Begin at the Beginning (open)

After finding the pack's ground and introducing herself, Thérèse had spent the rest of the morning settling in. Since she was missing the two big bags she'd brought with her and the rest of her things were being shipped that took an unsurprisingly short amount of time. The grounds and her rooms were adequate, not that Thérèse was accustom to luxury, and what was offered would have to be down right atrocious before she opted to live away from the pack. It just wasn't in her nature.

Still irritated that she couldn't change her cloths, but somewhat mollified by a quick shower, she headed down to the Arch. She wanted to see it as a patron and get an idea what she'd be working with before people started trying to justify their jobs and treating her as the boss.

So far she was pleased and impressed. The building itself was a work of art. The front desk was polite and knowledgeable, the few volunteer docents also seemed to know their job and when asked a question they didn't know the answer to they didn't fake it, they found out or at least directed her to some one who might know.

The private viewing rooms were interesting and she made a note to look into them further, as well as to make friends with Meridian a company that seemed to be quite important in the city and to the museum. Satisfied she set about casually touring the galleries, slowly ambling through the surrealists, admiring a lesser known Dali.

((OOC... new character...shall we break her in a bit?))

Alex had been in Nachton for a couple of months now; it had been crazy busy cleaning his new store, having the second floor redone, the first floor re-carpeted, his inventory stocked and displayed, and thousands of other little details. Everything was in place though and he finally had a little bit of time to actually explore the city he'd decided to call home. He'd started here at the art museum because, for one, everyone told him he had to see it, and for another, he wasn't really all that into art and figured he'd get the boring place over with first just so he could say he'd done it.

That said he was bored off his rocker but determined to get through this entire place. As he read each description under each painting, saving the more interesting sculptures and exhibits for later, he flattened his feet, breathed deeply, and drew his left leg up with his arms behind his back.

May as well do something entertaining while reading about... who was he reading about?

De-someone. Degas.

Like Vegas, just nowhere near as much fun apparently.


((ooc: May as well break in multiples!))

Moving from the lesser frequented surrealists through to the impressionists Thérèse fell into the roll of observer. Her keen eye discreetly watched a group of school children, obviously there on a field trip, shuffle along with varying degrees of interest in the paintings. Their chaperones seemed conscientious and alert and kept them under control. She found herself smiling at the well behaved group.

One of the adults, however, didn't seem quite as concerned with propriety. She raised a delicate eyebrow at the young man's posture and position. How very odd. He seemed very balanced and in no danger of falling so she wasn't about to chide him. Cocking her head from one side to the other she watched for several seconds, finally deciding she was somewhat amused.

Quietly approaching him she politely questioned him.

"Bonjour monsieur. Has the painting inspired you?"Â?

It was one of Degas' ballet dancers. And while the young man's pose did not match the young girl's exactly one could infer inspiration.

Turning quickly, Alex immediately dropped his foot back down to the floor and stammered a response to the fair-skinned, black-haired woman who had noticed him.

"Uh. No. I mean yeah, it's a great picture. I was just... uh, reading. About Degas."

Well, so much for going largely unnoticed. Way to blend. He would have done better to keep his hands and feet inside the vehicle at all times. He wasn't sure if this lady worked here but she sure seemed somehow... in place. Confident. She didn't seem angry at all though so he relaxed a little.

"I'm not huge into Impressionism. I figured I'd start here and work my way in," he strained and remembered the type of art without having to cheat and read the plaque next to the description again.

Thérèse smiled warmly. He did seem a bit nervous, or maybe just flustered to have been caught stretching, or whatever it was he had been doing. As such she didn't press or tease him about it and just let him re-establish his equilibrium.

"I've always liked the sense of movement you get from his work."Â?

It was a casual observation. Technically she didn't start until tomorrow and was only observing today so Thérèse wasn't about to pound him over the head with technical observations or historical perspectives. She didn't even compare and contrast.

That didn't surprise her. For some reason many, many people seemed to gravitate towards impressionism when in an art museum. It was that or the old masters. Apparently those were the only forms of art people recognized. She offered him a relaxed chuckle, hoping to put him a bit more at ease.

"It is a common starting point, but perhaps not your cup of tea. I hadn't finished going through all the galleries myself, perhaps you'd like to join me?"Â?

A novice set of eyes could be invaluable. She could find out what had drawn him in and what was 'interesting' and what might be better highlighted to bring more people to the Arch.

Alex felt his brow furrow as he tried to understand the idea of getting a sense of movement from an unmoving picture. Looking at it more closely he felt a lightbulb go on as his eyes traveled from foreground to background and then back again. That must be what she meant. Okay, he could handle that.

None of this is my cup of tea, was his initial response, but he bit it back. Alex hadn't come here to meet people but he shouldn't ostracize the first person in Nachton who'd spoken to him.

"Uh, I'm not sure about every gallery," he said, turning and eying the vastness of the museum skeptically. "I think I could handle a few of them though."

Inwardly, he hoped he wasn't getting in over his head. The last thing he wanted was to be drawn into a boring and deep conversation about the virtues of various artists he knew nothing about.

"I'm not a big art person," Viv said as she held onto Brig's arm. They were walking slowly through the ARCH, not really looking at the pictures, just enjoying being close without having to hide it. "I'm just hoping we come across an unlocked closet we can make out in."

Viv felt Brig's body shake with quiet laughter. Looking up at him, she caught his blue eyes looking down at her and she smiled.

"Cuz you haven't already thought of that...."

Brig rolled his eyes up and nodded with a smirk, "Well, yes I have, but at least I'm trying to look nonchalant about it."

They had met discretely off pack property again, this time there were no police officers or muggers involved. The likelihood of running into one of the Pipers was close to nil, not in the ARCH. So they relaxed into displays of public affection and enjoyed each others company.

Leaning down, he kissed Viv softly on her cheek, making her smile. His eyes automatically began another sweep of the museum floor, searching for whatever it was his subconscious was trying to stay alert for, but only encountered a rather limber man by the Impressionists talking to a pale skinned woman. He inhaled deeply, taking in the scents and he heard Viv do the same.

"That's my job," he said nudging her.

"Sorry," she giggled, "habit."

Brig's eyebrows furrowed, wondering what kind of habits she had when their path took them by the other couple. He heard the tail end of their conversation, now that he was concentrating.

"Let's be sociable? We need more couple friends, " he said with a smile.

"Considering we don't have any? Sure, I'm game."

Clearing his throat, Brig politely cut into the other pair's conversation. "If there are tours, we're game!" Pointing to Viv he introduced them. "This is Vivienne, I'm Brian. Hope we're not interrupting?"

Encouraged that he was at least moderately interested Thérèse was just about to say something when they were unexpectedly joined by a couple. She quickly classified them as sweet, at least to all appearances they were. Perhaps the bloom hadn't worn off yet. But they were interested in the museum and that she approved of. So far it seemed that the Arch wasn't lacking in patrons, which was encouraging.

With a bright smile she nodded.

"Of course of course. I am Thérèse and this is..."Â?

She and the young man had not introduced themselves just yet so she paused to give him time to do so.

"Although I'm not certain how much of a tour guide I will make I just arrived today and was trying to find some company while I got the lay of the land."Â?

After all she didn't technically start until tomorrow.

As she spoke, her accent was rich and melodic, leaving little doubt as to where she was from.

"But I did pick up one of the self guided tours so at least we will not get lost."Â?

Thérèse said lightly, clearly amused by the idea of getting lost inside the Arch. There could be worse things.

"Alexander," Alex said when Therese paused to let him introduce himself to what was now officially a group. "Alexander Aristos. Nice to meet you."

He was vastly relieved not to be the only person being tugged along on an impromptu Arch tour. While he didn't necessarily relish attracting any more strangers, meeting new people had to be good for business. As long as he didn't fuck up and manage to push anyone away by being weird.

"I haven't been here that long myself," he said to Therese. "Not fresh off the plane, but I moved here a couple months ago. I've been so busy getting organized and opening my shop that this is the first chance I've had to actually explore Nachton."

She just got here today and she was touring the Arch? That was unusual, but Alex just gave a mental shrug. Maybe she just needed to wind down after her trip.

He shrugged and flashed a smile at Brian and Vivienne. "I'd say you found company," he said. "Where's the next stop?"

"Nice to meet you Therese." Viv waved her hand that was currently tucked around Brig's left arm. Nodding to the man she smiled, "Alexander." Pausing she looked around and then shrugged. "I'm a newbie, myself. He," pointing to Brig with the same hand, "is not. You've been here before though, right?"

Brig looked down at her and nodded. "Been in Nachton a couple years, but here...once, with Lothias and Carol, actually."

"See! He is not a newbie. Lead on, though. Don't let us stop ya."

Therese's accent was thick, exceptionally so. His male eye gave her figure a quick appraisal and was impressed. Tasting their scents, he noticed nothing out of the ordinary and Brig let his shoulders relax, not even realizing that they had tensed. He narrowed in on Alexander's comment about a shop and Brig poked a little.

"What kind of shop are you opening, Alexander? Anything fun?"

Ah love. It had been a while since she'd been in a relationship, and her father had been after her to settle down as well. It would just have to wait though.

Thérèse noticed Brian's bearing and lazily wondered what he did for a living. He had the look of some of the men in the Legion, perhaps he was a cop or something similar.

"How odd that three of four of us have not been in town long."Â?

Hearing that Brian had been through the museum before she laughed.

"I think that means you have seniority. Are you sure you do not want to lead?"Â?

Not truly meaning that she started them toward the Joan Miró exhibition. It would be smallish and probably not overwhelm Alexander.

"If I may, where did you both arrive from?"Â?

Alexander never really had to be encouraged to talk about his store. He'd saved for so long to finally get to this point, he was moderately proud of it.

"I think so," he said to Brian. "It's called Roughing It. It's a camping and outdoor goods store down on the strip. I have a studio above it... evenings, I give yoga and tai chi instruction there."

He shrugged modestly, a smile spreading across his features. "Took a while to get it going, but it's finally there."

He fell silent for a few moments when Therese spoke but answered when she voiced her question. "I'm from Maryland originally, lived in DC for a while while I went to school."

Therese had turned them into an exhibit of paintings that looked somewhat cheerful; at least in the sense that they all seemed to have vivid primary colors and almost childlike design. He was surprisingly interested.

"Oh no," Brig replied to Therese. "I'll be looking for choice make out spots."

"Oh my god, Brian," Viv squealed and then shook her head, laughing.

"Actually, my company just relocated to here, but my work takes me around quite a bit. Before here I was in Johannesburg for several years. Nachton's nice, you'll like it."

Turning to Alexander as he described his shops, Brig replied. "Wow really? Camping, huh?" He nodded while Viv practically pulled his arm off, she was so happy. "I'm guessing by degree of dislocation my shoulder is now in, Viv is pretty happy about your yoga studio, as well."

Viv began to hop in place, pulling on his arm. Brig couldn't help but laugh as he tried to calm her down by tapping her hand with his free one.

"Is it open now? We'd love to come by and check it out?"

"Oh we'll definitely be by! Your place sounds outstanding!"

Viv was giggly beyond belief. She was still doing her yoga every morning but she hadn't found anywhere she could go to take some classes, so meeting Alexander was perfect! Trying not to ignore Therese's question, she looked back at the lovely woman and smiled.

"I do a lot of traveling as well. Europe, South America...but recently I was in Australia. Brian and I work for the same company - that's how we met. What about you, Therese?"

Thérèse raised her eyebrows appreciatively. She wouldn't mind trying a tai chi class or two, although she did prefer her running and she would need to find a dojo. But unless she got her luggage back she was going to need a new pair of running shoes, and there were a few odds and ends she needed to replace besides, perhaps Alexander's shop would have something appropriate.

"My congratulations on getting it up and running. I may have to stop by."Â?

She chuckled at Brian and even more at Viv's reaction.

"From what I have seen, I might suggest the third floor it doesn't get as much traffic. Or possibly the small African gallery, I started there and it was nearly deserted."Â?

Only glancing at the painting she smiled at the other woman.

"An office romance? Then I wish you the best of luck."Â?

Those could all to easily get sticky, as far as she'd seen. It was something Thérèse herself made it a point to avoid.

She shook her head and rolled her eyes not even able to answer that question.

"I do not remember I time we were not traveling. I am from France, Brittany, but I just left Portugal."Â?

Alex raised one eyebrow and laughed at Brian's blunt honesty. He turned it into a cough, not wanting to put Vivienne on the spot, and his face flushed slightly at the bad cover-up. Catching Vivienne's eye he gave her an apologetic half-shrug for her embarrassment, although she didn't seem upset.

Alex was taken aback, but happily so, with the amount of enthusiasm he received. Were all Nachton folk this engaging, or was there just a real market here for what he had? He'd tried to find the perfect place for his store; the instruction was just something he'd always done on the side, it seemed. he tried not to appear to eager but, damn, he could use the extra money new clientele would bring.

Instead he just gave a nod and smiled again. "It's open now," he answered. "You're welcome any time. If I'm not at the store you can find me upstairs."

He didn't comment on the office romance thing; it wasn't any of his business really. If the two of them were happy together then more power to them. Maybe it could get awkward but Alex had at least a little romantic streak; love could go a long way.

Instead of saying anything that might be misconstrued as judgmental Alex just nodded his acknowledgment and raised both eyebrows now at Therese.

"That's a lot of travel," he said. "Military family?"

Viv smiled at Therese's comment about their office romance. Well...that was one way to put it. Something akin to nervousness began to form in the pit of her stomach. What if she ran into Alexander or Therese when they were with someone from the pack. Absolutely no one else knew about them, except for Carol, but then she wasn't in the pack.

"Well, you know how office romances are...usually on the down low," Viv winked at Therese, hoping to get her point across. Just in case, Viv took the blunt route. "Just remember, when you see us later, we hate each other, ok?"

A silly thing to say, but Viv has always had a thing about the truth. If asked directly, she was fairly certain she's be truthful with whoever asked her about Brig, not that she'd like it, but the alternative just didn't swing with her. Brig looked down at her and winked, replacing the nervousness with desire filled butterflies. Then all was right in the world.

Military family? Well perhaps it could be seen like that. The pack was, in its way, a small private army and the Legion well...

Thérèse shrugged, it was as good an answer as any.

"Oui. Something like that most of us have served at one time or another, tradition you know."Â?

She smiled at the young man, despite the fact that they appeared about the same age Thérèse couldn't help but think of him as a young man.

"But you have not said what you think of the exhibit? Shall we move on? Perhaps there is something else more your taste?"Â?

She offered Vivienne a sympathetic yes conspiratorial smile. She understood completely.

"There is a thin line between love an hate, but should I see you with any one else I shall remember which side of the line you stand on. It must make things exciting though, trying but exciting."Â?

Alex nodded at Therese. He didn't understand, exactly. Especially since he was the one who had pretty much scrapped family tradition in his line. He abandoned that line of thinking and tactfully ignored the byplay between Vivienne and Therese, looking again at the paintings around them.

"Uh, I actually like these," he said hesitantly. "Kind of looks like finger painting. Something a bit more on my level."

Maybe likening what was obviously a famous artist to a finger painter wasn't a good idea. "I mean... sophisticated finger painting. Er... stylish. Like, adult finger painting."

He sighed. Alexander knew when to quit... unfortunately he'd passed that point several seconds ago and was suffering from a delayed reaction.

Brig looked at the paintings and feigned ignorance. "I'm with you, I'm not all that interested in art, but the ARCH is a nice place to relax and look at pretty things, I guess."

Plus it was quiet, safe, and away from everything else that seemed to intrude on his and Viv's life. He slipped her hand down to his and entwined their fingers together. They walked a little further down, staying close to one another, always touching. Viv seemed to always stand just behind his shoulder, resting her chin on his arm, pressing her body up against his. It was distracting, to say the least, but her warmth, coupled with her scent, relaxed him as well as excited him.

Brig looked back, listening in on the rest of the conversation, not really adding anything else about himself.

Thérèse smiled kindly at Alexander. It was clear he was struggling to cover his faux pas. She took pity on him.

"You can try the terms, 'freedom of expression' and 'lively use of color'. For something like this they will get you out of any tight spot."Â?

He was obviously an outdoorsman rather than an artist, but he seemed willing to learn and so she tried to help. She also wanted him to have a good time and feel confidant and competent about what he was seeing and how he was expressing himself.

"But you brought your own pretty thing with you."Â?

It was an odd way to spend a date, a stolen moment, in the company of a shy young entrepreneur and a random werewolf. But who was she to judge? She didn't wish to intrude on their afternoon, but they were pleasant enough company and she didn't want to chase them off either.

"Perhaps a different exhibit?"Â?

Alexander grinned at Therese. She was too kind. Gamely, he coughed, cleared his throat, and affected a slightly more scholarly tone.

"I appreciate the artist's freedom of expression and am captivated by his lively use of color."

Then he tried improvising a little bit. "In addition, his whimsical representations evoke a journey back to the lighthearted days of youthful fancy and carefree wonder."

He glanced at Therese to see how he was doing, allowing Vivienne and Brian plenty of time for a quick snuggle before they rejoined them if they chose.

"If you think I'm ready for something more difficult, by all means," he said with a hesitant but genuine smile.

Viv inhaled Brig's scent deeply as she rested against his body. She wasn't one for overt displays, but she couldn't help but be close to him, seeing how she had to resist it when they couldn't have these stolen moments away from the pack. She sighed heavily, looking up at Brig and not at the painting.

Chuckling softly, Brig murmured quietly to her, "You're not looking."

"Sure I am," she replied, "oh you mean at the paintings?" Tugging on his arm, she walked them back to the Therese and Alexander.

"We're ready. Let's go!"

Thérèse laughed, it was subdued and appropriate to their surroundings but she did approve of Alexander's game imitation of her words and then adding his own spin on it. Well done.

"I think if you are looking for 'youthful fancy' and a bit of whimsy we can oblige you."Â?

She led them up to the second floor, leading with Alexander at a discreet distance to give Viv and Brig some privacy. It was an exhibition she was anxious to see, something she'd not have thought of on her own and she very much wanted to talk to the curator who put it together. That was on her 'to do list' for the first week.

It struck her as odd that she'd wound up playing tour guide, but she didn't really mind.

She entered the gallery with a smile. It was all art from picture books. The brochure said it featured Maurice Sendack Nancy Carlson, Timothy Basil Ering, Peter McCarty as well as one or two others. None of whom Thérèse was terribly familiar with, her childhood hadn't included too many picture books. Some, but not many and several of these were more modern illustrators.

"It is a unique idea non?"Â?

Alexander looked at Therese in slight surprise. "We can? Lead on, then!"

Since Vivienne had Brian, he offered Therese his arm in the manner of a gentleman. The next gallery she brought them to was definitely, as she said, unique.

"Hey, I know these pictures," he said, wandering over to a huge representation of a Wild Thing straight from the book. "Very realistic tooth-gnashing here," he said with a smile.

Henry the mouse was next, leaping around playing some sort of game, and then a T is for Terrible dinosaur.

"Who knew," Alex mused. He'd assumed this was going to be all snobby artistry, not good fun stuff like Maurice Sendak. He smiled at Therese. "I continue to be enlightened."

Viv let go of Brig's arm and walked up to the paintings by Peter McCarty. The soft, sepia toned drawings appealed to her greatly.

"Wow," she said staring at one of a long cow and rabbit on a grassy hill. She moved on to 'Hondo & Fabian' - pencil drawings of a cat and dog, again done in sepia shading. "These are amazing...I want one!"

Brig came up beside her and together they admired each piece of art, expertly hung and gloriously presented. She wondered if she could get a lithograph of one for her apartment.

She was pleasantly surprised to find that Alexander was a gentleman, or at least he was capable of going through the motions and took his arm as they found the next room.

The illustrations were breath taking. Even though she was supposed to be the tour guide Thérèse also found herself transported by the drawings. They were brilliant works of art in their own right and they had to appeal to a very demanding audience.

And better yet they had drawn a reaction from her companions. Alexander some how seemed more relaxed and Vivienne appeared fascinated. Sharing art with others was an addictive experience. While she'd need to see some attendance numbers Thérèse felt that they should look into either holding this over or another exhibit with different illustrators.

"I am glad you approve."Â?

She said to the group in general before shoving business out of her mind and making her way toward a monster.


((OOC... I am not this creative it is actually a current exhibit at the Art Institute in Chicago (or it was, I forget which) although I did add in Sendak cause... well he's cool))

Alexander smiled at Vivienne's response to the art in this particular exhibit, nodding his agreement with her as much to himself as to anyone else. He laughed out loud when he came to the drawings of Despereaux.

"One of my little cousins loves this book," he said with a smile. The picture brought back a bittersweet memory of a much simpler time in life, when he actually hung out with his family and they'd had huge parties on every holiday, twenty or thirty of them crammed tightly into someone's house, laughing, teasing each other, just doing what families did.

"More than approve," he said to Therese. "This is actually pretty cool."

He turned back to the Wild Things dancing around on another wall. "I used to want to be Max when I was a kid."

"That was a movie, right?"

"I think so," Viv murmured. They peeked at what Alexander was looking at and Brig saw the 'Where the wild things are' illustrations.

"You know, I've never read that book," Brig said making a face. Maybe he would now; the paintings were full of vibrant yet subtle watercolors, at least that's what it reminded Brig of when looking at them. He turned slowly, looking around the exhibit when he spotted it.

Leaning in close to Viv as she started to say something else to the others, he whispered, "I see a door."

Viv was glad they decided to be sociable and strike out as a couple, meeting other people. Although it had been clear that Alexander and Therese were not a couple, in fact they had just met, it was still nice to be able to act naturally with Brig instead of hiding.

Scratching her top lip, she considered the illustrations. "This really is very cool. I would have never thought children books illustrations would be featured..."

"I see a door," Brig mumbled quietly into her ear.

Her eyes snapped in the direction he was looking at and immediately ended her sentence. "...in a museum. Well this has been fun, but we have to go...you think it's a...," she looked at Brig who shrugged and smiled, tugging at her.

"Great to meet you both, we're going to head off and...yeah...bye now!"

Together, she and Brig scurried off to the hopeful looking door and opened it. Poking their heads inside, they held up their hands in triumph and hurried into the reasonably sized storage closet. Odds were Alexander and Therese knew what they were up to, but if asked, she'd always claim the paintings inspired such vibrant and passionate emotions...she just had to jump her boyfriend in their storage closet.

This was the last thought Viv had as Brig picked her up and pressed her against the door, kissing her deeply.



((ooc viv and brig out!))

"To be honest I do not think I have read any of these books."Â?

She was a reader now, but as a child there had been many more interesting things to do. Her father had only barley been able to get she or her brothers to sit still for recreational reading and story time had always been an oral tradition. They had made up their own pictures which were every bit as vivid, divers and imaginative as these.

Therese pinched the bridge of her nose and hid a smile as Viv and Brian disappeared. If she had been on the clock she might have said something or discouraged them. But she wasn't official today and let them disappear. At least they were discreet.

"It was a pleasure meeting you."Â?

That was all she had time to say before they were gone.

Slightly inspired she quietly eyed Alexander, but swiftly dismissed him. She'd been on the ground less than twenty four hours, no sense rushing into anything. Besides, she wanted to run tonight, and she had plans.

"Have I bored you to tears yet?"Â?

Alexander had seemed hesitant when they started and now that it was just the two of them she didn't want him feeling obligated.

"And a book," Alexander said in response to Brian's question.

Brian and Vivienne's sudden, obvious departure had him blinking a moment and staring in the direction they'd gone. How... unique. He was momentarily torn between surprise at their boldness and a little hint of envy, that they could experience, well... Alex wasn't really sure he'd ever had anyone in his life for whom he'd felt so strongly he wanted to shag in a museum closet. So, surprise won that battle.

Therese's question brought his attention back to her and he paused a moment, aware of the fact that she was politely giving him an "out" if he wanted it. But also to his surprise he decided maybe art wasn't so bad.

"Actually, quite the contrary," he admitted. "This is turning out to be much more interesting than I thought it would be. You have an impressive knack for educating the ignorant. What did you say you came to Nachton for again?"

He was pretty sure she hadn't actually said what she was here for, but it was a less blunt way of phrasing the question so he took it.

She smiled politely at his compliment but modestly didn't say anything. Still she felt rather pleased with herself, not on the job one day and she might have a convert on her hands.

"Tomorrow I will start as the curator here. I wanted to see the museum once before starting officially."Â?

You got different reactions when you were another guest than when you were the boss and Therese would have a limited window in which to play 'secret shopper' so she was taking advantage of it.

"Perhaps you have another exhibit in you? I was hoping to see what from the permanent collection is on display yet."Â?

with an affirmative from Alex she started them both toward the rooms that held the Arch's permanent collection. She had found three people who proved pleasant enough company, perhaps her lost luggage wasn't a bad omen after all.

((OOC... both out with permission))