The Eye of the Beholder [Stefano Valentini]

The Fourth Portrait: This Mask of Mine

Stefano had escorted me to the entrance of the gallery, my arm laced around his own in a rather elegant manner. I kept my gaze down on the ground, never having been this close to a man before. "To know yourself better, you need to work on yourself." He told me as we left his work behind," And thus, if you want answers, you will need to become comfortable around me." I blushed deeply at his words, and though I tried to step away from him, he pulled me closer," Do not fight it." Sensing the authority in his voice, I did as I was told. Stefano's presence was one of confidence, charisma, and destruction; not the kind of man to mess with, or to disobey lightly. As a result, I counted on him to guide me through the corridors, too embarrassed to look anywhere else but the suddenly-fascinating floor.

"Tell me of your outlets." Stefano said as I waited for Gavin's return," Do you have any others besides your photography?" I thought for a moment, recalling my game. I got the idea of this game from a show called Happy Tree Friends, and found myself imagining all of the ways a person can die in a single room, no matter how unrealistic it was. Gavin often joins me in on the game, as do Isla and Tyrion when they are in the mood. At least this way I was able to visualize the death of my 'victims', and I would be able to get a little satisfaction from just that. Noticing that he was patiently waiting for my answer, I gave him a bashful grin," Well, there is this game..." "Game?" He asked," And how do you play?" I spoke quietly to not spook the rest of the stragglers in the gallery," I just imagine the ways a person can die in a single room..." His eye seemed to widen, and his shoulders began to move with his chuckling," How amusing. Care to give me an example?" I nodded, peeking around him to find a victim. There was a young man with a large smile on his face, staring down at his phone screen as he walked. "The man behind you." I whispered, and Stefano peeked over his shoulder to catch a glimpse," I think it would be funny if he tripped and his cellphone went through his throat..." Stefano chuckled again, looking down to me," Quite violent, and unrealistic." I gave a small shrug of my shoulders in response," They don't need to be realistic. It's the closest thing I have to Jason after all." "And simply imagining is enough?" He asked, and I frowned a little," I... don't think so." He hummed in thought, but dropped the subject all together.

"RHEA!!!"

I jumped at the shout of my name, and saw Gavin bolting towards me with a panicked expression on his face. I frowned, pulling away slightly from Stefano to get a better look at him," Gavin? What's wrong?" He came to a sudden stop before me, his hands grabbing my shoulders as he got into my face," It's Tyrion! He's super pissed!" My jaw dropped slightly," But we aren't out late-" "No not at us!" He exclaimed, shaking me a little," Some asshole demanded that 'Calliope' cater some stupid rich brat's birthday party the day after tomorrow!" I instantly paled. One of the things you don't do to Tyrion is give less than a week's notice for an event. I pulled Gavin's hands away from my shoulders, taking in a deep breath before sighing," Some people are just so rude... Did he accept the request?" "Of course he did." Gavin scoffed, his arms crossed; I suppose that he didn't notice Stefano in his panic," Like he could be a bad businessman and deny something like this. Still, he's furious. I think we should get you home before he has anything else to bitch about." I nodded in agreement as Gavin left to go get my coat, and I turned to Stefano with my gaze lowered," I'm sorry about this, but I need to get going..." "I suppose this means that photography isn't your only interest?" He asked, though he seemed tense from Gavin's interruption. "It's 'Normal Rhea' that likes baking." I said, but then I thought out loud," But... Maybe I enjoy it too?" Shaking my head a little, I looked up to him with a small frown, saddened by the departure. As if sensing it, he handed me a small card," I am staying at the Grand Hotel. Meet me there when you are next free; we will continue your lessons then." I took the card into my hands, nodding with another smile upon my face.

Upon our swift return to 'Calliope', I saw that Isla had been called in as reinforcements, and I could hear Tyrion's cursing from outside the café. With extreme caution, the three of us entered, making sure to lock the door behind us. At the counter, the very angry man glared into his cup of black coffee, grumbling out a welcome. The siblings joined Tyrion at the bar while I slid into my work space, deciding that it would be best to whip up some passion flower tea to sooth everyone's nerves. The shop was quiet, which was the for the best; the slightest thing could set Tyrion off when he's like this. As I worked, I thought about Stefano Valentini. The man is dangerous; that much is for certain. But I do not fear him, though that may be because I haven't encountered anything that scares me. His appearance and way of speaking only adds to his dominant ways; he knows exactly what he wants, and he knows exactly what he's doing. Stefano spending time with someone like me is odd, but opportunity has been found through stranger means.