Beast, one might figure she is with him because he has money. Why else would she want to be around him?

Rose Garden/Perfume Dealers: The man looks over the scents that Mosi has chosen and nods. "Which one do you want to be the first noticed, which do you want to be the middle note, and which one do you want to be the final one that would be the foundation and last the longest?" he asked as he takes them. "I can have a sample in a short time, just a few moments." Placing the scents down he pointed to each. "I would suggest the apple as your top note, something to catch attention. The vanilla as your middle note, and this as your final. Musk will meld the most with your own scent and you will get the most out of it in the long run, be it more subtle." It was his suggestion for her but he waited to see what she wanted.

Tours/Train Depot: The man looked oddly at Richard for a moment before shaking his head. Then he answered, but in English. It must have been obvious that the man was not a native. Maybe it was the New York accent. (Or maybe I am tired and don't feel like translating lol, could be either.) "Sorry sir, but no. We just sell the tickets here." Well that was probably disappointing but after a moment he stopped looking down at his papers. "But there are some Americans running the sites for tours, they might be able to help. Want to buy a ticket?" he suggested. Whether he was telling the truth or just trying to sell a ticket was hard to say. Either way, the ticket would be for the next train out there for the one that was just boarded was pulling out of the station now.

Train To Athribis: The train lurched forward slightly and began to pull out of the station. It seemed they were on their way. J.C. chuckled a bit. "So I hear as well but I would never count out a Mustang in race, they are tougher than they seem," J.C. commented before resting back in his seat and getting comfortable. Or at least tried until something happened that made him rather uncomfortable. Cats have been a bit of an issue so far. They seem to be everywhere and suddenly one crawled out from under the seats and jumped right into J.C.'s lap, well, right into his crotch. Causing him to sit up straight and grunt. Looking at the thing he nearly flung it out a window before noticing it was an orange tabby. his eyes narrowed a bit.

Bella quirked a brow as she looked at the feline, tilting her head to the side slowly. The two seemed to exchange a look before she shook her head. "It seems you made a new friend," she said with a slight chuckle. "Perhaps Bastet has taken a liking to you," she seemed to taunt him before her eyes looked around and she looked towards Gene, giving a slight shake to her head as well. "Felines have always fascinated me, not as much as our aviary friends, but it is intriguing just how many of the ancient religions seemed to worship these creatures. Guardians to an underworld."

[ONL]

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Mahendra Huq Zalil

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Location: Benha (Trains to Athribis)
Skills: Animal handling

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And so they were on their way. The train began it's titanic labour of moving itself and all the wagons down the man-made path of steel and wood, off to Athribis. Their destiny! Mahendra waited as said for everyone of the party to board the train, giving both Lauren and Nora a polite smile in return for their gestures; Nora's slight smile, an uncommon sight of the frail yet sharp-minded lady to Mahendra at the very least, and Lauren's conversation. Yes he had been informed of Vera's ill health that morning, but any further elaboration had avoided him and been avoided by him. It was not proper to question about such things, at least not until it was anything serious.

With everyone onboard, Mahendra followed suit and came to watch as the Fellowship found their seats. The Lord Major and Gene, Bella and J.C., Lauren and Nora. He himself would be sitting alone, it would seem. It was of no concern though, he had stayed behind after all, and the party was not spread out too thin, so conversation was a valid possibility. "Present and accounted for, Lord Major Sir." Mahendra assured the Lord Major at his tally, while he found himself an empty seat, picking up pieces of the conversation about horses.

That's when another creature joined the Fellowship, causing J.C. to react in a not-so gentlemanly manner in front of them as to the cat. Bella on the other hand appeared to find some amusement in the occurence, calling the cat J.C.'s new friend and mentioning Bastet's liking to him. Bastet, another connection to their Fellowship and the mysterious happenings befalling them. Mahendra hoped it was not a troubling connection, but turned his attention to the cat itself. It didn't appear to show any signs of malice intentions, simply wishing for a lap to sit in. "Interesting creatures most certainly. Pretty to behold as well." Mahendra commented, smiling at the cat and presenting his own lap or the seat beside himfor the cat to sit in.

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Richard Barker

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Location: Benha (Trains)
Skills: People-reading

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At first Richard's inquiry looked as frutiful as an olive garden in the middle of a Canadian winter, from the guy's confused look. Great, the first catch of the day was an old boot, so to speak. Or was it an odd look instead? It didn't take long for the man to answer Richard back in good old English, the reasoning behind it lost on Richard. He probably needed to practice his Arabic after so long off the street. The answer in English was just as disappointing as the odd look. Of course. Of course the man selling the tickets wouldn't have any information prudent to their investigation, how typical!

Richard sighed annoyingly at their lack of progress, only to be given a new thread to hang their investigation on. "American's running the sites you say? What sites? Athribis or Leontopolis?" Richard questioned back at the man, reading his best in search for the man's intentions. Was he like everyone else and lying straight to his face, good at it or telling the truth. But in his search, Richard had to conclude that he was telling the truth, and jumped onto the next part of the conversation. Buying tickets.

"What do you say, Faye? Want to take a train ride into the sunset?" Richard asked Faye, starting to pull out his wallet. She was his partner. Despite him not always liking it, they were all in this together, and taking decisions without her not a good idea. Even if she was a bit naive sometimes. Richard's wallet was from as hefty as it once had been, the weight re-shuffled to other parts of his body, though he still had some cash. "Great...for once the trains had to be on time...When's the next train leaving then, pal?"

[rivaan]

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Priscilla Harker

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Location: Benha(Rose Gardens)
Skills: N/a

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Mosi was now busy eyeing the rest of the possible scents as the man proposed a sequence to mix them in. She looked at him with pondering expression and then nodded." Alright, I will trust your opinion on this. You are hte one who's actually working and dealing with perfumes between the two of us. Chooseing the base scents was hard enough for me." She added with a smile as she gave the green light on his proposition to create the perfume sample. She then patiently waited for the sample to be completed as she was going through some of the scents again. Some of these were not what she'd normally say a perfume, but these were concentrated and the man having explained how it works albeit in a general terms, she realized that even the less expected scents were crucial.

"So, I'm curious about something." Mosi started as she waited and looked at the man." I know there's a big bazaar or the like here, but I'm not really interested in the usual tourist traps. Is there a place where I can get to see some good things and maybe browse items and merchendise that's actually of usable quality? Like maybe a market street for the locals where things might not be as shiny or fancy." She explained with somewhat happy voice as she did so.

As she waited though, a thought appeared in her mind, a thought and a question to be precise." So, have you always been in the perfume business? Continuing the family tradition?" She asked with curiosity and friendly voice. Looking for some nice chat with the man while they were here. She supposed that it was going to take a moment or few to mix the sample and somewhat more to mix the perfume if she actually liked the sample's performance. Might as well have a chat and be friendly. Even if they didn't meat again in the future, well for Mosi this would be a memory. She wanted to have enjoyed everything in her travels and in her meetings with people. Getting to know those you meet on the road was just part of the journey after all." Ohh, my name's Priscilla, by the way. Forgot to introduce myself earlier." She added.

[Sigil]

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Reginald Keystone

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Location: Benha (Train to Athribis)
Skills: N/A

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The Lord Major gave a warm smile and nodded toward Lauren as she announced her presence on board the train, offering a cheerful chirp of, "Very good, Miss Ridgeway! Now we've our party. We should be underway momentarily." He gave like notice to Mahendra who piped up with his own militaristic response. "Good show, sir. Positively good." During this time, he took the opportunity to give the train a good visual once-over.

Following this, Reginald perked an eyebrow at Gene's choice of seating. The old man was fairly sure that George's dear sister wasn't too horribly fond of him, though for the life of him he couldn't really tell why. Perhaps it was the sheer, undaunting Britishness of his character; sometimes he had that effect upon Colonials. Nevertheless, he squared his jaw and retained the very image of his culture's Stiff Upper Lippedness in the face of most certain annoyance. He was a gentleman, after all, and a Lord of standing. "No no, Miss Benaszewski," he responded politely. "By all means." He would have made a motion toward the seat next to him, but it was already occupied by the moderately perplexing woman.

Now, back to the conversation about horses, a topic of which Reginald did have some experience. Or the first attempt at returning to it, for as he opened his mouth to speak further on the matter, the train gave its initial lunge associated with forward movement. "Ah, and here we're off. Most excellent." It seemed that circumstance had the occasion to delay his further discussion of matters equine, even despite J.C.'s observations of the American Mustang (of which the Lord Major was keen on making comment), the setting was interrupted by the attentions of a fuzzy orange tomcat. It seemed that they were everywhere these days, cats. Reginald didn't mind them so much; they seemed more or less clean and kept to themselves, though a cat underfoot while attempting to navigate stairs might make the day significantly more adventuresome. And painful. "Ah yes, you seem to have run afoul of the local fauna, dear boy. Ah, there are worse things in this country to hop in one's lap, believe you me. ...camel spiders, indeed... eh, no matter." He shuddered, his memory then roaming to another "lap companion" that gave him pause. "Hmm... trouser lice. Filthy buggers, those..." He let his eyes glaze over as if in horror of the memory of something, turning about to stare off in the distance.

An involuntary shudder seemed to pass through the man, though in truth he was paying attention to the additional commentary from Bella. Emphasizing new friend, which he found a little odd. Mentioning Bastet, a name which he had heard a few times recently in relation to their Fellowship quest, and the part about the cats being underworld guardians. It made him think about that last strange dream that he had about the clash of inhuman armies and a jackal headed general, the removal of his heart, and various other oddities that had happened to them all recently. The deaths. The close calls. Then Nora's recent thoughts about the improbable occurrences that kept happening to and around them.

Perhaps he should invest in a pet cat.

Roll Request

Reginald Keystone
Characters current location - Train to Athribis
Characters attempted actions - Taking note of the people around the group
Any and all skills being used - Observation
Why each skill is being called - Trying to notice anyone who could be following them
Desired location of the character - Not relocating

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Haring Reddish

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Location: Benha (Bazaar)
Skills: N/A

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The plan was to be seen looking around the Bazaar, doing touristy things, picking up odds and ends in such a manner as to alleviate suspicion and have the awful bastards offload the watch. If the watch could be located, then perhaps the seller could as well. And if the seller could be pointed out... well, the less savory portions of Reddish's personality might get that dust-off for which it had been so patiently waiting. Giving a glance to Josephine and considering their more recent conversations, Reddish thought that if the offending villain was caught, the starlet's plans for them might be far, far less appreciated than his own. All the same, the odd, slender man had no intention of getting fleeced by the local hawkers over a clothing option, even if it was just for cover. Though he did just adore those colors...

But that price. No, it was more likely that a person who traded in places like this would be accustomed to arguing for the best price, idiot or not. Tourist or not. A man who didn't haggle at least a little might be viewed with suspicion. He began his tactic by turning to Josephine and asking, "Did you hear that, Dumpling? Man thinks I'm after his bloody first-born!" He turned back around to the merchant, trying to vocalize with but a hint of sarcasm, "I'm sorry, sir. There must be a misunderstanding. I'm wanting to buy that one outfit with the dangly bits on it, right there, see?" He pointed toward the item in question, continuing, "Now, if you're selling ten of them at that price, I'm your guy, sir! Or five for half of that, I'm not so picky. Just the one though, thank you Guv." British sterling was still strong against Egyptian pounds, but that price was painful. Reddish's lowball slanted far away from a fair(ish) price, though not as massively as the merchant's outlandish opening salvo.

Maybe he'd pay a touch more than it was worth. Maybe that might loosen up his tongue for other lines of inquiry concerning good places to pick up recently acquired personal timepieces on the cheap. Likewise, his bubbly dumbassery might draw attention away from the actions or observations of his significantly more eye-drawing companion.

Roll Request

Haring Reddish
Characters current location - Bazaar
Characters attempted actions - Dealing with Merchant
Any and all skills being used - Arabic
Why each skill is being called - Understanding the man, and any background conversation that stands out
Desired location of the character - Bazaar

[FantasyChic]

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Josephine Clark

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Location: Benha (The Markets)
Skills: N/A

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Josephine may not look like she had much going on upstairs. And, truth be told, it often worked to her advantage. Everyone always assumed she was the ditzy, blonde actress who was paid to show up on the screen and look beautiful. What they often did not anticipate is that she had a brain and used it frequently. She had to memorize scripts after all. Not to mention this isn’t the first time someone has tried to take advantage of her. Before, back when she was naïve, she would have jumped at this.

It was also more likely that they saw her as the arm candy of Reddish. There because Reddish had money to burn to spend on his pretty wife or girlfriend. She pitied people like that. She really did. While she may not understand the language, she understood a crook when she saw one.

So donning her best, most powerful tone, she leaned across the stall at the man, making sure she gave him an enjoyable view before she spoke. “Good sir. It appears you are vastly overpricing that item for my darling here. While I can appreciate a businessman like yourself wanting to make a profit, do not think we are some silyl tourists eager to buy wares from just any old place. We want the best, you see. If you have it, then I am sure we can come to a more reasonable price. Otherwise, I believe we are done here. Come, lover. If this man cannot satisfy our needs, then he does not deserve our business. Good day sir.”

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Faye Masterson

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Location:Benha (Train Depot/Tours)
Skills: N/A

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It might have been silly on her part to let Richard handle things given how it seemed fate liked to rock him about, but he managed to find a man who could understand English quite well. On top of that, he seemed knowledgeable about the goings on around him. So that worked in their favor. And he knew of an American ran site. It was the best possible lead they had at the moment. Granted, the man could just be trying to sell tickets to tourists, but beggars could not be choosers.

“Yes, I believe a train ride is in order then. Hopefully we will find something there otherwise I fear this may have all been a wash.” She noticed the one train had already began to leave and she cursed their luck. They would have to wait for the next train to leave, which hopefully would be soon. She didn’t want to wait around any more than she had to. Though, perhaps the train was luxurious enough to warrant it. She hadn’t traveled much by train before.

“May as well buy one for the next train unless you want to trek back to the main area. I think this is our best bet though. At least, I hope it is.” She would let Richard purchase the tickets (he was a gentleman after all) unless for some reason his sleeve caught on fire again from the sun’s rays, in which case she would consider going at it alone since it would have been evident that the forces were working against him.

[Nallore]

Lauren Ridgeway

Location: Benha, Train Depots
Skills: N/A

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As Lauren let Nora take her seat in the window seat she gave her friend a smile and went to sit down as well, she looked at those in the train car. "I wouldn't miss the train ride since JC did go through all of the trouble buying the tickets." Lauren said towards him and then a few seconds later the train started to move finally. She watched out the window as the train started to slowly move forward ahead of them before finally speaking to Nora. "So, what are your thoughts on the whole branding thing, and what Neema had said?" Lauren asked her friend as she noticed an orange fur ball suddenly appearing onto JC's lap. Lauren couldn't help but smile a little bit as she noticed the cat sitting there, she always did like cats as well.

"It looks like you got yourself a friend for life now." Lauren said towards JC, as Bella started to speak a little bit about cats during her time here in Egypt she knew that the locals did worship them quiet a bit. She did like cats and had one or two growing up and started to think of just getting up and petting the cat. She then turned her attention back over towards Nora, she wasn't even sure how a cat wouldn't want to run away after riding a train with a bunch of strangers. "I used to grow up with a cat or two, I remember that they were always nice." Lauren said, and smiled trying to make some small talk with her friend as well.

[Lady Absinthia]

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Deeper Than The Sands

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Date: October 6th, 1924

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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.

*Mystery RP, time to step up. Call for rolls, use skills. More you put in the more you get out of the RP. Less you give, the less I will give back. Roll requests can be made in chat or can be left at the bottom of your post for results in the next update. Those that did follow the instructions in the last update were marked down before I started on this update. Those that didn't follow the instructions in the last update are facing LLA's wrath this round.

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Market/Bazaar: Reddish is able to pick up on the conversation and what the man is saying. Thing is, Josephine, while not speaking the language, figures out what is going on right fast. In the background conversation, Reddish will hear off in the distance some man haggling over a pocket watch some booths off. Where exactly he isn't sure but he heard it. Thing is, the man that is trying to pull the wool over Josephine's and Reddish's eyes is glaring at her as she speaks. And he starts firing off a slew of Arabic towards her, half spitting in the process. This is a little harder to translate but Reddish will pick up things like Josephine needs to learn her place, something about American Harlot, burning in hell, a lot of misogynistic and religious clap trap.

While such speak never sits well with LLA, sometimes they can play a part and before Josephine knows it the man lashes out at her. A line of blood appears on her left cheek, deep as he brings his hand back, a small dagger there. "Watch your woman before she gets herself stoned," he warns. He spits down towards her feet as two more come up behind him. "Leave." Well that was a turn but hey, this is a smaller more backwoods city and while used to tourist, the culture is heavily ingrained and such things are very common. So much in fact, others don't even seem to pay it any mind as it happens.

Rose Garden/Perfume Dealers: He nodded slightly and took the barest of amount and mixed them together, dipping a small piece of parchment into it, airing it slightly before holding it over her wrist and placing the lightest dab of the scent against her skin. "Please, tell me if that if what you wish," he said as he motioned for her to take a sniff. He smiled lightly as he stood there listening. The girl was asking a lot of questions and the man had wanted to give her an answer but he seemed a bit distracted. He swatted in front of his face a few times. Then he got this concerned look on his features. His eyes darting around and seeming to follow something in the air and it wasn't love. You see, things like flowers draw all types of admirers. Some more aggressive than the others.

Pulling his shawl up he glanced towards her. "I would run," he said as he pulled a piece of netting over his face and then tucked his arms into the folds of his robe. He was used to these type of flare ups around the garden. A bee or two was common but as more and more started flying around. It probably wouldn't have been a big problem if it weren't for the fact that the lady now had a fresh scent on her. Smelling of vanilla and apples. Top and secondary notes. The strongest right now. And even though they would fade quicker they were at their most potent now. Even though there were roses around, this was a new scent that was drawing the bees right to her. He stood very still as the bees began to swarm around the girl. One sting, and then another, then a third and forth.

People were scattering and running out of the gardens. LLA really does like screwing with people, and before Mosi can even take a step, she's already been stung half a dozen times and more are moving in. At this rate, she's going to look like a small pox victim if she doesn't move her ass. Hell she might anyways. LLA hasn't decided if she's done yet or not.

Tours/Train Depot: "Both sir," the man said before checking his watch. "Fifteen minutes for either sir," he added before motioning to the two tracks. "Track B will take you to Leontopolis, track A to Athribis." There it was, they could take either train to get to either location. "There will be ticket booths at each location to where you can purchase a ticket for the trip back to here or to the next stop along the track. Both are very interesting, Leontopolis is more crowded and more for a sightseer, Athribis is quieter and more for those that do not mind getting a touch dirty," he finished up with.

The trains were running well and on time. As a train just left the crowds were not too bad right then but would grow quickly. LLA's wrath has shown twice already today but for some reason she has opted to not venge a full out wrath here at the train depot and tours. Perhaps she is tired, perhaps she is waiting, shit your guess is as good as mine. I just read the dice, I don't ask why. So there you have it. Faye got out easy this time. Doubt she will next time, especially being around Richard, she might end up dead just being around him, fire is a bitch that way.

Train To Athribis: "Fucking pest," J.C. grumbled but the cat didn't seem to care. Bella could only give the slightest of smirks as she reached over and picked up the small creature. Holding it up so she could look more closely at the feline that had decided that J.C. would make a good place to take a nap. Turning him slightly in her hands this way and that before looking out of the corner of her eyes towards Mahendra.

"As long as they fur, when they do not, keep them away from smooth surfaces," she commented in an off handed manner before placing the cat back in J.C.'s lap. Petting the cat as it got comfortable in J.C.'s lap. He huffed slightly but didn't move and gave Bella this look as if to say you owe me one.

"Trouser lice?" J.C. asked as he looked over towards the Lord Major, who would not notice anything off right then, though they were on a train, so everyone was headed in the same direction right then and seated for the journey. J.C. chuckled a little. "Sorry, you just sounding like George is all, he hates them things." His head snapped to the side some as Lauren spoke. "Branding?" That got his attention.

Bella quirked a brow. "Please, if you do not mind, do tell. This branding? Who would brand you?" she asked as her hands came away from the cat and rested down in her lap.