tknogi

There! My room's right there!

Faster, for heaven's sake!

The Catastrophe is near, sir. Please make haste.

Don't rush me! I know where my art supplies are. We can go as soon as I grab them!

They're right under the shelf...

They're gone!

They were right here! Where did they go?!

How much of a hurry were they in?! They knocked my things over!

They ruined a great work of art! Criminals!

Calm down. Does anyone else live here?

The landlady... Frau Perry. A housewife who knows nothing of art. She couldn't tell the sunset from an egg in the frypan.

Check the list to see if they have been evacuated.

Roger.

I hardly ever spoke to her. Do I even have her contact information?

Mr. Devlin, you just got a new message on your communicator. Here.

'Herr Devlin, since you were away, I packed your things into a suitcase at the door, so you can take them and evacuate as soon as you return.'

'Be safe. —Perry'

Thank goodness! What a saint!

Is that everything then? I'll place them in the truck.

Yes. Let's go.

Thank goodness, I can paint on the way.

Let's go.

Roger.

Give me some room to paint!

Sir, try not to sit like that. You could fall off.

Oh no! My brushes! My paints!

I knew I shouldn't have trusted that stupid woman!

The canvas is ruined! The brushes have been soaked in paint! All the paint is mixed up! It's all useless now!

It's just a painting. You'll get another chance.

No... there will never be another chance!

I've chased Catastrophes for so long, all for the moment when I could capture one's majesty with my own canvas and brush...

Sir...

My painting, my dream, my life, everything... gone.

Leave me alone!

Didn't you hear me? I said to leave me alone!

What time do you think it is?! The sun's already setting!

I don't need counselling! I'm not dead! Piss off!

This is my last warning. Knock one more time, and I'll—

Oh... it's you.

Good evening, Mr. Devlin.

Er, good evening... You were the one who forecasted the Catastrophe... Er... something-Island?

Rhodes Island. I'm an operator from Rhodes Island.

...Oh, er, that's it?

I introduced myself when we first we met. Don't tell me you've forgotten my name, after we've spent this entire trip together?

O-Of course not. You're... you're...

Tsukinogi!

I'm glad I made an impression on you after all.

Anyway, I have a few questions for you. I apologize if I'm interrupting anything.

Are you feeling any better?

...Thanks to you folks. Not that I was injured to begin with.

Good to hear. What about in terms of mental health? Anything we can help you with?

Well, my painting's done for. Couldn't get any worse on that end.

I see. Are you having any difficulties living at the accommodation site? You seem to have declined all visitors.

Difficulties... If I had to say, it would be great if my 'friendly' neighbors stopped bothering me.

I'm not registering for anything, I'm not interested in any 'Post-Catastrophe Mutual Aid Group', I don't want to see anybody's long faces, and I especially don't want to be made to answer pointless questions at my own door.

I see.

Is that all then?

I'm not here to make you uncomfortable. If you want me to stop, just say so.

...Don't you Catastrophe Messengers leave as soon as the Catastrophe's over? Why are you still here?

Have you ever met any others?

Er... no, only read about them in books.

There are many kinds of Catastrophe Messengers. Some take an interest in things other than their jobs. Others simply quit.

As for me, I have my reasons for staying. For example, I've taken an interest in your situation.

...Spare me. There are plenty of others who'd prefer your attention. I hear crying outside every night.

That was simply one of many reasons. Maybe it's the scenery that keeps me here.

There are plenty of sights worth seeing; for example, a hill with beautiful sunsets.

Perhaps that might interest a disciple of the great Leithanian landscape artist Leon... a prodigy who devoted his life to the pursuit of light and shadow.

You looked into my background?

What art lover wouldn't know a thing or two about the greats?

The landscape that you left behind before you left Leithanien... The refined touches capturing the moment when the sunset fades away... It was most impressive.

...Rubbish. It couldn't compare to the beauty of a Catastrophe. Nothing could.

Painting aside, seeing beautiful sights can still help soothe one's mind. If you're interested—

I'm not. I won't be going.

I appreciate that you and your colleagues helped me escape the Catastrophe, but that doesn't change the fact that my painting was ruined.

If you were just a little quicker, a little more decisive in driving away those rioters...

Maybe I could have made it back and saved my supplies before Frau Perry 'packed' them for me.

So I don't need your concern. Do whatever you want, just don't bother me.

I sincerely hope this is the last time I see you, Ms. Tsukinogi.

Regardless, it was a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Devlin.

Incidentally, I do have a little gift for you before I leave.

This isn't part of the job, just a token from one art lover to another. I hope you can accept it.

I'll leave it here then. I wish you a good evening.

There is no color on the blank canvas, only shadows.

He gazes at their swaying edges.

There, light and shadow break apart like the void.

He lashes out, knocking over the easel.

I can't paint...

Damn it, I can't paint!

The Catastrophe's magnificent, beautiful song of light and shadow, that ensemble of colors... it will never come again.

What is there to paint if I can't even pick up my brush?!

Her gift...

Art supplies, paint... clearly meant as compensation.

How did she even know that I used this brand of paint? I never mentioned it in interviews... Did she deduce it from the paintings?

Nothing of value though... I shouldn't have expected much.

Hm? A Higashinese wood print?

It's a landscape...

I've never seen this technique before... the lines are highly expressive.

The colors are bold, almost sacrilegious... but the effect is interesting.

There's something to be said about this method...

It's getting late.