NAME: Nɪᴀᴍʙɪ ··Nɪʏᴀ·· Eᴢᴢ
Fᴀᴄᴇ Cʟᴀɪᴍ﹕ Hɪʟᴅᴀ Dɪᴀᴢ Pɪᴍᴇɴᴛᴇʟ
PROFESSION: Aʀᴄʜᴇᴏʟᴏɢɪsᴛ
CODE NAME: Fʟᴀᴍɪɴɢᴏ
Behind The Mask - Who is Niambi?
Traits:
Ambitious, confident, logical, resourceful, stubborn, clumsy, naive, reckless.
Personality:
Having been sheltered most of her life from the limitations placed on women and the implications of being bastard-born, she has little experience with friendships and the wider world. As far as Niambi is concerned, she can do anything she wants in this world. Her naivety is shattered somewhat upon entering university, but she’ll go on confidently nonetheless, both stubbornly and awkwardly determined to achieve the goals she has set for herself. Like her father, she is quite willing to dedicate all of her time and energy to the hidden depths of the world. She is willing to go anywhere and do anything in pursuit of knowledge and a desire to earn a name for herself in the field of Archeology.
Unintentionally, Niambi may blurt out inner thoughts or even have full-blown vocal conversations with herself when she’s pondering intrinsic details of ruins or linguistic carvings. She can also be impatient and quite reckless once she’s determined a course of action.
Despite her ineptness with social situations and people in general, Niambi knows her own value and doesn’t feel the need to prove herself to individuals having no impact on her career goals. She actually prefers working alone or with a select few that she can learn from as opposed to partnering up with novice peers. Losing out on an internship in Greece was nothing more than a roadblock, one with which she has no intention of interfering with her ambitions.
When she isn’t knee-deep at a dig site, Niambi will likely be found curled up with a book of literature… art… or science… anything really. It was not uncommon for her to then trip over the pile of books that would be discarded on the floor. Being prone to accidents has nearly stopped her father’s heart a time or two (or so he’s told) when she’s gone feet-first into unsafe conditions or stumbled and fumbled about on dig sites. Though it should be noted, she’s rarely caused any lasting damage or harm and is quite cautious when handling ancient artifacts.
Niambi has little to no combat skills and hasn’t been in any situation that might call for such actions on her part. Whenever she is particularly anxious about something she will resort to drawing and painting as a way of relieving stress.
She has no desire for a husband… or perhaps it’s just that no man has proven to be the companion to the lifestyle she seeks, much to her mother’s chagrin. Niambi refuses to be a wife and little more… playing the role her mother has had all her life. And while she believes that her mother was genuinely happy with her workaholic father, Niambi knows that she would be miserable sacrificing her dreams for a marriage like her parents. She is determined to make her mark, one way or another.
Family/Influences
Fritz Schulze - 57 at time of death, Father. Secretly married to an unknown German woman
Kahia Ezz - 49, Mother. Fritz's long-term mistress.
Unknown - 32-35, older brother, Fritz's son of his wife
Leopold Dietrich - 55, Uncle In-name only, Fritz’s German partner
Andreas Doukus - 42, Professor, mentor, schoolgirl crush
INTERESTS Jᴏᴇ | Lᴇᴏ | Aʀɪ | Tʜᴇᴀ
Pulvıs et umbrα sumus - SUMMED PART5 (still trying to get done before closing but need a nap)
PART ONE - Dᴏɴ·ᴛ Cᴀʟʟ Mᴇ Aɴɢᴇʟ - DONE
I lifted my head, with only a hint of a squint at the crest of the orange sun sinking beyond the rugged mountains to the west. It would only be moments before darkness settled over the town but there was already a group of young raggedly dressed boys racing along a dirt-packed street to light several haphazardly placed lanterns. Others, male and female, poured into the street, many decked in homely costumes others carrying large baskets or tugging along overloaded wagons.
“Any idea how long this will take?”
My ears perked up when a small group stepped out of the entry, making the dusty floorboard creak loudly underfoot. Gar rubbed the back of his neck in what translated to a high amount of tension in my book. They didn’t seem to notice me standing a bit off to the side on the Motel’s veranda.
“Until the repairs are done I imagine.”
How utterly profound. There was no particular reason why I should have expected something more but I did find it amusing. I found the second in command a nice enough guy on the few occasions I interacted with him. He was professional and direct while on duty… amazingly comical when he wasn’t. But there wasn’t anything especially alluring about him. For me.
Not that there needed to be. Shaking my head, I couldn’t fathom why that thought even popped into my head. He was certainly handsome enough, athletically built, like most of the other men aboard the ship. But he was a teammate… a superior nonetheless, and there was no reason I should be concerning myself with the looks or appeal worthiness of any of my coworkers for any reason whatsoever.
And yet, my eyes drifted to the man standing beside him. Even though I knew it made little sense, tingles sizzled down my spine. He was rude, dismissive, totally arrogant… what on earth was there to like? No, I did not like him one bit, but I sure seemed to like the look of him. And even though I had very little experience in such matters, I understood that on some primitive level, I was attracted to him. Not that he counted as a member of the crew… so not reall- What on earth was I thinking? I bit the inside of my lip. It didn’t matter whether he was a member of the group or not, he was getting out of my head immediately, dammit.
“It’s strange, isn’t it?” The woman spoke, “To have an engine blow a chunk out of a boat…”
Joe, beside her, shrugged though I did notice he stroked his chin as if contemplating the world.
“Mechanical things break…”
“At least it’s a red sky tonight… we’ll have smooth sailing tomorrow.” All three sets of eyes turned in the direction I had been looking before they arrived. It was then that Joe’s gaze connected with mine. With his maddeningly clever grin, I pressed my lips together and chided myself silently at the new volley of chills trailing through me. Thankfully, he turned back to his companions as the beautiful caramel-toned woman dressed in impeccable beige cotton smirked…
“Are you a meteorologist now, Gar?”
“Everyone knows the saying is true, Zul.”
“You mean superstition?” She chuckled softly, “Next you’ll be telling me to first step on with my right foot or that women on board at all is bad luck.”
“The sea is a finicky dame.” I was unable to see Gar’s expression but got the feeling he was not as amused. But if he had more thoughts on the matter, he kept them to himself. “I’ve some supplies to hunt down tonight before too late so I’ll catch up with you two later.”
With that, the three of them departed, one to the west, closer to the shore and the other two following the dirt path the boys had run down just moments before. Relief filled me as they, and their laughter, trailed down the road away from me. Which was annoying since I had no reason to be filled with uneasiness in the first place.
But the conversation did get me wondering about the entire situation. Could there be more to the sudden wreckage? Joe wasn’t wrong about things breaking, it was not that weird of an occurrence… but perhaps they knew more about the damage than I did. It’s not like anyone would run over and share things like that with me. Beyond the fact that I was new, I also had no clue about engineering, I’d certainly be of no use with repairs or anything like that. Could there be some sort of sabotage behind the engine failure that forced us to set to shore while a few members of the crew stayed behind to mend the ship?
Or maybe there was even more to it…
To just happened upon this small fishing village that just happened to have a major celebration planned for the evening. It was the entire talk of the town since we arrived. A celebration from their ancestors taking place here in Spain.
What I knew about Samhain was that it had pagan Celtic origins and had something to do with the opening of the Otherworld as they called the land of their Gods and their dead. The Celts had strong ties to the sea and their Gods, I’d read many tales regarding them. All sorts of ruins had been found across the island, along with long-ago relics telling tales that seemed so fantastical they had to be imaginary. But the items were real, and in some cases… I’d felt mystifying sensations during digs myself so why couldn’t the tales be true?
I was a firm believer that all legends were born in truth, even if parts of them had been exaggerated or scattered over the years.
So could this all be some coincidence or was there something else, some unforeseen and unimaginable force behind our sudden arrival?
Just as the thought broke their my consciousness, I noticed a strange mist rising from the sea beyond the motel. Or maybe I was imagining it because of where my thoughts had roamed? I frowned, watching the waves crashing onto the murky shore but the night was creeping further over the town so even if I had thought to see some fog it was soon hidden under the cloak of candle-hued darkness.
With a shake of my head, dismissing the improbable likelihood of some sort of mystic event propelling our visit, I decided to have a visit to the raved-about circus on my own.
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The sights and sounds of the circus were increasingly more lively as the night progressed even as shadows grew darker and broader with each passing hour. I found myself grinning on more than one occasion at some strange phenomena the locals professed at their varying vendors. I couldn’t resist making a purchase or two either, plucking unusual trinkets with ancient-looking symbols from more than one stall as well as a crudely drawn map that was claimed to have the secret to my wildest dreams where x-marked the spot. It, of course, was nothing but a silly concoction of one of the locals but the smudged-faced girl running the stall was too adorable to resist.
So much so that I wound up getting guided into a dingy tent a few steps behind the cluttered stall. The gypsy-inspired weathered woman inside grinned an almost toothless smile as she started shifting objects aside and gestured toward a table with a once-upon-a-time vibrant cloth and various crystals and stones laid out on top of it. Suddenly, a sense of unease rushed through me. Immediately, I began shaking my head.
“Ohh, no, no, it’s okay… thank you but-”
“Come, come, Madame Lupita will read for you…”
Her broken English may have been a barrier so I began uttering my objections in Spanish. Again, the woman motioned to the table, taking my arm and leading me there.
I didn’t particularly consider myself superstitious, not like some others in the group I’ve learned about in the past couple of weeks of getting to know them. But I wasn’t actually a skeptic either. I trusted that there were mysteries in the world that sometimes made no sense… and also felt that science and exploration served to answer some age-old questions… revealing truths as more information came to light. But I didn’t fool around with clairvoyance, future, or fortune reading. For fear of overanalyzing my whole life, or from getting consumed with making the ‘right’ decisions for the ‘right’ outcome. But before I knew it I was seated at the woman’s table and she was shuffling a well-worn deck of cards.
“Personal or work?”
I frowned, shaking my head again. “Personal.” I croaked out while it felt like a stone got wedged in the hollow of my throat. I had no personal life… and I didn’t want to jinx my professional one.
There was clutter in almost every nook and cranny of the room, a stagnant, earthly smoke swirled and penetrated those same corners but not before it seemed to envelop me where I sat, smelling of singed aloeswood and musk. My jaw flexes as I twist and wring my hands together, struggling with my desire to flee but somehow glued to the chair. Unmoving, uncertain, and nearly unhinged. Such a volatile reaction to something that should be so silly… something that many considered silly parlor games.
Being nervous to hear what might come ahead because I was so used to letting every day be a new level of discovery. Like a river, rushing by and dragging me in its current. Her bangles clattered loudly as cards were laid out on the table, ten in total, resembling her Celtic origins.
She began flipping them one by one, revealing a string of advice that seemed wholly represented by steps I’d already taken with regard to my work life. Starting with the Eight of Cups and a change in my life. Leaving something behind and forging ahead on a new course. King of Coins suggested I was being stubborn about it though which made little sense. But this reading wasn’t about work, right? I frowned harder. So when the Two of Swords flipped up next and she explained my subconscious efforts to avoid the change I was utterly confused.
“I’m not avoiding anything.”
She nodded, “Yes, see here… Card of the Past, it’s the Queen of Wands. You see? You have the fire in your belly, you believe life is worth living, yes…”
“Exactly.” I nodded, fully convinced that joining Vertatis summed up every card. She’d clearly gotten the reading wrong or confused and had done the reveal regarding work.
“No, see… you want, but you hide. You avoid. See here, you have the chance to change your fate… Let the doors open with the Four of Wands. You have to let go of your fears, let go of your limitations.”
“I have though.” I insisted, certain that the woman’s signals were crossed. Of course, it could just as easily have been that it was all a big fraud.
Vertatis was the change, it was the path to a better future, to finding my way and having everything that I wanted in life. But she ignored my comments and continued flipping each of the cards in a specified order. The Magician simply confirmed my thoughts
“Then look, see… The Fool. You go blindly, yes, you can’t be cynical. It warns against overthinking. You lose opportunities from being scared.”
I chuckled, all of my apprehension finally subsiding. There was nothing new or enlightening in these cards. I simply nodded, letting her continue with the knowledge that my joining Vertatis allowed me to walk the path she was laying out before me.
There simply was nothing else it could mean. The reading had turned out to be all about work, which I should have probably guessed. I had no personal life, nothing. I hadn’t even given a personal future much thought since I’d left University. For a brief… very brief moment, I’d had that dream once. Only to have it shattered into a million silly pieces. And since then, I’d never given it another thought. My career was the most important thing in my life.
The Three of Cups was about the crew, surely… I certainly didn’t have any other friends to speak of. Thea, perhaps Uncle Leopold, and maybe Mother. But when she flipped the Hanged Man over and then the Seven of Wands, I was filled with the slightest hesitation. Continually doing the same thing but expecting a different result? The threat of missing out on life if I simply did the easy path. My work wasn’t easy… not in the least, but only in those last moments did I begin to think perhaps I’d been wrong. Avoiding, denying… refusing to accept things. Stubbornly.
Shaken, I passed the toothless woman some coins and got the hell out of there.
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It certainly did not help that the fog was fully spread across and between the stalls of the circus camp when I stepped outside. And the strange noises that seemed to come from a nearby forest only intensified my jumpiness.
Maybe that’s why I accepted the strange wooden mask from the grinning girl even though I was still reeling from the experience with the other girl’s mother. Overthinking, I missed the odd grin from the silent child. And since everyone else seemed to be wearing similar masks, I didn’t, not for one moment, grow suspicious of the offering.
With the words of the fortune teller ringing in my ears, I slipped on the mask and almost immediately felt… well, odd. Like something pulsed through me in the strangest way. But it was there and then it was gone, as was the girl that had given me the mask in the first place. The only potential sign of her was the unusual sound of children playing in the shadow-filled wooded area just beyond the dim candlelight.
It was at that moment that I spotted Joe and Zul again, hurdled very close together and grinning at each other like each was the cat that had caught a canary. Chummy. Intimate. It hardly seemed fair that she had such a close connection to him. I mean, sure they probably knew each other for a long time… and well, she was gorgeous. It’s hardly a wonder he would be drawn to her. My nostrils flared a bit wide while my lids narrowed simultaneously. I hadn’t noticed it before but surely they had to be lovers. The hairs on the back of my neck stood straight up when they disappeared under the flap of a dark-looking tent.
“Looking for privacy, no doubt” I muttered under my breath, the hint of annoyance confusing but genuine. I rolled my eyes and turned in the opposite direction, almost fuming.
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I am not sure when or even if I actually realized that the strange feelings began to grow stronger. Minute by minute… hour by hour. It wasn’t as if I had any control over the slow descent into the night's madness. Mostly because it was a slow crawl into it, the darkness and power of it.
I followed paths of what seemed to be blazing lights, filled with increasing hunger and desperation. But if anyone else saw the burning glow, none made mention of it. Nor, really, did I. Selfishly, I longed for it all to myself. Whatever it was.
Entering the largest circus tent proved to display the grand attraction, their midnight adventure. Or show. Whichever. Inside yet another dimly lit tent housed what was purported to be human marvels whose existence defied explanation. And I was consumed with every sight, every sound. At one point, a bearded lady named Dolores was claimed to have the voice of an angel… if you believed in that stuff. I was not sure about angels but I did agree that she had a methodical, almost otherworldly voice that wanted to mesmerize you into motionlessness.
I disliked how easily the lyrics spilled from her lips with a sweet surrealist bend that pushed them into a near absurdist fiction at times. She was simply amazing and unlike anything I had seen or heard before. Were my ears deceiving me… my eyes? I wasn’t sure about anything other than the fact that she had no right to sound so perfect.
After such a startling performance, I needed to escape or I feared I might have gone after her for some reason even though I couldn’t at all name a valid motive for doing such a thing. I was even breathing hard, shaken by the jarring sensations racing through my veins.
I stumbled along the barely visible road, darkness and fog creeping higher and wider. But still, lively villagers continued their brazen celebrating during their pagan festival. I pushed through them and rushed past a couple of bonfires that had no match to the inferno blooming inside of me. Needful thoughts crowded my brain, bitterness, and longing. I wanted all, certain that I deserved it all, not those people I passed who seemed to have the very thing I wanted. Not that any material items really registered in my head. I just hated that I didn’t have what they had.
Something was wrong. It wasn’t fair that I didn’t have it all. Didn’t I deserve everything I wanted? The fortune spoke of missing out on life. But Andreas had robbed me of that future years ago. It wasn’t fair. I didn’t avoid things… I simply had no interest in dating or relationships.
“Are you okay?”
I gasped, squinting through the narrow eye slits. The motel, dark but for a few lanterns scattered at several windows, blurred behind the back of the towering figure that suddenly materialized directly in my path. Once my focus settled on him, I completely forgot about where I was going or, in all honesty, I continued to be utterly clueless. The truth was I couldn’t name one rational thought, there was just the craven greed.
“You.”
It was an accusation made as everything else faded away, leaving only the irrational bitterness and desire… and this man. Abruptly, I spun, looking around, getting hit with a volley of unexplainable dizziness causing an awkward stumble into his side.
“Whoa…”
If the sun had sunk down and landed directly on me, it couldn’t have burned nearly as much as the sudden grip of his fingers latching around my arms. Something fiery and diabolic surged through me. Both savage and resentful. A potent power and yet it was choking me, restraining me in ways I couldn’t explain. I felt trapped in its embrace. Like I might just burst out of my skin from the seething heights of my spiraling emotions.
“You okay, honey?”
Beneath the mask, my teeth ground together.
“I’m not your honey.” I spit out, glaring. “Shouldn’t you be out gallivanting with your lover?”
So caught up in the driving force of my unfathomable discontentment, I completely missed Joe’s sudden confused expression. But I certainly heard… and felt the abrupt chuckle. It was like dousing an already blazing fire in gasoline.
“And which lover are we speaking of?”
“Zulika!” I sneered without thinking, not that he could see the cruel curl of my lips beneath the wooden disguise. I was consumed with envy. Over her… over him.
“Zul-”
“Men! You take… use… exploit. Whatever you want…”
He smirked, “I’ve never taken anything, lady, that wasn’t freely given.”
My head was spinning, jealousy clouding every thought jumbled in my mind. It was all too much. The frustration, his nearness, his arrogance.
“If I behaved like you, I’d be disgraced… or worse.”
“So, you’re upset that you can’t be more like me?” I snorted but he didn’t seem to take my disgust to heart. “Or perhaps you’re upset that any aforementioned lover wasn’t you?”
It simply wasn’t fair. Angrily, I hissed with a shove and started to storm past him. But the hours of confusion and irritation had taken their toll. One step… two… and I slipped. Or rather slumped, falling straight to the ground into unconsciousness.
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A small bulb of orange glimmered and bounced off the peeling wallpaper on one side of the room. Barely even bright enough to make me wince when my eyes popped open sometime later. But the dull ache in my head did. Sucking in a soft breath, I shifted, reaching up to cup my skull and take in my surroundings.
It took only a few seconds to remember the fall, and another few moments more to remember the rest. It was vague though, like a fog.
“You’re awake.”
I’m surprised I didn’t jump. But slowly I shifted, taking stock, moving a few more muscles until I scooted into a sitting position beside him. I frowned at his stretched-out legs atop the bed and the book, turned down across his lap as if he’d only just settled it upon noticing me.
“What happened?”
“Good question.”
I frowned, glancing around again. I could sense some of my unease lingering… the doubts, the envy. Far less intense but the feelings hadn’t faded completely.
“I was angry.”
“I noticed. And seemed unnecessarily disgruntled over how I spend my free time.”
I blushed.
“It… seemed highly unfair at the moment.”
“Because you wish to do more in your free time.”
I wrinkled my nose as the crow's feet around his eyes squinted merrily.
“I surely could care less about what you do in your free time.”
“That didn’t seem to be the case.”
“Must you always speak so plainly… pointing out indelicate matters, unlike anything a gentleman would do.”
“When it gives your cheeks such a rosy complexion… surely I must.”
“You’re a barbarian.”
Abruptly, I stood, frustrated with him and wanting space but a second later I stumbled, flopping back onto the edge of the bed.
“You’re surely one of the most stubborn women I’ve met… and that’s saying a lot considering all the other ones on board this ship. Just lay back and relax until you’re settled.”
“This is your room…”
“I couldn’t exactly leave you crumbled in the dirt.”
My coat had been removed and laid across the back of a nearby chair… the rough mask was discarded onto the table beside it. I reached up, rubbing my fingers to my temples as if simply touching would make everything make sense.
“You could have taken me to my room.”
“That would’ve been too much work.” he shrugged
“How?”
“Knocking on doors, asking around… interrupting other people’s free time activities.”
I mashed my lips together. “So you put me in an indecent situation.”
He smirked, “I promise not to expose your disgrace.”
I wrinkled my nose as I continued to try and wade through my thoughts.
“Being in here alone with you would take care of that should anyone else find out.”
He laughed out right now. “Who exactly do you think would care how you spend your free time? There’s no one here that will judge you like that or give one little fu-.”
“You know all the occupants of this hotel?”
“You’ll be gone tomorrow… who cares what they think?” I pressed my lips together again. “You’re overthinking… it’s probably why you fainted.”
“I didn’t faint.”
He snorted now but my gaze shifted back to the mask, looking utterly harmless.
“Do you think it was the mask?”
“Do I think what was?”
I glanced back at him, seeing that he had flipped his book back around and started reading.
“That… that made me hyper-sensitive to, well, everything.”
He arched a brow giving it a look. “I doubt that.”
I frowned at him. “Something must have? I… I wanted, everything.”
“Everything?”
“Like a fever. I can still feel it. Not like before… but the ideas linger. I was upset at everything everyone else seemed to have. Things that I didn’t have.”
“Like lovers?”
I blushed. “The bearded lady had a voice like heaven too.”
He grinned, wickedly… tauntingly. “Well, I can’t help you with your singing skills…”
“Disappointing.”
It didn’t matter how flustered I felt, there was still something satisfying in saying something so outlandish considering the conversation. Considering it all really. Everything about that moment was inappropriate. I barely knew him and yet I had lain in bed with him twice already in less than a month. It had taken a year for Andreas to seduce me into his bed.
Frowning at the sudden intrusive thought, something I’d pushed out of my mind for so long now, I shook my head. The two situations were completely different. My stomach coiled though as I peeped back at him, finding him watching me curiously. I had to go, nothing good could come of my being there. Not when I had these riotous notions prickling my mind. I gave the mask another suspicious glance next. Or maybe it was all Madame Lupita’s fault for dredging up the silent memories of my past.
As if reading my mind…
“You could stay…”
A tiny snort of laughter spilled out of me. That night had been a whirlwind of chaotic notions. His invitation was only icing on the horror-filled cake.
“You’d like that.”
“I promise, you would too.” Chills trailed down my spine. “You won’t even have to sneak your arms and legs around me this time…”
Embarrassed, I rose to my feet, steadier than last time.
“The devil can take you, Joe.”
“You say that as if he hasn’t already tried… or succeeded.”
Blustering, I found my way out of his room and into mine. But that didn’t mean I didn’t give his words considerable attention laying awake in bed the rest of the night.
PART TWO - Mɪsᴛʏ Mʏsᴛᴇʀʏ - DONE
I was fortunate to avoid running into Joe the following morning both at the hotel and again at the shore where I boarded one of the boats back to the ship. But I couldn’t escape my thoughts or the feeling that I’d reached a turning point the night before. Having succeeded in blocking the memories for so long it was quite jarring to have them replay themselves repeatedly in the wee hours of the morning. Not to mention the faces of tarot cards that flashed across my mind mingled with Joe’s comments. It was quite easy to see the connection… or perhaps my mind was mingling and reworking everything to position my life in a nice tidy bow.
I sighed softly, confused and frustrated but seeing no resolution other than continuing to worry myself over hidden meanings and justifications. This was exactly why I refused to get mixed up in such forecasting. Living every day with speculation and expectation of seeing the truth in those premonitions.
Luckily… sort of, I wasn’t meant to be consumed with those thoughts for the whole day. Within moments of reboarding the ship, I learned of the ransacking.
No one seemed to have a clue of who or why someone had riffled through the cabins and the workrooms. And I, just like everyone else sought out our own little compartments to assess the looting.
I was less concerned with my quarters than I was with the research lab I’d been using to read up on the area we traveled to. If anything was missing, I couldn’t tell. It just seemed as if someone had pulled any number of books from the shelves and tossed them around, clearly looking for something. But why?
Unfortunately, with the power out on the ship and only two small portholes for light, progress was slow. And by the time I found my way to my cabin that evening, I was completely exhausted.
Unfortunately, finding the mask I’d left in Joe’s hotel room the night before along with a vibrantly decorated egg fashioned in the style of a Fabrege earned me yet another restless night of overthinking.
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I struggled to stifle a long yawn while absently stirring the sugar spoon in the rich, dark coffee I poured some fifteen minutes before.
“Niya…”
Blinking, my gaze shifted to the woman across from me and I sat a little more upright at the suspicious curve of her lips.
“Sorry… yes?”
“Are you even listening to me?”
I winced apologetically. “Sorry… I…” I shrugged. “What were you saying?”
“The fog… did you see anything, strange?”
I finally took a sip of my coffee and frowned at the tepid temperature.
“You’ll think I’m crazy,” I muttered finally, setting the mug down on the table between us.
“Only if you think I am too.”
I nibbled on my lip. “I’m not exactly sure I saw anything. But, I’m fairly sure something happened to me.”
I sat a little straighter as I recounted the incident with the mask, leaving out the very end for obvious reasons.
“Odd.”
“You’re telling me.”
“And you think the mask was enchanted?”
“I don’t know what to think, Thea. It was like I was possessed or something but I remember the feelings… although they are a bit hazy and getting more so as time passes. I do remember seeing the fog and thinking it was odd… and the girl…” I frowned, “I remember hearing children playing in the forest… but, maybe that was usual for that village. It was a celebration after all.”
“I thought I saw something… it could have been a villager, maybe.”
Skepticism seeped into both of our comments as we discussed it further.
“Do you still have the mask?”
Hesitant, I tugged at a hangnail with my teeth.
“I’ve seen some strange things in dig sites over the years…” I finally muttered as I rose and dug out a medium-sized lockbox from under my cot. It wasn’t until after I was seated back at the table that I finally pulled the key that hung from a chain around my neck. “Some artifacts make you believe strange things. I cannot claim any superiority when it comes to magical beliefs but I do know when something feels… special.”
Inside the box, sitting atop a plush velvet cushion lay the mask alongside the crystal-covered egg.
“What’s tha-... wait… did you get the egg after all?”
I looked at her as if she’d lost her mind. “No way you believe that is authentic…”
She chuckled, “Hey… I’m great with the pen”
“Ummhmm…” I tugged a pair of gloves from my pocket before dragging out the wooden item, plain and dull as it was, then shut the box firmly.
“You don’t really think out of sight out of mind…”
“A girl can only hope.”
She smirked but scooted closer, the chair legs scraping the wooden floorboard, obviously more interested in the crude old item at the moment.
I flipped the item, not for the first time since I’d been back on board, but there didn’t seem to be anything that stood out physically. No markings that I could tell, although it was possible there were etchings under the weathered surface. Without lights, I hadn’t dared try to clean it properly.
“What do you think it is? Celtic?”
“I… I assume. But you see what I see. It’s unsophisticated and coarse… which doesn’t mean it can’t be powerful. But if it really was imbued with some sort of enchantment… I mean, maybe right?” I poked my fingers through the eye slits, “why would I end up with it? Did the child that handed it to me know what it was or what it would do?”
Thea was frowning when I glanced over.
“Maybe.”
“Right, maybe.” Silence filled the room for several moments, “Was I a target? Or would any of us have been sufficient… does it affect everyone differently? I felt gluttonous envy. Is it demonic? Christian? Pagan?... so many questions.”
“Have you worn it again?”
“Absolutely not!”
She laughed, “Are you afraid, Niya?”
“Yes.”
She sobered up at my answer. It wasn’t a fear of the object so much, just a fear of losing control as I had. My fingers wrung around the edge of the mask repetitively. I glanced at her, contemplating everything fully.
“Do you think I’m obsessive, Thea?”
“Huh?”
“Dogged. Controlling?”
She laughed, “Of course, aren’t all of us here?”
“No,” my pulse raced while I considered what I might do, “I mean. Do you think that I sometimes, maybe, hide behind my work?”
Out of everyone, Thea knew me best. Well other than Vee who had known me first.
“Yes.”
The matter-of-fact tone didn’t help ease the tension building up in me. I knew I was a private person, and I seldom went out of my way to make new friends. Seldom? Who was I kidding? I never did so. The insight from that reading was getting into my head. But maybe it was time for me to open up more.
“There’s nothing wrong with that, Niya. If your work matters to you then you should invest heavily in it.”
“Do you ever feel like you’re missing out on anything? Dedicating yourself to your work?”
“Is this about how the mask made you feel? If it was the mask…”
“No, well… I mean yes, but not only.”
Opening up, I told her the rest. About the tarot reading… about Joe.
“I knew I either wanted to hurt him or…”
“Or…”
My neck had to turn three shades darker when I uttered my next words.
“... or screw him.”
“As in…”
“Yes, don’t make me say it again.”
“Did you?”
“Seriously?” I chuckled nervously as I slipped the mask back into the case, too nervous to even hold it with gloved fingers for too long, in case whatever was in it slipped into me again.
“Seriously what? He looks more than capable.”
“You know what he’s like. The man might puff up like a goddamn peacock and strut around the deck afterward.”
She laughed. At first. But then something changed in her making me frown.
“Not everyone is what they present themselves to be.”
I waited but she didn’t seem like she would continue.
“Is something wrong?”
It seemed as if the tables had suddenly reversed and she looked utterly hesitant, but eventually, she told me the tale.
“He told you to stop looking into it?”
“Yes… exactly that. I don’t know, Niya. I… I simply did not expect to find that Jay would do such things. And Cas too. They are both working on experiments for the government.”
“The British government?”
She nodded, still frowning. “I have been digging and only recently confronted him, Jay that is. I… I think it’s the government behind all the chaos the group has been experiencing lately.”
“The X factor?”
She nodded, locking her gaze with me. “With Jay and Cas doing those human trials… it’s, well… it’s just so inhumane. I get that it's only prisoners. But how do they know that? Maybe the government isn’t telling the truth about things. Maybe they are trying to… well if you let Sev tell it, the government has been doing secret campaigns and warfare in the shadows for years.”
“He might not be wrong. I wouldn’t trust any government or agency of for as far as I could throw them.” I lifted a hand and slapped the underside of one arm. “Does this look like the arm of Hercules?”
“My poor weak friend.” We laughed a moment before she continued. “I don’t know, Niya, I really don’t. I could be wrong of course. But something tells me there is more to this than meets the eye. Maybe one of us pissed someone high up on the totem pole off really badly.”
“Maybe.” I nod solemnly. “If you want, I can help look over your notes. If Jay or Cas won’t help, two heads might be better than one.”
“This is why I adore you!”
I grinned and felt as if some sort of weight had been lifted from my shoulders. But I didn’t want to read too far into it.
“I’ll grab us some extra candles.”
PART THREE - Dᴇᴠɪʟ Oɴ Mʏ Tᴏɴɢᴜᴇ - DONE
“You know… usually someone shows appreciation when they are given a gift.”
The hairs on the back of my neck stood up but with a determined calmness I simply lifted a flute to my lips and took a slow sip of sparkling bubbly. I didn’t turn around, just continued to look out across the town from the roof as the sun slipped closer to the edge of the desert in a fiery brilliance.
“Pardon?” I murmured softly but with the heat of his body mere inches from my bare back and his lips almost brushing against my ear, there was little wonder why my stomach started spinning like a damn butter churn.
“The egg.”
“Oh, was that you?”
I finally saw the smug curl of his lips when Joe shifted and moved to stand beside me instead. Of course, I’d known he was responsible from the moment I saw it.
“Who else?”
“Well, I knew it had to be some scoundrel.”
“You wound me.”
“I doubt that.”
He smirked then sipped from his own glass, a shorter one with a much darker liquid shimmering behind the etched crystal.
“So you didn’t like it?”
“It was quite a mockery…”
“It proves I was thinking of you.”
“I rather you didn’t.”
“And that I don’t believe to be true.”
“How do you keep your head on your shoulders with such an inflated ego?”
His grin was not alluring… it wasn’t. I pressed my lips together. Not at all. No matter if the fluttering in my belly tried to convince me otherwise.
“Inflated?” He scoffed, “My biggest fault is I don’t realize just how great I truly am.”
“Good gracious.” I shook my head before releasing an incredulous chuckle. “There is something wrong with you. Why can’t you just be normal and live a normal life.”
“There is no normal life, doll. There’s just life. Enjoy it or not, it’s going to happen either way. Maybe it’s time you get on with it.”
“You have no idea how I’ve lived my life…”
“I have an idea. But maybe it’s not too late.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
He grinned, “Just that there’s still time for a little excitement.”
“I have plenty of excitement, thank you very much… I need no help from you.”
“What are you two over here conspiring about?”
“Absolutely nothing,” I spoke, perhaps too quickly because Ari’s elevated brow gave me the feeling that he was perhaps more curious about the conversation than he otherwise would have been, even with his original inquiry.
“Just advising the little flamingo about spreading her wings and seizing the day…”
‘How do you-” Another smug grin shut my mouth. “Nevermind.”
I wonder if anyone was ever concerned about how the man uncovered his information. Though, I can’t even be sure anyone would care that he knew codenames. But shouldn’t we? He wasn’t part of the team, but he sure seemed to know far more than he maybe should.
“Have you spoken to him yet?”
“No.” Joe was suddenly somber, skimming the horizon over the rim of his glass, “I think he’s avoiding me.”
It was a look I hadn’t seen since the night we met when we had been running for our life. Or at the very least our freedom. I had almost forgotten how intimidating he could be when he spent most of the time since then taunting me ridiculously.
Ari was almost expressionless but the tiny etch between his brows gave a clue to his annoyance.
“Same. Maybe everyone. And what’s with this letter? What is the atlas? Where is it?”
“It’s strange. What interest did she have down here?”
My pulse and mind raced as they spoke. I wasn’t included… but since they spoke freely right there, it wasn’t as if they were excluding me either. I didn’t interrupt their quiet conversation but it became clearer as it went on that their curiosity was far from mild.
“Is this about Vee?”
Both men turned towards me, Ari offering a clipped nod while Joe continued to look thoughtful.
“You were friends.”
I nodded briefly, although I suspected Ari’s comment was just that. Not a question.
“I thought so at least. One of very few. We remained in touch after Uni…”
“You’ve worked here before, here… in Morocco…”
Again, it wasn’t a question. It was odd, working with people that seemed to know everything about me even though I hadn’t known a thing about them before a couple of weeks ago.
“A long time ago. I visited with my father. He was commissioned for a dig in a city a little further north investigating the rumor of a Judea-Christian burial site nearby.”
“Have you ever met Mr. Ebeid before? Or did she ever mention him?”
I frowned, with my mind still running wild.
“Me? No… perhaps Mr. Ebeid had dealings with my father but I would never have been included in those talks. Not while he was alive. And… no again. If Vee was here she never mentioned it… or our host in her correspondences.”
“You worked with the team that was here then though?”
I laughed lightly. “Team?” A quick shake of my head followed. “It was just Father, Uncle Leopold, and me. And a few local diggers they hired on.”
They exchanged looks and the hairs raised on the back of my neck.
“Were you digging for anything specific?”
“If you’re asking about the ring…” I paused, watching both of them carefully but neither gave anything away. “No. I mean, not that I was told. And we weren’t here long enough to conduct much of an excavation either, the war put an end to that trip.”
The ring… or Seal of Solomon that Mr. Ebeid mentioned upon our arrival was a pretty big deal in my industry. A ring that was engraved by God and given to the king directly from heaven… allegedly able to call on and control demons, djinn, and animals. Many people had looked for it over the years but all efforts always ended in a waste of time and resources. The hexagonal symbol had been found in Middle Eastern architecture going back to the 3rd century CE but an actual talisman or amulet… or ring, had never actually been witnessed.
Finding something like that, proving it… it would be the find of the century.
“But you did research the ring before?”
I narrowed my gaze and darted it between them both. Somehow I got the feeling they knew the answer to that question too.
“What’s going on? What do you think is going on?”
Joe reached for a pack of cigarettes and lit one up while Ari seemed to stand there assessing me.
“It’s odd Vee wouldn’t mention it since you’ve been here before.”
“What are you implying?”
“That maybe you’re not being forthcoming with everything you might know.”
“Why would Vee mention any of this to me? I wasn’t part of the group before she was…” My voice broke but there was more than just sorrow in the tremble of my voice. I didn’t have one bit of patience for the accusations I felt standing there in front of them. “If I knew anything I would jump to help figure out what happened to her.”
“Show her,” Joe uttered flicking ash off the rooftop. I frowned again, anger heightening the color of my cheeks when Ari spoke next, still watching me carefully.
“You think she can handle it?”
“Show me what?”
There could be no denying the irritation in my demand.
“I’ll go look for our elusive host again… if you can manage to use your words and not your hands this time…”
Joe didn’t really wait around for a response and squished the spent butt under the heel of his shoe before turning to leave us alone. I had no clue what that last bit was about. Was he implying that Ari might hurt me? I crossed my arms over my chest undeterred by the steady gaze reflecting mine.
“I don’t trust our host.”
“And me either it seems.”
It was several seconds before Ari shifted his gaze around the empty rooftop.
“Let’s chalk my suspicion up to my profession and current environment.” He held my gaze still and I couldn’t help but wonder what it was that was rolling through his head. I couldn’t read anything in his expression at all. “Walk with me?”
My lips compressed together, hesitation had to be written all over my face. Why should I trust him when he so clearly didn’t trust me?
“I’d like to check the entrances… poke around a little.”
With reservations, I nodded and finally stepped up beside him when he brandished his arm in an inviting way.
“What are you looking for?” I finally asked after several minutes of silence and simply moving from one room to another.
He didn’t even glance at me. “Not sure… something.”
“That narrows things down.”
Whether he heard my mumble and decided to ignore it or simply didn’t care was anyone’s guess.
Room after luxurious room, Ari surveyed every door, and every window and seemed to grow more annoyed with each new entry point we encountered. Too many he once mumbled but the inspection continued. He rummaged through drawers and cabinets when we were alone in one particular room or another, careful to leave things how he found them. I could tell that it was nothing new to him. Perhaps a trick of his trade. He was definitely quite different than he had been during our card game the previous week.
“How long did you know Vee?”
When I spun around he wasn’t even watching me but the question caught me completely off guard. We’d been exploring that library for roughly 10 minutes or so, slyly in truth since there was a servant cleaning when we arrived. I stood by one of the floor-to-ceiling shelves, rows and rows of leather-bound first editions taunting me crazily.
“I feel like you already know the answer to that.”
“Humor me.”
I wrinkled a nose without looking, just moving to the next column of books… mythology and ancient Greek philosophy.
“We met at University. I don’t know… ten or so years, maybe less. Vee was…” I shrugged as nostalgia welled up in me. “She was the first one to accept me… maybe the only one.” I turned to him as he inspected the doorway that lead to a balcony lined with trim and tailored grape vines, “I don’t have many people I call friend.”
“She was worth the label.”
I blinked and watched for some sort of emotion, reaction, or something. But Ari was right back to check those security points.
Next, we entered a luxuriously decorated salon full of vibrant reds and rich browns with an array of stunning paintings and photographs on walls, tables, and the stylish mantel over an immaculate fireplace.
“You know…” I murmured into the silence but continued not expecting a response. “All these people… but not one picture of Mr. Ebeid.”
“What?”
Ari was suddenly beside me, looking up at one elaborate painting mounted over the hearth.
“Perhaps it’s just some ancestor.”
He uttered dismissively. I shrugged.
“Maybe. But what about the photos?” I pointed to the group of about six frames. “Or those over there… or all the other rooms we’ve been in. He hasn’t been in any of them.”
He frowned.
“Maybe he’s a vampire…” I wiggled my brows, “Or the notorious Dorian Gray.”
The look he gave me… doubt, confusion, annoyance. It had to be one of those right?
“And here I thought that both of those creatures didn’t age.”
I wrinkled my nose at the comeback… was he serious?
“You believe them to be true?”
It was his turn to shrug. “Monsters come in all shapes and forms. Most I’ve found are very human.”
“Only most?”
“Judgement is still out until I catch something else…”
“Is that what you’re doing?” He arched a brow. “Trying to catch the something else?” He stood there silently and started glancing at the various pictures in that room as if my observation meant something. “What were you going to show me?”
“Tenacious.”
“Is that why you brought me along on your little investigation?”
“I guess I wanted to observe you more.”
“Have I passed whatever judgment you’re trying to make?”
“Come with me.” Is all he said before he headed out of the room.
I wasn’t sure what to think when I entered the next room he led me to. As it turned out, his room. It was as stylish as the others had been with its dark paneling and striking blue tones. A room designed with a man in mind. I felt odd though, standing there in his private space after he cast so much suspicion on me that day. But all of my misgivings disappeared when he reached behind a planter and tugged out a hidden envelope. Well maybe not disappeared, but something tingled down my spine as I followed him to the cherrywood table that he’d apparently pushed away from the ocean-front window.
“What’s this?” I sounded breathless reaching for the plump package but his hand shot out, slapping softly on top of the envelope until I looked up at him.
“This could be hard for you.”
“What is it?”
“A crime scene. There's some symbols that I’m having trouble identifying.”
Slowly, my eyes shifted from his face to the envelope. A second later, they locked on a purplish bruise under his thumbnail before moving up to the scrapes and cuts decorating several of his knuckles.
“What kind of symbols?”
“Ancient, I think. Occult maybe. Religious?”
Something deep in my gut told me that this was significant. That whatever I would see there would matter. But that once seen I’d never be able to unsee.
“Okay.” It was little more than a croak.
“I’ll understand if you don’t want to.”
I pressed my lips together, finally looking back to his face.
“I’m fairly sure I’m the only archeologist on the crew.”
A slow smirk crept up the corner of his mouth. “That does make you my best option at the moment.”
Rolling my eyes, I snatched it from under his hand and proceeded to lay out the evidential documents. The first image of Vee nearly stole my breath away. Shock, horror, rage… a slew of emotions coursed through me. Ari silently allowed me to process what I was seeing without interruption.
But it was the anger that got me over the hurdle, allowing me to deal with the images with the solid notion that what I would do would help… or I’d at least attempt to help figure out what happened to my friend.
“Are these signs at all of the serial killer scenes?”
“Do you recognize them?”
I frowned, blindly focusing only on the markings instead of Vee’s bloodied face and body. So focused, in fact, that I didn’t even notice he hadn’t answered my question.
“No, I’m afraid not.” I looked around, grabbed a sheet of blank paper and a pencil from a nearby desktop, and began sketching.
“What are you doing?”
“I’ll do some digging.”
Again he did not interrupt.
PART FOUR - Uɴʜᴏʟʏ Nɪɢʜᴛs - DONE
I lifted my head after the brief knock and tucked my sketches between some pages, before carefully flipping the book closed when I spotted Leo’s head squeeze through the recently opened door. It took him a little longer to find me in the corner of the room with several tomes piled up on each side of me.
“Hey there…”
He grinned and pushed the door wider while I shifted some extra papers, larger, over the top of that book. I couldn’t exactly say why. I didn’t have a reason to distrust Leo… I just felt… well, possessive maybe. Cautious. I wasn’t sure what I was looking for, or what I might find. Besides, I wasn’t exactly sure if Ari wanted the information to get out to anyone else. Or why he was investigating it in the first place.
“Hey, Leo… how are you?”
I still hadn’t gotten over Leo’s good looks. Which was mighty shallow of me, I’d admit. I even had to wonder what had gotten into me lately. Every time I turned around those days, I was contemplating the looks of the men I found myself surrounded by. One would think I was dealing with the raging hormones of a teen.
“Bored!” He reached down and randomly grabbed up one of the research books, flipping through it as if he had any interest in it at all. I was fairly certain he didn’t but he could just as easily be pulling the wool over my eyes. “You busy?”
Grinning, I stood to slip it back from his grasp and set it back on the table.
“Just a little research.”
Unoffended and undeterred, he plucked up another.
“The Book of Forbidden Knowledge?” His brows shot up, “Sounds positively intriguing… any naughty pictures?”
I wrinkled my nose as he flipped that one open as well then laughed out loud at the utter disappointment when he realized it was actually an occult lexicon.
“Poor guy.” I chuckled further when he made a yawning motion as I took that book away as well.
“Poor you! Don't you want to go out?”
“Out where?”
“Does it matter… anywhere has to be better than this mausoleum of tedium”
He slipped his hand under mine and lifted before pulling me around the edge of the desk. I didn’t even attempt to object. I continued to grin like a foolish schoolgirl.
“I happen to like this stuff.”
“You haven’t been to the bazaar yet, right? I bet we can find you a dusty old book to add to the collection.”
I smirked. “How considerate.”
“That’s me, good ole thoughtful Leo…”
“As long as you get what you want?”
He grinned, “I’m looking out for you, all work and no play makes Niya a dull girl.”
“My savior!”
“Quite right.”
Before I could think of some way out of his intent, I was in my room slipping on a day dress and fur for whatever the day may bring.
⏺️⏺️⏺️⏺️⏺️⏺️⏺️⏺️⏺️⏺️
Not for the first time I noticed Leo glance around, not casually. Or rather it did seem like he was trying to be casual. Too casual. But the way his eyes shifted up and down the road, I was certain he was up to something.
“What are we doing?”
He grinned, hooking an arm through mine to cross a narrow lane in order to pass through wide-open vaulted doors. I could see a set of matching double doors thrown open at the far end of the corridor.
“Just a little exploring.”
It was about the fourth square we’d ventured into that day. To each side of us were shops and stalls of varying types; fabrics, spices, metalworks, and dried fruits, amongst other things. Large and small quantities were available to whoever and however you wanted. The truth was, if you wanted it you likely could find it here or at any of the number of lanes that was essentially the heart of Tamanar.
Shoppers tasted, touched, smelled… trying the wares before the haggling would even begin. An expected par for the course when shopping at any Middle-Eastern bazaar I’d ever been to.
The noise too was expected. Beyond the merchants trying to convince their customers of the prices and values, there were barking dogs, braying mules, and rickety wagons.
I couldn’t even fathom what Leo was watching for through all of that commotion.
That was until he stopped in front of a small carpet shop.
“I’m just going to run in here really fast… give me a shout if you notice anything… strange.”
“Give you a shout?” Unintentionally I scanned the crowded marketplace. “Like in keeping a look out for you?”
“Such a smart cookie.”
The man had the nerve to grin proudly before ducking under the eave and disappearing from sight.
And even though curiosity was eating me alive, and I had absolutely no idea what he might consider ‘strange’ to be warned about, I stood there, pretending to be grossly interested in an elaborately woven, hand-beaded kaftan of the deepest mustard color at the laden stall directly in front of the shop.
Well, maybe not pretending since the garment ended up packed and bagged by the time Leo returned. I glanced up, noting that the sun had already crossed overhead and headed west.
“Well?”
“Well?”
One brow wrinkled my forehead, “Did you find what you were looking for?”
“‘Fraid not…”
I waited but he offered no further explanation. I’m not really sure if he expected that to fly but I wasn’t waiting to find out.
“What were you looking for?”
He shrugged, and to be honest, I believed it. But it didn’t make much sense.
“I know a great place for drinks…” The abrupt change of topic was almost reeling. “You’ll love it!”
Again, the man simply acted, hooking my arm in his and strolling down the market square leading as he saw fit.
That he led me into a small, dimly lit watering hole full of locals was an utter shock. In a matter of moments, we were seated and a barmaid was hustling over with two giant steins of beer.
“How do you know of this place?”
“I ask questions.”
I arched a brow, “You said I’d love it.”
“Do you?”
“Your conversation skills could use some work, Leo.”
He chuckled before we both took sips of the frothy brew.
The bar was nearly empty which wasn’t so surprising considering it was a Muslim country. I was more shocked there was a tavern there at all much less that we were in it.
“I meant to ask you… when you were stealing the false egg…”
“Haha…”
“Did you see anything weird?”
“Weird is a broad term.”
“Yes, agreed. But maybe your mind might surprise you.”
I laughed softly with a shake of my head. “Nothing so unusual that I’ve been able to remember of that night. A guard arrived while I was in the room and I put him to sleep as you showed me how to do.”
“At least that was some help.”
“Scared the bejeebers out of me.”
His smile was both sympathetic and amused.
“The bag was exactly where Elliott said it would be… and looked as expected. I don’t know what I did wrong… or else I did nothing wrong and it was all a setup from the very beginning.”
“Maybe not the very beginning… but it’s certainly something I’ve had to consider.”
“That the heist was compromised… or orchestrated?”
“Either, both.”
It was a chilling thought. I hadn’t even been in the group long but I could imagine something like that rocking the older members to the core. Especially so recently after another of the members was murdered. I frowned watching him over the table.
“So are you going to tell me what’s going on?” He looked confused but somehow I doubt that he truly was. “About this random trip and why you needed a look out at the shop?”
“Being completely honest,”
“I’d appreciate that.”
“Yes,” he grinned “I was saying… being honest, I was trying to find some information about Mr. Ebeid.”
“You too?”
“Too?”
I almost kicked myself. But why shouldn’t Leo know? We were all one team, weren’t we?
“Ari and Joe seemed to have an interest in him as well. Or suspicion. Or something.”
Leo nodded. “He’s an odd old bird.”
“Because he’s interested in religious artifacts?”
Leo smirked, “Do I sense a ‘like me’ in there somewhere?”
“Well, I do, you know.”
“But you weren’t one of the last people to show some involvement with our Vee before she died.”
“Murdered you mean.”
He nodded solemnly. “Yes, murdered.”
The imagines from the night before flashed in my mind giving me chills.
“But Vee was killed by that serial killer.”
“Maybe.”
“You don’t believe it?”
“I’ve seen no evidence of the case so I couldn’t say. What I know is that Mr. Ebeid has some suspicious timing.”
“You think he was involved with Vee’s murder?”
“I didn’t say that.”
He hadn’t but it was the implication I was getting.
“But you think it…”
“What I think is that it’s odd Vee wouldn’t mention anything to us but gave this stranger information to contact us to help him with his… search.”
“The note he showed though… it was her handwriting.”
“It appeared to be. But she never mentioned working with him.”
“Maybe she discussed it with someone else. Captain Kai… or the old captain maybe?
Frowning, Leo reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small bag of herb. Seeing my expression he waved it slightly before performing the act of rolling it into paper.
“Where did you get that?”
“Carpet shop…”
“So not a complete bust.”
He grinned at me and then at his completed trophy before he lit it up. After a long drag, his hand tilted toward me.
“Let’s see if we can focus more on this situation and drown out some of the distractions.”
It had been a while for me, but the effects were quite familiar once I joined him on the ride.
⏺️⏺️⏺️⏺️⏺️⏺️⏺️⏺️⏺️⏺️
Dinner was late getting started, which was fortunate considering our slow return to the mansion. Our host, it seemed, was yet to arrive and we were on hold until that momentous occasion occurred.
Sipping on yet another glass of Mr. Ebeid’s expensive champagne was perhaps not the wisest decision considering my already heightened comportment. But I was far past caring and just enjoying myself without reservation.
Exactly what I did that night was a bit of a blur. I vaguely remember flirting and teasing… but to which man was more of a guess. And I was aware of Thea’s presence for most of the evening keeping me from going down some horrifically irrecoverable path, to my ever-lasting appreciation.
Thankfully, we were finally invited to the opulently decorated dining hall with a band playing elegant, symphonic music in the background. Even in my state, I remember that music and how it made goosebumps spread down my arms. There was just something disconcerting about that particular nocturne of Chopin’s filling the hall on our arrival. As if we were marching towards impending doom.
Was it purposeful or simply a coincidence?
I do remember stuffing my face and for once in a long while, I was certain I had a good night's sleep. Or simply passed out. One or the other.
PART FIVE - Mᴇ ᴠs Mᴇ - SUMMED (TBC)
(Morocco | Day 3 | Dig site, Discovery, TBD)
This is still coming. Just in case:
Niya gets wind about a dig on the outskirts of town and plans to investigate. The 40CE Roman city will be reminiscent of the dig she almost had with her father some years ago. She'll initially plan to go it alone, almost sneaking off before being spotted by (leaning towards Joe) who will tag along with a claim that she's a magnet for trouble. She'll point out that he is the one that is trouble and he won't deny it. May be quite pleased with the accusation/label (like any normal sociopath). She'll work through the day and only realize how late it is once she uncovers a find... a dodecahedron that she's only read about to varying degrees of uncertainty and disbelief. She'll also find bitterness from those digging near her since they won't be thrilled with her success. Either way, it's late and she & (Joe) will be forced to pitch a tent for the night since there's no way they can make it back to the mansion before sunset. There will be some sort of shared intimacy (unsure if it will just be a kiss or more, but something will happen)
THE LOOKS
R1-DONE'ish | R2-DONE'ish/SummedPt5
Last edited by BambiFoxx (20/04/2023 at 12:35)
