Answers

Daniella nodded slowly, getting herself together. She knew he didn't want her here. She would have to try to make this as quick as possible, so she decided just to get right to it.

"What's the importance of salt, mercury, and sulphur?"

Although she couldn't quite see him, she imagined the look of puzzlement on his face in the brief silence.

"That's what was so important you had to ask me about?"

"No, that's not all. Just tell me, if you know..."

"Listen, ..." She heard him pause, not knowing what to call her.

"Uh... call me Daniella."

She heard him laugh sarcastically. "I'd rather not. I don't even know why it's important," he retorted, "but salt, mercury, and sulphur are the three prime elements used in the arcane science of alchemy. Mercury is the positive force, salt is the negative. I'm not talking about sodium chloride, or quicksilver, or common brimstone, not when they are used in alchemy. They are completely different than the chemicals you know. It would take all night to explain it to you."

Daniella nodded. At least things were a little clearer.

"Listen, is that all, because you need to go..."

"Who am I?" she abruptly interrupted him. She wanted so badly for him to be able to tell her...

Another silence. "What? Why the hell do you think I know that?"

"Well... you were at Belli Castle, weren't you? You had kidnapped Fiona, that's why she doesn't like you, isn't it?"

She could see him a little now, her eyes adjusting to the dim light. "Aren't you the clever one? So what of it?"

"That's where I woke up... I was in this machine, this tank... and I just thought you might..."

"Well, I don't." He replied, the stress evident in his voice. "You were just another clone, created by Lorenzo I assume. I don't know whose image you were created in, but it was obviously the same person as our delightful maid, Daniella. I didn't create you, I don't know 'who you are.'"

Daniella shook her head, unable to process all the information at once. "Wait... who's Lorenzo?"

"It's a long story... but he's dead now anyway, so I guess it doesn't matter, does it? Is that all?"

Daniella shook her head, losing her patience. He wasn't giving her the answers she needed. She held out a clump of her hair, which by now ran down almost to her shoulders.

"This, Riccardo... how did this happen?"

He looked quizzically at her. "Just what are you talking about, you crazy woman?"

"I remember having no hair at all when I got out of that tank... and now look at it! Why is it growing so fast, what's wrong with me?"

She watched as, for a moment, all the anger left his face, replaced by understanding, logic.

"Yes... Yes, I suppose that could happen, couldn't it?"

She raised her voice, starting to get frustrated herself. "What could happen?"

He sighed, the annoyance returning. "It's only speculation anyway. Daniella was just another failed clone, she had no life of her own... but she was less useless than those other homunculi, at least she was coherent, she looked like a person... so Lorenzo decided to keep her around as a maid. But you... you were different. You were done right. He decided, instead of keeping you around, to put you in that tank instead."

Daniella shook her head, unable to understand. "What do you mean? If I was done right... then why did he put me in there?"

"Because... he didn't want you. He wanted your life."

She stared at him. He was only confusing her more. "What are you talking about? I don't understand! What did the tank do? Why was I in there?"

"That tank... was being used to extract your Azoth."

Daniella's eyes widened. AZOTH... that was what had been painted on the wall. None of this made any sense.

"...What is Azoth?" she finally asked, trying to understand this one step at a time.

Riccardo paused, apparently debating whether to answer her. "In a word, life. It is what makes you human, what makes you whole, complete. Daniella did not have it. You did. Listen... Daniella," he said the word with distaste, "My point is, I think the reason that your hair is growing so fast is because you're aging prematurely. Your life force is weak, and slipping away much faster than a normal human's would. Since the old man was harvesting your Azoth, you don't have enough of it to function normally. I don't quite understand it... but I'm guessing that even if you do escape from here, you'll probably only have five more years to live, at most."

She let out a shivering breath, not being able to grasp what he'd said. Was that true? She hung her head, which was now filled with more questions than it was when she got here. She felt a tear drop from her eye.

"I'm sorry," Riccardo said, and it surprised her so much that she raised her head to look at him, eyes wide. Did he just say...

"What I mean is," he added hastily, a tinge of nervousness entering his voice, "I didn't want you having to hear that from me. But that's the way it is. So... are you done now?"

If she had it in her, she would have smiled right then. Somewhere deep inside, he actually cared about her, if only in the slightest capacity. But she couldn't. Not after that. She had decided that for now, she didn't want to know any more. She nodded her head, taking his hand as she'd done before.

"You've helped me greatly. I know you don't owe me anything, and I really want you to know that I appreciate-"

He jerked his hand away. It was obvious that made him extremely uncomfortable.

"Yes, yes, well, you know how to thank me? Never come back. And don't tell anybody Fiona and I are down here, all right?"

"You have my word," Daniella replied. She looked over at Poppy, sitting a few feet away from Hewie and examining the other dog uncertainly, as Hewie was doing to him. She called out to him, and saw his ears perk up as he looked at her in anticipation, then bounded over to her side. She pet him as they walked to the doorway, and once she was through, she turned back around.

"Take care-" she started, but the door was abruptly shut in her face, followed by the click of the lock.