Leonardo Da Vinci, upon answering his front door at an unforgivably early hour of the morning, promptly burst into tears.
"Miss me, Leo?" She grinned as he scooped her into his embrace and held her tight. Her breath left her in a whoosh as he crushed her to him with a strength she didn't know he had. Jessica chuckled at the warmth of the hug and at the wetness of his tears on her shoulder. He dragged her inside, scooping her bags under an arm and dropping them at the bottom of the stairs.
"Oh, it is so good to see you!" he blubbered, sniffing loudly in his pyjamas. "I had been hoping that you would come back soon, I knew that you would and now... here you are!"
"It's good to be back. I forgot how beautiful Florence is." She laughed as he finally released her from his bone crushing hug and stepped back to look her over.
"Your letters seemed so sad. Are you alright?" He held her shoulders, and she felt as if he were lifting off some of the weight which had been set upon them since the day Mario and Ezio had returned from San Gimignano.
She took a deep breath and smiled softly at him, a sad weariness in her eyes, "I am now." His tear-stained face stretched into a smile but she saw the concern in the crease of his brow. "I've got a lot to tell you, Leo, but right now I just want to sleep."
"Ah, of course, you have travelled a long way. Did you come alone?"
She nodded and he frowned as he began to steer her back toward the stairs. "That was dangerous. The streets are not safe for a woman."
"This world isn't safe for a woman, but I manage. I'm not entirely defenceless."
"I know, I know, but I still worry," he sighed before perking up. "This is so exciting! I can't wait to show you all that has happened since we last saw each other. I am eager for your thoughts on so many things."
"I'm looking forward to it, Leonardo."
Her bedroom had gone untouched since she last saw it and so she bid Leonardo a good morning and collapsed on the bed fully dressed, her bags lying forgotten on the floor. Jessica felt better than she had in weeks. She took a deep breath in, smelling the musty odour of her room which mixed with the strong tang of paint, ink and sawdust. She wiggled uncomfortably on the hard, thin straw mattress and thought sadly of her feather mattress in Monteriggioni. She didn't want to think of it, of any of it and especially not of Federico and his ridiculous proposal.
His brown eyes filled her mind's eye, full of fear and hope. Jessica gritted her teeth, fluffed her pillow and turned over with a sigh, forcefully clearing her mind.
It was late afternoon when she made her way down the stairs in a clean dress and soft leather shoes. Leonardo hadn't been kidding when he told her his business had boomed. In-progress paintings and statues littered the workshop, the walls and tables were absolutely overflowing with parchments which were covered in scribbles and sketches, and several young men bustled about tinkering with this and that. She watched as one of the anonymous men, who all looked quite self-important, picked a crate filled with a number of completed portraits and hurried out of the door, no doubt to drop them off to the paintings' subjects. In the middle of it all was Leonardo himself, looking exuberant in his red cape and hat.
Turning to see her gaping, he hurried over and eagerly grasped her hand, leading her over to show her his new life and everything in it. As long and detailed as his letters had been, he couldn't hope to express just how busy he had become, with not only commissions but with his personal projects, inventions and innovations and the like. She could pick out sketches and small models of creations familiar to her own time: submarines and water-pumps and what looked like a prototype tank, there were drawings which were eerily similar to those she had been showed in her school art classes, and the mirror-writing which stretched across almost every inch of empty space on the sketch pages was simply unmistakeable as that of Leonardo da Vinci.
A grin permanently stretched her cheeks as her friend dragged her excitedly from place to place around the room, chattering at her as she gazed around in wonder and anticipation. Leo seemed to be the same as always, but if she believed that their life together would pick up just where it left off with their ambling walks through the marketplaces of Firenze and their quiet evenings in front of the fire, she was very wrong and yet she was not disappointed. This new life of Leonardo's was exactly what she had been yearning for. Having grown up during the turn of the 21st century, she was accustomed to a fast-paced life, whether it be school, work, sports, family, friends or all of the above, she had been almost constantly occupied, until she had found herself here.
Having had such frequent correspondence, there was very little that the two had to catch up on otherwise, and so she found herself caught up in her new life.
The months passed in relative bliss as she assisted the artist in all that he required. Her presence was, at first, an issue of vexation to the young men who presently worked for Leo, but it was not long before she put them in their place and proved herself just as, if not more, capable. Her considerable intellect, having these past months withered in the company of the entirely pleasant but not entirely intelligent Claudia and Petruccio now blossomed and thrived with the company of Leonardo's deep, innovative and thoughtful mind. Her journal quickly filled with notes on their evocative conversations and his endless teachings as well as humourous and interesting events which transpired between the close friends.
The seasons changed and Christmas came and went, with a lot more religion than she was accustomed to, but any discomfort or annoyance was pushed aside by the sheer amount of snow which sprinkled the city, coating the orange rooftops like white icing and falling from the sky like, well, like snow. Leonardo nearly had a heart attack when he had to drag her inside after a particularly heavy snow fall, she having ran outside to laugh and play in the cold, white fluff. Having lived in Australia, Christmas had been a time of sun, barbecues and beaches, and a white Christmas had been a thing of television and movies, but now here she was in the most beautiful city she had ever seen, in Italy, where she had always wanted to go. The greatest friend she had ever had threw her into her bed and fussed about her, certain that she was going to catch her death.
As time went on, Leonardo's business only grew and Jessica tagged along as they walked the snowy streets to the homes of Italian nobles who had commissioned him, and when she grew bored of watching him paint, she would walk along the bridges over the river Arno, now holding almost the entire population of Florence who had come to play and dance on its glassy, solid surface.
The novelty of snow and winter wore off just before the New Year and it wasn't until late March that the white melted and dripped away, falling from its place on the tiled rooftops to be trampled underfoot, streaming in rivers through the streets into the Arno and out of the city.
On a wet but sunny morning, Jessica sat with Leonardo in the quiet courtyard next to his workshop, surrounded by the sweet odours of the budding spring in the crisp air. He had convinced her to model a portrait much to her chagrin and she was punishing him by making it as difficult as possible.
"Per l'amor di dio, stay still!"
With a haughty sniff, her chin raised regally in the air and her body draped with the rich material of robes Leonardo had purchased especially for this work, she raised an innocent eyebrow at the aggravated artist.
"I am still."
"Bugiardo! Each time I look away you move!"
"I have no idea what you are talking about."
"Do not move," he growled at her guiltless expression, reaching over to take a thinner brush from the table beside him which held more paints, brushes, spatulas and palette knives than such a thin-legged table should. Fingers stained more colours than a rainbow; Leonardo gathered paint from his large palette onto the thin brush and extended his hand to the canvas resting on the easel in front of him.
Blue eyes left his infuriating model and rested on the painting in front of him, a mess in its early stages but coming together nicely enough. Watching his eyes leave her, her lips pursed into a mischievous smirk as she shrugged quickly, disrupting the folds of her robes and flicked her hair as she tilted her head slightly to the right. Her green eyes stared hard at the grey wall as she stilled and waited for the inevitable.
There was a roar of fury and she heard something being thrown. The quick, sharp Italian which followed fell on ignorant ears and she turned her head to gaze at the young man who was on his feet and pacing in aggravation, his red cap crushed between tense fingers and his blue eyes burning. Jessica blinked in wide eyed amusement as he continued on his tirade, no doubt against her, and found she could not resist antagonising him further.
Her head tilted patronisingly to the side as her eyebrows rose and her tongue clicked against the back of her teeth in a tut. "Leo, you know I can't understand a thing you say when you're this upset. Why don't you sit down and take a few deep breaths, hmm?"
Icy blue seared into her own green, contrasting against the deepening red of his face. "Calm down?! You...! You are the most infuriating person I have ever had the displeasure to meet! Calm down? Calm down! How dare you?"
"Come now, Leonardo there's really no need to be so upset."
"Upset? I'm not upset, what makes you think that I'm upset?"
"I think you are."
"I'm not upset. I am... I'm annoyed! All I wished was to sit outside on this lovely morning and paint a portrait of my dearest friend but now... oh, now I see that was entirely too much to ask!"
"Well perhaps your dearest friend did not want to have a portrait painted of her and would much rather be doing something else."
"Perhaps this friend should appreciate that I am willing to paint her portrait without fee!"
"Ah, yes, I shall grovel and worship upon the ground you walk on, ser. Hah! The day I do will be the day you stop waking me up at all hours of the morning to help carry your things to the Arno so that you can paint the stars, or when you clean up your mess in the workshop or do your own dishes, or deal with arrogant noblewomen who scare you!"
"Well what about you, signorina? You, with your touching and moving of my things from their proper place, and your ridiculous habit of bathing three times a week!"
"Oh, I am sorry if my hygienic ways offend you. I forget that you enjoy smelling like stale sweat."
His lips peeled back from his teeth to snap a reply but he was interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat. Bitter words died in their mouths as they turned in perfect synchronisation to face the disruptor.
He stood in the arched entranceway to the courtyard, his strong, broad shoulders and tall stature making him seem impossibly large. Even with his face shrouded in shadow, his white hood made it impossible to mistake him for someone else.
Jessica's stomach clenched and her tongue filled with a sudden weight, her throat becoming dry as she sat still, observing as he stepped into the courtyard and threw back his hood, revealing his strong jaw, tanned olive skin and straight nose and heavy brow. Golden eyes seared into her own, causing her heart to pound in her chest as her fingers tightened in her skirts and she resisted the urge to run. The primal fear that filled her at the sight of this predator in white made her feel light headed, her teeth taking hold of the meat of her cheek and clamping down as she took rapid, shallow breaths. A violent shiver ran up her spine as the muscles in her shoulders and back tensed to the point of pain and her insides wrapped around themselves and squeezed into a tight ball in the pit of her gut.
She rose shakily to her feet as he stepped calmly into the courtyard, those sharp eyes taking in the area with one swift glance. Her mind forced her lungs to calm and slow as she watched with a distorted ringing echoing in her ears, her eyes barely able to comprehend the form before her. Jessica watched as her friend embraced him eagerly, all irritation having vanished at the sight of the young man who seemed equally glad to see the artist. It had come to her mind previously that she would not see the Auditore's again after she left them, a thought which seemed ridiculous and entirely too optimistic in retrospect. This was their home city, and Leonardo had been their family friend before she had arrived here, but still she had hoped.
Everything is as it should be.
Mentally shushing the Voice, who had been an almost constant companion to her, though a generally silent one, her eyes ran over the armaments on the man's belts, and how brilliantly the red and gold streaks stood out against the white. The fingers of her left hand massaged the thrumming muscle of her thumb, and she noted with curiousity that it began to glow, something which had not happened since she had left Monteriggioni. The Voice was clearly glad of his presence.
Oh, what would he say to her? She could not say she hadn't imagined their meeting again, though she honestly had believed it would never come to be. She imagined he would be angry, that he would demand why she left and why she did not say goodbye. He would insult her for harming his brother and for breaking his heart, and would say that she was a fool for rejecting a man who loved her and who had the means to look after her. He would be furious that she had been so ungrateful to the family who had sheltered and fed and clothed her when she had nothing and no one else. No doubt it would go further; questions of why she had avoided them both after their return from San Gimignano.
Though she had spent so long thinking of all that he would demand of her, she still had no idea what she would say. She had no answers which didn't sound pathetic or rude. Jessica understood that she should not have run, it was not mature or helpful and it didn't provide the closure she didn't know she would desire, and it had hurt them. She could see it in the tense set of his shoulders and could almost see it in the forefront of his mind like a dark whirlpool of questions and accusations and words which desired to be said.
She registered faintly that Leonardo had spoken to her, and she mechanically carried out his request, her eyes glazed and staring blankly off into space, her movements stiff as she gathered his painting things into a basket and then picked up both stools as well as the small table, her fingers straining as she ducked her head and hurried back into the workshop. Leonardo and the man followed with the easel and the canvas, and her back remained to them as she placed the table and stools to the side and carried the basket of brushes and paints to a clear space on a table, one of Leonardo's helpers looked strangely at her, and then nodded his head curiously toward where Leonardo and the White Hood stood gazing around the workshop.
The White Hood. The White Hood was here. He had come back into her life as swiftly as he had the first time, and again as swiftly as she had left him behind.
"Ezio Auditore," she heard herself mumble to the assistant. He hummed with interest and took the basket from her to clean it himself. She nodded her thanks and steadied herself on the table, closing her eyes and taking a slow, long breath, realising she would have to deal with this like an adult.
He was here and she couldn't change that. He was also an important factor in the why of her being in this time and place, as the Voice had so nicely told her when she had left for Florence. Exactly what his role was, she didn't know as the Voice had quickly shut up when she had asked, just as it had when she had put forth any other such important questions, despite its previous promise to tell her everything.
When she felt calm, her eyes reopened and she stared hard at the window high on the wall. Alright, she told herself as she steeled her resolve and fortified her willpower. Let's just take this one step at a time. First step, get changed out of these robes.
Jessica risked a glance at Leonardo and the White Hood as she skittered past them to the stairs, and saw that Leo had gotten quite caught up in showing his young friend his projects. Smiling patiently, the White Hood nodded in amusement but seemed genuinely interested.
In her room, she threw off the robes and jumped into her usual dress and soft leather shoes. Patting at her dark hair as she descended the stairs, she paused to compose herself, now feeling simply anxious.
Everything will be fine, Jessica.
She found the words gave her courage and after another deep breath, her face clear of expression, she re-entered the workshop.
She could do this.