Lyla was laid to rest now, in Adair's conscious. She accepted that she had died, but...it didn't feel right. Something was wrong. She still blamed herself, except now it didn't inhibit her. She felt devoid of feeling, like she didn't care any more. Lyla was...expendable. Yes. That was how she felt toward her now. Just another victim of a-
Thatcher swatted Adair's arm. "Pay attention!"
"Hm?" Adair raised her head. She was supposed to be paying attention to the new recruits, demonstrating their skills as Backups, which involved freerunning, assassinations, and scouting. But her thoughts were too strong for her to pay attention. She tried her best, though, and watched as a young girl tried scaling a rather high obstacle wall.
"I wouldn't even try doing that," Adair scowled.
"She's still trying."
"Dai tempo al tempo," A smooth voice sounded. Ezio Auditore seated himself next to Adair. "Give it time." Sure enough, the youth scrambled upward and continued her way.
"She disrupted the flow," Adair argued. "If she were to try and save her Runner, she wouldn't make it in time."
"True. Perhaps she would make a better Scout?" Ezio looked over to Thatcher. Thatcher just shrugged.
"This next one looks promising," Ezio pointed to a tall boy at the beginning of the course. Jessica, the Gamma Scout, was running a timer, and just as the girl ahead finished, she restarted the clock. The boy dashed forward with notable speed, and scaled a wall to reach the rafters.
"Descendant of Connor?" Thatcher asked.
"So quick to judge, Thatch," Adair shook her head, smiling. "Hell, I run the rafters."
"You're a Kenway," Thatcher muttered, and Adair snickered.
"Watch closely," Ezio murmured. "He's changing his pace."
Indeed, the kid was. Adair focused on his foot movement. He had a rhythm, but he strayed from it very quickly. His timing started to rush, like he had gained too much speed, something the inexperienced should never do on planks of wood suspended in the air. The boy wobbled, his footing on an approaching beam unreliable. With a short cry, the boy fell.
"A shame," Adair said.
"He was too ambitious. He can be trained to do otherwise," Thatcher stated in the boy's defense.
"I'd say he could make a good runner." Adair turned to her left. "What are your predictions on this next one, Master Auditore?"
"They are equals. All of them have the potential, it is just a matter of where they fit."
"If you say so."
"You laugh, I know," Ezio said as the timer beeped. "But it is one lesson out of hundreds that you only learn over time."
"You should listen to the old man, Addy," Thatcher added. "He knows what he's talking about."
"Just like how you take every word of Edward's seriously?"
Thatcher smiled widely. "Pay attention."
The new boy ran through the course on the ground, trying to remain quick rather than impress with fancy technique. However, as everyone knew, this was no easy task. Nothing was handed to you in the Brotherhood, with the exception of family and protection. And as Adair knew, neither of those exceptions applied to the freerunning course. It was littered with walls, obstacles and other barriers, trying to make you think outside the box, helping you formulate an escape plan. There was no right way to run, just an effective way.
"Look at him go," Adair craned
her neck to observe further. The guy could run, all right. Almost like he knew the course entirely. But then, like the one before, he got stuck. He had chosen the fork in the course that gave him a 30 foot wall to scale, with little to grapple on to and climb. He stood for a good ten seconds, then backed up, leaping onto the wall. Even from where they sat, the trio could hear his fingers scratch against the clay wall as he fell with no grip. Thatcher winced, understanding the pain.
But he kept going, walling once more. They heard scuffling, then an abrupt gasp. Next thing they knew, the boy had climbed up the wall. Adair nodded her head slightly, eager to watch his next steps. Now, he ran along the top, jumping from each wall top. Finally, he reached his goal, and tackled the dummy from above, like how Adair did.
"What was the name of that one?" Adair asked Ezio.
"I do not know." Ezio said.
"Adair, we're looking for a Backup, not a Runner," Thatcher reminded her. "I mean, yeah, we need to grade everyone, but don't decide just yet."
"I think he's versatile, like a Backup should be," Adair replied firmly. "I want to see more from him."
"Well, I think we should wait a bit more."
"Sure, sure. But right now, I'm going to go introduce myself to him and offer him a position."
"Adair-"
"You know what Ezio said, Thatcher. This kid has potential, and I know where he fits." Adair stood and left.