Harry Walsh
Location: Streets of Cairo Headed Towards Barracks
As the two began to ride back through the streets, Harry let his eyes wander over the crowds. They did not blend in as well as they would have before undergoing their charade, but her certainly hoped their increase in speed now that they were horseback would make up the difference as they made their way back toward the barracks. he wouldn't be resting or relaxing much until he knew that Aziza was back in a safe place, and he didn't trust the streets of Cairo at that very moment as his eyes flicked from person to person, crowd to crowd, taking in everything as if he were looking for snipers on the dunes. He had been so intent on his own focus that he had not even noted Aziza's relative silence until she spoke and brought it up.
Glancing back over towards her, he gave a reassuring smile as if to assure her that she need not be apologetic. He cocked an eyebrow at her question, noting the pause but not thinking a great deal of it. It was a reasonable question, Harry had been avoiding putting much thought into the expedition itself, with all that had happened he'd still had much more pressing matters on his mind, and he sighed as he glanced back ahead of them, thinking for a moment before he spoke, deciding to be as honest as he could with his answer.
"I don't truly know, to be honest with you. Part of me I'm sure would like to have nothing to do with it. Another part wants to ensure you're as safe as possible, so I suppose I'm committed to it, so long as you are." He spoke with pointed meaning in his words, turning back to her as he gave her a gentle nod.
William Drake
Location: The Egyptian Museum
William simply sighed as she spoke. Normally, the words that Vera spat at him would have sparked anger in him, her insistence of his motives and his character, her denial of her own feelings which, by then had become abundantly clear even to him. But this time, there was almost an exasperation to his expression, it was as if he'd finally finished a marathon and only learned at the very last meter that he'd been running all this time. He made no resistance as she went to remove herself from his arms. He found he missed the feeling of her warmth, but he was certainly not of the mind to hold her there if she wished to stand away.
He did not bother to answer his question, in his mind he knew it was more bait than anything. It would return them to their usual routine, he would argue against it, the two would snap back at one another for some time and eventually one or both of them would walk off in a huff, only to do it all again when enough time ahd passed. He kept his eyes locked on Vera, a look of what could almost be called concern in his eyes as he reached up, gently setting his hand on her cheek in a feather touch. There was no aggression behind it, and even the movement of his hand there had been slow and gentle enough that she could have easily pulled away should she wish.
"I want you to stop hurting yourself, Vera." He spoke again, that same calmness in his voice as he continued.
"I don't want you to feel like you're bound by some tradition, some rule written years ago that says you can't do what your heart wants you to. And by that same logic - I don't want to stand in your way." Deep meaning carried every word from his lips as he refused to let his gaze leave her own, watching her closely as he slowly dropped his hand back to his side.
"If you love Peter, tell him, embrace it, you deserve to stop holding yourself back for once." He emphasized the last few words, not daring to say any more. He still felt that he knew Vera's true feelings, but figured in that moment bringing them back up would only make things more tense between them. Shaking his head, he instead just turned back to the bookshelf he stood at, continuing to look through things. If she would speak to him longer he was there, but otherwise - he had given her the choice.
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