Brotherhood: The Recruits [19b/?]
Brotherhood: The Recruits
Author: name-me-regret
AN: Such a pain in the pass to have to cut the chapter into two parts cause LJ post has such limited space. Stupid thing!
Vittorio vaulted over the broken wall in his path, planting one hand on the obstacle and swinging his body with ease over it. He cursed as he was spotted by a patrol and he ducked around the corner and into an alleyway. When he came out of the other side, he quickly jumped into a nearby well and held onto the edge for dear life. Vittorio heard the soldiers run by as they searched for him and when they had passed, he got out and ran in the other direction. When he was sure that they weren’t following him anymore, he slowed down, but this time made sure to stick to the shadows.
He knew he was being reckless, but Vittorio was a bit anxious to get to the abandoned stables where he met with Annetta, and had been meeting her for two years. It had been shut down a long time ago by the Borgia, so there were no horses there anymore. The scent of manure was faint but still there, and that was companied by the smell of stale hay. He could admit that it wasn’t the most romantic place to see the woman, but for a long time it was the only safe one for them to be together. The guards knew Vittorio’s face very well, and those that didn’t stopped him because the fact that he used the mask was suspicious. So, he had to meet her there.
Now, he could finally give her some good news, since she complained about the draft and the chill that no amount of blankets could dispel. Vittorio had stolen more than he usually did and set aside as much as he could to buy a small cottage just outside Campagna. He could give her a place where they could be together that didn’t bring her shame.
He could see it daily as the days passed, and that earnest expression that had been on her face had disappeared, and that light in her eyes had faded. Vittorio mourned for her playful grin and her laughter, which had slowly stopped making an appearance in the last year. That first year had been the best of his life even if he could only see her once a week. Annetta greeted him with a smile every night, and she’d tell him of the days that had passed since they had last seen one another. Vittorio would listen happily about the hijinks of a girl that the whole world thought was a teenage boy.
The young man hadn’t realized how much it would affect him not seeing her smile, or hear her giggle over a silly thing. He had entrenched himself so firmly in the belief that their arrangement was good the way it was; great sex and no attachments. Of course, he’d been wrong and first knew this the moment he noticed her slowly starting to distance herself from him. Vittorio had figured it was with the purpose of ending everything between them, and he’d been shocked by the fear he had felt when thinking that he may never see her again. So, he had started saving and three months ago he had bought the cottage and started to fix it up, so maybe with it he could show her the feelings he couldn’t bring himself to say out loud. Today was the day.
When he arrived, he was met with darkness and silence from the stables. Annetta was usually there before him so there was always lantern light to welcome him. It chilled him to see it this way and quickly lit the lantern with the flint they kept there. “She’s probably running late,” he tried to reassure himself. He started to clean up so it’d be nice when she showed up, and pulled down the mask because he knew she didn’t like it when he covered his face from her.
“You can hide it from the entire world, but never from me. I love your face,” she had told him when he had been reluctant to take it off while they were alone. The words had been too close to a love confession and he had drawn back, and become detached. He could tell that his detachment hurt her, but she was here the next night and she had smiled and laughed.
As he waited for her to show up, he started to realize that it was the night everything had changed. In the time that had passed, weeks and months; being with her was the thing he anticipated the most. So, he noticed that the smiles and laughs had started to appear less frequently, and the stories became one less every day. It wasn’t too apparent at first since they only saw one another once a week, but when he did notice he had resolved to change.
He searched for a message, since he usually left her a message a day before whenever he didn’t show up due to a mission. Vittorio found no note after searching the whole stables twice. Annetta wasn’t there for some reason, and he felt dread fill him. It wasn’t because he thought that something had happened to her, but because she may have finally gotten tired of not hearing him say a word of affection, or call what they had a relationship.
Vittorio resolved to return tomorrow and see if Robyn had been the reason she hadn’t come tonight. That is what he would do.
Annetta wasn’t there the next night, or the next, or the fourth day of the next week. Vittorio knew then that she was never coming back.
~o~
Alejandro hesitated as he saw the stables come into view. It was the same one that he had found his friend at about a month ago, and although he had told Alejandro that he had simply been passing by after the mission, the man was no fool. After he pretended to leave, he doubled back and saw him enter the boarded up stables by pushing back a piece of loose piece of the wood. He had seen lantern light from inside, and that meant somebody had been waiting for him. When he didn’t come back half an hour later, he grew tired of waiting for him and left.
Now, he purposefully walked toward the stables because Vittorio had been gone a whole week without any news. Vittorio was an independent person and he came and went as he pleased, but he always reported in expect for the fourth day out of the week. He had told the both Petaccia brothers that he visited the brothel, but none of the whores had seen him in months when they went to ask. Elio had been beside himself with worry that perhaps Carlo had finally found the twenty-one year old, and Alejandro hadn’t said anything and he immediately headed here. Alejandro was sure he was here, but didn’t know the reason for it, but he was going to get answers.
When he was close enough, he heard the sound of wood and glass being broken, and Alejandro panicked and forced back the board and went in. He had expected to see Vittorio getting attacked or tortured by some guards or something, but what he saw was completely different. Vittorio himself was in a rage and was tearing the place apart as he broke several things that seemed out of place in the stables. A mattress filled with hay which had been stabbed and gutted lay in the corner, and a lantern had been thrown against the far wall as well as a few bowls, spoons, and even a morning pan and pitcher for washing the face.
“Vittorio!” he yelled as the young man was about to stomp on the already ruined mattress. His caramel eyes snapped toward him and Alejandro winced at the hard edge to them. He hadn’t seen that look in his eyes since that first night he’d woken up, and was still grieving his family and was determined to push everyone away. “What are you doing?”
Vittorio turned back to the destruction he had caused and seemed lost for a moment. He looked like that same lost, grieving boy he had been seven years ago and Alejandro himself felt grief for the suffering he saw in him. “Oh Dio, she’s gone,” he whispered.
His legs crumpled under him as his ass hit the ground, and when Alejandro got to his side he saw his shoulders shaking and his face buried in his hands. He was shocked to realize that he was crying. Alejandro had never seen Vittorio cry before, and Elio had told him that the only time he’d witnessed it had been the first time he had killed a man. So, whoever this woman was must have been very important for Vittorio.
“Come on,” he murmured as he helped Vittorio to his feet. “Let’s get you home.” Vittorio shook his head as he let the older man lead him out of the wrecked stables.
“I lost everything again,” he sobbed, pressing a hand to his eyes. “And this time it’s my fault.” After that he refused to say anything more about the subject, and even Elio couldn’t get anything out of him. The young man tucked the grief and pain deep inside him, and pretended that nothing had happened.
He went right back to being the same as he had been, annoying Alejandro, protective of Elio, a smart-aleck to Mario, and distant toward the other thieves. The only thing that had changed was that he didn’t disappear every fourth day of the week anymore, and he also didn’t go anywhere near the brothel he had always frequented. Vittorio was in essence the same man, but those that truly knew him saw his grief every single day.
Author: name-me-regret
AN: Such a pain in the pass to have to cut the chapter into two parts cause LJ post has such limited space. Stupid thing!
Vittorio vaulted over the broken wall in his path, planting one hand on the obstacle and swinging his body with ease over it. He cursed as he was spotted by a patrol and he ducked around the corner and into an alleyway. When he came out of the other side, he quickly jumped into a nearby well and held onto the edge for dear life. Vittorio heard the soldiers run by as they searched for him and when they had passed, he got out and ran in the other direction. When he was sure that they weren’t following him anymore, he slowed down, but this time made sure to stick to the shadows.
He knew he was being reckless, but Vittorio was a bit anxious to get to the abandoned stables where he met with Annetta, and had been meeting her for two years. It had been shut down a long time ago by the Borgia, so there were no horses there anymore. The scent of manure was faint but still there, and that was companied by the smell of stale hay. He could admit that it wasn’t the most romantic place to see the woman, but for a long time it was the only safe one for them to be together. The guards knew Vittorio’s face very well, and those that didn’t stopped him because the fact that he used the mask was suspicious. So, he had to meet her there.
Now, he could finally give her some good news, since she complained about the draft and the chill that no amount of blankets could dispel. Vittorio had stolen more than he usually did and set aside as much as he could to buy a small cottage just outside Campagna. He could give her a place where they could be together that didn’t bring her shame.
He could see it daily as the days passed, and that earnest expression that had been on her face had disappeared, and that light in her eyes had faded. Vittorio mourned for her playful grin and her laughter, which had slowly stopped making an appearance in the last year. That first year had been the best of his life even if he could only see her once a week. Annetta greeted him with a smile every night, and she’d tell him of the days that had passed since they had last seen one another. Vittorio would listen happily about the hijinks of a girl that the whole world thought was a teenage boy.
The young man hadn’t realized how much it would affect him not seeing her smile, or hear her giggle over a silly thing. He had entrenched himself so firmly in the belief that their arrangement was good the way it was; great sex and no attachments. Of course, he’d been wrong and first knew this the moment he noticed her slowly starting to distance herself from him. Vittorio had figured it was with the purpose of ending everything between them, and he’d been shocked by the fear he had felt when thinking that he may never see her again. So, he had started saving and three months ago he had bought the cottage and started to fix it up, so maybe with it he could show her the feelings he couldn’t bring himself to say out loud. Today was the day.
When he arrived, he was met with darkness and silence from the stables. Annetta was usually there before him so there was always lantern light to welcome him. It chilled him to see it this way and quickly lit the lantern with the flint they kept there. “She’s probably running late,” he tried to reassure himself. He started to clean up so it’d be nice when she showed up, and pulled down the mask because he knew she didn’t like it when he covered his face from her.
“You can hide it from the entire world, but never from me. I love your face,” she had told him when he had been reluctant to take it off while they were alone. The words had been too close to a love confession and he had drawn back, and become detached. He could tell that his detachment hurt her, but she was here the next night and she had smiled and laughed.
As he waited for her to show up, he started to realize that it was the night everything had changed. In the time that had passed, weeks and months; being with her was the thing he anticipated the most. So, he noticed that the smiles and laughs had started to appear less frequently, and the stories became one less every day. It wasn’t too apparent at first since they only saw one another once a week, but when he did notice he had resolved to change.
He searched for a message, since he usually left her a message a day before whenever he didn’t show up due to a mission. Vittorio found no note after searching the whole stables twice. Annetta wasn’t there for some reason, and he felt dread fill him. It wasn’t because he thought that something had happened to her, but because she may have finally gotten tired of not hearing him say a word of affection, or call what they had a relationship.
Vittorio resolved to return tomorrow and see if Robyn had been the reason she hadn’t come tonight. That is what he would do.
Annetta wasn’t there the next night, or the next, or the fourth day of the next week. Vittorio knew then that she was never coming back.
~o~
Alejandro hesitated as he saw the stables come into view. It was the same one that he had found his friend at about a month ago, and although he had told Alejandro that he had simply been passing by after the mission, the man was no fool. After he pretended to leave, he doubled back and saw him enter the boarded up stables by pushing back a piece of loose piece of the wood. He had seen lantern light from inside, and that meant somebody had been waiting for him. When he didn’t come back half an hour later, he grew tired of waiting for him and left.
Now, he purposefully walked toward the stables because Vittorio had been gone a whole week without any news. Vittorio was an independent person and he came and went as he pleased, but he always reported in expect for the fourth day out of the week. He had told the both Petaccia brothers that he visited the brothel, but none of the whores had seen him in months when they went to ask. Elio had been beside himself with worry that perhaps Carlo had finally found the twenty-one year old, and Alejandro hadn’t said anything and he immediately headed here. Alejandro was sure he was here, but didn’t know the reason for it, but he was going to get answers.
When he was close enough, he heard the sound of wood and glass being broken, and Alejandro panicked and forced back the board and went in. He had expected to see Vittorio getting attacked or tortured by some guards or something, but what he saw was completely different. Vittorio himself was in a rage and was tearing the place apart as he broke several things that seemed out of place in the stables. A mattress filled with hay which had been stabbed and gutted lay in the corner, and a lantern had been thrown against the far wall as well as a few bowls, spoons, and even a morning pan and pitcher for washing the face.
“Vittorio!” he yelled as the young man was about to stomp on the already ruined mattress. His caramel eyes snapped toward him and Alejandro winced at the hard edge to them. He hadn’t seen that look in his eyes since that first night he’d woken up, and was still grieving his family and was determined to push everyone away. “What are you doing?”
Vittorio turned back to the destruction he had caused and seemed lost for a moment. He looked like that same lost, grieving boy he had been seven years ago and Alejandro himself felt grief for the suffering he saw in him. “Oh Dio, she’s gone,” he whispered.
His legs crumpled under him as his ass hit the ground, and when Alejandro got to his side he saw his shoulders shaking and his face buried in his hands. He was shocked to realize that he was crying. Alejandro had never seen Vittorio cry before, and Elio had told him that the only time he’d witnessed it had been the first time he had killed a man. So, whoever this woman was must have been very important for Vittorio.
“Come on,” he murmured as he helped Vittorio to his feet. “Let’s get you home.” Vittorio shook his head as he let the older man lead him out of the wrecked stables.
“I lost everything again,” he sobbed, pressing a hand to his eyes. “And this time it’s my fault.” After that he refused to say anything more about the subject, and even Elio couldn’t get anything out of him. The young man tucked the grief and pain deep inside him, and pretended that nothing had happened.
He went right back to being the same as he had been, annoying Alejandro, protective of Elio, a smart-aleck to Mario, and distant toward the other thieves. The only thing that had changed was that he didn’t disappear every fourth day of the week anymore, and he also didn’t go anywhere near the brothel he had always frequented. Vittorio was in essence the same man, but those that truly knew him saw his grief every single day.