Human Nature
Chapter 1
Leonardo da Vinci is a freshman at the college of his dreams: Medici University. He's majoring in art and minoring in biology. The two things he has been most passionate for his whole life. When he moved into his dorm he somehow convinced the Medici staff that it would be okay to bring all his birds with him, which his roommate Guiliano wasn't too pleased about, not being fond of Leo's feathery friends. So in return, Guiliano was never in his own dorm.
Leo comes from a poor family, with no mother. The only reason he is going to the college of his dreams is because he got an art scholarship in high school that paid for everything he needed for his art classes. The biology class was just cheap enough that he could pay it off himself.
Leonardo's closest friends are Niko, majoring in art just to be around Leo, Vanessa, majoring in theater and literature and Zoroaster, majoring in law. Nico and Zo happened to be roomed across the building from Leo and Guiliano, and Vanessa across campus. The four of them met up often at a near by café called Macchia.
The religious and sometimes aloof Girolamo Riario lived in the dorm over from Leo. Leo sees him time to time leaving for church or leaving for his theology classes. He always has a Bible at hand, and you could always catch Riario with Lucrezia Donati, a sophomore at MU.
One day while Leo was attempting to get his birds in their rightful cages so he could leave for biology he heard someone knocking at Riario's door.
"Girolamo, open up, it's me." He heard Lucrezia outside the door. Leo could hear the pounding of Riario's feet and a loud thump. Leo cackled and covered his face with his hands, some of the birds still not in their cages scattering around the room. He heard Lucrezia stifle a laugh herself.
After he was sure she had gone in Leo opened up his door to attempt to listen out into the hallway.
"…aH. What the fuck Nico?!" He shouted as Nico was face to face with him. Leo took a couple steps back and glared at Nico. Nico quietly held up a paper bag.
".. I brought lunch..." Nico laughed. Zoroaster and Vanessa walked in behind Nico.
"And we brought the bird food you asked for." Zoroaster said, as he set the huge sack of bird seed on a section of the floor that wasn't covered in papers or art utensils. "How do you live in this hell hole?" He asked exasperated, picking up and examining a few of the pieces.
"Shut up." Leo said, not really paying attention as he scuttled around, shutting the door and looking for the last birds still out. "Aaaaand don't touch…" he said attempting to snatch the papers from Zo. Zo pulled away and looked at the sheets in his hand. One had a very detailed picture of multiple zebra finches, another had a strange looking invention and…
Zoroaster set the other two papers down and studied the one in his hand.
"Leo... is this Girolamo..?" He asked raising his eyebrows, looking towards the dorm next door. Vanessa walked over and looked at it, getting on her tippy toes and looking over Zo's shoulder.
"Explain…" Vanessa whined, walking up to Leo and shaking his shoulders. Nico gave him a questioning look. Leo snatched the sheet and put it in the middle of another pile of papers.
"I was just... I'm—he…" Leo stammered, talking with his hands more than usual. "—I have no good answer... I'm going to biology." Leo grabbed his bag and headed out the door, not bothering taking his food with him. His face was a little warm and he just wanted to meet up at Macchia's with the others...
He kind of hoped he would accidently bump into Girolamo.