Disclaimer! (I realised I hadn't actually done one yet – oops!) I only own Effie, and a few random exhibit extras I've added in.
"So – to recap – literally everything in a certain radius comes to life because of it?" Effie asked Ahkmenrah the question an hour or two later, at the end of her short tour of the museum. They had ended up back in his tomb and were staring up at where the golden tablet was embedded into the wall, glowing faintly around the edges as it's magic took hold over the museum. Ahkmenrah nodded and Effie shook her head, overwhelmed and still slightly disbelieving.
"But how does it work?" She stressed impatiently for perhaps the twentieth time that night, and the young Pharaoh suppressed a smile at her anxiety. He had learnt from Larry over the last year that the ideas of magic and the occult were dismissed and deemed as superstition amongst the people of the new age, and so he understood Effie's doubt at the tablet's acclaimed magical properties. He knew she was searching for a logical and more believable answer to the Museum and it's strange happenings, but he really didn't have one to offer.
"I have told you," he began for perhaps the one hundredth time that night, noting the slight roll of Effie's eyes. "It was created by a highly appraised priest of my time, and given powers to improve my lifestyle, and thus elongate my reign. Obviously, the spell was more powerful and effective than ever expected."
"I know what you said, but it just doesn't make sense. There has to be a scientific explanation."
"Does there?"
"Yes!" Effie stressed curtly, narrowing her eyes up at the tablet as if it would give her a better insight to how it worked. "A very detailed and complicated explanation, albeit, but an explanation never-the-less."
Ahkmenrah said nothing, unsure of how to respond. He could see that Effie was set on her beliefs and her devotion to this science, and that he would be unable to say anything to get her to change her mind. He just hoped that she would end her presumption that if she grilled the young King to enough extent, he would somehow come up with a satisfying answer – he would never show it, but he had long before grown tired and rather weary of the enthusiastic young girl's endless questions. Towards the beginning of the tour, he had enjoyed teaching Effie about his tablet, his home, and the powers at work, encouraged by the awe struck and seemingly permanent eager expression set upon her pretty features. Of course, he also felt he owed it to her – it was his bodyguards that had almost had her hospitalized after all. However, after the first half of an hour, the Pharaoh had already begun to feel fatigued and exasperated, but the young girl didn't seem to ever want to just stop talking.
"I just don't understand." Effie began once again, and the Pharaoh almost moaned in frustration, searching for any excuse to pull himself away. At this rate, he would have the child badgering at his side until sunrise.
"Perhaps we should return to the lobby?" He tried desperately, taking Effie's arm and beginning to guide her gently backwards. She moved a few steps – unprepared – before stopping still and resisting.
"With all due respect, how will that answer my question?" She challenged politely, but there was a hint of frustration in her tone.
"Well… it will not, but would you not find it interesting to watch us and out actions? We normally play the game of soccer. You have heard of it?"
"Football." She mumbled, pouting slightly as she backed towards the exit. Ahkmenrah frowned, confused.
"Pardon?"
"It's called football, really. But in America it's soccer because they've called another sport football."
"I see…" Ahkmenrah murmured awkwardly, before falling silent. Effie stood before him, her eyes distant and downcast, her lips poised a little moodily. "Well, shall we go?" He urged after a moment, and Effie lifted a hand to her mouth to chew on a thumbnail.
"Mmm." She mumbled incoherently – shuffling her feet - and the young King frowned, not understanding.
"Pardon?"
"I don't know…"
"Do you, or do you not want to go to the lobby." He nearly burst, vexed, wanting the child to give him a straight reply for once. Effie looked up at him, surprised and a little bit hurt, and Ahkmenrah gave her an apologetic but strained smile. It had been a very long time since he had dealt with a young child quite like this one, and he knew he wasn't handling it well.
"I do but…" Effie trailed off, and the young prince cocked his head on one side, listening eagerly for the rest.
"I'malittlebitafraid." She said next, in a rush of breath that Ahkmenrah had to strain to make out.
"Afraid? Of what?"
"You know, the other exhibits… the dinosaur. Mainly the dinosaur."
"They will not hurt you." Ahkmenrah assured her with put on authority, leading her more firmly by the arm towards the exit of his tomb. "Larry will have spoken to them, no doubt, and they will be on their best behaviour. Rexy is not dangerous, anyhow."
"Really?" Effie frowned disbelievingly, raising her eyebrows. "He seemed dangerous earlier when he was, oh you know, trying to kill me."
"He was just trying to 'play', I assure you. He likes it when you make him run for his rib bone."
Effie snorted at his words, and shook her head, her expression slightly dazed and her dark brown eyes glazed over.
"Do you have any idea how strange this all sounds to me?"
"I can guess."
"A dinosaur that plays fetch with his own rib bone? Museum exhibits playing football for a pastime? Pinch me, I'm surely dreaming all of this." Effie sighed turning down the corridor leading towards the balcony overlooking the lobby. Ahkmenrah marched slightly ahead of her, his cloak swirling around his ankles, his gold sandals clacking loudly against the marble tiling. They soon became aware of noise in the museum – the cheering and general commotion surrounding a team sports game – and playing music that sounded suspiciously like Britney Spears' Toxic. Effie fought the urge to giggle. It was all just so ludicrous.
"Here we are." Ahkmenrah declared as the balcony came into view, with a rather frazzled looking Larry leaning and over it, gesturing wildly at whatever was below.
"Hey - Attila! What have I told you about terrorizing the miniatures? And Neanderthal guys – No more fire extinguishers!'
"Larry." The young king greeted him from behind, and the night guard jumped, clapping his hand over his heart.
"Oh, hey Ahk. You scared me." Larry's laughed, his friendly gaze shifting from the Pharaoh to the young girl now cowering behind him, observing the hubble below with a distinctly wide-eyed expression. Larry didn't blame her for feeling wary – the scene down in the lobby took a little getting used to. The Huns were charging through the crowds with those harsh and guttural moans that were supposedly and language, and the 'Civil War guys' were 're-enacting' historic battles for the entertainment of the Suffragette ladies, and Larry could just about make out Octavius and Jedediah whizzing over the polished floor in that beloved remote control car of theirs, swerving to avoid the streams of toilet paper being flung about by a band of Medieval Knights arrived only a few months before. Every so often, the cheerful cries from the soccer crowd would overshadow all other noise – which was really saying something what with the sheer volume of the music itself. Rexy the dinousaur was running his own rampage, his long skeletal tail wreaking more of havoc and creating more damages than Larry cared to think of. Let's just say he was more than pleased to be in Mr. McPhee's good books at that moment in time.
"Scared?" Larry joked awkwardly, addressing Effie directly, and she gave him a hard but still forced smile, her posture defensive, and her chin thrust outwards.
"Not at all." She lied, her gaze sliding away from his.
Larry cracked an inward smile, seeing straight through her, before turning back to face the Pharaoh.
"So, how's your night been? Effie had loadsa questions to ask?" He joked. Ahkmenrah winced, and gave Larry a private wide-eyed and desperate look, muttering under his breath so only the night guard could hear.
"You do not understand the meaning of 'lots of questions,' Larry."
The night guard chuckled, shaking his head before gazing back fondly over the crowds below.
"I am completely serious. She hasn't given me a moment to catch my breath. I never want to explain the properties of my tablet again."
"Go down and join in with the fun – I'll keep an eye on Effie for a while." Larry offered after a moment of deliberation, his loyalty as a friend to the likeable Pharaoh winning over the side of him that wished to stay on his own.
"Are you sure?" Ahkmenrah asked politely, his courtesy ruined only by the fact he was already backing rapidly towards the stairs, a distinctly relieved look set upon his stressed features. Larry nodded and the Pharaoh disappeared in a flash, leaving a begruntled looking Effie in his wake.
"I wasn't done asking him about the tablet." She complained primly, raking a hand through her ginger ponytail, before sighing and turning towards Larry. "No matter, I can ask you about it instead."
As Effie launched off into a tirade of unanswerable questions and queries, Larry blew out his lips subtly and leaned back against the balcony railing, already feeling overwhelmed by the mere presence of the knowledge hungry eleven year old. If Ahkmenrah had been frazzled after only an hour or two of Effie then the night guard was in for a long, long night.
Hello again! Sorry it has been longer than usual since my last update, but I've been on an outward bounds course and visiting family back in the UK.
I hope you all like this chapter – sorry that it's boring and short but it's more of a fill in than an actual chapter. I also wrote it on a long haul plane flight with a screaming baby infront of my, and a sea of spilled fruit loops on my lap, so please excuse any flaws.
Shoutouts :) (You know I look forward to them)
MamaLita: Thank you, thank you! For all of the compliments. You are too good to me. Yes, Jed will make appearances, I pinky promise :) I hope you enjoy this chapter too!
Pinkxjellybean: Thank you :) I just thought I'd add it in there for some reason.
Rumbleroar's-apprentice: Don't worry about it – ah it must be awful to be back at school. I've still got ten days… *smug* Thank you!
TTCyclone: Thank you! I'm glad you love it! Yes, Nick will receive a beat down, I assure you :) You're too kind to me also
Feel free to keep on reviewing! They make me smile :D
Rage