|
|
Post by Miyuki Asuhara on Nov 12, 2024 21:23:39 GMT -6
Bleach Unrated: REBOOTEDCurrent Arc: The ChaosEpisode 577 "Asuhara’s 4": (continued) Miyuki was led into the gallery room, which was a long, rectangular room with red and white drapes and pristine tatami mats. Hanging from the walls were the paintings, calligraphy, and drawings from Nanna Amano Miyuki had coveted for so long. And in the middle of the gallery, hanging from kimono displays, were four painted silk kimonos, each one a representation of one of the seasons. The Shiki Quartet. Miyuki let out a gasp, placing a hand on her racing heart. It was no act. The artwork—the master display of talent and skill—literally took her breath away. She slowly walked up to the kimonos, taking in each one. The spring kimono was a flawless display of Sakura blossoms. Baby pink and white in a baby doll bodice with billowing, nearly see through sleeves, a high waisted obi, and a billowing skirt. The Sakura blossoms painted throughout it were splashes of red, white, and dark pink with brown branches and green leaves. The obi was pure white with a red obijime cord. It was pure and untouched and perfect. The summer kimono was fun and eye-catching. White silk covered in magenta red Morning Glories and blue-violet hydrangeas. The obi was a wide, magenta colored cloth with a white obijime. The Morning Glories looked like bursts of fireworks while the hydrangea blossoms looked like tiny stars amongst them. Perfect for a summer festival. The fall kimono was an elegant and mesmerizing black silk kimono with yellow, red, and orange maple leaves across the front, shoulders and back. The sleeves and skirt of the kimono displayed golden hills. The hems of the kimono were crimson red, as was the obi. The obijime pining the obi in place was gold. Finally, the winter kimono. The baby blue to white gradient kimono made the perfect backdrop for the winter scene that was painted on the back, down the sleeves and skirt. It depicted Mount Fuji covered in snow with plum blossoms and camellias in full bloom in the foreground, balanced by the browns and greens of the trees and grasses. On the shoulders were white and dark blue snowflakes that were no bigger than Miyuki’s thumbnail. They trailed down the blue sky delicately, almost barely noticeable unless you were looking closely. And each and every single snow flake was different. “Oh… my…” Miyuki said breathlessly, circling the kimonos to admire them. “I… I have no words.” |
|
|
|
Post by Minako Asuhara on Nov 12, 2024 21:24:50 GMT -6
Minako had to admit, the kimonos were indeed beautiful. And she hoped to the gods that Riku never got ahold of them, or they would never see them again.
“You are satisfied then?” Hojo grinned, rubbing his hands together excitedly.
Minako held her hand out to Hojo as she stepped closer to Miyuki. “Do not get ahead of yourself. I have yet to look at them close enough to tell if they are real or fakes.”
Hojo’s face contorted into frustration. “You cannot be serious! You cannot tell that they are real just from one look?” He threw his hand up, gesturing to the kimonos. “Who would spend the kind of time required to make forgeries of that level?!”
“Someone who is very good at making forgeries,” Minako said honestly. She shooed Hojo away. “Now. Let me do what my mistress pays me to do.”
|
|
|
|
Post by Miyuki Asuhara on Nov 12, 2024 21:25:01 GMT -6
Miyuki, snapping out of her reverie, moved over to Hojo and took him by the arm. “Oh, Hojo-san! You must show me the other pieces in my collection! I’m finding it hard to believe I may very soon have my own collection of Nanna Amano’s artwork.”
“Very well,” Hojo sighed, leading her to the first piece in the collection, his jaw flexing at her words.
Miyuki kept Hojo firmly rooted in place, his back turned to the kimonos.
|
|
|
|
Post by Minako Asuhara on Nov 12, 2024 21:25:48 GMT -6
Minako waited until her sister had Hojo firmly engrossed before she pulled a small container of powder foundation. On each of the kimonos on the inside of the right collar was an ink seal and signature that served as confirmation that each kimono was indeed part of The Shiki Quartet, created and painted by Nanna Amano and Saya Tori. Minako carefully peeled back the collar of each one, finding the seal and signature. She pulled out the foundation sponge and dabbed it into the powder, which was the same exact shade as the silk of the kimono, color matched by Kuriko after researching the exact silk the two artists had used for the kimonos.
Minako dabbed each authentication mark with the foundation until the mark was completely covered, the foundation blended into the fabric so that one would need a magnifying glass in order to tell the difference. She was careful not to get any of the powder on the surrounding fabric, her hands, nor the floor as she worked. It was not five minutes later and she was finished. She slipped the foundation back into her sleeve and stepped back around to face Miyuki and Hojo. She cleared her throat loudly and the two turned around. Minako frowned deeply and shook her head. Miyuki gasped once again, placing her hand on her mouth. Hojo’s face drained of color.
“I am deeply sorry, Lady Kobayashi. They are indeed fakes.”
“You lying bitch!” Hojo pointed at her, sneering at her. “I know for a fact these are real!”
“And where is your certificate of authenticity?” Minako tilted her head at him.
“I…” Hojo turned to Miyuki. His finger followed. “You never told me to grab those! You told me the Nanna Amano collection would never see the light of day again! Why would I risk my neck to grab those from his office?!”
Minako shook her head with a heavy sigh. “Never trust a con man to do a business man’s job.”
|
|
|
|
Post by Miyuki Asuhara on Nov 12, 2024 21:28:22 GMT -6
“Tanaka-chan…” Miyuki said with her voice wavering. She stepped forward towards her sister. She placed her hands on Minako’s arms. “Tell me… how do you know they are not real?”
Minako led Miyuki to the opening of the kimonos. Hojo hurriedly followed behind. Minako opened the collar of one of the kimonos. “Here in the inside of the collar there should be a seal and a signature that serves as proof that Nanna Amano and Saya Tori worked together on these kimonos. The seal is a circle with the kanji for seven in it, and the signature is Saya Tori’s. I see neither on any of them.” She lifted each collar as proof.
“Th… that rat bastard!” Hojo cursed, his fists curling tightly. “I’ll kill him! He should have known better than to fall victim to such an obvious scam!”
Miyuki nearly scoffed but she reigned herself in. She turned to Hojo with a piercing stare. “And what makes you think that I believe you did any better? If this was your so-called colleague, then how am I to trust that you know how to spot forgeries better than he? You had no idea either! You were going to sell me fakes! You didn’t even think to grab the alleged ‘certificates of authenticity’! How do I know the rest of the collection aren’t fakes!?”
|
|
|
|
Post by Minako Asuhara on Nov 12, 2024 21:29:52 GMT -6
Minako watched with great joy in her heart as Hojo stammered and spat, trying to come up with an excuse, a rebuttal, anything to disprove Miyuki’s point. She had to admit, Miyuki’s acting could put all of them to shame.
She placed a hand on Miyuki’s shoulder. “Calm yourself, please, my Lady. You’ll give yourself wrinkles. I will take care of this.”
“And how do you plan to do that?” Hojo said with a waver of uncertainty in his voice.
“I require time to appraise the rest of the pieces in the collection. But I will not have you looking over my shoulder while I do,” Minako folded her hands in front of her. “Two hours. Give me two hours to scrutinize each piece and I will have an answer for you on the legitimacy of your collection then.”
“F… Fine,” Hojo reluctantly agreed.
Miyuki took Hojo by the arm again, this time squeezing so hard he visibly winced. She glowered at him. “Come, Hojo-san. We have business to discuss, you and I. And this time your attendant shall make sure to prepare my tea perfectly.”
Minako resisted her smile as she heard Hojo groan in distaste as her sister led him out of the room. Once the two were gone, Minako turned around and faced one of the corners where the dim light of the gallery barely reached. She looked at one of the thick, red drapes. “Alright, time to get to work.”
|
|
|
|
Post by Risa Asuhara on Nov 12, 2024 21:30:14 GMT -6
Risa slipped out from behind the drape silently, giving Minako a smile and a thumbs up. Quickly, quietly, efficiently, and carefully they began pulling artwork out of frames, taking canvases off of hooks and slipping off the delicate kimonos off their hangers. Before folding, Minako took a clean makeup brush and brushed off every spec of foundation. Silently, Risa watched with bated breath. It was a big risk using foundation to cover up the authenticity marks as Kuriko had suggested. One single stain and the whole collection was screwed.
Once Minako carefully cleaned the foundation off, she showed the marks to Risa. They were pristine. As if the foundation were never there. They both sighed softly and began folding the kimonos properly, folding and laying the obi and obijimes on top. Once all of the art and the kimonos were prepared for moving, they each took several of the rolled up artwork and one of the canvases and began moving them down to the basement, Risa going first while Minako watched the gallery, then switching off. As they each came up, they brought up copies of every single piece of the collection, slipping the copy into it’s rightful place in a frame or on a wall. All near perfect forgeries that only an authenticator would be able to tell the difference. Even the kimonos were replaced with the best forgeries money could buy. Provided they had bought them in the first place. Which they hadn’t. It wasn’t long and every single piece in the collection had been moved and replaced with forgeries. And of course, with the kimonos lacking their authenticity marks.
|
|
|
|
Post by Minako Asuhara on Nov 12, 2024 21:31:09 GMT -6
Minako turned to her sister and leaned in to whisper in her ear. “Make sure everything is packed up in the protective cases. Nothing gets damaged. Take everything you can from Hojo’s storage. Even if you think it’s fake, take it. We’ll inspect everything in the morning.” Risa grabbed Minako’s arm and squeezed. “Even the Gotei artifacts?” she whispered back.Minako blinked at Risa. “The what?” Risa nodded to the hidden door in the gallery that led down into the storage room in the basement. Minako followed her down, her heart pounding at the idea of what Risa could have possibly found down there. They had to make this quick before they were caught. Moved |
|
|
|
Post by Miyuki Asuhara on Nov 12, 2024 21:41:03 GMT -6
Bleach Unrated: REBOOTEDCurrent Arc: The ChaosEpisode 577 "Asuhara’s 4": (continued) “You assured me they were real!” Miyuki shrieked at Hojo, convincing even herself of her anger. She pointed a manicured finger at him, shaking it. “You swore to me they were authentic and were ready for sale! You assured me your partner had the real Shiki Quartet!” “Keep your voice down you lying witch!” Hojo hissed at Miyuki. “I told you they were real because they are! I am not responsible for the fact that you hired an utter fool to be your appraiser!” “How dare you insult Tanaka-chan!? She has served my family for generations! You are the fool for doubting expertise just because you, sir, got scammed!” Miyuki threw back at him. |
|
|
|
Post by Minako Asuhara on Nov 12, 2024 21:42:59 GMT -6
Minako steeled her poker face despite wanting nothing more than to fall to the floor laughing. She could not have been more proud of her sister.
“My lady, please. Certainly, there must be an explanation for why all of them are fakes.”
“They are not--!”
“They are, Hojo-san. I have shown you proof,” Minako nodded to him, frowning. “How did you come by these pieces, other than the four we know about?”
“They were given to me on good faith by my former clients and colleagues as endorsements and payment for services rendered!” Hojo said firmly, staunchly defending whoever it was he thought he needed to.
“Then both you and your clients were fooled, Hojo-san,” Minako told him, leaving no room for debate in her tone.
|
|
|
|
Post by Miyuki Asuhara on Nov 12, 2024 21:43:24 GMT -6
Miyuki gave a puff of air that sounded like a scoff that was intended to be ladylike. She folded her arms in her sleeves and turned her nose up at Hojo. “You are a damned fool for not confirming the authenticity without a doubt before accepting such gifts. You have wasted your time, but more importantly, you have wasted my time, Hojo. I will not take lightly to this!”
“Lady Kobayashi, I—”
“Silence,” Miyuki commanded him. “I will dispose of these fakes for you, for a price.”
“Now hold on a damn minute,” Hojo glared at her. “You want me to pay you? You were the one who intended to buy this collection!”
“And you were going to sell me fakes! Fakes you had no idea were fake in the first place. Time is money. You will pay me for wasting my time.” Miyuki’s expression became sharp and venomous. She pulled a hand out and flicked it at him dismissively. “Or you can keep your forgeries and try your luck with another fool—risk your reputation to recoup what you have already lost. These may have been gifts and stolen product, but you stand to lose everything if you keep them in your possession.”
Hojo hesitated, sweat beading on his brow. He wiped it away, cursing. “Fine! How much do you want?”
“Eighty percent of what I offered you for the collection,” Miyuki responded.
“What?! That’s ridiculous! You’d be putting me out on the street!” Hojo screeched
“And these forgeries are going to do much worse than that,” Miyuki shook her head. She turned towards the door and moved to walk out. “Your choice, Nobuyuki Hojo. I will not waste another second of my time here.”
|
|
|
|
Post by Minako Asuhara on Nov 12, 2024 21:44:06 GMT -6
Minako was sure Hojo was going to let them walk out. It didn’t matter if he did. The money for “wasted time” was merely to put the nail in his coffin since they couldn’t make off with his entire inventory. But what they did take was enough to financially cripple him for possibly decades, and the damage to his reputation once his business partner was notified that he was the one who stole the kimonos would finish him off. “Wait!” Hojo cried to them. “I’ll… I’ll pay! Just get rid of these damn things!” Miyuki smiled to herself then waved her hand at Minako. “Tanaka, arrange the details and collect the payment. Minako bowed to her younger sister in reverence. Honestly, she deserved it. “Yes, my Lady.” Minako turned to Hojo and with a straight face said, “now… about that payment…” Hojo clicked his tongue and made for the door. “I will have to access my vault. When you are finished collecting the forgeries, make your way to my office.” “Oh, we are not disposing of them tonight.” Hojo froze and turned to look at her. Minako shook her head. “You have wasted enough of our time as it is. We have to find buyers who are as foolish as we were for believing you had the real deal. We will contact you once we have a buyer lined up. Consider the upfront payment a finder’s fee.” Minako followed Hojo to his office where he opened his vault and took out the exact amount they had requested. By the time Minako exited the Hojo manor, Miyuki was gone. Minako walked down to the end of the block, seeing that the cart her father and twin brother was bringing was nowhere in sight. There wasn’t a soul around to witness her as she smiled to herself and disappeared into the night. -END- "Forgotten Treasures" |
|
|
|
Post by Lt. Renji Abarai on Nov 22, 2024 22:24:41 GMT -6
Bleach Unrated: REBOOTEDCurrent Arc: The ChaosEpisode 582 "Double The Trouble": (continued) Renji gave a low whistle, unable to hide his admiration. “Well, I’ll give you this, Hojo. It’s an impressive collection.”Hojo straightened slightly, a flicker of pride breaking through his frustration. “Of course it is. It’s unparalleled. You won’t find another Amano collection like this outside the Soul Society’s noble estates.” Yorusuke stepped forward, his sharp eyes scanning the pieces with quiet intensity. “And you’re certain every item here is accounted for? No signs of tampering, nothing moved or out of place?” Hojo frowned. “I inventory the collection regularly. Everything is accounted for, but…” He hesitated. “But?” Yorusuke prompted, his gaze snapping to Hojo. “But now I’m questioning everything,” Hojo admitted grudgingly. “If they were the criminals and could make me doubt the kimonos, what’s to stop them from doing the same to the rest?” “That’s why we’re here,” Renji said, his voice steady. “We’ll need detailed records of the collection’s provenance. And with your permission, we’d like to verify the authenticity of the remaining pieces.”Hojo’s face twisted in anger, but he swallowed whatever retort he was about to make. After a tense pause, he nodded sharply. “Do whatever you must. But if this investigation damages my reputation any further, I’ll hold you personally responsible.” Yorusuke’s expression didn’t waver. “Understood. Let’s proceed.” Renji nodded and began making his way around each piece. He wasn't that well versed on art or what made which piece genuine or fake, but he did his best to scrutinize each piece in the collection. He took note of as much detail as he could, trying to find if anything was off. Whether it was something crooked in its frame or misaligned on the wall. |
|
|
|
Post by Yorusuke Nagano on Nov 22, 2024 22:41:41 GMT -6
Yorusuke lingered near the centerpiece of the collection—a vibrant tapestry that seemed to pulse with life under the soft light. His fingers hovered just above the fabric, not touching but close enough to feel its energy. "You’ve displayed these beautifully, Hojo-sama. Nanna Amano’s work is known not only for its technical brilliance but for the stories embedded within each thread and stroke. She once said her art was ‘a bridge between the seen and unseen.’”
Hojo blinked at Yorusuke, his irritation momentarily replaced by surprise. “You know Amano’s philosophy?”
Yorusuke allowed a faint smile. “I’ve been an admirer of her work for years. Amano had a particular way of weaving emotion into her pieces. Each collection she created was unified by a theme. The Shiki Quartet, for instance, was a reflection on the fleeting beauty of the seasons and their interplay with human emotions.” His gaze sharpened as he turned toward Hojo. “Which is why I find it strange that her authenticity marks would be missing. It’s entirely out of character for her to omit something so essential to her legacy.”
Hojo’s shoulders stiffened, but he said nothing, his lips pressed into a thin line.
Renji glanced over, catching on to Yorusuke’s line of thought. “So, you’re saying if these are real, the marks should be there?”
“Exactly,” Yorusuke said, nodding. “Amano was meticulous. She wouldn’t let anything leave her studio without those seals—especially a collaboration with Saya Tori. It wasn’t just a mark of authenticity; it was a signature of trust between them.”
Renji frowned. “So either these are fakes... or someone removed the marks after the fact?”
“Precisely,” Yorusuke said, his tone grim. He turned back to Hojo. “If the latter is true, it suggests an intentional effort to undermine your collection’s value—and perhaps your reputation as well. Have you noticed any unusual visitors or changes to your security recently?”
Hojo hesitated, his brows knitting together as he searched his memory. “No... well, aside from the assistant and Kobayashi, no one out of the ordinary.”
“Convenient timing,” Yorusuke murmured, almost to himself. His eyes flicked toward Renji, exchanging a silent understanding.
Renji folded his arms. “Hojo, if someone’s targeting your collection, we need more than just your word that everything else is accounted for. Can you get us your records? Receipts, appraisals, anything that traces the history of these pieces?”
Hojo scowled but finally nodded. “I’ll have my assistant bring them to you. But I’m telling you, this collection is genuine. I don’t care what some thief or her lackey tried to claim.”
Yorusuke gave a polite bow of acknowledgment. “We’ll do everything we can to ensure the truth comes to light. But for now, I’d like to examine a few of these pieces more closely. With your permission, of course.”
Hojo gestured reluctantly toward the collection. “Fine. But don’t leave so much as a fingerprint. These works are priceless.”
“Understood,” Yorusuke said with a faint smile. His eyes, sharp and observant, returned to the tapestry. His admiration for Amano’s artistry was real, but his primary focus now was uncovering the threads of deception that had ensnared the collection—and its owner.
|
|
|
|
Post by Lt. Renji Abarai on Nov 22, 2024 22:59:48 GMT -6
Renji stood back and allowed Yorusuke to take the reigns on the artistic investigating. He knew next to nothing about the art nor the artist, so he remained content to stand behind the Fifth Seat and take notes while Yorusuke looked over every inch of the collection. With each piece Yorusuke looked at and reported to him that it was indeed fake, Renji found himself honestly a little concerned. He may not give a hoot about Hojo's wealth or reputation, but the fact that every single piece in the collection was fake... It was a little baffling.
Once they were finished, they turned to Hojo who stood by the doors with his arms crossed, watching diligently.
"Well?" Hojo said to them, stepping forward towards them. "Every piece is real, just as I said, correct?"
Renji looked at Yorusuke who then gestured for him to do the honors. Renji looked back at Hojo. "The opposite, actually. Your entire collection is fake, as Kobayashi's assistant said. Not one single piece in this room is genuine." The concern in Renji's tone, however, was genuine.
|
|
