Opening Of The Vault [Cecil]

With the grand opening of the explorer's vault going underway, there were quite a bit of guests that were showing up for the viewing. The place has been located in the area for quite some time, but the tariffs and pulling on the arms of other bigwigs in Endymion was what held Raphel up. However, he didn't act discouraged at all, as a matter of fact, all of this was a buildup for those that were looking forward to what his vault had to offer.

"The wonders of the world and good wine, all within the distance of those who couldn't leave the city. "

Much could be said about the amount of work that was put in Raphael's operation. The thing about the city was that you couldn't leave once you got in, not really. The danger was always prevalent, and the collaborations among others to get the artifacts to be delivered to the vault was a collective effort of many. With how it was set up, Raphael only had to handle the tariff to reap the rewards, which made him quite the lucky man. But it wasn't just about the fame and wealth to him, he was also appreciating "those who dared", the people who went out of their way to acquire such items and artifacts were just as important to him. They were also in attendance to them, people Raphael called his friends.


"So I guess I gotta show out then..."

A museum grand opening. It was a new event within the city, but it was perhaps not the most noteworthy thing to Endymion as a whole. Cecil had felt a certain sense of curiosity about what might be on display when he heard of the event, but it wasn't anything profound.
The name, however...that definitely caught his attention.

He was looking around, now. As much as this was a way to find out how Gabe was doing, the exhibits were...actually fairly interesting. Moments like this reminded him just how interesting the history of things was, when you weren't forced to listen to people ramble on about the city's formation like it was the only important thing to have ever happened. It was more important than ever at this point - the Divide had changed the landscape of the world...and these? These were glimpses into a world that didn't exist any more.

He'd almost forgotten why he'd come in the first place. There was a certain rare pleasure just to be able to get a proper chance to learn about these things.

With Cecil's wandering, he would find himself in front of an ancient gem that was dug out of the outer coast of the Nile river. It was actually quite a popular attraction and nearby, Cecil would see a familiar face. Or in this case, it was the face of a similar person he got used to, being shared by a self-made man in his own right.

That man was Raphael Gatsby, and tonight, he felt like he was on top of his game.

"Ah, a native of Endymion? Welcome to my museum....."

Raphael would say as he walked over to Cecil casually as he held his wine glass in his hand.

"That gem is called "Melanite", it's cabochon cut version that's more of a scattered peanut size of the original pure brand. The erosion has left it to be in a rugged condition, but it's quite the uncommon gem species. Legends say that this gem holds enhancing properties of some kind, being dawned on their greatest warriors and generals to lead them into battle. Fascinating, isn't it?"

If there was one thing that Raphael liked to do, it was talking about the pieces and the exhibits that were stored within his vault. Dropping some knowledge of the legend of certain things and wowing them, the look in their eyes of the belief that anything is possible or that these things existed before always satisfied him.


"I see that you are without glass, wine does come with admission ...unless you are looking for something with finer quality and more age."

The sudden voice drew Cecil's attention, and for a moment Raphael would see something - a widening of the eyes, a flicker of confusion, the silent mouthing of his brother's name on the boy's lips.
And then the moment passed. Cecil cleared his throat, and composure returned.
"You...do realise I'm underage, right? I think people would be having words if you were handing out alcohol to minors." He raises an eyebrow. "So...I'm guessing you're Raphael, then?"

"Hard to tell these days, I've been blessed with the fountain of youth so I only assumed that you would have been the same. That and, a little wine won't kill anyone. It's actually preferred after a nice meal, antioxidants may help prevent coronary artery disease. The more you know..."

Raphael didn't care, either way, this wasn't some local bar where people could have their fill and run amock or a place where young teens could make fools of themselves. This was a place where intellectuals and connoisseur of fine artifacts came to appreciate these things in question, no matter age they so happened to be. Besides, being stupidly drunk was the quickest way to get ejected from the area, the artifacts were simply too valuable in wealth and meaning.

"You guess correctly, Raphael Gatsby. Welcome to my museum, just opened the shop yesterday...."

Cecil sighed and shook his head. Regardless of what he said, the law behind the city was less likely to be in agreement over that. Minors were minors - going around distributing alcohol to them was a great way to get yourself in legal trouble, and this was the last city you'd want to have to deal with the law enforcement in.
Hopefully this was just because he thought he was older, and he didn't actually think there wouldn't be a problem handing out wine to the underage.

No matter. So...Raphael, huh...? He wasn't sure what to think. Even if he didn't know what the government did to people, inventing an entirely new identity for a person felt crazy. At the same time, it couldn't be denied that Raphael was the spitting image of Gabriel.
"It's an interesting place..." The museum seemed pretty well curated so far, and there was a certain care taken with the place. He made a mental note to look into how long the place had been setting up for before the grand opening. And on a similar note..."Sorry, you called me a native? I'm guessing you're not from around here, then?"

"No, only arrived here within 48 hours ago. Construction of this place was done under my orders, I don't need to be there for that, It would be a waste of my time. But alas, here I am. It seems to be the final resting place for some of you people in this city. Once trapped here, you could never leave. Your freedom flying away like a dove..."

Raphael took a sip of his wine as he stared back at the artifact.

"I traveled to exotic places, all around. Caves, encountered natives whose language is long lost to any of us. Nothing prepared me for endymion....it's one of a kind."

He had no idea...
Or maybe he did, somewhere deep down. Two days really wasn't that long, after all.
Ugh. Raphael just couldn't have arrived earlier, could he? Having them both walking around the city at the same time would have done a pretty nice job of letting them know they weren't secretly the same person.
At least don't look so similar, dammit!
"To be fair...it isn't like most people have any good way of getting around. Travelling the world is a whole lot more dangerous than it used to be. There's barely any safe places to live out there..." It was one of a few points that the city could at least be merited on. They kept people...mostly, safe. But even so, that gave them no right to commit the atrocities they inflicted on the people within.
Fuck that so-called angel. Order wasn't cultivating a pen of victims to play with the lives of.

"...I guess there really isn't much place in the world like this one, huh?"
The safest den of inhumanity in the world.

"I mean, it's good for business in a sense. The prices of these items skyrocket, the value is increased because these are places that no one would dare to venture to go if people valued their lives. But a set of brave individuals, I included, who not only enjoy the experience of archeology but believe that we shouldn't forget the world that we left behind, find value in even showing these things to others. I wouldn't put it past any kids to be born in this city and not know anything else as they grow up. The clock is ticking, people like me who obliged to remember are a dying breed. "

At the very least, the wonders of the world, or at least a small percentage of them, would be here to be enjoyed and experienced by the Endymion attendees.

"Trick question lad, have you ever even seen a demon? I didn't want to say this out of ignorance, but the lore in of itself has less of an effect if the things that people are afraid of aren't tangible or visible. Maybe it's because i'm at the right places at the right time?"

"...yeah." He was right, wasn't he? "At some point, this'll be all people have ever known. That's...that's sad. Your whole life in a world where monsters roam the earth, forced into a few small safe havens that aren't all even that safe. Just...trapped."
It was a rather grim thought. So many things lost, never to be reclaimed. So many dangers driven away but never quite eradicated, staved off by precious few...
And what could they even do about it?

For a moment, Cecil looked at Raphael, surprised by the question. "...when I was younger. Back...then. It was...busy. Feasting. I suppose that was lucky for us. Not...not so much for the ones being eaten."

"That's all? In the simplicity of their existence, it's only narrowed to wild and vicious beings whose only purpose in life is to fill their stomachs? What of their mating cycle? The way they reproduce, the way that can be prevented. If this problem existed, and no one even thought that far ahead to research them as much as I would expect them to. And yet... it would be all the more pleasurable to have one of them displayed in my museum..."

If only he was that lucky.

" I have to admit, I think there are many aspects of this city that I believe to be intolerable. However, my presence here is apparently a gift to those who seek to experience the history we lost when the world changed.  Well, when the world changed for you, I will never say that I know how you feel, because I don't. Empathy seems so disingenuous when you can't relate..."

...and like that, his doubts over the true identity of Raphael receded. Even if this had been an aspect he just hadn't seen, he doubted it was one that would be allowed to remain. And even so...it seemed like a sentiment unfitting for the man he knew.
So. This was Raphael Gatsby.

"Even if you could get one, I doubt the government would allow it. For good reason, frankly..." Excluding all the other problems just with having a demon showed off in broad daylight, the things it would take to make this safe and the perception of the whole affair from the public...there were problems that stood to arise, there.

Nodding quietly, he glanced away. He was...starting to feel uncomfortable. He needed time to sort this out.
"I...don't really think this is something to linger on. I was here to see the exhibits, anyway." He gives Raphael one more quick nod. "I think I'm going to take a bit more of a look around. I'd like to see more before I have to get off." Not that he actually had anywhere to be but...he didn't know that.

With a short wave, Cecil walked off to take a little look around. But despite the interesting things on display, he couldn't quite concentrate on those any more.
Before long, he left the building, a troubled expression on his face.

"Very well then. Once again, welcome to the Royal Explorers vault, and I hope you enjoy everything this world of amazement and history has to offer you."

It was a more of a textbook line of Raphael, he had no desire to hold a man back if he was going his own way. That was the way to do it anyway, to find your own way. Raphael might have seemed a bit stubborn or even arrogant, but he felt that even though he wasn't the smartest guy in the room, he could agree with the smartest guy in the room that maintaining the artifacts that makeup history was important. That included the past, present, and even the future.

The demon comment might have seem out there, but demons didn't even exist anyway.

Did they?

-End