The Second Life: Wolves and Bankers

Alright, people were generally okay with how Che Si Aggira was introduced, and those that weren't totally on board didn't waste theirs and my time with a detailed review that could be summarized with 'this is shit, go kill yourself.' Points for politeness!

Now, some things that have come to my attention that need to be addressed. I have received multiple reviews from either multiple people, or just one person many times, asking for updates of other stories…in due time, I promise. Those who have been with me know that I will binge a new story to where it's standing strongly on its feet, before shelving it for a time as I return to other stories. So, cool your jets, have some patience, and have faith in me, alright?

Second thing, and this goes out to the guest reviewer Odysseus.

Percy does not remember all of his past lives for several reasons. First, remembering the lives of great men and woman all at once would crash his brain as several decades of memories flooded in at once. Second, this story operates under the 'parallel time' motif, in which the past, present, and future are all moving in synch, therefore the past is happening at the same time the future is. Finally, I want to.

The way I formatted this story is like the games. Bits and pieces in the present, and larger bits and pieces in the past.

On the subject of Wattpad, an account, and posting there, no. I am devoted to Fanfiction, however there is a person called Kablamstar who has my permission to post Xenomorphic on Wattpad. So, if you want my stories on Wattpad, ask me permission first please. Thank you.

Now onto the story!

Disclaimer: I don't own PJO or AC

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Inspired by historical events and an over-active imagination, this work of fiction was designed, developed, and produced by a single-cultural team of one religious faith and belief, sexual orientation, and gender identity.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Claudia snickered when Ezio told the tale of how he was knocked unconscious, which left Che Si Aggira to do all the work. Bartolomeo was openly laughing, and Volpe was smirking in good natured fun. Only Machiavelli was unamused.

"Are you sure it was a scuffle with the Borgia that left you unconscious, and not Che Si himself?"

Ezio briefly cocked his head to the side, before righting his neck. "No, not entirely. I have not ruled out the possibility of antigioco, but I choose to have a little faith in the Prowler. Besides, the plans are destroyed, and Leonardo tells me that the Borgia are not happy with the loss of their war machine, which means that Che Si Aggira did what he said he did."

The historian did not look convinced, but he did not press the matter. Instead, he turned his attention to the faction leaders before him. "What have you found out?"

"My girls tell me that Cesare is still in the Castello with the Pope."

"The Baron de Valois occupies the countryside, but my men and I keep him at bay. As long as we fight, the French puttane will not take this city."

"My spies continue to contend with the Cento Occhi, while also searching for information on the Apple."

Machiavelli nodded. "Va bene. Ezio,"— "Yes?"— "In light of these circumstances, and lack of a clear opening, I have an assignment for you. Do you remember the pagan cult, the Secta Luporum?"

"The Followers of Romulus? Of course." Ezio could still hear their obnoxious howling, grunting, and growling.

"My spies have found another entrance to one of their lairs. It is by the Piramide Cestia, in the Southern Antico district, by the wall."

Ezio nodded, already understanding what was being asked. The annoying Wolfmen were terrorizers who scared the civilian populace into the broad arms of the Catholic Church, a church currently in the slimy hands of the Borgia. Being Assassins, everyone knew that the Followers and the Borgia were close friends, and needed to be carved out of Roma, if the city was to ever reach its former glory.

"I'll head there now. The rest of you, continue with your efforts; it will not be much longer now."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Exiting the hideout, Ezio quickly scaled the outer walls to the pigeon coop near the top. Che Si had said to contact him via birds, and so that is what the Assassin did. A pigeon fluttered down to him, and Ezio quickly scribbled a message onto a roll of parchment with a quill and ink that he produced from somewhere. Message done, Ezio sent the pigeon fluttering away, having absolutely no idea how the bird knew where to go, or how exactly Che Si was going to get the message in time.

Eh, unimportant details.

It was night now, and so the streets of Roma were mostly empty, which meant that Ezio didn't have to run over so many people with his trusty horse as he did during the day. Leisurely tearing through the streets for the South, Ezio allowed his mind to wonder on just what he was going to face tonight.

The Followers of Romulus were brutes that dressed in the pelts of wolves, behaved like wolves, worshipped the mythological founder of Rome like a god, terrorized people, wielded daggers and throwing knives, had a shrine in Antico underneath the Colle Palatino with a very nice set of armor occupying the underground maze, aided the Borgia, and were most likely in sexual relationships with wolves.

Beyond that, Ezio stopped listening because the above was more than enough to convince him that these animals needed to be extinct.

By the time he arrived at the Piramide Cestia, the moon was beginning its descent, but was still high in the sky. However, the most important thing about the out-of-place pyramid in Rome, was the caped figure casually leaning on its North-facing side.

"How?" Ezio barked as he approached Che Si Aggira.

The man smirked, his upper face still hidden in the shadow of his hood. "Ways. I got your message."

"How?"

"Ways. I also found the entrance to the bastardo's lair, if you're interested."

Ezio stared just a bit longer, failing to comprehend the enigma before him, before he came to a conclusion. "Fanculo esso." Then he dismounted his horse, ignoring Che Si's amused snort. The Prowler glided to the side of the pyramid, where Ezio saw the tell-tale trap door that was a slide straight down in the Follower's lair.

"After you, mio amico."

Ezio rolled his eyes at the bowing-and-gesturing man, and kicked open the door, before entering the darkness. Before he followed, the reincarnate Assassin's eyes, hidden beneath his hood, went colder than the bottom of the Atlantic, and darker than space. The Followers of Romulus...they were like animals…and so Che Si Aggira would slaughter them like animals.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ezio grunted when he came sliding out the tunnel, and into a skeleton, knocking it to the floor. Then he remembered that someone was following him, and he quickly rolled to the side. Just in time too, because Che Si came barreling out of the tunnel, and flopped down right on top of the skeleton.

"Owwwwwwww…"

Ezio chuckled, offering his hand.

"Figlio di puttana," Che Si grumbled, but he accepted the hand nonetheless. The Prowler looked one way, then he looked the other. "Well, that makes things easy then." One way there was a solid wall, the other way was a hallway that led to somewhere.

Ezio and Che Si Aggira sped off down the chambers, passing skeletons dressed in tattered, ancient robes, the bones having been long since forgotten to time. Most likely they were Ancient Romans, maybe Christians, maybe just people that lacked the funds in life necessary for a decent burial, and were simply tossed down here to rot. Either way, this place was depressing.

Eventually, the two men reached a chamber lit by large braziers, with a gigantic hole in the floor. Ezio grabbed a nearby torch, and dropped it. Neither he nor the Prowler heard when it hit the floor. The caped man whistled. "That's a long way down...be a shame if you fell."

Then he slapped Ezio on the back, making the man stumble forward, but he caught himself before he could enter free-fall. He leveled a glare at the snickering man behind him, then he shoved him. "Bastardo."

Che Si Aggira just snickered. "Come on, the wolves await."

With that, he jumped down the hole, using the niches in the walls as hand-holds to stop his otherwise deadly descent. Ezio followed soon after. They made it to the bottom, where a new set of maze-like tombs became clear. The air was cooler, a bit more musty, and everything was tinged a bluish grey. For an unexplainable reason, Ezio and Che Si felt calmer in these next tombs.

"If you don't mind my asking," Ezio started, "but what do you think of the Followers of Romulus?" The air around the Prowler shifted, and the Assassin subconsciously reached for his sword.

"What do I think of them?" Che Si said distantly. "I suppose...I hate them. I hate them for so many reasons it's almost impossible to describe."

"Do your best."

The hood jerked towards Ezio.

"Alright, since you're so curious. For starters, they are pagans, worshippers of a god that's not even a god in any myth known to man. Second, they perform rituals and blood sacrifices to their false god, and they're not privy to just animals. Thirdly, they are terrorizing scum that take pleasure in the slaughtering of innocents. Fourthly, they are rapists of women and men alike. Fifthly, they hunt and skin wolves for nothing more than their motif, killing animals for no other reason than for a theme. Sixthly, the higher-ups of the Followers are manipulators who prey on the minds of the weak, inducting them into their service, and warping the minds of innocent people into twisted creatures of filth. Seventhly, they are controlled by the Borgia for the sole purpose of terrorizing people to the doors of the false church, which also infuriates me. And finally-!"

Che Si caught himself. At the end of his rant, he was about five inches from Ezio's face, with the Assassin pressed against the wall. If it wasn't for the volume and intensity of the Prowler's words, this would've been considered a moment of homosexuality.

"And finally?" Ezio prompted, serious in the face of danger. Funny thing, even though they were just a few inches apart, Ezio could still not see Che Si Aggira's face.

"And finally...let's just say that where you've lost family to the Borgia, so have I."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The two most dangerous men in Italy continued on in silence until they came across a pair of very big double doors which led to a cathedral. The greatest feature of this cathedral was the giant cross at the far end of the chamber, which was being stabbed at by a wolf pelt-covered man, while another wolf pelt-covered man stood on top of a ledge far above the ground, and behind that ledge was a path to another set of halls.

Then Ezio did something dumb. "I seek those who lead the Followers of Romulus!"

The two Wolfmen flinched, and then ran off, cutting the easy-access rope up to the ledge.

"Ottimo lavoro, idiota," Che Si deadpanned, his first words since his rant, "now we have to go through the painstaking effort of climbing through this conveniently placed course of climbing stuffs."

Ezio just shrugged, and got to climbing. Che Si grumbled to himself, before following. With deft skill and prowess, the two quickly made their way across the beams and stones, reaching the top of the cross, and then jumping to the ledge, hauling themselves up, and proceeded to haul ass down the winding corridors. They could feel it now, they were close to the end.

The Assassin and the Prowler wound their way through the curves of the catacombs, following the torch lights. At their pace, they found their destination quickly. Another chamber, this one populated by a large central pillar, niches for more dead people, and several levels that could be used to reach greater heights. Built along the sides of the pillar was scaffolding for climbing.

Bastardized howling reverberated through the chamber, causing Ezio to ready himself for combat, and Che Si Aggira to scowl deeply. The sound of scraping was heard, followed by mad cackling. A Follower strolled out from behind the pillar, accompanied by several more Wolfmen, dragging his knife across the stone.

"Hear us, O Romulus! What must we do to these trespassers?"

The gates around the circular floor slammed shut, and the wolves descended. However, they were not fast enough to interrupt Che Si Aggira's words to Ezio. "Go and find your scroll. I'll deal with the cani."

Ezio nodded and dropped a smoke bomb, filling the chamber with smoke, which gave him the opening necessary for making a break for the scroll. He did not question the Prowler, for he had confidence in the man's abilities. Besides, there was a clear underlying motive for Che Si to do this, and it revolved around vengeance. And Ezio was just fine with someone avenging their family.

With the Assassin gone, the reincarnation of Faris drew his sword. There was another reason he wanted to do this alone, and it was a simple reason: these animals were an affront to his teacher.

The smoke hadn't even dissipated before Che Si Aggira was butchering people. He impaled the first Follower hilt deep into the bladder, then violently ripped out his sword. The whirled around and nearly decapitated the second Follower. He leapt forward, stabbing the third Follower in the throat, then he slid about six feet across the terrain of battle, and sliced the fourth Follower in half at the waist, spilling blood and guts all over the floor.

There was more howling, more grunting, and more of the sound of heavy bodies hitting stone. More Followers. Che Si Aggira's face broke into a snarl so vicious, it could've made any dragon cower away. The Prowler gripped his sword with two hands, taking up the whole hilt in his grip. And then he was moving.

The reincarnation of Faris channeled his wrath into his strikes, and he cleaved through blades, skin, muscle, and bone like tissue paper, painting the catacombs red and decorating them with viscera. Emotion overcame the man—emotion coming straight from his memories. Memories of his house on fire, his father torn apart and strewn across the front porch, his mother impaled to the door via a wooden stake, pages of the Bible stuffed in her mouth and eyes, and his little sister with wolf fangs shoved into her-

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

Che Si Aggira roared, and the poor, poor Follower of Romulus, a boy no older than fifteen, was split right down the middle, his dagger being cleaved in half, the ends of the blade glowing red-hot from their sudden separation. The Prowler's sword did not stop there, but it went down into the very stone itself, breaking it, releasing a blast of pressurized air that pushed the red ocean and the body-shaped islands on the floor out to the walls.

Breathing labored, the man fell to his knees, his stained sword clattering next to him. Che Si continued to breath heavily, even as the red tide came back in, washing over his hands. After more minutes of simply kneeling, he raised back up to his knees, and his hood came down.

The Prowler was a handsome youth that couldn't be any more than 25. He had brown hair that was neatly cut, an angular jaw and cheek bones, and dark, narrow eyes. He seemed to take more after his mother, if the angularity of his features was anything to go by, but it was this face and those eyes that managed to woo many courtesans, and inspire great faith in men.

The man surveyed the carnage around him, and he felt shame. That was not how a follower of God should've acted. This was nothing more than slaughter sewn by the claws of some kind of animal. With a small smirk, Che Si Aggira blamed his teacher for his…animalistic ferocity. Still, when he drew upon the emotions that came from that night, he knew a physical power beyond that of ten men.

Modern day science calls that an 'adrenaline rush,' but the people of the 16th century called that an act of God.

Regardless of what it was called, the Prowler of Rome did not like it when it happened. He broke the Commandments on an almost daily basis, and as a follower of God, that was hardly anything to brag about. It wasn't even right to hate the Followers of Romulus as much as he did, but he still wished for nothing more than for all of them to disappear into the fires of the Inferno. And so Che Si prayed.

"God, accettare queste anime perdute tra le tue braccia con gentilezza. Anche se erano pagani in questa vita, far loro credere in voi nel prossimo. Per favore, mi assolvere dal peccato che mi contamina tutti i giorni come ho tentativo di liberare Roma dalla tirannia dei Borgia. Amen."

His prayer said, he picked up his sword, which had been submerged in blood, cleaned it off on his sleeve, which was also deeply stained with the life fluid of others, and let it slide into its place on his belt. Then he sloshed through the blood to a pillar, scaled it, and then proceeded to climb his way out if this Lair of Romulus.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Two days after the raid on the Lair of Romulus, Ezio sent out a carrier pigeon with a message for Che Si Aggira, asking him to meet at Isola Tiberina. Come nightfall, the Assassin saw a caped figure casually leaning against the wall next to the Blacksmith's shop.

"It is good to see you unharmed, Che Si."

"And you as well, Ezio. I trust you found what you were looking for in the Lair?"

"Indeed. Are you aware of the armor that lies beneath Colle Palatino?"

"Yes, it once belonged to Marcus Junius Brutus, one of the assassinators of Julius Caesar. Now it serves as a symbol of worship for the bastard followers of Romulus, locked behind unbreakable gates, and surrounded by treasure and gold. Let me guess, you seek to unlock the gate and claim the armor for yourself."

"It would be a great tool to have against the Borgia."

"I suppose. So, what did you wish to speak to me about?"

Ezio smirked. "I wanted to bring you into the fold."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Entering the hideout, the two found Caterina Sforza in a purple dress, sitting on a couch, and Niccolò Machiavelli standing over her. Hearing footsteps, the man turned around, and immediately gasped at what he saw.

"Che Si Aggira!"

"Hi."

"Ezio! What is the meaning of this!?"

The man in question cocked a brow. "He has proven to be a worthy fighter and a keen ally, and he has a knowledge of Rome that his more extensive than my own. I brought him here because I think he can help us."

"But-!"

"Machiavelli," La Volpe suddenly cut in, silencing the man. "I agree with Ezio. Che Si Aggira is a man of many talents…and I want my sword back."

"You can have it back if you can steal it back."

The master thief's eyes narrowed. "Challenge accepted. Anyway, Bartolomeo sends his regards. The French have doubled their efforts, and have put him on the offensive."

"Ah, I'll have my men start working on that."

Claudia Auditore entered, and when she did, her gaze…lingered…on the Prowler, before it went disapproving when it slid to her brother.

"Claudia."

"Ezio."

The exchange was tense, obviously, and it prompted a response.

"You know, when my sister and I fought, we made up by beating each other silly. You two might want to try it sometime."

Ezio looked at the Prowler, but he shook his head. "Anyway, I have a plan to deal with the Borgia."

Machiavelli responded with: "We can either go after supplies, or Cesare's followers."

"Why not both?"

"My plan is to attack both," Ezio said loudly. "If we cut off his funds, Cesare will lose his army and return without his men. So, I ask you, where does he get his money?" He looked to his right, "Volpe?"

The man put a hand to his chin. "Agostino Chigi is the Pope's money-lender…but Cesare does business with someone else. As of now, all we know is that he is called 'The Banker.'"

Claudia piped up, her finger pointed at nothing in particular. "I know someone who owes The Banker money. Senator Egidio Troche comes in all the time and complains."

"Ohhhh!" Che Si exclaimed. "Egidio! I know that man. He smells and doesn't ever keep his promises…I also know the Banker, too, if you're interested."

He was on the receiving end of five silent stares.

"Not everyone ask for an explanation at once—so. The Banker's real name if Juan Borgia the Elder, older cousin of Juan Borgia the Younger, and therefore cousin of Cesare and his bitch. The man is fat, vulgar, disgusting, and has a god complex. He's a cruel bastardo, and won't hesitate to kill anyone who crosses him, in strange ways. He's fond of throwing themed sex parties, and my spies tell me that he plans for a party this weekend, at the Trastevere, based around one of the many pagan religions."

He was on the receiving end of five silent stares.

"What? Forgive me for having a better rete di spionaggio than any of you."

"Okay…" Ezio drew out, then he clapped his hands together. "Well, that takes care of the money, now for the army."

"French soldiers are guarding the road back into the Castello. Once Cesare arrives, you will never get to him," Machiavelli said.

"I intend to kill the French general. With him dead, Bartolomeo will have the Frenchmen on the defensive and they will abandon their posts on the bridge."

"I have an idea on how do that. Ever heard of Troy?"

Then Caterina said her first words of the meeting, "Even with those troops gone, the Papal Guard will continue to protect the inner gate."

"And the only reason Ezio and I can't just storm the place is because you people have a credo that prohibits high-profile action…even though it's easier and takes much less time."

"There is a side entrance," La Volpe said, completely ignoring Che Si remark, "Lucrezia's latest plaything, Pietro, has a key."

"Ah, yes, Pietro Rossi. Actor from Ferrara, and currently a member of the Cardinal Raffaele Riario. If memory serves, that group is set to perform a Passion play in a few years. Oh, and get this: Lucrezia is only dealing with the poor cani because she wants top piss off Cesare, and had a guard watching them as Pietro confessed his love for her."

"And how do you know this?" Machiavelli rumbled.

"Because that guard is one of my spies."

"You have spies in the Borgia ranks!?" Ezio nearly yelled.

"I have spies everywhere," the Prowler said cryptically.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Che Si Aggira stood atop the Assassin's hideout, and watched the interaction between Ezio and Caterina, one which ended with the Forli woman riding over the bridge with a fist in the air. "Vittoria agli Assassini!"

Before Ezio went back inside his headquarters, the Prowler yelled out. "Hey, Ezio!" The man yelped, drawing his sword, clearly having not expected anyone to be around. Che Si snickered. "After you change your pantaloni and kill the Banker, come find me, and we will deal with the Baron de Valois!"

The Assassin nodded, and disappeared into the hideout.

Che Si Aggira also disappeared into the night, although his destination was not for a bed, but for the Rosa in Fiore. He wanted to get to know Claudia Auditore better.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Night Ezio goes to kill the Banker

"Che Si Aggira…my girls talk about you often," Claudia said casually upon leading the man to a private room. She had a dagger with her, though she doubted she would need it. The man before radiated no ill-will, and seemed genuine in his desire to talk and converse.

And in all honesty, Claudia wished to do the same.

She had heard many stories, all of them confusing. Some said he was Romeo given true form, some said he was worse than Cesare. However, all said he was a great fighter, and was not afraid to take on the Borgia. Claudia wanted to know the truth for herself. That, and with his hood down, the Prowler of Roma was very cute.

"There is even a competition going on to see who can get in bed with you first. You are the most desired bachelor in all of Roma," Claudia said with a slight giggle.

Che Si laughed, a rich, warm resonance that made the Auditore girl blush as a few butterflies fluttered in her stomach, all of them no doubt awoken by the sound of the Prowler.

"I'm afraid that all of them will fail, mia signora."

"And why is that?"

"I am a follower of Christ, and His teachings dictate that such actions are only to be performed after marriage, and only with the one you are married to."

Claudia adopted a confused look. "But you and my girls…?"

"A few kisses here and there and some flirting is hardly anything sinful."

"I see. Do you plan to marry someday?" It was a simple, innocent little question, but Claudia wanted to ask for her own reasons.

Seriously, as far as the Auditore's love life went, there wasn't one. She spent her life in this brothel, managing a spy network of whores who procured their information by sleeping with anything that had a cazzo and walked on two legs. She was surrounded on all sides daily by sleazes and perverts, men who were only for a micio, and not a chance at love.

In her youth, Claudia had had many suitors, all of them worthy for nothing more than being a plaything due to their naivete, immaturity, or baseness. Looking back, Claudia wished she had kept in touch with at least one boy, so that she might have a chance at some romance in this life of crime and adultery.

However, vain as it may be, perhaps there was some small sliver of hope to be found in the enigma that is Che Si Aggira.

"One day, yes," he answered. "But as long as the Borgia continue to strangle Roma, I fear that day will have to wait, for I cannot split my attention between a wife and freeing this city from its oppressors."

The passion in his voice was endearing to Claudia. It reminded her of Ezio, and beyond even that, it reminded her of how her father would often speak of Florencia, and the Auditore family. With pride, honor, and love.

"Ah, well with you and my brother now joining arms against the Borgia, perhaps that day will come sooner rather than later."

Che Si looked at Claudia, his dark eyes seeming to stare through her with a kind of warm mirth, one that quickened the woman's heartbeat with something that wasn't fear.

"Yes, one day…perhaps it will…" he trailed off, distractedly. Then he switched subjects. "I noticed some tension back on Isola Tiberina between you and Ezio on that night. Am I allowed to be let in on that story, or am I not with that level of standing yet, mia signora?"

Claudia snorted, finding humor in his words and teasing tone. She took a seat on the couch next to the Prowler, seeing as her legs were starting to hurt from standing for such a time. She sighed as she began her tale.

"When the Borgia attacked Monteriggioni, and destroyed our villa, Ezio helped us escape, and before he rode for Roma, he told Mother and I to go to Florencia and wait for him. Instead of doing that, we came here, and took over the Rosa in Fiore. That has made Ezio mad, that we did not follow his ordini like his recruits."

Che Si Aggira chuckled.

"His anger is not directed at you for disobeying his 'orders,' his anger is directed at you because he desired to keep you safe by putting you out of harm's way, and yet here you are, in the middle of a guerra ombra. He is merely being a big brother, trying to protect his little sister from the evils of the world."

"I…see," Claudia said in a quiet voice, her entire perception the world suddenly shifted by Che Si's observation.

"Give him time, mia signora, and he will come to see you as the strong woman that you are."

…

"'Strong woman that you are'?" Claudia broke into a fit of giggles.

"W-What?" the Prowler laughed uncertainly. "I thought it was fitting!"

"I agree," she said, after calming down a bit, "it's just, I've never heard another man speak like that before. You truly are one of a kind, Che Si Aggira."

The man smiled, a breathtakingly handsome sight that had Claudia warming up in a way that she had never felt before. To distract herself from this foreign heat, she said, "You sound experienced in dealing with sorelline."

He nodded. "I am. I once had a sister to call my own, but she…but she's in a better place now."

"Oh." And suddenly the mood was ruined. "The Borgia?"

A stiff nod.

"That is why you fight, isn't it? For vendetta."

"And giustizia, so that there will be no more orphans, and no more siblingless siblings."

Silence pervaded the atmosphere, and Claudia felt immeasurable guilt well up inside her. Dammit, the one man she might've had a small shot with, and now she was bringing up memories of his dead family. Stupid!

"I'm sorry, I should not have-"

"No, it is fine. I have…kept that to myself for years now. Grazie, Claudia."

"For what?"

"For getting me to open up."

Che Si Aggira looked deep into the Auditore's eyes, spilling forth an emotion that could not be described with words. Claudia met this gaze, and that persistent warmth form before seemed to explode through her body at registering that look in those dark orbs. Claudia was pulled into them, sucked down into their depth, and wrapped tightly in their comforting heat.

"I-I'm glad to have helped," she said softly.

She didn't know their lips were mere millimeters apart until there was a rumpus from the main hall, and both their minds snapped back to reality. Their eyes caught for a moment, a kind of sadness present in both their soulful windows, both of them not happy to have been interrupted as they had been.

Claudia broke eye contact first when there was a louder crash from outside, and she rushed to find out what it was, Che Si Aggira right behind her. Throwing open the door, the two were treated to the sight of four Borgia dogs in armor, complete with plumed helmets. Despite herself, Claudia smiled.

Her knife was suddenly in her hand.

"Do you want me to-"

"Nope. I got this."

Their dialogue attracted the attention of the Borgia, and they turned around. "There's the Auditore! Get her!"

Despite her dress, Claudia had no problem maneuvering the chosen battlefield. She strafed toward the door, and the first Borgia slashed at her. She sidestepped, causing him to overextend, and then she stabbed him in the back of the throat, yanked her blade out, and let him fall to the floor.

He hadn't had a chance to impact before Claudia was at the next Borgia.

He raised his sword to attack, but the woman was faster. She grabbed his arm, and proceeded to stab him multiple times in the chest. She let him fall to his face. Claudia spun around, stabbing and impaling the third Borgia in the side of his neck, and then whipped her arm about, causing the dying man to fall across his fallen comrade's legs, chest pointed towards the ceiling.

Just like that, three of the Borgia had been killed and the floor was lined up next. Che Si Aggira just stood off to the side, hood now up. He was pretty sure he was witnessing love at first sight.

The fourth man attempted to strike, but Claudia was once again faster, and once again proved that her dress could not hamper her movements. The man swung from down low, but the Auditore brought her leg up, blocking the strike by hitting the Borgia's wrist with the sole of her foot. This left his neck exposed, and Claudia wasted no time in dispatching him.

The force she used to yank her knife out of the fresh corpse caused the body to stand back up and immediately fall to his back, not even an inch away from Claudia. Off to the side, Che Si Aggira whistled lowly, and then slowly clapped his hands together. Claudia accepted this praise with a grin. Then Ezio came bursting through the door.

The Assassin surveyed the damage to the Rosa in Fiore with a stunned look, taking note of the four dead bodies, and the pools of blood that were quickly growing beneath them. His gaze eventually found purchase on his sister.

"What?"

Ezio regained his bearings. "My sister knows how to wield a knife," he said proudly."

Claudia flipped the small blade around in her hand, going from icepick to hammer. "And I'm ready to do it again," she smiled.

"Spoken like a true Auditore."

"Finally, you two came to your senses. It is about time!" Maria Auditore said, entering from somewhere.

That's when Ezio noticed the other guy. "Che Si? What are you doing here?"

"I invited him over to discuss what he knew of the Borgia," Claudia said, "and any ideas he had for taking them down."

"And?"

"And we were interrupted," spoke the Prowler. "I arrived not five minutes ago."

"Ah, well, if you still have the time, we can discuss your ideas in a private room."

"Yes," Claudia said. "Let us do that."

She strolled up the stairs with a sideways glance at Che Si, and then there was a most curious sway in her hips. Ezio cocked a brow at this strange behavior, but then the dots connected when it was the Prowler that moved first before anyone else. Ezio felt a sudden rush of Protective Brother Syndrome, but before he could act, his mother was one foot away from his face, hands on her hips, glare firmly in place.

"Do anything to break them apart, and I break you. Capito, ragazzo?"

Ezio managed to squeak out at "Si, Mamma."

Maria beamed. "I'm glad we could come to an understanding, my son."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Things are moving along quite nicely, I think.

So, a little bit of insight on to Che Si Aggira's past, and his hatred for the Followers of Romulus, and an Easter Egg as to who trained him, for those that were paying attention, as well as the cemented pairing for this arc. Was the talk good? Did it make sense? Was it believable? As a young man that has never had a girlfriend, romance is not my thing.

Oh, and how about the talk at the hideout? I personally found it hilarious.

Anyway, Happy Easter!