Master of the Underhanded Deed (Open)

Dante nodded at Stuart's question, "Yeah I can do portraits, both drawn and painted portraits. What type of portraits would you like?" He asked softly.

Stuart thought aout it. "Actually...it's not of me. You see...years ago when I was in my early twenties...I was engaged to a woman named Belle. Belle...she fell in love with another man and left me..."

He felt foolish as he recalled the situation. Still loving the woman who had no love for him in her heart was madness, many people have tried to tell him so. There was just no one who had capture his heart like she had no.

At least not yet.

"I'd like you to do a portrait of her. For starters."

Dante nodded slowly, "Yeah of course..." He realized it would seem weird if he painted the portrait without seeing a picture of the lady. "You have a picture?"

Stuart nodded, though his eyes never left the table. He saw how slowly Dante had nodded. The poor boy must have thought him a freak for wanting a portrait painted of his lady lost. "You...you think I'm odd..."

"I.. I don't think so sir.. You still love her, she was very important to you.. I'm sorry she hurt you.." Dante said softly.

Stuart looked at Dante, studying him. He had an air of lost familiarity about him, as if they were had once almost met and yet had completely missed each other. Was he a friend of Belles? Was he going to run off and tell his ex-fiance that he was still in love with her? That was the last thing he needed. "Don't be. I should be a stronger man for it."

He didn't mean to sound cold but being cold, being a bad man, was the only way that he could keep others out so he would never be hurt like that again.

"Oh.." Dante said softly before giving a small nod, "I'll need a picture of her for the painting sir, its hard to paint someone you've never seen..." He played with one of the pulls on his special hoodie as he said this.

Stuart nodded, "Yes, of course it would be hard to paint someone that you have never laid eyes on before. Would you like to come back to my place to see the picture? I...I don't carry one on me you know."

Dante nodded, "Yeah, When would be a good time for you to show me?" He asked softly.

Stuart thought about it. The truth of the matter was the he worked so hard, so often that he didn't really have much free time. Except for on Sundays. Mayor Chern demanded that he take Sunday's off to work on things that may be a problem for himself, such as his health, "Well...Sunday's are sort of my off day but I end up cleaning around the house. If you don't mind coming over on a Sunday, I wouldn't mind it either."

"Will this Sunday be okay? I can bring over my pad and get the sketches of the picture so it'll be easier." Dante said as he nodded slowly.

Stuart thought about it and nodded, "Yes, it should be acceptable for you to come around this Sunday. There's nothing that I should be doing so we can meet."

"Is two o'clock okay Mr. Dickens?" Dante asked as he reached for his notepad to write it down.

Stuart nodded as he pulled his schedule out of his pocket, "Yes, yes that should be quite alright. I should give you my number to make sure that you are able to reach me should something happen and you cannot make it."

Dante nodded, "Okay, I'll give you the phone number to the apartment then." He didn't own a cell phone and they were lucky phone line was free at the apartment.

Stuart smiled and scribbled down his own phone number. The last thing he needed was for someone to overhear him and to make a not of how to get a hold of him. Threats were an already real thing that he didn't feel like living out each and every day of his life. "So, tell me, why are you here alone? Surely you have friends who would be missing your company on a day like today?"

Dante carefully folded up the number and put it in his hoodie pocket before zipping the pocket closed. He looked up at Stuart's question, "Oh well I don't have many friends and my friend Tonio has to work for another half hour... "

"Tonio...ah you must mean young Antonio Balington who works over at Papa Bear's. Quite an awful place if you do ask me," he chuckled, "Then again, I'm sure you don't know fine dining. Now, Tiana's Palace. That's a resteraunt."

"Yeah Antonio... He's my best friend... And it's more of a dessert café then reseraunt..." Dante said softly, his outspoken side coming out, "No offence to Ms. Tiana's, but Papa Bears is just as good..."

"Well whatever it is one cannot be expected to eat sweets more than once a week. It ruins the body and makes a man sluggish, which in turn means he cannot preform his job correctly," Stuart spoke as if he were the authority on such things. He couldn't help his attitude, it's how he was raised to be.

Dante wasn't sure how to reply to him, the man had a way about him that didn't allow any argument. He let some of his bangs fall into his face and looked down.

Stuart frowned, he hadn't meant to make the young man in front of him feel in such a way. All he had meant to do was have a conversation. "I do apologize...I know that I can be quite hard headed when I want to be but...well...I'm sorry."

"Oh its okay, I understand sir... I guess I can be too timid sometimes." Dante said as he looked up at him through his bangs.

Stuart shook his head, "No, no it's my fault. I'm too boisterous and sometimes my personality can be a bit...abrasive." When Dante looked up at him through his bangs, Stuart felt his breath catch in his chest. He was more captivating than his Belle had ever been.

Dante's green eyes looked up at the man, he was curious and while he should of moved his hair from his face he felt safe behind the thin wall of his bangs. The man had a way about him that drew him in even deeper into him, it was something he wasn't sure he had felt before.