WEEK 2

[umbralant]

WEEK 2

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The first week is over, and two of your number are gone. Everything related to the case has been cleaned up, with nary a knife left at the Main Square nor a trace of the mud shapes that once painted the clock tower walls, although some stray graffiti still dots some storefronts.

However you may feel about the entire debacle on Friday, there’s no doubt that something has changed about the atmosphere, although whether it’s something tangible or just a trick of the mind is hard to say. Maybe it’s nothing. Either way, there are more palpable changes to the city, with some of the fog retreating away from a few of the surrounding areas, uncovering new buildings and streets along the way. The night, however, remains unchanged as always save for the slow waxing of the moon, leaving it bright and full as early as Thursday night. Regardless of if you take it as an omen or not, at least that means the streets will be lit up fairly well for the week, provided some inconvenient cloud cover doesn’t slide right in.

[[Welcome to Week 2! Note that new areas have been added, and can be found under the Week 2 tab on our Locations page. Once again, feel free to make top levels at your discretion, and remember to note it in your header if you plan on investigating any locations. You can also privately contact The Lady or Rembrandt.]]

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[umbralant]

[ But if it's already broken, surely that will just add to its prominence.

Indeed there are! The paintings in this studio all bear the same signature, of the ones that are out in the open, they depict the scenery of Krakow: St. Mary's Basilica, the Science Museum, and so on. ]

[twoasone]

Hm...

[ This reminds him of what he found in the candle shop before...

He's going to look for more paintings not on display. Surely the artist has painted more than the city they live in...

He also may be looking around for things to repair the pots with. If they don't turn out to form any sort of image when assembled, then at least the art will be restored. ]

[umbralant]

[ Smart move. Off to the side are clearly unfinished works, one easel holding several yet to be painted sketched stacked on top of each other. The first few pieces seem to be of random people in the city, but the deeper he goes the focus shifts to other city life: birds, cats, even a rat stealing a pierogie. But then it gets a little weird; the style, previously fluid and full of almost whimsical lines and curves turns harder and more rigid.

Distressed, to put it lightly. Keep flipping back the sketches? ]

[twoasone]

[YES! He wants to see everything now that he's noticed the gradual change in style.]

[umbralant]

[ Well.

The backgrounds are still of Krakow, but the subject of the work itself is debatable. At first, it's just a few spots of black here or there. Maybe the artist pressed too hard, or maybe some ink spillage occurred that was left for artistic effect. Accidents happen. But the next has even more splotches still, until it's not just the tram car passing by the Main Square, but a mass of blobs, a mass of things smeared across the image like a wave.

The resemblance is uncanny to the "audience" in the Opera Theater this weekend, amplified twofold. ]

[twoasone]

[. . . He'll have to show this to Ango the next time he sees him.

He'll also look at these images more closely for identifiable shapes belonging to those pale blue eyes, or any sign of Rembrandt and the Lady. A painting is not a photograph, but he's still curious.

And of course he's going to look for more activity from the artist. Unfinished drawings, harried paintings, even a sketch on a stray piece of scrap paper. Anything that continues the story told through art.]

[umbralant]

[ Towards the end a few discernible features can be seen: a clawed hand rising out of the mass, a curvature that looks awfully similar to a mouth with rows and rows of pointed fangs, a pattern of interweaven scales. But it's hard to make out anything else between the heavy lines and increased messiness of the work which is now greyscale.

One thing Shin can be sure of though, is that there's no sight of the Lady or Rembrandt. There is one other object in the very last sketch that might be familiar though: a bright full moon.

Maybe not the most satisfying end to this story, but for now that seems to be all that's here. ]

[twoasone]

[ At this point, he's not expecting anything satisfactory.

It does shed some light on exactly what is out there, as dim a light as it is.

He collects some of these paintings and drawings and sets them aside in a neat pile. This is something he must show the others. Now for the rest of the studio. Anything interesting about the kiln? ]

[umbralant]

[ Nope, but it clearly has seen a lot of use. Did you know Poland is famous for its pottery? Now you do! ]

[twoasone]

[ Fun.

Now he'll go and check anything that could be used for storage (shelves, drawers, cabinets and the like) for anything interesting. Or related to the paintings. ]

[umbralant]

[ Besides the ton of art supplies, there's nothing else to find here of note. While he will find a few sketches in the bottom of one the drawers that resembles the style of the paintings, the only real difference in these is the focus on the blue eyes (which are colored in with pastels). ]

[twoasone]

Hm. [ This artist must have been obsessed with those blue eyes. Or encountered them, perhaps?

He adds the sketches to the evidence pile, wondering what it must have been like to be staring into those dark eyes up close...

Such deep, piercing eyes. If only he could clearly see the things for himself without dying. ]