Portrait of Lana

Portrait of Lana
Airing date:	November 15, 1999
Episode N°:	05
Previous:	The Faluna Bible
Next:	Affair of the Fargaia Express

Portrait of Lana (Japanese: ポートレイト・オブ・ラナ) is the fifth episode of the Wild Arms Twilight Venom anime.

Synopsis

The episode begins with Loretta Oratorio and Mirabelle Graceland attempting to take the inheritance of a painter named Rotes, competing with a number of other supposed relatives including the painter's alleged granddaughter. Meanwhile, Sheyenne Rainstorm and Kiel Aronnax disguise themselves as sailors seeking out Sheyenne's real body, as he claims that there is a "treasure" in the shape of a human body onboard. Loretta has a confrontation with the granddaughter, named Michelle, who claims that the titular portrait is of her grandmother, whom she has an uncanny resemblance to.

When a wax figure of the deceased Rotes appears to unveil his portrait, Sheyenne becomes discouraged as he realizes he has failed to locate his own real body. In an audio recording of his last will and testament, the artist leaves all his assets to his male companion Kojima Strauss, who he claims was present for the picture's entire creation as the portrait in question is unveiled -- a profile painted from behind with a flute. The figure has little likeness to Michelle, though the crowd is too busy fighting for Strauss' attention to notice. As the two treasure hunter girls are skulking around the vents to steal the artwork, they run into the granddaughter, who gets into a confrontation with Loretta. As Sheyenne is packing to leave and Issac and Jerusha are talking on the deck, Strauss fires a shot from a riflel and announces his intention to sink the ship, causing mass panic as the passengers scramble for the portrait. While initially reluctant to help, Loretta is persuaded by Mirabelle into using her Crest Sorcery to help Michelle cut through the crowd and recover the portrait.

Sheyenne and his company find Strauss, and Michelle has the epiphany that Strauss was the model in the portrait, leading Strauss to confess that Michelle is his own grandchild and that he'd had an affair with Rotes, who was engaged, and Strauss had broken off his own engagement to Lana, who is Michelle's grandmother. Strauss became Rotes' lover without knowing that Lana was pregnant. It is as Strauss is finishing his story that a man comes in ands holds Michelle at gunpoint, wanting to take the portrait. Strauss tilts the boat, causing everyone to go flying across the room, and the gunman shoots him before being apprehended by Sheyenne and his friends. As Strauss lay dying, he apologizes to Michelle, and he imparts his flute, which was a gift from Lana, to her before they all escape the sinking ship on a lifeboat. The portrait of Lana becomes waterlogged and sinks, becoming worthless, as Michelle plays a song her grandmother taught her on the flute.