My heart is like glass,

So very easily broken,

By somebody who isn't,

Even worth my tears.

...

How can a woman love a man who is bent on satisfying his thirst for vengeance?

"I don't know," Rosa muttered to herself, answering her own question out loud, "but I'm a perfect example."

"What was that?"

Rosa sighed. "Nothing, Ugo," she told her ever watchful companion, waving her hand dismissively. Ugo paid a lot of attention to all the little things – far too much for his own good, that was. He cared too much about Rosa, gave her what he even knew was unrequited love – one day he was going to thoroughly break his own heart by loving someone who could simply not love him back in the same way. But for now, he persisted in tagging along with Rosa whenever he could.

"Something's on your mind," Ugo commented worriedly, "and I mean other than the task at hand."

"Ugo, shut up," snapped Rosa, irritated by his nagging already, "because if you don't, I will make you."

Ugo smiled at her blatantly uncontrolled short fuse, the temper that no one had ever even attempted to muster, and the only people who dared face it were Antonio and he.

"Calm yourself," Ugo said gently, "and we will talk about what's bothering you later."

"Well, no need for that. I'll tell you right now what's bothering me – you," Rosa hissed, but secretly she did admire Ugo's persistence, despite her unveiled threat. She would've described him as stubborn, if only the word hadn't suited her even more so. If Ugo's opinion was hard to sway, then convincing Rosa of something other than from what she believed in was absolutely, utterly impossible.

Ugo didn't respond immediately to her. What she said might have insulted anyone else deeply, but he accepted the fact that his crush said many things that she didn't mean; therefore he didn't egg on an argument between them by giving a comeback.

But then he realised. "You're worried about Ezio, aren't you?" He couldn't hide the loathing in his voice – nor did he attempt to.

Rosa looked away, visibly gritting her teeth, refusing to meet her friend's intense gaze. "He's been missing for days, Ugo, how can I not be worried?"

"I should've known," Ugo droned on, ignoring her statement, "after these last few days. All I've heard is Ezio this, Ezio that. Even when you're not talking about him, I can tell by the look on your face that you're thinking about him." His face screwed up in disgust. "Anyone else would think that you two were -"

"Enough, Ugo!"

"– ruddy married."

Rosa's eyes flashed dangerously. "You are going to wish that you'd never have been born, you... you..." She apparently couldn't find a word bad enough to describe what she thought of Ugo in their current situation. "You know what? Fottiti! You can finish the darn mission by yourself, stronzo!"

Ugo tried to apologise. "Rosa, mi dispiace veramente -"

"Chiudi il becco, figlio d'un cane!" Rosa stood herself up straight and marched off, fuming mad, out of their hiding spot in the crates, out of the market, away from the person she was angry at.

"Wait!" Ugo cried after her, but the damage was done. Swearing at himself, he went back into the market place without his companion to help him finish the pick pocketing mission.