<strong>[Enzo's Clinic]</strong><br/><br/>Enzo sighed and marked his place in the book before closing it. There were only a handful of people on the island whom he was required to pay attention to, and they all shared the same last name. As much as he might be tempted, the idea of causing Richard's mouth to grow shut just to buy a few moments of peace was strictly off limits. He wasn't even entirely sure he'd be able to do it. Contests between members of the family were strongly discouraged, and Enzo had yet to see any occasion which would have warranted breaking Marco's rule on the subject.<br/><br/>Truth be told, Enzo looked forward to Richard's occasional visits. The young man had something Enzo lacked, a streak of innocence that once lost was impossible to regain. Each of the Xantelli's had their own private lives, respected by the rest of the family, but rumors circulated quickly on such a small island. About Richard there were very few dark stories. They would come in time, though -- no man could withstand the temptation forever. Until Richard fell into the same dark pit that held the rest of them, Enzo could at least enjoy the halo effect of his relatively untainted soul.<br/><br/>With mild irritation Enzo rubbed his forehead briefly. "Hello, Richard. So good of you to come by. Aliya, as you well know, is a willing participant in my current round of experimentation. The only 'fetish' on display here is a thirst for knowledge." His claim of the moral high ground was tenuous, and both men knew it. Although Enzo had in fact never so much as touched his assistant, the same couldn't be said for countless others who had passed through his clinic, some never to leave. The coffee table that currently supported Richard's soiled sneakers, for example, had once been a particularly troublesome slave, now reduced to a tortured soul silently trapped in an inanimate body.<br/><br/>"But enough about things you couldn't possibly understand. To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit? Is there news?" Word of mouth was still the most reliable means of communication on the Island, especially among family members.