"Tiny you feel like stretching those tree trunks you call legs?" Price asked the big man as he made his own preparations to go out and see the newspaper man.

In reply to Harry Price (msg # 67):

Tiny responds instantly, "Yes sir, I 'ave been chompin at the bit to get out and about.  These 'ere are nice rooms, but there's a lot to see in old Cairo, major." Tiny does a quick inventory of his possessions and almost runs to the door.

Price examined the News Paper for an address and tucked the copy with the article under his arm.

"Excellent." Price said.

With his walking stick in hand, and tow, Price headed out to meet with Nigel Wassif.

Leo waived Price over. "Hold on a sec - let me write down the spelling of that Queen. Nitocris was it?" Leo looked at the paper and scratched the name down on a piece of paper.

"Good luck, gentlemen."

He then settled in to wait for Fredde to return.

As Harry and Tiny emerge from the hotel, they hear a rattling roar and Fredde pulls up to the kerb astride a motorcycle (of sorts) cobbled together from the salvage of three or four various machines.

She pushes her goggles up to her forehead as she hails them: "What ho, gents! Anybody fancy a ride around the block?"

Fredde quickly realizes that she is mistaken upon further inspection; the men she is looking at are not in fact, Harry and Tiny, but two men of a similar physical bearing. What a coincidence! Casting her eyes across the street by chance, she can see that the real Harry and Tiny were at that same moment, entering the offices of the Cairo Bulletin, before disappearing from view.

"I don't know who Harry and Tiny are, but I'll be happy for a ride," said one of the men she had mistakenly thought was Harry.

OOC:

15:24, Today: The Keeper, on behalf of Fredde ten Boom, rolled 20 using 1d100 with rolls of 20.  Spot Hidden (60%).
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:29, Wed 27 Feb 2019.

In reply to The Keeper (msg # 72):

"Sorry, chum, mistaken identity. But I'll let ya buy me a gin later if we run into each other in th' bar."

Fredde asks the doorman where she can find a garage or secure parking for her bike.

The man and his pal seemed easily enough to laugh off the situation and went on their own way.

The doorman seemed unfamiliar with the concept of a garage, and when she described it, he didn't know of such a building and hadn't seen one.

"We do not have a designated parking area, other than along the street in front of the hotel," he said, gesturing to the street in front of the hotel where a handful of pristine looking automobiles were neatly parked, roughly a dozen yards away from where he stood. "You can park it right here, sir, and I am sure it will be fine. Whoever is on duty will look after it from here."

Fredde parks her bike at the curb and goes into the hotel. She stops at the bar for a pink gin before going upstairs.

Entering the almost empty suite, she calls out, "Hey, Doc, where is everybody?"

Leo looked up from the book he was perusing. "Ah, Fredde. Good to see you back. The others have gone to see if they could dig up some information from acquaintances or reporters. I would like to see if there is a library that might have some information on one of the tombs that is of interest to us. Once you're ready, we can go together - I assume you'd like a few minutes before we leave?"

In reply to Dr. Leonardo Elias (msg # 76):

Fredde runs her fingers through her disheveled hair from front to back and glances in a mirror.

"Right. All set, Doc. We can take my new bike, if ya fancy riding pillion."

Leo paused a moment then nodded. ”Sounds good, Fredde. I’ll need to change my attire for riding, though. Let’s meet in the lobby in fifteen minutes.”

Leo headed out to change into something sturdier and then down to the concierge to find out about nearby libraries.

Fredde passes the time with another pink gin.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:47, Tue 19 Mar 2019.

Leo made his way downstairs wearing a brown leather jacket, sturdy khaki trousers, and a loose, beige shirt. The jacket would be warm, but necessary to avoid more pain than he would otherwise experience should the worst come to pass. He could deal with a little bit of extra heat for a few minutes.

In reply to Dr. Leonardo Elias (msg # 80):

Fredde smiles when she catches sight of Leo. "Ya look swell, Doc, reg'lar man of adventure."

Outside, she settles Leo on a steel rack over the rear wheel, padded by an old blanket. Showing Leo where to set his feet to avoid the spokes, she guns the two-stroke engine into life, turning her head to shout back at Leo over the clatter: "I'll take it easy, Doc! Just punch a shoulder to tell me which way t'turn!"

With a glance at the oncoming traffic, vehicular and pedestrian (not to mention animal) she spurts away from the curb.

"Well thank you, Fredde. A moment before we go, though."

He went over to the concierge desk. "Pardon, can you tell me about libraries in Cairo?"

"There are many libraries in Cairo, but several of them are privately held in various clubs, or by different historical societies or universities, which can generally be restrictive in their granting of access to non-students, especially foreigners. If you're looking for a research library, I would recommend the library at the Egyptian Museum, where you can find many primary sources and scholarly collections that delve into subjects at depth. If you seek something more casual, more for light reading or light surveys, there's the American University of Cairo," the concierge said, clearly accustomed to fielding this inquiry.

Leo nodded. "Excellent, thank you. Do you have a map of the city so that I can find the two libraries you mentioned?"

The man shook his head.

"Cairo is very labyrinthine, good sir, but you should not need a map. Our advice for your safety is that you take a horse carriage - which we call here a Victoria or a kalesh, many of which are easily available and can be hailed anywhere in the streets. Your driver will be able to find all of these locations. If you do not speak Arabic, I will be more than happy to help you hail one and inform them of the locations that you wish to visit," he said, coming out from behind the desk, intent on helping to hail a carriage and give directions.
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:38, Fri 22 Mar 2019.

Leo followed the concierge outside and then put his fingers into his mouth and whistled loudly. "Oi! Fredde! We need to take one of these horse carriages. They'll know how to get us where we need to go."

Fredde looks up from the saddle of her bike. She nods to Leo, flicks her cigarette into the street and saunters down to join him.

"Bike'd be faster."

Leo nodded. "It sure would be. If you know how to get the libraries through these labyrinthine...passageways."

The concierge successfully hailed a kalesh as Leo and Fredde were talking, and quickly rattled off some information in Arabic, and the driver seemed to agree. The concierge then informed Leo of what the estimated costs would be to get to those destinations.

"These people, they do not speak English, but we get enough tourists that they can recognize the most prominent places that you want to go. You can say the name of the hotel, and they'll bring you here. If they don't know that, you can just say 'hotel,' and they'll likely either bring you back here or to the Semiramis," he said, pointing to another well appointed looking hotel across the street.

"Likewise, the terms 'American University' or 'Egyptian Museum' will get you where you need to go. Neither place are very far, and both should have staff capable of helping you if you feel that the drivers don't understand your intentions properly."

"Excellent, thank you." Leo passed an appropriate sum of money to the concierge for his aid then gestured for Fredde to take a seat first.

Leo then settled in. "Egyptian Museum, please."

Fredde settles into her seat with a heavy sigh, resigned to poking through the crowded streets at a snail's pace.

She intends to memorize their route so that she can carry the Doc back to his library, if needed.