presents...
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To Mondavi Island
Game Date: 05/05/06
Feast of Flowers, Quartus 15 The parishoners of Santa Sophia were a bit disappointed. The Feast of Flowers was always a popular celebration, with themes of new life and the beauty of Theus's creation. Father Donati's sermons on the subject were always quite moving; but today, the honor of the sermon had been handed to young Father Sergio. If Father Donati's words were like fresh blooms arranged elegantly in a crystal vase, Father Sergio laid the poor flowers out on a table and precisely dissected them. But no one could fault Father Donati for rather unexpectedly handing the sermon over. His mother was so terribly ill, his brother just dead, and him preparing for a long trip to the islands? Of course it was all a bit much. Actually, none of those things bothered the good priest at all. But Gabrielle would be leaving Monfalcone for Montaigne that day, and she needed samples of his blood if she was to do her experiments on them. So he spent the morning in his sister-in-law's strange alchemical temple, listening to her seamlessly and devoutly blend prayers to Theus with invocations to the planets, or else to the Numan gods that shared their names. Literally drained after the procedure, he returned home to rest. Also that morning, Donna Francesca sidled up to Donna Anna after breakfast. Francesca and Salvador both seemed especially concerned about leaving Anna behind with Tigran still in Monfalcone. Cristoforo was a stout defender, to be sure, but not the brightest, and Tigran was a fiendishly clever man. Francesca asked what Tigran had said to Anna the night before, trying to discover if the girl's mind had changed yet again. Quite unexpectedly, Anna snapped back, haughtily informing Francesca that, if she had learned anything at all from those dreadful stories of adultery that Countess Odessa had recounted and that Francesca had seemed so interested in, it was that discretion becomes a lady. Stunned, Francesca backed off. The response was very uncharacteristic of Anna - was this the result of her conversation with Tigran, or another of Teodora's farewell presents making itself known? Don Salvador required a long morning nap to recover from his evening in Charouse, so it wasn't until afternoon that he delivered an engagement present from Countess Odessa to Lady Ellen. She accepted the sealed letter with some trepidation. This only increased as Salvador also relayed an invitation to attend a celebration on Quintus 1; Angelo was not invited, but Ellen and her father were, "if they were feeling homesick." After a moment's puzzlement, Ellen's eyes got big with shock and she implored Salvador not to go - Quintus 1 was, back in Breg, a heathen feast day. Curiosity piqued, Salvador wanted to know what sort of heathen feast it might be, but Ellen just crossed herself and disavowed any further knowledge of it. Finally, Salvador went to see Angelo, not able to put it off any longer. The good news was that he'd gotten the Masacci to recommend him as viscount! The bad news was that the Masacci wouldn't stand for a Donati viscount and a Donati bishop. When old Bishop Valentino died, they wanted the Donati to support Giulia Masacci for the position. Angelo was unhappy, but accepted this as part of the compact they'd made earlier that week. He was further dismayed to learn that Salvador would be forswearing the family name and gave him quite a hard time about it, but his younger brother stayed firm in his resolve. The last matters to take care of were handled that evening. Countess Odessa returned to collect Gabrielle and Carlotta at last. Lady Donati took the opporunity to read the strands between the countess and her husband. The Rods relationship looked mutual and honest; there was reciprocal assistance in Coins as well. No Cups at all, and a small Swords from Antonio to Odessa. Her primary strand was a large Swords, heading north - to Montaigne, one assumes. More surprising was her Arcana, Temperance Proper, which indicated a strong measure of self-control. Temperance and self-control were not two words anyone associated with Odessa Blanchard after making her acquaintance! After dinner, Angelo told the immediate family about Pietra. She was not present, not with Teodora upstairs, but he explained that she was Angela's daughter by an unknown father. She would be brought into the family now as his own natural daughter; he would in fact consider it an honor if she might serve the Lady Donati as a lady-in-waiting and so learn the manners and responsibilities suited to a lady of rank. The final bit of business was Pietra's. Late that night, she snuck into the palazzo to try and finish Teodora off while the strega was unconscious. She was intercepted by Donati guards, and spun a quick lie about being a new serving girl who'd been told to come up here, clearly as a joke on her. The guards, finding this much more plausible than a 13-year old girl assassin, sent her on her way.
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