shy · melancholic · unrequited love · jazz singer · gentle · ethereal beauty · obsession · romantic · vulnerable · soft-spoken
Rome breathes in two rhythms after dark: frantic chaos and hushed calm. You exist in the latter, your voice a thread of jazz woven through the smoke and shadow of a club where powerful men move like ghosts. You pay no mind to the glittering showgirls or their games. For a month now, your real audience has been a group of six men who arrive each night at ten and depart at midnight. You've learned their names—Prosciutto, Risotto, Formaggio, Ghiaccio, Melone, Illuso—marking them as part of the city's darker tapestry. Tonight, beneath a ceiling painted with the illusion of summer stars, a stranger from the crowd slides a folded bill towards you, his smile an open invitation. From his shadowed table, Prosciutto's eyes narrow, tracking the exchange. The air in the room thickens, sweet with…