1471, and Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci, known to his friends only as Leonardo, was at work painting. The two of them had gone out into the Tuscan countryside, in order to capture the natural beauty better. On the gra.s.s on the banks of the Arno, Alexis was reclined nude, looking happy as Leonardo stood painting her."How"s it coming?" She asked him.
"It is coming," Leonardo replied. "If there is something that Il Verrocchio has taught me, it is that art cannot be rushed."
"I still don"t understand why you don"t just have me conjure up a painting for you."
"Alexis, you may have given me the skills required to paint with such finesse, but there are things that your magic cannot do. Only a human hand can ever hope to capture your beauty on canva.s.s, and even then I fear it may not be possible."
"You"re weird sometimes, you know that, Master?"
"You are very strange yourself, Alexis. Your very existence would seem strange to most people."
"I"ve been called worse in my time. "Strange" is practically a compliment compared to some of the things I"ve been through."
"It must be such a sad life. An eternity of servitude."
"It"s not too bad. Oh sure there"s the occasional power-hungry person who treats you as little more than a tool, but for every one of them, there are 10 more like you, who treat me with respect. I do like my job. Watching how happy you are when I grant your wishes is payment enough."
They stayed around the river for a while longer, before it started to get dark. Alexis got dressed, and the two of them walked back into the city. When they returned to the workshop, they saw two men stood outside.
"h.e.l.lo, can I help you?" Leonardo asked them.
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"Yes, we"re looking for Il Verrocchio, is he around?" One of the men asked.
"No, I"m afraid he"s away in Milan at the moment," Leonardo replied.
"Oh what a shame," said the second man. "Well then, we shall have to make do with you and your stunning companion here." He approached Alexis, and stroked her face. "You, fair maiden, are...oh, interesting. Master, I cannot read this girl"s mind. It would seem she is one of my kind."
"Another genie?" Said the first man. "Wonderful. Perhaps you could invite us in to discuss things?"
"Very well, I suppose so..." Leonardo agreed.
The 4 of them went inside, and sat down. Alexis and the other genie sat down on the sofa, while Leonardo and the other man sat down on some chairs.