A leap of faith…

Those words repeated in his head consistently throughout the day. Even through his tasks of learning the habits of Talal and his men, he found that even his gaze would drift back toward this unethical yet intriguing girl. He could not tell if this was a comforting thought or just an oncoming migraine as time went on.

He withheld a sigh after he finished beating the information out of one man before he turned back toward Ann. "We are done here," he declared to Ann, carefully pulling his hidden blade free from the man's abdomen as the body slumped lifelessly to the ground.

"Are we…?" she mused, stepping around the body of the man they had just interrogated. "Do we really have enough information to go on from here?"

"For now this will do," he sharply responded. "So I advise you to go back to the Bureau. You can inform Malik of what we learned, but there are a few things I still need to do myself."

"Such as…?" She looked at him suspiciously.

"You are a novice. You need not question my choice of action."

"Yet why do I feel like that is just a distraction from something else here?" His eyes narrowed toward her.

"You have learned enough for today and there are some things that I will do on my own." His voice was curt and sharp even in his hushed tone. "You will only weigh me down. Now return to the Bureau. When it is time to take Talal's life we will go, but your part is done here."

Her lips curled into a frown. Though she did not voice her opinion further, it was clear enough by the expression on her face that she did not agree nor wanted to comply with his demand. Though his expression never wavered. No change. Not even so much as a blink as they stared each other down with clench fists. Will against will.

"Fine, boss," she grumbled. "Whatever you say."

He watched her turn away, walking back down the alley they had followed the defenseless bloke into until she disappeared from sight. At least the Bureau itself was not too far away from their location and nestled just around the corner. Surely, she would be familiar enough with the area by this point to get back without a problem. Now he could find some peace of mind for at least for a little while… at least he hoped.

A nearby ladder and he made a quick escape to the rooftops once more, a sense of ease settling in him as he could move more freely and much faster than they could on the very streets below. Even now it was much easier to take the life of the occasional guard. Blood staining the surface of the buildings from the swift swing of his blade, this was what he was made to do.

And then there was the tall structure before him overshadowing all other buildings of the district. He ran, using his momentum to throw himself up the wall until he could grab at the first ledge. It was all he needed to pull himself up to the next protruding decoration that would allow him to climb to the very top of this tower-like building. Reaching the top, though with a little time, was the easiest part as he climbed onto the wooden post and perched himself right at the edge. The gentle breeze whisked against his robes and his eyes could take in the entire city. The rich district though beautiful still held many dark secrets within it. The Bureau not too far off, the mosque…, and even the very warehouse he could spot from here where he knew Talal was keeping his slaves in. Though it was still a good distance off, he needed to inspect the other high points of the city to better acquaint himself with the city layout.

The death of this poor excuse of a man could not come soon enough, and with his blood… so will another rank be rightfully restored.

.:*~*:.

Ann grumbled incoherent words under her breath as she moved through the crowd. Her fists still clutched at her sides from her pent up frustration and her eyes glowering to the ground as she walked, it was the only let-out she could manage without drawing attention to herself. I suppose I should be grateful for a little 'break', but am I not supposed to work with him through his missions? How am I going to learn how to act like a proper 'Assassin' if I'm just going to be sent back 'home' like an adolescent child? I can take care of myself—I can keep up…! Sure I can't run across rooftops very well… and have a bit of a fear of extreme heights… But I can still keep up! If anything, we have a little bit of a time on our side so would it not be better to help me learn the ropes a little more? Practice at something to make sure that I can begin to get the hang of how things go here instead of taking it all in by chance?

She was only a mere block away from the Bureau when Altaïr had departed. The very building itself was within sight as she stepped around a merchant stand. But the games with fate always had an alternate route for its occasional unwilling players. A hand shot out just as she passed a small alley, snatching her arm. She nearly cried out in surprise, ready to snatch the sword at her hip, but the other hand was quick to cover her mouth.

"P-Please, my broth—!" Another man dressed in white hooded robes was at her side, struggling to regain his breath. Though his face was mostly covered, his eyes stood out in panic, and soon confusion. "W-We have a sister of our Creed…!?" His hand withdrew from her face, knowing that she was not going to cry or give themselves away, but his attention was quick to shift frantically to the people around them.

"Who ar—ah!" the brother had pulled her off to the side, fearful of any guards that may be lurking nearby.

"I-I did not know a woman could be a part of our Creed—but please, I beg of you, I need your help!"

"Okay okay, take it easy," Ann spoke, hoping to calm the man. "What's going on here? What do you need me to do?"

"I-It seems that I've made some enemies…," he stammered at first, but he was quick to collect himself. "Al Mualim as asked that I overshadow the slave trader and I did… but not well enough. He discovered me and I've been running from his men ever sense." His eyes lowered almost in shame that he allowed himself to fall so low as to allow himself to be exposed. "I need to get out of the city, but I can't do it alone. Help me and I'll share what I've learned with you."

There was a hint of hesitation on her part… Though she believed she could guide him to the exit of the city with no problem at all, the thought of encountering the guards essentially on her own was still a horrifying thought considering her luck with the ones in the last city. But how could she turn down this man, a fellow brother of the Creed no less, that fears for his life? Surely if she was in his shoes, she would pray someone else would bestow her the aid she would so desperately need. Besides… she managed to fend a few armed men off before… perhaps she will be lucky even now and not encounter too many guards.

"Okay," she answered, seeing his eyes bright up in overwhelming relief. "I'll help you out of the city."

"Oh, thank you, sister!" he exclaimed, though keeping his voice level to avoid drawing any unnecessary attention to them. "I cannot thank you enough for this." This brought a smile to her lips despite her own worries about getting around some of the armed men patrolling the district. Hopefully with some luck, she would not have to worry about too many fights, if any, breaking out.

Walking him through the streets, staying close to the walls that lined the streets, started out smooth and simple at first. There were not too many soldiers in the street they started in, allowing them the chance to move out to the adjourning alleys. From what she could see, the exit was not too far off and the further they moved along, the more she believed that nothing was going to happen to them. Confidence was quickly replacing any worry that took hold of her even if she had to keep a relatively slower pace to make sure her fellow comrade would not fall too far behind.

She peered around one corner and pulled back, motioning to the informer that he should stay where he was behind her as she spotted guards walking down the intersecting street. They passed, not noticing them as they meandered out into the main crowd and she glanced back to the hooded man with a notion that it was safe to continue to make their way across the street. Another alley, and a sense of security began to settle in once more until the path took a turn and two soldiers spotted them.

"Infidel!" Shit…

The informer panicked, reluctantly jumping back to cower around the corner. It seemed that even he wondered how well a woman, a sister of the Creed, could possibly handle herself.

The guard charged and Ann pulled her sword free, swinging it up to block the first strike. Oddly enough this fight felt completely different from the last few times she had to wield a weapon… Before she fought for the safety of her own life. Now she fought to protect. Fear had no room to squeeze in.

The guard held his stand, side stepping around her to figure out his next strike. The other guard was already beginning to close in from the other side, surrounding her in the tight space the alley provided. Even still, she remained calm and her head low enough so the hood covered her eyes from their sight. One suddenly moved to her left, bringing his arm in for the full swing, but she ducked forward, spinning on her feet underneath the blade and slashed straight through her oppressor's knees, making him cry out as he fell to the ground flailing hysterically.

"You will pay for that!" the other guard had snatched her by the robes of her collar and threw her off her balance and into the next to them wall, aiming to crush her skull against it.

"Ah!" Her hands were quick to block any impact with her head, but she could hear the guard rearing up behind her to ram his sword straight through her. She pushed herself off, spinning out of the way just as his blade struck the wall. "Die!" He jerked his sword back and lunged straight at her but she only jumped out of the way once more before she subconsciously slung her own sword down, slicing the man's hand off.

"AH—!" His scream was cut short as she kicked him in the gut, knocking him back against the ground before instincts took over and she jabbed the sword straight through his heart, silencing him forever.

"L-Look out!" the informer called out, but just as she had enough time to look back a sharp piercing pain shot against her side. "AH!" she fell back against the wall, clutching the side of her waist as blood began to spill into her palm. The other guard, though lying crippled on the ground and writhing in agony, had a crossbow tightly clutched in his grasp and with a trembling hand tried to load another bolt.

She acted fast, pushing herself off the wall and jumping away just as the next bolt fired, barely missing her by a hair before she could run her sword straight through him. Crossbow in hand dropping lifelessly to the ground, she was leaning into the hilt of her sword that still remained embedded in the guard's chest as she tried to regain her breath.

"You're hurt…!" the informer pulled himself free from the wall, rushing over to her side.

"I'll be fine…," she managed, forcing herself to stand up straight and pull the sword free from the corpse. "It just nicked me, I'll be fine."

"But will this not make traveling difficult for you?"

She merely turned to him with a smile pulling over her lips. "I'll be fine… Please do not worry about me. Besides, we are almost to the exit."

She surprised even herself with each passing second as she helped the informer make it to the gate of the city. She refused to let herself dwell on the wound at her side, but she was all the more grateful that the blood was barely noticeable thanks to the red sash tied around her waist. At one point, she did take a moment to tighten the sash to better constrict the blood flow, but that was when she realized this wound was a more than just a nick like she initially thought. From what she could tell, or feel as she moved, the bolt had shot straight through her. Though it was too far to the side to hit any vital organs, it tore through muscle and was going to leave more of a mess than a simple scrape would have done. But that she did not let the informer know even as they came up to the city gate.

"Thank you, dear sister!" he exclaimed. "Here, take this map." Reaching into the folds of his robes, he pulled out a small folded piece of paper. "It lists Talal's hiding places—useful information should that coward choose to run instead of fight. And from what I know of the man, run is what he'll do."

This brought a smile back to her face as she took the map from his hands. "Thank you, this is more than I could ask for."

"No, I owe you more for what you had to go through," he insisted. "Our only sister and here you have already suffered on my behalf for my protection. Should there ever be anything you need, know that I am in your debt."

"Thanks, but…," she tilted her head curiously. "I don't even know your name. So who would I even begin to turn to?" Though she could not see his face, somehow, beneath the fabric that covered every feature save for his intense brown eyes, she got the sense of a smirk pulling over his lips.

"Do not worry about that," he took a step back, ready to take his leave. "You are our only sister, surely I will see you first."

And there he took his leave of the city as her brow furrowed quizzically though for only a brief moment. She glanced back down at the map in hand and slipped it into one of the button pouches around her belt, careful not to shift too much from the wound at her side. She bit her lower lip from the slight shift against her wound and turned to slip back into the city.

The trip back to the Bureau felt a lot longer compared to the first time they had slipped through the gate. Though she remembered how to get back, it was the painful pulse in her side that was delaying her. How she managed to even make it through the crowd unnoticed was beyond her as she eventually came up to the very ladder leading to the rooftop of the Bureau.

Reluctant as she was, she gripped the ladder and began to make her ascend to the roof, wincing at the sting that would shoot through her every time she moved her right side. Though making it to the top was the easy part… as she looked over the very entrance to the Bureau, she dreaded every second of it. Even as she carefully sat herself down by the edge and gripped onto the lattice work to slowly lower herself in, it was all she could do to silence her own whimpers as she hung from the entrance with her feet still dangling several feet off the ground.

One… Two… Three. She dropped, landing roughly on her feet but the impact was quickly met by her doubling over, groaning in pain.

"Back already?" she could hear Malik's voice from the other room.

"Ah-," she was too exhausted to even bother with words as she struggled to pull herself back up to her feet.

"What is this now?" Malik's voice hissed. It was not until she managed to slump over to the doorway did his demeanor change completely. "You—what happened?"

"A little help," she managed, clutching her side. "would be nice if that is not too much to ask."

.:*~*:.

The air was starting to get cooler and tints of orange began to colour in the sky. I was successful in scooping out the entire district and even rescuing a few citizens in the progress. And now… I knew exactly where Talal was. My eyes were locked onto the very structure of the warehouse where he kept the slaves. So close… and yet I was restricted to this post, knowing fully well that my want to take out this disgusting slug of a man here and now had to wait on the Rafiq's command. Malik's command. With this, and even the time of day, it was likely that I was going to have to wait until the next sign of daybreak to even begin to finish this mission.

And then the thought of her coming along with me… Periodically throughout the day, I could not tell if I was getting more exhausted or frustrated at the very thought of her invading my own mind. She could only delay me, get in the way, get into trouble, or worse get herself killed. And yet here I was the one that helped insure that she would not simply be cast aside… Whether Al Mualim would have her restricted to Masyaf for the rest of her life for knowing too much or just throw her into their 'garden' to live 'freely' as one of their newest 'concubines', I was unsure, but something compelled me to help her. Here she was fighting to find her way, possibly the only way, to understanding anything here… I cannot even begin to imagine what it might be like to find yourself in a world completely foreign with no one or nowhere to turn to… I had to admit, how she has even managed to hold herself up this far is admirable. Maybe she wasn't as terribly annoying as I first thought… Or perhaps I am the one losing my own sanity.

My eyes shifted back behind me, looking over the city before they fell on the building of the Assassin's Bureau off in the distance. She had to still be there… at least I hope she was. The streets of Jerusalem were not bursting out into utter chaos so what was there to worry?

Me…? Worry?

This was getting out of hand… If something were to happen to that girl, then it would be on my head. Even if Al Mualim did not see her as someone he could trust or even equal to a brother of the Creed, the fact that I stuck my neck out for her to begin with reared its own consequences. I've already gotten into trouble over what happened at Solomon's Temple and if that girl decided to screw up then it would be my responsibility. Though her fate with the Creed rests in my hands… it would not cast a favorable shine on me if she died.

But then again…

I moved from my perch, walking swiftly and silently across the plank linking the rooftops together. My momentum started out slow until I had cleared sight from the warehouse. The streets were beginning to darken and I did not have to fight to keep my image hidden as much as I did during the day. From scaffolding to roof to post, I leapt with ease, almost with the sense of gliding with wings strong like an eagle—nothing could stop me. Not until I reached the Bureau.

My feet met the surface of the entrance and once more did I find myself stalled before the very drop into the building as a sweet melody told hold of me. A sound so strange and yet captivating only this time I was aware of myself when I dropped into the resting room. The floor before me was stained with drops of blood, though dry to the touch. My eyes drifted to the doorway of the other room and that was when I realized the tone of the music. Though soft as it was, I realized it was weak. Nothing compared to what I heard back in Acre.

But just as before when I would draw close to the doorway, the song had drifted to an end.

"Surely had I known that such a girl like her was going to join us, I would have offered to step in place as her supervisor and mentor instead of letting someone like you to look after her."

Of course the malice was quick to ensue just before I could even set foot into view.

"I will see to it that sh—"

"In this you have already failed!" I was about to snap. My mouth even opened as I was about to counter his words with venom of my own, but I fell short when I noticed the white robes lying on the counter as I stepped into the room and the blood that stained them. There was not even a second that passed before I had turned completely away from Malik and spotted her sitting off in the corner, propped up against the table. The stringed instrument loosely gripped in her hands while resting against the table surface. The only thing different to her compared to the last time he saw her was the simple tunic loosely hanging around the top half of her body, just barely reaching down to cover some the bloodstained bandages wrapped around her waist.

"Malik, it's not hi—" She tried to voice reason.

"No, his actions have a price at the hands of others," the young Rafiq snapped, glowering towards Altaïr. "Had he not—!"

"We were right by the Burearu!" she snapped, taking Malik off guard. "It had nothing to do with him—what happened was on my part and no one else's. I came across an informer that asked for help and I wasn't about to say no."

"Even so, it is his responsibility," Malik pressed on, but Altaïr paid it no mind as he moved over toward Ann.

"What was so important to help an informer?"

Ann looked up to him, her brow knitting together at his question. "I wasn't helping him for what he had to offer…," she answered. "If I were in his situation, I'd hope that someone would help me, even just a little. But if you must know…" She reached to one of the pouches of her belt that rested low against her hip and pulled out the piece of paper before holding it up to him. "He gave me a map of Talal's hiding places should he choose to run."

Atlaïr was hesitant if barely for a moment before he took the paper from her hand, unfolding it. His eyes scanned through the contents of the map before drawing back to her. She gets into trouble… and yet in the end she surprises me yet again.

"Are you in much pain?" the tone of his question came almost as much of a surprise to him as it did to her and even Malik, but he it did not acknowledge it.

"Better than I was a few hours ago…," she answered.

"Regardless, she needs time to heal before doing anything to avoid the risk of reopening the wound," Malik cut back in. Already, Ann could see frustration pulling over Altaïr's face.

"Looks like you got your wish then," she added. Altaïr gave her a look of confusion, trying to understand why of all things he would wish for something like this until her words concluded it for him. "You get to go on your mission against Talal on your own."

He did not say anything… the thought did not even cross his mind that he would take on Talal alone.

"That is for me to decide." Altaïr finally turned back to Malik. "Unless you'd rather waste more of my time. Have you even acquired any useful information on your target?"

Altaïr's eyes narrowed as he pocketed the map in one of his own pouches before it could be crushed in his grasp. "Here's what I know. He traffics in human lives, kidnapping Jerusalem's citizens and selling them into slavery. His base is a warehouse located inside the Barbican north of here. As we speak he prepares a caravan for travel. I'll strike while he's inspecting his stock. If I can avoid his men, Talal himself shall prove of little challenge."

"Little challenge? Listen to you! Such arrogance." Malik scoffed.

"Are we finished?!" Altaïr was fighting to maintain his temper. "Are you satisfied with what I've learned?"

"No. But it will have to do." Malik pulled back from the counter, reaching below to pull a simple feather out to place before them. "Rest, prepare, cry in a corner. Do whatever it is you do before a mission. Only make sure you do it quietly."

Altaïr clenched his teeth, biting back his own voice before he pulled back over to the counter to snatch the delicate item from its surface. He did not bother with another word nor to so much as make eye contact with either Malik or Ann before he turned and stormed out of the room.

"Arrogant fool."

.:*~*:.

A black veil over the city of Jerusalem brought with it the cool refreshing breeze of night. Altaïr did not wish to spend more time than necessary within the walls of the Assassin's Bureau knowing fully well that nothing good would possibly come of it, though he did not stray far at all. Rather he sat on the upper level of the roof, one leg dangling over the edge as the other sat propped up against him for his arm to rest comfortably on his knee. At least here, there was some peace to be found in the dead of night.

Mmhmph!

Or so he thought…

One look down and he could see Ann struggling to pull herself up from the gate of the Bureau, just barely managing to hoist herself over onto the surface. "What are you doing?" Any urgency in his voice was quickly covered as he jumped down to her level, leaning down to take hold of her arms and pull her up over the ledge. "Are you trying to hurt yourself?"

"The both of you can stop treating me like a doll now," she responded sarcastically. "I'll be fine." Even in the pale shine of the moonlight she could see the downward curl of his frown.

"Then what are you doing up here?"

"I wanted to make sure that you were okay." His brow furrowed in confusion.

"Sympathy has no place for an Assassin." He pulled back from her, turning away to reclaim his spot before she followed him to the roof.

"At least not on a mission," she slowly pulled herself up to her feet, careful not to twist her side as she moved. "But you are still human."

"It's a waste of time."

"Only if you make it so." She followed him over to the side of the roof he climbed to. "But no one is that heartless to not feel an ounce of care for something."

"Why do you insist?"

"Do I need a reason?" She moved to take the first step leading to where he was on the roof, managing to barely pull herself over the first deck of the roof. Altaïr merely sighed before he reached back and took her hand to pull her up onto the high level with him where she could comfortably take her seat next to him.

"Look… I've picked up bits and pieces of what happened before," she started. "But that's only through everyone else's story and I've yet to hear anything from you."

"What's done is done. It cannot be changed so why dwell on it." He did not even bother to cast a glance her way.

"Because the past affects your future whether you like it or not and it's what you do about it now that will affect whether your future will be for the better or for worse. Refusing to acknowledge it is just the same as refusing to overcome it." She could see his jaw clench but he did nothing to provoke her words. Silence fell over them save for the gentle wind that barely jiggled the chimes of the Bureau.

"You don't have to tell me if it bothers you that much," she continued, finally turning her own gaze away from him to look up toward the night sky. "But at least try to acknowledge the problem for yourself. You're an incredibly skilled Assassin… don't let your skills go to waste from what's happened."

"You think I am letting myself go to waste?" he growled. "I am being treated like a dog to go and fetch back what was rightfully mine!"

"But you are going about it in the exact same manner and not acknowledging where you really went wrong."

"You don't even know what happened!"

"I know from Malik's side of the story!" she snapped her gaze back over to him, meeting those fiery amber eyes directly this time. "But as I said earlier, I do not know your side, but Malik told me everything from his experience when he patched me up."

"If you know the story then there is no need for a retelling of it."

"So you would rather your own reputation be viewed negatively in the eyes of others then?" She could hear the stretch of leather from the clutch of his fists, but she did not break away from his eyes not even for the slightest second.

"If I'm made out to be so terrible then why are you putting yourself so close to a man like me?"

"Because you're not as bad as they've made you out to be." His gaze, though still sharp and intense, barely softened by the confusion her words brought.

"Humph. And how do you know that?"

"You stood up for me. That's all I need to know." He pulled his gaze away from her. "For that, you can't be that self-centered—you just need to realize it. I know you don't like me much less what anything to do with me, but I at least want to help you to be even better than you were before."

"And how long will that take?"

"That… depends on you."

He grumbled something incoherent to her. "You're going to be more of a handful than I thought."

That brought the corners her lips to quirk up slightly. "Aw, you make it sound like that's a bad thing." He merely scoffed at her answer as she readjusted herself to find a more comfortable way of sitting by him and she turned back to the city before them, admiring the silver gleam that cascading over the entire district. "At least I can promise you one thing."

"Do I even ask…," he muttered.

"I won't give up on you." Her eyes resting out on the city before her, she did not notice the amber once that had turned back to her. "Everyone makes mistakes, but I also believe in second chances. So I promise to help you get yours."