When the august personages of her inspiration and the man who might allow her to rise such glittering heights emerged from the warehouse not long after Serafina sank into another elegant curtsy, rising only when encouraged and alighting into the carriage only after Alessandro had and when Nicoletta gestured for her to do so. She took the seat opposite of the man, not so forward nor bold to place herself beside him even as her honey golden hair framed cheeks flushed in her delight. The color deepened even as her heart skipped a beat when the courtesan chose to sit beside her, a delicate, elusive scent teasing against her senses that only added to her admiration for the other woman. From beneath the fringe of her lashes the young woman observed them both, feeling the swift beating of her heart and knowing it was joy, not dread, that she faced having committed herself fully to this course of action rather than the safer, and suffocating, route of marriage to a man her father would deem acceptable. Oh his fury when he discovered her gone, but she would be beyond his reach then, and no good man would take her to his wife after she had consorted openly with so famous a courtesan as Nicoletta.<br/><br/>A pleased smile curved upon her lips, though her blue eyes raised fro a moment when she caught the sound of Alessandro's exhale, his rich voice encouraging them home. Home for her as well now, it seemed. She had not expected him, not truly. Oh she knew that he was he man who held the access to the most beautiful and talented of courtesans in Venice, yet she had not expected the sound of his words to caress her, for his eyes to seem to see some part of her even she could not name. There was a tug of attraction that frightened her somewhat, for she had often only played at attraction and preferred pursuit of the mind. Was it then his perceived power that pulled at her? No, it could not be that, for that she had known before she had met him. Serafina was vexed to find herself uncertain, yet she was not about to find the answer to her quandary so soon, that she knew.<br/><br/>The man seemed to notice her glances, for all that she sought to keep them demure, and his attention brought that lovely flush back to her cheeks just as it had started to fade. She lowered her gaze, posture reserved for her endless questions had often only earned the ire of men about her. He instead spoke, sharing of his mind with a nakedness that had her eyes rounding, lips slightly parted at the bold nature of his confessions. Alessandro's naked love for the woman she admired and aspired to become similar to moved her, a softening in the bright hue of her eyes, a lushness to her mouth, conjuring within her heart a wish that one day she might inspire similar sentiments within a man, for that, that might be worth giving herself over to. A practical girl, a merchant's daughter, she had seen the exchange as her body and beauty for the higher education she yearned for. This was something more. Something that paired with the caress of Nicoletta's fingers along her thigh made her heart start to hope for something beyond merely mercenary trade, for all the her thoughts decried such things as foolish.<br/><br/>And yet he gave life to her dearest, never spoken dream; to become as Nicoletta, a powerful woman in her own right, educated and empowered. It was a shock though that so powerful a man would fear her, that he would want to hold onto her when surely  his profit would come from selling her to the highest bidder. So then did Alessandro further perplex the merchant's daughter, her lips quirking thoughtfully as her hands needlessly smoothed her simple skirt over her legs and she bowed her head to allow herself time to consider the unexpected. Again he made her heart skip beat when he uttered the rule of keeping her from a client, though part of her wished to rebel at the notion she could simply be kept.<br/><br/>She had come to them for freedom, not to exchange one cage for another.<br/><br/>And so Serafina had kept her silence, handed out of the carriage only after the other two had alighted and following Nicoletta from the hand gesture that beckoned her to do so. A shadow, she trailed behind the auburn haired beauty, wondering what the other woman was thinking, if she was displeased to have another girl brought into her household. Yet they came to a chamber she could only think of as part of Nicoletta's suit, and then a robe was offered to her, replacing her plain dress with silk and lace, more costly than anything she had ever touched before. Nervously aware of that fact she held still as it was fastened to her slender form, head spinning as the reality of all that had passed sank in. She was<em>alone</em>with Nicoletta, so close to the realization of her dream.<br/><br/>Nicoletta's arm was offered and with a blush that had her cheeks nearly matching the robe that hugged her figure now the blond accepted, hooking elbows as she was led into a stunning garden. It pleased her that the other woman had seen there was more to her than her beauty, and her question, inviting Serafina to express herself had the girl's lips parting, only to close and part again, heart fast as a hummingbird's wings now.<strong>"I would not lie to you, my Lady."</strong>Again, that soft, sultry sweet voice broke the air, the first word uttered since her gratitude had expressed in the warehouse. A shy, rueful smile touched her lips though her summer sky blue eyes shone with her admiration.<strong>"I did not chose this path for the pleasure of the body that might come, but rather for the lack of limits to feminine knowledge and power upon it. It is the education that tempted me, not a man's touch though... your Alessandro, he perplexes me."</strong><br/><br/>With a rustle of fabric she sank down to sit upon a bench when the courtesan did, eyes lowering as she was beset by the shyness that few ever saw. But then this was the woman she so esteemed.<strong>"I have admired you for some time, your philosophical papers, what little I could read without getting caught, your ability to rule your own life and so to the minds of so many around you. For desire begins in the mind."</strong>Her blue, blue eyes rose, a silent plea for acceptance laying there.<strong>"I wish to live beyond the cage of ignorance and helplessness my gender would force upon me."</strong><br/>