Hello, and thanks for reading! This is my first Assassin's Creed fanfiction. I'm going to try and include real people and events from this time period. Constructive criticism is welcomed with hugs! ^.^

...

March 23rd, 1503

"Dio mio, I'm getting so sick and tired of this."

The lone hooded figure (not so) silently made his way through the crowded streets of Roma. It was another tedious day, and to Giovanni Gugliemi, it was absolutely horrible. He was being sent out on a food run for the hideout. Almost everything had gone wrong for him lately- he had failed his contract on a corrupt politician, been pursued by guards, and he was pretty sure there was hay in places he really didn't want to talk about.

He made his way along the avenues of the city. Beggars clung to the nooks and crannies, occasionally darting out to grab a dropped florin. The tired eyes of citizens never gave him a second glance. Giovanni sighed. He reluctantly stopped by a particularly skinny old beggar and passed him a few florins.

Of course, this rare gesture of kindness just had to be noticed by a horde of money-starved minstrels. The group descended upon him. He shrieked as they buzzed around him like flies to a carcass ; snatches of ballads and love songs assaulted his ears.

"Dio mio! Vaffanculo!" A lute smashed him in the face. "Get off of me!" Frantically scrambling to escape the vicious attack, he elbowed his way out of the group and ran the rest of the way to the market. Giovanni finally arrived at his destination: a farmer's stand. Grabbing the edges of the table, he took deep gasps of breath. Looking up into the shocked face of the woman attending to the stand, he quickly plastered a smile onto his thin face.

"Salve, my dear lady. I need the usual order as quickly as possible."

The woman working the stall stared at him, then noted his unusual, white outfit and rolled her eyes. She proceeded to load up most of her stock into a crate and heaved it onto the stand.

"That'll be six hundred florins."

Giovanni grabbed at his money bag.

"Porca vacca! Those...minstrel cretins!"

The woman at the stand quirked an eyebrow. "Is there a problem?"

Giovanni glanced at her, then back to the empty space where his money bag should have been. Attempting a smile, he began to pat at his pockets.

"Ahm..no. No problem. Nope, not at all."

By this time, he was digging through every single bag he possessed, muttering obscenities about minstrels as he went. The woman working the stall was getting rather impatient. Carelessly thrusting his hand into a pouch, he cried out as a throwing knife jabbed him.

Cursing, Giovanni at last closed everything and paused, a pained smile on his face. "Uh, Madonna, I'm short on florins at the moment. Is there a way I could pay you later?"

The woman groaned. " Dio mio, can't you keep your coin purse safe? It's almost sad. I thought you people were experts."

Giovanni was fascinated with the intricate patterns the pebbles below his feet created.

"You better pay me back."

Giovanni looked up. "Really? Grazie!" The gangling man flashed a genuine smile at her and grabbed the crate. Turning, he began walking back to the hideout.

"Hey!"

Turning back around, he noticed the saleswoman waving at him. He tentatively smiled and tried to wave with half an arm.

"Tell Ezio he can visit me again whenever he likes!"

Groaning, Giovanni turned back around and tried not to listen to the giggling behind him. And she had been pretty, too.

…...

Setting the box down, he threw open the door to the Tiber Island hideout. Grabbing the crate once again, he cautiously edged down the stairway.

Finally, he reached the bottom and set the food on the nearest table. Stretching, he began to wander through the base. He eventually found another trainee reading in the back of the art gallery.

"Ciao, Alfonso. How did your contract go?"

The burly man lifted his gaze from the novel and scrutinized Giovanni. "It was a success, as usual. I heard yours didn't go very well," he replied in a deep baritone.

"Um, yeah. It...didn't exactly turn out as I would have liked," Giovanni replied, shifting his weight uneasily. "So you assassinated that mercenary?"

"Si. He was a strong bastardo, but not very smart. Idiot didn't realize I poisoned the wine."

Giovanni nodded in agreement. "You'd think arsenic would be discovered more. It tastes horrible. But complimenti, Alfonso!"

The other man thanked him. " Oh, and don't worry about your contract. You're the newest recruit here; you'll eventually improve. The Maestro will help you."

With this, Giovanni turned and walked back to the central room of the hideout. Sighing, he pushed his uneven black hair out of his face and made his way to the map of contracts. It looked like most of the trainees would be returning soon.

Cazzo. He would miss the peace.

...

Things are going to pick up in the next chapter.

Reviews are always rewarded with hugs and cookies, my friends! I'll probably update tomorrow. ^.^