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Chapter Text

THREE MONTHS LATER...

CAIRO, EGYPT

The river of blood eventually returned to water, though not without corrupting the memories of the survivors of that haunting taste of rusted iron and bodily fluids. Any blazing meteors that had fallen from the sky have all since burnt out, leaving nothing behind except crumbling buildings and debris. Corpses littered cobblestone streets, some mixed in with all the rubble from the initial attack of plagues, others looking to be the remnants of a gunfight or two. Only a few corpses puzzled the mortuary with the way they had been drained of organs and blood. 

The Museum of Antiquities was quiet as per usual, but with a more eerie presence in the air compared to before the Creature cursed the capital city with harrowing plagues, reducing the population to a hefty percentage. Recovering from a catastrophe such as near extinction would be proven difficult, and it would leave the museum even more empty than usual. 

However, the museum is not completely empty. In the shadows, as quiet as a mouse, was a Medjai, avoiding detection of any scholars or mother possibly using history to distract their child from recent horrors. Ardeth Bay did not wander from his task, easily sneaking in and out of the recently departed curator's office. Determination at the forefront of his mind brought him to the side exit and slipping out of the museum without anyone paying attention to him, as he had hoped. His headache hadn't lessened, a hundred thoughts running through his head. There was so much to do with who knows how long it would take to get the city back to the way it was before Imhotep. With his duties as Medjai, he was able to avoid getting drafted for the Great War and has heard many, horrific stories and what the cost of war could do to those caught in the crossfire, but he has never heard a story about what people do after the war, and how do they rebuild their homes after the worst event of their lives. Ardeth could only imagine the aftermath looks a lot like Cairo, slowly but surely rebuilding, erasing the ghosts that still linger.

The Medjai is careful when leaving the museum, looking around at his surroundings with sharp eyes. Only a few citizens were around, minding their own business with their own destinations in mind. A single motor car is resting outside the museum but isn't occupied. One figure, however, shrouded in a veil, catches Ardeth Bay's attention. The figure didn't appear to be in a rush to go anywhere and was hesitant to enter the museum. Instead, the figure wandered around the impressive building with calculating steps, almost as if they were scouting it out. Their movement was clearly odd but not suspicious to just a single passerby but for Ardeth's hawk eyes, it was definitely concerning behavior after the events that had transpired only a few months ago.

He watches from a distance, waiting patiently as the figure continues to move. Eventually, they break away from the museum, heading in the opposite direction down the first alleyway available. Only then does Ardeth move from the shadows and follows closely behind, making sure there's just enough distance from the figure to not appear as though he was pursuing them. It didn't matter, the figure being completely oblivious to Ardeth's quiet, careful footsteps echoing off of their own. They hadn't even turned around as they make a sharp corner down a separate alleyway, and Ardeth carefully quickens his pace so as not to lose them. When he turns the corner, he caught a glimpse of the figure's shawl before it vanished behind the opposite end of the alley, having turned another corner. Worried that the figure might have caught onto the pursuit, Ardeth instead decides to go around, moving around the street in the opposite direction and meeting up where he had once been in the alleyway coming from the other end. 

There, he is met with the figure, only, they had not yet noticed him. The figure's back was to the Medjai, peering around the corner of the building as if they were expecting someone, probably their pursuer. Taking this moment of opportunity, Ardeth leaps into action, going in for the strike like a predator on prey as his hand reaches out for his prey's shoulder. The initial touch drives a fight or flight reaction from the figure, who spins around and brings up a fist that Ardeth easily dodges. 

He doesn't dare loosen his grip on the figure as they fought with all their might. Using his strength and leverage, Ardeth is able to push the stranger and pin them to the wall of one side of the alleyway. They're stunned as they take a gasp for breath, giving Ardeth enough time to reach into his robe with his free hand and retrieve his hidden knife, quickly pressing the sharp edge of the blade into the stranger's throat. The figure winced away from the dagger, leaning into the wall as far as they could go, their face finally visible to the Medjai.

Upon further observation, the stranger was a woman, and slowly, Ardeth's memory forms as he takes in the storm-brewing eyes behind dark eyelashes, her unruly coffee-colored hair falling through bits of her shawl. The woman's face, once a light shade of cream, now sported spots of angry pink sunburns on her nose and cheeks.

Ardeth nearly staggers back, his hand loosening around the blade against this familiar woman's throat before discontent kicks in. His eyes darken while he uses the hand holding the dagger to fully pull back the shawl from out of his stranger's face, "You!"

Sadie's eyes widen when she recognized the dark gaze and facial tattoos, losing all her strength in her shock, "Shit! You!"

Annoyance quickly spreads to Ardeth's voice as he snarled, "Miss O'Connell, what are you doing here?"

No longer resisting his grip, a sly smile forms on the American woman's lips, "Well, you did say 'until we meet again.'"

His eyes darken further, unimpressed by the small talk, and Sadie relents with an over-exasperated sigh, "Oh, come on. You act like I'm about to raise another mummy from the dead."

"You did," He deadpanned, "The last time you were here."

"But I didn't! That was Evelyn. And for your information, I happened to have lived here my whole life!"

By the time she raises her voice in defense, his grip on his dagger strengthens once more, the blade pressing further into her pale, sunburnt neck. Sadie mutes herself and lifts her head, trying to avoid the pressure of the knife from drawing blood. For a brief moment, she remembers the last time a knife was held to her throat, in Hamunaptra. Looking back at those same dark eyes that held her captive before, the woman now slowly relaxes against his blade, challenging him with little fear compared to how she felt the last time he had a blade on her.

"You won't do it."

He raised one unamused eyebrow, "You don't think so?"

"I know so."

"I wouldn't be recklessly betting your life on it if I were you."

"If you wanted me dead, I'd be six feet underground already."

They keep their gaze locked in a standstill before Ardeth retracts the blade, hiding it back in his robes and stepping back, "If Egypt is your home, why did you leave?"

Sadie pushes herself away from the wall of the alley, fighting the urge to rub her neck as she dusts herself off, "After what I went through here, why shouldn't I? Jon and Evy's family has a manor in London and they insisted on Rick and I staying with them until things got sorted and we could come back home. It unintentionally became our permanent residence."

"That doesn't explain why you came back."

Her temper was quick to lash out, a snarl forming on her face as she glared at the Medjai in front of her, "What's with the rude interrogation? Perhaps my reason to be here is none of your damn business."

He glares right back, unperturbed, "Perhaps not. But it quickly will be if you intend on going back to Hamunaptra."

"You won't ever find me going within a hundred leagues of that cursed place, believe me," Sadie readjusts the shawl around her head, trying to keep her face shielded from the sun beating down on the pair of them, "Now, are we done here?"

He doesn't answer. Instead, he turns around and walks away.

~~~~~~~~~

But that doesn't mean he was done. Far from it, actually. Knowing better than to trust a stranger who once brought an apocalypse to the world, Ardeth Bay waits until the next street before turning back around and patiently waiting for Sadie O'Connell to emerge from the alley. He would not just let her freely walk around Cairo when he knows how naive she could be; reckless. This woman, who tied herself down to a biplane and partially flew when it crashed. This woman, who thought she could steal his scimitar and practice alone a few times to understand how to properly use it. This woman who he had to save from death again and again, who he helped bandage her wounds and risk his own life for. She was far from careful and far from normal. Ardeth knew she would be trouble if he simply walked away.

He's rewarded for his patience as the woman is now easily spotted as she exits the alleyway and heads down a busy street after looking both ways, probably trying to figure out which way Ardeth went. The Medjai follows, at a larger distance this time, able to pinpoint her shawl easier now that he knew what he was looking for. Sadie didn't appear to be in a rush anymore either, less suspicious of her own surroundings and not looking around, a destination clearly in her head as she pushed forward, weaving through people on the street as they look through vendor shops. The street had already been cleared of rubble and death, one of the first of many that needed attending to right after Imhotep attacked. So apart from the occasional pebble under your boot or a determined shopper pushing around others to get their prized goods, there wasn't much destruction to remind the people of what the last few months had caused them. 

Sadie wasn't interested in the busy market, however, breaking away down a separate alleyway, and instead of following, Ardeth took to the rooftops. He followed from there, looking down at the maze of alleys with a bird's eye view and jumping over gaps between buildings once he had an idea of where the American woman was going. Unaware of him, Sadie eventually made her way toward the center of the bazaar section, unknowingly leading Ardeth to a small, shackled building at the center of it. Some of the windows were boarded up, others had shattered glass scattered over the panes. Sadie stepped up to the front door and knocked, whilst Ardeth hovered on top of the rooftops above, taking note of the small community. From a few children's cries alone, he could tell that they had stopped at an orphanage. He watches the front door open and an older woman steps out. From this distance, he couldn't make out what was being said, but he watched as Sadie holds out a large messenger bag to the woman, who looks surprised and unsure of what to do with the offering. The old woman settles on patting Sadie's cheek in thanks, speaking a few words to her, then shutting the door again, leaving the O'Connell woman out on the street alone.

She doesn't appear bothered by this, slowly stepping away from the building, watching it with sad eyes before turning around down another street, though it was one of sand and animal dung compared to the market street of cobblestones she had previously been on. Ardeth's silent observation struck curiosity deep within him, looking to the orphanage and then back towards the woman in question. Slowly, quietly, he climbs down from the rooftops and jumps down directly behind Sadie, who whips back around with her pistol already in her hand even as she gasps in surprise.

"Why here?" He asks boldly, unphased by the gun pointed at his chest. They both stay that way, immovable until Ardeth's eyes dart down to the weapon, then back up at Sadie with raised eyebrows, challenging her with her own words, "You won't do it."

She scowls once she relaxes, forcefully shoving her pistol back in its holster underneath her shawl, "Do you have to sneak up on people?"

"Why come here?" 

"Is 'none of your damn business' a phrase you never hear?" Sadie glances behind the Medjai from over his shoulder, "And were you following me? What the Hell is your problem? Is that why you're in Cairo? To spy on me?"

"It was a meager chance that I ran into you earlier. But now that I know you are here, it wouldn't hurt to make sure you don't cause any more trouble."

The woman rolled her eyes, "That still doesn't explain why you're here in Cairo to begin with. Don't you have... what was it you said? An oath to protect the City of the Dead at all costs?"

"I am just one man," he responds calmly, still unphased as if free of emotions, "The Medjai are by the thousands. I will return once I've cleaned up all evidence that the creature was ever here."

Unlike, Ardeth, Sadie's emotion is visible but mostly through her eyes. He watches the storm closely, seeing the gears turning as a thought strikes her, thin eyebrows rising at her revelation, "... The museum. Evy mentioned some missing artifacts that were stored in the former curator's room. Was that you?"

Ardeth's shoulders broaden, eyebrow-raising as if they were still challenging one another, "And what would you say if it was?"

She scoffs again, turning and walking away while calling over her shoulder, "I'd ask why you were snooping in Doctor Bey's office. I thought you didn't care about what happened to him."

"He was a Medjai, like me," Ardeth follows again, though this time he keeps pace with her and lacks the previous concern of staying out of sight, "He swore an oath that we all took, but I never said I didn't care. You made that assumption yourself." 

The woman's eyes widen and she at least made the effort to look guilty and ashamed, darting her eyes as she muttered a somewhat forced apology that looked as though it killed her inside to do so. "Sorry. Doctor Bey... is there any relation?"

Speculating that she was referring to the name, Ardeth Bay shook his head, "No. Other than we were both brothers of the cause, there isn't a relation." 

They walk for a while, Sadie taking the lead to their next destination. He accepts her path and follows, less concerned about where she was taking him and paying closer attention to her questions instead, "So the curator. Did he fight at one point, too? He looked more like a retired Medjai compared to you."

"He was a guardian of the knowledge regarding Imhotep and the City of the Dead."

"So... he worked at the museum to protect the knowledge behind Imhotep?"

"That is correct," Ardeth's thoughts wandered, for a moment, his mind bringing him back to the last time he had seen the unfortunate curator, "He wasn't much of a fighter, but he knew his power lay elsewhere."

"... Evy was convinced that some of the objects within the displays were fake. Was that you or him?"

"It's one of the many tasks he did to preserve any possible cursed objects."

"Huh. Did he kill anyone to do that?"

"Not that I'm aware of."

With that, Sadie's voice significantly drops to a tone of sarcasm and dread, her eyes boring into Ardeth's very soul. For a split second, he wondered if he should feel fear under such a gaze before remembering recent events. Sadie was hostile in more than just actions. Her words spit like venom just as effectively as her shooting, "So you DON'T have to kill anyone to keep people from resurrecting cursed mummies. Imagine that."

Ardeth's eyes squint back at her, building his internal defenses, "Aren't you some sort of mercenary? Isn't that in your job description?"

"What gave you the impression that I was a mercenary?"

"You carry weapons and you took a job that required treasure hunting."

"Fair enough," she huffs, wrapping her shawl tighter around her body, looking away and up at the route ahead of her, "But for your information, I am just a person for hire and that line of work is dangerous, and occasionally it earns you some enemies. So yes, I carry weapons, but that doesn't mean I use them."

A noise of disbelief rises from his chest and escapes out his mouth. A deep sound, but a scoff, nonetheless, "I have a few men that were wounded by you that say otherwise."

While the rest of her face looked unimpressed when she turned back to him, a twinkle in her eyes was still evident, "It was self-defense. Sue me."

"I do not believe I can afford it."

Her steps stutter before she had time to catch herself. Sadie stopped walking and Ardeth mirrored the movement, waiting for her to regain her posture. She stared up at him, bewildered, amusement slowly forming from her lips and up to her eyes, "Was that humor?" When he doesn't respond, the mock grows as she smirked, "You know, you're not so bad... when you're not trying to kill me."

Ardeth glared back, unamused, "Do you enjoy getting under people's skin, Miss O'Connell?"

"Almost as much as scarab beetles do. Or so I'm told."

~~~~~~~~~

Ardeth gets a chance to see an example of that with someone other than himself. Sadie leads him to the opposite end of the bazaar section until she stops short and the Medjai barely has enough time to stop himself before he would run into her. He's ready to berate her for the lack of warning before the words die in his throat. Watching Sadie, she appeared troubled, her frown aging her by a decade with lines running between her furrowed eyebrows. When following her gaze, Ardeth looks across the street and sees another shackled building, even smaller and worse off than the orphanage. In front of the shack stood half a dozen men, moving old, beaten furniture out of the front door and throwing it out onto the street, not even bothering to watch the wood splinter and smash across the rocks and dirt before they move back inside, continuing their task. Standing firmly outside the building, observing the men as they worked was another man, possibly older than Ardeth by a few years. He appeared as though he stood over all else, occasionally ordering around the other men as they worked, undermining them. Even from across the street, Ardeth can see yellow teeth under the salt and pepper mustache completely covering the man's upper lip. The mustache is followed by a matching, scraggly beard that was long enough to cover the neck and chest, coming to a point around a simple, gold bead. Weeks-old braids shroud the man's face from underneath his faded blue turban, and any hair free of the braids appeared unbrushed and blanketing over the shoulders and back. 

Sadie sighed heavily, physically looking as though she was preparing to jump off a cliff. Ardeth watches her as she moves finally, crossing the street with her back straight and shoulders squared, hands swinging closely to either side of her where her weapons were concealed. Ardeth took this as a warning and followed closely behind as she approached the man clearly in charge of this operation.

Up close, Ardeth could see this man had framed his dark, cold eyes with dark eyeshadow as black as coal, the eyes immediately focused on Sadie when she stood in front of the man. More yellow teeth continue to appear as his mouth stretches open into a grin like almost looks like a sneer,  

"Miss Moore."

"Gustav," Sadie keeps her greeting brief, looking around at the street filled with her old clothes and furniture, "I told you I'd have your money."

"Yes, but then you disappeared," Gustav's voice is deep, though it mostly came from the throat. It had a hint of a rasp to it as if years of smoking were beginning to catch up to him, "For three months. Many around here believed you were dead so, to make up for it, I took your loft."

He sounded delighted by his own statement, while Sadie's eyes flashed with despair and defeat. Ardeth watches as she quickly corrects herself, her expression folding in until it appeared like stone, devoid of emotion. Ardeth would have thought she had slipped a mask on if he had not witnessed it with his very own eyes. 

Acceptance is the closest thing he could think of to describe Sadie's facial features as she addressed the man in front of her, "At least let me go in and grab my things."

Gustav's slimy smile widens, cold eyes sparkling like a night sky, "Anything of value?"

"Only that of sentimental."

Gustav looked as though he was ready to continue tormenting Sadie with his bragging power until he looked over her shoulder, finally acknowledging the man standing behind her. Ardeth meets the man's gaze, unblinking and unwavering. It clearly unsettled Gustav, whose delight now vanished in replace of forced surrender. Pouting like a kicked dog, he scowled, "Fine. But only because your friend here is staring at me like he's going slit my throat and drink from it."

Sadie huffed as she walked passed Gustav. Whether or not she bumped his shoulder on purpose was beyond Ardeth's guess, but he wouldn't put it past her, "He's not my friend, but by all means, you two go at each other's throats. It'll save me the time."

Ardeth follows Sadie into the supposed loft that was once her home, keeping his eyes solely on Gustav until he's forced to look away to watch his step. The rest of Gustav's henchmen glare menacingly at the pair when they walk inside but otherwise say nothing. Instead, Gustav whistles from outside, and they all file out of the room like rats scurrying back into their hole. Ardeth and Sadie are left alone in the dismantled loft and the Medjai stands at the center of the room, taking in his surroundings while the woman goes around to gather the rest of her things.

There wasn't much left. Gustav and his men have just about picked the place clean. Ardeth could clearly see where a piece of furniture had once been judging by the shapes on the floor surrounded by undisturbed dust. Footprints appear in the dust as well, dirt and other outdoor substances also accompany it. Scattered across the floor were a couple of books, gothic novellas with the spines broken and barely together. The floorboards creaked as Sadie moved around, Ardeth's gaze occasionally following her until other things catch his eye, like the rotting front door or the water basin meant to be a bathtub flipped onto its side. All four walls were half-assed boarded up one way or another, peeling apart around holes that could only be ones done by fists and bullets. Ardeth looks down at his feet and realized he was standing on half of a shattered picture frame. He bends down to pick it up, pulls the photo from the wreckage, and stands back up to observe the contents of the picture.

In the photo stood a school-age girl and a smaller boy in front of the building he recognized to be the orphanage from earlier. The girl was slightly taller, her arm around the boy's shoulders, both of them looking to be of American descent and clothed in rags. Both children squint directly at the camera to the point Ardeth couldn't even see their eyes, the black and white photo shading most of the shadows likely formed from the sun overhead. The back of the photo had a year scribbled in the right-hand corner, indicating the picture was taken a little over ten years ago. 

Ardeth could easily deduce that the photo held the memory of a younger Sadie and her brother, Rick, but he still continued to inspect the simple picture as he spoke, "He called you Moore."

Sadie looked up from packing and noticed what he was looking at when he didn't elaborate. She crossed the room and snatched the photo out of his hands, the action drawing his eyes to lift and carefully watch her. The gaze made her uncomfortable so she turned to continue her packing, "Marion Moore. It's a pseudonym in case the wrong kind of trouble comes looking for me."

"As opposed to the right kind of trouble?"

She smiled to herself, "Usually I gain friends with the right kind. Friends in high places or stations in life. Friends who owe me favors."

He hummed in thought, "Was that pilot a friend of yours?"

"No. He was one of Rick's contacts," Sadie's smile vanished as she was forced to remember Beni, "Sometimes, we don't have the same friends." 

It takes her a few more minutes, but eventually, Sadie stood in front of Ardeth once she was done scavenging what was left of the place. He noted that everything Sadie considered of value was all able to fit in a small shoulder bag before turning and exiting through the rotted doorway with the woman in tow. They're met with Gustav and his men just hanging around outside, the leader brightening with an expression that made Ardeth feel unease as the conman addressed Sadie, 

"And when will we have the pleasure of your company again, Miss Moore?"

She sneered back in response, "Hopefully never... But you know how to contact me."

Gustav's grin is snake-like, the kind of smile a viper would make just before it would unhinge its jaw to lash out at its victim, "I always keep in touch with my favorite hires. I'll see you soon, my dear."

"Sure." She quickly dismissed, barely even looking at the slime of a man before crossing the street once more, and disappearing into the alleyway again. 

Ardeth follows in silence, but he knows she's still aware of him. They walk like that for some time before finding themselves back on the busy streets of the marketplace. For once, Sadie paused and looked around, unsure of herself. Ardeth stood beside her, also observing the hectic street as he asked.

"How did you travel back here?"

"Train." She answered simply.

"Do you know the way back to the station?"

"Yes, but I've already booked my next ride. I thought I could stay at my place for a few days to set some things right," Sadie looked back the way they came, snarling, "But it looks like I've been kicked to the curb until the return trip home."

Ardeth's eyes dart towards the desert peeking behind buildings off in the distance before speaking, "I have a campsite just on the outskirts of the city. You can stay there or find your own way before heading back to London."

He walks in the direction of the desert before he could see Sadie's reaction. Her voice was hesitant when responding, "That's kind of you."

He chuckled, albeit harshly as he spun back around, "Indeed. But it's also me being vigilant. I can't exactly let someone who was partially responsible for the resurrection of an ancient curse wander around just so they could wreak devastation again."

Her snarl returns, squinting much as her younger self did in that picture he found, "How noble of you."

Sadie slings her bag over her shoulder whilst walking up to the Medjai, pointing an accusing finger at him, "For the record, I'd like to point out that I was against Evy reading out loud from the Book of the Dead."

Ardeth refrains from responding less it provokes the pair to start arguing again. Instead, he quietly leads Sadie O'Connell out of the city, grabbing his camel where it was resting in the shade and leading it by the reins back to his campsite. Sadie walked cautiously behind him, occasionally looking back over her shoulder to make sure Cairo was still in sight. It wasn't a long walk. With his camel, Ardeth was able to reach the city within an hour from his campsite, so it wasn't a harrowing journey to go on foot. The pair and the camel make it to a small rock formation poking out of the sand, looming a little above their heads and providing a small cast of shelter from the unforgivable sun. The remnants of Ardeth's previous campfire still remained so the Medjai went around working on getting it started again, using some kindling from the travel bags he removed from the camel's back once they settled in for the evening. Sadie used some of her old clothes that she had gathered from the loft as a bedroll, spreading it over the sand as close to the new lively fire as she dared before sitting down cross-legged. As the day cooled and the sun lowered over the vast hills of sand, Ardeth worked on supper, roasting some various insects over the fire. 

He offers a portion to her but she declines, "I think I've had enough bugs to last me a lifetime."

Ardeth doesn't comment and instead lets her be while he eats his dinner. Sadie's stomach rolled at the idea of locusts and scarab beetles before she tried distracting herself from the nightmares, "You know, I've been wondering about your precious Medjai--"

"That's comforting." He voices flatly.

She rolls her eyes, "Har har. I wondered why, even though the Medjai are clearly not bothered by killing innocents for the sake of keeping Hamunaptra a secret, did you allow us to live? There are now four living people in this world outside of the Medjai who knows the location of possibly one of the most dangerous places in the whole world."

Ardeth's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed a bite of his meal before responding, "As I said before, you earned the respect of me and my people for saving the world all on your own. Even though you didn't have to, you still did it."

With the adrenaline of escaping Hamunaptra long out of her system, Sadie didn't appear convinced, studying him closely from across the fire, "And another thing, you allowed Rick to live when he first survived Hamunaptra."

"Yes, only because I thought the desert would kill him."

"Maybe it's a good thing it didn't then," when he looked up from the fire, eyebrows raised in question, she specified with a shrug, "Or else you would've found me sniffing around Hamunaptra looking for answers. Maybe I would've woken Imhotep up three years sooner."

"We wouldn't have let you."

"And you let us last time?" He shoots her a look and a laugh bubbles out of her.

~~~~~~~~~

The next morning, Ardeth and Sadie head back into town atop the camel. With Sadie's provisions lacking, they took to the market to stock up on supplies and food that wouldn't haunt the American's dreams. Ardeth endures Sadie's wandering, as long as she didn't disappear under his nose to start another apocalypse, he didn't care what she did or where she went. She wasn't a liar, as she recently stated, therefore the Medjai shouldn't have been surprised when Sadie spoke Arabic to a saleswoman on the street, selling her wares. Miss O'Connell's usual accent suggested she wasn't articulate, but she easily dropped her voice into a smooth Egyptian dialect that Ardeth hadn't seen her use before. Despite her appearance, she could have easily fooled him into believing she lived here hadn't she already done so. Sadie took a moment to look up while waiting for the saleswoman to properly wrap her food rations and caught Ardeth's eye. Judging by his expression, she came to the conclusion that he hadn't believed her sob story until now. She flashed him a smirk and then a wink, breaking his initial shock and earning a frown in response to her tease. 

Morning turned to afternoon and the temperature rose. Sadie suggested that if there's still work to be done at the museum then they should go there and stay cool. Ardeth nodded and let her lead the way. She found all the shortcuts she knew of, taking the man down a quiet street filled with homes instead of stores. A group of men passed them on the street and the initial looks Ardeth had gotten were not friendly. 

They mutter something under their breaths, low in Arabic. Something that sounded awfully close to 'sand snake'. Ardeth barely blinked in response to the insult, but nearly jumped when Sadie spun back around, nearly running into his chest before she side-stepped and called back to the group of men with an unfriendly finger flipped in their direction, "Kus emek!"

The men spun back to her, appalled by the curse and muttering among each other as if seeing Sadie for the first time. Ardeth also muttered under his breath in surprise, dark eyes widening while carefully watching the woman as if she had grown a second head. Sadie didn't pay him any mind while only glaring down the street at the men, eyebrows slowly rising in expectancy. The men looked as though they wanted to respond in kind-- but quickly rushed away with only growls and murmurs breathed amongst themselves, tails tucked between their legs. 

Ardeth watches them leave before glancing back down at the woman, "It's strange that you of all people would defend me. Why did you do that?"

Sadie huffed with amusement, her dark glare still evident even as her lips rose into a smirk, "That was my attempt at being nice and civil towards you. Besides, you shouldn't have to take insults like that."

"You insult me."

"And it's a pleasure to do so, especially since I've been able to get away with it so far without you pulling another knife on me."

She spins back around and continues walking while his nose scrunched up as if he had smelled something vile, "You lack self-respect and value of your life, Miss O'Connell."

Sadie laughed inharmoniously, "Just say 'reckless' and save your breath."

He shakes his head with disapproval but otherwise doesn't comment as he moves to follow her. They don't get any further down the road, however, when they heard shouts of disdain and anger from behind them. Both spinning their heads back around, they are met with the same group of men stomping toward them, all of their faces enraged and out for blood.

One spoke, this time in English, "That devil woman stole from us!"

"Guilty." Ardeth spun back to her at her confession, appalled. Sadie looked back at him with an equally unimpressed expression, "What? It's like you said. I may be a thief but at least I'm an honest one."

The men charged with various curses and shouts on their lips, expectedly driving Sadie to break into a run in the opposite direction. Ardeth doesn't hesitate further and sprints after her, away from the small angry mob. Sadie is fast when she positively knows she is being followed, turning this way and that to try and lose them; Ardeth included. But the Medjai is just as fast and determined to keep pace with her, grabbing her arm when he got close and forcing her into a small alleyway when they've gotten a considerable amount of distance from the mob.

The pair try to catch their breath, but Ardeth's irritants got the best of him, "I take it back. You don't just lack self-respect. You lack common sense! I do not have time to play these foolish games you insist on playing to get yourself killed!"

Sadie pants while glaring back up at him, "You wanna butt out? Then head to the museum and I'll meet you there, coward!"

"I am involved now because of you, woman! They are chasing the both of us!"

"Oh, please. They're just a bunch of salesmen," she rolled her eyes, her sarcasm dripping from her lips, "They're the least dangerous out of all the other innocent lives you've killed in the past."

The low blow strikes Ardeth coldly and he barely contradicts himself when he curses at her in Arabic. She doesn't react to the insult apart from looking nonaffected and disinterested, staring up at the tall man through her eyebrows, "I think you missed the part where I lived in Cairo most of my life, ghabiun."

Their argument is cut short when the shouts of men draw closer until they all turn a corner and join Ardeth and Sadie in the alley. The pair start sprinting again with the mob now hot on their tails, trying to shake them but not as lucky this time around. In the chaos, Sadie and Ardeth take a wrong turn and are horrified to see that they had been chased into a dead end, a large building taking foundation at the end of the alleyway and trapping them between it and the angry mob. 

Sadie tries catching her breath when turning around and sees the men stop to slowly pursue their prey once they realize she and Ardeth were trapped. She tried smiling through her exhaustion and worry, "Fellas. Listen, no hard feelings, yeah? What's say I just give you back your earnings and we can forget about this."

One of the men reveals a handheld sickle from beneath his robes, his death glare unwavering, "Thievery calls for the removal of hands, street rat."

She scrunched her nose up in disgust as the other men begin to draw various weapons, mainly farm tools, "Okay, that was uncalled for."

"There's no getting out of this without taking a few lives," Ardeth muttered low enough for only her to hear.

"Spoken like a bloodthirsty Medjai. It's hardly comforting." She snipes back.

"You can trust me."

She whips her head in his direction, affronted, "Did the man who tried to kill me in the past just tell me to trust him? Quit throwing around words when you don't know what they mean. Nothing personal, but, I don't trust you."

The small talk doesn't distract their pursuers in the slightest. Quick as vipers, they strike, rushing forward and manhandling both Sadie and Ardeth, overwhelming them with their numbers. A handful of the angry salesmen was needed to restrain Ardeth as he fought back against their hold, earning a punch or two to the gut and forcing him to bend forward in pain. Three men were needed to restrain Sadie, rendering her helpless when shoving her against the wall of the alley, knocking the wind out of her. The attackers even had the gall to laugh between exertion now that their prey had been captured. During her attempted and rather pointless struggle, one of the men completely blocks her windpipe by pressing his entire forearm firmly against her neck and Sadie begins to panic when she struggled to breathe.

Glancing over at her companion, Ardeth had stopped resisting and was waiting until Sadie was looking at him before keeping his eyes firmly on hers. It's the same look as before; the one he used when he confidently told her to trust him. The question is evident in his eyes. 'Trust me?'

She is hesitant for a split second but makes the fast decision to just give in and nod, unable to do much else except struggle to breathe. Ardeth doesn't hesitate after her approval, head-butting one of the men holding onto his arm. When the man lets go, Ardeth uses his free arm to draw his precious scimitar and throw it directly at Sadie. She flinched and closed her eyes, only opening them when the man choking her slumped dead at her feet. Without time to register what had happened, Sadie sprung into action, drawing the long sword from the corpse's back and driving it into the neck of one of the other men holding her down before anyone else could perceive what was happening. The last of the men restraining her finally unfroze, shaking from the initial shock before bringing his farm tool down to meet with Sadie's newly acquired sword. Sadie pushes back against him with the scimitar but with her free hand was able to draw one of her pistols, turning her head back toward Ardeth and shooting all but one of her rounds into the men holding him down. Using her last round, Sadie put a bullet into her last attacker's brain before stepping away and disengaging from the corpse now joining his brothers at her feet. The woman tosses the scimitar back to Ardeth and he easily catches it, slicing the down the remaining men until all who were left standing were the Medjai and the American woman.

Ardeth gasps for breath while looking around at the bodies slowly oozing blood onto the ground of the small alleyway before addressing his companion, "I thought you were against killing?"

"Didn't you kill first?" He whips around to glare at her, and she meets him with a deadly one of her own, "They weren't exactly innocent. They were going to harm us because I insulted their pride of all things. They gave me a reason to kill them. It was self-defense, so lighten up."

"Do you always call it self-defense where you're from?"

"I'm from here," Sadie emphasizes while pointing down to the ground at her feet like a pouting child, "And when you're a woman who lives on the streets, my version of 'self-defense' is the only thing that can keep you alive. There are other... unsavory methods, but not entirely something I'm interested in trying." 

She toes at one of the bodies with her foot, "Besides, it's not like you're against killing. You would have killed me back in Hamunaptra hadn't I disarmed you."

Ardeth quickly came to his own defense, "You didn't disarm me. Your brother did."

"Same difference. I had you on your toes, either way."

"You stole my scimitar." He deadpanned.

"Yeah," she looks off with a smile, fondly thinking of the distant memory, "I did, didn't I?"

~~~~~~~~~

After leaving an anonymous tip to the local authorities, Ardeth and Sadie quickly get out of dodge, retrieving their camel and escaping back to their campsite. Once they returned to the slab of rock, Sadie slid down from the camel, huffing dramatically to cut through the tension in the air, "Well, that was an exciting day."

Ardeth didn't reply. Instead, he took the liberty of freeing his camel from the heavy loads of the day's supply run, brooding over today's events. Eventually, as he started the fire again, he spoke low without ever meeting Sadie's gaze, "You did not have to steal from them."

She paused, watching his movements before shrugging despite the fact he couldn't see it, "I steal from everybody who gives me a reason to. They were giving us looks long before they insulted you, so my sticky fingers did the rest."

His eyes finally rise to meet her, and the glow of the fire reflecting off of them made them all the more intimidating, his voice accusatory, "What kind of a gun for hire are you? Unless you lied about that, too. You're always poor, yet you steal from others. You're clearly in debt with your employers, yet you give the money you owe them to orphanages."

The silence was excruciating, neither one of them daring to move, glaring at the other over the fire. Sadie's expression twisted and turned as if deciding on what emotion she should settle on, a wide range of conflicts and hesitance shrouding her vision. Eventually, she relents, her shoulders falling and she followed them, lowering herself onto the sand and sitting down, giving Ardeth the advantage of height. She kept his gaze until she couldn't, surrendering as she looked away, muttering softly,

"That wasn't money."

"No? What was it then?"

"It was just... a little bit of treasure."

The words bring Ardeth to freeze, momentarily forgetting his anger when he replayed that little bit of information. "... And where exactly did you get it?" When she doesn't initially reply, his tone reverts back to the stern, "O'Connell."

"When we left Hamunaptra, we noticed all the bags on our stolen camels were filled with gold and jewels. We all split it between ourselves."

Ardeth moves a step back from the fire, pinching the bridge of his nose as he prayed to Allah from under his breath. He felt as though he aged a decade with the weight of the nuisance that is the woman sitting down beside the fire in front of him. Eventually, he looked back up to glare at her, "Merchants, thieves, cons, guns for hire, and now grave robbers."

She finally looked up, not exactly in defense of herself as the words she forced out weren't entirely passionate, "That's low."

"It's the truth. How dare you steal from that holy resting place?"

Her eyes darken, a storm freshly brewing behind them, "I'm not entirely proud of it, but I don't regret giving it all away to people in need of it. It's not like Imhotep was going to need it."

"You mean to tell me that you gave your entire cut of the treasure to that orphanage?"

She scurried back up to her feet, kicking dust in her rapidity, meeting his gaze head-on and no longer surrendering to it, clearly offended by the accusation, "I am many things as you've listed, Ardeth Bay, but a liar is not one of them. That orphanage needed help. I grew up there and the conditions are not exactly ideal for raising children so forgive me if I thought a few dead pharaohs weren't going to miss a little bit of gold to help starving orphans! How dare you shame me for that! What kind of life do you live where you respect the dead over the living?"

He fights back with his words, a strong wall of strength and stubbornness, "You know nothing of the Medjai."

"Don't I? I've been chased down and nearly killed by them, I think I know enough. 'You know what I think about your Medjai?" She asked rhetorically, her sarcasm making another appearance, "I think you're all a bunch of hypocrites! You say that Imhotep did an unholy thing to defy the gods. As the high priest of Osiris, god of the underworld, Imhotep should have understood this. But refresh my memory a little bit here-- you can stop me when I'm wrong." He, in fact, could not, even if he wanted to, "But didn't Osiris himself rise from the dead, due to the love of Isis, his own beloved? As the loyal high priest of Osiris, should Imhotep be denied any less for the woman he loved? If I recall, Doctor Bey called Anck-Su-Namun a traitorous wench. It doesn't take a genius to know that the statement seemed a bit one-sided to a story such as hers. Imhotep did all the horrible things he did for love. Not for power. I think your precious curator left that part out of the story."

"All the same, he cursed the world for just one woman."

She scoffed, "I would curse the world if it meant keeping my loved ones close to me. I'd say let the world burn if it wants to part me from my family so badly. Have you ever loved anyone enough to do that?"

"No."

She squints, disgusted with how quick he was to answer, "Well... If you knew how to love, maybe you'd understand."

"You would risk billions of innocent lives across the world for your small family?"

"Screw the world," his eyes widen in surprise at her words, and she didn't dare stop, "The world has never been kind to me. It was only after I tried saving it that things started looking up. Besides, it's not like I was the person cursed to destroy the world as my punishment for love. What kind of idiot curses a guy to be reincarnated thousands of years later only to plague the entire world? Curses should be for the ones who deserve them, and I'm pretty sure Imhotep was enjoying himself."

Ardeth seemed to curl in on his emotions after that, something crumbling in defeat behind his eyes but not as though Sadie had noticed. She was on a roll, and gods be damned if she stopped now, "I mean, think about it, Ardeth-- I mean, really think about it. You're no better than me. You let people die to protect Hamunaptra's secrets. Do you really believe what you're doing is just and right--"

"I do not know, alright?!" His brief roar wasn't exactly loud, but it shocked Sadie out of her lecture regardless, the woman stepping back as if he had shocked her. The camp grows quiet again as Ardeth composed himself, inner demons making their nasty appearance behind his eyes as he tried looking anywhere but at the woman in front of him. His shoulders slouched as he pressed on, "Not anymore. But I see no other option. This is who I was raised to be."

The initial shock vanishes in replace of another scowl on Sadie's face, "Oh, please. Recent events suggest that you're nothing like the Medjai I've seen in action. They care for nothing. Not even innocent people. They've harmed children in the past. I've seen them do it."

Ardeth's conflicting thoughts stopped in their tracks, his eyes now focusing back onto Sadie with this newfound information on his mind, "What do you mean?"

She froze, shocked by her own words and nearly ready to pinch herself. She drew back quickly, looking as though she had said too much and now wished to run. Believing that he spooked a horse, Ardeth surrendered as Sadie previously did, slowly lowering himself to sit on the ground beside the campfire, patiently waiting. It was only fair to treat her with the same, small amount of respect she had given him before. The floor now hers, Sadie grasped her hands, nervously wringing them out, unable to decide whether or not to continue. She looked less of the fierce woman Ardeth had first met and now appeared to look like a frightened child, haunted by the monsters under her bed. He briefly remembers the photo of the little girl in front of that orphanage. What possible horrors had she seen that forced her onto the streets and brought her to a life of crime?

Sadie's mind was elsewhere far away. Coincidentally, her mind was back on that riverboat in the Nile, at the start of her journey to Hamunaptra with her brother and the Carnahans. When the boat was initially attacked, Sadie didn't care to find out by who. She intended to shoot first and ask questions later.

Then, after shooting at one from above, one of the many attackers dropped from one of the floors above where he was shooting down onto Sadie and died on the deck in front of her, causing her to trip and fall. Only then did she get a better look at them. She remembered the feeling of déjà vu, recognizing the face tattoos instantly despite never once thinking about them after so many years. It was like a treasure trove of horrible memories unlocked and flooded Sadie's senses.

Looking back at Ardeth with those same tattoos, she didn't feel that same fear or anger, despite the fact he had tried killing her in the past. It wasn't his fault for her past traumas. He didn't even look old enough to have been the Medjai she had met all those years ago. Finally, Sadie confessed,

"When I was a little girl stuck in that orphanage, a group of men in dark cloaks and tattoos on their faces cornered a boy even younger than me. They questioned him, saying a phrase I don't think I could remember even if I tried. But I remember the way the boy responded. He replied with a similar phrase instantly, without missing a beat, something about traveling West or something akin to that."

Had she been brave enough to look at him, she would have noticed a flash of recognition briefly pass over Ardeth's eyes, all the while keeping the rest of his expression neutral. She continued her story, further closing in on herself until she was drained of her initial fighting instinct, plopping down on her bedroll as exhaustion took over,

"The boy looked shocked as if the men somehow knew something they weren't supposed to. Then... I remember his screams. A young boy, only ten years old, screaming. It was the most horrific sound I ever heard," a phantom shiver ran up her spine before she continued, "The men left an hour later, the boy clutching his bleeding arm after they branded his wrist with a tattoo of his own. He cried for hours, even after the women bandaged him. I don't think he cried because he was in pain physically, but what those men said must have terrified him."

Ardeth tilted his head ever so slightly, "What makes you so sure?"

The question snapped her out of her initial stupor, eyes finally returning to the present and glaring at the Medjai from over the fire. The blaze helped in making her appear fierce and off-putting, "Because once the tattoo fully healed, the boy kept it hidden. He never wanted anyone to talk about it, let alone ask how he got it. What many other children thought was fascinating was like a curse to him. That's how the Medjai makes real people feel. Cursed."

That was the end of the conversation, Sadie closing up from talking completely and retiring to bed early, her back toward Ardeth and the fire. It left him alone to tend to the fire and to his thoughts. 

He could tell her what the incident she saw meant. He could tell her that the boy in the orphanage was marked as a Medjai, but a part of him believed that she wouldn't care. A part of him knew that it wasn't as though Sadie wouldn't understand, but it would be more like she wouldn't care. She wasn't entirely ignorant of the Medjai and their ways, she just believed that their teachings were old and outdated. Ardeth initially didn't believe that... but her way with words today; her passion and drive that pushed against everything he believed in made him falter, just for a moment. He could see from an outsider's perspective --Sadie's perspective-- how harmful and inhumane the Medjai's methods could be, and the fact that he had a moment of doubt frightened him. He had never once faltered in his teachings and beliefs. But spending one day in the life of someone who had initially been afraid of the Medjai because of her childhood turned Ardeth's entire world upside down, even if it was only for a split second.

~~~~~~~~~

The next morning, they sat around the small fire in silence. Sadie held a hot cup of tea with both her hands curled around it, staring into the flames, but otherwise said nothing. As the sun rose, Ardeth took note of her initial sunburns finally healing, peeling in some places but otherwise returning to normal. Besides the new color of her skin, she looked pale, with bags under her eyes and her hair unruly from tossing and turning all night. Guilt made its ugly appearance in Ardeth's gut. He shouldn't have brought up Sadie's past. If he were in her place, he'd lash out like a viper, too, desperate to bury the ghosts that still haunt him. 

He crosses his legs, leaning back from the fire and staring into it, "If you had control over the Medjai, what would you change?"

Her eyes squint in suspicion when she finally peered up at him, then glanced back down, "That's a stupid question."

"It's a curious one. I'm curious."

Sadie looked back up, only to be met with Ardeth's supposedly curious eyes. The new expression threw her off slightly, unsure of this man's new intentions, "... There are other ways of warding people away from cursed tombs and undead mummies."

"Tell me."

"Well... tampering. Yes, the old 'switcheroo' tactic," when he didn't appear to be understanding her meaning, she reiterates, "For example, say a treasure hunter found the Book of the Dead and intended on shipping it back to a museum where someone could accidentally recite the incantations and bring back Imhotep once again."

"Allah forbid."

The ghost of a smile graced her lips, "I wonder how many times you uttered that phrase before Evelyn Carnahan came around. A lot of good that did ya."

Ardeth's jaw tightened before a smile could form without his consent. Sadie didn't catch it, "Anyway. Yes, you could kill the treasure hunter, but why should you? He doesn't know about any curses, he just seeks knowledge. He's ignorant, yes, but innocent."

He raised his eyebrows, "Much like you and your friends."

"Exactly. Instead of killing him, you perform the old 'switcheroo' tactic. You replace the Book of the Dead with a replica, a very convincing replica with false incantations, and there it will be sent to a museum only to ever collect dust in a display case. No one is harmed, and no mummy returns. The real book is safe away in a vault full of other sacred items the Medjai protect at all times, guarded in your very own homes against the world."

He nods finally in understanding, "You suggest that instead of fighting or killing, the Medjai only tamper with archeological digs and explorations, stealing away cursed relics and replacing them with false ones for the explorers to find."

"Yes, exactly. Spy on those who wish to uncover the desert's most dangerous secrets. See if their life is worth being spared before tampering with their exploration. And..." she falters before slouching, sighing in defeat, "If they ever mean harm and only work in their self-interest, I suppose you may act as judge, jury, and executioner. But this way... no blood needs to be spilled. You don't have to kill to honor your oaths."

Ardeth wondered where this bit of wisdom came from. Perhaps he didn't have this woman figured out as he originally thought. Deep in thought, Ardeth only hesitates for a moment before nodding again, "I... will pass on these ideas to the elders. Anything else?"

"Yes," her voice is stern again, as is her face, "Stop carving tattoos onto unwilling children."

He winched but otherwise didn't protest. "Do you know whatever happened to that boy when he grew up?"

"... No."

"Perhaps he became a protector himself. A Medjai."

She tilts her head, "What makes you think that?"

"Because from what you told me, it sounds like those Medjai warriors from the orphanage had branded the boy with a Medjai tattoo. They often tattoo the children of other Medjai warriors."

"... But he was an orphan."

His expression appeared grim when he simply answered, "Parents do not need to die for a child to be left an orphan."

A small wave of understanding flows between the pair while Sadie nods in acknowledgment, "Is this wisdom coming from experience?"

"Not my own. But many men grow up and join our cause when they feel as though they have nowhere else to go. Perhaps your orphan boy did the same. There are twelve different tribes after all. He may be a part of one."

She shrugs while her mind wanders a little, the seriousness of the conversation slightly lifted when a gleam enters her eyes. Curiosity eats away at her until it's unbearable. "You said the children of Medjai warriors are often marked. I never saw children among your ranks when you attacked us. Do the Medjai have a base of operations?"

He huffs lightly, amused by her use of words, "We're not so much of military men as we are tribal. Most of our tribes are made of dozens of tents, campfires, and families. Our... 'base of operations', as you call it is just our homes. But the Medjai warriors do not stay home for long. The desert takes us where we need to be and we leave our families behind."

"And that's normal?"

"Yes. The Medjai are tasked with guarding Hamunaptra and other cursed secrets hiding under the sand. We only venture home every few months and sometimes years."

"Huh."

Ardeth's mouth twitched as his own curiosity gets the best of him, "What did you picture in your mind?"

"Honestly?" She shrinks in her shoulders, a little sheepish as she nervously smiles, "Well, you said you swear at manhood to guard Imhotep's resting place and Seti's treasure. I initially imagined that all of the Medjai warriors were eunuchs."

He surprises even himself as he laughs, unable to hold it in, "That would be impossible considering we are the descendants of Seti's original Medjai bodyguards."

"Well, I don't know, you guys could have changed the rules over the years!"

Ardeth reverts to laughing again, and so the morning tension had been lifted, eaten away by some level of understanding between the pair.  

~~~~~~~~~

They traveled back to the city not long after breakfast, returning to the task at hand and making their way to the museum-- from a different path than the day before. As they walked, Ardeth found himself indulging in small talk, "Do you like London?"

"A little," she indulges him, "It's cold more than it's hot, but all the ways to stay warm are nice and comforting. Staying warm is kind of easier than staying cool, so I guess I can't complain. The house is big and it's easy to get lost, but it's fun that way."

"So why come back?"

"I had to get out of the house. I could only handle Rick and Evy's puppy love for so long. They're engaged now, you know. I'm supposed to be back before the end of the year or else I'll miss the wedding."

"I see. You must congratulate them for me when you go back."

"Sure."

It was easy to hear the detachment in her voice, so he questioned her as the museum finally came into view, "Do you not approve of the engagement?"

Sadie sighed heavily, "Honestly, I think they're just speeding the wedding process up because of the baby. Evy's not even showing and besides the two of them, I'm the only one who knows-- and now you, I guess. If Jonathan found out, I might have to bury my brother."

Ardeth's eyebrows furrow, skeptical, "Mister Carnahan hardly seems threatening."

The mischievous smile finally reappeared on Sadie's face, "You've never kissed his sister before."

They both laugh, much to their inner surprise and delight, but it's a good change of pace compared to the gloom and doom of yesterday. They continue to laugh until they are both shushed by a passerby when they entered the museum, and even then, they both smile, mostly to themselves. 

Ardeth feels his entire body relax as he leads Sadie to the former curator's office, "Do you believe your brother truly cares for Miss Carnahan?"

"Yes," she confidently answers without hesitation, "I've never seen him look at anyone else like that. Why?"

"Then do not worry about the abrupt marriage and child. They've already been through the most horrible thing you could go through with your soulmate."

"And what's that?"

"The end of the world," he looks back at her from over his shoulder, smiling ever so slightly, "The rest of their lives together should be as simple as one could get."

The smile she bestows him is almost blinding, despite the clear hint of teasing in her eyes, "I was right before. You're not so bad when you're not trying to kill me."

He huffs, "I think we're past killing you, Miss O'Connell."

"Sadie."

He looks back, internally surprised. He tests the name on his tongue, "... Sadie."

"Hm." Her mouth twitches but fails to hold back the mocking grin, "Not sure that sounds right coming from you. We should go back to hating each other tomorrow."

~~~~~~~~~

But they didn't. In fact, by the time Sadie has her things packed up and Ardeth brings her to the train station the following day, there's something in the air that hangs heavy around them. It's peaceful, and to have two individuals who were at each other's throats only two days ago now have some sort of mutual understanding was astonishing. 

Sadie held her new suitcase in both hands as they both stood quietly on the platform, watching as her train slowly rolled into the station. She was grateful for her hands being occupied, otherwise, she would have nervously fiddled with them as she bashfully asked the question gnawing at the back of her mind, "Are you really going to take my suggestions to your people?"

Ardeth peered down at her, observing how unconvinced she looked before nodding sternly, back to his old brooding self, "Yes, and I will try to get them to see things differently. But after thinking one way for a long time, people will not easily be swayed into thinking another way."

She ponders this before nudging his arm, half teasing, "... Seems to me that you're easily swayed."

He stares down at her for an uncomfortable amount of time, unnerving Sadie before he found the right words to say, "Perhaps I was convinced. The person who convinced me should feel honored."

The air in her lungs quietly escaped her, storm-colored eyes widening up at him. Her mouth opens and closes dumbly for a moment, genuinely taken by surprise whilst Ardeth stares back, expression neutral, patiently waiting. Other train passengers move in and out of the full-stop locomotive, walking past the pair with some shuffling and mutters before Sadie shook herself out of her bewilderment. A small smile, unsure and hesitant, slightly curls for a moment on her lips, "I'm sure they are."

The train whistles in warning and Sadie regains her composure, nodding farewell to Ardeth and he responds in kind. She takes a step forward before quickly turning around while she still had her bravery, "Where can I write to you?"

Ardeth raised a single eyebrow, "Why?"

"Well," another fleeting smile, "I'll need advice on how to keep my brother and future sister-in-law out of trouble for starters. Wouldn't want them to bother you if they accidentally raise the undead again, now would we?"

An amused chuckle escapes his throat as he shakes his head. The Medjai glances back up and straightens his posture again, "You can address the letters to Doctor Bey and send them to the museum. Any postage under his name is set up to be sent to his next of kin, which I always intercept."

Sadie raised her own eyebrow of suspicion, "That sounds like a breach of privacy."

"It's not, simply because Doctor Bey had no next of kin. They won't be missing it."

He bows his head for a moment before leaning back up to his full height, flashing a genuine smile of his own, "Until we meet again." 

Just like last time. A man of his word. Sadie smiles back, nodding before finally turning back on her heel and stepping up onto the train, boarding without any regrets. She hands one of the conductors her ticket and spares a glance out the window, only to find that the Medjai she had left behind had disappeared within the steam of the train engine.