In reply to Cynthia Jane Holloway (msg # 64):

He sipped gratefully, then said,

"Thank you, I... who are you again? Are you real? I do not recognise you."

JM leaned close to the Count. "Did you find Besart?  I take it miss Holloway is speaking to him."

In reply to John-Marc Falcon (msg # 68):

"Yes, just ahead. He is in a wretched state though. Here let me show you."
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 07:29, Mon 10 Aug 2015.

JM stepped forward and swung the door open.  He moved aside so that the Count and Molly could look or go inside.  "Thank you Count."

In reply to Warren Besart (msg # 67):

"My name is Ms. Kelly. I'm here through the embassy. Can you sit up? Have you eaten recently? If you're feeling well enough, I'd like to talk with you for a little bit. I know you've had a difficult time. How are you doing? Are you looking for work again?"

In reply to Cynthia Jane Holloway (msg # 71):

Sitting up, Besart looked groggy and confused. A dirty towel covered his private parts. "Ms. Kelly? What kind of name is that? You are not French! And what kind of woman sees a man in this condition?

"No, I have not been looking for work. I seek only to forget."

OOC: I'm assuming she spoke in French. As a note, the honourific "Ms." would be unheard of in those days! As I recall, "Madame" would be the typical default aptelation.

May as well try a Fast Talk roll to see if he does buy her story after all!


This message was last edited by the player at 08:16, Wed 12 Aug 2015.

"Well, you can take that up with my grandfather.

Mr. Besart, we need to take you out of here. This is terrible! To find a strong, handsome man, an adventurer, at the end of an opium pipe. We will take you back to the embassy. I'm sure we can arrange travel for you to get home, to leave all this behind. Where are your slacks?"

Cynthia uses the excuse to glance through his possessions for any clues as to where he's been (beyond the obvious), any trauma he may have suffered, or any magical treasure he hasn't gotten around to pawning yet.

JM steps into the room.  He understands enough French, albeit a Canadian version to follow the conversation.  "Excuse me M. Besart, perhaps I can aid you to a more presentable condition."  He looks about as well for a sheet or blanket to throw over the man.  As he speaks he nods to Cynthia with approval for her work.

In reply to Cynthia Jane Holloway (msg # 73):

Besart looked thoroughly befuddled at this point, but seemed to be believing her. Dumbfounded, he wrapped the sheet around himself to cover his nakedness. He shook a cigarette from a crumpled pack of Galoises and lit it using a match he struck on the side table.

"What? Come with you? All right. Mme. Kelley, I insist you must leave. To allow me to dress. Then I shall accompany you. From the embassy, you say? How very odd."

Blue cigarette smoke curled up around his head as he exhaled deeply.

Aside from dirty clothing, rotting scraps of food and books, it didn't seem to Cynthia that he possessed anything exceptionally occultish or out of the ordinary. At least in plain view.

JM remained inside the room.  "Let me assist you M. Besart."  He had no desire to see the man slink off.

In reply to John-Marc Falcon (msg # 77):

M. Bessart shook his head, angrily.

"No! I can see to myself. I am not helpless! Like a child, or an invalid! Exit this room at once, M'sieur, or I shall toss you out."

He stood up, remembering to clutch the sheet to his scrawny body. His body was emaciated and emanated a foul odour.
This message was last updated by the player at 05:25, Sat 15 Aug 2015.

Molly didn't need to be told twice.  She stepped out after glancing around for possible exits from the room.  If possible she'd try to position herself to be able to see if anybody exited the room and could alert the others.

"Very well. We'll wait for you outside. Take your time."

With that, she will leave and wait outside. She rather wishes she had nabbed one of those cigarettes while she had the chance. The Dragon of Al Misr is one thing, but that man's emaciated corpse ... The image will haunt her to her grave.

JM regarded the man for a moment and then bowed slightly.  "Of course monsieur.  We will be right outside." As he spoke he glanced about the room for a window and a possible way the man might escape from them.  They could go outside and wait there as well in case their quarry chose to flee.

Departing the room, JM shut the door behind him.  "We should watch the window below in case he bolts," JM spoke softly to the two women and the Count.

In reply to John-Marc Falcon (msg # 81):

Mungo walked up to JM and smiled.  "Don't forget me out there.  It's not the best place for a woman to be."  With that said she tucked her hair into her hat more and tilted it in a more masculine fashion, slouched a bit to hide some of her curves and went to stand outside under the window.  On the way out, she changed her walk to that of a younger man, a walk that she had used back home more than once to slip out in the middle of the night.

In reply to John-Marc Falcon (msg # 81):

"Perhaps but given his state of mind I don't think he was looking for an exit. That being said caution is always the best course." The Count waited with the others.

JM nodded to Molly with approval and headed out to watch at the window.

In reply to Molly 'Mungo' Fuller (msg # 82):

True to his word, Besard exited a few minutes later. All he'd done was throw on a stained djellaba to cover his nakedness. On his head he wore an Egyptian style turban and on his feet were sandals. He did not lock his door.

"All right. I am ready. Where are we going?"
This message was last edited by the player at 08:45, Mon 17 Aug 2015.

JM rejoined the Count and Cynthia as Besart made his appearance.  He escorted Molly back inside ahead of him.

In reply to John-Marc Falcon (msg # 86):

As Mungo walked back into the building, she readjusted her outfit and posture again so by the time they met up with Cynthia and company she was back to being Molly.  Right before going into the room, Mungo tipped her hat to JM and Molly gave him a wink.

JM returned the wink and nod with a set of his own.

JM and Molly found the Count and Cynthia at the top of the stairs.

With them was a man they guessed was Warren Besart. he was dressed in a dirty djellaba and turban.

Outside, there was no sign of danger or anything suspicious. Perkins and the others were beset by crowds of children begging for money but Mahm'ud sent them on their way with some harsh words.

In reply to The Keeper (msg # 89):

The boy explained to Perkins, "they were thieves. Hoping to slash your pockets and rob your things. They are gone now. I said I would kill them all and leave them in the desert for the jackals to feed on their corpses. They believed me! But of course, I would never do that. Leave their corpses in the desert to be fed upon by wild animals."

JM stepped up.  "Come downstairs then with us M. Besart.  We can take you now to the Embassy."