Sangriesta Nuova

Svetlana_Popova · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Svetlana_Popova** on Sun Jan 15, 2006 7:50 pm

She walks into the chapel, an air of curiosity crossing her face as she looks at the detail of the artwork encasing the chapel. Her foot steps echo as she walks across the marble floor towards the tomb of Lorenzo. She kneels before the tomb, and pulling back her long black hair into a pony tail, she bows her head in prayer.

Отец слышит меня. Я не забывал мой quest, а изыскиваю наведение. Пожалуйста вышлите мне знак помочь мне на этом курсе.

((ooc translation: Father hear me. I have not forgotten my quest, but seek guidance. Please send me a sign to help me on this path.))

Seraphina Alighieri · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Seraphina Alighieri** on Tue Jan 17, 2006 7:46 pm

Seraphina sighed before opening the doors to the Medici Chapel. Immediately her eyes fixed and the huge marble tomb. The hours of labour that she was about to put into Florence's pride and joy are nothing in comparison to the love and care that Michelangelo put into its creation. Her eyes wondered slowly from Guiliano's tomb to Lorenzo's. Quickly they fixed on the figure in black kneeling, reverently, before Lorenzo's tomb.

A mild sense of shock filled her. I thought I was the only one who came here to actually pray. She walked softly across the floor in a desperate attempt to not disturb the dark figure. she stood out almost brightly against the white marble. There was something beautiful and romantic about it. IN her secret heart she hoped the young woman wasn't in morning. She crossed over to the three Medici Madonnas and stood before them. Staring at each fold in the gowns and each hand as though it was the last time she was going to see them.

Gabriel would love this she though to herself, before setting down her briefcase and clicking it open. The normally soft click of the clasps resounded through the empty Chapel. She looked over at the kneeling figure and nodded an apology not wanting to break the sacred silence any more than her job demanded. she took off her coat and pulled white cotton gloves from her briefcase, and pulled them over her delicate hands. It was all about the statues now protecting them from herself.

Tentatively she reached up and caressed the face of the first Madonna, the maiden of the Annunciation. The marble was hard, cold and real beneath her touch. She pulled her hand away and looked at the glove, the finger had turned a very faint grey.

Take the photo then dust then take more photos. Leaving the gloves on she turned to her briefcase and pulled out the camera. Once the strap was around her wrist she too kneeled infront of the Madonnas and crossed herself in the Roman Catholic fashion, and prayed.

"Guidance mother send me guidance," she mouthed the words, "and bring Gabriel home to me safely, by your grace may he return. Bless our union of hearts no matter how sinful the bodies might be."

Svetlana_Popova · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Svetlana_Popova** on Tue Jan 17, 2006 8:26 pm

The sound of a brief case opening shocks her from her meditative state, and she stands up quickly, her black coat swirling around her as she spins towards the sound. Her face darkened with apprehension she watches as the female figure pulls out white gloves and a digital camera and crosses herself.

With a loud sigh, she walks towards the woman, her boots clunking loudly on the marble floor. In a heavy russian accent she speaks.

"Vedo che siete...che cosa è la parola? восстановление...ah si, ristabilendo questo posto bello?

Seraphina Alighieri · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Seraphina Alighieri** on Tue Jan 17, 2006 8:46 pm

Seraphina was surprised with how quickly the woman crossed the room. The Italian was hard to understand because of her thick Russian accent and the Russian word in the middle, but after travels around the world she got the hint of what she was trying to say.

"Si, signorina. Chiedo scusa per il disturbo voi, da tutta la probabilità voi parlo inglese?"

She stood still as she could so shocked was she by this woman. SHe was beautiful to her, surrounded by the white. It was like the glow that surrounded the figures in Rembrandt's paintings.

Svetlana_Popova · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Svetlana_Popova** on Tue Jan 17, 2006 10:07 pm

She stares at Seraphina for a minute, her piercing blue eyes searching behind the depths of Seraphina's chocolate coloured eyes. Her full lips form into a frown for a moment as she sees a wave of seperation and sadness pulse from Seraphina.

She responds in her thick Russian accent.

"Yes, I do speak english. Not as well as I do Latin.'"

A small smile crosses her lips as she speaks, but quickly vanishes again as she perceives a wave of wariness and that lingering pain of seperation.

"Much seems to trouble you Seraphina."

Seraphina Alighieri · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Seraphina Alighieri** on Tue Jan 17, 2006 10:22 pm

Seraphina's eyes grew wide as fear threaten to consume her rational mind. Quickly she glanced about seeing if her name could be seen on any of the documents in her briefcase. The cover of he dossier was blank.

She looked at the the woman's face but not her eyes.

"Have we met?"

She asked forcing her voice to go flat to cover the tremor that was there, another tactic learned on the political stage. She had met many people in her journeys and many refugees especially in Australia, there would be no way he could remember them all, even if she chose to.

Another ghost from the past she thought to herself, trying to rationalize the fear away. But why would she remember me if that is the case, there were so many people trying to provide aid, and so much chaos surrounding the survivors who wold have had time to remember the pretty Italian who was up shit Creek without a paddle.

Svetlana_Popova · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Svetlana_Popova** on Wed Jan 18, 2006 12:18 am

A small smile crosses her lips as she sees the wariness and cover up of fear in Seraphina

"I apologize for my rudeness. I am normally not so...what is the word...blunt. We have not met in this lifetime until now."

Her eyes light up with a hidden fire as she speaks.

"As to how I know your name. Your picture and name was in the newspaper recently about your request to the government for aid in restoring this beautiful place of blasphemy. Now now, don't be so shocked. You and I were raised in different faiths, and regardless of how I feel about this place on a theological level, I have come to aid you."

Seraphina Alighieri · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Seraphina Alighieri** on Wed Jan 18, 2006 9:54 am

She heaved a sigh if relief. She had forgotten the press coverage for the restoration it had been before she met Maxwell Heart, and after traveling the world and scaring her soul. Quite frankly, anymore, it seemed unimportant, even temporary and futile.

Seraphina looked directly into the other woman's eyes , bewildered as to what she could be talking about. The only aid she needed was in restoring the chapel everything else was out of her control. Everything that truly mattered to her was in gods hands.

"I can't imagine what aid you can give unless you are familiar with the delicate art of restoring statues?"

This woman must be mad, she thought to herself. A regular Rasputin.

Svetlana_Popova · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Svetlana_Popova** on Wed Jan 18, 2006 11:12 pm

She smiles and tries to cover a laugh with a cough as she catches the thought of Rasputin.

"Restoration happens to be a hobby of mine. I can aid you in more then just that, but I think that is for a more in depth conversation as we travel this path together. I think you will find that I will be of valuable assistance shortly."

her eyes twinkle with a hidden secret as she speaks.

Seraphina Alighieri · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Seraphina Alighieri** on Thu Jan 19, 2006 10:43 am

I wonder if Dante felt like this as he stared at Virgil lost and hoping to be saved, she thought t herself. Any help now was good even if it wasn't from the person she wanted it to be from.

She smiled wanly at the woman and tried to seem happy for no other reason that to hide how strange she found her.

"Signorina, what is your name. If I am to be walking a path with you, I figure I should know a little bit about you."

Her brown eyes looked over at the tomb for a fleeting moment, avoiding the woman's in front of her there was something unnerving about the way she stared at her, how her eyes seemed too intensely focused on her. Seraphina hardened herself against his then looked back at her, she was not a woman to be stared down, or be intimidated anymore, she had dealt with those who had a far greater impact on her fate then this woman and not flinched, with the exception and he was far away by now, where she hesitated to even think of.

Damn you il mio Angelo. she thought trying to push thoughts of him from her head. Knowing he was alive had begun to eat at her, knowing he was still fighting on some level, killed her every time she thought of him.

Quickly she shut off thoughts of him by beginning to plan the restoration. If I start at the head and work my way down the body then I will do Guiliano's tomb then on to Lorenzo's.

"How much experience do you have in art restoration?"

Svetlana_Popova · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Svetlana_Popova** on Thu Jan 19, 2006 10:35 pm

she watches as the many conflicting thoughts flow through Seraphina. She sees a strength of will come to the surface briefly and then recedes into conflicting thoughts of love, anxiety, and finally anger. When Seraphina turns to look at Guilliano's tomb, a calmness washes over her as she concentrates on the work at hand. Svetlana smiles and says to herself, "The girl has strength yet."

"Yes i do have experience. I helped in the restoration of the Annunciation Cathedral and the Cathedral of the Assumption in the Kremlin. I was also curator for the museum in St. Basil's Cathedral.'

She says with a slight smirk.
Is that qualified enough for you?"

Her face slackens and turns serious.

"Why don't you start with the Madonnas, and I can start over on Guilliano's tomb?"

She starts to walk over to the tomb, pulling out a pair of white gloves and a small brush and chisel. She stops halfway to the tomb and turns to look at Seraphina.

"By the way, my name is Popova. Svetlana Popova."

She turns again and with the thumping of her boots against the marble floor, she continues towards the tomb.

Seraphina Alighieri · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Seraphina Alighieri** on Sat Jan 21, 2006 12:49 am

Seraphina watched as Svetlana walked across the tomb. She is such an enigma. She turned back to the Madonna satisfied with Svetlana's resume' and for some reason very certain that she had spoken the truth.

She started carefully chiseling away the patina hat had developed in the folds of the Virgin's veil brushing it away gently. With each tap of the chisel, her, mind began to still. Any troubling image of Gabriel's demise and return and the emotion that always accompanied it was silence as her hands worked on removing years of damage to HER Tomb, HER statues. Even recent events such as her new found cohort the mad Russian girl Svetlana and the odd things that she had spoken faded away under the rhythm of her work. It was as reflexive as the beating of her own heart and at times such as this that was all she could feel, her heart beat and the cold marble beneath her hands.

Tink, tink, tink.

Seraphina fell into perfect rhythm with her heart and Svetlana, as the removed the ravages of time.

SO engrossed was she that she didn't hear the doors open, nor the laughter of approaching students, nor the silence that followed as they stood behind her staring at the white puffs that had fallen onto her hair and clothes, that wrapped around her like a mist from heaven, that glowed in the ambient light. She stopped suddenly when one of her students spoke.

"Maestra Alighieri?!? "

It was the soft baritone of Sergio Marriano, one of her students.

She turned her head not really seeing him through her trance. She blinked a couple of times until his short 5' 11'' form came into focus. He stood with three of her other students. Maria Tocci, Luciano Ricci, and the young American Kate Stevenson from Reno Nevada.

"Si?"

Svetlana's chiseling also stopped.

"How can we help?"

Seraphina snapped out of her confusion, and stood with the air of confidence of the teacher and ambassador she was. All doubt and nearly all concern for Maxwell, had been pushed from her mind.

"Kate, you have the photography experience I understand?"

"Yes, Maestra."

Seraphina tossed her the digital camera she had not removed from her wrist.

"Take pictures of all of the statues as detailed and high resolution as you can get, there are extra memory cards in my briefcase."

The blond head of Kate nodded in response as she caught the camera.

" Sergio, Maria, i docents li mostrerà che l'armadio che ha visqueen in esso. Ottenga è e gli coprono i pavimenti con. Allora afferri i guanti e lo scalpello e cominci a rimuovere il Paina. So che entrambi conoscete come a faccia il questo ma tenere presente questa è terra sacred nel mondo dell'arte: se non fosse stata per la famiglia di Medici là non fosse stata un Michelangelo."

Quickly they students set about their tasks. Seraphina stood still for a moment and watched as they began to work. Satisfied with their performance she turned again to the statue, and fell back into the rhythm she had established before.

Svetlana_Popova · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Svetlana_Popova** on Sat Jan 21, 2006 1:22 am

"Ting, ting, ting"

Svetlana hammers away, not noticing how in tune she has become with Seraphina. The students walking into the chapel, broke her from the trance of the restoration. She stops and watches as Seraphina re-orients herself and gives the students orders. She leans back on the tomb, pulls out a pack of smokes, and taps out a cigerette. She places it in her mouth, and lights it with a bronzed zippo. Realizing she is still inside, she quickly walks out of the building. Her footfalls heavy on the marble floors.

Seraphina Alighieri · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Seraphina Alighieri** on Sat Jan 21, 2006 1:46 am

Seraphina, swore under her breath as Svetlana lit up a cigarette, her brown eyes following her out. Absentmindedly she pulled Gabriel's lighter from her pocket and looked at it. For a moment she was back in Venice. She smiled and chuckled to herself as she thought of he look on his face when she told him HE was going to clean the horse he had put his cigarette out on.

She stuffed the lighter back in her pocket, and continued her work. Remembering for once all the pure of joy of Venice cam back to her without fear or sorrow. it would be alright it was in God's hands now, anyway Maxwell had her cross, maybe he had her ancestor's blessing as well.

Svetlana_Popova · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Svetlana_Popova** on Sat Jan 21, 2006 1:55 am

she leans against the building and puffs on her smoke. Her face impassive as she watches people walk by. She looks up at the cloudless sky her face turning into one of deep thought and worry. She lowers her head and looks towards the south, and a feeling of dread creeps up her spine. She says quietly to herself.

Оно смотрит как оно идет идти дождь.

She finishes her smoke, and drops it to the ground where she crushes it with the heel of her boot. She then turns and walks back inside and resumes her tedious cleansing of the tomb. As she stomps across the floor, she starts to wonder why she volunteered to do this.

Seraphina Alighieri · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Seraphina Alighieri** on Sat Jan 21, 2006 3:21 am

Seemingly unaware of Svetlana's return she continued what she was doing, fully absorbed in her work. It wasn't until the docent tapped her on the shoulder that she realized how much, time had passed. Sergio and company had left a few minutes before.

"Scuza, Signorina, the time."

Seraphina looked around it had grown dark outside.

"Si, si. I am sorry."

"No need to be, I think what you are doing is wonderful. It will revitalize Florence's heart."

Mine as well she thought. She began to pack up her things, Kate had left the camera in her briefcase. I will download those tomorrow at the office before I come here.

She walked over to Svetlana. Her instincts had been right, the Restoration work was beautiful easily as good as her own. The Patina had been removed from even the most detailed of surfaces, the smallest of crevices. They had made great progress.

"Svetlana, how about dinner on me?"

Svetlana_Popova · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Svetlana_Popova** on Sat Jan 21, 2006 3:27 am

She stops what she is doing and looks up at Seraphina.

Who am I to say no to a beautiful lady like yourself, aye?

She smiles, her eyes twinkling with humor.

She stands up and dusts herself off, grabs her coat, and escorts Seraphina out of the chapel.

"Do you have a...what's the word...vroom vroom...ahh...an automobile, or should we call for a taxi?"

Seraphina Alighieri · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Seraphina Alighieri** on Sat Jan 21, 2006 3:49 am

A faint bit of colour Washed over Seraphina's face as Svetlana called her beautiful. However she was more than a little unnerved about being "escorted" out of the chapel by her.

"A taxi, I do not own a car."

To diplomatically disengage herself from Settling she stepped into the street and waved down a taxi.

As she stood there waiting for the taxi to stop she looked into the violet twilight of Florence. Above her the stars were simple pin pricks of light barely beginning to emerge. The ambient glow from the streetlights, and hotels, and everything else that is illuminated in a city created a magical halo of white light, that kept back the dark. How wonderous the nights must have been here before the invention of the electric light, how magical.

The taxi stopped in front of the pair, "Belle Noche, Signorina."

He reached back and opened the rear door for them. Seraphic climbed in and set the briefcase between the two them, before turning to Svetlana.

"What are you in the mood for?"

Svetlana_Popova · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Svetlana_Popova** on Sat Jan 21, 2006 3:55 am

She gets into the taxi and notices the brief case between. She chuckles to herself.

"I am in the mood for..." Her eyes twinkle with mischief, and she smiles seductively. "hmmm...do you have a McDonalds here?" I never had the patience in Moscow to wait 6 hours for a...what is the word...cheeseburger.

Seraphina Alighieri · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Seraphina Alighieri** on Sat Jan 21, 2006 4:04 am

Seraphina busts out laughing. Before turning to Svetlana.

"Certainly, but you have got to be kidding, six hours. That islike gatting a big mac at the one near the Vatican, you practically have to wait for God to serve it to you?"

she then looked to the driver.

"The nearest Macdonlds por favore."

He took off upthe street towards the north.

Sangriesta Nuova

a topic in Gundam Wing: Continuing Legend, a part of the RPG forum.

Sangriesta Nuova

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