paradisa | (no subject)

[It's a little late for guests, and he hasn't made any arrangements. Ezio is quiet for a moment when he hears the knock, wondering if it is his imagination, but after a moment he gets up and heads to the door. He doesn't even dress properly first; he assumes that it would only be Stephanie or Lana at this hour, and he doesn't care if either of them see him in lounge pants and a partially-buttoned shirt.

But when he opens the door, he finds himself surprised. He hadn't expected Lucrezia to actually seek him out.]

Lucrezia. Good evening.

[ There's a certain satisfaction in catching him unprepared, off guard.

Lucrezia doesn't hide her smirk, amused and smug. She offers him the box first, a swan quill and a small bottle of ink, a proper enough trinket for acquaintances and such. ]

Do you have company?

[He accepts it, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.]

I do not.

[He steps back, holding the door open wider –– he's not going to say it directly, but she's welcome to come in.]

[ She bites back a chuckle as she strolls in, taking the invitation to come in even if it's not given. So easy to please, Ezio. ]

I would not stand to have you dislike my gifts.

[He closes it behind her.]

When did I ever dislike one of your gifts, piccina?

[ She turns to face him after casting her gaze about, checking his room for any sign that he was making up this abstinence thing. ]

When they are not rightly addressed. You have no need for scales.

[His suite is, mercifully, rather tidy, and there isn't exactly much debauchery going on with Lana to create a mess with.

He turns the box to pull the ribbon off it.]

I will find a use for them regardless.

[ Nothing to show that he's lapsed in his recent whim to prove himself. She smiles eagerly, hands cradled, and waits for him to open it. ]

You must tell me when you do.

[He flips open the lid, and his smile grows a touch broader.]

I could certainly make use of this, given how often we put ink to page in our journals.

[ Lucrezia smiles too. It's a good feeling. ]

And to sign contracts and such, of course. If one were to buy property.

[He chuckles.]

Yes... and to order work from contractors to renovate said property. I was considering doing some of that here, if only to have something to do in the city.

[He sets the box down so he can fetch a bottle of wine from the kitchenette.

[ She takes liberty in fiddling with his things, checking out any trinkets and decoration. ]

What would you build? An inn? [ A brothel, Ezio? ]

[Ezio keeps his room relatively spartan -- the important stuff is in the hidden room -- but the mantle of the fireplace and the shelves are still stocked. Framed photographs and an antique gun on the mantle. Books line the bookcases, seldom-touched but a status symbol nonetheless. There's a digital camera on the mantle, too –– one of the ludicrously simple ones, for obvious reasons.]

Shelter for the poor, I was thinking.

[ Lucrezia takes the gun of course, weighing it in her hand and trying to figure out what it is exactly. ]

Do you suppose there are many orphans here?

Where aren't there orphans? There are orphans within this very castle.

[He eyes her with the gun. He doesn't exactly follow safe gun storage.]

Be careful. You could kill someone with that.

[ That just makes the gun more interesting. She purses her lips and takes care not to touch the levers at least. ]

They have a decent home, at least. Those in the city might have no place to sleep.

Hence my thought to place it within the city. Obviously their facilities are... inadequate.

[He takes a seat on the couch, setting the wine bottle and two wine glasses down on the coffee table. He pours them both liberal glasses, uncut by water.]

[ Noticing the wine, she places the gun gingerly back on the mantel so she can walk over and take a seat across from him. The wine is very welcome. ]

Would you ask for my assistance?

Perhaps.

[He takes a sip of wine and then sits back in his seat, arms stretched out along the back of the couch.]

Would you offer it?

[ Lucrezia lowers her eyes to her glass, watching the dark surface, and letting him wait. She takes a slow sip first. ]

If you asked.

I will call upon you when my plans progress that far, then.

[His eyes watch her, carefully.]

Is the wine not to your preference?

You must.

[ Lucrezia looks back, watching him watching her. ]

Shall I drain the glass and prove to you that it is?

Only if you feel challenged enough to do so.

[ Lucrezia twirls her glass by its stem and takes another sip, a bigger one, before setting it back on the table still half full. ]

My pride will not be my weakness. [ Looking at you, Ezio. ]

Edited 2013-01-05 03:52 (UTC)

And pride could be a weapon just as much as a weakness.