The air in the city was completely different than how it was during the day. Cool gentle wisps under the silver sheen of the moon gave a welcoming embrace for the first couple of hours after dusk. Under the starry night sky, like a veil, it concealed the two figures scaling the rooftops and the streets of Acre. One skilled and agile in his moves and leaps across the structures and the other barely managing to keep up.

Another jump and the girl landed on all fours on the adjacent roof, trying to regain her breath. The hooded Assassin a mere few yards away from her paused in his movements to glance over his shoulder, peering back at her through narrow eyes. She took a second to pull herself back up to her feet, adjusting the leather strap around her shoulder and torso that held her instrument securely to her back in a redesigned bag.

"Do you think you could slow down just a little bit here…?" she breathed as she moved toward him, dusting some of the dust from her clothes.

"You've wasted enough of my time as it is," he curtly answered, turning his attention back to what lied ahead. "If you can't keep up, then you're on your own." He didn't leave a lasting second for her to reply as he jumped from the roof and onto a wooden beam, walking along its surface with such elegance that Ann could not help but to stare after him.

"Well aren't you just ever so thoughtful…," she mumbled under her breath, a light pout on her lips before she eyed the beam he jumped to. There was hesitation on her part before she brought herself back a few steps and ran to her leap off the edge, praying that she will make the narrow landing.

Contact was a success as her feet touched the wooden surface, though her balance was less than graceful as she swayed too far forward. "Ah-!" Reacting quickly, her hands snatched hold of the wooden beam before she fell completely off of it, leaving her to dangle so far off the ground. In the corner of her eye, she could see the Assassin, Altaïr pause in his moves to glance back over to her but he made no advancement to her aid nor his own destination.

With some struggle on her part, she managed to pull herself back on top of the beam, her arms and legs shaking in place in effort to maintain her balance. Though she was nowhere near as fast as Altaïr, she managed to cross the beam to the other side of the building where the Assassin waited. The moment her foot had even touched the surface of the next building, he leaped to the next completely disappearing from her sight.

"H-Hey!" she stammered in her rush to keep up with him. She managed to make it to the next rooftop though as she made her landing, Altaïr was nowhere to be seen. She spun on her heel trying to catch the slightest glimpse of the moon's reflection on his white robes, but all she could find was the dark overcast of the city.

"Altaïr…?!" she called out in a hushed frantic voice, not wanting to draw attention if any guards happened to be nearby. She spun around again and again, trying to make out where he possibly could have went until one moment when her set her foot down, but found no surface beneath her. Balance lost once more, she gasped as she found herself falling into a large opening of the building. Eyes shut tight with arms and hands pivoted out in front of her and bracing for impact, she was surprised when she landed on cushions, softening her blow.

Though not exactly plush pillows, they provided a better option than the stone floor did beneath them. From her rough landing, she already knew she was lucky she didn't break anything and was only going to get away with a few sore bruises. She groaned inwardly before she slowly pushed herself to sit up. At one glance she could see the faint light of a candle that coated the room in a yellow orange glow and there leaning against the wall by a large doorframe with his arms crossed in front of him was Altaïr.

"A little notice would have been nice," she grumbled, reluctantly pulling herself up to her feet.

"What is this, Altaïr?" an older voice sounded behind the still Assassin. Ann faltered even in her own words as another man stepped through the doorway and into view. He wore similar clothes to the silent Assassin, but in addition he wore a long dark robe that draped loosely over his shoulders. His mouth, though somewhat hidden from the thick white whiskers of his beard, frowned at the very sight of the girl.

"Have you learned nothing, Altaïr?" the old man turned to the other hooded figure. "Are you not sent here to redeem yourself and remember the creed by which you stand by? Why have you exposed us to an outsider?"

Redeem...? Remember the Creed...? Ann glanced back toward Altaïr for a brief second.

"She is already familiar with our Brotherhood," Alaïr's voice was calm, though it held a cool undertone. "She insisted on coming here without my mentioning of you, Rafiq."

"What?" Old eyes turned back to the young girl in astonishment. He took a few steps toward her, eyeing her cautiously though his demeanor was calm and gentle. "What is your name, child…?"

"Ann…," she softly spoke, already nervous when the old man's eyes glanced down at her rather peculiar dressing.

"How is it that you've come to know of us?"

"I've worked along side you Assassin's before," she answered honestly. It was all she could do to maintain her ground, worrying over the very words she would speak. She couldn't just tell them that she's from the 21st century and witnessed through her bloodline what the Order of Assassin's has accomplished throughout the centuries.

"Impossible. You do not work with the Brotherhood unless you are part of the Brotherhood. We do not risk exposure or compromise our Creed," the Rafiq spoke quickly, his brow knitting together in wonderment.

"Does that exempt family…?" she fought to maintain confidence in her own words. She wasn't lying technically as her ancestors through the Animus were Assassin's themselves. She still found it hard to wrap her mind around all of this, but how else was she going to go about it? Panic and flail around the cities like a lunatic crying out for the return of her own reality? If there was one thing she learned at all it was that she was to adapt to her surroundings despite what thoughts or beliefs of hers would try to prove things otherwise. Maybe this was a dream, but if that was so then it would not have been this complicated, right?

The Rafiq fell silent for a moment, studying her as he stroked the length of his beard. She knew she couldn't ask him to trust her right off the bat and believe what she said, but what other options did she have other than hope that he would not order for her own termination?

"I will need to bring this to the attention of Al Mualim…," the old man turned on his feet to retreat back to his study. "We will see what he has to say about this situation." He paused as he stepped beside the Assassin still leaning by the doorway. "And what of you, Altaïr? Have you found anything else about your target?"

The young man's sharp gaze instantly turned toward Ann. "I still need to investigate more."

The Rafiq merely exhaled a gentle sigh before he retreated back to his study. "Then rest, the both of you. I will send a message to Al Mualim and we will continue this matter in the morning."

Ann watched him disappear to the next room and could feel a wave of relief once more, though there was still the underlying tension left in her as her gaze shifted back toward Altaïr's. She could already tell that he wasn't so keen on assisting her here especially when he had a mission of his own to fulfill and she only got in the way of it all. But what else could she have done? At least she could make the effort and try to be of more help than distraction, right? Though acting on her own and not within the mental guidelines of the Animus, how easy was it going to be for her to take on the abilities of an Assassin?

"I do apologize if I've delayed your search in any way," she broke the silence, hoping that maybe they could at least start out on a clean slate. Altaïr, now moving and walking past her to climb the wall and close the gate of the entrance to the Bureau, scoffed lightly at her words.

"If?" he muttered after pushing himself off the wall and moving to the pile of pillows at the far end of the room from her. Ann's brow furrowed at his words.

"Look, I know we started off on the wrong foot and I had no intention of getting in the way of anything—"

"Then don't and stay out of my way." His back to her now, he began to slip the weapons off his back, placing them lightly on the ground by the large cushions.

"You must not have a lot of friends…," she grumbled, catching the glare from Altaïr before she turned her own back to him and removed the pack that contained her violin from her back, setting it by the fountain. Even as she brought herself to at least sit back down, she could already feel the sore tenderness of her arms, legs, and hip that impacted the ground first from her trip. One glance and she could see the Assassin already settled against the wall at the other end of the room, his hood concealing his face entirely.

She gave a small sigh as she tried to relax back against the pillows herself, letting her gaze drift upward to the lattice work that shielded the Bureau, catching the glimpse of stars through the wooden work and vines.

This was going to be a long night…