-Chapter Two-
The Lovely Fiora

Cahin grunted to a stiff discomfort throughout his muscles as sunlight crept across his face. The little beams were coming through the shutters of the window, annoying Cahin. He groaned and finally sat up in a huff, narrowing his eyes at the window. "I get it." He talked pointlessly to the sun, walking over to his mask laying on the vanity. It greeted him with a smug smirk, never failing to amuse him. "Oh to think you're the last face Assassins will see..." He trailed off darkly, picking up the mask and putting it on. Downstairs, Caha was humming, slicing up bread and stabbing little purple grapes with one of her daggers, bringing them up to her mouth. Cahin grinned, "I hope you washed those things." He motioned to her daggers. "Tch." She faked a scoff and picked up a vine of grapes. "Breakfast?"

"Made a quick trip to the market this morning, they never even realized that I stole from them." Caha smiled, turning her back to Cahin again, working at the fireplace. Cahin tilted his mask up over his head, picking grapes off the vine and chewing on them, glancing over at the basket on the wooden counter. "A bit much, isn't it Caha?" "Not at all Cahin, we're growing young adults." She grinned, slicing a blood orange dead down the middle; it fell in two and rocked on the counter. "Now Caha that's not an Assassin." Cahin jested with a smirk. "Are you sure?" She turned around, holding one that was still full. She narrowed her eyes and brought it up to eye level. "The little devils could be spies." "Caha you're ridiculous." "Damn straight!" She threw it up in the air, slicing through it.

She bowed and Cahin clapped before she sat down with the sliced fruit, munching on it silently. Cahin leaned against his arm, looking out the window. "Did you sleep at all?" He glanced at his sister, who was silent. "I...passed out about an hour after you did." "I knew it." Cahin smirked. "I couldn't help it!"She let out a defensive whine. "It's fine I wanted you to, you know I would've gotten the little devil even in my sleep, I just got caught." Harlequin smirked then, a glint in his eyes. "Naturally brother. I don't think he was very old, he was so small." She thought, puzzled. "Oh you know, some little brat deciding to check out a broken window... who knew how to block our attacks." He gritted his teeth, "huh." "He was probably...what? Fifteen? Sixteen?" Caha thought, rubbing her chin. "Perhaps so, his figure wasn't that of a man."

The streets were bustling with people going about their everyday work. Shops were open, the smell of bread and oils lingering throughout the city, sometimes not so pleasant. Caha walked with a skip in her strut, while Cahin kept a very poise and steady stride. They walked surprisingly at the same tempo, scouting around a tower which was heavily guarded. Cahin stopped to stare up at it, the Borgia flags hanging high and proud. "I see we've established ourselves." He spoke into the air. His thoughts were distracted when he felt a pair of hands push against his back. "Get moving you stupid-."Cahin spun around, infuriated, grabbing the rude guard by the collar and nudging him. The man did not expect this. "Hey! What do you think you're doing?" He yelled, fumbling, attracting attention from other guards. They ran down to the scene, circling around the jesters.

Cahin stared bluntly; it sent chills through the man. Caha rolled her eyes beneath her mask, pulling out some papers and slapping them against one of the guard's chest. He took them reluctantly and then looked up with a sudden cheer. "Oh, my apologies." He bowed with a stutter, making way for them. Caha smiled her sweet yet devilish smile and tapped her brother on the back while flirtatiously stepping out of the circle. Harlequin mumbled and dropped the man carelessly, turning to go with his sister. After they passed the tower, Cahin began to speak. "What did you do?" "Gave them these." She held up signed documents from Rodrigo Borgia himself. "What do they do?" "They're just so we don't get into any trouble with the guards. A secret right of passage if you will." She grinned, folding them and tucking them away.

"Ruin my fun..." He mumbled with a soft smirk under his face. "Perhaps we should have a little fun? Set up a false fame?" Caha said, stretching like a ballerina. "Darling sister, we are no false fame." He grinned, jumping up onto the stone ledge of a fountain. She braced herself and threw up her arms as Cahin jumped, doing a back flip over her and landing perfectly on his feet. She grinned and did a hand stand, stretching her legs out tall. Cahin grabbed them to brace her and she flipped up over him, landing on the other side with her arms spread dramatically. Their acrobatics already attracted a bewildered crowd. Caha batted her eyelashes and set out a cloth on the ground for people to place money. She smiled with her perfect lips, swooning some of the men.

Harlequin stepped up in his usual performer voice. "Attention ladies and gentleman..." "...presenting the finest jesters of all the troupes!" Caha continued his sentence. "The Harlequin..." He bowed, keeping his secretive and devious demeanour. "And The Hellequin!" Caha shouted a bit more brightly, jumping up in a graceful pose. "Brother and sister." Cahin continued, doing a hand stand adjacent to Caha, she did the same. "Extraordinaire." Caha finished, using her French accent. The two flipped up and pulled out their daggers, clashing them together before beginning to juggle and throw them back and forth, they got more complex with their routines as time went on. People stared in disbelief, laughed at their jokes and frozen in wonder at their tricks.

From the crowd, a trio of courtesans watched the jesters leap and flip back and forth with each other. The two other girls giggled and eyed the very flexible male jester, while the more solemn girl on the left end stared. With her hands crossed tightly to her chest, the white blouse below crimpling up slightly, she tilted her head with a slight smirk, her straight brown hair falling over her shoulder. She couldn't take her thoughts anymore and stepped up from the crowed, a cocky look on her face. "You both are truly amazing..." She spoke in a solid tone, setting everyone off guard. "I bet you can't catch me." She shrugged playfully, biting her lip. Harlequin and Hellequin stopped landing both in front of her. "Is that a bet m'lady?" Cahin asked.

"What ever do you mean?" Caha said, tilting her head to the right towards Cahin, he tilted his head to the left. They moved like twins. "Hmm..." Fiora looked up at the fountain. "If you two can manage to pin me down while doing all those fluid tricks of yours, I'll pay you fifty florins." Fiora smirked, the crowd gasped at the amount. "Fifty? My, my, are you sure dear?" The Harlequin chuckled darkly. "Positive. We're bound to put on a show." She shrugged, walking past the two and climbing up onto the top of the fountain, pulling out a fancy pink fan. The woman stared down at the people with a smile, she was indeed conceited. With her eyes flickering shut, she smugly straightened her posture. "Go." The courtesan flipped backwards down the fountain, Harlequin and Hellequin both shook their heads in disbelief and moved.

To be symmetrical, they both did the same on each side, climbing up onto the fountain. This confused the lady, regardless she spun around a few time with her fan, her chocolate locks of hair spinning. Harlequin and Hellequin hung to the top of the fountain, looking down at her. The courtesan back flipped continuously through the crowd and then the siblings caught their chance. They both pushed off the ledge of the fountain and dived down while doing a flip after the woman. To her dismay, they were quick. Pinning her down with a dagger on each side, only nipping at the pink fabric of her overcoat she was defeated. The duo grinned, "That'll be fifty florins." And at that, the crowd roared and clapped.

You truly are amazing!" A woman cried from the crowd. The Harlequin and Hellequin drew their daggers back, bowing to each side of the crowd while flipping their daggers back into their belts. "Grazie! Grazie!" The Hellequin shouted, picking up her cloth filled with Florins. She wrapped it up with a rope, securing the money. Fiora tossed a pouch at them in defeat. "Hm. You're both good." She narrowed her eyes. Shaking her head. "Sorry, where are my manners." She bowed respectfully. "I am Fiora Cavazza, a courtesan." She rose back up with a smile. "Allow me to take you to dinner?" She offered. Harlequin and Hellequin looked at each other. Cahin suspiciously nodded at Caha but she retorted in their silent language to play along. "I don't see why not." The Hellequin said with a smile.

Fiora ordered a glass of wine, sitting across from the two bright Jesters. She glanced at them back and forth with a grin. "You two look amazing, and are amazing." "Thank you Fiora." The Harlequin nodded once. "How did you know how to do that? You're pretty limber for a courtesan." Hellequin started. Harlequin snickered, she hit his shoulder. "Excuse him." "It's fine. You'd suppose I'd have to know how to do a few stunts in my business. Men are silly." She trailed off, smiling when her whine was brought to her. She poured three glasses, pushing them towards the two. "Can't argue with that logic." Hellequin nodded, circling the rim of her glass with one finger, they weren't keen to take food from strangers. Harlequin sat pokerfaced, not bothering with the wine at all.

"I find it odd you're not bothered by my profession." Fiora started with conversation again, "Though I am a fine wine in a low class place." She trailed off, sipping the dark liquid. Hellequin watched, it couldn't have been poisoned in the same bottle. "Is two travelling actors any greater?" She grinned, bringing the wine up to her lips and sipping. "Suppose you're not much higher in society." She shrugged, glancing over at the pork which was being served to them. "Meat? That's not cheap." Harlequin tilted his head forward to look at it. "Never mind that sir; you're both worth such class." Fiora trailed off, beginning to eat.

They all got a little less awkward bur were still very tense. The conversation was very polite and friendly but there was a tension between them was there beneath the words, perhaps it was their masks. Fiora smiled and lifted her arm, slouching to lean her chin against it; Caha's eyes flickered down at something red. There, on her forearm was a bright red Templar cross. The tattoo was only peeking out from her gloves a little, but Caha knew it well. She had one exactly like it. "Have you ever heard about the story of the Knights of the Templar and the Assassins?" Caha brought up, Cahin looked over at her. She was on to something. He casually put one of his arms under the table, so she couldn't see. "No, I'm not familiar." Fiora stared into the dark holes that were Hellequin's eyes, unable to read them. "Are you sure..?" Hellequin grimaced darkly; Cahin placed his hand on a dagger. "What do you mean?" Fiora searched their profiles, evidently. Caha reached out, knocking over her glass of wine and pulling her arm forward, ripping off her glove.

Fiora panicked and was about to lash her bladed fan across The Hellequin's arm when Cahin held up his arm, tugging his sleeve up to reveal the same Templar mark. Fiora gasped and studied the two for a moment then broke out into a relieved laugh, grinning at the two. "Thank god!" She giggled, Hellequin smirked. "Well, well. Hello partner." "You're both Templars?" Fiora was smiling now, the tension gone. "Pure blooded Templars." Caha grinned, pulling off her glove and sleeve to reveal her tattoo as well. "You scared me there; I thought you both were too stealthy for just simple street performers." Fiora placed her glove back on. "You never know, those Assassins could be anywhere." She studied them again with friendliness. "That's exactly what we were thinking about you." Harlequin said. "Well this is good...Templar to Templar. We weren't sure who the others were here."Caha smirked. "Welcome to the club."Fiora grinned.

I absolutely adore how this is coming along! I've been running the story through my mind while playing ACB XD' Multiplayer characters are amazing! 3

I hope you enjoy this story, i'm definitely continuing it! Feel free to contact me if you have any ideas or want to know something.

~Konnie.