Tale As Old As Time... (scrimshaw and emybear)

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Deryck gave Tristan an appreciative nod. He watched as the younger fellow closed and took the briefcase. He wasn't worried, honestly. He knew he would get paid. Placing a hand on the back of the older man, he gave a smirk. "Well, let us close this deal up and I can be out of your hair and let you two get back to your work, sound good?"

He followed Felix down the stairs, watching as Tristan disappeared to the basement to do... well, whatever curators did. He wasn't one to know the ins and outs of museums and their workings. Brushing it off, he turned his attention back to Felix, following him wherever they needed to be.


Meanwhile, Nat had taken to locking herself away in her apartment, a laptop opened on her knees, the light shining in her face, the only source of light in the room. She was "stalking" so to speak her friends on social media. Nothing. No word or even a stray hint of worry for her. She sighed heavily, slamming it shut before walking over to the large window that over looked the city. She stared off just down the road, the general direction of the cafe.

Meeting Tristan had been the most she ever talked to anyone since this happened to her, and where she felt anger, a small spark of hope flickered. He had been nice to her, but then again he had no idea the real person he was talking to. She was sure if he did, he'd fear her like everyone else. And she was too scared to tell the truth, what would he think of her then? She pressed her head against the cool glass, a tear of frustration rolling down her face. How could she keep living like this? It had only been a few weeks, and already it was driving her crazy.
 
Tristan had allowed himself to be entranced by the jewel's beauty for a brief second. He had to blink and shake his head to drag himself out of its control, but he gave it one last glance before putting it away for later cataloging and thought to himself how much more beautiful the dark side of the stone was in comparison to the white. Sure, the pristine shine of that portion was enchanting in its own way, but the glints of red and jagged features gave the other so much more charm. He didn't really have time to be admiring it, though. He could do that later. At the moment, he needed to begin working like a normal day.

The lead curator took care of the last part of the exchange with Deryck, and then loosed just about the largest sigh in history. Whether it was out of relief or despair no one but him could say. Perhaps he didn't even know what he was feeling at that exact moment. He had just gotten back the single most sought after item of his career. But, he had also lost a fortune to do it. He was... conflicted. But, he didn't regret what he'd done. He'd gone too far to start letting his conscience hold him back. He wasn't doing anything wrong.

Just as his son reemerged from the basement, he turned to greet him. "Tristan, did you ever think this day would come?" he asked him, though it was seemingly intended as a rhetorical question. Still, the younger man felt the need to respond, just to have some fun in light of the fact he had just lost all of his savings for this to happen.

"Hm... no," he said, shrugging idly. "Can't say that I did."

There was a brief silence as the moment stretched between them, before they both busted out laughing. He and his father had always had a good relationship. Something like this wasn't going to change that.

"Alright then, son," Felix then began. "What say you we get to work and make this a productive day?"

Tristan smiled and nodded obligingly. "Of course."
 
It had been a few days since her run in with Tristan, and Natalie had grown bored once again locked away inside. And it was look to be a nice day, so she decided to go out for a walk. With a light weight jacket on, she pulled the hood up over her head, once more casting her face into shadows. She wished there was another way to hide it, but she was certain walking about with a mask would draw even far more attention to herself than she wanted.

Making sure the door was locked behind her, she briskly walked down the hall, the stairs, and emerged outside. The air was cool, but the bright sun that hung above was warm and inviting. A faint smile came to Natalie's face as she took in a long, deep breath of air. It was nice to get out again. Almost skipping along, humming to herself, she found her way to the park. Couples walked along the paved path, giggling and chatting with one another. Children played, laughing as they played tag, swung back and forth in the swings their parents pushed them. Birds, those who had grown accustomed to humans giving them scraps of food, quacked and tweeted in the lower branches of trees, waiting for anyone to offer a treat. A few others had their dogs, walking around or playing fetch as well.

All in all, it seemed like a lovely day, and Natalie was quite glad she took today to leave. Walking along until she found a vacant park bench, she sat down, leaning forward on her knees as she watched everyone go about their day. Even with the nice day cheering her up, watching others around her laugh and play and enjoy themselves brought up the pain. Swallowing it, she closed her eyes to ignore it. Taking another moment to look around, Natalie tilted her head some, lifting her brow.

She was sure she saw Ivy just across the way near the pond, and she knew if Ivy was near, Tristan certainly was. Jumping to her feet, she headed over in that direction, a part of her secretly hoping it had been Ivy and that she could see Tristan again.
 
The days following the deal that landed them their ever so sought-after jewel went smoothly and were fairly uneventful. After they finally put the thing on display, they had erected posters and other such advertisements which alluded to its mystical properties and overall beauty. Tristan personally had thought that his father was going a bit overboard. Though the gem certainly was a sight to behold, he needed to be sure that he didn't over embellish it such that people began to feel as though they weren't getting quite what they expected out of seeing it. That was what Tristan was for though, and he had spent those days keeping Felix in check. They did get an influx of interested people and no complaints, so it seemed to be turning out to be a worthwhile investment.

It was time for relaxation, however. Though technically things were business as usual at the museum, Tristan had taken the day off to give Ivy some more of his attention. He always felt terrible leaving her in his apartment, and often he would pay a dog-sitter to watch her for him just so that she wouldn't be alone. But, she never really liked being with anyone but him and it usually didn't go very well. She can be a rambunctious little thing when she doesn't get what she wants. Tristan actually grinned to himself as the thought crossed his mind.

They had gone out for a walk in the park. This was of course any dog's favorite place in such a urban place as New York. Tristan liked taking her here as a treat when he could. It was quite a walk from his place though, so oftentimes he just couldn't make the trip, especially considering Ivy herself wasn't always at full strength. As he walked with her on the path, he took note of the spring in her step. She definitely had energy to spare that day. He was glad for that, but she also seemed to be preoccupied with something. She was scenting the air and the ground, and constantly checking her surroundings. He wasn't sure what to make of it until she suddenly bolted at full speed toward the pond. The leash extending to accommodate her distance from him before he finally started running after her.

She stopped at the pond's edge, panting softly. Tristan laughed a bit, kneeling to give her a pat between her ears. "Where did that come from?" he asked, but then he noticed she was staring at something, or rather, someone. He followed her line of sight just as her tail began wagging, and noticed a hooded figure heading their way. He smirked then, retracting the leash so that it wasn't winding in a mass between them. "You sly little pup." He hadn't expected her to be leading him to Nat.

When the woman finally reached them, he watched as Ivy padded through the grass to prop her little paws on her leg, just begging to be petted. "So we meet again," he spoke, a bit of a chuckle in his tone. "Would you believe me if I told you Ivy lead me here just to see you?"
 
Nat laughed softly, kneeling to the ground as Ivy padded over to her. "Well, hello again," she said with a smile, patting the dog gently before giving a gentle scratch behind her ears. She looked to Tristan now as he spoke, tilting her head to one side a little. "Oh did she? She must have good taste in people," she replied softly, though she wondered why.

She had spent the past few days spying in on her old friends, even some family. They spoke of how awful she had been back then, how manipulating and rude she was. How some were even glad she wasn't around anymore. Biting her lip, she fought back the painful tears that dared to fall and slowly got to her feet. She was certainly glad to run into Tristan again, though. He had been on her mind since their last meeting randomly through her days.

"I take it your out enjoying the nice day?" Natalie asked finally, shoving her hands into the front pockets of her jacket. Come to think of it, she had never asked him what he did for work. He seemed quite the well educated man, which left a few options to mind. "You know, I never bothered asking what you did for work," she added with a small laugh, rubbing the back of her neck some now. She was quite curious about it, a part of her really wanted to get to know him.
 
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