Hand in A Honeypot, Part Two
Summary
Phillip, Grigory, and his ghoul Kailie attempt to get a closer look at the items in the Damascus room in order to hopefully get their hands on The Author after the Damascus Room exhibit but find that they have competition, Valentino and a showy, ashen-haired man among them. Somebody planned a raid of the museum: alarms blare, kicking off chaos on the floor above. As the bedlam breaks out, the Lasombra jumps on opportunity by plunging the Damascus exhibit into darkness to escape with an artifact. But he's not alone: Kailie thinks fast to grab a promising relic from the exhibit before she is blinded by the unholy power of the priest.
Phillip intercepts the flamboyant stranger among them as hell breaks loose when he realizes the man seems to be part of something like the raid that can be heard above, but he's only one man and the ashen-haired stranger is only one of his many, Masquerade breaching problems. As mortal witnesses Brian Medina and Doctor Carter recoil and gawk in horror, it's up to him and Grigory to bail on the senseless scene, get the kine out of sight and put the night out of their malleable minds.
Next: The Camarilla scramble to figure out how to handle this one.
Log
The setup...
The night of the museum exhibit has its little afterparty. As a refresher: Benjamin Wagner is the Glencore representative bankrolling the exhibit, Charles Medina is the scholar and archaeologist responsible for the project and curating what actually goes in it, and Dr. Carter is a board member well connected in the high society scene of fine art galleries. They all seem to know each other.
Those who are familiar with Ehsan's little venture notice that in the room there are some familiar patterns in some of these priceless items, mandalas hand-tooled into the work of a silver seving tray and a small sculpture of a woman with an 'embroidered' dress, that pattern in the motif of her clothing. The cupboard doors on the south wall of the tazar bear architectural vignettes in the Turkish Rococo style, along with cornucopia motifs and large, heavily gilded calligraphic medallions that bear another resemblance to the sought after item.
Ehsan himself had shown up and did so in the (begrudged and begrudging) company of Luna Demian as well as his purple-suited ghoul who Kailie had chatted up.
Phillip is eager to get into the exhibit and see all the artifacts! He's not the only one, it seems: Walter, all dressed up to like sort of civilized, finds a lull in the party to try and move in to intercept Wagner and strike up a wonderful conversation. After the presentation is a great time to ambush people! Really, you should try it! So he gamely talks all about environmental sustainability as applied to biblical commandments.
Or tries to. It seems that Wagner is ah, distinctly not interested in talking to the vampire for whom subterfuge is a dump stat. Wagner kinda' just uh, you know. Thanks but no thankses him, and moves back to the Carter-Medina-Phillip conversation bubble with the tail-end of his evening. This, of course, now leaves Phillip with Wagner, Carter, and Medina in a little conversation bubble. Walter sinks into the crowd that picks over cocktail shrimp, ostensibly to snag a future opportunity as things wind down.
In the crowd, there's a man wose fashionable suit suggests he's flashy whenever he can get away with it, but tonight, in formality, he's toned it down. Still, his bespoke suit pushes the limits of what 'subtle' can be, in a black, satin-matte brocade that lends a Victorian gothic flamboyance to his presence. This is a man who knows what 'jacquard' means. I personally don't know what the fuck 'jacquard' means, but damn, he fancy. Anyway, his sharp lapels shimmer with silvery counter-stitching, the silk ascot tie he has on is a color like a ritzy merlot, and the two-tone monk strap shoes add that final stroke of panache with their decorative brogueing and shiny buckles. So far, he's indulging in some canapes and a flute of cider.
Phillip is being pretty casual about the whole process. He knows Doctor Carter, clearly, so he works that angle to keep in the conversation. He is also, apparently, /quite/ knowledgeable about academics in general, in particular his history.
At some point, he brings Grigory into the chat, introducing him as a man of wealth and taste. Obviously his intent is to set off possible donor alarms in the trio. His idea is to get the other three Kine into the fact that these two wealthy men (himself and Grigory) could be potential sources of money. Buyers? Sponsors? If there's any heavy lifting to be done on the social end, even if it is being /exceptionally/ charming, he leaves all that work to the Russian man's skills.
What a way to spend the night, in the bathroom with Javier, listening to him talk about how amazing he is while staring at the void where he should be in the mirror. OKay so maybe Javier isn't talking too much, but all of those mirrors begin to eat at Valentino. After long enough of it, turns away, walking over to stand against the wall, waiting out the party.
El Santo De La Trampa De Sed, aka Javier, our bright-eyed, darling boy with hair so long it looks like weave, he had strutted into the bathroom with his nefarious plans. It was then, mid-stride, that he discovered this bathroom has a fuckton of mirrors in it and, at the time, a pretty fair share of people. Um, fucking whoops.
And so he played it cool. He played it cool. He slid into a bathroom stall before somebody noticed, like that guy washing his hands, just hid. And then it became a game of killing time until he was lost to time, down a reddit rabbithole of r/AITA and bad food porn. What is time? A flat circle.
That was then. This is meow. There are not people in the bathroom now. Javier is just hiding in a bathroom stall on the toilet just doomscrolling, ambiguously under the influence of whoever he ate before coming here finally kicking in, probably.
The Russian arches his eye for a moment before escorting his date with him towards the trio of academics as he is brought into the conversation. The warm smile that comes with introductions from that rich baritone of the Russian holds an enticing quality before offering his own name to the trio. When the topic of sources of donations comes around, the Ventrue simply smiles and finds himself within his element. "Gentlemen, allow me to express my awe at such marvels. You both have simply outdone yourself with such an exhibit and should be commended as such. Judging by the turn out, I should say that this will be the talk of the town for a long time to come, especially within the circles that I move in."
Reeled in from her wanderings, Kai manages to not pout, snagging another flute of champagne to sip - expression glazing over a bit. Rich people doing rich people things! PFAH! There's MYSTERY and TINGLY things *somewhere*. Things that make her skin goosebump and her tummy uneasy in ways that signal a -hunt- is afoot. *Sip*. A bit of champers goes down and she vaguely remembers to smile and try to be all gussied up arm candy. It may make her seem vapid. Or stoned. But sharp eyes are combing the display and the people for clues.
Valentino waits in the bathrooom with Javier until he sees things have begun to thin out. Luckily he is patient, something that comes from years of not worrying about what time it is constantly. He is content to just wait it out until the museum closes. He doesn't even talk to Javier. After all he seems busy with his device. Val ends up turning the light off and locking the door, if there is a lock...then sits in the corner until the museum is closed.
Some vibes float through the conversations here. One, it's definitely Medina who is the astute one, here, with passion and opinions about the work. Wagner is the bank roller and cares more for his entrepreneurship and what leveraging his way into the favor of the rich and famous can do for him. Two, Doctor Carter gives off the vibes of that sort of lonely, validation-seeking person who will do stupid shit (like give you preferential treatment!) if it means company.
So she is particularly taken by Grigory, and so is Medina. Wagner's conflicting motivation as the guy who wants to be the bank-roller provides not exactly friction to the conversation -- the Ventrue could sell salt water to the sea itself -- but a certain sense of something other. Like maybe he's clocking the potential competition.
Regardless, as Grigory takes to the task of buttering them up in the social game, he learns about some of Medina's projects and the state of things in the museum circuit in general. A few names are dropped, some industry-level gossip of who is doing what for whom so far, and how they're always looking for donors. They ask more about Grigory and his business to get a bigger picture of what donor they'd be working with. Definitely interested.
Through this, there are some hangers-on, but the museum is closed to the normies. Valentino can hear the distinct drop in ambient noise from what was once chatter and the movements of the cleanup crew. Currently, the stragglers are few. There's one more pocket of conversation down the way on the floor between that ritzy man and the catering company. He's finished up and seems to be politely tolerated, as he goes on talking business to the catering employees about hiring them for a function. The distance is enough to make the conversation easy to ignore, and also easy to eavesdrop.
Ehsan and Luna and the ghoul have left. They barely spoke to anybody.
When things have fully died down, Valentuno unlocks the door and steps out to look around. He heads back to the exhibit, avoiding other people and keeping to the shadows and darkest areas. He moves with stealth, turning off lights as he goes. He didn't even bother to tell Javier he was going on with the mission. It seems he was too deep into playing Candy Crush and Val goes on without him. He knows the mission, he'll figure it out on on the fly.
Phillip sits back and let's Grigory work his magic. The Frenchman knows his limits and since his better half isn't here, the Russian is a good back-up. At some point that seems appropriate, Phillip interjects and says, "Doctor Medina, Doctor Carter. I know this is going to sound strange, but .. there are a couple of pieces that have really caught my interest. Would it be possible to have a closer look? Perhaps somewhere more private, with natural light?" He glances toward Grigory, optimistic, but kind of giving him the 'wink nod'.
Back me up bro. Out of the corner of his eye he catches the 'spooopy' priest. He could not have missed him from earlier but now that he's still here, it is even more suspect. He's a cool cat about it though and does not stare at him.
Suave and charming, and naturally on his personal stage, Grigory answers all questions asked of him in regards to his personal tastes and business ventures. He does seem to pay attention to both Medina and Carter as he seems to just enjoy the conversation as a whole. Wagner is spoken to as an equal in regards as a fellow businessman. Complimenting the man on such a wide ranging business, that subtle buttering up of the mans ego and pride. Donations are one thing, but there is no way that he would poach anothers territory like that. Completely. As Phillip makes mention of seeing something in a more natural light, Grigory brightens considerably and looks between Medina and Carter "Would such a thing be possible? I would simply love such a thing, being able to look at the dedication of a persons craft carries a certain fondness in my heart."
Kailie's eyes flick to where Valentino is, tracking him a moment before she takes another sip of the flute, only vaguely dialing into the conversation at first, then brightening. Being eye candy, though, she stays quiet letting Val have his shadows and Grigory his oiled tongue.
Attempting to be sneaky, Valentino stops as he enters the room where the exhibit was on display. He spots the others and his lips twist into a slight frown of irritation. He scans the room for a moment, looking for anybody who might be watching the exhibit, then he studies the exhibit itself, searching for anything that would be in his way. Val's gazed returns to Grigory and his group when he hears talk of them going somewhere else to look at some of the pieces.
Valentino stands before the recreation of a Syrian reception chamber. It's essentially an ornate historical living room. The inlaid shelving is faced with glass and the pieces on display behind the protective panels that he notices are an eclectic tour of an ancient world, with silver, stone, and ceramics.
The other thing he notices is the little black, roughly business-card sized squares hanging out over said shelves on each wall that he can see. They are about as thick as maybe his thumb.
There is nobody standing in his way directly, but the catering crew is still here, and the security guards are incoming, probably to round up people or be in the general area to inevitably do so. Kicking out rich people is a little harder than cutting off Jimbo at last call, after all.
He (and everyone present) also hears doors closing in the hallways beyond and the floors above. Loud, heavy doors, as parts of the museum get officially closed out.
Suave and charming, indeed. As Grigory narrates about his business ventures, Medina is gazing upon the Ventrue. There's a critical moment where his stare sort of shifts in some enlightenment that plays spontaneously over his face, entirely arrested by this man's presence. Carter notices the odd shift in his demeanor and glances to Grigory for a hesitant moment, wondering just why the hell Medina looks like he wants Grigory like he's an e-girl boutta ruin his life.
The momentum of the conversation shifts like a pendulum diving from its latest apex. "Uh, well, yes! I think so! We'd have to..." He turns his head, to go look at the exhibit, where Valentino is standing. And then he just sort of blinks at fucking Padre Machete standing there. Standing there silently, trying to maintain a low profile, but, still, within Medina's line of sight. He finishes his sentence: "...contact the security office..."
"Oh." Kailie is the best. "I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding." Kai says, giving Grigory's arm a pat. "He's praying. I don't think he speaks english. Do you want me to let him know the exhibit is closed?" she offers, trying to curb the need to call security.
Meanwhile some yards down the hall (as Medina notices Valentino), the security guard has not actually noticed the praying, Padre Machete. Nay nay, it's Mr. Suit that he's actually asking nicely to make like a tree. His back is to the actual problem going on here, in this comedy of errors, thus far. "Sir, we're going to have to shut down here," the security officer says, which sparks the ashen haired man to stall. "Oh! What? Shut down? But I'm a member," he says, starting a potentially distracting exchange.
Smiling and nodding as the whole world is coming up Usov, the sudden turn of the conversation as Medina turns their attention towards the Padre and lifts his gaze finally to notice the man with a...bit of a frown. Glancing down at Kailie as she speaks, Grigory says with a soft smile as he pats the young womans arm gently, "I agree, it has been a lovely evening I would hate to spoil it with something like that. If you would be kind my dear, would you translate for the gentleman? I believe once informed, he will see the error of his intentions." The frown is replaced with a smile that would do Faust himself justice." Turning his gaze towards the commotion happening down the...hall? Grigory turns to see the guard starting to usher another member away and back towards the exit as the building begins to shut down in earnest.
As the conversation turns to Medina, our key man in the plan here, Wagner attempts to find an opportunity to excuse himself, citing some other obligations. He starts to move off, perhaps having sensed his vestigial nature in this whole exchange. Carter hears Kailie's proposal, and then she seems cautious, but willing to let the tattooed lady handle the scary man. "I guess so, why not? I don't speak Spanish."
Phillip looks over his shoulder. The Frenchman has obviously been very focused on the conversation with Medina and Carter. SuitMan and Valentino have been distractions. They are just trying to get the artifacts and get a closer look. "Doctor Medina," Phillip says, "Do you think we could see those items?" He tries to bring it back around to the actual mission, lest it get too far off course.
"Yes," Medina repeats, "We just need to call the security office to ah," Medina rounds a hand, "Deactivate the system and so on. Those alarms are horrible. There's a cleaning schedule, we could do that if you wanted an appointment. Hold on..." Medina gets out his phone, presumably to contact the office.
This as the ashen haired man is pressed backward to leave, apparently ushered to the stairs, and not really pleased about it. He's going to call corporate. He's going to talk to somebody's manager.
For a long time Valentino stares at the exhibit. He studies it as if trying to decide on something. Finally he turns, walking toward Medina and the rest of the group, going right past Kailie. He gives Medina a long look, up and down before he speaks...and he does so in English. "Do not follow this course of action, senior." he states, tilting his head to look at the man. "This man intends on stealing the artifacts." he declares, very very serious on his tone.
Kailie starts towards Val, but doesn't get very far. At least her genuine reaction of utter shock isn't feigned in the east - eyes widening, lips parting. "You speak english?" she splutters - the first thing she can think of that isn't going to be offensive.
Wagner has exited. Medina gets the security office to pick up. "Hello,..." He trails off at the unsettling presence of Valentino, and he stares like a goat at a new gate at the directive.
Carter triple blinks and the incredulity with which she regards Valentino is could sell cameras. "Mister Valmont is a colleague and would never associate himself with a thief," she insists, but something in her voice wavers despite the conviction she puts on.
But it's only a few seconds that pass before an alarm blares. Lights flash like a fire alarm, and the buzzer screams in the ears like some kind of hateful, cancerous school bell of nightmares.
Medina and Carter shock straight, and that security office manager's voice tins over on the phone: "What?! I got six men, level one!"
The ashen haired man, corralled at the stairs, seems to see a window of opportunity here. He /sucker punches/ the suited guy with that deceptively flamboyant vibe.
Phillip watches as Valentino walks over. For just a split second you can see the 'Here we go.' look on his face as he knows how this shit is gonna play out. But the Frenchman is a cool customer, or at least tries to be. He knows well the price of losing your shit here so he tromps on it and is basically saved by Doctor Carter who chimes in on his behalf. "Oui, Monsieur," he speaks to Valentino, "we are not here to steal any artifacts. We only wish to see them up close." He feigns a bit of a 'huff' about the accusation, "And, quite frankly, I am insulted by your insinuation that I would associate with scoundrels let alone steal something." It is right about then the alarm goes off and ashen hair gets fighty. The Frenchman's eyes dart toward Carter, then to the exhibit. "We are about to have company," Phillip says to no one in particular. He knows who too.
As shit goes sideways, in that split second of chaos, and in that moment of violence from the ashen haired man, Kailie's skin practically electrifies with goosebumps and even Grigory's head rises from the supernatural sand it's usually in with his two whole perception dots. Valentino feels a ripple of something crack through the air. And of course, being punched, the security guard wheels back to punch him, but the Ashen haired man barrels down the stairs with the momentum he gained from the element of surprise. The security guard's radio says "Floor one! Floor one! Six men!", and the man in the suit actually starts bolting down the hall to the nearest exit.
There are no six men, here.
The ruckus can be heard upstairs, heavy footfalls and yelling voices.
Valentino - in Spanish:
That is it. All he wanted to say. Kailie gets a brief glance and he mutters, "I refuse to speak the language of outlanders." Then the call comes about the six men and he turns attention briefly on Grigory as if thinking perhaps this might be orchestrated by him. Stepping away, Val observes, glancing down the hall toward the room where the artifacts are exhibited as if watching to see if that is where they are headed.
Smirking at Valentino approaches their group, the Russian simply chuckles softly at the accusation and offers a delicate shrug "You wound me Sir. As if I would lower myself to theft" the laughter that erupts from the Ventrue is musical and rich, the whole joke apparently tickling him as he just grins at Val. "As if I would be foolish enough to walk in, put myself at the front of an entire museum, find myself on camera, then engage with these charming individuals that I just met just to try and steal something? No sir, I think you may have watched one to many action movies about robbing national treasures. Or the wine has gotten to your head. Though I will say you have at least Kept my mood positive." At Kailies outburst, Grigory prepares to say something before that strange feeling rocks across his skin.
Goosebumps prickle up on Kailie's arms and she's stopped from asking Valentino anything. The commotion breaks out uptop, and she just kicks her stupid heels off before heading towards the exhibit - not thinking about how it's gonna look when she tears ass towards where the artifacts are, bare feet slapping on the floor and the dregs from her champagne flute flung. At least she hangs onto the delicate glass instead of tossing it.
In all the chaos, Carter freezes like a fawn in headlights. Medina looks to Grigory sempai for safety and comfort. Had Wagner not left, he may have maybe done something useful, but, mortals be mortals. Medina's phone buzzes with a voice from the security office, something something stay put and hide something something guns.
Phillip watches this all play out for a split second and that is all it takes for him to make a move. He watches as Kailie turns and bolts toward the artifacts. He looks to Grigory and .. hell, I guess Valentino is there and says, "Go with Kailie and cover the artifacts. They are coming for them. I've got work to do." He then turns and looks toward ashen hair who is making his big break. The Frenchman's eyes narrow for a minute and then he's off to the races and going to run this guy down. It takes him only a second to move and surprisingly fast.
"Ahah!!" There's no way that this ashen haired man, with his goddamn ascot and jacquard shirt and counterstitched bespoke suit over here, is going to pass up what he thinks is a great pithy one-liner at the apex of his heist! "I will be such a MUSE!" He cries, like a split second before Phillip comes in to fucking linebacker him.
Phillip De Valmont, more like De Lavonte.
The rest of the happy little hippy group is ignored when Valentino feels that strange tingle...and he knows WHERE it is, which gives him some advantage. Turning, he begins walking calmly toward the exhibit. As he is moving for the room where the exhibit is located...a cloud of inky think roiling darkkness fills the hallway and floods the exhibit room. Val observevs with detached interest when Phil tackles SuitMan, not slowing his stride for the exhibit room at all.
Phillip does indeed linebacker him, literally catching air in his body contacts the ashen haired man. It's a battle of the bespoke suits right now. His goal is to grapple this guy and literally try to tie him up so he can't escape.
At this supernatural display, Medina and Carter both -- well, I mean, they have no idea what to do. Carter shrieks, and she grabs onto Medina, who grabs onto Grigory, before he realizes that maybe he should do something like get out of here. "I'll -- I'll call you!" Medina promises Grigory sempai, as he drags Carter for the exit while Phillip collects all the rings, Kailie runs into the exhibit, and Valentino walks. Kailie is able to make it to the exhibit some moments before Valentino, and the last thing she gets a clear view of is that so far, all of the shelves are in tact and the items in place. Then, it's magical darkness, dear reader.
Grunting as Kailie runs off, and then Phillip runs off following the suited individual...the Russian just seems to blink for a moment before turning his attention towards Carter and listens to that radio call before nodding his head towards the two. "I agree, come...let us find a safe space to get out of the way. Your security is up to par, yes?" The tall Russian begins ushering Carter and Medina into the exhibit proper in the wake of Kailies disappearance. He is far to rich and important to fight a squad. Then comes the shadows and he stops dead, pulling the two backwards from the inky darkness. "Run! Call the police!"
Astarion in the three-piece over here's head smacks into the hardwood floor under Phillip's force, and he lets out a gasp and an indignant "What do you think you're doing! Augh, un*hand* me, you -- " His lip curls, and he might select a word like oaf but he's kind of getting busy getting full nelsoned.
"Scoundrel," Phillip does not need to breathe so this is no physical strain for him, "scoundrel is the hand you are looking for, Monsieur." He is like a snake, coiling around the man with a surprising amount of grace and strength. He's not trying to harm or cripple the man, but he will subdue him if he can.
Valentino - in Spanish
Valentino walks right by Phillip and the guy wrestling on the street, castinig them a glance. "Thou shall not steel." he tells the suited man as he passes by them. He continues to the exhibit room where the inky blackness is not a hunderance to him. He glances at Kailie who cannot see him and can barely hear him in the thick nightmarish fart. As he watches Kailie trying to smash things to get at the artifacts, Valentino reaches out to grab her by the back of the neck, tugging her back away as he whispers, "No." He didn't even mean to fling her -that- hard. He doesn't have any remorse for it, but wanted her out of the way. Reaching out he grabs the quill and looks at it just as Grigory comes in behind him. He was just about to smash through the wall when Grigory growls or hisses at the room and well...he is scary as hell right now! Val doesn't waste any time smashing through to try to GTFO and get away from the Ventrue.
It's dark as fuck. Unnaturally dark. Fear coils in Kailie's belly, but she -can't- let the pieces be stolen. Stumbling forward, she gropes around, finding the edge of a sign and tracing it down to the heavy weighted pole. There's a triumphant yelp, and a grip secured as she moves forward, trusting her gut to measure the distance she spent the evening studying. Swinging the heavy base at the glass, she breaks it, letting the pole fall with a loud metallic clattering, reaching inside to grab whatever she can. Val grabs onto her, flinging her back, the veteran, knowing how to tuck and roll to lessen the impact, then hustling herself into a low crawl to try and find the edge of the darkness. Shoes? Abandoned. Dress? Probably ruined. Diamond bracelet? Sorry, Grig, not going back for it. This might be why the Indiana Jones wannabe doesn't have nice things. But she does have the little figurine of a woman clutched in her left hand.
Shadows. Roiling living shadows. The look of hatred in Grigorys eyes is clear evidence that he is not to be fucked with right now as the Russian man shows the Authority of the Ventrue as he wades into the shadows with a lethal determination. Stepping into the shadows, he has been in this situation before. That clogging feeling in your throat. Sound and sight gone. Memories boil into his head and a face... oh that face he will never be able to remove from his head. The hatred and bile roil up in his face, in his Mein as he unleashes that vitriol into the darkness...safer here than out there. Whether it worked or not, he at least feels better. Then something bumps into him, not sure what it is...he grabs and just drags out of the darkness with an angry expression before being slightly surprised at who he has found.
As Phillip 'calms' the man in the suit into complacency, what would have been the sounds of shattered glass and whoops of triumph are smothered by the Shroud. What happens within is no less chaotic for its silence. Grigory, having ushered away the museum contacts, actually marches into the inky darkness on a gamble. Moments later, Valentino exits the darkness, something in hand, on a fast pace to get out of there. Then, Grigory and Kailie make their way out, the latter with a figurine clutched in her hand.
Phillip climbs to his feet and hoists the ashen haired suitman over his shoulder like he was a sack of potatoes. He then waits for the other two to emerge from the shroud. Once they do, he just nods to them and, after suggesting they make a speedy exit, starts to head out. One assumes Grigory can talk them out of the place and convince them that this guy is just a passed out friend. It might be realized later on review of the cameras but given the shadows that went on, it will almost be an afterthought if someone can't come in and clean it up.
An unholy cloud of unnatural black fog infects the space of the exhibit, a choking mass of something alien and blinding, manifested into the yawning, 20-foot wide hallway of the De Young, writhing like the spine of a beast under dark waters. Within, Kailie's triumphant yelp would have rung out were it not for the shroud, and instead her lungs are rewarded with the smothering, supernatural pressure that chills the instincts. She's able to strangle down the compulsion to run long enough to maintain control, break the glass, grab the prize she had seen just moments before all went black. Carter and Medina were running with Grigory when he deposited them some safe distance (of several meters) away and ordered somebody call the cops before he steeled himself and, on a gamble, marched into the macabre maw of the consuming dark. He too, is within the shroud. Meanwhile, down the hall some several yards, further off from Carter and Medina (who stare in shock and awe at the light-sucking manifestation), Phillip has just started to climb to his feet and hoist the ashen-haired man in the suit over his shoulder like he's a sack of potatoes. He's waiting for others to emerge from the shroud. The man on his shoulder is disoriented, but conscious. His eyes flutter, and his fingers twitch, and one hand slides for his own neck. "God," he starts out. "I hadn't expected that," he slurs, "Not this time." The alarms of the museum continue to blare. There's the sound of something clattering and shattering bouncing around from up stairs, echoed thanks to the cavernous design of the museum, and distorted thanks to the trip down the stairs to reach ears here.
Phillip has SuitMan slung over his shoulder and seems content to wait for Grigory and Kailie to get out of the shadow. He's not going to leave them behind. He can't see shit ahead so he waits for Valentino to move off. This isn't the first time he's seen the shadow cloud in action and going into it is unwise.
Valentino - in Spanish:
Having collected the quill, the item he is pretty sure he was supposed to grab, no thanks to Javier... the Keeper is about to take off when Grigory steps in and does his lion roar. Val decides without a doubt it's time to go. He doesn't want to face that Sexual Tyrannasaurus...he scary. He isn't about to go the direction of that T-Rex, so instead he takes the next best path to get out of dodge; through the wall.
Storming out of the shroud with his arm wrapped around something smallish and more feminine in form after doing his best 'Rawr', Grigory makes his presence known when he steps out. Looking around quickly, he glances down at the person in his arms to ensure one, it is Kailie and two, she is safe...before glancing around at Phillip and says simply "Lets go."
Without another word, he moves down the hall and says in a hurried voice to Kailie "Do you remember the way out? Carter! Medina!" He calls out as he moves in their direction with Kailie and says "Come, we will get you to safety. Stay low and fast." He gathers his flock quickly and begins to move in the direction of the Garden.
"Course I remember." Kai says, not about to verbalize where they are going, but slipping the protective curl of arm to take the lead. As she goes, she turns the figuring in her hands, hunting for something with care to not lose her grip on the figurine. There's a shiver up her spine and she snaps her gaze to Phillip as she darts out into the garden. "Ya boi is waking up. Do something about that, would you dear?"
Phillip's grip is sure as steel. The man in his arms is moving, but not getting away. He is breathing in, breathing out, controlled breaths of concentration. He speaks again: "What are you here for, the exhibit? By all means, help yourself to it."
Phillip nods to Grigory and then starts to carefully make his way toward the exit. The Brujah is well aware that there are people up there and they are likely not friendly. Thus, he creeps, doing his best to keep the man restrained.
Footfalls are starting to make it towards the head of the stairs above, their loud clamor sounding the inevitable approach of somebody. In the next few seconds, the group downstairs can remain unseen, thanks to the scale of the place, but they'll need to act quickly. "What -- what IS THAT THING?" Medina yells, demanding to know in disbelief what he just witnessed. Carter stares like a deer in the headlights, in shock, but she gets moving. She ducks after she processes 'stay low and fast', following after. Medina scurries after Grigory, as well.
Grigory - in Russian:
As Kailie slips free of his grip, Grigory slows as he is ushering the two humans along and pauses for a moment as he looks around with a critical gaze. "I doubt you would believe me if I told you, but I will explain when we get out of the museum and are safe. I promise." Apparently slipping into Russian when he is distracted is a thing, before he falls back in line, almost dragging the humans along quickly after Kailie.
Grigory and Kailie, bringing Medina and Carter along, rush for an escape and will end up in the exterior garden. Out there, they don't see anything here to stop them, yet, although they do hear the far off sirens of inevitable cherries and berries. Meanwhile, Valentino will be able to bust through the wall and into another room. An Aztec exhibit awaits him, with a bunch of stone sculpture of people and animals on pedestals in their iconic, blocky look, heavy with presence. As Phillip makes headway, the man in the suit tests his restraints, but Phillip's grip is not to be argued with, it seems. "Boys! Boys hurry up and get me!" He yells, toward the stairs.
Tumbling toward the ground is display on a pedestal that Padre Machete has knocked over in his amazing feat of strength. If he doesn't act fast, he'll have history staring a guilt trip back up at him.
Phillip realizes that of the two others with him, he's the most likely to take whatever they are going to dish out. Thus, the Brujah moves up the stairs. This guy has already called for his friends. Might as well get right into it. It may give Grigory and Kailie a chance to make a break for it in the clear.
Valentino - in Spanish
Bursting through the other side of the wall, Valentino hits the pedestal and the Aztec artifact begins to fall. Hell it could be something of HIS! Reaching out a hand, he tries to catch it before the artifact hits the ground. He might be a shadowy warrior for Caine, but he isn't a monster!
Ahah! He dives and catches the statuette just before it hits the ground. "Isn't that just funny?" he mutters to himself, standing up to replace the artifact where it was and looking around to get his barings quickly before he continues on his way to get out of this museum.
Phillip's the last one out, due to factors like his chivalry of making sure Kailie and Grigory hit that door first, and his charge here who is yelling at somebody to come get him, and who is now yelling, "You good for nothing dead weights!" at their less than prompt service. And so Phillip sees the guys who are coming down. They ... Look ashen. It's four of them, dressed up in essentially motorcycle leathers, wielding guns and a crow bar. Three of them are wearing masks and goggles to obscure their identities, mister I Have A Medical Condition has apparently seen fit to diaper-chin himself with his gaiter and his glasses have gotten knocked off, revealing revealing milky eyes that look long dead. So has part of his forehead: his dome is bleeding, having taken one hell of a hit from something, and here he is, still shambling. They're marching towards Phillip and his suited charge and one of them yells, "Put him down!"
Valentino meanwhile has a nice, wholesome moment with the little statuette. It's a tiny piggy made of stone that smiles back up at him for not letting him fall to his death. He also hears some garbled voice yelling "Put him down!" from the other side of his Tex Avery body silhouette koolaided into the wall.
Phillip is brave but he is not suicidal. He glances over at the undead motorcycle gang, narrows his eyes, and then moves for the door. He's going to get out of here. He can be fast when he wants to be, but he's also not going to leave the other two behind. As he steps out, he looks between them, grinning to Grigory, "As you said, let's get the hell out of here." The Brujah looks ready to bolt.
"Knock him out!" Kai snaps, looking back to the 'pair' bring up the rear. Not exactly asking so much as barking an order. "Or kill him." Either way, she's not waiting. Getting Grigory and the figurine out is priority over helping some shiny unknown suit.
Looking over his shoulder at the new voice entering the party as he continues to usher the two humans after Kailie. Eyebrows raising, the Ventrue has seen this song and dance before. Nope. Pushing the mortals a little bit faster, Grigory has no anti tank rifle right now for the stupid demon zombies, or a pope box. Maybe he should get one...thoughts for later. "Lets go. Now."
As Valentino tries to find his own escape path, it seems he isn't fated to miss out on the undead company that awaits him. Two disheveled men who smell of a peat bog and look like they tried passing themselves off as maintenance crew with coveralls and helmets are taking a side entrance, one wielding a crowbar, the other nothing. They are headed in Valentino's direction at a brisk walking pace. Meanwhile, the man that Phillip is restraining shifts around. He cups his own mouth like he's saving air just before an avalanche and starts speaking some sort of foreign something or other.
Kailie finds the RFID tag she was looking for and flicks it away. Turning abruptly, she stuffs the figure in Grigory's hand and moves on Phillip. "I FUCKING said ditch the meatbag, Phillip!" she snaps, drawing back a fist to try and clock the guy Phil is hauling. Especially when he busts out the old language she doesn't grok.
When Kailie smacks the shit out of him, she domes him good, but besides a hiss from the impact, our man here keeps it Pentecostal.
Given the guy's casting some kind of spell, the likely smartest move is to try to put the squeeze on him, hoping to do enough damage to him. Phillip does just that. Given he's already immobilized, he is going to have an easier time.
Valentino - in Spanish:
Hoping he doesn't need to stop and fight these punks, Valentino pulls down his sunglasses and gives them a serious 'mess with me and die' glare. Imagine his surprise, or lack of it, when they ignore his scary stare and walk right by him. "Well, that works too..." he mutters to himself, turning his head to follow the path of the zombies toward Phillip apparently.
Valentino draws down on the intruders in his way, piercing them with a gaze with such a hostile gravity of presence that he should turn away nearly anybody with two brain cells to rub together. These apparently are experiencing a shortage: they continue onward, going toward the hole that is in the wall, and one of them hip-checks the pedestal, nearly sending the ancient sculpture to its demise all over again. Meanwhile, Kailie's smack to his head didn't stop the man from his Greek cant, it just added to its urgency. And so Phillip thinks fast and starts to crush the stranger as the 'men' that are charged with his recapture approach in their jog and the sirens start to blare louder. And Phillip finds that he can Thanos snap somebody out of goddamn existence. When the Brujah crushes, he set out to put the man's consciousness to a brisk and purposeful end, but the man's body yields and starts to crumble and crush like sand, unleashing a smell of burnt hair on a funeral pyre, as if the Brujah crushed this man out of goddamn existence. They have made it outside, and outside is sette walkway: a little clattering sound rings out onto the stone from a signet ring. The zombies lurch in unison, halted.
Piggy goes falling.
Cue the scene at the end of Infinity War part 1 where everyone is just staring at the ashes of their friends. The guy literally fell all apart in Phillip's hands. He curses under his breath, "Merde!" Dusting himself off, he bends down to scoop up the ring from the ground then looks between Kailie and Victor, urging them to run on ahead, "Go. I'll cover you." He slows and turns to see if the automatons are still in pursuit. Seeing the are not, the Brujah then turns back around and joins the other two. Now is the part where they get out of here.
Inside, as Valentino starts to follow the path of the zombies toward Phillip, he sees the little statuette he had just saved get its fateful hip check. It goes tumbling, hitting the ground. The ancient stone, being stone, is hard to destroy, but the desecrated item now lies with the shattered glass of the display case that had once protected it before the wall got a conspicuous Valentino sized hole in it. Unknown to Valentino, the zombies outside stop and stare at the same time that the one who just knocked over the cute ancient piggy statuette does.
Never slowing, the Ventrue is making his way towards the nearest exit with the two humans and is grumbling in Russian under his breath as he looks this way and that. Keepers. Zombies. Stolen antiques. Well at least it was not a dull evening. Hearing Phillip behind him speak, he never turns and just picks up a bit more speed as he urges his mortal charges like horses. Faster little ponies!
"What the -hell-," Carter whispers, her eyes wide, as she watches the situation unfold from her spot cowering in Grigory's general vicinity. She's attached to Medina, who is attached to Grigory. The automatons start to shamble back into action. Two of them start jogging in directions that are away from the museum, but not in the direction of the cerw. One of them is jogging in Grigory, Kailie and Phillip's direction. He drops his gun on his way, and it clatters on the stone.
Valentino - in Spanish:
Valentino was just about to walk away when he watches the zombie knock over the statuette he just saved. An Aztec artifact that belongs to his culture. "Are you serious? You did NOT just do that." he grumps out turning back, heading right for the offending zombie. As he walks, Val reaches into his jacket to pull out a big knife. He makes a straight line right for the zombie. His intention is to end that shambling walker, just like you might see done on that one famous show... Walking up behind the zombie, Valentino brings his big knife up and then down in a hard motion, stabbing into the shambler and cutting through the flesh. As he draws the knife back out, he takes a crowbar to his side. It doesn't really do any damage, but it hurts...and suddenly he begins to go crazy on the zombie, trying to stab the HELL out of him like a wild animal. "DIE YOU PIECE OF FILTH!" he growls at the walker.
Outside, the group with the statuette that Kailie had sprung have to think fast as the shock starts to fill Medina and Carter with questions. Wide-eyed questions. Fortunately, it seems Medina is still fawning on Grigory and looks to him for guidance and an idea of waht the fuck is happening, because he gravitates towards the Usov. If only he knew what awaited him once they got somewhere they can talk... Carter, too.
Valentino takes out his rage on the man in the coveralls who just desecrated a piece of history. Valentino's strikes plunge into cold, dead flesh, and the second man with the first pitches in with a clumsy haymaker. But a frenzying Vampire feels little to no pain. The wounds are nothing to his undead body, and as the Beast roils for the blood of these strangers Valentino's grim strikes are deadly. One falls to its knees, and just as the other lurches to attack, it starts to disintegrate into floating sand which unleashes a sulphurous smell as the both of them vanish before Valentino's eyes. But there's no time to explain, no time to understand - he can hear, far off, the sound of boots on the ground above. It's inevitable before there are officers securing the entrances, and so Valentino has to make a dash for the exit. He finds it, barely able to dart into the cover of forested area in the garden that bleds into park.
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