A Dance of Deception
- Locked due to inactivity on Feb 29, '24 3:54am
Thread Topic: A Dance of Deception
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The sun slowly falls from the sky, lighting the path with a low pink and orange glow. Ren slowly walks along the sidewalk, carrying his schoolbag as he strolls alongside Yusuke. His black hair falls softly over his glasses as he brings his grey eyes up to the sky. Then, with a calm gaze, he looks to Yusuke. "So, are you excited about the trip? You seem like a pretty good artist."
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"Indubitably. Although, it is rather odd that only you were able to come. It seems that everyone else was busy. Besides you and Mona. Speaking of.." He casually reached into his pocket and pulled out a chocolate bar. "Would you care to eat half? I couldn't stomach the slop that was 'Airline food. Too bland for my taste." He handed half the bar to Ren, unaware that he hadn't eaten all morning.
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Ren starts to take a bite of the chocolate bar but stops when he feels sudden shuffling in his bag. The black and white cat pops his head out the bag, offended. "Hey, what about me? I didn't eat either!"
Ren sighs. "Sorry, Morgana." He breaks off a piece of chocolate for him. Ren then looks up to Yusuke, snacking on the chocolate. "I hope the food here is better than the airline food," he sighs again, shaking his head.
Morgana licks his lips. "I hope so. I could really go for some juicy fish right now. Mmm."
Ren pulls out a map from his backpack, fumbling with it trying to unfold and read it, turning the map a few times before its rightside up. "S-so, what part of France are we in again?" he asks Yusuke, gazing around, slightly intimidated by all the signs in French. -
Narrowing his gaze, he noticed a familiar landmark, a small smile creeping. "We indeed are very close. The landmark in front of us," He gestured to the massive building with arches. "is the Arc de Triomphe. According to your map, we should be within three blocks of the GALA. I'm glad the weather is holding up, as this time of year it tends to-" Without warning, the bright skies of the morning were brought to Grey, and a light rain had begun. "Rain.", he sighed as he lifted his hood above his head. "Let us proceed onwards. I have a VIP badge that will let us in with no delay."
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Morgana yelps as the rain gets into the bag. He then hands Ren his umbrella. Ren opens the umbrella and walks to the gala. "I know you would've performed Ann to be here with you, but with her having a modeling job, she asked me to come in her place. I know we're not the same, but Morgana and I are here to support you."
"Yeah," Morgana adds, "Just get in there and do your best...whatever you're doing," he finishes, uncertain.
Ren smiles subtly at Morgana. "Yusuke is going to display his art. If it goes well, he'll be recognized by famous artists and have the chance to really be noticed." -
"I thank you both for coming here. It means a great deal to me. I did not mind whomever would have come, as if one of my friends came, I would not feel so nervous. So, thank you both." He carefully handed the manager at the front desk his identification, all while receiving raised eyebrows from other artists. "It seems that everyone still remembers the Madarame incident. But, that is okay. It was a growing experience, and I'm happy that we changed his heart. Although I miss the little shack, I'm glad I have a better place for my creativity.", he ventured as the true were led to a large room, filled with varying paintings, sculptures, statues, and trinkets.
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Ren gazes around. "This is certainly a lot of artwork. But I'm sure you'll stand out on your own. Don't let the past stop you."
"Yeah," Morgana whispers, "I'm sure your art is much better than...whatever that thing is," he finishes, looking over to a painting with splotches of colors against a white canvas—the splotches taking on a muddy black color after mixing poorly.
Ren nods. "Mm-hm." -
"If I am completely honest, that looks like an... interesting piece.", he uttered and stifled a laugh. "But art is art. The artist must have worked on it for an amount of time." Whilst they were waiting on the gala to start, he noticed Morgana was staring at the front of the room. "Mona, you seem troubled. Whatever is the matter?" Upon looking towards their direction, he understood and chuckled. "Ah. Madame Rosé. The one behind the corporation built to restore memories of accident victims. A truly fascinating individual.", Yusuke mused as Morgana hissed. "I get this off feeling about her. I have no idea why. She seems.. fuzzy." He looked back at her and sighed. "She is as far from a corrupt adult as she could possibly be."
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Ren opens his mouth to speak, but the lights suddenly dim. Everyone in the building turns to a small stage where a man in a suit stands. "Welcome one and all to our grand art expo. It is with great pride that I announce the start of this wondrous event. I'm thrilled to see how many artists and art lovers are in the room today, and I encourage all of you to express yourselves and find your passion for art while you are here. But, before we begin, I would like to welcome our lovely sponsor to the stage. Without her, none of this would have been possible. Please give a warm welcome to Madame Rosé!"
The room is filled with applause as the woman sashays onto the stage. Her long brown hair bounces in curls and her ruby-red eyes gleam with confidence as she approaches the stage in a slim, sparkling red dress.
"Hm," Ren breathes, watching in quiet curiosity.
"Thank you, Aloïs. It is my pleasure to have been able to sponsor this wonderful event. After all, art is not only a hobby, but a way of healing, and I, being an advocate of recovery, couldn't think of a better place to provide funding. Now then, everyone remember to enjoy themselves, and I will be here all day if you would like to hear about my organization and cause. Have a splendid day and indulge your creativity in the art around you."
Applause rises from the crowd again as Madame Rosé exits the stage.
"Well," Ren starts, "I guess the art museum is completely open, now. Where should we go first?" -
Yusuke thought for a moment, then gazed at the art exhibits. "Well, we could start with D'Angelo. His works are fascinating and he puts sweat and tears. Or we could go see the little crab exhibit.", he said, a smile on his face and remembering the time of their trip a year ago. "This time, I won't spend what little funding I have on crabs." Shortly thereafter, Morgana had looked around the room with contempt. "Wherever we go, I would like some fatty tuna!" Yusuke, chuckling quietly, nodded in agreement. "There is a café. Seems quite empty, though. Perhaps we could make a snack stop first. What do you think, Ren?"
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"A snack might be best. If Morgana gets too loud, we might get kicked out," he replies with a nervous smile. Yusuke and Ren head for the café, sitting down at a table and eating snacks. Morgana pokes his head out the bag, eating some of the tuna sandwich from Ren's hand.
Ren looks down at the table in deep though while eating. Suddenly, he looks up. "After this, we should find somewhere to set up so you can showcase your paintings, Yusuke. I'm sure you'll do well. You'll finally be able to take credit for your own works. Besides, if you don't," he sighs, "I have a feeling Ann will never let me live it down. She sent me here in her place to make sure you showcase your art." Ren's phone buzzes. He checks it to find a message from Ann.
"Hey, I'm between photo shoots. I wanted to check in. Did you help Yusuke set up the art stand yet? How is France? Send me pictures, okay?"
Ren shows Yusuke his phone. "Like I said." -
Yusuke chuckles as he nods. "I believe that I have a space for setting up when the occasion started. Please, come this way.", he gestured as they made their way through the crowd of people, receiving plenty of looks, many of which were negative. "The true pupil of Madarame.", one uttered. "Why would they allow the orphan to join us?", muttered another. He sighed and disregarded everything they were saying, stopping in front of a booth with his name on it. "Well, all that really needs to be done is hang these up." He took off a few cloth coverings to unveil the paintings he made of Mementos, a lake under a mountain, and one of the Sayuri. "That should be it. Now I suppose we wait."
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Ren nods. "Looks good."
Morgana peaks out from the bag with Ren's phone between his paws. "And now for a picture for Lady Ann. Say 'Morgana's awesome!'" He taps the screen and takes a picture.
Ren receives the phone from Morgana and sends the picture to Ann. "Not bad," Ren compliments.
"Excuse me," a lady calls out.
"Hm?" Ren turns around to find a small crowd in front of Yusuke's booth. He steps aside as the crowd slowly encircles the booth.
"Is this the work of Madarame's pupil?" the woman asks.
The crowd begins to clamor and take pictures, questioning Yusuke and praising his work.
Morgana looks up at Ren with a grin. "Alright, looks like the plan worked."
"Yeah," Ren quietly agrees. "Looks like Yusuke can finally start his career with a clean slate." -
"Oh. Yes. I am-" He felt overwhelmed, and quite shocked that people were crowding the booth, asking question after question, and he answered each truthfully and feigned concern whenever his ex-sensei was brought up. After twenty minutes, everyone was asked to enter a room where a slideshow of the artists' work were to be unveiled. It was lead by Madame Rosé, but she seemed quite different, noticeably, her warm demeanor was now sour. "She seems quite agitated.", he ventured to Ren as Morgana perked up. "Perhaps she is evil. We must try to take her down!"
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Ren ponders for a moment before addressing Morgana, pushing the battle ready cat back down into his bag. "Or maybe someone upset her. We don't know for sure," he says, then turning to Yusuke, "but if Morgana is concerned, it may be best to keep an eye out."
The microphone squeals before Madame Rosé begins to speak. "I'm proud to announce the unvailing of the newest art from some of the most beloved artists. After that, we will be showcasing art from our newest rising artists. Aloïs will show you all the newest works, so please warmly welcome him to the room." No sooner than she walks away, she is seen reaching into her snow-white purse and pulling out her phone, answering a call with a sour look.
Morgana's ears lay back in suspicion. "Look!"
Reb and Yusuke spot Madame Rosé on the phone with a scowl.
"Looks like somethings up."
"Then let's find out," Morgana says, pointing a paw to the lady.
Ren and Yusuke hide behind the corner of a wall, hearing bits and pieces of the conversation.
"What is it? I'm in the middle of an event," Madame Rosé snaps. Her expression then changes to a look of shock. "What do you mean, 'traitor'?! Well, someone must've stolen it. It was there before I left this morning. I need to get it back. I won't be able to fund the next gathering without the money."
Ren and Yusuke look to each other.
"...Well, we need to get someone on it immediately. I'll call you back later when I get to the hotel room." Madame Rosé slams her flip-phone shut and turns around to head back to the event.
Ren and Yusuke hurry away to a secluded area in the room.
Morgana utters a low sound, deep in thought. "Hmm. I guess you guys were right."
Ren adjusts his glasses. "So, it would seem Madame Rosé has been robbed. That would be a valid reason to look so upset. But now, the question is how do we find the person who stole from her?"
Morgana licks his paw, grooming behind his ear before answering with his eyes closed. "Most likely, you'll have to shadow her to gather intel on who works with her so we can find the person who stole her money."
"Once we know enough about the person, we can use the Metaverse Navigator to track them down. Sounds like a plan." Ren looks to Yusuke. "If you're up for it, we'll need to get some information from Madame Rosé. That means we should go find her and ask about her company."
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