Celestine's POV

I really cannot believe it! I am officially a Master Assassin!

My heart was literally ripping through my chest during the entire ceremony, I was doing my best in keeping myself collected while Mentor Trenet was speaking and I almost lost it when Mentor Beylier was handing out my new robes to me! I only let it all out when I regrouped with my Brothers.

Last night was the best night of my life yet. And I can't wait to show it to Mother and Father, and also to Uncle as well but I should bring Juliette as well to visit her father. But the five of us were having too much fun with the Moscato—it was a personal favorite of mine over the vast selections of Italian wine and it's pretty good too, popular across Italy obviously because of the flavor although it was a little expensive that is why only middle-class and upper-class bars and cafes were the only ones to import that kind of wine, one of them is Café Theatre itself.

As for Arno, he never stops surprising me when he brought me back to my room and surprised me with that silver necklace he got. The pendant really caught my eye—the front stained glass window of the Notre Dame—I have never seen anything like it and he did a good job in picking it out.

I'm not the kind of lady who finds pleasure in lavish jewels and clothes but I do value them when they are sentimental to me—for instance, the necklace—because I barely ask for things like those. I'm being honest about this, not modest.

When it was getting late and we were getting tired now, we also didn't want to be drunk, so our Brothers went back to the Sanctuary while Arno and I retired inside the mansion to get to our bedrooms. Just as I was about to go to my bedroom, I found Juliette walking around the foyer.

"Juliette?"

"Oh, cousin!" she cracked, "I was about to come to you but I heard you and your friends together—I didn't want to disturb you."

"Ever the proper lady, aren't you, Juliette?"

"Adrien told me about your rank as a new Master Assassin into the Brotherhood, I just want to say how happy I am for you!"

I smiled and walked right up to her to give her a hug as my thanks for her congratulation for me. I guess it's time for her to be an Assassin as well? Who knows—she just might have some potential that I cannot see yet. And in a matter of few weeks—well, days now actually—she'll be turning seventeen. How time flies. Maybe she doesn't want to talk about this yet—about the Assassin matters, perhaps it will come to her at some time, I'll let time do its natural work.

"Well, Celestine, it's very late tonight. I think it's best if you get some rest too." Juliette.

"Thank you, cousin. To you as well." I nodded to her.

She hugged me one last time and kissed me on the cheek, she bids good night to me and Arno and returns to her bedroom.

"She's quite soft-spoken, isn't she?"

"Well, she was trained to be a prim and proper kind of lady instead of…"

"An Assassin?"

"Yes." I clicked my tongue. "Juliette's right, we should get some sleep."

"Do we really have to?" he started cooing childishly.

"Oh, Arno," I groaned miserably as he begins to be all cuddly and playful, "Enough games for tonight ad you're not drunk."

"Well, I'm not drunk in wine, darling." He begins to trap me in his arms.

"Then what?"

"You." He slyly kisses my neck and I gently push him away.

"Not tonight, love. Some other time, please?"

"Can't we celebrate tonight?"

How could I have put up with this man? I have no idea. It's a mystery why I fell in love with him in the first place.

"No, we can't. We shouldn't get carried away with ourselves."

"You don't mean that." He moans as he continues to nibble my neck.

"Arno, please."

"Can't I just sleep right next to you?"

I sighed. "Fine. But nothing stupid, alright?"

"Yes, Celestine."

"Promise me, swear it."

"Yes, I swear and promise to you." He takes my hand and kisses my knuckles.

He didn't let go of my hand and we went to my bedroom. He helped me take off my new coat, I unbuttoned my vest and also the first three buttons of my blouse underneath the vest. His fingers gingerly unbuckled the straps of my gauntlets and took off my gloves as well.

I sat on my bed and unbuckled the straps of my greaves and took off my boots and stockings. I was so tired that I stretched my arms and legs and threw myself down on my bed—with my arms open wide and staring at the darkwood ceiling. The next thing I know that Arno is crawling over me on fours.

He's just there face to face with me and staring back. He smiles sweetly and leans forward to kiss my forehead, at that time I already had my eyes closed; I felt his hand secure my neck like I'm some infant and then his other hand scooped me up by the waist so he could position me upright on the bed.

"Buonanotte, mi cara tesora."

I heard him whisper in my ear and felt him squirm onto the other side of my bed and tuck me in with my thick satin blankets. And then I felt his arm wrap around my waist and pull me close to him as we sleep together.

Arno's POV

As she sleeps ever so soundly and peacefully in my arms, my nose gets buried into the mess of her dark locks of hair and with every breath I draw into my nostrils I always get a smell of sweet roses and cherries. I was still awake even though I had my eyes closed, she tosses and turns so she faces me; I look at the entirety of her face and she looks so precious when she's asleep, observing her from her head to her chin, her peachy lips and curved eyelashes were what caught me. I smiled contentedly, thinking of the facts that she's already a Master Assassin and she loves me as much as I love her back, I guess I have nothing to worry about at all in my life then.

It's gotten a little bit quiet from the outside now, I'm sure that the three of them must have retired back to the Sanctuary or maybe went out for some late night adventures. Let them fly. They're grown men already—even Felix—they can handle things themselves.

For tonight, I'll just savor this moment of sleeping right next to her.

The next morning, I squirmed to my right and tried to cuddle Celestine again but when my arm was tapping around the bed I tapped onto something metallic and slightly cold instead, I woke up to find her spot empty and a breakfast tray was placed. The usual routine goes and I'm supposed to find a note weighed underneath the teapot or the food tray and I found it under the pot—because before it was under the saucer.

"Eat first before you look for me. I'll be on the roof of the Legacy Room. Je'taime. –C."

I smiled at her thought of bringing me breakfast whenever I wake up without her at my side, but I should tell her that I much prefer seeing her right next to me the moment I wake up. She served me something new this time and it doesn't look like French cuisine; the tray consisted of a bowl of soup with a medley of vegetables, a saucer with cubed slices of cheese and the main plate was meat that apparently looked like lamb chops.

Did she make this?

I took the first bite of the meat and I was still unsure what kind of meat it is because it was so tender, I tried the soup and it had an adequate flavor of saltiness and the natural flavor of the vegetables; in the middle of eating the meat and sipping a spoonful of soup, I poked my fork into one cube of cheese and the moment I put it in my mouth it melted in my mouth and stuck to my palate, giving me a creamy feel of it on my upper palate.

Did she really make this?! It's so delicious! One thing I can tell that it's not French cuisine for sure!

I finished all three courses and then drank my tea, which happened to be chamomile. I eagerly put on my vest and coat, get out of her bedroom and then went to the library to climb to the narrow second floor that has a passage to the attic maze that leads to the Legacy Room.

I sped through the walls of the attic and found my way to the Legacy Room.

"Celestine?"

Since the morning was quiet, I heard something stepping on the roof of the Legacy Room and my initial guess was her but I headed out into the light before she could even hang upside down like a child to surprise me.

When I got out of the Legacy Room, I found her sitting on the narrow rim of the roof,

"There you are." I cooed and she giggles in reply.

I positioned my hands in a manner that looked like I was about to catch her and she got the idea so she carefully pushed herself from the rim and landed into my arms. Before I could even put her down, I kissed her on the cheek and then put her down on her feet.

"Darling, next time, let me wake up with you by my side, please?" I said.

"Alright, tesoro." She smiles. "Did you like the food I made for you?"

"So it was really you."

"Of course, it's Italian cuisine—they were quite surprised to have me in the kitchen."

"So what was the meat? And what kind of cheese was that? What do you call that soup with vegetables?"

She chuckles as she lets me finish, "The meat was lamb, we call it abbacchio alla romana—it's grilled lamb chops. The soup was minestrone and the cheese was taleggio. Those were some of my favorite food when I was still in Italy and my mother usually serves them at home; when I grew, she taught me how to make them."

"Oh…"

"Did you like them?"

"Yes! I suppose I should make some for you in return, tesora."

"No need, darling."

"I insist, Celestine, please."

"Oh well, I guess I don't have a choice." She chuckles.

"You really did surprise me there."

"Really?"

"Yes."

She wrapped her arms around my neck and pushed herself closer to me so that she can give me her tender kiss.

All of a sudden, she felt like as if she was a wife to me but not yet—I haven't presented a ring to her yet, but I really want to marry her. I hope she took what I said last night—about giving her a ring when I gave her the necklace.

Her hand went to her neck to take out the necklace to show it to me. Since our robes had layer of clothes—starting with the blouse or shirt, the vest, the coat and then the hood—it was understandable that she kept her necklace underneath the collar of her blouse, away from the eyes of thieving peasants and materialistic, envious women and courtesans.

"It really is beautiful, mi caro."

"I'm so glad you like it."

"I don't like it—I love it." She smiles adorably.

"Do you want to come with me to one of the safehouses?"

She nods and then we went out of the mansion by standing on the rim of the balcony and hopped to the top of the wall on the eastern yard and we were finally out of the Café Theatre's walls.

"So, which safehouse, Arno?"

"The one in Feydeau, come on!"

We sped across the wooden bridge and then scaled the first building we saw the moment we got to the Cité. At that point, we get better vantage and navigation so we rushed on the rooftops with ease. We came to a point wherein we split up, ending up on a different roof but still we went out as long as I know that she's near me.

I jumped across the gap that ends me up on the opposite building and I caught a glimpse of her gracefully leaping across and parkouring over a stack of wood on the next roof—I even heard her laugh when she landed successfully from her leap and her jump over the wood stack.

She loves the thrill of it, obviously.

We later rejoined when we scaled onto a house's rooftop, we stopped at the end of the rooftop to scan the horizon.

"So," she panted, "Where is it?"

I looked at her and told her, "Collect your breath first. I need to take a breather, myself."

She chuckles despite her lacking of enough breath to exert an effortless laugh.

"You alright now?"

"Yes. So, point the way now."

"We go forward and after a few more roads, we're close to the safehouse."

"You take the lead." She nods the northerly direction and I darted away and at that split second I felt her following me—she's just right behind me.

This feeling I get when I know that—even without looking over my shoulder to check—she's just right behind me, the sound of her footsteps, the heaving sounds of the breaths that she draws and the sound of her body thudding and landing successfully from a jump; that was enough for me to know that she was right by my side.

Descending from the roof we're standing on, we blended with the crowd as there were extremists patrolling around as well. I suddenly felt her hand grasp on my bicep and after that she was no longer at my side now until I heard the grunts of pain of the trio of extremists who received the edge of Celestine's blades.

For us Assassins, we don't need reasons to kill extremists—we think of them as rats that need to be exterminated as quickly as possible. Their harassment to civilians is enough a reason.

I stopped in my tracks to watch her loot the three dead extremists and pockets whatever she's picked up from them and then she scaled an open window, I had no choice but to follow her as I perch on the window sill.

"What are you doing, Celestine?"

"What? It's a chest, it's worth opening." She blurts out as she smiles and lockpicks the padlock.

I watched how precise she unlocked the latches. One… two… three. There were three latches. I watched how she maneuvers her wrist and fingers and still keep the needle in place. This lady never ceases to amaze me.

She lifts the lid without a face of greed—just sheer child-like curiosity—and she takes the contents of the chest and sits down.

Wait, what is she doing?

"So these are just coins." She blurts.

"What were you expecting—treasure?"

"Perhaps. But since they're just livres…"

She fiddled with the coins in her hands and quietly counted them but I can read her lips mouthing out the number she's already in.

"It's 5000. We'll half it up." She smiled and then she counted again to divide it.

"Celestine, what are you doing, exactly?"

She hands over my share of the loot but I wasn't taking it, I'm still standing there staring at her.

"I don't hoard the treasure when I'm with a fellow Assassin. Where's the fun in that?" she replies. "Now go on, take it."

She shakes the bag once, urging me to take it and I did. It would be rude if I decline her offer—she did half up the sum of the money she found in that chest. Is it really her nature to do this?

"Now come, that safehouse isn't going to wait forever." She gestures a nod to the window and flew off.

The moment I got out of the window, she was already swinging from pole to pole until she lands and balanced on a flower box hanging by a window and managed to climb up as she got to the next box.

I followed her lead and when I got to the edge, I felt her tight grip around my arm and pulled me up with all of her efforts—well, she is a little petite—and it caused her to stumble the moment I got to the rooftop with her.

"Hey, you alright?"

"Yeah," she manages a light chuckle, "I'm alright. Come on!"

She dashes and then I quickly pick myself up back to my toes to catch up with her. We're close anyway. We stop from time to time, scanning and navigating the horizon to see if we're near or still far but then with her keen eye she taps on my shoulder and points out that one green roof in the business annex.

"There's our mark, dearest Celestine."

"I think it's better if we get down now."

"Good idea."

We walked the streets as casually as we could and so far, we haven't reached our destination but as much as possible, we tried to stay incognito.

"Celestine, try not to suddenly attack the extremists. Enough bloodshed for the moment."

"I know—I had it in mind. I'm saving my energy for the mission from the social club."

"Good girl."

She giggles, "I'm not a child anymore for you to say that to me, Arno."

I smirk underneath my hood and peered under to see her smiling as well, she purses her lips in to wet them with tongue and it looked like her playful smile did not vanish as she relaxed the muscles around her mouth.

A few more turns and shortcuts through small pathways of houses and compounds—and startling some citizens as well—we got closer.

"Are we close?" Celestine.

"Yes, come."

We nonchalantly entered the café—at the ground floor of the safehouse—and we were given reassurance that it was still safe because it was swarming with Assassins which is a good thing. We went upstairs and greeted a Brother lounging in one of the rooms.

"So, where do you keep the mission logs?"

I took her hand and then went to the other room—in every social club, there's only two main rooms upstairs and we're not complaining about that because it's a low-maintenance task—I showed her the room where the center table was filled with letters and even had that big hardbound tome where the Assassins take note of the mission itself, who was the target to be killed and who took the mission.

Right next to the closed tome was a mission log, Celestine took it to read and I walked right up behind her overlooking the context of the mission.

"It says that there's Templar activity going on in Ventre de Paris, says it's being facilitated by an unnamed leader. Hmn, that sounds interesting."

"You're game for that?"

"Don't underestimate me! Come on, let's go take it." She eagerly insists.

"Alright."

She searched for a quill and inkwell, when she did she wrote our names on the mission log and then weighed it under the tome.

"Surely someone would see this." She winks and then looks for an open window to fly away.

She scaled up to the roof and I followed, she was crouching when I got to her and she was obviously scanning the horizon.

"Ventre de Paris, huh? Well, let's go then." She urges and we both sped across rooftops to get to the next district.

But wait… this has never occurred before.

She wasn't even intrigued by the vagueness of what the paper said. The Templar activity is being run by someone the other Assassins couldn't identify? It was unnamed as it was stated, but who could it be?

I guess the only way to find it out is to get there in Ventre de Paris.

ITALIAN:

Buonanotte – Good night

Mi cara/caro – my dear

Tesoro – darling

Abbacchio alla romana – grilled baby lamb chops

Taleggio – rich, creamy cow cheese

Minestrone – classic Italian vegetable soup

Wow, I've been long for quite a while now. Well, that's because I am constantly brainstorming on what's going to happen next—and I'm doing the same for Fangirlitis 101—and also I enrolled for my sophomore year so I guess I'm gonna be busy for quite a while and I probably won't publish that fast.

And the food came from the Italian dictionary/translator book I have so yeah. It's time that Arno gets a taste of Italian cuisine.

Xielle.