"It sounds like this Stephen really cared for you," Sylvester murmured, more to himself as he glanced up at the portrait that he assumed depicted the man Max was speaking of. "Smart, to educate you and prepare you if he wanted you to be his successor." Only too hopeful, perhaps, that society would accept a neko all too soon. It felt like a touchy subject, so Sylvester elected to leave it untouched for the foreseeable future.<br/><br/>He had to hold himself back from scoffing at the mention of paintings. Sylvester's eyes lit up and he sat up a little straighter, his thumbs twiddling with excitement. "Art, my good friend, is what brought me to love this world in the first place. Before I left college, I took an art history class as an elective. It only just barely scratched the surface, but it got me searching for more." The majority of knowledge he had was self-taught, but he was passionate. He didn't just know the facts, or the details. He<i>knew</i>the art. He felt it. He breathed it. He could tell you who painted it, and if it was any known piece, he could probably tell you when it was painted. Even the more obscure collector's items were on his radar, because the rarer and more obscure, the more fascinated he became.<br/><br/>The excitement bubbled so obviously it was clear Sylvester cared about what he was saying. Still, he remained serious and composed when he formed his words. He also had the presence of mind to admit his weaknesses, because he realized it would be important for Max to know what he was dealing with. He was given a small shred of hope by the fact Max had said 'no one else made it this far'. Did that mean he was the only person they had found who was still in the running?<br/><br/>"Clearly I'm not expertly trained; that's spelled out in the lack of degrees or outstanding letters attached to my resume. But I love this industry." He'd take living in a one-room shack for the rest of his life if he had a free pass to travel and see all the art and antiques his heart could bear. "You've seen what I can do here," He gestured to the items on the coffee table. "I can prove the same with paintings, sculptures... pottery, artifacts-- This is what I've done in my free time, not just work." If he didn't know something, he was apt to learn it. "Even if you wanted to hire me on a trial basis, that would present an excellent opportunity." He had no qualms working for a neko.