The note was correct. His Excellence, the Vampire Prince of Tours, did show up at the appointed time to fetch his companion for the evening. A walk, it seems, behind the old pension and up the hill to pick up the trail to the caves. He was dressed casually in black slacks and a black shirt, finished with black shoes. Apparently one has to dress decently even if you're going on a hike of a couple of kilometers.
     Raymond stands, hands behind his back, outside the front doors of the pension. Staring up the hill and to the stars beyond, he rocks ball to heel, and then speaks to a man standing beside him. "I only have about three hours," Raymond reminds the man. "He's supposed to meet us there..."

     Victoria could probably not genetically allow herself to be late to something without severe persuasion. In her grey turtleneck cashmere sweater tucked into her black slacks with short boots, she comes out of the back of the pastry shop to the pension with a smile. With the spirit of the outing in mind, her hair is tied up in a French braid, shorter wisps escaping over her ears in little curls keeping it from looking too precise.
     "Hello." She smiles as she stops next to the group already waiting, glancing between the two gentlemen speaking, "I hope I didn't keep you waiting."

     "No," Raymond smiles, turning about. His energy and expression seem to lift. "Just on time." He appears taller. Thinner. "This," he motions to the man with him, "...is Sebastian. He's with me. The council rarely lets me leave without him." Raymond grins, small lines around his blue eyes.
     "Sebastian, this is Doctor Gifford," Raymond explains. "Tonight," Raymond explains to Victoria, "...we'll head up the hill," he motions, "...around the bend and we should end at the front of the caves, where we shall meet our guide. It is not so far a walk," he finishes.

     The man beside him is dressed as darkly as the prince -- black shirt, black slacks, black shoes, black pack on his back. His hair is black and his eyes are brown. If it werent' for the complexion of his skin, he'd be invisible. Sebastian "Bast" Orion nods to Raymond, looks to his watch and then his eyes give their usual -- and frequent -- survey to the surroundings.
     Ah, that must be the guard detail...
     He is some six-feet in height and well-apportioned. The man appears to be in his mid-30s. Very French, so the cheekbones and nose would say. Paris born, but you can't have everything.
     As the woman arrives, he takes a position a bit more professional, stepping back with a nod and a professional smile to The Woman. If there is any studying done, it is done with all the grace of a true pro -- and therefore hardly noticable.
     "Oui, je serai sur de le rappeler le temps," Bast says to Raymond. "Mademoiselle," he says. A look to Raymond. You are leading, yes?

     Smiling, the American offers out a hand in introduction to Sebastian, "Lovely to meet you." Her French is polished, obviously a language she's been speaking for some time. Even if her accent is rather decidedly foreign. But, when in Rome...
     Victoria nods at the description of the outing, still pleasantly glancing back and forth, "Sounds perfect. I haven't gotten to go out on a walking tour for far too long. And it's a beautiful night for it so far."

     "It is that," Raymond smiles, turning to head uphill. "Please," he says to Victoria, a subsitute for 'join me.'
     An inhale and Raymond looks left and right. "I hate to rush things," he explains, "...but I have to head to Tours tonight. So, our visit will be a little shorter. I hope you do not mind."

     Oh, right. American. With the shaking of the hands. Bast reaches forward, takes her hand, the shake is brief as is the smile. "A ... pleasure..." That was English. Ah, detente continues.
      Bast gives the floor back to his boss, where it belongs. As Raymond gestures to Victoria, Bast readjusts the pack and readies to follow them.

     Victoria steps up to walk beside Raymond with a nod, "Oh, of course not." She glances with enhanced senses to the trees on the hill, and up to the stars again, "I'd love to be able to take longer, but I'm sure I'll enjoy whatever time we have to see things."
     Keeping pace with the Frenchman she turns her attention to him once again, "Oh, William sends his regards again, of course. He's looking forward to when you get a chance to come up." Arms easily hanging at her sides, she seems to be content enough to match whatever tempo is set.

     Who?
      Oh.
     Raymond's brows simply arch now openly. There's the rush outward of breath and a nod. "Was the rest of your early morning enjoyable?" Raymond asks, moving along at a brisk pace. Perhaps it's just the length of his long stride. "I needed to make calls after we spoke, and so, I regret having our late drinks interrupted by duties. Such is the way of things."

     Bast Orion fades into the surroundings, helped in part by his dark clothing. He neither interjects, nor seems to be paying attention to the conversation. His eyes are on the surroundings, the trail ahead, and the two of you in turns.

     "It was, thanks." Victoria answers, two of her shorter strides needed to match the longer ones, "And there's no need for it, I'm luckily getting the benefits of the time differential. Most of the evening is free, and I get to use the morning hours for business calls to settle things back in Portland."

     "Ah, yes," Raymond says, path sounding beneath feet. It grows cooler with the oncoming night. "And how are things there? Alright, I hope, despite your absence?"
     She shrugs slightly, "They could certainly be better. There are a few things that I had settled when I left that are going wobbly." Victoria reaches up to tuck one of those curls back behind her ear with the breeze, "But, nothing that won't hold until I go back after the festival. I don't think I'll be able to dely much after that though."

     The bodyguard moves along like the shadow he is, attention given to the surroundings and to the way ahead. The corners of his mouth slightly upturn at a thought he does not share.

     Ah, yes, the festival. Raymond nods, "Well, you are a woman of skill and extraordinary virtue. I am certain that the business will survive and even prosper," Raymond flatters. His hands come behind his back once more as his smile lights radiant.
     "Do you know much about the caves? They are a wonder. You will be surprised when you see them. We have a good guide tonight." And I paid prettily for it. "I think you will be pleased as well with what you see. We may see a few rooms that are off-limits to the regular tours. They are very fragile."

     She chuckles a bit, though good naturedly, "Well, thank you. The businesses are fine, actually. It's the city." Victoria shakes her head, "The shipping industry makes things interesting with my Brujah counterpart. He has a tendency to think of himself as more of a trade magnate than he is. And it makes life... interesting."
     "I made a point to read some about them at the inn, but I've been looking forward to actually getting to see them. I wouldn't classify it as much, though." She arches an eyebrow slightly in interest, obviously impressed at least with the temptation of historical special treats, "Oh? That does sound wonderful, thank you."

     For his part, Bast doesn't seem all that interested in the caves. Of course, he wouldn't be, being French. It's like asking an American to get excited about the Grand Canyon. But maybe it's more a matter of keeping professional.
     There is a glance to his watch as the stroll continues.

     "And who is this Brujah," Raymond laughs, "...if I might ask? Is he making your life in America more difficult then?"

     Smiling, she nods, "You may, certainly." She tucks her hands into her pockets as she continues the quick pace up the hill, "Fagan Hewson." She lowers her voice somewhat conspiratorially, "I have it on fairly good rumor that he made that name up, by the way." She grins slightly, "Either way, he's the Brujah Primogen. And he keeps insisting on widening his shipping interests. Ineffectively, of course, and not without causing problems for everyone else. But, so far, there haven't been any good solutions to get him out of it."

     Raymond nods, looking up the path now. "Doesn't Ian do shipping, yes?" Curious, all these links. The way of such associations. Complex and sometimes deadly. Raymond smiles, letting it all go, the connect-the-dots. "Look, we're almost there," he motions to a flood of lights ahead.

     "There are only a handful of things that involve making money that Ian doesn't do." Victoria says with a smile, "But yes, I manage a couple of his shipping concerns, or elements of them. The things he ships out of the West Coast, the winery, a few other busineses." She sounds as though she's at least making an attempt not to be Boring Ventrue Businesswoman.
     "Oh, that was fast." She lifts up a little to see over the rise towards the hill, with the lights running, "One of the things that was interesting were the etchings. I hadn't heard of them before, actually. The paintings I had seen a couple things on before coming down, but the etchings seem a little more unusual?"

     A nod. "They are," Raymond nods. "You have been reading." He's impressed and pleased. "I'll confess, I enjoy the picts. But I suspect our guide can give us more details. Maybe I'll actually pay attention this time..." he grins, stealing a glance.

     It is a kind of Aesthetics, he imagines. After so many years in Raymond's service, some of it begins to rub off after a while. Brown eyes focus in on the caves ahead...

     Another young man -- there seem to be a veritable cornucopia of young men around tonight -- waits at the entrance of the caves. Definitely southwesterly, this young man. He's dressed in browns, a light sweater over slacks, and brown hair is on the wavy-side. When he hears the approach, he signals with his light.
     The light is either cut or muffled or sent shining elsewhere for it doesn't disturb your view like that again.

     "Hmph," Raymond chirps. "Guess we're here."
     "Mistral," Raymond calls, lifting his voice, "...good evening." His stride lengthens the last uphill portion of the walk. There's a glance to Bast, but Raymond doesn't actually speak to him. "You are on time," Raymond observes. "As I expected."

     Victoria casts an amused glance back to her left, "Somehow I rather expect you know quite a bit about the caves, even if you ignored every tour you ever went on." She looks back up to the cave again with the flashing of the light, squinting slightly at the sudden brightness before it is shuttered again. "I'm looking forward to the pictographs too, though."
     Silent the rest of the way up the rise, she stops once the mouth of the cave is reached, smiling to the guide politely and looking around once more.

     He seems more companion than bodyguard at the moment, were it not for his insistence on quiet and his complete wardrobe of bodyguard-black. Bast glances to Raymond, his mouth forming the first full instance of a smile.

     From the entrance of the cave, Mistral may be seen, flashlight creating a theater of illumination around him. He sees the woman but he doesn't actually address her. No, no... he is far more interested in Raymond. And what Raymond has to say.
     Mistral smiles to Raymond, "Yes, of course. I do not get a chance to give private or..." a glance to the woman, meow! "...semi-private tours. It will allow me to pontificate at will." The smile is sugar but the look is all fire. "So... before we go in, do you have any requests? Something you want to make sure to see?"

     Raymond smiles at Victoria, then extends his hand to Mistral. "A bit of the regular tour and then..." Raymond grins, "...something off the beaten path, if you do not mind? Our visitor," the American here, "...should see the best of our Lascaux, yes?"

     "You've been so highly recommended on the way up, I'm sure the tour will be very insightful." Victoria says to the guide, still smiling just as though the claws had never come out to begin with. Or, perhaps the silly American didn't notice them at all.

     For a moment, Mistral looks as though he has died and gone to heaven, as they say. He takes Raymond's hand, gives it a shake, wakes from his ... reverie and grins. "Of course, Monsieur Marillet," courtesy in front of other guests. His voice is warm, quiet. He looks to the others, lastly to Raymond, and then turns toward the cave. "The story of the caves begins with four young men, boys really: Marcel Ravidat, Jacques Marsal, Georges Agnel and Simon Coencas. In 1940, they were digging around a hole in the earth that had been revealed by the felling of a large pine tree. This entrance here," The one you are now moving through, "...this is where they first came in, holding their lamps," as he holds his flashlight. He makes the light bounce off the narrow walls of the cavern, "...and looking here," light moves, "...and there...and then..."
     Mistral causes the light to bounce against the opening walls of the cave, and paintings are revealed. "They found themselves in what we have since called the Great Hall of the Bulls..."

     Bast follows. He's heard the tale before. He looks fascinated, truly. As the others move ahead, he remains somewhat behind, the pack slipping off his shoulders with a shrug. He might as well make sure all is well with the snack provisions...

     The vast fresco, covering some twenty metres, is composed of three groups of animals: horses, bulls and stags. These hemes recur repeatedly in the different areas of this underground sanctuary...

     Raymond smiles, knowing this part of the story as well. He twists to motion to Victoria to take the lead, immediately behind Mistral. "So you can hear well," Raymond explains, arm extended in an open offer to go ahead.

     Returning that smile with one of her own, Victoria nods and steps forward, hands clasped behind her back in the way of people walking through a museum, or a gallery, "Thank you."
     Following that, she is silent, listening to the tale with intent interest and dividing her attention between the speaker and his light, following it until it finally illuminates the first of the caverns. Once there, her gaze is firmly focussed, moving from one bull to the next. The equine illustrations on the rock face and their various reared and galloping poses.

     "It is called the Great Hall of the Bulls, but there are many groups of stags, as you can see here, and also herds of horses. There are also signs, a kind of morse code of dots. We do not know what they mean, but the pattern has significance. It is repeated throughout.

     Bast comes up from behind, shouldering the pack again. He looks up at the work of ancestors tens-of-thousands of years old. Alright, so it is a little amazing. He will admit it.
     Just not readily...

     Mistral looks to Victoria, and past her to Raymond and then Bast. "What we were all to discover and what the four boys found to their amazement, was that this wonder did not end here..." Mistral turns to follow the Great Hall of the Bulls until the passage narrows again. "The Painted Gallery is a small opening here... it represents the height of the art of this cave. It is called the Sistine Chapel of prehistoric art..."

     Raymond follows quietly behind Victoria, his hands at his side. Occasionally, he uses them to keep his balance, but he's careful not to touch the walls in any way. He watches the guide as he speaks, as interested in the art now as he was when he first visited, oh, some thirty years ago.
     "This is amazing, still," Raymond grins upon his addition. His eyes lift up and he scans the ceiling. "And how long have you been doing these tours, Mistral -- if you don't mind me asking..."

     The lady's eyes travel along the walls as the light uncovers them, ibex facing off, bulls falling, movement in stone captured with burnt umber and brick reds. She seems content enough to remain silent for now, listening to the story of the cave itself as it unfolds, while appreciating the rugged beauty of each pictograph individually.

     Mistral smiles easily. "Of course, of course. This is my third summer now, but I am from the area," he smiles, yes -- a cute southern boy! "The caves are part of who we are in this region. As you know," he adds in quiet, humored aside to Raymond. "I studied art history in university. So, it is a passion of mine." He has others, too...

     Bast moves carefully through the narrowing passage until it opens up into the Painted Gallery. "In that last room," Bast mentions quietly, "...they say there is the first portrait of a unicorn."

     Mistral turns a little, cocking a grin. "Yes, that is what they say. Though, careful study reveals the second horn. I am afraid the unicorn still eludes us." He shines the light on the various pictographs. "Another element of interest to you, perhaps -- I do not know if you know much about Eastern Art, but if you look at these horses, they are very reminiscent of the horses of classical Chinese and Mongol art. Very stylized..."

     Raymond grins a slanted smirk at Mistral, then turns to see the horses. There is a nod as he recognizes these images and the connection with another culture. "Did you say how old these were Mistral -- it is alright if I call you Mistral, yes?" He'd forgotten to check.

     Victoria listens as her eyes continue to travel over the details of the images before her. When Sebastian speaks, she turnst to him for the brief span of his statement, one eyebrow arching slightly with curiosity.
     When the unicorn is disproven, she turns back to the sketches revealed by the light, "Do you know what the comparison in time periods would be between these and the Asian drawings? I'm afraid I'm not as versed in the history of the Orient as I should be."

     Mistral smiles, "Certainment, Monsieur Marillet... may I call you Raymond? And the artwork dates from the Palaeolithic Age... but precise dating has proven very difficult due to the type of pigments used and...well... the nature of the canvas..."
     The guide looks to the American Woman, nodding, "Oui, madame... while China contains no site like this one," indeed, it is foremost in the world for its period, or any period truly, "...the composition, shape and philosophy of the horse is virtually identical. If you were to look at Chinese illustrations three-to-five-thousand years old, you would find very similar images. These paintings are much older."

     Bast smirks as he is disproven. Fine, that is what I get for talking. He suddenly wishes for a bench...

     Unlike in the previous room, in the Painted Gallery the dominant color is red. Red horses, red cows, red bison...

     Raymond only shakes his head and smirks, turning to see poor Bast. A boring thing, really, to associate with those interested in caves. Raymond, for his odd interests, can never be called a geek. "Only three to five thousand?" Raymond thinks, trying to recall his own reading. "Interesting," he murmurs, moving down a ways by himself.

     "The similarities are likely due to the actual breed of horse. The horses of the Steppes and Mongolia in particular are still very genetically close to their prehistoric counterparts," Mistral notes. "If you are ready, we can proceed...?"

     There's a nod from Raymond as he continues to move forward, a few steps now ahead of the guide. He's close to remain in the spilling light, but does walk his own slight path of interest.

     Victoria brings her gaze back to the cave as a whole from the individual images, nodding to Mistral at his question as she moves to follow him to the next chamber. Her hands stay at her back, without any kind of fidgeting or seeming to have any need to do so. She stays closer to the guide than her companions, taking in the information from the tour itself as it moves forward.

     You must go back out the way you came in...
     Moving past Bast, with a smirk, Mistral heads back the way you all came, back toward the great hall, but then he turns left. "Be careful here, the ceiling is low and the way is narrow. We are moving into the Lateral Passage. The Lateral Passage contains mostly engravings. But much has been lost to corrosion and convenience..."

     Raymond looks up and now finds himself in the rear. He grins as he takes up his position, leaving Bast ahead near Victoria.
     "This is a nice area," Raymond says softly, motioning to Bast and more than likely seeking another flashlight.

     "Convenience?" Victoria asks curiosuly, apparently intrigued by the choice of words. The engravings seem to hold a great deal of appeal for her for some reason, the depressions that create the images so well masqued by the rifts formed naturally in the limestone face.

     "Yes, when they opened the cave for tourism in the 1950s, this corridor was lowered to make it easier to traverse. The caves were closed in the 1960s. They only open them now for a very limited time and for only... those who need to see it. They built an entire system of mock caves so that the tourists could see reproductions..." But you are special.
     Ahem...

     Bast smiles to his boss, pausing to let Victoria move ahead of him. In his hands is a sturdy flashlight, "Here you are, sir..." he murmurs. So this is foreplay for the educated, yes? He glances to Victoria, then motions for Raymond to move ahead.
     It's your date, sir...

     Raymond takes the flashlight from Bast, giving a smile in return. "Thank you, Sebastian," Raymond murmurs lowly, standing in front of the man and then flipping the light into his own eyes. Yes, it works.
     A cough, and Raymond turns to pass his bodyguard, picking up his steps to come near Victoria. "I still find it amazing," Raymond confesses, "...that there are mock caves here. Ingenious," he chuckles, amused at the fraud. Only in France. A glance to his own feet, and Raymond takes another step forward to continue on the tour.
     "And I'm glad to know we're special," Raymond chuckles.

     The guide grins and then he shines his light upon various portions of the Passage's surface. "You will notice that there are engravings throughout. It is believed that such engravings covered nearly every surface, though some have not survived. Mais oui," Mistral says to Raymond, grinning, "...some are more special than others. But these days, the equipment is so good, the ability to detect harmful bacteria and other organisms so precise that Time has become the real enemy." A pause. "And the mushrooms. I swear!"

     "Really? How very odd." The idea of lowering caves seems to confuse her a bit. Apparently Americans would try to make things bigger no doubt.
     Victoria pauses as Raymond moves to catch up with her at the front of the group, "I wonder how many people go through them without ever knowing that they're recreations." She steps forwards to get a closer look at one of the etchings in the wall, careful not to touch.
     Time as an enemy. That's certainly a concept. "Do they have any ways of preventing the damage? Or is it predominantly minimilization?"

     "It is more about minimizing or mitigating exposure, madame. The most damaging thing we could do in this cave, other than to touch the paintings, is simply our breathing. Carbon dioxide causes damage. They have to attempt to control the air quality and then to prevent the growing of fungi and moss."
     He glances around and then to the guests, "Let's head to the Great Passage just for one element -- then we will go to the Shaft of the Dead Man..." Mistral looks to Raymond. "It is normally a restricted area, moreso even than this, but I will show it to you personally..."

     This is so not Sebastian's bag. He is more into the Parisian or Tours scene, smoking cigarettes, talking, listening to music, having espresse and staying out of caves. He goes to the Louvre and he goes to the galleries of Tours, he doesn't mind art, but ... this... is a little much.
     Yes, yes, it is a treasure of France. Of course. But do we have to see the whole thing?

     "Aren't we lucky?" Raymond smiles at Victoria, coming next to her to touch her arm. Another encouragement forward. "You ask the best questions," Raymond whispers to her, though in this space, it's not something easily missed.

     So, could it become a touring ground for only the undead? That would be an irony. The artists long having left behind the earth only to leave their work to be viewed by people who should've done the same. Much like the dead man.
     Victoria turns to smile back to Raymond, "We are, yes, thank you for arranging all of this. It's fascinating..." The brainy doctor certainly seems to mean it too, glancing up at the engravings in the taller dome scratched layer upon layer until nearly indistinguishable. Squinting slightly as though it will help her to make out differences between the horses stampeeding across its surface. And maybe with the heightened sense that are available, it does.
     Breaking off to turn and grin to Raymond again she whispers back, "Thanks. I'll have to come up with some better ones to be really impressive."

     Raymond's brows lift and fall, which is followed by a quick wink to the doctor. Indeed, this evening's been crafted for her, and Raymond, while versed in the caves, leaves the explanations to the well-practiced guide.
     Raymond takes a step back and shines his light on a set of engravings on his right. But he does not dawdle. The light is pointed at the back of the moving guide, keeping Mistral firmly in sight.

     "You're welcome," Mistral answers with a grin, a look to Raymond. This could have been a very different tour, you realize. "Follow me...we now go to the Main Gallery..." He continues straight ahead, his steps slow and careful.

     Bringing up the rear again is Sebastian. He's fine to be in the back, really. Unnoticed. Invisible. He follows along, still smirking. This is the weirdest interview for a mistress he's ever witnessed...

     The Main Gallery is made up of a series of adjoining chambers which gradually become smaller. The walls on either side of the axis are perfectly symmetrical. Five panels, each with its own characteristics, and unequally distributed on either side distinguish this space...

     Laughing a bit in surprise, Victoria gestures up to one of the horses, more distinguishable from the others in its depth and character, "He's smiling." She tilts her head to the side and looks up at the ceiling at an odd angle, most of the light having moved forward with the guide and Raymond's light following him, but she still seems able to see well enough.
      Turning to notice the two leading members of the expedition having moved forward, she steps ahead and glances at the floor to check her footing before her attention goes back to the walls once again, catching up to Raymond once more to go into the next segment.

     "The symmetry here," Raymond perks up, "...is astonishing. That, to me, is one of the most amazing aspects of all of Lascaux. How did this happen? This cannot be so natural..."

     "Along with the symmetry, amazing for their lack of formalized geometry," he's a wunderkind this guide, "... this chamber also contains what is arguably the earliest attempt at three-dimensional perspective in art -- a concept that would be lost and not re-discovered and developed until the Renaissance."
     Mistral illustrates the drawing in question, "The back-to-back bisons... notice the way that the legs in the foreground are distinguished from those in the back. They utilized reserves," he looks to Victoria, defining that, "...which is an area of a picture which is left in the natural color of the background, around the background limbs and used the distortions in the limestone itself to create a three-dimensional effect. It can be found in many other examples in Lascaux, but this is the most dramatic..."

     It is only when Raymond mentions being astonished by symmetry that Sebastian seems to be paying attention. He looks to the walls as they move through the Main Gallery, trying perhaps to see what his boss sees in it.

     ..The opposite wall features only one group of figures, made up of stags' heads and shoulders reflecting the preceding iconography. They have been described by some as five stags crossing a river, whence the name, the "Swimming Stags" for this panel.

     "Truly..." Raymond whispers, turning about, "...miraculous. Just..."
     Raymond trails off. He spins, light shining directly forward, looking much like a whirling dervish.

     The doctor nods at the explanation given to her about backgrounds and tones, "Negative space." Yes, she does know something about art.
     "There's some argument that it was beginning to be used at the end of the Roman period along with perspective in figure drawing, but it's still highly debated..." She trails off as she steps over to the wall and examines the aptly named 'Black Cow' pannel, looking again at the horses here as they are seemingly guided by the bull.
     "Is there any idea as to what the area was used for?" She does turn to look at Mistral as she asks the question, though it's obvious that she's doing it out of politeness rather than a desire to stop looking at the pictograph, "Religious or historical significance?"

     "We will again have to backtrack a bit, to turn to toward the Shaft of the Dead Man... it is off the Chamber of Engravings..." Mistral notes. "Ah....hmmm..." He pauses at Victoria's question. "There are many theories, but there are no real definitive answers. It is a large complex of caves, one of many sites in the area and France is full of caves. But this one, yes, is special. A religious site theory has been posed. But ritual was not very well defined in this period, and burials, it is supposed, are relatively recent to the culture at the time of these paintings..."
     "Now," Mistral says, squeezing past Raymond, and then Victoria, "... if you will follow me, I will lead you to the Shaft of the Dead Man..."

     For his part, Raymond doesn't appear to be listening. He's moving near the walls, staring at the vertical lines that mark the adjacency of each pair of walls.
     "Remarkable," he whispers to himself, leaning in to stare at a particular point. From there, he looks left and right to each side of it.

     At Raymond's obvious interest, Victoria turns from her exploration and moves over to see what it is that's caught his attention. Stopping next to him she examines the lines as well, curiously, more it seems to detect what it is that's caught his eye so strongly.
     She seems to assume that Mistral will wait for Raymond if nothing else. He wouldn't be able to impress him quite so much if he were left in here while the guide proceeded to the final chamber.

     Mistral does indeed wait. He also takes a moment to take a quick look to his watch.
     Sebastian Orion does the same. One hour gone of a three hour trip.

     On the wall, there appears nothing. The bend of the wall is smooth, perhaps due to time, perhaps due to someone's hand. Raymond moves from one vertical to the next, beginning to make the circuit of the geometrical room once more.

     Sebastian motions to Mistral: go ahead. He appears suddenly behind Raymond, giving him a slight nudge on the arm. "Our guide is eager to see the dead man's shaft," he smirks in the darkness. He's going to get a lot of mileage out of that one. Glancing to Victoria, Bast smiles. "Go ahead... I will stay in the back..." He shines the light forward, showing the waiting figure of the guide just a little distance ahead.

     Examining it a little longer, Victoria then steps back as Raymond moves to continue his investigation in the other junctures, waiting where he started as she watches what he's doing at the other points around the circumferance.
     She nods to Sebastian's encouragement, grinning a bit at his comment regarding Mistral before she follows his directions and moves towards the passage back.

     "In a moment," Raymond murmurs absently. Not listening. "In a moment."

     He can't just shake him 'out of it' -- that's a rude awakening. Sebastian remains by Raymond. A moment more, and he mutters, "You only have an hour and a half left." Gentle reminders.

     Time.
     Raymond suddenly comes erect, but his eyes are a little blank. "Time, yes. Ninety minutes. Eighty-nine. Right."
     Turning about, Raymond steps towards where the other two have gone. "Right, right," he whispers, nodding as he blinks a few times.

      Bast Orion smiles a bit and nods toward the passage, lighting his boss' way. There is Mistral and Victoria. They have not gone far.

      Mistral is waiting patiently. He nods and smiles to Victoria as she catches up to him.

     Victoria stops nearer the enterance and tilts her head slightly, asking, "Is there something in particular you're looking for?" Her hands are still properly out of the way with no touching of the walls. Poor Mistral might have a stroke.
     When the mention of the timetable seems to snap him out of it she smiles, leaving the question to go if it's left as she turns to glance at the wall leading to the Great Chamber again.

     "Hmm?" Raymond quirks, brows arching. "What? Oh, um," Raymond twists back to see the departed space, "...um...no. I was..just...looking."

     Back in command again, Mistral turns toward the Chamber of Engravings. The Chamber of Engravings, a rotunda which is smaller than the Great Hall of the Bulls, stands out because of the extremely high number of painted and, especially, engraved figures, more than 600 in all.

     She nods, seeming to take that as enough of an explanation without much concern as Raymond rejoins the group. As they pass through the chamber, Victoria glances over to her 'Saughing Horse' with another smile before she continues to follow Mistral through.

     "There must be," Raymond offers slowly, "...some six-hundred and nineteen." He looks around and the heads to his right slight.

     "Here," Mistral begins, "you will notice a maximum overlapping of subjects. Superimposition ,scraping ,and obliteration. The many traces of activities make it particularly difficult to interpret the figures." He shines the light upon the tangle of engravings, then turns to the left.
      The narrow corridor begins to curve again to the left. "Be careful here... the grade slopes unexpectedly... it is a few meters to the work..."
     His light shines the way now, not lingering on artwork around. "This is the shaft of the Dead Man..."

     At the warning, Victoria glances again to the ground, taking notice of where the descent starts and what kind of path seems to be best worn through the stone. Glancing still at the images as she passes by, she follows the light in front of her carefully.

     Sebastian comes slowly behind, an extra light helping to smoothen the way along the grade. The descent is sometimes sharp...

     Woe be to the well-dressed man who cannot walk grades in Italian leather shoes. Raymond follows, shining his light now to the left. He looks to the images, refraining from asking the obvious question about the space.

     "How long after the other areas of the cave was this one discovered?" Victoria asks as she carefully makes her way down, glancing at the walls and then behind herself to make sure that things are progressing well behind her. She slows her steps slightly to give Raymond a chance to catch up, her boots seeming to have no trouble finding purchase on the stone under her feet.

     Mistral shines his light on the wall to the right. "This is the triptych that gives this chamber its name. It is highly narrative, this work. It tells of a confrontation between man and bison, and even shows a rhinocerous... here," his light illuminates it momentarily. He glances to Victoria. "Ah, madame... this was discovered on the first day of full explorations. When Marcel Radiate was exploring the cave, he passed by this section and explored it more fully."
     Mistral turns his head, looking to Raymond. Yes, nice shoes. "Note the stick crowned with the profile of a bird whose head resembles the human silhouette. Egypt wasn't the only home to such anthropormorphic artwork." A wink. "In addition, there are several other secondary elements in this composition. In particular, the hook sign, which perhaps represents a spear-thrower, as well as a long, drawn obliquely and situated level with what has been identified as the entrails of the disembowelled bison."

     And," Raymond can't help it now, "...why is it called the Shaft of the Dead Man?" His light focuses on the bison before turning the length of the corridor.

     Is that a chuckle in the dark quiet? Yes? No? No, you all must be mistaken. It was a snort of bored disinterest, surely. Surely. Bast Orion looks at the triptych. "He's dead, see, he appears to be falling. Or fallen..."

     The guide quirks up an eyebrow. "Yes, that is exactly it. The picture of the man is of a dead man. Gored, most likely by the horns of the bison, which are lowered at him. Also, note this image here," light illuminates it, "... the falling or fallen spear."

     He'd missed that. Raymond gives a sidelong glance to Sebastian, then returns to inspecting the artwork, nodding after a while. He gets it.

     Bast glances to his boss. Sorry. "Also, the smudge looks like an erection," Bast indicates with his own light. "Or...maybe that is just me..."

     Victoria approaches the image, bending her knees slightly to bring herself level with it. This, it seems is going to be her highlight for the entire little tour. Well, artistic hilight at least. "Fascinating..."
     She tilts her head to the side slightly, gaze focussing on the staff, "Birds were used to represent anima in Roman and Greek iconography quite frequently..." For the obvious reasons. "And with the man killed by his querry..." She's nearly entirely talking to herself at this point, though she's speaking loudly enough for everyone to hear. "So... the only man they show is dead... conquored by one of the beasts they exemplify in the rest of the cavern..."

     What?
     Raymond doesn't get what Victoria says. Or so says his expression. But she's bent, looking at images, and he decides to take a moment to see Sebastian.
     You are such a dead man, yourself.
     Raymond grins at his bodyguard, fast enough to be missed in the dark, then looks back to the guide. "So he's killed his hunt, but his hunt killed him, then?"

     "This is also the only avian in the cavern, isn't it?" Victoria asks Mistral, this time not taking her attention off the images, "I didn't see any others in the rooms before this one..." She starts thinking aloud to herself again, "So, the bird is an object, and flightless..." Apparently Toreadors aren't the only ones that get absorbed in walls.
     "And there's the unconquored rhinoscerous... who isn't shown anywhere else either, correct?"

     That makes Mistral grin. "Yes, this is the only full image of man in the many galleries," he offers. "Hands, feet, the female sexual organs, these may be found here and there. But this, and perhaps even the germination of the concept of the anima," isn't that soul? "...is one of a kind." I am impressed, madame. He glances to Sebastian as well, "Mais oui, you are not alone in that, of course... it is true. You have a good eye, monsieur."

     Bast looks to his boss, then at the walls, nodding. Yes, I may be a dead man. But at least I was correct.

     Mistral looks to Victoria again, impressed out of his earlier cattiness. "Mais oui, madame, you are correct. These images here are significant in their singularity. The bird-like features of the dead man, the bird upon the staff. They are not found elsewhere. The rhinocerous is also unique to this chamber. It appears to be fleeing the scene..."

     Alright, fine. So the Prince of Tours lacks in anthropological skill. Raymond stands, providing more light to the wall Victoria examines. A flash of a smile, and Raymond's face goes blank as he folds an arm across his chest and stares at the opposing wall.

     "So their only representation of the artist... isn't truly a representation of him." Victoria does glance over and offer a smile at the additional light given to the image, before she looks back at it again for a moment in silence.
     Standing up she puts her hands on her hips, "And you're right, Sebastian, he does seem to think that killing bison is a pretty exciting adventure. Even if it did kill him."

     Sebastian looks to the woman, smiling to her. It's almost a grin. "Oui, madame," a glance to Raymond. So, is this analgous to something? Is she your bison? Hmmm....
     Bast Orion ponders that and looks back to the picture. And who said he wasn't into art.

     Mistral is quiet for a few moments. "Very few people, madame, have been able to see this particular work -- well, much that you have seen tonight." It's quite the date. "I should be closing the tour, I do not wish to rush, but too much breathing and we will spout moss on the Dead Man." He smiles to you all. "I hope you have enjoyed the tour, monsieurs et madame..."

     "We have," Raymond suddenly chimes in, turning to see Mistral. "Thank you for your extra time and great skill. You are amazingly knowlegeable about the Caves. More even than I expected. I think the other guides have much to live up to, yes?" Raymond smiles, extending his hand Mistral's direction for a shake. "Very excellent," he adds.

     There was a blush. The darkness would hide it from most, but when blood moves can it not be felt? His hand is warm, despite the coolness of the cave, as he gives his hand to Raymond. "Merci, monsieur," he murmurs. "I appreciate your words." Just like the rest of you.

     Bast shoulders the pack again, lips twisting: why did I carry coffee and snacks? He turns and heads back up the grade to the Engraved Chamber, seeming to know his way. He is a quick study.

     She steps back, though her reluctance is brief. Nodding to the guide herself with a smile again she agrees, "It was wonderful, thank you for taking your time to share your expertise with us." Hands go back behind her again, still no wall touching. "I can understand why the cave is considered such a national tresure." Perhaps the highest compliment possible to an anthropologist, validation of one's work.
     Stepping over next to Raymond again, she glances to Sebastian as he begins to extricate himself from the caverns. Looking back again to the guide and her companion.

     "Victoria," Raymond says, turning to see Sebastian, "...care for a bit of coffee once we are outside?" Never in here.
     "Sebastian!" Raymond calls, halting him, "...will you...please see that Mistral has everything he needs for the Preservation Office?" Don't go so quickly.
     "Sebastian," Raymond explains to Victoria as he turns to lead her out, "...came with something warm and a dessert, if you need something?"

     Sebastian halts, having not gone all that far in truth. He turns. "Of course, sir." It is a professional nod of his head that follows and he waits where he stands so as not to crowd The Couple taking their leave.

     Mistral smiles to the woman, "Thank you, madame. I am glad you all have enjoyed your evening." He turns to the tall, dark-haired -- no, the other one -- waiting ahead. He, too, will remain behind while The Couple (he is so wasting his time with her -- I could make him a happy man!) heads out...

     "That sounds perfect, actually." Victoria smiles, falling into step with Raymond to go back up the incline that leads to the opening. "I haven't had a chance to do any picnicing for a while, I don't get out of the city much back home." Oregon... woods... probably not the best combination for an undead girl fond her limbs.
     She shoots another smile of thanks back to Mistral before her full attention is returned to Tours, "And dessert would be great. This has been marvelous, I was looking forward to it, but it's really exceeded my expectations."

     As Sebastian passes Raymond, there's a pat on his bodyguard's shoulder. Raymond smiles at Victoria, beginning his steps upward with, "Well, it is far more than I expected," a glance back to the two-about-to-be-left-behind. Raymond looks back to his companion, adding, "We can nibble as we walk, yes? Unfortunately, I do need to get back to Tours tonight, as I mentioned earlier, which means that a proper bit of coffee and pastry is hampered..."

      Sebastian nods again. Understood. "Ah, sir, the pack," he offers to Raymond. He smiles to you both. "There is no need to wait on me to eat and drink, yes? I will take care of things here..."
     The pack is offered, and Sebastian pivots, smiling to Mistral as he arrives. Yes, my boy, I have good news for you...

Posted by rowan at November 01, 2003 11:15 AM