Above deck Ezio was sitting contently watching the ship move from side to side as wind caught in the sails and moved the boat forward. His destination was Constantinople, there he would meet with a band of assassins who ruled the south; and together they would learn the secrets of one of the greatest assassins that had ever lived; Master Altair Ibn-La'Ahad. It was true the vary same man's sword hung next to his hip, acting like a graceful friend always next to him no matter the predicament. However the entire ride had Ezio uneasy, something seemed off to him; and the faint red glow that surrounded the men working the ship kept Ezio on guard. He could felt something stirring inside him; something he had never felt before, it made him worried and also made him feel vulnerable... Something he hadn't felt in years.
Staring at the vast sea in front of him Ezio began to think back to his family, all the secrets that had died with Giovanni and Federico that fateful day. Would he ever be able to gain a hold of those secrets, the secrets of his family, of his lineage, his bloodlines, his destiny... It had been three years Since Maria died; natural causes, she was old and frail and it was simply her time. Claudia since then had met a man within the brotherhood and settled down, Ezio now had three nieces and a nephew, Claudia's son's and daughters now trained under her, slowly learning how to fight yet not yet knowing the full extent of the purpose. Ezio was still single as ever, not trusting anyone with commitment like he thought he would when he was nothing more than a boy. Was his youth as faint of a glimmer as that of his brothers and father's lives?
Ezio shook his head the thoughts making him slink farther into depression, yet the thoughts of having a family kept slinking back, creeping into his mind. Leonardo was gaining age just as he was, graying hair; but never dull spirits, yet the fire that he knew of Leonardo was slowly fading. Suddenly Ezio heard a noise...
Cackling, the distinctive sound of flesh hitting flesh, a clatter... Ezio's ears tuned out all of the sounds around him and listened to the sounds coming from below him. Very carefully Ezio tip toed across the dark boards of the ship, with grace thought unimaginable by others. There were only a few men on starboard side of the vessel, and from his eagle vision he found no threat with them. Reaching the back of the ship where was an entrance to the hull of the ship, carefully Ezio slipped down before carefully sliding back behind large sacs of grain stacked neatly to the roof. His eyes peaking around, dark crimson read glows formed around four men, and a faint shimmer of a blue formed around a person-. It was a woman... Ezio watched as they beat her, he wasn't sure if she an ally yet. So quietly Ezio eavesdropped.
"I don't know what the fuck you are talking about! I am no assassin!"
Ezio's fingers curved neatly into his palms digging in, he can't rush out into the situation, it would be harmful for her. So he sat and listened, as they beat her, laughed at her; he listened to the woman choke and cough and groan but not once did she let out a cry... The sound of fabric ripping pulled Ezio out of his daze as he realized what the men were up to, sliding out from the hiding place he watched as all four men caressed her without a care as she sat there, taking it. They were curved in such a manner around the woman that none of them saw Ezio approach. The water proved difficult though in keeping stealthy, as he got closer one man heard the slosh of the water from Ezio's boots and turned around. A glimmer of steal hit the air before blood splattered across Ezio's sleeves, his blades entered both men behind the woman, the man on the left received a fatal attack to the back of the neck, the other up through the nose and directly into the brain. As they fell Ezio gazed at them, the one he stabbed in the neck was fat, and smelt horrid, the other however was skinny, deathly so; most obviously a opium addict. Ezio glanced up from the corpses to see the other two men standing nonchalantly around, smirking at him. Then... A chilling voice.
"Ah, Ezio! Good to see you my rat like friend. So nice of you to drop in and take care of these men for us, one thinks of himself higher than he actually is; and so stuffs money greedily into his pockets, the other... Well he stuffs a different sort of payment into himself, huh?" The man paused for a moment anticipating laughs, and when none were heard his lips snarled and he began to pace, his other goon standing at his post.
"I heard about your jobs in Rome, very well done! Sadly enough though, my employers have laid a great wager on your head; and I feel... Heartbroken... To lay a man of such brilliant skill over to the Templars but you must see! You are not as young as you once were and as you age, the further your skills will age with you; soon enough you won't be valuable enough to convert so I am given no other choi-." The goon then took a step forward and Ezio lunged plunging the hidden blade deep into his chest twisting before kicking him back, causing him to splash in the water. Quickly Ezio maneuvered around the chair and taking the dagger from his boot held it to the mans neck tightly before speaking in his suave Italian voice.
"May your employers mourn over their losses." Before slashing the blade quickly causing another bought of blood to splatter on him; a change of clothes will be needed when they make dock.
The soft sound of someone breathing hit Ezio's ear, as he turned he saw the girl, shaking from the cold water and bare skin; and despite her situation Ezio could not help but to gaze at her beauty before stepping back to the merchandise going back to Constantinople and grasping a blanket before moving behind the woman and wrapping it tightly around her exposed form. One last glance with his eagle vision confirmed the blue hue surrounding her, Ezio then sunk to his knee and slashed the ropes holding her down to the chair. With freed limbs she tucked her knees together tightly before her arms wrapped the blanket even snugger around her, as she weakly got up, Ezio reached and tried to brace her, he took this time to gaze at her. Long dark hair, slightly damp from the water, thick and twisting into slight curls at the end. Dark olive skin that seemed perfect, strong high cheeks with a petite nose and defined chin. Her lips curved beautifully, sharp as rose thorns, and slightly darker than her beautiful skin. But her eyes, her eyes stole the attention away from the rest of her beautiful features, dark green orbs that shimmered with many emotions; many of which Ezio could not read. She was tall for a woman, her head resting just below his nose. A full figured woman. Beautifully curved... A shiver from the woman made him glance back to her eyes before slowly releasing her as she began to softly speak, in a voice as fitting for angels, as fitting for a temptress.
