Ezio was standing by the black balcony parapet, leaning his elbows and forearms on it and seemed to be gazing up at the moon.
I couldn't help but to feel how happy and amazed Ofelia was by the sight of a full moon, She didn't know why but she really loved the moon, perhaps it was its mysterious light that could shine up the city when fires wasn't enough? All she knew was that she loved it and I felt myself how its breathtaking beauty almost made me tear up. I hadn't seen a real full moon since I was a kid, and even though I knew that I was inside of the animus, this moon seemed so much more for real than other times I've seen it while being in the Animus.
As I let out a sigh of amazement, I saw Ezio's shoulders twitch at the noise. Slowly he looked over his shoulder, his eyes in shadow because of the hood.
He was still wearing the same clothing that I had seen the day of his father and brothers executions, only now it fit perfectly. He was wearing a cloak over the shoulder that was new, it as well as the blood red band that was tied around his waist were swaying lightly in the mild night breeze that drove pass us.
"And so we meet again, Ezio Auditore Da Firenze." I spoke with a delighted voice tone.
Ezio didn't seem that surprised of how I knew his name, maybe he wasn't that good at keeping his identity a secret?
No he was not, judging by the fact that at least two other assassin's had knew where he had gone to.
I walked over to his side, making sure to keep a little distance while tracing my finger over the balcony parapet, I looked up at the moon while waiting for him to speak.
I was still wearing the masquerade mask and I could see him at the corner of my eyes, and tell that he was watching me and trying to guess who I was.
This was amusing, to stand so close to the young and not as experienced Mentor Auditore in the renaissance Italy, I had to admit that this was a time that I had wanted to visit for quite some time.
"And who may you be, beautiful?" Ezio spoke, with a much darker voice than the last time I and Ofelia had seen him. There was something in his voice that made me think that he too had changed a lot during the five years that had passed. He sounded more confident, yet not mature just yet, he had a teasing tone in some way, flirty too.
I giggled quietly and turned my head to look at him, my heart skipping a beat as I did.
Finally I got to meet the famous Il mentor, I thought, even though I knew that Ofelia's longing to meet Ezio again was the reason for my/her heart to act silly.
"Messer Ezio, don't you recognize your savior?" I said theatrically hurt but with a smile placed on my lips.
Ezio straightened himself and let go of the balcony parapet, instead he brought down his hood and took of a golden mask that he had been wearing.
His face has not changed a bit since the last time I saw him, although he has grown a mustache. Ofelia's thoughts echoed inside of my mind as well as a girly giggle, and all of a sudden her longing for Ezio became stronger, she had truly missed him.
He was watching me from head to toe, with one eyebrow raised and with a smile on his lips, he didn't seem to recognize me but seemed to like what he saw.
"Well, Ezio." I said and brought my hand up to examine the arm which the brace was placed on.
A quick twitch with my wrist and forming my hand into a fist as I did, the blade unsheathed itself. Ezio looked amazed, surely he hadn't met many women with a hidden blade. I twisted and turned my hand and arm to watch the blade from different angles, shooting glances at Ezio every once in a while to see his expression.
"I'm quite hurt, since you promised to always remember me." I said playfully. Ezio chuckled to this.
He wasn't frightened at all about the fact that I had unsheathed my blade, which he should be since he had no idea who I was, even though the blade showed that I was a member of the creed he had no idea if I was a traitor or not.
"Madonna." He held out his arms and smiled charmingly. "Surely it would be quite foolish of you to order me to remember every pretty face that I meet, I cannot remember them all. If you know my name, then you surely should know that about me." He said.
With a smile I brought the blade back and lowered my own arm only to cross my arms over my chest.
"Because a face such as mine, is something you meet every day?" I asked with a smile, indicating that I myself thought of myself as a beauty.
Ezio brought his arms back down and gave me a smile, he did no longer seem to be in such a hurry as before.
"Well Madonna, that mask of yours does make it difficult for me to admire your beauty." He gestured with his hand towards my face, sounding playfully.
This was it, now Ezio would finally see who I was, who Ofelia is, I remembered myself as I looked Ezio in the eyes.
This was a big moment for Ofelia.
"Very well then." I said and brought my hand up to my face, slowly I removed the mask and brought my chin up as I watched Ezio.
At first he didn't seem to remember me, but as little time passed his face finally lit up, a smile spread over his lips.
"I remember you! You are that girl, Ofelia?" He said, I nodded relieved that he remembered my name.
"Ofelia De Luca is my name, I've been looking for you for quite some time now." I said with a cheerful voice.
He remembers me! I could hear Ofelia cheer inside of my head. If I didn't know her as well as I did I would've thought that she had a thing for Ezio, but that couldn't be true.
From Ofelia's memories I picked up a special one, a thought that she remembered herself of quite often.
"The most dangerous and self-destructive thing to ever do, is to fall in love, it will break and hurt you ten times worse than a sword would ever do. Ezio's love for Cristina taught me that."
She was a clever girl, I had to admit as I went through her thoughts.
Love was something that she didn't want to waste her time on, in that way we were alike.
Ezio was looking surprised, perhaps by the fact that I had been looking for him. Suddenly he had reached out his hand and grabbed the arm to which the brace was set on.
"Have you joined the brotherhood?" He asked confused.
I nodded. "Yes, I took your advice about it, and it surely has given me a purpose in life." I said with a smile.
He too was wearing a brace, but not only on one arm but on both, the right to use two hidden blades was only reserved for the most trusted of Assassins, or those who had earned the rank of Master Assassino, which meant that Ezio was trusted by those of our own kind.
"I had only heard rumors about Ezio's second hidden blade, it is truly amazing to see that these were true."
Ofelia's amazement of this second hidden blade was contagious and I too was amazed.
Not many of my ancestors had been good enough to earn one, it was amazing to finally see someone who clearly was trusted.
This meant that I, and Ofelia, indeed could trust Ezio.
But warning bells went off in my head as I thought about trust, Ofelia thought that no one was to be trusted but herself, since everyone that her own father had trusted had eventually turned on him, this was not to happen to her.
"Well Ofelia, I am pleased to hear that, so you have left Firenze and your life as a courtesan behind you?" He said and as he spoke he leaned back with his lower back against the balcony parapet, his forearms resting against it on different sides of him.
He looked at my clothes, obviously questioning why I was still wearing courtesan clothing, but I just smiled.
"Yes I have, there was nothing left for me there. And as for the clothing…" I took a minute to look at it for myself. "I don't know why I wear it, but it does help me, it draws the attention of my targets to something else than my blade." I said with an innocent smile.
"I understand them for being so blinded." He said with a quick grin.
The old Ofelia would have blushed by this, since what Ezio had said clearly was meant as a compliment, but instead she just felt better about herself.
She surely had changed much since she last had seen Ezio, and all was thanks to him.
Ofelia thought very highly of Ezio now, because of what he had done for her without knowing it.
"I can't thank you enough for letting me hide in your room, that day when my father and brothers got executed." Ezio still seemed to hurt by the loss of a big part of his family, his voice darkened when he talked about it.
Both Ofelia and I knew that feeling well.
All though, I hadn't known my family that well and therefore thought that I couldn't miss something that I didn't remember.
But Ofelia did, she remembered her father too well, his voice, his kind face, his thundering laughter.
He had been everything to her and her brother, he had been their Idol, a father, a teacher and a friend.
It was his death that had changed her life, in many bad ways. Her brother was still missing, and she had not spoken to her mother since she told the other girls that she was leaving the Rosa in Fiore.
She had left out the part about why she was leaving, she had only said that it was in order to become something much greater than a Courtesan, although Paola knew the truth.
All that was thanks to Ezio, he was the reason why her life had changed in good ways for once.
Ofelia didn't feel that she had done so much for Ezio, other than help him hide, but he had told her thank you, now it was her time to return the word.
She wasn't used to say thank you, surely La Volpe had taught her to always be thankful towards the ones sharing her belief, but he too believed that no one could be trusted other than you.
"Oh there is no need for thanking me." I said with a quick smile when remembering that I had to answer Ezio.
Now was the time to tell him that he had helped Ofelia as well.
But just as I was about to open my mouth, Ezio did the same.
"So you said that you have been looking for me, what can I do for you Madonna Ofelia?" Ezio said, and I lightened up.
Now was the time to ask him to take me under his wings, to let me become his apprentice.
I mean Ofelia and I!
I could feel Ofelia's heart flutter inside of our chest, this time it wasn't her feelings that created the flutter.
I felt stupid for thinking I instead of Ofelia, I knew that it wasn't myself who was going to be trained by Ezio although I would experience it, it wasn't I who lived in this century and it certainly wasn't I who was as free and living as Ofelia was.
That, the whole free and living part, was what reminded me that I wasn't Ofelia.
But to always remind me that I was Ofelia got frustrating after a while, so instead of always calling her body hers, I from now one called it my own.
Because for a little while, for three weeks I would get to be her and to live the free and exciting life she had lived.
Before I opened my mouth I chose my words carefully, I was not to mess this up.
"Yes I have. Ezio when you left I spent these five years as an apprentice for both Paola and La Volpe, they have trained me and helped me raise my rank and I have now become a Veterano. But in order to become greater, to reach the higher ranks I have to become an apprentice too someone of a higher rank than me, someone's who's trusted enough for a second hidden blade and who may never disobey the laws of the creed." As I spoke Ezio seemed less and less looking forward to hear what I had to say.
I swallowed harshly and looked him in the eyes, holding my head high.
"And that's why I have come to you." I ended.
Ezio laughed shortly before trying to stop and I fought the urge to drop my mouth open like a broken shutter.
