The Grangor

James blinked. That name sounded familiar. For a moment, he began to search his memory, then it came back to him.

“Wait. I’ve heard of that before,” he said. “But... Vuphia’s not of my world. I met this kid from there a while back. You wouldn’t happen to know a Maahes, would you?”

The color drained from his face the moment the stranger uttered his name. How had he possibly known about that? His hand went for the zat'nik'tel hidden underneath his cloak, but his hand was shaking too much to get a good grip on it. His hand returned to his side, and he just stared at him from underneath the hood.

"I know a Maahes," he managed to say, every word harder to get out than the last. "Maahes, son of Ra. The god of weather and war, and the one who punishes those that defy his father." It felt disgusting to call himself that, but what else could he do? That was how the world knew of him now. He had to play ignorant. Pretend that he and "Maahes" were completely different people because this man must have somehow discovered his past.

He took an unnoticeable deep breath. He could do this. He had lied before, and he could lie again. It was just so hard trying to include himself in the lie; it hurt to say everything he was saying about himself, and pretend he was just another one of the worshipers he had never wanted. "You were blessed enough to lay your own eyes on him?"

James furrowed his brows as he tried to understand the reaction he was reading combined with the information he was being fed. Maahes? A god? And why did Ramses look so... disturbed?

“No... that-“ James looked to Ramses in confusion. “The Maahes I met was just a little kid. He looked about ten years old, and asked a lot of questions. Energetic. Curious. A smart kid. Had no family. Clearly you haven’t met him. But it sounds like you’re both from the same world.”

Now he was really terrified. The shaking had spread throughout his body, and it took all of his control to stay exactly where he was. He knew this man was familiar. He had that much knowledge about him. But his name, how they had apparently met? Those were a mystery. If his surprisingly plentiful amount of knowledge on his true identity frightened, the fact that he should have been long dead if he knew him at that age absolutely petrified him.

He needed answers, and he needed them now.

He took a step in the direction of the man. Everything about this situation was setting off countless alarm bells, but he needed more information about what was going on. He needed to figure out who this man was, and he had to figure out what he wanted with him. His hand shot out from within his cloak and grabbed onto the man's wrist.

"We need to talk," he said. He scanned the area for a place far enough away for their conversation to be private, and he found one a little farther down the river. He gestured at it with his free hand. "That should be the perfect place to. Your companions will still be able to see you, but our conversation will be private."

She could smell the sharp tang of fear coming off of him since James mentioned the name 'Maahes,' and that made her nervous. A fearful man was a desperate one.

"A word, Mark?"

James flinched, pulling back from the Ramses' grip. He could feel Ramses shaking. The man was terrified, and James couldn't tell by what. Was is just because James knew of his world? Was Maahes more significant than he realized? Did he really believe the child was a god?

He looked over to Tasha, conflicted. If Ramses was anything like Tavis, Seung, and Tasha, he had a right to be afraid to find himself in a world wholly unfamiliar. That was rightfully terrifying.

He slowly pried Ramses's hand from his wrist, giving Ramses something of a handshake before letting go.

"If you'll let me have one moment with my friend first, I'll oblige you," he said with a nod of his head, turning to Tasha.

She pulls him a little ways away - not too far, but out of earshot of a normal human if they speak quietly enough. "You aren't seriously going to talk to this guy alone, are you?"

Seung eyed Ramses, trying to figure him out. Tavis cleared his throat. "So . . . you know Mark from somewhere?"

James replied to Tasha in a hushed whisper. "He might be like you guys. If he's from another world it's no wonder he's scared."

He began to shake his head, only to shrug instead moments later. He had no idea who this man could be. He knew no Marks, but Mark knew his true identity.

"Yeah, except he's stalking us," she says, hesitating and glancing his way before dropping her voice even lower than before. "I don't have a good feeling about him. Neither does Wolfsbane. He's dangerous, James, I can feel it in my bones - and I don't mean gang of thieves dangerous, there's something more. I don't know...I don't have real proof, but...my instinct is rarely wrong."

James let out a deep sigh, looking over at Ramses.

Could he be hiding something? Sure. His fear was sincere, but that was the only thing James knew for sure. But there was something he couldn't pinpoint. He didn't... feel like Ramses was going to hurt them. He had been suspicious, naturally - as he was with everyone - but... his instincts were saying to talk to him.

"It's possible that he's dangerous by nature but doesn't intend to be," James said quietly. "I... I don't know how to explain it but I don't think he wants to hurt me. I don't think much harm could come from just talking to him. We'd be close by."

"Maybe," she says, disliking the idea of him being alone with Ramses but realizing she's not going to be able to stop it. "Keep it quick, at least, please?"

Why does she care so much? She finds herself unaccustomed to this with people, except for her men and in some cases her officers, but this...this isn't what she's used to.

James nodded. "Okay," he said, before turning around and walking over to Ramses. He gestured with a wave of his hand for Ramses to follow as he headed to Ramses' suggested meeting place.

He followed Mark to the meeting place, momentarily glancing over his shoulder to see the woman he had been talking to. Everyone there gave him an uncomfortable feeling, but something about her made him feel even more anxious. Was it the way that she looked at him, or was it the decision to talk to Mark before he did? Whatever the case was, he had to be careful around her. That much was certain.

He took a deep breath before turning back to Mark.

"Who are you?" he asked. "I-Maahes doesn't know anyone named Mark. It must be an alias of some kind."