"Oh...dear." She whispered and her mind snapped to a recent memory, "You...it was you who asked Ms Suna to go through my stuff. Am I right?"
"Right you are. I have no qualms about digging dirt up on Altair from his favourite whore." He gave her a toothy grin and she instinctively turned on her heels in a flash and pelted furiously down the corridor. He was going to attempt murder again, like he did with the poison...and she had to run.
"What's the rush?" The Assassin hissed into her ear, his arm was wrapped around her neck pulling her close to his chest, his other hand fell loose at his side, "Surely you must have missed me?"
"I wouldn't bet on it!" Leah squeaked and twisted in his strong grip, her efforts were futile as he didn't budge an inch.
"Oh come, come now little woman, care to tell me what you are still doing skulking around Altair? Trapped in a brothel...you don't really think he wasn't going to make a move do you?" He chuckled into her ear, she bit her lip and struggled again, now attempting to stamp on his feet, "You came here, following him and interfered with the mission. That in fact names you as an obstruction and it is my duty to remove it."
"Oh give up you freak!" She screamed and head butted his nose with the back of her head, he growled in pain and tightened his arm around her neck tighter. "I was not following you – I was on my own mission!"
"You're own mission?" Maness echoed, "Altair might fall for these tricks but I won't –" His speech was interrupted by a striking figure standing stock still ahead of them. It was Altair, the hood fell darkly over his face, in one arm he held one portly decoy in a head lock, his mouth a grimace as he watched Leah struggle. "Ah...Altair, there appears that you have caught a decoy." The Assassin holding her chuckled,
"You appear to be holding Leah." Altair stated blandly and stabbed the decoy man in his neck with the hidden blade, he let the body fall to the floor with a sickening thud. Leah avoided staring at the grisly wound on the corpse and directed her attention to Altair who was looking lividly at his rival.
"Ah yes I do appear to be, a familiar situation I'm sure. I picked her up while searching for the target, she was pinned underneath another man." Maness said loftily and smiled as Altair's mouth formed a scowl, "Ah but of course she was enjoying the intimacy with him, alas I had to save your dear little companion, otherwise you'd stray off from the mission with heart break."
"Our mission is Sir Castomun, we have to eradicate him before the Templars get their hands on the papers. Whatever Leah is doing here is of her own accord." Altair said valiantly, "Now let her go." He said his tone dropping down a notch, his hidden blade was still poised out in the open ready for use.
"I suppose...but let her go?" Maness chuckled, "This opportunity is far, far too rich to just let go. Now listen here, Leah was having a very good time following us, Altair you cannot say she is not a nuisance."
"She is. She's also loud." Altair said with a smile tugging at his lips.
"Impatient."
"Spoilt."
"Useless."
"Weak."
"Rude."
"Cocky."
"Nasty."
"And downright unrelated to anything the brotherhood does." Maness said with an air of finality, Leah looked to and from Altair to what little she could see of Maness, her mouth open wide in shock,
"I AM NOT SPOILT!" she squealed and stamped her foot, "For God's sake Maness let me go!" She snarled and twisted away easily, Maness was laughing his arms hanging loosely at his sides. And he said,
"Ah what fun we've had brat... shame I couldn't carry out my intents. But kindly remove yourself from the vicinity peasant." Altair snickered at the sentence and hastily covered it with a hacking cough as Leah glanced at him disapprovingly.
"And you have nothing to say about this?" She said incredulously, raising an eyebrow to Altair to widened his eyes in mock surprise, and gave the smallest shrug of his shoulders.
"You KNOW I can't say anything." Altair thought looking meaningfully at her with a cock of his head to the side.
"I think he's trying to say something to me..." Leah thought shrewdly and narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously,
"Do you understand!" Altair thought with a little cough behind his hand,
"What is he up to?" Leah's mind was in a small turmoil as she struggled to decipher his body-language/eye-voice messages."What ARE you doing?" she eventually voiced up impatiently, folding her arms,
"Yes Altair, you've been holding the most peculiar expression for a while." Maness chimed in with an amused grin at him,
"I'm not doing anything." Altair replied innocently with his arms spread open as a gesture of innocence as he took a few steps closer to Leah.
"NOW HURRY UP AND PACK IT IN." He gave her a stern look as he thought so, this was then followed by a sickly sweet smile that alarmed her slightly,
"Chriiiist...his eyes are about as big cups now...he's going to have some heavy bags under them when he's finished." She thought and rolled her eyes at him, it was a sign that Altair knew all too well. He gave a heavy sigh and shook his head ever so slightly,
"What did I do!" Leah's facial expressions screamed at him,
"Finally...she's managed to say something..." Altair thought with a hint of irony, "I think it's best if you leave Leah, you're not part of the brotherhood any more...and you're interfering with Maness."
"Interfering with him? He interfered with me first!" She replied cattily with a sharp look at the Assassin behind her who shrugged with indifference.
"Should be glad I did, that man was out for your life and virginity." Maness said dryly and walked past her, knocking her arm rudely as he passed,
"Dick." Leah muttered shooting shards of hatred at his back, Altair noticed the glare from Leah and hastily decided it was time to go before the woman thought it wise to tackle the Assassin to the floor.
"We should move on. Castomun has had ample time to reassemble and retrieve." He said lowly to Maness who replied with a snort and began walking down the corridor alone.
"Get away from here Leah, it's not safe." Altair hissed to her, the second Maness was out of sight. She looked at him sceptically and he sighed with frustration, "This is no ordinary mission, there are big things going on right now – and you're not in a place where you should get involved."
"Altair-"
"No Leah, get out of here before things turn ugly, Sir Castomun is beyond dangerous, he's a lord within a ring of undercurrents within society, the black market, the Templars', the brotherhood. There's a reason only me and Maness have been sent here." He whispered to her whilst glancing around for fear of being over heard.
"Look, that's really fabulous and all but..." Leah began simply and ran her fingers through a lock of hair,
"But what?" Altair demanded looking into her eyes,
"I'm not going back to the brothel." She stated simply. Altair didn't quite know what to do, his heart was beating with frustration at her ignorance, his chest weighing down with the decision, another part him screamed with grief and regret. If he'd never thrown her into that place then she wouldn't have had to suffer the humiliation he inflicted on her as a drunk.
Leah stared at him and chewed her lip thoughtfully, "Wow...I'm not even sure where to start...black markets...these missions are getting shadier by the day. Next thing you know Maness is starting the Arabian version of the Mafia."
"Alright...but you can't tail me, Manes won't allow it." Altair said finally with an air of defeat, he avoided looking at her and began a run down the corridor where he stopped at a distance, "What you can do is keep your distance." And he winked at her.
"Right..." Leah said uncertainly not quite sure where he was going to lead her, but she began to follow him. "Hang on."
"What now?" Altair asked her hurriedly,
"We better sort out what happened on that day." Leah told him awkwardly and fiddled with a lock of hair.
"Err...okaaaay..."
"Yeah...y'see it was my-"
"No, no it was my seed and your flower, and I will stand up like a man and provide a home, money and comfort for any child you may bear from this day on. All I ask is for your forgiveness for my ravaging of your body, during the influence of alcohol...It is also injustice for a woman to bear a child out of wedlock...and so I am forced to ask this question, will you marry me?" And he dropped to one knee.
Leah had listened to this with an eyebrow cocked in confusion, and at that question she burst out laughing uncontrollably. "I sincerely hope that is not how you propose to women! "Seed and flower" oh my god...they're some crazy ways to describe the body!" She was hugging her stomach and doubling up with laughter.
"Eh?" Altair looked at her oddly, and she stopped laughing after a while,
"You daft duck...We didn't have sex, that's what I've been trying to tell you! I had to take my top off to fool Ms Suna that we had, so she'd leave...you just managed to wake up at the wrong time..." She said feeling slightly embarrassed.
"You...we...never?" Altair asked her uncertainly,
"Nope."
"Sure?"
"Very sure."
"Right...now that...that's over...let us be on our way." He said sighing with relief, "Oh and for the written record that was my rather rehearsed speech for every other women I wake up next too."
"It was all lie no doubt...but what other women? You better tell me Altair!" Leah giggled but the Assassin had raced away with a cheeky wink at her.
The mansion seemed to last an eternity though they finally broke free of the winding maze of corridors. The Assassins raced across a grand ball room of some sorts, they leapt through some chiffon style drapes and screeched to a halt in front of a grand door, their own chests heaved dramatically as they paused for a second. Leah herself felt like she was on the brink of death, her hands gripped the corner of the wall as she stopped abruptly, her lungs ballooned as she gulped down air hungrily, her face was a beacon of red as she hid round the corner one eye keeping watch of the Assassins, "What...the...how did they even know...to come here..." She thought to herself, even her brain seemed oxygen starved after her exercising task of tailing them.
She watched as Maness pulled his hood up and pointed to the ceiling with his index finger. Altair nodded and drew up his own hood, the Head Assassin leapt to the nearest window which was situated dangerously close to Leah in the corridor. He promptly flung himself out of the window, hopefully committing suicide in her eyes, but she saw as he flipped himself up to the roof of the building. "Pssssssttt!" She motioned to Altair who glanced back but continued to crouch at the side of the door, his attention wholly focused on the door.
Feeling rather left out Leah crept across and tapped his shoulder, he gave a shrug and she leant down to his ear and asked softly, "Care to tell me what's going on?" and when he didn't answer she continued to annoy him gently.
"We're breaching." He replied curtly in a tone barely above a whisper. Leah nodded in understanding, she'd seen enough Call of Duty games to see know how it worked...they blew the door open, charged in guns blazing, got shot and started again. She moved quietly behind Altair, her side pressed closely to the wall, her muscles poised to charge ahead with him intent on avoiding death. A minute passed in silence suddenly Altair spoke in a low tone, "Leah..."
"Yeah?" She replied absent mindedly, her mind was wholly devoted to a perfect breach of this room,
"I don't want you to hear what I'm going to say to this man." He told her. It wasn't just a comment, it was an order and she straightened up with a displeased expression plastered on.
"That's a weird thing to say, what you on about? You said I could follow you, and now that I'm here you don't want me?" She asked him with accusation layering her tone, he gave a sigh and turned round to her.
"That's right, this is one part of the mission I cannot let you hear, so just...move along."
"Hey, don't treat me like I'm some "peasant" or civilian." Leah snapped in reply and gave him a little friendly push, Altair suppressed a laugh at her feeble attempt that did little than jostle the fabrics he wore, but he put a serious look on his face with difficulty before turning round to her,
"You are actually a peasant, but either way. Just leave for a few minutes and I promise I'll return." This time Leah laughed, it was the fact that it was a hollow and mocking one that stung Altair's pride, what worsened his unease was the smile on her face that did nothing but hide the hurt he could see in her. She shook her pretty head and replied, "You never really do return. Let's be honest, why am I even here?" She looked directly at him but he lowered his gaze away from her knowing that there was no answer that wasn't selfish and with that she turned on her heel beginning a lonely walk down the corridor, "Oh come on!" Altair called out urgently dashing a few feet towards her before halting in his tracks.
"I can't leave my post!" He thought with a flush of responsibility building in him, "But I can't let her leave either!" His face creased with lines as he considered finally he followed his instincts and bolted a good few feet calling out her name repeatedly when a lone voice from above him shouted,
"BREACH!"
"Fuck." Altair muttered hearing the call of Maness and an almighty crash behind him, he watched as the last of Leah's body disappeared from view with a bitter taste in his mouth, "The reason why she's here is because of me, I enjoy her company...but she's not equipped for fighting, and could get injured. So why is she here?...Free food?" He racked his mind with possibilities till another crash caught his attention.
"ASSASSIN!" Came multiple cries from the room behind him, he swore again and tore in the room he was previously by. Barrelling through the doors gruffly he crashed onto a messy scene, Maness stood at the centre of a ring holding a bloodied corpse which he threw roughly to the floor before whipping around to him,
"You took your time." He spat at Altair who glanced in a bemused fashion at the room,
"I was spot on time actually..." He replied coolly and lifted his shoe off the floor tentatively where sticky red liquid clung to it, "You finished rather fast...did you find him?" He asked looking down with distaste at the mess.
"Thanks to your incompetent timing-" Maness began brashly.
"He got away?" Altair suggested and chuckled as the Assassin's face turned a dark beetroot colour in anger. Altair and took a good look around the room, there were several doors swung wide open but he was sceptical the man never left...
"If you think for one minute that I'll let you pin this blame on me, then you'd better peel those eye lids of yours off and have a good guess." Maness growled and stomped away to the nearest window,
"You'll do better waiting here my friend...there is something...amiss here..." Altair mumbled in reply ignoring the tempered man, he proceeded to stalk the corners of the room slowly. Taking in the detail and layout of the room,
"Something amiss?" Maness echoed and chortled as he put his leg on the windowsill, "I'm afraid the only thing amiss here is your way of thinking."
"Don't be a fool Maness, this place is huge, you'll never find him." Altair reasoned with a sigh,
"Then start looking." The Head Assassin growled fiercely and leapt up to the roof, his footsteps clattering noisily as he ran across it.
"Blah, blah, blah...I'm Maness and my head is too big for my body(!)" Altair muttered in a mock tone, he flexed his fingers as he strode over to a large shelf stocked full of foreign ornaments. He ran his finger smoothly over its polished shelved, his fingers felt nothing suspicious so he moved to another intact shelf and began examining once again carefully.
To Leah it seemed as if Altair had finally cracked and was now caressing the wooden furniture...repeatedly "I wonder how long he's kept this secret up..." she thought as she tentatively peeked into the room. When Altair stopped chasing she purposefully turned back, "As if he thought he could get rid of me so easily...but what I really want to know is what he doesn't want me to hear...I bet it's good gossip for Malik!" And she giggled to herself, imagining the deadly Assassin's reaction if she ever told his friend anything, "I bet it's a juicy affair with a cat or something, maybe a scandal...still he's been feeling up that cabinet for ages..."
Finally after what seemed like an age his fingers latched onto something, it seemed like it was a minute handle of some sort designed for only a few fingers to pull, at the awkward position of just behind the corner of the shelf that leant closely to the wall. He scrabbled aimlessly for a minute before finally yanking on it, immediately the sound of a pressure change hissed to their ears, Leah poked her head into full view as she saw the object move out an inch or two before grinding to a halt.
"I knew it was still here..." Altair murmured to himself and flattened against it, he practically hugged the shelf as he stretched his arms to the side, and bore the weight on his shoulders as he tugged furiously. Leah watched earnestly as the ornaments fell to the floor with loud clatters, some shattering on impact by Altair's feet, but within another minute he had shifted it a small distance away.
"Muscular Altair..." Leah thought with a cheeky thought and a smile grew on her face as the man slid into the gap behind the shelf. "Must be a tunnel..." She thought quietly approaching the object, she peered cautiously around it and saw adoor that was flung wide open. She stepped into the gloom and her foot met with the ground, feeling the gradient of the floor decrease meaning the tunnel was taking her underground at a gentle slope, she cautiously wandered down one hand on the wall to guide her. After a moment of pitch dark she saw a shaft of light, hurrying towards it she heard a loud chortling laugh break the musty silence she stood in.
"That was Altair...I'm sure." Leah thought with a frown, "He hardly ever laughs unless someone's in pain." She crept to the beam of light which was actually a small opening in a door leading to a room. Peeking in with one eye she spied the Assassin who had his back to her, across from him a good few feet away was the target. His many chins wobbling precariously as he stared glassy eyed at Altair, to Leah he hoped the man didn't catch sight of her.
"You call me heartless?"Altair cackled in his familiar fashion and wiped away a single tear, "You my friend invented the word heartless!" He chuckled and a pink tinge appeared on the pale man's face,
"How dare you accuse me of being heartless – it is you the villain who slaughtered hundreds at one village! And you were laughing all the way through it!" Sir Castomun belted aloud though his knees shook in fear as he spoke, his podgy hands held a large vase close to his chest, whether he held as protection for the vase or himself Leah couldn't tell.
"Yeah...that mass slaughter was an accident. Not to say it wasn't enjoyable." Altair chuckled and scratched the back of his head innocently,
"You are a sadistic monster! It was no accident you buffoon! You dug the graves before you started – that was mine and Coralia's village!" He shouted at him hoarsely, his grip tightening on the vase.
"Yeah...yeah I noticed after a few days." The Assassin replied bluntly, and stretched, "But to be fair, you both weren't in the village, therefore not targets. And every mission had to be completed."
"Our family lived there! Cousins – Aunties – Relatives! You would have killed us anyway!" Sir Castomun bellowed, much like a hippopotamus in Leah's perspective,
"Perhaps." Altair replied lightly.
"That's what your here for isn't it? I knew it as soon as "Assassins!" Was shouted, you've always been on my trail Altair...I know you have..." He hissed shrewdly to him, and Altair raised an eyebrow meticulously. He raised his index finger slowly,
"Actually..." He began and pointed accusingly at the full figured man, "You're the one that's been keeping an eye on me."
"H-How dare you!" Sir Castomun shouted and stammered as he sought for words, Altair waved his hand impatiently brushing his efforts aside.
"Don't bother. I've seen all your spies, pathetic the lot of them. And the ones that didn't return? Well...they're buried in the Brotherhood's land. Rest in Peace indeed. I dug their graves myself." The assassin replied and tutted as the man's face paled.
"You...knew...?" He squeaked and swallowed nervously,
"Of course I knew! But what you don't know...is you've been watched as well." Altair whispered and smiled as Sir Castomun put on an ugly expression, his mouth positively frowning as his round cheeks enveloped its sides. "That's right, your dear old friend Al Mualim has been watching you, very, very, closely." With each word Altair took a step closer to the man who flattened himself even further against the wall."...Dealing with the Templar's are you? Sold us out isn't that right? Where are those parchments!" Altair said with relish as the saw the whites of the man's eyes, he stood barely a metre away from him now, and the target was quivering all over. It was going to be an ugly scene.
"I-I it's – not...true!" Sir Castomun growled weakly and tilted his head away as Altair leered at him, "There are no parchments!"
"Of course there is...now...putting old times aside...let's get this over with shall we?" He laughed hollowly and raised his hidden blade.