OEHAFOHF I'M SO SORRY! honestly, i have no excuse! so scold me all you wish!
demisses: Thank you! I'm really glad you're enjoying it! :)
interceptor1997: omg...seriously? THANK YOU SO MUCH AFAWOEFHOAWMEFOWAMEFOM
I was wandering Monteriggioni, Ezio with me, as usual, though I felt a little awkward around him considering. But anyway! That day was much like any other. I woke up, but to Ezio's face again, which actually didn't surprise me that much! When I went to criticize him again, he had gone off saying something like:
"But Melina! The only thing I have to sleep on is that damned desk! And I fear Uncle cannot buy me a proper bed, and I've no florins for it! Please may I sleep with you from now on?!"
Enter: puppy face. How could I refuse when he looked so adorable? With a huff, I agreed, so long as he didn't try anything. So, now we were walking around the streets, which were scarcely inhabited since it was the wee hours in the morning. I don't know what possessed me to wake up at this ungodly hour. I'm a late sleeper, and definitely not a morning person, something Ezio had learned quite quickly (poor boy).
The rhythmic sound of a sort of slap or thunk caught my attention. I waved Ezio to follow me. I followed the sound carefully, stopping every once in a while to decide from which side of my person it was coming from. Eventually, I stumbled upon a boy, about my age, being a total badass and shooting arrows at a target, never missing the mark.
"Buongiorno!" I chirped.
The boy swung around to face me, sizing myself and Ezio up carefully, before replying in a shaky voice, "B-buong-giorno." I cringed inwardly. His accent was terrible.
"Parlando italiano (do you speak Italian)?" I asked gently.
The boy looked dumbstruck. "W-What?"
I smiled widely. That was English! (English ^_^) "Oh! You speak English?"
His face brightened. "Y-yes ma'am…"
"Oh, don't be so formal! I'm probably the same age as you! I'm seventeen, and you?"
"S-sixteen…" he mumbled.
"Sheesh! What's wrong? I'm not scaring you am I?" I said, probably a little too uppity. Next to me, I could see Ezio's eyes flicker between the boy and I.
"Che cosa sono due parlando? (What are you two talking about?)" He asked. The boy seemed to cower.
I ignored Ezio, and furrowed my brows. "Hey, I'm sorry, we can leave if you want," I told the boy.
His head snapped up to me, in an almost wide-eyed worry. "No! Please! You're the only one I can talk to!" My eyes almost widened themselves… he had an Irish accent.
"Are you from Ireland?"
"Y-yes! How did you know?" A small smile played on his features, but he still seemed apprehensive.
"I can tell from the accent. No offense, but why are you in Italy if you don't speak Italian?"
"Melina! Cosa sta succedendo? (what's going on?)" Ezio cried.
I huffed and turned to him. "Lui non parla italiano. Così sto parlando a lui in inglese. (He doesn't speak Italian. So I'm talking to him in English)." I turned back to the boy. "Sorry bout that!"
"My parents brought us here. They knew Italian. But they caught the plague, my mother died a week ago," he explained.
My hand flew to my mouth. "Oh my god! I'm so sorry I asked!" I couldn't imagine the pain he was going through.
The boy shook his hands nervously. "N-no! I've moved on, it's what mother would've wanted."
"Do you even have somewhere to stay?" Judging by his disheveled appearance, I would assume no.
"No, but I'm fine."
"And where is that?" When it came to the wellbeing of someone who couldn't take care of themselves, I was a persistent bitch.
"Under an overhang…"
"Unacceptable! That's it! I'm going to find you a place to stay! Perhaps at the I could convince Mario to lend you a house… but Mario would never let you in unless a wager is paid… Oh! I know! Teach me!" I was being a bit pushy, yeah… but hey, I wanted to get this kid (hot, I might add, and the accent totally helps) a home. And boy did I feel like a mother… even though he was a year younger than me.
"Teach you what?" he gazed down at the bow in his hand. "Archery?"
"Yes! I recently acquired a bow, don't ask how, and I have no clue how to use it. I almost killed Ezio over here," I said, jabbing a thumb in Ezio's direction. "By the way, I'm Melina, you?"
Ezio eyed me suspiciously. "Che dire de me? (What about me?"
I laughed quietly. "Nulla di male, che te lo prometto. (Nothing bad, I promise.)" The boy eyed us quickly. He almost seemed scared of Ezio. "Hey," I said, "don't worry about Ezio. He may seem a bit edgy when you first meet him, but he's a really nice person when you get to know him. Just… uh… stay on his good side, k?"
"Alright… and my name's Lyon," the boy said.
"Lyon! I like that!"
"Thank you…"
"So, Lyon, are you willing to teach me?"
He nodded slowly. "I guess as long as you're there."
I laughed. "Don't worry, kiddo, I will. I guess I shouldn't call you that huh?"
He blushed. "I-I don't mind," he muttered, focusing on his boots.
I waved him to follow me. "Come on, let's get you washed up." As I walked, however, Ezio grabbed a hold of the back of my tunic, as though he was a small child clinging to his mother. Huh. Odd. Lyon walked cautiously next to me.
Once in the Villa, I brought Lyon to Mario's office. "Messere," I began. (Italian unless she's speaking to Lyon) "This is Lyon. He is to teach me archery. He is currently homeless. Is it possible for him to have a home somewhere in the town?"
Mario smiled at Lyon, and I admired his benevolence to the obviously nervous boy. "Of course! Lucky for him, there is an empty home! How are you my boy?"
"U-uh…" Lyon stuttered, looking to me for guidance.
I smiled. "He asked how you were. Do you know how to say okay in Italian?"
Lyon nodded, then turned to Mario. "B-bene… grazie."
Mario turned, dumbstruck to me. "Does he not speak Italian?" I shook my head. "Well then, I guess it's a good thing you're here, mia cara!" he clapped me firmly on the shoulder. Then, he waved us off.
I hadn't realized Ezio was still behind me until I ran into his chest. "Oh! Geeze, Ezio! Mi dispiace!"
But he wasn't listening. He was looking at Lyon, who was currently focusing intently on the small model of Monteriggioni. Somehow, I didn't think he was happy.
"Ezio… I'm so sorry… I should've asked for your permission."
"No, Melina, Monteriggioni is as much a home to me as it is to you." Along with that… came a sentence about Lyon, and me. But I couldn't hear it.
I raised a questioning eyebrow. "What?"
"Never mind, mia cara," he said, making sure that he said "Mia cara" in such a way that it vibrated throughout the room.
I was still confused. First off, what in the hell did he say? Second, why did he say "Mia cara" in such a loud way? It was almost as though he wanted Lyon to hear it. My god, was he jealous? I'm not an idiot, and I've given out a bit of relationship advice in my life (which, at the time, was complete bullshit, but it worked). I didn't want to jump to conclusions, but I didn't exactly count that out.
In an effort to keep the peace, I made my way to Lyon, and leant down to study what he was studying. "Whatcha lookin' at?"
"Oh!" He actually jumped, he must not have heard me coming. Hehe… assassin skills are cool. "I'm just very impressed by the—" but he was interrupted by a loud groan, and Ezio stomping past us.
"I'll be right back…" I muttered. I followed Ezio out of the room and outside. But I couldn't see him. That only meant one thing… go up. So, I climbed up the Villa, and found Ezio atop the roof.
"What's wrong?" I asked gently, as I sat down next to him.
To my surprise, he flung an arm around my shoulder, and pulled me into his side. "You're not in love with him, are you?"
As if the arm-thing wasn't enough, I blushed even harder. "W-what?! No!"
"Good." And he pressed a gentle kiss to my forehead, making butterflies explode in my stomach. God. How and why does he do this to me?
Fluff \(-.-\)(l-.-l)(/-.-)/
