Dawn day six
Rosa's brow was knitted in a look off deep concentration, as she used a tweezers to pick the engorged maggots from the now clean wound, and drop them into a clean jar.
picking the last off the 36 maggots, up, Rosa looked up and nodded at Leonardo.
- that's it, this is the last one, are you ready with new batch?
- yes, I've only picked out 16 this time, it's already clean, we just need to keep it that way.
Reaching over the still body, Leonardo tipped his hand above the gaping but healthy wound, dropping the grain sized creatures into it before helping Rosa seal the wound with a clean dressing.
- Bene the wounds are clean, and his fever has broken. Now we just need him to wake up. How are his burns? are they healing?
- They were deep but...
- hmm...
A soft pained moan escaped his scabbed lips, as his golden eyes crept open, to stare up at the familiar ceiling.
- Ezio? are you with us? : Hope and fear spilled into Rosa's voice, as he turned his head to look strait at her.
- hmm mi amore.. i. ...i am here...to stay... now. ..mio angelo you...
A soft smile banished some off the shadows from his face, and lit his eyes from within. But as his right hand twitched, and apparently refused to obey him, his brow furrowed with confused alarm
- Arm?... why?
- sssch don't struggle, we had to immobilise your arms, to let your shoulder blades heal. please try to lie still.
Resting a calloused hand on Ezio's left shoulders, Leonardo's heart skipped a beat, as Ezio turned to face him.
- Il mio amato...Leonardo...
His eyes grew soft and heavy, and a slight shutter passed through him.
- Per favore... non... andare...
The words were a mere breath off air escaping his lips, but they brought smiles to both Rosa and Leonardo's lips, as Ezio slipped into a deep calm sleep.
Joy filled Leonardo's voice, as he gentle lifted Ezio's hand, laying soft kisses across the bandaged knuckles: we won't leave, we'll never leave mio dolce assassino.. never.
The fire roared as, Rosa threw more wood into the fireplace. starring into the Blaze she felt despondent, with Ezio healing, Leonardo would soon be able to take care of him alone, and then there would be no reason for her to stay. She would go back to the thief guild, to patiently wait for Ezio, to glide gracefully i through her window, as he had done so many times before.
Looking around Leonardo's bedroom, she sighed, it had only been a mere six days, yet the warm house already began to feel like home, of cause any place would feel like home as long as Ezio dwelled there. Only. . did Ezio truly live here?
Turning from the flames, Rosa gave the room a more critical look. Leonardo's and her clothes hung in the open wardrobe, his books filled the low bookcase below the window, and dried lavender hung from the low rafters. Everything screamed Leonardo, with no trace of Ezio.
Strange...
Questions burned on her lips as she cast a quick glance at the now peacefully sleeping Assassin, and ran her fingers through his long tresses, drawing a content sigh from him.
Colour had begun to return to his drawn face, and thought it would be a long while before he was restored to his former strength, Rosa could now see it happen.
Certain that the wounded man was sleeping soundly, Rosa gathered the long azure dress Leonardo had given her, and walked slowly down the stair. Stopping at the lowest step, she let her gaze travel the entire room, taking in every detail.
Leonardo, had obviously found time to undo the damage done to his studio, during the frenzy off those first two days, yet it still looked like organised chaos to her eyes. Chaos she noted which still held no trace off Ezio.
So if the cazzo assassin didn't live here, and didn't live with her, then where did he live? where did Ezio go when the day vanned.
The soft sounds off Leonardo moving about in the large kitchen, filtered in through the open drapes, drawing her closer.
Her bare feet carried her soundlessly towards the opening, and leaning against it with her arms crossed, she couldn't keep from smiling as she watched the willowy artist move around, preparing tomorrow's meals with practiced hands.
Staying quiet she almost couldn't keep a soft chuckeled down as Leonardo began to hum, and suddenly burst into a joy filled song.
It was a sweet song about a Shepard and his maid, and Rosa had to admit that Leonardo had a sweet voice, as he let it soar at the end of the third and final chorus.
It was not that she didn't share his joy off having Ezio begin to heal, it was more the unanswered questions in her heart, that drove her to interrupt Leonardo's private celebration.
- That was very pretty Leonardo, you don't just have the face off an angle, you even sing like one... I wish that i had even a tenth off your talents.
His head whipped up at the sound off her voice, his lips caught in a small surprised O, and his face rapidly taking on a very noticeable red hue, as the words settled over the initial surprise.
- Oh Rosa i didn't hear..i... prego, but you are far too kind to me... i just enjoy singing, when I'm, you know...baking.
Nodding Rosa slid into the room, to settle against the edge off the work top, resting back against her hands as she nailed Leonardo with a look he couldn't interprete.
- Well: Her voice was soft as she continued: You do have a very good singing voice...
Trying to hide the scalding blush by turning back to his dough, Leonardo said: Why do i get the feeling that you have more on your piercing mind than the quality off my voice? hmm Rosa?
Giving him a slight bow, Rosa simple burst straight into it.
- When Ezio comes crashing through your window, on one of those rare unwounded visits, does he then stay here? i mean does he sleep here, when he is not away, or on missions?
- ah well no he usually calls on me three or four times a week, if there is not something he needs, but he normally only sleeps here one or two times a month... but why do you ask, i thought that he was sleeping at your guild...
Nodding Rosa gnawed at her lower lip, a sure sign that she was troubled, before she said.
- But that is the thing, he doesn't sleep there... well yes maybe one or two times a month, like here...unless he is hurt or too exhausted to leave.. but if he is not living with you, and he's not living with me, then where does he go at night? I know from the courtesan's and whores that he never sleeps there unless wounded or on the rare occasion, where he passes out. but that is it...
Kneading the dough with a thoughtful expression Leonardo mused: when we came here three years ago, he rented a small house but i know that he left that when the city guards, knocked down the door. He came here that night, and asked me if he could keep a set of spare clothes here... Oh mio dio... Rosa he keeps a set off clean robes at your room too right!
The next words spilled simultaneously from their lips: He is homeless!
Chock drained all colour from their faces as they stared at each other, in open mouthed astonishment the thoughts clearly visible in their eyes.
How could they have missed it, the signs had been there right before their eyes, the nightly visits which almost always involved washing his robes, a hot bath, and some kind of food. Before he would slip back out into the lonely night, only to return a few days later cold and starving usually hurt, with the guard hounding him.
On those nights he would collapse into a deep comatose sleep, clinging to the warm presence beside him, and more often than not he would lie trapped in the clutches off a nightmare from which he could not be woken.
- dolce Maria: Leonardo's voice held nothing off the innocent joy, she had heard there as he sang, now those open blue orbs, held a strength like that off blue Damascus steel: well this will not do, this will not do at all. But it is thankfully a situation easily remedied, this is his home now, here, with us. Yes we will live here together, as a happy family.
The lithe of his voice made it abundantly clear that this was not a subject up for discussion, and yet Rosa could barely grasp the implications off his words.
Her knees trembled so much that she actually felt grateful for the full skirt off her velvet dress, as it hid her sudden fear. Her voice however did her no such favours, and she hated how vulnerable and young she sounded as she asked: with us? but Leonardo, you... you live alone don't you?
Shaking his head with a perplexed look on his face Leonardo, hesitated as the realisation off what he had just said became clear.
- Well no, i was thinking that it would be easier, considering that we are both in love with the same man, for us all to live together. And i frankly thought that... wait haven't we spoken about this, haven't i asked you to live here? or did i just think that we had decided it? Well in any case i thought that if you and Ezio lived here, it would be easier for me to keep track off you both, and god know that you both need a place to help you shed those haunted looks in your eyes. A place where you can drop your guard and simple be... that is what i am offering. And while i will most likely never see you as an object off my lust, i feel a deep warm friendship towards you, and a very profound respect... so what do you say? will you live here and together we can Ezio safe and inline?
- I...I... Leonardo, I...
She was kneeling on the floor, Leonardo's strong arms, a safe weight around her as she struggled to make the world stop, and turn the right way up again.
There were a myriad off thoughts flying through her mind, and non-off them made any real sense, as she struggled to put them into order.
But most off all she feared Antonio's reaction, the man was a father to her, and here she was, about to leave him, to live in sin with a two sodomites, granted she loved and was loved by the one, and she had come to consider the other a great friend. But still.
Antonio was very protective off her.
sucking in an unsteady breath Rosa wiped tears she had not noticed shedding from her cheeks, and gave Leonardo a shaky smile, as she meet his glowing eyes
- You know Leonardo, i do understand Ezio now. You really are something special.
His smile was gentle as he brushed a few stray strands of thick ebony from her face, and pressed a chaste kiss on her brow: So are you my young lady so are you... so do you want to be the one to inform our stray, off the change in his living arrangements?
- Yearh i can't wait to see the look on his face.