It is a lovely day in the park. An old couple plays chess; the woman makes a joke in Maltese and they both laugh and smile.

Inaaya is reading a book.

Mariam looks very calm and not at all tired.

Joan is very irritated that she can't open-carry guns in a Maltese park because that's "suspicious." She's concealed-carrying but it's the principle of the thing.

"Hi, James! James's friends!"

Zoe gives a tentative wave.

Oswald nods to them. "Hello."

"Hi! This is Oswald, this is Zoe --" Mariam might recall that Oswald was introduced to her as Michael, the first time, and that Zoe is the guard she talked to at the party not two days before -- "and guys this is Inaaya she's wonderful."

^_^

Mariam does indeed recall this.

"You had a message for us?"

"Yes! You might already know it but if you don't you should."

He has two copies each of the instructions to Cast Out the Black Pharaoh and the Rituals of Self Denial, which he hands to her.

"I am agnostic as to which of you and Louise can verify that these do what they say they do but I'm guessing at least one of you can."

"Louise. I don't have a head for magic."

"Captain Walker has decided to give Savitree spells? We didn't believe him to be a... metaphysician."

He isn't going to say anything but he sure is making a complicated face.

Okay so Mordred's doing the talking on his own then. This is probably for the better to be honest but it's still a little nervewracking.

He is, outwardly, very relaxed and not scared of this interaction at all. "He's not. Or, he might be I guess, but you would know better than I would. This one is from Ayers, this one is from the Knights of Malta, Walker does not to the best of my knowledge know that either of them exist and I would prefer to keep it that way."

"Huh."

"...Ayers is alive? What are the Knights of Malta?"

(Zoe is worried that if she tries to tell their story she'll just mix up some important detail and make them sound more suspicious.)

(Joan looks at the investigators suspiciously. They sound unpredictable. Unpredictable people wind up with people dying.)

"Ayers is not alive but was two months ago -- he died of terminal 'trying to pursue goals while having a mouth on his stomach' -- and the Knights of Malta are under the impression that the Liar is the Devil and are fighting it."

He says that last bit at a completely normal pace while looking Mariam in the eye. Because he is not terrified of this conversation. He is relaxed and chill.

"Technically he died of assisted suicide," Oswald offers, because obviously this is the most important thing to weigh in on for some reason.

"You certainly know a lot of people."

"What... do you do for Walker, exactly?"

"Yes, technically that.

Anyway. I don't do anything for Walker."

"...I'm listening."

SHE FUCKING KNEW IT.

Joan puts her hand on her gun and prepares to draw.

(Zoe, meanwhile, is pulled away from the conversation by an Egyptian-looking gentleman. 

This is completely normal. Nobody thinks anything of it.)