Carmilla crouched lowly on the beam off the Borgia tower. The hay stack in the middle of the wooden platform burned widely behind her. The flames were high enough for her comrades in the Assassin's tower halfway across the city to see it. A guard ran at her shouting in a dialect she didn't understand.

She pointed at him and smiled. She yanked her hood over her eyes and dove off the tower. She free fell through the air with her arms at her sides. She pulled them in as the ground quickly approached. She held them close to her chest and twisted so her back hit the hay pile in the cart below the Borgia tower. She sunk nearly to the bottom.

She laughed to herself as she jerked herself into a sitting position. Her head barely appeared out of the hay. A hand grasped hers underneath the hay. She let herself be pulled out and propelled over the cart onto her feet.

She landed gracefully in the midst of a busy Roman street.

"Thanks, LaF," Carmilla said to the doctor who had assisted her so many times.

"You owe me, assassin," LaF stated pointing at her.

Carmilla shrugged and threw out her arms as reached a ladder on a building behind her friends' view.

"That inn down the street, owned by what's her name, Perry. I'll meet you for drinks just after sunset," Carmilla shouted with an excited nod.

A few people on the street made awkward eye contact with her. She attempted to break it and focused on the more established members of court.

Carmilla quickly scaled the ladder to the rooftop.

She made her way across several buildings. She then landed on a building covered with Borgia guards. She quickly jumped to a different one. Carmilla scanned the outer rooftops. She was perched on the top of a roof between two stores and taking in the action happening below her.

One of the Borgia leaders was talking to the solider that was leading the new assault against the citizens. It had been decided there was too much civil unrest and anyone seen showing opposition to the Borgia was being arrested.

Carmilla had been charged with tracking the solider. His name was Theo, he joined the army as a teenager and liked to patronize a brothel near the river. She was getting information on him. Her mentor hadn't decided if he was a target yet.

She heard a struggle and a scream that seemed to be coming from the other side of the building. She scurried toward it and away from Theo and the others who turned at the noise. Carmilla leaned over the edge of the other side of the roof and saw what was causing the commotion.

Two Borgia soldiers were trying to subdue a small woman between them. Carmilla smiled for a moment. She looking comically small beside them but was still putting up a pretty good fight. But then the solider behind her put his arms around her neck and she struggled against him. The second one started to come at her.

Carmilla peered at the other side of the roof. Hopefully this all didn't end horribly.

She flipped out her hidden blade and jumped off the roof. She landed on the second soldier and drove her blade into his neck. With the horrible noise he made as he died and the spray of blood, the first soldier was caught off guard enough for the woman to turn him around. Carmilla grabbed him by the shoulder and stabbed him in the neck. He collapsed in the pool of blood beside the other.

"What the-what-whoa," the woman spattered as she backed away slightly.

"Uh-huh," Carmilla said as she kicked the lever on the pulley platform behind her, grabbed the rope and propelled herself back onto the roof top. She rushed across and crouched down again.

The Borgia leader was handing two rolled up pieces of parchment to Theo. They looked too big to be letters, probably maps.

"Hey," the woman said from behind Carmilla.

Carmilla spun around and saw her standing a few feet behind her. "How did you get up here?"

"I climbed the wall," she said with a shrug. "I didn't get a chance to thank you for saving me."

"You're welcome, cupcake." She turned back to watch her target. "Now leave or you are going to blow my cover."

Carmilla had thought the woman obeyed her until she appeared, crouched beside her.

"What are you doing?" Carmilla demanded.

She was ignored as the young woman leaned forward a bit to see what Carmilla was looking at. Carmilla glanced over at her.

She was turning out differently then she thought she would. But then Carmilla hadn't thought much about what she would be like when she jumped down to save her. She seemed a few years younger than her. She was wearing all men's clothes. Each piece looked faded and torn like she had wearing it for too long.

Every exposed inch of skin was smeared with dirt or soot. Between that and the dramatic way her hair was braided into both sides of her head, Carmilla found her much more intimidating up close than she did from the roof top.

"Is that one Theo, the new leader?" she asked still looking at the men.

Carmilla pulled her eyes from her. "Yeah, he is rounding up everyone for–"

"'Civil unrest'," she finished with a scoff. "Which is just another faux protective way for the Borgia to arrest anyone who disagrees with them."

Carmilla peered over at her again. This time she noticed and meet her eyes. She seemed to take a moment to decide if she would say anything.

"My father was arrested about five years ago," she stated.

"Is he…" Carmilla suddenly found herself too nervous to finish asking.

"I don't know," she looked back at the men. "Last time I got word, he was in the Borgia dungeons. I don't have any money or anyway to help him unless…" she shrugged at Carmilla with a smile and wide-eyes.

"What?" she replied cautiously.

"Oh come on, you're with the Assassins aren't you?"

"Yeah, but I can't just–"

"I know," she said excitedly. "That isn't what I'm asking. I want to be able to help him myself someday."

"Wait, are you asking me to recruit you?" Carmilla inquired.

"Yes, please."

"Sorry, cutie. I don't do recruits anymore," Carmilla replied, looking away from her and down at the men again.

"I can climb, I can fight pretty well. I know these streets, I know the people. I can help. Let me prove myself," she pleaded.

Carmilla gazed at her. She was already annoying her, but in a nice kind of way. And her mentor would be pleased if she came back with a recruit.

"Fine. You can come along with me on my next mission. But I should probably learn your name so I know what to write on the tombstone when you get yourself killed."

"Very funny. And it's Laura."

"Carmilla."

***
"We just have to climb it. That isn't even hard," Laura said over her shoulder to Carmilla as she grabbed the lowest ledge.

"Wait a second, creampuff," Carmilla said as she pulled her back. "There are guards on each level. We either have to get pass them without being seen or take them out without anyone else seeing."

"And then we get the letters with Borgia seals out of the top room?" Laura asked.

"Or anything with the Templar crest," Carmilla said uncertainly. She didn't think that was going to happen but it had been given to her as an objective. It wasn't her place to question.

"All right," Laura asked excitedly. "So, can we go?" she motioned to the tower.

"Do you even have a weapon?" Carmilla asked.

Laura nodded and then pulled a very small knife out of her boot.

Carmilla sighed in annoyance. She undid the clasp of one of her sword belts. She walked over and placed it around Laura.

"You can take the short sword," she told her as she fastened the belt around her. "Just use it sparingly."

"I will."

"Good, now we can go," Carmilla stated.

Carmilla figured Laura would fall behind a bit but she was nearly at Carmilla's side the entire time. They reached the first balcony. Carmilla motioned for Laura to hang back as she peered over the legend. A guard had just turned the corner out of sight and the other seemed to be lagging behind.

Carmilla peered down to Laura. They both quickly jumped up the length of the balcony. They scaled to the next level and past it without a problem. They were approaching the top room. Carmilla motioned to the open window and Laura nodded. She was closer and slid in first. Carmilla heard a yelp. She jumped onto the window ledge and saw a man coming toward Laura, who was hunched on the ground below her.

Carmilla launched herself off the ledge and pierced the man's neck with her hidden blade. She yanked her blade out of his neck and pulled her herself off his dead body. She turned back to Laura.

She was shakily getting to her feet. "Borgia seals, Templar crests," she said before Carmilla could ask her anything.

Carmilla nodded. She started looking through the bookshelves and tables against the walls. She found a letter with a Borgia seal. It just seemed to be simple guard instructions but she shoved it into the leather pouch on her belt anyway.

"Whoa, what is this?" Laura asked.

Carmilla turned to her. She held up a wooden craving that seemed to be glowing.

"No idea," Carmilla stated as she walked toward her.

"Should we take it?" Laura said with a smile.

Carmilla was about to reply when she heard a clambering in the hallway.

She starting nudging Laura to the window. "Out now."

"But I didn't finish searching the desk," Laura admitted as she starting climbing out the window.

Carmilla groaned as she glanced from the window to the desk in a panic. "Get to the roof. I'll meet you in a second."

Laura hesitated then nodded and climbed out. Carmilla hurried over to the desk. She found two papers with Borgia seals under average looking maps. She pulled open the draws. Only the last one had something worth her attention in it. It was an envelope with a Templar crest and a burn mark the size of craving Laura had grabbed. She shoved it into her pouch and rushed to the window.

She reached for the roof shingles once she was outside but a hand grasped her instead and pulled her up.

"Thanks," Carmilla told Laura as she reached the roof beside her.

"Yeah, maybe don't thank me so fast. We have a plan from here?"

Carmilla stood and peered over the circular tower ledge on all sides. The sun was nearly set and she could barely see the roof tops below her.

"Dammit," Carmilla huffed. "We are going to have to climb down until we reach those rooftops."

Laura leaned over to see where she was motioning too. "Holy really far."

"Have you ever heard of a Byzantine hook blade?" Carmilla asked her young recruit with a smile.

"A what? No," Laura replied, giving Carmilla the answer she expected. "Is it going to get us out of this situations before those soldiers reach us?"

"At least until those rooftops," Carmilla stated as she unlaced her hidden blade and replaced it with the hook blade from her belt.

She flipped out the hook blade and stood with her back to the roof's edge. She took a deep breathe.

"Well come hang on. I only have the one," Carmillla stated, motioning for Laura to hang onto her.

"Wait, I have to… "

"No time to be coy, cupcake. The soldiers are coming."

Laura nervously walked over and clasped her arms around Carmilla's neck. She turned her head to look up at her but quickly looked down when she realized how close their lips where.

"We have to run as soon as we hit the roofs. You ready?" Carmilla asked, suddenly feeling far more nervous with Laura so close to her.

She nodded eagerly. "Yeah, of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Ok," Carmilla exhaled nervously. "1,2,3."

She jumped backwards. She let them freefall for a moment until she pressed her hook blade against the wall of the tower. They continued down for a moment more until the blade caught a window's edge.

Laura gasped and held Carmilla tighter. Carmilla looked down.

"A little bit further, cupcake," she replied.

"Ugh, hurry up," Laura answered.

"Hmm, not enjoying yourself then?" Carmilla asked, but she released her blade and sent them down before the younger girl could answer.

Carmilla hooked the wall just above the rooftops. Laura quickly jumped down and Carmilla unhooked. The assassin peered up and heard yelling and dodged back.

"Run now!" Carmilla instructed.

They both took off across the rooftops.

"What was that?" Laura yelled as something hit the shingles between them as they ran.

"Poison knives," Carmilla said. She took Laura's hand. "Come on there is a garden this way."

They made their way over the roofs of a few more buildings and leaped the length of one alley before Carmilla pulled Laura into the rooftop garden. Carmillla landed hard on her back and she pulled Laura on top of her.

"Uh," Laura reacted at their closeness.

"Shh," Carmilla responded.

Carmilla was peering at the wall of the garden and breathing heavily but quietly. Laura was trying not to focus on how beautifully she looked with her raven hair falling perfectly around her neck and shoulders but this was the first time she had truly seen it. Her hood had fallen onto her back sometime between them escaping the Borgia tower and laying atop each other on rooftop somewhere.

Carmilla turned her head back to look at Laura and peered up with her eyes and mouth directly below hers. They lingered there for a moment before Laura inched down. Her lips met Carmilla's and they kissed eagerly. Neither had felt that close to someone in such a long time.

But the sweet moment was broken when they heard yelling outside the garden. Carmilla perked up but stared at the wall of the garden confused. Laura laughed a bit and smiled.

"What?" she pried in a whisper.

"You don't know Italian that well do you?" Laura asked with a smile.

"Everyone uses dialects and words I don't recognize. So, yes it had been a bit of a problem," Carmilla admitted annoyed.

"Holy Roman Empire?" Laura guessed at the accent.

"Austria," Carmilla answered.

"My second guess," Laura added with a grin.

"Of course," Carmilla answered. "Now, do you know what they said?"

"They think we are basic thieves and that we went the other way," Laura told her.

"Good, please get off me now," Carmilla stated.

"Right, of course," Laura said as she rolled off her and got to her feet.

Carmilla climbed out of the roof garden and Laura followed.

"So, uh, did I pass?" Laura asked as she hurried after Carmilla who started making her way across the rooftops again.

"What?"

"Like do I get to be an assassin now?" Laura asked excited.

"You have my recommendation. That is your first test. Now you just have to get my mentor's approval."

"Is there where we are headed now?" Laura asked as they dropped off a rooftop, onto an awning and down into the street.

"No," Carmilla stated. "Now, we are headed to an inn. I promised a friend I would meet them for drinks."

"Wait, which tavern?" Laura asked.

"The one just around the corner for here near where we…met."

"Perry's inn?" Laura asked excitedly.

"Yeah. You know Perry?" Carmilla asked.

Laura nodded eagerly and was nearly jumping with excitement. "She lets me stay there sometimes when there are empty rooms. And I do odd jobs for her occasionally."

Carmilla felt a desperate need to ask the girl again about her living situation but she quickly pulled open the door to Perry's inn and nearly ran to the bar. Carmilla slowly followed her.

"Assassin, you're late," LaF said from their barstool, oddly only one empty one was left between them and Laura.

Carmilla took the empty one and pushed her hood onto her back. "Well hey, did you have a good time in my absence?"

LaF gazed at her skeptically. "Yes, but doesn't mean I'm not ann–. Fine, thank you," they admitted.

"You're welcome," Carmilla said with a smile.

LaF's attention was drawn away from Carmilla anyway when the beautiful, curly-haired inn keeper they had been pining after for months appeared before them.

"Hi Perry, can I get an ale?" Carmilla asked.

But she was ignored and Perry directed all her attention to Carmilla's left.

"Little Laura, what are you doing with these two?" Perry asked seemingly scolding the girl.

"I'm not getting myself into any trouble. Carmilla's with the assassins. She is going to train me and then I can be one of them like I always dreamed about. And maybe one day I'll be able to get into the dungeons and save my dad," Laura excitedly informed the angry looking bartender.

"Aw, fuck," Carmilla whispered down into the bar.

LaF patted her shoulder. "Yeah this is going to go badly for you, friend."

"May I speak with you in private, Carmilla?" Perry demanded.

Carmilla groaned but quickly stood.

"You sit here with LaFontaine, Little Laura. I will be back in a moment."

Perry stormed over to the storage area to the right of then bar. Carmilla followed, knowing this would not go well.

"What were you thinking recruit an innocent, young girl like her?" Perry instantly scolded.

"I didn't," Carmilla shot back.

"Clearly, you have."

"It wasn't like that. I didn't go looking for a recruit. She found me more than I found her."

"How could you even want to after what happen to the last recruits the two of you had?" Perry pleaded.

Carmilla bit the inside of her lip forcefully. "I didn't. I saved a girl on the street from being harassed by two Borgia guards."

"You must have known I would disagree with this," Perry added.

"I didn't know you knew her until 10 seconds before we walked in here," Carmilla stated.

"She didn't," Laura said nervously as she leaned around the wall of the storage area. "Carmilla had no idea that I knew you or that I've been waiting to join the assassins for years. She just jumped off a roof to save me this morning and then let me come with her to prove that I could be an assassin too."

Perry looked anxiously from Laura to Carmilla.

"Promise me she isn't going to be the next Ell or JP," Perry said sadly and seriously to Carmilla.

Carmilla nodded. "I promise."

Perry looked to Laura. She quickly went over and let Perry hug her tightly. Carmilla felt uncomfortable for a moment, like she was pulling Laura away from her family but based on the way Laura had explained it to her her family was in a Borgia dungeon somewhere and she needed Carmilla's help to break him out.

Part of Laura's family might be left behind in that tavern but Carmilla knew it was the same for her. Her goodbye wasn't going to be the same. She peered back to the bar.

LaF raised their glass. Carmilla nodded in respond. It wasn't as big of a deal for them. They had separated this way a handful of times since they reached Roma.

Carmilla strolled outside Perry's inn and into the street as she had every other time. Laura seemed nervous and grabbed her hand.