Temperance lives by (verbumdomini) wrote in repose, @ 2016-12-28 22:28:00 |
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Entry tags: | *log, carver anderson, claire johnson |
Log: Carver/Claire in Rome
Who: Carver and Claire
What: A vacation, however brief.
Where: Rome
When: New Year's Eve
Warnings/Rating: Inquisition stuff?
The flight had been long, but worth every moment once she stepped back on her home soil. Italy rejuvenated Claire, made her feel alive. The energy of the Eternal City flowed through her veins, and being so far away from the looming dome of the Vatican had taken its toll on her spirit. She was lit up brighter than the endless glow of Christmas decorations as they checked in to their hotel room, and wasted no time in excitedly dragging Carver out to explore. She asked him to show her all his favorite places as if she'd never been in Rome before, and made sure to remind him about the wine he had agreed to be buying for them.
Of course, there had been other reasons for her to come to Rome, and none of those had been imparted to Carver. Claire needed books and components to try and help Louis, and more recently she needed a certain ritual to ascertain if Daniel had met his final death or not. She still had friends within the Inquisition, even if that loyalty could not be spoken aloud with the powerful presence of the Cardinals. Those friends were the only way she had managed to escape after the crucifixion she'd suffered through last year, and it was Sister Marceline herself that smuggled the needed items from the vaults and into the Bellatora's suitcase within Claire and Carver's room while they were out. They would be leaving for Nuoro in the morning, and the risk of anyone noticing that the books were missing before they left Rome was slim to none.
The streets of Rome were awash with a sea of tourists, wave after wave of people cramped on brightly decorated cobblestone roads. Twinkling Christmas lights were draped across narrower pathways like stars that had ventured closer to the breathing pulse of Earth if only for the night. Music blared throughout the city that kept the aura of the crowd electric, all seeming to move as one living breathing beast that pulsed with the beat. Midnight was creeping upon them, Carver and Claire in the metaphorical shadow of the towering Colosseum awaiting the inevitable firework display. They both understood the risk of being in the city, but if there was one night they could disappear beneath the Inquisition's radar, this would be the night.
Unfortunately for them, the Inquisition could blend into the crowd, too.
It was near freezing, and she regretted not putting tights on under her jeans. The ivory sweater was a warm wool beneath her thick orange jacket and it showed off the necklace that he gave her which hung around her neck, and had remained there since she received it Christmas morning. Claire's slender battle-calloused fingers were chilled from the night air as they laced between Carver's, and her smile grew when she remembered a certain gift she had been given. "Oh! When we get back," she squeezed his hand sweetly with a smile, "I have a lesson for Salsa dancing. Will you come with me?" That's right, she was softening him up for the question by bringing him to the most beautiful city in the world on one of the most magical nights. Strategy.