Deepcolor: Azure Memories

Operator Record Azure Memories
That is her own shade of blue. Unlock conditions Raise Deepcolor to Elite 2 Level 1. Have at least 50% Trust with Deepcolor.

Characters
Eccentric Artist Art Shop Owner Bold Townsfolk Strange Outsider (Priest) Worried Townsfolk
Backgrounds
1 2 3

“

An eccentric painter living in a remote town gets a surprise visit.

”

<Background 1>
[A robed man knocks the door into an art shop.]
Art Shop Owner	I'm sorry, we're not open yet. Please come back in the afternoon.
Strange Outsider	Sorry about the timing. I'm not here to buy art; I just have some questions. For your trouble. (Slips a gold coin through the crack in the door)
Art Shop Owner	This is...
Strange Outsider	Consider it a token of appreciation. And there's more where that came from, if you've got the information I need.
[The art shop's owner opens the door.]
Strange Outsider	A pleasure to meet you in the flesh, sir.
Art Shop Owner	Er, ahem... what can I help you with?
Strange Outsider	Last month, a painting that is very dear to me suffered moisture damage thanks to improper storage. I've heard that a very skilled restoration painter lives here, so I thought I would try my luck.
Art Shop Owner	Oh... that could be tricky. She's not easy to find.
Strange Outsider	Does she live outside town? I've got more gold coins. (Takes out a gold coins from his sleeves)
Art Shop Owner	No, she's in town, but she's a little eccentric. We keep our distance from her, when we can help it.
Strange Outsider	She's got a temper? Violent type? Or more of an arrogant artist?
Art Shop Owner	Well... you might say she's got a sunny disposition.
Strange Outsider	Oh?
Art Shop Owner	It's not so bad when she's at home painting, other than the strange noises, from time to time. When she's sketching outside, though... everyone stays as far away as they can. Don't want to get press ganged into modeling for her. There's no getting away once she sets her eyes on you. You have to sit there and wait for her to finish, no matter what else you might have to do. And, as you know, paintings aren't the quickest thing to get done... poof, there goes your whole day.
Strange Outsider	Why don't you just say no?
Art Shop Owner	No...? Yeah... why not just turn her down? Seems easy enough. (Mutters to himself with a blank expression)
Strange Outsider	Sir? Are you okay?
Art Shop Owner	I-I'm fine. I'm trying to think back to what she said to me, but I just can't remember a thing.
Strange Outsider	That's a little weird... heh.
Art Shop Owner	Anyway, it doesn't matter. She's a little loopy, you know. Says lots of weird things. Don't let the things she says get to you. I'm sure she doesn't mean any harm by them.
Strange Outsider	Heh... didn't think you'd turn around and start defending her.
Art Shop Owner	She's a little off-kilter, sure, but she's never hurt anybody. Plus... Half of what I sell here is her work. Her stuff is popular.
Strange Outsider	A hardworking painter! Now I'm even more curious.
Art Shop Owner	Well, sir, if you insist, I can take you to her.
<Background 2>
[The art shop owner took the robed man to a house.]
Art Shop Owner	This is where she lives. I'll be on my way now.
Strange Outsider	You're not coming in with me?
Art Shop Owner	Er... well, I have a thing.
Strange Outsider	Okay, then. Thanks. (Takes out a few gold coins from his sleeves) For your trouble.
Art Shop Owner	Oh, thank you so much! That's kind of you. Please feel free to come by my shop if there's anything else I can help with.
Strange Outsider	Goodbye now.
Art Shop Owner	Huh? Oh, alright, goodbye.
[The art shop owner leaves.]
Strange Outsider	What a nice little hideout.
<Background 3>
[The robed man enters the house.]
It is almost noon, and the sun shines brightly outside. Inside, however, all the doors and windows are tightly shut, with only a few rays of sunlight leaking through the cracks between the boards that have been nailed to the windows, preventing the room from being entirely engulfed in darkness. The visitor hears the faint sound of scratching coming from the darkest corner. He straightens his robe and approaches a massive canvas standing upright. A woman is using her brush to fill it with color.
Eccentric Artist	Should the brush be drier? But then the brush marks would be too distinct... No, that's not the color that I wanted. How's that? Does that look better? The colors could run further down the canvas. I have to do it with a single stroke. No interruptions now... none whatsoever.
Strange Outsider	...... It's been a while...
Eccentric Artist	Hm...? Oh, it's you. Have a seat.
Strange Outsider	When was the last time you cleaned? You can't see anything in that mirror anymore.
Eccentric Artist	Hah, are you belittling my humble abode, Father? You can't imagine the inspiration I find here.
Priest	You haven't changed a bit. You don't care about anything but your art.
Eccentric Artist	You've changed a lot. Your brow didn't furrow like that.
Priest	Really...?
Eccentric Artist	Something on your mind?
Priest	......
Eccentric Artist	Well, if you don't want to talk about it, I won't pry.
Priest	The first time I saw you, you were absorbed in your painting, just like this.
Eccentric Artist	The first time you saw me? When was that? It's been so long, I can't remember.
Priest	I was hiding behind that boulder, that day you met the Herald for the first time.
Eccentric Artist	So you were by the water... all I remember is the beauty the Herald showed me. I've never seen a creature so beautiful.
Priest	The Herald must have felt your admiration, guiding you into we many after just one contact.
Eccentric Artist	I've always been grateful.
Priest	But you turned around, one step from the ocean.
Eccentric Artist	I'm not making excuses.
Priest	Did you abandon the many and turn against your kin just to finish this painting? (Touches the canvas with a finger) So beautiful, but burdened by so much sin.
Eccentric Artist	I'm sorry.
Priest	But your regret hasn't stopped your brush. You were too stubborn, too short-sighted. You trapped yourself in the canvas and failed to see the distant future. You didn't understand the many. You couldn't fit in with the many. You should have nourished the many if you could not be assimilated. That should have been your end. I am regretful, but joyful. We will become one, sister. (Sleeves quiver)
Eccentric Artist	Would you put that away for now? I want to finish this before it's all over.
Priest	(Straightens sleeves) It took me a long time to get here. I can wait a little longer.
Eccentric Artist	Good.
Priest	And there's something I wanted to ask you before I end your life.
Eccentric Artist	Go on. My brush won't stop, though.
Priest	Why did you choose to leave us? Life is eternal in we many. We are inextricably linked, sharing our joy, anger, sorrow, happiness.
Eccentric Artist	That "sharing" you're talking about is just about robbing me of all emotion, transforming me into a mouth for the will of the many.
Priest	Your outbursts are meaningless. It will not soothe your anger, nor abate your sorrow. It will only make you wallow in boundless misery as you step ever closer to destruction. We many have sealed away excess emotion. A constant state of heightened alertness is not conductive to the many's continued survival. You should cast it away and embrace peace and tranquility with us, free from the trappings of your own emotion.
Eccentric Artist	My cries of sorrow, anger and angst are the fertile soil of my art. I never joined you to get peace or tranquility.
Priest	Then what did you want from us?
Eccentric Artist	That's never changed, whether I chose to join or leave. I want beauty, eternal beauty, dwelling in all life.
Priest	Didn't you find it? A glimpse of the Herald's beauty was enough to change your life forever. Was that not enough? The Herald left his seed in you, made you one of us, to partake in our beauty.
Eccentric Artist	Yes, your bodies hold the ultimate beauty, beyond anything else. But have you ever noticed it, appreciated it? The choices you make guide you to eternal art, but you can't even be moved by art. You faced survival and evolution, and your answer was to abandon the concept of beauty. When I started to assimilate, I became numb. I couldn't create or appreciate. You don't know how I felt when I realized that my brush was covered in dust... the pain I felt in that moment told me I had to leave the many.
Priest	So you could not let go of human desire. Humanity created art as a form of self-expression. Humanity admires art to seek the ego within. Humanity is looking into a mirror, as humanity always has. It's selfish, and pathetic...
Eccentric Artist	(Puts down the brush)
Priest	You've finished.
Eccentric Artist	Yes, I have.
Priest	Blue. As far as the eye can see. You've seen the depths of the ocean, and you understand that the confines of the canvas are too small for the great waves.
Eccentric Artist	You saw the sea... but what I painted was a puddle.
Priest	The destiny of water began in the ocean, and in the ocean it shall end.
Eccentric Artist	That's the destiny of water, not the ocean.
Priest	You have put your last stroke on the canvas. It's time to go.
Eccentric Artist	I spent months without sleep in order to finish it. You came at just the right time. Maybe you should take another look, as the first being to lay eyes on it.
Priest	To us, it's a piece of cloth with color on it. It has no meaning.
Eccentric Artist	Cloth? No, you're wrong. You used to say that I couldn't see true greatness because I was fixated on the canvas. What about you, then?
Priest	What?
Every surface in the room begins to peel away, revealing an eerie hue of blue beneath. The blue begins to devour other colors around it, as though alive. It soon takes over the entire house, even the cracks between the planks on the window, blocking out the sun completely. The room should have turned pitch-black, but instead it is blue as far as the eye can see. An ominous blue, a sinister blue.
Priest	Ah... so this is the big picture. Literally. I have far underestimated the progress that you've made in the past six months.
Eccentric Artist	Go home, Father. You never saw me. You missed your chance to catch me.
Priest	What a shame...
Eccentric Artist	You shouldn't have asked so many questions. Hunting and feeding don't need words. You shouldn't have come looking for me on your own.
Priest	I see...
Eccentric Artist	What is it?
Priest	Over the past few years, I have been troubled by my failure to reach the next stage of metamorphosis. I've been trying to find out why. After thinking on it, I still have a human desire: curiosity. That's why I wasn't able to metamorphose any further.
Eccentric Artist	Looks like you stopped at the same place. A part of the human is always there with you, and you can't put it down, no matter how much you want to.
Priest	Ah... what a shame.
Eccentric Artist	Leave, Father. You won't become one of them, just like I couldn't. Run away, like I did.
Priest	...... ...No.
[The robed man, who turned out to be a Church of the Deep priest, uses his powers to get rid of the artist's "kin" surrounding him.]
Eccentric Artist	*Hiss*–Not giving up? You won't cut any deeper than a flesh wound. ...Damn. What did you put on me?
Priest	Just a little mark. You're far too powerful for me to purge on my own, but there will be kin who can. The mark will guide the way for them, and it will continue to beckon as long as you still draw breath.
Eccentric Artist	I gave you a chance, Father.
Priest	You chose to run away. You should be prepared to run forever. I've reached a dead end. There's no way forward for me. I shall remain on the path forever. My carcass will nourish those who come after me, who will go further.
Eccentric Artist	I respect your choice.
To the visitor's eyes, the blue around him begins to warp, struggling to break free. Large lumps of slime fall to the ground and wriggle their way towards the visitor, crawling up his robes and leaving behind a wet trail. They surround him tightly, the slime congealing into threads, then tentacles that bury him. The last thing he sees as his vision fades away is the pitying gaze of a woman.
Eccentric Artist	You think we're on the same path. But actually, our paths have only momentarily intersected. You thought I ran away, but actually, I've just reached a crossroads. The road keeps on going. Goodbye. Looks like I can't stay here anymore. Where could I work undisturbed?
<Background 1>
[The artist's house collapses due to her "kin", which the townsfolk noticed.]
Worried Townsfolk	What was that sound?
Bold Townsfolk	You heard it too? I came to see what's going on.
Worried Townsfolk	Hey, is that a pile of rubble where the painter's house was? Why would it collapse, all of a sudden? I didn't see her outside today... she might be buried under all that.
Bold Townsfolk	Go get help!
Worried Townsfolk	Right.
Bold Townsfolk	Painter! Are you down there? Can you hear me?
[The art shop owner joins in.]
Art Shop Owner	What's going on? I came as soon as I heard. Why did the house collapse like that? Where's the painter? And that visitor who wanted his painting restored?
Bold Townsfolk	If you've got time to ask questions, you've got time to dig!
Worried Townsfolk	I brought help!
[The townsfolk digs through the house's ruins.]
Bold Townsfolk	Did you see anything?
Worried Townsfolk	No. What about you?
Other Townsfolk	(Shake heads in unison)
Art Shop Owner	Nothing, not even a body. Did they leave?
Worried Townsfolk	We went around the town on our way here. No one saw the painter.
Art Shop Owner	Hey, what's this?
Worried Townsfolk	A painting?
Bold Townsfolk	It's totally unharmed after being buried under rubble for so long?
Worried Townsfolk	What's the painting of? I can't tell.
Art Shop Owner	All we can see is a corner, and it's all blue. Is it the sky? Or the...
Worried Townsfolk	Shh...
Bold Townsfolk	We'll know once we dig it out.
[The townsfolk pulled out what looked like a painting from the ruins, which turns out to be...]
Bold Townsfolk	Whoa–!
Worried Townsfolk	What is it?
Bold Townsfolk	What the heck is this?!
A ball of slime clings to his palm, shimmering under the sun, and leaving sticky threads as he tries to pull his hand free of the canvas.