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The statue was nothing short of... ah..! Miraculous!
Beautiful, ethereal-- eerie. Equal parts eldritch and exquisite- it was holy, in all it's definitions, equal parts awe inspiring, yet terrifying. Gorgeous, serene, furious.
It was nothing.
It was everything.
All at once.
Why, it was almost enough to make Richard a praying man. Though, to what faith, exactly, still eluded him.
He would have enough time to ponder this, once it was installed in his office-- a perfect centerpiece to finalize the new building. The finishing touch.
"Please, Monsieur Sphinx! I am begging you to reconsider-" an inward gulp of air interrupted the plea.
The call broke him from his thoughts, forcing him to turn and face the wheezing voice that called for him so desperately- of which he did not honor with much more than a tilt of his head.
The man who staggered at him was one of the few who stood as tall as he did- yet was clad in a warm tweed coat that muddied his pristine decor, and sported ruffled, unkempt hair. Papers were held haphazardly in an arm and his other hand struggled to adjust his smudged glasses. "...this belongs in an archive- or at least a Museum!"
"Ramier, was it?" Richard stroked his chin in a faux sense of interest and a very honest sense of superiority, "As I recall, I hired you to retrieve this display, not to try and convince me otherwise." Richard scoffed, "Regardless, I paid well for it and your expedition, it's final location is for me to decide- and me alone."
Ramier stuttered, his confidence rapidly fading, "I understand this, b-but I don't think you understand the... the sheer magnitude of it's discovery! It's completely unlike all architecture in the areas we found it, and We don't even know what material it's made of! In fact, It resembles several depictions of ancient Faeries! It could be incredibly da-"
A mirthful laugh interrupted the man's babbling, "Please, Professor- don't tell me a man of your doctrine still believes in fairy tales." Richard again tilted his head upwards, to gaze down at Ramier.
The comment prompted a furious shade of red to grace the Professor's face, indignantly opening his mouth to continue- yet Richard turned away from Ramier, approaching the statue from where it sat upon the wooden pallet with his arms folded neatly behind his back.
"Look at it, and believe your eyes instead of your dreams, Professor." he knocked thrice upon it, "It isn't but marble, as is the rest of my collection. I would be remiss, had I chosen a centerpiece that would fail to match the rest of it."
Ramier pursed his lips, looking around the office- the whole space was unfinished, with workers and construction still buzzing about-- yet, he would be a fool to admit that Richard was not a man of exquisite taste, as marble flooring and columns decorated the space.
Though, the giant stained glass butterfly windows were a bit much.
"Understood." Ramier deflated, glancing back at the statue as Richard turned and walked away. AS he looked the statue up in down, now bathed in sunlight, he felt a sense of unworldly dread wash over him. His eyes flicked to Richard, then back to the statue, a sense of boiling resolve bubbling in his chest as he composed himself, fishing for his cellular phone as he hastily made his exit.
He had some calls to make.
Richard sat alone in his office, drumming his fingers on his desk and stared at his newest acquisition as it towered above him, between him and the stained glass window.
To the best of his ability he could only describe it as some sort of... weeping angel. Humanoid, but alien. Uncanny, unwell and spindly. Six arms sprouted from where its wings would have been. A pair covering it's ears, another pair covered it's eyes, and the remaining two wrapped around it's neck, making a mockery of breathing. It emanated a profane tragedy, the marble crept up it's needley legs- as if the sculptor themselves could not handle completing the hallowed task of depicting such vision.
Why, It was everything! The statue stood. Pale, almost. Clean and white- even as the stained glass window threw color around his office. it seemed to bend off and away from the statue, rendering it aglow and untouched.
It was nothing.
It was perfect.
It was staring right back at him.