Jovani fixed the woman with a stern look.
"Absolutely not. Samuel won't even know what you're trying to ask him about, and I'm not having you put in that kind of situation." The woman paid him no need as she marched past him to come over to the side of the bed Samuel was closest to him.
"Oh, please. You don't need to treat him like a child. I'm sure he's plenty old enough to answer a few questions and make a decision if I were to ask him about it. He seems intrigued anyways, isn't that right?" Samuel didn't care much for the charm that Emily tried to use on him. She was right. However, he had become intrigued by what she asked.
"You realize that this isn't an issue of whether someone is old enough but instead about messing with other people's lives? The lives of those I would rather ensure don't stay safe?" As Emily continued to ignore him, exasperation began to seep into Jovani's voice.
"Can't I at least hear her out on what she wants to ask? Even if your decision stands, there shouldn't be any reason I can't at least hear, right?" Jovani could feel his left eye begin to twitch. That became a little bit more difficult. Saying no to Emily was one matter, but saying no to his cousin wasn't so easy.
"Seeee? I told you that he's plenty old enough to understand such things. What do you think? Shouldn't I be allowed to play with the new guests that Jovani brings around? At least so long as they agree to want to play with me?" Emily invaded Samuel's personal space as she used her hands and leaned forward on the bed eagerly, waiting for the other's reply. She certainly had a lot more pep about her than Jovani did. Samuel had almost forgotten about that after having only interacted with her for a short while.
"I don't exactly know what you mean by play. From what I have seen of those men you're referring to, I don't take them to the types who would want to engage in anything fun." Who knew that such naïve innocence could look so cute on a man? Emily couldn't help the coo that escaped; she even went so far as to pinch Samuel's cheek.
"Oh, dear Sammy. I don't exactly mean the fun, let's play some games type of play. I mean something a little less harmless and potentially more painful for the losing party." Jovani wanted to facepalm as he watched the gears begin to turn in his younger cousin's head. Couldn't the girl leave him alone already? The last thing the Vedova Nera boss needed at the current moment would be for his cousin to decide he wanted to 'play' as well.
"Sparring would be the more appropriate term for it. I prefer to call it playing because most matches don't last long enough to be called any kind of challenge." Emily explained further when Samuel remained thoughtfully quiet while seeming to stare at a point directly to Emily's left rather than at the other's face.
"I might have to agree with Jovani on this. They're mercenaries. Outside of this family, they might not be the best type of partners to pick for what you want to do. Isn't there someone else?" Ah, there came the someone else question. The only that brought Emily's pout back full force. It became worse when she caught the smug look on Jovani's face from the corner of her eye. Hmph, how dare the cute younger cousin side with the evil older one.
"I would pick someone around here if anyone was worth the time. Most here aren't much of a challenge for me, or we've already sparred so many times they no longer want to do it with me." Emily sighed dramatically as her head dropped forward.
"I'm just looking for someone I might be able to have a little bit of fun with. It wouldn't go so far as starting a war. Wouldn't a few minutes of fun be completely harmless? I already said that I would ask them first?" Emily wouldn't give up so quickly as she fixed Samuel with her puppy dog eyes. The kind that most people couldn't resist without feeling that deep twang of guilt from denying someone their one wish.
"I still don't think that would be the best idea. Maybe you could find something else to do then if no one wants to spar with you?" Samuel faltered slightly with his weak suggestion. Wouldn't now have been the right time for Jovani to step in and say something to put the situation to an end? Samuel wouldn't be able to keep saying no forever if Emily kept giving him such looks.
"Jovani, can you at least agree to give me a few minutes with them? I'm not going to do anything bad. I really want to have a little bit of fun while the chance presents itself." Emily whined in the direction of Jovani, who hardly seemed amused by how much she kept pushing.
"Sammy gave you an answer already, didn't he? I think that it would be best to stick with that one. You should go and find something else to entertain yourself with. I will give you something else if you agree to help me with the favor I asked for. You can ask me for another thing, and I will gladly give it to you." Especially if it would stop her from whining for the foreseeable future; he would have never invited her into the room if he knew that she would be asking something of that magnitude. Sometimes that girl could be more trouble than she was worth. Jovani couldn't get rid of her, seeing as the two of them were family.
"If you're really wanting someone to spare with, why don't you do it with me then?" All three heads turned in the direction of the door simultaneously.
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