Walking the Beat {Liz}

[LACHLAN BALLARD]

Every single one's got a story to tell

November 4, 2008

Soft scuffs of nice dress shoes could be heard on the Museum's hard floor as Lachlan made his way around. He was one of the Archivist's or Curator's there and hoped soon to be the head of his department. He was only twenty-five however and didn't see that happening anytime soon. So instead he would enjoy the job that he had and continue to preserve or handle the historical objects that would come into the museum. It definitely required a delicate and steady hand to work with such things. Press too hard on a piece of parchment with a Q-tip while you're trying to clean it and it could ruin the document.

His hands moved into his front pockets of his nice black pants as he made his way more and more into the museum, a tour guide saw him and waved, he of course waved back with a smile. He didn't have any documents to clean today or anything, he just didn't know what to do with himself. The museum had just put up their exhibit for the month dealing with African culture. That was their main exhibit but they did have other areas of the museum that had other things. His body stopped as he reached up and ran a hand through his blond hair, looking around. He figured he would take a walk to the African exhibit to see if there was a lot of visitors.

Lachlan's attire was that of nice buttoned up dark blue dress shirt, some of the buttons undone at the top, a black blazer, a pair of nice black pants, shiny black dress shoes, and some stubble on his English face. He was looking mighty good but then again he always looked good when he went to work, it was just a rule he had for himself. Actually he generally always dressed nice, considering his up bringing. His body stopped as he looked in the African Exhibit room, there were quite a few people in it. Satisfied, his body spun around as he went to walk out and almost bumped into a woman. His steel blue eyes searched his face as he immediately stopped his body and put his hand out "Pardon me Miss, are you alright?" he asked her, making sure he didn't bump into her too hard.

Word Count: Who cares =P
Tagged: Lizzzzz
Music: Commercials
Notes: I hope this is alright

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[LIZ SHERMAN]

just fake it if you're out of direction

know that the lies wont hide your flaws

TAG: LACHLAN. OUTFIT: HERE ONE LAST THING: HOPE IT'S ALL RIGHT I'M KINDA BLEGH.

If Liz was being honest, she would have had to admit that she had jumped at the opportunity to head to the museum to do a little footwork perhaps a little too quickly that morning when assignments had been handed out around the table. This type of task wasn't something that she usually volunteered for, and something that she was rarely outright assigned; verification of whether something was authentic, or whether it was something to be concerned with if it was genuine was the type of work that was usually left to the agents employed for their knowledge sets that had to do with particular cultures, or antiquities, and the sort. Liz's lot was usually more the hands on tasks. The more dangerous jobs that might require her special... ability, to throw light on the situation as it were.

But she had taken this assignment quickly, and eagerly mainly because it was not anything to do with her usual type of job. She didn't need to blow anything up or set anything ablaze right now. Right now, she had just needed out. Space. While she was not a prisoner at the Bureau, and free to come and go for the msot part on her own, it was not something that she usually opted to do. People made her nervous, risk of discovery even more so, but the tension of the last few weeks had been building thicker and denser in the air of the Bureau. So it was that she found herself at the Museum of Art and Natural History, with a few folder files tucked in a bag over her shoulder, set to try and verify whether the flute of SHANGO that was on display was an authentic piece. Particularly, a ceramic flute that was, according to a source on the Bureau's payroll, cursed. It had traveled under many names, in its day, but as best as she could determine it was where the legends of the Pan flute that lured the mice, or children, or others of virginal blood, depending on the version, away from the villages of Greece and a few other Islands over the millenia.

According to the African legends, the god Shango had been quite the charmer, and the music that he played himself or had played upon pipes at his festivals were known for bringing the most virtuous of listeners to the point of ecstasy, and according to the reports that they had been able to confirm this pipe, or its original, if this was a replica, had been played in Rome during its destruction, and in Babel when the tower fell. It had a history of debauchery and chaos, and if it was the genuine article, then it would have to be secured by the Bureau and locked away somewhere far out of the reach of anyone else that had dire purposes for it, or perhaps even worse... what might happen if it ended up being played by an irreverant security guard or museum member.

It was not something that she saw ending well, regardless, and after reading the files and studying the pictures of wood carvings and memorizing the descriptions of the flute over the centuries, she had headed to the Museum. She had been in no particular rush. She had most of the day, and it would take only a few minutes of examining the wooden flute once it was found in the display to discern if it was a tangible threat. And once that was over, she would have no further excuse to be out and away from Red and Abe and the rest of the agents who had been eyeing her for the last couple of weeks and trying to figure out what exactly the problem was between her and Hellboy, or if she'd finally gone mental again. All right, so perhaps that was a big of an exaggeration, but she tended to think the worst at times.

She forced her thoughts away from the Bureau, shifting her messenger bag back onto her shoulder, shaking her head at herself as she turned the corner of the hallway into the entrance of the Afcan display -- and impacted with the edge of a man, that had turned around at the exact moment that she was turning the corner. Liz drew herself to an immediate stop, a hand slipping out to snag onto the corner of the wall beside her, as she blinked at the man, as she took the thirty seconds to assess the situation and realize that it was just an accident. She felt the hair on the back of her neck smooth, slightly, as he spoke, his expression showing mild concern, and his words definitely on the side of cordial and not offensive or aggressive. Even still, her head ducked down slightly, still used to the long mass of hair that she could usually have hidden behind, only now with the new haircut there was nothing to mask the faint blush that rose to her cheeks from the collission. "I'm -- I'm fine. I didn't... see you there." She offered, her weight shifting a half step back as her head straightened and her gaze slid over the fellow that she'd bumped into.

He was well dressed, almost impeccably so, making her feel all the more self-conscious in the almost para military style attire that had become her standard fare. While she wasn't wearing the B.P.R.D. vest, or her weapons belt, she felt suddenly out of place -- but then that wasn't all that uncommon for her, she mused, as she scraped her fingers through the longer side of her hair, tucking it behind an ear as she gave the blonde haired fellow a half smile.

Who's to know if your soul will fade at all

TEMPLATE BY: THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE MIKEY ! @ CAUTION.

[LACHLAN BALLARD]

Every single one's got a story to tell

Lachlan's steel blue eyes looked from her face to the hand she used to grab on to the wall. His eyes then moved back to her face as she spoke, "Good, I didn't see you either, I'm sorry if it seemed like I was in a hurry"

[/color] he spoke gently as took a step back so they wouldn't be so close. He generally wasn't in a hurry but it must have been because he didn't have anything to do and was growing restless. When he grew restless or bored he generally did certain things rather quickly, like turning around. His body soon relaxed as one of his hands went into his pocket.

Lachlan's steel blue eyes looked at her and as he held out his free hand "Where are my manners I'm Lachlan Ballard, I'm an Archivist here" he spoke gently as an English accent became evident. A small smile formed on his face as he looked at her messenger bag and then her again, "Is there any thing I can help you with ?"[/color] he asked curiously. Lachlan always had the habit of being kind to others right out of the gate and well not hesitant to ask anything. Unlike most people, he didn't mind crowds, and he actually was pretty good at small talk. He liked to meet others and he wasn't shy, maybe it was his confidence that made him like this, more then likely.

Lachlan wasn't trying to flaunt what he was, he just wanted to let her know that he worked there and could help. She did look like she was after something, though most people who came here were. Though mostly it was either people looking for a specific exhibit for a project, college kids, students, field trips, all that stuff. It was rare that someone came in wanting him or another Archivist to look at a rare artifact, it was mostly rich people. Lachlan watched her lightly as he waited for a reply.

Word Count: Who cares =P
Tagged: Lizzzzz
Music: -
Notes: sorry these are short D:
[/size][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[LIZ SHERMAN]

just fake it if you're out of direction

know that the lies wont hide your flaws

TAG: LACHLAN. OUTFIT: HERE ONE LAST THING: HOPE IT'S ALL RIGHT I'M KINDA BLEGH.

Liz's body posture relaxed slowly as it became obvious that the literal run in was not likely to turn into a confrontation, and she offered a smile to the man as he apologized in return, waving off the apology before they started apologizing for saying they were sorry too much... she had had those conversations before and they ended up being more of a headache than they were worth. "Liz. Liz Sherman." She said, in response to his introduction, offering her own hand to meet with his in a steady but far from aggressive handshake. "Nice to meet you," She offered, with a quick smile, releasing his hold to have her fingers pull at the satchel on her shoulder and make sure that it was securely in place as she stepped out of the main archway to the African display room, taking a half step inside it to make sure they were not run into by someone else.

The fact that he was an archivist here was a helpful revelation, and she debated for a moment before offering him a smile and a bob of her head in response. "Actually, Mr. Ballard, if you could point me in the right direction, that would be appreciated." She replied, pulling open the satchel and pulling out one of the unmarked manilla folders, flipping it open to reveal a printout of the museum's advertisement of the African display where the flute had been circled and magnified, though the details were less than clear. "I am working on an assignment for one of my cultural study courses," She explained, a common enough cover and one that would be backed up if someone was suspicious enough to look for confirmation. "I had been looking into the history of Shango, and I had come across the reference to the new display... I thought it might help to get a look at some of the cultural and religious artifacts myself."

It wasn't a complete fabrication, and that was the important part of any lie, or cover story. Not having to worry about keeping a story straight or convince someone of a truth that wasn't one wasn't entirely impossible for Liz, but she hated having to lie if she could help it. She much preferred honesty, when it was an option. It wasn't like she coul exactly walk in and announce who she worked for and why she was really here, however. Instead, she would have to try and get as close a look at the flute as she could, and if she felt there was enough to go on, then she would pass word along and the B.P.R.D. would start their paperwork process to assume control of the artifact.

Who's to know if your soul will fade at all

TEMPLATE BY: THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE MIKEY ! @ CAUTION.

[LACHLAN BALLARD]

Every single one's got a story to tell

Lachlan's eyes looked down as she took the paper out of her messenger bag. His hand reached out as his pointer finger read over the text and looked clearly at the picture. "Ahh the African God"

[/color] he spoke, now knowing who exactly she was talking about as he stood up straight again."Sometimes though artifacts like that are only on display for a few days or certain days"[/color] he spoke with small smile as he motioned his hand for her to go ahead into the African Exhibit.

"But I'm pretty sure we have it, we have a lot of different African artifacts from the regions. And I do remember that flute. But sometimes we only have showings of certain artifacts for a little bit, like I said. So just in case we don't I apologize"[/color] he spoke gently as he walked into the room and surveyed where exactly it would be. There museum was a little odd when it came to certain artifacts and how long they keep them out. His steel blue eyes looked around as he motioned her towards the Nigerian part of the exhibit "He is Nigerian correct?"[/color] he asked.

Lachlan did love history, he was just a little hazy on African cultures. There seemed to be so many and generally he was hazy on a lot of history, just history that of course didn't pertain to Europe. That was always the easiest to remember. "Ahh here we are"[/color] he spoke as he quickly walked over to the flute's case, it seemed to be in pretty good condition considering how old it was."May I ask what drew you to this particular item?"[/color] he asked curiously.

Word Count: Who cares =P
Tagged: Lizzzzz
Music: -
Notes: sorry it took so long D:
[/size][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[LIZ SHERMAN]

just fake it if you're out of direction

know that the lies wont hide your flaws

TAG: LACHLAN. OUTFIT: HERE ONE LAST THING: HOPE IT'S ALL RIGHT I'M KINDA BLEGH.

"No problem," Liz said with a small smile as the curator informed her that the flute might not be on display at the moment. If it wasn't, she would just have to talk to Manning and have him go through the back channels available to the Bureau. It was more paperwork, which he would complain about having to do, and she would feel obligated to buy him another roll of the antacids that he was always chewing on... but it was not impossible. Still, it would be easier for her, and really all parties involved, if it was still out on display. Sliding her bag back onto her shoulder, she followed a step to the side of Lachlan as he made his way through the museum room. The displays were cleanly lit, the contents well protected and cushioned carefully.

"Nigerian, yes." She replied with a slight nod. "A God of the Yoruban people, of Nigeria and Benin." She went on, a handful of facts stated easily and immediately accessible. She had learned over the years the importance of research, even if Red believed that such things were useless (or at least so he liked to state, even though she knew better). She had become rather adept at it, she likeds to think, and spent a fair amount of time when she wasn't on missions perusing the expansive library, of historical and occult texts, that the Bureau had to offer.

"Acclaimed as the god of thunder and drums, elevated to his position after serving as warrior king, though he also had something of a reputation for considering himself a ladies man, and a god of wine and mirth -- much like the Greek god Dionysus." She offered another slight smile, tucking the printout that she'd been holding onto into her bag as they approached the case, swapping it out for her phone, rolling it over to the camera function and casting a questioning glance towards Lachlan. "Is it all right if I take a few pictures?" She asked. "Well, I thought it odd, when I saw his name, in conjunction with a flute, rather than a drum, but then I did a little bit of research and it seems that this was supposed to have been played, according to legend at least -- by his lover, at one of the festivals of the gods. It was.... " A flicker of an amused smile tugged at her lips for a moment. "Their relationship, it reminds me of someone I know."

Who's to know if your soul will fade at all

TEMPLATE BY: THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE MIKEY ! @ CAUTION.

[LACHLAN BALLARD]

Every single one's got a story to tell

His head moved from the artifact to Liz as he looked at her and listened to what she said. By the sounds of it, she really did her research. "I see, I don't really remember him all to well but he does sound interesting and very close to Dionysus"

[/color] he spoke gently as he clasped his hands behind his back, looking at the flute. It was lovingly crafted. His eyes looked over again as she looked at him to make sure it was ok, "Oh please do"[/color] he spoke referring to her taking a picture.

His steel blue eyes looked back to the flute as she spoke of the flute being played by his lover. "I see"[/color] he spoke lightly as she said it reminded her of someone she knew. He smiled lightly "Well it's always makes it more interesting to learn or see an artifact that reminds you of your own life." he spoke with another smile. Then again, Lachlan never really had that problem. Of course European history was his favorite, but he liked learning history in general. So everything really interested him.

Word Count: Who cares =P
Tagged: Lizzzzz
Music: -
Notes: sorry it took so long D: again
[/size][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[LIZ SHERMAN]

just fake it if you're out of direction

know that the lies wont hide your flaws

TAG: LACHLAN. OUTFIT: HERE ONE LAST THING: HOPE IT'S ALL RIGHT I'M KINDA BLEGH.

Liz offered a smile towards the curator as he gave her permission to take pictures, and she brought the camera up to her eye, angling the device to try and minimize the glare that would come off of the glass that divided the flute and the rest of the room. She clicked several pictures, checking them afterwards in the viewscreen of the digital camera, making sure that she had gotten every angle that she could manage, and several zoomed in close ups as well. She wasn't entirely certain that this was the right flute; it didn't seem to bear the miniscle inscription around the rim that research had indicated the flute she was looking for would, but she would take the pictures back to the Bureau and let them do their magic with their computers and see if it had simply been worn down or repainted over in the past centuries.

After taking the digital camera pictures, she tucked it away, trading the sleek digital for a collapsible polaroid camera, sliding it upright and snapping a quick picture of the display, then half turning towards Lachlan with a semi self-conscious smile as she glanced in his direction. "Do you mind?" She questioned, waving the camera in his direction, asking permission to take his pictures. "It's.. a hobby of mine, I guess." She admitted. She had a collection of Polaroids that lined the walls of her room, random spots in Red's room, and bulletin boards all around the department that she'd piled layers of polaroids on. It was her own record keeping, her scrapbook of memories left for anyone who was curious enough to study them.

"Yes, it is," She agreed with a smile, to his last words. "Out of curiosity, does the museum have the archives, the papers of authenticity on file for the flute? If I could show copies of documentation like that, or add in anything about previous owners, and how it came to be here into my report, it would do wonders for my grade." She explained.

Who's to know if your soul will fade at all

TEMPLATE BY: THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE MIKEY ! @ CAUTION.

[LACHLAN BALLARD]

Every single one's got a story to tell

Lachlan's eyes watched as she seemed to intricately take the picture and really focus on what exactly it was she was photographing, how she was capturing it, or even at what angle. She seemed to have a photographer's eye, like Lachlan did. After all it was one of his great hobbies. His hands clasped behind his back as he smiled and looked from her to the artifact. Noticing that she was satisfied and put her camera away he arched an eyebrow as she pulled out a polaroid camera.

"Pardon me?"

[/color] he asked gently as he grew a little confused at what she was implying. When she soon said that it was her hobby he understood. "Ah not at all, we actually have something in common, photography is my hobby too."[/color] he spoke with a light smile. "Here"[/color] he spoke gently as he put his hands in his suit pockets and grinned, looking right at the camera, "Now I'm ready"[/color] he spoke with a light laugh as he waited for her to take the picture.

Lachlan cleared his throat and took his hands out of his pockets. His head moved towards her as she asked another question. However this question was a little more pressing. "Umm"[/color] he spoke gently as he thought about it. "Well yes I suppose but I would have to show you in my office, unauthorized personal cannot go down into the archives, and you of course cannot take it or touch it"[/color] he spoke gently as he walked towards the door out of the exhibit and motioned with his hand for her to follow. "This way please"[/color] he spoke gently as he pushed the up button the the elevator and waited for it to ding, once it did, he walked inside and held the door open.

His long finger hit the button for his floor and waited as the elevator took them to it. He was in professional mode more now, since she asked for such a pressing favor. He normally would have said no, but perhaps if she did this and told others how helpful they were, they could get more business. But all in all she did seem to have an honest face. The elevator dinged yet again as the doors open and he stepped out into the hall, it was a long hallway in mono-toned colors. His body moved past three doors as they stopped at a door to the right, his name was on the plaque next to the door as well as the word Archivist in small writing underneath it.

His hand moved as he opened the door for her, the room greeted them with the smell of leather and old books, he rather liked it. The walls were the color of esperesso and the carpet of a lighter brown but not too much lighter, on one wall was a large bookshelf filled with different types of books from historical to biographies, even a few classical literature was thrown into the mix. The shades were drawn, and hte lights were dim creating a relaxing effect. Walking in, he motioned for her to either have a seat on the couch or one of the comfortable chairs facing the large cherry wood desk. His walls had a few tasteful black and white photos of a bridge, a horse, Big Ben, and a London Telephone booth with a young retro looking woman standing infront of it. The only painting was that of Starry Night by Van Gogh by the book shelf. It of course was a copy. Only two framed pictures was that of a young blonde woman who had the same piercing eyes as Lachlan did, smiling and standing next to a large fireplace, a baby bump was present and her hand gently cradled it. The other framed picture was that of Lachlan dressed in a regular t-shirt, jeans and chucks, with his buddy Elliot, standing on the Brooklyn Bridge.

"Are you thirsty?I could have coffee sent up"[/color] he spoke gently as he walked around the desk and took a seat at his place. His hands moved as he moved the array of papers out of the way and placed them in a folder. His hands then moved as he moved his mouse to wake up the computer and began typing in the name of the artifact. Pushing his chair back, he hit a couple buttons on his phone, looking back at the computer, a gruff man answered the phone "Yes?". "Hi Alan this is Lachlan Ballard, I need the files of authenticity for the flute in our African Exhibit, the flute of Shango, I just need to check up on it[/color] he spoke rather loudly and waited for the man to reply. A few clicking noises was heard before a gruff "Alright sending it up Mr.Ballard" was heard followed by a click of the phone. Lachlan hung up his phone and looked over at Liz with a small smile "Well it should take ten minutes or longer depending on the crowd"[/color] he spoke gently.

Word Count: Who cares =P
Tagged: Lizzzzz
Music: -
Notes: sorry it took so long D: again, and I apologize if it is too descriptive.
[/size][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[LIZ SHERMAN]

just fake it if you're out of direction

know that the lies wont hide your flaws

TAG: LACHLAN. OUTFIT: HERE ONE LAST THING: HOPE IT'S ALL RIGHT I'M KINDA BLEGH.

After his first slightly confused reaction to her inquiry, she offered a slightly sheepish smile and raised her polaroid camera again in clarification. It was a refreshing surprise sometimes, to find things in common with others, even something as small as a shared hobby such as this. "Thanks," She said, with another quick smile, as she raised the camera and gave herself a moment or two to find the right frame as he situated himself in a more gallant position. She laughed softly, and with a quiet click and whir the camera took the image. She plucked the polaroid from the camera even as she folded up the device and tucked it back into her bag, shaking the Polaroid back and forth slowly to allow it to develop. "Very nice," She said with a quiet grin as he contemplated her request.


"That would be very helpful, thank you," She replied, nodding in understanding as he explained how it would have to work for her to get a look at the paperwork that had accompanied the artifact. "That's quite all right, I understand." Liz said, pushing the strap of her bag further up into a more secure position on her shoulder. "I don't want to put you out, but I certainly won't turn the offer down," She said wryly, as she stepped into place half a step beside and behind him towards the elevators. Liz cataloged the pathway out of habit; having found herself in any number of odd and unexpected predicaments over the years, she had long ago gotten into the habit of mapping her route from point a to egress, just to be sure she could make her way out if she had to.


"I want to thank you for letting me take a look at the provenance for the piece," Liz said, with a half smile, as she stepped into the office. Despite his offer to sit, she did not do so immediately, but rather, took a moment to wander around the outside of the room, taking a look at the pictures and knick knacks on the wall before looking back to him. "Have you been to London?" She asked, noting a few of the pictures that had the location in common. "Sure. Black, two sugars." She indicated for her own coffee request.

Who's to know if your soul will fade at all

TEMPLATE BY: THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE MIKEY ! @ CAUTION.