Upon entering the carriage, Alessandro made not one but three observations, for his mind was keen in such a way. A short time later he also resolved of himself that he had something of significance which he wished to remember at a later date, but he had not reached that thought at the present.<br/><br/>That his observations came in a jumble as they did, one upon the other in such a fashion as to be effectively simultaneous, was a measure of the man’s ability to take in multiple and conflicting pieces of information and, in an instant, form ill-conceived and likely self-injurious conclusions.<br/><br/>Observation the first, of course, was<em>positioning</em>.<br/><br/>His love sat not upon her usual seat of honor in the carriage, beside him, where his hand now instinctively resided and longingly searched for the cherished lap in which it normal played during such carriage rides home. Rather, she sat across from him, and next to his darling Serafina. Alessandro gave little thought to the idea that her choice of seating could be due to little else besides his love’s impossibly delightful nature; it was wonderful, he believed, that she might sit beside the girl and provide reassuring comfort as she was borne to her new life with them.<br/><br/>Observation the second, although as noted simultaneous, was<em>visual</em>.<br/><br/>The face and form and person upon whom he had bestowed his unfettered love was quite simply beyond compare. She was beauty itself, and was the source of all that was good in his life. Beside her sat another beauty, a contrast in so many ways to Nicoletta’s version of the word, but a beauty nonetheless. Alessandro was breathless, for by sitting beside Serafina his Nicoletta had given him the image he would see with his dying breath, the two of them side by side. In that moment, as light faded, he would remember only this moment, and be satisfied at leaving the mortal coil an entirely undeserving but, regardless, patently blessed man. He was certain they saw such bliss upon his face, yet failed to consider in that instant that he may have somehow just forfeited some particular degree of advantage in the game that had just begun; aware of how rapt he was, it was only a matter of time before the two women who caused such delight might seek to press their already considerable advantage. Still, he was resolved to be honest with them, and his delight and adoration was properly then displayed.<br/><br/>Observation the third, though again simultaneous, was<em>cerebral</em>, a combination of the first two concepts.<br/><br/>It was his undoing.<br/><br/>But… could he be faulted for failing to resist the tantalizing lure of combining his first two observations? No man of reasonably decent character could possibly resist such temptation; it was unavoidable. And Alessandro, freely admitted, was not a man of even tenuously decent character, and therefore was powerless to resist.<br/><br/><em>Positioning and visual</em>. Nicoletta and Serafina.<br/><br/>Alessandro sighed, and an unmistakable look of bliss and gratitude came over his face for a moment. It was perhaps the happiest moment of his life, and it showed, for in that instant he could see such combinations of the two exquisite creatures in front of him… in positions of such variety and complexity as to be a credit even to the debauched mind and imagination of Alessandro d’Arellio himself… and he bit his lip in delight as he slowly forced his way back to the present.<br/><br/>“Ladies… my darlings… let’s go home.”<br/><br/>At that he rapped upon the wall of the carriage behind him, and they began their slow ride through the winding streets of Rialto Island and towards the home the three of them would now share.<br/><br/>For perhaps the first two streets of their journey he merely regarded them, and especially his Fina, for it was evident that while pleased, she had certain questions.<br/><br/>It was natural, was it not? Some measure of anticipation or trepidation, of curiosity or wariness? Perhaps a combination of such feelings, knotting together into an imagined vision of the unknown that might be fantastical or terrifying all at once.<br/><br/>Upon her face was a question, and he could see that Nicoletta noted it as well.<br/><br/>“Why? Is that it, my little angel? Is that what you want to ask of me?” He smiled warmly, and was pleased to see by her reaction that perhaps his instincts were correct.<br/><br/>For a long moment he paused, and was acutely aware that it was not one pair of eyes that regarded him intently and awaited his explanation, but two. She had been, his Nicoletta, so understanding about all that had transpired at the warehouse, but the unsettling and unwelcome idea that he might have hurt her was more than he could stand. She needed to know, did she not? She deserved, most assuredly, an answer to her own ‘why’ in that moment?<br/><br/>Finally he sighed, and smiled, and did the only thing he could.<br/><br/>He was utterly honest.<br/><br/>Alessandro met Serafina’s eyes evenly, and the smile on his face was reflected there. His tone was unguarded and uncharacteristically sentimental, and he startled himself with the moment even as he likely did the two women in front of him.<br/><br/>“I met, several cherished and utterly treasured years ago, the light of my life. My sunshine, for without her my world is darkness. That she was and still is beautiful and exquisite was unquestioned, but… though it may surprise her to hear it, in drawing and keeping my love her loveliness was largely irrelevant. She was<em>her</em>. She was and remains the most perfect creature I shall ever know - my soul. You sit beside her now, though I am certain by my adoring description that you realize I could be speaking of none other.”<br/><br/>He glanced at Nicoletta and was nearly unhinged, for the look in her eyes at that moment threw wide doors in his mind which were by habit almost always kept locked. He was always, always able to be himself with her, without the pretense and affectations which polite – or impolite – society oft times required. But this… to be this unguarded in front of her was curiously liberating. She most certainly knew him better than he knew himself, for to his eternal gratitude she found him more interesting than he considered himself to be. Perhaps what he said would be no revelation to his love at all, but rather an unveiling of that which had only been a mystery to Alessandro himself. He was uncertain, but still he felt compelled to proceed.<br/><br/>Nicoletta knew, he was convinced, the truth of every word he spoke. Yet the clarity with which he spoke them now, and that he did so in front of the perfectly alluring stranger in their company, was as confounding to Alessandro as it might be to her.<br/><br/>“Again, why, Serafina? Why was she so able to perfectly captivate me, a man who at that time knew an excessive amount about the<em>acts</em>of loving but almost nothing of love<em>itself</em>?”<br/><br/>He nodded, the admission plain, and reached across to lightly capture Serafina’s small hand in his own.<br/><br/>“Because my darling, someone met an extraordinary and impossibly delightful girl and recognized within her the potential for perfection itself. Someone took the time and energy to teach her, to open before her a world which would rush to throw itself at her delicately turned feet, as I did.”<br/><br/>He bit his lip and released her hand, leaning back in his seat.<br/><br/>“I owe that person my life, for without Nicoletta I would likely not be here today. And more importantly, my darling girl, I would not<em>want</em>to be here today.”<br/><br/>He looked evenly to Nicoletta as she sat beside Serafina, meeting her eyes with his soul raw before her in his gaze.<br/><br/>“Not a single breath would I want to draw, in a single instant, without you in my life. You are my heart, and I am powerless and lost without you.”<br/><br/>Alessandro suddenly became visibly aware of how naked he was before them, and attempted a transparent smile as if to momentarily reclaim the casual demeanor he wore so easily.<br/><br/>“So Serafina, angel, I ask you for the third time ‘why?’. Certainly you must have believed, did you not, that you would be chosen for great things? That we would recognize within you the traits and qualities that make it all too evident you would be an extraordinary courtesan? Even that under the instruction of one of the experienced ladies in our employ you might acquire the skills and learning to do become unforgetable?”<br/><br/>Alessandro winked at her and smiled, as if to coax the admission from her.<br/><br/>“Do not be shy in admitting such, for if anything I have proven to this point that I am… I am speaking plainly, and want nothing but honesty between us three.”<br/><br/>He watched her mouth, where secrets came to light, and noted from the almost hidden curl at the corners of her tantalizing lips that perhaps she had expected exactly that. It pleased him, for the girl<em>should</em>recognize how special she was.<br/><br/>“But this…? That you would be swept into an even higher trajectory, to be drawn under the tutelage of none other than the legendary Nicoletta herself? That! That, love, is to grasp at the stars! And to do so while living under our roof with us, and to be drawn so very intimately into our world and lives…?”<br/><br/>Alessandro was aware that Nicoletta was looking at him, but he could not meet her eyes. Not yet.<br/><br/>“My fourth and final ‘why’ is this, then: why could I not help but draw you into my home? Why was I powerless to resist?” He looked at Fina, and kept his eyes evenly upon her own. “The truth is simple. Because, as I said, I owe my life to someone that recognized in a young Nicoletta the qualities I see in you. Because I owe my happiness and joy to the idea that someone said ‘I shall train her, for within her lies greatness. I shall train her, and in so doing make her perfect and irresistible’.”<br/><br/>Only then did he look to Nicoletta and meet her eyes, and he smiled softly as he spoke to Serafina but gazed at the woman he loved.<br/><br/>“Because in you Serafina I see all the things that someone once saw in the woman I adore, and I am powerless to not give to you what someone once gave her.”<br/><br/>Alessandro leaned back, and for a moment the slow jostling of the carriage as it worked its way over the cobbles of the street was the only sound. Finally he gave a low laugh, startled into humor by his own revelations.<br/><br/>“I shall admit to one more thing, before I cease for a time, for it appears that though the solace of holy confession is not to my tastes, the act of contrition before my two darling girls is surprisingly uplifting in this moment.” He looked at them, his gaze lingeringly drifting back and forth between them, and smiled.<br/><br/>“I am terrified before you, and I admit it without reservation. For… for if you, under the care and guidance of my beloved Nicoletta, become even by<em>half</em>what I believe you will, then I shall never be able to let you go.”<br/><br/>At that he smiled, almost wistfully, as if quietly shaken by the vision of such a horrible choice even so many blissful months in the future, and he turned his gaze out the window, where it stayed for the rest of their ride to the estate. He broke his silence only once, to quietly utter a single statement in a tone which begged he not be questioned upon it at this time.<br/><br/>“She is not to be with a client until such unlikely time as I may approve it. Ever.”<br/><br/>The rest of the ride he was quiet, for it was only a few more long minutes, but in that tortured time Alessandro came to realize what it was that he wanted to be certain to remember later.<br/><br/>He needed to buy faster horses, ones that might speed their way home, and to the start of their lives together.<br/><br/>----------------------<br/><br/>Her quiet laugh was musical, and it spoke of her amusement and disbelief at that which he did, and of her undisguised fondness that he did it so consistently.<br/><br/>It was some few hours after their return home. Alessandro had recovered from such blessedly rare soul-baring as had taken place in the carriage, and had decided to attend to the one thing which required his attention at his earliest convenience. In order to do so he had come almost straight here, and that he was received with laughter lifted his spirits, as it so often did.<br/><br/>“You are hopeless, sayyd Alessandro. Impossible. But it shall be so.”<br/><br/>The young woman spoke in an intriguing accent that was captivating, her Italian flavored by a blend of the Portuguese, French, and Spanish as spoken in the Iberian Peninsula where she grew up and the Arabic as it was spoken in her childhood home.<br/><br/>Alessandro bent over her as she sat at her ornate mahogany desk in the offices of the network of businesses which he and Nicoletta ran together. With a chuckle he lightly kissed the luxurious blue-black silk of the hijab which covered the top of her head, and it was a sign of how strong their friendship was that such a gesture from a man caused her not discomfort, but amusement. Her dark blue gown was similarly fashionable and of the finest cut and fabric, and combined with the abundance and quality of jewelry upon her person it was evident that her employer greatly valued both her service and her friendship.<br/><br/>“My dear Halawa Saleh (http://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/8/84/Marek_Halawa.jpg), you save me, for I believe Nicoletta would be most disappointed with me if I had failed to order her precious books, or the emerald necklace lucky enough to be destined to spend its days adorning her perfect neck.”<br/><br/>“Mmmhmm, that I can envision with ease, sayyd. Yet… I wonder… The ruby earrings, which as you say are<em>not</em>lucky enough to be destined for the lobes of<em>her</em>perfect ears, but rather…?”<br/><br/>In an exaggerated gesture, Alessandro slowly shrugged and grinned broadly as he spread his arms, indicating that in this as in many things he was powerless to resist.<br/><br/>Halawa pursed her lips and laughed as she made another careful entry into the neat columns of indecipherable books before her, and for the twentieth time in as many days Alessandro thanked the stars for her presence. As she clucked her tongue at him and shooed him away so that she might continue her work, he thought back upon how she had come to work for him, and how profoundly grateful he was for her friendship.<br/><br/>--------------------------------------------------------<br/><br/>It was seven years earlier, though Venice was still largely the same in those days. Venice was always the same, no matter how much she changed, for the city was the eternal home of grace and beauty in an otherwise troubled world. It was that reputation, of a blossoming culture and respect for learning, that drew so many from so far, and which had in a manner brought Halawa to the city.<br/><br/>With the growing madness and turmoil in Iberia, a product of the mindless fear and rising intolerance towards its Moorish population and those of their faith, her father felt that sending Halawa to the safety of Venice was the best thing for her. That vision proved prophetic, for she was still traveling to safety when the rising violence in Iberia claimed her beloved family, adding the Saleh name to the growing list of victims of the ugliness sweeping her homeland.<br/><br/>Her escorts, Alessandro recalled, had been two brothers that had worked for her family for some time, yet were not of her kin; her father trusted them, for he was a decent man, if a poor judge of character.<br/><br/>Smiling, Alessandro thought for not the first time on the irony, that Halawa would later come under the care of the complete opposite: an indecent man that was a good judge of character.<br/><br/>The brothers, upon hearing of the tragedy, realized that with the loss of their positions with the wealthy Saleh family their prospects were now slim. Nonetheless, they also understood that they possessed something of enormous value, something with which they might secure the start of new lives for themselves.<br/><br/>Halawa, she whose name means ‘sweetness’, and whose face, form, and manner reflected the propriety of her name.<br/><br/>They had arrived in Venice shortly thereafter, and by good fortune soon learned that the most generous of the type of men they sought was none other than Alessandro d’Arellio himself.<br/><br/>It made him smile darkly when he thought of that exquisitely fortunate turn of events, and of how the hand of fate must have blessed Halawa, for he was likely unworthy of such intervention.<br/><br/>Bringing the young Halawa into his presence, they boldly presented their offer to him and named the price for which they might<em>leave her in his care</em>, his to induct into the<em>sort of business he conducted</em>. They were smug as they did so, thinking they might understand him simply because of what he did for a living.<br/><br/>The good fortune in this was, as it turned out, Halawa’s and not theirs. Enraged at the scurrilous nature of the brothers, Alessandro recalled with pleasure how he had led his men in beating them to within an inch of their lives; a woman should enter the profession in which he traded of free will, and any man that forced a woman to such activities deserved no better. The brothers had left the city, never to return, for they believed the promises that were given to them as to what would await them should they do so.<br/><br/>It was wise of them to believe such dire words, for Alessandro had but spoken the truth that day.<br/><br/>What remained, though, was the matter of what to do with Halawa. Now penniless and in a strange land, her prospects might have been bleak were it not for Alessandro. Curious about the young woman, he had invited her to his table and spoken with her at length, and found her to be bright and resourceful and possessing a keen understanding of something akin to magic itself to Alessandro: the girl knew mathematics and sums, for such was valued among her people.<br/><br/>Recognizing that fortune had smiled upon them both that day, Alessandro had promptly brought her into his employ as his bookkeeper and accountant, both of which were activities he was currently failing at with considerable aplomb.<br/><br/>It was an admittedly unusual arrangement for the day, he recalled. However, given his own remarkable lack of expertise in such areas – a product of his resolute disregard for the subjects during his youth – he knew that it was better to shrug off tradition and trust the books to the capable Halawa rather than doom them to his own touch. For the past seven years she had proven the wisdom of that decision, and her worth and skill were only surpassed by her loyalty.<br/><br/>Halawa was soon afforded a comfortable apartment on the grounds of his estate and an indulgent salary, for Alessandro had come to protectively view her as a treasure. That a young woman of her faith commanded such a position within such an organization, and enjoyed the clear favor of the master, ensured that the staff regarded her with respect and propriety; most began to defer to her in some ways, for it was evident that hers was a position of importance.<br/><br/>For her part, she was - and still is - fascinated by the wanton world in which she found herself, one so very different from the traditions in which she grew up. A woman without family, the possibility of a proper pairing and marriage was now lost to her forever, yet she had found a place in the world where she was loved, valued, and protected, and that for her was enough.<br/><br/>Halawa’s fierce loyalty to the man who saved her, and her unrestrained adoration for and awe of the radiance of Nicoletta, were unquestioned. She referred to them from the very first as ‘sayyd Alessandro’ and ‘anissa Nicoletta’. It was unthinkable to her, the idea of not showing the proper respect to those that had saved her, regardless of their protests otherwise.<br/><br/>It was not unnoticed among the staff that the master often referred to Halawa by a term which a man of her culture might use for a favored daughter.<br/><br/>It was not unnoticed by Halawa either, and it made her smile upon each occasion, for such feelings were entirely in keeping with her own.<br/><br/>----------------------------------------------------<br/><br/>“Yes, habibti, I’ll be on my way. And… thank you.” He spoke softly, and was rewarded with a laughing shake of her head as she watched him leave. Quietly Alessandro crept out and left her to her ciphers and columns.<br/><br/>Having seen to the entirely reasonable demands of his darling Nicoletta, though, he now felt perfectly justified in attending to his own amusements and interests for a time, and so sought out the company of the newest addition to his household.<br/><br/>“If only to be sociable, and a proper host, I should see to her comforts”, he thought to himself, though even he could not help but see through the flimsiness of the idea, for his motivations were far more self-indulgent.<br/><br/>Walking at a pace that perhaps showed his enthusiasm a bit too plainly, he soon found his way to the eastern end of the home, which contained the lush apartments which he and Letta shared, and the small reading room, and three decadently appointed guest apartments. In contrast to the western end of the home, with its formal library, and decadent salons, and dining room, the eastern end was that part of the main house reserved for the more intimate day to day life of the owners of the grand house.<br/><br/>It was to one particular such apartment that he walked with such an energetic stride, that being the one with closest proximity to his own, and the one into which Nicoletta had installed his precious young Serafina.<br/><br/>Upon calling, he was informed by a startled servant as she industriously brought the suite to perfect readiness by perfuming the linens just so, that she whom he sought was not present.<br/><br/>“Mistress Serafina is with Mistress Nicoletta, Master. They are, I believe, taking their leisure in the main garden.”<br/><br/>Turning his gaze, he thanked the girl, and Alessandro could see through the lace curtains covering the windows which faced the garden that the two ladies were indeed where the servant had indicated. They sat, curled close into each other upon a stone bench, and Nicoletta had her arm wrapped around the younger woman’s shoulders. Even from this distance he could see they were laughing, and that Serafina was resting her head upon Nicoletta’s shoulder as they giggled together.<br/><br/>“Oh, but that<em>cannot</em>be a good thing”, he thought to himself with a laugh, providing yet another example of his prodigious ability to understate and underestimate a problem.<br/>