Tonight was not a night for battle. Tonight was a night for pictures.

Castille was out as the evening drew close, light jacket tossed over some sort of graphic tee shirt and sturdy tennis shoes under jeans with the leg bottoms folded over to prevent them from being stepped on. An empty camera bag bounced carelessly on her hip while the camera was a heavy weight around her neck. She gazed down every alleyway she passed, paused at random moments in her quest. The right pictures were around, she just had to find them.

The crowds around the restaurants drew her attention. Castille chose a bench on the street side of the outside seating area of an Italian restaurant. Some sort of climbing vine wound its way around the wrought iron fence, and the poles holding up plain white bulbs in strings of romantic light reminded her of the images she had seen of Spain. The fragrance from unseen potted plants filled her nose with the thought of soft petals. She pulled the camera to her face, and focused on the fence. The vines were so delicate. After taking a couple shots, and remembering to turn the shutter sound off, she shifted positions to better accommodate images of the restaurant goers.

There was a family taking up two tables. The little girl was using her fingers to pick up individual noodles from her spaghetti before dramatically placing them in her mouth. The pale light showed dark splotches on her face and hands, and a wide smile on her face. Castille smiled herself and took a few pictures of her before turning her attention to the other restaurant patrons.

A couple sat at a corner, and as Castille stared at them through her lens, she felt her heart twang. They were an elderly couple, holding hands and looking at eachother over half finished dinners. If there was conversation, it was within their minds, as neither of their lips moved. They just looked at eachother as if no one in the rest of the restaurant existed. Even when the waiter came and asked them the usual questions about boxes and desserts, it took him a full minute to catch their attention. Castille found herself drawn to them. Their smiles, their hands, everything about them spoke of a love that had been in place for years.

A box appeared from within the man's jacket. The young girl watched as the women received the box and opened it with shaking fingers. A bracelet appeared from within the thin box, and Castille gasped as the gemstones sparkled in the low light. She clicked away. The woman said something Castille couldn't hear, and a she leaned in for a kiss, Castille found herself unable to move. They were so wonderful. Castille rose, and put her camera away, knowing that she had found the pictures she had wanted. As she walked away, the old man smiled and said to his wife

"Do you think she got the pictures she wanted?"

Word Count: 503