Yo! Sorry for the wait! This chapter turned out longer than I thought. Thanks a bunch for the favs and follows, I really appreciate it! Anyways, a new person joins the Brotherhood. How will they get along with the others? Read to find out!
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Chapter 10: The New Guy
"I still do not think this is a good idea," Beatrice muttered under her breath. She hovered by the archway to the initiation hall with her arms crossed and head bent. The beak of Beatrice's hood shadowed her face and hid the frown and suspicious glare she was directing at the Brotherhood's newest recruit.
Guido Tuccerini was somewhere in his early thirties and was simple in appearance. There was nothing about his character that stood out much. He was well-built, having worked at in sawmill before it was taken over by the Borgia, and his hair was a dull brown. It was cut in a way that suggested he had done it himself so it would just be out of his eyes; also dull and brown. The hair on his face was somewhat maintained, but it was still rugged like the rest of him.
However, it was not his appearance that evoked her mistrust, it was his personality. In truth, it was more the fact that she did not like him than actually being suspicious of him. He had suffered the wrath of the Borgia like the rest of them, and he had been saved by Ezio, just like the rest of them. Did he not deserve the invitation?
"He acted like we were not even there!" Beatrice spat, not even realizing she had spoken aloud.
Ezio was severely outnumbered. Guido and his brother had decided to pick a fight with three patrols of Borgia guards in one of the most populated areas in Roma. By the time Ezio had called for backup, two brutes had arrived as well as a horseman. The fighting had caused such an uproar that the Papal Guard had been alerted and a patrol of them were on their way. It was a long and exhausting fight, but the Assassins had won without any serious injuries.
The Master Assassin had been impressed with the Tuccerini brothers and invited them to join the Brotherhood. Lovino had declined, but Guido accepted right away, thanking Ezio profusely for saving him and offering him a chance to fight. The woodcutter was invited into the Brotherhood the same way the rest of them had been; however, he had not so much as acknowledged the rest of the assassin recruits, let alone thank them for helping fight off the horde of Borgia dogs.
"I can see you really like the new guy."
Beatrice snapped her head to the right where Niccolo had rested himself on the opposite side of the archway. His hands were shoved in his pockets and a knowing smirk was on his face. Beatrice's scowl deepened.
"Hardly," she said. "He acts as if we don't exist and that he is the only recruit."
"So he's a bit excited, he'll have to say something to us when the Maestro does formal introductions."
Beatrice only grunted as her gaze travelled back to the head of the hall where Ezio was explaining the ranking system. Niccolo sighed and placed a hand on her shoulder. She glared at him, but reluctantly let her fellow discepolo lead her out of the initiation hall. Bickering could be heard from the main hall, and the partners exchanged a look before entering and strolling up to the medicine cart stationed in one of the corners of the room.
"What are you three going on about?" Niccolo asked, eyeing his fellow recruits.
"It's him," Adel answered, nodding towards Raffaele who still appeared to be having a heated argument with Zaccaria. "Raffaele got the worst wounds out of all of us, but he refuses to let himself be treated until he's seen to Zac's injuries."
Beatrice rolled her eyes and shoved herself in between the two milite. "Raffaele, Zaccaria's not going anywhere. Now treat your damn wounds before I treat them for you."
The younger recruited held his tongue and gave the brunette a stubborn glare, not moving an inch. Beatrice narrowed her eyes, daring Raffaele to disobey her. The tension between them grew and Adel and Zaccaria shared uncertain looks while Niccolo watched in amusement. He knew none of the recruits could win against Beatrice's death stare; however, Niccolo was impressed Raffaele had lasted this long. He was just about to intervene when Ezio and Guido entered the hall.
Adel waved to get the Master Assassin's attention. "Ah, Maestro Ezio!"
Raffaele broke his glaring contest with Beatrice as the older men walked over, but muttered under his breath, "I still would like to treat Zaccaria's wounds first."
"We'll see what the Maestro has to say about that, kid," Beatrice said, shooting him a smug grin.
"See what I have to say about what?" Ezio asked, looking at the recruits in confusion.
"They're fighting about whose wounds should be treated first," Niccolo explained.
Guido scoffed lightly, muttering a quiet, "how childish", under his breath. A tense moment passed between the assassins, as Ezio looked at the new recruit out of the corner of his eye, and Niccolo quickly, but discreetly, stepped in front of Beatrice. The brunette fumed angrily and resisted the urge to release her hidden blade.
Ezio was the one to finally break the silence, stepping forward and saying, "Raffaele, that wound on your head is still bleeding. At least get that looked after before you treat anyone else."
Raffaele looked about to argue, but he decided against it and let out a defeated sigh. He reluctantly fell into the chair and allowed Adel to begin dressing his wound.
"Maestro, perhaps we should do introductions now?" Niccolo suggested, wanting to defuse the tension between Guido and the rest of the recruits, if only just a little.
Ezio nodded. "Si. Guido, the men and women who stand before you have all suffered because of the Borgia. Each of them have their own reasons for fighting, but they all joined for the same cause."
"Niccolo Ciccone was the first to join," the Master Assassin said, motioning to said man. "And is currently the highest ranking recruit."
"Piacere," Niccolo said, flashing a friendly smiling and grabbing Guido's hand in a firm handshake.
"Altrettanto."The older man nodded in greeting and returned the handshake.
"The two ladies are Beatrice and Adel. They are the second and third highest ranked and Adel is our second medico."
Adel grinned and waved before turning back to a fidgeting Raffaele while Beatrice gave a stiff nod. Ezio stifled a sigh; he supposed it would take time for Beatrice to warm up to the new recruit. Hopefully it would not take too long. If the Brotherhood was incapable of working together, they would not be able to defeat the Borgia.
"The one being treated is Raffaele," he explained, nodding towards the man. "He does not speak often, but he has a sharp mind and is our primary medico."
"And who's the kid?" Guido asked, motioning to Zaccaria who blinked in surprise. "Is he a currier boy or something? He hardly looks old enough to be here."
"Hey, who do you think you're talking to, stronzo?" Beatrice cut in before Ezio could say anything. "You should know that Zaccaria is the best at stealth assassinations out of all of us. He could kill you any time anywhere if he wanted to."
"Beatrice, it's OK," Zaccaria said, trying to calm the discepolo down. "Guido did not know, and he has a point."
The man crossed his arms and hummed in agreement. Beatrice scowled.
Before Beatrice could retort, Ezio interrupted with a stern glare. "Hey, it's over and done with, leave it."
Tensions rose once again and defensive barriers were built. Ezio shook his head in defeat. Pulling his cowl back up, the Master Assassin turned and headed for the tunnel entrance.
"Machiavelli is expecting me," he said. "I will leave you to sort this out on your own."
Once the sound of the opening and closing of the tunnel entrance was heard, Beatrice immediately launched herself at Guido. The woodcutter let out a yell of surprise as he was forced to the ground, the back of his head hitting the hard stones of the floor. The feel of cold steel against his throat pull him out of his dazed state, and he stared wide-eyed as Beatrice lowered her head so they were millimeters apart.
"You better start showing some damn respect, you pezzo di merda," she hissed. "Or I will teach it to you myself."
"Beatrice, stop!" Zaccaria exclaimed, running forward and grabbing the brunette around the middle; however, she refused to budge.
"For Dio's sake, woman, get off him," Niccolo commanded, grabbing hold of Beatrice's hood and hauling her off Guido. The woodcutter immediately sprung to his feet and retreated a few steps back, his hand holding the spot where Beatrice's hidden blade had been pressed.
Beatrice smacked Niccolo's hand away and left the headquarters without a word. Guido watched her go with a strangely calm expression. Niccolo let out a frustrated sigh and ran his hand through his hair, turning and kicking at a roll of bandages that had fallen to the floor. After a few moments of awkward silence, Zaccaria coughed to get Guido's attention and took a hesitant step forward.
"Listen, I'm sorry for Beatrice, she's just-"
Guido held up his hand. "Save it. I don't care what her problem is. As far as I'm concerned, you're just a bunch of children fueled by revenge. If you want my respect, you're going to have to prove me wrong."
"Then you will have to earn ours as well," Raffaele responded, coming to stand beside Zaccaria.
Guido, crossed his arms. "Fair enough, but I'm still debating whether I should tell the Maestro about the threat. I'm sure putting a blade to a fellow assassino's throat is against the 'creed'."
"Then you have a lot to learn," Niccolo said.
Guido made an unconvinced sound in his throat as he turned and strolled towards the staircase leading to the street.
"I am going to the taverna," he said, waving his hand in dismissal. "I'll see you lot around."
"So do you think he'll actually tell Ezio?" Adel asked once Guido had left.
"Who knows," Zaccaria sighed.
Niccolo shook his head and said, "Whatever happens, we're stuck with Guido for the time being, whether we like it or not. We just have to hope that he warms up to us."
"I guess so…"
"Come on, let's finish patching ourselves up then go find Beatrice so we can get a bite to eat together or something," Adel suggested.
"Si," Niccolo said, Zaccaria and Raffaele nodding in agreement. "That sounds molto bene."
Well? How do you like Guido? Bit of a stronzo isn't he? Well, I assure you he is not going to be a character that people only hate. I will expand on his story and views, don't you worry! If you like Noia, consider faving, following, or reviewing if you haven't already! Thank you all for the support so far!
Before I go, I've updated the character list on my profile with ages and brief descriptions. I also made a new poll asking about the cast's back stories. If you have time, pop by and vote! Furthermore, I'm working on the a cover for this story, so look forward to that!
Until next time,
CMilk out!