Blood and Roses

16 | He Is No Monster

~Camila

Angelo is currently embarking on a rather important task alongside one of his comrades, taking some time away from the apartment. Surprisingly, his companion isn’t Luca, as you might have assumed. This time, Angelo chose not to bring Luca along with him. Instead, Luca is here with me at the apartment, fully engrossed in watching the final season of One Piece from the comfort of his bedroom.

The person accompanying Angelo on this mission goes by the name Lukas Carver, a skilled assassin in his own right, though not quite on the same level as Angelo, myself, or Felix. Still, Lukas possesses some impressive attributes: his intelligence, speed in accomplishing tasks, and his formidable fighting abilities. Admittedly, I can’t deny the merits of his abilities.

While Angelo is away, I find myself at a bit of a loose end, lounging on the couch, idly gazing out the window. It appears Luca is content to focus on his entertainment for now, without much attention to spare for anything else. Naturally, I can’t help but feel a bit bored, yearning for some company or an activity to engage in with Luca.

Unexpectedly, Luca hit the pause button on his TV, causing the sounds of the show to halt abruptly. Without wasting a moment, he hurriedly made his way through the apartment, the sound of his footsteps echoing loudly as he approached the living room where I sat, steadfastly waiting for Angelo’s return, no matter how lengthy the wait might be.

With a sleepy yawn, Luca settled down next to me on the couch, nonchalantly draping his arm over the back and snatching the TV remote from my lap. He decided to continue watching One Piece right there in the living room. I wondered why he had moved rooms just to do the very same thing he was doing before. However, I opted not to inquire about it, knowing there was no use in asking. I did have some questions in mind, questions I didn’t want Angelo to overhear the answers to. They weren’t anything malicious, just inquiries that I preferred to keep between Luca and myself.

Now that Angelo was absent from the apartment and Luca was here with me in the living room, it presented the perfect opportunity to pose those nagging questions that had been lingering in my mind for quite some time.

“Ah, Luca, it’s good to see you stepping out of your bedroom. I was hoping to have a little chat with you. Can I ask you a question?”

“What’s this question about? Well, I guess you can go ahead and ask, but just to be clear, I hope it’s not about some crazy plan that involves pushing me into a lake or putting my life at risk for Angelo’s sake. But yeah, go ahead, Camila, ask away.”

“Luca, I want to assure you that there won’t be any lake-pushing or risky situations involving Angelo. Those times are long gone, and we can leave them behind us. Now, I do have a question that pertains to Angelo, but it’s about you, specifically. Please be honest with me. I can’t help but notice how loyal you are to Angelo, even though he can be controlling and occasionally neglectful. I wonder, what keeps you so devoted to him?”

“You know, I’ve never been asked that question before, but strangely enough, I do have an answer for you, Camila. Angelo is a source of strength for me, not just physically, but in ways that are deeply meaningful. Sure, I might be physically strong, but that’s not what truly matters to me. What matters is how Angelo has helped me heal in ways I’ll always be grateful for.” As Luca shifted his attention back to the TV, he became engrossed in the anime episode playing before him. However, a thoughtful expression crossed his face as he contemplated what words to share next.

“There’s this quote that always lingers in my mind when I think about this. It goes something like this: Sometimes the the strength lies not in the face of one’s fists, but in the depths of one’s commitment to protect those we hold dear.”