7
Jessica had been sat in the haystack for about 15 minutes now. Her eyes were red and sore and her nose was itching as she desperately tried not to sneeze. She froze as she began to hear the footsteps of someone approaching. She could feel her heat beating harder inside her chest as the sound became louder, she shut her eyes. Suddenly she felt someone's hand reaching into the haystack, grabbing her roughly by the arm and yanking her out abruptly.
"ACHOOO" she sneezed loudly as the hay surrounded the air. The sound of her sneeze carried through the night as she slowly opened her eyes.
"Shhh" Ezio scolded holding out her bag, "Here" he said dropping it in her outstretched arms.
"I...I'm sor..ry" she tried to apologise but another sneeze was coming, "ACHOOO".
"Quiet" Ezio spat, "Do you want to get us both killed?". Jessica dropped her bag on the floor and quickly dusted off the remnants of hay from her body before she spoke again, pulling long pieces of it out of her thick hair.
"I'm sorry" she whispered annoyed, "I did try to tell you I was allergic!" she snapped picking up her bag from the ground. "Thank you" she said gesturing to it with her eyes as she began to rummage through it. She pulled out a packet of antihistamine and a bottle of water popping one in to her mouth and swallowing taking a gulp of water as she did so.
"What is that?" Ezio asked baffled by what he had just witnessed.
"Medicine..." she replied, "And water" she shook the bottle in her hand before dropping it back into her bag along with the packet and shaking it.
"Right..." Ezio said none the less wiser to what she was talking about, where did she acquire such items and packaging...what was she the questions raced through his mind leading him to make his next decision, "So...I've got to...go...now" he continued still looking at her puzzled as she picked off the pieces of hay she had missed.
"Yeah okay...whatever...leave your 'wife'" Jessica replied unimpressed, she had always imagined him to be different when she had played the games. It had been safe to say she had been a little bit in love with the character...even though he was a bit or a lot as the case probably was of a ladies' man as well as in spite of him being made entirely of pixels and numbers, at least he looked like a real person now she thought. There had always been something about him then but now? Not so much. Anyway her thoughts continued, soon she would wake up from this bizarre dream and it would all be over. "Thanks again" she said as she watched him walk away looking slightly perplexed himself.
"Ciao" he called back still not able to work out if any of those events had really happened or not, she sighed as she watched him walk away. But how could this be a dream, surely if she was dreaming she wouldn't be stood around trying to decide whether she was or wasn't dreaming.
"Exactly" She concluded out loud, "I will follow him". Ezio looked back just as she was talking to herself still stood by the haystack; he chuckled as he carried on towards the city. He would find her again if he needed to he thought to himself as he walked although he did not see why he would need to. He was still not sure as to where she had come from; it was as though he couldn't remember what had exactly happened in the colosseum. Had she been there the whole time, he preferred to remember it as though she had, too many questions would need to be asked if not although he could have sworn she had seemed to appear right before his eyes, he would have noticed her approaching him otherwise, and he needed to give himself some credit but by doing so this left him with the strange situation that seemed so bizarre and impossible. Noticing him looking back she waited until he turned to face the other way and set off after him. She used the same tactics she had employed when playing the game, keeping to the shadows and hiding around corners and buildings to keep out of sight, although all haystacks were avoided. She was waiting by the side of a stable trying to catch her breath, still panting slightly at the fast pace she was having to walk at to keep up with him when someone tapped her on her shoulder. She jumped promptly turning around to look for the culprit only to see Ezio standing in front of her a small smile resting on his face.
"Why are you following me?" he asked sounding slightly amused.
"Erm..." she paused as she quickly tried to think of an excuse, "I'm...I'm not" was the best she could come up with. Ezio's eyebrows rose, "I'm just on my way...you know...to the city" she said casually.
"Oh really" Ezio replied nodding for a moment, "Well in that case what are you doing hiding behind here?" he asked. Shit, Jessica thought to herself her mind racing as she tried to think of what to say.
"I was worried that you might...that you might think I was following you...so I just thought I would...I would hang back for a bit here" she said quite pleased with herself, "What's it to you anyway?" she spat suddenly annoyed at his accusation, even though it had been true.
"Nothing...except for the fact that you have obviously been following me" he replied cockily. She remained silent slouching back against the wood of the stable only to have a sharp nail dig in to her already bruised back.
"Oww" she yelped causing two of the horses to stir as she pushed herself back off the wood, however her shirt caught on the nail tearing it as she struggled to free herself. "Oh great now look" she sighed. She twisted her body around and pulled at her shirt to check out the damage whilst Ezio looked on amused. It had completely ripped the back right down to the seam, "Argh" she groaned sliding down onto the ground and placing her head in her hands.
"This is a bad dream" she moaned.
"You needed some new clothes anyway" Ezio mocked. She scowled at him, her eyes glaring up from where her chin was now resting on her arms. "Where did you even get those things from?" he asked.
"A shop" she replied flatly.
"Well there are plenty of those in the city, buy yourself something new" he suggested wondering to himself why he was still stood there talking to her.
"You'll never get into the city dressed like that" Jessica replied imitating what Ezio had said to her earlier, she looked down at the grass. Ezio shifted his weight onto his other foot unsure whether to leave or not. "Oh just go I can tell you want to" she said continuing to look down at the dry grass. Ezio hovered for a moment he urgently needed to get back but he was beginning to feel bad for the poor girl, somewhat taken in by her. Was she here for some sort of reason unknown to him, did she have something to do with the Apple of Eden or the ball as she had referred to it? He chuckled to himself as he thought of this. "Well I am glad you find it amusing because I certainly don't".
"Well I suppose you could always walk around with no clothes on, that could be a solution to your little problem" he tormented causing the scowl already present on Jessica's face to deepen, her eyes remaining fixed to the ground. "I mean you would certainly get the guards attention but I don't think they would stop you...I wouldn't" he grinned. That was it, Jessica had had enough of lecherous men that day.
"Well that's you all over isn't it" she yelled standing angrily from where she had been sat, her breath hitching in pain as her back straightened. "Ezio Auditore da Firenze, Assassin and ladies man, well you know what I feel sorry for you Ezio, there are more to women than just the way they look. Oh...and good luck with Caterina Sforza...it won't work out" she spat angrily as moisture slowly started to prick at her eyes and picking up her bag she turned to leave a shell shocked looking Ezio.
"What the fuck..." Ezio shouted after her wondering how the hell she knew so much, "Who are you?" he leant forward making a grab for her as she turned but catching the back of her shirt instead. Rip. Ezio immediately froze; he was still clutching the end of her shirt in his gloved hand as he watched it tear further, cleanly cutting through the rest of white material, all the way up to the top. "Merda" he spat, his previous frustration suddenly disappearing at the realisation of what had just happened. Jessica spun around seething at the sound of the tear, he could see the fierceness in her eyes. "Madonna, forgive me" he said as her eyes bore into his, "It was an accident I swear". Jessica didn't reply, she stood there her arms outstretched as the loose white material hung off of her body.
"Well done you idiot" she shouted looking down at the front of her body, the straps of her bikini were still tied securely around her neck, she regretted having not worn a bra now. "Well at least you got half your wish" she snapped as she let her arms hang down allowing the loose material to slip to the floor as Ezio watched her trying to hide his amusement although he did feel a little bit bad. "Now what am I going to do?" she asked annoyed. He couldn't help but notice the strange material triangles covering her breasts which seemed to be held together by what looked like two pieces of string. "And you can stop staring that's for sure...urgh!" she continued on angrily as she bent down to pick up what was left of the shirt. His eyes couldn't help but follow until she rose back up again to greet him with a stern look, he snapped out of it but somehow allowed a small chuckle to escape his lips, she amused him. "Oh yeah, let's all have a good old giggle at my expense shall we..." she said pausing for a moment as she let the scrunched up material unfold in her hands. She turned it around and swung it over her head and began to slip it back on like you would a jacket. Taking hold of the two sides the tear had created she tied them together in a knot, her torso left on show, "That will have to do" she concluded to herself.
"I liked it better before" Ezio teased even though he knew he probably shouldn't.
"You really are enjoying this aren't you?" she scowled.
"Not at all Madonna, I'm really sorry" he replied cocking his head to one side and studying her frame, she had a good figure, toned but still curvy.
"Yeah I bet you are" she said as she stood there awkwardly whilst Ezio's eyes examined her until he met her gaze. "Finished?" she enquired.
"Si" he grinned, he had lied before, he was very much enjoying himself.
"Well I think the least you can do after all this is bloody get me into the city!" she demanded still pissed off with him. He answered her with a laugh.
"I don't think so, I'm going" he replied.
"What like you were meant to be going the previous two times?" she remarked, "You just can't keep away from me can you?" she began.
"Erm as I recall, you were the one following me" he snapped in response, "and you were the one that came to me in the first place".
"I did not come to you, I was brought here by that thing, the apple or whatever it was" she said without thinking confirming Ezio's suspicions, his ears pricked as she mentioned the apple, "Besides, I still haven't decided if I am dreaming or not because as far as I am concerned you my assassin friend do not exist!"
"Well in that case" Ezio began slyly; "If you are, as you said, dreaming you will not need my help to get into the city" he turned to go as Jessica stood there defeated. 3...2...1 he counted in his head as he paced forward.
"Wait" she shouted, Ezio smiled to himself. "Please...I need your help" she said unwillingly.
"See" Ezio said turning back around, "All you had to do was ask nicely" he smiled, Jessica rolled her eyes. He had never had any intention of leaving her in the first place, especially after he had realised that she knew way too much.