FSE

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Hey everyone!

Here it is a new chapter of my ongoing series, Roman Life. I must say, this series shows my grow as an artist, and how I improved during the past year, I hope! It's the story I'm very attached too, and well, I hope you will like this new chapter, and that you might show that with a comment, a vote or a fave.

As always, I thank my fiancé, Gritou, for always being there and for helping me!

It was another hot day of summer, the heat exacerbated by the humidity, hanging over everything like a blanket. But Luca didn't care; he was used to that, easily surviving such unmerciful weather condition. To tell the truth, he was enjoying the day, with no clouds marring the sky, tinted with a perfect hue of azzurro1that you could only get during summer.

The lupo was standing in the shade of the gallery, just outside the entrance to Santa Maria in Trastevere. If he had been a smoker, he would have a cigarette between his lips at the moment, occupying him. But he wasn't, and his mind was plagued with thoughts, about his brother, about his friend Ale, about everything; though, he was trying to diverge all of his attention on the incoming guiding tour for the young husky with the taunting name. And for Edward and his girlfriend too.

Thinking about the cougar made something inside him stir, but he chased away that feeling as quickly as he could. The canine needed to find the perfect itinerary, a balance with well know attractions and surprising views... Maybe, they could go through Villa Borghese, descending the Spanish steps and then...

His musings were interrupted when he heard faint footsteps coming toward him, attracting his attention and flicking his tall ears. The canine turned toward the approaching fur, who was revealed to be his coworker with a big brown tail.

"Ciao Sara." He greeted her with a smile and an extra flick of the ears. "Fai una pausa2?"

"Ciao Luca!" She answered him back cheerfully, even if she was cleared tired for the long day of work, the signs of which were evident on her thanks to the gathered dust on her clothes. "Yeah, I thought I needed it. You too?"

"Yes, i miei occhi si stavano incrociando3." He simply said. He had been working on that fresco for hours now, without stops, and the images and colors were melting together by the time he went to take his pause.

"Oh my! Didn't your knight in shining black and brown armor came to save you?" The squirrel asked again, a hand fanning her face as if she was going to faint for the horror, even though she stopped that when she added more. "Now that I think about it, I haven't seen him today...."

"That's because he hasn't come at all today." The lupine explained, with a tone that didn't give anything away. He did that just to mess a bit with the rodent, and out of curiousity on how she would react.

"He... didn't? Is he ill? Or..." Was the reaction of Sara, and the worry on her short muzzle was quite genuine. Luca had to dispel that impression, before she got even more distressed about the whereabouts of the rottie.

"Don't worry, he just took the day off!" He quickly blurted out, paws waving in front of him as if defending himself. "He is at Fregene4with Clara!"

The squirrel looked at him with intense stare, and the lupine could actually felt it on his ears being tugged painfully by a tiny paw. Then, a smile appeared, disbanding the ill feelings.

"Ah, good for him. It is a good day to be at the sea." The petite female said. "And I'm glad that he is passing some time with that girl."

"Clara is a very nice sheppie, I'm sure they are having tons of fun right now." The other restorer agreed with a small nod. He knew that Ale had taken with him a small ball, some racchettoni5, cards, and other things. Judging from how packed his car was, you could have guessed he would have passed a week at the beach, not just a day.

"She seems to fit him well. They are very similar, after all..." Sara pondered, with something in her voice that could have been... skepticism?

"You think that's a bad thing?" The wolf inquired, curious, head tilted. The rodent seemed to think about the answer, more and more, before her mouth opened again.

"Uhm, it's... Not exactly a bad thing." She finally said, sounding like the Sibilla Cumana6.

"I think it's not." The lupo expressed his personal opinion. "It can be even better, if the two furs are self-aware, since that means they can comprehend the other easily."

"Uhm, you are right..." The squirrel muttered, but it was clear she wasn't fully convinced. Now Luca was really curious to know what she really thought, and he wouldn't be upset if it was something different; after all, il mondo è bello perchè vario7!

"Spit it up now!" He demanded, a wolfish, terrifying grimace dividing his muzzle, as if he was really trying to intimidate his friend. As it was to be expected, she didn't buy it.

"As if you are going to do something to me if I didn't..." Sara taunted him with a smile.

"Yeah, you're right. Still..." The lupo left the question hanging, haunting the air like one of the many ghosts of Roma. The squirrel looked at him, then sighed, finally convinced to speak up her mind.

"If you really want to know...." She started, dramatically pausing as if they were in some cheap soap opera.

"Yes, I do." The other insisted when the pause got too long under the colonnade. Probably she had missed the lesson on how long dramatic pause should be, in the Academy of Hammy Acting.

"Okay, I will tell you since it's your wish of the day." She spoke again, and apparently she was going for another pause, but the sharp stare of the lupine cut that out. "I think that it is a great thing that they are very similar, but also, at the same time, a bad one."

"How so?" Luca wondered again, not seeing the point.

"You said that yourself." She explained him, calmly, adopting a teaching posture, even with a finger raised. "The two furs needs to be very self aware to take advantage out of it. But that rarely happens."

"Maybe it is true, but-" Luca tried to retort, but he couldn't do anything against a Sara in modalità maestrina8.

"You see, if they are similar, it's easy that they get irritated if they do similar things. Maybe, something that they do could be irritating if the one who does it is your lover." She kept going with her explanation, and the lupo wasn't enough of a fool to try speaking again, before she finished.

"I personally think the best couples are those with some common interests, but that are different character-wise. Like me and my Franco, for example."

"Yeah, I can see you point, but-" Luca said, thinking that his friend had reached the end of her tirade. But he was wrong.

"See, we like the same music and books, but he is a calm and gentle person, I am more bubbling and enthusiastic!" As she said that, she raised her hand, as if one paw was her, the other her boyfriend. "But then, he comes to parties and such, and I enjoy evenings at home."

She clasped her paws together, as to demonstrate her point. "We balance each other, that's why we are a good couple, if you pardon la mia immodestia9."

The silence filled the space, and it took Luca some minutes before he could safely be sure the restorer was done, and he could speak again without being interrupted.

"I... well, I am sure that you are right. But I still think that Ale and Clara are good together." He asserted himself, standing with his opinion unchanged.

"Yeah, they do look good together!" She confirmed, but her sentence sounded a bit... incomplete.

"Ma10...." He insisted, not being happy with only a partial opinion.

"Uhm, I... don't think they will last, for the reason I already explained." She completed her thoughts, and, thankfully, she didn't explain again what those reasons were. "I don't think they are made for each other."

"I disagree on that." Luca expressed his contrasting opinion on the subject. His ears perked when she said that they weren't made for each other, his curiosity sparked. "You sound like you have someone in mind, for the spot of "Perfetto per Ale11. Who is she?"

"Do I? No, of course I don't, I mean, it's not like I have in mind the perfect match for him, really, no!" She blurted out, all of sudden on the defensive, with her eyes trying to avoid being locked with the lupo's. A strange moment of clarity descended on the male restorer, a name that brought him fear.

"Aren't you thinking of ... Lidia for Alessandro!?" The lupine exclaimed in shock, the very thought of the rottie and the tigress together shaking his soul. Such a pairing would be mad... and possibly bring the end of the world. Or the birth of the Antichrist.

"What? Oh no, not her! I mean, I love Lidia dearly but she... isn't someone for stable relationships. Yet." She quickly dismissed the implication, apparently as terrified at the idea as it was Luca. But her disclaimer proved that she was thinking about someone in particular.

"Ah-ah! Hold it!" The wolf yelled, accusing finger pointed at his friend. He was having the time of his life now, his tail wagging with excitement. "Your words imply that you do have an idea of someone for Ale! Speak up now!"

"Well, uhm, yeah, I mean, maybe, I don't know..." The squirrel mumbled, her paws twisting in front of her while her head was down. She raised her eyes, and the confident stance of the lupine was the last stray for her.

"Okay, okay, you won! I-I think you and Ale could make a very good couple." She confessed, redness appearing heavily among her brown fur. Frankly, the answer shocked the lupo, who stayed mouth agape, staring at his friend.

"I mean, you work so well as friends, and you balance each other perfectly..." The petite rodent added, still embarrassed to declare her yaoi fan girl fantasy.

"Non... non so che dire12..."Luca said, at complete loss of words.

"You surely thought the same sometimes, didn't you?" Sara stopped when she saw the wolf blushing, with a sad expression subjecting the shock. She stepped toward his friend, as if to comfort him. "Oh... I-I'm sorry if I..."

"What?" The other reacted, shunning off the attempted hug that was coming and forcing a smile on his muzzle. "Ah, don't worry, it's okay. Of course I thought about it a couple of times... But that's just silly fantasies, eheheheh."

His laugh sounded unnatural, but the squirrel got the drift, not insisting on the matter and stopping her advance. A somewhat awkward silence fell upon them, neither of them wanting to speak up, nor making a move. They stayed there, trying to find a way out of the empasse13, but as much as the lupine thought about one, nothing came out.

"Uhhhhhhmmmmmmmmmm...." Sara started, seemingly not sure of what words to use.

"Yes?" Was the inquisitive monosyllable uttered by the tall restorer.

"Weeeeeeeellll have you talked with Stanley? About Saturday?" The brown furred woman asked, finally, of something that was safe to talk.

"Stanley?" He repeated, not understanding. Then, the proverbial lampadina14lightened up in his mind. "Oh, yes, Saturday! Yeah, we talked about it, I have in mind a few things I want to show him."

"Good, good! Is he a nice kid?" She asked again, keeping the conversation running.

"Yeah! We talked about other things too, chatted a bit. He seems to be one, I'm sure that my brother will get along with him." Luca answered, smiling as broadly as he could.

"I'm happy about that! He needs new friends in here, after all!" She concurred with him, bobbing her head in agreement.

"Yes, me too!" He reinforced the idea. "I'm talking with the cougar kid too, Edward. He will come with us, he is pretty excited by that!"

"Edward? Oh, you mean the cameriere Americano15with the killer buns?" Sara asked in a dreamy tone.

"Yeah, him..." He answered, with a similar tone. The lupo coughed, regaining his sense, before continuing in a more... somber tone. "I mean, yes, that guy."

"So, what are you talking about with him?" The petite female squirrel intruded, getting closer to him.

"Uhm, he studies Architettura16, so about the buildings in Roma... Things like that!" Was the lean canine's response, and it was a truthful one. After all, they had pretty interesting conversation on the topic, and funny too...

"Oh my! Seems he captured your interested, eh?" The other jabbed at him, even going so far as to elbow him in the ribs.

"Uhm, I don't want to break your heart, Sara, but he has a fidanzata17...." The wolf said. It pained him a bit, but he was used to crushing on cute, handsome straight guys, and lusting after them. Though, his friend didn't need to know what he did while thinking of the cougar....

"Did he clearly stated that?" Sara asked, a thoughtful expression on her face. What her pretty little brain was thinking, the tall lupo couldn't tell.

"Yeah. I mean, we were talking in English, but he did said his girlfriend could be interested in such a tour..." Luca explained, trying not to grimace at that.

"Oh... that doesn't leave any space for interpretation...." She agreed, seemingly sad about that fact. "Is she going to come with you Saturday?"

"I asked him, but seems like she have to work this whole week-end, so...." The lupine responded, with some faint remorse. Having someone else could have been nice, and more people he got to present Stanley N. 2, the better in his opinion.

"Will it be a men only tour? Oh my, you can talk about boy stuff all the time!" The squirrel teased him. "Be sure not to scare them with too many historical facts!"

"Don't worry, I won't speak a word about mimes in ancient Rome. And related things." He winked at her, chuckling a bit.

"Eheheheh, the less they know of the depraved Romans, the better! Don't taint their anime innocenti18!" Sara kept the charade going, lightening up their spirits.

"Sure!" The wolf agreed, then he felt a vibration in his pocket. He fished his phone out, immediately checking the message he just got.

Ei Luca!

I won't be at home tonight,

sleeping at Clara's!

See you tomorrow!

He sighed once he finished reading the text. He sure hated to eat alone...

"Bad news?" The petite rodent asked curiously.

"What? No, just Ale warning me he won't be home tonight!" He explained, trying not to sound saddened by that.

"Uhm, if you are alone tonight, why don't you come to eat at our place?" Sara proposed kindly, her smile showing her big front teeth.

"Are you sure Franco won't mind?" The lupo asked, even though he felt happiness for the care his friend was showing to him.

"Sure! I will just warn him!" She dismissed the question, her paw grabbing her phone and typing the familiar number.

"Okay! Well, I'm getting back inside, if we don't see each other before leaving, at which hour should I come?" He asked, already walking to the entrance of the basilica.

"9 pm! Ei Franco, quick question, can Luca come over for....."

Translation:

1) Azure. I find kinda strange that English doesn't have a word for it ^^

2) Are you taking a pause?

3) My eyes are getting crossed. Italian saying for when you are so tired that the eyes are doing tricks :3

4) Very small town near Rome, on the seaside. Romans go there to have a day at the beach, among other places.

5) Kinda like table tennis, with bigger rackets and a more elastic balls. To be played on the beach, passing the balls between players without making it fall.

6) Cumaean Sybil.

7) The world is beautiful because it's full of various things! Rough translation of this Italian saying, an hymn to how many different things are in the world.

8) Little teacher mode.

9) Immodesty, though this means more lack of humilty.

10) But.

11) Perfect for Ale.

12) I don't know what to say...

13) Impasse.

14) Bulb, lamp.

15) America waiter.

16) Architecture.

17) Girlfriend.

18) Innocent souls.