Fourth Dimension Fine Arts & Antiques, Thursday, 10/15

[magdaofslovenia.livejournal.com]

Tuesday night's *cough*theft*cough job had gone remarkably well. Sophie'd had no idea Steve was capable of dissembling so well, but then it hadn't been a very complicated deception. And he'd been such a help getting all those paintings out of the gallery quickly.

A small article in the Post stated that the plagiarist had now been arrested, and the gallery owner, Ms. Gallantrae, was apologizing to anyone who would listen. In the meantime, the original artist now had a new agent, and was exhibiting her work in a much less pretentious gallery in Baltimore. Happy endings all around.

The exhibit of neo-surrealism was still up, there were drinks on the sideboard, and Sophie was restless.

[open!}

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[suit-of-sables.livejournal.com]

The door opened, the door closed, and the end result was the presence of one Geoffrey Tennant glancing around from very near the door. It was almost as if he was nervous about coming in.

In fact, he was.

[magdaofslovenia.livejournal.com]

Sophie looked up from her paper, and smiled widely. "Geoffrey. Helloooo." She got up from her desk and sauntered over to him. "Come for the tour?"

[suit-of-sables.livejournal.com]

"Something like that," he said with another glance around to make sure no one else was around.

"So. This is your gallery."

[magdaofslovenia.livejournal.com]

"So it is," Sophie said, amused, taking his hand and threading her fingers through his. "Not one much for paintings, I think you said once." She tilted her head to study The Angel of Mercy (http://www.zazzle.com/surrealism_calendar_2009_monthly_wall_calendar-158649805572365823), and said, "Still. There's ideas for set designs here too." She gave him a feline grin, then leaned up for a light kiss of greeting.

[suit-of-sables.livejournal.com]

He turned to press a similar kiss on her cheek in return.

"I'm not much for painting. But I can appreciate it on occasion. And I trust your taste at least."

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"Thank you," Sophie said, highly pleased. "How has your week been, with most of your actors off on a week's break?"

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"Empty. Fruitful. I have a few ideas for the production, exercises, that kind of thing."

[magdaofslovenia.livejournal.com]

"Excellent. That will be enjoyable next week."

Possibly because the only other person she'd had to talk to about this was Steve-- and possibly because it now seemed time-- Sophie tugged on Geoffrey's hand and said, "There's something more I want to show you in the storeroom."

[suit-of-sables.livejournal.com]

His eyebrows perked as he considered what it might be, but he spread one hand in a blatant gesture of 'lead the way'.

[magdaofslovenia.livejournal.com]

Sophie tugged on his fingers, and lead the way back to the storeroom. She switched on the overhead light, and surveyed the haul from Tuesday's little job.

"What do you think of them?" she asked, gesturing, her eyes sparkling secretively. "Honest answer."

The series of impressionistic street scenes had good colors, and eye-catching themes and subjects, but... as Steve had pointed out, they really weren't all that well-done.

[suit-of-sables.livejournal.com]

He looked over at her for a moment before walking in front of the pieces. He gazed at each one of them in turn, then back and forth between them before letting his lips quirk to one side.

"Nothing top shelf," he finally said, "but they're nice enough. Colorful."

[magdaofslovenia.livejournal.com]

"They're plagiarized," Sophie said, grinning at him like he's just won a gold star. "Copied from the artist's housemate. She did a much better job of them, but didn't feel ready to exhibit them yet. 'Chess' got himself an agent, knocked the equivalent of three years' work in a month, and sold it as his own work." She paused, looking smug. "Briefly."

[suit-of-sables.livejournal.com]

He looked at the pictures again, leaned in closer to one, and nodded.

"I don't know painting, but I know art. Whatever fire or passion or emotions that were in the originals is utterly missing in these."

[magdaofslovenia.livejournal.com]

"Exactly." Sophie joined them, and looked at the paintings consideringly. "I've been around great art, mediocre art, utterly plastic art, for going on twenty years. Forgeries and fakes, and some forgeries rise above the realm of copy to be something more. Homages, maybe. Their own expression of love for the original." She gestured at the paintings. "These didn't even come close." She made a face. "I do so hate plagiarists. And this one had the backing of a particularly nauseating gallery owner. Promotion over true perception."

[suit-of-sables.livejournal.com]

He shuddered.

"Did someone punch them?"

[magdaofslovenia.livejournal.com]

She nearly hugged him for that. "The only one who got punched, sadly, was an utterly innocent security guard. But he'll recover quite nicely, I think. The plagiarist is facing charges of theft, and the gallery owner is busily trying to get her business back." She smiled contentedly and leaned against Geoffrey. "And, well." She tilted her head to look at him. "Now you know one of my other hobbies."

[suit-of-sables.livejournal.com]

"Championing the artistic process for fun and profit?" he asked as he shifted his arm to hold her somewhat. The smile seemed both amused and pleased with this.

"That works too. The, er, charges and the lack of business."

[magdaofslovenia.livejournal.com]

"Somewhat." She gave the paintings another considering look. "It used to be a profession." Sophie looped one arm around his middle. "Nate wasn't lying about that." She fell quiet a moment. "I'm mostly retired. But for a good cause, well..."

[suit-of-sables.livejournal.com]

He didn't look at her for a moment. Not as a matter of looking away from her, but looking outward. Into the gallery. Perhaps even to another time and another place. Then his lip twitched and he turned, slowly, to glance her way.

"Do you have any idea the type of things I've done to make a production work?" he asked her with a crooked smile.

[magdaofslovenia.livejournal.com]

"Reeeeally," Sophie said, genuinely intrigued. "Such as? Anything you were convicted for?"

[suit-of-sables.livejournal.com]

He shook his head.

"So far, no one's pressed charges."

[magdaofslovenia.livejournal.com]

Sophie laughed softly, and toed the edge of one frame. "I was considering a bonfire. Or possibly mailing them back to 'Chess' C.O.D., now that he's been exposed as a fraud." She tightened her arm around Geoffrey. "Suggestions? I don't wish to be caught with stolen goods. Detective Reese already has her very solid suspicions about me."

[suit-of-sables.livejournal.com]

He frowned for a moment before--

"Maybe donate them to a public works program to brighten up government buildings? I don't know. They're not very good, and the passion is missing, but there's something about destroying them... it doesn't sit right with me."

[magdaofslovenia.livejournal.com]

Sophie smiled at him, amused and affectionate. "I like that. Yes. He wanted his work to be shown, after all... perhaps donated to a city far away, so they aren't traced back. That should work." She trailed her fingers up his spine, and said quietly, "So. You have no moral objections to my hobby? Or my former profession? It wasn't all deserving plagiarists, you know. Quite a few museums lost priceless art treasures to me."

[suit-of-sables.livejournal.com]

"Did you destroy them?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

[magdaofslovenia.livejournal.com]

"Of course not!" Sophie gave him an offended look. "Why would I ever-- I just re-distributed them." Sold, auctioned, kept a few she loved most.

[suit-of-sables.livejournal.com]

His eyes went back and forth a few times.

"Then why would I have a problem with it?"

[magdaofslovenia.livejournal.com]

"Why indeed."

Maybe that's what it took, to find someone who accepted her as she was, as Nate couldn't; someone half-mad.

Sophie stretched up to kiss his jaw, then looped her arms around his neck, and brought her lips up to his.

[suit-of-sables.livejournal.com]

He didn't mind that at all. To be fair, though, he didn't mind that a lot less than he didn't mind her former occupation. To be more exact, he liked it more, if only because it meant that he was being kissed by a beautiful woman he was intensely attracted to in several ways.

...suffice to say he kissed her back.