The Art of the Con (Isaiah)

[Esme Pallas]

Esme stood with arms folded in a corner of the small gallery space; it was time for their monthly open gallery party. It was a simple affair with wine, hors d'oeuvres and the newest pieces from the up and coming artists of Studio 9. Back on Corellia she had enjoyed having her own studio space, but with the current events leaving her quite displaced, she was content to rent a space at the studio’s artist co-op. While Esme did attempt to support herself with her original works, she did use her skills to supplement her income in other ways. As it was difficult to hide a counterfeiting business from the other artists at the studio, she produces most of her illegitimate works at home.

This evening she had three paintings on display; one landscape, one portrait and one abstract piece. It was important for her to demonstrate the breadth of her abilities. She walked over to the wine bar and grabbed a glass of red, it was time to mingle. After a few sips she began to move about the gallery, taking in the work of the other artists and occasionally stopping to talk with some of the patrons. It was nice to have the attention of art buyers, and Esme was certainly generating some interest, but had yet to make any sales.

It seemed that the crowd was starting to wind down, though some people were still filtering in and out. Marketing one’s self was hard work, and she was starting to feel a bit drained. Excusing herself, she stepped outside, and took up a spot near the entrance. It was time for a breather, just Esme and her wine glass.

[member="Isaiah Dashiell"]

 

[Isaiah Dashiell]

Art. What was it about the stuff that his brother loved so much? Izzy didn't think too much of it but with his brother nowhere to be seen in some time, and with nary a credit to his name the young wolf needed to acquire cash somehow, and why not use an artist gallery to procure some fine art pieces he could pawn off later? Tonight, Izzy wasn't your run of the mill spacer, or even a con artist, no. Tonight, Izzy was Max Arnastus, or at least that's what his I.D. said and he had the account card to match such an...important sounding name. For the night he would talk and mingle as if he were of a higher status, willing to throw away thousands upon thousands of credits on a wild painting with various designs and no real, clear cut purpose with the label "abstract". He chuckled a bit as he stared at the piece for a while. A tall, balding man strode up next to him with a glass of wine in his hand and attempted to strike up a conversation about the piece.

"Magnificent isn't it? Such elegance yet so much resilience. It reminds me of the dark waves on Kamino..." his voice trailed off as the young wolf drowned out the man's voice by drinking his own wine and focusing on other sounds around him. Tonight, with his hair pulled back into a small bun and his face still a tad scruffy, the young lad in a black suit looking at an abstract art piece was just another rich kid looking to spice up his loft on Coruscant.

But something seemed off about the piece, familiar. He made not of the name and nodded when it seemed the old man was done speaking about the art piece. "Nice talking to you sir, good night." he gave the old man a pat on the back and began looking for one Esme Pallas. This wolf may have just found his meal for the night.

[member="Esme Pallas"]​

 

[Esme Pallas]

To many people art meant truth, but this was not always the case for Esme. Her own original artwork came from within, and she considered it to be an honest expression of her creativity. However, there was a hidden side to Esme’s work that few were aware of. She wasn’t always proud of creating pieces that were a bit dishonest, but she had a knack for it, and these pieces paid the bills. Tonight was about all original art, but one of her pieces happened to be a skilled reproduction. Esme did dabble in straight forward forgeries, but she kept those paintings out of gallery showings that were associated with her name.

Esme peered inside the gallery and happened to see two men in front of her abstract painting. Perhaps the night was not lost yet; she could still end up making a sale. She bit her lower lip for a moment, trying to decide which man she would approach. However, it seemed that the younger man was now moving away from the painting. Time to strike. Esme’s blue eyes scanned the young man, he was dressed smartly, and certainly had the air of a rich kid. She took a moment to smooth out the front of her short black dress and brushed a few strands of flame red hair away from her face before moving back inside.

“Find anything you like?” She asked with a slight smile, cutting into his path. “The abstract over there is one of mine.” Esme nodded towards the piece. “I’m Esme Pallas, nice to meet you.” She held out her hand as a greeting.

[member="Isaiah Dashiell"]

 

[Isaiah Dashiell]

The art didn't speak to him like it did for other people, he was simply in it to turn a fake into some cash, or maybe even, for once in his life, perform a legitimate purchase and flip. He didn't normally work with art, if anyone that was Zeke's thing, but he needed credits if he was going to get back home, where ever that meant for the night. Lost deep in thought he nearly ran into the red headed artist, startling the young wolf pup.

"Sorry, Aye that abstract did indeed catch my eye, though...I'm not sure if it would look good in my loft." Lofts were things rich kids had to themselves right? He wouldn't know, he usually didn't categorize the people whose homes he broke into as being 'kids' or not, just by the credit worth of the things dangling from their walls, simply begging to be taken. "Max Arnastus." Was he going to do it? Was he going to try and pull a stunt that Zeke himself would pull?

The answer came to him before he could stop himself, he took her hand and brought it to his lips.

"A pleasure." A mischievous smirk inched its way across the scruffy face of the young would-be art collector. The regret came too soon, he prepared mentally for the slap, maybe he would be lucky.
[member="Esme Pallas"]