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Description

After getting a minor tongue lashing from his father, and finding out that they were cut from the same cloth, Nikolia had nothing else to do today. He waved to Sergia, still lounging in the garden, but felt no desire to join him. Besides, he had been told to keep his mother and sister company, and he knew better than to disobey his father, especially after their discussion earlier in the day.
He found his sister sitting alone in the loggia, a neglected book in her hands. That figured. He knew she was in love.
"Ciao, Feodora," he said.
"Ciao, Nikolia. Where have you been?"
Nikolia spread his hands. "I've been running a business errand for father."
"That's not all, I hear," she retorted, but her smile was faint and automatic.
"Where's mother?"
Feodora sighed. "She's gone to see the young painters down at the gallery. You know, the ones who try the more abstract kind of art."
"Really?"
"Don't you ever pay attention to anything that goes on in this house? She's commissioned some paintings from them. She believes that they'll be a good investment."
"That's our mother for you!"
But his sister didn't respond, and for the first time Nikolia became fully aware of the sadness in her face. It made her look much older than her sixteen years.
"What's the matter, sorellina?" he asked, sitting on the sofa bench beside her.
She sighed, and looked at him with a rueful smile. "It's Kai," she said at last.
"What about him?"
Her eyes filled with tears. "I've found out that he's been cheating on me."
Nikolia frowned. Kai was practically engaged to Feodora, and even though there had been no formal announcement yet... Nikolia didn't want to think about it!
"Who told you that?" he asked, putting an arm around her.
"The other girls." She wiped her eyes and looked at him. "I thought they were my friends, but I think they enjoyed telling me."
"Nikolia stood up angrily, "Then they're no better than harpies! You're better off without them."
"But I love him!"
Nikolia took a moment before replaying. "Are you sure? Maybe you only thought you did. How do you feel now?"
Feodora's eyes were dry. "I'd like to see him suffer, even if only a little. He really hurt me, Nikolia."
Nikolia looked at his sister, looked at the sadness in her eyes, a sadness suffered with not a little flare of anger. His heart steeled.
"I think I'll pay him a visit."
Kai O'Duccio wasn't at his home, but the housekeeper told Nikolia where to find him. He made his way across the Ponte Vorcha and westward along the north bank of or Arzo to the temple of Vesta; the goddess of beauty, art, music, culture, peace, love, and sexuality. In her name, there were secluded gardens nearby, where lovers occasionally kept their trysts. Nikolia, whose blood was boiling on behalf of his sister, needed more proof of Kai's infidelity that hearsay, began to think that he was about to get it.
Sure enough, he soon caught sight of the gingered young man, dressed to kill, sitting on a bench overlooking the river, his arm round a dark-haired girl he didn't recognize. He made his way forward cautiously.
"Darling, it's beautiful," the girl was saying, holding out her hand. Nikolia saw the flash of a diamond.
"Nothing but the best for you, amore," Kai purred, pulling her towards a kiss. But the girl pulled back.
"Not so fast. You can't just buy me. We haven't been seeing each other that long, and I've heard you've been promised to Feodora Angelucci."
Kai spat. "It's over. Anyway, Father says I can do better than an Angelucci." He clamped her bottom in his hand. "You, for example!"
"Birbante! Let's walk a bit."
"I can think of something that'd be much more fun," said Kai, putting his hand between her legs. "You know, that diamond, is a lot like you."
"You mean that it's scratched, cloudy, and cheap?" Nikolia snapped, clearly he had enough. "Hey, lurido porco."
Kai was taken completely by surprise, and spun round, releasing his hold on the girl. "Hey, Nikolia, my friend," he cried, but there was nervousness in his voice. How much had he seen? "I don't think you've met my... cousin?"
Nikolia, enraged at the treachery, stepped forward and punched his former friend full in the face. "Kai, you should be ashamed of yourself! You insult my sister, parading around with this... this puttana!"
"Who are you calling a puttana?" the girl snarled, but she got to her feet and backed off from the young Angelucci's icy gaze.
"I should have thought even a girl like you could do better than this asshole," Nikolia told her. "Do you really think he's going to make you into a lady?"
"Don't you talk to her like that," Kai hissed. "At least she's more generous with her favors than your tight-ass little sister. But I guess she's got a hole as dry as a nun's. Pity, I could have taught her a thing or two. But then again, you -"
Nikolia interupted him with a headbutt to the nose. "You broke her heart, Kai -"
The other young man sauntered back before clutching at his bleeding nostrils. "Have I? What a shame." he managed to sputter out.
"Remember that oath I made you agree to when you started dating Feodora?"
"Not really."
"Let me remind you. You break my sister's heart, I'll break your arms!"
The girl screamed at this, and fled. Nikolia seized the whining Kai and forced the young gallant's arms over the edge of the stone bench on which he'd been sitting with a hard-on only moments before. He pushed the forearms against the stone until Kai protesting turned to tears.
"Stop it, Nikolia! I beg you! I'm my father's only son!"
Nikolia looked at him with contempt, and released him. Kai fell to the ground and rolled over, nursing his bruised arm and whimpering, his fine clothes torn and smirched.
"You're not worth the effort," Nikolia told him. "But if you don't want me to change my mind about your arms, stay away from Feodora. And stay away from me."
After the incident, Nikolia walked a long way home, wandering along the riverbank until he had almost reached the fields. When he turned back, shadows were lengthening, but his mind was calmer. It would never become him as a man, he told himself, to allow his anger ever fully rule him.

Description

After getting a minor tongue lashing from his father, and finding out that they were cut from the same cloth, Nikolia had nothing else to do today. He waved to Sergia, still lounging in the garden, but felt no desire to join him. Besides, he had been told to keep his mother and sister company, and he knew better than to disobey his father, especially after their discussion earlier in the day.
He found his sister sitting alone in the loggia, a neglected book in her hands. That figured. He knew she was in love.
"Ciao, Feodora," he said.
"Ciao, Nikolia. Where have you been?"
Nikolia spread his hands. "I've been running a business errand for father."
"That's not all, I hear," she retorted, but her smile was faint and automatic.
"Where's mother?"
Feodora sighed. "She's gone to see the young painters down at the gallery. You know, the ones who try the more abstract kind of art."
"Really?"
"Don't you ever pay attention to anything that goes on in this house? She's commissioned some paintings from them. She believes that they'll be a good investment."
"That's our mother for you!"
But his sister didn't respond, and for the first time Nikolia became fully aware of the sadness in her face. It made her look much older than her sixteen years.
"What's the matter, sorellina?" he asked, sitting on the sofa bench beside her.
She sighed, and looked at him with a rueful smile. "It's Kai," she said at last.
"What about him?"
Her eyes filled with tears. "I've found out that he's been cheating on me."
Nikolia frowned. Kai was practically engaged to Feodora, and even though there had been no formal announcement yet... Nikolia didn't want to think about it!
"Who told you that?" he asked, putting an arm around her.
"The other girls." She wiped her eyes and looked at him. "I thought they were my friends, but I think they enjoyed telling me."
"Nikolia stood up angrily, "Then they're no better than harpies! You're better off without them."
"But I love him!"
Nikolia took a moment before replaying. "Are you sure? Maybe you only thought you did. How do you feel now?"
Feodora's eyes were dry. "I'd like to see him suffer, even if only a little. He really hurt me, Nikolia."
Nikolia looked at his sister, looked at the sadness in her eyes, a sadness suffered with not a little flare of anger. His heart steeled.
"I think I'll pay him a visit."
Kai O'Duccio wasn't at his home, but the housekeeper told Nikolia where to find him. He made his way across the Ponte Vorcha and westward along the north bank of or Arzo to the temple of Vesta; the goddess of beauty, art, music, culture, peace, love, and sexuality. In her name, there were secluded gardens nearby, where lovers occasionally kept their trysts. Nikolia, whose blood was boiling on behalf of his sister, needed more proof of Kai's infidelity that hearsay, began to think that he was about to get it.
Sure enough, he soon caught sight of the gingered young man, dressed to kill, sitting on a bench overlooking the river, his arm round a dark-haired girl he didn't recognize. He made his way forward cautiously.
"Darling, it's beautiful," the girl was saying, holding out her hand. Nikolia saw the flash of a diamond.
"Nothing but the best for you, amore," Kai purred, pulling her towards a kiss. But the girl pulled back.
"Not so fast. You can't just buy me. We haven't been seeing each other that long, and I've heard you've been promised to Feodora Angelucci."
Kai spat. "It's over. Anyway, Father says I can do better than an Angelucci." He clamped her bottom in his hand. "You, for example!"
"Birbante! Let's walk a bit."
"I can think of something that'd be much more fun," said Kai, putting his hand between her legs. "You know, that diamond, is a lot like you."
"You mean that it's scratched, cloudy, and cheap?" Nikolia snapped, clearly he had enough. "Hey, lurido porco."
Kai was taken completely by surprise, and spun round, releasing his hold on the girl. "Hey, Nikolia, my friend," he cried, but there was nervousness in his voice. How much had he seen? "I don't think you've met my... cousin?"
Nikolia, enraged at the treachery, stepped forward and punched his former friend full in the face. "Kai, you should be ashamed of yourself! You insult my sister, parading around with this... this puttana!"
"Who are you calling a puttana?" the girl snarled, but she got to her feet and backed off from the young Angelucci's icy gaze.
"I should have thought even a girl like you could do better than this asshole," Nikolia told her. "Do you really think he's going to make you into a lady?"
"Don't you talk to her like that," Kai hissed. "At least she's more generous with her favors than your tight-ass little sister. But I guess she's got a hole as dry as a nun's. Pity, I could have taught her a thing or two. But then again, you -"
Nikolia interupted him with a headbutt to the nose. "You broke her heart, Kai -"
The other young man sauntered back before clutching at his bleeding nostrils. "Have I? What a shame." he managed to sputter out.
"Remember that oath I made you agree to when you started dating Feodora?"
"Not really."
"Let me remind you. You break my sister's heart, I'll break your arms!"
The girl screamed at this, and fled. Nikolia seized the whining Kai and forced the young gallant's arms over the edge of the stone bench on which he'd been sitting with a hard-on only moments before. He pushed the forearms against the stone until Kai protesting turned to tears.
"Stop it, Nikolia! I beg you! I'm my father's only son!"
Nikolia looked at him with contempt, and released him. Kai fell to the ground and rolled over, nursing his bruised arm and whimpering, his fine clothes torn and smirched.
"You're not worth the effort," Nikolia told him. "But if you don't want me to change my mind about your arms, stay away from Feodora. And stay away from me."
After the incident, Nikolia walked a long way home, wandering along the riverbank until he had almost reached the fields. When he turned back, shadows were lengthening, but his mind was calmer. It would never become him as a man, he told himself, to allow his anger ever fully rule him.