[Act 2] [Scene 4] [Awakening]

[Agamemnon]

Gasparo remained at Giovanni's side, not entirely unwilling to depart until given the say-so by his master. When Ferran preempted the issue by telling him to stay, he took a seat and took up the quill.

He listened to Ferran's story with some fascination, quickly jotting down the account with a practiced hand. Throughout, his face remained a passive mask. He very rarely betrayed his thoughts through his features -- until that last line. As above, so below. That got his brow to raise, his posture to shift. As the account ended, his attention returned to his master, eager to see what the maestro would say.

[thirtythr33]

Giovanni waits attentively for Ferran to finish his account then he mutters "As the universe, so the soul." He ponders a moment and then asks "Have you ever before heard the words of Hermes Trismegistus? From Ambrigio, perhaps?"

[Benedict]

"Ambrogio talked about many things. He always believed there's potential in this thick skull of mine.. About Hermes Trismegistus he told me that the caduceus is his symbol. A sign of sorcery for some, of great wisdom for others..." his eyes seem to dig deep within, lost in memory. Quickly Ferran pulls his act together.

"He even gave me his caduceus as a letter of introduction to you Meastro... But I'm afraid I've lost it." says the Catalan with a sad face.

A long pause.

"Pardon my indiscretion Maestro. According to Ambrogio you should be an old man. But you are nearly as young as myself. I can't help but ask how is this possible."

[OOC - That's the part that Curious gets the best of him ]

[thirtythr33]

Giovanni withdraws the caduceus from his pocket. "Worry not, I kept it safe while you were being attended." he says as he places the jewelry onto the bed-side table.

When Ferran asks about Giovanni's age, the man chuckles. "Oh, my apologies. You must have me mistaken for my uncle. Giovanni Pico, the revolutionary author, died quite some time ago. Assassinated by arsenic poisoning, actually. I am a much less accomplished man of similar name; Giovanni-Francesco Pico. You see, the Pico family has a strong tradition of carrying on the names of our fore bearers. Barely a generation goes by without a Giovanni, Galeotto, Franceso or some derivative name like Gianfrancesco being used again." He gives a well rehearsed reply as if he has had to explain it many times.

[Benedict]

"I see..." says Ferran, a hint of doubt clouding his brow. After all Ambrogio was adamant, Giovanni still lives. The Catalan reaches for the caduceus. He stares at the trinket for a short time, then continues.

"An honest mistake on my part. I'm sure that Ambrogio had his reasons letting me believe your illustrious uncle still lives." he says with a feeble smile.

"As I said before I am in your debt Maestro. And I believe that I will be indebted to you even more. For we came here with a mission. For quite some time there was the suspicion that Marco's father was being slowly poisoned with foxglove by an unknown adversary. Alas his physician, a man named Lucio Monte, hinted that it was not natural. For senor Claudio's symptoms included attacks on the mind. It was I that led my friends here in search for help, given your... pardon me, your late uncle's reputation."

A short pause while Ferran wears the caduceus once again.
"There was also a personal motive. Ambrogio urged me to come here at the earliest opportunity to seek out Giovanni Pico de la Mirandolla and ask apprenticeship, like he did. He even had me swear to God that I'll keep everything a secret. I understand that he is trying to protect you even now he's dead, hence the confusion. Because he was adamant to seek out Don Giovanni, not Don Gianfrancesco. I may have done a stupid thing, for I took my friends into my confidence under oath. Given Marco's... nay, our dire situation, it was a risk I had to take."

"Now you know everything. Have what you will of me. As for my friends, I only hope they won't suffer more for my foolishness. For they've been through enough."

[thirtythr33]

Giovanni seems surprised for the first time. "Ambrigio is dead? When? How?"

[Benedict]

" 'Twas our last trip during the past summer. We ventured on a very ambitious yet promising enterprise from Barcelona, aiming to set port to various places through Corsica, North Africa, Sicily, the Southern States, Dalmatia, and finally Venice. I've already met Maestro Ambrogio and he was the one who got me on board. On our way to Reggio [*], halfway between isle Vulcano [**] and Sicily, a summer storm hit us. Ironically it was the same day he urged me to come here to you and gave me his caduceus."

Ferran looks at the caduceus again, his features broken by sorrow. The man barely able to contain his pain and frustration, musters all his will and continues.
"Maestro was swept overboard before I could do a thing... I always hoped he somehow survived that, I always kept praying for my lost mentor and friend..."

Suddenly his mood turns vile, and his voice sounds like metal grating on stone. "Alas, my latest experiences taught me not to expect anything good from god!"


[*] Reggio Calabria
[**] Isle Vulcano

[thirtythr33]

"So Ambrogio gave you the caduceus and told you to find me and then, the very next day, he disappears without a trace." He gives Ferran a probing look. "You mentioned that you were seeking to become a student of my uncle. Well, that is clearly out of the question but you can have this lesson for free. Nothing happens by coincidence. Either your mentor planned his own disappearance or otherwise knew his time was short. Your brush with death, I believe was similarly orchestrated by one power or another. And then to arrive here with a Venician nobleman begging his own favor while I have need of an ally in Florence... It is a strange game these powers play."

[Benedict]

The Catalan responds to Giovanni's probing with unconcealed honesty.
"He vanished the same night. As for me seeking apprenticeship here, that was Ambrogio's design. I only acted upon my promise to him."

"As for this lesson I thank you for it. Yes, I agree with you, nothing happens by coincidence. It's ignorance that makes us interpret things as random or coincidences when they happen."

Ferran gives a probing glance of his own.
"Excuse my conduct, for I am just a crude sailor and have no training in etiquette. So I offer you my sincerity instead. You spoke of allies needed. If there's anything this low-born deck hand and navigator can do for you Maestro you only have to ask."

[thirtythr33]

"Ha!" Giovanni exclaims and looks to Gasparo. "The man wakes up from just having his head stitched back on and he is asking what he can do for me." He turns back to Ferran. "The news you have brought is already a great boon to me. More than you could know. But if you share a path with Marco there may indeed be some way for you to help... but for now you must rest. No doubt the doctor will be around soon to poke and prod you to make sure everything still works as it should."

[Benedict]

"You are again right Maestro. While my spirit feels invigorated, my body needs all the rest it can get. I don't want Marco to stall for my recovery, neither would I dare leaving him alone. It's best that I rest until the doctor comes."

[thirtythr33]

"Very good." Giovanni says and pats the bed next to Ferran as he stands. He indicates the door to Gasparo and the two leave Ferran to rest.

~~~~~~~~~~

When the two are alone in the hallway with the door closed behind them, Giovanni confides in Gasparo. "Disappearing in a storm indeed. Hrumph, that bastard." Giovanni glances back to Gasparo, realizing afterwards that the invective applies to him but he doesn't apologize. "Did I ever tell you about Ala? Ambrigio made several bargains with that gluttonous wretch. He hoped to use her dominion over the weather to his advantage at sea." He sighs and pauses, trying to sort through the implications of Ferran's accounts.

He continues, seemingly having made up his mind. "The binding rituals may give us some limited protection and power over them, but make no mistake. These greater powers see us as nothing more than pawns to be moved into position and sacrificed at their convenience..." He tone changes to one of concern. "Sometimes I even wonder if the rituals do anything at all. That maybe these entities play us for fools, allowing us to feel we have the upper hand so that we might be more easily lured into their grasp."

[Agamemnon]

Always the Maestro's shadow, Gasparo falls silently in line and follows Giovanni out of the room. By now, he was used to restraining his reactions. Any rise the exclamation might have gotten from him was confined to a slight twitch of one eye. The first question got a slight shake of his head, not wanting to break the flow of Giovanni's thoughts. Much of what he'd learned was from moments like these. When it seemed that Giovanni had said what he will, Gasparo offered simply "All wise men must play the fool, from time to time."

[thirtythr33]

Giovanni raises an eyebrow. "Ever the poet, Gasparo. Now is perhaps your time to play the fool. See what you can find out about that big guard of theirs. Get on his good side if you have to. Find out if he's a loose end we are going to need to deal with. I'll talk to Don Marco."

[Agamemnon]

Get on his good side if you have to. Gasparo did a fine job of not letting his nose curl at the remark. Instead, he simply bowed his head respectfully and acquiesced. "As you wish, Maestro. I'll see to it now."

He turned on a heel and went off in search of the mercenary.