Book I

Justice, Thou Art a Fickle Bitch

~*I*~

A Not-So-Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy

December 27, 1476

Even from afar, the tall and slender beauty had what seemed to be the loveliest of features, despite the paleness of her skin that spoke volumes of how often she left the walls of her family's palazzo. It was rather hard not to look, for she stood out in such sharp contrast amongst the olive-skinned city folk as the sun peeked over the red-tiled houses and towers of Florence. It certainly did not help that the brocaded gown she wore, made of green silk and woven gold with close-fitting sleeves which were slashed at the elbows to reveal the pale fabric underneath indicated just how well off her dowry was.

Yet... for the life of him, Federico Auditore could not recollect where, or even if, he had seen her before. He didn't remember those eyes or the tightly wound auburn hair. Nor did he recall the well-accentuated figure or the face that stared at him from afar under the awning of one of the many stalls that had been set up in the market. No, he did not know any of these things. He was quite sure of that. What he did know was the faintest gleam of recognition from those sharp ivy green irises as they met his own.

Despite him neither knowing nor recalling her, it was rather obvious the same could not be said for the woman. She stood there amidst the small gaggle of similarly dressed individuals, all of whom were clucking and cooing over the latest goods from the farthest reaches of the known world. And much to his chagrin, as she politely excused herself and stepped out of the shade to get a better look— it was quite evident from the afterward pause and the gradual eye-narrowing, she did not look all that pleased to see him.

Shit. Federico's frown deepened. An infinite amount of possibilities of what he could have done to warrant such unfair attention bounced around the inside of his head, yet no situation seemed right.

Had he left in the wee hours of the morning-?

Had he not- before he even finished the thought, he quickly shut it down with an abrupt shake of his head. That never happened, so it could not certainly be that.

Or was it because she was one of the few who had expected something more beyond a simple tryst? It seemed at least one had grand illusions of a far-fetched future. That is if anything actually happened between them.

So... Did he accidentally take something-? No no. it couldn't be that either. Yet Doubt was a fickle dame, and she whispered into his ear all the same. So, despite reassurance, it did not stop him from the action of casually patting himself down. This obviously became a fruitless search in the end- since nothing that was not his magically appeared. His head snapped upwards again to find those same eyes fixed on him.

Dammit, why was she looking at him?

Federico cursed again, this time being verbal about it as his hopes of the mysterious woman just dropping whatever the matter, (and him) all together, went up in smoke. Whatever had warranted her interest at the stall hadn't been enough, for she started to come towards him. Her walk was thankfully an inquisitive step. She was still unsure, but he did not doubt it would soon become a brisk pace that spoke of someone with a single intent. One he did not wish to see for himself.

"Would this not go well with my dress?"

He didn't dare to break eye contact with the advancing woman, but his gaze fell on its own accord. At that moment, the eldest son of the Auditore family had the slightest of suspicions at what caused the unfamiliar dame's ire. And that was the company he currently kept: a pretty young thing with chestnut ringlets, doe-like eyes, and a trivial-like disposition. The entire time she had held his company, he had been hard-put to keep her focused on anything in particular. Whether it was a worthless yet appealing bauble or any of the forced compliments that he managed to get out in time when probed.

...Such as now, he mused, pasting on the most charming smile he could manage as he made a pleased sound. It was a nice, though short distraction from the impending storm.

"Of course, my dear, I would also say it complements your eyes," he replied, doing his damnedest as not to look back at the other woman to see how far she was, lest the one in his immediate presence gets suspicious. In actual truth, he was lying through his teeth, since the necklace she had strung between her slender hands was anything but complimentary. Not with her dress, and especially not her eyes. Yet he kept that to himself, for there was no need to have two women needlessly mad at him today.

In light of the little lie, her brightened face turned back towards the vendor- an older gentleman currently swaying the young thing into purchasing one of his many fine (cheaply made), wares. It seemed like he was succeeding at it too, for now, they were bartering back and forth. It was all for naught, though, for it was not like she would be able to purchase it anyway.

Truthfully, it was alright with him that she had such a fickle attention span, for it was easy to miss his slashing of the strings that held the carelessly dangling coin purse at her side; and it further benefited him as he afterwards tossed it to the side whilst they walked towards the market chatting amicably about boring topics he really had no interest in.

A feminine gasp of shock brought him back into the present, and he silently counted down until she formed the much-prepared statement: "My purse! It's gone!"

Although crude, the missing purse in question had been nothing more than a simple back-up plan in case the situation were to sour any. What would win a woman's heart, and possible willingness to escort him to more... private quarters, better than a Good Samaritan act retrieving a precious lost item? Oh, he knew if Mother were to hear of this, he'd surely be smacked into oblivion. And although he would be disapproving at first, he knew his father would later clap him on the back out of view. It was an established fact he was the cleverer one between himself and baby brother.

As good as time as any, he supposed sneaking a glance sideways to the other female alarmingly closing the distance. "Perhaps it fell? I shall look around—" He trailed off at a loss of what her name was again. Shit, he knew she had said it at least once... Alma? Diana? Whatever it was, he would have to improvise before acquiring her name again. "Darling." Federico put his best foot forward and bowed, landing a kiss on her hand.

If she said anything of actual value, he totally missed it as he turned away and started 'looking'- only to almost bump into the woman he was trying to avoid in the first place. "Pardon me, Madame, I—" He attempted to say, having already prepared for a rather heated confrontation, only to have her breeze past with nary a look. His still-open mouth snapped shut as he watched her go, confusion probably quite prominent on his features. Wait... So it wasn't him she was looking at? If not him, then who had her angered so...?

He paused momentarily in his step, to watch her stop just short of his former companion. Not even waiting for the shorter younger one to acknowledge her, she grabbed her arm and whirled her around. "Bianca! What do you think you are doing with that man?" She hissed, her face flushing in barely contained vehemence.

Probably an ill time to think this, but he was certainly glad to finally discover that was her given name.

"Angelica?" The younger one blinked owlishly before sending a quick glance his way.

Oh... Well... He supposed that explained everything then as he tried to blend in. "If you mean Ser Auditore, he's merely retrieving my coin purse-"

The older noblewoman sniffed, probably stifling the urge to roll her eyes. Instead, she waved her hand as if getting rid of a troublesome fly, "Bah, it is of little wonder father keeps you home most of the time. The scoundrel is probably the reason you lost it in the first place."

She had to stabilize herself when the younger Bianca surprisingly shoved her back, eyes flashing. "You are only spiteful because you did not manage to catch his eye first!"

"Why you little-!"

The man in question was luckily able to disappear into the noisy crowd to drown out the soon-to-be bickering siblings. He wished not to be dragged into a fight unless he absolutely had to. But despite knowing he shouldn't, Federico had to grin in relief as his feet carried him to his destination. So all that time he spent worrying was for naught. Of course- it probably cost him a woman tonight. A pity.

He had thrown the purse behind a couple of discarded crates in a small alleyway not far from here. And after skirting around a gathered mob listening to the local herald prattle, he rounded the corner, expecting to see his prize where he left it.

So for him not to see a purse on the ground but in the hand of a bulky figure in the shadows had him immediately braking sharply. Fuck. This was not what he wanted at all!

And worst still, the sound of his approach had been loud enough for the hooded person to hear, for the figure froze and snapped his head his way in surprise.

No. Not a 'he' as Federico looked into the confines of the hood.

It was a she.

From under the hood, the pair of eyes that stared back at him reminded Federico of the color of clouds before an oncoming spring rain— the ones that caught the sun on their underbellies and turned into a blue silver. Although they were lightly tinted now, he had no doubt if given enough cause, they would probably turn as dark as a brooding thunderstorm. Yet at the moment, they were wary and anxious with the slightest sense of curiosity as she straightened, still with his prize in hand.

Despite his initial shock, he still expected the rather oddly dressed woman to run with his ticket to good graces, even going so far as to brace himself in case she did. Rude? Perhaps. Even if she was pretty, it was better to be safe than sorry. Besides, if she was like most, it was not like she was going to notice.

Federico had thought himself subtle in his actions, having never taken his eyes, or warm smile, off of her, yet a slim eyebrow rose nonetheless before those grey irises snapped towards the purse in her gloved hand and then back to him. Perhaps he was mistaken, but he sensed the tiniest dawning of revelation off her person.

"Is this yours?"

The elder Auditore paused in confusion, honestly having not expected her to speak. He faintly acknowledged that the language she spoke was English. Understandable, yet the dialect was odd, to say the least.

"Par...don?" It sounded quite strange hearing the word coming out of his mouth. Every unfamiliar syllable refused to roll off his tongue correctly. Damn, if he would have known he would be using the cumbersome language in the immediate future, he would have definitely paid more attention to his teacher's lessons.

There was a small vent of sound before her lips pursed into a confused frown. "Is this," he was undoubtedly relieved to hear his mother tongue as she slowly started to repeat herself, this time emphasizing the purse with a stabbing of her finger and then him, a look betwixt annoyance and exasperation prominent on her features. "Yours?"

While her Tuscan rang with a strange vernacular, it was much easier this time to form a response. Although, Federico wouldn't say it was intimidation that made him pause... just wariness. She didn't look like much, being tiny and all but from experience, looks could be most deceiving. "And if I said yes?"

She cocked her head, studying him, as if unsure before her lips suddenly quirked into a smirk, amused. She knew he wasn't confirming that it was actually his, yet went with it anyway as she brought her hand up to scrutinize the somewhat filled bag in her hand, as the other landed on her hip. "Then I would have to question your choice of wardrobe if I wasn't already," hummed the woman before she tossed it up and caught it again. "Lace is not your style and just does not match that color scheme you're sporting."

"What do you mean by my 'choice of wardrobe'?" Federico could not help but scoff, throwing a hand her way to indicate the... whatever she was wearing. Honestly, he was at a loss of words as to what she wore. For starters, the black sheathing that spread across her torso and shoulders looked like an oversized robe falling just above the knees, yet made of such unusual fabric that made it both shiny and smooth. He also noted with bewilderment that it made the oddest of sounds when she shifted. Regardless, he still had a strange urge to poke it to see if perhaps it was some type of new armor never seen before but resisted knowing that wouldn't be appreciated.

Not by her for being poked, And certainly not by him if she decided it was enough of an excuse to smack him.

Even the trousers and boots she wore were made with unique materials he had no words or adjectives for— beyond that of colors. Yes, she was indeed a very strangely dressed woman. With a snort, he crossed his arms, looking her up and down again. "Clearly, you have not looked in a mirror anytime recently," he remarked, questioning just who let her walk out in that.

As opposed to the flustered blush most ladies he knew would acquire before apologizing for their lack of decency, she fixed him with a dirty look, huffing softly under her breath as she proceeded to yank off her gloves and shove them into the strange haversack at her side."This is coming from the man who is wearing tights and a shirt he cannot button up all the way," she dryly said and he couldn't help but pout as he glanced downwards at his attire. What was she talking about? This was standard Florentine fashion.

In one deft move, the hood of her... robe-thing was pushed back, and a waterfall of dark wavy tresses pooled out on either side of her rounded face. Shaking her head to dislodge any stray strands, she again fixed him with a pointed stare. This time with eyes of glinted silver. "Forgive me, but it was snowing the last I checked."

Any retort or witty remark he had on mind dissolved as he just... stared. "Snowing?" He echoed, slightly bewildered as she jerked her head in a stiff nod. It was rude of him he knew, but he couldn't help but stare. He was confused by her words. While it wasn't rare for snow to fall in Florence, it certainly wasn't typical either. As opposed to what the foreigner described, it hadn't snowed anytime recently. So he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow as the woman looked around with a slight frown as if just realizing the ground was barren of any heaps of white and brown slush.

Federico briefly wondered if the woman had hit her head any. She was muttering to herself, and there were red streaks that stood out amongst her dark hair. Perhaps it was blood from a blow to the head? It would explain much. Or no. He slightly narrowed his eyes with a frown, tilting his head in curiosity. No the more he looked at them, the more he realized they were too symmetrical. Too straight, not clumped or matted like a wound. No, he concluded, it was much too perfect to be a malady or an accident.

It indeed begged the intriguing question then- was it the result of a cruel prank, or did that mean she had done it on purpose?

He mentally shook his head, and the thought away. Much as Federico's growing curiosity wished it wasn't, he was here for an actual purpose. It was rather sad, for this newcomer seemed a most intriguing lady, and if it were other times, he'd be wishing to know more.

Yet he was an Auditore- a man of his word to his dying breath, even if the sole reason for his being here may or may not be there once he returned to the market.

So, time to get back on the subject at hand. Federico coughed into his hand politely, pasting on the easiest of smiles to bring her attention back. "My apologies, I hope that you will come to forgive me, but as you are probably well aware- that is not mine. Instead, it belongs to a friend that I think will like it back." He extended an experimental hand out, palm facing upwards, absently wondering if this was to be the time she would choose to run. He would certainly hate to tackle someone so small as her. Yet he didn't let his doubt show, smiling all the same. "If I can have it back, I, and my companion would be most grateful."

Now it was her turn to blink as her gaze fell to the purse and then back up to him. It seemed she had been so focused on verbally lashing him, she had forgotten what was in her possession. "Oh sorry, of course-" Without so much as a blink, the purse left her hand and plopped on his own. "I just hope she's worth the effort of stealing from."

Federico had barely uttered a 'thank you' when his statement of gratitude came to a stuttering stop as he gawked. How-? This time though, his staring was rather brief and he was already laughing, shaking his head. "I... What? No, I think you have my intentions mistaken..."

Much as he tried to convince himself otherwise, that had sounded guilty even to his own ears. What was worse was the warm feeling of embarrassment and shame spreading on his cheeks that further disproved his innocence. He opened his mouth to try again. To say something, anything to argue his case, but the raised eyebrow and fixed stare said everything. His jaw snapped shut. He couldn't explain it, but somehow she just... knew.

He immediately grew suspicious. Had this woman been watching him? Did she have some kind of malicious intent? For him? For his family? Briefly, he let the world turn into the neutral ground of greys and blacks and focused rather intently on the woman. Surprisingly, the light-blue emitting off the woman clarified that she was no enemy of his. His Sight hadn't failed him yet, so warily, he blinked away the vision with a set frown. If she had noticed anything strange, she didn't let anything show, yet he had his doubts. So very carefully, he voiced his next question, fixing her with a studious glance. "What makes you so sure I stole it?"

Another quirk of the lips was his response before a light chuckle escaped her. "Lucky guess." She scratched her chin with a hum.

She pointed at the bag. "As you can see, these strings are pretty clean, meaning someone cut them and it didn't fall off due to wear and tear. So... by my guess, one of three things occurred." She put three fingers up and started counting them down as she continued: "Either a rookie with butterfingers dropped it while on the run, you paid someone to make it look like a rookie dropped it so you can be the hero, or you did it yourself. If I didn't know any better, it was because whoever this belonged to wasn't exactly going according to your plan?"

Before he could come up with an excuse or something, both of her hands came up in a calming motion, expressing an amused smile. "It's just a theory. But if you did—relax, I won't tell anybody your little secret. I'm not that type of person, and besides, I would be lying if I said I wouldn't have done it myself. Except the only difference is," she paused with a wink. "I would have gotten away with it."

Well... that was... a most unexpected response. No chastising. No pinching of the ear. No threatening to tell someone. The exact opposite of what he had been expecting to happen. This revelation was a pleasant, welcoming surprise, and Federico couldn't help but quirk a slight grin of his own. The curiosity that been starting to smolder was being given tinder again. It couldn't be helped. He knew personally that sometimes, if not most of the time, that was dangerous territory to tread, but right at this moment, he was too intrigued to care.

Seeing he no longer had to worry if she was going to take off with Bianca's coin purse or not, (he congratulated himself on remembering her name finally), he managed to loosen up some, even leaned up against the side of the alley glancing her way. "Should I ask as to how you know such things?" He asked, mostly teasing, yet slightly hoping she'd supply an answer.

Unfortunately, much to his disappointment, a secretive smile was all he acquired as she slyly winked. "Sorry, but surely you'd understand that a woman must keep her secrets?"

Federico found himself with the urge to poke her robe again, but not to see if it was made of armor. Oh no, it was more to see how she would react. Would this spitfire actually smack him? Or would she do something utterly unexpected like before? Mostly he was just curious about how dark he could get those eyes to turn.

He hummed at the thought eyeing her. She was rather attractive he had to admit, what little he actually saw of her. He also knew she was dangerously fascinating, and with every movement and word, he was finding himself being drawn more and more to her. "In more ways than one-" he started to say with a smirk, unsure if she got the double meaning or not before a metallic ripping sound drew his attention back to her weird robe as she split it open. She then proceeded to slip out of it, revealing a dark grey chemise that hugged a surprisingly well-endowed figure far more than the robe did. She had enough curves to the point where he had to force himself to continue focusing on her face. No need to piss off two women today if he could help it.

"Indeed." She laughed with that probably iconic sly grin of hers as she looked up at him, tucking the folded robe under her arm. She tilted her head again with a hum glancing around. For a brief moment, there was a frown, but it soon disappeared again as she looked back at him."Well, it's been a pleasure, but I think it's time for us to separate now." She paused to brush a strand of her colored hair back. "We both have places to be, right?"

Federico vented a sigh and reluctantly nodded. Sadly so. He did have an article of possession to give back... If she was still there, that is. "We do indeed."

"Oh, you'll be fine," she barked a laugh, suddenly clapping a hand on his shoulder. In total shock at having his non-existent personal space invaded, he looked at her sharply in return with a raised eyebrow. She must have read the action wrong, for she immediately pulled her hands back in a 'sorry' motion. "But if you want encouragement- good luck?"

He put on a thinking face before grinning. "Mmm... you know, I actually would prefer a kiss of good luck."

That hope was dashed as soon as he saw the flash of something appear in those irises before she rolled them and started on her way out of the alley. "In your dreams, lover boy," came the biting retort, which made him laugh out loud.

She had said she had hoped that the purse was worth the effort in the end. Well, it was probably safe to say, as Federico tied the lacy bag to his belt with a contemplative hum, it most certainly had been.

~*End*~

History Fun Fact: So, after much editing and researching, I figured that it would be cool to spread some of the stuff I learned about the Renaissance and beyond. So... let's start this off with a bang and talk about *drum roll, please* sun exposure! Believe it or not, women with pale skin were desirable because the paleness of the skin actually indicated just how far up the ladder they were. While there are exceptions to the rule, it usually meant their families were rich enough to hire others and never had to step outside, whereas tanned individuals belonged to the lower classes and worked with their hands.

Also slashed sleeves? High fashion for the time.