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#1
Old 10-16-2013, 03:47 AM

A bit of supernatural intrigue and horror set in Renaissance Italy.

Wyrmskyld's Characters

Marisa Angioli Dark hair, grey eyes, pretty, poor, telekinetic. Twin to Marzio Angioli, and their powers amplify each other.

'Fra Nazario' Tonsured hair, thin, surprisingly flexible. A con artist who poses as a priest and travels from town to town exorcising mock spirits.

Lord Luciano Gabrielli Blonde, handsome, wealthy, a bit of a fashion plate. Eldest son of the Gabrielli family.

Lady Isabella Bazzolo A very prim and proper lady of one of the finest families.

Alfonso di Napoli Dark hair with considerable grey, especially at the temples, brown eyes, and a near-permanent paternal expression. Majordomo of the Gabrielli household.

Lord Ferraro della Rovere d'Urbino Quite tall and broad-shouldered, with black hair and steel-grey eyes. Obviously used to working with this hands. Nephew of the duke of Urbino.

Last edited by Wyrmskyld; 10-23-2013 at 01:54 AM..

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#2
Old 10-16-2013, 03:58 AM

Mythos' Characters

Marizo Angioli The masculine configuration of Marisa Angioli where all things are similar though arranged in a manner which is appropriate for a handsome male youth. The telekinetic business is as mentioned above in Marisa's description

Lady Isoltte Gabrielli The widow of Naples' elite patriarchs and mother of his successor, Lord Luciano Gabrielli. She has silvering hair with streaks of white, dark brown eyes and is dressed to the nines at all times.

Lord Aurelio Gabrielli Lord Luciano Gabrielli's younger brother who sought a military life in the stead of inheriting his father's estate. He is a large, muscular and severe man with dark hair and chestnut colored eyes.

Modesto Bazzolo The heir of a prominent family and hopeless romantic. He has honey colored hair, brown eyes and a handsome olive complexion. Honestly, how are the ladies not all over this?

Lady Silvia Benenati One of the younger daughters of one of Naples' elite families, she is a very devote Catholic. She has reddish brown hair, green eyes and fair skin.

Last edited by Mythos; 10-16-2013 at 04:16 AM..

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#3
Old 10-16-2013, 04:07 AM

The ruins were old. Some of the pillars might even have witnessed the rise of Caesar, although an empty fragment of stone building was much newer and likely only saw the last Duke of Naples a century before. Perhaps the ruins had even belonged to the duke, and had been left to grow wild and become another bit of historical flotsam dotting the landscape of southern Italy. Whatever the ruins had once been, they had had a fine house and elegant gardens. The house was mostly gone now, from neglect and looting and the encroaching gardens. Tall cypress trees ominously shaded an old walkway between house and road, while lavender and rosemary wrestled with nettles in what used to be the kitchen garden. Grape vines had overrun the crumbling garden wall and spread on to what was left of the building, climbing high to keeping their heavy burden of fruit out of reach of all but birds.

Well, birds and the slim teenaged girl standing on the shoulders of a boy her own age. "Just another step to the right, Marzio... There!"

Stretching just a bit more, Marisa Angioli broke the stem of a particularly inviting bunch of grapes and bundled them into her apron with another bunch of equal size and beauty. She eyed the ground and shifted her weight slightly to warn her brother before dropping from his shoulders to the ground. A rock turned under her foot as she landed, and she yelped and flailed one arm while the other cradled the fruit-filled apron. A hand caught and steadied her before she could splash into the stagnant water of a ruined fountain, and she looked up at her brother with a rueful laugh. "See? I told you I wouldn't fall."

She walked over to the two pitiful bundles that held their worldly belongings and retrieved a worn kerchief, spreading it out on a rock and placing the grapes on top. "And we don't have to go hungry or thirsty while we wait for Nazario to get here with our pay."

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#4
Old 10-16-2013, 04:33 AM

"If he decides to come." Marzio grumbled. He was growing very tired of dealing with Nazario, "I'm sure he's found a way to gamble it away like he did last time... I won't let him go this time until he gives us pay for that too. It's only fair." The boy eyed his sister as she made her way off to set up her impromptu dining table. His stomach was burning for some of those plump grapes, it had been a lucky find of her's and he was thankful for it. "Bet you he'll want at some of these too. He doesn't do any work for all we go through." Marzio huffed before sitting down opposite of Marisa.

Truth be told Marzio was worn out. He was still recovering after the strain of producing the effects for "Father" Nazario's exorcism. More than the grapes which would settle the quaking and gnawing of his insides his body screamed for rest, but he wouldn't have it. Not until Nazario made good on their money. "We should find a way to do this alone, Marisa... We don't need him taking half of the pay for showing up for a few minutes of acting."

Marzio stretched his legs out in front of him and picked at the grapes. "Besides... he isn't any good at it. They just see everything drop to the floor and they believe it's worked. He doesn't bring anything into our act."

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#5
Old 10-16-2013, 05:17 AM

"We should find a way to do something else! What if someone finds out it's us, Marzio? It's not right..." Marisa trailed off in the middle of the well-worn argument and looked sadly at the pile of grapes. Winter was coming, for all the sun still held the heat of summer, and the few coins they wrung out of Nazario for their services would be the only thing standing between them and starving or freezing to death. For all that she hated the deception of their exorcism act, it was still the most honorable way to make money. The most honorable for her, at least. Her brother had done his best to shelter her, but she knew why they couldn't stay in any town more than a month or two. It was only a matter of time before their employer-- or their employer's son, or some other man-- started to make assumptions about the a pretty girl with no money.

It was because of one of those assumptions that Fra Nazario first found them and discovered their talent. Cornered in a pantry by an amorous master, she had pelted him with dishes from the bucketful she had been washing, throwing them without touching a single one. Fra Nazario had been begging a meal in the kitchen and came to investigate the commotion... and possibly saved her life by proclaiming their master the one possessed instead of Marisa. She suspected now that Nazario's entire purpose had been to put her in his debt... he had seemed annoyed when he found out she had a brother who must also be paid for his part in the false friar's scheme.

Cheerful singing from the road mingled with her memories, as if her thoughts had summoned Nazario's voice to match the musings. She frowned and quickly made sure her clothing wasn't mussed by the climb for grapes. When Nazario was in a singing mood he tended to forget that the friars he mimicked were meant to remain chaste. That completed, she glanced around warily to make certain he wasn't yet in sight before swiftly secreting the larger part of the pile of grapes into her meager bundle of possessions.

The top of Nazario's tonsured pate gleamed as he stumbled through a gap in the garden wall, waving a half-empty wineskin. "There you two are! I've been looking everywhere for you! I've decided exactly where we should go next..."

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#6
Old 10-16-2013, 05:37 AM

The dark haired boy looked unamused at the false friar and stood himself up "We should straight go to your bag of money to fetch our cut for this job and the last one, you mean?" The youth flexed and tried to look impressive but Nazario's way of life had placed him in plenty of perilous peoples' paths and the lean teenager's frame did not quite scream menacing like the wearer had hoped.

Despite the mediocre display Marzio kept a proud gait on the way over to his bag of possessions in order to sit on it and avoiding any potential theft from their ill-mannered employer... at least Marzio suspected him as an honorless thief the way he conducted himself. Marisa and Marzio were living this life because they had no other choices, Nazario was old enough to get himself decent work somewhere but apparently chose not to.

Nicely settled on his small bag of items he turned back to the bald man and gave him another scowl "You left us starving, we were having to sneak scraps just to keep going because of you. So we're not even going to talk about another town until after we see it... and you better believe I am going to count it, Nazario!"

Last edited by Mythos; 10-16-2013 at 05:43 AM..

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#7
Old 10-16-2013, 06:05 AM

"Marzio, I'm hurt! You wound me to the quick!" Nazario put one hand to his bony chest dramatically, anointing a clump of oleander with a careless swing of the wineskin with the other hand. "I would never cheat you, my companions!"

Marisa frowned and watched as the cowled man brought out a handful of coin from his jingling purse and began to count penny by penny. It was obvious from the heft of the pouch that the town had been grateful for the exorcism and generous with their money. And their food and drink, judging from the smear of grease on his chin and his general state of intoxication. It wasn't right that they should do all the work and Nazario should reap the rewards while giving them pennies! She opened her mouth to say as much before she realized that she was thinking of stealing the older man's wealth. Bowing her head, she brought out her rosary, closing her eyes and praying forgiveness for her covetous thoughts while trying to ignore the growl of her stomach reminding her that a handful of grapes was scarcely a meal.

Once the payment was scrupulously counted out, Nazario dropped a few more coppers into Marzio's hand. "As a bonus for good work. Now, the next town should be easy pickings... they already have rumors about possessions and spirits going about. We'll just have to step in and take advantage of that. No weeks of setup like we've had in the past. It's all primed and ready for us!

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#8
Old 10-16-2013, 06:33 AM

Marzio looked over the coins again, making certain Nazario hadn't tried to be quick and snatch back some of the pennies. He admired his sister's piety in the face of their situation but he felt it was his business to do his best and see to their more immediate concerns and protect her in this world so she could keep her soul protected for the next.

"This clearly isn't half of what was in that sack, Nazario. We agreed on half." he grumbled and eyed the bulging purse. "And if it's already haunted then what happens when we go in and try to work with someone who has a real problem already... They'll come looking for you." They had all heard about scams going south before but then again their scam was something completely different though perhaps not entirely unique. Marzio doubted Nazario was capable of producing a unique thought of his own that didn't reek of worse types of men.

The youth frowned some more at the idea of moving on to a completely different town already "And if it's far you are buying both of us new shoes. Our's won't last another long walk like you had us do to get here. My left one is just about all stitches and patches. It couldn't even be resold." He eyed Marisa's shoes as well. He was adamant to take the best care of her that he could and had given her some finer shoes to appear before the Lords and Ladies of whatever houses they were put in to serve for their ploy to work but told her to keep them hidden from Nazario. They weren't the sort of shoes you would travel far in and her normal footwear was just about as bare as his own. "It'd be a shame if you made it all the way to town and you were missing the rest of your act because we wore our feet to the bone on the road over..."

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#9
Old 10-17-2013, 01:37 AM

"That's your half. You whined so much last time that I set it aside before I started courting Fortuna." The friar settled down across from them and collected a handful of grapes from their pile. "And you shouldn't worry, it's not far. It's just outside of Naples."

He fell silent while devouring the grapes, relishing the half-wild taste. He also relished the resentful looks from the boy as he ate the food. He needed them, but he didn't have to let them know that. "And it's not really a ghost. We'll have to find our competition-- maybe cut them in-- but it will be worth it. The mark is a noble family. The Gabriellis. We'll make a fortune, and you can buy all the shoes you want."


Marisa's prayers faltered when Nazario began talking about the next town. It sounded like trouble. Their method so far had always been the same, and always simple. She and Marzio would go into town and find positions as menial servants, usually at an inn. Then they'd listen to local gossip and select someone neither of them felt guilty about tormenting. That was a rule they had established immediately. If they were going to ruin the reputation and livelihood of someone, it was going to be someone who deserved it, and none of the ersatz priest's arguments could sway them. Once a subject had been chosen, the twins would use their powers to make things happen. Missing items would be found in impossible places, items would be seen floating through the air, animals would get loose or find their way into houses... one time, in a fit of creativity, they had drained several hogsheads of wine and replaced the contents with plain water. Never anything that would cause harm to anyone, simply mischief that couldn't be explained by natural means. After a few weeks of buildup, Fra Nazario would come into town and the siblings would quit their jobs, claiming fear of the demon. They would make a show of leaving, and then sneak back to create one last wild episode while Nazario prayed. It was simple, and it was safe.

This was neither simple, nor safe. She clutched the rosary to her chest and cried out in dismay, "In the city there will be many people watching. There will be priests everywhere-- real priests! What if they catch us? What if this 'competition' finds us first and turns us over to them? And how are we to get anywhere near a lord's house? They have special servants. Trained servants. Marzio and I wouldn't get past the gate before being turned out as beggars or thrown in jail as thieves!"

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#10
Old 10-17-2013, 04:21 AM

Each grape that made it past Nazario's lips caused Marzio's fists to clench. How dare this man welcome himself to the food they clearly had to forage for after he told him about how he had let them to starve! How dare he shower some woman with gifts with what was clearly their hard earned money! He had received beatings from cruel masters in order to lay claim to some of those coins, it wasn't at all fair that Nazario was going to keep them and waste them on something most likely sinful! ...But what could he say or do to actually get them from him?

Indignation turned to resentfulness and the boy wrapped up the rest of the grapes and handed them to Marisa. "I'm with Marisa. We shouldn't just target rich families because they are rich. That isn't the way we work and you know it, Nazario. We'll find some other mark... some other town."

Mazario crossed his arms and looked sternly at the factitious friar again for a moment "And we're going to be looking for real work too, you realize. We can't do this during the winter... If Marisa becomes ill this year..."

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#11
Old 10-17-2013, 05:25 AM

"You worry too much... I know who to bribe. And besides, I hear their servants are quitting right and left. They're desperate." Nazario frowned as the food was pulled away from him. He wasn't hungry, but he didn't like that they were starting to keep things from him. Reluctantly, he decided it was time to offer a compromise. "We can be leisurely about this one... you can work in a wealthy household all winter, and then get the payoff in spring."


Marisa looked at Marzio, her brows knitting anxiously. She hated to admit it, but this time the priest had come up with a tempting offer. If we worked somewhere an entire winter... perhaps we wouldn't have to leave. Maybe it would be a place we could stay... No. She couldn't hope for that. But if they could get a reference... that was in the realm of the possible. But it would be Marzio's decision. Marzio was the practical one.

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#12
Old 10-21-2013, 03:56 PM

Marzio frowned at Nazario for a moment after he stopped talking, feeling the man's grin growing inwardly as the boy thought it over. It was - as much as he hated it- something he could accept. It would mean they would work together for a time longer and while that wasn't exactly a savory proposition, he had to admit it was considerably more agreeable than their other options for surviving the winter. Finally Marzio looked over at Marisa for her input and saw her face was much like his own.

"Fine. We're staying there this winter but after their house is 'cleared of ghosts' we'll get to decide if we stay or not. And we'll still be paid half of the profit for our part in the job." He crossed his arms and decidedly didn't look back at Nazario. Marzio's stomach twisted, he hated the slimy man and his slimier plan but it allowed them to survive. "Let's get going, Marisa. The sooner we get here, the sooner we can find you new shoes."

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#13
Old 10-21-2013, 05:15 PM

Nazario chuckled and had a drink from his wineskin. "Excellent. We'll give Lord Gabrielli a whole winter to get good and scared while we find the culprit and take his place... and then we'll fleece him properly. I might even get a sainthood out of this!"

Marisa shuddered at Nazario's irreverence and gathered her things, pausing only to retie the laces that held on her worn slippers. It seemed hardly worthwhile, though. They were almost as much hole as shoe, and often seemed to serve only as a method for picking up pebbles. The pair hidden in her bundle weren't really better, though. Castoffs from a maid who had gotten them from a lady's maid who had in turn gotten them when the lady was weary of them, they looked nicer than the ones she was wearing but were too large and had soles thin as parchment that would fall apart from hard travel. She smiled bravely at Marzio and stepped out toward the road.




Autumn sunlight shone through the windows of the grand bedroom, bringing a rich glow to the polished mahogany bed and finding strands of metallic gold in the touseled hair of its occupant. Lord Luciano Gabrielli stretched luxuriously in the warmth of the sunbeam and cracked open one crystal blue eye. From the angle of the sun on the wall the maid would be here soon with the breakfast tray, which meant he should cherish these last few precious moments of relaxation. He closed his eye and snuggled deeper into the pillows with a sigh of contentment.

The instant the sigh passed his lips there was a scream and a resounding crash from the hallway. Luciano rolled out of the bed and dashed to the door, jerking it open on the third awful scene this week. The maid was standing in the middle of the hallway, the wreckage of the breakfast tray at her feet. She didn't seem to be aware of the tray, or of anything except the walls of the hallway and her need to scream. Luciano followed her gaze and crossed himself at the sight of the bloody words splashed across the wall. 'Get out.'

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#14
Old 10-21-2013, 06:12 PM

Marzio kept beside his sister, wordlessly cursing Nazario and every word he uttered throughout the entirety of their knowing him within his head. He was looking forward to the long period of service they would pay to these Gabriellis simply by the grace of their lack of involvement with Nazario during the winter months. The days that it took to carry them to Naples were tainted with the man's presence, but somehow the sight of the city washed that away.

"It's enormous..." Mazario whispered to his sister, eyeing the hundreds of roofs before them. He privately wondered how they would even find this Lord's house in the mass of buildings. Nazario had said something about it being out of town a ways- as it would be, but even then there were dozens of houses and they were foreign to the area. "Nazario. What is your plan from here? We can't just go to an inn at this hour. The sun isn't even a quarter into the sky yet."

His plan was to make the conversation into a break for the twins to empty their shoes of stones. Already his left shoe was just about off, not that he honestly needed to remove it from his foot at this point. The sole had just about completely disconnected from the rest of the shoe at the toe and that was slowing down their enterprising entrepreneur.

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#15
Old 10-21-2013, 08:27 PM

"I'd already thought of that." Nazario smiled rather possessively down at the city and rubbed at his stubbly chin. "The wealthiest people live in that part of town there-- see all the gardens? You'll go there and start knocking at kitchen doors looking for jobs. Oh... and I even wrote you a reference."

The mock monk produced a worn and scraped scrap of parchment and held it out to them. "It says you're pious orphans who wish positions as servants to support yourselves. I gave you good characters, of course. I said you're from Sarno. Aside from that... I have some friends in town... I'll drift in and ask about to see if I can find the source of the Gabrielli's misfortune. I'll be in touch with you from time to time."

Marisa eyed the bit of parchment resentfully. All the times they'd been turned away for not having any character, and only now did Nazario make himself useful!? She turned away to hide her anger, and struggled with a recalcitrant knot in a shoelace. A misjudged tug caused the lace to break, and she bit back a cry of dismay. It's not that bad... I can wear my other shoes until we can get better ones.

With great care, Marisa retied the shoe, trying to arrange it so the knot in the lace wouldn't be too uncomfortable. She took a deep breath and sent a wordless prayer for calm. "We'd better get started, then. If the Gabrielli family doesn't need servants, we'll have to find a job somewhere else if we don't want to sleep on the street."

Turning her back on Nazario with a regal grace, Marisa took a few steps toward the city. At least in a place this large, it should be easy to find work...




Luciano gaped at the desecrated wall, filled with despair. There hadn't been a disturbance in four days-- not since Father Theo had blessed the house-- and he had allowed himself to hope the nightmare was over. Obviously it was not, and whatever foul spirits had infested the house seemed enraged by the blessing. Wearily, the young lord sat on a stiff bench in the hallway, burying his face in his hands.

The sound of footsteps behind him heralded the arrival of Alfonso, the majordomo, with several other members of the household in tow. The head servant looked around, taking in the situation in an instant, and began barking crisp orders. The hysterical maid was capably led away by the housekeeper, the potboy was sent racing to fetch a priest, and another maid was sent to bring a fresh breakfast to Luciano. The immediate issues dealt with, he came to stand quietly at his master's side.

"We shouldn't tell mother about this, Alfonso. Not if we can help it. There's no need to worry her further." Luciano took a deep breath and looked up at Alfonso gratefully. Sometimes the older man's strength seemed like the only thing keeping the household together. "Strange, though, that Ovidio didn't rouse during any of this..."

Frowning slightly, Luciano opened the door of the room his valet occupied, only to find it empty. Not the casual emptiness of a room whose occupant has stepped out, but the barren emptiness of one that lacks an occupant. Everything that was portable was missing, even down to the bedhseets. Luciano looked over to Alfonso, and the older man's furious expression confirmed what his eyes had told him. The valet had left, taking with him everything of value in what had been a generously appointed room. Turning to go, the lord convulsively clutched the majordomo's shoulder when he saw the wall opposite the servant's door.

"Lord Luciano? Is something else wrong?"

Luciano stepped across the hall and let out a sigh of relief. "No, Alfonso... I only thought there was for a moment. I thought he'd taken the madonna... I was mistaken, however. He just turned its face away. Probably couldn't steal everything with her watching." Reverently, Luciano took the painting and returned it to its proper position, murmuring an apology to the exquisitely lifelike Madonna and Child. He couldn't have said if the apology was for being hidden or for having to see the scene in the hallway, but he felt better for having apologized, even if it was to a painting. "You'd best see about hiring more servants... I imagine more of them will leave after this."

"I'll start today, milord. I can't say how long it will take, though. Rumor has fleet feet." The older man looked around the ruined hallway and crossed himself perfunctorily, then went to the kitchen to learn how many servants he would have to replace.

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#16
Old 10-22-2013, 06:40 AM

Marzio scoffed and snatched for the delicate parchment "Besides the Sarno part it's all true." Managing to grab it wasn't much of a victory. Nazario was still happy. "This this ancient... When did you write this? Why haven't you let us present it to anyone else until now?!" the boy's ire was almost drawing off of his sister's own veiled frustration with their misleading monk. With nostril flared and fists balled tightly at his sides it was no surprise that the amount of time he could spend in Nazario's company was drawing to an end.

Soon. Soon we will be knocking on those doors and finding the Gabrielli family. We'll start working honest jobs and we'll get to decide if we keep them. It would all be worth it if they some how managed to make it in the household so they could drop Nazario like a stone. That would show him for using them and taking their money! Just then Marzio heard the snap of Marisa's shoe laces and winced. She was clearly distressed and fighting Nazario now would do nothing but cause her to break down into pieces. He tightened his lips and looked away from their host and marched on beside Marisa as they made their way toward the larger houses. When her shoes gave out again he urged her to take his own. "...Besides. My feet could use the airing out." He offered, trying to cheer her up.





"Ohh!" Wailed one of the kitchen woman, in a fit of despair. She was at her wit's end with the darkness within the house. "It's all of them! Their money is their sin! They should tithe! They should live like the saints did in hermitages!" She flew from one cabinet to another, trying to collect the scattered items she had arrived in their service with. "I'll not be hurt or worse -tainted- by their sin! Not like Flora!"

Her fuss was starting to upset several other kitchen girls, young and old. While several looked annoyed, others were clearly distressed by her mention of sins within the house. One even took out her rosary and started praying around the time Alfonso arrived in the kitchen to witness the madness.

"I'm taking my pay! I won't be in this house one more hour, Alfonso!" The woman nearly screamed in her hysteria. "This family is black! Nothing but black, black darkness and sin!" By now her voice was cracking and becoming hoarse from her wailing. She wasn't even the maid to have discovered the message but the news of it coupled with the rumor of a disappeared valet were more than enough to end her relationship with this family.

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#17
Old 10-22-2013, 09:54 PM

"It's not ancient, boy. Just the parchment. There was a scriptorium in that last town, and they let me have some parchment that had been used by the apprentice scribes and then scraped clean a few times. It's exactly the type of parchment on which a village priest would write a recommendation for two orphans." Nazario pulled himself up with dignity. Obviously these children didn't appreciate the artistry of their profession. A proper swindle required elegance and style. He watched their retreating backs for a few moments, then wandered toward the poorer part of town where there were people he knew who would have all the latest rumors.

Marisa's spirits rose with every step they took away from their perfidious patron. She'd never admitted it to Marzio, but the slimy con man terrified her. She was always afraid he would stop finding them profitable and hand them over to the Inquisition. She found herself trembling whenever they passed a Dominican cloister. But now... they were going to spend an entire winter away from Nazario, and perhaps they'd have permanent positions! She might never have to see him again! She felt as if she were dancing as they worked their way deeper into the city.

Dancing, however, is notoriously hard on shoes, and Marisa's fell apart irreparably this time. Her spirits sunk even lower than before with such a quick deflation, and she felt tears pricking her eyelids until Marzio began to joke. Her laughter was a bit strained, but it drove away the tears and she shook her head. "No. I'll wear my good shoes. We're almost there, so it shouldn't matter that the soles are so thin... and besides, we'll both make a good impression that way."

Rallying her tattered optimism, Marisa perched briefly on the lip of a fountain to change shoes, bundling the old ones with her clothes in case something could be salvaged from them later. Then, since no one seemed to be paying attention to them, she also wet the corner of a kerchief and removed the dust of travel from her hands and face the best she could. Refreshed, she stood and smiled at Marzio. "Do you have any ideas how to find the right house?"





Alfonso frowned at the girl, trying to find a way to respond that wouldn't set her screaming again. He was relieved of that quandary by the arrival of the cook. With swift steps that redoubtable woman crossed the kitchen and slapped the kitchen girl sharply. "That will be enough of that, Gia Capello! Who are you to judge your betters? Of course they tithe, everyone does! And if they lived like saints in a hermitage where would that leave you? Out on the streets, or slaving away in an inn somewhere, most likely!"

The cook looked around the room and scowled at the other kitchen girls. "What are you all doing standing around for? Idle hands do the devil's work, and I left orders! Chop those vegetables finer, and make an extra cake. The priest will be here soon, and I'll not be ashamed of what's set in front of him."

Abashed, most of the girls went back to their interrupted work, forgetting for the moment about ghosts and demons. No dark spirit had ever caused trouble in the kitchen, and most of the girls were certain that was because it wouldn't dare cross the cook. She folded her arms and watched their renewed industry with grudging approval before turning back to the unrepentant Gia. "As for you, leave if you want. But believe you me, you'll leave without a character, and if anyone asks about you I'll tell them exactly what you are. I'll tell how you lingered around that feckless valet Ovidio whenever you got the chance, and that as soon as he left you wanted to leave, too! And I'll tell them how quick you were to drag Lady Isoltte and Lord Luciano through the mud after they'd fed you and clothed you all these years."

Alfonso faded back into the hallway with an amused smile. He doubted any of the kitchen girls would leave after that tirade, not even Gia. They knew perfectly well how hard it was to find positions like theirs, and the Gabriellis were generous. The servants here were well-fed and well-clothed on top of their pay and housing, and the pay was even better recently, to encourage them to stay despite the haunting.

Unfortunately, not all of the household could be appeased by creature comforts. Flora's leaving, and Lorena... And of course Ovidio is gone... but if I can get a girl for housework and a boy to run errands, I can promote servants I already know...

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#18
Old 10-23-2013, 07:07 AM

Marzio walked slowly, hoping that would help save Marisa's feet from blisters all that much more. Her question was a good one... how were they going to find the Gabrielli's house out of all of these? Turning onto one of the wider, finer roads he finally smiled and waved at another boy about his age. Softly, while the other boy approached he whispered for Marisa to stay quiet while he got the directions and then smiled brightly at the errand boy again.

"Excuse me... I was asked to direct this girl to the house of Lord Gabrielli, but I'm new to the area... could you point it out to me?"


The errand boy's eyes opened wide and he looked at Marisa shaking his head "No, no you don't want to go there. It's hunted. The building, the family... You shouldn't go!"

This was something Marzio hadn't counted on. His smile became strained and he gestured at the other houses "She was hired by Lord Gabrielli. The least she should do is to arrive and then politely refuse... She is a very good, God-fearing girl. I'm sure the good Lord Gabrielli would understand if she found herself unable to serve his house because of this condition..."




Gia's mouth opened and closed like a fish quickly, trying to muster some front even just a few words to combat the assault the cook had brought upon her but there was nothing. There would be nothing... and like it had several times before Gia's outbursts would come to nothing. Never-the-less she felt justified in being afraid. In a final act of defiance she muttered about not following Ovidio around and not intending to chase him... that the cook had her confused with less savory girls like Lorena who everyone had known once held a particular reputation in town.

Gia, at least, was smart enough to keep her trysts quiet... and in a house like the Gabrielli's that was difficult!

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#19
Old 10-23-2013, 05:42 PM

The errand boy seemed to reluctantly accept Marzio's explanation, although it obviously troubled him. "Well, if you have to... It's back the way I came, on the right. You can't miss it, there are rosebushes everywhere." The boy paused, obviously wanting to get on to his errand, but he couldn't go without one last word of warning. He looked Marisa straight in the eye. "It's not right for a nice girl in a haunted house. You go tell them you can't work there, and find something safe."

Marisa watched the boy leave with alarm. This sounded even worse than Nazario's usual schemes. She looked to her brother for reassurance. "Marzio, you don't think it's a real haunting, do you? What if it's really dangerous? Do we go through with it, or do we... Maybe we should find somewhere else to work... Nazario's reference should work anywhere, right?"

She entertained that thought for a long moment, then shook her head regretfully. "We couldn't, could we? He'd be angry and manage to ruin it somehow. We'd be thrown out, or worse... we have to go through with this part, at least."

Reluctantly, she turned her feet in the direction the boy had indicated, and the house came into view almost immediately. Just as the boy had said, roses were putting out their last blooms of the year, brightening the building's solemn stone walls with crimson roses and white ones, and blushing pink ones with golden hearts. A man in dark blue was trimming the older flowers before they could spill their soft petals, and a girl a few years older than the twins was carrying broken crockery out of a side door to leave for the rag-pickers. Marisa exchanged an experienced look with her brother and headed for the side door as the most appropriate place to ask about a job.





"You're looking for jobs?" Alfonso studied the siblings who had come to the kitchen door just as he was discussing with the cook what servants would be needed to replace the deserters. These two appeared God-sent. They had obviously been travelling, but they were reasonably clean and seemed willing to work, and the reference from their priest seemed genuine enough. "We obviously can't take on anyone who can't do multiple tasks... what are your skills?"

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#20
Old 11-05-2013, 10:37 PM

Marzio shook his head for Marisa's benefit as the errand boy left. He waited a few seconds before he ducked his head and turned toward the house the boy had directed them to. "No. It's just going to be someone like us causing problems, don't worry. We'll be fine..." He whispered near her ear. "Nazario won't be able to command us away from here if we do well and clear out the other trouble-maker in time for his production... We might be able to stay. That would be nice."

He straightened up at the door and bowed his head humbily for Alfonso's benefit. "My sister, Marisa, is a talented seamstress and is very neat. She is eager to learn how to cook and help in a kitchen." He wanted to list more, but figured by what appeared to be an exacerbated look that he wasn't wanting to be bombarded by every job and skill the twins had picked up across in their travels.

"As for me... I have helped with the children of a few Lords and some knowledge of letters..." Marzio looked at Alfonso again, trying to gauge if he should continue or act humble by stopping where he was.

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#21
Old 11-06-2013, 07:51 PM

Alfonso studied the two children thoughtfully. 'Children,' indeed. I must be getting old. I've seen girls her age married with a child or two. She's probably hoping to improve her station... Or perhaps not, she seems quite devout. Still, they look strong and healthy, and they don't seem to be afraid of hard work. "I see. And are you also aware that this household has had... difficulties, of late?"

Marisa's shy gaze measured Alfonso even as he studied her brother and herself. After years of dealing with Nazario, she found herself hestitant to trust any man except her brother, but this old man seemed kind... even gentle. She had no doubt he would be a hard taskmaster, but she also felt a growing certainty that he would be a fair taskmaster. It would be wonderful to work for someone they could respect instead of fear!

Gripping her rosary and inwardly praying for confidence, Marisa met Alfonso's eyes with a serious grey gaze. The man's respectability demanded at least part of the truth from her. "That is the reason we were so bold as to come to your door, sir... because we knew that you would have enough trouble finding help that we might have a chance. We don't mean to take advantage of the family's misfortune, of course, but we'd be foolish not to at least try to get a place in a good house when we saw the opportunity."


It took a good deal of effort for Alfonso not to laugh at the girl's candor. Her honesty was refreshing, but he didn't want to hire someone just to lose them again in a few days. "You're not frightened?"

"We're not afraid of hard work..." Marisa tried to choose her words carefully. She wanted to tell the truth, but she didn't want to spoil their chances or give too much away. "As for spirits... I would be lying if I said they don't frighten me. But we've been to places before that were supposed to be haunted, and we've never seen any ghosts. I like to believe the Lord protected us... Even if he didn't, I'm sure he will if we ever do encounter an apparition."

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#22
Old 02-02-2015, 05:11 AM

"If you're to work here, you'd best not be afraid of hard work." Alfonso softened his stern words with a smile that did nothing to conceal the truth of his words. "We need another girl in the kitchen, and a boy to run errands and help in the stables. Beginning servants get shared rooms, three meals a day, four sets of clothing and ten florins a year. You'll have light duties on Holy Days, and one day off a month. If you do your best for us, we'll do the same for you. I also understand that the haunting might become too much for you... but if you work well for three months we'll give you a good reference, and even try to place you with another House. Any questions?"

Marisa's eyes widened, and she looked at Marzio. That's more than we'd ever dreamed... For once she didn't even wait for her brother to make the decision. "I think that the Blessed Virgin must have sent us here to you, sir. We will do our best to be worthy of such an opportunity."

*The average wage for a servant was between 15 and 20 florins a year. (Okay, actually my source said 7 ducats, but further research indicates ducats were roughly the same value as florins and florins were the more widely-accepted currency. u.u) And since sturdy well-made clothing was pretty valuable as well, and they're getting room and board, I reckon that's probably a good enough wage to tempt people to work in a haunted house.

 



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