venice ♔ to remove the stain of my love

[romanticidal]

♬ My Confession - Josh Groban

WHO || Rafael Giovanni, Kat, Gar, Buffy, Myri [closed]
WHAT || Invited to the home of the talented singer, the Knights attempt to learn more about his connection to NOVA Records.
WHERE || Rafael's villa, an hour outside Venice, Italy
WHEN || July 6, evening.
HOW || Actionspam, NO TAG ORDER

With Dumage MIA and not responding to her phone, the girls quickly got ready for an evening at the home of the exceptionally talented singer who had dragged them in front of the audience at Notturno. Gar looks nice, if subtly so, in a mid-length red dress and simple make-up (11 Disguise check which is what I use for people prettyifying up). Kat's own attempts to do her make-up when left unaided in the bathroom left her coming out looking like Rocky Raccoon, unhappily smeared in blush and metallic eyeshadows (crit fail :( ), but after the other girls helped salvage her (15), she looks really pretty, though still not wearing anything remotely close to a dress. Ever.

The girls take a ride outside of town, driving through Veneto at breakneck speeds, because someone let Kat drive (check 17). What should be an hour's journey takes them half that time, and they pull up to the impressive sight of a dual story white and red villa that all but screams luxury.

Comments

[savemyself]

Signore Nassi provides a venue for Rafael to perform, no more than that. [ her tone clearly states that she's attempting to cut off that line of questioning sharply. ] Large companies like Nova seek to exercise a great deal of control over their artists. Here, Rafael can do as he pleases: meet his creative goals, as you say, without worrying about cultivating an image to satisfy someone else.

[rationalizes]

You spoke with Nova? [ gar directs her question directly at rafael, in hopes that isabella won't butt in with an answer again. ] Who did you speak with?

[romanticidal]

[ there's a very very small beat, almost imperceptible, before he replies. ] A man named Dirk Smitland. He... no longer works for the company, however.

[slay]

And as a big fan of said creative goals, lemme tell you, way happy for that. Just wondered why you wouldn't pursue a little more American exposure, [ a beat, she gives an awkward look and clarifies, ] professionally if you've got the connections.

But, hey, if this Smitland guy was gonna totally bulldoze your creativity ... I completely understand. Still, you never know; I mean, with him gone, maybe the company's, uh, interests have changed.

[savemyself]

The company's artists spend more time on the front page of the tabloids than they do making music. That has not changed.

[inevitablekungfumoves]

[ oh look hiro's bringing in the food now to break the tension.

it's pasta.

is that racist ]

[romanticidal]

[ rafael accepts his plate and whips his napkin onto his lap. ]

I certainly do not mean to disappoint my fans in America, but ... it is not a decision I have made easily, I promise you. And it means so much to me that you have come so far to see me despite this. [ he pokes his fork through his pasta, then glances across them again. ]

Tell me. Where in America are you from?

[witchwoman]

[Oh look. Geography! Something Myri doesn't know anything about. She's going to pick at her food and keep quiet right now.]

[slay]

We hopped a plane from New Orleans when we heard you were performing. [ the fewer lies she has to keep up with, the better. ] Have you been? [ as the food gets served, she looks briefly up at hiro gratefully. ] Oh, thank you. This looks great.

[romanticidal]

I cannot say I have: my trips to America have been very few and very far between.

And you have been to Italia before?

[shootfirst]

Nope. Totally first timers. [ yeah, she'll just be digging in wildly over there, but ask between bites with her mouth half full ] This Smitland guy, what happened to him?

[savemyself]

No one knows. I believe he went missing, and was never found.

[witchwoman]

New Orleans is a wonderful city. I think you would enjoy it very much. [She adds quickly, trying to continue to appear as an adoring fan, but it's easy to act such a way about New Orleans. It is a place Myri would definitely recommend.]

[But when Smitland's fate is revealed, she covers her mouth with one hand.] How unfortunate. [Myri says, looking concerned towards Rafael, in hopes that he might elaborate.]

[romanticidal]

Si, very... unfortunate, indeed. But I have heard Chicago can be something of a ... dangerous city.

[slay]

Well, the media makes it out to be mob central for a reason. [ she gives a little shrug, then looks around. ] But, that's usually just for people who are involved in that kind of thing, and he wasn't -- I mean, if he was in with Nova, he probably wasn't into shady stuff like that, right?

1/-

[savemyself]

That seems a foolish conclusion to draw. Men in powerful positions are prone to corruption, no matter who they are, or what their business.

Or perhaps he was simply in the wrong place, at the wrong time.

2/3

[romanticidal]

[ now it's rafael who looks suddenly put off by the subject, and he sets down his fork, saying: ]

Such a dark subject for dinner. Perhaps we can find something more fitting.

Do any of you ride?

[rationalizes]

[ gar looks a bit let down by the shift, but seems to think it'd be too transparent to steer the conversation back so obviously. ]

Horses, you mean? Why... yes, a bit. When I was a child.

[witchwoman]

I always wanted to learn. Do you have horses here? [Oh well. Best to just keep him talking and hopefully find out something useful later on.]

1/-

[romanticidal]

[ he nods enthusiastically ] A few. If you would like, after dinner, I may show you.

2/-

[savemyself]

I thought you said they were leaving tomorrow, Rafael. No doubt they have packing to do tonight.

3/3

[romanticidal]

We have many rooms here. You are all welcome to stay! If your plane is a problem, we could purchase you seats on a later flight, perhaps. I see no reason to rush.

[slay]

You -- [ buffy blanches, nearly choking on pasta. she coughs and gulps down some wine to chill her tits. ] ... You want us to stay here? Like ... with you here?

1/-

[savemyself]

[ buffy's not the only one who has a reaction. isabella's fork slams down through her food so hard that it sounds like it's about to crack the plate. she affixes rafael with a glare that's out and out venomous. ]

2/3

[romanticidal]

[ if he notices, he's really really good at faking like he doesn't. ]

It seems only hospitable, no? We have so much room, and yet get so few guests.