Secrets in History.
By Kaimaler.
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Vanessa didn't spend time messing around, the moment she was given the supplies she wanted she got straight to work. The rope and the stakes were perfect tools to build a footing exercise. It would keep the mercenaries on their feet, help them maneuver quicker, dodge strikes faster and more effectively.
That was just the beginning to.
Once Ezio returned from his trip and reported to Mario, Vanessa requested aid with a few things. With a few men helping her, including Ezio, she built a large wall with a rope dangling from the top. It would work two ways, to see if these mercenaries could lift their own body weight and the other was to remove the rope and see how well their teamwork stood up to a time limit.
It was a way to force teamwork, quick thinking, and speed into everyday life as a guard or mercenary.
At the beginning, for now at least, she'd start them off with easy tasks. To climb an obstacle, to maneuver with expert agility, and to hold onto your teammate as if he was a brother; at times that meant using them like a ladder to jump the next obstacle then pulling them along for the rest of the ride.
How she loved training in the rain, the mud, the fact that she could barely see past her own nose. All great things hindering her progress yet all aiding her for a more successful future within law enforcement, previously SWAT. Another thing she missed dearly.
It was taking hours just to build the obstacle course, but it would take days to finish it. As she completed the first obstacle though she had rounded it up without tangling the rope and wood, had one of Mario's mercenaries help her and, with him, chose a clear space just outside Monteriggioni's walls, near a mine shaft.
The mercenary would chuckle every time she'd make a mistake and correct herself, only serving to make her more determined to set up the obstacles. Sharing an embarrassed laugh or two, the first one was ready for testing.
He stared at it for a moment, wondering what they were supposed to do and, naturally, found himself asking. "Ah, forgive me madonna, but... what is this?" He gestured to the crossing ropes.
"It's purpose is to force you to be more aware of your footing and keeping speed, here, watch." Vanessa stood back a few feet from the obstacle and took off into a brisk jog, sliding one foot into a clear space, looking down and keeping track of where she stepped while running, ending up on the other side without a problem.
"See? I had to see what I did so I didn't trip." She smiled, Vanessa still could do all the training courses with expert skill. The man looked at the obstacle, "I can do that madonna, no problem." He cackled, considering the run to merely be a woman's training.
'Then do it." She dared, crossing her arms on the opposite side of the obstacle.
The mercenary nodded, a smug grin plastered on his face. He stepped up to the edge of the robe net, his first mistake, believing he could make it just by jumping straight in. Right before he started, Vanessa snickered, watching him take each step slowly into between the ropes. "Faster." She nodded to him, he stopped and huffed.
Smirking, the mercenary tried to move a little faster and by the time Vanessa took her place a few feet away from the obstacle, taking a few deep breaths, she darted through the course. Her feet bouncing up from the ground the second her toes touched the grass; she repeated this until she stood on the other side, panting slightly.
"That's what I mean by faster." The mercenary glared momentarily and tried to move as she did, ending up lifting his leg above his waist just to take one step. When he finished, Vanessa sighed, giggling at his self-accomplishment.
"See madonna, I did it."
Shaking her head, she used her index and middle finger in motion to signify running. "You have to move faster. It's designed to push you, so in questionable terrain, you move fast but don't lose sense of your surroundings. It's a very valuable skill in a battle."
His brows furrowed and looked back down to the rope course he'd just finished and, after a few contemplative moments; the mercenary nodded slowly, turned to her, and shook his head with a bright smile. "Ah, now I get it." He walked around the obstacle, meeting Vanessa on the other side. "That's a good idea."
"Not mine, I don't know who thought it up, but I was forced to learn it like any other trainee." She shrugged, turning around to begin their walk back into Monteriggioni. She was going to need a lot more than one mercenary to build the next part of the course.
Yet, as she strode back into the small city, Vanessa was swept away with the time. It was growing dark and suddenly, she felt an wash of tiredness overcome her.
Dismissing the mercenary who had accompanied her then she walked straight back to the manor, expecting a very flirtatious and somewhat undignified greeting by Ezio. And it was just what she got.
"Ah, bella donna." He welcomed, bowing slightly, a grin plastered across his face. "I was expecting you when I returned, only to have discovered that you were out building something just outside the Villa walls."
"I think you could survive without me distracting you." Vanessa huffed, waving the young man off like a fly. "I had work to do today anyways. Mario picked up on some of my training ideas and let me get started early. Took over three hours just to find the supplies, measure the damn things, and then build it up. Still there's only one section done."
Ezio laughed, "Perhaps it is time to rest?" He nudged her slightly while looking over her dirty clothes. "Ugh, as much as I hate trying to wear anything else, these clothes seriously need a good washing."
"I shall send them to the tailors in the morning." He offered. Vanessa shrugged, "That'd be nice, unfortunately, I have no money... Or no money that would work as currency in Italy. Or Europe for that matter. So I'm afraid I'll have to find a way to wash them here and dry them, then get to work tomorrow."
"No need," He insisted, she did look rather scruffy. "I have bought most of the shops in Monteriggioni; the tailor owes me for some of his more recent renovations."
Okay, that's useful. Vanessa grinned, she would like her uniform cleaned properly, but the best she could do is the local tailor. Of course, since it's free, she wasn't about to pass up the opportunity nor the kind offer. From Ezio nonetheless.
"That'd be nice Ezio, thanks." She beamed at the assassin, unbuttoning her over shirt and pulling it off. "I'll need something to change into while these are cleaned."
Ezio replied with a suggestive look, "Well, there is that dress I-"
"No." She shook her head, "Pants, sleeveless shirt, boots, and a belt. Nothing else or I'll wear nothing."
Don't say it... Vanessa tensed, waiting for the inevitable reply. "Well, madonna, that is an idea of equal worth." With a sly grin, Ezio began to follow her up the stairs. "Oh shut it." She lightly shoved him back, forcing him back down a step before climbing to the top with her.
"Very well, I shall see to it that you receive the same clothing as a man," He promised, grimacing as he imagined her wearing a man's work outfit. "Though it will be hideous..."
"I'm not a fashion diva Ezio; I just want clothes to work in since my uniform is a downright mess." She looked back down to her clothing, they did look particularly filthy. "Thanks Ezio, I'll toss the clothes out to you." And with that, she slipped into the bedroom, leaving Ezio to wait just outside the door.
Once done, Vanessa tossed the clothes out the door and straight into Ezio's face. Closing the door behind her, Vanessa found something to occupy her time while waiting for her clothes.
Daniel coughed hoarsely, dirt flew out everywhere. A carriage had just passed by headed in the same direction as himself.
As if it wasn't strange enough to see a carriage, Daniel caught sight of brick houses with thatch roofs, some with tiles, though most of those tiles were missing and the holes boarded up with rotten wood.
He had decided to try and walk to the nearest sign of life, however, most homes he passed were actually condemned, or should be condemned, and couldn't spot a soul in sight.
Except for that carriage that rudely galloped right passed him.
This was... all too much. Thatch homes, horses, carriages, wagons, and not a single sign of civilization anywhere. Other than the thatch houses, but, of course, that wasn't exactly civilization; Daniel needed a city, a town, even some small town hiding in woods. It didn't matter, anything was better than nothing.
He saw some people, but most regarded him with a cautious look and walking away, like he was going to mug them.
Aside from the lack of technology, the obvious farmland that didn't exist in Atlanta, and the scared civilians; everything was... normal. It was still people working for food and old homes.
What caught his attention and, inadvertently, caused him to pause and double take, was a man wearing full body armor. Not Kevlar or military uniforms, but actual straight out of a bedtime story, shining armor.
The cuirass had a red cross decorating it and on his hip a sword was buckled in tightly. Daniel knew he wasn't in Atlanta anymore, so jurisdiction was out of the question, though this sight threw him off guard.
And it wasn't until Daniel noticed he was staring, did the guard realize his stunned appearance.
Or his strange clothing.
Once the silver helmet turned to pointedly look at Daniel, did he finally turn away and begin walking. A knight? A British knight? Or... some other kind Daniel didn't know of?
He didn't want to find out, something told him that hanging around a heavily armed man wearing armor like that wasn't a very good idea. Especially when you don't know where here is.
Though, believing this was surely not Atlanta anymore, Daniel wouldn't lie and say the scenery wasn't, well, beautiful. Large, nurtured trees, rolling hills of strong green grass, even a few local people wearing old cotton clothing. It wasn't hard to think Amish upon seeing wagons riding past, seeing how the people here work and continue on daily chores.
It wasn't normal city life to say the least. Too simple, too... perfect.
Daniel was smiling, unconfident but pleasantly surprised by the locals.
It wasn't until that red cross guard saw him that he knew walking around in his current attire attracted unwanted attention. Daniel felt more and more uncomfortable as the guard began following him from a safe distance.
After a few minutes of following Daniel around, the guardsman decided to speak up.
"You there, stop!" Daniel wasn't about to piss off the man donning armor and a sword. He seemed the authority around these parts, might as well... "Yes sir?" He stopped, turning around to see the suspicious guard.
He took a closer look over Daniel's attire. "Where are you from?"
Daniel could play this, as long as the guard thought he was a foreigner, then they'd have to leave him alone... Right? "I'm from America." He stated blandly, everyone knew the USA, no matter what third world country they were in.
The look on the guards face didn't give Daniel the usual professional feel he'd get when dealing with local authority figures. Instead, it was just the opposite.
He gripped the hilt of his sword and Daniel gulped; this isn't good. Why was this guard so... mad about him being from another country?
It didn't matter, all that did though was the defensive guard ahead unsheathing his sword.
Uh oh, Daniel stepped back. This wasn't going to end well.
Ditching the guard, Daniel mustered all his strength into running. Standing up to a guard with a sword and armor as think as he was would be insanity.
Thankfully, the armor slowed him and Daniel was home free. If it could be even called home free.
He ran passed a list of horses, carts, and people. It wasn't until Daniel couldn't see the armored man anymore that he actually stopped to catch his breath. Panting, Daniel kept checking for the guardsman.
Still clear.
Looking around, Daniel saw a wagon going by and jumped onto the back of it; the driver didn't seem bothered. It was customary for people to hitch rides on old wagons moving from city to city.
At least, the poor did and Daniel had not money with him; that counted.
Watching for the guard like he would suddenly appear, Daniel tried to remember how he could've gotten here.
He was looking through that book of Vanessa's. The one he had took from her the night she bought it; teasing her with his superior height, Daniel had left after returning it to her.
She disappeared after that.
Without cameras in the locker room, it was all mystery.
I was all theory wrapped in a superstition by now. Missing person flyers went out all over until her family had surrendered, giving up hope to chase after a woman who disappeared without a word or lead.
Daniel wouldn't lie to himself, he knew that after a few weeks, finding a missing person would be like discovering faeries were real. It was impossible and only stories made it to people; those people who lost relatives to these dark tales.
Sighing, Daniel leaned back on the near empty wagon of hay. It had been a long day so far. He wasn't built to take this kind of excitement; he preferred the assurance that, as a police officer, what he was doing was protected by law.
This was far from Daniel's idea of a vacation.
He noticed something in the distance, the shape of a walled off city came into view. This was strange as Daniel couldn't remember the last time he saw such a...
Wait.
The wagon came to a stop, "This is our stop, boy." The man said, climbing down from the wagon and left to do business. Daniel would've thanked the man if he wasn't staring dumbstruck at a massive stone walled city in front of him.
Leaving the wagon, he entered the city, all the while staring at buildings Daniel failed to realize the strange looking folk who stared back at him and his very weird clothing.
After a short walk, Daniel fell into a great crowd of people. They were all rushing to one place or another, ignoring the shoving of others as they went about their work or shopping.
He didn't care, it was all the same to him. He could feel people pushing passed him, shifting him from side to side, causing him to step back, forward, and side to side repeatedly.
This state of disbelief didn't help the person staring at him wide-eyed.
Blinking, the man squinted to get a better look. Through the crowd it was hard to see if he actually recognized the dark blue clothing or the strange height of Daniel.
Seeing the same style and pattern, the skin tone of this man was different, paler, but he still wore the same thing cut and tailored for his size and build. Taking a deep breath, he began to make a bee line for the strange man in the middle of this rushing crowd. It would take more force than usual, but he could do it.
He was unaware of his surroundings anymore, only trying to figure out what had happened for him to end up here and now.
It wasn't until he felt a tug on his arm did he snap out of his stupor.
"Pardon me, sir." The man released his arm, "Are you looking for someone?" He stated almost knowingly. Daniel blinked, the man wore... tights? And carried what appeared to be various measuring tools.
"I'm just... lost, I guess." Daniel wouldn't give personal information to a stranger. Especially one who just popped out of this weird third-world city.
"Come, follow me." He gestured Daniel to walk with him. "We can get out of this crowd and speak properly."
Daniel gulped, he was in another country, that was for certain, but where was he? Who was this strangely clothed man? What the hell was this place?
Giving a loud sigh, Daniel was lost and this man was offering some help... or perhaps he only wanted to steal his wallet. Daniel didn't know and right now, his wallet was the least of his worries.
Shrugging it off, Daniel followed the brightly clothed man out of the extremely busy streets and into a nearby alley. A few people passed by, but it wasn't nearly as bad as being shoved and pushed aside frequently. Daniel stepped near to the wall, allowing passage for other people.
The man who pulled him into the alley smiled brightly, looking over Daniel's attire until he chuckled in amusement.
Confused, Daniel began wondering if he just followed a crazy person into a busy alley; no matter, Daniel was trained to deal with the worst, he could deal with a mentally unstable tight-wearing man.
"Forgive me, I am Leonardo da Vinci." The man bowed politely. Not a common introduction, very... unique, but it wasn't the greeting Daniel was interested in...
Oh yeah, Daniel stared forward expectantly. This guy is insane.
"Da Vinci? As in the Leonardo da Vinci?" Daniel saw the man smile and nod, as if it was no big deal. "Ah, yeah... I just remembered I have... stuff to do. Bye now."
Turning to leave, Daniel continued down the alleyway. He wasn't about to run back into the busy town square.
"No, wait!" The unstable man caught up with Daniel, urging him to stop. "Do you even know where you are? You can't find someone when you can't even find yourself." He laughed, coming up beside Daniel.
"I can find my way around just fine..."
Then it hit Daniel like a bag of bricks. To the face.
"How did you know I was looking for someone?" He faced the man quickly. Who was this odd person? How did he know about Daniel? Why did he pick a cop out of a crowd of people?
What the hell was going on here?
"You are wearing the same clothes as someone else I know." Leonardo defended, sensing the sudden change from the foreign man. It was threatening, this wasn't a topic he spoke of lightly, apparently. "She has been searching for a way to return home, from what I have been told, she has not found it yet."
"She? She who?" He didn't want to let his hopes get up; this was a goose chase. Vanessa? Here? No, she would've found some way... done something to attract attention. She was smart, if the only thing that had happened was being dragged off to some far away country, Vanessa would find her way back easily.
"She says she is a guardswoman." Leonardo was still trying to grasp the idea. No woman fought, they were either a courtesan or a nun. Or married and Leonardo may not know Vanessa very well, but he got the sense that she wouldn't marry for a long time. "Her name is Vanessa, she was here just the other day."
Jumping forward, Daniel took hold of the man's upper arms. "Vanessa? She's here? Where!"
Being shaken wasn't a pleasant experience. Leonardo regained his ground and shrugged off Daniel's hands. "She left with my friend, Ezio, back to his villa. It is a short ride from here, just outside the gates there is a road that will lead you straight there."
"Can you show me the way?" Daniel glanced around him, he was certain he'd never find his way around. "You're right, I don't know where I am or even how I got here; now that Vanessa's here, I have to find her."
"I can take you beyond the gates, but I cannot take you there. I have work to attend to here for the night, however, if you stay until the morning I will accompany you to the Villa Auditore." Leonardo grinned lightly, the foreign man looked determined, as if Leonardo had just given him a long lost treasure.
"I think that'd be best..." Daniel weighed the chances of him even finding his way to this villa place without getting lost. It wasn't good. Without knowing his surroundings, he couldn't hope to ride hours to a place he's never been or seen when he's lost already.
"Then follow me, I will take you to my home." Leonardo was offering, if the man had prior plans, he wouldn't force the issue.
Nodding, Leonardo happily led Daniel out of the alley and back into the streets. This time, they stayed close to the walls, out of the rushing crowds and the busy merchants.
He was experienced with the busy streets; Leonardo could make his way through like they weren't even there. Unfortunately, Daniel wasn't anywhere near Leonardo's comfort level with the noise and the people; Atlanta was busy, but it wasn't this bad.
People crowded by stores, buying up the entire inventory before moving onto another merchant. The noise mostly came from the merchants and customers haggling prices, lower, higher, or perfectly in between.
Daniel had never seen so much chaos in such a little town before. People wore rags upon rags, carrying multiple baskets. Even a few beasts of burden trotted by with the customers and some merchants.
These were all locals, each one rushing away from the crowds and back to their homes, clawing the supplies they've bought as if it'd be stolen right from their hands.
At a few points, Daniel nearly stumbled over when they passed through merchant crowds. Every now and then, Daniel would force his way through, trying his hardest not to actually hurt anyone, before grasping for Leonardo's sleeve. Daniel was a little weary of the city; it was like he was walking on slippery rocks, holding onto a thin branch for support, while trying not to fall into a raging river.
It wasn't truly life threatening, but it was dangerous if he became caught in the crowd. People were killed frequently by rushing crowds or riots. Trampled or fell over, knocking themselves on a rock or equally hard object does kill.
Shivering, Leonardo stopped and ducked into a cut out of a building. Inside the small space was a door Leonardo opened up and led Daniel inside, making sure it was secure before welcoming the foreign man into his home.
"Ah, here we are." He smiled, joining Daniel. "My workshop."
Daniel realized he must look like a deer in the headlights, but this place was fantastic. It was covered from top to bottom with paintings, drawings, studies of material, items, anatomy of people and animals, as well as a few unfinished inventions.
A large wooden bat-like structure hung from the ceiling. It was unfinished, only parts of it were up; it was more like a skeleton without skin or meat.
Blinking a few times, Daniel returned to Leonardo. "You can't be the Leonardo da Vinci."
A little taken back, Leonardo merely chuckled and rubbed his hands together. "And why not?"
"Leonardo lived... four, five hundred years ago? I don't know the actual dates, but... He's been dead for over a hundred years." Daniel furrowed his brow, "We learn about him in history class."
"Well, as you can see I am both here and very much alive." Leonardo approached his guest. "Vanessa knew where she was by the time she arrived here; I can see you do not..." It was more of thinking aloud, but Leonardo decided to educate Vanessa's friend.
"You are in Firenze, Italy." Leonardo took it easy, trying not to alarm the foreigner. "It is fourteen-seventy eight and you are in my workshop and I am Leonardo da Vinci." He was trying to ease Daniel into the idea, not throw it all at him at once. Leonardo couldn't find an easier way to say he was in another time; the past.
"What." Daniel felt his train of thought shatter as Leonardo spoke to him.
"Vanessa had already discovered this by the time she reached me, as I said; it seemed you did not know." Leonardo cautiously stepped to the distraught officer. "She tried to find a way back, to your time, and failed. I do not know if she has been trying to find other ways, but she is currently content that she is the past. She did not act like it bothered her much..."
Leonardo may not have talked with her long, but she moved on just fine. She was rare find, a tough woman, she'd survive. Especially with Ezio and Leonardo both as close friends; they were both heavily influential people in their home.
"The past?" Daniel ran a hand through his hair, "She knew this? Did she tell you she knew?"
"Yes, she even convinced me she was not of my time." Leonardo looked back; honestly, she could've just known someone that knew his family... It wasn't very much proof she offered to both him and Ezio.
"I can't believe this..." He felt on the verge of breaking something valuable and collapsing. "I'm sorry, I just- It can't be. Time travel is impossible. It's not a lake you cross or city you walk through; it's time. It starts and ends. How can I say I believe you when people have studied it for years and came up with nothing."
"I would not know how to show you." Leonardo admitted. "Yet I can prove I know Vanessa."
"You have something of hers?" Daniel calmed down, only a little. He was bothered by Leonardo's claim of the past, but knowing Vanessa... His search could end here and they could go home. Her family wouldn't have to worry, he could breathe again, and he's sure she wanted to go home too.
"No... not like that." Leonardo remembered when he helped her, bandaging her old injuries.
Waving Daniel along, Leonardo pulled up another chair and sat down in front of the fire place. He had been out all day, he was a little tired and keeping a guest standing around awkwardly wasn't a sign of a good host.
Accepting the seat, Daniel was relieved to sit down and rest his legs. If dodging people and sword-bearing guards wasn't enough, Daniel could feel the blood in his veins rushing down his legs again. With a tired sigh, Daniel relaxed into the chair.
"She first arrived with a friend of mine, as I told you before. His name is Ezio Auditore and his family owns the villa Vanessa is now." Leonardo began, "The second time she came here she was over Ezio's shoulders, she had been injured."
Daniel perked up instantly. Staring intently at Leonardo, Daniel was waiting for him to say she was attacked. How else was she injured?
"When she allowed me to help her, she told me that she was guardswoman where she is from and that she was hurt whilst doing her duty." Daniel inwardly cursed. Why doesn't she ever tell me when she gets hurt? It was true though, Vanessa never said a word when she was shot or attacked. She just didn't. "She said she had been shot in the chest, yet a... vest?..." Leonardo sought confirmation from Daniel.
With a nod, Leonardo continued. "This vest... chelven? Kavlen?" He didn't remember, why couldn't he remember? He had been thinking about such a thing all day and only when he needed to remember, he forgot.
"Kevlar." Daniel answered, almost too quietly to hear.
"That's right." Leonardo scoffed at himself. Such a simple word yet he couldn't for the life of him remember it. "She said it saved her, yet she was still hurt. I bound the injuries to speed their healing and after that she told me about her home and her time."
Stories Ness? Daniel smirked, "Of course; she's a open book. She never was good at keeping secrets or actually stop herself talking."
"She did seem to enjoy talking then most people I know." Leonardo chuckled, "She is a nice woman. Are you related?" He wouldn't say it, but the drastic difference in Vanessa's skin and the man sitting in front of him were almost opposites. She had a redder skin tone and he was significantly paler.
"Relatives? No way." Daniel gestured to his skin tone, "We've been together for a few years and we're both in the same profession. Seems we have a lot in common." He joked, Vanessa barely had anything in common with another person. She was a very straight forward person, ready to demand what she wanted or put someone in their place. People tended not to like that very much.
"Ah! So you are together?" Leonardo looked overjoyed, "Have you been wedded yet or are you waiting until the marriage is arranged?"
Daniel would've choked had he anything to choke on. He felt the air escape his lungs and Daniel coughed awkwardly. "O-Oh no! No! Not like- like that! Oh God no." He panted, catching his breath. "I'm not even... that's not...-"
"I must have misunderstood then." Leonardo calmed the flustered man, "I apologize, it seems certain words have different meanings to us."
"Yeah..." Daniel took a moment to think about it. He and Vanessa had been together, as friends, for a long time. She'd always be there when he needed her and he made sure when she needed help he'd be the one right beside her. He'd been given many opportunities before, she'd always find herself in one form of trouble or another.
Daniel wasn't that way, it was easier for him as he took many precautions. He was the person to make sure he'd buy a nice place in a place with low crime rates, the local area had to be cleaner, but Vanessa... She was trouble magnet, without failure she'd find herself in another bad situation. She'd been shot, mugged, beaten, and generally just attacked.
She was strong enough to face truth when most people coward away, but Daniel always thought her risk taking would end her up in a hospital someday. It almost did a few times when she was mugged, yet the only time he ever felt truly afraid for her was when he got a call from her mother saying Vanessa was shot and was in emergency care.
SWAT wasn't a place for her, she knew it beforehand and she still tried. She was sent to schools to be a lawyer or a doctor, but that wasn't for her. She was a full force thrill seeker; she loved everything that felt like danger. It was no shock that she wanted to travel the world and find new ways to fill her desire for adrenalin.
Daniel looked aside, this man, supposedly Leonardo da Vinci was offering a complete stranger escort to Vanessa, his closest friend. With a thankful smile, Daniel realized he hadn't even told this man his name yet.
"Oh, thanks for... this. Everything." Daniel smiled, "I'm Daniel by the way."
Leonardo saw the deep thought Daniel had fallen into a remained quiet. It was a lot to take in and even Leonardo didn't know quite what to think of it all. The time, the places, the people; things were different and Vanessa acted different. It was enough for Leonardo to start believing her anyways.
"If you will excuse me, I have some work I must finish by tomorrow." Leonardo stood, "Come, I will show you where you can sleep tonight."
Daniel rose quickly, "Oh, thanks. I didn't know that's what you meant... I could just find somewhere else, I'm sure there's an inn around here some place."
"It is no trouble, I assure you."
Reluctantly, and happily, Daniel followed Leonardo into the backrooms where the bedroom and guest room were kept. He was thankful he had a place and that Leonardo was offering to take him to Vanessa; such surprising compassion from a stranger. No one would ever do such a thing back home.
Smiling, Daniel was led to a guest room where he readied himself for bed. It was a long day and he had a lot to think about. Tired and excited all at once, Daniel fell asleep hoping that Vanessa was here and he'd see her again soon.
Review Replies!:
BlackLotus30:
Oh yeah, he's in Italy and soon to be reunited. He'll probably freak out once she confirms his suspicions about time traveling. :)
Sorry it's taken me so long to update, I had massive writers block on this story and with my strong desire to play Assassins Creed: Brotherhood, I felt a little insecure about writing. I still need to play it too...
Yeah, I always thought the "Train him/her to be assassin 'cuz who da' fuck cares." is a poor excuse to include a character into the AC universe. So, instead, I felt better giving her an actual job. Probably somewhere in the Villa Auditore.
crystalfeathers:
He was actually transported just outside of Florence. As you could tell in this chapter! YAY UPDATES! :D
Er, yeah. The book takes an interesting twist here next chapter... NOT SPOILING ANYTHING! Just wait, it'll come! :D
As yes, apparently I have painted my two cop characters as drug addicts. NOT SURE HOW. xD
flyingcrispi:
Nah, he'll start off in Florence (as we've seen) and work his way to Monteriggioni. Which I still can't pronounce...
Yeah, I always thought Claudia was a child at the beginning of the game. Whining, complaining, crying about actually doing real work. As time goes on it seems she adjusts just fine and becomes more mature. Oh well, that'll be dealt with later on in the story! But you don't have to worry about me painting her as an annoying little sister and leaving it at that. She'll be detailed as time goes on, Vanessa will do some bonding with her too! :D
Ah yes, thank you for voting! OMFG. Make a request in this story and I SHALL DELIVER IT TO YOU. With credit dedicated to you. :)
Any request, a scene, a person, perhaps even a character cameo? Something, anything, and I will make it happen! :D
HikariNoTenshi-San:
...ihavenoideawhatyournamemeans.
ANYWAYS.
Yes, Daniel will be reunited with Vanessa real soon; also, the journal of Borgia takes an interesting twist as well! :D
Dragon260:
Yeah, although Ezio is there AND the most adorable man on Earth (Leonardo) I still think Vanessa's pretty much alone. No one will ever understand her properly, she'll be an outcast in Monteriggioni and always will be. That's just the honest to God truth.
So, in order to right this (and to add plot!) Daniel has appeared bearing a very... interesting gift. ;)
Krjs:
I know, I know, a story about a modern-era-based-person-thing-thisjustgoesonandon has been done PLENTY of times before, but I wanted to show readers that no matter how many times the same story has been done, it can STILL be original if you work at it. Vanessa's character isn't a basic "gal walks into the past! OH $&%! AANNNNNNDDD suddenly becomes and assassin and is a natural and romances the womanizer JUST CUZ"
Nah, Vanessa will be the opposite. She'll never look twice at Ezio, she has enough to worry about! Ezio, noticing her unique appearance and foreign cleanliness will try and *ahem* make a meal of her. In bed. If you catch my drift. :D
However, Vanessa's also a woman used to gender and race being played equally (kinda') and won't give into romantic advanced just because "it's Ezio! *FANGIRL SWOON*
She still thinks he's a normal guy... who just so happens to be an assassin and one of the only ways she can survive in the fifteenth century. It'll be funny, sad, difficult, and mixed in with a bit of adventure! :D