The sweet symphony of sonorous swords rang through the air as the two duelists, locked in mortal combat, prepared for the end of hostilities.
"Alberto, you cowardly wretch, scourge of Milano, despoiler of Liguria, villain of Firenze, prepare to meet the inferno below!"
"No, it is not I who shall perish today, but you Lorenzo! Your honour has brought upon you naught but sorrow! Why, here you are in only rags and a dull sword!"
"Fortune has forsaken me, but my ideals ring true, even if you can not see it. Your deceit and deception shall fall before my blade, and I shall have what is mine."
"Never!"
The two continued their immortal conflict with renewed fervour, their faces contorted into a rage as they focused their efforts on penetrating their opponent's defences. With each blow parried, the fighters were at a standstill, each unable to advance their position. As soon as one thrusted, the other countered. All the while, a young woman sat helplessly as she watched the two battling. Eventually, the villain was slain, his body pierced through by his enemy's blade and spurting blood from his ghastly wound. The victor cast away the blade and rushed to the woman's side.
"Oh, Maria! How you must have suffered at his side!"
"It is nothing, Lorenzo. As long as you are here, nothing shall daunt me."
They both stared longingly into each other's eyes.
"Cut!"
Before the kiss? That was the best part about the scene. She moved in anyway.
"I said cut! Signora Agosti!"
She broke away from the kiss. Nico removed the retractable blade from his chest, dusting himself off and taking off his shirt coated with fake blood. The director, Antonio, had his face marred by an ugly scowl.
"This is my production! When I say cut, that means to stop what you are doing!"
"Ah yes, this is your production! Do you remember who asked for this scene to be changed?" She respected the director's position and role as sole crafter of an artistic vision, but she was glad he changed it. Poor Giulia though, she was already overworked with her secretary job and now doing an emergency rewrite for the script wasn't helping matters.
"The earlier scene was more dramatic! More zeal, more tension, more passion! The might of man against the savagery of beasts! A lone wolf fighting against a trial by nature!" Antonio shouted with his arms flailing wildly.
"Truly, it would have been a testimony for the ages! A magnificent indie director set for the Palme d'Or! But at what cost? On the backs of those under his creative watch? I would want no part in any film steeped in its actors' blood, nor can I condone those that sully themselves in the blood of unwilling participants!" she yelled back, barely missing her co-star's face with her gesticulating motions.
"True emotion and feeling must be extracted from authenticity, and no computer can capture that rawness! Lorenzo's fortitude and strength could not be wrought from any lesser actor, nor could Alberto's crafty and two-faced nature be brought forth underneath those of a lesser quality!" His swinging fists nearly hit the cameraman, Vittorino, who dived to the floor to escape them.
"Chiara's right. Listen Antonio, I've worked under you for ten years now, but that sequence would've taxed any actor. Not to mention, most directors stopped using live animals anymore," Nico interjected. "I respect your vision, but she has a point."
"You see now! Even your protege, the one you've watched from young man to mature actor agrees with me! I have always been a supporter of the performing arts and the desire for realism, but that was too far!" Clearly, her ideas were much better.
"You should be grateful for this opportunity! After all, you were only written for a minor role until Luka had to drop out due to illness!" Again both the actress and the director engaged in wild gestures, forcing everyone to either sidestep or duck.
"Grateful? I know my talents and I could have taken them anywhere else other than this film! Instead, I affirmed my commitments and fixed your flaws! Your temper, your—"
"Enough! Both of you, shut up! It's been over two weeks, and neither of your bloated egos can let this go! You're worse than all of my cousins in New Manila!"
Both Chiara and Antonio turned to the source of the interruption. Dana was staring at them, dressed in white pants and a black shirt, glaring at both of them through tinted sunglasses. Chiara approved of the outfit. It fit with the surprise she had planned in advance.
"Ah, Signora Divata, I did not realise that you were present for this." Antonio had a soft spot for Dana. To be fair, so did most of the cast and crew. Something about being a foreigner in a sea of Italians. Except for that one time she incorrectly called football soccer. That was unforgivable.
"Of course I was present. I'm a part of this film, like everyone else." Dana crossed her arms. "I'm going now. Thanks for today." With that, she left. Chiara chuckled slightly, her heart warmed by sweet Dana's jabs, only stopping when Antonio glared at her.
Chiara was left with Antonio and Nico. With a sigh, she thanked them both and kissed them both. Nico was nice and sweet behind his dramatic performances, and she liked working with him. She had a litany of issues with Antonio, most of which involved that incident from two weeks ago, but they have reached an understanding. Obviously, she had some say in what he does with the film. Of course, he also owed her his life.
Behind the camera, Vittorino stretched out his lanky arms as he yawned from the floor. Chiara waved at him and gave him twenty euros and a good luck charm for his date today and thanked him with a kiss on the cheek.
Claudia and Blanca were gossiping again, but both waved at Chiara as she chatted with them, thanking them for the sound stage equipment and lending their expertise. Claudia nodded and wished Chiara luck with everything, especially with her date. Blanca thanked Chiara for bringing the extra sound stage equipment from the warehouse. Chiara picked up her bag, gave them both their coffee orders for today, and kissed both on their cheeks.
She snuck in the back to Giulia's office, stacked with crumpled up papers and one exhausted woman buried in her keyboard snoring away. She roused the older woman, who adjusted her glasses on her nose bridge and looked at Chiara more closely.
"I got you some ravioli from Giovanni's with the red sauce and the extra chopped basil." Chiara dug through her bag until she found a container. "Here you go, Signora. Do you want me to help you with writing?"
"Thank you for the offer Chiara, but that's why I have other scriptwriters." She smiled.
"Trust me, I can do better than them. I've been acting out their work for the past three weeks, and I have a few suggestions. Do you want to hear them?"
Giulia giggled. "It's alright, Chiara darling. Don't you have an appointment with the florist?"
Chiara's heart skipped a beat. "Ummm, I have to go. Ciao!" She kissed Giulia on the cheek twice before leaving.
Before she left the studio, she met with the head caterer Gabriella and thanked her for the good food during today's shooting and brought her that gold ring that she had been staring at for the past week. She also thanked the three chefs in the kitchen; Alessandro, Martina, and Elia, for their hard work and gave them new gloves. With that, she hopped on her golden Vespa and sped off.
The familiar Roman air welcomed her as she drove past nearby bistros and the smell of fresh lasagna wafted by. One of her neighbours, Giorgio, waved at her as she sped by his butcher's shop with its familiar smell of fresh meat. She waved back and asked if his shop was busy. He had the same amount of customers, and of course Augustus, but he wanted to let her know she'd always have the fifteen percent discount. They parted ways. There were also some old scuola media superiore classmates of hers, Leonardo and Marco. They waved at each other, Chiara moving closer to chat about their old scuola days and the two men telling her about working at the museums and the number of ancient artefacts. Winding her way through the busy roads, she finally found herself at the florist's boutique. The little golden bell of her childhood rang clearly as she walked in.
"Ah, is that the footsteps of Soletta I hear?" Andrea wondered aloud.
"Yes it is Signor D'Angelo." He had known her since she was a small child, so she allowed her nickname to be used. Otherwise, she sniffed, she wouldn't have been as pleasant. "I'm here for the two bouquets."
"Ah yes! The one with the nice array of sunflowers, and the one with calla lilies. How is your mother doing?" Andrea vanished to the backroom, arriving with two bouquets freshly wrapped and a wide beaming grin.
"She's well Signor, and how are your wife and children?"
"They're doing well! Renzo is settling down with that scientist finally, Gloria is pursuing the performing arts like yourself, and Allegra is studying hard at the University of Turin. Sofia misses home, but we all do." Andrea sniffed back tears.
Chiara nodded. "I wish I could have seen it too." Her mamma also missed her hometown, to the point where there were more than ten maps of it plastered on her bedroom walls.
"Ah Venezia! The beautiful and glorious city! The canals, the gondolas, the Basilica, the sea, the bridges! If I could see it one last time before that accursed Calamity drowned it, I would!"
"To Venezia and her beauty, may she live on in our memories!" Chiara held the sunflower bouquet in a mock toast.
"To Venezia!" Andrea matched Chiara's gesture with his own bouquet of blue larkspurs.
After waving goodbye and with two kisses on the cheek, Chiara sped towards Apartment Laterano. She parked her Vespa on the curb, grabbed both bouquets, and rushed upstairs. Pushing the buzzer, she checked her reflection in the window. Her orange hair was smooth with no straying strands, her blue eyes looked alert and ready, her clothes were neat, and her skin looked flawless as always. Looking around, she found a flock of lovebirds and a couple of foxes lounging near the apartment, like she told them to. Calling them up, she held her fingers for the signal. After making sure they were ready, she was prepared when the door finally opened. On her cue, the lovebirds unrolled a red carpet from the door to where Chiara was standing, while one of the foxes stepped on a pedal, releasing orange and yellow balloons. The other fox held up a sign reading out "For My Heart."
"By courtesy of the one and only Signora Chiara Agosti, I invite you on a splendid evening with a scenic walk along the River Tiber, a dinner courtesy of Giovanni's, a tour of the Colosseo, and—"
"Chiara, you can cut the dramatics and the long winding speech," Dana laughed. "But thank you for the calla lilies. Is that because–"
"Yes, you mentioned it was your favourite flower." Chiara leaned in and traced Dana's neck with her finger and kissed her softly. "I can interrupt you as well, you know? You have a gorgeous outfit on today."
Dana huffed while her cheeks warmed. "Of course, of course. I'm going to put these away." She took the calla lily bouquet inside. "And I'll join you in a second."
A minute later after Dana reappeared with a white clutch, Chiara's Vespa was cruising alongside the cobbled roads of the older sections of Rome, with Dana's arms wrapped around her waist. Her bouquet was stored in a small basket off to the side.
Dana's lucky to have her, Chiara thought. A rising actress with great looks and a personality to match, who wouldn't want her? She said as much to Dana when they first met. All Dana did was laugh and scoff, and told her that she'd seen people like her all the time growing up. Something about contending with condescending classmates.
"So this is where all of the locals go," Dana stated once they pulled up at Giovanni's.
"Of course we all go here. I've known Giovanni since I was a toddler, my mamma has known Giovanni since she started off working as a dishwasher and then worked her way up to become a chef until she retired, every Veneziano knows Giovanni, he's popular with the Romanoi, and it's close by, so that's why I always bring Giulia's orders from here." Chiara stopped the Vespa and extended a hand to Dana. Dana took it after taking off her white helmet, hopping off the back of the golden Vespa.
Once they got to Giovanni's, Chiara shared a few kisses on the cheek with the waitress who had worked there. "Ciao Delfina! My regular spot?"
"Of course Chiara." Delfina waved to Dana. "Ciao! Are you the girl that Chiara was telling me about? I thought she oversold your beauty, but it seems like I'm the one mistaken."
"If it was about a girl who was enchanted by the beauty of Europe to the point where she decided to pursue her dreams across the ocean, then yes, I am that girl," Dana answered with a hair flip.
Delfina chuckled. "I like your spirit."
"Why thank you, it's one of my greatest qualities."
Both of them arrived at the table. Chiara swiftly pulled out a chair, and took off Dana's jacket and hung it behind the chair. Dana smiled while organising and dividing the cutlery between them. With both of them sitting down, Chiara started ordering from the menu, choosing rigatoni con la pajata and Frascati Superiore DOC as its partner. Dana chose coda alla vaccinara paired with Cesanese del Piglio DOCG. With Delfina dashing through the bistro yelling about the new orders, Chiara and Dana shared some bread dipped in olive oil and a special vinaigrette courtesy of Delfina.
"Where in Canada did you live?" Chiara asked while swirling her bread in the olive oil. She heard about Canada before, how wild and untamed it was.
"I was born in Edmonton. It's not the biggest city in Canada, or the province. It was nice and I remember growing up there fondly. I still have my senior year yearbook." Dana took a bite of the olive oil soaked loaf.
Chiara nodded. "I wasn't born in Roma. I love her, she's my favourite city in the whole world and nothing could compare to her, but I was never a native like Antonio or Nico."
Dana finished chewing. "So where were you born then?"
"Venezia. The city that has now sunken beneath the waves." Chiara thanked Delfina as she brought the dishes to them. "My mamma had to flee the city as it was sinking, caught between the sea and the high winds." The way her mamma had told that story, it had swelled her young heart at the time. "She was younger and discovered her floor was soaking wet. Rushing outside, she found even more water, so much water that the famed bridges were starting to sink and the gondolas were beached upon the walkways. When she realised what was happening, she commandeered an abandoned gondola and rode out with her family in tow. Suddenly, there was a crack! An old church had fallen into the sea, sending high waves to tear down the old homes and any that tried to escape its grasp. My mamma guided the gondola, always one step ahead of the rushing waves. She nearly fell overboard five times, and had to save her own mamma from the encroaching tide and the rubble of the old houses there. Finally she made it ashore, exhausted and sapped of her strength. Then she had me on the beach." As a young girl, she had always dreamt that she was meant for greater things in life. Surely such a harrowing backstory was a recipe for greatness. Her thoughts flashed to the golden amulet in a small compartment of the Vespa, but she turned her attention to her sweet Dana.
Dana finished her piece of vaccinara. "That sounds interesting. My third eldest sister was born in a Calamity too. A sudden snowstorm had buried this other city, Calgary, in twenty centimetres of snow. My parents were occupied at the time and it took them eleven days to come home with my older sister. Clara and Liza were staying with our eldest ate, and I wasn't born yet."
Chiara sipped her wine. "You told me you were the youngest of four. As an only child, I've heard horror stories from my classmates. No personal space, no time for yourself, and they're always clingy and annoying." At least that she had heard. She wouldn't have minded siblings.
"Oh, I love them, even if I gave them grief and they did the same. Except Willa, she's a quiet kid who grew up into an even quieter woman. Clara and Liza are more like you, Clara especially. One day, I'll take you to meet all three of my sisters. Oh, and you should see Miguel and Nina." Dana finished her plate.
Chiara smiled. "Your nephew and niece, correct?"
"Yes, Miguel's in first grade and Nina is in kindergarten. Have I shown you pictures yet?" Chiara shook her head no. "It's only been two weeks, I haven't shown you?! Alright." Dana pulled out her phone. "This is Miguel's first drawing of an octopus, this is Nina's first star for getting the order of the planets right, this is Miguel's first football game, this is Nina's first hike..."
Chiara loved it when Dana talked about her family. Something in her eyes lit up when she talked about them.
After they both finished, Chiara sent for Delfina and paid for the entire dinner. She also waved at Vittorino and his date, a wispy girl who she learned was named Viviana. Smiling, she handed them fifty euros for any future date-related expenses and looked above. A flock of doves were flapping their wings overhead. She whistled and pointed at the couple. Immediately, the doves swooped onto the table. Chiara moved her arms and whistled again, which prompted the birds to start singing. Viviana looked amazed by the singing doves, while Dana laughed.
"Of course you would try to do that with them," remarked Dana.
"I have something special planned for tonight, cuore mio, you just don't have the necessary clarity yet." Chiara waved her arms. "I could ask the Sun to shine upon your fair face, weave threads of gold and silk for an unsung beauty, and ask the birds and the beasts to perform for your glimmering heart." She flashed a winning smile. "Can you imagine anyone able to do that?"
Dana scoffed. "Silk I could get from a seamstress, the Sun shines everyday, but I have to concede it to you, you have a special talent. Is Augustus joining us?"
"Not today, he's busy." Ah, he spent too much time at Giorgio's. He needed exercise, yet he was content to lounge around. "Not even your sisters could hold a candle to me."
"Ohhhh, Clara would look down on you, if she was younger. Of all my sisters, she would have powers beyond imagining. I'd imagine Liza would too, but not as flashy as you. Willa though? She's so boring, I doubt she would ever have magic or any sort of powers. She became an accountant. Out of everything, she chose to be an accountant." Dana shrugged. "Whatever she wanted, I guess."
Along the Tiber River, Chiara walked with Dana, dragging her excitedly along. Occasionally, a bird would arrive to set the mood with a sweet chirp, causing Dana to chuckle. She was wowed by the Tiber River and the many bridges spanning it, and shared her wish list of countries and landmarks to visit one day. Chiara had always thought that Italy was the greatest country in the world, but she listened. The way Dana talked about it, it lit up her face and brought passion to her sparkling brown eyes. It always made Chiara smile to see her heart be happy.
"So, I've seen the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben, the Duomo di Milano, the Duomo at Florence, and the Brandenburg Gate. The landmarks left are the astrological clock in the Czech Republic, the Florentine art galleries since they were closed for renovation the last time I was there, Vatican City, and—what the fuck?!?"
Screams of terror arose from the sidewalk, with an old man being carried by two young men as they tried to outrun the source of the chaos. Chiara made sure that Dana was safe and unharmed before rushing out onto the street. A pale white bus had crashed into a lamppost and was slowly backing up. Immediately, Chiara sprinted towards the Vespa, opened the small compartment underneath the back seat, and grabbed the golden amulet. The bus was still backing up when Chiara knocked on the back door. She could see someone slumped on the ground and two people at the front.
"Hey! You two! Watch where you're going next time! You almost ran several people over!" She gestured at several people still in shock from the sudden appearance of a bus. "Get out of here or I'll—"
Out of nowhere, the bus backed up quickly, with Chiara having to dive out of the way of the bus' warpath. Once it finally got back onto the road, it immediately crashed into another lamppost, which would have crushed a woman if Chiara hadn't grabbed her away from the falling lamppost.
"Signora! Are you alright?" Chiara asked.
"Yes dear, I'll be fine. It's nothing I haven't seen in my lifetime."
By this point, the bus had subsequently slammed itself into a bunch of oak trees. For a second, she thought she heard someone speaking English before it reversed again, nearly plummeting into the river, and finally managed to align itself to the road. All of the cars were honking, their drivers unleashing a tirade of swears, and more than one Vespa tried to ram into it out of anger. Dana had taken Chiara's golden Vespa and drove up to her.
"I already called the Carabinieri, so they can take care of that rampaging bus." Dana narrowed her eyes. "Chiara, I know that look in your eyes. This does not call for it, especially what happened last time. You remembered what happened the last time you transformed?"
Something was special with that bus. Chiara didn't know how to explain it, but she knew that she couldn't be a regular bystander in her heart. "I'm doing it."
Dana sighed. "Of all of the issues I could argue with you on, I know I can't change your mind." She flipped open her sunglasses case and took out the ones with the darkest lenses.
Chiara started running and held her amulet in her right hand. "Let the glorious rays of the Sun reveal my true majesty as I chase the glory that was forever promised." Within her hand, the golden amulet brightened as a golden orange light enveloped her and everyone else. Before the light completely overtook her, she noticed Dana covering her eyes with the darkened sunglasses. Her heart exploded into golden light beams that shot around her. The rest of her body poured bright and terrifying light outwards as she felt the familiar sensation of her hair being tied and the lion tail sprouting from her back. Not for the first time, she felt a small object shimmer above her head but never materialising.
Closing her eyes, she sprinted forwards, the hard light beneath her feet becoming platforms to step on. Around her, there were multiple car crashes and motorcyclists clutching their faces in pain. She wished there was a way to limit the spread of her power, but she hadn't found a way to control it.
There! The bus was careening into multiple cars as everyone either dashed, intentionally rammed into, or swerved out of the way of the out-of-control bus. Who drove like that, Chiara thought. Those were thoughts for another time. For now, she summoned square chains made of hard light and shot them at the fleeing bus. Neither of them missed and they attached themselves to the bus, bringing it to a screeching halt. She dismissed the platform beneath her and yanked on the chains. The bus moved slightly, but she detected something. A strange energy signature, one that responded to her light, but...it moved? It felt like it was a living and breathing being—her chains were cracking from this new energy. Chiara intensified her focus on maintaining her grip on the bus, but the other person was not as weak as she had thought. Her will was unbreakable, and she felt herself solidifying her control over the chains—
What happened next was unclear, and befuddled her mind afterwards. All that Chiara remembered was that she was in control of the situation, and then there was an explosion. Not physically, but she felt it in her brain. A cacophony of catastrophic calamities that burst both of her eardrums and made her clutch her ears in pain as the bus formed a shield around itself and drove away. The Sun shone brightly today, exuding energising vivacity, so she soaked up the rays and let it soothe the ringing in her ears. Dana drove up and rushed to her side. She couldn't hear much of what Dana was saying, only that she seemed to want her to ride on the Vespa with her.
The ringing still persisted, but she could still make out some more words from Dana as they drove to her home. Once they arrived at her doorstep, Chiara leapt out of the seat only to slam into her wooden door. Her head was still in pain, so Dana took her key to Chiara's house from her pocket and unlocked it for her.
Chiara had a hard time trying to stand up, eventually collapsing on the couch as her ears slowly stopped ringing like a bell. Dana, for her part, locked the door behind her and asked her something. Chiara nodded, unsure of what she wanted. All she could think about was that she was in a position of weakness. She should have been doing something about that bus, not lying around waiting for the pain to subside. She steadied herself on the couch, reaching for the door with a golden rod formed out of light. When she couldn't stand up, she made hard light crutches to rely on. The ringing was almost gone, but she still felt disoriented and almost ready to collapse again. Dana was yelling at her for something, but she didn't have the strength to argue back.
"...you can't go...! ...have powers, but...! But so do the people in the bus...clearly you're not in any shape to do anything about... Just rest for the night, and thank you for the flowers, the dinner, and the walk. Now if you excuse me...that you don't run off and get yourself killed. Again."
After multiple attempts at trying to exit her house only to collapse onto the floor, she decided to recuperate on her chair. Dana seemed to want her to sleep off what happened. She didn't have the energy to drag herself upstairs, so she slept on the chair next to the couch. She muttered to herself as the shimmering rays transformed her back into the clothes she was wearing today and drifted off to sleep soon after.
Hello there. It's been a while, hasn't it? Do you...no, you won't remember. But I remember you and the light that burns within you. Your heart knows best. Trust it. Can you do that for me? One last thing? I'll let you wake up now. Remember the twins.
Chiara groaned as she woke up. The first thing she noticed was that she had been moved to her comfy king sized bed. The second was that she heard shouting from outside her house. She twisted her pinky in her ear. She guessed hearing was a blessing and a curse...now that her strength was returned to her, she leapt out of bed and opened the window. Dana was yelling at a vehicle, wildly gesticulating and telling them off in English. Chiara looked through the window. It would've been easier to see what it was if it wasn't midnight, with only the moon serving as a light source. She barely understood what Dana was saying, yet when the drivers exited their vehicle, her heart skipped a beat. Though she couldn't say for sure, she knew it was the drivers from the runaway bus this afternoon. They were burlier than expected. Dana was reaching for her white clutch where she kept her mace canister, but Chiara felt like she was being useless, watching her girlfriend being outnumbered. Opening the window all the way, she jumped out of it and landed on the bus, making a loud noise as she did so. Dana was briefly surprised, but looked more concerned at the two men who slowly turned to face her.
"Get out of here!" she yelled at Dana as she pulled out her amulet. "Or at least put the glasses on!"
Dana nodded and put on her glasses. Knowing that Dana was safe, Chiara recited the incantation allowing the familiar shimmering light to encase her from within. Once that was done, a bright golden sphere of light radiated from within her chest, driving the two men backwards. Dana for her part ignored it and sprayed her mace canister in the direction of the nearest man, who effortlessly dodged it. Chiara was surprised. Shouldn't they have been blinded? What happened to the Carabinieri? Someone was screaming inside the bus. One of the men was about to run back to the bus when Chiara snatched them in a golden cage. The other man was in the middle of a fight with Dana who was hellbent on trying to cut him down with a metal pipe she picked up.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?" A new energy signature registered in her mind. It resembled white noise, like a lot of people talking at once. It was coming from the man she held in a cage, who was now changing like quicksilver.
Of course, you would be the one to do this. You were a pain then, and you still are now.
Chiara was about to speak up, but found herself silenced. The man—no, girl standing before her grinned, her yellow twintails not quite matching the cage she was locked in.
No, you can't talk. Since you've always believed in honour, I'll play by your asinine rules today. No one can talk now. This is all in your head. You can't hear anything either. Don't blind me or my sister again. That said, this was a misunderstanding, so let me alleviate that. My name is—
The back doors on the bus opened and a young woman about Dana's age fell to the ground. Chiara detected the same energy signature as the one resisting her solar chains. She appeared harmless and blinded by the light, so Chiara let her be. On the other hand, the man overcame his blindness and was close to shoving Dana through the door to Chiara's house. Dana was resisting thoroughly, but she wasn't strong enough to defy the man. Chiara was strong enough. With a wave of her hand, golden claw-like structures grabbed hold of the man, flinging him far away from Dana.
"Are you hurt?!" she yelled at Dana.
"No." Dana straightened herself. "I've had worse."
Chiara wanted to say something but realised something. They could speak now. What did—
As if on cue, the man started screaming, causing the concrete to break up and Chiara and Dana to be flung into the walls of Chiara's house. She noticed that cracks were starting to form in the white stone. The girl who had stumbled out of the bus had on headphones and was standing there, watching warily. Chiara tried moving, but the sheer wind caused by the man's voice made her unable to budge. She searched the area, until she felt Augustus lounging. Help me, she thought, on your honour and your debt to me. Above, the girl broke free of her cage with the help of an enlarged pen and was now standing on the bus.
I know you better than you do. Based on your mind, you don't remember me, my sister, or the Servant. I know that you are too proud to admit defeat in any situation. Give up now, and let us work something out. Dana would like that, wouldn't she?
Something about her mentioning Dana lit up her heart in fury. With a roar, she reached out and concentrated on making an explosive light, large enough to disorient the man. From behind the man, a light formed behind him—and emitted a pulse. The girl that was standing there turned around while the other girl was disoriented and fell off the bus. The veiled girl appeared startled by everything. The man shifted like quicksilver into the form of a yellow-haired girl with her hair in long strands.
"What was that?" The girl asked. "That was louder than—"
Chiara had sensed Augustus' presence a moment ago, but she wasn't expecting him to arrive so quickly. Before the girl could blink, Augustus was on her, claws out and baring his fangs, snarling directly in the girl's face.
"So letting him wander around was useful after all," Dana muttered.
Chiara decided to not repeat that to Augustus.
The girl was shocked and tried to manoeuvre around Augustus, but he kept his paws firmly placed on her arms and legs. She was about to scream before Chiara conjured up a hard light muzzle and snapped it onto her head. The lone girl with the brown hair summoned a shield and the girl in the twintails found her footing.
I should have known...of course you had already gathered some allies. Call off your lion and we can have a civil discussion.
"Augustus! Get off the girl!" Chiara shouted.
He snarled. "I thought you said you needed help. Hmph."
"I'll get you meat from Giorgio's later!"
Augustus relented, letting the girl scramble to her feet. He did approach the girl behind the shield, who looked at him with apprehension. Chiara wondered who she was. Before she could say anything, the girl who Augustus freed grabbed her hands and with a spare piece of rope, bound her hands together.
"Sorry about this but..." She tightened the bonds. "Helen said this was necessary." How much do you know about everything?
Chiara summoned a small light beam and was about to cut herself free before the girl pointed at her open mouth.
I can incapacitate you if you try to free myself. I can scream. Satisfied at Chiara stopping her escape attempt, she visibly relaxed. You don't know much, so I can't get answers from you. I was hoping for someone who knew more about this. The girl stared at Chiara. Who were you talking to in your dreams? Do you know? No, it doesn't look like it.
Chiara ignored the weird girl's comments and marched herself into her house. The indignity of being tied up by a teenager and forced to sit and watch a complete stranger examine every photograph in your house was humiliating. Of course, she couldn't escape, not with the stranger's twin keeping watch.
Helen's a little curious. She doesn't mean any harm.
Thankfully, she had Dana and Augustus. Dana betrayed no emotions, only with her white clutch ready to grab at a moment's notice. Chiara reached for her left hand. Augustus was content to watch from the brown patterned carpet, but he was watching with the eyes of a predator. Underneath his flicking tail and bored expression, Augustus was waiting for his turn in the spotlight.
"Who's this woman?" Helen asked while holding a framed picture of a woman holding a younger Chiara on her lap.
"That's my mother. Put the frame back down." Chiara conjured up a sceptre made of golden light which tapped on the floor harshly.
"Thirty three years and you haven't changed at all." Helen put the frame back on the dresser. "What do you do in your spare time now?"
"I act in front of an adoring audience." Ignoring tee looks Dana was shooting her, Chiara straightened up. "I'm younger than thirty three, so how do you claim to know me?"
Someone else entered. The girl with the shields, Chiara thought. Augustus turned to face the girl, his tongue sticking in and out. The veiled girl noticed this and ducked into the washroom, closing the door behind her.
"So how old are you then?" Helen leaned on the expensive black dresser.
"Twenty four, and how old are you? Fifteen? Sixteen? You're just a child fooling around."
Helen straightened up. "Is that so? I found that everyone always underestimated children." Something lurked behind her bright yellow eyes, and Chiara felt an older power stir in the room. "I remember the King of old claiming that she could beat anyone with only her bare hands and her light magic. I'm not much of a fighter, but I'm sure I can keep up." The white pen from earlier reappeared in her hand.
"Helen?" Her sister raised an eyebrow. "I thought we were here to make friends, not unearthing old grudges and having a fight in someone's living room. Besides, we need to do something about the lion or Amalia will keep having panic attacks in the bathroom." She looked at Chiara. "Can you prove that you have absolute control over your lion and it won't suddenly try to attack anyone?"
"Alright first of all, Augustus is a he, and second of all, he is not my lion or anyone else's lion. He listens to me, but I don't control him. That's what we agreed on." Chiara flicked her ponytail over the front of her shoulder. "Right Augustus?"
"Hmph." Augustus blinked. "If you wish." He rested his head on his front paws, his tail idly flicking the air.
"Thank you." Chiara's tail curled around her leg. "Who are you?"
Helen and her sister exchanged a glance. "We're the Gemini of the Third House. In other words, we have amulets like you. The girl represents the Maiden of the Sixth House. We're looking for our Key, and we think it might be here."
When she first found the amulet, a voice mentioned something about the Fifth House. She didn't remember the rest of the explanation since she was more focused on the power that it granted her and what she could do with it. She could stage her production, design her set however she wanted, be the star of—
We both can read your mind.
Dana touched the back of her head. "The heck was that?"
Augustus remained undisturbed.
It was the twin with long strands that framed her face who spoke first. "My name is Clytemnestra." Chiara felt a disturbance from her, like two voices with one overlapping. "We were led to believe that the Key could be in Rome based on an anonymous tip. Can we stay here while we look for the person who took it?"
Outside of the chaos and mayhem that the twins caused, they weren't malevolent. She didn't like being tied up in her house so she summoned a sliver of light to cut herself free, letting the ropes fall to the floor.
"I'll accept your terms, as long as you recognise me as your leader and you listen to everything I tell you. I know the city better than both of you, so you'll need to bask in my guiding light."
Clytemnestra choked, Dana smacked her head, and Helen was unfazed.
"Of course, that was the sole condition," Helen sighed. "We'll be co-leaders, along with Clytemnestra."
"Excellent!" Chiara hugged Helen, knocking her into the wall. "I'll help you find your thief!"
As Chiara selected the freshest and most delectable raw pork from her spare freezer for Augustus, she found Dana and Clytemnestra talking in between bites of salami.
"What happened to the Carabinieri?" Dana asked.
"Oh, we took care of them," was Clytemnestra's reply.
Dana stopped eating and squinted her eyes at the response.
Augustus had decided to sit at the bathroom door near the stairs. Chiara whistled at him and he turned his head around.
"For what reason—I see." He snatched the pork from Chiara's outstretched hand and began gnawing on it. "Do not presume that I will eat out of your naked hand for the rest of my life. I intend to head back to the savannah where I belong."
Chiara nodded. "A king among the rabble? That's what you told me the second time we met." The idea of being a king sounded like a good idea to her.
"Exactly." He tore the meat apart.
The bathroom door creaked. Two brown eyes quickly peeked behind the door before it shut completely. That must be Amalia, Chiara thought, the girl who had the shields.
"Hello?" Did she speak Italian? The twins spoke it fluently, but Chiara noticed that one of them had an accent. "Amalia, right? Do you speak Italian?" Silence answered her. Clytemnestra mentioned her having panic attacks over Augustus. "Augustus won't hurt a soul, only if they disrespect him."
The door opened slightly. "B-but he still...attacked Clytemnestra."
"That's true." Chiara didn't specify how Augustus was supposed to help her. Of course, he would act on instinct. "I asked for his help, and she was attacking me and my girlfriend." She had checked in on Dana, who refused to promise to unleash her mace canister on the twins the next time something similar should happen. "He's peaceful otherwise."
The door opened further. "I understand your logic, but would he attack other humans? How are his teeth? I read that man-eating lions were more prone to this behaviour because dental decay made it harder for lions to chew and digest their prey, so they would seek out humans."
Chiara looked at Augustus and his sharpened canines. "He's not a man-eater." She had an idea. "You should come out."
The door opened slightly. Brown bangs overlaid Amalia's face as she took a tentative step outside the bathroom door. Augustus stood up, causing Amalia to back up against the wall. He approached her, licking his lips, before pressing his face against her shoulder. Amalia froze as Augustus continued to nuzzle her.
"W-what is he doing?" Amalia stuttered out.
"Nuzzling, he told me that lions do it to bond with each other." She was glad that Augustus was being nice to humans other than her, Dana, and Giorgio. "He doesn't share his favour with anyone, so be grateful for that. It's fine to nuzzle him back, he would appreciate it."
Amalia slowly lowered her body so she was at eye level with Augustus. She reached out her hand and awkwardly patted him on the shoulder. Augustus was puzzled, but he let Amalia pat him.
"...why would you let a wild lion loose in a large urban city? There are zoos and nature reserves nearby if I'm not mistaken," she asked.
"He didn't want to go to a zoo or a nature reserve." Chiara knew Augustus was comfortable with her sharing his background with others, so she told Amalia. "I met Augustus on the film set I was performing on. The director's vision required the utmost accuracy to real life, so he contacted this group that held exotic animals. The arrangement was made two weeks before I met him, so when we did meet..." She balled her fists at the memory. "To create authenticity and to sell the idea that a lion would be a murderous beast, they starved him. He was so hungry that, when we met, he tried to devour my costar Nico and nearly bit off Antonio's head before I had to tackle him to the ground and force him to yield. That was also when I learned I could talk to animals and we formed a special bond shortly after."
Amalia blinked. "I've utilised Mus muscularis specimens during my undergraduate research, but I always followed the ethical guidelines when using live specimens. I'm sorry that Augustus had to endure that and that your colleagues suffered as well." Something shifted in the woman's gaze. "If I may ask, how old is he now? Does he know how to hunt?"
Chiara nodded with energy. "I talked to a zoologist, Dr. Maria Lombardi. She said that he was about four years old, but she wasn't sure if he could be reintroduced into the wild and survive for more than a month. From what Augustus could remember, he had been captive since he was a cub but he was taught by older captive lions how to hunt. I usually get him meat from Giorgio's but he would hunt foxes, raccoons, herons, cranes, and wild boars in his spare time. Of course, most of that time was spent sleeping beside Giorgio's butcher shop."
Augustus turned towards Chiara. "I do not sleep, I merely recharge from a day's worth of hunting."
"You sleep." Chiara ruffled Augustus' dark brown mane, earning a deep-throated purr from him. "And I have to sleep as well. I'll show you to your room Amalia. It's right down this way..."
Chiara showed Amalia the guest bedroom where she would spend the night and Dana put the twins up in the old wine cabinet. Before both of them tucked in for the night, Dana laid the blanket flat on the bed and snuggled close to Chiara.