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Abby's heart thumped. It wasn't the kind of formal picture a man would be expected to have of a woman. She had obviously been intent on her work, tools in hand delicately brushing soil away from whatever she had been unearthing at the time. "Cal..." she paused, not sure how or if she should go...

"Of course I will. Otherwise I'd just have to stay down here and snoop in the cupboards. Too bad you won't have ladies clothes up there. I'm certainly looking respectable, but I'm not dressed for a night on the town."

Despite all attempts to control it, Abby felt heat climbing up the back of her neck and into her cheeks. "I think you're taking your discharge as too much of a given. Chances are you're right, but with everything that happened in Egypt, the information might have no where to go. You certainly...

Abby smiled. "You're lucky to be able to forge the best path for you. I've had the same blessing. Which is what led me here. Perhaps I need to question some of my life choices," she teased, looking over at Cal. "You seem comfortable with your authority here, Cal. I never pictured you this way...

The name clicked in Abby's mind. This man was likely a descendant of the Dukes of St. Albans, if he wasn't the current Duke himself. Instead of a friendly American handshake, Abby executed a neat curtsey, accompanied by a playful smile. "It is my pleasure," she said.

Cal left the dirigible and began giving out orders, and Abby was suddenly nervous. In the last few days she'd been angry at this man, thrilled to see him again, terrified for his life, and uncertain what his sudden reappearance in her life meant, or how she felt about it. But at this moment...

Abby chuckled. "Yes, New Orleans is barely part of America. As for your managers, I'm not sure I'm comfortable with my sudden fame. "Since I'm only lightly acquainted with Paris, I'll just have to trust you to take me somewhere nice." Have fun! I hope it's not outside!

"Oh sure, tell me I'm safe then tell me I could be shot out of the sky," she laughed. "Is there anything I should know about how I need to behave here?"

"And are you sorry? To be discharged from the service, I mean."

"So no one knows about this well? How could it be that well-kept a secret? How did the land fall to you, instead of your father? And where did your interest in this land come from?"

"Very little. Only that she married the Dauphin, but he died only about six months later and she returned to Scotland."

She took what felt like her first, real, free, deep breath in days. No foreign dignitaries, no strangers, no associates who she now trusted but still didn't know. "I think I've forgotten what it felt like to be relaxed," she said lightly.

"I'll take a little extra time about it. It is quite rude to peek in another's spellbook, but I'll get my back to the wall anyway." Abby moved back over to where she had slept and sat down leaning against the wall. Although her power wasn't great, it was still comforting to add her few spells...

"Well, well. I'm not sure if that's a promise or a threat. I suspect a bit of both. I'll look forward to it anyway," she answered, just as quietly. "I should go spend a few moments with my spell book. There's no reason to think we're in any danger at this point, but it doesn't hurt to make...

"I could have used that potion over the last couple days. I can't say I regret getting to actually sleep for hours, though. And since I have no idea how to fly this thing, I'm glad you have it. Miss West will be disappointed when we get back so quickly. I don't think she heard anything but Go...

"It sounds like a sound plan to me, although I might have liked to see just how Meren's group left their mansion. You're going to need some sleep before we go back to Egypt. Any ideas on how to manage that? It's not as if a dirigible randomly parked outside a Paris hotel would go unnoticed."

She stood for a few moments silently admiring the view, then walked over to Cal. "It's gorgeous down there. What's your plan after we land? And are we landing near the Louvre?"

Abby sat up and rubbed her eyes, blinking a few times. "Thank you, Meren. It must have been a quiet trip, or I was just that tired. I can't even remember dreaming." The Druidess offered her a hand to help her rise, and Abby took it. "I must be a mess, but I feel so much better." She pulled a...

"Thank you. I don't even know how long it's been. I think two whole days? I'm sure you'll wake me if you need anything." Abby walked toward the back of the small chamber, spread out a cloak on the floor and improved a pillow from the hood, and was asleep in moments.

"If you're pleased, then I'm pleased," Abby said and smiled. "The French countryside will hold all sorts of new discoveries for you. If you'll excuse me, I want to find out how long the trip is likely to take." She approached Cal at the pilot's station of the zeppelin. "Any idea how long this...