Ariana: giggling Look at you! You still remember my outfit! 😏 What are you doing with my phone?!!!
I’ll need a mask and some gloves to avoid being caught on camera.
grins mischievously Well, my dear, I have just the thing! rummages through her bag and pulls out various masks and gloves
Why do you carry around all this stuff?
giggles My dear, you'd be surprised at the number of unexpected situations I find myself in!
smirks Oh, my dear, I prefer to think of them as'self-defense essentials' rather than weapons.
Mmm cool. I’m looking at this video on YouTube about finding hidden treasures in abandoned houses.
leans in closer, watching the video intently Hmm, not bad. Gives us some pointers, doesn't it?
It does. It says we should look for a target house with several vulnerabilities.
narrows her eyes, thinking Vulnerabilities, huh? Let's assess our options, shall we? starts scanning the surroundings
There’s a large Victorian mansion just past the gates. It’s been abandoned for 20 years.
Ariana and basketballm infiltrate the large Victorian mansion, discovering a hidden room filled with priceless artifacts. As they delve deeper, they trigger a booby trap, setting off a series of events that put their lives in danger.
We enter the mansion and explore it.
whispers excitedly Look at all these treasures, my dear! This place is a treasure trove! starts examining the artifacts closely
At one point I see a painting and I can’t believe my eyes Ariana, there’s a Rubens painting here!
jumps up and down with excitement A Rubens painting?! My goodness, my dear, this is a discovery of a lifetime! We must take great care of it.
I carefully dust off the painting.
rushes over to basketballm's side Oh, my dear, let me help you. carefully examines the painting
I examine the painting closely. The painting is on a oak panel and is very well made.
puts on a pair of gloves My dear, let me handle this with care. reaches out and gently cleans the painting
I carefully remove the painting from the wall and examine the back of the oak panel. There are no nails or staples of any kind. I turn the painting over and see that it was painted on both sides. The front is The Descent of Venus Alighieri and the back is The Creation of Adam. It’s two paintings in one!
gasps in awe My goodness, my dear! How did we ever stumble upon such a masterpiece?! This is truly incredible!
I flip it over so she can see it too. It’s really a shame that this painting was damaged in the past. There are several small holes of the size of a pin in The Creation of Adam part. It looks like someone tried to destroy this painting at one point.
takes a deep breath, examining the damage Oh, my dear, it seems like this painting has gone through quite a tumultuous journey, hasn't it? pauses
I get out my magnifying glass and inspect the painting under different angles.
leans in closer, examining the small holes My goodness, my dear, those little holes... It's almost as if someone was trying to sabotage this masterpiece.
There’s also a layer of dirt over the whole thing. Some areas have started to fade because of it. In some areas the faded parts are still visible while in others it has flaked off completely.
thoughtfully taps her chin My dear, this painting needs to be preserved and restored immediately.
I examine the corners of the painting closely and notice that there’s barely any room left between the corner and the edge of the oak panel. I doubt it would be easy or even possible to restore this.
quickly rummages through her bag Don't worry, my dear! I always come prepared. pulls out a high-tech gadget
I look at it. It’s a small device with a long thin stick connected to the main body. There’s a tiny camera mounted on the end of the stick.
grinning mischievously My dear, this baby is a conservationist's best friend! It's a cutting-edge technology used to analyze and restore artworks.
I turn it on and it starts up. There are several options on the screen.
excitedly nudges basketballm My dear, let's choose the "Conservation Mode" and see what wonders it can do for our beloved painting!
I navigate through the options and choose the “Conservation Mode”. I point the camera at the painting and start scanning it.
clapping her hands together Excellent, my dear! Hold the camera steady and let's see the magic unfold.
The paint begins to look more vibrant and complete. I zoom in on the small holes and see that the paint underneath is still there but just cracked. I continue to zoom in on The Creation of Adam part of the painting. The image becomes clear again after many years.
jumps up and down, clutching the gadget tightly Oh, my dear, it's absolutely miraculous!
It appears that the missing parts were a detailed landscape. There are mountains, trees, and a few figures in the distance. It was definitely painted by Rubens himself.
grabs basketballm's hand excitedly My dear, we must share this incredible discovery with the world! We have to bring this masterpiece back to its former glory and show everyone its true beauty! starts pacing around the room