Part 3
I brushed the loose hair out of my ponytail and off my shoulders.
I looked in the mirror and sighed. This was going to be difficult to explain.
When it came to training all the Assassins and Mercenaries, I always challenged them to see if they could cut my hair. None of them ever could, no matter how much training they had.
And Auditore, a punk della strada who could just barely swing a sword, had done it on his first try.
If I didn't act right and play the right moves, they were all gonna know and they would all laugh at me.
I took a deep breathe and marched out of the room.
I walked, confidently to the huge mess hall that we reserved for, only, huge parties.
I stopped right in front of the huge double doors and took another deep breathe.
I pushed both the doors open, making them slam against the walls, as I had always done. I strutted through the mess hall, heading to the head of the table.
As I passed by, all the chattering and drinking silenced. Everyone was looking at me with my new hair cut.
I needed to act as confident as I usually did.
I took my seat next to Maria, Ezio's Mother. Capitano was on the other side of her and at the head of the table. Claudia and Ezio sat across from Maria and me.
Capitano stood up once I was seated. "Benvenuti, amici miei. Tonight, we mourn the loss of one of our fratelli. Giovanni Auditore de Firenze, my bother and the father to my neice and nephew, was executed in Frienze, along with his oldest and youngest sons, Frederico and Petruchio. Let us have a moment of silence and pray that they rest in peace and that their family will survive this hardship."
I bowed my head and gave a little prayer for a man I had only heard incredible stories about. I slightly opened my eyes when I was done and looked at Ezio, his face stricken with grief, anger and determination. I felt a twinge of pain for him.
Everyone lifted their heads from the prayer and Capitano continued. "However, we also celebrate this night; we welcome my nephew, Ezio Auditore de Frienze!"
Ezio stood up and every single man at the table started cheering. He, of course, got cocky and a big smirk spread over his face as he waved to every one.
I was the only one who was not clapping. And Ezio noticed.
He turned his attention, popped his eye brows, winked and puckered his lips.
All the men either burst out laughing, start shouting cat calls, or started saying how I was going to beat Ezio's ass.
I smiled innocently while I grabbed the big serving knife from the roasted pig entree, which was right in front of me.
I stabbed the knife right through the top of the pig's head, showing it no mercy.
The room went dead silent and everyone was looking at me like I was a mad woman. Everyone except for Ezio and Captiano.
Ezio rised his eye brows in surprise but the smirk was still on his face.
And Capitano was... laughing?
"Careful, nipote. If you keep this up, Assassina will make you next week's dinner."
The laughter resumed.
Capitano raised his goblet.
"To Ezio!"
Everyone, save for myself, raised their glasses. "TO EZIO!"
I lightly picked up my goblet and just brought it to my lips, not bothering, even, a half-hearted toast.
The eating, drinking, gossiping, laughing commenced. I sat quietly, eating, not talking to anyone.
Suddenly, I felt something brush against my boot. I knew what it was.
It was Ezio's boot.
I glared at him from beneath my eyelashes.
He still had that irritating smirk on his face.
I breathed a slow sigh and and curled my toes, holding my ground.
He contiued to tap my boot, annoyingly. But, I kept my cool and didn't do anything.
At least, not until he got way to bold.
He ran the tip of his boot all the way up my calf.
I brought my foot around and slammed in down on his foot, holding it in place. I brought my other leg back to slam my foot right into his calf. The impact would have broken his leg if he hadn't ripped form my grasp.
We left each other alone for a while after that.
"Augustina?"
I looked at Claudia.
"Not that it isn't good, but what happened to your hair?"
The table grew silent; everyone was waiting for the answer that they've wanted to here for ages now.
I briefly glared at Ezio, silently telling him to keep his mouth shut.
Then I, casually, said, "I got bored with it."
Suddenly, a dunken laugh came from the other end of the table.
Alonzo Dino.
One of the mercenario.
One of the useless ones.
He was always drunk, slacking off and leering at women; particularly, me.
He stood up from his seat and started sauntering over to me, talking the whole time; "I find this a little too coincidental, don't all of you? Augustina Mignogna, our little Assassina who thinks she's better than all of us has always used those serrature di oro to tease and torment us; she's always challenged us to try and clip her hair and, when we couldn't, she'd call us useless uomini. Now, on the very day that a new student decides to join us, our little gemma decides to loose that taunting... intoxicating hair."
By now, Alonza was standing behind me. He was, subtly smelling my hair. It took all my strength not to break his neck right then and there.
"So, ragazzino, did anything interesting happen in training today?"
Ezio looked between me and Alonzo.
He was going to tell; I just knew he was. It would be his way of getting revenge for all the critizism I gave him during training.
"I'm ashamed to say I couldn't cut her hair either; she's far too skilled for any of us to touch her."
I tried extremely hard to hide my confusion and surprise; why was he lying for me?
I didn't do anything to help him but here he was, saying that he was no better than the men we dined with when he could have started braging about how well he did.
"This is the first time I've seen her with this hair length. I am going to miss all of those fili d'oro. However, this is a most attractive look for our little Assassina."
Ezio smirked again and winked at me.
Alonzo barked a laugh.
"Now, I really see what's going on. Ragazzino turned on his amature charm and Augustina is falling for it. Well, guess what, Ragazzino?"
He yanked on my shoulder, pulling me out of my chair and pressing me to his dirty, hairy chest. His beathe stank of wine and lack of hygine. I pushed against him, trying to get him to let go.
"She's mine, raggazzo. I laid claim to her long before you were walking. So stay away."
That did it. I snapped.
I grabbed my wine goblet and threw the contents right in the man's face.
His eyes imeadiatly started buring and he let go of me so he could rub them.
I took that opportunity to slap him across the face, sending spralling to the floor.
The pervert looked at me, shook, like everyone else in the room.
"I belong to no one. You do not own me. You don't tell me what to do. What I do with my hair is none of your concern. Why I do what I do with my hair is none of your concern. You are nothing more than a ubriaco, bastardo pervertito and that's all you'll ever be. If you dare to try and control me ever again, I will rip your pene off with out any misericordia."
I slammed my goblet down on the table and started marching out of the dinning hall.
"Ora, se sarete tutti mi scusi, la stupidità maschile in questa stanza mi sta facendo male."
I slammed the doors shut behind me.
I ran out of Villa Auditore and started climbing buoldings to work off some steam.
punk della strada - punk of the street
Benvenuti, amici miei – Welcome, my friends
Fratelli - brothers serraturedioro – locks of gold
uomini - men
gemma - gem
ragazzino – little boy
filid'oro – golden locks
raggazzo – ubriaco, bastardo pervertito – drunken, perverted bastard
pene – penis
misericordia – mercy
Ora, se sarete tutti mi scusi, la stupidità maschile in questa stanza mi sta facendo male – Now, if you'll excuse me, the male stupidty in this room is making me sick