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The strain of his muddled brown eyes was a window to the unease in his heart. His chest was tight as he stood there, hunched over his paperwork. That was the only real pain that he focused on, as it was a direct result of his concentration. If he did focus on other little aches from the long day, places like his back being hunched or his bent knee would surly be felt. He hunched to gather that last bit of strength to stand. That last few precious minutes before his mind would simply refuse to stay conscious. If he was understanding the scribbled mess of broken hieroglyphs properly, [i]someone [/i]had left a stark warning of something [i]worse [/i] than death- [i]far [/i]worse. Oddly though, there were two inscriptions and to an untrained eye, they looked congruent. But as an archeological linguist, Thierry could clearly see a second writer. But a second writer wasn't the reason his chest hurt. 

The warning, if left to an untrained eye, would look consistent, identical even. But a lump formed high in his throat and hair stood on the back of his neck. He could feel a bead of sweat slowly move from his hairline. [b]"Why? [i]Why [/i]was it so imperative that I bring my children [i]here[/i]? I'm not The Louvre's [i]only [/i]linguist..."[/b] His voice hesitated as he inhaled, [b]"Frederik doesn't even have kids. Dammit Mr. [i]Cress[/i]..." [/b]

The most unsettling thing about the message was... how... [i]fresh [/i]the second set of markings looked. [b]"These are supposed to be from 2566 BC, mon [i]Dieu[/i], what is going on?"[/b] While the first line of hieroglyphics were true to the time period, with each read, it seemed as though the symbols were broken into a separate set of lines to create a cipher. It could take days or weeks or... Thierry cursed The Louvre under his breath.

[b]"You know staring at inscriptions won't make the answer jump out at you."[/b]

Every bit of breath exited his body with a gasp as Sabrina spoke to him. He'd been so enthralled with his reading, that her appearance into his train of thought felt sudden. And he had been unprepared for it as he whimpered, [b]"[i]Dammit [/i]Sabrina!" [/b]He stood there quietly trying to find his soul. After a moment, he looked up from the papers, [b]"I-I'm sorry. I just,"[/b] He hesitated as he was unsure of what to say, [b]"I'm... are the [i]kids [/i]alright?"[/b]

He looked back to the original message; [b][i]Death awaits you.[/i][/b] Then his eyes floated across the added [i]fresh [/i]message... [b][i]I don't want to die.[/i][/b] Was he translating the second message properly? He was sure the first message was speaking to Khufu's spirit, but this second message seemed to be speaking [i]about [/i]Khufu's spirit. As if suggesting that... No. Thierry shook his head in disgust with himself and his wild idea. It was late and he'd had an incredibly long day, he was exhausted. 

His worried gaze looked back up to Sabrina. If something,[i] Dieu forbid[/i], ever happened to her or the kids because of his mistakes, Thierry was unsure if he'd ever be able to forgive himself for it, [b]"No rest for the wicked,"[/b] His smile was tired yet charming, [b]"But how are you holding up, my dear?"[/b] Despite his constant avoidance to the mother of his children, he really did care for Sabrina's well being. He cared for her happiness, even if he didn't always follow through on showing it.

Thierry had finally started stretching himself back into a standing position and yawned, [b]"I want to check out the main burial chamber by myself tomorrow. Get a first hand glance at some of these supposed markings. But I absolutely do not want you or the children down there with me."[/b] His head throbbed at the idea of something happening, [b]"Cosy's been so excited about finding a mummy, but..."[/b] His voice tapered a bit as he quickly shot out a lie, [b]"I'm worried about the [i]structural integrity[/i] of the room."[/b]

[i]Sure, the structural integrity. Let's just leave it at that.[/i]

Thierry placed his hands on Sabrina's shoulders, but failed to pull her in for a kiss, [b]"I'm going to go say goodnight to the babies and be right back. I'm sure you're exhausted and I don't expect you to wait up for me."[/b] Figuring out which tent was for his kids wasn't difficult. He could hear some shuffling mixed with light chatter. He stood just outside the tent a moment, catching his stability more than his breath. Then he pushed the flap aside to let himself in.

Thierry's knee was killing him, causing him to wince as he leaned on the desk nearest to Cosy's cot. She was the literal baby, so she got his fatherly attention first, [b]"Are you enjoying your coins, Cosy?"[/b] Thierry listened to her response and chuckled softly then turned to Theo, [b]"Did you find [i]Boris [/i]yet? He was supposed to be out last Tuesday. Although I would like his autograph before he leaves."[/b] His smile at the dad joke was an attempt at keeping himself calm, not wanting to frighten his children. God, they were so young. Why was he out here? What was The Louvre's point in sending him? His children should have been in summer camp or almost anywhere but here. Yet Mr. Cress had insisted on it. [i]Multiple [/i]times.

He mumbled something to Aurélie. It was supposed to be something about taking good photos tomorrow, but he wasn't sure if the words left his mouth properly. His brain was slowly in the process of leaving his body through his nostrils. His tiredness causing him to yawn and fight to stay awake. Thierry didn't trust leaving the three of them here alone like this. He hated leaving them, but hugged and kissed each child to their preferred comfort level, before heading back out of the tent. All three of his uttered, [b]"I love you."[/b] Lines, were genuine in nature. Still though, he was certain Aurélie hated him, but his love and concern for her safety did not wane. Teenagers will be their parents bane of existence, after all.

He hesitated again, debating about having a word with their host and after a moment, approached the Egyptian man's tent, [b]"Mr. Andrew?"[/b] He questioned softly, not wanting to bother the man should he be asleep.

Thierry heard some shuffling from inside before the man spoke, [b]"Come in, [i]habibi[/i]."[/b]

[b]"The burial-"[/b] Thierry started but Ramses cut him off.

A puff of thick smoke exited the man's mouth as he exhaled, [b]"They said you were [i]good[/i], but I didn't expect you to come question me this soon."[/b] The man leaned back, [b]"But the mummy isn't why you're here. [i]Boris[/i],"[/b] He shook his head with an eye roll, [b]"Has already been evicted, albeit [i]twice[/i], but he's not the problem for now."[/b]

[b]"Then what [i]is [/i]the problem?"[/b] Thierry questioned, but wasn't completely trusting the man's integrity.

The problem seemed long and complicated. And much to Thierry's annoyance, Mr. Andrew seemed to leave out bits of information as he spoke. Either by intent or because he was incredibly high. One thing Mr. Andrew said did manage to stick with him as he headed back to Sabrina, [b]"Mummies don't become [i]ghosts[/i], Monsieur de Villiers, they become [i]gods[/i]."[/b]