"The aim of life is to live, and to live means to be aware, joyously, drunkenly, serenely, divinely aware."
― Henry Miller
The studio was small but it suited her purposes. According to her handler there was work in this town, enough bounties that she could retire if she got just a portion of them. The fact that she was wealthy, family wealth, probably meant that was not her reason for doing the bounties. Her reasons were her own and would remain so.
It was the light that sold her on this space, there were three windows, and a skylight that had a shade so that she could adjust how the golden rays of the sun hit any given area in the room. It was mostly empty space for now, it would remain mostly empty except for any props she brought in for a portrait. She had ordered two columns to be set in the space in preparation, some hanging flowers would be in order as well.
The marketplace had provided her with the supplies she needed to prep her next intended work, this afternoon she intended to work on an achromatic piece to brush up, hah, on that style. The woman she'd met in the Inn earlier, Kitty, Kitty Helston if her sources were to be trusted on the matter, seemed like an old soul and cried to be captured in just blacks, greys and whites. It would be a painting that many men, and a fair number of women, would pay good money to possess if she could get the pose correct.
Wandering into the small kitchen area, she set about rinsing the new brushes, they would need to be softened before use. The cappuccino machine she had gotten was not exactly what she would call good, but it would keep her from tearing off heads because of a lack of caffeine. No one should get between an Italian and their cappuccino, it was inhumane.
Once the brushes were set in warm water she went about brewing herself a cup of the liquid of life and allowed her thoughts to wander. The packet of information for her bounty was on the counter, already opened and read. Nothing about it said it would be a difficult catch, he thought he had run far enough and now he was sloppy and confident that none would be coming. According to the local papers there had been several unsolved rapes in the vicinity and Vio believed he was the most likely culprit. Well, she would put an end to that.
Leaning against the counter and sipping the hot, foamy liquid another man came into her thoughts. "Fool girl. You might have been wrong about him, and then where would you be?" Her pulse quickened a moment as the image of those fangs were recalled; a painter's eye was not always a blessing for she could bring that memory to life as though she were reliving it. "Still, you were not wrong and he might add some fun to this place, yes?" Another sip of the brew as she thought on that, the thoughts drifting back to the possibility of a new portrait and then to the bounty. It was the way of her mind not to linger over long on one thing, that was good and bad.
"Ah, curses, I forgot to get some Naples and cobalt yellow!" She intended to use just those as breaks in the achromatic color scheme, her mind had been too scattered when she was at the store. "After the cappuccino, that will be soon enough." Another trip to the marketplace would be a pleasant way to get in her evening stroll. Who knew, she might also find another that struck her artist fancy for a subject' Life would bring her what she needed, it always did.
(AN: Anything she says in private would be in Italian but for ease of reading I've used English.)
The studio was small but it suited her purposes. According to her handler there was work in this town, enough bounties that she could retire if she got just a portion of them. The fact that she was wealthy, family wealth, probably meant that was not her reason for doing the bounties. Her reasons were her own and would remain so.
It was the light that sold her on this space, there were three windows, and a skylight that had a shade so that she could adjust how the golden rays of the sun hit any given area in the room. It was mostly empty space for now, it would remain mostly empty except for any props she brought in for a portrait. She had ordered two columns to be set in the space in preparation, some hanging flowers would be in order as well.
The marketplace had provided her with the supplies she needed to prep her next intended work, this afternoon she intended to work on an achromatic piece to brush up, hah, on that style. The woman she'd met in the Inn earlier, Kitty, Kitty Helston if her sources were to be trusted on the matter, seemed like an old soul and cried to be captured in just blacks, greys and whites. It would be a painting that many men, and a fair number of women, would pay good money to possess if she could get the pose correct.
Wandering into the small kitchen area, she set about rinsing the new brushes, they would need to be softened before use. The cappuccino machine she had gotten was not exactly what she would call good, but it would keep her from tearing off heads because of a lack of caffeine. No one should get between an Italian and their cappuccino, it was inhumane.
Once the brushes were set in warm water she went about brewing herself a cup of the liquid of life and allowed her thoughts to wander. The packet of information for her bounty was on the counter, already opened and read. Nothing about it said it would be a difficult catch, he thought he had run far enough and now he was sloppy and confident that none would be coming. According to the local papers there had been several unsolved rapes in the vicinity and Vio believed he was the most likely culprit. Well, she would put an end to that.
Leaning against the counter and sipping the hot, foamy liquid another man came into her thoughts. "Fool girl. You might have been wrong about him, and then where would you be?" Her pulse quickened a moment as the image of those fangs were recalled; a painter's eye was not always a blessing for she could bring that memory to life as though she were reliving it. "Still, you were not wrong and he might add some fun to this place, yes?" Another sip of the brew as she thought on that, the thoughts drifting back to the possibility of a new portrait and then to the bounty. It was the way of her mind not to linger over long on one thing, that was good and bad.
"Ah, curses, I forgot to get some Naples and cobalt yellow!" She intended to use just those as breaks in the achromatic color scheme, her mind had been too scattered when she was at the store. "After the cappuccino, that will be soon enough." Another trip to the marketplace would be a pleasant way to get in her evening stroll. Who knew, she might also find another that struck her artist fancy for a subject' Life would bring her what she needed, it always did.
(AN: Anything she says in private would be in Italian but for ease of reading I've used English.)