The Conversation

Vito Fortissimo was left alone in the lounge at the cottage. Alaleh, he heard, was busily cleaning all the plates and chinas after dinner.

He decided to wait for the Colonel outside. It was actually a pleasant night, snow started falling from the sky. But he felt warm at heart. He suddenly felt inspired, and thinking of serving that eccentric Colonel once this war was over. Finally he found a way to explore the mighty land of Russia itself, another adventure never did it occur in his wildest dream he could finally reach---for he would probably experience one of the rarest opportunity in the whole world, mathematics combined with the pleasure and luxury of an aristocratic life. He would be really pleased could he learn directly to Lyapunov himself. Not to mention that he then would be fluent in Russian either.

Now that he started to think it over and over again, the more he admired the way the Colonel enjoying his life. No matter how royal his blood could be, he was able to enjoy mathematics, the art of brain so graceful he even learnt of Diophantine and Fermat. He imagined that the Colonel might use his sparetime on wars like he did now, with all the romanticism included within it; women and chess and mead and wine. What a poise gentleman! Signore Fortissimo would give all his heart to learn from a man like that.

Hey, Alaleh was so surprised when Vito Fortissimo greeted, entering the bathroom where she was having her bath in the tub.

What are you doing here?! she barked panickly,

(all conversation were in German now)

You impudent brat! How dare you!I'm taking a bath now!

Why? You're a slave after all, he said casually, and sat on the side of the tub, near Alaleh's head. Isn't the slave's body property of the master and his guest'?

Alaleh went asilenced. She then buried her neck deeper within the soap bubble.

You're not a guest with the same level as Master Grigorovitz, she replied harshly. You can not afford to pay me even for a single night, a private like you, therefore we're equal now. I'm not a slave before you.

Fortissimo laughed. Why do you become a slave? he asked. Come on now, I'm bored to wait for Viktor all alone, I need someone to chat with.

Alaleh wondered to see Signore Fortissimo's casualty. Really---she never met someone so weird, to not call it freak, that he to be a man undisturbed by such an occasion. First, she was in a tub now with barely any clothes but her towel across her, and yet he was there a few inches near her head. She fairly trusted her inner instinct as a human and experience as one of the highest paid beauties in Roses' Lair; men don't act like this...normally their eyes were starving.

So she carefully observed Fortissimo's eyes and his gesture. Really, he was completely undisturbed and sane. Oh well...

Are you going to kill me? she stuttered, suddenly death felt so close and no matter how everyday that she wished it to come over her, she did not in any slightest chance, hope it would be this awkward. To be killed, if so it be, by such a flat-feeling man, with all his casualty, and oh, during bath time, her favourite time among the other time exist in her world.

Oh God, now that you think I am such a psychopath, Fortissimo sighed. He stood to his feet, stroking his head. Fine--- I'll give you fifteen more minutes, then you're done, then meet me at the living room-okay? I can't stand this, I need to talk to somebody!

Or else, he pointed at her, I shall just savour...

He turned around and walked towards the living room, smiling amusedly. What a funny maiden! Now that he heard a lot of water noises from the bathroom, he was sure Alaleh eagerly finished her bath, afraid of being raped or then killed by the private who had nothing to pay her even for a single night.