Ree held the orb in his hands tightly, afraid if he let go that he would be lost to the light surrounding him. As he clung to the orb, he clung equally tightly to Desmond, scared he'd lose his mother.
Desmond held the boy equally tightly, unwilling to loosen his grip and lose the last thing that really mattered to him.
The Apple pressed between them glowed and both could hear whispers coming from it. Ree heard whispers of having his parents, a true family, as many brothers and sisters as he could ever want and more love than he could put up with. He shook his head. Desmond was his mother. Without Desmond, there was no Ree. Desmond was his family and with Desmond he would stay.
Desmond heard whispers of a world without Templars or Assassins, a world where he was an equal and wouldn't have had to run away. A world….his thoughts paused. The world it whispered to him was a world without Ree. If he hadn't run away, he would never have met James or had the opportunity to look after the small boy in his arms.
"You could have everything you desired!" the apple hissed at him. "Everything and anything you could ever want. Why do you refuse?"
Ree and Desmond looked at eachother then down at the apple between them.
"You offer to us what you think we want, but you fail to realize that by those offers you take away one from the other. If I had never run away, I would never have met James or Ree. If Ree had his mother, James would never have been looking for an omega to look after his young son. You offer to take from us what is most dear. You think you offer us the world. No, you destroy it." Desmond muttered down to it. He had not reason to talk to the apple. What it offered was lies and tricks, not truths.
"You have chosen wisely, good luck, little Omegas." The light brightened again and did not lessen for several long moments.
-This is a Line Break-
The light faded slowly. Ree and Desmond kept their eyes glued shut until they were absolutely sure that they wouldn't blind themselves when they opened them again.
They were standing in the middle of a bustling street, and Desmond had to admit it looked like a market of some kind, something that actually scared him to think of. They were still in Italy, if the Italian being thrown around was any indication. A market would mean one of two things; both scared Desmond to think of.
They were out in the middle of the day with Templars after them, or they were in….He looked around and took in their surroundings, holding the little boy a little closer to him.
The clothing had him almost beside himself. Renaissance style Italian wear, for middle class if he was not mistaken, had him wanting to flee. Being in Renaissance Italy meant only one thing, and it was not necessarily a good thing. Ezio Auditore da Firenze was around here somewhere, and that could spell disastrous for the pair. Desmond knew for a fact that his ancestor was too curious for his own good and that would only spell disaster for Desmond.
Looking down at the little boy, Desmond caught Ree's eye and set off across the crowded street, letting the little boy pick people's pockets instead of doing so himself. A little boy who was too curious was better off than an omega that stole from pockets. In this time, Desmond would have to be twice as careful off who he ran into. If he was not, he would quickly find himself on the fast track to a scary destination, the inside of a brothel, and he wouldn't be a customer.
As they made their way through the crowds of people, Desmond noticed a guard watching them and tried not to make eye contact. He failed, the guard stilling in his rounds and storming over to Desmond and Ree.
"What are you staring at, Filth? Figure you could steal from me and get away with it?" He barked, reaching out a hand to shake Desmond. The omega stepped back, away from the unwanted touch. He had no wish for this dirty man to touch him and he had to protect the young boy he held in his arms.
"No Sir. I'm sorry sir, it will not happen again." He stammered, trying to sound unimportant and insignificant. The guard was not amused. He knew what Desmond was trying to do and he did not feel like being friendly.
"You think it funny to…" the man was cut off by another voice and a hand on his arm.
"Perhaps it would be wise to leave the young man alone. He and his son have done nothing wrong. Perhaps you are being too harsh?" The new man's voice asked, pulling the guard away from Desmond. The guard turned to glare at the man before shrinking back.
"Misère Machiavelli, I am sorry, sir. It will not happen again," the guard stuttered, backing off quickly. The guard pulled his arm free of the new man and ran off toward his unit with his head down. The newly arrived alpha watched the guard leave before sniffing the air and whipping his head to look at the omega.
The new man turned his body to fully face Desmond, reaching a hand to pull the omega's chin up. It was retracted quickly when Desmond flinched back, turning Ree away from the man's hand.
"Hey now, it's alright. I will not hurt you. I merely wish to know that you are alright. It is unusual to see an omega out by themselves, especially with a child." Despite the reassurance, Desmond did not look up.
"I am fine. Thank you, Misere, for your help." Desmond assured him, not moving from his spot. The man started to move away as he spoke.
"Well, if there is anything I can do for you; please don't hesitate to ask…" Desmond caught the man off guard when he quickly spoke over his words.
"Nothing is true." He did not need to continue as Machiavelli was already in front of him, jerking his chin up.
"Everything is permitted," the man continued the creed, stunned that this young omega would know such a thing. Keeping Desmond's chin held firmly in his grasp. "How do you know…?"
Desmond cut him off once more.
"I need your help. Please, Misere, if not for me, than my son." Ree peaked out at Machiavelli from the crook of Desmond's arm, smiling shyly at the man.
Machiavelli nodded, unsure how to take in this strangely dressed duo and their obvious knowledge of something they shouldn't.
"Come with me." He said and Desmond followed him, Ree still clutched in his arms.