victory_road | open log

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Who: Leonardo and YOU
Where: Goldenrod
When: August
Summary: Care to sit for a picture or two with a little known artist named Leonardo da Vinci?
Rating: G for Good at Drawing
Log:
He made a little post on the network asking for volunteers, and now, over the course of August, those volunteers might finally get the chance to fulfill their end of the bargain. Some of the drawings might happen outdoors, or in hotel rooms, or rooftops, or anywhere the inspiration strikes him. These sketches may not result in masterpieces, or even finished works, but they certainly will result in pen and ink being put to paper.

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A karaoke booth is definitely not the type of venue Doppio was expecting, but... it's probably as safe as anything else? The door has a lock, and the window is frosted, so... it works.

"Thank you again for this, Mr. Leonardo! Um," Doppio starts as he sets his bag down, "Sorry if the, um... My superior at the Legendary Seekers - I'm sorry if his demands are a little complicated."

Yes, he's sticking with that story.

"Well, let me hear these demands before I decide how complicated they are."

He's standing by the karaoke machine, fiddling with the touch screen as he speaks.

Edited 2021-08-28 12:18 (UTC)

... They're not actually going to sing, right? Doppio didn't think he'd signed up for that. Unless... Leonardo da Vinci's genius extends even to the vocal arts...?!

Anyway! Demands! Doppio nods and reinforces the Business Face he's had on since he greeted Leonardo today.

"Like I mentioned, the client has agreed to two pages, one for him and one for you to keep. But he's asked that you do not include certain identifying features in the page you keep."

And then he relaxes, at least as much as one can relax in the presence of a national hero.

"So, um, you just have to make me look a little different, I guess."

"What sort of different would you like?"

He does caricature drawings every so often, just to experiment with face shapes and tones, so this isn't too far outside the realm of possibility. The trick is figuring out what sort of changes are welcome, and which are not.

"Actually, I'm not sure. And the... the client didn't really specify either. But if I had to think about it..."

The first, most identifying feature that comes to mind...

"What if... you didn't draw my tattoos? I mean, not that you have to draw them anyway! They're kind of elaborate? But if you do, then maybe you could just... not do that for your sketchbook."

"Alright, I'll remove any tattoos I happen to find. In my drawing, at least."

Sounds reasonable enough to him.

"Now, would you prefer to sit down for this drawing, or remain standing?"

... Oh! Well, that was easier than he thought it might be! After his last couple of conversations with Leonardo, Doppio feared this whole ordeal might be a lost cause, but now he can just relax and... think about how he's modeling for Leonardo da Vinci. Because the Boss wants sketches of him, for some reason.

Right. Easy! Right. It's so easy that it feels like it takes him a whole three seconds to answer the question (it's probably closer to half that time, though).

"Um, it's fine either way! For me, I mean. You're the expert here, Mr. Leonardo."

"Well, how about standing for now, and if at any point you feel like sitting, we can take it from there?"

Leonardo is many things, and picky sometimes isn't one of them. He prefers to sketch people in as natural a pose as possible, and if they happen to move a little in the process, that's just more practice for him.

"Got it!"

Okay. Now here comes the part where he really can't pretend it's easy anymore.

"... So, do I... take off my shirt now?"

Not that he MINDS modeling for Leonardo! It's just... the whole scenario. The fact that, apparently, the Boss wants this. Everything about it.

"If you'd like?"

Leonardo shrugs. He wasn't necessarily intending on sketching Doppio without his shirt on, but if he's volunteering, well, he's not going to rush to put a stop to it.

Oh no, he's made it worse.

"I-I'm just asking because all your sketches... I mean, all the ones that I've seen, they're all... nudes! Right?!"

You know, like the Vitruvian Man! And... others, he's sure!

Leonardo scrunches his nose. "I wouldn't say all of them, no."

He frowns. "I also don't think that you could remove your clothes without us both being removed from this establishment in return."

This meeting is crumbling. It is all falling apart and there is absolutely no salvaging it no matter what happens. Stay here and prove himself further as an embarrassment in front of a national hero, or leave empty-handed and somehow explain this to the Boss, who wants sketches of him? For some reason???

Doppio may be sweating a bit.

"O-Oh, then I can just keep my shirt on, that's fine! Um, but I'm gonna have to ask you to change something else then."

"Well, let's hear it."

He's curious to see what needs changing now.

Frankly, he's not sure what to suggest. If the Boss is worried about identifying features, the tattoos would be the most obvious, even if Doppio doesn't show them often. Could he ask Leonardo to just... draw entirely different clothes on him? That might be a bit much. Or how about...

"Uh, what if you changed my nose? Would that work?"

Leonardo thinks about it, imagining the ways he could lengthen or shorten it, change the width of the bridge, and quickly finds himself nodding happily.

"Yes, absolutely. I could change your chin as well, if you'd like, but for now, I think we've settled enough that we can get started?"

He picks up his sketchbook and pencil from wherever he put them down, trying to decide which angles would work best given the lighting.

"Yes! Thank you so much again!" Should he... pose now? Oh boy, maybe he should have thought of that already...

In any case, there is a peculiar and uncanny thing about Doppio that can easily go unnoticed, but may jump out on close observation such as this: he looks, as much as a human being possibly can, like he's simultaneously in his teens and in his thirties. Some angles bring out the softness of his skin and the curve of his cheeks; some emphasize the slope of his jawline and the weight of his eyelids. Just about anywhere one's eyes might land on, there is some kind of confusing ambiguity to his features.

So, you know. Good luck, Leonardo.

Oh, boy. Well, if there's anything Leonardo likes, it's a challenge, so he doesn't fuss too much over whichever pose Doppio picks, or if at one moment he seems soft and at others he seems much harsher, and just tries to capture what his eye sees. He thinks, actually, that if he were to focus on soft features for one drawing and the harsh ones for another, it would probably be sufficient to hide his identity for the one he keeps for himself.

So he picks up his pencil and starts filling in the lines, clean and sharp. He hums a bit as he works.

... Wow. It's really happening now. He's really being sketched by Leonardo da Vinci.

It's not exactly what he envisioned when he first daydreamed of getting a custom painting for the Boss. The nobles back in the days didn't commission sketches, he's fairly sure, and never in his life did he expect the Boss would want a picture of him, and... the Boss also doesn't have his own office to hang it in yet, but... it's... a start! The start of a lasting relationship, perhaps? Who knows!

Would Leonardo da Vinci be okay with having a working relationship with the mafia...? There's no elegant way to ask, huh? Maybe Doppio will keep an eye out and glean it from context clues. Somehow.

It takes some time, a few pencils, and an extra sheet of paper, but eventually the drawings take shape. One for himself, one for Doppio's... mystery client, as promised. The one for Doppio's client has a slightly suspicious gaze, as if he's been caught with his hand in a cookie jar. A sharper look than the one he'll keep, who looks a bit clueless. Somehow both thirty and fifteen.

"There. I think that should just about do it, yes?"

He'll keep poking at his own drawing for the next few days. An artist's work is never done.

"Thank you! Wow, you made me look really... Um."

Actually, looking at Leonardo's drawing of himself, Doppio isn't... sure what to think. Not because it's bad! Not at all. He still feels awed just to be looking at something genuinely made by Leonardo da Vinci's hand. But the way he looks...

Doppio really is just the most unimpressive guy alive, isn't he?

"Oh yeah, can I have a look at the other one? I'm not taking it, don't worry! I just wanna see how it turned out."

"Oh, of course."

He flips the pages until he gets to the other drawing. The first Doppio looks suspicious and sharp, but the second one looks like he's in the middle of telling a joke. More cheery. He looks as though his body is comprised of noodles, lax and bendy.

"You can keep whichever drawing you think your client would like best. I'm not picky."

Doppio looks. And, in the interest of confirming something, so does Diavolo.

It has to be a quick look; Leonardo can't be allowed to see any more than what he has already seen. His gaze flashes green, just briefly, when he looks at one drawing and then the other, and...

... It's... unfortunate. Looking at the first sketch Leonardo showed Doppio, he feared that this land might have found some sort of confounding compromise between the two of them, but that may not be exactly the case. Because the other one IS his Doppio, not only as he has seen him in photographs but somehow even more so. He... wanted this, even if parts of it are, perhaps, too much. It's a sign that Leonardo has followed the instructions, at least, exaggerating different traits in each drawing.

The second one is precisely the opposite, and it's because of that - despite that? - that no one else may be allowed to see it. It is Doppio, and not Diavolo, and yet it makes him feel... exposed. He may very well burn it as soon as Doppio forwards it to him.

He makes sure to nudge Doppio's finger towards the sharper drawing, just to ensure he won't be too disoriented when Diavolo retreats.

Doppio blinks.

"... Um, yeah. This one's fine. I mean, it's good! I'm keeping this one."

Although... Now that he looks at the other one, doesn't it look just a little bit more like himself?... Never mind. It might just be too soft for the Boss's tastes. He should probably go ahead and let instinct steer him on this one.

Brr. Did it just get a little chilly in here? Something feels a little... sharp in the air. But whatever it is, it passes before Leonardo can do much more than make note of it.

"Good, I'm glad."

Another job well done. Well, as close to done as Leonardo gets, at least. At least his customer seems satisfied, and that's enough for him.

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i just realised i read the last tag entirely backwards but it's ok i can make it work--

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