And chapter 2, for you! The bet! Haha. I love writing this kind of Ezio and Rosa interaction. It's fun. Hope you like it! Not too much else to say. The first italicized bit is just a refresher from last chapter. Like last time, translations are at the end, but it's not entirely important you know exactly what it means, as long as you have the gist of it.
LALADISCLAIMERLA: Assassin's Creed and all of its characters belong to Ubisoft and I make no claims to ownership of them. I make no financial gains off of this story and have written it purely for entertainment.
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She went back to sipping her wine, watching the crowd of people before them. There was no other party like Carnevale. The whole city was alive with the sounds or music and laughter, and movement of people and lights. She was proud to call Venezia her home. She held her glass in both of her hands and smiled slightly. "I know you love this city. You should just admit it, tesoro."
"There are some things I like…" He said and she could hear the desire in his voice. She turned her head to look at him, but he was staring off into the crowd. Following his line of sight, she tightened her eyes; off in the crowd was a group of prostitutes, swaying their hips suggestively as they danced in their short skirts and low-cut tops. Rosa gritted her teeth, but cooled her temper. Instead of hitting him, as she wanted to, she leaned back against the bar and made an offhanded comment. "Why did you even bother asking me out when you all do is stare at whores?"
"Ah, but where is the challenge in that?" Ezio gave her a sideways glance. She growled softly and went to jab him in the ribs with her elbow, but missed as he moved away and took a seat on the stool next to hers. "As if you have ever been with a woman who was a challenge. You just find the ones most eager to jump into bed with you. I am too much challenge for you."
"No woman is too much of a challenge for me, bella donna." He smirked at her and she glared back in response. She hated his sly, cocky smirk that told her he thought he was the sexiest man alive. So what if he was incredibly charming and handsome? When he acted so cocky, she couldn't help but challenge him. "Up for a bet then, bastardo arrogante?"
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"Always, mia bella rosa." He turned in his stool to face her, his chin tilted up with confidence. Their bets were always the same: Ezio would declare himself the best at something – the best climber, fighter, pickpocket, etc. – and Rosa would not be able to help herself. Though he often won, there had been plenty challenges that ended with her as the victor. To her, this challenge was particularly important: she could not stand Ezio's constant flirting and staring at other women and if she won, it would definitely knock him down a peg or two. She stood up from her stool and brought her arms around his neck. Because he was sitting, their faces were at the same height. She leaned in close and met his gaze, wearing a devious grin. She saw as he glanced down, enjoying his view of her chest, before returning stare to her face. He raised an eyebrow - his mask shifting slightly on his face - smirking as well. "We each pursue one of the partygoers. Whoever can capture their prey first is the winner."
"Va bene." Ezio leaned in closer, less than an inch from her lips. For a second, she thought he would kiss her, but he pulled away soon after to review the crowd. She placed a hand under his chin and turned his head back to look at her. "Patience, bello. I choose."
"We choose for each other, bella." He said, bringing his hand up to touch her nose. She swatted his hand away. "Fair enough."
"Then answer me this, tesoro. How do we win?" Ezio grabbed the hand she used to swat his away and pulled her closer. Now, she leaned over him in the stool, their faces – and lips – were within inches of each other. Her hips pressed against the stool in between his knees. He moved his hands to her waist, holding her in place. Staring into his gorgeous eyes, she found herself at a loss for words. He smirked at her, an evil glint in his eyes. "We could always take them home with us."
"Puttana." Rosa groaned and smacked him lightly in the forehead. He did not seem to mind because he continued to hold her close, though he knew better than to continue the discussion. After a moment, the smile returned to Rosa's lips. "How about a kiss?"
"Any time, amore." Ezio leaned it to kiss her, but she turned her head and his lips met her cheek. She laughed softly as he pulled away and pouted like a child. "I'm talking about our bet, idiota!"
"Just a kiss? How boring…" He mumbled, looking into her eyes with a soft frown on his lips. She gritted her teeth as he spoke, but smiled slyly as he finished. She moved one hand off his neck and slid it onto his cheek. "Let me be more specific…"
She saw the corners of his lips lift as she leaned into him. Their lips met, starting as a soft caress. She pulled back slightly and he parted his lips, following her mouth with his. She paused a moment to smirk at his reaction, then leaned back into him, running her tongue along his parted lips before his tongue came to meet hers. Their mouths fought for dominance as her hands slid over his shoulders, moving even closer so that he had to tilt his head back to kiss her. His hands moved down her hips as he tried to pull her onto his lap – an impossible task with her skirt in the way. He frowned against her lips as he figured this out, then moved himself forward in the stool and pressed her hips against his. As he moaned softly against her lips, she pulled back with some effort – he wasn't willing to let her go so easily – and grinned at him. He frowned and mumbled something to himself that she could not quite catch. "Not so boring, sì?"
"Yes, bella." He said, standing up and catching her arm. Rosa glanced at the crowd of onlookers, some grimacing at their public display of affection while others watched with perverted smiles. Ezio did not seem to notice as he tried to pull her close again, but she dodged him and moved back to her seat, grabbing her wine glass once more and finishing its contents. "No, Ezio. Remember our bet?"
"Alright, then. Let's begin." He said, glancing at the party as the crowd before them began to disperse. Rosa held up her index finger in front of his face. "Patience, darling. There are some rules."
"You know how I feel about rules, cara." He said, flashing her a devilish grin. She rolled her eyes at him. "You must not be the one to begin the kiss and cannot touch them anywhere inappropriate."
"Inappropriate?" He questioned, and placed his hand on her thigh, sliding it upward slowly. She grabbed his hand and then the assassin's "A" on his belt, pulling him closer. "Yes… inappropriate."
"Oh, I wouldn't dream of it, tesoro." He said, moving his other hand over her shoulder and down the front of her blouse. She looked up at him slyly and he moved both his hands after a moment, placing them on either side of her face. He placed a kiss against her forehead. "Not to anyone but you, anyway."
"Oh, never." She said, readjusting her mask as he pulled away. She then reached up and grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him back down to kiss his cheek. He gave her a satisfied smile and moved back to his seat, observing the crowd. Rosa, on the other hand, already had her choice. "Do you see the girl in the red dress, she's dancing with the man in the maroon suit."
"I do." Ezio said, seeing the girl being spun around by the man in the dark red suit on the far side of the palazzo. She had long, black, curly hair that flowed around her shoulders. Though she was fairly far away, he could see the high arch of her dark eyebrows and the elegant point of her nose. She wore a thin mask that only covered the area directly around her eyes; it was as brightly colored as her dress and accented with bits of gold. She was a very pretty girl, he noticed, half expecting Rosa to choose someone plain looking. "But she's already with someone, bella."
"Has that ever stopped you before, assassino?" She said, looking up at him and smiling slightly. He returned her look with a subtle smirk. "Of course not. Now, someone for you…"
"If you say the bartender, I'll-" She began, but Ezio shut her up, putting his finger to her lips and shaking his head. He definitely did not want to hear what she would do to him. She watched as he turned his gaze to the crowd, scanning as if his choice was extremely important. Finally, his eyes settled on a man standing at the far end of the bar. He pointed him out to Rosa wordlessly. The man was leaning against a pole, sipping white wine and watching the people dance. He had a slight smile on his lips and hair that hung around his eyes. He was one of the few people who did not wear a mask and Rosa could see that he was rather handsome. She stood up in her seat. "Alright, Ezio. Let's begin."
"Hold it, cara." Ezio grabbed her arm, pulling her in close to him. She pressed her hand against his shoulder so that she did not fall forward into his lap. He leaned up toward her, coming within inches of her face. "What do I get when I win?"
"Whatever you want, bello. It's not like I have anything to worry about." She said, narrowing her eyes at him. His lips curled up into a crooked smile; the right side, which had a faint scar across his upper and lower lips, lifted just higher than the left. She found herself biting her bottom lip as he leaned in closer. "You know what I want, bella."
"Fine then, slut." She said, feeling the heat rise to her face and her stomach twist almost painfully. He only laughed at her response and put his hand on her hip. She took a deep breath, staring into his eyes and trying to keep her expression calm. Ezio, on the other hand, made no effort to quell his amusement and smiled openly at her. "And what do you want, sweetheart?"
"Your face when I win will be prize enough." She replied, suppressing the feeling of lust that stirred within her. Regaining her composure, she leaned in toward him a bit and added on another wish. "And you have to give up your whores. Don't think I won't know, assassin, nothing is secret in the underbelly of this city."
Ezio's face tensed slightly as she continued speaking. His lips turned down for a moment, but there was something in his expression that told her he was more than just unwilling to lose the use of Venice's prostitutes. She could not quite pinpoint the look but it seemed that he upset that she would say such a thing. Before she could decipher more, his expression reverted back to a devious smile. "Then it's a deal. After you, bella."
"Grazie." Rosa smiled sweetly at him as he released her. As she strolled over to her target, she glanced back at Ezio to see him still sitting at the bar, watching her. She stuck her tongue out at him and he laughed, finally getting up and heading toward the girl Rosa had picked for him. She was now standing by herself, a slight pout on her lips as the man she had been dancing with spoke with a few other men. Ezio grinned; this was going to be too easy. He glanced back at Rosa one more time, watching her talk to the man at the bar, pushing a bit of hair behind her ear. The man smiled softly at her and held out his hand. She smiled back at him as she took it and Ezio felt his chest tighten with jealously. He turned away as they moved out into the crowd and began to dance – though he could hardly call it dancing as they only moved from side to side, unlike the complicated dance he had tried to get Rosa to do earlier. He would win their bet, and more importantly, that man would not get to kiss his little thief. He moved in front of the beautiful girl in the red dress, showing off his most charming smile. "Ciao, bella. Mi dispiace for bothering you, but I just couldn't let a woman as beautiful as yourself stand here all alone."
"My, my. Aren't you sweet." The girl smiled, giggling softly. Ezio moved a bit closer to her, holding out his hand. "Let me buy you a drink?"
"Of course, signore. It would be my pleasure." As he led her away from her date, he found himself grinning. This was going to be too easy. He glanced around for a sight of Rosa, catching just a glimpse of green and silver in the crowd. Satisfied for the moment, he turned his attention back to his prey. Dropping some money on the bar and giving the bar tender a nod, he got two new glasses of wine and gave one to the girl. She took the glass from him and smiled flirtatiously, batting her eyelashes at him. He smiled at her, way too easy.
Rosa laughed at her partner's joke, though she barely heard what he said. She was too busy watching Ezio talk to the girl at the bar. The man she danced seemed to notice her distraction and turned them around so that she could no longer get a glimpse of her assassin. He looked down at her and raised an eyebrow. "Something on your mind?"
"Oh nothing, bello. I'm just shocked someone as handsome as yourself doesn't have a woman on his arm." She laid on the charm thickly, still only half paying attention to him. She was far more interested in how far along Ezio was with the girl she had paired him with. She had not expected the girl to follow him so quickly when she already had a date. Damn assassin. He's too charming. Suddenly, she found the man pulling her in closer and she returned her attention to him. She just needed to get her kiss first. This man was obviously attracted to her; it would not be too hard. "I've just never met a woman who has peaked my interest… until now, that is."
"Oh?" She batted her eyelashes, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. This guy was so cheesy. Did he really think a line like that worked on women? Rosa held back a laugh; maybe it did work on other women, but certainly not on her. He smiled down at her, seeming to buy her feigned interest. He brushed a bit of hair behind her ear and she smiled at him while biting the inside of her lip. "Of course, bella. You are a very lovely woman."
"Grazie. You are such a sweetheart." She said in her sweetest voice. He spun them around again and she got another glimpse of Ezio. He was brushing his fingers through the woman's hair, twisting her curls between his thumb and forefinger. The girl was clearly in a complete daze as he charmed her. Biting her lip, she moved closer to the man she was dancing with, so obsessed with winning their bet that she hardly noticed as they danced further away from the middle of the crowd. Suddenly, she felt his hand on her hip and gritted her teeth. The man's eyebrows knitted together as he stared down at her. "Is he your boyfriend?"
"I don't know what you're talking about." Rosa snapped, feeling his hand move down to her thigh. She tried pushed him away a bit, but the man held on to her as they moved further out of the crowd and into the darkness of a nearby alley. The man flashed a devilish smile and she felt her heart pound frantically in her chest. "Don't worry. When I'm done with you, you'll have forgotten all about him."
"Let me go, bastardo!" She demanded, pushing against his chest. He moved her into the alley and pressed her back against a wall. One of his hands slid up her inner thigh, while his other hand found her breasts. "Not a chance, cara."
"Figlio di puttana! You'll regret this!" Rosa was screaming now, fighting against him. She kicked and punched violently, but could not get a good strike on him with his body pressed so closely to hers. Panic rose up in her chest and her eyes widened. As hard as she tried, she could not get away from him, and no one seemed to hear her screams over the sounds of the party. The man smirked at her, seemingly enjoying her screaming as his hands roamed over her body. "Let go! Peste bastardo cavalcato! Aiuto! Please, someone!"
Meanwhile, Ezio leaned over the girl at the bar. She had a hand on his cheek, running her thumb over his scar. "How did you get such a distinguishing scar?"
"Oh, that was so long ago…" He said, glancing over her head into the crowd. He had not seen Rosa in several minutes and was beginning to worry. Where was she? How would they know who won the bet if she was not within sight of him? His chest tightened uncomfortably with every second that passed without her in his sight. Something just did not feel right. He only barely heard the girl speak to him. "But I'm sure there's a very interesting story that goes along with it…"
"Ah, mi scusi, bella." He smiled apologetically, removing her hand from his face. The girl pouted and moved to place her hand on his knee. She leaned in towards him, licking her lips seductively. "Don't say that, bello… Can't I persuade you to stay, somehow?"
"I need to go." He shook his head and moved her hand, standing up from his seat. He hardly noticed her flirting and had nearly completely forgotten his and Rosa's bet, though he could have easily just won it. The feeling of anxiety continued to build in his chest and his intuition told him something was very wrong. He looked apologetically at the girl and kissed her hand before moving away from her to the last place he had seen Rosa. He did not bother glancing back at the girl, though he was sure she was staring after him with a love struck look on her face. He looked around as his whole body tensed, not seeing her anywhere. Suddenly, he caught the sound of her voice coming from behind him. He moved toward the sound, spotting an alleyway off of the square. Moving to the alley's entrance, his eyes tensed, turning a deep golden color as he used his eagle vision. Deeper in the alley, he saw Rosa – outlined in gold – and the man he had sent her to for their bet – outlined in red – with his hands all over her. Rosa flailed wildly but the man had her completely overpowered.
Rosa's eyes were wide with panic as the man's hands roamed all over her body. Seeing movement out of the corner of her eye, she shifted to look at the new figure that entered the alley. She felt a sudden wave of relief as she saw it was Ezio. Much to her attacker's confusion, she whispered to herself. "Meno male!"
Ezio was fuming as he approached, not hesitating for even a moment as he brought his fist back and decked the man in the side of his head. Rosa hurried to Ezio's side as the man scrambled back to his feet, raising his arms defensively. "Relax, amico! She pursued me. I wasn't doing anything she didn't want. I was not aware that she belonged to you."
"Stronzo! You lying motherfucker!" Rosa yelled, raising her fists in the air. Ezio's body tensed and his face distorted into something vicious. He lunged forward, punching the man square in the face; blood gushed from under his hand as his covered his newly broken nose. With no hesitation, Ezio released his hidden blade and went to stab the man directly in the eye socket. He only stopped when Rosa called out to him. "Ezio, don't!"
With a snarl, he retracted the blade, still leaning over the man. Though he wanted so badly to kill him, he knew Rosa was right; this was not a life he was meant to take. He reluctantly stood up and stepped back. Rosa stepped forward, and kicked the man in the crotch as hard as she could, spouting a whole bunch of obscenities at him before stepping back to Ezio's side.
"I could've taken him." She said as they turned to leave the alley, but when she grabbed Ezio's arm, she gave herself away. Her whole body shook as she leaned against him. She hated being powerless and though she was quick to act tough and run her mouth, she was no different than other girls when it came to being overpowered by a man. No matter how tough the young thief was, being pinned to a wall and overpowered was a terrifying thing. Ezio put his arm around her back and steered her to an out of the way bench. There, he stroked her hair and let her hold him around his torso tightly, spouting off random curses. "It's alright, tesoro. You're alright."
Their quiet moment was cut short, however, when Ezio spotted a group of rather large thugs approaching them. Their size did not worry him – he could take on a few large brutes in his sleep – however, their weapons were a different story. At least two of them had long swords, while the others had axes and hammers. Ezio, on the other hand, had left all but his bracers and hidden blades in Rosa's bedroom. Still, he stood up as they approached, blocking Rosa partly from view. One of them stepped in front of the others, holding his long sword across his shoulders. "Do you think you can strike Vincenzo Abruzzo and get away with it, stronzo!"
"Sì, idioti, I do." Ezio smirked at them and Rosa looked past him at the men. There were eight of them, all heavily armed. Ezio may be an amazing assassin, but going against all these men by himself with nothing but his blades was a lot for him to take on, not to mention all the attention he would bring to himself if he killed them all. For now he was just a punk that beat up some nobleman, but when he had eight dead men at his feet there would be no doubt he was the assassin everyone was after. She stood up behind him, grabbing one of his wrists. "Let it go. It's not worth it."
"Your woman tells you what to do? What a faggot! I'll kill you!" The one man lounged forward and Ezio pulled his arm free of Rosa's, grabbing the man's blade and breaking his arm at his elbow. He screamed in pain, dropping the blade and clutching his broken arm. The assassin gripped the hilt of the long sword and pointed it at the other men. The look on his face was now that of a killer. "You fuckers think you can just have any women you please? I'll put you in your place!"
"Ezio, please!" Rosa grabbed for his arm again, this time pulling with all her might. This was enough to throw him off balance and he had to drop the sword and pull her into his arms as he dodged the second man's attack. The third man swung right after, and Ezio blocked his attack with one of his bracers, holding Rosa close to his chest. She glanced up at his face. "Please Ezio, you know we're much faster than them. Let's run."
She watched a smirk grow on his lips and sighed with relief. A moment later, they were dashing away from the men, their hands clamped tightly together. She held up her skirt with one hand, glad she had decided to wear her regular shoes, while Ezio grinned broadly and weaved through the crowd without slowing. The men shouted from behind them. "Come back, stronzi!"
They turned a corner, heading out of the district, laughing now as they sprinted through the streets. No matter how many times she found herself running, she could not help but love the thrill of it. Her heart pounded furiously in her chest and her lungs burned as she moved as fast as her legs could carry her, sneaking the occasional glance at Ezio as he pulled her along by the hand. He laughed, even as he gasped for air, his eyes wild as they dodged the people in the streets. The young assassin pulled her down another bend and without hesitating, jumped right into a cart of flowers. She landed on top of him, flowers flying everywhere. They continued laughing, as they tried not to breath in any of the petals. It was only when they heard the voices of the men looking for them that they tried to stop.
"Shh, zitto." Ezio said between laughs and pressed his lips against hers. She giggled against his mouth at first but calmed down as he deepened the kiss, running his tongue across her teeth. Rosa loved the way he kissed her, as if he could never get enough of her. She leaned into him, hearing the men speak as they passed by the flower cart. "I thought you said you saw them go this way!"
"I did! I don't know where they went!" Ezio's hands slid over her back protectively as their voices grew closer. He broke their kiss and pressed his lips against her jaw by her ear. Their footsteps stopped right in front of the cart. "They have to be around here somewhere."
They held their breaths as the men walked around a bit, hearts pounding feverishly in their chests. Rosa pressed her face against the crook of Ezio's neck and he let one of his hidden blades extend. After a minute, the men gathered back together. "Just admit you lost them."
"It wasn't my fault! They went this way!" They heard one of the men get struck and fall to the ground. "They still have to be in the area! Split up and search! Find them or the boss will have our heads!"
"Sì, sir!" The other men spoke in unison. Their leader yelled at them, stomping his foot. "And when you find them, you better beat that man within an inch of his life! I don't care what you do to the girl."
The men snickered and Ezio tighten his grip on her further as she muttered against his neck. "I'll slit their throats. I bastardi."
"Get moving!" Their leader barked again and the men scattered. Ezio and Rosa stayed still, keeping their breathing as shallow as possible until they were sure the men were gone. She sat up after a while, straddling him as she peered out, seeing no one. Ezio's hands moved to her hips and she ignored his touches as she scanned the area. "They're gone."
"Took them long enough." Ezio said, sitting up and kissing her neck once before they both climbed out of the flowers. Again, they were laughing, quietly this time, as they brushed away the flowers that clung to their clothes and hair. They removed their masks. Ezio tucked his away without bothering to look at it, but Rosa noticed the broken ribbon and torn lace from when the man had grabbed her. She frowned. "Mi dispiace, Ezio. It's broken."
"Do not worry about that." He said, pulling her closer and taking the mask from her hand. Rosa snatched it back quickly, holding close to her chest. "No, I want to keep it."
He smiled as she tied it to one of the ribbons on her dress and pulled her in for another kiss. She happily kissed him back, but pulled away quickly. "We shouldn't stay here. They might come back."
"You're right." He said, and held out his arm for her, which she took without hesitation. "I think its time we turn in for the night. We've caused enough trouble."
"Smartest thing you've said all night." Rosa grinned and they started back to the palazzo.
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One more chapter! I hope you like how I'm portraying Ezio and Rosa. I'm having a lot of fun with them. =) This is actually my fav chapter. R&R please!
Translations:
Mia bella rosa- my beautiful rose (clearly a play on her name. lol)
Va bene- Ok
Tesoro- Teasure/Darling/Dear
Puttana- whore
Cara- Dear
Assassino- assassin. Duh.
Figlio di puttana- Son of a whore
Peste bastardo cavalcato! Aiuto!- plague ridden bastard! Help!
Mi Scusi- Excuse me
Meno male- Thank God
Amico- Friend
Stronzo- asshole
Zitto- shush/silent/quiet
Mi Dispiace- I'm sorry
