as a n8v person Ratonhnhaké:ton was my fave the moment i knew of his existence so i sort of project on him lol
also i realized i had been using aveline as an emotionally stable prop so i had to write more about her
also plot is hitting me in the face, and it's kind of obvs in this chapter, so it's probably gonna come up sooner than later. i'd been trying to generally ignore it but here it comes lol
ps, they're family and they love each other guys. it can never be too sappy. never ever
It took some doing, but Ratonhnhaké:ton managed to find himself standing in front of the Mentor of the Colonial Assassins. All seven of his other selves were there as well, as they always were when anything of importance happened in their lives. Altair, Evie, and Desmond were especially interested, as the ones who were born into the Order of Assassins.
"My name is Ratonhnhaké:ton," he introduced himself.
"Well," the old Assassin said slowly, "I'm not even going to try and pronounce that. What are you doing here?"
Ratonhnhaké:ton stared at him, somewhat confused. His name wasn't that hard. Sure, the soft consonants would be difficult for someone who only spoke English, but the actual pronunciation? Evie didn't have any trouble, and her accent was much thicker than the old Assassin's.
But there was a question that needed answer.
"I was told to seek this symbol," Ratonhnhaké:ton said, pulling out the map with the Assassin insignia placed on it. He knew what it meant because his other selves. But there was no reason Ratonhnhaké:ton, himself, would know it. So until he got a better measure of the old Assassin, it would be best to pretend ignorance.
The old Assassin was blue under his second sight, but Altair told Ratonhnhaké:ton that the old man carried red on him like he viewed himself as an enemy. A potential ally, yes, but it would not be an easily made relationship. Ratonhnhaké:ton would just have to move forward, like he always did.
The old Assassin made a face. "Do you even know what this means?"
"No," Ratonhnhaké:ton said, but thought about it. Could he tell him or not?
"Trust, Ratonhnhaké:ton," Altair said, watching the old Assassin with golden eyes. "This is a Mentor, for all that his Order has been killed. That kind of grief doesn't go away."
Yes. Trust was key, and trust should not be a one-sided thing. Ratonhnhaké:ton spoke hesitantly, aware that how he viewed spirits might be different from how others viewed them. "The spirit said… that I have-"
Ratonhnhaké:ton stopped when the old Assassin let out a long and loud sigh. There was a lot of history in that sigh. Everyone blinked as the old Assassin pressed his hand to the bridge of his nose, like he was tired of the conversation already.
"These spirits of yours have been harassing the Assassins for centuries, ever since Ezio uncorked the bottle," the old Assassin said plainly.
Ratonhnhaké:ton's eyes widened in surprise.
"Ezio?" Elise repeated. They all turned to Ezio. Ratonhnhaké:ton just barely managed to keep his eyes on the old Assassin. "Did he mean you?"
"I have no idea!" Ezio exclaimed, holding his hands up. "It's probably a different Ezio! My name is uncommon, but not unique! I'm not even an Assassin!"
"But you don't even know what the Assassins are, do you?" the old Assassin asked, ignorant of the commotion he just caused.
Ratonhnhaké:ton stared wide-eyed at him, unsure how to explain that he did know what Assassin's were. He was just confused about the mention of Ezio. It had to be a different one, right? Italians and Europeans in general didn't have unique names like his own people did.
Ratonhnhaké:ton simply shook his head.
"Well, best settle in, then," the old Assassin said, motioning to an intact chair. "I've got a story to tell, and it'll take a bit to get out…"
0o0o0
Aveline appeared in France, and found Elise on a balcony, the one above the secluded courtyard where she trained with her swordsman teacher. Arno was currently in the courtyard, practicing on his own. Aveline eyed him critically; he was getting better. A testament to his teacher's skill, or his wanting to keep up with Elise?
She didn't bother asking Elise what was wrong. Aveline didn't know, but she didn't not know, either. All that mattered was that Elise needed company and someone to talk to, and the wings they bore decided that Aveline was the best bet for it.
Elise eventually let out a loud, long sigh. She rubbed her eyes with her hands, and turned away from the courtyard. She led Aveline inside where they sat on a loveseat. Elise wasn't crying, but she did look despondent.
"Elise, darling, what's wrong?" Aveline asked, taking one of Elise's hands in her own.
"Ezio is going to become an Assassin," Elise said. She blinked wet eyes at Aveline. "I knew it, his father is so clearly a Master. The Auditore are clearly a family of Assassins. Ezio learned of it when we went to free his father and brothers from prison. And yet…"
"Oh, Elise," Aveline said, and pulled her into a hug. "We like to joke about it, don't we? That you're the only Templar among Assassins. But it clearly weighs more heavily on you than you've let on."
Elise sighed and clung to Aveline. "Not always. I love you, I really, truly do. But Ezio isn't just another self, he's me. And-"
"You hoped that he would follow you to the Templars," Aveline finished.
"Yes," Elise agreed. She swallowed and then said quietly, as if admitting a secret, "Ezio would follow me, if I asked."
"He would," Aveline agreed. Elise and Ezio were the closest of them all. "But you won't ask, will you?"
"No. It would go against everything we believe in," Elise said. She leaned away from Aveline to look at her clearly. "And that's not just us, sharing. It's my mother too."
"It doesn't help that Arno is training to become an Assassin as well, does it?" Aveline asked after a slight pause at the mention of Elise's mother.
"Not really, no," Elise said wryly, and rubbed at her eyes again. "I knew that he would become one after Father told me of his family, but I don't think I thought it through all the way."
"We never do," Aveline sighed, "For a bunch of people spread through time, we sure don't bother thinking about the future."
Elise laughed lightly. "It's because we're spread through time that we don't. It doesn't matter if you can just ask, right?"
"Not really," Aveline agreed, pleased with the turn in conversation. Oh, they'd talk about it later, she was certain, but they had time for that.
0o0o0
Ines watched Desmond as he settled down for his writing lessons. He spoke both English and Spanish, of course, and wrote well in both. They wouldn't allow for anything less. But he was also learning Arabic, and their writing system had an entirely different alphabet. Desmond took to the language as if he was born speaking it, though he had issues with translating to and from Arabic.
She watched, and waited, because- ah, there it is. Desmond turned to the side slightly. If Ines turned her thoughts sideways and ignored what her eyes were telling her, she could tell that there was someone there. That Desmond believed was there, and interacted with. Ines could see the way his eyes tracked movement, and the way his head tilted to hear someone speaking.
And, yes, there Desmond went, writing something carefully down. He even went back and edited some of his previous work. Desmond bit his lip in concentration as he continued his worksheet, keeping in mind what this invisible person told him.
"Desmond," she called, bringing attention to herself.
Desmond jerked lightly and looked up, almost guiltily, as he glanced to the side. "Yes, Mama?"
"Are you almost done?" Ines asked.
"I'm halfway done," Desmond said, guiltily again. "I'm doing my best."
Ines hummed. "I can see that. But remember, there will come a time where you have to sacrifice clarity for speed. You won't always have the time to do your work as you are."
Desmond made a face. Ines raised an eyebrow, and he quickly smoothed it out, getting rid of the visible emotion. He felt so strongly that training him to hide it was something of a challenge on its own. Ines had faith that he could do it; she remembered her own issues with it when she was younger.
"So I just have to get good enough that I can go fast anyways?" Desmond asked cautiously.
"Yes," Ines said, pleased. She didn't like pushing her child, but needs must.
"Okay," Desmond said. Then he nodded firmly to himself, as if coming to a decision, and went back to his work. "I'm going to finish."
"Good," Ines said. And she knew that Desmond would keep to that promise. So young, and he knew to never make a promise he couldn't keep.
She watched, and waited until she was certain that Desmond and his invisible friend were focused on Desmond's work. Then she reached, focusing her senses until they bloomed outwards and the world moved from colors to the black and white of Eagle Vision.
Desmond was as blue as always, the edges of his aura the golden glow of importance. Ines hadn't told Bill about the golden glow. Of course Desmond was important. Even beyond his heritage, he was her son, and he would always be golden. And, like all the other times she had used her Eagle Vision to watch her son, there was no one else there. Desmond was the only one she could see.
Nothing is True, Everything is Permitted.
Still, she knew what she observed. Ines wondered if Desmond would ever care to tell her about the people that he saw. Likely not, with how they trained him. It was a sad thought, but they gave him no reason to trust them with such a secret.
Ines would not tell, though. And she made sure to distract any others that would notice. That much she could do for her son. So much was taken from them already, in pursuit of their survival, and she would not let them take this.
0o0o0
"I was born a slave," Aveline said, biting her lip. She clenched and unclenched her fists. She wasn't certain if she wanted to punch something or not. She didn't think violence would be her first reaction to anything, but she was starting to learn that she had a temper.
"But you are not," Altair said. He stared hard at the auction, eyes flinty. He had such adverse reactions to slavery in general, and Aveline needed that utter sincerity right now. "Your father had the humility to recognize that he was wrong."
"He did," Aveline agreed, "I have power very few have. And they are my people."
"You do, and they are," Altair said. He turned from the auction to look at her. His gaze was hard, his expression angry, but it was directed at her. "What are you going to do about it?"
"I don't know," Aveline admitted. Still, she stood straighter, and clenched her fists tightly. She felt her nails dig into her palms. "But I know what I want to do."
Altair nodded, viciously pleased, and smiled a dark grin. "We will help."
0o0o0
Ratonhnhaké:ton walked through the forest on one of his patrol routes when he spotted a raven hopping on the ground. He stopped, and watched the raven stare at him. It didn't act scared, nor did it try to hop away from him either.
He nodded respectfully to it, and grabbed some trail mix from his bag. He kneeled and held out his hand to the raven.
"Here," Ratonhnhaké:ton said.
The raven stared at him some more, and then hopped closer. It stopped a small distance away, eyeing the trail mix. Ratonhnhaké:ton set the mix on the ground, and leaned back. The raven studied the mix, and then ate it quickly when it recognized it as food.
Ratonhnhaké:ton nooded and prepared to stand when the raven croaked at him. It sounded vaguely like it told him to wait, so he did. One did not ignore the commands of animals, especially ones like ravens.
He swore that the raven eyed him in approval as it finished eating. Ratonhnhaké:ton startled when the raven took off so close to him, flying to the area above the tree. The raven was graceful and flew in circles above him.
There was pressure in the back of his eyes, and then there was a shift, and then Ratonhnhaké:ton stared down at himself. And the ground, and the tops of the trees. The view was somewhat distorted, and the colors were different than he was used to. But this was-
Ratonhnhaké:ton breathed heavily as his own sight returned to him. He leaned forward and pressed his hands into the earth. He dug his fingers into the dirt, and the solid sensation helped settle his nerves.
The raven croaked again, almost teasing. It landed on a low branch above his head. When Ratonhnhaké:ton managed to look up, he saw the raven studying him. It croaked again, and then bobbed its head, as if saying, see what you can do?
Ratonhnhaké:ton swallowed. This was no ordinary raven, then. "Thank you," he managed. It wouldn't do to be impolite to Raven, after all.
This time, the croak was one of approval. Then the raven took off again, and soared past Ratonhnhaké:ton to the treeline.
He didn't follow the shape of it.
0o0o0
Petruccio stood to the side of the training clearing, and watched Ezio train. He used the training sword, which was more of a glorified rod than a sharp weapon. Petruccio bit his lip, and waited for Ezio to acknowledge him. He knew that Ezio knew he was there. He wasn't exactly trying to hide.
"Petruccio!" Ezio greeted after several minutes, grinning broadly at him. He placed the training sword to the side and walked forward to press a kiss to his forehead in greeting Petruccio leaned into the touch lightly. "Did you need something?"
Petruccio swallowed and gathered his courage. This was Ezio. He would never, ever do anything to hurt him. "I see things, sometimes," he said hesitantly.
Ezio tilted his head, and his eyes turned golden as he studied Petruccio. Petruccio wasn't sure that Ezio knew he did that. "I see. What kind of things?"
"Invisible things," Petruccio said. He looked up at Ezio, and then looked again. Ezio, as always, was a deep, beautiful blue, the edges a burnt gold. It was like looking at a sunset. And, beyond him, the echoes of the color in wisps of people that weren't actually there. "Colors of people."
Ezio grinned at him, and pulled Petruccio into a tight hug. Then he pulled away, but kept his hands on Petruccio's shoulders. "Wonderful! I knew that I couldn't be the only one in this family to develop the sight of eagles!"
"Sight of eagles?" Petruccio echoed, and blinked the colors away.
"Yes. There are a lot of terms for it, you know. We call it our second sight, or Eagle Vision, or just the sight of eagles…" Ezio trailed off. "How long have you had your second sight?"
"A year, maybe?" Petruccio asked, thinking about it. "It was off and on, and I've only been able to use it when I want to for a couple of weeks."
"You gained it around the same age that I did," Ezio said, and studied Petruccio again. "I wonder if that means anything? No, it doesn't matter. I'm sure you have more questions. Come, let us go have a snack."
"Okay," Petruccio agreed, and grabbed his brother's hand.
Ezio cheerfully led them to the kitchens, talking all the way. He didn't talk about anything important, really, but it was enough that he talked to Petruccio. He was sickly, so sometimes everyone treated him like he was fragile. Not Ezio.
Petruccio looked at his brother again, and saw more of the colorful wisps. Instead of the one or two that he had seen previously, there were seven. He knew that his brothers had seven other selves, but they had always been intangible before. No one but Ezio could see or hear or feel them. But with this second sight, he was aware that they were there.
Definitely something to ask about.
0o0o0
"That was embarrassing," Desmond said as he watched Cristina Vespucci walk away. "I feel mortified, and that's just me."
"Is this what vindication feels like?" Ratonhnhaké:ton mused thoughtfully. "I think this is what vindication feels like. Altair?"
Altair hummed, exaggeratedly bringing his hand to his chin in thought. "I do believe it is."
Ezio flushed and hissed, "Shut up!"
Desmond, Ratonhnhaké:ton, and Altair shared a glance. Then they turned to Ezio, and in unison, said, "No."
0o0o0
Desmond blinked in surprise to find himself in the middle of a road, slightly damp dish towel in one hand. He had been doing dishes, so the change in location was sudden. He looked around and saw Aveline kneeling on the ground, and blood-
"Shit, hold on, you'll be fine-" Desmond said quickly, bringing the towl to Aveline's face. It was clean and it quickly soaked up the blood.
He glanced around and noted that they weren't anywhere he could tend to the wound quickly. Still, Gerard was there, and tugging Aveline to safety. Nodding in approval, Desmond pulled, bringing Aveline to him instead.
"I'm fine," Aveline murmured, blinking up at him.
A bruise had already formed at her temple where her face hit the ground. Small scratches littered the right side of her face, from her temple to her cheek, to the cut that split her lips. Desmond kept the pressure on, even as he felt the echo of pain in his own lip.
"I don't think this is fine, Aveline," Evie said, having been drawn in. She frowned, and not a second later, the others were all there as well.
"Do we need to do anything?" Altair demanded when he took in her appearance.
Despite her split lip, and the towel Desmond pressed to it, Aveline smirked at them. "No. I took care of it myself."
"Good," Ezio said darkly.
"Let's take care of this right, yes?" Jun said, hands already full with medical supplies. Desmond kept Aveline's face clean while Jun bandaged her up. "Though it is unusual that four of you now had the same injury."
Desmond blinked and studied Aveline's face. The scratches would heal cleanly since they were minor. But the shape of her cut lip, though… that was familiar. "Ha. It looks like half of us do get the scar."
"Glad it wasn't me, though," Ratonhnhaké:ton said from where he stood.
Aveline huffed at them and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up."
"Do you think that we'll all get the scar eventually?" Evie asked.
They went silent for a moment as they thought about it.
Desmond snorted. "God, I hope not."
"I'm going to have to explain why I'm not responding to Gerard," Aveline sighed after Jun finished stitching her lip up. She leaned back into Altair's chest, since he had been standing behind her.
"It's your choice," Ezio said, which everyone echoed. Gerard was Aveline's closest friends. None of them would mind telling him about the eight of them.
Aveline hummed in agreement. "I'll tell him."
"Good luck with that," Desmond said.
0o0o0
"What's the matter, Jun?" Ezio asked. He frowned and looked up from the books he had been studying.
Jun stared at him, and bit her lip. Ezio set his book down and went to wrap Jun in a hug. She hugged him back tightly. Ezio just held her and waited for her to say what she wanted to say.
"We exist at the same time," Jun said softly, face pressed into his shoulder.
Ezio blinked and pulled back. "What?"
Jun looked at him, eyes slightly damp. "We exist, here, in the same time."
"But- that's- we do?" Ezio said, stuttering. Then he smiled broadly. "That's wonderful!"
Jun shook her head. "No, not in the way we want."
"Oh," Ezio said. He thought about it, and then, "Fuck."
"I don't know what to do," Jun said, and pressed her face into his shoulder again.
Ezio thought about it. It was either backwards or forwards in time. Forwards was the most likely, as Jun wouldn't have heard of Ezio as he was now. The Auditore Family was a minor noble house, and they were contained in Florence at the moment.
And if Jun had heard of him in her own time, then they were known as Assassins. Which could only happen in the future, as the Auditore Family currently hid their purpose behind their legitimate businesses.
"Go, and find the Ezio Auditore da Firenze that you heard about," Ezio said, leaning back to look Jun in the eye. "Now that I know, I'll be waiting for you, no matter how far in the future it is."
"So you'll be waiting for me in Italy," Jun said. She sighed and asked, "We never did talk about which year we exactly were in, did we?"
"No, only Altair and Desmond did, and that was because they knew they were the most removed of us," Ezio said.
It was one of those things that just didn't come up, or simply didn't ask about. Or, if it did, they ignored it and discussed something else. It wasn't not important, but it was never as important as the bond they shared.
"I'm going to learn your future," Jun sighed.
"We could have always asked Desmond our future," Ezio pointed out. "Or Elise and Evie, since we know they are a head of us, even if we don't know by how much." Even Ratonhnhaké:ton, though he was isolated and didn't bother trying to learn beyond what Achilles made him.
"Yes," Jun agreed, "But asking those that share our hearts about us is one thing. Meeting you in person is another entirely."
Ezio pressed his forehead against hers, and they breathed together for a long moment. "It'll be fine, I promise. It's me, and you, and us. No matter how many years have passed, it's us."
Jun closed her eyes, and pressed closer. "Yes."
0o0o0
Desmond blinked when he found himself in a new location and looked around. He had just met Evie, and Aveline, who had both come to visit him on the Farm. This was the first time was going to visit someone else, and he was rather excited.
It looked like he was in a tower in a rather hot place. He walked to the edge of the tower, and grabbed the railing, and looked around. Ah, he was in a desert, both similar and different to the one that he was familiar with. That explained it. He leaned out and breathed in deeply.
It was so much higher than he had ever been. Even the tallest trees on the Farm weren't as tall as this. It was really nice, actually. He wondered who he was coming to visit to be here.
"You're another one," a voice said behind him.
Desmond grinned and turned to look and- then he just stopped. Because what? He saw his mirror do the same, staring at him. Wait, no, not mirror, he was flipped. The mole on his cheek was on the wrong side. And the clothes were very different- they were loose white robes.
"Oh," Desmond said, staring. "Um. I'm Desmond?"
His other self looked at him and then snorted. "Do you not know your own name?"
"I do! Yes, I'm Desmond," he said, scowling, "Who're you?"
"I'm Altair," he said, and walked up to the railing with him. "Why do you look like me?"
"You look like me," Desmond said, frowning.
Desmond and Altair stared at each other for several long moments before Desmond broke. He couldn't help it, this was too funny. He started laughing. Altair glared at him for a second before he laughed with him.
"It's nice to meet you," Desmond said. And, because Evie and Aveline both did so, Desmond pulled him into a hug. Hugs were nice, he was going to get as many as he could from the voices in his head.
Altair was still for a second before he hugged Desmond back. Yeah, nice.
"It's nice to meet you too," Altair said.
0o0o0
Ezio hummed a song he didn't remember hearing before, but was familiar all the same. Desmond joined in from where he was polishing his knives, their harmony echoing lightly in the kitchen. The acoustics might not be the best, but they never heard each other with their ears.
"Did you get the song from me?" Desmond asked after a long moment.
Ezio shook his head. "No. I thought I was sharing with you."
Desmond shrugged. "Doesn't matter, I guess. It is a pretty song."
With that, and turning back to their respective tasks, Ezio started humming the song again. It didn't have words, he didn't think, but the melody was nice. Maybe they got it from Jun?
0o0o0
"How are you always so kind?" Evie asked.
Aveline said her goodbyes to the child, and then turned to Evie. "What do you mean?"
"You're always so angry," Evie said, motioning broadly to the recently freed slaves. "I'm kind of spoiling for a fight myself, feeling it. But you never do anything about it."
Aveline laughed. "I do plenty, as an Assassin."
"Yes, but you know what I meant," Evie said.
Aveline started walking to the tent she had temporarily claimed as her own. Evie followed behind her. "You're right, in that I'm always angry. Altair is too," Aveline said. Evie nodded, because that was true. "But, I refuse to act on my anger. Not to those that don't deserve it."
"You are kind," Evie said. She frowned. "I admit, even with my own temper I find it hard. Jacob, too, struggles to control himself when he's spoiling for a fight."
"Kindness is a conscious act," Aveline said, and smiled at Evie. "It does not require that I be docile and passive, or to forgive all the wrongs done to me, or to those that I see. I am angry. I am vicious. I stare at the world, and filled with utter spite, refuse to act out in anger. The world can be horrible enough as it is."
"You don't not act," Evie said, thinking.
"Never," Aveline said viciously. Evie nodded in agreement There was no such thing as neutrality in the face of oppression. "I am kind out of spite."
"Oh," Evie said in dawning comprehension. She had always viewed her work as an Assassin as a duty first and foremost. One that she was good at, and one the loved, and one that she believed in. But a duty nonetheless. "The world expects you to be angry. Nearly forces you to. And so you spit at its feet and are not."
Aveline grinned a predator's grin at her. "Yes. It takes effort, of course. I have to gather my anger and make sure to use it to fuel my kindness. But yes."
Evie nodded. "I like that. And Jacob will like it too."
0o0
0o0o0
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