Taalia Giovanni


Perhaps there would be no 100% reconciliation on this matter. Maybe Bella would always find a way to seek Taalia out and help her, or to flirt with danger, while the shepardess would never want to see her sweet, beloved best friend placed in dangers way. This was an argument that would have no end, perhaps not until one of them had a husband and children therefore giving them something even more important to consider and to weigh above the other. And so, for now perhaps, Taalia held her friend close after their argument and allowed the time to pass, eternally grateful that the worst had not come.


oOo


Taalia grinned a goofily adorable breach of her lips at Augusto's words. In many ways he did remind her of the boys she had hired: young men who were restless and seeking a thrill, perhaps wanting their lives to be different from those who had built upon them both constraints and expectations. The shepardess had noticed this more in young men that she had other women, Bella notwithstanding, this inner drive to acquire status, to do something special, to achieve something that they could look back at in their older years, points to and say 'I did that!'.

When the two watched quietly as Maso happily picked out a little selection of crabs. It was two teenagers watching with bemused expressions, entertained over nothing that made sense, as an elder of the clan helped himself to a dish before trotting off, smile upon his features.

"You know, he taught me how to make guns?" Taalia said sideways to Augusto, a grin across her features as she took another sip of her delicious sweet, cream sherry.

But then she sighed and shook her head, flicking her lips and shrugging.

"I don't get it, handsome, I don't..." she said.

"The Weavers? Really?" Taalia asked, clearly confused as she had a 'huh? what?' look on her face as she exhaled and shrugged again.

"I mean...I guess?" she offered, another shrug as she took one more sip of her sherry, before turning to look him up and down again with her blue-and-green eyes.

"I dunno honey, you seem too cluey to hang around with them. Look where it got you last time, huh?"

It was clear by now that Taalia had been drinking...a lot. She was a tall and fit girl, able to absorb more than most, so her imbibement resulted in her friendly, tipsy demeanour that saw her angular, pleasing but-scarred face smiling and happy, with her double-braids and left green eye and right blue eye.


oOo


Taalia saw the rider, that yellow scarf standing out to her like a sore thumb. The girls eyes widened, her mouth gaping gently as a sense of urgency seized through her body. Reaching out and tapping on Cestie's shoulder, she leaned towards him while maintaining her eyes on that messenger.

"Cestie! Bank starboard - messenger from Bella Collina on the road!"