deepcl

Tick, tock...

Brush, draw...

Tick, tock...

Hello! You've got a package!

Please leave it at the door, thank you.

No problem!

And now I've forgotten what I was going to draw...

*Sigh*...

Never mind. I'll think about it later.

I should see what's in this package.

A painting?

But I make paintings, not buy them. Who is it from?

Strange. There's no sender <i>or</i> recipient.

Deepcolor knows, however, that it is meant for her.

Everything about it is familiar, from the colors to the texture.

Thank you, whoever sent it.

She leaves it by the easel, and resumes her painting.

She eventually finishes her latest work, but it is not the image she had envisioned. It is a reproduction of the 'painting.'

She finds her attention constantly drawn to that curious sense of familiarity, her eyes wandering from the canvas, her mind recreating the colors in its frame...

Maybe it's time for a break.

So many visitors today...

And what do <i>you</i> want?

To watch you draw. Any new paintings today?

Not yet.

But there's something on the canvas.

A stream, a forest, a wooden hut?

It's a reproduction. Someone sent me a painting, and it was all I could think of, so I just copied it.

Copying is painting too.

The ideas and techniques aren't mine. It's just practice; the painting doesn't belong to me.

That doesn't make a difference to me. I like it, as long as it's information that you painted with your own hand using your own brush and paint.

Anyway, I'm not painting today. Go.

What is it? You're entranced by the painting too?

It feels... familiar.

Don't you think so?

Yes, that sense of familiarity is what's preventing me from moving my brush. You can take it if you want.

But you've already seen it. Would me taking it change anything?

I suppose not...

What do we do, then?

Investigate? Explore?

No choice, I suppose... as you say.

Let's go!

Hey, are you not going to prepare at all? At least bring the painting?

You want to know where that package is from?

Yes. There's no sender or recipient, but it was clearly meant for me, so I wanted to know where it came from.

It couldn't have just—

I'm sorry, but I don't remember handling this one at all.

Huh?

It wasn't there when I went through the checkpoint when I came in. Are you sure I delivered it?

Don't worry though, I'll look it up. Might be some kind of anti-scam exercise from HR.

Give me a moment.

Where did you go?

The Messenger who delivered it says he doesn't remember...

I asked my friends. They know where it came from.

Where?

Follow the river and keep going. You'll see it.

A stream, a forest, a wooden hut.

You must be joking. How many streams are there in Terra?

My friends gave me the location. I'll lead the way.

Alright, wait here...

Where are you going?

Fetching my brush and canvas.

Wait! One moment.

What is it?

Let me catch my breath...

Alright.

How long have we been walking?

Days? Weeks?

Are you tired? Do you need me to carry your tools for you?

No, I'm a painter. I can carry my own gear...

Are you thinking about picking up painting?

I'd love to, but I couldn't learn it even if I tried.

Then help me get my paints ready. If we're taking a break, I want to use that time to paint something.

Alright.

Still no good...

Even facing completely different scenery, Deepcolor still ends up drawing the scene from the painting.

What's wrong with the one you're painting now?

I haven't drawn the hut yet, but... it's strange.

Why is it exactly the same, even when I'm using different paints?

Are you still copying?

Yeah...

Is it really copying if you're drawing natural scenery like it's real?

That's called imitation.

Is that different?

Yeah.

Then shouldn't you be calling it imitation, rather than copying?

Stop confusing the concepts...

Look in front of you.

On the other side of the canvas, Deepcolor finds herself looking at the scenery she had just depicted.

What's going on? I thought it was a meadow in front of us. Where did the stream come from?

You draw well. It's exactly like nature.

Do we follow this stream to our destination?

Perhaps...

This is getting stranger by the moment...

Can you help me put away the easel, assistant?

Alright.

What are you doubting, Deepcolor?

This feels... familiar...

That painting again?

It's this place. The forest and the stream.

This is the place the painting depicts...