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Jeremiah Hamilton: For a man in Jeremiah's line of business one of the important things was keeping an eye out for up and coming talent, which often meant going to the various music venues that dotted the city to look for new performers. On this particular evening he had managed to talk Hearth into getting out of the house and coming with him, giving her a smile as he opened the door to the nightclub chosen for the evening's festivities. The Mastigos was dressed sharply in black dress slacks, a light purple dress shirt and black vest to tie the ensemble together. "Trust me, this'll be fun."
Heather Williams: She chuckled, following him inside and tugging at the hem of her little black dress with a deep cowl back that left it bare. Her eyes brimmed with good humor and she bumped her hip into him. "For you, I have no doubt. I didn't even realize I still had this dress."
Renault Caron: Renault watched the crowd, eyes taking in the swirl of the masses. Two particular sharply dressed guests catch his gaze, and out of idle curiosity he begins to follow them from his spot on the balcony.
Jeremiah Hamilton: "And you look amazing in it, if I may say so." He replied with a grin, dark eyes taking in the room to scope out the best place to claim a seat before the performances began in earnest. "Besides, it's good to get out of your comfort zone every now and again."
Heather Williams: "It is," she allowed somewhat reluctantly, then grinned back. "and you may say so. I think it fits better than when I bought it, actually. More sharing with everyone lately instead of eating everything myself." She settled into her seat and crossed her ankles. "Who did you say is playing?"
Renault Caron: Renault tilts his head. There’s something tickling him about the pair, but it’s subtle. Something in the way they move? They weren’t Kindred... He taps his chin as he makes his way to the stairs.
Jeremiah Hamilton: "A young man by the name of Mark Brooks. Heard about him from a friend of mine and thought he'd be worth checking out." Jeremiah claimed a chair besides Hearth as she got settled, glancing towards the stage. "Should be going on in a few minutes, I believe."
Heather Williams: "I'm sure he will then," she said warmly, then took the time to look around the club, examining the decor and attendees. Her gaze met Renault's for a moment, and she smiled faintly, then winked at the young man.
Renault Caron: Renault reappears on the same floor as the two mages, moving a distance away to watch them. He considers for a moment, frowning. And then his Beast smells the currents of reality drifting about the Mages, Hearth specially, which both of them sense.
Jeremiah Hamilton: Jeremiah spared Renault a glance when Hearth looked his direction, giving the Lord a quick once-over before offering a polite nod. The familiar hum of the Sight kicking into gear made him pause for a moment, leaning towards Hearth to whisper while his eyes lingered on the stage. "You catch that?"
Heather Williams: "Mhmmm. In a place as crowded as this I'm not terribly surprised, or worried for that matter."
Renault Caron: Renault drifts a little closer, watching the stage as he sips at a drink, looking disinterested, certainly not wondering what a Mage, quite possibly two, were doing watching a live music show.
Jeremiah Hamilton: "True enough." Jeremiah nodded, relaxing in his seat as the young musician made his way onto the stage. After introductions were made the performance began in earnest, proving that he had a decent set of pipes indeed.
Heather Williams: Hearth was, perhaps, less enthralled by the music than Jay was. She got up to order them both fruity cocktails and then settled back. Hearth preferred to people watch while listening, and sipped at her drink. Her gaze lingered on Renault just a hair too long when he came into view. "Are you planning to work with this singer?" She asked Jay.
Renault Caron: Renault considers for a moment, then walks closer yet, carefully not looking at the Mages, but ready to meet one of their gazes the next time they look his way.
Tonight he’s wearing his usual casual black suit, drinking something out of a highball glass.
Jeremiah Hamilton: "If he's up for it. He's got the talent, that's for sure." Jeremiah took a sip of the drink Hearth brought back, nodding with approval. "Will have to talk with him after the show and see what he thinks on the idea."
Heather Williams: "He has a good voice for a Christmas album," Hearth said with amusement. "I could see him covering Barry White really well." Then she leaned closer to Jay and murmured. "Have you seen the young man that's floating through the room? He keeps looking at us."
Renault Caron: Renault pauses, taking another drink. He’s close enough now to hear them over the sound of the crowd, though only because of his supernatural senses. He smiles a little to himself, waiting to see what they do next.
Jeremiah Hamilton: "...yeah, he does." He said with a smirk, leaning closer as Hearth did the same. "Mmhmm. Want to invite him over, or just see what he does?"
Heather Williams: "See what he does." She smirked at Jay. "He's probably stunned by your hotness and trying to decide how to ask you out."
Renault Caron: Renault approaches, raising his glass in salute. “Hello, good to meet you both. I don’t mean to interrupt, but I was hoping we could chat. Something tells me you’re fellow travelers on the road,” he explains with a wink.
Jeremiah Hamilton: Jeremiah chuckled, shaking his head with a smile. He then looked towards Renault when he approached the table, lifting his own glass in kind. "Have a seat. Which road are you referring to, out of curiosity?"
Heather Williams: Hearth waggled her eyebrows at Jay, then hid a smile behind her drink. "El Dorado?" she suggested.
Renault Caron: “Mystical ones, to be suitably coy,” he says with a grin. “Though different than yours.” He takes a seat. “Renault Caron, it’s a pleasure to meet you both. How are you doing tonight?
Jeremiah Hamilton: Jeremiah gave a curious look at that, another flare of magic hitting the air as he called down the Supernal lens to look him over properly. "Jeremiah, and pretty well. Yourself?"
Heather Williams: Hearth took a peek, though it was a subtle whisper of power beneath a veil of Prime. "And I'm Heather," she introduced herself. "Pleasure to meet you."
Renault Caron: “I’m doing well, enjoying the music, and now I have a chance to indulge my incorrigible curiosity, so things are going almost perfectly, I’d say.” He grins and takes another drink. “I’m guessing I’m being thoroughly checked out right now, do I pass the test? I promise I’m only here to be friendly, Jeremiah, Heather. It’s nice to meet one’s neighbors.” His thick French accent twist his words in interesting ways, at once rough and smooth.
Heather Williams: "Well you know what they say about curiosity," Hearth teased. "And some tests aren't pass or fail. They simply are. Passing or failing comes through our actions alone."
Jeremiah Hamilton: "Friendly is always appreciated." Jeremiah nodded, tilting his head towards Hearth at her comment. "So far so good."
Renault Caron: He chuckles and shakes his head a little, sipping his drink again. “Ah, but you know what they say about satisfaction,” he fires back at Heather, winking. “Ah, I better be careful, then, shouldn’t I?”
Heather Williams: "Or just be yourself and let the chips fall where they may," she said dryly. "There's no good reason to put the opinions of others so high that you twist yourself into a pretzel."
Jeremiah Hamilton: "You strike me as a man who knows how to behave himself." Jeremiah replied with a smirk. "Here for the music or the nightlife in general?"
Renault Caron: He laughs and nods to Hearth. “Perhaps. Or you can get good at code-switching so you don’t have to stretch yourself in every direction at once. Everyone cares about other’s opinions, that is what makes us who we are.”
He winks at Jeremiah. “Oh, there are a few who might disagree, but I’m happy to preserve your good impression of me tonight. I’m here for the nightlife; trying to get out a little more, enjoy being around people.”
Jeremiah Hamilton: "Not a bad thing, that." Cue a brief look at Heather with a smile to match . "Came to check if the guy on stage was as good as I've heard, and so far no complaints."
Heather Williams: "Oh people care, and there's value in being a socially adept team player instead of an asshole... but there's a difference between reading what others think of you and actually caring about it enough to reform yourself around it."
Renault Caron: “The fable about the donkey, the farmer, and the son, yes? Well, if it makes you feel better, I won’t care too much what you think of me,” he replies with another smile.
He looks back to Jeremiah, glancing to the stage. “Oh, yes, he was rather good, wasn’t he? Are you a talent scout, then?”
Jeremiah Hamilton: "More of a mentor in general. I work with people who have the talent but need the practice to shape it and get their voices out there."
Heather Williams: "Not to mention crazy talented in his own right," Hearth said, a hint of pride in her voice, as if she had something to do it. "You may have heard his stuff, if you're into the music scene around here."
Renault Caron: “Unfortunately I haven’t been too into the local scene, but I love music; I’ll have to look into your work,” he says with a smile to the musical Mage. “It’s been ages since I performed on a stage myself; it’s a lot of work.”
Jeremiah Hamilton: "You flatter me, madame." He said with a smile. "Agreed. I don't perform much these days barring filling in at the cafe I run when someone can't make it, but I went at it hard for a few years in Los Angeles."
Heather Williams: "You used to be on stage?" she asked Renault. "Theater or another art?" she asked curiously. "Would we have heard of your stage name from that particular career at all?"
Renault Caron: “I sing and play guitar, among other things, but no, you wouldn’t have heard of me, I was never a public performer, and I was in Paris until recently.”
Jeremiah Hamilton: "Only been there once back when I was in college, but I enjoyed it. What brought you to Philadelphia, if you don't mind my asking?"
Heather Williams: "Paris has historically been a rather important center for the arts. Have you ever had a portrait painted?" Hearth asked curiously, a little grin playing at her lips.
Renault Caron: He playfully rolls his eyes at Heather. “Yes, do you want one?”
“I came to Philly due to a change in fortune; I took my opportunity and left. I’d heard interesting things about Philly, and decided I’d check it out. I quite like it.”
Heather Williams: "I do actually," Heather said with a smile. "Especially if you've been the sole owner since it was painted and have records of its provenance."
Jeremiah Hamilton: "About the same on my end. Things changed enough in Los Angeles that I needed to find a new place to be and I went with here. It's different but in a good way, and I've met some really good people because of it." He gave Hearth a light nudge at that, smiling softly to the Moros before continuing. "Can't complain."
Renault Caron: He tilts his head as he looks at Heather. “Do you want a lock of my hair and vial of my blood too? I’m not ignorant to the potential significance of such an item, even if you don’t mean any harm by it.”
Heather Williams: She sniffed derisively. "Stars no. Unless it's part of Victorian era mourning jewelry- which fashion I highly doubt you would have participated in. Have you ever even taken your paintings to a conservationist? Are they stored properly? Or did you hang them over a fireplace and then shove them in an attic at some point?" She twitched a little at the thought.
Jeremiah Hamilton: "She's an art historian and conservationist." Jeremiah added, smirking a touch.
Renault Caron: A slow grin spreads across his face. “I’m French, not English, it’s true, it was more popular there. As for portraits, I have a number, and I’ve taken steps to have them preserved and touched up over the years. I suppose I’d be happy to show them to you.”
Heather Williams: "I would be delighted to see them. Though based on the state and quality of the 'touching up' I cannot guarantee anyone's safety," she said with a straight face.
Jeremiah Hamilton: "She does excellent work." Jeremiah nodded, smiling as he looked between the pair.
Renault Caron: He chuckles and adjusts in his seat a little. “All the work was done by the original artist, an old friend of mine, I assure you they’ve been well taken care of, short of being held by a museum.”
Heather Williams: "Well you'll have to share which work the original artist did. Everything else is suspect. Conservation science has made leaps and bounds in the past few years- and museum care can be just as shitty as great grandma's wall, unless it's something important like a Monet."
Renault Caron: “Well, this wasn’t intended to be ‘conservation’, it was a painter touching up the portraits she’d made of an friend in the past. I mean, I don’t have formal provenance for them, they’re mine, I hung them in my house. They’re signed, at least.”
Heather Williams: "That's something," Hearth said cheerfully. "And we could put together a provenance based on that, material evidence, and perhaps letters discussing it, if you have any? It could be useful for you to have in the future."
Renault Caron: “Oh, I could look and see, I do have a number of letters. But why would I need to have a provenance for my own paintings of me?”
Heather Williams: "Because that's the proper way of doing things," she said, a hint of outrage that he hadn't even considered that, and she waved her drink at him illustratively. "You sweep floors, do your taxes, and take proper care of your art collection. Besides, such things can be valuable and if you ever come into financial difficulty you can't sell it without the provenance. Or someday you might want to loan them to a museum for safekeeping, and they won't take anything without the provenance - and it being a worthwhile addition to their collection."
Renault Caron: “Heather, I’m not terribly keen on letter the paintings out of my personal art collection; I keep my face out of public view as much as possible.”
Heather Williams: She scoffed. "Trust me, no one would ever connect it to you. 99.9% of portraits are never really looked at, much less compared to actual people."
Renault Caron: “All the better reason for me to never let them go, if no one is going to look at them. I have better things to sell than my keepsakes.”
Heather Williams: "Probably for the best. Unless I know the artist?" She narrowed her eyes at him. "Who is the artist?"
Renault Caron: “Marie-Claire Toussaint, whose paintings have only ever been in the hands of private collectors. As I said, an old friend, not anyone famous.”
Heather Williams: Hearth scoured her memory, but came up blank. "Then I'll let it go," she allowed, as if bestowing a great favor. "Who's your favorite artist in general?"
Renault Caron: “Favorite...painter/illustrator, I assume you mean? Hmmm...I’m a fan of Monet and Manet, Cézanne...been really getting into Yamamoto Takato, recently, and traditional and traditional fusion Japanese styles in general.”
Heather Williams: She smiled. "Cezanne is wonderful," she agreed. "Diego Velásquez is one of my favorites too."
Renault Caron: He nods. “Excellent choice. How’d you get into art history and preservation, anyway? Not a common profession.”
Heather Williams: "What else is anyone supposed to to with a far too expensive art degree? You have to follow it up with something practical." She grinned. "So I got a Masters in art history with the vague idea of teaching. But high school art pays shit all, and universities have their pick of us poor suckers. So I got my PhD in Conservation."
Renault Caron: “I was a writer by profession for several years, though it was easier to make money that way back then. It’s good to hear that you found a way to a career you clearly enjoy very much.”
Heather Williams: "Thank you! I do, it's wonderful to be able to bring paintings back to the artist's original vision... and to play with all the cool toys that come along with it. You know, writing may be making a comeback- the market is much more open to independent authors than it used to be, if you write fiction, and news bloggers and youtubers seem to be more prominent than ever too."
Renault Caron: “Well, I haven’t written for work in ages, but I’ll keep that in mind if I decide to get back into it.” He finishes his drink and sets it down. “Seems only fair, how did you come to Philly?”
Heather Williams: "Family ties, originally" she said lightly. "But now I'm all bound up with all the social and work duties too. Philly is great for conservation- right between all the New York museums and auction houses, and DC's Smithsonian to keep me busy."
Heather Williams: Hearth swirled the last of the fruity cocktail in her glass, then drank it down, then dug her card out of her purse. It had her business contact information, and she scribbled down a number on the back too. "I need to get going but I really would like to see any art you've collected over the years. Give me a call sometime?"
Renault Caron: He takes the card and nods. “Absolutely, I’ll give you a call. Be well, and may the Night keep you, Heather.” He smiles and stands and gives her a little bow. “Be seeing you.”
Heather Williams: "You as well," she said cheerfully, and bounced off with good humor buoying her footsteps.
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