Ahkmenrah had regretted storming from the lobby as soon as he had done it. It had been unprofessional and childish – he should have chosen to instead remain and show that naïve little girl just how incorrect she had been. Unimportant! How that had stung. He knew his reign had been short lived, but there was nothing 'generic' about it. Why simply the fact that he had even survived until his second year had been an achievement in itself, what with his eldest brother's attempt at bringing about civil war. He shouldn't let it get to him so much, he thought, as he paced the ground in front of his sarcophagus, his jackal guards noting his displeasure and watching on anxiously. She was only a girl, and a young one at that, and despite the seemingly endless knowledge she held in that heart of hers he knew that she couldn't possibly know everything about him. Why, he didn't even remember most of it himself, so what could this so called 'internet' have on him three thousand odd years after his life? Nothing, he decided, coming to a halt. Absolutely nothing.
"Even so, I could always ask Larry." He murmured to himself, frowning, before starting off towards the exit to his tomb. One of his guards skipped hesitantly after him a little way, before he waved it back with a flick of his wrist an a commanding word. The corridors appeared deserted, Ahkmenrah noted to his relief – he didn't feel up to meeting anyone is his present state, much less bumping into that infuriating little Effie.
"Larry." He greeted the night guard, with a little more force than he had intended, when he eventually found him sweeping at some sand strewn across the floors in the African Mammals exhibit. Larry jumped and almost lost his footing as a result, the sand slippery between his sole-less shoes and the hard wood floor.
"Woah," he steadied himself, grinning at the Pharaoh, before letting the smile slip from his face as he noticed Ahkmenrah's less-than-happy expression. "Are you alright, Ahk?"
"Who am I?" The young King demanded as a reply, much to Larry's surprise, and the night guard hesitated for a moment, before answering.
"Uh… Ahkmenrah? Fourth King 'o the Fourth Kings?" He said it with a small smile, before letting it go when his friend didn't return it.
"How do you know?"
"How do I… Well, because that's what you told me. And Gus." He paused, frowning. "Is there something going on here, Ahk?"
"If I hadn't have told you who I was, Larry, and If Gus hadn't done so either, would you have known who I was?"
"Well there's a name plate by your coffin so- never mind." Larry cut his lame attempt at a joke short as the Pharaoh's expression took on an irritated setting. "Why do you want to know? You are Ahkmenrah, right? We haven't had your mummy mixed up all this time?"
"Just answer my question please, Larry." Ahkmenrah responded impatiently, looking slightly upset. "Although I can already hazard an answer. You had no idea who I was before you met me, did you?"
"Well…no." Larry admitted after a moment, before hastily trying to amend himself. "However, I wasn't the smartest kid at school, so don't blame me!"
"I'm not trying to blame you for anything, Larry. I'm merely trying to work out whether I actually have any significance."
"What?" Larry was taken aback. "Course you do! You help me keep this place in order! You're a good friend and suitable role model to my son! Of course you're significant, buddy!"
"I'm talking about outside of the Museum. How much significance do I have there?"
"Not so much anymore," Larry started hesitantly, taking a step towards his friend. "I mean, as far as the world is concerned you've been dead for a good three-thousand years. I'd hazard that you were hella significant in your own time though."
"Yes," Ahkmenrah replied after a moment. "Yes I was."
He sighed and visibly slouched, his eyes turning somewhat distant and forlorn, before he glanced around and moved towards the vacant lion display, perching on the wood-lined edge. Larry watched him for a few moments, before heading over and sitting down next to him.
"What's bothering you, Ahk?" He asked quietly, nudging him slightly with his elbow. "Talk to me. What's brought this all on?"
"Effie." Ahkmenrah sighed, before realising how silly it sounded to admit that a young girl was the centre of his troubles. He tried to amend it. "Her attitude, Larry. What she says to me. She says I'm not important, and that nobody knows me! It's not true – It can't be. I was a King, Larry!"
"That's what's got you so down? Something a little kid tells you?"
"Well, is that not a good enough reason to be upset?" Ahkmenrah snapped, springing to his feet and pacing defensively. Inside he winced at how childish he sounded – at least to Larry. To himself it seemed a perfectly reasonable reason to be offended.
"Well, I don't know. I was expecting something like, 'my tablet's running out of power,' or, 'I just had a really crap memory,' or something."
"Well that doesn't appear to be the case. She's infuriating, Larry. She told me I meant nothing! And even compared me to other… Kings, I think. How dare she?"
"How was she comparing you? I mean, what did she compare? Your reigns or…"
"How well we are remembered." Ahkmenrah told him, coming back over to where the night guard was sitting. "She compared me to a few… one of them beginning with a T? Tun… tut-"
"Tutankhamun?"
"Do you see!" Ahkmenrah exclaimed, whirling to face the startled Larry. "You were aware of his existence, but not my own. Why is that?"
"Well everyone kinda knows who Tutankhamun was…" Larry stumbled awkwardly, instantly regretting his words as his saw his Pharaoh friend visibly slump.
"But not me."
"Hey," Larry said after a moment, getting up resting a hand on his friends shoulder. "If it's any consolation, Tut's only really that famous for having a fully intact tomb when it was uncovered. Oh, and for having a bunch o' physical defects as a result of his parents being siblings – not to mention him sleeping with his own sister." Larry wasn't really sure how true his words were, but he remembered seeing something about Tutankhamun, incest, and retarded children in an article online. Ahkmenrah would never know otherwise either. Larry noted suddenly that the young King was looking at him a sheepish sidelong glance. "What?"
"I often engaged in intimate activities with one of my sister's also…"
"That's not the point, and I wouldn't want to know the details even if it was. What I'm trying to say, Ahk, is that even though you're remembered less, you're remembered for better things than Tutankhamun was."
"What sort of things?"
"Well, uh… well." Larry floundered for a moment, struggling to pull together even the tiniest details he had on his friend. After a moment, he gave up. "Well don't ask me that because I failed history as a kid. I couldn't even tell you a thing about the history of my own nation, that's how much I suck."
Ahkmenrah stared at him for a moment, perplexed, before tipping back his head and allowing a slight laugh. Larry let out a whoosh of breath and joined in, relieved, despite the fact that he was now the centre of his own joke.
"Besides," he said again after a moment, clapping the King on the back. "The most significant thing of all is that you're here. Now. Three thousand odd years after your death. Tut and the other's are just a bunch of raisins back in Egypt somewhere, and so can't hold a candle to you on that."
"What is a raisin?"
"It's kinda like a grape, but all dried out and wrinkly…"
"Oh, I see. And I suppose that is how I appear during the day?"
"Well…. Yeah." Larry admitted, turning red. "But you're still better! Maybe, less wrinkly… and…. Ginger…?"
"Thank you for trying." Ahkmenrah said with a smile.
"Effie?"
Up until the moment where her name had been called, Effie had deep in thought. She hadn't moved from her position in the lobby, jumping up into the desk chair aside, and had sat twiddling her thumbs and wondering whether to apologize to Ahkmenrah until the interruption. She whirled around quickly, the chair spinning as she did so, only to see the very King himself making his way towards her with the clack of his golden sandals. She read his expression warily, and was surprised to see no traces of his previous anger, instead replaced by what look like calm.
"Ahkmenrah, I-" She began, jumping to her feet, just as he repeated her name.
"Can I go first?" She asked him hesitantly, and he indicated that she should do just that. "Well," she started, taking a deep breath. "I just want to apologize, really. I shouldn't have said what I said, and I feel a bit horrid for it. You've been nothing but courteous – as you said – to me since my arrival, and I owed you more respect whether taking your title into account or not. I would very much like for you to accept my apology and for us to return to the friendly relationship we had. I understand if you do not, however…"
She trailed off as Ahkmenrah leaned back against the desk surface, perching opposite her and glancing up and over her head thoughtfully.
"Apology accepted, Effie, and I would be delighted to return to how things were. However, I would just like to let you now that I will no longer be in any way offended if and when my importance is questioned. Larry has spoken to me and put things into a little bit more of a perspective for me."
"Really, like how?" Effie asked curious, leaning forwards, and Ahkmenrah had to smile at how easily she could allow her inquisitive side to take over, despite all previous tensions.
"Oh, simply explaining how all that is important is that I am here now, whereas the others are not. I still live on – to an extent, whilst 'Tutankhamun' is a dried grape."
"A what?"
"You know, dry. Shrivelled. Dead."
"Oh right, like a raisin." She realised, before giggling. "You do realise that when you're not alive you're kind of…"
"Raisin-like?"
"Yes. Raisin-like."
"Have you seen me in my other form?"
"Yes!" Effie declared, swinging her legs and kicking against the chair wheels. "More than once. Do you know what you look like?"
"No, I don't."
"Would you like to?"
He hesitated.
"Well…"
"Have a think on it." Effie laughed, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear, pleased that the bad blood between the two of them had all but dissipated. "I'll get a picture off a friend for you tomorrow, if you make up your mind."
"You will come back tomorrow?"
"I'll try. I'll beg Larry and Nick to let me stay at their house for another night."
"Good," Ahkmenrah found himself nodding, strangely pleased that the little girl would return. He liked her, he realised – despite her annoying tendencies to insult - or he would in the future at least. She was… entertaining. Interesting. Different, but yet so familiar at the same time. He couldn't quite place the feeling...
"Should we hug to remove any left over bad vibes from today?" Effie asked him suddenly, and he re-focused, somewhat confused.
"What?"
"You know, 'embrace.' So I can properly say sorry and you can definitely forgive me."
"Well, I… I mean, is that not a little inappropriate?"
"I don't see why not," she replied frankly, shrugging her skinny shoulders. "You're allowed to hug people you get on with. I do it all the time. Well actually that's a lie, but I probably would do if I had any friends."
"I see…"
"If you're completely opposed to it then that's fine, and I'm sorry for asking," she backtracked, blushing - looking embarrassed. Ahkmenrah felt a little bit guilty watching her, and decided to simply accept. If he wanted to understand the customs of this time he may as well start as soon as possible.
"No, it is fine. I just haven't… 'hugged,' a person before, I don't think."
"It's easy!" Effie declared, jumping to her feet and embracing him quickly. "See? From a friend to a friend. People do it all the time."
"Friend to a friend," He repeated as she stepped back once more, and he smiled. "It is a nice gesture."
"It is! And there are many more. Don't worry; I'll give you a course in twenty-first century. You'll be like a local in no time! Wait, that's a good idea! I'll be sort of like a teacher! I love teaching people things!"
"I would be honoured for you to teach me."
"Excellent!" Effie clapped her hands excitedly, her eyes gleaming at the prospect of sharing her knowledge. "We'll start tomorrow, but for now I need to find Nick – I have his food, and he'll be hungry."
She pointed her finger towards her back before snatching it from where it lay sprawled across the desk, pulling the strap over her shoulder.
"See you later!" She declared, waving her hand, and skipping off to wherever it was she was heading, no doubt already constructing a 'twenty-first-century,' lesson plan in her head. Ahkmenrah watched after her for a while with a small, amused smile, before shaking his head and gathering his robes, and making his own way.
So hurray, they made up! And I made them hug. I like hugs. But was it strange for them to hug? Did it seem silly? Tell me if it did and I will kill it with fire! I was unsure about how it would seem… 0.0
THINGS WILL MOVE FASTER I PROMISE!
I am aware that this has draaaaaggggeeeedddddd on with a whole load of fuck all taking place in the space of 11 chapters – Pinkxjellybean you have completed three different stories in the time it has taken for me to do just this - but I have a PLAN in my head now – whereas I was just going with the flowing before – and so can get it started. YES. I just don't want to crash straight into things and RUIN the story. If any ruinage takes place, BEAT me with your words, kind reviewers, and I will do damage control.
REVIEW ME.
And read the shoutouts. I love doing them :) I don't know why. I am on crack.
Pinkxjellybean: Effie's past is a sad one :'(
TTCyclone: Effie will never learn, but people will just have to get used to her :) LOL Bears. I like bears. Except ones that kill you.
Thornedbudx: YES, I got it right :) This pleases me! I'm going to be constantly asking people if I got things right, or how things work in the US etc. simply because I have never ever been. And apparently Americans and English culture is very different. Well I suppose I know it is having watched television, but then how much of that is just a load of crap? Anyway, I'm drifting into a TV debate, which is bad. Thank you for the review :)
Tybs23: I like your reviews. They are nice and long. THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID – oh no shut up. Thank you for the information regarding schools – helps me very muchly. YOU UNDERSTAND EFFIE. That entitles you to a gold star. Or a biscuit. Or both, if you prefer. Maybe even a biscuit with gold stars on it, although that will not do, as it WILL NOT DIGEST.
LuvDanceGirl: They made up! I am all about customer satisfaction. Do you like dancing, by the way? And that is not me taking the piss, that is me asking a serious question as I quite like dancing too.
REVIEW ME AND I WILL FEEL LOVED.
P.S By the way, does anybody know what a Pixie Stick is?
Rage