put your money where your mouth is (vitto)

[NADINE GROSVENOR]

there were only a few nights that nadine got off; and usually, she would prefer to spend them at home, but home had become a troubled place these days. while most homes were places of sacred refuge, where one could rest and heal, nadine found herself only getting anxious every time she stepped over the threshold of her tiny home in the shabbier end of brack. if it weren't for the constant pileup of bills and the reminder that her darling mother was ailing, home would be better; but on this particular night off from her usual two-job nights, nadine decided that she would treat herself to a little bit of relaxation instead of tending to bills.

she didn't dress up pretty, but rather opted to stay in her comfortable clothing and a nice jacket to keep her warm. the rose gardens was a nice enough place to spend a good portion of her night off. after all, there were only a few other options for nadine, who was pretty much broke and tried not to spend her money on silly things like booze and food when it could be used for something much better. it was either the rose gardens (which she had free access to because she worked in the casino), the park (full of weird people), or drake's speak (where she would be inclined to participate in the drinking, which would only end in less money and bad things).

so she settled on the rose gardens. the blonde made her way through the winding path, the fragrance of the roses - blossoming beautifully, even in the early autumn - almost overwhelming with their presence. but she didn't mind, not so much. they were beautiful. at least she could enjoy the beauty of it - though it was dark and a little hard to see.

it was then that nadine heard the rustle of something in the distance. was there really someone else out here? this late, and in this cold of weather? she expected this strange behaviour out of herself, but out of someone else - well, that was just uncanny. she couldn't imagine anyone in their right mind willingly spending a rather chilly night in the rose gardens of the valkyrie. unless they were up to something.

something suspicious.

now, nadine had never claimed to have an over-active imagination, but that's because she didn't think she did. she denied it, even though it was true. and so, of course, immediately her thoughts leapt to a plethora of options - it could be a cop, working under cover to find a criminal lurking in the depths of the rose gardens! or maybe - maybe - it was a murderer disposing of the evidence against him!

if that was the case (which nadine was sure it was) it was her obligation - no, her duty - to apprehend the criminal and bring them to justice. she was no hero, surely, and she had not illusions of being able to overtake a burly criminal (the rustling in the bushes had miraculously transformed into a huge, six foot, muscular murderer) by herself, but she did have the element of surprise on her side. so nadine began slipping silently between the rose bushes, following the noise that she was certain was a body being buried.

coming to just outside the scene of the suspected crime, nadine paused. could she really just apprehend a criminal - just like that?

absolutely!

she pushed through the last of the underbrush into a clearing, surprised to find not a grave, or even a little bit of blood, but instead someone painting.

at night.

"you're not a serial killer," she said, sounding rather disappointed. "although, it is rather suspicious for you to be out here alone, so late at night. what is it you're up to, hm?"

[VITTORIO ALDUINO]

Roses. They were so beautiful and refined. A mere glimpse at the beauty that Mother Nature could create when she felt like it. This garden showcasing their illustrious charms to all who entered it, though they were a bit harder to see at night. Which brought up the question of why Vittorio was here now of all times. Well the answer was simple he felt like painting the beauty of the roses illuminated by moonlight today, and that was exactly what he was doing. The glow from the light of the moon was just right for this special project of his, and he wasn't about to let the inspiration he had go to waste.

Considering he was doing some painting tonight, Vittorio wasn't dressed as cleanly as he normally would have to be in the Valkyrie. Instead of his nice and clean suits that he wore when his paintings were unveiled or to meet with other socialites, Vitto looked more like an artist today. He was wearing some black pants and shoes with a white t-shirt, a serious step towards casual attire from his usual look. However one could tell at a glance that this was what he wore when he was too deep within his artistic trance to care about his appearance as his clothes were covered in droplets of pain here and there. The only thing that stopped his similarly white hair from being stained was a black bandanna of sorts covering it. This was Vitto as most people never got to saw him, the face the public rarely got to see. Vitto hard at work and oblivious to the world, well that was until he was interrupted.

Vittorio didn't respond at first. He simply continued to paint as he was told he wasn't something as far fetched as a serial killer, which he already knew so he couldn't see why the girls seemed disappointed. He continued to paint the beautiful red roses, the majestic white roses, and all of the other colors he could see even detailing their thorny vines all while making sure to show how they were gleaming in the moonlight and that the full moon they Had tonight was presented perfectly within the backdrop of the painting as well. It was then that he had to acknowledge the presence of this new person for she had spoken again, but still he waited a few minutes before he took actions.

Slowly Vittorio turned his head and laid his light grayish blue eyes upon the form of the blond woman. It was dark so he couldn't see her too well, but he could tell that she too was not dressed as a high class socialite so she must have been here for her own recreational purposes. "Well...if I was something like a Serial killer I don't think I would tell you. Now would I? Also most of them don't look like it themselves now do they?" he said not really caring what he sounded like at the moment. He just wanted to get back to his painting and finish it before his inspiration faded away, he would have time to talk later, but interruptions were not wanted right now.

"If you really want to know Miss, I am an Artist and as you can see I'm in the middle of a painting I really want to finish. Though I could ask you the same questions, since I was told that I was the only one who paid for night time access to the Rose gardens tonight. Though I guess that's not my concern anyways....now if you will excuse me." and with that said he had finished talking and turned back to his painting and went back to work as though nothing had happened. Completely focused on his canvas and the brush and easel in his hands, Vittorio almost slipped right back into his artistic trance without so much as a second glance at woman until he had the thought she looked quite gorgeous in the moonlight.

Perhaps he could draw or paint her next if she was still there when he got done with this Rose themed painting, or maybe he would just add her into it. A beautiful woman surrounded by roses on a moonlit night sounded good after all, especially if he could get her to smile. Women like here always had pretty smiles. So now he was stuck and lowered his brush and turned around to face the woman once more. "It appears my muse is being fickle tonight...would you care to help me out Miss? In return I could help you out with whatever is bothering you, whatever is causing a pretty young woman like you to be wandering around alone on a beautiful night like this." he said with a smile and absolutely no ill, strange, or remotely amorous intentions despite his choice of words.

[NADINE GROSVENOR]

while she was thoroughly disappointed upon finding that it wasn't a criminal she had been about to apprehend, but rather just a regular man, nadine had to admit that she was a little relieved, too. she didn't really think she'd be able to take on any sort of murderer, burly or otherwise; and even if this guy was a murderer, he wasn't big enough to be considered a real threat. she deducted that she might have the chance of outrunning him if worse came to worse.

not that she thought she'd need to outrun him. he didn't seem, by any means, angry upon her intrusion or in the least bit perturbed. in fact, he seemed so very un-bothered by her appearance that it was a little unsettling. he was an artist from what she could tell; if not, he was certainly strange for being out here and painting a picture late at night in the rose gardens. she? she was perfectly welcome out here. that's what the manager had told her.

two nights ago, however. nadine hadn't asked for permission to roam the grounds freely since, and she wasn't aware that the space had been rented out to the man that was sitting before her now. if she had known, she would have gone roaming anyway, if only to find out who had rented out the gardens in the first place; but the point was that maybe she wouldn't have jumped to the conclusion that a wealthy serial killer was burying evidence if she had known that a patron was attending to the roses.

"that's the clever thing about serial killers," nadine said in response, rather nonchalantly and casually (because casual conversation consisted of talk about serial killers?), "they're so good at what they do because they look like everybody else!"

alright, so maybe this was starting off on the wrong foot with this guy. after all, she was usually much more persuasive and charming, and full of witty remarks; she didn't just make conversation about serial killers on a daily basis. she had more tact than that. but her disappointment still lingered a little bit, even when she was surprised to have the man ask her if she would let him paint her.

"well, i don't very much fancy being painted," she said after a moment, chilly fingers stuck in her pockets and blue eyes curious. "but i guess i couldn't turn you down. after all, how many times are you asked to be painted late at night, in the rose gardens of the valkyrie? it'll be quite a story to tell later on, i'll bet!"

so she moved around the man and the art easel, seating herself on the ground quite comfortably. she was thankful to find that the grass wasn't damp in the very least, and it wasn't as if she was going to stand while he painted her. that was far too much effort.

"i'm nadine, by the way," she continued, conversationally. "nadine grosvenor. and you are, sir artist?"

[VITTORIO ALDUINO]

"I wouldn't really know, I've never met one. At least I don't think I have Miss." replied the young artist calmly to her continued conversation about serial killers. His tone showed no hint of surprise or annoyance and he was remarkably calm considering the strange situation. "The only thing I really have any knowledge on is art." he added almost randomly afterwards. Vittorio's brain hadn't still fully grasped the fact that this was a strange way to meet someone and that this conversation was even stranger. To be fair though he probably would never grasp the strangeness that was going on here, which in turn would mean this would never bother him at all. That was just something about the artist that his acquaintances learned rather quickly, Vitto's brain just didn't work like other peoples.

Then the scene progressed and it seemed that the woman had agreed to help him out. "Thank you very much Miss." he said showing a warm smile across his face as he watched Nadine walk past him and take a seat in the grass. "Just act naturally, it doesn't matter if you move or talk. I will have the prefect image saved in my mind once I see it once." he said calmly and began to paint once more. In truth he had already gotten the image he wanted in his head. He had used his photographic memory to catch an exquisite image he was sure would be magnificent and the woman herself would appreciate it.

See when she had sat down Vitto's mind had caught her mid way through blinking and beginning to speak so she seemed to have a half smile on her face. The scene looked perfect. Nadine sitting there in all her beauty with a small smile on her face and her long blonde hair falling down her shoulders. It looked as though she was basking in the moonlight along with the roses. As though the woman herself was created just to be in a situation like this. It didn't matter what type of clothes she was wearing or where she was from, or what troubles she may have been having. At this frozen moment in time she looked amazing and Vitto's brush was hard at work to re-create this scene so that the whole world could see it, or at least he could look at it in his collection of painting he refused to sell.

After he had been painting for a good few minutes, he suddenly released he hadn't answered one of her questions and that he had awkwardly left her sitting somewhat alone in the dark. "My name is Vittorio Alduino. You can simply call me Vittorio Miss Grosvenor if you'd like, and don't feel bad if you have never heard of me or my art. I don't really think fame would suit me anyways." he said as he finally paused from painting to respond to the blond woman. Then just as quickly as the silence had ended it had begun again as Vittorio went back into his trance. He wanted to finish this painting now, the beautiful blond woman bathing in the moonlight surrounded by beautiful multicolored roses. A scene like this was hard to come by, and Vittorio was hoping this painting would do it justice and accurately draw out the beauty of it all, nature and the model.