Florence had been kind to me when I arrived early morning that morning, even if I didn't find Leonardo in his workshop. I had to come in through the window just to see the entire house almost completely empty. He must have moved out in the month and a half that we were gone. So I sat on the one remaining table that was built into the floor, thinking.

I had nowhere else to go in the city, and I was supposed to meet Ezio here. I certainly was not going to sit on the front step with my hands folded, waiting for him. Go to Lorenzo? I doubted he trusted me as he trusted Ezio. From what I gathered, Ezio's father worked for him, or maybe just with him. But I was just some girl who wasn't even technically a citizen. With no ancestry, documents or even a past I could tell people about, I essentially didn't exist.

I took my cellphone out of my bag. As I hadn't used it even once, when I turned it on, the battery was still almost fully charged. Checking the time, it was around 5 am in New York, or at least, it was supposed to be. Meaning it was about 10 in the morning here. Ezio would be catching up soon, maybe in a few hours.

Going back outside, I left a note for the assassin on the front door and then took a walk, towards the market.

Suddenly I caught sight of something. Or actually, someone. Tensing slightly, my eyes darted to his back; it was one of the soldiers from Rome, alone. I wasn't sure if it was one of the dog walkers, but curiosity got the better of me. Not to mention, my gut instincts were kicking into high gear.

When I began following him, he stopped for a moment, nervously looking around. Ducking, I immediately turned towards a fruit stall. Smiling at the man behind the table, I quickly bought an apple, though I kept the armored soldier in my peripheral vision.

My head snapped back to focus my attention as the soldier began walking again. Tailing him at a decent distance, I moved away from the stall. He stopped again, glancing around and almost catching my gaze. But I had years of practice in this sort of thing. Tossing the apple in the air and catching it as though I was out for Sunday stroll, as soon as he began moving, I was on him. However, as he left the market, turning into a nearly empty street, someone grasped my hand, forcing me to look down.

"Can you spare a coin, Signora? I'll give you advice in return!" the beggar babbled, looking at me with desperation. Dirt smeared on his face, his ripped hat was lopsided and his clothes were ragged and torn. It wasn't the first time I'd seen beggars. I could sympathize; there was a time when the only thing that stopped me from getting down on my knees and pleading the strangers that passed by were the scraps of pride I had left. Opening my mouth slightly, I glanced back to the retreating back of the soldier.

"Yeah, here. No need for advice," I swallowed hard, giving the man the apple and dropping some coins into his hands. His face brightening through the soot and grime, I pulled my hand out of his grip and continued on my way. The soldier had almost disappeared out of my sight.

"Protect the Prophet with your life, if you have to, Signora!" he hissed. I froze, my eyes widening and my head snapping around. But the beggar was gone, as if he was never there. 'The Prophet?' What did he mean, protect the Prophet? What prophet?! Who was I supposed to protect with my life?!

Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I turned back to the man I was following. The beggar was most likely drunk, spewing nonsense at everyone who walked by. Hurrying to the alley I saw the soldier disappear in, I snuck behind him, though still keeping my distance. When he came to a stop, I speedily darted behind a few stacked crates in the alley, watching through the crack between the boards as the man met up with someone else.

"Well?"

"They are on their way to Venezia right now."

"Good. I'll contact the Maestro. Were you followed?"

"I don't think so."

"Good," the new soldier repeated. He sounded pleased. "We heard the assassin is coming back to Firenze."

"He hasn't shown up yet. There were no sign of him, or that woman. She shouldn't pose a threat though." Clenching my teeth, I bit down a hiss of retort. I was getting real tired of being chronically dismissed as a weak woman who was barely even worth mentioning. You'd think they would have learned their lesson by now.

"Careful. She walks in step with the assassin. The Maestro told us not to underestimate either of them."

"There will be no mistakes."

"You better hope so. There's no room for mistakes anymore, especially not from us." I processed that. These were good news - there's nothing worse than killing all of them just to find out that it was their plan from the beginning. The Templars were worried, and that was as good a sign as any that we were doing everything right.

I stood up, barely a shadow in the dark, nearly empty alleyway, and followed the two as they began to walk away.

---

"The Pazzi are dead," Ezio declared as he was greeted by Lorenzo, "All of them."

"That is excellent news!" the man nodded with a smile. "I must admit," he swiftly frowned, expression falling, "I have never wished another man's death so badly."

"Nor have I," the young assassin shook his head, pondering.

"So tell me, my boy, what will you do now?" Lorenzo waved his hand to one of his men, and he disappeared in the palazzo.

"I must leave. They are already sinking their claws into the heart of Venezia," he sighed as he showed Lorenzo the letter he'd stripped off on of the conspirator's bodies.

"No, not beautiful Venezia!" Lorenzo declared, voice dropping with solemn worry. "Well, I wish you the best of luck then, Ezio. And what of SignorinaEden Cleare?" he asked with some curiosity.

"She's in Florence, most likely arrived this morning. I'm supposed to meet her at a friend's house."

"Send her my gratitude for her assistance. And before you leave..." The servant returned from palazzo, carrying something. "This cape will mark you as a friend of the Medici," Lorenzo explained, "The city guard will be more...tolerant of you." Ezio bowed his head in gratitude and reached for it, but Lorenzo stopped his hand for a moment. "But remember, it will not grant you immunity from the law."

"Of course," he accepted, taking the cape.

"And also, there are certain favors I might request of you. There are still those men that were involved in the conspiracy here, as well as threatening our allies and operations."

"It will be my honor, Signore."

Placing his hands on his shoulders in a sign of respect and farewell, Lorenzo wished his new ally good luck. Gratefully wishing Il Magnifico the same, Ezio bowed off, and left, clipping the new red and gold cape to his armor on his way.

---

Panting hard, I put the long dagger under the man's chin, lifting his face up to face me. Swallowing down the coppery taste in my mouth as I glanced to the side, I quickly made sure the other one was dead and not moving.

"And now, you are going to tell me everything you know about Rodrigo Borgia and his plans." The man was sitting against the wall, one of his legs broken, a hole in his side, his face bruised. He stared at me defiantly, and clenched his teeth, making it clear he wouldn't talk. But I knew this process well. I'd get it out of him eventually.

---

"Signore, Maestro Leonardo has received an order from someone in Venice," the passing man explained when he heard Ezio drumming on the door of the artist's former studio. "He paid for the entire workshop to be moved there. It's a big opportunity!"

"Thank you friend," Ezio sighed, nodding in gratitude. As the man left, he sat down on the step beside the door, thinking. He was supposed to meet Eden here, and he wanted to say goodbye to his friend. Though now they were going to be in the same city anyway...

Glancing back at the door in thought, he suddenly noticed the note tucked into a small crack of the wood. Inside were a few hastily scribbled words in ink.

~"Leo has left the building, I don't know where. I'll be in the marketplace. Or meet me back here around 1 o'clock. - Eden"~

He looked up, trying to determine the time by the position of the sun, since the nearest cathedral with a clock was out of sight. It was around one to three after noon, he decided. She should be heading back, unless she had more precise ways of determining time. Considering the entire "being from the future thing," it wouldn't surprise him if she had a clock the size of a peanut or something.

He crossed his arms and leaned onto the frame, waiting. As the minutes ticked by, he found himself becoming more and more twitchy. She was late, and he was beginning to worry. What if something happened? I shouldn't have let her out of my sight, Lars and his stupid pride be damned! Now what? Where could he possibly search for her in a city as large as Firenze?

"Hey!" Her voice made his head snap up. As she stopped a few steps away, he speedily took in that she looked tired as hell.

"Hey yourself. What kept-" He suddenly noted her bleeding lip. And the fact that her clothes and weapons were stained with blood underneath her cloak. Lifting her chin with his hand, he let it hover there, even a she warily took him in. "Your lip-"

"What?" She brought a hand up to her face with some surprise, and dabbed her fingers on her lip. Staring at the red on her skin with interest, she sighed.

"Are you alright?" he asked, his irritation for her lateness evaporating and quickly replaced with concern.

"Yeah...found a few of Borgia's men. Interrogation didn't go as smoothly as I hoped."

"Are they..."

"Dead? Yes, I wouldn't fancy them running off to report on us," Eden shrugged, "But I'm getting tired of staining all my clothes with blood. How the hell do you manage to walk around in white without a single drop of blood on you?!"

"Magic," he smirked, dropping her chin as she mock-glared.

"More like bleach."

"What did you find out?" he changed the topic, not bothering to ask of this "bleach" she mentioned, and watching as she wiped the blood off of her lips and chin.

"Oh, lot's of things. Like the fact that the Templars knew you were coming here and that we're heading to Venice. And since it's something like their base at the moment, they will try to stop you. And they also just shipped the dogs there, too, which explains why they weren't in San Gimignano. And also a whole bunch of useless junk on how we'll never win, and Borgia is going to rule...you know, the usual crap villains and their henchmen say." He tried to process all of her rambling information, his eyes going wide and expression shifting to confusion.

"What?" she waved.

"Never mind," he replied.

"Do you have any idea where Leonardo went?" she peered at the empty workshop.

"Yes, a passing man told me he received some offer in Venice. Apparently, he's moving his entire workshop there."

"Really?" she seemed surprised, "That's strange, I thought-" She suddenly bit her lip, and stopped talking.

"Thought what?"

"Oh, nothing. Just that one bit of history I remember. It's nothing. Are we leaving now?"

"Unless you have anything better to do, yes, we're leaving," he waved his hand down the street, towards the gates, and she fell into step with him.

"So what happened with Lars?" she suddenly asked, a light smirk playing on her lips.

"After you left, Uncle heard the commotion. He sorted them out quickly," he shrugged, and then suddenly smiled. "Considering what you did to him, as well, I don't think they'll be attempting to burn witches any time soon."

"Yeah, sorry about all of it. To tell the truth, I never actually expected them to think I'm a witch. Especially over a rejection. I mean, come on! I turned down at least three dozens drunken guys in my life, and none of them tried to force me into a marriage or burn me at the stake!"

Smiling, he reached over to smooth down her ruffled hair. "Don't think about it anymore. It's all in the past now."

"Well, yeah, but that's easier said than done. I mean, how many more of these idiots will try to do something like this?" She continued walking when he suddenly froze, only realizing he wasn't following anymore after a few steps. She turned to face him, confused and concerned. "Are you okay?"

He wasn't looking at her, though. Rather, he was staring at the execution stage in the middle of the plaza.

~He had to... had to get there... stop them... somehow...

The dull but rising roar of rage filling his head, he began to see red as he listened to the lies of Uberto. He saw his father's eyes flicker to him with recognition, and warning. Petruccio looked terrified and near tears, Federico, stunned into silence. They could have never seen this coming, neither expected to die here, not this soon.

And then they pulled the lever. He failed. But he'd be damned if he didn't make Uberto suffer his pain a hundred fold.~

"Ezio!" Eden repeated a fifth time before putting her hands on the sides of his face, and firmly turning him to her, "Snap out of it! Please!"

Blinking a few times, his gaze focused on her after a moment. Eyes wide with worry and cheeks flushed, her gaze narrowed suddenly, darting between him and gallows. She must have added two and two together..."Come on, let's get out of here," she quietly ordered. She pulled him away from the stage as the people started to pause to look around at them. All but dragging him forward, as the plaza disappeared out of sight, so did his angry haze, though not completely. "That is just sick. In freaking public, too," she muttered. She was going to let go of his hand, but he squeezed it again, the warmth comforting.

"I'm so sorry, Ezio-"

"I could only watch," he choked on the words, "There was nothing I could do - it all happened so fast..."

"It's okay, Ezio, I know," she said soothingly, "None of this is your fault, remember that. And the ones responsible have and will die."

"It's not going to bring any of them back."

"No, it won't," she leaned forward so that she could see under his hood. Her brown eyes stared into his. "But don't think about bringing them back, think of making sure their death was not in vain. It's a lesson I failed to learn, but you are doing a lot better than that. Your father would have been proud of you. Your brothers as well."

That made his eyes snap to hers in surprise. There was understanding in her gaze. She watched her mother die, as he watched half his family murdered before him. Both of them saw their lives fall apart, mutating into something unfamiliar and cold. And both had been unable to do anything to stop it.

---

I was trying to get some sleep, leaning onto the side of the small caravan we hired. Sadly, the horses would have to stay behind. Since the only way to travel to Venice would be by boat, it was a lot easier this way. Besides, we decided it would be safer. The fact that the Templars knew when Ezio was traveling and where he was heading alarmed both of us.

There were no other passengers heading this way, to my relief - it would have been hard to explain the blood that still clung to my clothes. Ezio sat across from me, watching the road absently. I tended to my wounds and my split lip. Trying to occupy my time with something afterwards, I attempted to at least get some sleep since I got almost none last night.

Ezio suddenly called for the caravan to stop, and I was shaken awake, after bumping my head on the boards.

"What is it?" By the scenery outside, I'd say we were beside some mountains. I didn't know the geography very well, but I trusted Ezio to make sure we didn't end up in some sort of ditch.

"Leonardo," he replied shortly, and got out of the passenger carriage. Confused, I grabbed my things, and followed. He said something to the driver, who nodded and turned around, heading back to Florence. Looking around, I still didn't understand what was going on. And then I smiled when I saw Leonardo standing beside his wagon, looking somewhat confused and scratching the back of his head in thought.

"Leonardo!" Ezio greeted as we came closer, and the artist looked around, startled. However, he broke out into a wide, beaming smile when he saw us. I couldn't help by laugh with appreciation.

"Ezio! Eden! What luck! I've run into a bit of trouble..." he looked back to the carriage, and I just noticed the back, left wheel that was nearly falling off. "I know how to fix it, but lack the means to do so."

"Is there any way I can help?" Ezio asked, coming to examine the wheel.

"If you could just lift the wagon..."

"No problem." I stared at him with some disbelief. The carriage looking very heavy, he wouldn't actually be able to-

He did. Ezio put both hands underneath the frame, and with a small grunt, lifted it up. Immediately, Leonardo set to work on fixing the wheel, while I came up beside Ezio, looking inside the wagon. When I saw what lay in there, half concealed by a cover, my eyes widened in shock.

"Leonardo, what is that thing?" Ezio saw it too. Leo looked up with a questioning look. "It looks like a giant bat!"

"Oh, well, just a project of mine that I've been working on. I couldn't leave it behind," the master packed up his tools, talking somewhat fast. "I shouldn't really talk about it... Ah, what the hell! I can't keep it in anymore!" I smiled at his nearly contagious excitement. I knew what the machine was all too well. We studied some of the inventions in school, in mechanics class, so I actually remembered his theories. "I think I figured out how to make a man fly!" Leonardo looked at both of us expectantly.

I struggled to keep my face straight instead of jumping up and down in excitement, while Ezio only chuckled, as if to say "Ah, you crazy genius," and waved his hand. "Come on," he patted Leonardo on the back, "I'll drive."

"But I haven't even told you where I was going." Leonardo looked somewhat confused as he followed the assassin to the front of the carriage, while I pulled myself up on top of it. The surface was flat and easy to hold on to, even with the wobbling that began once we started moving. I dropped my belongings inside through the small trap door, and sat on the edge of the wagon at the front.

"Why are you going to Venice, anyway?" I asked, curious. The offer to move the workshop was nice and all, but it couldn't have been the only reason Leonardo wanted to move there so readily.

"Ah, beautiful Venezia, it's so full of inspiration!" he exclaimed, and I heard Ezio give a low chuckle. "Santa Maria, San Marco, the Doge's Palace..." he listed, counting off on his fingers. But I wasn't listening anymore. Looking behind us in alarm as I heard more horses, and yelling, I put my hand on Ezio's shoulder.

"I hear it…we're not alone!" he called down to where Leonardo sat carriage. He shouted, spurring the horses into a gallop, something that was definitely not safe on a narrow path like that. I was almost thrown off, but managed to hold on. "Borgia's men!"

"What?!" Leonardo didn't seem to have the faintest idea of what was going on. "What do they want with us?"

In that moment, an arrow whistled through the air and buried itself way too close to my hand. "I think they want us dead!" Ezio was panicking slightly, trying to steer the horses without turning the carriage over. "Both of you, hide!"

I didn't even think of arguing, since out of the three of us, he was the one with the reins, and the only one with any idea what to do. Climbing over the back, I nearly fell and tumbled inside, Leonardo following quickly. I immediately rushed over to the window, avoiding the flying machine. There were five soldiers on our tail, closing in on horseback. Then I noticed the archers lined up along either side of the road, and cursed quietly. The pursuers were quickly catching up, and I looked around desperately. My bag rolling back and forth as the wagon rocked violently, I got down onto my knees for balance and began chasing after it. Leonardo was holding on for his dear life, looking frightened and bewildered.

Not that I blamed him. If we didn't get killed by Borgia's fiends, then we'd die from getting thrown from carriage. Or going over the edge of the mountain from Ezio's rather perilous driving skills.

I nearly got a hold of my bag when the road turned sharply, throwing me to the side of the carriage. Grinding my teeth as I hit my side, I still attempted to grab my bag again. That was when the first man jumped onto the carriage.

"Oh, I don't think so!" I launched myself to the side that was lifting off the ground, balancing it out, at the same time stabbing the leg of the soldier with a knife that was up my sleeve. He yelped, and fell down to the road, his screams echoing behind us as the carriage rolled right over him. There was another turn, and I barely managed to hold on to the edge of my seat. The other pursuers were catching up now, their orders to "kill the assassins!" snapping in the air. A few more arrows found their mark in the roof of the wagon, their tips thudding menacingly into the wood.

"Who makes roads like these, anyway?!" I shouted through the noise of the carriage, horses, and the soldiers as I ducked. There was another jerk, but now in a different direction. I hurried to get to the other side of the carriage, peeking out the window to access the situation. Snapping out of his daze, Leonardo finally caught up, and did the same.

"We're almost at the bridge!" I heard Ezio yell. Looking out the window, I groaned at the doomed sight ahead of us. The bridge Ezio was referring to, the only way to get across and our only way forward, was currently in the process of being set on fire by more of Borgia's men.

You've got to be joking! I angrily thought. A sniper rifle, or maybe even an air strike to take them out would've been a godsend right about now. "You aren't actually going to go through there, are you?!" I shouted up to Ezio. Then again, I knew the answer long before I asked the question. As we neared the bridge, I had the strongest urge to jump out of the window before it was too late. The wooden bridge was obviously going to crash down at any moment, and this insane moron wanted to go over it?!

"Hold on!!" Ezio yelled, and I nearly shrieked, falling to the floor once I saw the flames engulf the carriage as it went up on two wheels again. Leonardo did the same, wanting to be as far away from the fire as possible. Grabbing his arm, I yanked him to me, keeping him away from harm. No way would I let Ezio's insane antics or Borgia's bastards destroy the space-time continuum and kill the artist far before his time.

After a few moments, the wagon dropped onto the ground again. The horses whinnying in fear and scared as hell, like I was, were now running nearly twice as fast. And if things weren't bad enough, the archers began shooting flaming arrows at the road ahead of us, setting fallen trees and abandoned wagons on fire in our path. I somehow wound up at the front of the carriage, pressed against the wood.

"I swear to God, Ezio Auditore di Firenz-whatever! If we make it out of here alive, I will fucking kill you!!!" I managed to scream at him, pounding on the wall before I was thrown to the floor again by another turn. By some miracle, we avoided the fires, and the carriage careened on.

"We're almost there! Just a little longer!" Leonardo reassured me. Of course, just as more soldiers caught up again, and leaped on the back of the carriage. My blood ran cold as one pulled himself up onto the roof, and we heard him crawl to the front where Ezio was.

"Dammit!" we heard him growl. The carriage went out of control for a few harrowing moments before we heard a scream. As we finally evened out, I let out a short breath of relief. "Leonardo, get up here!" Ezio ordered. The artist complied, climbing out while holding his beret, which somehow magically stayed on his head the entire trip. The man certainly had style. "They're here for me! Get yourself and Eden to safety, I'll catch up later."

"Like hell!" I seethed, but it was too late - I saw a flash of his white robes as he hopped off the wagon while it was still moving. Landing onto the ground and going into a rather graceful roll, he speedily popped back up to his feet.

I climbed up back onto the roof, since the carriage was now going at normal speed again. Thankfully, there were no more pursuers. Looking back, I saw as about a half a dozen soldiers had caught up with Ezio, who simply stood there, blocking their way over the bridge. I didn't miss him hurl off a few vicious taunts and insults, mostly involving the bed-related activities of some of the guards' mothers. Followed by his gleeful laugh, the sound of metal clashing on metal drifted past my ears as Leo drove the carriage around a narrow bend. I bit my lip, cursing under my breath.

"Che idiota!"

"He knows what he's doing," Leonardo sighed in reply. He was still shaken from the more than bumpy ride, but he sounded confident.

"That noble trait of his is going to get him killed one day," I muttered, trying to calm my near-shattered nerves, and get the pumping of adrenaline out of my ears. "I just hope it's not today."

---

Forli was a grim place, worse than Monteriggioni before any of the buildings were fixed. It was cold, wet, dark and dank. The skies overcast and gray, a lingering mist made everything even damper, if that were possible. The area outside the walls was almost completely consumed by the swamps, most of the houses abandoned. The walls themselves were an unpleasant shade of gray, their ancient stones slashed with green algae crawling up from the waterline of the moat surrounding them. The people were also far from cheerful, glaring at the carriage as it drove by, going around the walls to the docks. I didn't mind the dirty looks one bit - I'd seen worse. But Leonardo was constantly glancing around, curious and nervous at the same time.

"Ah, how lovely," I commented as we finally came to a stop. "Watch your step, or you'll get some of the local culture on your boots."

"Have you been here before?" Leonardo asked, holding out his hand to help me get down, probably out of habit and manners. I shook my head, simply hopping down.

"No, but I've lived in a place that's just about as depressing and muddy as this one."

"And where is that, if you don't mind me asking?" he asked curiously.

"No where important. I'm sorry, Leo, I don't like speaking about it."

"Of course." He seemed a little confused, but let it go. "Would you mind helping me carry these on board?" he opened the door of his carriage.

"Sure. Am I allowed on?" I asked, easily picking up one of the crates. "The man in front of the boat looks suspiciously like a bouncer."

"Bouncer?" he replied with confusion.

"Security," I shrugged.

"Oh, I see. I'm sure we can figure something out." I nodded and followed him as he walked towards the man. I noted that he kept his hands free.

"And who are you?" the man snorted with annoyance. I could plainly tell that he was already bored with asking the question over and over again. And irritated to be even doing this thankless job in the first place.

"Leonardo da'Vinci, and that's my assistant. I have a pass right here," Leonardo presented a letter. The bouncer barely spared the parchment a glance, mainly focusing on the seal and signature, and waved his hand. Either he didn't recognize me as a woman, or simply didn't care. Another man walked towards us, helping carry all the things on board.

"Thanks," I whispered to Leonardo as I set the crate down in the cargo part of the ship.

"Oh course. Now, we just have to wait for Ezio to make it here, and we'll be on our way to Venezia."

"We might have to wait a while longer, then, it seems," I muttered, crossing my arms.

"What do you mean?"

"The fact that Ezio just trotted past on a horse around the city walls."

"Did he? Well, we still have time. Maybe he's making sure none of Borgia's men followed," Leonardo shrugged, watching more of his belongings being carried onboard. The sailor helping us looked at the flying machine with confusion, unsure how to get it below decks to the luggage hold safely.

We'd arrived a lot earlier than needed, due to the speed we gained while trying to lose the soldiers on our tails. I sighed heavily, glancing around the docks. Aside from dirty fishermen, drunks, random fishnets, loose boards, brown grass, and misty water, there was nothing here worth noting. How this hole could be this crowded, I'd never know. It wasn't even raining - the fog just hung in the air heavily, clinging to my clothes and blurring my vision. Or maybe it was the exhaustion I felt.

Ezio showed up twenty minutes later. I was sitting on one of the crates on board, leaning onto my hand, half asleep. I barely noticed Leonardo come off the ship to greet him, opening my eyes slightly, feeling as if little weights were tied to my eyelashes.

"Ezio! Over here!" Leonardo waved his hand, though I think the young assassin already saw him. His hood was thrown back for once, his black hair looking slightly ruffled, as were his robes. It looked like he even missed a few lacings along his doublet beneath his robes. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes, everything is fine, my friend," he smirked. Well, something went well for him, I distantly thought, far to tired to think on it any more.

"All aboard!" The bouncer called, sounding very bored. I perked up slightly, though still refusing to lift my head up.

"Well, this is us," Leonardo stepped onto the board connecting the docks and the boat. But as Ezio tried to pass, the man stopped him.

"Where's your pass?" the bouncer demanded.

"What pass?" my partner in crime seemed confused.

"Who invited you to Venezia?" I almost groaned. So now he started to do his job properly?

"Uhh... no one."

"No pass, no entry!" he snapped. I sighed, leaning my forehead onto my hands again. I was too tired for this.

"Don't worry, I'll think of something," Ezio called out. I opened one eye to glare at the assassin. The ship was leaving in about fifteen minutes. What was he going to come up with? Sneak on board? Bribe the bouncer? Hell, stab the bouncer? Well, that'd be way out of line, considering his understandable aversion to knifing innocents. Maybe swim after the boat? That would be entertaining to watch, of course, but...

---

Ezio looked around in thought. The violent waves crashed against the docks, not helping his concentration one bit. How could he get on board? It was vital to get to Venice, and there was no other way of doing so other than by ferry. He didn't know how Eden managed to get past the stern old man checking the passes, because as far as he knew, she was not invited by anyone onboard.

The clock was ticking though. He considered walking away to swim around and climb on board, but he'd be easily noticed. Paying off the boarding man didn't look like it was going to fly, either. So what was there left to do?

"Don't just stand there! I need help!" the scream interrupted his thoughts. He glanced around, his eyes searching for the source of the infuriated yelling. Soon, he spotted a young, beautiful and richly dressed, red haired woman, standing on one of the large rocks in the middle of the swamp. How she managed to get there without soaking her dress, was a mystery. The corner of his lips pulled up slightly, as he looked around again, and spotted a gondola not far from where he stood. It didn't seem like anyone else was in a hurry to save her, and he always did have a thing for damsels in distress. Leonardo threw him a curious look as he made for the small boat, but didn't ask any questions.

The woman noticed him as he made his way to her, rowing somewhat awkwardly. Her yells dying on her lips, she arched a questioning brow, especially as he made his way closer. The water was calmer here, and he had little trouble steering around the stones and docks.

Lithely jumping from the boat onto land, he bowed. "Madonna," he greeted respectfully, offering her his hand. She rewarded him with a grateful, if controlled smile. As she carried herself with a noble's grace, she must have been important. Perhaps this is the key to getting on board of the ferry to Venice, he mused.

"Oh, you are good," she silkily replied, comely face made even more stunning by her sparkling blue eyes and knowing smile, "The ladies must like you." Taking his hand and lifting the hem of her skirt with her own, she stepped into the gondola, taking a graceful seat. As he began rowing again and heading back to the docks, she blithely said, "Thank you, Ser...?"

"Ezio. Just Ezio," he smoothly said as charmingly as possible. And it was quite charming.

"Very well. My name is Caterina. Now, we must find a suitable reward for you," she replied almost suggestively, her voice pleasant and even. "Would you have anything in mind?"

"There is, perhaps, one thing..."

"I'm all ears."

---

"Ezio, do you know who that is?" Leonardo asked, leaning onto the railing on the side of the boat.

"My next conquest?" the man blithely replied, voice low with suggestion and watching out of the corner of his eye as the woman cursed and yelled something at a man on the dock. A light smirk played on his lips.

Leonardo let out a short laugh, "I don't think so. That is Caterina Sforza, Lady of Imola and Forli. Her husband-"

"Husband?!"

"…Is the Duke of Forli! That woman is powerful and dangerous as she is young and beautiful." Turning around to catch a last glimpse of her, Ezio leaned onto the rails, still smiling.

"Sounds like my type of woman," he smoothly replied. Leonardo rolled his eyes, and then suddenly glanced at Eden, who was sleeping on the stacked crates.

"You have a death wish, then!" Eden said from her spot on the crated, one eye open. "Women like her usually kill off their husbands fairly quickly. Lovers, even faster."

"What's your point?"

"Unless you want to realize that the pepper in your soup isn't actually pepper at all, keep away from her," she made a rolling gesture with her shoulders.

"I take it you don't like her?"

"Me? No, she's my hero, role model, whatever," she grinned, eyes lighting up with genuine admiration. "Did you hear her swear at the fat guy on the docks? Priceless. The woman has enviable talent, and questionable sanity," she smiled slightly, closing both her eyes now.

"Have you heard of her-?"

"Shh. Sleeping," she muttered. Leonardo looked at her with amusement.

"Where did you find her, my friend? She's really something."

"What do you mean?" the former noble was taken by surprise.

"Nothing at all. Except it seems to me that our friend is not so innocent herself."

"What gave it away? The amount of weapons on her?" Ezio asked, unsure where this conversation was heading.

"And the fact that she has blood on her at all times. You have to take better care of her, Ezio," the artist shrugged, looking at him somewhat reproachfully.

"She can take care of herself, trust me."

"Perhaps. Yet she looks very..."

"Sweet and harmless while sleeping? Yes, I've noticed. But believe me, my friend, when she's awake, she's as far as you can get from that."

---

I woke up somewhere in the middle of the trip, noting the slight change in temperature. It was warm. Very warm. Opening one eye, I quickly realized I hadn't moved from the crates, and the boat was still floating somewhere. The weather remained somewhat sad and overcast, and the air biting my cheeks with cold. The source of the warmth was my own cloak that was spread over me, something I did not remember doing before. And the fact that I'd slumped against Ezio's shoulder in my sleep. His Medici cloak was draped across my lap, accounting for even more warmth.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." Ezio's voice made me jump, and I turned my head slightly, "You were shivering."

"Mmm," I hummed, still mostly asleep. Glancing over to him with my eyes half closed, he was sitting beside me, looking into the waves thoughtfully. "You need a shave. And a bath," I wrinkled my nose.

"Why is that?" he raised an eyebrow, glancing at me. I smiled slightly.

"You smell of sex." He silently arched a brow, neither admitting nor denying a thing. "And you have hay in your hair." Sitting up, I reached over to pick some of it out of his loosely tied pony tail and hood. "What have you been doing? Or, who, I think is the better question?"

He chuckled. "A rather charming woman by the name Amelia."

"Considering you're here, I suppose it didn't work out? How are you? Dying of heartbreak, hopefully?" I breathed deeply, closing my eyes again. Between him and my cloak, I was rather warm, though still very tired. I didn't want to argue, but the last comment came out slightly more angry than I intended. While I was worrying about whether or not he'd even show up, he was frickin' sleeping around on his way?

"Not jealous, are you?" he asked slyly, and I snorted.

"Keep dreaming. I Just don't understand what such beautiful women like Caterina Sforza see in a dirty assassin like you."

"I'll just assume you're joking, to avoid a blow on my ego."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night. How long until Venice?"

"Not long. We should be there within the hour."

"And where's Leonardo?" I was too lazy to actually look around for the artist.

"Around somewhere. Actually..." he looked around, "Now that you mention it, I'm not sure."

"Well, damn. We lost Leonardo," I said in monotone. I really didn't care at the moment.

"I'm sure he's just looking around bellow deck." He didn't seem in a big hurry to find his friend, either. After a short silence, in which I managed to lean against his shoulder again and almost fall back asleep, he suddenly asked, "Do you know if that thing can actually fly?"

I twisted my neck to follow his gaze. He was looking at the flying machine with some curiosity and skepticism.

"Well, I can't tell you that, now, can I? How about you try and see how fast you end up a pancake on the ground," I sighed, and shivered again, wrapping the cloak tighter around myself. It was getting colder the more North we moved. By my guess, it was technically the middle of winter right now, though it was not nearly as cold as New York at this time. There was no snow, either. The winter here was more like mid fall in America. Which made me a little sad - I loved snow as much as I loved rain. "Just wake me up when we get there."

"Very well," he quietly replied.

I closed my eyes again, and fell asleep. For once, without any dreams. Just the familiar warmth of an assassin beside me, and the crashing of the waves filling my ears.