In fair Verona, our tale begins with VALENTINA GALLO, who is TWENTY-SEVEN years old. She is often called VIOLA by the MONTAGUES and works as their SOLDIER. She uses SHE/HER pronouns.
Abandon her – it is fine, she needs no one but herself and her brother. Break her – that is alright, she will break you ten times over and ten times worse. Underestimate her – oh, darling, you’re going to need an extra hand to help you dig your flower-covered grave. Valentina Gallo was raised FIGHTING, whether it be for her life or for justice. The girl had been born with her teeth bared and with her fists raised, knuckles bruised and bloody. She often wonders who she must have gotten it from, considering that her parents seemed quite the opposite. No longer can she recall them with fond memories, instead she remembers them like dogs, running away with their tails in between their legs, pathetic whimpers echoing in the air. Instead of fighting for their right to a family, they gave up the moment they realized that raising children required not only blood, sweat, and tears but heartbreaks and heartaches as well. Parents were supposed to fight the whole world for their children and they deemed that burden too great to bear. Yet the Gallo children were both born with the will to fight, whether it be for a gentler world or to simply fight the world – the WILL was there nonetheless. Growing up on the streets was not as much of a tragedy as it may seem, or perhaps it was such an integral part of her childhood that she cannot imagine what life may have been like without it. Both she and her brother came by money by robbing, conning – any way that they could. Valentina made it her business to know Verona more intimately than any lover, to walk the streets of the cities in the darkness and yet know that her feet have memorized the path long ago. However, one cannot learn the details of Verona without stumbling across its more duplicitous crowds as well. She watched them from afar, FASCINATED by the pieces of the puzzle that fell into her lap – pieces that painted a rather bloody picture, but a poetic one as well. Ducking behind corners, hiding in shadows. Valentina watched as the war of the Montagues and the Capulets unfolded before her very eyes. These were not people who sought peace and turned away from a fight, no, these were people who reveled in war. It became a matter of slipping into their ranks, of becoming part of the war so that she mightREVEL in the fight of it as well. No sooner had this become her goal then she had sprinted up the stairs, breathless with the excitement of finding a way out of the slums, and found her brother with a gun pointed to his head. The stars had aligned and were now giving her the chance to SEIZE them and make them in her own. It did not take her long to put two and two together; her cursedly soft-hearted brother had been a good Samaritan and, as a result, purchased his own tombstone and grave. But one moment of hesitation from the soldiers was all it took for her to convince them that there was a means of atoning for their sins: a lifetime of employment to the Montague name. There was no longer a need to convince her brother to sign his name to her plan because the both of them were to take part in this, whether they liked it or not. Valentina, however, did not just like it. She loved it – and she was ready to take on MORE, no matter the odds that were stacked against her. As of late, she has taken to a little project of her own, infiltrating the divisions of the Capulets in order to prove her fidelity to the Montague cause. So, in her spare time, she dons the garb of law enforcement officers and walks among them as one of their own. It’s a dangerous game she’s been playing, but it is one that has proven its worth because, time and time again, her sources have proven to be tried and true. What is the SATISFACTION of gaining a reward without throwing a little risk into the game as well?
SANTINO GALLO: Twin brother. There have been many legendary siblings that have been marked down in history. Apollo and Artemis, Romulus and Remus, Freyr and Freyja. But Valentina truly believes that they have all had rather disappointing brothers in comparison with Santino. Though his heart may be soft, easily pliable, and quite gullible – it is the perfect contrast against her own. Her heart only knows how to rage. However, as of late, Valentina finds herself pulling away from him, her hoard of secrets building a wall between them. However, she knows that her undercover assignment won’t last forever. Whatever damage is done can be, will be, undone. She’s survived so much, but she is not entirely sure whether she would be able to survive losing her brother.
HALCYON SANTOS: Target. Perhaps it was providence that intervened the day she had been totted into the precinct on suspicion of assault. Of course, she wouldn’t have touched the man had he not touched her first, but she didn’t regret the damage that she had done. Especially not after she watched none other than Halcyon Santos walk into the place as if she owned it – which Valentina quickly realized, she did. This piece of information became invaluable in securing her place among the Capulets, an essential stepping stone to climbing her way up their ranks. Should she be able to infiltrate Halcyon’s enterprise of corrupt cops, nothing will be able to hold the Montagues back.
RAMONA AGUILAR: Partner-in-Crime. Though she adores both Castora and Ramona, she finds herself picking up the phone to call Ramona much more often than either of them had expected. Their friendship came as a surprise to the both of them, but for a woman who had grown up with only a brother, the female companionship was much needed in her case. When the two of them get together it’s a mix of volatile chemicals that promises nothing but destruction for everyone in their wake. It’s intoxicating – and if she knows one thing, it’s that she has a penchant for over-indulging in her vices. Ramona is only too eager to help her along.
EASTON CRAVEN: Weak link. Easton is renowned for being one of the Capulets’ most capable soldiers and Valentina does not take that information lightly. She’s taken to observing him when she can and thus far, her conclusion has been that Easton, for all his vigor and violence, could be a pawn if only she had the tools to mold him into one. It would take slipping past his antagonistic defenses but she knows they have enough in common that she could do it although it will take time and too many risks. It’ll be worth it in the end; if she had him on her side, the possibilities would be endless.
Valentina is portrayed by PHOEBE TONKIN and was written by ROSEY. She is DECEASED.
