(So ya, this is a continuation of my first story Creed of the Dark Phoenix, which you can find on quizilla. The A.C. 2 story continues on, and yes, Fenice is immortal...You'll learn all about it once you read the first one. I will upload Creed of D.P. on here soon, but I'm thinking of editing the whole thing since I wrote it a while ago.) oh, and Assassin's Creed 2, Auditories and everything else but the Character Dark Phoenix belong to Ubisoft (Ubersoft, I love this company ^-^)
Night turned to day as several fireworks lit up the sky. Below, crowds of dancers flocked together in a rainbow of colors, celebrating the yearly carnival in Venice. Many of the participants wore masks to add to the festivity. Off to the side was a dock where gondolas would drop off their passengers then gracefully leave so another could enter. One such vessel carried a well known family from Florence.
"I wish Petruccio could have come," The youngest female of the group said, "He would have loved the fireworks and acrobats."
"We all wish he were here Claudia," The other woman replied, placing a hand on her daughter's shoulder, "But his illness has made him too weak for such excitement."
As they were talking, the gondola was guided to the dock and patiently waited for them to walk off the boat.
"Ezio, can you help your sister?" Giovanni Auditorie asked while he himself supported his wife till she was on firm ground.
Ezio Auditorie, the second oldest son nodded. "Of course Padre!" The nobleman jumped onto the dock before he reached out a hand for Claudia to grasp.
"Federico, are you coming?" He called to the oldest son of the family, who was also the last to leave their transportation.
"Why are you in such a hurry?" He asked as he placed an arm around Ezio's shoulder.
"You know exactly why." Ezio steered them over to a large group of giggling women and smiled at the girls, making them gasp and blush heatedly.
"Take your pick." He said, pushing Federico in front of him.
The older brother looked over the girls and held out his hand to a fair haired lady wearing a sky blue dress.
While Federico was inviting her to be his partner, Ezio glanced around at the crowd, seeing if he recognized anyone. Instead, a woman near the edge of the dancers caught his attention. She turned towards him and they locked eyes. As they were studying each other, the Auditorie was pretty sure he'd never met this woman even though her face was hidden by a mask shaped like a fiery bird. Sapphire swirls accented it and made the mask more exotic. She smiled and Ezio turned to his brother.
"Who is she?" He asked, pointing in the woman's direction.
Federico turned to look, but she had disappeared.
"I don't see anyone."
"She was just there!" Ezio exclaimed, looking around at the people, "I saw her!"
"Ah, you have a mystery woman." His brother said, smiling mischievously, "Why don't you ask if anybody's seen her."
"Good idea..."
"But, you should have at least one dance before you spend all night chasing after her," Federico cut in, "That's what you came here for right?"
Ezio smirked and patted his sibling on the shoulder. "Oh alright." He turned and walked over to a nearby group of women.
"May I have this dance?" He asked a pretty dark haired girl. Her mask looked like a green and violet butterfly and she was wearing a light purple sleeveless gown decorated with pearls. The woman giggled and smiled triumphantly at her glowering friends before she allowed Ezio to lead her onto the dance floor. He stayed near the edge so if the woman he had seen earlier would show up, he could easily get to her.
The couples began to dance and he and his partner settled into the rhythm. Just as the song was about to end, the Nobleman glanced at the crowd and spotted his mystery girl. She hadn't noticed him yet and was staring absently at the acrobats.
"I regret to say this, but I must meet someone." Ezio said, never taking his eyes off the figure for fear of losing her again. "Thank you for the dance." His companion sighed in regret, but she nodded and went off to rejoin her jealous friends.
The Auditorie slowly walked towards his target, not wanting to startle her and also the study the young woman. She was wearing a slim black dress highlighted with reds, golds and different shades of blue to compliment the mask. Her shoulders were bare and the top layer of the dress skirt looked like black and gold feathers were sewn into the cloth. Her dark hair was cut short and styled to look like wings.
When Ezio was only a few feet away, she turned and noticed him. With wide eyes, the woman tried to escape, but he took hold of her arm.
"Wait! I just want to talk to you."
She stared at him and he caught a look of deep sorrow in her golden brown eyes. "You don't want to know me." She said. He accent was different, and Ezio couldn't put a finger on where she was from, but he definitely knew she wasn't a local.
"Why is that?" He answered, leaning closer. She shivered. closing her eyes as Ezio's breath stirred her hair at the nape of her neck. He could feel her relaxing and smiled. But then she started and pulled away from him. Realizing he'd have no chance trying to win her over that way, Ezio held out his arms, his palms facing upward in a gesture of surrender.
"Please, at least dance with me." He said, smiling innocently.
"I-I don't think that would be wise." She exclaimed halfheartedly, wanting to leave, but somehow not able to.
"Well then, what did you come here for?" Ezio asked, lowering his arms and throwing on a confused look.
She looked at him then sighed, holding out a hand for him to take. "Oh alright, one dance...as long as you get off my back about it afterwords."
Inside, Ezio was jumping up and down in sweet victory as he lead his new partner towards the dancers. A new song started and the Auditorie put one of his hands around her waist. The other clasped her left hand and they began to dance to the music.
"What's your name?" Ezio asked as they swirled through the other couples.
"I'm asking the first question, since you're the one who convinced me to dance." She said, her eyes sparkling in amusement, "Why were you the one to first notice me?"
"Well, I guess I have sharp observation skills. My entire family has."
The woman mumbled something under her breath that sounded to Ezio like "Boy, do I know" But he didn't ask about it.
"Now it's my turn. Where are you from?"
"I was born far away from Italia, but I plan to live here for a while. I don't really have a permanent home since I never stay in one place more than a couple years."
"That's a shame, someone as beautiful as you should have a place so you can be protected." He flirted, giving her one of his seductive smiles.
Ignoring the gesture, she answered, "I can take care of myself, besides, I like to wander, exploring the world and discovering things."
"Would you like to wander over and meet my family then?"
"That wouldn't be a good idea." The woman frowned, looking around at the other dancers.
"Why?"
"Because the song just ended and I need to leave." Before Ezio could react, his partner had slipped away. She began to walk away, but stopped and turned around.
"My name is Fenice by the way, or Phoenix." She smiled and disappeared into the crowd, immediately blending in.
The young Auditorie scanned the area, trying to figure out where she had gone, but it was impossible to catch even a glimpse of her unique colored dress. Sighing in defeat, he joined his parents who were watching the fireworks.
"Having a good time Ezio?" Giovanni asked.
"Yes, but..." The nobleman lapsed into silence, reluctant to tell them about Fenice.
"Federico told us you had a mystery girl," His mother Maria said, "Did you find out who she was?"
Realizing they already knew about her, he began to tell them what had happened, getting more excited as he ventured farther into their encounter and when he and Fenice had danced.
"And then she just disappeared!" He finished, throwing out his arms in agitation, "I would have introduced you to her, but this girl, she's like water, always slipping from your grasp, but essential for survival."
"I thin big brother's madly in love." A voice behind him said. Ezio turned to see Claudia with a smile on her face. "Now all you need to do is stick with it and not chase after all the other girls."
"I intend to," He answered, "The only problem is I can't find her."
"Things that truly belong to you have a tendency of always coming back." Giovanni answered as he looked upwards at the sky.
Above the celebration, a group of three stone gargoyles seemed to keep guard over the city of Venice. Shadow melted into life as the middle one stood and turned its head to watch the people below. The figure smiled as they noticed Ezio talking excitedly to his sister.
"You never should have given him your name." A voice behind exclaimed.
Fenice spun around and almost kicked the man who had spoken in the head, but right at the last moment she checked herself.
"Giovanni! You NEVER sneak up on me if you want to live to be an old man!"
The Auditorie held up his hands and shrugged. "I wanted to see if you were as skilled as all the rumors say."
"You are the Master Assassin! You're supposed to know everything that goes on."
"And you are over 200 years old."
"What does that have to do with anything?" She asked, stepping away from the roof's edge.
"First, with all those years to practice, it's no wonder you have better honed abilities than all of us combined, and second, you've had more time to learn things. You're a walking history lesson!"
Fenice was silent as she thought about what he had said.
"Why did you reveal yourself to Ezio?"
"He reminded me of someone." Fenice answered sadly, recalling lost memories.
"Would that someone be Altair the Flyer?" Giovanni gently asked.
"How did you know" She stared at him in surprise.
"Mario my brother and I have collected some of the codex pages he left behind."
"Your son looks almost exactly like him," Fenice said, staring at Ezio, "He doesn't have a scar on his lip like Altair did though, and he has a bolder personality." She shifted her weight, turning away from the roof and looking up at the sky.
"How is the thieves guild doing here?" Giovanni asked, changing the subject when he realized Fenice was getting a little uncomfortable.
In response, the black assassin smiled, grateful for a change.
"They're doing fine; Antonio is always talking about you and wondering when you'll come visit." She looked at the carnival below one last time, "I'd better get going."
"Do you have a place to sleep?" The Auditorie asked.
"I can always find a bed with Venezia's underworld, don;t worry about me."
"I never worry, in fact, I feel sorry for anyone who would dare cross you."
"You assume too much." Fenice said, uneasiness in her eyes, "There's one who surpasses even me and he in my enemy. What's worse, I don't know where he's been for over a hundred years. He might even be in Italia, watching the assasins." She turned to Giovanni, "You're the one who needs to be careful."
"I will."
Fenice nodded, then turned around and began to run, leaping over the rooftops as easily as if she were traveling over level ground. The moon lit her way as brightly as the sun. Her footsteps were so quiet, not one of the guards was alerted to her presence. When the assassin neared her destination, she dropped down into the streets and calmly walked over to the entrance to the thieves guild.
"And where have you been?" A voice from above exclaimed, "You still haven't given me a combat lesson!"
"Sorry Rosa, I heard Giovanni Auditorie was in Venezia and I wanted to visit."
The girl jumped down and walked over the Fenice. "How is he? We haven't heard from him for a while."
"He's fine, but getting anxious because of the event that's coming up soon. Let's just hope he doesn't get himself killed." She walked over to the door that lead to her quarters. "If you don't mind, could we do that lesson tomorrow? I'm feeling a little tired."
Rosa nodded and smiled. "I'll be waiting for you then." With that, the thief climbed up a building and disappeared over the roof.
Fenice stared after the girl, a frown on her face. For some reason, fear wormed its way into her whenever she thought of what Giovanni was planning in Firenze. "Be safe brother." She thought as the assassin opened her door and closed it. The sound it made seemed like the door was closing off something final in the future.