hi there! it's me! the random lackey that... no one knows... right... always the faceless grunt... well not today! today I break out! I become... *dramatic buildup* a faceless fanfiction writer! bet the bosses never saw that coming.

But I've rambled enough about nonsense, onto the sensical ramblings. so, this is... probably going to be very slow updating. just to warn anyone who doesn't like to wait long for unfinished stories to continue. I've been obsessing over assassins creed waaaaaaaay too much recently and I desperately needed an outlet for my unhealthy infatuation with Altair... somehow playing any of the games just makes my love for Altair stronger...

I do not own AC, though I am the type who would write fanfiction about something I own...

Masyaf 1193

The sun had just finished its decent behind the castle walls of Masyaf, dimming the light upon Altair's desk within the upper floor of the library significantly. Now his only light came from the torches scattered along the pillars and walls. Fortunately, he was nearly done with his work for the day. Sending off the last of the carrier pigeons, Altair could finally retire for the night.

Holding back what felt like a rather dramatic yawn, Altair left the study to return to his room. It had been more than a few weeks since he had gone out on a mission. Staying cooped up in his study, writing letters, giving orders, studying minute details from templar documents for information on their plans. Somehow he never felt quite this tired when he was out traveling, accomplishing the missions himself, instead of handing them off to others. He had been getting restless, bored. To put it simply, Altair felt a part of his life was lacking in... something. Though what he might be lacking wasn't entirely clear to him.

Boredom was prominent, yes, but were action and adventure really all he wanted? or was it a sense of normalcy, perhaps? During the recent weeks of inactivity Altair's thoughts had often begun to wander. He would find himself thinking of what it might be like to enter his room and be greeted, not by silence, but by a woman. As he opened the door he would watch her turn her head when she hears him. Her face would light up with a subtle smile as her eyes land on his face. Maybe she would walk up to him to show some form of affection. Would she kiss his cheek? take his hands in hers? embrace him?

Again he found himself thinking of this woman, a blank canvas, really, just waiting for the features to be filled in by a real person. But when he arrived at his room and opened the door he was once more greeted only by the quiet sounds of night in Masyaf. These thoughts were pestering him almost daily now. But was this truly what he wanted? he might not want a relationship. perhaps it was his boredom showing through, it could be he just wanted something new in his life, a change. It had been over two years since much had changed for him, after all, and Altair had grown accustomed to constant changes during his life.

Unfortunately, being the mentor of an assassins brotherhood isn't exactly the best position for meeting women. There were no women in the brotherhood, save the servants, not that it would have been acceptable to court a subordinate even if there were any female assassins. Nor could he think finding a woman while out on a mission to be possible. Altair had never tried this method himself, but he had overheard some of the stories from young inexperienced assassins as they would attempt to court a woman before or after a mission. A few even had the audacity to flirt while running from guards.

Readying himself for bed, Altair returned to his musings, picturing the faceless woman once more, fussing over his eating habits, setting up a warm bath. rubbing the tense muscles in his shoulders. The scenarios flowed through his mind, quickly relaxing him into a state of drowsiness.

This had to stop, he needed to regain control over his mind. Malik was to arrive in the castle in the morning, perhaps he would ask for a bit of advice, he would likely notice his friend's wandering attention anyway.

"The great Altair is lonely!" the exclamation was accompanied by a sharp, bark like laughter that Altair could have sworn even the novices practicing in the courtyard could hear. Altair had much preferred his companion's initial reaction.

Finding a time to tell Malik of his troubles had not been difficult, he had met Malik on his way to the dining hall for lunch and opted to join him. They were sitting at a table eating their curry, enjoying a comfortable silence. At least Malik had been, Altair, on the other hand, had been straining to find some way to begin his speech. It had only taken five minutes before the other man had noticed Altair's troubled mind.

After a somewhat vague description of his recent struggles, Altair had gained the rare honor of having astounded the quick witted assassin. Malik's eyes had glossed over, his chin had drooped ever so slightly, and Altair was sure even his breathing had paused. Unfortunately, this hadn't lasted long before he had transitioned to this mocking laughter.

Almost growling, Altair responded "unless you would like some evidence of your cooperation with templars to conveniently be brought to the attention of the brotherhood, I would suggest you end this mockery". Malik didn't seem to take his threat very seriously however, as seen by the lingering smile and the laughter shining in his eyes.

"Altair, if it is your word against mine, I am not so sure anyone would believe you." that infuriating smile could even be heard. The glare Altair was aiming at him must have had some effect, because he attempted to straighten his face before saying "fine, fine, you are not lonely. You only wish to enrich some girl's life with your glorious presence, is that it? So tell me, just where is this poor woman you hope to grace with your affections?"

Malik seemed to be taking this a bit too lightly for Altair, the irritation was prominent in his narrowed eyes and the flat tone as he spoke. "there is no woman. the last woman I truly spoke with was a captive templar."

"Well, perhaps tat wouldn't have been a good starting point... But really Altair, there are as many opportunities as you make for yourself. Go for a walk, spend a few evenings in the tavern down in the village, or if you're truly that desperate you could try Yamiir's method. He put a knife to her throat thinking she was a spy when they first met. They got to know each other rather well when he kidnapped her for interrogation. I hear the wedding is in August." He was barely stopping himself from gesturing with his spoon as he listed them off, though he couldn't keep the empty sleeve of his robe from swaying as he leaned back against his chair.

Malik made it sound so... simple. But small talk had never been a strong suit of Altair's. What would he even say to those women? excuse me, I've been thinking of finding a wife, would you like to fill that position? no, that certainly wouldn't work. "And just how do you expect me to interact with any of them? I can't exactly discuss much of my life with them. We have a lot of secrets to keep in this line of work"

"Well, you might start by saying hello. That is how most conversations begin" The audacity of this man. Rolling his eyes at the mentor of the assassins, in other words: his own boss. Had it been anyone else they would likely have been forced to endure some terrible challenge of their physical abilities. However, even Altair respected Malik too much for such a thing.

Altair didn't have much to say in response to that, instead, he asked what sort of topics women might enjoy speaking about. The answer was less than satisfactory. "Unfortunately, I can't be considered an expert on courting, I don't have much of a romantic life myself." the rest of the meal passed with the two of them quietly discussing plans for how Altair might even meet a female. soon, they had finished their lunch and had to return to work.

Just as they rounded the first corner upon leaving the dining hall, Malik's face alighted with a smirk, his eyes glinting with humor. "how convenient, it seems you won't have to search long to find that woman of yours. She even looks to be in need of assistance! A perfect reason to interact with her." For at the other end of the hall, there was indeed, a young woman. Wearing a functional looking, faded gray dress and struggling to carry two large crates. Presumably, she was headed in the direction of the kitchen, just around the corner they had come from. Her name eluded Altair, but he knew who she was, she worked in the kitchen.

"Go ahead, Dazzle me with your charms. Or at the very least try to dazzle her" Malik thought this whole situation was hilarious. The Altair, this headstrong, arrogant, prideful man had come to malik for advice. That in itself was not so odd, Malik had been Altair's most trusted adviser since he had become mentor. What was strange was that it was a personal matter and of all things about his love life, and Malik simply could not contain his glee.

Glaring at the grinning assassin, Altair stalked over to the young woman, all the while frantically searching his brain for something to say. Say something...but what to say?... Ah! Those boxes look too heavy for her. Soon he would be right in front of her, He didn't feel ready for this. He opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out, only a small breath came through his parted lips. Luckily, she was too busy watching her feet to notice his rather awkward approach. Altair could feel Malik's amused stare at his hesitation, it irked him more than he would have expected.

Trying again Altair cleared his throat, imagining all of his nervousness escaping his body along with the sound. She started a bit at the sound, stopping just before she'd taken a step that would have caused the corners of the crates to brush against his left arm. "would you like some help? you seem to be struggling." The request sounded forced, even to his own ears.

Clearly not expecting to be offered any kind of assistance, the woman looked up surprise evident in her raised eyebrows. "um, yes tha-" But the surprise was rapidly replaced by another emotion as she trailed off, something Altair did not recognize. Wide eyes, flushed cheeks, the hesitant smile that had begun to form upon hearing his offer immediately dropped, her lips didn't seem to know where to position themselves anymore. "that... um... that's alright, I can carry them on my own, thank you."

Hurriedly removing her gaze from his face, she rushed past him, down the hall, and around the corner. That... did not go as I expected... Altair could hear Malik's footsteps coming closer to him as he stood, more confused than he had been in a long time. "Malik... did I do something wrong? Even my targets don't run off that quickly if they spot me."

But Malik wasn't listening, he was muttering quietly to himself, his one hand holding his chin. "This might be easier than I thought"

"Easy? did you miss the part where she ran away? Because she did not seem very open to my offer of help, I doubt she would have responded well had I attempted to strike up a conversation, much less flirt with her." Keeping his voice down was difficult, the volume of his speech rising and falling whenever he caught himself losing control of his tone. His arms came up and quickly fell back to his sides again in exasperation.

"You didn't notice?" that smile was back on his face. that irritatingly amused smile. What would it take for this man to take his plight seriously? "Because the way she reacted when she saw you would generally indicate attraction. The blushing, the nervous behavior. Perhaps it won't be as difficult to find a woman as you thought."

Altair could not believe it would be so easy, there was no way that the exact day he had brought his problem to light he would find a woman interested in him. Though Malik was right, those were common signs of attraction. Begrudgingly humoring him "if she were attracted to me why would she be so quick to leave?"

"Shy?" He shrugged off the question. there are plenty of reasons she might have left. she could be shy, or maybe she felt intimidated, Altair was a rather imposing figure, and of course, technically, he was her employer. "Do not worry too much over this, you'll see her again, next time just don't let her run off and she might become a little more comfortable if you lose the frown. I'm sure you can find some excuse to speak with her"

Maybe Malik was right, she worked in the castle, she wouldn't exactly be difficult to find again. Altair would have plenty of chances to speak to her in the future and get to know her. She was one if the few woman near enough to consider after all. With this thought in mind the two high ranked assassins continued to their destinations, Malik speaking of some intriguing points made by the book he had recently finished.

As the two separated, Altair began to consider just what he might say if he met her again. Malik was right, 'Hello' would probably be the best place to start... Perhaps from there, he should discover her name.