Nika had never actually met Ezio Auditore de Firenze, l'assassino and il salvatore of Italia. However, working for La Volpe, master thief and head of the Thief Guild, she heard of him a bit more than the usual Italiano. Due do the recent problems prominent not only among the thieves, but the courtesans as well, La Volpe trusted a precious few of his thieves to perform tasks for l'assassino. Nika wasn't so sure she was proud to be one of those select few.
On the one hand, she was rather flattered that La Volpe himself had handpicked her and three others to run certain tasks that would help l'assassino in his duty to save Italia and exact revenge for the death of his famiglia.. La Volpe was like a father and big brother to her. He had saved her worthless life, seeing something in her that no other person had deigned to see, and gave her another life among the guild, with a new name. 'Nika' meant 'useful' and 'bringer of victory', and that's what she was for La Volpe. When the others failed him, she didn't. That's why, when something particularly important came up, she was sent to finish it if La Volpe was indisposed.
However, on the other hand, working for La Volpe in regards to l'assassino brought more danger and problems than it was sometimes worth. Being loyal to the Auditore famiglia oftentimes meant imminent danger and certain death, and already Emilio, one of the select few, had died in the name of l'assassino Auditore. Would she, Lukah, and Raffaello suffer the same fate? Nika didn't want to die if it could be helped, but she was loyal first and foremost to La Volpe, and if he asked her to jump in front of bullet or blade to save someone, rather it be himself or l'assassino, she wouldn't think twice about doing it. She was expendable in the greater scheme of things and she knew it. She knew her place, knew she was but a pawn for people like l'assassino, La Volpe and Machiavelli, and so did Lukah and Raffaello. That's probably why La Volpe had picked the lot of them.
Yet, it probably would have saved her a lot of trouble had she actually met the man. Nika was a thief by nature, long before La Volpe picked her off the streets. The only difference in her thieving then and thieving now, was that she was now trained by La Volpe in ways no common thief was. So, it was no surprise really when one particular morning found Nika prowling the streets of Roma, far away from La Volpe Addormentata. Already, she had gathered quite the amount of coin and pretty objects. Lukah and his wife, Rachelle, had recently had a baby girl and Nika was determined to get enough coin to buy each of them a gift of congratulations. La Volpe had already provided them with a little bed for the baby, but clothes and toys could always be handy for one so young.
So, Nika made it her goal to target every well dressed person on the streets, even the occasional guard. It was a pleasant surprise when she ran across a middle-aged man dressed in a well made tunic and breeches of the darkest black and richest blue. He had no weapons on him, that Nika could see, and a small group of Claudia's girls were currently distracting him. Nika watched as he flirted with the women, almost amused by it herself. Any man who flirted with a courtesan like that was a desperate man indeed.
Nika waited, and watched the man, until a group of young men walked by, talking about the latest art being sold only two streets over. She surreptitiously joined them, pleased when they only momentarily glanced at her before continuing their conversation. Just as they passed behind the pazzo in fronzoli, she reached out and cut the fat purse from his belt. Any normal person would have continued on flirting with the courtesans, oblivious to the sudden lightness on his belt. Nika didn't make it a habit of misjudging people.
She saw the man stiffen, his back straightening, and his head snapping in her direction even as his hand made it's way down to his belt, where the purse once hung, before she took off running. The man didn't even call out a farewell to the courtesans. Instead, he was hot on her heels.
Nika had always prided herself in being a fast runner, but this man ran like a hound of hell. Nika took to the rooftops, not many would do that and rich man definitely wouldn't, so when her pursuer followed, she knew this was no mere rich man. She dashed across the rooftops of Rome, with no destination in particular, only taking care to keep away from La Volpe Addormentata. What if this man was a guard off duty? That would certainly explain the ability to keep up with her and run across rooftops with as much ease as one of La Volpe's own. And if that was the case, then she would be in a lot of shit if she led him back to the thieves headquarters and the guard became more aware that the 'inn' wasn't quite what it seemed to be. So, she ran in the opposite direction, away from headquarters and away from help. She got herself into this mess, and she could get herself out.
She jumped across a particularly large gap, flinging her weight from one building to the next, and was barely able to find purchase on the shingled rooftops before the man was hanging from the roof right next to her; both of them had almost missed its edge. The dark haired man kicked out at her, but before he could land another blow, she dropped from the rooftop and onto a lattice. She only lighted there a second, before she jumped off and hit the ground, rolling and using that momentum, she shoved through a crowd of startled guards. Cazzo! Could this morning get any worse?
The guards began shouting, drawing their weapons and giving chase, but Nika was more aware of the man that was still following her, running along the edges of the rooftops. She made sure to stay out of jumping range.
By this time, the adrenaline was pumping through Nika's veins, her loose black shirt was becoming soaked with sweat, her black breeches were covered in dust and her bare feet were absolutely filthy. At one point, her long, black hair had fallen out of its careless updue and began plastering itself to her sweat slicked skin. Her breath came in short, shallow, but controlled puffs; in through the nose, out through the mouth. She pumped her arms to gain momentum, but kept them close to her body for protection. Despite the danger of the situation, it felt good to be able to run like this. She felt the familiar burn in her legs, the muscles stretching then contracting in rapid momentum.
She dodged around startled citizens, underneath tree branches, leapt over merchant stands and stair railings, before she finally lost the guards and was able to take to the roofs again. The strange man was on a building across the street and Nika was able to scramble to the top of a building before the man found his way across, but once he did, he was hot on her heals again. This was no guard. He was something different, and that fact gave Nika a thrill. It turned into a sort of game to her, and she began making her movements random, feinting one direction, then loping off in another, knocking things over in the mans path. It didn't seem to deter him all that much, and when he wasn't cursing at the random obstacles, Nika could have sworn he was laughing. Not loud, long peals of laughter, but short little chuckles let out between intakes of air. He was enjoying this chase, and that amused Nika more than anything. Yet, she was determined to get away with this man's coin.
Up ahead the building ended and no others were in sight. Nika willed her legs to move faster, and she threw herself off the buildings edge, diving at the last moment and piercing through the waters surface. The water was icy and murky, but it was pleasant to her over heated skin, and washed a great majority of the dirt and sweat from her body. Her hair tangled around her neck and arms, but she left it alone in favor of propelling herself through the water, moving her arms and legs as quickly and with as much force as she could.
She didn't break surface until her lungs screamed at her for want of air, and even when she came up to breathe, she continued to swim, ears straining for the sound of movement behind her. All was quiet, save for the sounds of her own swimming, and eventually she came to a sandy bank on the other side of the Tiber River.
She waded out of the water and onto the bank, glancing over her shoulder momentarily to reassure herself she hadn't been caught. There was no sign of the man. Still, Nika jogged down the road, finding a nice quiet hiding place before she finally allowed herself to rest. Her muscles burned and her breath came out in harsh pants. As the adrenaline began to wear off, she started quivering. The lack of adrenaline caused her body to register her wet clothes and the cool breeze blowing through the area. Her clothes clung to her and she shivered more, but that didn't wipe the shit-eating smile from her face. She held the mans fat purse in the palm of her had, bounced it a couple times, laughed, then stored it away in her clothes.
Once she untangled herself from her hair and caught her breath, Nika ventured out of her hiding spot, keeping a wary eye out for the man. Still no sign of him, so she set off for La Volpe Addormentata.
The Sleeping Fox was an old brick building in the southwestern corner of the Antico District. It had two floors and a tower. The first floor held the pub, in which many different patrons came with heavy purses and left feeling significantly lighter. Gambling was big amongst those in the 'inn', and La Volpe's people always made sure that the Borgia's allies lost. It smelled of ale and sweat, significantly better than the pubs in the Centro district, which more oft then not smelled of piss and vomit in addition to ale and sweat. The first floor also held the back room, in which most of the thieves meetings took place. The second floor housed rooms, some inhabited by thieves, and others left free for the patrons to uphold the 'inn' disguise.
When Nika stepped through the wooden door, she was met by a barrage of noise. Laughter, shouts, the clunk of mugs hitting wooden tables, and a few bards in the corner attempting to entertain but mostly being ignored. The room was warm, more from the masses of bodies than the fireplace. It was somewhat welcoming, and Nika was able to relax her muscles and abate the shivering to an extent. She made her way across the lounge, dancing away from groping hands that didn't care if she was male or female – a warm body was a warm body.
The dark haired woman padded up the stairs, and into a room near the back of headquarters. It was small, and mostly bare. A table stood next to a simple bed and a chest of drawers occupied a corner, next to a stand with a basin of water. There was barely enough room for the wooden tub. Nika didn't feel like bathing, so she used the mostly clean water to make herself presentable, stripping her dirtied clothes off and using a washcloth to wipe herself down. She pulled her hair back into a messy braid that looked like it would fall out any moment, and tied a black scarf around her head to keep the stray hair in place. Next came a breast band and a light blue shirt. It was patched in places, but none the worse for wear. She was just about to pull on a clean pair of black breeches when her door creaked open.
"Nika, I need to speak with you." La Volpe's voice was deep and quiet, adding to his mysterious nature. He wore his typical clothes in browns and muted yellows and oranges. His boots barely made any noise against the floorboards as he came forward, leaving the door open. Nika nodded, even as another man followed La Volpe into her room. He closed the door behind him. He was slightly shorter than La Volpe, and wore all black. The assassin's symbol was displayed around his waist, a dozen or so throwing knives tucked away in its sides. At his hip was an expensive looking scimitar, and a wicked looking dagger. His vambraces were made of a silver metal, and he had a gauntlet on one hand that no doubt helped him scale buildings. His face was shadowed by his hood, but Nika could make out a smirk on the scarred lips.
"What is it, La Volpe?" Nika inquired, pulling her breeches on without taking her eyes from the two men. La Volpe's equally shadowed face moved within the hood as his red-brown eyes flickered over to the other man.
"This is Ezio Auditore." He replied, gesturing to l'assassino, who bowed at Nika with a muttered "Signora."
"Ah, il Salvatore de Italia. It's a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance Ezio. I've heard much about you." Nika made an attempt to bow the upper half of her body, all while tying her breeches and keeping her eyes trained on her guests. She noticed La Volpe's mouth twitch in amusement, but he didn't say anything. Nika wasn't known for her manners.
"And I you, bella donna. La Volpe has told me many tales of his, ah, Troublesome Trio, as he calls you. You are quite the skilled young woman, signora." Ezio returned. La Volpe's Troublesome Trio referred to Lukah, Raffaello, and herself. Nika grunted, not fazed by Ezio's attempt at charming her. The two men chuckled.
"Nika is one of the few women who will resist any mans charm, il mio amico. That is part of what makes her such a good thief."
"A very good thief." Ezio agreed, but the way he said it had La Volpe and Nika looking at Ezio with suspicion. Nika studied him closely, trying to see past the shadows cast by the hood.
"I see that you have made good use of my coin, Signora Lupa." Ezio's voice was thick was amusement as he tilted his head to her small bed, on which lay a tiny bundle of children's clothes and toys, as well as a new dagger and a red dress – presents for Lukah and his famiglia.
"You!" Nika gasped, wide-eyed, knowing who the man was even before he lowered his hood. The same head of dark hair and striking brown eyes taunted her from across the room.
"I take it the two of you have already met." La Volpe said dryly, looking between two of the few people he could honestly say he trusted with his life.
"Just this morning, actually. I was speaking with some of the courtesans in Centro District when Signora Lupa here cut the purse from my belt. Normally, I would have sensed somebody come up behind me, but she was stealth personified. You taught her well La Volpe. I chased her across Centro District to the Tiber River. Some guards pursued her even, and she managed to evade all of us. She jumped in the Tiber and escaped." Ezio explained. Nika scoffed and crossed her arms.
"I hardly doubt I escaped l'assassino grande maestro d'Italia. You let me escape." She glared at the man, angered further when he only smirked, confirming what she had said. La Volpe sighed.
"Well, this makes this next part of the conversation both easier and harder. Nika, you know you are one of my most valued subordinates, si?"
"Of course, La Volpe. I'd do anything you asked of me."
"Such loyalty. It's commendable." Ezio murmured quietly, so as not to seem like he was interrupting La Volpe.
"Precisely, mio vecchio amica. However, over the years, I have become rather attached to you, and after the death of Emilio, I fear our enemies may use you to get to me. Without my assistance, the Order of Assassin's will be hard pressed. Therefore, we cannot allow this to happen." La Volpe kept eye contact as he said this, and Nika felt her stomach plummet. La Volpe wasn't the sentimental type, and this was starting to head in a direction Nika wasn't sure she wanted it to go.
"What are you saying, La Volpe?" Nika intoned.
"Under La Volpe, you have served my purposes well, Signora Lupa. You have bribed heralds; intercepted documents; infiltrated the homes of many, including the most important nobles, and spied on them. You have aided me greatly in my cause, Signora Lupa, and for that, I thank you." Ezio bowed his head a bit in thanks, but Nika wished he'd stop calling her Lady Wolf. The only person with the name of an animal should be La Volpe, and only La Volpe. The man had given her the name Nika for a reason.
"Nika, after much discussion, Ezio, Machiavelli and I have decided that it would be best for you to train among the other assassin recruits. Ezio only has four of them at the moment, and could use your skill. You can teach the recruits everything you know, and in turn they can help you catch up on your training as an assassin. It will all be in an attempt to create better assassins." La Volpe explained.
"Not only that, but you will be out from underneath La Volpe's name, and the both of you will be protected. He will no longer have to worry about you falling into enemy hands, in which case he might end up having to leave you to die. Besides, you will serve me better now under my direct orders, rather than through La Volpe." Ezio continued. Nika couldn't believe her ears. La Volpe didn't want her under his paw anymore. He wanted her to crawl underneath Ezio's wing like some wounded pup! She had tried so hard to repay her debt, but it just hadn't been enough.
"No, La Volpe! Per favore, I'll do anything! I'll work harder, I'll be more careful, I'll stop tormenting the young ones! Don't make me leave!" Her heart rate picked up and she approached La Volpe, the man who had been more like a father to her than her own father had ever been.
"Calmare, Nika. I'm not sending you away as punishment. This is for the best, for the both of us, for the Order, for the Guild. Ezio can only benefit with you training to become an assassin. It is for the good of Italia." He explained, untangling her hands from where they had tangled in the sleeve of his tunic without her realizing it. He squeezed them briefly before letting them drop. Nobody said anything for the longest time. Noise drifted up from downstairs, sounding too cheery for the events of the upstairs inhabitants.
"I must return to my task, La Volpe, but Machiavelli will be awaiting her arrival at the Isola Tiberina Hideout. He has one of the Veterani waiting there to begin her training. Whenever the two of you are ready." With that, he bowed his head and left her room. As soon as the door closed, La Volpe addressed her.
"Give your gifts to Lukah and his famiglia, but be quick about it. I want you settled at the Isola Tiberina Hideout before nightfall. Is that clear, Nika?" His eyes were piercing, and held to room for nonsense. This was a time to be serious. La Volpe had already made his decision, and there would be no changing it. All she had to do was pretend it was as any other task he had sent her on. Nika grit her teeth, her jaw muscle jumping, as she nodded her head. La Volpe said nothing else and departed, without so much as looking back at Nika. The forty-some-odd year old man could be harsh at times, but Nika had grown accustomed to that.
She remembered the time, when she was but a foolish sixteen-year-old girl, she had fancied her mentor. He had been unlike any other men she had met. La Volpe had crossed Nika's path quite often. She still lived with her father at the time, the man was one of The Fox's contacts. She remembered the first time she saw him. La Volpe had only been in his mid-thirties then, and Nika had just turned sixteen. Her father had been rather cross with her the past year or so, after her mother died, because any fitting suitor he found for her became appalled at the sight of Nika's manners. The young girl did not want to marry some perfumed old geezer or perverted merchant. She didn't want to be tied down and act the part of obedient housewife.
La Volpe wasn't like any of the other men her father usually socialized with. He was the sort of man who talked in circles without anybody realizing it until it was too late. He never lied, only told half-truths and twisted his words to fit his needs. Nika remembered when she first saw him sitting in her father's small study. His clothes were in his usual muted earth tones, and his eyes were veiled by his hood. He stood, refusing her fathers offer to take a seat, and always kept his back to a wall. In the dim lighting provided by the fireplace, his red-brown eyes almost seemed purple.
When she walked in the room, his eyes flicked over to her, assessing her every move, even as her father yelled up a storm, complaining about foolish women and their incessant need to intrude upon a mans privacy. He hit her too, and although La Volpe did nothing about it, Nika had noticed his disapproving frown as she was shoved past him and out of the room. When he left, all Nika could think about was the strange man with the odd colored eyes.
She didn't see him again for many weeks, and by then Nika had run away from her home. She had been engaged to a nobleman well into his fifties, with no manners and quite the reputation. He liked young flesh. Nika hadn't wanted anything to do with the man, and when her father refused to listen to her complaints, she had run away. Three months she spent on the streets, fending for herself. She learned by trial and error. What streets were owned by whom, the best places to scavenge for food. She even learned how to use her age and gender to her benefit, leaching food from unsuspecting gentlemen and running before they could ask her for something in return.
It worked, up until she tried stealing food from the wrong merchant. He caught her – she was tired and sore from defending herself a few days prior and shaky from hunger – and dragged her into an alley around the corner. He had her way with her, and Nika could still remember the acrid smell of his breath and the sweat on his skin, the leathery touch of his hands against her body. He punched her any time she tried calling out for help. When it was over with, the man dropped her to the dirty floor, clothes ripped and dress pulled up obscenely around her thighs – she wore the same clothes she had when she left. The man was bent over her, hissing something in her ear and brandishing a knife. All Nika could think at the time was that she was glad it would finally all be over. She wouldn't have to fight anymore.
However, just as he was about to plunge the knife into her chest, the shadows moved and attacked the man. Nika was too far gone to remember much, just pieces here and there of purple eyes and the screams of the merchant.
Then came the warm, comforting hands. They smoothed out her dress and wrapped something around her for decencies sake, before they lifted her up in strong arms and a warm chest. He smelled of the outdoors, like rain and earth and trees, and perhaps a bit of spice underneath it all.
She had awoken sometime later, dressed in breeches and a shirt much too big for her. She had been embarrassed to find that the man had obviously changed her himself, but she shoved it away. When the man came into the room, carrying a tray with some soup and water, she devoured it all, nearly choking on it and only slowing when La Volpe chastised her.
He trained her, took her under his paw and taught her the ways of the streets, the ways of the thieves. He never laid a hand on her, violently or sexually. Never touched her unless it was to correct her stance. His punishments lay in doing chores or extra hours training. He never called her by her given name; instead, he sought her out with his gaze until he had her attention, then he spoke. For a year, her life continued like this, and her admiration for the man grew stronger.
Nika had always thought her love for the man had been obvious but La Volpe never caught on, until one night, Teodora showed up at the rundown Thief Guild, asking for assistance. The whole while she observed the way Nika had acted around La Volpe, and when the girl left to fetch more wine, Teodora mentioned the way Nika felt about La Volpe, and asked the man what he would do about it. Nika eavesdropped shamelessly, waiting with baited breath for his answer. Her heart nearly broke when he told Teodora he had no time to court a foolish young girl. She ran.
She ran until her legs couldn't carry her anymore and the pieces of her heart throbbed. She was gone for weeks, but La Volpe never sought her out. Looking back on it, Nika was glad that he hadn't. She didn't know what she would have done if he had. At the end of those weeks, Nika found herself on her father's doorstep. She couldn't bring herself to knock. Instead, she picked the lock and snuck in the house.
It was late; her father would already be asleep. She was standing at the foot of the stairs when she heard it. The creek of floorboards and a dull thud that had her pausing, holding her breath and straining to hear even the smallest of noises. A muffled scream broke her stillness, and she was taking the stairs two at a time until she came upon her father's room. The door was wide open and a hooded figure was fleeing out the window. She looked to her father in shock, at the horror-stricken expression frozen on his face, the glazed over eyes and the blood stained sheets twisted about him. After that, she didn't think, she only acted.
She was out the window and on the roofs in seconds, chasing after the fleeing man who had murdered her father. Sure, the man hadn't been the most pleasant person, but that was besides the point. She got him three rooftops over, tackling him to the ground and slamming his head against the shingles. He twisted out of her grip, slashed at her with his knife, and caught her across her stomach. As she hesitated, the pain momentarily stunning her, the man took his chance to flee again, but found his way blocked. Nika would know those odd colored eyes anywhere.
Where in the past, her heart would have flipped and her stomach squirmed to see him, both were still. It only took seconds before her fathers murderer was laying in his own puddle of blood on the top of some unsuspecting stranger's house. He thanked her, La Volpe did, for tracking the man down. Apparently, he had been a thorn in the Guilds side for months, but was always evasive. La Volpe looted the mans pockets, taking his coin and an envelope from the corpse. The coin he gave to Nika, for a job well done. The envelope he pocketed, and without another word, he set off towards the Guild. Nika didn't hesitate, and followed the man who had saved her life once again.
Nika wasn't sure if it had been in the weeks of her absence, or because of what she had seen La Volpe do, but her affections towards him changed. No longer was he a potential candidate for a lover, but a mentor, a friend, a father, and a brother. Once he had seen the potential Nika had shown, he had sent her on many tasks, and by the time she was eighteen, he had given her the name 'Nika'.
Now, at twenty-two, Nika was forced to leave the only place she had truly felt safe in. Forced to leave La Volpe's side and change her loyalties. She knew that if Ezio asked her to betray the Guild, La Volpe would want her to do it. That if Ezio asked her to do something that put the Guild and its members in danger, La Volpe would be furious with her if she disobeyed. Ezio was her new master now, and she had to do what he told her to do.
With that in mind, she packed her few possessions into a bag, then left it near the door. She gathered the gifts for Lukah's famiglia, and set off down the hall, picking the locked door and setting them down inside. If she had to leave, she didn't want to have to say goodbye. After all, she might cross their paths sometime in the future.
Nika went back to her room and grabbed her bag. Downstairs was just as rowdy as it had been when she arrived, only a few minutes ago. She caught La Volpe's gaze as she passed through the lounge; her mentor was watching her progress from a corner of the room he usually inhabited, the shadows nearly devouring him whole. Nika didn't approach him. Instead, she left through the front door, leaving her past behind, and approaching a new future.