March 29th, 1503

It didn't take long for the trainees to arrive. After several successful missions in varying parts of Europe, the group was tired but content. There were ten of them right now; the Maestro had promised more recruits soon. Everyone looked forward to this, for the workload was too heavy on all of them.

Everyone gathered around in the central room of the hideout. Chairs were dragged from other rooms and arranged in a haphazard attempt at a circle. Finally, everyone was seated.

Ugo Ubaldi was the first to speak. "I heard everyone did a great job out there! Now, let's hear some war stories."

There were a few laughs, and one by one the assassins recounted some of their experiences. After a while, all the stories were shared and the assassins fell to enjoying one another's company.

Annetta Abeta, one of three females in the group, turned to Alfonso. "I heard you returned home first. Any new developments while we were out?"

The man nodded. "We have a new recruit."

Gasps and whispers ran through the group. "Who is it?" Ubaldi asked, curious.

"He's an interesting fellow, a Giovanni Gugliemi."

Annetta quirked her head to the side. "Gugliemi? Isn't that the family who publicly announced their... opinions on the Borgia?"

Alfonso nodded. "The Maestro found him being cornered by a few of Cesare's soldiers. Poor bastardo probably would have died. He's not exacly prime Assassin material."

Carlotta Caci interjected. "Where is he now? I haven't seen him yet."

Alfonso shook his head. "I'm not really sure. I haven't seen him since yesterday. He failed his first contract, and that seemed to really upset him."

Sergio Sassano shook his head. "Poor lad. That's always unfortunate. I hope he isn't taking it too hard."

Annetta's face fell. "That's triste! You have no idea where he is? Maybe I could talk to him."

Alfonso chuckled. "Annetta, I'm not sure how much of a help you'd be. He seems pretty uncomfortable around women."

She stood and glanced around the room. "I know, but I may as well try. Plus, I'm kind of curious about the new guy."

…...

As Giovanni paced the rooftops of Roma, he tried to forget about the failure from several days ago. It's not like he would be kicked out of the order...right?

The slick tiles under his feet almost caused him to fall, but he steadied himself and looked down at the ground below him. He knew the Maestro could jump from this high up and land uninjured. Giovanni, of course, didn't dare to try yet, but it didn't hurt to look. Sitting at the edge of the roof, he watched the people below him. He liked being this high up. No one was there to bother him.

"Ciao! You're Giovanni Gugliemi, correct?"

He jumped in surprise and almost slid off of the roof, grabbing wildly for a handhold. Annetta had to grab him and drag the poor man back onto a secure spot. "Le mie scuse! I didn't mean to startle you."

Giovanni studied her warily. The woman was a redhead, and was dressed in the uniform of the Assassins. She wore a steel breastplate and was in peak physical condition. Not the prettiest woman around- she had several unflattering cuts and scars on her young face. Quirking a thin eyebrow at him, she offered a hand to help him up. Gingerly grasping it, Giovanni was heaved to his feet.

She smiled and introduced herself. "I'm sorry to bother you, but I wanted to make sure you were okay. I actually failed my first contract as well, so non siete soli. It makes succeeding that much more satisfying." Grabbing his arm again, she began to walk across the rooftops. "I hope you weren't planning on avoiding all of us. We love new recruits. Let's get back to the hideoout- Maestro Ezio wants to speak with everyone later."

Giovanni was panicking now. "Can't we wait until I've succeeded in doing something? All they know about me is I failed a contract!"

Rolling her eyes, Annetta continued. "Tell you what. I'll help you out a bit."

Giovanni stopped. "Mi scuse? What do you mean, 'help me'?"

Annetta was grinning now. "Do you see that haystack down there?"

Giovanni nodded. "Yes, it's rather far down." Nodding her agreement, she asked, "Why don't you look at it again?"

"Uh, I don't really understand how this is helping me, but okay." He cautiously stepped to the edge of the roof and leaned forward, looking at the haystack. Annetta proceeded to tackle him from behind, throwing them both off of the ledge and into the air. Giovanni screamed, and after what seemed like forever, found himself enveloped in hay.

Jumping out of the haystack, he began hyperventilating. "Dio mio, woman! Ma che cazzo? Merda! Sono quasi morto!"

Finally catching his breath, he looked up, only to find Annetta wasn't there.

A feeling of dread consumed him. "Annetta? Questo non e divertente!"

Was that a flicker of red hair by that bench? He ceased talking and watched. It looked like the woman...yes, those were Brotherhood robes. Striding towards her, he reached forward to grab her shoulder when he realized she was gone again. Turning around, he saw a figure in white flit behind a building. He groaned. She wanted him to chase her.

Beginning to jog, he turned the corner and found himself in the middle of a bustling market. Where had she gone? Frantically turning every other way, he didn't feel the steel against his throat until it was too late.

"You must lock onto your target and never let her leave your sight," she whispered in his ear. Sheathing the hidden blade, she disappeared once more into the crowd.

Once again, the man tried to find her. There! That was red hair. He ran after the target, who disappeared. Again.

He heard the ring of a sword being unsheathed just before it stopped in front of his vulnerable stomach. Annetta stood in front of him.

"How do you do that?" Giovanni asked, frustrated. "You were right in front of me, but I didn't see you!"

Sheathing her sword, she smiled. "You must learn to blend with the crowd. The citizens will unknowingly become your greatest allies."

Dawning comprehension registered on Giovanni's face. "I get it! You hid in the market because there were so many people here. I couldn't find you because of all the colors and movement around."

She clapped him on the back. "See? You're getting it. Eventually, no matter how you feel, you'll become a true assassin. I'll see you back at the hideout for dinner. You might want to hurry, Alfonso is making lasagna."

With that, she disappeared into the crowd once more, leaving a confused but happy Giovanni to contemplate what he had just learned.

…...

Thank you for reading! Once again, all reviews get hugs ^.^

I might update later today, so be ready for moar! :D