Part 31: Day Two- Page 31
Old Grey Guy posted:
We've still got nowhere with the things in the cellar, but I guess that can wait.
Before Day two is over, we'll figure out something, I'm sure.
Well, since no one has mentioned anything, Miranda decides to go wandering.
>s
Junction
>nw
University Court
There are numerous buildings surrounding this cobbled court, but the only one you are interested in is the library to the west.
Specifically, she just remembered that she wanted to check out the library register.
Wow. That request was a long time ago.
>w
Library
>n
Circulation Desk
Hanging on the wall next to the counter is a small, printed sign. Beneath the sign sits a heavy, dog-eared register, and sitting next to the register is a bell.
>look at register
It's basically a log, recording what book was checked out, who checked it out, and when. There must be hundreds of names here.
>look up Michael in register
(in the dog-eared register)
Your husband's name is down at the bottom. The title of the book is A Historical Overview of Superstitions in the Miskaton Valley Region by J. Arnsworth Frazer, pub. 1906. Quite a mouthful.
Why on earth was he reading this?
Well, I'm pretty sure Edward was also a professor at Miskiton U.
>look up Edward in Register
(in the dog-eared register)
You don't find that name on the register.
Huh. Let's see if we can look at the book Michael was reading.
>ring bell
Ding.
A moment later, the gaunt and fishy-eyed librarian emerges silently from the shadows behind the counter.
When refering to books in this game, I find it's much easier to ask for them by author instead of the long winded titles.
>look at librarian
Her slack, pallid skin looks as if it has seen little more than the inside of a cave for most of her life. She stares at you silently with disturbingly large and watery eyes.
>ask librarian for Frazer
The librarian says nothing. Slowly, very slowly, she looks you up and down, and then, just as slowly, she turns to look at the sign posted over the counter. Finally, agonizingly slowly, she turns back to you, and stares at you with a vague, unblinking air of disapproval.
Huh?
>read sign
"All restricted books must be signed for on the register, and may not be removed from this building. Please have your faculty ID ready when you make your request."
Oh. Another puzzle. Wait a second...
Grimwit posted:
D'aw! Miranda would NEVER steal from her husband. He's the only one that puts up with her kleptomania and court-ordered therapy sessions.
Let's ditch the wallet somewhere Miranda can get it later.
Oh yeah.
Oh.
Oh no.
M-maybe we can make conversation?
>Ask librarian about herself
The librarian just looks at you.
>Librarian, hello
The librarian just looks at you.
Maybe Miranda can get her own card?
>ask librarian about faculty card
The librarian just looks at you. She doesn't even blink. You can't help but notice that the woman never, ever blinks.
Maybe Miranda should slink out of here?
>s
Without a word, the librarian fades back into the shadows.
Library
>e
University Court
There are numerous buildings surrounding this cobbled court, but the only one you are interested in is the library to the west.
>se
Junction
Well, that was a bust.
Later on, if memory serves right, we can sneak off with Michael's card and sneak it back without him knowing.
>e
Narrow Street
I guess we only have the south streets of town to...
Shhh... What's that?
>listen
You hear nothing unexpected.
Do you hear that? Coming from the...
>nw
Twisting Lane
Odd; the wall is no longer blank. Someone has sprayed graffiti across it.
>look at graffiti
It's a strange design done in black spraypaint; an upturned hand with an irregular triangle inscribed in the palm. Beneath it is drawn an arrow pointing roughly west, and following it with your gaze, you realize that it points directly at the narrow aperture of a sidestreet you'd never noticed before.
>listen
At the very edge of your hearing you can just make out the sound of someone playing a violin -- a plaintive, haunting melody.
It sounds like the works of Erich Zann.
>w
Hidden Court
You had no idea this little courtyard even existed, cleverly tucked away amidst the confusing tangle of darker avenues. Although surrounded on all sides by steep rooftops and overshadowed by the ever-ominous clouds, this secluded circle somehow manages to convey a sense of peace and brightness, a safe harbor from the oppressive gloom pervading the rest of the town. To the south, a hanging sign marks a humble shop, while a sidestreet to the east leads back into the labyrinth.
>listen
You hear nothing unexpected.
And now it's stopped.
>look at shop
It's a little curiosities shop, nestled into a corner of the courtyard.
>look at sign
It simply reads, in gaudily illuminated letters, "The Cauldron".
>
Huh.
Huuh.
Well, this shop has a lot to go through, so next update, Miranda heads inside and looks around.
Items
In Trenchcoat
