His father had a handful of trusted servants – who Connor warned of the number of incoming guests and that they would be staying for an indeterminate amount of time… Along with the fact that these guests would likely be temperamental in nature as well as important to at least keep content, as they could and possibly would cause trouble if not kept happy. Shay lurked on the other side of the room as Connor spoke – which was distracting and disconcerting as the Assassin could not help but be very much aware of the highly dangerous Assassin Hunter in close quarters. This was going to be a trial through fire, as the other powerful Templars were unlikely to be as amiable as Cormac was, or close to it. Particularly from what Haytham had told him about their reputations and personalities – but his father had his own biases.

He would have offered to help the servants to get the place ready for the guests – but he spotted Cormac hovering closer again and asked softly "Did master Kenway ask for you to bring me to him at a certain time? You have been in the same room as I have been since we have gotten here. Is there something you need?"

"Let's go for a little walk, lad." Shay responded, gesturing for Connor to follow him, which he did. Once they were alone, Cormac turned to Connor and asked "The Grandmaster did ask me to bring you to the Finnegan's place around sunset. You are not a Templar, are you lad?"

Connor froze for a few moments, before remembering the script that he and his father had agreed to stick to – and the information that his father's inner circle would stick to if and when asked. "No, I am not. I am a mercenary captain. Being a Templar under my father… I would simply be in his shadow, and some of the other agents grumble that he favors me and I am not properly part of the Order. If I were to join… Those grumblings would only get worse. Lee and Johnson found me as a teenager while traveling through the frontier after stumbling upon my village. They spoke with my mother, and realized who I was." His hands were clasped in front of him, up at chest level as one hand rubbed the knuckles of the other. He was not directly looking Cormac in the face, as he did not wish to seem challenging.

"Ah. Which ship is it that you captain?" Shay asked, moving a bit closer to Connor, noting the other's discomfort and curious as to how far he could push the other. From the way that the younger man acted and spoke, he was quite certain that Connor was definitely not Templar-allied. At least, if he was, it was a very recent and uncertain development. Odd for one who was supposedly the son of the Colonial Grandmaster.

"The Aquila, why do you ask?" Connor asked curiously, watching the other approach and uncertain as to whether or not he wanted to try backing away a little. Shay was not-quite in his personal space, but could potentially pose a big threat, if he decided to attack.

"The Aquila is an Assassins' ship. Or at least, she was before she supposedly sank about fifteen years ago or so. You move like an Assassin, and you have the blades as well. So tell me, why are you playing at being my Grandmaster's son? It is a cruel thing, to prey upon someone's closest and most deeply held desires." Cormac growled, tackling Connor and pinning him to a wall, pressing a blade to the other's throat.

"I am his son, Mister Cormac. I would not pretend otherwise, as such deception is not something I would ever do. You are correct in your assumption that I am an Assassin – rake:ni or one of the others was likely to pull you aside when they had time to do so. However since we are alone and the foreign Templars will not be able to overhear this I will tell you what is going on. The English Colonial Brotherhood is rebuilding, and I am a member of said Brotherhood. We have a truce with the English Colonial Templar Rite that has been steady for the past six months, brokered between myself and your Grandmaster shortly after the discovery of Church's treachery." Connor paused for a couple of moments, trying to decipher whether or not Cormac believed his words at all. He kept his voice calm and steady as he continued to explain what was going on. "At first the truce simply encompassed the two of us, however after the successful completion of the mission, we decided to extend the truce to the entirety of both orders. As this truce is still in its' infancy, neither of us have any desire for the foreign Templars to discover what is truly happening within the English Colonies, as they would likely meddle, or try to find out the identities of the Colonial Assassins and either kill them, or try to have them kidnapped, broken and brainwashed into Templar Agents."

"So… You want me to believe that there is a… An armistice between Templars and Assassins, which is being hidden from the visitors?" Shay growled, still holding his blade firmly to the infuriatingly calm Assassin's neck.

"You should, because Connor is telling the truth." Charles Lee of all people called out from behind the two of them, having come from the street side of the alley the two of them were currently in. "The Grandmaster sent me to find the pair of you as either the two of you had found trouble to get into… Or you were fighting. "Connor here is the Mentor of the Brotherhood, near as any of us can figure and they will not take kindly to you murdering him, Shay. Nor will Master Kenway as Connor is his son."

"Jesus Christ Charlie! Do not sneak up on me like that!" Shay scolded, having jumped a little, almost slicing a small cut along Connor's throat.

Almost because one of Connor's hands had come up as soon as Lee had started talking, to keep Cormac's hand steady. "Will you let me go? If he is here, it likely means that your Grandmaster and the meddlesome Templars will be along shortly, particularly given that the sun has begun to set."

Cormac huffed a little before letting Connor go "Very well then, but I will be watching you carefully."

"I understand why you would, however the… Guests may notice and wonder why you would, and both Rake:ni and I have no wish for them to discover what is truly going on in the colonies, beyond what we want them to see." Connor answered back.

"I will still be watching, lad." Cormac grumbled. Connor nodded in acknowledgement and the three of them left the alley to find Haytham and the group of foreign Templars.

The three of them joined the group of well-dressed people, Connor staying towards the back of the crowd. If he had his way, the Assassin would be at the furthest point back in the group, but every time he tried, Cormac appeared at his side and made certain that he was not lagging too far behind the rest of them. They were patiently waiting for a lull in the conversation to say hello to Haytham.

However one of the visitors spotted Connor trying to edge away from them and Shay not letting him. A French Templar by the name of Germain "Ah, and who are you? Cormac it is a little odd of you to be dragging someone along like this, unless he is a captive of some kind?"

This caused the entire group to stop and stare at them, prompting Connor to send Shay a small glare. Honestly, it was not as though he planned on leaving the group entirely, simply following them… At a distance… perhaps along the rooftops, as the buildings were particularly dense in this part of New York. "He is not a captive, but Master Kenway wanted to make sure that the lad did not slip off during the time that we had guests. Connor here is a little shy."

Connor huffed a little and sent Shay a glower before answering "I am not shy. I simply wanted to make sure that all of the arrangements that he had tasked me with to ensure were put into motion before the guests arrived at the manor were completed. Had you allowed me to speak, I would have told you."

"You had time to speak lad, you simply chose not to, and the Grandmaster wanted to make sure that you and our guests spoke with one another." Shay countered with a small snort. The young Assassin was not going to get away from direct interaction so easily, not matter how he tried to subtly escape. Not that Connor was particularly good at being subtle – though being as big and tall as he was, that was not strictly the lad's fault.

"I had hoped that the two of you would get along a bit better than this, then again perhaps not. The two of you are quite similar." Haytham remarked with a soft sigh and a shake of his head. "Connor this is Francois-Thomas Germain, Nicholas Lafreniere, Celeste de la Serre, Adalinda Bauers, Gabriella Schnieder, Salme Weber, Antonio Gallo, Isabella Colon, Caim Ochoa, Allistair Williams, James Blackwood and Anne Smith. All of you, this is my son, Connor Ratonhnhake:ton Kenway."

Connor stifled his surprised reaction for the most part, quietly delighted that Haytham had taken the time to figure out how to say the name that his mother had given him. Of the handful of people with whom he had told that name, only his father had taken the time to learn how to actually say it, apparently. Achilles straight up said that there was no way he would ever try to pronounce the name – which had stung just a little at the time – and Duncan… Duncan had tried, but Connor was a far simpler name to say for those who had English as a primary language. A small smile appeared on Connor's face as he bowed slightly to the group of Templars, a hint of a smile on his face. "Good evening."

A ripple of shock and surprise flashed through the group, and Connor could almost see the questions forming in their minds. Time to distract them "We should get moving. Curfew will begin shortly, and given the fact that the British Empire has recently put another Act into place banning the public gathering or more than five people in the street – punishable by being jailed for an indeterminate amount of time… I suggest that we get moving. Additionally, there should be a group of British Soldiers on roving patrol should be here soon, barring an emergency of one kind or another."

Haytham nodded in agreement at that "You are correct, of course. We should get moving lest we be accused of breaking the law."

Between the two of them, Cormac, Lee and a blond man who Connor had never met before, they were able to get the visiting Templars to Haytham's manor without running into any trouble.