2021-06-08 Where Art Thou?

Where Art Thou?

Participants: Esther Karner Will Artemis

Storyteller: Saoirse

Location: Arts District, 806 E 3rd Street, Los Angeles

Date and Time: June 8, 2021 - 3:14 am

Summary: Some people stumble upon a car accident, but it's no ordinary accident. It may have been on purpose, but why?!

It's well past the witching hour, though for the Unliving - this would be several hours before the night sky even thinks about changing hues. The cloud covered skies block the moon from view, giving the evening an even darker feel than most evenings. The wind carries the scent of the ocean, which seems to mask the cities smells one might find in the Arts District. The street lamps, the ones that do work, give an onimous glow to the surrounding area and allows for the shadows to dance freely and playing with one's peripheral vision.

Each of you are here of your own accord and for whatever reason, you find yourself outside the Apolis: Common Gallery - an art gallery found on East 3rd Street. In this part of town, though, it would seem that some of the stop signs have been 'decorated' with graffiti and non-sensical symbols or very stylish lettering that make sense to the 'artist'. Even the Apolis sign over the front door has been 'enhanced'. One of the biggest reasons why you may find yourself traveling in this direction is the sound of a car's horn constantly going off. The long, drawn out sound of a fully activated horn with no sign of stopping. And that's when you finally see it, an older beat up 2016 Honda Civic has plowed into the front end of a 2020 black Lexus. Oddly enough, the Lexus is parked - just outside the Apolis: Common Gallery.

The driver side door to the Honda Civic is open, though there's currently no driver inside. Though, there is a blood trail circling around the Civic so that whoever or whatever could get to the front of the Lexus and actually write in blood the word 'Fraud' on the hood of the Lexus. Further observation would show that blood trail going to the back of the Lexus, smudged hand prints can be found on the trunk of the car. Though, the trunk is firmly in place. Inside the driver's side of the Lexus, there's a driver with her head down on the steering column of the Lexus. The airbag has been deployed and since deflated.

Oh.

So that's what that was. The buzzing symbol in the back of the TV ad. The nudge of the graffiti. The revelations of the Tarot deck. All of it moving Esther toward this street, at this time. Sometimes, there were certain advantages to... Well, to everything.

In her pink heels and pale, pink jeans, Esther makes her way across the street. Eyes out, looking around for signs that whoever triggered this struggle might still be around. But first toward that driver. That driver who may or may not be able to help themselves.

Having seen a preliminary news report or overheard one of his many governmental contacts speaking of it, William Leos arrives in a lone black Cadillac Escalade that slowly approaches the scene. After the door is opened for him by a private suited security agent, he winces intermittently; in sync with the blasting car horn that simply will not cease. The agent would quickly return to the car, no doubt a prior order given by the young (vampirically speaking) Lord.

This isn't his first rodeo. Others will have heard the call, and they'll arrive -- so when the Escalade speeds off, he sticks his hands in his pocket to wait for them.

When Esther arrives, he maneuvers towards the Malkavian. "What'd you do this time?" Playfully, he asks this -- not seriously believing her to have anything to do with it, whatsoever.

As Esther looks around for the missing driver, she notices that there is a faint trail of blood making its way up 3rd Street - heading towards Traction Avenue. (This would be 'north' of the accident)

Oh hey, it's another black Cadillac Escalade, also pulling up to the curb! Except it's a known entity who opens the door for Karner -- a brick shithouse of a dude named Salvo, currently dressed in a black suit and tie with white shirt. Vass and Ava, Karner's other people, get out of the car as well, and finally Karner himself, dressed in a knee-length navy suede coat. A honeycomb pattern of repeating hexagons has been precision cut out of the coat, leaving only the lapels, cuffs, and other such details intact. Underneath the coat, he wears a sky blue shirt with a white contrast collar, a navy blue tie, and navy blue trousers. The lenses in his sunglasses shade from sky to navy blue. Polished black boots complete the look.

Followed by the three rather intimidating vampires (all of them in some black suit variety, except Ava has a pencil skirt and heels on), Karner grins at Esther and Will when he spots them by the gallery. "Yes, Esther. What /did/ you do this time?"

From Esther's purse comes a little pink day planner. The cover made of a plastic sort of faux-leather. Pink jelly pen stored in the slip down the spine. A few pages flipped- each one of them crowded with text- to something with the day's date on it. The car's information quickly scrawled down, plate number and all. As she reaches in, gingerly, checking for signs of life while the other two assemble. It was nice when the timing worked out.

"I'm a head turner," she answers the two men, nonchalant. She was quick witted. "But someone took off from here- look," the clicky end of her pen goes toward the trail of blood wandering north. "I'm guessing... An ex?"

The Tremere don't traditionally have domain within the Arts district. But they do a lot of work with the Sheriff's office. Their contacts have a standing order to pass anything that might be of particular interest over. Well. Word travels quick, and Artemis is soon to arrive on their Motorcycle, a fairly anonymous Suzuki. Their arrival is comparatively quiet, engine a dull hum as they pull up.

Black visor takes in the scene, playing over the other kindred that are already present and there's a quiet snort as they kick down the stand and dismount, slowly approaching. "Clearly I'm missing something." they note, drily as they do. "Evening, lady, gentlemen." they nod to each. Their gait is measured and careful. Always careful to be turned away from the doorway of the Apolis. Their helmet remains on for the moment, though their visor is raised, revealing the Tremere. <English>

Will is in a pinstriped black suit with dark gray shirt, midnight blue tie, and glossed oxfords. When he hears Karner's voice and sees a similar Escalade, how professional he dresses, and that he's accompanied by a security entorage, he simply shakes his head. "Primogen, we'll have to talk about your sire, sooner rather than later," The joke is he doesn't believe Karner is a Malkavian, but some kind of switched-at-birth Ventrue. Seriousness subsides, a broad grin flashes towards the man.

"Deputy Hells Angel," Will jokes with Artemis, smiling at them. "Good evening."

"Well done, Nancy Drew," Karner tells Esther drolly. He nods at Artemis as well. "Deputy Whitlocke, good evening. Are you here to investigate the scene?" Karner seems like what he probably is: a rubbernecker. A looky-loo. Curiosity killed the so-and-so. And Will gets one of those distinctive cackles out of him; he claps the actual Ventrue on the shoulder. "Oh, Will. You flatter me, really you do. I just traded a Boon for this vehicle, actually." Karner nods at the armored Escalade parked nearby. "I'm not sure if that makes me any more or less Ventrue, truth be told."

When Esther goes to reach inside the Lexus, trying to find the pulse of the driver that's "resting" on the air bag, the body suddenly jerks to a sitting position! Perhaps it's rigor mortis kicking in! But no, the airbag saved her life. She's startled, definitely not expecting whatever happened. It should be noted that she didn't even have her seat belt clicked yet, so she must have just closed the driver's side door. She lets out that startled yelp as she tries to get her bearings. She recoils away from Esther, not knowing exactly who she is or why she's here. Yea, her bell has been rung.

For a description of the driver, it appears to be a woman in her mid-thirties with that glorious Karen hair do. The kind of hairdo that suggests she thinks she's important, and has the right to speak with any and all managers regardless of the time or day. Her clothing, however, looks as if she's a bit more casual than she normally would be? Given the expense of the car, definitely 'slumming' it. And perhaps the accident made her "pass gas", but there's a horrid stench about her as well.

Artemis snorts at Will, raising their hand in greeting. "Evening, Will." there's a faint sound of Amusement. They shake their head. "I'd say good evening, but, well." they look over to the cars. ".... yeah." there's a faint sigh.

"Primogen Blue." they nod politely to the man. "I have an interest." they chuckle. "Though, admittedly, it's purely my own, rather than the Sheriff's." they shrug their shoulders. "Call me a nosy parker, but while we can't investigate every mortal crime.... the unusual garners an initerest from me, even beyond my duties." the smiile is apparent in their tone.

There's an almost startled jerk as the 'corpse' rears to life, fingers twitching to a combination that anyone who has seen a tremere work would likely recognise as a mudra for their abilities..... but they master themself with a grumble. "Fucking...." they chuckle. "Jump scares." they click their tongue. "Careful, with her." they note, to Esther, offering the woman an apologetic look for apparently ordering. "Just... neck injuries are nasty, even with Airbags." Introductions would have to wait, just for the moment. <English>

One of the advantages of a lifetime spent within the cheapest of the cheap horror movies? Esther doesn't jump when the body jerks to life. Even a bit of blood doesn't seem to put her off. Though that smell? Esther's nose wrinkles, "Umm... Are you ok?" she asks, speaking loud and slow.

The others would have to wait for a moment. Until something had been answered. But the biker was from the Sheriff? Good to know. Esther didn't really wait for the woman's response, though. Her hand went down. Reaching toward the painted 'FRAUD'.

Her eyes closed. Tuning out the voices around her. Listening to that one little one inside her- the one that hated her most and was wisest for it.

Karner is able to peer at the driver's aura and determine that she's mortal.

When Esther touches the blood upon the hood of the car, a vision of a man starts to coalesce into her mind. A young Hispanic male. Stylish hair, or should be - but looks a bit unkempt now. There's a tattoo sleeve upon his arm (unfortunately, she don't get THAT much detail as to get a description of the sleeve). A ghostly voice whispers his name: Diego Garcia. The blood is relatively 'fresh' - maybe missed him by 15 minutes.

"We need to call 911,"

William's phone is already in his hand. When the woman makes a motion -- and the signs of beginning to push the numbers in, before he turns to the Tremere. "..let's make sure this isn't anything .. breachy .. but then we need to call an ambulance, this woman will need medical care." The statement speaks for itself: he doesn't want to cause a breach, but, if it's normal -- even remotely so -- she'll need medical attention, and quickly, to be without pain.

Karner frowns, drawing a little nearer for a moment, like he's looking for something. And it's something he doesn't find, apparently. He turns to stare at Esther next -- though his sunglasses block his eyes, he might have a sense of what she's doing. Then he steps back with his three people, as though to observe Esther, Will, and Artemis all taking action.

The driver is stunned by all this attention outside her car. She starts fumbling for keys (even though this car only has the key fob required to start the engine, keyless ignition). She stammers "I... I... I need to go." She's clearly out of it. She tries to start the engine to her car, but it's pretty severely damaged. Not that she could go anyway, that Honda Civic is blocking a forward escape. Maybe if the car got put into reverse, but it's clear that she's not thinking clearly.

Artemis grunts, a faint nod being offered to Will. "I appreciate being circumspect. I don't suppose anyone has any Medical training?" they raise a brow. "Another apparently glaring hole in my repertoire. The fuck is Violet when you need her." their gaze turns to will. "We're as quick as we can, and then we get her where she needs to go." they look move over to the car. "She's... moving, at least, so it's unlikely to be a neck injury. There's a small frown as she reaches for her keys. "That would be a bad idea, ma'am." they note, tone gentle.". "

They look to Will and Karner. "If one of you could... calm her down? She's had a shock, and my bedside manner is not..." they chuckle. "Well. I'm a bit more aburpt than I would generally hope. Get her out of the Car, maybe?" a glance is thrown towards the Apolis, and they hum quietly. "There'll likely be security footage, in there." they note, nodding in the direction of the Gallery, and the Camera facing towards the parking space. <English>

For game purposes, once Artemis points out the security camera that's set just inside the gallery, it can be seen by all. The positioning of the camera looks as if it's been set up to capture activity just outside the front door of the gallery.

Esther's hand draws away. Her lips press together into a bright pink frown. She looks back toward Karner, nodding quickly. "Will, can you get her to like... Be still?" she asks, stepping back quickly as the woman fumbles and struggles to get away. She doesn't want to get hit be a Lexus tonight.

"Maybe we should, um... Does anyone else smell that?" she asks, hand rising up in front of her face. A slow gag curling her body in. She steps away, looking toward the trail of blood that leads north.

"I have medical training," Will acknowledges, "..I'm no doctor but I can try to help."

Steel blue eyes look towards the driver, attempting to make and maintain eye contact. Once that happens, "Excuse me, Miss," He smiles brightly at her, in an encouraging, wordless tone -- saying it's going to be 'okay'.

"I'm going to need you to remain calm and step out of the vehicle."

The words are said as part of a sentence -- not that there are any observers, -but- if there are, they would think he's a trained professional. He backs away, letting her succumb to the command -- and, if he can, he'd start assessing her medical condition, otherwise known as the 'triage' process.

As Karner delves into her mind to get an idea of what happened... she had just parked her car with the intent of going into the gallery. She was successful in recovering some of the art that the idiot Diego was just going to throw away! An impressive up and coming artist, throwing away his work... Damn <insert racially derogatory slur towards Hispanics>. Oh No! A vision of a Honda Civic crossing center line with every intent to ram directly into her car. Memory fades to black.'.

Her memory probably would reveal that this Hispanic man came from a poor upbringing. At first, she was going to turn him away but then he had a knack for art. It's one of those things where his perspective REALLY came to life on the canvas. It's because of him that she started to get 'noticed', or at least there was more business coming to Apolis: Common Gallery. But in the last few weeks, he stopped coming around. It's when she went to go check on him that she found paintings that have been haphazardly ripped out of canvas frames tossed in a dumpster. She was annoyed that they were thrown away, even more so that she had to change into clothes she could burn after dumpster diving.

Karner takes one step closer, after Will works his blue steel magic on the woman with the Karen haircut. One hand remains on his chin, stroking it, while the other cradles his elbow. He may be looking intently at the woman as Will presumably calms her down. "Looking at the footage won't be necessary," he tells the others, just like he's talking about the slightly damp weather tonight, or who tailored his distinctive honeycomb patterned coat. "I know what occurred here." He swivels on his heel to face the other three. "This woman had just parked her car with the intent of going into the gallery. She was successful in recovering some of the art that some "idiot" named Diego was going to throw away...some up and coming artist she considered impressive, although I'll be the judge of /that/." Because when he's not being a wannabe Ventrue, he's a wannabe Toreador. "This Diego came from a poor upbringing, but because of the authenticity he brought to his work, more business came to the gallery." Karner cranes his neck to look at the building again. "I get the sense that this place must be hers. Anyway, for the last few weeks, Diego stopped coming around. It's when she went to go check on him that she found paintings that have been haphazardly ripped out of canvas frames tossed in a dumpster. She was annoyed that they were thrown away, even more so that she had to change into clothes she could burn after dumpster diving." He glances at the others again, amused. "I assume she had the intention of hanging them again. Well, she didn't get the chance, because after she parked, a Honda Civic crossed the center line with every intent to ram directly into her car. After that, her memory fades to black. End Scene."

The 'Karen' driver does respond rathe well to Will's request. Still visibly or physically shaken, the woman agrees to his request and slides out of the car. She still needs a little assistance in standing as the world has not quite yet stopped spinning for her. Whoever is close will be used as a crutch. There's no asking, by the way. She expects that someone will be there to aid her. When she hears Karner explain what's going on, Karen immediately goes into a defensive state of mind, "I could not let Diego throw away his work. If the ..." She catches herself, "... if he wants to throw away his career, fine. But the work he done, I could not let it be tossed out with yesterday's trash. It was too brilliant."

Artemis nods in agreement with Esther, looking towards Will. "If you could?" they raise a brow, smiling as he moves in. "Thank you." they are moved forward, ready to intervene in case she's unsteady.

They glance over at Karner, expression focused on him. "Is that so?" they raise an interested Eyebrow at him, looking towards the car. And did she get a look at whoever it was that ploughed into her?" they question with a raised brow. "OR are we assuming it was Diego, for the theft of what he was already throwing out?" they shake their head. "Seems an awful waste, either way." they sigh.

They hum as they're used as a crutch, expression contemplative. "And when did you pick up the Works?" they look to her. "What sort of timie frame are we working with here." <English>

"Diego was driving. He's Hispanic, sleeve tattoo on his right arm," Esther says, still frowning, "And he went north." Pointing, with the long manicure on her little finger, to the trail of blood that moves off in that direction.

"Why would an artist want his works thrown away and not displayed?" she asks, aloud. Though a simple look at the situation has a suggestion- Diego was not particularly well. Still... "Karner, I need to borrow some of your goons." And she's already headed to follow the trail. Heels clicking on the concrete as she goes.

The GM taking some creative fiat to answer Artemis' question. Given that the driver is dressed in 'slummy' clothes and that distinct odor. Maybe she didn't poop her pants. Maybe that smell is because she spent the last 15-20 minutes rummaging around in a big ol' dumpster bin.

"Remind me never try to come around you with a secret."

Will says to the Malkavian Primogen, pretty amazed how he got all that from .. well, however he got all that. A clear look of being incredibly impressed is given to the man, though nothing more is said on the matter. Those same steel blue eyes scan the lady for medicial ailments, and doesn't rush to get his phone; because there's still some unanswered questions.

"She has no injuries, besides a potential concusion which EMS will need to look at; but it beggars the question: where did the blood come from?" The young Lord questions, aloud, studying her for any response -- if one isn't forth-coming, more Dominate hijinks.

And as Esther points out the trail of blood. It's not a steady trail of blood, like around the car. It's as if the drops of blood have some distance between drops. Noticeable drops, mind you.

"That may be wise, Will," Karner says to the Ventrue with a grin. Glancing from Artemis to Esther as she heads off, he seems to have no intention of sending his 'goons' with her. Seeming to trust that Artemis or Will might stay with the lady, Karner and his three bodyguards follow the blood as well. So apparently Esther can have the 'goons'...but only if there's a Karner with them, too.

The driver clearly has no idea what Will is talking about when it comes to blood. It's not until it's made mention that she even realizes there's blood. Her eyes widen at the sight of blood on the hood of the car, and then the pool that collects around the back of the car as well the blood smudges found on the trunk. She clings onto whoever is holding her up when the blood is seen. Obviously, this fact of the matter is new to her.

Artemis snorts a quiet chuckle, shaking their head and muttering something under their breath, though their tone seems more amused than anything. They regard Esther and shrugs. "He might not have liked them. Not have thought them worthy of display.... any number of things. Creation can become an intensely personal thing, and when it doesn't measure up to a standard that we have set, even if that standard is even still excellent." they sigh. "Such a waste."

Their attention turns to Will and they snort. "The same can be said for a lot of us." they note, but shake their head. "Either way." they listen, and there's a faint sigh of appreciation. "At least there's that." they murmur, quietly. "I imagine the Blood is Diego's. Probably from the crash." they grunt, quietly. "The paintings. I'm assuming they were in the Trunk and he took them with him."

They gently lower the woman to the curb, easing her down into a seated position. They turn their atttention to Will. "I think that call can be made, no.... though perhaps it might behoove us to.... muddy our own involvement?" they raise a brow in Will's direction. <English>

As Esther follows the trail of blood, it leads her to outside a brewery... Angel City Brewery. From there, the trail of blood stops. Can't tell if he went in, or what happens. The trail ends at the brewery.

Angel City Brewery. Esther stops just outside. Pink purse at her side. Frown bunching her lips up at the corner of her mouth. "We're out of breadcrumbs," she complains, looking up at the looming old warehouse. "But if he went inside... Well, someone should have seen him?"

Esther looks around, "We need Will to catch up." It's declared, even as she's pushing into the door.

The doors to Angel City Brewery are locked at this time of night. Not that their hours are like that of a night club. But there's no blood on the door handle. And there are no lights on in the brewery.

Will isn't going inside that warehouse, he's needed outside.

"Miss, I'm going to ask you to please show me your identification," Will asks in a polite and official tone -- regal and polished, one would assume he's part of some government agency. He's done this before. Assuming that the ID is produced, he'll take out his own phone and take a picture of it; he'll also confirm that this is her current address and that she lives here currently. Once done, he keeps his phone out and smiles, staring into her eyes.

"For the good of national security and the fight against terrorism, you are not to say anything about the people who helped you tonight."

He smiles at Artemis; "Not as good as a wipe, but I left my brain neuralizer in my other slacks," That must mean he doesn't have the ability. "..but I know someone who has, so I'll let him deal with it at his convenience." He tilts his phone a few times, "..if there's nothing else, I'll call the ambulance for her concussion now? It really needs to be looked at ASAP," The humanity and care for this random stranger is evident in every fiber of his being as he speaks; it's no lie, he genuinely cares.

"What do we need Will for, darling?" Karner meets up with Esther outside the Brewery, his three people in close step. "Not that he isn't delightful company, but is there something you have in mind?" He is, apparently, helping her right now. Esther should not get used to this feeling of leading with Karner Blue following too often. She should revel in this temporary situation.

When Will 'requests' that she show identification, you learn that the driver's name is Karen Wilson. Not that it would be required, you do discover that she's indeed the curator of Apolis: Community Center. But this is not her home. Given her car's worth? Definitely not from THIS part of town. She's from a better part of town, definitely. But the cost of building ownership probably puts her here - and it's the Arts District, so location, location, location! She nods her head to Will's second command about not saying anything about whoever these people are.

Finally, she does decide that she needs to go and open up her trunk to see if the paintings are still there. And lo and behold, they are! The fact that the trunk was locked made it difficult for the bloody Diego (or we're assuming it's his blood) to open the trunk. While some of the salvaged pieces of art are of some Hispanic girl dressed in slinky outfits and suggestive poses - and really, it feels like she is RIGHT THERE. If the canvas was 3D, she could literally be there looking at you with that same come hither look. But the master piece. The one that really sets apart everything else is:

The dark dreary colors dominate the alleyway. A fire escape in the upper right hand corner of the painting blocks the view of the Hollywood lights, giving the impression that the viewer is in a cage or imprisoned in the downtrodded urban area. There is a 'bright spot' to the painting, centered upon the canvas. Graffiti done with spectacular and eye catching colors, hinting at growth and perhaps some relief from the dreariness of the slums. Unfortunately, there are two dumpster bins blocking the complete view of the graffiti artwork. One of those dumpster bins is overflowing with trash, refuge, and other garbage. Upon closer examination of the garbage, there is a non-description person sleeping or passed out on some of the garbage, as if that is the maximum comfort that they will ever find. The sleeping individual still clings to an empty bottle of alcohol, and has their back to the colorful artwork.

Artemis grumbles quietly to themself. "I really need to get a drone or something. Would make a lot of this stuff far easier than it would otherwise be." they sigh, shaking their head.

They offer will a relived smile. "Thanks. And yes. Send that on to me, if you would? I'd like to keep an eye on things... electronically over the next little while. Just to be on the safe side." they shake their head. "Something about this isn't sitting right with me, even still." they sigh. They nod to him again, and laugh. "It'll do. Yes. Thank you." there's a nod of their helmet. "Make the call. Get them here. Sooner she's seen to the better. We've delayed it enough already."

At the reveal of the paintings, their own phone comes out, photo's being taken of each in turn, a faint hum issuing. "Gonna need to dig on this Diego chap as well." they grunt. "Should have asked Karner if his brain wooj happened to catch an address for him." they grunt. "Ugh. Hindsightt. Always 20/20." <English>

Will looks at the art -- but in truth, that's not where his concern is. He immediately calls 911 and relays the situation, hoping they'll be fast; this isn't the hood, so there should be one around some corner. After, the young Lord sends the .JPG file to Artemis as he's bid -- because he never fucks with the Tremere. Not once. That's how you get fireball'ed or some shit, he thinks internally, so he just does what he's told.

Karner and squad make their way back to the car. When it appears the paintings are being looked at, he comes over right away to take a gander, presuming they're still out. "Well, well. I suppose this Diego fellow did have some talent, after all." He glances at the others. "We've yet to find him. Esther decided to wander off and look on her own."

As people are looking at the paintings, Karen explains, "Look at the subtle nuances of this painting. The bold colors that draw your eyes to this impressive art, but it's so hard to see because of the clutter. The trash bins, the garbage, the poor unfortunate souls..." She then gestures to the corner, "And the glitz and glamor of Hollywood can be seen but behind a cage, like he can't get out of where he is." She sighs, "He had so much potential." She shakes her head, "I don't know what happened. When he first came to the gallery? His art was garbage. That was about six to seven months ago. Then suddenly? It's like... he got better. In a hurry." She sits herself down on the curb, "And now he wants to throw it away?"

Artemis nods in appreciation as the file arrives on their phone. "Thanks. Will make keeping an eye on things much easier." they click their tongue. They glance up at Karner, humming faintly. "Yeah.... no kidding." they sigh. "I'm.... amazed that he wanted to toss them, to be honest with you, but there's no accounting for the whims of the Artist." they pause lightly, looking over it. They cast a glance back over their bike. "Hmmm."

They pause, and their gaze slowly turns back to Karen. "... is that /so/?" they murmur. Of course, it wasn't beyond the realms of belief that a kine could get better.... but that much progress in such a short time, and acknowledged by an Art critic, no less. "His address, if you please?" they cast a glance over the other two. "Maybe not tonight, but I at least will be taking a further look into this." <English>

As Karen speaks, William Leos looks at the art. Then he looks at Karner. Then he looks at the art. Then he looks at Karner.

"If you can't see some parallels there, man," He looks at the art, "..it's you. Or it was you, when you were under house arrest. You were in a cage, man. Now you're a .." He smiles at the Malkavian Primogen, "..lord."

As Karner touches the painting, his senses actually take him INSIDE the painting. He is there. He knows exactly where this painting was taken. The building with the graffiti is NOT an apartment complex, though. An abandoned warehouse. He's unsure of whether or not the graffiti truly exists, or if it exists for the purpose of this painting. As he looks at the body, sleeping on the trash - he feels a 'connection' (or perhaps the artist feels that connection) to the drunken slob. The bottle also seems to carry it's own weight - like some form of addiction. A personal addiction. Unclear of whether or not that addiction belongs to the artist or to the guy passed out. But there's definitely a sense of being trapped. When Diego does his paintings, he has to 'free' his mind as it were. He takes drugs to get himself into the proper mindset to paint something this marvelous. It's as if the paint strokes come from being high, and it's that hedonistic feel that allows him to tap into that energy. Something he never knew possible before meeting 'her' at this exact location.

Karner points at the painting, although he thankfully doesn't touch it. "I know where this location is, actually. He truly did it justice." He gives Artemis a thoughtful look, and then returns his attention to the painting. This time, he /does/ touch it, pressing his hand to the canvas, and he goes deathly still for a moment. Like the life that animates him as a vampire has entirely left him, if for a moment. When he opens his eyes again, he grins at Will. "Well, my cage was a good deal more luxurious than this one, Will." After another moment, Karner begins to speak again. "Yes, I was right about where this was painted...mm." His eyebrows raise and he smirks faintly. "Our Diego needs a little help to paint this beautifully, it turns out. Chemical help. And someone he met here...helped him to understand." Karner's lips purse. "If I didn't know better, I'd say this sounds a little like..." He glances towards Karen, then lowers his voice and stage whispers. "...vitae addiction."

Oh, don't worry about Karen at this point. The ordeal is enough to take her out of it. Not to mention, she's suffering from a concussion. And well, Will told her to forget this ever happened. Or something. Yea, she's just sitting down and trying to catch her breath. And eventually, the paramedics will get here. Now, this might be the Arts District. But this is World of Darkness - they get here when they get here.

Artemis raises a brow at Karner, expression interested. "Now, isn't that interesting." they laugh quietly. "That's good to know. Very good to know." they pause for a moment, a slight incline of the head. ".... Vee?" the words are quiet, though there's no doubting the interest in their tone. "Or... straight up Vitae? If you can say." they shake their head. "But... I was thinking similar, I'll admit. Too much. Too quickly." they shake their head. <English>

Will is very heavy on the usage of Dominate tonight.

He smiles, dropping to one knee before the woman as she's sitting down. "If you're in pain and tired," He tells her, making eye-contact, "..go to sleep. You're safe here." The last three words are but a whisper -- and his hands would reach out to catch her, if she were just to fall and drop, so she doesn't hit the ground hard.

Such a soft-hearted kindred, this one.

"Our little artist takes drugs of /some/ sort, and they're related to a woman -- so perhaps it /is/ Vee, and perhaps this woman is giving it to him. Alternately, you know, /she/ is the drug. But one's mind goes to Vee, darling, I agree." Karner nods to Artemis. "With a little more probing, we may be able to understand more. It would help if we could /find/ this Diego fellow." He glances over as Will continues to use his Blue Blood gift on Karen and flashes a sudden, toothy grin.

Nighty night, Karen. It's been a long day for the dumpster diver.

Artemis hums, returning to their cycle for a second, flipping up the storage compartment and rooting around for a moment. "Ah!" they return to the vehicle, a small glass vial now in one hand. A small flick knife is retrieved from their boot, and they lean over the bonnet, scraping some of the blood into the vial. They hold it up to the nearby lights, and hum faintly. "Not as much as I might hope, but this I can work with." they laugh quietly. "I do love when they make it easy." there's a small smile, and the vial is stoppered and disappears into a pouch on their belt.

They nod to Karner. "What is it they say about great minds?" they chuckle. "But yes. WE are of a mind on this, as well." they pat the belt pouch. "I doubt we'll be able to track him down tonight, I'll need a bit of prep time." they nod to the image. "I suspect she's our lead. If I send you her image, can you start seeing what you can find on her?" they raise a brow in his direction. <English>

After the sleeping body of Karen is gently lowered to the sidewalk, Will rises to full height. "Unfortunately, I've no investigative skill. I don't know how much use to you I'll be in the future -- and if you need to kill, I.. I don't know if I could do that," William tells both Karner and Artemis. "..in fact, I do know: I can't." He looks to Karner as he says this, but makes no other motion.

"You may want to look into replacing me with someone. I recommend Judith. She seems to have a good head on her shoulders,"

Karner flashes Artemis that big grin next. "Great minds indeed, Deputy. Very clever. Yes, go ahead and do that, and I'll see what I can do. Do you have my contact information?" Then he glances over at Will with the same big grin. "Why replace you? The more the merrier." Yeah, Karner's not going to be the one to go and get Judith involved in all this.

He looks like he has every intention of taking the painting with him, incidentally. "I think we can take our leave for now. Unless you'd like to wait with the poor woman for the ambulance, Will?" Karner obviously has no intention of doing so.

"Yeah, I'll wait." Will says, not sitting -- it's a filthy sidewalk, but he'll stand around and wait for the ambulance to come by before he leaves, however long that takes.