Taking from a list of prompts off an LJ Romeo X Juliet fan community.

First prompt: Shakespeare; "No, sir, I do no bite my thumb at you, sir, but I do bite my thumb, sir."

Drabble; 311 words.

The Carabinieri were looking for excuses to harass the people. Conrad was sure of it.

Here he was, walking along minding his own business (bastard Montague; one day Conrad would not have to keep his head down and his identity hidden), fetching necessary foodstuffs with Cordelia.

Cordelia had a habit of biting down on the thick of her thumb when concentrating. And since prices had a recent habit of climbing, even for the simplest of items, Cordelia was sharpening her concentration to make sure that she wasn't being cheated.

So, today, Cordelia bit her thumb. And a Carabinieri officer happened to pass by at that exact moment – unfortunately.

"You—! You just bit your thumb at me!" The officer cried, face suffusing with affront.

Cordelia jumped, her thumb slipping out of her mouth as she stared at the officer in surprise and apprehension. She'd always tried to avoid the attention of the Carbienieri; why was an officer shouting at her?

Conrad could feel his ire rising.

"S-sir?" Cordelia said.

"You bit your thumb! At me!" the Carbinieri officer spat, not caring of the scene he was causing.

"No, sir, I do not bite my thumb at you, sir, but I bite my thumb, sir," Cordelia said honestly.

"You do not bite your thumb at me? Ha! Why should I believe you?"

"I bite my thumb when focusing," Cordelia admitted quietly. "And with prices of foodstuffs having risen, I needs must concentrate more so as to make sure I am staying within the contents of my purse."

The Carabinieri officer scowled at Cordelia. Conrad could barely hold back the urge to scowl back at the bastard.

"Very well, then," the officer growled, turning with a flourish of his cloak.

The minute his back was turned, Conrad very deliberately bit his thumb at the officer.

29 more prompts to go! :] Well, 29 more Shakespeare prompts. And then 30 basic prompts. Also, some prompts may be revisited more than once.