Hand in A Honeypot, Part Two
Revision as of 20:28, 19 May 2022 by RoyalBatty (talk | contribs)
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.
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 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.
