Hamish carefully observed the new surroundings, his historian's heart rather hurt to see so many artifacts damaged. The black gem at the room's centre, though, seemed rather forboding—and the wizard did not doubt it was the source of all this.

"This seems rather tidy," the professor remarked, meaning the situation, rather than the room itself, "but perhaps too much so?"

After all, knowing the cause did not clarify how to stop it.

---

  

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— set by the long-lost bex —

Once everybody was across and into the new room, Eugene surveyed the damage warily. "I can see why She is pissed off." He cast a glace around the room again, including at his group mates. If people had done this or maybe She had, Eugene could easily see why somebody would be angry.

"I get the distinct idea we're not to touch anything, but what else do we do?" He couldn't see any other doors and thankfully the one behind them remained open, so that was still an option.

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The following 1 user Likes Eugene Scamander's post:1 user Likes Eugene Scamander's post
   Aldous Crouch

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It was a fair question and one Connie struggled to find an answer for. The little black stone was clearly of some significance but judging by the state of the rest of the room there was probably a reason why she felt so unsettled by the thing.

"Professor Darrow has a point," she said, glancing around the room in case they had missed something. "It seems a bit too obvious."

It might be the answer to all their questions, but on the other hand.,. "For all we know it'll bury us here with Her."

  

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MJ made me beautiful

"There doesn't seem to be another door," he pointed out. "So unless we plan to just turn around and head home, we'll have to touch something." Nevermind that he wasn't even sure if they could just leave, at this point; between the rubble the boulder had left behind when it crashed and how heartily the Casino doors had swung shut behind them, he wouldn't be at all surprised to find their way to the outside world barred to some degree. Not to mention that they'd all have to make it back across that rickety bridge in order to even attempt it.

After a brief pause to look around the room, Lou admitted speculatively, "This might be a rubbish idea... but do we think we're still in Irvingly? If we aren't, magic might work again," he suggested. "And perhaps putting something in order could help the situation, rather than hurt." At any rate, trying could do little harm, as far as he could tell. It wasn't as though a failed attempt at a repairo charm would leave anything here more disarrayed.

  

The rest of the group seemed to be weighing up the situation precisely the same as she: the despair at the room, the magnetism towards the small black gemstone at the heart of it, and a shroud of unease lingering about it all. She nodded emphatically at the young man's inclination not to touch anything - grateful at least that all those remaining of their group seemed to have enough common sense for that (she suspected she might indeed be the worst among them, for being a slave to impulse) - and, to stave off the temptation, picked her way cautiously about the rest of the room to see whether there were any more runes, or other signs amongst the debris, as to whether this was purely as simple as it looked or just another trap, and about how to solve this, how to counteract Her curse.

"Does anyone have anything we might use to wrap it in?" Carmelina mused, not entirely convinced by the idea, but inclining her head back towards the gemstone and yearning for a closer look at it nonetheless; though she was without a pair of gloves to hand, or much else to use but the hems of her dress, and thinking a man's jacket, or some such fabric, might be more convenient -

"Possibly; I wish I could say for sure." Carmelina piped up, at the potential that magic may work again, at idea that they had moved away from Irvingly in the midst of this. "But I daresay it's worth a try," she reasoned, wishing they had not reached a point in the day where she now felt fully out of her depth, and this supposedly her area of expertise - and added wryly - "a little magical assistance would hardly go amiss right now."

Whether they could or not, if the gemstone was the locus of the power - and the power of this kind of magic apt only to grow with age, and festering curses as volatile as they were potent - they would have still have to be careful about doing anything. Magic might make the gemstone's destruction easier (which may finish off Her malicious spirit, but was equally likely to release yet more adverse results); if this tomb was but an illusion, and the gem still out of place, then in Carmelina's mind the best move was returning the gemstone to its true resting place, if it could be located in the world beyond this casino, however risky the process might be rendered by transporting it. They had to do something about all this, that much was plain.

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They could weigh up their options till doomsday and still Connie doubted they would settle upon whether it was the right idea or not; and really, was it all that surprising? A simple mistake could be disastrous given what they were encountering, but doing nothing definitely meant that nothing would change. The thought of a life without magic filled Connie with more fear than any black gem could and, feeling decisive, she pulled out her wand, levelling it at the gemstone.

"There's only one way to find out," she said with more bolster than she felt, glancing towards the other woman for a brief moment. She offered her a small smile and attempted to levitate the gemstone off the ground.

  

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MJ made me beautiful

Constance Sykes Lupus Jameshill Carmelina Cramming Eugene Scamander Hamish Darrow

The gemstone levitates with Miss Sykes' efforts.

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The next 'prompt' post will be after either 48 hours have passed from the time of posting (4:25 PM EST on August 1) or after every member of the party has posted one time if this occurs before that deadline. Please remember that you must post within 72 hours to continue participating. :)

  

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Are your characters stuck in the smalltalk loop?
Does your imagination feel like it just can't perform as it used to?
Mid-thread crisis getting you down?
Unable to get that post up?
Is your relationship suffering because of your inability to satisfy your partner?
SUFFER NO MORE!
With a little intervention from The Suggestionizer your RP life could be back on track in no time!

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The coil of tension Connie had been holding onto as she waited for magic to work unfurled slowly as the gemstone rose and Merlin, it was wonderful to feel magic work again, even something so simple. She hadn't let herself think about how much she missed it but seeing it rise lifted her spirits and her nerve and Connie took a step towards the stone, bolstered by the success.

"Where do we think it's supposed to be, if not here?"

  

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MJ made me beautiful

Eugene hadn't been so happy to see a simple levitation charm work since the very first time he tried it all those years back at Hogwarts. He was much more useful with magic. "You think we're meant to put it back where it belongs?" Where the hell was that supposed to be?

Eugene started shuffling through the debris, checking the walls to see if there was a spot it would fit. Who knew, maybe it was the key to the next room? That was how these pyramid labyrinths worked right?

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As he watched the black gemstone levitate, Hamish felt every bit the thirsty man in the desert, eager to drink in magic once more. That would, though, need to wait, for they had a duty to finish the job now that they were so close.

"Miss Cramming, do you see any inscriptions that might help us?" Hamish asked.

---

  

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— set by the long-lost bex —

Carmelina beamed to see magic work again, and then shook her head to stop marvelling at that fact and get to answering the men's questions. As well she could, at any rate.

She peered about the room again. This looked well enough like the treasury of the tomb - especially given the way it had been ransacked, and that it didn't have any obvious sarcophagus - so perhaps the gem belonged in here after all. But where, particularly? She peered at the walls again, at a grand faded Eye of Horus etched into the stone. "Ah!" She exclaimed suddenly to herself, scrutinising the levitating gem with a more critical eye. "See the symbol of the eye, the wedjat? Often gems are incorporated into amulet forms of the All-Seeing Eye, and in tombs can often be the very protective seal that guards the buried into the afterlife." If whoever had pillaged the place originally had removed the gem intended to ward off all evil, well - that would explain Her anger.

"There may be something in this room that is decorated with the eye, and missing its gem -" Carmelina said rapidly, scanning the room; perhaps a piece of jewellery, or a decorated chest, or even etched onto the side of a funerary boat. If only this room weren't such a mess! "I don't suppose anyone sees something that may fit?"

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Normally Eugene would have only been half paying attention, but he felt like they were getting close and things were getting critical. He watched Miss Cramming out of the corner of his eye as he continued to scour through the wreckage of the room.

It was then that a hint of bright gold caught his eye. He pulled out his own wand and levitated it from the rubble, what appeared to be kind of goblet? A chalice? Were those things in Ancient Egypt? Was it part of something else? Eugene really didn't know how to describe it really, but it fit the description given to him. It already had gemstones in it, and the weird eye thing. It was quite opulent really, but there did to seem to be one missing. "This, maybe?" He levitated it toward Miss Cramming carefully so as not to touch anybody with it.

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A nod from Miss Cramming was all Connie needed as confirmation that they were on the right track: she trusted in the other woman’s expertise far more than she trusted her nerves but she was relying on both of them as she levitated the stone towards the chalice. They did look like they fitted together, and there was a curious sense of rightness as the stone clicked into place.

  

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MJ made me beautiful

August 1st, 1888

Constance Sykes Lupus Jameshill Carmelina Cramming Eugene Scamander Hamish Darrow

They click into place and the building quakes. The limestone torch-lit walls of the pyramid fade into the wallpapered walls of the casino manager's office. On the ground lies the stone set into the chalice. On his desk lies an open box full of artifacts.

Outside the window, the fog is vanishing.

Ministry officials in MA&C robes are running towards the building. Excitement is palpable.

When they are brought into the Ministry for their statements, Group B will discover that nearly a month has passed since they entered the building.

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The next 'prompt' post will be NEVER GOD BLESS US EVERY ONE GO HOME, SEE YOUR FAMILIES

The following 3 users Like The Suggestionizer's post:3 users Like The Suggestionizer's post
   Aldous Crouch, Elladora Black, Lupus Jameshill

---

Are your characters stuck in the smalltalk loop?
Does your imagination feel like it just can't perform as it used to?
Mid-thread crisis getting you down?
Unable to get that post up?
Is your relationship suffering because of your inability to satisfy your partner?
SUFFER NO MORE!
With a little intervention from The Suggestionizer your RP life could be back on track in no time!

--> Click here for more details <--

Known side-effects include: chronic ridiculousness, immense satisfaction, itching, uncontrollable laughter, burning, deep regret, despair, shock, horror, incidental dismemberment, joy, and death. Use at your own risk!