The Damascus Room
Summary
A nighttime exhibit was announced to be held at the de Young museum, featuring a gallery of Turkish artifacts. The event is advertised as bankrolled by Benjamin Wagner, a corporate figure representing Sureco AG (Sustainable Resources & Commodities AG), and Brian Medina, an archaeologist and expert who was the mind behind the exhibit and the items that go in it.
Next: On a suspicion that the Damascus exhibit may open an opportunity to get closer to The Author, several individuals showed up. Some followed after Wagner, only to retreat when they discovered he was waiting for them. The night was interrupted by an attempted raid on the premises.
The setup...
The de Young museum is found near the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park, a massive art gallery built with flowing contours and copper skin to harmonize with its outdoor surroundings. Its dramatic facade is perforated and textured to replicate the impression made by light filtering through a tree canopy, creating an artistic abstraction on the exterior of the museum that resonates with the tree-filled park setting.
The outdoor environment features an open sculpture garden and terrace beneath a cantilevered roof; a childrens garden; and landscaping that creates an organic link between the building and the surrounding environment on all four sides, with features such as sphinx sculptures, the Pool of Enchantment and palm trees, redwood, and ferns.
Much of the time, the gallery is open to the public, but only during the daylight hours, and so the Door To Damascus that has been advertised in the past couple of weeks provide a rare window of opportunity to the Nightfolk, who are seeking the relic known as the Author, to peek into the vault of a place that could possibly hold such an item.
Security stands at the entrances to the large, sprawling museum, checking bags before passing entrants on to the reception area to check for tickets.
Phillip arrives in the reception room, ticket paid for in advance. The Frenchman lingers near the entrance, his dark eyes sweeping the room to spy if he sees anyone familiar. There is sort of a casual air about him, as if the man was not seeking to draw an overly large amount of attention to himself. He is content to drift off to the side, acquire a drink from the tray and a few hors d'oeuvres. After all, he did pay for this. As he walks, he is keen to find this door.
As Phillip approaches the reception area, he notices that he will have to get pat down by security in order to enter, witnessing a small line of individuals who are getting the De Young's wand, coat and bag-check treatment.
Arriving promptly on time, the stretch limo of the Mad Russian pulls up outside the Museum and lets out not only Grigory as he steps out, offering his hand towards Kailie and Diana to assist them out the limo. When all have stepped out, the Limo drives off and he approaches to purchase three tickets for himself and his arm candy for the evening.
Diana steps out of the stretch limo, head turned down and her long black hair streaming around her face. When she lifts up her head, one can see why the teenager may want to hide her face. The poor woman has a terribly case of acne, pimply, red, and in dire need of a 'Proactiv' treatment. She walks behind Grigory with her shoulders hunched and with her hands clasped loosely in front of her.
For those that arrive with the intention to case the place, one thing to notice in the reception area is a CCTV system, as visitors and staff entering and leaving the building are shown themselves on a wall mounted LCD screen that plays footage of the entrances and makes sure you see your own face, likely in order to discourage reconnoitering thieves. Everyone is able to see this.
Arm slipped through Grigory's, Kailie smiles brightly at he and Diana as they exit the limo and get arranged around the man. Wearing heels, delicate diamonds at wrist and throat, and a dress of black lace that blends her greyscale tats with the lace, she moves with ease as they get their tickets. Playing spot the security, she keeps her arm through Grigory's, looking relaxed, smiling.
Walter arrives, dressed up a little. Biker leathers are not appropriate, and, chameleon-like, Walter has .. obtained .. suitable clothes. Just a suit, though it probably has an entire acre of cloth in it. He has a ticket, pre-arranged, to get him inside. He even smiles at the person who takes it, setting hearts aflutter and adrenaline pumping through them. Probably not in a good way, though.
The crowd at the De Young is a sea of Patagonia and Bloomingdales, blazers and boat shoes, yoga pants and infinity scarves, and one fucking asshole wearing a panda bear onesie that the work group who came dressed for cocktail hour just wishes did not fucking exist.
After having paid and stepped through the main security area, Grigory escorts Kailie and Diana into the main viewing area looking around at the security with a small smile. Looking up as his face is plastered over the monitor, the Russian actually chuckles and says off handedly, "See? Just like that we have already upscaled the building by at least two hundred percent." Gesturing Kailie's attention towards the monitor and chuckles before passing through.
Valentino - in Spanish
Arriving along side Walter on his bike, dressed as typical in his clerical garments, 'father'Valentino has to stop and buy a ticket. His expression shows he is not exactly thrilled with the idea of paying, but he hands over the cash and follows Walter inside. When he catches up the Hispanic man casts a side glance at him and mutters, "You didn't mention there was a charge for admittance."
Phillip continues to loiter around, stopping now and then to glance at various exhibits. The dark-haired Frenchman is actually interested in them, so does not have to feign too much. As Grigory makes his entrance with Diana and Kailie, he shifts his steps in that direction, crossing the room to the trio.
"Bonsoir, Mister Usov," the Frenchman says softly enough that his voice does not raise too much attention. A glance toward the two other ladies as he nods his head to them, "Mademoiselles." He speaks to the Russian man, but looks to the ladies, "I am afraid we have not yet had the pleasure. I am Phillip du Valmont."
Esther
Esther is arriving, and does have the intention of casing the place! But the camera kind of glitches out when she passes by. Mice chewing on the wires or something. That's unfortunate.
The pat-down's uneventful, because she's just got her phone, clothes, jewelry, and a little pouch with a cute embroidered turtle on it for her money. She's wearing black boots, black skinny jeans with the hem rolled up so they're basically capris, a tucked in black t-shirt and a black hoodie.
Taciturn as usual, she does seem at least willing to let her hair down enough to select a deviled egg or something from a tray before going stalking around and half people-watching, half art-watching.
Not all of the galleries are open tonight, and instead, the main event is hosted at the basement level. Koret Auditorium's large, indoor-outdoor quasi-industrial looking expanse yawns outward and leads down the stairs. The attendants who welcome exhibit goers are mostly college aged volunteers or pensioners (in blazers and boatshoes). The advertisement about 'light' refreshments wasn't kidding: would you like a single grilled shrimp on a cocktail toothpick? Perhaps a single tortilla chip crowned with a teaspoon of raw ahi tuna and a whiff of ~microgreens~? Would you like a tortilla chip covered in some salsa on a little black cocktail napkin somehow sold off as a chilaquile?
Victor is in a pretty standard fair for himself this evening. Nice pair of dark stained jeans with a button up that was luckily clean. In a somewhat rare occurance, Victor seems to have brought a guest with him. A rather attractive blonde woman follows along, hanging onto his arm as the move through the crowd to purchase tickets. Victor's eyes flit about the entrance in the odd way he's prone to do, while Brooke more or less keeps him from running into people while he's not paying attention. The young lady pays and prods Victor along. Clearly, she has brought him tonight, not the other way around.
Diana turns her washed-out brown eyes towards Phillip and simply beams at him, smiling brightly. "Well, hello dear," she says in a bight, cheerful, and distinctly voice, that is likely not what one would expect. "I'm assuming that you're one of Grigory's friends?"
Javier arrives with a ticket in hand, dropped off on a shiny black Escalade SUV. He is dressed in black (of course) - in a black dress shirt and black jeans. He passes security uneventfully, and his eyes immediately scan the crowd for familiar faces. Spotting Valentino and Walter, he starts to make his way towards them, and stops briefly to make a face at some hors d'oeuvres being offered to him.
Kailie's attention flicks to the monitor and she sassily pokes her tongue out at herself, then laughs, shaking her head slightly. When Phillip approaches, she leans lightly into Grigory, then moves as if to give him space and a semblance of privacy for introductions - letting her attention 'wander' to playing spot the camera and checking things out.
Mr Valmont" Grigory says as he turns his smile on the Frenchman "always a pleasure to see you my friend. Where is your lovely wife, will she be joining us this evening?" Grigory begins looking around for someone, looking at the gathered crowd for a moment before turning his attention back towards Phillip. Gesturing towards his two companions for the evening, he begins with introductions if nothing else. "Allow me to make introductions my friend. The lovely specimen" he gestures towards Diana after she has spoken and smiles, "is Ms Diana Prince, recently returned to us from abroad and this" he gestures towards the young woman on his arm "is Ms Kailie Brown." Phillip has made his own introductions and the Russian simply smiles as he looks about.
Walter tells his clerical companion, Valentino, "Well, I'm not your keeper," without a trace of irony, "Of course they are charging." He looks around the place now that he is inside. He has a big, social smile. So far, of course, no one has come to mingle with him, but at least he can get an idea of the security arrangements.
"Friends?" Phillip turns a sideeye to the Russian, "Ah, yes ... I would assume so." It's not unfriendly to the businessman, but it's clear he is seeking to distance himself from the fact they are best friends or something. Associates maybe. "Willow?" Phillip chuckles and shakes his head, cradling his champagne flute like a pro, "She had other business to attend tonight, I fear. She may join us later, however. She had mentioned the two of you had finally met. Good to hear." As introductions are done, the Frenchman bows his head to Diana first, "Mademoiselle Prince, it is a pleasure. Whereabouts are you returning from?" A look to Kailie as her name is dropped, "Mademoiselle Brown. A pleasure." He is just making small-talk, his eyes keeping alert on the room for anything weird.
Esther
"Maybe he fucking mined his way into some archeology. Money laundering or something," Esther mutters to herself, over where she's standing ignorably by herself. Though those paying specific attention to her or with Special Eyes might, of course, lip-read or make it out. Or think she's talking into earbuds. Or drugs.
It could certainly be drugs.
She seems a little too alert for that, though.
She pushes herself away from the wall and walks along the edges of the milling crowd until she finds something to drink. On the way she bumps into...
Victor is still being dragged around by the small blonde, who seems to be genuinely enjoying herself. Victor, however, seemed to have started neutral, but counting the number of familiar faces in the room, seems to become more and more concerned about what his escort has decided to drag him out to. He manages to grab a few of the snacks from the nearby trays as he is dragged again to a new exhibit. It's not as if he is disinterested, but he now seems even more distracted from the artwork as he begins scanning the room. The poor girl keeps trying to draw him back into conversation with her. Victor humors the girl, at least to a point, small talk, banter, but he still seems more alert to what goes on around them than what is being discussed at the moment.
Victor - in Spanish
The comment from Walter gets a bit of a grin. For a moment Valentino follows along, but when Javier comes up to join them, the other man is given a tip of the hat in greeting. "Brother. Good to see you. Didn't really expect to see anybody I knew here, all but this...white man." he remarks, jerking a thumb toward Walter and a distinctive word is expessed familiar to even those who don't speak Spanish: gringo.
"Oh, just up to Boston for a little while. Visiting family, you know how she is," Diana tells Phillip, while maintaining that bright smile. "I think that I will have a look around, if that is quite alright?" She asks, while looking over at Grigory.
Kailie inclines her head towards Phillip, smiling his way. "A pleasure." Spotting Walter, she studies him a moment, then slides her gaze towards Valentino, lifting a hand to wiggle her fingers at him in mild greeting. She doesn't seem inclined to stray from Grigory's side as she counts and plays spot-the-camera.
Inclining his head in Phillips direction as he makes the distinction between friend and associate, offering a small chuckle "Associates is a more apt description, though it does seem to have room for improvement." Smirking slightly, he seems to be in an amused mood this evening as he watches the crowd for a moment. "I did in fact. It was a wonderful conversation, and one that I was quite happy to finally have. She spoke very highly of you. I hope to speak to her again soon as well." He chuckles before turning his gaze towards Diana and smiles. "Of course my dear, by all means. Go enjoy the sights and enjoy. Tonight was my treat as a way to welcome you back. Though if you find anything of interest, please let me know?" He chuckles before patting Kailie's hand on his arm gently.
Phillip chuckles and takes a sip of the champagne, saying, "I would be worried if she didn't speak highly of me. I would speak highly of her, but she is impressive enough that even a blind man can see she is someone of exceptional quality and worth." Now there's some 'ye old tyemy' speak that sort of shows his age. A glance around as the ladies wander off. He lowers his voice some and says to Grigory, "I cannot help but notice that security here is a cut above what you usually see at your average museum. The guards as well. Unclear why, but someone was being mindful of whatever is stored here. This could be a sign." To any other onlooker, they would just see Phillip making a nice chat with the Russian. Two suited gents standing around minding their own business.
Javier - in Spanish
"Father Valentino," Javier smiles warmly to the cleric. "Well, I should've gotten you a ticket, if I knew you were coming. I wonder what we'll see at the exhibit. This thing... I guess we'll just wait and see."
The gift shop is closed and so is the cafeteria (although its kitchen is likely in use by the catering company dealing out little flutes of champagne and cider and bougie fingerfoods). The museum is full of floor to ceiling windows, huge panes of tinted, thick glass making a gallery out of the guests who socialize in the chilly courtyard among flutes of cider and champagne, nibbling on cocktail prawns and deviled eggs.
Most of the guests seem to be young tech professionals and DINKs of other stripes. The pensioners on premises more often than not have blue lanyards that mark them as volunteers, and they guide people towards the main attraction, which is downstairs.
Down a broad, stately staircase await the temporary exhibits, including the feature exhibit, the Doorway To Damascus. Here, a few men in well-fitted suits are speaking with an older couple just at the mouth of the exhibit and a DJ has setup a small table to play music from a tripod-mounted speaker and bring some pizzaz to the soundscape downstairs.
The exhibit awaits currently behind red velvet rope barrier, but the ornate space is plain to see. An intricate marble and ceramic tile floor stretches out through the space, and its ornate mosaicis itself part of the exhibit, a recreation of an ancient reception chamber brought bit by bit to the De Young and assembled as a window into a millenium ago. The splendid woodwork that decorates its ceiling and walls tell a story not only in the nature of their construction but in the calligraphy painted onto them. The far wall has bult-in shelves which display a collection of prized possessions behind glass, and on the shelves themselves is a collection of ceramic, glass, and silver baubles.
A few moments more of hob-nobbing, and then the music will end for a speech before letting everybody in. But in the meantime...
Walter notes to Valentino, "The waving lady, she wants to learn Nahuatl. I mentioned you spoke it, while I barely remember enough to say hello." He nods to the other fellow, "Ah, yes, I believe I remember you." He leads the other two - well, their following is of course optional - down into the display that they are here to view. He notes, "I do like museums, you know. Even if they do make me itch a little bit sometimes."
Javier walks up to Valentino and Walter. He speaks to the cleric first, in Spanish, before taking a step back to look at his companion to the party. "Fancy seeing you here," Javier says, looking the biker up and down. "You do have a habit of finding yourself in the middle of the action, don't you? Let's just hope that stuff doesn't go down tonight."
Victor - in Spanish
Valentino turns his attention on Kailie after the big man with them gets his attention. With a light chuckle he replies, "I just met her recently. She gave me a long list of numbers. I believe a telephone number, but I don't own any of those contraptions." He does follow along with Walter, glancing to Javier again with a grin. "Walter and I go ... way back." he remarks, then turns his attention on the display.
Grigory - in French
Looking around, Grigory nods his head and begins to speak quietly in return to Phillip, "You have absolutely no idea. I looked into some of it" he turns his gaze to look at the Frenchman and just shakes his head. Looking back towards the room as a whole, he switches tracks and returns to English, 'We will see what we will see, my friend. One way or another it will prove to be an entertaining evening either way."
Esther
At some point, with one of those flutes of champagne, Esther slithers downstairs into the basement. Transporting herself back a thousand years, if the museum's promotional material is believed! She checks out the _stuff_, but also keeps an eye open for those guest speakers and hosts: Daniel Medina or Benny Wagner.
Diana moves off and begins to explore, drifting from one exhibit to another and seemingly enjoying herself. The tall pimply-faced teenager often finds herself alone in front of the various displays, for one reason or another.
Victor manages to grab a champagne glass as they pass by, before gesturing to his companion in the direction of Grigory and Phillip. Carefully navigating the crowd (so he doesn't spill his drink obviously) he intrudes onto their conversation, not rudely, but perhaps a bit forcefully. "Mr. Usov, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised to see you here, but it is always a pleasure," Victor says in his best attempt at a -I'm not selling you anything- voice. Glancing towards Phillip, Victor extends his free hand in greeting. "And you were... Phillip? Yes? I'm terrible with names, I apologize." Victor draws out the name ever so slightly, not quite sure what to make of Frenchie yet. "I don't believe either of you have met my... companion yet. This is Brooke. I... found? her..." Victor is interupted by the girl beside him at this point.
"Adopted." The girl, aparently named Brooke chimes in.
"FOUND," Victor corrects somewhat forcefully, "after you and your sister had left LA, Mr. Usov." He turns to his companion again, rubbing his head "Could you, just, not. Not tonight, not now. Just.. why do you do this?"
Some familiar faces step down the stairs. One is Regent Demian's depressing countenance, the humorles harridan who dresses in pale drapery that lends her dreary presence the air of a cemetery angel. The other is Ehsan Khadem and his crazy wizard beard, in the company of a criminally attractive, fit young man who can only be described as 'marinated in cologne'. Yeah, sure, he also is wearing purple and has nice jheri curls, but damn, does he got cologne.
Phillip nods to Grigory's words and as the crowd starts to move to the downstairs exhibit, he flows along with it, wanting to be 'where the action' is. Assuming Grigory walks along with him, he keeps pace with the other man, his eyes taking in the surroundings. When they reach the Door to Damascus, he lingers long enough to study the exhibit, his attention only distracted for long enough to drift to a woman talking to a group of suits by the red rope. His only response seems to be mild curiosity at her presence, the long look a sign of it. Victor approaches him right as he is about to say something else to the Russian. His brow furrows at him, "Yes, Phillip. You have me at a disadvantage. I am afraid I have tried to punch you, but I never did get your name, sir?" It's an odd statement to be sure. Clearly they have met under some mild duress in the past. As Brooke is introduced, his dark gaze turns toward Brooke and he nods, "A pleasure to meet you Mademoiselle. Hopefully you are enjoying the exhibits?"
As the two approach the exhibit, they appear to be together. Ehsan steps aside, and Luna follows. Yousef breaks away, bringing his Dior on over to the roped off entrance to the exhibit so he can get a close up look-see. Ehsan Khadem is dressed in slacks, and those saddle brown bluchers with vermicelli shoelaces that weird old men and insufferable hipsters wear. You can practically just feel the circular elbow patches on his cardigan-style blazer.
Kailie gives a mild tug to Grigory's arm, smiling as people seem to flock to her escort for the evening. There's a faint trace of uncertainty in her expression, but she slips away from the congregation around the Ventrue to head for the exhibit, plucking up a flute of champagne somewhere along the way to carry but not drink.
Moving along with Phillip as he begins to move, he escorts Kailie along with him and whispers something into her ear softly before she slips away, then lifts his gaze towards Victor as he approaches. Inclining his head as Victor speaks, he responds with a polite "A pleasure to see you again, Victor. Mr Valmont, this is Victor Herrera. An associate of mine from Los Angeles. Victor this is Phillip de Valmont." He chuckles before turning his head towards the young woman and offers a small nod of his head "A pleasure Brooke." Nodding his head he turns his gaze towards Kailie head in the direction of the exhibit before he says with a smile, "Come my friends. We would hate to miss the festivities." Offering a small laugh he follows in the direction of his date and the exhibit itself. On his way, his gaze catches the sight of Luna and Ehsan and he almost grins like a cat for a moment before continuing.
A stir in the crowd eventually reveals itself. As the scheduled time for the exhibit's debut nears, volunteers and staff bring the exhibit goers down the stairs, which starts to fill the room with more and more people. However, it is the unsettling presence of a few present that create uncomfortable gaps in the distribution of the room. Javier, Walter, and Valentino are being given a wide berth, conscious or not, but the space that is afforded them is noticeable. Nearly as noticeable as the sheer height of the biker among them.
The Damascus Room itself is an exhibit to be entered into, the entrance a large archway. Currently, it's being roped off by iconic red velvet barrier rope, like the sort you'd find at a movie theatre. The intended speakers are not immediately clear, but the astute room reader can pick out likely candidates based on how people clump and group, as there is an assortment of older, rich white guys in pressed, nice suits speaking amongst each other near the exhibit.
Esther
Esther slips up near those speakers, standing around and looking mildly interested in whatever academic discourse they're having. It so happens that that's where Prince apparently went, so she's also like, trying to withstand the assault on her nostrils.
Victor gives a small wave as Grigory introduces him, walking beside the two. "Just Victor is fine. Sorry about the way we met at first, circumstances and all," Victor chuckles dismissively. Brooke also chuckles softly at the treatment from the two men, "Victor, why are you never this polite to me?" She presses closer to him clearly trying to take his drink but being overly flirtatious with it. Victor sighs and hands his drink to her after another sip for himself. "So, out of curiosity. I could understand a few people I know being here, but there are... more than a few. Am I missing something here?"
Phillip nods to Victor, "So good to meet you formally now, Monsieur. My apologies for the awkwardness of our last .. encounter. However, not unexpected, given the circumstances." He sports a smile but is already looking to now excuse himself. A glance to Grigory passes the baton for him to answer Victor's question on why so many 'people' are here tonight. He seems to have something else on his mind. "Please, excuse me a moment," the Frenchman says as he walks toward the red rope. Seeking the attention of the woman nearest it with the suits, he touches her arm and says, "Doctor Carter ..how good to see you again. What an unexpected surprise."
Kailie flashes a little smile Grigory's way for whatever is whispered, lifting her champers in salute before starting to drift and mingle her way right over to the guy in purple, purposefully sidestepping to block him from peeking. "Lovely to see you! It's be for-*ever*. How are you tonight?" Not even really trying to hide that she doesn't know him, but definitely putting on a bright, valley girl sort of smile for the man. Even as her skin prickles faintly with goosebumps enough to make her subtly shiver.
Javier frowns as they are given a wide berth by the mostly mortal crowd. "This reminds me of why I don't go to fancy events," he says. He looks around, to search for a pamphlet or something to occupy his attention.
Even with all the activity, some needs can not be ignored! Diana steps away from the displays and makes her way over to the ladies room. Pushing open the door, she disappears inside, then door closing behind her with a soft 'swish'.
Victor - in Spanish
Hearing the comment from Javier, the shadowy priest glances around briefly. He hadn't noticed until the other brought it up and it earns a snort of amusement ouf of Valentino. "What do you expect?" he wonders with arched brows at his fellow. His attention lingers long enough to watch Javier search for a pamphlet, then he looks back to the exhibit and the people surrounding it. He casts a glance at Walter, curious in his expression as he studies the large man.
"Ms Demian. Mr Ehsan. How wonderful to see you again, and under such a fantastic venue." Grigory seems to have moved away from the group, turning slightly to make his presence known towards the two he is now speaking to. "I trust your evening is going well?"
When Kailie zips in to the guy in purple, he blinks his gooseberry colored eyes and backs up. A confused smile of polite but tested patience rewards the woman for her greeting. "I'm alright," she says, as he turns his attention avoidantly away from her, trying not to /feed the troll/.
As Phillip approaches, Dr. Carter's eyes brighten. By the tint on her cheeks, this is probably not her first flute of champagne for the night. "Oh! well hello there!" She greets Phillip warmly. "How wonderful is it to see you! Benjamin," she turns, addressing one of the suited men, who wears a signet ring. "Ben, this is my friend Phillip, now he knows his Egyptian art." She reaches out to pat Phillip on the shoulder in handsy but platonic enthusiasm. "I just couldn't help myself but show up to this one, you know," Carter says, beaming at Phillip, "I dropped by a few weeks ago for a sneak peak while they were installing this? It _pays_ to be a board member."
When Grigory approaches Ehsan and Luna, the both of them look over in unison. For two with opposing goals, they comically mirror each other as their eyebrows climb at the same time in response to Grigory's presence. Ehsan, then, steps aside and offers a handshake to Grigory in welcome. "Well hello, how wonderful to see you too!" He gestures towards Luna, his gestures somewhat incongruent with his dialog in that he appears to be encouraging an introduction between the two despite them seeming to know one another. "Demian and I have been working closely together lately," he says. With an undercurrent of 'And she is pain in my assholes.'
Phillip smiles to Carter and extends his hand to shake this Benjamin's warmly, "Bonsoir, Ben. It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Phillip du Valmont." He nods to the doctor, "This is a magnificent recreation of Qa'a. This collection would make even the wealthiest of Damascenes blush with envy. I am looking forward to getting a closer look. Perhaps we can speak after things get underway?" The rest of their conversation fades away as the group seems to exchange some words and Phillip hob-nobs with the suits. Apparently he's quite the fan of the ancient world. Or at least his genuine enthusiasm seems to support the fact.
Diana does not appear to have emerged from the bathroom. Concerning? Maybe?
Walter, smiling, ambles over in the rough direction of Kai and her new friend, getting near-ish to the more important discussion going on nearby. How fascinating all this museum stuff is!
Victor - in Spanish
Watching as Walter heads over, so too does Val. He nudges Javier to make sure he notices them moving since he is all in that pamphlet. Right behind Walter, does the crowd open up for them like the red sea parting for Noah? Valentino comes up to stand near the Waltowitz and gives Kailie a tip of his hat in greeting, before crossing his arms to observe.
Kailie seems to have accomplished whatever she was after when the Purple Smelly Guy turns away to look else where. There's a triumphant sip from the flute of champagne when she pauses and tilts her head - chancing upon a new target. There's a slight smile for Walter, but she slips away - as if daunted by his sheer size. Or maybe something else about him is unsettling. It becomes clear her new target is one of the men in the suits. "I can't help but notice your ring? That's the Key of Solomon, isn't it? I haven't ever seen a ring like that. May I?" she asks. Super rude, but trying to buffer it with genuine enthusiasm for the item.
It's just a ruse! Javier may have the pamphlet in hand, but he glancing in the direction of the VIPs. He's trying to see if anyone will make eye contact with him. When they don't, Javier frowns, but soon he has another idea. He leans over to cup his mouth next to Valentino, whispering something in his ear.
Chuckling to himself, Grigory extends his hand towards Ehsan to shake it firmly as he responds to the man "That is good to hear. I was curious how things were going between you, but it would appear I have nothing to worry about." Offering a small smile as he releases Ehsan's hand, he offers a small nod of his head towards Luna "I simply wished to give my regards. Have a wonderful evening my friends." With that, the Russian is once more mingling through the crowd in the direction of his date as she seems to slip away from the giant mans company. Offering a small chuckle, he offers the large man a nod of greeting before changing directions to meet up with Kailie.
Victor can't help but noticed he has been abandoned to suffer with his companion alone as she drinks from what was his glass moments ago. "No? Nobody? Okay, that's fine," Victor says to nobody in particular. "I'm definitely missing something here. I'm also not nearly drunk enough for this, which means neither are you," Victor says as he tips the glass further against the girl's lips. She almost sputters, but keeps the drink down. "Right, you picked this place, so show me around a bit. Tell me what you know, eh? I think I may be on the clock soon..." Victor trails off, starting to study the exhibit a bit more intently than he had before, racking his brain for anything of note. He is, at least somewhat, aware of the look of dissapointment from his date for the evening at his words.
As Kailie approaches, the tattooed troublemaker may be full of enthusiasm, but the rich white guy isn't letting the woman who exudes RUFFIAN near his proverbial pearls. He gives the woman a tight smile. "Ah, thank you! I like my ring too." And so he goes about treating her with as much trust as he might lend crocodile. On the bright side, he does give her the courtesy of showing her a clear view of it: he lifts his hand so she can see as he curls his fingers into a fist to protect his ring from yoinkage. "Family heirloom," he explains, as if to brush away his reticence.
Esther
Esther continues to stand nearby the conversations with the guest speakers and their entourage, somewhere around where Kailie, Phillip, Yousef, Wagner, Carter, the unidentified other suit, and Medina are. And where Walter and Valentino have just arrived. And Grigory. Her eyes wander past the red rope and she squints into the exhibit.
Something catches her attention, though, and she turns to watch Kailie approach Wagner, sipping from her flute of champaign while she watches impassively. She taps a slow rhythm on the glass with the flat of one finger, metronomic time. A distraction while she waits for the ceremony.
Victor - in Spanish
Arching his brows at what Javier asks him, the priest smiles and considers it for a moment. Leaning back over he returns the whisper, then nods his head toward Luna Demian and companion. He flashes the other man a wide smile before adding, "First I want to see what is going on here. I want to see the exhibit." His head turns subtly, seeming to scan over the others gathered, though behind his sunglasses one cannot see where the eyes are looking.
Phillip remains by Doctor Carter and the suits. He's chatting quietly with them and drinking his champagne as he waits for the 'main event' to begin.
Nobody makes eye contact with poor Javier, indeed. Well, they do, but it's the sort of eye contact that follows you around the store to see if you aren't about to shoplift.
Luna seems relieved she has to do little more than acknowledge the Russian's passing presence, giving him the begrudging smile of a socialite as shallow as a parkinglot puddle. "Please, have a _safe_ evening, Mr. Usov," Khadem tells the departing man, but he keeps the man no further.
Victor's eyes round the premises. Yup, Diana is still in the bathroom, doubtlessly popping that field of pimples on her teenage face and fretting over the wreckage. Carter and Phillip have their chit-chat, and Carter's bubbly, loose-lipped self seems enthusiastic about giving Phillip a better look-see at the stuff behind the glass once Ben says his promo and the people can mill about at the exhibit.
Now Javier and Valentino are whispering to each other. Plotting nefariously, as it were. Javier continues to murmur sweet Spanish nothings into Valentino's ear.
Walter confidently steps forward and takes his hand out of his jacket pocket to pump Wagner's hand. It's huge and warm, possibly because of the glove warmers he keeps in the pocket, and starts talking to him earnestly about the importantance of world stewardship, eyes twinkling at meeting a friendly face.
Diana finally makes it out of the bathroom, but she does not look well. Hunched over, hair mostly obscuring her face, and with both hands wrapped around her abdomen. She heads for the exit at a brick pace, clearly on her way out. Touch of food poisoning, maybe?
When Walter steps in, the sudden arrival of the gigantor bikor interrupting the conversation between Carter, Phillip, Ben and his two colleagues and Kailie certainly punctuates the social scene. The group gets a front row seat to Walter talking about world stewardship, a line of thought that stirs a note of recognition in Wagner's eyes.
Wagner seems to be picking up what Walter is putting down, in a way, if only because he looks at the man as if in a different light. Whether that is for better or worse is not immediately apparent. But soon, the DJ's music stops and an announcement is made to quiet those gathered and bring attention to the upcoming PR speech.
Victor - in Spanish
Nodding once to Javier, there is an amused expression on the father's face. His lips twist into a smile as he observes Walter and Wagner, though he remains silent. Valentino doesn't have anything to add. He does look Wagner over, sizing him up before leaning over toward Javier again and whispering to him in Spanish. A glance at the other man and a nod is given. His eyes scan over the room a moment while the big biker does his thing. Val is just here to watch his back.
The DJ's music comes to a halt and as the plug on music is pulled the crowd pauses, their attention grabbed for an announcement. The young man working the DJ booth (which is honestly just a folding table dressed in a nice cloth and a laptop hooked up to some gear) introduces Benjamin Wagner and Daniel Medina, an unlikely investor-historian pair that the museum is thrilled to have.
Wagner takes the microphone once he's hyped as the man who financed this venture. It seems Medina is the scholar and not fit for speeches, but according to Wagner and the DJ's introduction, it was Medina who organized the restoration of the exhibit and hand-picked the various items that are on display on its ecclectic shelves. Wagner made the endeavor possible, and he uses the moment as an excuse to promote his company. It's an international mining company that he tries to sell as very climate-conscious and he blathers on about "proactive water stewardship" and says other corporate things like "long-term sustainability" and yaddah. People sip cocktails and weather the speech wherein Wagner tries to tie it all into art: their mining operations sometimes unearth crazy cool shit is what the thrust of his Corporate Ipsum seems to suggest.
So what we have here, then, seems to be a mining industry entrepreneur who has turned an exhibit into a bit of an ego boost and PR stunt to promote his company and ingratiate the De Young to his wallet.
Finally, the exhibit opens.
This period room is a recreation of a recption chamber that has been transported piece by painstaking piece to San Francisco all the way from Syria. The floor of the exhibit (which is probably a reproduction since the viewers can tread on it) is just as much of a work of art as the walls. When Medina does get to talk, he talks about how the panels themselves tell a story and date the pieces to the 1100s. He had selected pieces from various digs, exhibits, and connections fitting the area, all from a same or similar era, everything in here several hundreds of years old to create this palatial picture. He talks about the historical nature of the room, and how it was basically a reception area in the winter, used much like one may utilize a living room or parlor.
Some of this history lesson ties into the display itself, as he highlights the hand-made trays, the incense burners, or braziers, items that were generally kept stored on shelves in the antechamber. Typically, the shelves of the raised area displayed a range of the owner?s prized possessions such as ceramics, glass objects or books, and so select, representative pieces of each such thing stands behind the museum glass that guards the historical shelves.
Those who are familiar with Ehsan's little venture do notice 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 item we all seek.
The call to quiet is perfect, Kai sidestepping into Wagner's shadow while people talk, murmuring a very soft recitation associated with such a key, "Dominus ad dexteram tuam percussit etiam reges in die irae suae." The words are slow, as if she has to stop and think about them before forming them with near-perfect pronunciation, her fingertips sneaking over to brush against the ring Wagner wears without making an effort to hold his hand like a proper strumpet might. Nor does she try to alleviate him of it's presence - the tone of the latin rather respectful. Goosebumps creep up Kailie's arm from the contact, and she tries to suppress a shiver, body tensing, forgettng to breathe for a moment before she slips back, breaking contact and watching the man as he moves to the stage.
Kailie's moment is one that throws off Wagner before the speech is made. He gives the woman a look like she just tried to explain to him why the world is flat. Pitying? Confused? Offended? All three? Probably all three. He doesn't do much about her, but when he steps aside to give his aforementioned speech, he wipes his hand off on his lapels.
Stepping up behind Kailie, Grigory places a hand on the young womans shoulder gently as he watches Wagner step away to begin his self hype seminar. The Russian seems content for the moment to simply watch the man in silence as he begins to act like another peacock in a suit. Of course, Grigory doesnt do anything of the sort. His plummage is so much brighter.
Phillip is eager to get into the exhibit and see all the artifacts. If Carter and Wagner are not objectionable, he is right there and asking them to give him a personal look at some of the items. They are having a really deep conversation to be sure. Certainly something technical and boring as get out.
Javier listens intently to the speech. As it concludes, he once again turns to whisper in Valentino's ear.
Victor is just a regular guest with some interest in history. And a probably slightly drunk woman clinging frustratingly to him. He listens to the speakers while still trying to pay attention to the room as a whole. Inside the exhibit proper, he studies each artifact in turn, uncertain if anything is really jumping out at him.
Esther
Eventually Esther takes her leave, to go regroup and share what she saw, if anything.
As the speech wraps and people start to hob-nob, there was some time where Phillip was chopping it up with Carter and Wagner. Soon, the conversation is driven towards one between Phillip and Carter in particular, as Carter is the man with the passion and Wagner the one with the wallet.
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. 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.
"Oh! Doctor Carter!" The ashen-haired man in his thirties calls across the room, moving in to interrupt the conversation with Phillip, Wagner, and his business partner. This gives Wagner an excuse to depart, and after he tolerates an ear-beating from the fancily dressed man about how wonderful the presentation was and so on, Wagner turns, heading out toward the exit. He's accompanied by two other individuals, both young men, dressed more business casual for a nice presentation night. They flank him on their way to the court-yard, past the CCTV screen in the lobby.
Next:
