Yo! Sorry for the long wait! To make up for it, I bring you a longer chapter of Noia! I had so much fun writing this and I hope you have fun reading it!
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Hihi: Whaaat? My whole life has been a lie! Actually, I now that I think about it, I heard that somewhere. XD Oh well... I'm glad you enjoy it despite that!
The Soviet Comrade: Thank you so much! I'm glad you like Noia! I will continue to update!
Chapter 11: The Amazing Carriage Race
"Tch, all of us have a day off, but there's nothing to do!"
Adel smiled and watched her cousin throw her hands up in exasperation. She and the rest of the recruits were walking along the edge East Antico District. It was Beatrice's idea to go for a walk, and it was Adel and Niccolo's idea to invite the new recruit.
"It's a bit ironic," Zaccaria chuckled. "We all look forward to time off, but once we get it, we end up becoming bored."
Niccolo grinned and shrugged. "At least we get to enjoy time together."
"Most of it, anyways…" Beatrice muttered, shooting a glance back at Guido.
The man seemed not to hear, or was just ignoring her, as he trailed behind the group. Adel sighed and Niccolo rolled his eyes. Things had not gotten much better between Beatrice and Guido over the month he had been part of the Brotherhood. The only headway they had made was to be able to be in a three meter radius of each other.
Things were a bit better between the woodworker and the rest of them. He and Niccolo 'got along' the best, although Guido seemed to only tolerate his company and not have any interest in becoming friends. Adel was making an impressive effort to welcome the new recruit as well, and it seemed to be working somewhat, as the man actually tolerated her presence longer than he did Niccolo's, albeit not by much.
Raffaele was hesitant to socialize with Guido. It was not like he socialized much to begin with, but he had hardly said a word to the man. It was not hostility that cause his muteness, but Raffaele was guarded and the others suspected it was also because of Guido's tendency to pick on Zaccaria. Said recruit did not take the insults to heart though; if anything, he worked harder to prove his worth.
"So what do you guys want to do?" Zaccaria asked, breaking the silence.
Guido snorted quietly. "What's the point of going for a walk if you're just going to decided you're still bored?"
"It's nice to get out of the Hideout once and a while," Adel said before Beatrice could bite back with a sharp reply.
"You're out of the Hideout when you're on missions and contracts," Guido pointed out. "What's the difference?"
Beatrice spun around, walking backwards, and said, "The difference is we do not have to hide, stupido. When we're on a mission, we have to be stealthy in order to avoid detection, even if we are incognito."
"How to be an assassina by Beatrice Simoni," Niccolo laughed.
The brunette glared and swung at her fellow discepolo playfully.
"Hey, Beatrice, if you're going to write a book, you should ask Maestro Machiavelli for advice!" Zaccaria said grinning.
"Are you kidding?" Beatrice snorted. "After what happened with his name and Niccolo's, I'm scared to even go near the man."
Niccolo smirked. "Oho! So the great Beatrice is scared of something?"
"Shut it, stronzo!"
"Um, mi scusi!"
The group stopped walking and looked over to an old man standing in front of four two-horse carts. He was nervously wringing his hands and had a look of distress on his face.
"Buongiorno," Adel greeted with a smile.
"A-ah, buongiorno," the man said. "I'm sorry to be such a bother, but I was wondering if you could help me?"
"What can we do for you?" Niccolo asked.
"Well, you see, I had order four separate deliveries of lumber. I asked for them to be brought to me on different days, but some miscommunication must have occurred and I received all four at the same time," the man explained. "I do not have the money to pay for all this lumber at the moment and the men who delivered it just left their carts here. I was wondering if you could possibly—"
"We aren't going to pay for your lumber if that's what you're going to ask," Guido cut-in, crossing his arms.
Beatrice glared and opened her mouth to say something, but the old man beat her to it. "N-no no!" he said quickly. "I am not asking for money!"
"Then what are you asking for? We don't have all day."
The man looked at the group in dismay, starting to regret saying anything.
"Just ignore him," Niccolo said. "He's a bit grumpy today. Please continue what you were saying."
"If you're sure I'm not being a bother…"
Adel smiled reassuringly. "Not at all. We are actually a bit bored and in need of something to do."
"Well, in that case, I think you are good people for the job."
"Do you want us to find the idioti who ran off?" Beatrice asked.
The man shook his head then motioned to the carts. "I was hoping you could drive three of these carts to the mill for me. I will ride there behind you to explain what happened. I would drive them back myself, but it would take all day and, well, I'm getting along in age and my eyesight is not what it used to be."
"Getting old must really suck," Beatrice commented absentmindedly.
"B!" Niccolo hissed, elbowing the brunette in the side.
The old man only laughed heartily. "Ah, you are right, signora; getting old is not the most graceful thing a person can do."
"We'll be happy to help," Adel giggled as Beatrice flushed in embarrassment.
"Thank you, kids. The place you are heading is the Mascioli Lumber and Saw Mill. Don't wait for me, I still have to get my horse ready."
"If you can't drive a cart, then how come you can still ride a horse?" Guido asked as the others headed towards the carts.
"Show a bit more respect, boy," the man said, whacking Guido with his cane. "I'm not that old yet."
The others laughed as the man limped towards the stables with a smirk on his face. Guido rubbed the place on his leg where the piece of wood had hit him and grumbled under his breath.
"Hurry up, recluta!" Niccolo called as he beat Beatrice to the cart Adel was sitting in. Beatrice scowled and tried to pull the man off the bench.
"Get off, Ciccone! I am not riding in a cart with Tuccerini!"
"Just get in the other cart," Niccolo said, rolling his eyes. "It'll be a good chance for you and Guido to work some of the kinks in your relationship."
"Not in a million years!"
"You're not scared of him are you?" Niccolo taunted. "I thought you were stronger than that. But, if you really can't man up, then I suppose I will ride with—"
"Like hell I'm scared," Beatrice exclaimed, abandoning hope if claiming a seat with someone else and hopping onto the empty cart.
The brunette grabbed the reins and looked at Guido. "Get on," she ordered. The man glared at her, but reluctantly climbed aboard, sitting as far away from her as the short bench would allow.
"Now that we got the seating arrangements sorted out, let's head out!" Niccolo announced.
With a snap of the reins, Zaccaria had his and Raffaele's cart off with Adel and Niccolo's close behind. Guido eyed the reins in Beatrice's hands, but he decided to stay quiet.
The Mascioli Lumber and Saw Mill was located in the western part of the Antico District near the small settlement where La Volpe Addormentata was located. Between their current location and their destination lay plenty of open country, ideal for a bit of friendly competition.
"Why did we stop?" Beatrice asked in annoyance.
Niccolo grinned as she pulled up in between him and Zaccaria. He tossed a coin in the air and said, "I have a proposition that could win you a little coin and some bragging rights."
"Uh oh," Raffaele said quietly.
"What's the proposition?" Zaccaria asked, eyeing the senior.
"Cart racing."
Beatrice narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "What are the stakes?"
"Like I said, money and bragging rights."
"That's it?"
"What are you thinking of?"
"I was thinking of something a little more risky."
"Like what?" Adel piped up.
"We could make bets?" suggested Zaccaria.
"Each of us puts 100 florins in the pot and whoever gets first place takes it all," Niccolo began. "Now we make bets."
"I'll start," Beatrice announced. "Niccolo, if Tuccerini and I win, you have to run through the Piazza della Rotonda in a dress playing the lute."
Niccolo's grin faltered, but he quickly caught himself and said, "I-impressive… Do you want to add anything, Guido?"
"I suppose I cannot make bets against my partner..." Beatrice glared and Guido sighed. "In that case, if we win, Zaccaria has to stop eating all the fish for at least a month."
"But I don't eat fish!" the milite exclaimed. "Why do people always accuse me of drinking or eating something that I don't even— Ow!"
"If we win, Niccolo has to pose as Adel's canvas and Beatrice has to kiss Niccolo on the lips," Raffaele said over Zaccaria's yelp of pain. The others eyed the two recruits, but Zaccaria was busy telling Raffaele off for stepping on his foot.
"Hell no!" Beatrice exclaimed. "I refuse to kiss that pezzo di merda!"
"Who knew under his calm exterior there was a mastermind," Adel giggled.
"The quiet ones are always the most cunning," Niccolo chuckled.
Adel raised her hand. "I'll go next! If Niccolo and I win, I want Raffaele to kiss Zaccaria on the lips!"
Raffaele choked on his spit and Zaccaria flushed a bright red.
"Why do you want them to kiss," Guido asked, making a face.
"I have my reasons," Adel said, laughing evilly.
"F-fine," Zaccaria interrupted. "If Raffaele and I win, Adel has to replace the Maestro's robes with bright-pink ones when he's bathing and she can't tell him it was a bet if she gets caught!"
"Wow," Niccolo laughed.
"No kidding," Beatrice said.
"That actually sounds kind of dangerous," chuckled Guido.
"I want Raffaele to actually go in the water next time we go swimming, and I want Guido to spar with me if Adel and I win," Niccolo said, crossing his arms and giving both Raffaele and Guido pointed looks.
"You're giving up the perfect chance to make Beatrice do something embarrassing?" Zaccaria asked in surprise.
"Who are you and what did you do to the real Niccolo?" Adel teased, elbowing the man beside her.
Niccolo chuckled. "I actually can't think of anything that tops Beatrice's bet at the moment. I'm just confidant that we're going to win, anyways."
"Si, as much as I would love to see the Maestro in pink robes, we're the ones who are going to win," Adel said, taking the reins from Niccolo.
"In you your dreams, cousin!" Beatrice said.
"Hold up," Niccolo interrupted. "We should put some rules in place so nothing but our egos get hurt."
"No cutting into farmer's fields," said Guido.
"Or through populated settlements."
"Try to avoid guards if you can," Beatrice added.
Adel nodded then leaned forward to pat the creatures in front of her cart. "Also, don't hurt your horses!"
"And lastly, don't ruin the lumber supply," Niccolo said. "Other than that, it's a free for all!"
"Ready, set, go!" Beatrice exclaimed, snapping the reins before even saying the words. Guido let out a yell of surprise and held on for dear life as the cart suddenly lurched forwards.
"Wait, we're starting?" Zaccaria asked in confusion, but Raffaele already seized the controls and urged the horses forward.
"Andiamo!" Adel yelled, taking off after the rest as Niccolo grinned excitedly.
In the distance from where they had come from, the old man sat atop his horse and let out a sigh of amusement.
"Ah, kids these days…"
oooOOOooo
Niccolo and Adel and Beatrice and Guido were neck and neck while Raffaele and Zaccaria brought up the rear. Niccolo was yelling taunts at Beatrice and the brunette was yelling her own back. Guido on the other hand was looking at the road in front of them, something the driver was supposed to be doing.
His eyes widened as they rounded a corner and came face to face with a patrol of Borgia guards.
The duos pulled their carts in opposite directions as they stampeded past the patrol while Raffaele followed after Niccolo and Adel. The patrol shook their fists and cursed at them, but did not pursue.
"Adel, look how the road goes over that hill there," Niccolo said pointing. "It curves to the left after the hill. If we swing off and cross through the pass we can avoid tiring the horses and we'll be taking a short-cut."
"Good idea!" Adel said.
"Hey, where do you think you're going?" Beatrice exclaimed as Adel and Niccolo's cart left the road.
"Addio!" Niccolo waved with a smug grin.
"They're going to take a short-cut," Guido said. "Don't follow them."
"What? Why shouldn't we?"
"They're going to pass through bandit country and the grass is longer there so it will slow the cart down," he explained.
As much as Beatrice did not wanted to listen to him, Guido's arguments were strong. She reluctantly nodded and kept the horses on the road.
"Who do we follow?" Zaccaria asked uncertainly.
"Beatrice and Guido," Raffaele answered. "It looks like Niccolo and Adel are taking a short-cut, but Beatrice must be staying on the road for a reason."
Zaccaria nodded, trusting Raffaele's decision. The older man kept a steady speed as they climbed the hill. The horses were panting by the time they reached the top, but they were in better shape than Beatrice's who had foam around their lips. On the decent, Raffaele and Zaccaria easily caught up to the duo ahead of them and passed them, much to Beatrice and Guido's chagrin.
"Stronzi!" they heard Beatrice curse behind them.
"She's going to kill us," Zaccaria said, laughing.
Raffaele smirked and snapped the reigns. "Not if she can't catch us.
oooOOOooo
"Look, there's the road!" Adel exclaimed excitedly.
The long grass and hidden bumps had slowed them somewhat, but Niccolo knew they were still ahead of the others.
Niccolo let out a loud laugh. "We've got this race in the ba—"
"Fresh meat!"
"Get them!"
Adel yelled in surprise as two mangy-looking men jumped out in front of the cart.
"Bandits!" she exclaimed.
"Keep going," Niccolo ordered as a thump in the back of the cart caught his attention. "I'll make sure none of these bastardi stop us!"
Adel nodded and snapped the reins, yelling encouragements to the horses. Niccolo turned and hopped into the back of the cart. He spotted a bandit almost immediately. The man gave him a toothy grin and pulled out an ugly-looking butcher knife. With a yell, he launched himself at Niccolo, knife raised high. The discepolo stood ready, and he caught the bandit's wrist as he swung down. With one swift movement, Niccolo had disarmed the man and booted him off the back of the cart.
The duo burst out of the pass with the bandits in pursuit. They saw Raffaele and Zaccaria head up the road towards them and Adel pull on the reins in panic. The horses whinnied as they made a sharp turn to the left causing the cart to tilt. Zaccaria exclaimed something in panic as his and Adel's carts became close to colliding.
"Niccolo!" Adel exclaimed when she heard a surprised yell come from behind her. She looked over her shoulder and saw Niccolo sprawled over the canvas-covered lumber.
"That's a good look for you, Ciccone!" Beatrice laughed as her cart came up behind the others.
Niccolo ground his teeth and hauled himself to the front of the cart, plopping himself beside Adel.
"Sorry," she apologized sheepishly.
Niccolo grunted in response.
"How did you guys like dealing with those bandits?" Guido called.
"You knew?!" Adel exclaimed.
Beatrice only cackled and urged her horses forward.
The three carts continued down the path in relative equality, sometimes a duo overtaking another before they had to slow to give the horses a rest. Insults were thrown around and taunts were made, but it was all done in good humor. Things changed when they encountered another patrol of Borgia soldiers.
"Stop!" the leader exclaimed.
"In your dreams!" Beatrice responded, charging through the patrol, causing them to leap out of the way.
"Get them!"
Loud yells drew the others' attentions, and Zaccaria looked back to see what the commotion was. His jaw dropped when he spotted three mounted guards quickly gaining on them.
"We've got trouble!" he yelled, turning to face the front.
Niccolo stole a glance over his shoulder than glared at Beatrice and said, "Nice going, Simoni."
"We need to get rid of them before we get to the mill," Adel said.
Pulling on the reigns, Adel and Beatrice slowed their carts down, allowing the guards to catch up to them; however, Raffaele did no such thing, and instead, continued forward at an even faster pace, much to Zaccaria's surprise.
"Shouldn't we help the others?" he asked his partner.
"Niccolo said it was a free for all, si?" Raffaele replied, shooting the younger man an uncharacteristically sly grin.
Zaccaria blinked in surprise and looked back at the others. Beatrice had shoved the reins into Guido's hands and leaped onto one of the guard's horses, pushing the rider off and claiming his mount as her own. Niccolo was rummaging around the back of his cart as the guard beside him unsheathed his sword and waved it around threateningly. When Niccolo had found what he wanted, he swung it around in a wide arch and clubbed the guard in the face, knocking him out cold. The third rider hesitated at the defeat of his allies, and decided to retreat instead of pursuing them any further.
"Peace, Zaccaria," Raffaele said, his smile turning soft. "I would not have left if I did not think they would not have been able to defeat them easily."
Zaccaria sighed and smiled back, patting his partner on the shoulder. "Adel and Niccolo were right, you are a cunning mastermind."
Raffaele chuckled and snapped the reins, he and Zaccaria having a good lead over the others.
oooOOOooo
The mill was coming up fast, signalling the last leg of the race. Raffaele and Zaccaria were still in the lead with Guido trailing behind them and Adel and Niccolo quickly catching up to him. It looked as though the two milite would take first place when out of nowhere charged Beatrice, still on the guard's stolen horse. She barrelled past the stunned recruits and skidded to a halt beside the mill's sign.
"I won!" she exclaimed, laughing loudly and earning looks of bewilderment from the workers.
"Not yet you haven't," yelled Niccolo. "You need to be on your cart when you pass the finish line!"
"What?!"
Niccolo laughed as he and Adel overtook Guido and past the sign after Raffaele and Zaccaria.
"So said nothing about having to be on the cart," Beatrice exclaimed angrily.
Niccolo shrugged and said, "I didn't think I had to. It was a cart race after all, not a horse race."
"No way!"
"Yes way!" Zaccaria exclaimed. "That means Raffaele and I win and Beatrice has to kiss Niccolo on the lips!"
"Cazzo!" Beatrice swore, throwing the reins of her poor horse to the ground and stomping on them.
"Don't forget that Adel has to replace the Maestro's robes," added Raffaele smugly.
"And, since we crossed the finish line after Raffaele but before Guido, our bets towards the milite don't count, but the ones towards Beatrice and Guido do!" said Adel excitedly.
"That's not much," said Raffaele. "Guido only has to spar with Niccolo. The rest of them were directed towards Zaccaria and me."
Niccolo shrugged then turned to Beatrice with a grin. "So, B, when do I get that kiss?"
"Go to hell, Cicco—"
"You children made it!"
The recruits turned to see the old man limping towards them with a smile. A middle-aged women was trailing behind him.
"Wait, how'd you get here before us?" Zaccaria asked in confusion.
His question went ignored as the man introduced the woman behind him instead.
"This is Carmela Mascioli," he said. "She runs the mill with her husband."
"Buongiorno," Niccolo greeted.
"I hope you did not damage any of the lumber," Carmela replied. Raffaele and Guido snickered at the woman's blatant shoot down of Niccolo's greeting.
"It should be fine," Adel said. "We made sure that the safe arrival of the supply was our top priority."
Carmel nodded. "Good. You can leave the carts where they are, we'll take care of the rest."
The old man motioned to the recruits, and he led them away from the carts so the lumber workers could do their work.
"Grazie mille," the old man said. "You saved me a lot of trouble today."
"Non problema," Niccolo said.
"I'm afraid I have not much to pay you with…"
"You're telling us this now?" Guido asked, raising a brow.
"It's alright," Adel cut in.
"Si, winning the race was enough of a reward," Zaccaria added.
The old man smiled. "If you're sure."
"Oh, we are," Raffaele said, smirking as Niccolo made kissing faces at Beatrice.
"Alright, I'm convinced. Grazie ancora for what you did," the old man said.
"You're welcome," Adel called happily.
The recruits waved as they walked away from the mill towards the nearby settlement.
"So… what do you guys want to do now?" Zaccaria asked.
"Bored again? How childish…" Guido snorted; however, when Raffaele went to glare at the man, a small smile was on his lips and the milite relaxed.
"We should go drinking," Niccolo suggested, slinging an arm each around Raffaele and Zaccaria. "These two's victory deserve a toast!"
"I can drink to that," Adel laughed.
Beatrice scowled. "Tuccerini and I will win next time, and when we do, Niccolo will have to run through the Piazza della Rotonda wearing a dress and playing the lute and kiss a Borgia guard!"
Niccolo barked out a laugh. "I will take you up on that, after you give me my kiss!"
"Shut it, Ciccone!"
Bit of an abrupt ending, but I couldn't think of what to write; whatever came out just sounded too cheesy! Ah well, whatever. Anyways, character development, intense bets, and Adel is a yaoi fangirlwut? Again, this chapter was so fun to right, especially the scene where they were deciding each other's bets. In all honesty, I would love to write Niccolo running around in a dress playing the lute. Too bad Beatrice and Guido didn't win. Maybe next time. ;D
If you like Noia, maybe you could follow, fav, or review? Thank you everyone for your support! I really appreciate it and it makes me happy knowing I can provide entertainment for you guys!
One last thing, there's a pole on my profile that has to do with the next back story! Drop by and vote if you get the chance! I also added a few people to the character list.
CMilk out!