stolehispurse | RotM 1.76.1 Monopoly

La Serenissima. The most elegant, graceful, beautiful city you'll ever find. From the whisper of the waters in the lagoon and canals, up to the top of the Doge's palace: glamorous.

And then the people who live in her. Learned, handsome, civilised. Rich, except for those who aren't.

The nobility.

A stranger would see the serenity of us, and think, this is peace. But that would mean he is a stranger.

Because underneath it all there are shifts of power.

Some of it is very subtle. Who has to go to which social function. Who has to visit whom. Who spends time at which assignment, or is awarded which position. Softly, gently people accumulating or losing power. (Power, money, influence, importance.) It all shifts between a few families, and the head of family is like a player, all those connected to him (or, extremely rarely, her) like pawns moving on a board. Their actions seem small and insignificant; they seem to be ruled by chance.

But every now and again, one of the players gains ascendancy, becomes the next Doge.
And every now and again, maybe once in a generation, one of the players is eliminated.

I don't know all the rules; some people seem to be born knowing them.

I don't know how long the game has been played, or how many people started it. I do not know if it will be played out till there is only one player standing, or something else will happen before that.

I do know that I am a pawn in the hands of one of the families now. At times, a prized pawn, but a pawn no less. In the hands of one of the more skillful players.
And pawns get discarded as easily as used; cast away and forgotten ~~as Giac was cast away...~~.
So I try to be a useful pawn. One that does things right.

I am a part of La Serenissima, don't want to be anywhere else. I enjoy my position, and the money and power I DO have.

But sometimes I wish I could have had security for my children, maybe something more for myself, and remained a human being, rather than a nameless figure in a game.

Muse: Henriette di Grimani
Fandom: Casanova (2005 BBC)
Word count: 372