InsaneJournal

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Cesare Borgia (il_valentino) wrote in seasidecafe,
@ 2009-03-29 10:20:00

Entry tags:

invisibility

Cesare Borgia: Invisibility
"Grazie, grazie mille" - he briefly looks up from the book Donna Isabel gave him - "what could be so interesting about invisibility?" He shrugs. He's got enough on his hands with Miquel whom he sees just fine unless Miquel doesn't want to, doesn't want to be seen or wants to be a pest, so the idea holds no great allure, not to him, whose greatest joy was to be seen, actually, at times and in places no-one expected him, and where his appearance put men to quaking. Granted, there was a degree of invisibility involved, making his return to the stage all the more dramatic, but that was just maschera, a play of masques and shadows. No great magic there.

And Your Honour wouldn't like to sneak up on your opponents, unseen, unheard? The swift judgment of invisible feme?

"Mh?" Cesare turns to Miquel. "No. No, why would I. Isn't that why I've got you?"

Miquel sits back and folds his hands in what seems to be a hoodie pouch, face too serene for his own good.

"I suppose it's a good thing you are invisible, now that your dress sense has firmly embraced the hideous," Cesare remarks. It sounds almost sweet.

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il_valentino
2009-03-30 03:01 am UTC (link)

The voice sends the book flying - aie, peccato, peccato! - and sprays an arc of red wine all over the table. His heart is between his teeth. Shut your mouth, shut your mouth so it doesn't jump out, his senses scream, and the chair is pushed back with a screech. His hands go for the sword that isn't there, and he feels Miquel at his back, rallied into something like attention (but not nearly as alarmed as he should be porca miseria oh madonna why is that what's wrong with the fool?) while the voice throbs in his head. You didn't want me, he wants to scream, why now? why now after all this time, his mind wants to melt, why not pick up that corpse in Navarra when I was meant to go, and already he's praying Hail Marys in Catalan, Latin, and gutter Roman before his legs fold and his arse lands on the edge of his chair.

"Buy you a drink," he echoes, not comprehending.

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	justdeath 2009-03-30 06:39 am UTC (link)
	Well now, that went better than he had expected, though Death is sorry about the book. He flares a wink at Miquel and leans back in his chair. "I CLOCKED UP A LOT OF OVERTIME ON YOUR BEHALF. IT SEEMS THE POLITE THING TO DO." Smoke from his cigarillo makes elaborate skull patterns around his face. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

il_valentino
2009-03-30 07:22 am UTC (link)

He can smell his sour sweat, battling it out with expensive cologne. His armpits are clammy. And then he feels dizzy, if only because he's forgotten how to breathe.

La santisima muerte.

"Mea culpa," he wheezes. He wipes his dripping palms down his pants. "Forgive me if I... if I or any of mine inconvenienced you." Che pazzia; this is insane. He is not apologising to la Morte, is he?

Gawping at the smoke curls, he motions for the 'waitress'. "And what would you have. Sir." Cesare gulps audibly. Just then he thinks he sees Miquel, slumped over a neighbouring table, his narrow shoulders heaving with laughter. Testa di cazzo, what is this?

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	justdeath 2009-03-30 06:38 pm UTC (link)
	"WELL, IT WASN'T AS BAD AS THE PLAGUES," Death concedes grudgingly. "SO I'LL SAY NO MORE ABOUT IT." "ASKING FOR A CHATEAU NEUF DU PAPE WOULD BE IN BAD TASTE I THINK, SO HOW ABOUT A NICE CHIANTI?" Death puts a bony finger to non-existent lips, shushing Miquel. "PLEASE," he grins at Cesare, "WON'T YOU JOIN ME?" He waves a hand at the opposite chair. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

il_valentino
2009-03-31 03:26 am UTC (link)

Castelnuovo indeed. Giuliano and his rotten ilk were more than welcome to it. "Val di Chiana it is," Cesare says feebly, gesturing for the same. His fingers are strangely a-flutter.

When the cowled figure beckons, he blurts a nervous laugh because it finally dawns on him - ah, what an elaborate prank! Shame his sense of humour is not exactly over-developed. Especially vis-à-vis jokes at his own cost; they never go down so well. He just wonders whose liver he'll have for this one. It's neither Isabel's nor Xellos' handwriting, and... Hm. Perhaps one of the magic people?

"To my apologia, esteemed messire," he says, neck still clammy, "I hardly gave you more work than any of the others, the Orsini and Colonna and Gonzagas, no? There have always been corpses in the river." And still, his wine spills.

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	justdeath 2009-03-31 07:20 am UTC (link)
	"EXCELLENT," Death murmurs. "THANK YOU." "BUT YOU ARE HERE AND THEY ARE NOT," Death points out. "YES," he adds sharply. "WHICH LED TO MORE WORK." He snaps his fingers and two elegant crystal glasses appear on the table. "PRAY ALLOW ME TO POUR." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

il_valentino
2009-03-31 07:58 am UTC (link)

"Prego," Cesare stutters as the glasses materialize, cut glass sparkling. No prank. His mouth opens and closes in a rather unfetching manner.

"You will not hold this against me, I hope," he says, hands doing something vaguely courteous in the air, his gestures so unsmooth it hurts the eye. "Where would be the joy in punishing them vicariously, through me, just because I happen to be... here," he ends lamely. "And it was work for me, too, see? To affect insouciance and remain unconcerned while having to orchestrate all this-" more handwaving "-death."

Miquel lifts his head, flashes Death a quick grin. No offense intended, Voscienza. Baciamo le mani.

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	justdeath 2009-03-31 10:39 pm UTC (link)
	"YOU MISUNDERSTAND," Death says, pouring the wine. "I DO NOT HOLD GRUDGES. AND PUNISHMENT, IF ANY, IS ENTIRELY OUT OF MY HANDS." He looks up and sees what Cesare is doing. "I BEG YOUR PARDON," he says, puzzled. "ARE YOU ILL?" Death nods and gestures to Miquel to join him as well. "NONE TAKEN, I ASSURE YOU." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

il_valentino
2009-04-01 03:06 am UTC (link)

"Not ill," he chokes. "Just. Nervous." His eyes fall on the bony hand that pours with eerie grace. Miquel slinks up and around, finding his accustomed spot quarter-left behind Cesare's back. Insubstantial fingers smoothe back Cesare's hair. Stai tranquillo, they say, non ti angustiare. Then Miquel inclines his head at Death. Most kind, Your Honour.

"So you haven't. Er." Cesare is making a mess of this. "You're not here to take me?" he asks feebly.

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justdeath
2009-04-02 06:23 am UTC (link)

"AH," Death nods understanding. He does have that effect on people. Death waves a hand and another glass appears. This one is filmy and insubstantial looking, but it holds the wine he pours. He nods at Miquel. "DO HELP YOURSELF."

Death gazes at Cesare, his blue gaze unwavering. "NOT UNLESS YOU WANT ME TO," he says quietly. He reaches under his cloak and pulls out a lifetimer. He holds it so neither man can see the sand inside.

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il_valentino
2009-04-02 04:42 pm UTC (link)

Voscienza. Gentilissimi.

Cesare watches as Miquel dips into his best courtly bow, the kind reserved for royalty. Ghost wine?, Cesare thinks. Donna Isabel had mentioned something like this, hadn't she? That all things had their shadow on the... on the other side?

The sight saddens him. Do I want him to? he thinks, loud enough for Miquel to hear. Would it bring me nearer to you? Or would we mess it up, again? "Messire," he tries to hold the gaze but finds he can't - can't, "I was ready before. I understand it is not for me to decide. But." He looks up at Miquel, begging for absolution, "I am not ready now."

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	justdeath 2009-04-03 06:32 am UTC (link)
	"NO, NOT YET." Death slips the lifetimer back...somewhere. He picks up his glass and takes a sip. "PLEASE," he says, indicating the glasses. "NOT EVERYONE GETS TO DRINK WITH DEATH AND LIVE TO TELL ABOUT IT." He takes another, deeper drink. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

il_valentino
2009-04-03 03:42 pm UTC (link)

The content of Cesare's glass shivers only a little. Live to tell about it. True, and Donna Isabel would die laughing if she heard how fear had rattled his bones. "Alle salute," he nods. "Bon profit, as they say in Catalunya." He slurps, badly in need of a cordial indeed.

"How come..." Cesare looks to Miquel for help, but none is forthcoming, what with Miquel being quite engrossed in his wine, "How come you are not here on business? If you don't mind my asking."

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	justdeath 2009-04-04 06:31 am UTC (link)
	"HERE'S MUD IN YOUR EYE," Death says, nodding. He's never really understood toasts. "I WAS," he says leaning back. "I STOPPED OFF FOR A DRINK AFTER. THIS PLACE INTRIGUES ME." He takes another sip of wine. "IT'S MOST UNUSUAL. YOU KNOW, I COULD MURDER A CURRY. DO THEY DO CURRY HERE?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

il_valentino
2009-04-09 07:56 pm UTC (link)

Cesare looks at him half blearily, half bleakly, with all the confusion of someone hearing a language unknown- to him or mankind even, for that matter.

"Mud," he gulps wine. "Why mud, Voscienza?" I hope not. It was muddy that morning. It had been raining for weeks. It was a fucking muddy ditch. Mud and blood.

"I wouldn't know about... curry. I don't think I've ever had one." Cesare flounders a bit. "But Messer Xellos knows how to marinade pheasant well. I can recommend that." He tries not to imagine, not to picture for sure, where food would go with... Death. If it falls right through those ribs or not.

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justdeath
2009-04-12 06:57 am UTC (link)

"NO IDEA," Death says, grinning. "YOU'RE WISHING SOMEONE HEALTH AND LONG LIFE AND THEN YOU WANT THEM TO GET A FACE FULL OF DIRT?" He shrugs and takes a drink of wine.

Death leans forward. "EVER BITTEN A RED-HOT ICE CUBE? CURRY'S LIKE THAT. AND YOU SHOULD DEFINITELY TRY ONE BEFORE YOU DIE." His idea of a joke. "PHEASANT?" He nods. "I SUPPOSE THAT WOULD DO IN A PINCH. IF YOU WOULD SUMMON THIS XELLOS PERSON, I WILL MAKE MY WISHES KNOWN TO HIM."

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