What is that you say? I'm late with this chapter? Yes, yes I am. But please remember that I am a 16 year old student who has tons of exams to revise for. I finally finished this chapter, and I've already started the next one. ENJOY! ^_^
I've introduced P.O.V of the characters in this chapter, leave a review and tell me if I should carry on with that.
My P.O.V
It was early morning; the roman air was cold, light and silent. Claudia seems to like that; she shows this every time the morning is like this; the silence and the cold. At this moment in time she was against the wall that has divided the Tiber River from the guild, admiring the sunrise and the occasional morning breeze that brushed the hair from her face and tickled her neck.
She couldn't help but daze off from reality and think about the events that occurred the night before; she kept thinking about how that scene would have continued if she had stayed. The millions of different ways kept playing in her head like a romantic scene from a movie that doesn't seem to go perfectly. In every single idea she has had it ended well; she couldn't bring herself to think about it ending poorly.
She had a feeling inside of her like a knot in her stomach that swells bigger with every thought she has about Niccolo. A smile curled across her lips, which was involuntary and it took her mind a while to register that she was smiling and fantasizing about something that wasn't far off forbidden in her brothers eyes... Was it? She didn't know and she wasn't keen on finding out.
The smile dropped, no matter how much she was desiring this scene to end in the most perfect way she can't escape the question that is haunting her thoughts: is it forbidden love?...*AHEM!*... lust* keep telling yourself that Claudia, maybe one day you'll believe it yourself. 'It must be forbidden, it's dangerous for two assassins to be in love- Lust! ... Am I- ... Am I falling for him?' she finally admitted to herself that it was a possibility. The mighty and independent Claudia Auditore was falling for an assassin. This completely misses the point why she became a close ally to the assassin's: To prove to her brother that she as independent. It's one step forward and two steps back.
Claudia's P.O.V
'Ok, enough of these stupido (stupid) thoughts and fantasies. I have a brothel to run,' I thought to myself, before cantering out of the Tiber.
I was half expecting Niccolo would show up then and there, but part of me knew that he wouldn't. He stayed at the villa that I used to run once and I know that he is not a morning person. Me and my false hope, this is how a normal woman would survive life in Rome... uuugghh! Rome.
Why on earth did madre (mother) and I think it was a good idea to follow Ezio here? All I have accomplished is making myself the business woman of a whore house and fall in lust with a man that I have little to nothing in common with. 'Why am I even wasting my time here?' I asked myself before approaching the Rosa in Fiore.
Niccolo P.O.V
'Ugh! I better help with the recruits today and the assassination contracts. What time is it?' I thought to myself, with my eyes still closed. I open one eye and tilt my head to look at the clock across my room. 9am 'I hate mornings, I better get up.' I got up and changed into my roman clothes I still had my original robes, the black ones I wore in my younger years. However they were not very suitable for blending into the crowds which is why I bought these for myself and others for Ezio and I think they suit me well.
As I am changing something is hanging from my pouch, I almost lose my balance as I see that I still have that fabric that tore from Claudia's dress last night. I sit down on my bed now fully dressed; looking at the fabric a smile lurks onto my face and I begin to caress the fabric with my fingertips, imagining that I was actually stroking her dress.
An intense feeling comes across me and I clench the fabric trying to figure out where these sudden feelings are coming from, I rubbed my forehead in frustration of trying to work something out that I spent hours trying to get out of my head the night before. All of the thoughts seemed to lead me to thinking what Ezio would have to say about everything that I have been thinking about or who I was really in the alleyway with no matter how hard I try to avoid the thoughts of Ezio's reaction they always find a way to control my thoughts, like a ghost haunting me.
I have a meeting with... her ... Ezio, La Volpe and Bartolommeo. 'Cazzo! (Fuck!) I can't even go an hour without blushing over what happened last night, how am I supposed to look her in the eye and be professional about our work?' I thought, blushing away. This meeting is going to go horribly wrong.
Claudia P.O.V
"Claudia?" I hear my madre (mother) call from up the stairs of the brothel. I was writing up the paperwork for the overall progress i.e. what the girls have learned and what they need to improve.
"Claudia?" she repeated, as she was walking closer toward me.
"Si? (Yes?)" I reply, not looking up from the papers.
"Several cardinals demand your attention; they feel as if they are entitled to a discount from the full amount."
I let out a sigh of frustration.
"Va bene, (Alright,) as long as they are willing to give up some information on the pope and Cesare, they do not need to pay the full amount. Tell the girls who are serving them to pay attention to every last detail of the information they give out. I do not want one scrap of important information lost or forgotten," I said, with my hands gesturing away.
"Bene, (Good,) I will tell them," my mother replied before walking back the way she came.
I returned to my paperwork, unaware that seconds after my mother said her last word, Ezio had walked in, he was looking for me and he did not look happy. I spotted him, he was pushing everyone out of the way in attempt to reach me, an annoyed look was fixed on his face and his dagger eyes pierced into me.
"What do you want?" I ask, looking up at him. He ignored the sass in my tone.
"You spoke of a senator at the meeting," He replied, his facial expression beginning to soften up.
"Find him on the Campidoglio, you do not need me," I replied, with a half serious half sassy tone. I was looking him in the eye.
"Once I kill the banker, your girls must take his money back to the underground," he demanded. It was almost as if he was instructing me like a trained pet, I didn't like it one bit.
"Fine," I reply, in the bluntest way possible, not looking in his eyes anymore.
"Stay alert," he demanded, the eye contact was brought back, but I felt uncomfortable, like an invasion of my personal space.
"And the meeting later today?" I asked, avoiding further eye contact with him.
"I will be there, just not right away," he said, putting emphasis on the 'will' and his body stiff as a board.
I didn't have time to reply he walked away, I really don't know why I bother with him sometimes.
Niccolo P.O.V
I was preparing for the meeting, clearing the picnic table that we had in the guild that usually has a pigeon cage onto of it. I was still trying to find a place to put all of my paperwork that I spent all morning writing and organising. I know that if I leave it in the open it's going to get messy or lost and I really don't feel like spending another morning sorting it out, so I split them up and divide them into piles, so I know which one is which and I place them on an empty bookshelf hoping that they will stay there and no recruit or anybody else will feel the need to touch them.
Just doing that took me just over an hour and has deeply agitated me, I'm not in the best of moods right now and just my luck it gets worse when I read a note from Ezio telling me that he will not be able to attend most of the meeting later, 'great! He's going to come in late!' I thought to myself this is going to be a real disturbance and I am not looking forward to it.
Ezio P.O.V
At this moment in time, I am making my way toward the assassin guild. The meeting should have started around half an hour ago. I bet they are comparing paper work at the moment, knowing Niccolo he would have a lot to say about nothing, knowing Claudia she will be talking out of her culo (ass) La Volpe will be watching in delight as Niccolo's anger and frustration escalates as Bartolommeo tries to remember everything that has been happening with the French and the Borgia because he never wrote it down.
I'm holding my breath for when I walk in and his anger hits boiling point he won't express it or even say one word but you can almost feel the anger pressing against you, like he is send you a mind message. Getting Machiavelli mad is bad, but when you know you have angered him but he doesn't say a word or even give you eye contact you would understand me when I say that I would rather shoot myself in the head then have to deal with the awkwardness for more than an hour... if I'm lucky. 'Ok. Here we go,' I thought, entering the guild.
I walk into the bare silence with everyone around table writing and looking at papers, the silence was almost painful, it felt like suffocating, I walked deeper into the room and all heads shot up to face me, Niccolo was the only one to look up and then quickly look down, a very obvious sign that he was not happy. I went to take my seat and pretended to know what I was doing, the last thing I wanted to do is be a bigger disturbance to the meeting. I was in between Bartolommeo and Niccolo, opposite me was la Volpe and Claudia.
"Why are you late?" la Volpe breaks the painful silence.
"Senator Egidio Troche," I say, not wanting to explain further. La Volpe just nods his head in response.
Machiavelli is reading, Claudia is writing and la Volpe is watching her, I really do not have a clue what Bartolommeo is doing, it looks like his is daydreaming into his papers.
"So, Machiavelli?" la Volpe says and everyone listened to what he had to say, which he seemed to enjoy.
"What's this I hear about you, in an alley, with a woman?" la Volpe said suggestively, with a grin on his face.
"Volpe!" I shout in reaction.
"You told him!" Niccolo growled.
"No! I never said anything!" I said defensively.
"He doesn't need to tell me anything Niccolo. I know of everything that happens in this city," la Volpe said, clearly enjoying the reaction he was getting out of Niccolo.
Claudia P.O.V
"Basta, (enough,) we have work to do," Niccolo said, attempting to change the subject.
"I don't see why you had to bring that up anyway la Volpe," I said blankly, Niccolo's attention was now on me.
"I felt suffocated by the silence, plus that question has been haunting me for a while," la Volpe replied.
My attention was still on Niccolo and his attention was on me, our faces were blank, but our eyes said it all. Niccolo snapped back into reality.
"Can we please just get on with this?" Niccolo asked, he then stared at me again, I was still lost, and was far gone from reality.
"Get on with what?" I said very sensually and sexually while leaning toward Niccolo, stars in my eyes. His eyes shot widened.
"Errmm... The paper work..." he said wearily. My eyes widened, it took a while to register what I had just said and how I said it.
"Right!" I said while looking down to hide my embarrassment. "Of course,"
"Claudia?" Niccolo said, I moved my head up slowly to look at him. "Are you alright?" Niccolo asked, he was clearly embarrassed, his face was bright red and so was mine, which was clear to the other assassin's, I just nodded in response, I was too embarrassed to say a word.
Ezio P.O.V
'Ma cosa! (what the!)' With my eyes wide open looking back and forth from Claudia to Niccolo.
Bartolommeo P.O.V
'Could this get any more awkward?' I thought to myself trying to mind my own business.
La Volpe P.O.V
'This just got a little more interesting,' I thought to myself while grinning like an idiot. (idiot.)
Niccolo P.O.V
'Dio mio, (my god,) why here? Why now?' I thought while feeling humiliated. The lust that I felt for Claudia has gotten stronger, the craving I had for her lips on mine and her body is so strong it's unbearable.
I'm not upset or angry with what she has done, you can tell just by looking at her she doesn't want to be here, she looks so ashamed of herself. I just want to comfort her, embrace her and tell her that everything is ok.
In this uncomfortable silence that seemed to be going on forever everyone was staring at her, which she didn't seem to like, after a while she got up and began to run out of the guild.
"Claudia!" I shout, getting up to chase her out.
This reminded me of the time we had our first kiss...I chased her out.
Ezio P.O.V
"Does anyone else feel like they have seen something that they shouldn't have?" Bartolommeo said.
"Si, (yes,)" la Volpe replied. I just nodded, I was confused, hurt and a little bit angry.
Claudia P.O.V
I started heavy breathing like I was having a panic attack. I just got out of the guild and I am gasping for air and trying to stop myself for passing out. Niccolo followed me out, I felt like hitting him but I felt so bad for humiliating him in front of the other assassins. I turned to him after catching my breath to address him.
"That was the most humiliating thing to ever happen to me!" I said to him, he just pursed his lips in response and looked at me. "Niccolo! I am so sorry! ... I ... I didn't mean to-" I was cut short by Niccolo putting his hand on my shoulder.
"It's ok Claudia, I was never mad just surprised."
"Wait... you weren't mad? ..." I said with a confused tone, I was expecting him to be angry with me.
"No, not at all. You looked like you wanted to melt into the floor and disappear back there, I was embarrassed and angry at first, but I saw your face and reaction, I think you were more embarrassed than I was," Niccolo said.
"Still, it was so inappropriate, I don't know why I said that," I said getting worked up by the embarrassment again.
"I think I do," Niccolo said calmly with a small grin of content, while caressing my cheek, I started seeing stars. All of the stress and embarrassment was melting away just because he was stroking my face
"I have to go," I said, while trying to wiggle free.
"Why?" Niccolo asked softly
"I just do," I said avoiding eye contact. He wasn't picking up what I was putting down.
"Promise me you will come back to the guild later when everyone is gone." Niccolo clearly wasn't going to take no for an answer. He was in demand and there was not chance I was going to get out of here until I said yes
"Fine, I will be back in a few hours, but I am not answering any questions that the others might have," I said. He may be in demand but so was I.
"I will make sure that they have their stories straight, don't worry," he reassured me; I nodded and slipped away because he loosened his grip and that was the opportunity that I took. I think he tried to grab me again, but I can't be certain. I walked back to the brothel trying to drain the thought of what might happen in a few hours, too bad I wasn't thinking about what might happen when I said yes...
Niccolo P.O.V
I watched her walk away as I was frozen in place forced to see her disappear, my heart is filled with a mix of pleasant and unpleasant feelings and emotions, including lust and guilt. It was an uncomfortable combination but I have to admit that I may like this feeling and the more I come across this feeling the more I crave it...forbidden lust.