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

[romanticidal]

I thought you may be tired of hearing 'beautiful' by now. [ said oh so casually as he pulls to the side of the road, and turns the car off, sliding out without waiting for a response.

oh right welcome back to the most beautiful place in the world. ]

[slay]

[ s c r e a m s. no she's not really screaming but she does still at that and slowly turn to glance back at him, caught off guard with the edge of a flattered smile combo'd with a slack-jawed look because he sure really just said that.

she sets about climbing out after a pause, shaking her head. oh, boy. you're in trouble, girl. she looks up and around at the city, a distinct sense of awe about her at the way the lights along the canal brighten everything and make the gondolas look like they glow.

good thing she probably doesn't know that's sewage water they're glowing in. ]

Speaking of beautiful ...

[romanticidal]

[ I Remember - Damien Rice

He watches her expression over the top of the car, smiling lightly, and then nods towards the walk, which leads in in the direction of said beautiful canals and into the heart of the actual city. ] This way.

[ He turns an appreciative eye to the view as well, though there's a touch of something almost wistful and sad in the way he gazes at it all ] They say Venezia holds many secrets, but that that is part of what makes it so alluring.

[slay]

And all this time, I thought the allure was all the cute italians. [ she shuts her door and follows after him down the walk, tucking her hands into her pockets. ]

[romanticidal]

We can carry our own mystery, as well. [ A little smirk, and he leads her over a tiny bridge, as they pass canoodling couples and old men drawing and a couple with a tiny daughter falling asleep on the mother's shoulder. All of whom are completely human - basically everywhere they go. ]

[slay]

[ if it weren't for the warning brigade talking about shadowkind rights, and angelo earlier that day, she might not have noticed. but as it stands ... ]

Is one of those mysteries like how come there's no Shadows of any kind 'round these parts?

[romanticidal]

[ he almost seems to pause for a moment in his step before pressing on, his voice a tiny bit harder as he replies: ]

That is no mystery, I am afraid. Italia is not very welcoming for those who are not born human.

[slay]

Yeah, but for there to be none here? [ she glances over at him, noticing the change in his voice. ] ... Unless they're the ones that can pass for human, I guess. It's just weird, I mean, I know Nassi said that it's bad, but I didn't think ... [ she shakes her head. ]

[romanticidal]

[ a tiny beat ] You spoke to Angelo?

[slay]

[ WHOOPS. ]

Uh -- Did I say - ? [ she clears her throat. ] Uh. Yeah. Yeah, we bumped into him backstage. Just for a second, though. [ all technically true. ]

[romanticidal]

He did not mention anything. [ there's an obvious veil of suspicion there ] You spoke to him about Shadowkind?

[slay]

Uh, yeah. You know, we just heard all that stuff about Italy not being kind to the Shadowkind types, and then he was here, so it ... it came up. [ bluff check 14. she gives a dismissive laugh. ] Politics. Quickest way to kill a conversation. I wouldn't wanna talk about it if I were him, either, though, so I guess it was kinda on the insensitive side.

[romanticidal]

Nothing he is not accustomed to, I am sure. [ he looks down, stuffing his own hands in his pockets ] The government seeks to pass many laws limiting where Shadowkind might live or work. And they are far from the only ones who try to drive them out.

[ He looks back up at her, and there's something in his face that has been entirely absent during the rest of their time together - a sort of grounded reality that seems far from the smiling, carefree star at dinner. ] As I said. Venezia holds many secrets. [ He pulls to a stop on the bridge and turns from her, gesturing to someone below and shouting in Italian. When she looks down that way, it's clear he's summoning a gondolier who was just untying his boat. When he looks up again, the smile has returned, banishing the darkness that seemed to have creeped in moments prior. ] Our chariot.

[slay]

Maybe Venezia isn't the only thing here with secrets. [ she says it in a quiet, thoughtful way as she watches him and it's unclear if she means him on account of that look on his face, of herself. but, the gondolier does a good job of interrupting, and buffy's expression lights up a little as she glances down at him, then back at rafael. ]

You don't really mean ... [ with a burgeoning excitement, she hurries down to the edge of the bridge, to the tiny dock (which is really more of just a staircase) that the gondolier is pulled up to. ]

[romanticidal]

[ if he heard her semi-aside, he doesn't say anything about it. ] Of course. I promised the true Venetian experience, no? [ he follows her, still smiling, still casually with one hand in his pocket as he hails the gondolier. they have a short exchange in italian, and rafael presses some money into his hand and then gestures to buffy to step in to the gondola first. ]

[slay]

[ she climbs happily into the gondola with the help of the gondolier, taking a seat on the padded bench and scooting into a comfortable position to wait for rafael to join. ]

[romanticidal]

[ he comes and settles beside her, shooting her another smile, but not saying anything, as the gondolier pushes off and the boat sways slightly beneath them. ]

[slay]

You know, I, um. [ she glances over at him once she's basked in the pretty for a moment. ] I should really thank you. You've been so gracious and done so much for us. [ and still not given them any information that they need on nova you son of a bitch. ]

[romanticidal]

[ funny how that works isn't it. ]

You need not thank me, as I said. It is my pleasure, to have your company. [ he leans forward and hands the gondolier another euro or something, and the boatman smiles and nods and then idk someone has an accordion somewhere abruptly, that's literally what kept happening when I was in Venice so it can sure as hell happen in fiction.

and he launches into a boistrous rendition of Caruso with hilariously overblown vocals and all. ]

[slay]

[ buffy is awed at first but then decides that this must just be what venetian people do all day. except not really she's just still awed and basking in this. her smile brightens and she's glowing as she looks over at rafael again -- at which point it's already mid song bc she was just amazed for that long. ]

If this is the Venice experience, I think I need a stronger word for it than love.

[romanticidal]

[ Meanwhile Rafael is half paying attention to her awe, because he seems to be watching the gondolier with a look of judgmental and amused 'SERIOUSLY'. And then he just starts laughing. At him. Directly. To the point where the gondolier STOPS SINGING to give him a Look like WHAT, and Rafael just holds up a hand, explaining between laughs: ]

I'm sorry, so sorry. It is just the way you belt Caruso, I fear we will sail into the Atlantic under the winds. [ Maybe the gondolier's English isn't so good or something, because he just looks ruefully chastised instead of offended, and Rafael sits up, gesturing to Mr. Accordion player or whatever to go again. ] More like this, si?

[ and he starts up at the chorus, singing the same tune with his ridiculous 30+ perform checks that turn the harsh operatic tones into something much much softer on the ear. (:48) ♬ Caruso - Josh Groban ]

[slay]

[ and then buffy needed new underwear. where does that even. how does he. WHERE DOES IT COME FROM. THAT VOICE.

she's gawking. she knows she's gawking and it's not even like attractive gawking (is there attractive gawking?) and she's all slack-jawed and googly-eyed and watching him in awestruck, fangirly silence as he sings and she's wondering just how the heck she's supposed to focus on this gondola ride with him singing like that.

she relaxes some and finally glances away, flushing a little at her own amazement, and then just settles in to sort of ... half-lean against him (bow chicka wow wow) as she looks out at the way the light reflects on the water like glowing orbs and he can just be her stereo forever she'd be okay with that. ]

SPOT CHECK YO

[romanticidal]

[ His eyes crinkle warmly when he catches her looking at him like that and when she leans against him, and he doesn't seem bothered, just singing away as they float through Venice, passing all kinds of people and places and drawing some attention as they do so.

Rounding one corner, they pass a tiny balcony that seems to jut off from what must be a cafe of some sort, although the overhang only allows room for one small table, where two people sit talking animatedly. A vase with a red rose sits between them. ]

[slay]

[ she's much too busy paying attention to rafael's singing and all the shiny, because she only makes a spot check of 10. ]

/ninja tags you first i guess

[postergirl]

[ Way to stay focused indeed, Buffy. It's not until they're about to round the next corner that she'd notice at least one thing because it's REALLY HARD TO MISS. Chiefly, that one of the two people sitting at that cafe appears to be Dumage. But she barely gets a glimpse of her face before a building's in the way, and she didn't even process whether she was with a man or a woman or anything about the other beyond the fact that she hadn't been alone.

Maybe she was just seeing things... ]