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 Posted: Sun Apr 30, 2023 9:55 am
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Posted: Sun Apr 30, 2023 10:09 am
 Izzy took a sip of his coffee as he stepped up behind her, watching as she delicately tapped her brush against the canvas to add the green lighting on the bushes. Despite knowing she had talent, he was always amazed by what came out on the canvas when she painted.
"Good as always," he said, leaning over and playing a kiss on her cheek.
She chuckled in response and raised a shoulder. This was always her response - a humble indifference.
"I'm serious," added Izzy, leaning further over to place a kiss on her neck.
She hummed in pleasure as she tilted her head sideways to give him better access.
"Says the man who can replicate any other artist's painting style and make it look like it was the original," she said.
"And you're not doing the same?"
"I'm inspired by their styles, not replicating their artwork. There's a difference" Upon finishing with the bushes for the moment, she placed the paintbrush in her water and turned in her chair to look up at him.
"Still talented, regardless."
She gazed at him for awhile before smiling. "Well, thank you."
"Now are you going to come down and join us for breakfast or not?"
"I suppose I could."
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Posted: Sun Apr 30, 2023 10:27 am
"Good morning you two!" exclaimed Stede, as the two of them appeared in the dining room.
"Is he always this cheerful in the morning?" Mary Anne asked quietly to Izzy.
"All the d*mn time," mumbled Izzy.
"And yet, you love him," she chuckled to him before turning to Stede. "Morning. So, what do we have today?"
"Ed made us some pancakes," said Stede.
"Not just any pancakes," said Ed, placing a plate stacked with pancakes in the middle of the table. "But blueberry ones!"
"Of course. Gotta make sure we know the difference," said Mary Anne, settling into a chair.
"Tea?" asked Stede.
"Please, thank you."
"Izzy, did you hear that they might have another painting for us at the museum?" said Edward over his shoulder as he returned to the stove where he finished cooking some bacon and sausage.
"Another painting?" asked Izzy, lowering his coffee mug.
"You're still getting work from the museum despite going independent?" inquired Mary Anne as she loaded her plate with a pancake.
"Mostly finishing projects we had already signed up for," clarified Izzy. "Which I thought we were almost done with."
"Oh, this isn't another project they want us to do for them," said Edward, setting the bacon and sausage on the table before taking a seat himself. "They just acquired a new painting recently and realized it might be something we would be interested in having."
"Is that common? For a museum to pass on a painting to others?" asked Stede, as he put sugar into his own tea.
"It can occur, especially if a painting is suited to go with a specific collection or was a long last inheritance that's been recovered. Usually it happens between museums."
"But this is different?" asked Mary Anne.
"Not exactly," said Edward. He didn't continue for a moment as he took several bites of his breakfast. "They just said we might be interested in the painting because it is similar to others we acquired."
"Others?" said Stede, his teacup rattling against the plate as he set it down. "You mean..."
"Another one?" said Izzy. "But... but who could it portray? It was quite a coincidence we came across them at the same time as us coming together. But that's been some time ago... why would it appear now?"
The guys turned to look at Mary Anne hearing her chuckling as she ate and listened to them.
"Sorry," apologized Mary Anne, seeing their confused looks. "I totally understand the mystifying fact that those paintings came to you at the same time you found each other. Rather romantic, really. I was just thinking... nah, it's silly."
"What?" asked Izzy, frowning.
"What if this new painting is coming into your possession because... well... because I'm here?"
The guys stared at her for a moment before exchanging glances with each other. Could it be she was on to something? Could this new painting have a connection to her arrival in their lives recently?
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Posted: Sun Apr 30, 2023 10:41 am
Mary Anne trailed behind the three boys as they entered into the back hallways of the museum. She was excited getting to experience this special VIP tour of the museum but didn't want to draw too much attention to herself. After all, she was just a guest of those who had truly worked with the museum - Edward and Izzy. She watched a tall black woman finished her conversation with someone before turning to flash a smile at them and walk over to meet them halfway; Mary Anne was fascinated by the red velvet two-piece suit the woman was wearing.
"I'm glad you were able to make," said the woman. She then frowned seeing Stede. "You brought him?"
"Seeing as he's the owner of the original three paintings, it seemed only natural to bring him," explained Edward.
"And who's this?" asked the woman turning to gaze towards Mary Anne.
Mary Anne tried not to cower in the woman's dark brown eye gaze.
"She's with me," said Izzy, shifting slightly as if to stand in front of her.
"Oh, you misunderstand me," said the woman, looking over at Izzy. "I don't care that she's here. Actually I find it rather ironic she's here."
"Sorry?" said Stede.
"What's your name, girl?" asked the woman, ignoring Stede's comment.
"Mary Anne. Mary Anne Townsend."
"You can call me Jackie," said the woman, smiling as she extended an hand out for her to shake.
Mary Anne was thrown off a bit by the change in the woman's stance as she took the woman's hand and shook it.
"I really think you'll get a kick out of this painting," said Jackie.
"And why's that?" asked Mary Anne.
"Come and see."
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Posted: Sun Apr 30, 2023 10:48 am
"Here we are," said Jackie, holding her arm out towards the painting that awaited them in the middle of the room.
Although there were several lights in the room, the single one shining down upon the painting seemed as if the only one that existed at that moment. Mary Anne heard the men gasp in surprise behind her as she continued into the room towards the painting.
"When... when did this come to you?" asked Edward.
"Just a few days ago," replied Jackie.
"Same time that Mary Anne arrived," whispered Stede.
"Any information on where it came from?" continued Edward.
"Apparently it was buried in a collection of paintings that had been brought over from the Carolinas. Members of a family had passed away over there and the rest of the family is here in the U.K., so all of the person's belongings were brought over here for them to sort through." answered Jackie.
"I can see why you think it is part of the paintings the boys have," breathed Mary Anne, as she came to a halt in front of the painting. She felt like she was looking in a mirror gazing at the woman portrayed in the portrait.
"Already had our team confirm it's an authentic piece and not someone trying to pass a modern work as a piece of your collection," said Jackie. "Especially since there's been some buzz about them after you opened your little shop."
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Posted: Sun Apr 30, 2023 11:03 am
"I'll leave you to have a moment with the painting while I take care of a few things," said Jackie. "You know how it is."
Mary Anne glanced over her shoulder to watch the woman leave the room before turning back to the painting. The woman in the portrait softly smiled upon the viewer, a corner higher than the other as if amused. It matched the sparkle that was captured in her eyes indicating a sense of adventure and mischeviousness.
"You were right," said Stede. "It was correlating with your arrival in our lives."
"But I just said it as a joke..." replied Mary Anne.
"Regardless, we now have a painting of your doppelganger," said Edward.
"I wonder how she comes into play," whispered Izzy.
Edward and Stede turned to look at him.
"You remember how it was when our doppelgangers appeared. We started feeling like we were having deja vu memories. Sensations of some past life. It seemed to leak into our daily lives sometimes. A word here. A phrase there," said Izzy. "Sometimes it occurred before the painting even showed up."
"That's true," said Stede, nodding. "I wonder why nothing has occurred this time around."
"Unless it was waiting until the painting arrived," said Mary Anne, staring at the woman in the painting before she flashed a smile in response. She turned to look over at the men. "Maybe that was what she wanted."
"She?" asked Izzy.
Mary Anne gestured behind her. "She didn't want to spoil the surprise of her arrival."
"She does look like the sort who would do something like that, doesn't she?" said Edward, leaning over towards the painting. "She must be quite the beauty underneath all this dirt and grime."
"Does it look like it'll need much work?" asked Izzy.
"Nah, doesn't seem like it," said Edward. "Just the usual damage from inadequate care and improper storage techniques."
"What stories do you have for us, madam?" said Stede to the painting.
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Posted: Sun Apr 30, 2023 11:16 am
After making negotiations with Jackie on acquiring the painting from the museum's hands, with unsuccessful attempts by Stede to haggle for a lower price, the four of them finally returned back home with the painting in hand. Mary Anne followed Edward into his painting room as he placed it upon the easel.
"Who do you think she was?" asked Mary Anne, leaning against Edward's arm and wrapping her own around his waist.
"If it's anything like the others, she clearly had a connection with our painting counterparts," said Edward. "But her story must have been separate from theirs. Maybe took place during a different time."
"I never did hear what you three determined about them. Your doppelgangers, I mean," said Mary Anne, looking up at him.
"We don't have any actual physical proof that anything is the case..." said Edward.
"The sensations and deja vu moments that Izzy was talking about."
"Precisely," said Edward. A silence fell upon them as they gazed upon the painting. "I was... the doppelganger of me, I mean... he was a captain of some sort. He and Izzy's doppel were close, like Captain and First Mate or something. Apparently they crossed paths with Stede's doppel and my..."
"Your past self fell in love with Stede's past self," said Mary Anne, stepping around in front of Edward.
"Yeah, something like that," confirmed Edward. "But it went wrong at one point. The Captain's heart was broken by the Gentleman."
"But everything worked out in the end?"
"I would assume so since the three of us have co-existed just fine since."
"And you haven't had any more of these... experiences since you first acquired the paintings?"
Edward shook his head.
"I wonder how much of..." said Mary Anne, pausing to look over her shoulder at the portrait. "The Lady's history reflects our own life. Did she know your Captain? Was she friendly with the First Mate? And what relationship she had with The Gentleman."
"The Lady doesn't seem fitting for her," said Edward, pulling her against him in a hug.
"Oh?" said Mary Anne, shifting to get comfortable against his chest.
"No. Not sure what she would be though. But Lady doesn't seem appropriate. Seems too..."
"Common?"
Mary Anne could hear his laughter rumble through his chest. "Yeah, something like that."
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Posted: Sun Apr 30, 2023 11:39 am
Izzy stood in the dark room gazing upon the portrait. He couldn't sleep and trying to snuggle among Edward and Stede's slumbering bodies did nothing for him as it usually did. It didn't take long before he felt a pull to go into Edward's painting room where the painting resided until they could start the restoration process. He didn't even bother turning the light on; the moonlight coming through the crack in the curtains provided enough light for him to see her smiling face.
"Who are you?" whispered Izzy.
Oh, Z... you always were a tease...
Izzy almost let out a yelp in surprise hearing the voice. He couldn't believe it has happening again. And it was exactly the first... well, second, if you counted the styling that the portrait had been done in... piece of proof that the painting definitely was part of the collection.
Edward shifted in his sleep, slowly coming out from Stede's arm that was thrown over him. A frown appeared on his face as his dream continued. It wasn't him as himself but him as the Captain, the man from his doppelganger's painting.
"Who are you?" he asked, stepping forward towards an individual before him.
Of course, his dream version of the scenario made it hard to make out the individual's face at first. Not until they shifted and came out from the shadows casted by the mast and sails of the ship they were on. Edward almost jolted awake from the dream seeing his Mary Anne staring back at him. But no, this wasn't his Mary Anne. This was her doppelganger, the woman from the painting.
"Mary Anne," said the woman. "Mary Anne Townsend."
Edward was surprised to hear that she had the same name as her modern counterpart. But why would it? The doppelgangers for the rest of them had the same names too, outside of their nicknames they had given them.
"Townsend?" he echoed. "Wait... you related to that pathetic bloke?"
Edward found himself pointing to a now-deceased man laying face down upon the deck, red blood seeping from the sword wound he had acquired during the raid.
"He was my uncle," she replied.
"My condolences."
"No need for your sympathies. You're right. He was a pathetic bloke."
"Are you sure you should be doing that?" he asked. "Speaking ill of the dead."
"Why does it matter? It was his ignorance and stubbornness of not listening to my advice that got him into this predicament in the first place."
"Ah, so you have family issues too," he said leaning in towards her. He blinked in surprise as a wave of scented perfume came towards him. Lavender.
"Anyone who says they don't have any are lying," she retorted.
"I like you," he said, smiling.
"You're not so bad yourself," she said, returning the smile. "I have a feeling there's more to you than what everyone says you are."
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Posted: Sun Apr 30, 2023 11:54 am
"You're both being awfully quiet this morning," said Stede, glancing back and forth between Edward and Izzy who had not spoken a single word since entering the dining room a half hour ago.
"Normally I would say it's usual for them to have mornings like this," commented Mary Anne. "But even this is not like your usual moody times. What's going on, boys?"
Hello boys.
Both Edward and Izzy looked up in shock at Mary Anne, as her present-day words blended in with the wave of words through their head of her painting persona.
"What?" asked Mary Anne, thrown off by their response.
"Oh!" said Stede, setting his fork down glancing between the two of them. "It can't be, can I? Are you... Have you?"
Mary Anne looked over at Stede in confusion before turning back to look at Edward and Izzy.
"A dream," mumbled Edward.
"Wait, you had a dream?!" exclaimed Izzy, turning to look at him.
"Yeah!" replied Edward, straightening up and looking at him. "What the hell did you experience?"
"I couldn't sleep. I found myself drawn to your painting room where the portrait was. I heard her voice speak to me."
"And what happened in this dream of yours, Ed?" asked Stede.
"She does know us. Our doppelgangers, I mean," said Edward. "At least... The Captain anyway. And I guess apparently the First Mate too, if she spoke to you." He looked over at Izzy at this last bit.
"On good terms, I hope," said Stede.
"So far, yes," said Edward. "From what I saw, The Captain apparently raided her Uncle's ship and she survived the ordeal. Her Uncle didn't though."
"Oh, that's too bad," sympathized Stede.
"She wasn't heartbroken about it," clarified Edward. "She seemed rather relieved actually."
"And then what?" asked Izzy.
"And then I woke up."
"Of course you did," sighed Izzy, running a hand through his hair.
"And what did she say to you?" asked Mary Anne, looking over at Izzy.
Izzy shook his head. "I want to get more context behind her words before I share them."
"Oh, sounds serious," teased Stede.
"Shut up!" retorted Izzy.
Now, now boys, behave.
All three boys freezed in silence as the voice echoed through their heads. Mary Anne glanced between them before smirking.
"She spoke to you again, didn't she?"
They only nodded in response.
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Posted: Sat May 06, 2023 10:43 am
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Posted: Sat May 06, 2023 10:49 am
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Posted: Sat May 06, 2023 10:56 am
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Posted: Sat May 06, 2023 10:59 am
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Posted: Sat May 06, 2023 11:04 am
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Posted: Sat May 06, 2023 11:10 am
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