The Diamond Eye, Manhattan, New York 1938

[henry_jones_jr]

[March 12th, 1938 @ 8:23 pm EST]It's a crisp Spring evening in Upper Manhattan. On the twenty-seventh floor of one of the many skyscrapers in the vicinity, the exclusive Diamond Eye nightclub plays host to a fund raising gala to benefit the National Museum. Though it's been scheduled for several months, this particular gala has a new highlight: the

Comments

[balletrat]

Fundraising galas don't change much over the decades, Meg thinks, as she accepts her glass of wine from the neatly clad waiter at the bar.

Certainly, the dresses don't take up as much room, and the nightclub uses electric lights rather than relying on (dangerously) dangling chandeliers, but the essential interactions don't much change -

"- excuse me, miss," says a reporter, interrupting her thoughts, "but you're the girl who came with Indiana Jones, aren't you?"

"Oui," Meg answers, and smiles charmingly, accenting her English a little more than usual. "Monsieur Jones was kind enough to allow me to accompany him to the gala, after he rescued me from teenage mutant ninjas during one of his daring adventures in France."

(The last reporter got the story of her hair-raising rescue from terrifying shark people in Belgium.)

The gala isn't much different from the ones in the nineteenth century - but Meg might be having a little more fun.

[henry_jones_jr]

Since arriving, Indy has barely had time to breath, let alone start recuperating from the shopping experience. He's been introduced to countless elligible heiresses and dogged by reporters. Curiously, he's found himself having to set the more recent interviewers straight on many of their background 'facts'.

Eventually, he manages to find respite in a quiet nook of the ballroom. Having collared a passing waiter, he settles back into the alcove with two glasses of champagne.

[dr_marcus_brody]

Of course, it's not long before he's discovered.

Thankfully, it's only Marcus who joins him.

Indy tugs him into the shadows and takes a few moments to explain his latest companion. After some typical incredulous discombobulation, Marcus comes to terms with the ballerina story. It's not the craziest thing he's heard from Indy recently.

Together they then toast the idol and secretly poke a bit of fun at the attending aristocracy.

[balletrat]

A few moments later, the ballerina edges over at their table, looking oddly fidgety considering her apparent ease thus far.

Politely: "Salut, Indy - oh, and you must be Monsieur Brody, oui?"

[dr_marcus_brody]

Marcus pulls up a warm smile.

"Indeed I am. And you must be Meg."

He extends a hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet another one of Indy's Milliways friends."

[balletrat]

"- oh!"

A good deal of Meg's tension drops away, along with the most exaggerated aspects of her accent.

She still looks a little fidgety, though, as she accepts the hand, shaking it firmly.

"Very pleased to meet you, too - I've heard a lot about you."

[dr_marcus_brody]

"You have?"

Thinking himself to be of little importance in the grand scheme of things, Marcus doesn't really expect Indy to talk about him. And certainly not with people in this magical bar of his.

"It's all good I hope," he replies cheerfully.

[henry_jones_jr]

"You know me," Indy cuts in, chuckling.

"Never a bad word to say about anyone."

Marcus might be a lot less cheerful if Indy hadn't left out the part about Meg being dead, just as he had when introducing Lilly. Clueing Marcus in is something akin to a surgical procedure. Too much bizarre information could terminally break his brain.

[balletrat]

"No, no," Meg says, with a teasing grin. "All the highest praise - well, except for the British part, but I suppose that can't be helped."

As far as Meg's concerned, her state of life ought to be revealed solely on a need-to-know basis.

If she starts to fade, then things might get tricky, but as of right now, she's as close to alive as she can get - which, in fact, would be the reason she's at their table right now.

"So, Indy," she adds, lowering her voice a little. "Er - can I ask you something I can't really ask the reporters without ruining my image?"

[henry_jones_jr]

Indy pauses halfway through a sip of champagne and eyes her dubiously.

"I thought we had an understanding. No tutu. The dress looks gorgeous."

[balletrat]

Meg glances down at the decidedly slinky dress, mock-offended.

"Like I could hide a tutu under here anyways. Good job complimenting my figure, there."

She darts one last glance around for reporters, before confiding, "I just wanted to know where the bathrooms were."

[henry_jones_jr]

"Bathrooms."

Indy scrunches his nose cutely.

"How would asking for that ruin your image?" he wonders. "Adventurers pee too, y'know. Plus, you could've always used the standard 'need to powder my nose' line."

[balletrat]

Primly: "I don't know the right euphemisms for the time period."

[dr_marcus_brody]

Marcus chuckles at the interchange and lays a friendly hand on Meg's shoulder.

"Up the main stairs and to the left," he directs, pointing out the central staircase that leads up to a balcony level overlooking the ballroom.

[balletrat]

Meg's expression immediately shifts to one of bright relief.

"Merci beaucoup!" she chirps, and dips a curtsey which looks rather odd in the thirties-style dress before darting off towards the central staircase.

[henry_jones_jr]

"Hurry back," Indy calls after her.

"The idol's being unveiled in five minutes!"