sweethymns | Tʜᴇ Eɴᴅʟᴇss Lᴀʙʏʀɪɴᴛʜ

They call this art?

[Bigby mutters to himself, standing in front of a large oil painting; its colors are dark and its shapes are distinctly abstract, with the exception of a few silhouettes that are meant to tell a story. It fills his nostrils with the smell of turpentine and mineral spirits, and the frowns. He never was much of an artist, not really; he had more of an eye for solving murders, a nose for rooting out trouble.

Because trouble seemed to be the name of this place. As innocuous as an art gallery seemed to be, word had gotten around that citizens who visit this locale have a tendency to disappear; this kind of trouble is close enough to his stomping grounds of Fabletown for him to feel the need to investigate.

He hadn't been here long, but something in his gut told him to be wary, for whatever reason that might be. The fact that all of the artwork here focused on myth and folktales couldn't have been a mere coincidence, either -- now, if only he could find someone to question about all of this, he could maybe make some headway in this case.]

[Someone passes by Bigby, her presence nearly unnoticeable because she barely has much of a scent (although there's the faint metallic noise in the back of her blue kimono, concealed by her clothing) and the aura she gives off isn't particularly welcoming. It's the strawberry red of her jacket that makes her stand out even among the strange mixture of colors found on the canvases and against a large black and white photograph of a dying rose in a vase, she's like a stain of paint that moves around as she pleases.

Ryougi Shiki stops in front of a painting of a drowned woman. Aozaki Touko had put her up to this trip. The magus had mentioned that this gallery had been appearing simultaneously in different parts of the world, preying on those who ventured in for the promise of visual pleasures only to disappear into its depths, never to be seen again.

"So far, I've heard news of this gallery from some acquaintances who live abroad. London, Paris, New York, Moscow... And now, I think I found an entrance in Mifune. Convenient for us huh? It'll save me the trouble of buying you plane tickets!"

Touko may have been joking, but there was no way the magus would have gotten Shiki onto a plane. And so, her employer took precautions in making sure no one else would wander into the gallery entrance and Shiki went inside alone.

She didn't meet anyone else for a long while and she wonders if everyone had disappeared already. This place sure worked quickly in that case. While Shiki couldn't be called an art enthusiast, even she admires craftsmanship from time to time. The painting of the drowned woman was...]

... Sleeping? No...

[It takes a small glance to the side for her to finally take notice of Bigby Wolf and when she finally does, it makes her wonder why she didn't immediately see the imposing figure.]

... Ah.

[Well, it's a start.]

[The same can be said of Bigby; rather, that when he finally does notice her out of the corner of his eye, he can't help but wonder how he didn't before. Blame it on the unnerving atmosphere he feels, or all the scents of various mediums clogging his senses.

He turns from the large painting to face her more directly. She stands on the opposite end of the gallery, but he doesn't have to speak up too loudly for his voice to carry. It echoes in the otherwise empty spaces.]

Hey. I'm guessing you don't work here.

[She doesn't strike him as an employee. Had she wandered in without any effort, much like himself? Worth investigating.]

[Her answer feels automatic.]

Just passing through.

[Shiki sizes him up for a moment. Obviously, not from Japan. And if he's already in the middle of a gallery such as this one, she ultimately decides that the question she poses won't be entirely out there.]

... So where did you enter from?

[A brow is raised as Bigby takes the time to look her over, as well. It's an odd question.]

Through the front door.

[It's a wry response.]

'Course, I'm assuming that's not exactly what you were asking? I knew something was off about this place.

Well, there's definitely more than one front door. So your feeling about it being "off" is right on the money.

[She takes her hands out of her pockets while giving a side glance at a small sculpture near the back.]

Still, it's been quiet ever since I walked in. Nothing wrong yet.

More than one front door? [He asks, not sounding completely surprised, given the circumstances. The curiosity, laden with caution, is audible, however.]

Which "front door" you come in through?

Mifune, Japan.

[Simple as that. Even if the matter is way more complicated than how she initially puts it.]

You're from the other side of the globe then aren't you?

[Japan? That's a long, long way from New York. Bigby wouldn't consider it impossible (he's seen even more impressive tricks in his time), but it wasn't at all what he was expecting. Just how far from home was he, now that he's stepped into this place?]

...Yeah. I am. New York, actually.

[He fights against the urge to light a cigarette right here and now, forget if it was an art gallery or not. It obviously wasn't a normal art gallery.]

Is this the part where I ask just what the hell is going on?

Simple enough, isn't it?

[She shoves her hands into her pockets again.]

I did say that there's more than one front door. Or rather, it's one door, many locations.

((ooc; I missed you too <3 And YES I would love to continue OC stuff (I was just literally looking at Michael's journal), except I can't remember where we left off. Or we could start something new, whatever works!))

Sure, "simple enough", when you put it that way. But I guess what I'm getting at is, why does the door lead here? What's so special about this place and its creepy paintings? Someone went through a lot of trouble to just display art.

((ooc: casually slides this link over we can continue bc it's at a good place <3))

That's what I'm here to find out.

Can't have it just hanging around and not return the people who just wanted to look at pictures.

((ooc; eeee thanks!))

[He laughs, a gruff sounding thing.] Yeah. Not very nice of this place if you ask me. [Bigby pauses, looking at the girl more closely now.] You look a little young to be a detective, though. What's your name, kid?

[A closer look at her and she seems to be someone who could pass for a boy if she put some effort into it (she has the voice for it after all). Her eyes are dark color that expressed something along the lines of boredom or to be more accurate, a little void. She exists.

But she answers steadily enough.]

... Shiki.

You?

[Her impression of Bigby is that he's rough looking, dangerous if anyone was stupid enough to try any provocations. Maybe like her old man if he had more facial hair.

That said, her father is also a mafia boss, so he was already scary enough to begin with.]

[There is something very bored-looking about this girl, he thinks to himself. Which is strange considering that this place dictates the opposite of boredom; Bigby felt a nagging curiosity to get to the heart of the matter, and boredom was a far-flung emotion. But at least she was willing to share information with him, as much as he had to parse it together.]

Shiki. Alright. My name's Bigby.

Why are you here? Someone you know go missing?

Nope. I'm getting paid.

[Young investigator, ahoy! Or to be more accurate, she's Touko's runner.

Shiki glances around and gestures at a darkened hallway.]

Exchanging aside, there's still a lot to find out. So how about it? You're not just gonna stand around either are you?

[Young investigator indeed. Okay. He'll roll with it. Who's he to question the extra help right now, anyway? Weirder things have happened.]

Straight to the point, huh? No, I'm not just going to stand around; staying still makes me antsy.

And besides, two heads are better than one. Sounds like we're both trying to figure out why people are disappearing left and right after visiting this gallery, so you feel up to working together?

[He's also proposing that so he can keep an eye on her, in case something dangerous lurks in this place. Bigby, always so protective.]

... Well, it doesn't seem like you're undependable.

[That is a backhanded remark if there ever is one, but Shiki's not the nicest.]

I have no reason to complain.

[That's as good as a yes (and in Shiki's experience, there tends to be more than meets the eye with the people she ends up meeting)]

Well, gee. Thanks. [He'd be more offended if he cared about stuff like that, and if he wasn't the type of person to make similar remarks. Instead, he just looks slightly amused.]

Guess you're my temporary partner now, Shiki. Got any idea where to start? I was hoping to find someone else to pin questions on. [He thumbs in the direction of the next room over, even larger and filled with more pieces of uncanny art.] I haven't looked over there yet.

[Shiki moves over to the next room over Bigby gestured towards.]

We'll look in that room then.

I'm kind of having my doubts if there's a person to question. [Not a visible employee or gallery manager in sight after all this time after all.]

[He follows, eying the art they pass by with questionable scrutiny. Myths, legends... twisted, morbid pieces. He wasn't sure what to make of most of it.]

It is a little empty, isn't it? Maybe it's not a person, but an entity.

[He tests the water with that statement; how will she take to the idea of supernatural entities? Of magic and myths come to life? She obviously wasn't a normal girl, given that he found her here, but he couldn't be sure what her exact experiences were.]

What do you think of the art here? Seems to be a theme going on.

... It's possible.

[The apartment complex she investigated one time was basically like that after all, but much more complicated, much more twisted. At least she hopes this place wouldn't be as confusing as that was.]

The art that we initially see at the beginning seems too different and disparate from each other. Which isn't an issue; galleries can host more than one person's art after all.

[In the bigger room, there seems to be a more cohesive theme. Trees. Large sculptures of trees and some pieces hanging from the ceiling as if there were actual branches extending from above creating sinister shadows on the walls.]

But depends on how you see it. After all, our eyes aren't the same.

[Bigby isn't intimidated by the shadows cast on the walls. He grew up in a forest. He used to hunt in a forest. If there's anything eerie about it, it's how familiar the art feels.]

Well, my eyes are seeing lots of trees.

That's one way to put it.

[He's weirdly similar in temperament to her so far.

The further they go, the more the room full of trees really does seem like a forest. And while it's not out of nowhere, her question is sudden.]

So. Bigby.

You human or not?

[Well. Straight to the point again.

Bigby frowns, shoving his hand in his pockets. He's definitely not supposed to tell people whether or not he's really human; but then again, it's obvious there's something not quite normal about Shiki. Something about her that would bring her to this strange art gallery from Japan, something that would make her sense something off about him.

He shoves his hands in his pockets. He sets his jaw, looking squarely down at her.]

You first.

[As in, you answer your own question first.]

Well...

I often wonder if that's the case. If I'm actually one I mean.

[It's complicated. She's definitely human, but Ryougi Shiki is more like an existing shell, one with less than savory urges.]

I definitely don't like other humans.

[So it's not a complete answer, but it's answer enough to his main question of whether or not there was something unusual about this girl.]

What'd humans do to you? [He asks, not answering her own question just yet.]

[(Well, one made her feel and want things she's convinced herself she'd never be able to have.)]

I'm what you'd call a misanthrope. It's not about what's been done to me. But in general, I don't like dealing with people.

I'd rather be alone.

Fair enough.

[Bigby feels like that an awful lot; sure, he's fine with helping people, but sometimes dealing with their shit is beyond his patience. Sometimes dealing with people in general feels like an art he hasn't quite perfected. It makes him good at his job, in some ways. But it rubs people the wrong way more often than not.

At least this girl was just as blunt as he could be. That's a small comfort.]

I'm the same way. Usually.

[He pauses, deciding on what he should say about himself. He figures, hell, this girl will probably return to Japan after all this is done, and he'll never see her again. (Well. Not anytime soon. Never say never.) And as long as he doesn't mention Fabletown, maybe it's fine to talk about himself.]

Anyway, you asked about me, and my answer is no, I'm not human. I'm a wolf.

[Shiki actually stops. There's a blink. It could be called surprise. After all, what was she expecting??]

Well, you are very hairy.

[SHIKI...]

...

[Definitely not the first time he's heard that, probably not the last either.]

I'll have you know that I shave all the time, but it just keeps growing back a lot faster than you'd think.

[How does that account for your hairy arms then, Bigby?!]

I can imagine. I was just thinking no human would need that much to begin with.

I'm not sure if I should be offended, kid. [Spoiler: He's not offended at all.]

Kind of makes the whole forest theme going on kind of ironic, though.

Edited 2016-05-20 15:14 (UTC)

[She looks down at her red jacket. And then back at Bigby. There's a ghost of a smirk that dances around on her lips.]

Yeah. Just a tad bit ironic.

[Shiki turns around to walk forward (and there's a slight rustle... are the branches moving above them?)]

[The parallel is not only uncanny, but also referring to the exact same wolf that he is. Oops. Well. Maybe he won't share that much; his dark past of murdering and eating people and armies is something he'd rather keep behind him.]

Ha ha. I'm not gonna eat you, if that's what you're-

[He stops immediately, his ears picking up the sound of branches rustling above them. He tenses, looking up, and frowns.]

Something's here.

[That sounds cool, Shiki's all about murder--

But serious time now. The rustling gets louder and Shiki, for all her preparation for whatever outlandish thing she's bound to be faced with...

Is promptly captured by a tree branch from above, that wraps around her torso and lifts her up.

Shit.]

[He sees that branch move above them, but before he can do anything it's lifting Shiki up, like a strange, wooden arm. Bigby curses and yells.]

Hey! Let her go!

[He isn't armed, not really, and the best he can do right now against a branch of all things is leap onto it, and try to pull it back down with his weight alone.]

[It's somewhat working since the branches are more delicate than they look at first glance, but Shiki's still suspended in the air and she's being thrashed around. And she's been shaken so much that the knife from the back of her obi falls out and clatters on the ground.

Time is of the essence and she shouts at Bigby.]

KNIFE! Throw it to me!

[He's not one to balk at a command, not at a time like this. His grip wasn't doing anything to shake off the branch, anyway, so Bigby releases his hold.

He drops to the ground with a grunt and picks up the blade.]

Catch!

[He tosses it at Shiki; his aim isn't too bad either.]

[She catches it and Shiki activates her Eyes, trying to see if there are any lines to be found in the tree branch that has her captive. Thankfully(?) there are some. She can kill it.

So with her knife, she slashes across the branch, cutting it cleanly and she's dropped to the ground. That doesn't mean they're in the clear yet as the other trees begin to close in on them.]

And now, time to run!!

[GONNA SPRINT UP AHEAD NOW.]

[Bigby doesn't have time to be impressed by the clean cut, nor time to break her fall as she drops to the ground. It turns out he didn't even really need to, which works out in the end. It just gives him more time to notice that the branches are closing in on them, looking more and more like looming claws rather than trees.

He's barely heard her exclamation and she's already broken into a sprint.]

Ah, shit.

[For a wolf that was born to run on four legs, Bigby can still book it pretty well on two. He lurches forward and sprints, following her.]

We got a plan that involves more than just running?!

I'm not wasting my time cutting up every tree. Next room!

[Thankfully(?) there's a door up ahead and Shiki kicks it open. It's dark, but fuck it, who wants to get strangled by trees?

Okay, so it's not completely dark inside, but the light's real low. There's enough of it to see that there are some canvases on the wall.

[He'd be stupid to argue to the point further, and while Bigby is a lot of things, stupid is not one of them. He scoffs a little, but follows diligently, running through the door a mere seconds after her and slamming it closed behind him.

There's scratching and scraping on the other side, as if the branches weren't so eager to give up their quarry. It stops after a few seconds, and Bigby allows himself to relax... just a little.

Because he's turning around and squinting in the low light now, trying to get an idea of what mess they've gotten themselves into this time.]

I already hate this place. This whole "trying to kill us" routine better not be a theme.

[But if wishes were horses...]

[Shiki's none too impressed by this gallery's shenanigans either. She clutches her knife with one hand and looking around the dark room.]

We probably know what happened to the missing people then.

[What a grim thought. But they're likely dead and if not, who knows what happened to them further in the gallery.]

There's some canvases on the wall. Are there images on there??

[His frown turns into a scowl; after that display with the killer tree branches, Bigby is willing to bet that the missing people might just be dead. Which means that citizens snatched up from Fabletown might not be returning to their homes, to their families... People he didn't even have a chance to protect. He had failed before even knowing what was happening under his own nose.

It's guilt mixed with frustration that just makes him angry and strengthens his resolve. He growls a little and steps forward into the dark, as if daring it to make a move.]

We should look. Stay behind me.

[Shiki appeared to be able to fend for herself, but Bigby wasn't going to take any chances as he made his way to one of the larger canvases hanging on the wall.]

[Shiki grunts, but doesn't argue back necessarily, also keeping her eyes peeled for anything suspicious in the paintings.

They all appear to be pictures of high class noble women, austere, stoic, but graceful.

But their eyes are moving. Watching. Daring the two to come closer.]

From one death trap to another... Looks like they're waiting to see who moves first.

[Most would be unnerved by a portrait whose gaze follows you as you move, watching and beckoning. Bigby's nerves are not so easily shaken, to the point where some might call him reckless when the mood strikes him.

He's in such a mood right now, though what better way to get at the heart of the matter, he thinks, than to instigate it?

He steps closer, undeterred by their eerie aura. He speaks, snaps at them, really.]

Well, what are you waiting for? Either get it over with, or tell us just what the hell is going on in this damn place.

Tʜᴇ Eɴᴅʟᴇss Lᴀʙʏʀɪɴᴛʜ

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

i'm sorry i left this hanging, if you don't want to continue it i completely understand

YELLS I MISSED YOU AND I'M FINE, would you like to continue oc stuff too!?

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

1/2

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject