89. The Nature of Things
Date Written: July 18, 2019
Date Posted: December 6, 2020
Characters: Veneziano
Summary: Veneziano's secretary asks a question. Veneziano answers, but there's also a sense of loss that accompanies it…
Notes:
It was a quiet day within the office as Veneziano's secretary busied herself with ordering documents and filing papers within their assigned places. However, as hardworking as she was, something tickled the back of her mind and grappled with the edges of her consciousness. It was a question that had been bothering her ever since she had been hired. As she glanced up at the clock that resided on the opposite wall of her work station, she took a deep breath and sighed.
Her employer was kind. If she were to disturb him now, especially since he wasn't known to be that diligent with his work unless he was nearing a deadline… He surely wouldn't dismiss her as of yet.
Still…
The secretary paused a moment before deciding to just ask and hope for the best. After all, what was the worst that could happen? He was kind and fair, if anything, he would entertain the conversation to a certain point and be done with it. Even if a part of her felt guilty for disturbing him at such an hour, she pressed forth and knocked at his open door, causing an auburn haired young man to look up from his desk.
"Oh!" A brief smile that became tinged with concern as he saw that his employee looked a little too nervous than her everyday demeanor. "Did you have a question? Or need some help?"
His smile completely fell and was subsequently replaced when the secretary looked off to the side and began to fidget with her fingers. Veneziano started to move from his desk, but the secretary raised a hand as a way to tell him that wasn't necessary.
"Did you… did you ever…" The young secretary swallowed her words, unsure if she was breaching protocol concerning her boss. "Never mind," she quickly supplied.
At her sudden bout of mounting of timidity, Veneziano's stared deep into her soul. If the secretary were to look up from the ground, she would have seen the burning curiosity in his eyes. Fortunately, she looked up in time to see that her boss had gracefully leaped up from his chair to pepper her with questions and with remarks of concern.
"Cara mia, is something the matter?"
"It might sound like a stupid question, but…" She pursed her lips; searching for the right words never came easily to her. Finally, after a brief moment of steeling her wits and bracing herself, she asked, "Did you ever think that you would end up like this?"
In confusion at such a question, Veneziano leaned against his desk. While his eyes never strayed from the secretary, he wasn't seeing her at the moment; he was so lost in thought.
What did she mean by that?
Perplexed and concerned for his secretary's well-being, he asked, "What do you mean by that? There are so many things that I can be at any given moment!"
In an attempt to provide levity to the situation, he winked slyly at her, which only served to fluster her further.
"T-that's not professional, signor!" Her cheeks flushed an unholy shade of pink while her fingers wore down the hem of her blouse.
Sensing her distress, the national personification immediately sobered. Usually, he knew the boundaries between himself and his staff; he should have known better than the engage in their usual banter when she was so distraught at the moment.
"My sincerest apologies." He clasped his hands in front of him and fought the urge to hug her as she breathed out a sigh of relief. "I promise I won't make fun."
The secretary glanced up and found herself faced with a small, but encouraging smile on his face. Emboldened by his unspoken permission, the secretary took a deep breath and asked the question that had been plaguing her ever since she had been debriefed on her special position as this man's secretary.
"Did… did you know that you would end up as the representative of Italy?" At Veneziano's cold stare, she hastily amended, "I-I mean the representative of North Italy?"
At her quick recovery, Veneziano relaxed, his shoulders slumping forward as he thought about the question. "That's a good question… but you aren't the first to ask." He crossed his arms and looked heavenward. "I… you know my name is Veneziano."
"Of Venice. You used to be of Venezia." She settled down on a chair. Having the guts to face a Nation was near monumental and she didn't know if she was terrified or amazed that she was given a straight answer. "I-is that a factor?"
Veneziano shrugged. "Venezia—I—was the last to join. Truth be told…. I thought the one to represent the northern territories would be Firenze. Milano. Toscana. Anyone but me…"
"Why do you think that?"
"They all disappeared into dust when I joined. It seems Rome's blessing began with Napoli and ended with Venezia." Glancing down at the ground, he continued. "But that's the nature of things, I suppose. We survive and we fight to death for our place in the world. For me, I happened to be lucky while Romano had to grasp and hold claim over his territories. I still don't think I deserve being North Italy, but…" He shrugged, his words coming to a close. "Is that all? I have… I have many things to do."
His words, low and sad, impacted the young woman. Muttering apologies, she rose from her chair and headed out the door.
Although mired in nostalgia and a sense of loss, he cheerily waved her off before returning to his paperwork.
It was just the nature of things, after all.
