"Alright," she said, took a bite of chicken, wiped off her fingers and mouth and headed back to where she had been posing. By the time she had swallowed the chicken, she was posing again.

Darius again fixed her so she was in the exact same moment. He also moved mirrors to keep the light hitting her perfectly and went back to painting. "I .. think I'll be done today." He focused firmly on the piece, his eyes stared at it intently as he worked.

"Oh." she said... "Well... I suppose I will just have to invite you back for that formal painting if I am to keep your company." She chuckled a little, not enough to jostle her from her fixed position. "It would be a shame never to see you after you did save me from those old men. I owe you more than just a painting or two... I owe you my life technically. They could have killed me."

Darius gave a crooked smile as it was nice to be wanted and appreciated, something he felt lacking back home. He waved her off, nonetheless. "Don't worry about it. It isn't like I fought them off with my fists or anything. You are giving me quite a gift with this. You make a great subject."

"Even still," she insisted, "And I am glad you like working with me. I like talking to you." Mostly, she added silently, because you aren't expecting me to be your lover and throwing money at me. It was nice to be seen as something other than what she was.

Darius chuckled slightly as he smiled. "Thank you, I am enjoying your company as well. Perhaps you will allow another painting if you like it. I'd suggest something else but I'm not good at much."

"We have plenty of young women and men here you can practice on. I am sure the Madame will allow it since I told her about you. As long as you refrain from... dipping into the honey pot, if you will... Without paying I mean." She giggled a little at how she made it sound. "I don't see you as a thief though."

Darius pondered the offer as he painted her. "If one strikes my interest I might ask. Don't worry about me trying to sleep with them, I am certain I wouldn't desire to. They would only wish to for money, and I would never pay for it. It doesn't make it special if it's a product one can purchase." He looked around the canvas at her. "No offense. I am merely speaking of the act, not the person. "

"Oh, no, I agree with you... But it's all we have. I was raised by a man who was murdered in Venice a few years ago. I come here because I have nowhere else to go, the Madame bought me for my Master, and he gave me a place to stay besides on the streets. I don't know who I really am and the money I make here goes to finding answers about my guardian, Lorenzo. I don't know about the other girls, but it isn't really a matter of choice for most of us. It's this or starvation."

Darius nodded as he painted. "I do believe most if not all those here would wish otherwise, but I do not think lowly of them for it. They are doing their best. I still won't pretend someone has genuine interest when I know they are merely doing their job. I don't like being lied to ." He shrugged as he painted and looked at her. 'I know you have other reasons to be nice to me."