Wee Devil (open!)

[Deleted]

Aednat looked left, then right, then up. Nobody around? Excellent. She jumped up and grabbed the nearest ledge, pulling herself up with relative ease. She'd always been a devil when it came to climbing, even as a young girl. She was still young, but too grown up now. Her parents, were they alive, wouldn't even recognize her. And that was alright.

Higher and higher the lass went, wary of guards that might yell at her to get down. Sometimes they caught her by surprise; Italian was her second language and all her thought processes were still in Gaelic. They were two totally different things and sometimes her Italian failed her and she had to start her sentence all over again. Not that she spoke to guards very often. In fact, she liked them better when they were quiet.

With no guards around and not a care in the world, she climbed up onto the roof and took in the view. Ah, Rome. A beautiful city, full of Holy Men with good intentions. Nothing is true. A place where demons are driven away and stripped of their powers. Nothing is true. Everything is permitted.

Aednat lived in a world where the devils were holy and the holy were devils. And that was alright.

[Nicola Rangé]

It felt good to be back in the familiar streets of Rome. For Nicola, this place had become a new home, a place where he felt comfortable and safe. He knew this city by heart--every building, shop, and landmark was permanently etched into his mind.

But with nothing to do today, Nicola couldn't help but feel a little bored... Perhaps even a little lonely. It was difficult to keep track of the few friends he had made in a city of this size. On top of that, many of them were usually busy working within the Creed.

As he rounded a corner, however, he caught a glimpse of hope. A swift movement of black scaled its way up one side of the wall. Interested, Nicola followed its path, and pulled himself up the ledge and finally to the top. There, he saw the source of the blackness: an Assassin uniform, similar to the one he was currently wearing. From the features of wearer, it was easy to identify that the Assassin was a young female, probably a few years older than himself. He wasn't sure if she had seen him yet, as he had made his climb as quietly as possible so as not to startle her. But with her back to him, he knew that she would likely be startled no matter what he would do at this point. He quickly noted her interest in the city before them. She seemed to admire it the same way he had when he first arrived here.

Nicola leaned against a wall that was formed by another building, crossing his arms casually. "Beautiful, isn't it?" he said in a relaxed tone.

[Deleted]

The voice behind her would have startled her if she had been on the streets. The only ones that went where she was were thieves, guards, and other assassins. A guard wouldn't speak kindly to her, so she knew right away she was in no immeadiate danger. She turned, still surprised that she wasn't alone. Another assassin? Had she met him before? She hesitated as her mind switched to Italian.

"Aye. A glorious sight, this. I've lived here for years and I still can't quite get over it." she said, smiling politely at him. "Forgive me, but have we met? I haven't a head for names." Her Scottish accent, apparent even after all the years she'd lived in Italy, caused her to blush a bit. It was embarrassing, meeting new people and having to sometimes repeat herself because they couldn't understand her.

With or without the accent, she couldn't say why she really admired the city. The truth she had found about the devils and angels would be too hard to explain and probably not worth understanding. Even then, she wasn't sure if she was a devil or an angel. Was it possible to be both?

[Catone[Inactive]]

Gods, he missed Venezia. The canals, the people, and yes, even the smell of the murky waters of the Floating City. Catone scoffed as he calmly stepped up to the wooden contraption, filled to the brim with pigeons.

Yes, the target did flee to Roma, but why didn't he just have someone else kill him? Hesitating in thought, the Gondolier grabbed one of the tamed fowl and attached the small note. It was a simple message. Templar informant neutralized.

With a sigh, he pulled down his brown hood and let his ebony ponytail spring from its prison. The Assassin lowered down to a crouch, then sat down on the stone roof. Well, at least the clouds were the same.

A far off movement on a building broke his musings. Emerald irises stared, willing the shapes to take form. A simple movement of his hand to above his eyes shielded his vision from the vicious glint of sunlight. Cocking his head, Catone crawled a bit forward in an attempt to better view the duo. Brother Assassins?

A smirk graced his lips. Who else would be on the roofs of Roma in hoods? Swinging his legs over the side and allowing them to dangle, he watched with unbridled curiosity, most of it focused on the smaller one. Were the Brotherhood allowing their children on missions now?

[Nicola Rangé]

It took a few extra moments to figure out what was being said. The woman had the most peculier accent... One he couldn't quite identify the source of. In all of the time he had spent in Rome, he had come across many different people from many different places, and deciphering what they were saying was difficult at times. But after a brief consideration, he figured out that she had simply asked if they had been acquainted yet.

"I don't believe so. My name is Nicola." He gave her a quick nervous smile, something he couldn't help but do every time he had to meet new people. "And you?" he asked, carrying on the conversation further. But after he had spoke, he stiffened straight, putting his full weight back on his feet. He had caught some slight movement from the corner of his eye. While not alarmed, he was aware of being watched. Don't make any sudden movements, he thought to himself. The last thing he would want to do was to provoke someone friendly. He didn't direct his head towards the movement, but his eyes dilated, searching for any more motion. He could have made a grab for his crossbow at any moment, and was prepared to do so at the first sight of conflict.

[Deleted]

Her embarrassment increased as he took a few seconds to process what she said. She kept her smile up nonetheless. "I'm called Aednat. Pleased to meet you, Nicola."she said, talking more slowly so that he might better understand. "Sorry about the way I talk. I know it's hard to understand me. Sometimes I trip over words." she added with a laugh. She liked the way he smiled. He was friendly, at least.

Her eyes flicked briefly to the side, catching some movement in the near distance. Nicola noticed as well, by the way he straightened. She flicked her right blade out and retracted it quickly, not interested but always ready for a fight. "Can't be a guard or he'd be screaming at us, eh?" she said in a lower voice. As if whoever it was could hear them. No, not at that distance. Maybe it was a thief or even one of their brothers. That seemed far more likely.

She didn't like being watched, Assassin or not, and had half a mind to confront them. She was fast, at the very least, so surely she could run if she couldn't fight. But she was being foolish. There would be no fighting unless their observer started it.

[Catone[Inactive]]

What could they be doing? Two Assassin lovers trying to find some time for their own right to affection? Were they doing a job? Oh! What if they were siblings meeting for the first time! That would be a beautiful piece of gossip.

They weren't moving. Catone cocked his head. They were stiff as boards, the both of them. In fact, it looked like they weren't even speaking now. Usually people only acted like that if they were being watched. But who was even looking their way? The Gondolier darted his eyes around the nearby buildings, searching for the intruding presence. He didn't see anyone, so who was spying on them?

Oh. Right. Looks like he was found out. Reaching up, he put his hood back in place and stood to his full height. Catone gave a small wave to the duo before he hopped to an adjacent shop, climbing to the top. Thankfully, there was a rope suspended from here to a house right in front of the two interesting Assassins.

Crossing it, he was soon right below the two. "Gorgeous day, right?"

[Nicola Rangé]

Nicola continued to watch the figure from the corner of his eye. "No, he seems much too... Intelligent to be a guard," he said half-jokingly in a dry tone. As the figure waved to them, acknowledging their awareness, Nicola turned his head back to Aednat. "Keep cautious; I'm not sure if I like this," he spoke lowly, as though the man would hear them. Perhaps he was an Assassin, just as they were. Nicola would have liked to believe it, but his encounter with Antonnio, the traitor and spy to the Assassins, had taught him to question the authenticity of others. Anyone could have been secretly aligned to the Templars. What if... His newfound companion was a Templar? He deemed it unlikely. If she were, she would have made an attempt on his life by now, he was sure.

Nicola's eyes went to watch the man as he made his way towards them, observing as he agilely made his way across the rope. He crossed his arms again, feeling slightly more comfortable at his words. "It is certainly a great day to be out," he agreed, responding to him. He hadn't made a move yet, but Nicola was still wary of any threat the man might pose.

[Deleted]

Despite Nicola's warning, Aednat waved back reluctantly. He had a hood like theirs, and he ran like them. Surely he was an assassin as well. It wasn't likely, in Aednat's mind, that he was not to be trusted. She watched with controlled interest as he crossed the rope to be near them. He spoke the beautiful, flowing Italian that she wished she could manage, and was answered by Nicola. She didn't like her accent, but she spoke as well. It was only polite.

"Aye, lovely day." she kept her sentence short, easy to understand. Nicola crossed his arms, relaxing just a bit. It made her brave. "Whom do we have the pleasure of adressing?" she asked the man. She prepared her name in her mind, the only bit of Gaelic she could speak to them. It sounded so foreign.

She glanced at Nicola and started to play with a curly lock of hair that had strayed into her reach. It was a bad habit she had, chewing on her hair. She'd have to refrain.

[Catone[Inactive]]

"Catone," was all he offered. Running up to the wall, he jumped the small height and climbed up. "Sorry for scaring you. It's not often I have the chance to see Assassins from other cities."

Now, close enough to the two to get a proper look, he sized the both of them up. The taller one was likey an Italia born. The more interesting one of the two was the woman, who was definitely not from around here. Strange accent and her appearance were the obvious pointers. The Assassin offered his hand towards the male in what he hoped to be a sign of friendship.

[Nicola Rangé]

Nicola never took his eyes off the man, who revealed his name to be Catone. Reluctantly, cautiously, he reached out to shake his hand, but it was quick and firm. He then took a small step back, just far enough where he felt like he would get sufficient reaction time if any sudden movement were made. "I'm Nicola," he introduced, giving the same nervous smile he had given to Aednat. He was never comfortable around strangers, but he knew that if they were in the same creed, it would be highly likely that they would go on a mission together eventually. Nicola was a strong believer that you don't run into people just once, so getting good introductions out of the way was necessary to working with future companions. He wanted to go on and start a fresh conversation, but he stopped himself after realizing Aednat still hadn't introduced herself.

[Deleted]

I'm Aednat. Pleased to meet you. she said politely, not letting go of her hair. Nicola's reluctance to meet the stranger was making her anxious, but she tried not to let it bother her. And there was that little smile again. When Catone mentioned "Assassins from other cities," she took interest. "Oh? Where are you from?" she asked. She didn't bother trying to hide her interest. There was no need.

He had lovely eyes, a lot like her own. But he was quite Italian, of that she was sure. He seemed to size the two of them up when he introduced himself, spending a bit more time on Aednat than Nicola. She noticed this and wondered why, but how could she ask? It was probably because she wasn't born in Italy. How that bothered her! But one couldn't change where they were born or who their parents were. She looked back at Nicola and how apprehensive he was about Catone. Had he been that way with her? She hadn't noticed anything. And once again her mind was racing.

[Catone[Inactive]]

Okay, so Nicola and Aednat. A strange pair. And it looks like that the other man didn't exactly trust him, judging by the way their handshake ended. Great.

"Venezia," he answered. He slipped into silence, waiting for some kind of interaction. Eyes flicking back and forth between the two, he shifted uneasily under Nicola's stare. By the way they were reacting, he was some kind of stranger. Well, he was, but they were all Assassins. You would think they would be more social with people of the same creed. The gondoliere waited until the awkward absence of sound was deafening. He cleared his throat. "So... What brings you two to Roma?"

[Nicola Rangé]

Nicola could see the uneasiness that spread over Catone's face. He couldn't help but feel slightly guilty about being so untrustful towards him after how friendly he had be. "I'm fortunate enough to call this beautiful city my home," he answered. There was no lying about that; he despised the city he had originally hailed from. But here--here he felt like he was a part of the city, and he believed that the city was a part of him, as well.

"And uh... I apologize for my suspicion," he murmured, his eyes falling towards his feet. "It's just what I've been through," he attempted to offer as some sort of explanation. It was obvious to him now that someone so polite and well-spoken couldn't have been of any Templar origin. Was it a gut-feeling? Yes, and he trusted it. Perhaps it was just part of the instincts he had developed as an Assassin.

[Deleted]

Aednat smiled sincerely as Catone mentioned Venice. She had always wanted to see the floating city, but she allowed the two men to speak before she did. It was more habit than courtesy. As Nicola finished his last sentence, she looked at him with concern on her face. What could he have been through? Then again, they'd all been through so much, at least it seemed that way. Hard times turn men into vultures. Or Assassins. She looked back at Catone, who still appeared a bit uncomfortable. There was an awkward silence in the air again that she cheerfully tried to break.

"I came here from Scotland as a girl. It's the only home in Italy for me." she said, smiling at the familiar skyline. "What brings you to Roma?" she added, hoping to hear more from Catone. Maybe he wouldn't be so uncomfortable if he spoke a bit more. It might even help Nicola. She looked between the two, anxious for what would happen next.