"Damn, how are we getting out?" Ezio cursed under his breath, staring at the huge crowd of guards standing over the gate leading to the outside world.

"Is there another gate?" I asked quietly.

We were leaning casually on the building not far down the street from the mentioned gate. Maria and Claudia were getting some food from the nearby stall while we tried to figure out how to do this.

Ezio shook his head. "There are other gates, but they're on the other side of the city. And..."

"...they're probably guards there too," I finished grimly. "Fine, we'll have to improvise."

I looked up, but immediately crossed out climbing over the walls. There was no way we'd get Maria and Claudia over there, even if Ezio and me could probably climb it with some effort. Killing the guards was also out of question. It would raise the panic that barely died down. And besides, there were too many of them.

"We can hire Paola's girls again," he suddenly said, motioning to the group standing on the other side of the plaza. I thought about it, chewing on my lip.

"I think that's our best shot. If I looked like a normal citizen, I'd probably be able to lure them away. But obviously, I don't look anything like the innocent women here." I gestured up and down my body. His eyes automatically flickered along with my hand, before turning away.

Soon, the girls made short work of the guard.

"Pathetic," I repeated after my thoughts as we made our way with Maria and Claudia through the gates behind their backs, "You'd think they'd have more brains then that."

"They're male," Claudia shrugged, as if it explained everything. I sighed, because it did.

"And I guess this is proof that the more things change, the more they stay the same."

"What do you mean?"

"Back at home, the men not only chased after girls, but quite often forced themselves on them. In a violent way." I licked my lips, shuddering. "Show them a pretty leg and they will forget about the mass murderer that's standing right behind them.

"I'm not a mass murderer," Ezio snapped at me. I smirked.

"Of course not. You're and assassin. Same difference." He rolled his eyes at me, but remained silent.

They were riding on their own horses that were housed in the stables. I wanted to steal one, but Ezio stopped me with the stupid voice of reason, saying that they were going to draw even more unwanted attention to us, giving them motivation to follow. I grudgingly agreed, climbing onto Claudia's horse behind her.

To tell the truth, I was relieved. I couldn't ride. And I did not like the way I could feel the horse's every breath and every twitch. Claudia probably weighted nothing, so it just took me as another riding bag, not showing much strain.

As we rode, though, I was left speechless for the first time in my life.

Everything was green, as far as the eye could see. A bright, cheerful green, too, something that along with the clear blue of the sky lifted my mood considerably. Little butterflies fluttered around the fields, and far away, I could see farmers working, tending to their crops and trees. The path we were taking was outlined with mossy rocks and pine trees, giving it a somewhat idyllic look. I definitely haven't seen this part of the world...

"How could this happen to us?" Claudia asked Ezio. I could tell she was holding that question in for some time now. He hesitated in answering, not looking at us.

"I don't know."

"Will be ever be back?"

"I don't know."

"What will happen to the house?" she was persistent, I'll give her that.

"I don't know!" he finally snapped.

"Did- did they get a proper burial?" she asked again after a pause, barely containing tears again. His irritation evaporated immediately.

"Yes," he softly replied. I had to give it to him that he knew how to comfort his sister. They appeared pretty close, which was surprisingly…fond.

We rode in silence for hours like that. I was actually beginning to doze off to the rhythmic sound of the hoofs. "Eden, tell me about your home." Claudia suddenly asked. I furrowed my eyebrows.

"It's really quite boring. Nothing as beautiful as this." I looked round again. The scene changed slightly and we were riding through a small wood.

"You speak Italian nearly flawlessly, but you say you're not from Italy," she turned her head slightly, to raise an eyebrow. Italian? Was I speaking Italian? When did I learn that?

"I'm from the city of New York, It's far from here." Very far. Centuries apart. Ezio simply walked in front of us, taking the role of leader. He wasn't listening. "It's a city that's always alive. People are always moving, the lights are always on. It has really tall buildings, some going taller than fifty floors."

"It sounds wonderful," she sighed. And I chuckled.

"I guess it depends on your point of view."

"And what was yours?"

~Pain, lot's of pain. I knew I had to endure, I knew I had to do it for my family, but it was getting harder to breathe, blood was filling up my mouth, and I spit it out. My eyes have long since veiled in the darkness.

And the hits kept coming, and I suddenly realized that this darkness was nothing compared to what awaited me. Hell. Misery. Fear. Death. I would be a bird with broken wings, unable to escape. And all for my mother, who died within months anyway, all for my sister, who will hate me for what I've done.

And I caught myself thinking that it was all worth it. A sacrifice of my meaningless life, my freedom, just to buy mom those few months to live, and just to make sure that Eve was alive and well, not matter what.

"Enough." the voice was powerful, strong, and somehow, my thoughts went to angels. But no, angels did not have raw voices like that. The pain didn't stop, but the hitting did. "Eden Cleare is one of us now."

A final, imprisoning sentence.

I only realized later that it was all worth it. At that moment, I wanted nothing more than to die.~

"Eden? Eden?" I blinked, staring at the worried face of Claudia. I shook slightly.

"This isn't New York. I'm safe." I tried to calm myself, and smiled, somewhat weakly, realizing that my hand was pressed to my chest, just above my heart. I hurried to drop it.

"Let's just say I got the short end of the stick in that city." Short stick, short knife in the stomach, doesn't matter. She looked at me with curiosity, but didn't ask, instead catching up with Ezio.

"How long until this Uncle of yours?" I asked, and he still didn't look at me. I think the boy was barely holding back his own tears, though I'll give him some credit, he was holding up quite well.

"Not very. We're entering Monteriggoni country now, so I think it should be-"

"Good, day, Ezio," a sneering, mocking voice suddenly interrupted him, "How rude of you to leave Firenze without saying a proper goodbye."

I slapped my forehead hearing the less than friendly voice that left no room to imagination. Apparently that the man was talking to us, and not some other unfortunate traveler by the name Ezio. "Just how many enemies do you have?" I hissed as slid down behind the horse at about the same time as him. He shrugged, letting out a long breath. I mentally prepared myself for another confrontation. This was starting to get exhausting…and a little out of control.

The man who looked far from just simply giving us directions was a greasy, unpleasant sort in black clothing with a slightly hooked nose. While he did not look like much of a threat, the dozen armed men beside him certainly did.

"What do you want, Vieri?" Ezio asked loudly. Giving me a pointed look, I nodded, whispering to Claudia very quietly.

"If they attack, keep away from them. If they come near you, ride for that wood over there. We'll get you once we're done." She nodded, a really frightened look on her face. "Don't worry, I won't let your little sister get hurt," I blithely replied, even as I frowned. There really were a lot of men surrounding that Vieri bastard. It would be two against, what, twelve? Lovely. Claudia attempted a weak smile, but failed. And I didn't really blame her- she was a smart girl who could count. She saw the same odds I did, no doubt. Which is to say, none in our favor.

"A lot of things." The man, Vieri, continued his speech, walking towards us. "A bigger palace... Two new steeds... A prettier bride... And, oh yes." As he drew his sword, my hand crawled towards my thigh where I hid my throwing knives. My gun was unloaded, and these men were not going to give me the time to get them ready. "Your life. And look at that!" his eyes traced over our group, and stopped on me, "I think you can provide at least half of those demands."

I immediately felt like vomiting.

"I don't know who the hell you are, but try to lay a hand on me, and that hand will join your head. On the ground, severed from the body." My usual smile turned a little more menacing. He laughed, not believing me.

"Quite a feisty girlfriend you got yourself, Ezio. But she needs to learn her place. Attack!" he called to the guard.

At that moment, two of them collapsed onto the ground, blood bubbling in their throats. I readied the other knives I had and smirked. "I think it's you who should learn your place." I felt Ezio's hand on my shoulder, but shook it off. "Six feet under ground!"

"I'm getting tired of these games! Attack!" he finally yelled, and I could see beads of nervous sweat on his face, "And don't spare the women!"

Like I expected them to. I held my daggers in reverse grip and heard Ezio's blade extend, while the horses edged away from the scene slightly.

But before either side could do anything, there was a battle cry and four of the men collapsed, arrows in their chests and throats.

"What?" Vieri seemed just as amazed as I was, looking around with confusion, "What sorcery is this?"

Arrows? I thought, looking at the sharp ends sticking out of their rib cages.

There was loud laughter. "Not sorcery! Skill, boy!"

"Show yourself!" the greasy guy seemed to forget all about us, circling around, looking for the invisible attacker.

"As you wish!" Another arrow knocked the sword out of Vieri's hand, and he cradled in to his chest, now looking terrified. Five men suddenly jumped out of the bushes, and Claudia shrieked. One of them, with a nasty scar running down through his eye and some sort of symbol on his clothes came to stop beside us, throwing Ezio a sword and taking out his own. "Here, use this!"

Oh, lovely. I'm stuck trying to defend myself with two knives. Then again, I'd probably kill myself rather than my enemies if they gave me one of those sharp sticks. I sighed as I sunk my knife into a guard's stomach, jerking it up. I think I hit the liver, because I got sprayed with blood. "Well, there goes my t-shirt. And I actually liked that one, too," I muttered to myself, kicking the man down.

With the new arrivals, it was easy to dispatch the enemies and send the grease ball running for the hills, too afraid to look back. They chased him for only a few moments letting him go and laughing at his retreating back.

"Thank you for your aid," Ezio said to the man. I suddenly realized how exhausted he looked. The boy needed sleep, God knows how long he was on his feet for now. Let's hope this man can tell us how to get to the villa. Also let's hope it's not too far. I didn't like the idea of having to carry him. I'm a strong girl, but not that strong, considering he looked like he outweighed me by around 50 pounds. And there is also a suspicious pain growing in my lower belly.

Ezio held out the borrowed sword, returning it.

"No, you keep it, Ezio."

"Do I know you from somewhere?" the young noble raised an eyebrow.

"You don't recognize me?" The man seemed somewhat shocked, "It's a-me, Mario!" I stared at him for a second, only to then hide my face in Claudia's horse's mane to keep from laughing out loud. God really had a sense of humor, didn't he?

"Uncle Mario?" Then there was a gasp as the newly named Mario pulled his nephew into a hug, probably crushing a few ribs. I could barely breathe from laughter now.

"It's been too long, nephew! And...I'm heard about what happened in Firenze." He suddenly became serious. Unfortunately my laughter became a lot louder compared to the silence of his men. Claudia put her hand on my forehead, as if afraid that I had a fever. "Terrible. But let's go up to the villa. I'm sure you all need rest."

I finally calmed down, taking a deep breath and then stretched out my shirt it front of me so I could inspect the damage. Damn, it definitely won't wash off now. I hope there's a tailor around there somewhere. Or at least an abundance of clothes. I couldn't walk around looking like some filthy assassin. It was a dead give away.

"Maria, Claudia, it's good to see you again," Mario bowed to the women, and then turned to me. "And who might you be?"

"Eden." I said shortly, "My name is Eden."

He seemed surprised. "That's an interesting name."

"You're not the first to say that." I glanced at Ezio, but he didn't see- he was trying to climb onto his horse, seemingly half asleep by now. "I'm keeping an eye on these three. And a good thing, it appears. A certain someone here has more enemies than friends," I solemnly said.

"Ah, so those are your work?" he asked, gesturing to the two corpses that were clutching their throats. I looked at them expressionlessly, bending down to get the knifes out. I wiped them on their own jackets.

"Yes." I saw his eyes flicker to the giant blood stain on me. "Don't worry, it's not my blood."

"Are you sure?" he asked, and I looked down in confusion, only now realizing that the stain was getting bigger. Not to mention the pain was growing.

"Well, damn. When did this happen?" I cursed, lifting my shirt to examine the damage. I'm not sure when they managed to, but there was a long, shallow cut, that cut off through the very hem of my shirt. "Shit, I'll have to clean that up soon, or it'll get infected." Then I thought about it for a second. "And get a new shirt. This one is no good anymore."

One eye open. Lovely, now the other one. Ezio tried, he really did... but he was just so... tired...

"Wake up," a voice whispered into his ear. A very familiar voice... And that smell of leather and blood, and, surprisingly enough, cherries and apples... "Come on, we're here. Do you want me to push you off the horse?" she seemed to be joking, but he could never tell with her.

"No, no, that's quite alright." He muttered, suddenly realizing that a pair of warm arms were holding him upright, when all he wanted to do was fall... fall somewhere... and finally get some sleep...

"Okay, I'm serious. If you fall asleep again, I will push you off, and then make the horse trample over you a few times!" She was definitely kidding now, he could hear laughter. "But seriously," she continued, voice dropping and tinged with concern, "You need to wake up, Ezio." He finally manage to open both of his eyes. Realizing what was happening, reflexively tried to throw Eden off. But she held on tight despite hissing in pain. "Stop that, will you?"

He did and looked around him. They were coming up to tall stone walls, the sky dark, cloudy and somewhat depressing. His Uncle Mario was leading the two other horses with Maria and Claudia on them, heading right up to the gates. And Eden was still sitting behind him, though her grip on him loosened as he became aware again.

"Alright, I have good news, and I have bad news. Which do you want first?" she asked cheerfully, though her voice seemed strained for some reason. He looked back to her cautiously, not liking the happy tone one bit. "The good news is that we're here and you didn't fall off once. Though I was sorely tempted to push you off and take the horse for myself."

"And the bad news?" he replied, ignoring her threat. He shockingly realized he was steadily growing used to them.

"I got blood all over you."

"What?" He almost whipped her in the face with his pony tail as he turned around. She rolled her eyes, still smiling with the corner of her lips.

"Relax, I'm sure no one will notice under that cape of yours."

"Are you alright?" he interrupted, and she looked surprised.

"Yeah, just got a small cut, I'll take care of it once we arrive inside. Anyway, you should see the other guy. He's dead." She shrugged, but he felt a pang of guilt- he must have accidentally hit her in the wound when he started fidgeting. "Come on, we're finally here. Now we can all eat, and you really need some rest."

He did a double take. Did she just say-?

"You look pretty tired. When was the last time you had a full night of sleep?" she asked, not noticing his stunned expression.

She did, didn't she.

"Um, I'm not sure, to be honest," he shrugged, noticing that the question was still hanging.

He felt her slide off the horse, her arms leaving his waist. Watched as she winced slightly in pain, clutching at her bloodstained white shirt though didn't make a sound, he arched a brow as his mother and sister got off their horses as well. He followed their example, somewhat groggily. Uncle Mario gestured them to follow.

"Eden, I do believe you need to take care of that wound. There's a doctor on our way to the villa."

"Lovely," She gritted out, following him.

"Holy frigging hell!" I nearly screamed as the doctor applied disinfectants to the slice on my belly.

"It was infected, I'm sorry," he apologized. I glared at him. If it was not necessary, I swear I'd take that weird beak of his and then shove it up his...

"Wow, it was easier to find this place with all that yelling." I turned my head to Ezio as he walked into the shop. I was currently lying on the cot at the back of the doctor's office as he cleaned up and stitched together the stupid cut. "You seem to know a lot of swear words. Some aren't even in Italian."

"Yeah, well, they come in useful when I'm burning in hell! And I thought the doctors back home were mean!"

"Miss, please calm down," the man in a bird mask sighed. I'm was in serious pain here! Especially considering this was the second freaking time that I got it cut open in that spot! It was true what they said- the healing sometimes hurt more than the actual wound.

"No, no, she's always like this," Ezio assured him as the man put a bandage around my lower belly, "She's just a little more loud at the moment."

"You probably never even heard a girl scream, so shut up!" I ground my teeth together, thankful that the pain was slowly calming down. But my bad mood stayed.

"Believe me, my dear, your screaming is the last thing I want to hear," he grinned. I glared at him, but for a different reason now.

"I thought I told you to get some sleep."

"What, and miss this show?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Well, when you drop in the middle of the street from exhaustion, I'll be pointing and laughing," I paused, no longer yelling. I didn't mean it, but I felt like I should say something, at least.

He just waved his hand, apparently too tired to argue. "I'm here to buy some medicine. My supply is nearly depleted."

I crossed my arms crossly. (Say that sentence three times really fast.)"No need for the cover up. Just say how worried you were about me and that you just had to come see me."

"Whatever you want to tell yourself." Then after a pause, he changed the subject. "Eden, are you an assassin?"

"What gave you that idea?" I was taken aback. He pointed at the tattoo on my arm- I took off my jacket to let the doctor get to my wound.

"That's the assassin's symbol, my uncle just told me. It's all around this place and on my father's armor and bracer. You seem very proficient in killing."

I looked down at the simple black image and suddenly realized how much it looks like a hood. Ezio's hood.

"It's a brand that the gang I was in gave me. Our leader always said he put it on me when I was too young too remember it. He said it meant I belonged to them. But my sister said that it was my dad that gave it to me/ Frankly, I wasn't sure who to believe." I thought for a second and then realization hit me. "Paola! She recognized it! That's why she made me come with you in the first place!"

"Oh." He seemed a little confused, but so was I.

"I'm not an assassin though," I shrugged, "I'm a gang shooter, lock-picker and medic. I wasn't trained to kill, I was forced to. The rest I learned on my merry way."

"You know what this place lacks?" He suddenly said, changing the subject once again, as if trying to lighten up the mood. Don't know how much it could be lightened up place was depressing- old battered walls, ruined buildings, cloudy, unpleasant sky. If there were no people, it would easily pass for a ghost town.

I sighed, playing along. "What?"

"A brothel."

I gaped at him for a second before wrinkling my nose in disgust. "Ew, the mental images. But, I suppose it's not your fault you can only get girls by paying them. That's nature's mistake."

"You so sure about that?" he asked, his voice suddenly a lot lower, huskier. I started laughing and he looked a little offended for a moment.

"Let me put it to you this way," I said cheerfully. Hey, whadda ya know, the mood did lighten up! "I'd rather cut off both of my legs and try to dance than touch you with a fifty feet pole. Got that?" Not true, Paola's girls were right, he was very attractive. If we met in some bar back in New York, I wouldn't think twice. But his arrogance was grating. The banter was making me feel a whole lot better though.

"Now that would be entertaining to watch."

"Entertaining, but deadly. I can kill you without my legs." He looked at me with a raised eyebrow, "Well, what? It's true- I don't throw knives with my feet, you know."

There was an amused silence. Ezio payed for the little bottles of medicine, and I stood up, flinching slightly at the pain in my lower belly.

"I don't suppose you have any money?" he asked lightly, and I nodded somewhat sadly.

"I actually do, but it's not worth anything here. I'll just find another way to pay you back then," I told the doctor.

"It's alright, I'll pay, considering you were fighting my enemies back there," Ezio shook his head, and I shifted my eyebrows together in surprise.

"What? No, that's-"

"Here," before I could finish my protest, he handed the doctor the money. I bit my lip, unsure to respond.

"Thanks, but like I said, I don't have any money. I can't really pay you back."

"Don't worry about it," he shrugged, smiling slightly, and I blinked in surprise. "Just thank the doctor for having to endure your language, and lets be off."

Well that's a first.

My mood definitely brightened up a whole lot, I sincerely thanked the doctor. He waved me off, saying he only heard drunk sailors curse like I do. I made an apologetic grimace, but left it at that, following Ezio out the door.

"This place is depressing," I stated as we walked towards the manor showing in the distance. The sky looked not only gray, but a nasty shade of rust. All the walls were chipped and ruined. And unlike Florence, there was no sign of greenery anywhere. The manor itself had most of the windows boarded up, some sort of weed crawling up the walls.

"Uncle said that he never had the time and money to fix it up," Ezio informed me, "It's seen better days. The inside is a lot nicer though, so we should be fine for the next few days around here."

"Are you moving farther?"

"Yes," he confirmed, "We can get a ship to Spain. My father's enemies will not reach us there."

"So..." I wasn't sure what to say- I was not going to Spain, either way. Spain didn't sound nice, I think this was right around the time they were burning witches at the stake. Not pleasant, I heard. "Is that really what your father wanted you to do?" I tentatively asked.

"He would have wanted us all alive. I have to keep what's left of my family safe."

"I can...understand that, I suppose," I sighed heavily, "Except when I was trying to keep my family safe, I did a very stupid thing of joining a gang."

"Do you regret it?" he asked. I glanced at him, surprised by the question.

"As much as I'm expected to. It didn't help anything, but I was young and stupid. I thought I was strong enough to protect my mother and sister and then ended up losing them anyway," I shrugged. Only after I said it did I realized that this little bit of information could have sounded like a hint to him. At the time, I thought I was simply telling him a piece of my past.

He froze. I kept walking up the stairs, meaning to walk away from the scene dramatically. But a new explosion of pain in my stomach made me grip the railing tightly, and I cringed, biting my lip to keep in the groan. There was a movement and then he swept my legs from underneath me. The next moment I was staring up at him, instinctively putting my arms around his neck.

"What the hell are you doing? Put me down!" I exclaimed. But he didn't even look at me, his face stony. Getting used to the position after a second, I calmed down, only because I felt his wrist knife poking my back lightly. That certainly caused me to stop fidgeting immediately. I don't think he meant it as a threat in any way. But I tended to be more careful when there was a chance of accidentally setting off a weapon pointed at me. "Thanks, but I would have just left you on the street, you know."

The corner of his lips pulled up. "And that's the difference between you and me."

"Now tell me the difference between you and a dung beetle," I grumbled. He was carrying me up the stairs now. I was still far from relaxed- his arms were just about as comfortable as a statue's. Bringing me through the front door of the villa, I did appreciate the fact that he at least tried to shift so I wouldn't hit a limb on the frame. Then, it was up the stairs. In a few moments I was dumped onto a bed in the most ungentlemanly fashion possible.

"Gee, thanks," I snapped at him as he turned to walk out of the room. I dropped my head on the soft pillow, and then yelled, "And for the love of god, get some sleep!" as he disappeared out of my sight. I swore I heard the bastard laugh quietly.

Damn him. I should just screw it all an leave now.

But just... not... now. The pillows are pretty soft... and I didn't get that much sleep either...

When Ezio came to check on of his sister and mother, he was taken aback by the very first question that Claudia asked.

"Where's Eden?"

"Oh, Claudia, I'm alright, how nice of you to ask," he frowned, and she made an apologetic face.

"It's just that she looked really hurt."

"She's fine. The cut was shallow. But it got infected, judging from the screaming coming out of the Doctor's office." His sister looked at him in horror and he attempted a smile. "She's fine, she sleeping in one of the spare bedrooms."

"Oh. Okay." she nodded, taking a calming breath. Then she looked at her mother. "She still won't talk. She spends all her time in front of those feathers Petruccio collected." Her eyes filled with tears.

"Don't worry, we'll get her back, I'm sure of it," He pulled her into a hug, expecting her to start crying. But she didn't, sniffing slightly and tucking her head in his chest.

"He was just a little boy! He didn't... he didn't have to die..." Her breathing hitched and he held her tighter, but she pulled away, taking a deep breath. "It's not use crying. It's not... going to bring any of them back. And Eden said it'll just upset Mother more." Claudia looked over him with a critical eye, "You should get some sleep, too. Uncle said there was another room at the top floor."

"Right. I'll see you in the morning, then."

There was banging, crashing, a stifled yelp, then a groan of pain, and muttered curses.

Basically the things you'd associate with one person crashing into a table that had at least three different pans on it.

I rubbed my forehead, shaking away the dizzy feeling and looking around. The kitchen was very dark and I was too lazy to get out my lighter and find a candle. Not used to the lack of electrical light, I crashed into the said table, sending its contents flying onto the floor. Finally I sighed, and took out my lighter, clicking it on. The small light burned my eyes for a few seconds. But I finally moved towards the cabinets, looking through them. After a moment, I sat at the table with food piled onto my plate. Glancing around and finding the candle with my eyes, I brought the little light to it.

I was just about to begin enjoying the different fruit I had on my plate, as well as a loaf of bread and some cheese, when a voice caught me off guard.

"That's an interesting torch you have." I nearly choked on the apple, looking around. It was Mario, though I heard no footsteps as he approached and sat down opposite of me.

"...Hi," I finally said once the piece of apple went down the right tube.

"Hello." He seemed amused. The glow of the candle gave him a slightly mysterious and creepy look, though his smile was quite friendly.

"I'm sorry for raiding the kitchen. I was hungry." I suddenly realized it was his food I was rudely eating. He waved his hand in the air. The candle flickered in protest.

"Don't worry. Claudia told me you helped them get here, so you're welcome to whatever you can find."

"Thanks," I said awkwardly.

"My nephew said you have a tattoo on your arm." I blinked in surprise. Was that his sole reason for talking to me in the middle of the night? He wanted to see some picture I didn't even know much about until a few hours ago?

I hummed in agreement, lowering the shoulder of my jacket to show it to him. His eyes traced over it. "That is the sign of the assassins."

"I got that far on my own. Who are the assassins, really?" I asked in curiosity. He seemed to think about it for a second, his evaluating eye on me.

"We are... an Order, I suppose. We follow the ancient creed that was left to us by our ancestors."

"What creed? Stab them with the pointy end?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing is true. Everything is permitted. We don't kill innocents. We hide in plain sight. And we cannot compromise the Brotherhood." He corrected me, and I tapped my chin thoughtfully. "We are opposed to the Templars. Where we try to dispel the illusions, they seek to use it for power."

"That's interesting," I said slowly, unsure what I was supposed to do with the knowledge. "But what does it mean? What illusion?"

"The illusion that covers up the corruption, lies and evil of their actions. The assassins want peace, through violence. It is one of the contradiction of our order, but it works."

"How so?"

"You see, sometimes, by making that one little sacrifice, we end the evil that came from them. We kill for peace."

"Well, I've been down that road before," I waved my hand, "I was in a gang, you see, back at home. Except I killed because my friends and family were in danger. I killed because our leader told us to. Because disobedience sometimes meant death."

There was a silence. "I don't know where you came from, Eden Cleare. But it is obvious by your marking that you are one of us."

"An assassin?" I leaned back in my chair, chewing on my lip. "I know how to kill. After this many years, I came to enjoy it, even. But I don't understand what you want from me."

"We want nothing from you," he shrugged,"It is Ezio that needs help."

"You got that right," I muttered. "He gets himself into trouble I barely pull him out of."

"He wants to leave Italy, take his family farther."

"I know."

"Help me convince him to stay."

I nearly fell out of my chair, staring at the older man with shock.

"You might not have noticed, but he sort of doesn't like me. There's no way he's going to listen to me."

"I'm sure you can find a way," Mario smiled mysteriously again. "I heard you two bantering today, when you returned from the doctor's."

"Then I sure you got the part where he hates me."

"Ezio doesn't hate you. He's irritated, tired, confused, unsure how to deal with all that happened. You just manage to find where it hurts him the most."

"For the last time, I'm trying to help, I just have... interesting ways of doing so!" Mario simply shook his head, letting me continue. "Though Jake always did say I was good at pushing people's buttons. Sometimes unintentionally."

"Please, Eden, I need your help…we need your help."

"No." I said sternly. "You don't need my help. You need him. I'm just a tool of getting him." I let out a deep breath, pausing, and finishing bitterly, "I'm tired of being a tool."

"It doesn't have to be like that, you know," he sighed, "Whatever your reasons were for coming along with him, you did it. And I'm sure that underneath it all, you're happy you did so."

"I don't know why I came with them, though," I protested, "I wanted to help, and I didn't have anything else aside from them."

"And that's why I trust you. To an extent," he shrugged. I rubbed my forehead tiredly.

"And what's the extent?"

"I'll allow you to stay here, in the villa," he crossed his arms, and I looked at him, my respect for this man growing. Can't get something by peaceful, honest measures, go for manipulation.

"I just don't like the idea of trading one prison for another."

"You get a certain freedom as an assassin, though." He was ever so patient when I did not deserve it. "You're simply helping our cause, and nothing else. We won't force you to do anything you don't want."

I stopped, turning away from him and taking a deep breath. The silence stretched and stretched.

"Why is he so important for you, anyway? He's just one boy."

"I can't tell you, for I don't know the entire story myself. Please, Eden. At least consider it."

I watched absently as a random spider crawled towards a trapped fly. A maid should really clean up in here...

I was going to stay around anyway. Whether I help out or not, I had no where else to go. If I didn't stay for this whole assassin business, then I'd stay from Maria and Claudia, at least. Maria's face changed with my mother's in my head. I looked just like her, but I always thought she was more beautiful by a mile. She always smiled, even when she found out what I did a year after dad left. She smiled through the tears, hugging me close. Eve looked like her, too, but more so; she got her eyes, her exact shade of skin, the arch of the eyebrows. A painful reminder of the one most important person in my life. The one that I fought so hard for, only to lose her in the end. I think my sister left me for the same reason, though she never admitted it out loud.

I wanted to help. I really did. And I guess this was the best opportunity for it, wasn't it? I didn't know what I was getting myself into. So I simply did what I'm best at doing.

Making it up as I go along.

I let the air out of my chest in a quick breath, coming to a conclusion. "Fine. I'll do it."