So I am very tempted to write a section about the Crusades- in this story, that is (and after Larry's first week as a night guard passes). Any ideas as to how I should try and approach this for this universe? (...and I am going to reference how much an epic fail the Fourth Crusade is (and it is too ridiculous to ignore it. That's an obvious no brainer.)
Also, keep highly in mind about how stupidly inaccurate I could be about how cavemen handled fire. There's also some WWII slang (again, how accurate they are are left up to question). Another boring history snippet from Larry's AP World History class-
That, and there's a very important spoiler about the Tablet.
Aside that- enjoy!
Chapter 7: The Second Night (Larry's Attempt to Control the Chaos) Part 2
"There are various evidences," Larry presents a part of the powerpoint slideshow for his students to observe as he presents various caves with drawings in it, "That show how similar the Neanderthals are to humans- you can say they are our closest human relatives since they lived in Eurasia around 200,000 to 30,000 years ago. While they are- as we have learned from previous days before- hunters and gatherers, these people are mostly carnivorous and both males and females did hunt and help each other with resources while getting themselves into close contact with the animals they hunted. The most notable examples of that being bison, rhinos, and like we have all thought, mammoths and various other animals we've accustomed ourselves to place them with."
Next slide, "They are also really good at their craft- making various weapons from stone, bones, and other materials they can utilize for survival- this is still in the Stone Age, by the way. They've also were capable of creating shelters, boats, and sometimes use nature to its advantage- something that some others have begun yet possibly couldn't finish or begin due to the weather and survivalbility."
The next slide, "Their skulls- you all should recognize this- were distinctive and have some difference between what we've learned from the earliest humans-" The next slide shows another images next to the Neandrathal skull, "And our human skull today. The Neanderthals have a stronger build- they were more robust. But looking at the previous skulls from history, we can see that the cranium in the Neandrathal skull is getting smaller, along with the entire skull. That, in turn, makes the body a bit shorter, wider, and maybe a bit larger.
"It's mentioned that they have a a more carnivosous diet- possible due to the strength they had along with their eye sight- along with the technology that's available to them...back then. But they also lacked the knowledge to hunt- but they were still able to gather plants and various other vegetables. Also, keep this in mind- they began to cook their food a bit more in order that will make it paltable- since they can't eat meat raw unless they had relaly strong stomachs-" That causes some of his students grimace at the thought of eating raw meat.
"And then- the one thing we still debate about when mankind became to be: fire," He presents an image of the fire and the sterotypical imagery for the invention of the fire, "Okay, there are disputed evidences regarding fire and the actual discovery," Larry continues before presenting an image of Prometheus, "How many of you recall the Greek legend on how fire was discovered?"
Most of the class raise their hands.
"For those of you who might not know or could've learned a different story or myth how fire was created, Promethus was supposedly one of the first humans who stole fire from Zeus, whom in turn punished him by chaining him to the rocks and the vultures feed off of his liver day after day until Hercules freed him." Larry can't help but feel slight sympathy to those who cringe hearing that tale, "Yeah, I know. Goes to show you how interesting and twisted Greek mythology really is."
"Kind of like their plays?" One of the students grumbles.
"...eh, it depends, although I am not keen on another debate with your world literature teacher- is Ms. Winters? ...or Miss Anderson?"
"It's Anderson," The student responds before seeing his teacher cringe.
"Oh... okay, again, I am not looking forward to another debate about which playwright is better or worse in Greek literature." Larry shudders- he knew how irate that young lady was when it came to literature- her subject of interest, "Although for the future, do let her know that despite what she says, Euripdes has a much more relevant gateway to the tragedies and was more sympathetic than- okay, I'm stopping that rant."
His students let out some laughter- having those two teachers in the room was just fueling for fire; they know how young Larry is along with Myrna Anderson- a teacher around his age. They were also not the friendliest of teachers to be around with.
"But going back to the discovery of fire- or to put it better, how people manage to contol the usage for it over time-" He clicks to the next slide with some notes in it, seeing the students writing the notes down, "There are evidences of fire started in caves- which does indicate that the Neanderthals might've used the cave for not just shelter because there was for heat usage. They were also using it to cook their food, which also gives a contribution to a change in their diets- allowing them to eat foods that were once indigestable. But, in turn for that, this has actually increased our brain size, shorter digestive tracts, and smaller teeth and jaws.
"It also changed out behavior- it allowed them to do anything after sunset. It also helps out against predators and various animals that could possibly harm them from the bright light and smoke from the materials used. There are some evidences of fire from wood ashes in caves in Africa, Asia, and Europe along with the remains of the materials used. There were hearths in the caves and the stuff they burned... were pretty minimal. Keep in mind, if you all have a fireplace, thank yourself for having some wood because some of the cavemen were forced to use bones as their firewood."
He can't help but give a small chuckle, seeing that his students were perking from their previous classes and actually taking notes to make sure they are listening- it was the first few weeks of AP World, after all. They will need all the knowledge they need to get through the rest of the class.
"So, contrary to lots of beliefs about the Neanderthals, they were actually more sophisticated than that. They might have an idea as to how to use fire, how to take it out, and perhaps know how to control it since its evident they use the fire for heat, light, and cooking devices. Any more questions?"
Larry checks back on the cavemen exhibit again (just to be sure) and make sure nothing was burning- well, aside the slightly charred smell from the burning wood.
To his relief, he sees the cavemen talking (in grunts) and telling stories around the fire instead of panicking and being able to run rampant through the museum in a more chaotic term.
That, they were managing to control the fire just fine (despite contrary belief, they were able to find ways to do so).
Good.
Larry can't help but let a relieved sigh escape him as he approaches the Egyptian room- "Hey, I'm back like I said."
Once he made his presence known... he immediately panic at the moment the Anubis guards tried to stab him only for him to explain that he wasn't doing anything bad (and seriously failing at it) before he hears a sharp command from the pharaoh.
"I know," Ahkmenrah nods with a relieved smile before the spears withdraw, allowing Larry to walk in before placing their spears in a pseudo-block to prevent anyone else from coming in the room, "I was waiting."
His bandages were still on him, which makes Larry frown as he slowly walks up the king, "I just realized- you still have these wrapped on you."
"My bandages?" The pharaoh lets out a heavy sigh, "I do not see the point of taking them off every night when I have to place it back on."
"...well, I'm coming in to see you, aren't I? Shouldn't there be some point where you're getting sick of wearing those on?"
"...no?" (In all honesty, Ahkmenrah can't stand the bandages on him. But as a former ruler and one who has the ability to rule the Tablet (or even use it- which, by the way, was still hidden in the sarcophagus and that note- he got it earlier), the pharaoh still has to put up a brave front to deal with it-)
"Still-" Larry frowns, "You should take it off. It's not a good thing to keep yourself wrapped all night, you know? Here- lemme help you take some of it off at least."
He doesn't see the pharaoh slightly freeze as Larry gently takes his bandaged right arm before finding the end part and begins to unwrap it, "I mean- I know it's supposedly good for the display, but it's not that good for an actual person to wear. And besides, I thought it suffocates the skin."
He unravels a few feet of the bandages (practice from Nick's injuries and sometimes his own) and manages to wrap the brown fabric (gently as to make sure they don't fall apart in his hands) before allowing it to gently fall on the ground before seeing part of his unraveled body, "Whew! So far, so good- you're not protesting?"
Ahkmenrah slowly nods, "I don't see the point now that you've begun the process of taking out my bandages. But you can continue... if you want." He smiles when he sees the other man grin before working on the other hand.
What the pharaoh is grateful for is the darkly dimmed room since he can feel his face growing red- he can't help but realize how careful Larry is with his unwrapping process... and how much Larry's hands are slightly shaking (he felt it earlier when he feels the man brush his fingers to make sure there weren't any marks left from the tightly wound fabric- wait, they were also a bit cold).
It would be bad when he said that he's been craving for human touches (it's normal for any human to feel that) for a long time- the other man can't help but realize... how gentle Larry's hands felt (despite indications of cuts and some callouses) as if he's dealing with someone pretty valuable.
"There," Larry can't help but smile in relief as he begins wrapping back the bandages that were from the pharaoh's left arm before pausing, seeing that he has more left at the neck, chest, torso, and legs, "...ah, well-"
The pharaoh smirks, knowing pretty well why the teacher is hesitant, "I'll go ahead and take care of the rest- you can just wait, if you want."
"A-Ah, right," Larry shakily nods before making his way over to the area where the sarcophagus is there with the stone slab on top. Then he glances up at the Tablet before giving a slight smile, recalling the trouble that he's had to deal with earlier for replacing it with the duplicate.
But- when he actually approached Ahkmenrah earlier- all he can say instead was about how the guy's still in the linens instead of him asking if he got his note?
What the heck's wrong with him? And why is his face turning red from the thought of seeing the pharaoh in his actual clothing than wrapped in the linens?
Damn. If only Larry can just calm down.
It doesn't take long for Ahkmenrah to finish unraveling himself from the bandages, his regal clothing in full (sans headgear) before joining Larry, who was way too deep into his own thoughts as he was thinking about something-
"Hey."
Larry lets out a small yelp, turning around to see Ahkmenrah chuckling, "You get surprised easily."
"Well," Larry heaves as he tries to calm himself down from his surprise, "How do you do... that!? It's like you're an Egyptian ninja or something! Which seriously doesn't exist... sorry, rambling again," The teacher lets out a shaky grin.
The pharaoh just blinks in confusion before letting out a small chuckle, taking his place on the ledge by sitting down on it, "Come- I can imagine your night is going well so far."
"...you can hear it going well?" Larry asks in slight confusion.
Ahkmenrah gestures to his guards, who still don't move, "They let me know what's going on. It seems as if you've been creative in whatever you did to calm some of the museum down."
The teacher blushes lightly before giving a small laugh without of stress, "So- what have you learned from your guards?"
"That you've found a way to get that Tyrannosaurus Rex occupied without your constant presence, you've tried to open the exhibit for those two explorers and Shoshone, you've recruited a couple more exhibits to try and subdue most of the chaotic parts. You've also-" He glances down at the belt with the new attachments, "-found a way to get past that blasted creature Dexter and past the lions without much trouble."
Larry is shocked, but he allows the pharaoh to continue, "That you've also eluded the Huns- they do have a reason for their behavior, you know."
"Still," Larry groans, "This is... Attila the Hun. Argh, what the heck did I do just to anger him?"
Ahkmenrah lets out a sympathetic smile as he gently pats the teacher on the back, "If you want, I can help you deal with them."
"...how though?"
"Just- I have my methods," The pharaoh glances to Larry, whose face is a bit pink (that hand is still there at his back, "You've managed to converse with the president- Theodore Roosevelt for quite a bit..." He trails off before letting out a terse sigh, "...forgive me. It's just that he was one of the few who-"
Larry knows what Ahkmenrah was going to say, so he just settles for, "He's a stubborn guy- I can talk to him about meeting you... that is, if you are comfortable with it."
The Egyptian stiffens before letting out a soft sigh, "I... I suppose. But not now." He feels a hand gently brush up against his, causing him to look at him in surprise. Larry isn't looking at him, but at the ceiling.
"I know. Let me know," He then gives a reassuring smile, "And maybe I'll help you get to know the others better. I'll help- it's just maybe they'll be different than what I have learned- and taught."
Ahkmenrah gives a small smile, "It also seems as if you've also been occupied trying to make sure those two- Jedediah and Octavius- was it?" He chuckles as he sees Larry's face morph from reassurance to annoyance, "I take it things went well over there."
"If I had to recruit the entire World War II exhibit to make sure they all remain still for the night, then what does this say about me?" Larry groans, "I think those two have more issues than I might've realized."
"It could be their way to pass time," Ahkmenrah responds, "The Roman was there first, from what I understand. Then the Western and the Mayans- their entrance must have sparked a territorial war."
"...maybe- wait, you knew about that?"
Ahkmenrah responds with an amused chuckle that accompanies with a knowing smirk that makes Larry wonder just how much do these stone guards know!?
"...how the hell is this comforting?" The teacher groans out loud, "You seem to know more about this museum than I do! Not to mention... well, it seems as if you knew what I'm talking about from the terminology for the history."
"I have learned some parts when I was in Cambridge-" The pharaoh then pauses before a look of slight dissonance flits his face, "-though to be honest, I have lived through the more tumultuous parts when I've seen changes in the place I used to call home."
Larry was about to ask when he pauses, recalling that Egypt has been the target of some (if not most) conquests, imperialism, and some other civil wars that have torn apart in Africa. Then he sighs, a gloom thought in his mind, "Gah. Well- most nations have been taken apart or formed or... let's just say many things weren't kind to most of the empires back then."
"The imperialism of the nation I was presented at," Ahkmenrah bitterly murmurs, "...on the side in which I have benefitted from coming to life every night, at least it makes me understand the English language and learned what has happened to the rest of the world."
The teacher can't say anything, but feel really sorry for the Egyptian. His kingdom fell apart at the hands of the Romans and they've been a subject for many resources, war, and other reasons that were political or more ridiculous reasons.
"I've been trapped in the sarcophagus for a long time," Ahkmenrah quietly comments before glancing at the teacher, "The guards were more than generous to let me know about the current events when I have not known about what happens on the outside- they've also aided me in guarding the Tablet from those who dare rob it. It's just..." He closes his eyes, feeling frustration seeping inside him, "...it's unusual- feeling all of the differences in time."
He looks up, his eyes slighty surprised as Larry gently loops his arm around the pharaoh's shoulders before giving him a light side hug (except the fact that the teacher wasn't facing him and his face is slightly red, even though his expression is that of worry and sympathetic, which had this been someone else, Ahkmenrah would've brushed it off. But from Larry, it seems- different).
Larry lets out a sigh, comforting the poor guy, "...at least you're out now." Then he lets out a small chuckle, "I am not going to let you back in there- I'm not that stupid."
"But your curator..."
"Oh, Nanny McPhee? I think he could care less about it- I asked if there were any pins that can fit through that glass case. He gave me the ones they all have-" Those were stashed in his bag, "-buuuuuuut I don't plan to use them except for using them as substitutes for someone at my home."
"So-" Ahkmenrah was shocked before he glances at the glasspin, "The ones in there- what happened to the pins?"
Larry places his hand in his pocket before he presents the pins that he's taken out from the first day. He places them on the ground near his foot before breaking the fragile rusty pins. That makes Ahkmenrah glance at the teacher before seeing Larry give a heave of relief.
"Those things have been poking at me for a while," Larry responds, "And they were rusting."
The pharaoh lets out a small smile, at last glad that he can freely move out from the sarcophagus-
-though the stone slab will have to come into question later on.
It turned out that Larry really was more comfortable talking to the pharaoh about history and teaching- it was in his line of expertise, after all. In a way, it got the pharaoh to open up about what he has learned while he was at Cambridge (in either Larry confirmed or disproved what the time he's living today have found and learned in his studies, which makes Ahkmenrah fascinated as to what other knowledge vats Larry knew about and studied).
But he asks about the Tablet, that's when Larry takes the one down and presents it to the pharaoh and explains to him about creating a duplicate.
This doesn't cross through the pharaoh as easily as Larry thought.
"Why did you make a Tablet duplicate?" Ahkmenrah asks in slight confusion, running his fingers through the obvious fake Tablet, "Isn't the one I have good enough to handle?"
"Trust me," Larry thins his lips, "There are some robberies in museum that aren't just limited to robbing paintings. I thought that maybe having this one replace the actual one can help- you know? For protection purpose."
Ahkmenrah was about to say something when he sees Larry fish out the real one from the slightly open sarcophagus (the one wrapped in a very dark cloth, that is) before presenting it to the pharaoh, "One of my students had to make it for me since... well, my artistic license is pretty limited and I didn't know what materials were sturdy enough to make the duplicate resemble the real Tablet. But-" He turns the fake one over to the other side, "Can you see anything that can be different than the one you know?"
"Aside the slight grainy texture," The pharaoh spots the lightly painted sentence before chuckling, "...ah, it's cleverly hidden. Your students did a good job duplicating this- despite there are some adjustments that could've been done so it would be more indistinguishable from the real one. But just one would be good enough." He gently takes the real one as he hands Larry the fake one back before studying it.
"But what point is there for the duplicate to be there?" Larry asks, arching an eyebrow, "I think it's necessary- who knows how many people want the Tablet?"
Ahkmenrah was about to say something in protest to that when he sees the validity in Larry's plan- there have been stories about how tomb robbers go to the tombs of the rulers before him, after him, and looting was common in his country. (For him, though, whoever dared trespassed his temple were met with a horrendous end from the hands of the stone guards.)
"...huh," Ahkmenrah murmurs before handing back the fake Tablet to Larry before he nods, "I... see. Though how much of the Tablet have you... studied?"
"Not much, but now that I'm here-" Larry then pauses, "Just wondering. Do you know anything about the guards who were here before?"
"Except for the fact that they were the ones who spread that story about a curse that would be released upon my freedom?" Ahkmenrah chuckles in amusement at Larry's slight exasperation, "...I'm merely joking. But that is all that I know about them- they have been guarding the museum for a while. Is there a reason why you are asking about this?"
The teacher pauses before chewwing on his bottom lip in thought, "I... see. No, just wondering, that's all."
He doesn't see Ahkmenrah's eyes flash in question over the teacher's inquiry, but chose not to ask about it.
Instead the teacher glances at the Egyptian, inquiry still on his face.
"Just... one thing I want to know," Larry quietly asks-
Then suddenly he hears a loud scream, which forces Larry to stop his track of thought as panic immediately settles in.
"Shit." He curses to himself before quickly scrambling up, "I don't think that sounds good." Then he turns to the sarcophagus before wincing, "Sorry. I have to go- something's up and I don't think it's a good thing."
Ahkmenrah's eyes glance over at him in concern, "...please be careful."
"I'll try," Larry grimaces, "Hopefully, it's not the Huns."
The teacher runs out of the room, this time the bad feeling in his mind is growing by the seconds as he runs out to see what the heck just happened.
Ahkmenrah narrows his eyes, hearing more noises before grimacing, looking back up at the Anubis guards, "...find out what's going on."
The statue guards stonily nods, being the eyes for the pharaoh while he just listens. Closing his eyes before glancing back down at the real Tablet, he runs his fingers through the gold, which feels cold in his touch.
He knows what to do if he decides to finally harness the power of the Tablet- his father and mother taught him the spells to the Tablet prior to him being pharaoh. The priests were more than capable to help him knowing the hidden power, to tap into its full potential if so absolutely necessary. Even they said the God Khonsu should be able to aid them- he still recalls the conditions to the Tablet his father and the head priests have told him when he recieved the powerful item-
-that is, when his older brother wasn't there. He was in exile at the time- his father made him when there was an assassination attempt (from his brother) gone wrong and targeted his father instead.
Now there was a chance that Kahmunrah has known about the Tablet- though his mother did place in something similar to what Larry did: creating a fake one for his brother to handle while Ahkmenrah guards the real one.
It's no wonder Larry's able to help me for this, Ahkmenrah's eyes narrow as he spies the dark cloth where it was wrapped in. Then he looks outside, still standing before a testy sigh escapes him.
He purposely leaves out how much he's been tempted to venture outside- how glorious the world must feel now as opposed to the wars and harsh sand that can scratch one's skin from the winds. But the fear of any opinion about him cements him here-
-though Larry seems to treat him differently. His opinion of the pharaoh isn't that of negative or criticizing him. Rather, he's the first one to talk to the pharaoh and didn't fear him or judge him (though he was still taken with surprise that he was the pharaoh). (Strangely) it comforts the former ruler to think someone will think humbly of him as another person. And yet, he's noticed about how much risk Larry puts himself in... without thinking about his safety, his life in the process.
That will be something Ahkmenrah will have to address the teacher (one day, that is).
He's not sure when the rumors will die down- or how long it will take before the exhibit will see him for the pharaoh instead of a scourge of the museum.
But when that day comes-
"I'm going to get you out of there," Larry pauses, "And I'll show them that you're not cursing them or... anything to them."
Ahkmenrah looks back at the entrance to the door, tightly clutching onto the Tablet.
...be careful, Larry, The pharaoh closes his eyes, wanting to help out if only he can be free from his fears, Otherwise, I don't know how much I can do in the current state I am in.
Larry knew where that screaming came from- the Neanderthal exhibit.
And obviously from the slight burning smell, it really doesn't bode well- at all.
Which is why he's dashing over like a madman as soon as he sees one of the caveman screaming in scorching pain, fires licking over his fur clothing as his fellow men try to take it out by their hands.
"Shit," Larry pales before grabbing the fire hydrant, "Move!" He yells at the other three, who manage to grunt before moving out of the way just in time for Larry to activate the hydrant and spray it all over the burning caveman. It wasn't unitl he sees all traces of the flames gone from the Neanderthal's clothing that he notices that the fire is still going-
-his patience finally boiling to seething fury, Larry grabs the emergency bucket of water and flat-out dumps the campfire before hearing a small spark of something electronically dying-
-oh yeah. The mini-fire starter.
Well. At least nobody's going to use it anymore since it's soaked in water.
"...whew," Larry quietly mutters in relief-
-before glaring at the four cavemen, who look like they were guilty of... something.
"What... happened?" He asks slowly, "That caused one of your men to be set of fire?"
One of the braver ones manage to gesture out what happened and from this is what Larry understood: while they were in the middle of telling a story of some sort, one of the cavemen wants to eat a meat dinner he has in his knapsack (again, one for the Neandrathals), but he had more difficulty reaching to grab a stick that was really close (and by that, it was near the fire). Then he was reaching it when a lick of the fire catches his fur clothing-
-and hence the setting on fire dilemma.
Larry doesn't look a single bit happy about it.
"Gah! You see-" He fumes, glaring at the other cavemen in anger, "THIS is why I didn't want to bring FIRE in here! I knew something like this was going to happen- but no, you just had ASK for it!"
The cavemen ceases all forms of panic as they glance at the teacher- in a mix of fright and now- regret and understanding. The one caveman that's covered in the foam, on the other hand, just looks a bit miffed.
"...sorry," Larry quietly sighs, exhaustively placing the empty bucket before placing his hand over his forehead, "I need a minute- I'll be back to clean this. Just- stay there, okay?"
He walks off, feeling a horrendous headache coming on. What he doesn't see is one of the cavemen sneaking off (the one with the foam all over him) to find something else to do...
"'Some people are born for greatness-' Great men can- yeah, right! What great man abandons his area and makes a caveman set himself on fire!? Apparently, I DO!" Larry was about to seethe and rant off when he checks the time, "The... oh no. It's almost five in the morning-"
He freezes when he sees the Moai head covered in the bubble gum that he gave the Easter Island head before, "...oh my fucking God."
"HEY DUM-DUM! ME STUCK IN GUM-GUM!"
Larry just hangs his head- okay, first thing was the caveman was set on fire thanks to his stupidity (a bit of it). And now there's a sticky mess he has to clean up!
"What's next?" Larry witheringly asks, "The car going haywire?"
Cuing on mark, he sees the RC Car, going around in a circle with a very displeased Rexy, who is very tempted to bite the car.
"...I hate myself," Larry groans, wanting to smack his head against the wall, "How the hell do I calm all of these down before sunrise!?"
"Mister Larry!"
He blinks, looking to see an Eskimo girl running up to him before he recognizes her- she was one of the Eskimo exhibit who he's asked to help watch over some of the mammals...
"Is something up?" He quietly asks, wanting this night to be done and over with-
"My father and mother calmed the bears down," She explains before grabbing his hand, "The others have some things to report to you, so they asked me to find you."
"...huh?"
Report? What's going on?
A reluctant Larry manages to follow the Inuit girl, who is still insisting on her grabbing his hand and making their way towards the main lobby of the exhibit.
There stood some of the representatives of the previous exhibits he's asked for help much earlier. The stunned teacher blinks owlishly before asking, "What... what's up?"
"Well, good sir," One of the American Revolutionary soldiers swings his gun, earning a glare from the WWI soldier, "Perhaps it's about time we begin aiding you since you are the only one sane enough to take this on."
That is before he hears one of the WWI nurses reassure him that they'll be there to help- even if some of the more senior exhibits don't even enjoy the task for a couple of nights. They've seen it- and they know what to do in some situations like these
Larry gives a small smile and a thanks of reassurance for it. He makes a mental note to thank them- big time. He knows what impact a small gesture can do for others.
The teacher lets out a soft, exhausted laugh before nodding at some of the exhibits who were now waiting for Larry to tell them what to do prior to the daylight.
"Let's begin cleaning up," Larry quietly nods, "Can anyone help me find the janitor's closet though? This is still- technically my second night here..."
Now he knows why Teddy said the first night was the last time he'll help subdue the chaos by himself-
-it's a bit too much for someone (no matter how important he was before) to take care of.
What Larry was grateful for was the exhibits he's asked for assistance earlier actually did help him clean up- mostly because they realized how little trouble he wants to be in (do rumors in the museum really travel that fast?) after McPhee called him out about Jedediah and Octavius.
"Just wondering," The teacher asks while cleaning up the mess the animals made- well, to be more specific, the chimpanzees along with the colonial exhibit (who have already gotten used to the more labor-intensive parts of the museum since they were more experience in that), "Do you all hear everything that goes on during the day?"
"Well, we do," The WWI nurse shrugs, "But it sometimes doesn't affect us." Then she smiles, "Perhaps a bit of gossip will amuse us from time to time."
That really doesn't help Larry's situation, now does it?
The inventors were replacing some of the burned out light fixtures (but not without the typical bickering about what type of light it is- thankfully the Vikings were able to silence any more arguments amongst the inventors (Larry was pretty sure the threats about using their weapons was the most effective ways) since they held onto the tall ladders.
The Samurais and Zulus were done with calming the lions down (as to how, the Zulus just showed Larry a leopard's skin and that was that). The others took care of the more unknown parts to helping Larry lock up the theatre and making sure nobody was trapped in there along with the planetarium (and other galleries that no other exhibits dared to venture into). The Eskimos did a pretty good job taming the bears- in fact, he did a double-take when one of the Eskimos was gently patting and treating the bear like an actual pet.
As for the troublesome Civil War men (Larry didn't even bother trying since he knows despite his persistences, they'll still try to fight against each other), a fellow Russian cossak and his other European soldiers have managed to subdue them.
Though this meant that Larry has to brush up on how to break apart a war every night (since he feels really bad for the others who are helping him).
The WWII soldiers, though...
"Well..." One of the the soldiers can't help but admit when he and his comrades return to their post, "They didn't get into a fight. Perhaps some verbal warfare here and there, but in the end, when Rosie there-" The woman in the blue overalls nod with a smirk, "-grabbed her wrench, those blabbering cowboys and Romans snapped their mouths shut and got back to what they were doing. It wasn't a T.S., that's for sure."
Larry sighs in the utmost relief, "Thank... you guys so much for watching over them."
"Eh, maybe we should thank you, boudoir commando," The general grins, "We're just carrier pigeons. And besides, you're not a bad guard. ...maybe a bit rough on the edges."
The teacher chuckles, "So, I'm not such a Big Wheel?"
That causes the WWII soldiers to be surprised before letting out a laugh- the woman technician included.
"You kidding me?" The female technician chuckles, "You're more than that! Those three guys- yeah, they were from our time too- but they act bog-pockets and pretty much just didn't let us do anything."
"In fact," Larry turns around to see the other exhibits around him before he sees the rest of them relieved and seeing one of the natives approach them, "We thank you for allowing us to do something."
The teacher blinks in surprise before he lets out a heave of relief- "So you all were pretty much- you all couldn't do anything?"
"No, non abbiamo," Christopher Colombus nods (Larry knew he'd placed him to keep in watch over the more dangerous mammals along with keeping the soldiers in line- and he finally remembered his name!), "E per averci permesso di fare la nostra parte, ti ringraziamo."
Larry had a slight smidge as to what the explorer said before grinning, "...you guys are awesome. Though I swear- I owe you guys a lot."
The exhibits were actually just happy that someone's there to keep an eye on the museum in cased anything went horrendously wrong.
Actually, he can't help but mentally (and praise God for once) when the natives offer to help Larry clean up the popped bubble gum from the Moai head and make it lok spotless (so there are no more traces of gum on there).
"THANK YOU DUM-DUM!" The Easter Island head calls out behind Larry as he rushes to make sure the diorama room was still spotless as ever-
-it was. And he'd entered in there for a brief second (which did catch Jedediah and Octavius' attention when they saw Larry's slightly relieved expression).
Lewis, Clark, and Sacagawea were also surprised to see Larry heave a sigh of relief as there was nothing wrong in the room.
Though when Teddy comes by after relieving Rexy and placing his bone back from the strange car, he can't help but chuckle at seeing Larry passing by, running to make sure things were calm and quiet prior to the remaining hour from sunrise. For once, he feels so proud of seeing Lawrence in action.
Now the kid's learning.
"The elephants- all set!" The British calls out before pausing, "Want us to return to our exhibits this time, sir?"
Larry nods, "And make sure you don't look like you're about to shoot at any of the natives. Got it?"
The men nod before the commander gives his order to go back up their exhibit until daybreak.
Larry sighs in relief before glancing over to the lions... though-
He was shocked when even the wildest of mammals- the lions, out of all things- actually responded to the night guard with calm and a sense of ease when checks on them.
Dexter- on the other hand... well, one thing that he can count on as a blessing is that one of the lionnesses were watching over the capuchins just so they won't cause trouble.
"...guess you guys aren't that bad after all," he murmurs before glancing up to a pouting Dexter. He exhaustively lets out a groan before grumbling, "...okay, look, Dexter. I know I've been terrible to you- I mean you took my keys on the first night!"
The capuchin lets out a displease screech before seeing Larry toss something-
-it was a package of dates.
The monkey glances up at the teacher before seeing his friends conviene, all curious to see what its leader have.
"This is just for tonight," Larry calls out to the capuchin- the lions were already content with some meat jerky another exhibit has handed them earlier, "Though if you behave, I'll give more to you and your friends later!"
Dexter manages to give a grin as the teacher leaves.
(Though that good behavior thing didn't last- in fact for the next night...)
It was almost five-thirty when Larry does his final round in the museum- prior to checking the last exhibit that he's planning to clean (the caveman exhibit since he doused the area with the foam from the fire hydrant) before McPhee shows up. He decides to let Ahkmenrah know what's happened; he's letting Teddy by himself since the guy doesn't really want to be bothered after the teacher bugged him about watching over Sacagawea.
The pharaoh perks up when Larry walks through the door.
"Larry..." He stops when he sees the teacher's exhausted and stressed expression before a concerned feeling reaches Ahkmenrah, "By Ra, are you all right?"
"...try to define that when I had to clean up that Moai head from the gum I gave him- plus dousing the fire from the cavemen exhibit and trying to fix." The teacher groans, "Now I'm debating whether or not locking those cavemen is such a good idea."
"Perhaps," Ahkmenrah slowly murmurs before glancing over at the duplicate (that's now back up at the wall), "I placed it back, in case you want to know." He sees Larry's slight confusion, "The dupicate. The real one's wrapped-" He holds onto the dark fabric-wrapped Tablet (the real one) "-though I still don't understand as to why... I trust you hold on to the Tablet and hide it."
Larry nods, "I will. Just... leave it out for me like you did for the note, okay?"
The pharaoh looks surprised before nodding, a genuine smile slowly making its way to his face. The teacher nods before turning around and making his last round-
"Larry."
He turns around to see the pharaoh looking really concerned, his dark eyes shadowing in worry.
"Please. Be careful. I don't want you harmed or anything of the sort."
Larry nods back, "I will. Don't worry about me- okay?"
Then he runs out, missing Ahkmenrah gripping his fist and closing his eyes, trying his best not to curse at himself (for not being there when he should be...).
Larry was nearly ragged as he reaches to check the Neandrathal exhibit one last time- the final part before he can call it a day and wait for sunrise to show up before working on cleaning the exhibit.
He heaves as he looks up to see the other cavemen looking concerned at him- the fire soot is still there- the foam still needs to be cleaned up, he counts three cavemen-
He stills as he quickly looks up, a dreading feeling creeping up in his chest as he recounts the amount of cavemen present.
Wait.
There are supposed to be four.
Something was missing from that exhibit-
Larry freezes, counting the cavemen again before realizing that one of them has escaped.
"Oh no." He whispers before recalling that the lone caveman with the foam all over him-
The guard makes a mad sprint towards the main entrance, hoping to GOD that one caveman isn't there where he thinks it was-
The sky is being painted in a light pink hue when Larry sprints towards the exit to see the door just shutting.
He pales, realizing that prior to having all of the other exhibits helping him, he had just unlocked ONE of the doors.
"Shit!" He curses to himself as he dashes out to the door, just in time to see one of the cavemen, who actually looks happy to see the sky, the streets, the trees that were planted, the cars surrounding it-
"HEY!" He calls out to the caveman, who turns around to look at him, alarmed before running the steps to try and grab him, "No no nonono, you can't be here, the sun-"
The caveman doesn't move, instead, he looks up at the sky and begins shouting in delight at seeing the sun-
-before the caveman pales as soon as he feels his entire body feeling light.
The teacher freezes, a few steps away from grabbing the caveman as before his eyes, he sees the exhibit turn into dust.
Larry pales, frozen in the spot where the neandrathal was standing before he disintregrated. All there remains was a pile of pale-colored dust (ashes, to be more exact) before it blew away in the wind that followed.
"...fuck." The teacher mutters to himself in horror.
How's he supposed to explain one missing caveman to McPhee?
"What the HELL do you mean you don't know where it is!?"
Larry grimaces, having a mentally thought that he knew this moment was going to happen.
McPhee was not happy at the two things inside the caveman exhibit: one, a pile of foam that was standing in the center (that... well, okay, Larry takes the blame for not trusting how stupid that idea was to begin with and when he just got back in, the curator was already there); two-
-the caveman that disintergrated into dust.
...well, shit, Larry now wants to tell the curator about the museum coming to life, but he can't. For many reasons and one of them being he really wants the curator to shut up at least.
"...yeah, it's just..." The teacher thins his mouth before letting out a terse sigh, "...okay, I honestly really don't know what else to say." Except that a caveman decides to run out to the damned SUN!?
McPhee looks like he's about to lose any more patience before closing his eyes, "Daley. Two nights ago it was the miniatures. This time, it's a missing caveman. You should be glad it's a rennovation day today- otherwise, it wouldn't be pretty."
Larry heaves a slight sigh of... not a relief, but of dread, "...this is my second strike now?"
"...Yes. Second strike."
"I know," Larry grimaces, "...anything else happens and I'm out?"
"You seem to know this a bit too well," The curator dryly responds, warily staring at the teacher, "But yes. But ONLY because I'm allowing one more chance- understood?"
The teacher nods, feeling even more stress on his brain.
"So..."
Larry finds himself sitting in the room again- the Egyptian room. And this time, he feels a bit heavy from the talk with McPhee. He's holding onto the wrapped Tablet in his arms, for once, feeling more heavy than usual, "...a caveman escaped. And he turned into dust." He knows he's a bit stupid at the moment, wanting to talk to the pharaoh (who he knows is sleeping by now in- well, god knows where at this point- inside the sarcophagus? Hiding in the room?), "...and tomorrow's my last night to make it all up- to make sure nothing goes wrong." This time, he feels really bitter, "...I hate this. So much. I want to do everything right and I thought I was- but then things just... got out of hand. This really... honestly... sucks."
He then feels a bit of regret- maybe the pharaoh shouldn't have to be saddled with Larry's concerns. The poor king did have to go through being trapped for more than fifty years.
"I have to make sure," He then pauses, "Nothing gets broken. Or anything runs out... or anything that'll cost me this- well, this valuable job. I mean- I can't... argh... I hate what limits I have!"
He falls silent for a bit before letting out an exhausted sigh, "...Sorry for ranting- I really think you should... I'm really going to hate suggesting this. But you do have to come out and find a way to help me subdue this chaos. Please. I just need your help so bad. There's this... quote Teddy keeps repeating about the greatness- that Twelfth Night one- I'm not... I'm not the person who's born with that... greatness- I was never to be fit a leader. I mean, I can guide students to a direction in school, I can help people out, but there's a limit as to how much I can really do as a person.
"All my life- I thought I knew where my life was heading, but... things change for me. I'm about to be reduced to probably one class at the rate I'm heading with the school- I was already knocked back to begin with. And I've been taking on several jobs to the point where I'm not sure where I'm heading if... I lose another one on top of that."
He lets out another sigh, hugging onto the Tablet as if it's the one thing he'll ever have as a security belt. It's the one thing bringing so much life, yet so much chaos, to the museum.
"...I'm sorry. ...sorry for the rant, Ahkmenrah," Larry quietly murmurs, "It's just- I really don't have anyone to talk to about it when I get home." And adding with a bitter scoff, "...maybe I'm like you. A bit. Just... maybe a bit more jaded in a different way."
He stands up, "I'll just place this somewhere and be on my way."
Now I'm praying nothing screws up.
Which really wasn't much for an opinion until Larry opens his locker-
-and sees something glinting in there with the obvious black bag.
"...the hell's this?" He slowly murmurs before zipping it open- and paling at the sight of gold in the bag.
Which is obviously not his- but the property of the museum.
He quickly zips it up before taking out another item from his own bag- the laptop he's placed on sleep for a while. Clicking open the program after allowing the laptop to reboot, Larry scans through the videos on the screen before pushing the rewind feature-
-he stops at a certain mark, dated the day Larry has off when his camera caught something.
It was at the jewelry exhibit.
He presses play before watching the footages...
...his eyes widen before pushing on the rewind again, rewatching it.
It wasn't just to that one exhibit-
-it was to that general area.
He narrows his eyes, rewatching the footages over and over again before gritting his teeth in a spark of silent fury.
...fuck.
Larry can't help but recall the conversation he had with Naomi just fourteen hours ago before leaving for his second night on the job, the talks with the exhibits... which is now beginning to haunt him.
I can't believe I am saying this, The teacher grimly thinks, But... I knew something like this was going to happen.
He takes Nick to the museum first thing after Don drops him off and places his luggage in his bedroom (Larry honestly got some sleep- but when he wakes up, it's one in the afternoon and his mind isn't ceasing in his worries- in fact, he's more worried than ever after saving the evidence on his flashdrive).
Well, not just because he promised, but it was for another matter.
By the time he escorts his son to the break room, Nick was already worried about the behavior his father is presenting.
Nick frowns, looking at his father, "...Dad? Is everything okay?"
The teacher blinks before letting a small forced laugh escape from him, "I... yeah- everything's okay."
There was a slight silence, then Nick says, "Dad. I've known you- you're not okay. Even when you were with Mom, you had that look on your face."
Larry grips the edge of his desk before letting out a terse sigh, "...Maybe. I don't know. This is bad."
His son looks at him in confusion before something clicks in his mind.
"Dad," Nick's frown intensifies, "...are you getting fired?"
This time, he sees his father looking at him in slight fear-
-before a defeated look replaces it, allowing the teacher to let out an exhaustive sigh as he slumps back on the chair.
Damn. He knows that he's taught Nick to be a smart kid- someone who should be helping others like Larry did to people he knew.
"...no, I don't know. But-" Larry sighs, "-this job... it's something I've really wanted to do, it was something that I know you and I enjoy a lot and... argh, why is this happening to me!?" The last part was accompanied with a slam on the desk, surprising his son (who has seen this before- his father is frustrated. He wants to help- but how? What's going on?)
"Dad?" Nick then looks at him, "Are you okay?"
"...let me show you something," Larry stands up, gesturing for his son to follow, who does follow after his father, but the look of concern still overshadows any small excitement hat takes over.
They enter into the Egyptian exhibit- a slight musty smell greets him as he see the stone-slab covering the sarcophagus.
...again.
(At this point, he doesn't know where Ahkmenrah really is. All he knows is that the Tablet is safely and carefully hidden, tucked in a pretty obscure area in the room).
But that wasn't his concern as he steps in front of the Tablet and its presenting ornamentation. He feels Nick tugging at his jacket.
"Yeah?"
"Is there a reason..." Nick slightly shudders, "...why we're in here?"
Larry thins his lips before closing his eyes. When he reopens them, he comes face-to-face with his son, "Nicky, I need to ask. Can you trust me on something?"
TBC
There's an anime series that I have am enjoying- give it a shot! It's called Death Parade. Though before that- watch the OVA Death Billards.
Also- I still want to see if anyone can actually tell me the name of the song from chapter 5 (yes, there is a reward for doing so. XP)
Preview of next chapter:
"So, you knew?" Cecil asks, his eyes sharpened, but his body language along with the others tells Larry that he was completely thrown off by that part of the plan.
"Dad?" Nick quietly asks, slow rising panic in his voice as he tries to edge towards his father, but Larry steps in front of his son, narrowing his eyes, "Dad? What's going on?"
"Nicky," Larry quietly murmurs, "When I give you the word, just run to the room I just told you about." Then to Cecil, Reginald, and Gus, who are just about to expect nothing to happen in sunset, "Yeah. I knew. In fact," He steps forward, "I think I had my suspicions when you three hired me on the spot."
"Want me to take him down?"
"Just wait for it," Cecil smirks, "If nothing happens- take him."
It wasn't until the sun sets that they were waiting and see when that minute pass-
-and suddenly there were noises instead of the silence the three men were hoping for. Nick perks up, suddenly hearing elephants roaring about, some footsteps and lions growling... before realizing where his father is at now, "Dad?"
Larry can't help but notice how... energetic the three old men suddenly became as they were stretching as if life was injected through their bodies. And then it occurs to Larry that they do have the reason for taking the Tablet with them.
And not to mention the three guards look alarmed that they deactivated the Tablet.
Now Larry and Nick are in extreme danger.
And being the protective father that he is, Larry would much rather risk his life to deal with three old guards than having his son being collateral.
"Nicky." Larry narrows his eyes, catching his son's sudden attention, "...run."