Hey look update!
I want to thank you all for your nice feedback! I love getting reviews on my stories makes me want to keep writing!
The house was front was painted light green with a dark wood door, there were flowers in window boxes of each room of the three story house. It was located only ten minutes from Leonardo's workshop and the back of it was against one of Venice's many smaller channels. There was even a small boat tied to the steps leading down from the back of the building.
"I must say I am impressed," Leonardo surveyed the house with a smile. "How did you manage to get such a nice place so fast?"
Lovino, who stood beside him just shrugged. "It is pretty easy to get things when your father is one of the richest men in the world,"
The artist just nodded, wondering if Lovino had paid people to move out of the house, she probably had.
"This is where we will be living during Carnival," Lovino moved to the door, pulling a key out of one of the bags around her waist.
Leonardo followed her and stepped through the door after it was opened.
The inside was just as charming as the outside. Vases of dried flowers sat in the entrance, to the left was a door, leading to a blue sitting room, to the front was a long hall with stairs heading up next to it.
"It rather looks like an old woman lives here," Leonardo commented as he stuck his head into the sitting room, noticing the lace doilies and plush chairs.
"That is the point," He jumped and turned to see Rosetta standing in the door. She chuckled and stepped the rest of the way into the house closing the door behind her. "Sorry, Leonardo. I did not mean to scare you,"
From the stairs Lovino pouted. "Oh, so you apologize to him but not me?"
Rosetta rolled her eyes. "Yes, because you should have known I was there,"
Curious as to what Rosetta had said, Leonardo interrupted the girls banter. "What did you mean, it is supposed to look like an old ladies home?"
"Well," Lovino skipped down the few stairs she had climbed. "The cover story is that you are staying with your Grandmother, and this is her house. Rosetta will be posing as your Grandmother,"
"And what are you going to be doing while Rosetta and I put on this charade?"
"That is the best part!" Lovino grinned. "I will be posing as your, horrid fiance!" The short girl whirled around and started walking back up the stairs. "There is nothing men love more than a bit of competition, especially if they think they are saving the girl. So Ezio will meet me with you and attempt to steal you away from me!" She ran up the stairs till she was out of sight. "Come on, your room is up here,"
The blond turned to Rosetta. "Why do I have the feeling she just wants to dress as a boy,"
Rosetta laughs. "Probably because she does. But, Lovino does have a good point, Ezio does like competition,"
Leonardo watched Rosetta ascend the stairs and sighed before following her. To him Lovino's plan seemed very foolish, he feared the moment it would all crash down. There was just no way it could work. Something would go wrong and he would be found out. Even though he knew everything was destined to fail, he kept going along with it. Why was that?
"Your room is this one," Lovino called to him and opened a door to the left of the stairs. "Mine is the attic and Rosetta's is the one to the right. There is another bedroom next to Rosetta's, but I have turned it into a studio where you can keep painting when you are not out,"
He nodded to all Lovino said and stepped into his room, closing the door behind him. It was far nicer than what he had back at the workshop. A large four poster bed, covered in blue sheets took up a large corner of the room. A vanity mirror stood next to the bed, the desk part of it was covered in powders, brushes, hair pins, and all manor of jewelry. He shifted over to the mirror and ran his hand over the handle of one of the brushes. Lovino had gathered all this yesterday? Where did all these things come from? He picked up a jade hair pin, the top shaped like a little dragon with red eyes. Perhaps some of it was Lovino's.
With a bit of trepidation he pulled off his signature red hat and sat it on the vanity, then pulled his hair up, trying to twist it like Lovino had yesterday. He stuck the hairpin in the knot of hair and released his hands. A few blond strands fell back around his face, but most stayed up. He gazed at his own reflection. It looked rather nice. Would be nicer if he was actually a woman. Quickly he pulled the pin out and placed it back down. Stupid.
The door flew open.
"What do you think?" Lovino appeared in the mirror next to Leonardo.
The artist turned to face her. "It is nice, better then my little room above the workshop,"
Lovino smiled. "Well, of course" she turned and swiftly move toward the wardrobe. "I only go for the best," She threw the doors open. "Have you seen what is inside?"
Interested Leonardo advanced to the oak wardrobe and took a look inside.
A large red dress hung in the wardrobe.
"This is the dress you were working on?" He reached out to touch the fine cloth. "It is beautiful," He reached in and pulled out the poofy fabric, examining it further.
The whole dress was a deep shade of red, the sleeves were long and had gold lace and buttons. More gold lace surrounded the collar and two sets of gold buttons ran down the back gold strings connecting them allowing for the top of the dress to be tightened around the person wearing it. The bottom of the dress consisted of many layers of red ruffles which poofed out the dress to extreme levels. It was not a dress one would wear to a formal ball, it was far too gaudy and bright. But for a party like Carnival, the dress was perfect.
"I am glad you like it," Lovino stood next to the artist a proud smile on her face. "I worked very hard, I even got a few girls I know in town to help out with some of the more complicated parts. You are going to look so beautiful! Oh wait!"
Leonardo's eyes followed the hyperactive assassin's run out of the room, before turning back to the dress. It called to him, invited him to try it on and go out among people who would never guess who he really was. It was a chance. A chance for, fun, for secrets, and perhaps for love.
"Here," A red mask was held in front of his face and he jumped a little, not hearing Lovino enter. "Had that specially made to match the dress,"
He took the mask and looked it over. It would only cover the area around his eyes, leaving his mouth free. The edges of the mask were painted gold and from the eyes gold lines shot through red meeting with the thicker lines. On the left side the masks material had been raised in the shape of a rose that cut off the gold rim, each petal of the rose was shaded from a dark red to a lighter red with a gold line along the edge. The rose looked almost real.
Leonardo smiled at the mask. "Reminds me of things I have seen from Spagna,"
Lovino nodded. "Yes, That is what I thought as well. But it fits the dress perfectly and will give you an exotic flare!"
Blue eyes moved from the mask to Lovino's dark ones, then back again.
"Thank you,"
When Leonardo returned to his workshop, a few hours later, he was surprised to see Salai sitting at one of the tables. It had been almost a week since his young apprentice had disappeared. He had wondered where he had gone off to, but he had a lot on his mind.
"Salai!" Leonardo smiled and embraced his apprentice as he stood from the workbench. "Where have you been?"
Salai actually looked a bit regretful. "Well… I was rather worried about that young woman, she did not seem to like me very much. I stayed with a friend for a while. Has she left yet?"
Just then the door opened and Lovino's loud voice traveled in, speaking about cats. As she stepped through the door she spotted Salai and immediately stopped and frowned.
"I am afraid not," Leonardo give his apprentice an regretful look.
Lovino stalked across the room Rosetta right behind her, ready to grab the fiery little woman should anything happen. "Well, Savai, or Salad, or Snooperdodo, or whatever your name is, you are back,"
"Yes," The young man crossed his arms and glared down at Lovino. "I have every right to be here, I live here,"
"Well too bad for you," Lovino smirked at him. "Because starting next week you will live here alone. Leonardo will be with me in Rome for the next month,"
Lovino's cover story for why Leonardo would be missing for a month. But was it really necessary to tell Salai? Leonardo felt it would be easier to just tell him the truth. But with Lovino's unfounded hate for Salai, she would likely stab Leonardo should he tell the truth.
Salai's eyes turned to his masters asking if it was true. "Yes, and while I am gone I will need you to look after my workshop,"
The brunette apprentice gave him an incredulous look, but none the less accepted his master's words. "Very well,"
"Hey, Salad," Lovino called his attention back to her.
"That is not my name,"
"Sure, just help your master pack a bit for his trip… Salad,"