Part 29: Blackwell Convergence - Update 4

Update 4

Let's join Rosa as she struggles, bleary-eyed, to recover from her binge-induced hangover!

Rosa's Theme



Once Joey finishes rubbing it in, of course.

I've never seen anyone get hammered that fast. You've got the alcohol tolerance of a gnat. A baby gnat.
Are you done?
I think so.
Good.

Joey is lying though, he's not done at all.

What got into you, anyway?
I just felt uncomfortable. I thought it would relax me. They all seemed so sophisticated.
Don't envy that crowd, kid. It's all phoney, anyway.

Calling it a "crowd" is being a bit generous, Joey...



Rosa is still concerned, but Joey isn't going to allay her fears.

Wouldn't you like to know.
...
You're not going to tell me, are you?
And ruin the suspense? No way.

Finally, Rosa moves on.

So what should we do now?
We might as well talk to that lady we met last night.
Yeah yeah. Monique something. She had a ghost story to tell.
Who knows? It might lead somewhere.

As is common in these games, the first step is to figure out where she is.

How do we find her?
Didn't she give you a business card?
Oh yeah. She did.
well it's not magic. Just check for the address on there.



Time for Rosa to be smug instead of Joey, for a change!

Hm?
You didn't want to go, but we ended up getting a case.
Ended up getting hammered, is more like it. Don't look so smug, kid. Things like this will happen all the time.

While we're here in the apartment, let's look up this Frank Lyons guy. Monique mentioned the ghost story was about him.



Bingo. Apparently he's dead, which I guess makes sense if Monique has a ghost story about him. The article goes on to read:

Lyons leaves behind no family. His last film, "Water Under The Bridge" (Cubestar Films), is due to be released this Spring.

Lyons' last film was shot by Cubestar films, hey?



It just so turns out that Monique is the executive producer of Cubestar Films.

The Park Gallery



Before we head over to see Monique, let's check out the Park Gallery again. Josie is busy getting things set up for the public opening.

Hi.
You got home okay? I think Nish had to half-carry you out of here.

Hahaha, oh man. Rosa is a seriously cheap drunk If Rosa had chosen to leave early instead, Josie is surprised to see her again.



But that's boring, so we'll stick with cheap drunk Rosa

Was I that bad?
Well, I originally thought I had bought too much wine. But it turns out I didn't have to worry, so thanks!
Hah.
Uh, sure. No problem.

Josie is absolutely saccharine-sweet in a backhanded kind of way.

Anyway, I have to go over some stuff. Feel free to look around.

Screw that, Rosa wants to talk.



Hm. I'm kinda swamped, but OK.
So how's everything going?
Oh, you know. Busy busy. This is my first public opening. I want it to be just right.

Rosa can also ask after Claude, the artist. We probably will need to follow up with him eventually to figure out what the deal is with that Dark Lady painting.

Tell me about Claude.
Oh, I found him on the street. Literally. He made his living painting street scenes and selling them to tourists. But he's too much of a genius for that. Don't you think so?
Oh yes. Definitely.
See? I knew he was the right choice for this gallery.

What kind of tourist buys abstract paintings from a street vendor??



Oh, I can't reveal the prices until the public exhibit. But if you're interested in any of them, let me know. I'll discount it for you.
Oh, no thanks. I'm not really in the market for any art right now.
Translation? She can't afford it.
Oh. All right. If you change your mind, let me know.

As far as I can tell, Rosa actually does like the paintings, though God only knows why. I guess she figures they would complement her lava lamp.

How long have you been in business?
Not long. Just a few days, now. This loft opened up and I just nabbed it. Real estate in this neighborhood is harder to get than you'd think.



Let's check up on Monique, as well.

She's a nice lady! Although I don't think she'll be back. She didn't seem to really appreciate Claude's work.
I'm sorry.
No worries. It's not everybody's cup of tea!

I love how Rosa apologises on behalf of Monique



Joey entertains himself by blowing on Josie again. Oh, you scamp, Joey!!

Monique's Theme



Okay, let's go speak with Monique, who has a pretty swank office.



Oh. Hello. You're Nishanthi's friend, aren't you? The writer.
Yeah. That's me.
I almost didn't recognize you standing upright.
Heh. Right. I don't usually drink that much.
Well. We all make mistakes.

Hahahaha, it only takes one crazy night to earn a reputation it seems



Rosa does her usual act of entering someone's room, and then poking around while they patiently wait for her to speak to them. Good old Adventure Game Logic!

Nice view from up here.
Please don't close the window. There's a reason why it's open.

It's a bit hard to see, but there is a cat sitting out on the window sill. I'm not sure I'd be comfortable with my cat sitting on the outside of a window on a high-rise building



And he's not looking at her face.

Apparently Joey is pretty hot on Monique.



Joey isn't talking about the view out the window here. Does it count as creepy if an invisible ghost is ogling an unwitting lady?

...

Okay, I think it definitely does.



Ah, the quivering of her back means that I did good.

Hahaha, you're shameless Joey. Rosa just kind of glares at him the whole time.



Although I prefer the view from THIS angle.
...

Even if you ask Joey to look out the window, he'll literally turn around and stare at Monique instead.



Let's actually speak with Monique.

I'm the executive producer. In a nutshell, I make sure everything gets done, on time, and under budget.
She whips everyone into shape, huh? I like her.

Oh Joey, all it took was twenty five years of watching Lauren drool and you moved right on, I see.

So, you have a ghost story? Is that right?
Oh. Yes. It's really nothing. Kind of embarrassing, really.
Nishanthi said it had to do with Frank Lyons.
Yes. It was all over the news. You know what happened.



Let's say we don't know.

I know he died, but that's all I know.
Yes, he's dead. I saw him die. He died while filming his last scene. It was tragic and all, but in the end we had to finish the movie. We found a look-alike to complete the scene and then released it. That should have been the end of it... but the film was a smash hit.
Really? It was that good?
No it wasn't. People only turned up because a man's death was attached to it. For years we tried to create a moneymaker, and this is how we did it. Be careful what you wish for, Rosangela. That's all I'll say.

Wait, is that the whole ghost story? A trite little idiom?



Next? I hear him.

Oh, good. There is actually more to this.

You hear him?
Over in Central Park? Near the Gothic Bridge? It's where he died. I pass the area every morning, when I go jogging. I can swear I hear him. Calling me.
Really.
It's like he's... well, it's probably just my own guilty conscience. We profited from his death, there's no denying that. But what could we do? Give the money to charity? We have investors to pay back. Anyway, that's my ghost story. Take it or leave it.
I say we take it. We haven't been to the park in awhile.

That does sound like as good a lead as any. If an actor died without finishing the final scene, it's quite plausible he feels like he has unfinished business and is sticking around.

Last of all, Rosa asks about the cat.

I saw a cat on the window ledge outside.
Oh, her? She belonged to Frank. The company asked me to take care of her.

That's... really weird. Why would you expect the executive producer of his company to adopt his cat? Unless the company literally gave him the cat to begin with. I'd be creeped out by looking after the cat of someone who died while working for me. I also probably wouldn't leave it sitting outside on what is almost certainly the top floor of the building.

Thanks for the chat, Monique.
Sure.



Our world map is starting to get a bit filled out. Let's see if we can find a ghost over at Central Park!

The Gothic Bridge



Well. That was easy. A ghost, presumably that of Frank Lyons, is just hovering around next to the main path. We could probably have found this guy by just going for a walk. He seems to be reciting lines.

Joey, that's Frank Lyons!
Is he now? It's so rare that we know the spook's name in advance. Saves so much time.

That's actually a good point. Other than The Deacon, we haven't known any ghost's name in advance so far. And we know his profession, his colleagues, even his cat. Chances are details about him are all over the news, too. This should be easy.

What should I say to him?
Say? He's a spook, like any other.
But, you know, he was in show biz. How do you talk to people like that?

I love the way Rosa gets all bashful about talking to a famous ghost

Just act naturally, sweetheart.
Natural.
You know, nervous. That's natural for you.
Hmph.

There's that hmph portrait again!



Rosa summons up her courage...

Atta girl. Maybe, one of these days, you'll talk to a guy who is actually breathing.
Hmph.

...only to get knocked back down a peg by Joey. It's kind of odd that he seems to want her to socialise with other people, given how things went with Lauren.



Joey, meanwhile, has his mind elsewhere.

Oh really.
Oh yes. We should get back to her office and examine her very closely.
Examine her, huh?

Hahahahahaha.

Or better yet, you stay out in the hall. I'll go in and, ah, poke around.
I don't think so. Did you really have to start at Monique like that?
What's your problem? It's not like she can see me.
It's unprofessional, that's all.
You're just jealous.



Let's speak with this dude.

Um, hi there?

Frank floats over dramatically...

I knew you'd come.
Are you Frank Lyons?
Um... Oh, ha ha. Very funny. Let's get back on track, huh? *ahem*
I knew you'd come.

Pretty clear that Frank thinks he's acting in a scene here, though it takes Rosa a while to cotton on.

You did?
Yes, I did... wait.
No, that's not right.
What's not right?
Nevermind. We can do it again. *ahem*
I knew you'd come.

Frank having an "acting" face portrait and a normal portrait is a nice subtle little touch. One that is completely lost on Rosa.



Ah... no. No, that's not right either.
What are you talking about?
Look, don't worry about it. We can do it again, right?
Do what again?
Okay. One more time. *ahem*
I knew you'd come.

This is going to be harder than I thought...



Join me again tomorrow as we attempt to unravel the mystery of Frank Lyons' post-mortem acting!