(2511) Eternal Court

[Alicia Silvers]

Sensing something deep within her mind lighting ablaze, an old autopilot trained and crafted over countless hours of forced thought.
"The female focused strength of Artemisia Gentileschi is quite a marvel to behold, despite the lack of freedom for female artists of her time so did she still rise to a very prominent position. And held quite some influence in the scene, made all the more impressive with her choice of motifs." Glancing around the room. "On the other hand we have Gian Lorenzo, who took his art in the architecture of the era, helping to create some truly fascinating designs." Feeling a momentary flash of curiosity at the thought. "Unfortunately, I must admit that I have never had the chance to partake in it myself, only watch the process."

Raising an eyebrow with a questioning look.
"Why should we ever be slothful? There are endless things to do, endless things to learn, to take by the horns, a never ending task." And so easy to be tossed aside should one fall to the side. "I fear there was a mistake in our communucation, those are the ones I have celebrated. At present, I do not indulge in any; it is a shame that Roman´s attempts of last year did not bear fruit." Giving a light shrug. "Sadly not to familiar, in my memory so is it mostly a business holiday with excellent timing to establish contacts and strike deals." Hanukkah had been far better but a memory too old. "The night is growing old, so I doubt now is the time, but should you have an interest in going into the theological discussion so would it be fascinating to hear." They did? Now that was not something she had ever really thought about. "Why hold on to that?" She had ran the second she left home, why hold on to such bad things?

Eyes instantly drawn towards the Seneschal at her entrance, a bit surprised, not having expected anyone else to show up this late in the night. Head lowered in a nod befitting her status, along with a light curtsy.

[Otto Schneider]

Otto made a point of bowing with respect to Jennifer. "Good evening, Seneschal Hazelton." The Reverend's tone was pleasant but not overly familiar. It would be very rude to presume.

He found himself blinking rapidly after Alicia's quickfire commentary. It took a moment to reign in his surprise and make sure his expression was properly composed. "I will be sure to explore each of their works when I have the opportunity. Thank you." He noted the artist's names in his phone. While it was a common stereotype for a Daeva to be well-versed in the arts, her ability to offhandedly name artists surprised him. It seems like every Kindred worth talking to has an interest in art.

"I merely meant that it can be very easy to convince oneself that you'll 'get to it later' when the whole of eternity is laid out in front of you." The Reverend shrugged before lowering his head apologetically. "It was my misunderstanding, you spoke clearly enough. I will admit, that's an... Eclectic assortment of festivals to celebrate." The Ventrue's voice was tinged with bemusement, though his expression was tense as he considered the attempted Saturnalia festivities. Ultimately, he decided to say nothing and his polite smile returned. "Why hold on to any aspect of mortal life?" He asked rhetorically. "The reasons vary, some still hold to their faith, some are desperate for connections to memories before the Requiem. Others probably just do it out of habit."

The Priscus glanced at his wristwatch with surprise as he discovered that Alicia's assessment of time had been accurate. Where did the evening go? Still, her apparent interest in Sanctum theology arrested his attention. Otto ran a hand across his chin as he worked out a response. "Well... Bearing in mind that this is a simplified generalization, my faith is somewhat comparable to what Christianity is to Judaism. There is a shared foundation, even certain core beliefs, but they are still distinct in spite of the similarities."

[Jennifer Hazelton]

The Seneschal took a moment to glance around the room. It had become a quiet place.
The Nosferatu approached slowly with lady - like Grace.

"Priscus Schneider." A deeper nod to Priscus Schneider, mindful of how he had minded his opinion on the cacophony in the past.

"Priscus Silvers." A slight nod to Alicia, perfect for how the Domain views the Daeva Priscus.
"I trust that you are well? Do either of you have plans over the holidays?"

[Alicia Silvers]

Making certain to show no reaction to her fellow Priscus blinking or reaction to her rehearsed words, such would be improper.
"Are you familiar with the sweeping colonnade of St. Peter's Square? I would reckon that would be his perhaps grandest achievement." Seems like it would be time to dig deeper into the studies of the arts. Perhaps best to not speak of his tomb work tonight though.

"A common affliction even amongst the Kine, and eternally easy to regret all to quickly." Meanwhile each passing season only serving to fill the world with all the more things to get to in an eternal chase she was bound to lose. "The boon of finding the right people at the right time. I will admit that many of them were likely not fully bound by typical traditions and deviated from what would be expected." At least one of them was traditional once. "Paths once walked might be hard to discard, adaptation and widening horizons have more to offer when reality and the world changes. Hold on to something too hard, and it will only become a shackle." Self inflicted ones serving no purpose at that.

Now that was truly a simplification beyond expectations, almost feeling as an avoidance to the particular topic he himself had brought up. Not that it should be to hard to look into it deep enough to slake her curiosity though.
"Even Christianity is divided into several branches, and local tales, or rewrites within its history. A famous example being Merlin needing to be written into being baptized shortly after his birth to not serve as an antichrist figure and aid in its spread, people refusing to follow anything that would paint him in a light they could not agree with."

Eyes focusing upon the Seneschal with a gentle, wellhoned grace upon rising from her curtsy.
"As well as can be, I trust your nights have been good as well?" Lightly shaking her head to the following question. "Nothing set in stone, though I am certain something will present itself as time draws closer."

[Jennifer Hazelton]

The dark-haired Seneschal nods slightly to Priscus Silvers in acknowledgement of her curtsy. "That is understandable. There are many demands on one's time."
Plenty as one becomes more prominent in the Domain. "Well enough," The Nosferatu replies with her voice that slithers like a snake through dry and dying autumn leaves. "- I have been focused on on some of my personal endeavors. Correspondence with allies who have come up from Sweet Torpor or returned from trips abroad. It seems a time for condensing past research."

Her tone of voice is one of thoughtfulness.

[Otto Schneider]

"Not particularly. A few extra prayers, putting in a few token appearances amongst the Herd." The Priest replied casually to the Seneschal. "As I was telling Priscus Silvers, the Sanctum doesn't actually have strong attachment to this time of year."

Otto gave Alicia a slow nod; she'd made a well-reasoned guess in her architectural reference. "And now I have a name to put to the work. Thank you, already I am learning." Learning the name of the designer of one of the holiest sites in Christendom may have been worth doing before now. He put the thought aside for the time being, again wearing a bemused expression as the Daeva spoke on tradition. "It's fair to say that 'tradition' shouldn't become an excuse to become complacent. That said, sometimes the old ways are best." He shot a glance at the Seneschal. "The key to carrying the Requiem into modern nights is to understand when we need to... 'modernize.' Believe me, it's a hot topic for debate in my Covenant." The Traditions were sacrosanct amongst the Sanctum, but even the staunchest conservatives in the clergy had to accept the fact that the rest of the world wasn't static.

The Reverend pursed his lips a moment before responding. "Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that our relation to Christianity is more akin to Islam's." Some might find that comparison distasteful, but Otto considered that attitude to be simple ignorance. "Granted, our structure and traditions more closely match Christianity, but like the followers of Muhammed, Jesus of Nazareth is not the central figure of our worship. He is an integral part of our liturgical canon but worship of him is reserved for the kine. Our messiah is the Centurion, Longinus. Hence, while it is understandable that we are often considered a 'branch' of Christianity, that isn't strictly accurate." Of course, he was omitting the fact that the Sanctum's dogma was far from unified and some of his 'fellows' would threaten violence for what he'd just said.