I would have written more, blame tiredness. Expect an update either later today or tomorrow


Ezio felt a kind of shame after opening himself up so much to Leonardo. This wasn't helped much by the fact that it felt as if going with him to have the talk that he seemed to want so desperately had not accomplished much in the way of relief. He knew Leonardo would have been willing to love him, but this did not change the fact that he didn't. Neither did this change the situation he was now in; instead of longing for what could not be, he now pined for what could have been. If anythign this felt more humiliating than the former option. At least when he thought they could never be together then he didn't shoulder any blame for the mess he found himself in emotionally.

he hadn't gone home, he had decided to go for a walk down to the docks to clear his mind instead. His family would assume that he had gone to visit Cristina or something like that.

Cristina, he had forgotten about her. He had also forgotten how pathetically he had attempted to end relations with her. He would have to fix that someday, the thought, there was no point in lying to her. She didn't deserve that without doing anything wrong. But that would have to wait; one problem at a time.

He looked at himself reflected in the water. All Ezio saw nowadays when looking at his reflection was a mess, as if what was happening in his life changed his actual appearance. It was more likely, of course that it just changed his point of view. He sighed and watched the last of the day birds flying about in the last trickle of sunlight. "Why must I torture myself so..." He was talking to no-one in particular; there was nobody visibly there apart from him. He jokingly wondered whether his avian companions could give him an answer, perhaps spell it out in feathers on the water. But there was no answer. Only silence.

He let his mind wander onto thoughts of less serious things. He thought of the lavish carnivals held each year in the Summer; he wondered when the third bridge over to the Oltarno district would be completed, he also wondered why a third bridge was even needed but he had lived in Firenze long enough to know that such matters have little to do with necessity and more to do with the money simply being available. There were gondolas docked in the water beside where he sat, they made him think of Venezia. He had never been but he had heard from his father that it is one of the most beautiful places in all of Italia. He knew there was a lot of wealth in Venezia compared to the rest of the Italian cities, certainly compared to parts of Firenze. He had heard locals complain about pickpockets in the Santa Maria Novella district, and the women often complained about husbands frequenting the San Marco district for more than just a good drink. Everyone had things to complain about in life. Money, safety, family, friendship, love; they coan not all be perfect. Not the lowest whore or the highest nobleman could have an ideal life because people always want what they can not have. Ezio had oncwe thought that he would be content forever, he now knew better.

As the moon rose higher, Ezio's thoughts came back to getting home to sleep. As much as he liked musing about the world in the dark, indulging in this just made his mind sleepier than it already was. As ashamed as he felt about exposing himself as much as he had, at least he had no more questions other than what would happen from now on. He felt the calm that comes from accepting one's own pitfalls and recognising that nothing can be done.

The streets of Firenze were as deserted as one would expect, the only people to be seen were the occasional drunk accompanied by a recently paid courtesan in their bright, revealing gowns. Ezio remembered being younger and watching them trying to sell their wares out of his window at observances had given him a kind of respect for these women so often looked down upon by the rest of society. They, like everyone else, were doing what they could to survive and feed themselves. It just so happened that what they did for money was not deemed completely respectable in richer circles, although of course this didn't stop the men from such circles helping them out every so often. The courtesans held their heads up with a kind of dignity that came from having nothing to lose and everything to gain. They worked hard, they earned their way, they payed their taxes and they lived. And the ones that were lucky, they succeeded in attaining a lifestyle that many who considered themselves more worthy would envy.

The Palazzo Auditore looked as it always did from the outside: warm, stony and peaceful. However as Ezio entered the courtyard it was obvious that something was amiss. The door was slightly ajar, the house was in complete darkness and it looked as if a couple of the windows might have been smashed. Ezio tread carefully as he went. He opened the door and listened carefully. He saw something in the corner of his eye and dodged. It was Annetta. She looked terrified. Something was definitely wrong.