5200 Woodward Ave. was buzzing with activity as cars came and went, and people milling about ready to visit the Detroit Institute of Arts.  It was a typical Saturday afternoon as more and more art enthusiasts poured in to see what new pieces of artwork had been recently collected.  The original museum had been supplied by two men- Scripps and Brearley, from a long journey touring across Europe before 1888.  The men collected well over 70 pieces of artwork which filled the spacious white marble building.  The main building consisted of three stories allowing guests to roam throughout several different exhibits. 

The north and south wings on the first level allowed visitors to tour art pieces dedicated to the Asian, Native American and African regions, as well as housing the Detroit Film Theatre Auditorium.  The auditorium was located near the rear entrance on John R. Street.  The second level was actually the main entrance on Woodward Ave. where the exhibits ranged from Contemporary, European Medieval and Renaissance to special exhibitions in the South wing.  The third level didn't have the square footage the other levels did, but the Dutch Golden Age exhibit was located there along with some Decorative Arts and Era of Revolution.

The 1920s held such historical flourishing for the Italian Renaissance styled building with so many wonderful pieces of artwork collected over the years since the museum had first opened its doors to the public.  Visitors would arrive and notice the sculpture designed by Horace Rackham called 'The Thinker' placed atop a pedestal in front of the museum on Woodward Avenue.  It was originally inside the museum until reconstruction took place in the early 1920s then was moved outside, perhaps to 'greet' the visitors as they mounted the steps towards the entrance.  Other notable additions in the early 1920s included the self-portrait of Vincent Van Gogh, and Henri Matisse's painting- The Window; both paintings were among the first to enter into the American collections.

Upon entry into the Detroit Institute of Arts, visitors were given an option for guided tours during certain hours throughout the day or were provided a map detailing the museum's floorplan per level- which people could leisurely tour the museum at their own pace.  Each exhibit was thriving with history from different regions across the world.  One of the more popular attractions within the museum was the Diego Rivera murals that were commissioned by Edsel Ford.  Diego Rivera composed the set of five murals in a fresco style recently, known as Detroit Industry, and was located in the large central courtyard of the museum.  Rivera's murals were the talk of the museum, comments about the great works of art and the uniqueness of the murals, and the main focus of each tour.

JackRyan wanted to visit his dear friend DafneCalabrese simply because he had not seen her in a few days. He knew she would be at the Detroit Institue of Arts so he headed down to Woodward Ave. When he arrived at the building he walked into the great hall and was handed a map. Before he could ask where the lovely lady was the employee scurried off to hand out another. 

JackRyan looked the map up and down. Thinking to himself. If I was DefneCalabrese where would I be? He looked at the map long and hard. Seeing photography, British, Asian, and all sorts of other things. Not sure what to do he put the map in his pocket and wandered forward. 

Shortly into his walk after talking many rights and lefts and seeing many things he stumbled upon European inspired by Italy. He looked all all the neat things amazed of the collection.  

It seemed like forever ago since EnricoCalabrese and herself had their bountiful excursion when they relieved the Detroit Institute of Arts of a few, priceless pieces of art.  ‘The Wedding Dance’ by Pieter Bruegel the Elder had caught Dafne’s eye the moment she first saw it during one of the Calabreses’ first tours of the museum. A few weeks later, the couple had managed to pull off a well-organized plan making off with several paintings and a trinket or two.  Of course, Dafne almost got caught once, but she sweet-talked her way outta being tossed in handcuffs after making a call to one of the officers on the Calabrese payroll. Such exciting times those were, she thought whimsically.

Now as Enrico and Dafne toured the museum, they were angling for a different purpose this time, one that would benefit the Calabrese Wine Company organization.  They did not particularly need a map to explore the museum exhibits, but to pull off looking the part of a tourist, Dafne held an open map in her gentle hands as they both strolled around level 1.  The Calabreses spent quite a bit of time exploring the new additions to the Egyptian, Asian and Native American exhibits before taking a slow venture upstairs to the second level an hour later. Once she made her way up the stairs at a leisurely pace, Enrico paused a couple of times with a questioning look on His face.  

Once they made it to the second floor, Dafne found the nearest bench to rest for a few moments.  The overwhelming sense of tiredness was odd to her, but she naturally assumed she’d been overworking herself recently.  Enrico took her hand in His as they sat side by side on the bench. Glancing at Enrico’s face, Dafne sighed softly then leaned against Him with her head on His shoulder.

“Sono solo stanco, amore mio. Eravamo impegnati a prepararci per l'apertura della nuova attività. Ho solo bisogno di qualche minuto per riposare, e questo è un buon posto. Questi dipinti sono così belli.”

Dafne soon was lost in thought as her gaze fell upon a couple of paintings in the European: Inspired by Italy exhibit.  The colors and textures blended beautifully together. She began to slowly fan herself using the map. She wasn’t sure how long she had been entranced by the paintings Graziello e Nella by Giuseppe Petrini and Raffaello Sanzio Painting, The School of Athens by the time Enrico had spoken again catching her attention.  Hazel eyes turned towards the most beautiful work of art inside the museum- her Husband.

""Semplicemente stanco? Daphne, sei sicuro che non sia nient'altro? Ultimamente sembra di più...," Enrico had stopped mid-sentence for a multitude of reasons. The first one that came to mind was he couldn't quite explain what was going on lately with his wife. She was always so full of energy and teasing him about keeping up with her. To see her have a hard time with the stairs had perplexed him to the point that he didn't even notice JackRyan standing next to The School of Athens.

"Avrai il resto di cui hai bisogno. Niente domande. Farò in modo che questo weekend sia un weekend di tre giorni. Abbiamo realizzato così tanto. Non voglio appassire il bellissimo fiore che sta accanto a me." Enrico said in a reassuring tone as he stared down at Dafne on the bench. He glanced over his shoulder towards the painting that had held her attention for so long. Enrico's hand had slid into his suit jacket and grabbed a soft pack of Lucky Strikes by instinct. By the time he noticed a friend, there was already a cherry burning bright and satisfying his itch. 

" JackRyan , a renaissance man, in front of the symbol of that very era. How ironic to spot such a thing." Enrico said loud enough to catch the man's attention, but not nearly loud enough to draw any extra ears their way. Enrico pulled the Leica II up to his eye and snapped a quick picture of the piece that they would certainly have to relieve from the Institute at the earliest chance. 

"Charming right here in the middle of America, so many wonderful, worldly works." Enrico's accent nearly caused him to stumble over the alliterated finish to his sentence. He took a drag from his Lucky Strike as he looked back over at DafneCalabrese to make sure she was still alright after that spell. A stream of white smoke pushed rapidly from the corner of his mouth as he eyed his most prized possession up and down. Content with her well being, Enrico turned his attention back towards Jack and the painting behind him that had most certainly made their list. 

It was his last day in the motor city and Chiron felt like visiting the city museum to take his mind off of the previous day's failure. The papers touted the Detroit Institute of Arts as 'the place to visit' for art lovers and that is where he was heading. Now Chiron wasn't a fan of modern art but he had read that the place held many ancient artifacts and that intrigued him.

The building that housed the museum was huge, the three storied structure towered over the other small buildings nearby. As he stepped through the large doors he was greeted by a tour guide who tried to get him to sign up for the next tour. Chrion shook him off and began to wander around the museum by himself. The piece titled 'The thinker' drew him towards it and Chiron stood in front of it examining the bronze sculpture. "You must be in the same boat as me," Chiron murmured at the pondering thinker sitting with a solemn look on his face. Chiron knew he had a lot of thinking to do himself but this was the time to enjoy his visit.

He strolled amongst the cases that held Egyptian and African artifacts. A long golden scepter that belonged to one of the ancient Pharaohs had a small crowd milling around it. "Wow its beautiful, do you think its solid gold," asked one of the visitors to the tour guide and he nodded his head. "Do you think its cursed. Let's move away from it before we are cursed."

Chiron shook his head, the silliness of some people, he thought. Finished with the first floor, he decided to move onto the next floor to see if he could find something intriguing up there. The sign that read 'Ancient Greek' piqued his interest. He hurried towards that section, pushing past a couple who were posing in front of a statue. At first glance he was disappointed by what he found there. Most items were not ancient. They were only a few hundred years old. Coins used by Romans and a few swords and shields that were supposedly wielded by gladiators did not warrant a second look. He was about to give up and move to the next floor when he saw the bow.

The longbow made of silver had an exquisite design with sharp hornlike structure on either side. The bowstring was bluish in color and Chiron was all too familiar with this weapon. He stood in front of the case with his hand on it. Just a small layer of glass separating him from the bow. It was calling out to him and he knew what must be done. Today wouldn't be his last day in Detroit after all.

Four, like many others in the underground world of Detroit, was excited to finally get a day off to visit the Detroit Institute of Arts. He did appreciate art but only out of admiration of cost. He didn't particularly understand what people saw in most of these pieces but he was very interested in knowing what they were willing to pay. His Bosses had some interest in items that were there also so Four decided to take one of his free moments and walk the buildings several floors. Blending in and out of tour groups was great for gauging interest and hearing prices. He used some of his memory techniques coupled with the map to get a good gauge on every item of importance to him. He would be back for a few precious items he knew the Bosses would want but not before he talked to a few of the employees over the next coming days. They would be working for him shortly.

Kaiya smiled as she entered the Detroit Institute of Arts, She loved coming here it helped her think and clear her head.She began made her way through the steady crowd nodding and apologizing as she went."Hello good sir" she said waving at a nearby employee "Please excuse me but i was told there was a new painting arriving here today by Rembrandt" The guard nodded tiredly and pointed the way she shrieked excitedly as she followed corridor.As she arrived at the paintings destination a small crowd began dispersing away and as they parted like the red sea she saw it The Storm On The Sea Of Galilee. She walked trance like toward it "Gosh" she said aloud "How beautifully catastrophic" she examined every inch of it with eager eyes, But she now realized she wasn't the only one.Snapping out of her dreamy state she turned to the handsome man next to her "Oh hello there!" she said blushing slightly "My name is Kaiya, what's yours?".

Sudhir caught a glimpse of the gorgeous young woman sidling up to a spot next to him, enthralled in the beauty of the art they both stood before. Her eyes seemed to hunger for the complexities buried amidst the paint and the innocent eagerness with which she gazed at the piece, like a child on a Christmas morn, brought the ghost of a smile on his lips.

As she blushed and introduced herself, he nodded towards the painting in reflection of her comment. "Is there ever any beauty without catastrophe? Would we have ever heard of the valour of Achilles if it wasn't for the folly that resulted from the grace of Helen?" 
Turning his inquisitive gaze back to her he extended his arm in greeting. "Sudhir." Clasping her palm delicately he brought the rear up to his lips for a tender kiss. His eyes never leaving hers even as a grin threatened to slip on to his face. His hand lingered around hers just briefly longer than appropriate for strangers before sliding away to his side.

"I suspect I wouldn't be incorrect in assuming that poison and danger runs rampant under your skin as well, like all beautiful things. Would I Kaiya?"

Kaiya laughed "You certainly know your stuff Sudhir" she tilted her head slightly at the mans question "Poison" she repeated "I do have sting if that is what your asking".She smiled back at Sudhir before narrowing her gaze "There is danger in your eyes mister, call it woman's intuition" she winked playfully at the mysterious stranger, clasping her hands and pressing them gently to her chin she continues "Is it danger you seek fine sir? or are you simply touring this fine country sampling these magnificent arts and people?" she raises her eyebrows and leans in closer "Either way Sudhir I can help you, I'm a woman with contacts".

Her laugh cascaded on the wind, pleasing his ears. "Am I that transparent Ma'am?" The playful inquiry was followed by a nonchalant shrug. His elbow extended towards her so they could walk entangled as they conversed, whispering mischief too scandalous for the crowds around them.

"I seek thrill Kaiya, thrill that enriches me with life. Whether it comes from fine artworks such as these or dancing with the devil is immaterial. Mediocrity is mundane. I'd rather cloak myself in trouble than monotony. You speak of contacts and offer assistance. I can't help but wonder what that might cost me."

A lazy finger idly pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, grazing her skin teasingly with its nail while a conspiratorial whisper left his lips. "Or why I should succumb to your specific offer, seductive though it may be."

There wasn't a lot in this life that Figment hadn't accomplished, from shoving thirty-seven different species of frog in his mouth at the same time all the way to running one of the most successful racetracks in the United States, but one thing he had yet to accomplish was becoming a world-renowned artist with all of the notoriety and fame that comes along with it; there was only one hitch in his plan and that was that he did not know how to draw, or paint, really the entire right side of his brain was bereft of talent and it showed in his attempt at a work of art which came across closer to a child's finger painting. 

"So this is the place that haunts me so."

Tortured but uncompromising Figment decided that he would storm into the Detroit Institue of Arts and find out exactly what he was doing wrong with his Crayolas. Yet upon entering it did not help put his mind or heart to ease, everything was so very... perfect, or at the very least better than anything he had ever put out before... this was a bad sign, but he wouldn't give up just yet and he continued in deeper to the building to find some form of muse.

That's when he stumbled upon the contemporary art section and everything came into view. Of course! He did not need talent, because he made up for the lack thereof with connections. Rushing out of the building he hurried off to the corner store to pick up some glue and paint, this would not be the last time Detroit Institue of Arts would hear from Figment!

Mr White enters the Detroit Institute of Arts shop, the place is large with a typical museum feel to it. Buying art has never been Mr White's thing, however when it comes 'free' his opinion on it changes.

As time went by, Mr White still had not found anything of interest to him, walking from room to room nothing seemed to catch his eye. But then.. he spotted a particular painting that he could not take his eyes off. It was full of daylight and bright green grass, with tall trees and flowers surrounding the two particular things that caught his eye in the first instance.. a mother and a child, walking peacefully hand in hand.

Mr White walked slowly towards the painting without being able to release his eyes from it's beauty, eventually being stood right in front of the painting he spoke quietly to himself.. "This is the one".

This particular painting was special to Mr White, as it reminded him of him and his own mother when he was younger. One of the final memories he has of his mother is them both walking through a forest, with the sun shining down and the wind brushing past them.

Mr White notices two security guards buy the exit. Times like these is where having been a thief for many years comes in handy. He notices two men at the far side of the room were having an argument which was starting to get a little heated. Mr White decides to inform the guards of this to which they decide to go and try to calm things down, leaving the exit clear.

With the exit now clear and the argument causing the attention of everyone in the room, Mr White grabs the painting and calmly walks out the museum.

It is 1pm. Mr White is a couple of blocks away from from the Detroit institute of Arts with his two associates Skinny Pete and Badger.

Alright now listen to me and listen good, I don't want no dumb business you hear me? We go in, we do what we have to do and we leave.

Skinny Pete and Badger give each other a slightly concerned look and slowly look back at Mr White.

Errr okay but ya know.. we've never really done somethin dis complicated before arr you sure its gonna work?

Mr White replies in a light angry manner.

Yes it's going to work just trust me!

The three make their way to the institute, as they walk through the entrance they see it is busy enough for them to pull off what they have to do.

Alright now the stairs to level 2 is located through those doors in the far corner, I'm gonna go up there to where the painting is. As soon as I go up the stairs I want you both to count to 10 then.. you do what you got to do is that clear?

They both reply. yeah sure Mr White no problem.

Mr White walks quickly but calmly up to level 2. With only 10 seconds till showtime he locates the painting.. 'The Nut Gatherers by William-Adolphe Bouguereau'. Now he understands why Signora Calabrese wants it so much, it's beautiful.

..9..10

(BANG! BANG!) ALRIGHT EVERYBODY ON DA FUCKIN GROUND AND NOBODY FUCKIN MOVE!!!

Skinny Pete and Badger begin their distraction in order for Mr white to make a swift exit out back.

(BANG!) AHH FUCK I'M SHOT!

With Badger being shot by a guard, the plan starts to go sideways. As guards start to open fire on Mr Whites two associates, all hell breaks loose and a gun fight is in place.

Mr white mutters under his breath. Fucking idiots..

He picks up the painting but is caught by a guard who starts to open fire. With the stairs to the exit blocked.. his only option is to jump through a window from level 2. As he reaches the window, Mr White struggles to get the painting through due to it's size.

FUCKING THING COME ON!!! He shouts.

He is in the direct line of site the guard who is about to open fire again. Not being able get the painting through, he has no choice but to drop it and jump.

(BANG!) The bullet missed Mr White by an inch as he fell from level 2 onto a pile of trash bags. He gets up and runs from the area empty handed.