Masked Fools (Extrapolation Rewind)
Divergent Universe
At the Interastral Peace Network's auction, there's a painting from the Demeter system: In a shoddy lotus pond, you can make out the rough outline of a primate reaching out its hand to scoop out a sun from the water. After a calligraphy appraisal, the painter is discovered to be none other than one of the supposedly untalented artists of the Kora people!
Heated discussion from various factions swamps the auction, and projections of self-proclaimed scholars and collectors rush to materialize at the venue, each eagerly competing for the debut artwork created by a Demeter artist.
You: Let the auction begin!
Divergent Universe
Your shout stuns the other attendees, who look on. Despite the extraordinary value of the item before them, none dares cast the first bid.
“One hundred thousand credits!” Goodness knows who flicked that frenzied switch on, but a stream of exorbitant bubbles began to froth up out of the roiling crowd before being popped aside by all-new bids.
As the influential Duke of Hattler called out a top bid of ten million credits, you signal to your colleagues to quit their calling out and strike the gavel decisively.
You: Great taste.
You: Congratulations.
Divergent Universe
Of course, as an experienced collector he will only be stumping up such an astronomical sum after the second appraisal viewing. But your show has already begun, and by the time he realizes it's all just monkeys tapping on typewriters, Demeter has become a mess.
The Kora people, who cannot even adapt to a Synesthesia Beacon, could never have imagined so many ugly jokers from the sky descending upon their caves.
You: Would you like some snacks?
You: Would you like a drink?
Divergent Universe
You shove aside the sales trolley and see people shouting “art” and “reward” at a troupe of apes.
