“...Therefore, as one traverses the grounds, one may enjoy the simple beauty of the muted colors all around, rather than being bombarded by all the different sights and smells found in the common gardens of today. Indeed, gardens that are less crowded encourage introspection and study, and this is why Rousseau endeavored to design such gardens. He suggested that in a more peaceful and genuine atmosphere, a man can be faithful to his own thoughts and ideas, beyond the influence of so much noise and stimulation. Do you not imagine so, Signor?” Desi smiled. “That a return to our roots externally can induce the same within us?”

“I’m certain I do,” the merchant said, “but Signor, you have been talking for several minutes and have not made your next move.”

“Oh, that? That is no matter,” Desi said. “I have checkmate.”

The merchant scowled at the chess board. “How? Check, perhaps, but not checkmate.”

“Well, you castled your king, which was a excellent decision at the time,” Desi explained, pointing to the merchant’s rook. “And your remaining pawns have defended your king well. I have only been able to place my bishop anywhere near your king. But you see, I’ve also placed my knight here, and now I will place my bishop here, blocking your other option. So, the only move you can now make is to move your king forward one square. If you do, my bishop will take him. If you don’t, my knight will.”

“But what if he moves his rook away?” a little boy suggested. A small crowd had gathered around the chess game, just to the side of the markets.

“He may do so, but it will make no difference,” Desi answered, gesturing toward the pieces. “I don’t have to react to his rook moving. I can still take the king.”

“Yes, Señor Alvares is correct. I see the checkmate now,” the merchant added. “If only I had seen it a few moves ago!”

Desi chuckled as the man stood and relinquished his place at the chessboard. “That was a challenging game,” he said, bowing to his competitor, before turning to the crowd. “Might I interest anyone else in a game? Or a philosophical discussion. Or perhaps both.”

“... He suggested that in a more peaceful and genuine atmosphere, a man can be faithful to his own thoughts and ideas, beyond the influence of so much noise and stimulation. Do you not imagine so, Signor? That a return to our roots externally can induce the same within us?”

“Might I interest anyone else in a game? Or a philosophical discussion. Or perhaps both.”

A small crowd of murmuring onlookers had gathered around the men playing chess and talking about philosophy. The claim that it had been a challenging game was surely a nicety, given how the man had run his mouth about gardens for the latter half of the game while his opponent had vacillated between responding to the inquisitive prompts and frowning at the chess board.

LaRue had a small assortment of finery that she had purchased upon arrival in the city. She deigned to put on a dress and attend today in an effort of creating a network of information among the upper class. It was usually an exhausting and tedious affair, especially when she was regulated to the vapid conversations women were expected to have with one another about fashion and etiquette. She had spilled her drink on the skirts of the last woman, an elderly noble who disapproved of the manners her granddaughter's fiance had displayed. The depth of his bow upon greeting was entirely irrelevant.

When she stepped forward from her inconspicuous location among the onlookers, everyone stepped aside. LaRue walked up to the table and curtsied in her horrendously fashionable green dress. She stared at Desidario Alvarez with a cold and unreadable expression.

"I wonder, could such an atmosphere truly be considered 'genuine'?" she asked, stepping to the side and sitting at the table without waiting for his approval or his assistance with the chair. She began to place the black chess pieces onto the squares along her side of the board. "When a space must be artificially created and controlled, I imagine it lacks the authenticity necessary to prompt any sort of 'natural' thought or real self-defining ideas."