second son.

Niccolò de' Medici. Second son of the Duke of Florence, in charge of the Medici bank & a widower. "A foolish man lives for himself. A wise man lives with a purpose."

[dexmedici]

;; philippawindsor:

               Maybe the painting intrigued her because if was of a family; though she was sure it was religious, it reflected something that she wanted. However, she did not want to just be sold away to have a family. She wanted a choice, something that the Madonna never got. She looked at each painting in turn as he named them, a smile stretching her lips. Of all the time she had spent with him, she didn’t think she could remember a time that he had spoken so passionately about a topic. The blonde moved over to the Adoration of the Magi and tried to find Botticelli. She’d no idea what the man looked like though, so she could only guess. As she looked among the other faces, her eyes settled on a group that looked familiar. Her eyebrows creased and she looked to Nico, then back to the painting, then Nico again. A smile tugged at the corners of her lips, “ Is your family friends with Botticelli, Mister Niccolo? ” There were a few explanations she had in mind: either his family was friends of Botticelli, they had pulled him out of a financial rut, or there were just a lot of people who looked eerily similar to Niccolo in Florence. “The paintings are absolutely beautiful; though I wish there was a stronger word to describe them,” her eyes flicked over to the Primavera. “ Primavera means ‘spring’, does it not? ”

      For another moment he continued to watch her carefully, his brow arching in amusement at her question before an almost EMBARRASSED laugh parted his lips. ❝ They were, Messer Botticelli is unfortunately no longer with us... You have a good eye, ❞ he chuckled faintly, a hand lifting to  brush over his beard covered chin. ❝ It does, I think it’s quite a fitting name. These were all commissioned by my family, there are more but I did not think it would be so easy to travel with sculptures, the others remain in Florence. These are just a brief reminder of home; of the people of Florence. You must have something that reminds you of home? Especially if you intend on travelling as a healer. ❞ It was an unheard of field for a woman to work in but that only made him even more curious, determined to find out who this woman was beyond all of her witty remarks. ❝ Wine? ❞ he asked while he moved to retrieve a bottle from a chest, pouring a glass which he then offered to her.

[dexmedici]

;; philippawindsor:

               Hiding away in his office would cause talk if someone was to see; what would cause even more talk was the fact that she entered his chambers to get there. Of course, she hadn’t thought that his office and his chambers would be connected, but why wouldn’t they be? She wasn’t exactly sure when she had been expecting when he had said that he’d wanted to show her something, but this wasn’t it. The large paintings took up most of the space on his walls; she drifted from one to the next, just observing, before settling in front of the Madonna and Child. “ I — well, I think they’re beautiful, ” she said in quiet awe. She didn’t know much about art, but she could appreciate beautiful paintings when she saw them. Turning to look over her shoulder at him, she asked, “ Will you tell me about them? What are they called? ”

      The paintings might appear anti-climactic to some but Niccolo’s intentions were much more than simply INDULGING an eye for art. He watched her almost carefully, putting his theory that you can tell a lot about a person from their appreciation of art to the test, as he drifted over to lean by a table for a brief moment. ❝ This is the oldest, ❞ he began, walking forwards to stand more by her side with a gesture towards the painting of a woman and her child. ❝ That one is called  ‘Madonna col Bambino e angeli’, Madonna with Child by Filippo Lippi. The others are the Adoration of the Magi, The Birth of Venus and Primavera, all by a man named Sandro Botticelli; who actually painted himself into the Adoration of the Magi if you look to the figure on the bottom right. ❞ He spoke with so much passion and intrigue, firm in his belief that artists could be among the most interesting of people, his gaze only leaving the paintings to judge her reaction. ❝ I don’t assume you care much for Florentine artists, I only thought another might as well gaze upon them while they are free from the city walls. I believe people will travel for miles to see them one day. ❞

[forgottengenres]

It is not titles that honour men, but men that honour titles.

Niccolò Machiavelli (via clash-official)

[dexmedici]

;; philippawindsor:

               A smile picks up the corners of her lips, “ Now, now, I am sure some of those faces are gentle. Can every face in this world be harsh? ” She moves to take his arm, wrapping her fingers around his bicep. This was easy; here, she didn’t have to be Princess Philippa of Great Britain. She could simply be Pippa. A bit of a laugh escaped her, something between a giggle and a hiccup of a laugh. “ We are entertaining the people, surely they’ll be able to talk for days. Besides, if we do hide away for long enough; the risk gets lower as the night goes on. ” Of course, with questioning whether she would find something interesting already has her interest peaked. “ Too dull? Never. Sounds like the perfect place to me. Lead the way, good sir. ”

       ❝ Indeed, every face that has greeted me today has been no less than hash, but it is a job that someone must do. ❞ To find someone he could have a sense of humour with and not feel the weight of propriety glaring down on him war a rarity, something to cherish really, and he felt it was all due to not knowing much about this woman at all. He knew her name and that she had been knee deep in mud and the rest during the war, that was all but it helped to keep things simple. It had dawned upon him that showing her his office might give the game away a little but it wasn’t truly HIS office, it was simply a room off his chambers that he used for business. It was fairly basic, a desk and a few personal items, but it was the room which led off it which he wanted to show. Once they arrived he allowed her to enter first before following, closing the door behind them only to move to open the second door leading into a more casual sitting-room. Niccolo was a secretive man at the best of times. He didn’t like to boast too much, he wasn’t one for pomp and ceremony, but he had travelled with several pieces of artwork which he believed would one day be priceless. Some might think he was showing off in showing them to her but he simply wanted to see her reaction; he believed you could tell a lot about a person by their reaction to art. ❝ What do you think? ❞

paintings included: (x) (x) (x) (x)

[antigonick]

MERCUTIO : If love be rough with you, be rough with love. Prick love for pricking, and you beat love down.

William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet (via antigonick)

[dexmedici]

;;  philippawindsor:

               There is no sun to hide her blush this time; but there is a thought nagging in the back of her mind. Is the word a compliment that is freely given to any beautiful woman that he sees? She pushes the thought down, intent to just enjoy his company. She was no actress, but the deep sigh she gave was almost convincing; “ You have seen right through me, if you are, as you say, otherwise engaged; I suppose I will be going, ” She lets the look linger a few moments before cracking a smile, “ A joke, Mister Niccolo, simply a joke. ” Her fingers beat a methodic rhythm against the skirts of her dress, her other arm folded behind her back before there’s a glint in her eye. “ I do not wish to leave your company so soon, but we can hardly stay out here, ” The world was beginning to grow dark around them. “ Shall we venture inside? We could even hide away. ”

      It is a great change in pace. To others he was the son of the great Lorenzo de’ Medici, he was the keeper of the Medici bank, and a great asset for any throne to have on their side; but she seemed to care for none of that. Of course his origins hadn’t really come up in conversation yet but her failure to ask told him the she didn’t care quite frankly. ❝ A relief it is for I assure you that no faces which greet me across my desk are ever as gentle on tired eyes as yours, bella, ❞ he nodded gratefully before he offered her his arm. ❝ So now we are to hide away? Yet another scandal that would create, I do have something that I wonder if you would find of interest. That is if my office would not be too dull for you? ❞

[dexmedici]

;; philippawindsor:

               An eyebrow arches and her smile grows genuine,       “ You may be right; after all, anything to benefit the people, correct? ”       She wasn’t exactly sure what game they were playing, but she was more than willing to play along anyway.       “ I fair better seeing you, ”       she says with a playful look.       “ and that I am reprieved of holding my tongue every minute. Some are so dull within the courts and take offense to the littlest comment, ”       There is a slight roll of her eyes. She understands that respect is expected; but respect is also earned.        “ And you, Mister Niccolo, how do you fair today? ”

      Once again, the woman surprises him further and earns an arched brow as the smile continued to play upon his lips. ❝ Indeed, as I live to be in service of the people, I am also glad to be in service of you, Madonna, ❞  his voice adopted a playful tone to accompany the look he received from her, the corners of his lips turning further to almost become a smirk. ❝ After a long day of counting coins, sorting accounts and assisting the struggling I am much relieved for seeing you. So long as you are not here to ask I count your coin also, in which case I may find I am suddenly otherwise engaged. ❞

[dexmedici]

;; philippawindsor:

               “ We have got to stop meeting like this, ” a teasing smile pulled at her lips.

@dexmedici

     ❝ Have we?After all it seems the others are craving for a piece of gossip, we may be doing a public service by constantly running into one another, ❞ he retorted with a most genuine smile, bowing his head slightly. ❝ How are you today, Donna Pippa? ❞

[dexmedici]

;; philippawindsor:

               There’s an arch of her brow at the term, Signora. Of course, she is flattered that he would think her already married but that was not the case. For the past thirteen years, war was all that she had ever know. Her time for marriage had come smack in the middle of battles and strategic planning; not the best time to arrange a marriage. Besides, her brother was much too busy to even think about it ( for which she was thankful ). Marriage was almost a dreaded thought to her; most likely she would be married off to someone dull for advantage. She shuddered at the thought.       “ If my Italian is up to par, I believe Signora means missus, correct? ”       A rhetorical question, she knew she was right.       “ I thank you for the compliment, but I am not married. ”       She hesitated at his point about everyone being slaves to something; she knew he was right, though it just depended on how tight those bonds were. A bit of a giggle escaped her lips at his comment about bankers; there would be very rare situations in which a banker would want to meet her. Yes, she held some fortune and a title, but her brother held onto most of the power and prosperity that came with being a royal. Still, she reached out to take his arm with ease.       “ You owe it to .. ”       she paused for a moment to think,       “ .. to a lovely day and good company, ”       she said with a smile. Her fingers curled around his arm and she looked to him,       “ There are others that I might walk with, yes; however, I see them daily. It is not every day that ones reacquainted with someone from the past. Tell me, how did you fair after I saw you last? I see your shoulder has, at the very least, healed well. ”

      Placing a hand upon his heart he bowed his head slightly. He was almost surprised, after all most beautiful women were usually long spoken for, but he had met her in a place where women were rarely found and she was very OUTSPOKEN. ❝ Forgive me, Madonna, I should not have assumed but your Italian is clearly quite up to par. ❞ For someone usually considered to be incredibly brash, Niccolo was surprised that she actually found some humour in his words when most were too quick to jump to feeling offended by him. He didn’t admire the noble life style as much as most did. Some had assumed that his attitude was due to him having ENVY for his brother and the position he would inherit once their father died but that could not have been far from the truth. He was a businessman, by then he was used to dealing with more every day people than nobles and he hadn’t found anyone who could be considered normal at court until now. ❝ Good company whom isn’t covered in blood and dirt? ❞ he asked with a quirk of his brow, his voice taking on a somewhat teasing tone while he also looked to take care that she didn’t trip as they descended into the gardens. ❝ My shoulder healed well, many thanks to you, I assure you that I have repented for leaving without thanking you for it at the time. I will fair much greater once the war is truly in the past, I’m certain you can imagine that these times are busy for the banking trade, and once I can return home to Florence... And yourself, signorina? ❞

[dexmedici]

;; nina-fribourg:

“I understand what you mean, I feel the same about the regions in Switzerland.” She was biased towards Bern of course being the city she lived in. “Well I spent of of my time in Milan since it’s the closest to Switzerland to polish my italian, but I’ve also been to Venice, Florence and of course Rome.” 

      ❝ Of course, it is a shame you did not travel any further south since that is quite a list. I am shamed to say, unfortunately, I have never visited Switzerland myself but I may plan to do so in the future, ” granted he usually had little choice over where he travelled, he simply followed business wherever it went. ❝ What drew you to Italia or was it simply the language? ”

[colleenwing]

You bear a heavy burden. The weight of this family, this bank, this Republic. It would be enough to break another man. If you would allow me, I could help to lessen it.

[dexmedici]

;; philippawindsor:

               Arms folded behind her back, she looked to the gardens and then to him.       “ War is … a necessary evil, I fear. Though, I wish greatly that pleasure was not taken from it.  The amount of suffering that comes from it … ”      She trails off with a shake of her head, she’d rather not finish the thought.       “ I am sure he would thank you, but I am not sure that he would agree to being a slave of business. He tends to prosper from them more than most. ”       She is quick to turn the conversation though, she would rather not talk about herself; it was easier to keep her identity hidden that way.       “ I enjoy helping others, yet I hate to see them in pain. It is a bit of a conundrum. I hope that peace will reign soon; at least, for a while. ”       She raised her head in a nod;       “ A banker, I cannot say I have had the pleasure of meeting many bankers. ”       And it was true, usually her brother ( or one of the household staff ) handled the finances. Her eyes flicker out to the gardens again and she smiles,       “ Would you like to accompany me on a walk? ”

       ❝ Very few find pleasure in war, Signora, those who do have no business being involved in it or having enough power to cause one, ❞ of course it wasn’t always the case, usually that was exactly why wars began. ❝ We are all slaves to something, I’m afraid, ❞ he said with a faint laugh before pursing his lips together in order to keep it from becoming anything but faint. ❝ Some are slaves to business, some are slaves to duty and expectations or just slaves to faith... Either way, we are all slaves to something or another. ❞ It was his own truth of course. If he wasn’t a slave to the bank he was a slave to his family, his reputation, even if he liked it or not there was just no way to run from it.  ❝ Then I shall certainly try not to disappoint you on behalf of all bankers who may wish to meet you... It would be my pleasure, but to what do I owe it? Surely there are many others you might walk with? ❞ He asked whilst holding his arm out to the familiar woman, turning in the direction to face the marble steps which would lead them down into the gardens.

[dexmedici]

;; nina-fribourg:

“You may have a point there.” She said tilting her head slightly, but she was sure she wouldn’t like to end up in the slums or somewhere like that, and she was pretty sure no one would like that. She smiled and gave him a small polite curtsey. “Pleased to meet you Niccolò de Medici, I’m Nina Fribourg mine also come with their own weight.” She left the tittle aside. “I was in Italy recently, it’s a lovely place.”  

      He met her curtsy with a polished bow, a soft smile coming to curve the corners of his lips as his head lifted to look at her once again. ❝ The pleasure is all mine, I assure you. Where did you visit, if I may be so bold as to ask? I find each region has it’s own...charms, no two are quite the same. ❞

[dexmedici]

;; philippawindsor:

               Philippa had been to France before; long before the war when she was a little girl, it had both much changed and not changed at all since then. The beauty of foreign places always called to her, she wanted to travel the world if ever she got the opportunity. Sunlight was warming her entire being and she stepped farther onto the balcony, unable to deny the pull of the warmth. For a moment, she was thankful for the warmness of the sun. There would be no visible blush on her cheeks. Something between a smile and a smirk pulled at her lips.       “ How could I not? So eager to get that arm moving again and not a care for rest, ”        She moved into the sun, pushing her hair back so that she might feel the sun entirely on her features.       “ I would have to agree to both, unfortunately. I thought we were just getting acquainted when you disappeared. ”      There’s a fleeting moment when she hesitates to tell him why she is actually in Paris; while at war she had to hide her identity away. And so, she wove a story that was not completely true, but not completely false. She just, purposefully, left out some details.      “ My brother is here on business and requested that I accompany him; you never know when one might need a healer. —- And yourself? ”

      ❝ Some things are more important than rest, Madonna, such as the war we were fighting perhaps. ❞ Of course that wasn’t at all true but the Florentine was not all so willing to delve into the truth with a woman he only knew from a time of war, not yet. ❝ Then I wish your brother the best of luck, at a time such a this I believe most guests here are slaves to a business of sorts, but I believe recent events would suggest that the need for a healer might be great in the future, ❞ he explained with a feeling of dread. After all, if these attacks continued, his return to Florence could be delayed greatly and nothing would displease him more than to be stuck in Paris longer than necessary. ❝ I myself am here on business actually. When I am not being patched up by una bella donna I am a banker, many of the guests here have accounts with us and I am here to protect our investments. ❞

[dexmedici]

;; duchessxlena:

“So I’ve heard. My grandfather had a habit of naming things after himself, but a certain status is requered to do so. That is something my father himself after desiring the exact same, but not achieving it. Appearantly, it’s not only money that speaks when it comes to getting your name known with the people” she mused. “Medici? The famous banker family from Italy? I believe I have heard a thing or two, but I do prefer to see for myself if any stories are true. Since they traveled so much land, I doubt how much truth there is left after passing from one’s lips to another.” she replied, as she made a small bow as a formal introduction. “Elena Alexandrovna, Duchess and cousin to the prince of Russia. It is a true pleasure to share this view with you, my lord.”

      ❝ Money does certainly help but it does take a certain REPUTATION to be recognized among the people, sometimes it takes generations to build such a thing, ❞ he spoke with true knowledge on the subject, after all it was those that came before him who had elevated the bank to where it was today; it was simply Niccolo’s job to continue to allow it to grow. Though her question of his name did bring a laugh from his lips, something he certainly didn’t do enough. ❝ Glad am I that you did not say the Dukes of Florence for that would be my brother’s future position. Yes, as in the ‘famous banker family’, if that is how they call us. I do hope you have heard some positive things, at least? ❞ he asked with a smile truly settling upon his lip before he bowed. ❝ The pleasure is all mine, Duchessa.❞

[dexmedici]

;; sncwchildjp:

Her eyes moved around them, taking in every part of the unfamiliar place while unconsciously a soft smile growing on her lips as she was fascinated by her surroundings, knowing that she still had to explore the beauty of Paris. “I should be used by this lack of quietness by now, but I somehow can’t…”,she responded with a light sigh slipping from her lips, her hands holding onto the bright red cape made out of silk to keep her somewhat warm from the night hair,”No.. it is actually my first time here. And you, Sir?”

      ❝ It can be overwhelming but I wouldn’t get used to it too quickly, with any hope we might all be able to return home soon, ❞ he mused with a brief nod, watching as his new companion seemed to become very at ease. ❝ I have visited before but only briefly, never for anything quite as...extravagant as this. Has Paris met with your expectations so far? ❞

[dexmedici]

;; aileenofscotland:

Aileen nodded her head agreeing with him. “I try to speak as honestly as possible when I can. So much of my life is filled with lies, I must be honest when I can.” Ailee smiled at the other “I will be quite alright here, I just wanted to talk about it. Paris is much different than scottish court, as i assume it is much different from your home. I just need some readjusting.”

      ❝ It isn’t greatly different from my home but, God be good, you may not need to do so much readjusting, ❞ granted that was wishful thinking on his part but his greatest desire was to return to his own home as soon as possible. ❝ Peace talks cannot last forever, you will be reunited with your Scotland sooner rather than later. ❞