[center][url=https://biblehub.com/matthew/6-4.htm][img]https://i.imgur.com/ze7epWJ.png[/img][/url] [h1][color=slateblue]That's Amore[/color][/h1][/center] [hr] [hr] It was Ardanes, now: well into Rezain. The days were a little bit shorter and the nights a little bit cooler. In truth, it was a welcome reprieve from Dorrad's searing heat. They sat on the balcony of a handsome townhome in Cantativa, away from the hustle of Civitalunga or Avincia, with one platter of bruschetta and another of fritto misto. There was a bottle of red wine on the table and a great full Ciero in the sky. Ciro Volta sat across from the woman he would marry, trying to eat like a gentleman. He had business to discuss, but food was to be enjoyed first. There was no need to sour the taste of it. [color=FFE4C4]"I could tell you something like, 'that's my mother's recipe',"[/color] he chuckled, [color=FFE4C4]"but I think neither of us would be afraid of the truth. It comes from the kitchen of a poor woman in Farrodiné who was well compensated and is a bit less poor now."[/color] He smiled appreciatively as he chewed. Xiuyang sat across from her lover, clothed in her finest silks. The first time they'd spoken, she had worn a mask. Then, she'd borrowed her sister's face, and thought he wouldn't notice. Then, she'd decided to learn how to apply makeup, almost from scratch. Now, there were just a few precise and gentle touches. Slowly, over time, her face had become more visible, her smile easier and more confident, more genuine. It had also made her face easier to read. A smile could mean many things, and her smiles were becoming easier to tell apart—a product of their time spent together as much as it was the girl's heart mending. The smile Ciro saw now was a happy and contented one. She was admiring him as much as she was admiring the food. It was no secret that she loved his generosity and good taste. [color=slateblue]"My compliments to our chef. I'll savor this moment to her success. It looks delightful."[/color] She had her chopsticks ready—was it poor manners to eat Revidian food with chopsticks? Surely Ciro wouldn't mind. She seemed to be in a similar conundrum to her beloved: how to eat this bruschetta like a proper lady. The chef may have been poor, but the ingredients were quality and not used sparingly. Her attempt at a ladylike nibble ended with a small dab of tomato sauce on her nose, to which she snickered before wiping it off and taking a more adventurous second bite. All was well. She would enjoy the food for several minutes before the wine would even cross her mind. She hardly drank these days. Ciro tried to bend the bruschetta slightly, to make it concave. He'd have ended up feeding the table and his lap had he not caught the pieces with kinetic magic. He made a makeshift heart shape out of them in the air. [color=FFE4C4]"Did you realize there would be this much cheese when you sat down tonight?"[/color] he asked. Xiuyang rolled her eyes good-naturedly. [color=slateblue]"Wouldn't have it any other way, Big Cheese,"[/color] she replied, responding to one double-meaning phrase with another. [color=FFE4C4]"And this is why I love you,"[/color] Ciro remarked, holding out the bottle of wine and arching an eyebrow questioningly. He shook his head as he poured. [color=FFE4C4]"Many other reasons, too, of course."[/color] Two full moons loomed large in the sky. The waters of the Green Canal shimmered under their light. [color=FFE4C4]"But you are the partner I need: the one who I don't have to act seriously around, the one I don't need to explain my jokes to."[/color] His face turned pensive, then, and perhaps a bit troubled. [color=FFE4C4]"I know the nature of my family, and some of that of yours."[/color] He regarded the deep red liquid in his glass before his eyes snapped upwards, finding hers. [color=FFE4C4]"Promise me that we will never let them use us or turn us against each other."[/color] He fairly [i]bled[/i] anxiety into the night. Xiuyang nodded at the offer of wine, taking up her glass and holding it out for Ciro to fill. A light blush formed on her cheeks, another perk of the lighter use of makeup. The feeling of ease and safety was mutual. She was glad to hear of it. The night moved forward as smoothly as the boats in the canal, but something was about to rock their boat. Dark clouds were brewing, and Xiuyang moved to shoo them away with all the authority of a Zeno welcoming a new year of students to the school. Nothing and no one would intrude on this moment. [color=slateblue]"Never,"[/color] she agreed, soberly and with a kind of held-back intensity. [color=slateblue]"I swear it. ...It's not my sister, is it?"[/color] she suggested preemptively. Desi's husband had chosen her over Maria or Xiuyang, and Maria's jealousy would flare up from time to time. Her charms had not worked on him, and they'd likely not worked on Ciro either, but she had to be sure. Ciro shrugged almost... evasively, and glanced out over the canals. [color=FFE4C4]"Well, I get a bad read from her: bitterness."[/color] He shook his head. [color=FFE4C4]"Grasping."[/color] He pursed his lips. [color=FFE4C4]"A desire to move up."[/color] He tapped the table with a finger. [color=FFE4C4]"My uncle was the same way, and it cost me my father. Oldest tale in the world."[/color] The food was all-but finished. He'd timed it that way. Telling her more about himself would build trust with Xiuyang, and that was something that he needed. In truth, the family's mercantile ventures were not as profitable as they had once been. Trade was moving, increasingly, to the oceans instead of the Ensollian and Revidia hadn't a ghost of a route there. Banking was the future. The Solaris could keep the ships. And yet... he found that he did not see them as enemies. He did not want to ruin them, not in any way, unless they acted first. There was no such thing as a wealthy merchant in Revidia who had not stabbed backs or cut throats, figuratively and, in an indirect sense, literally. Ciro was just shy of his eighteenth birthday and still not fully in control of the Volta Company, but he had ruined people. He'd had men killed. He'd been utterly ruthless. [color=FFE4C4]"Amore mio,"[/color] he said softly, as a sonic bubble took shape around the pair, [color=FFE4C4]"he didn't work alone. There is another who must pay Ecceran's price."[/color] He glanced down at the blood red wine in his glass and then back up at Xiuyang, mysteriously, searchingly, [i]darkly[/i]. Xiuyang was about to crack a joke about how Ciro had just described most noblewomen when he'd suddenly dropped the bombshell. [color=slateblue]"I'm so sorry. I can't imagine..."[/color] The words felt hollow in her mouth as she gazed into her wine. In many horrible nightmares, she had seen Juulet come for her family. She had seen the church come for her family, led by any one of the students who knew that she was a Facemimic and claimed to be her friend. But, to be betrayed by her own blood? It was unthinkable. Even Maria, for all her bluster, would never dare to pull the trigger, because— Xiuyang felt the familiar presence of a sonic bubble as Ciro addressed her so fondly, so softly. She wanted nothing more than to move to his side, but the weight of his words kept her in her seat, engaged in the careful dance of discussing matters of great import while appearing to have only a casual conversation. The conflict played out on her face as her eyes grew in their intensity and her appetite for wine along with them. After a longer drink, she placed her wine glass down, but not for a refill. She tented her fingers. [color=slateblue]"We Solari have an understanding with one another. We wear many faces, and we each have our own hopes and dreams, but we are all one 'Solari.' He who makes an enemy of one, makes an enemy of all."[/color] Her eyes flicked to meet Ciro's, shimmering like the reflection of the moons in the canal below. [color=slateblue]"Who broke your heart, [i]amore mio[/i]?"[/color] Ciro listened and he wasn't certain, to be truthful, though he did not entirely let this show. [color=FFE4C4]"We Volta are, in theory, much the same... or at least, we were."[/color] He drank no more, for he was master of himself. [color=FFE4C4]"It is l'Anguilla himself, though he is not aware that I know, so far as I can tell."[/color] He picked at his last bit of food idly - poor manners, to be certain, but he could relax that way in front of Xiuyang. [color=FFE4C4]"And now he comes to me,"[/color] the merchant prince continued, [color=FFE4C4]"with a task that I know is a trap, but which I cannot completely refuse, lest I lay bare my suspicions and allow him to wonder if I know still more."[/color] He twisted to reach into his satchel, left beside his chair under the moonlight, but he paused. [color=FFE4C4]"I will admit, it is an intriguing thing, and I welcome your insight on it."[/color] Xiuyang's face blanched. Her blood turned cold. [color=slateblue]"...The Doge himself..?"[/color] She looked upon Ciro with eyes that didn't want to believe what her ears were hearing. [color=slateblue]"How could this happen..? Should we..?"[/color] Her voice trailed off as she at once considered and dismissed every option that came to mind. Tell her father? No. He had told her quite young never to tangle with the Eel, but when asked by innocent young eyes if the Doge was a "bad man," he had replied only that people were more complicated than simply being good or bad. Should they flee Revidia? No. The keys to the future they were building together were here, and the future of all Constantia stood to gain from their success. There was too much on the line to let one man stand in the way, even if that man was the Doge himself. Kill the Doge? It seemed the height of madness. The kind of chaos that would result... but Ciro knew this. He knew, and setting aside whether or not they should, the fact of the matter was that Xiuyang could not, even if she tried. He was not asking her to commit treason, any more than Seviin had been suggesting that she kill Juulet. Ciro was simply stating facts, for the time being, and she trusted his judgment. She did not cast judgment on him for killing his uncle, for the penalty of betraying one's own blood could only be death. So it was for the Solari, and so she imagined it must be so for the Volta. [color=slateblue]"What is the nature of this task? This trap of his?"[/color] she asked, holding back the true heat of her emotions, but not the presence of them. [color=slateblue]"If he plots ill against you, I will bring those plans to ruin. Every fiber of my being, every tool at my disposal. I'll hold nothing back. Please, let me help you,"[/color] she pleaded, reaching across the table for his hand. She knew that Ciro had been bearing his burdens alone while she had been making him to share hers. It was unfair, and she was making an effort to change it, but he had to let her in first. Ciro lifted his glass of wine to his lips and drank. One could not see the lower half of his face. After a moment, however, he placed it back on the table, settled, and took Xiuyang's hand. He breathed deeply, twisting to pull a sealed envelope from his bag, though the seal was broken. [color=FFE4C4]"It says little,"[/color] he remarked, extricating a folded letter from it, [color=FFE4C4]"though I know more, and [i]he[/i] knows more than me, still.[/color] He held it out for her to see and opened it, letting her read and wonder before any commentary. [i]Dear Honourable Prospect, Has your life taken a turn? Do you seek thrills you have long since desensitized yourself to? Or perhaps you wish to start anew? Whatever your creed may be, one of Sipenta's mythical and lost marvels beckons the ambitious, curious and desperate alike. Deep in the frigid tundras lies the oldest gem of this world. An expedition like none other in history to unearth a legend that can make dreams into tangible reality. A chance for a legacy. A chance for a new beginning. A new era. The Abyssal Forge awaits you. Signature: __x Please send this letter through your local post office.[/i] Xiuyang took the letter and inspected it. Anxiety gave way to confusion, which was always conveyed through her most amusing faces. [color=slateblue]"He... wants you to sign a letter and put it in the post,"[/color] she assessed, deadpan, with a tone that suggested an anti-climax. She pinched the bridge of her nose. [color=slateblue]"Can something this shady-looking really be an important task from the Doge? This looks like bait for the desperate. Is he insulting you?"[/color] she asked, irritation evident on the curl of her lips. "A chance for a legacy, a new beginning." There was a time such words would have tempted her to action, but now, she saw them in a new light: manipulative. But slowly, the clever girl's cogs began to turn, and after a moment, she gave her [i]true[/i] assessment. [color=slateblue]"No, I get it. He wants to send you on some fool's errand so you'll be out of his hair. It means he is about to make a move you disapprove of, right?"[/color] It wasn't quite right, but it wasn't quite wrong, either. [color=slateblue]"But we have tricks he doesn't know about."[/color] When her eyes met Ciro's again, it was his own eyes that he saw looking back at him from within Xiuyang's face. It was only for a moment, but it was a little uncanny. [color=slateblue]"As I said, we are all one 'Solari.' If he requires 'you' to go away for a while, I can become 'you.' Someday, you might be able to become 'me' as well. Until then... while they aren't exactly pocket sized, they are 'portable.' The [i]mirrors,[/i] Ciro. Being in two places at once isn't a dream for you, it's a reality!"[/color] Her hushed whispers got a little excited. [color=FFE4C4]"I think he wants to have his cake and eat it, too,"[/color] Ciro offered, leaning in conspiratorially and mouthing a small kiss. [color=FFE4C4]"At least, that's my impression."[/color] He smirked and leaned back again, sipping the last bit of his wine. [color=FFE4C4]"There is something to the Abyssal Forge beyond the ability to create things: something strategic for him both personally and in the interest of Revidia."[/color] He pursed his lips. [color=FFE4C4]"I have done some digging and I think that the Tarlonese are connected to this. Minister Padovan's office has been unusually busy, but not Materazzi's or Barone's. Tartarelli has been salivating over the coming war for months, now, and Zappa is inscrutable as always. I think there is an effort to pull them over to our side, perhaps as counter to what the Torragonese have been up to lately with Virang."[/color] He shrugged. [color=FFE4C4]"My take is that they need something there and can't get it, or need backup, and we stand to gain. If matters go well, then it is a clandestine operation but, if they go south, l'Anguilla will have cause to disavow whoever was involved."[/color] He sniffed. [color=FFE4C4]"It's me he's out for. We've been playing this shadow game for some time."[/color] Ciro examined the letter idly. [color=FFE4C4]"I could not live with myself if you stepped in and something happened."[/color] [color=slateblue]"But then, what will you do? It's the same for me, you know. I can't imagine a future without you in it. ...No pressure."[/color] She squeezed his hand lightly, giving him a warm smile. Then, she narrowed her eyes in thought. [color=slateblue]"So, you're saying this isn't just some wild goose chase, but a real lead. You're also saying it might be dangerous, but here you are, asking for my opinion on our best course of action. If you had someone more capable than me that you could ask, I think you would have—and if I had someone like that, you'd have skipped the middle man. ...Well, it's [i]me,[/i] so maybe you wouldn't."[/color] She weaved her fingers with Ciro's, playing with them a little. [color=slateblue]"I trust you, Ciro, and I trust your judgment. I'd be in a lot of trouble if I didn't, since I'm something of an advisor of yours,"[/color] she japed. [color=slateblue]"If you would rather I not go, then let me know how I can help, and what needs to be done while you're gone—but, I am willing to go on a little adventure. Considering everything that's happened, with the doppelganger of me that appeared in Qari'muuna and attacked Ingrid, and the incident in Palapar... maybe it'd be good for me to escape the public eye for a while, again, rather than become a distraction from the good you're trying to do."[/color] She sighed, but she didn't allow herself to dwell on the thought like she would've done before. [color=slateblue]"Like I said, you can sign it and send me. I won't get cold feet. Or if you think it's too risky, or if there's some benefit to having the Doge [i]know[/i] you sent me, I'll sign my name and go as myself. Do we know if anyone else will be there? Anyone we trust?"[/color] she asked curiously. Ciro listened as she spoke, his attention - for all intents and purposes - undivided. [color=FFE4C4]"I believe we should test him, just slightly,"[/color] he concluded. [color=FFE4C4]"If you would like to lose some heat, you should at least go as yourself."[/color] He tapped the tabletop rhythmically, pondering. [color=FFE4C4]"Change one element he anticipated and thought he would control."[/color] His eyes flicked from his tapping finger to Xiuyang. [color=FFE4C4]"See how he reacts."[/color] Regardless of his discomfort, he flicked her the letter, eyes large and deep and settled upon her. [color=FFE4C4]"I love you, Salomé Solari."[/color] In the background, the crickets chirped and a fresh breeze blew up the hill from the ocean. [color=FFE4C4]"I will have someone ready - someone useful - to switch with you if you are in danger."[/color] Xiuyang nodded in understanding. Ciro knew the Doge, and this was his move to play. With Xiuyang signing her name, she could be satisfied that they were keeping another of their cards hidden, as well. She had reached for her quill and was just about to sign the letter when Ciro reaffirmed his love for her. Her hand hesitated for what could've only been a fraction of a second before the deed was done. The delivery was so serious, it could have been a final farewell, and if it were anyone else, she would have had second thoughts—but, she'd made a habit of putting her faith in this man, and watching as things worked out for the better. Now, while she was doing it again, he was also doing the same with her, and the weight of the moment was not lost on Xiuyang. She smiled warmly as he reassured her that she would have an out if things went south. [color=slateblue]"And I love you, Ciro Volta. More than you could ever know."[/color] [hr] [center][youtube]https://youtu.be/F5fyR0uVOj0[/youtube][/center] [hr] [color=slateblue]"When the moon hits your eye, like a [i]big pizza pie...[/i] that's [i]amore~[/i]♪" "When the world seems to shine, like you've had [i]too much wine...[/i] that's [i]amore~[/i]♪"[/color] Xiuyang sang softly to herself as she walked the dirt roads of some small town in Miatto, appearing to have no particular destination in mind. She had memorized the map several days ago, after all, and walked this road several times before. She had observed the shed in question and peered inside with the Gift, as she would do this time. There was a sudden chill, and the inexplicable but all-too-familiar sensation of being watched. Was there a rustling of more than just the wind? [color=slateblue]"When it's all on the line, but you're still [i]feelin' fine~[/i]♪"[/color] she improvised, drawing a pistol, a smile forming as she brought the muzzle to her lips, like a finger shushing a partner in crime who was absent. [color=slateblue]"What's that?"[/color] she spoke, rather than sang the line, as one would do to build drama in a musical. She ducked around a corner, peering into an alley, her gun pointed at a barrel. A rat scurried. A homeless man coughed. [color=slateblue]"Don't you see? Why [i]couldn't[/i] it be?"[/color] she said as she looked around, to quell her nerves. All was still in the night. Xiuyang tapped the barrel of her gun against her chin contemplatively, as though it were her finger, resting just outside the trigger guard. [color=slateblue]"Yup! That's [i]amore~[/i]♥"[/color] She smiled brightly. She would continue on until she reached the rendezvous point, at which point the weight of the risk she was taking would hit her stomach like a ton of bricks. [color=slateblue][i]You promised you wouldn't get cold feet,[/i][/color] she softly scolded herself. [color=slateblue][i]If your word means nothing even when given to Ciro, then...[/i][/color] The rest didn't need to be said. She bumped the door of the shed open with her shoulder. The first two times she had opened it, it creaked horribly. Last time she was here, she had ensured it would not do so again. She relied on her beanie to show her the truth, looking for any dark figures lying in wait. She saw nothing, however. Instead, she saw the static before she began to feel it crawl on her body. She tried to draw, but instead felt her knees grow weak as she lost her balance. It was in her mind, now, obscuring her vision along with the fog creeping inside the shed. It drowned out the all-consuming cacophony of the frogs nearby. [color=slateblue][i]What... is this?! Is this magic? Is it an episode? I can't see... myself. Can't hear... Can't ...think...[/i] "Ciro..."[/color] she mumbled as her eyes glazed over. [color=slateblue]"[i]a... mo... r- re...[/i]"[/color] Her outstretched hand gave up its final twitch.