Realization

(For the context of this scene, it is based off of a forum roleplaying game in which characters from various works of fiction are brought into the real world. In that game, Ezio Auditore and Selina Kyle from Arkham City met and formed a bit of a partnership, and then found out the truth that they were actually created as a form of entertainment and didn't "really" live their lives. Obviously this scene will contain spoilers from Assassin's Creed 2, so if you haven't played the game, you may want to refrain from reading.)

It had taken some time for Selina to come to terms, at least long enough to function properly, that her life had been a lie. It was just a story forged by a team of people for the entertainment of the masses. She was famous for it on a level she never dreamed of. It soon occurred to her that perhaps Ezio and Lili were just as famous, or at least just as well known to the public as she was. If that was the case, and they came from video games like she did, perhaps she could find something out about them on a more personal and detailed level.

Oddly enough, nothing had come up when she searched for Lili. There was no Lilianna Angela. No films, books, comics, cartoons, or video games featured anybody of that name, and Selina already assumed that it was probably an alias. Maybe she would be in better hands of she did the same. Ezio as well, especially if they wanted to continue to live in secret.

However, Ezio Auditore da Firenze had more than enough information leaked online. When she found several links to Youtube, Selina knew she was about to cross a line and was unsure of where that was going to lead her.

On the one hand, she would have a very intimate understanding of this man she promised to stay with. She'd learn what sort of person he was behind closed doors and amongst his friends and enemies. She'd learn if she really could trust him in spite of everything.

On the other hand, she would be disrespecting his privacy and boundaries completely. His past would no longer be a secret to her. She also acknowledged that when the time came and he learned to search information on her game, there were plenty of Youtube videos at his disposal as well. If she didn't want him digging through her past, she owed him the curtosy of not digging through his. And yet when she found several hours worth of videos, she knew she had already made up her decision.

Her Ezio seemed to come from the game Assassin's Creed II: Brotherhood, but there was an earlier game where he first made his appearence: Assassin's Creed 2. It seemed appropriate to start there. Better to know the man he used to be and how it led up to who he was now. Maybe then she'd decide if she would continue looking up more information on him.

The minute they had some downtime, Selina had excused herself. She told him there was something she needed to do and asked him not to follow after her for a few hours at best. Whether he'd respect these wishes or not, she wasn't sure. Then again, she couldn't blame him if he ended up spying on her after what she had in store for him.

So here she was, in a hidden place far from her two new companions, prepared to dedicate a few hours watching game cutscenes of Ezio.

From the very beginning, her conscience already started to eat away at her. The first scenes of his birth, of his father encouraging a seemingly stillborn child to fight for his life, already made her reconsider turning off the laptop and walking away from this here and now. These memories already felt too intimate and personal just for her to invade in on, but still she continued. She saw the young, handsome Ezio Auditore at age seventeen, his relationship with his mother and siblings, his romance with the girl who was murdered, the execution of his family, his training, everything.

Some parts made her smile, such as Ezio learning how to blend, sneak, and steal with the aid of prostitutes. Even some aspect of this character reminded her of Bruce Wayne to an extent. Tragic death in the family, vigilante hero, protector of the people, can fly to an extent in the nighttime, although Ezio certainly had a little more personality.

This is turning into a running gag, Selina.

Other parts, however, moved her to the point of tears. The murder of his younger brother, a little boy perhaps no older than twelve. How scared he must have been with that rope around his neck before that angry crowd. The trauma of Ezio's mother, who was once so proud and dignified and now rendered this way. Oddly enoguh, she found his failed romance with Cristina to be particularly painful to watch. She wasn't expecting to empathize so much with the girl while at the same time feel for Ezio. Her death quite possibly was worse to watch than the execution. She understood perfectly well why that memory still haunted the assassin to this day.

Selina invested at least four or five hours of watching gameplay and cutscenes that spanned over a significant part of Ezio's lifetime. Everything he had been through over ten years seemed to have changed and developed him for the better (so far, at least). She even felt some amount of pride when he was initiated into the creed. Permenantly sticking to a guild wasn't something Selina could ever truly commit herself to. She was a neutral party, out for herself, and benefitted by keeping contacts and maintaining connections. Despite that, this life seemed to be important enough for him and she was impressed with everything he was capable of, physically and mentally. The battles he won, how he scaled buildings with little effort, solved ancient puzzles and mysteries, all things considered she had found a good partner given their current circumstances.

Ezio's words at the execution of Girolamo Savonarola to her the most on a personal level. Her life had always been an honest one, following nobody but herself and her own will. While there were lines in the sand she knew not to cross and personal codes she chose to live by, all of her decisions had been hers entirely. There was nobody to tell her what and how to think, nobody who provided all the answers she sought. Her own wild life was free, even if it always came with severe consequences. It seemed strange that this stranger seemed to understand this better than anybody else she had met. It seemed strange how, this man who had been alive centuries before she was born (or created) had seemed to be speaking directly to her.

But the final scenes of the games, Minerva, the Apple, The Papal Staff, Desmond, everything else seemed beyond her understanding. By the time she had gone through an entire compiliation of Assassin's Creed 2 cutscenes, Selina knew she had seen enough. If she really wanted to find out more about it to fill in the blanks, it would require more hours of watching cutscenes. As intriguing as that may have been, she just didn't have the time for it. It was time to go back and wouldn't do to have Ezio believe she had been killed off or something.

The return back to their little safe haven was a long one. So many thoughts and feelings rushed through her and for a moment she wondered how she was going to face him again, knowing what she knew now. It didn't seem appropriate to tell him what she had done right away, though she had no doubt he'd find out on his own someday. What that would do to their partnership, she didn't really know. By the time she made it back, she slipped in through the back window rather than the one that led to the bedroom. She knew Ezio well enough to know that's where he'd be waiting for her. As she walked through the studio, she placed the laptop on a table in the hallway and left it there. As far as she knew, the minute he saw her with it he'd probably put two and two together immediately and that wasn't something she was ready to face right now.

She was halfway up the stairs and heard his footsteps. Within moments she saw Ezio at the top of the stairs witing for her. She looked up at him and caught a very good look at his face.

It felt like she hadn't seen him in years. It was so strange to see how much he had changed from the boy on the cathedral rooftop standing under the stars with his brother to the man at the top of the stairs. And yet that part of him had still remained despite everything that had happened to him. Ezio must have noticed that look on her face because he came down the stairs in a hurry.

"Selina?" she felt his hands on her shoulders. "You were gone for so long. What were you doing? Selina?"

She must have still had that lost look in her eyes. He knew something was wrong, but she couldn't bring herself to speak. All those years of professional thievery and cunning and yet at this moment she had no alibi, no explanation, and no convicing acting display. Without thinking, her hands moved to his face and she looked right into his eyes.

"Selina? What is it, mio caro? What happened?"

She opened her mouth to speak and was shocked when she heard her own breath quivering. Tears built up in her eyes even though she wasn't entirely sure what had moved her so much. Without a word, Selina Kyle closed the space between them and buried her face into his chest. Ezio's arms were around her instantly. He didn't say anything or ask further questions and while Selina was grateful for the silence, that didn't mean it wasn't driving her completely mad.

It's too late to take back what I did. I guess now I just owe it to him to not look further into this.