Gameplay!

Sure, yes, I am having question Dmitry raised his hand and grinned. Mummies and money are one thing I understand. But, what I do not understand is all of this, he waved his hand vaguely around the camp. It seems like much effort for little. Why else are we here?

Sarah's eyes grow big looking at all the cash in the envelope she is handed. She still wants to find discoveries for the Met, but it's certainly a different ballgame to have this much cash in one's hand versus rich parents giving an allowance. One could almost purchase a townhouse in New York City with this amount!

Sarah nods at Dmitry's question and timidly raises her hand after he is answered.

"Yes, I am quite concerned. What dangers should we be expecting? I understand traps, snakes, and the like are to be expected, but I don't think your guards with guns are here because of that..."

She looks between the two with some apprehension.

"This explains the big guns then." Timothy piped in. "I don't really have much to add, except perhaps how did this particular tomb was discovered? I mean, I do have an article to write here..."

Timothy was checking his gear before heading out. With their host impressing on them on how much danger there was in this expedition, Timothy felt it was best to unpack his snubnose revolver, don its holster, and then make sure he had plenty of bullets on his person. then he prepared his photo camera and, considering they'd be underground, made sure to pack plenty of flash bulbs. Made sure he did not forget his hat with his press pass slid inside. Finally he looked at his notepad and what little he had scribbled so far...

"How am I supposed to write an article when nobody wants to talk... I'm going to have to get creative, maybe I can add a mummy's curse. People are afraid to talk because they're afraid of the mummy's curse... Yeah, this ought to sell paper!"

With the heat, Timothy felt he'd probably also need to carry a waterskin or two. Then thinking about the fact they'd be underground again, he felt a flashlight with good batteries might also be a good idea to have. With his small list of equipment needed, he went to see the quartermaster... perhaps he might also be able to get a quick interview before leaving...

There was no doubt about it, their employer had spared no expense in outfitting this camp. Dmitry’s service revolver had gotten him through countless tough times however and he felt no envy at the heavier armaments the camp guards carried. Instead, he scrounged through the mess tent looking for any foodstuffs he could shove into his pockets and, especially, vodka.

As he searched he began to softly recite
I’m drinking to a ruined home,
And to my life in hell,
To us together, yet alone,
And to you too, as well, —
To lies of lips, betraying love,
That ice-cold deathly stare,
The world, so merciless and rough,
And God, who wasn’t there.

Sarah tries to hurry back to her tent in a dignified manner, but does a poor job of it as she gets lost. She can hear the reporter talking to himself and the retired soldier singing as she passes by the tents. She catches a quick glimpse of their guide as she finally arrives at her tent.

First, she will make sure she is dressed impeccably, of course, including her hat with veil and an umbrella for the sun. Maybe it would be good for keeping any unfriendlies further away as well. She carefully takes out of the bottom of her steamer trunk a Remington Derringer with a pearl handle, something she "borrowed" from her youngest brother. She cleans and tucks it away inside her purse, making sure it is prepared so it cannot fire accidentally. A lady should never be unprepared for any social situation.

She then fills her pack with charcoal, sketchbook/journal, and archaeological tools to distribute to everyone for their expedition. She throws in an Egyptology book with some basic Egyptian history and hieroglyphic information for good measure. She finally carefully packs away some good coffee to enjoy while they explore.

After she feels everything is secure, she takes a quick look outside her tent before going back inside and sealing it up. She takes out the golden medallion her brother gave her for luck and rubs it, looking for any chance of extra luck from it for their first trip to the tombs.

Tomas, seeing the well stocked nature of the medical tent grabs a couple more bandages, some iodine, sulfa and the miracle drug of the ages, morphine. Once he's secured that in his pack, he'll head back to his tent. He's more interested in getting back in 'the trenches' as it were than socializing.

Timothy made his way to the quartermaster's office where he met a middle-aged man with a sun-tanned complexion. Obviously a local.

"Darn, I completely forgot, I should have asked Reem to come with me to translate..."

Timothy then talked slowly to the man when telling him what he waned. "I need water... WA-TER" He said pantomiming drinking water from a waterskin.

"Water, yes of course sir. With this heat, I recommend taking two skins along with you." The man answered with perfect English, but with a slight middle-eastern accend.

"You speak English?" Timothy asked astonished.

"Yes, the master feels it is important if people can understand each other." Simply answered the quartermaster.

"Master? Oh, you mean our benefactor?" Timothy replied while thinking this was an odd way to refer to the man who was funding this whole expedition...

"If that's what you want to call him, sure." the middle-aged man replied as he handed Timothy his waterskins. "So, I take it that you are breaching the tomb today."

"Yes."

"Then I suggest you also take this, for your own good." The middle-aged man then handed Timothy a small stone.

Timothy took it and examined it. It seemed to be a small sculpture of a scarab. It looked ancient. "Hum, gee, thanks, but I'll also need some flash—" he said looking up back at the quartermaster, but the man had disappeared, leaving Timothy alone in the store, hung mid-sentence. "Is this some sort of joke?"

Almost as to answer Timothy's question, another man stepped from behind a pile of crates, to greet Timothy, an older man, also a local from his looks. The elderly man then addressed Timothy in a dialect of Arabic Timothy did not understood.

"I'm sorry, where is the man that was here before?" But Timothy's question only seemed to confused the elderly man who obviously did not spoke English.

"Hum, never mind..." Timothy sheepishly said as he pocketed the stone scarab and left the quartermaster's office making his way back to the group. "What was that all about?"