A/N- I am sorry to announce that I am taking yet another break from writing- I need to gather my thoughts, because at the moment, they are all over the place, not to mention I'm falling a bit behind on the writing. I grovel at your feet and beg for forgiveness, but I promise that this story isn't dead, and I will start updating again in about three weeks.
Also, I ask you not to judge Eve too harshly. Considering she was raped at the age of thirteen, she has every right to be mistrustful of males in general except for the obviously harmless ones, as some people as traumatized to the point they cannot stand to be in the same room with men for years. And the thing with Eden became more a matter of pride rather than actual grudge. So... just be patient with her.
I think a full minute passed, yet I couldn't stop staring at my sister.
There were, of course, times where I'd stop to wonder what she looked like. I knew that we looked alike when we were children, but things may or may not have changed. Wondering about her always brought on a new wave of both frustration and guilt. And yet, there she was, my biggest regret, standing in front of me. Suddenly, I had no idea where we stood anymore.
Her hair had grown very long, currently pulled into a loose pony tail that fell in a small waterfall of soft brown curls. Her face was mature, unmarked by scars, and nearly flawless. Like me, the skin was porcelain, the sharp eyebrows contrasting with the light complexion. But that's where the similarities ended. Looking at her, I don't think any man would be able to find something to complain about. But to me, she looked so much like mom used to, it literally almost took my breath away. The only difference was her dark, forest green eyes, so uncannily like our father's. Well, that and the absence of an angelic smile that was always on Mom's lips.
She surveyed me with just as much curiosity, but when she finally met my eyes, they were bitter, sad, and even nearly incensed. I found myself unable to stare back, which, in and of itself was unusual.
Absently, I noted that now I was much older than her; while she remained nineteen, I was already twenty three, having spent three years in what seemed like another, better reality.
"You look like you've seen a ghost," she muttered, her voice mocking and cold. I found myself frowning before I could catch myself. For I learned long ago that with Eve, there was no hiding. "But never mind that now… lets get out of this mess you've made, first."
"What do you mean that I made?" I retorted, though my voice was barely above a whisper, "And how do you know about it?"
"Now is really not the time," she grumbled, already heading towards a little indigo car that was still running. As she got into the drivers seat, I circled around and climbed inside without hesitation.
Ezio, looking a bit unsure, tentatively followed Jake into the back. From the review mirror, I could see him gingerly touching everything, from the window, to the seat, to the door handle. Running his hand along the interior, he stared at it, as though it would suddenly speak and tell him its secrets. Thank God he never seemed too superstitious. Otherwise, he'd likely be tossing out accusations of witchcraft at every little thing that crossed his vision in this era.
Rolling his eyes, Jake speedily attempted to reach over Ezio and strap him in with the seatbelt. But Ezio narrowed his eyes, hand flying out to snatch Jake's wrist in midair. A feat that was in itself impressive to those who knew Jake. "What are doing, amico?"
"Assuming that last word wasn't an insult," Jake tried to vainly yank his wrist from his grip, and seemed genuinely surprised when he failed. "I'm putting on your seatbelt."
"Che cosa?"
"Eden?" Jake snorted, meeting my eyes in the rear-view mirror, "Translation for the pretty boy?"
"I'm not pretty, boy," Ezio grit, hand tightening so quickly around Jake's wrist that he winced, his eyes widening at how fast the assassin moved, "And it means 'What.' As in 'What is this?'" he tugged at the seatbelt, dropping Jake's wrist.
"Oh, I'll be sure to use a more manly term in the fut-"
"The car goes extremely fast, Ezio, compared to… what you're used to," I quickly said, cutting off the cutting remark, my gaze snapping to Eve as she made various sounds of annoyance. "So if we get into an accident, you don't want to go flying out the window and possibly to your death. Think of this as a carriage," I waved, "A very fast one. With a breakable window in front."
"Now see?" Ezio pointed at me, smirk in place as he snapped the seatbelt together himself, figuring out what to do quickly, "That wasn't so hard, now was it, amico?"
"Asshole," Jake muttered, flexing his fingers and rubbing his wrist. "I'm not trying to murder you, you imbecile, you could at least-"
"Play nice," I snapped again. The men were not getting along very well, I noted, though I already was barely paying attention at this point, somehow I knew that if it weren't for me, Jake would be threatening to slice up Ezio's "pretty face" via some creative and very violent way, a threat after which Ezio would likely stab him in the throat with one of his hidden blades. Thankfully, he wasn't wearing either of them at the moment. Because if I was a betting woman, I'd put my money on Ezio getting the drop on him first. Nothing personal to Jake, but Ezio was…not to be trifled with, be it in his own era or mine. Not to mention that after putting Jake's life at risk, I'd really rather him make it out in good health.
"Where are going?" I asked sharply, getting away from the two dangerous men bantering between themselves and onto business.
"Anywhere," Eve shrugged, driving out onto the road and out of town. "Your friends will be here in five minutes."
"What?"
"The big one didn't feel like waiting for your boss' say so."
"Garrett never had much self-control," Jake grumbled with distaste.
Inside the gang, we kept an air of...say, unwilling comrades. We worked together more often than not, and could rely on anyone for help, but we still bitterly hated each other. Garrett and Jake were always arguing and fighting, Millie was my self-proclaimed rival, and Kyle and Jordan just watched from the outside with arrogance and irritation. In a way, it was a good strategy that Larry worked out. In case one of us decided to leave "illegally," the others would jump at the chance to kill him. The younger members were no exception, as a lot of the training also taught them to hate the teachers.
As for Jake and me? Well, I suppose you could say we were a special case. He, despite his somewhat scary appearance and hoarse voice, was actually a better person than some. At first, I had a sense of debt to him. But after saving his ass a few times, we settled on friendship. Larry looked down on it, but didn't interfere, though in vein- if he kept to his methods, slipping past his fingers would have been a lot harder. Not to mention we'd have one more person on our tail.
"We don't have time to cover our tracks," I noted.
Jake agreed. "If we can get away fast enough, and then find somewhere to lay low-"
"I know a place. I've arranged everything." Eve was amazingly calm in the situation, driving along the road exactly at the speed limit, as if not rushing at all.
"But how-"
"When we get there," she shushed me again, and I threw Ezio a helpless look. He shrugged, showing that he had just about the same level of understanding as me.
We continued driving, and I couldn't help but throw frequent glances in the rear-view mirror. A few times my heart jumped painfully when I thought I saw Garret's car, but then I calmed myself down. At one point, realized I was just being paranoid, and I had better things to focus on. Like the fact that it's my sister! Right there, within a meter of my reach for the first time in years!
My excitement soon waned, however, as she spared me no more looks, remaining coolly distant. Eve turned corners, sped up and slowed down a few times, as if following some internal instructions, though nearly straining her eyes to look at the flashing highway signs. A breath of frustration, and then one of thought as she turned to a pebbled road.
"What are you doing?" Ezio was the first to break the silence. "Going to the country? You have an estate there?"
At the mention of an "estate," Jake shot him a look of disbelief and utter confusion, almost as if silently saying "Where the hell did you drop from?"
"We won't get far in this weather, Ezio," Eve replied to him without turning. All three of us looked outside the windows at the same time. But aside from a few nasty clouds, I didn't understand what she meant.
Then I realized that she just called Ezio by name and they were not even introduced yet. "How do you know-"
"I know a lot of things," she cut me off. "I know their names," she nodded to the back seat, "I know where you've been, and I know where you come from. Now be quiet because I want to get to shelter before it starts raining."
"Raining?"
Indeed, the rainclouds formed within moments over our heads, thick and glowing an unfriendly dark gray. The first drops made themselves known, splashing onto the windshield forcefully. After the first few, however, it was like some mischievous god overturned an endless bucket of water over our location. Vision was obscured, the lights of other cars were guessed, rather than seen. The ground under the tires quickly became soft and muddy.
But we already made it to Eve's destination. It happened to be a large house hidden from sight by thick trees, the sign in front of which offered vacancy. I concluded it was a guest house or a lodge of some sort, likely housing passing hunters and people like us that got caught by bad weather.
"I've been accounting on this for weeks now. I even had to resurface just so you'd pick up my trail," Eve threw in, though that answered almost none of my questions.
"Can you at least tell us where the hell we're headed?" I finally asked, as I considered that we "got there." She glanced at me out of the corner of her eyes, and shrugged.
"A small community five hours northwest of here. It's well-hidden, so the trick is finding it. We'll spend the night here while the thugs pick up a false trail that was laid out."
"A false-" Jake repeated, shocked. "How the hell did you know we were coming?"
"Ask Eden, she was the one to give me this thing," Eve snapped, her patience even shorter with him than with me. Her hand reached up to her collar, and she pulled out a thin, golden chain. A glittering pendant in shape of a leaf with a tiny snake coiled around it at a strange angle dangled gently, glinting from a non-existent light source.
The owners of the hotel were a polite middle-aged couple, who greeted us warmly and without questions. As the landlady mentioned in the process of showing us the rooms upstairs, they made their home into a hotel once all their children left for college. That left many rooms unoccupied, the inside nice and neat. Despite the rain pouring outside, the house looked cozy and welcoming. Even the pleasant smell of freshly-baked cookies was in the air.
Though it was Eve who brought us to the lodge in the first place, I was the one paying. I didn't mind, as I had more than enough money saved up that I cared nothing for. Not to mention, Mrs. White (the landlady) was almost pleased to receive cash instead of a check or credit.
"There's not many people going through here this season," she explained as she showed us around upstairs, "But it's nice to have people in the house again. I'm making dinner in about an hour. You should be able to find everything in the bathroom and wardrobes, but and if you need anything at all, don't hesitate to ask."
I smiled sincerely at the woman, feeling that she was not just being polite - she was one of those people that enjoyed taking care of others and making people happy. Her husband was an interesting combination of a seasonal hunter and painter, his workshop set up away from the house as to not spread the smell of paint and blood. He was a pleasant man, however. Eager for a conversation, or better yet, a friendly argument, he seemed to put everyone at immediate ease.
Ezio seemed a bit surprised by the contrast of this home with my apartment. But ever since the seatbelt incident, he learned to hide his curiosity better. Jake calmed down as well. No longer jumping at any sudden sound, or tossing out insults to the "pretty boy," he seemed to be falling into his regular self. While Eve... she just looked business-like the entire time.
Well, what was I expecting? That she'd squeal about it being a long time and how she missed me, ask me how I've been, and then wonder when the wedding date is? I mentally cursed myself for the tiny bit of hope that I felt.
Ezio and I got the larger room, with a wide bed. But I didn't even mind sleeping on the floor if it meant we would be safe, something that Eve assured us we were for the next five hours. When asked to elaborate, she just told us to get cleaned up and reorganized.
"I get this feeling," I growled, dumping my bag onto the bed, searching through it. Almost out of habit, I expected to see the usual things in it, like a first aid kit, knives, clothing, a pouch filled with gold florins. It took a second for me to remember that bag remained on the bed in Venice of the fifteenth century. All I found in this one was the stuff I shoved in it on a quick sweep around my apartment. "-that she's just stalling."
"She's an ally," Ezio shrugged, carefully sitting down onto the deep red comforter on the bed, "And she's your sister, so I don't think she's leading us into a trap."
"I meant, she likely doesn't even know how to begin explain all this." I tugged my laptop out, letting it bounce briefly onto the bed. I glanced at the bottle of vodka with some temptation, but sighed, and let it stay in its spot. Never know when we might need a disinfectant. And I'd quit drinking. Or rather, I wouldn't say no to ale or wine when friends offered, but just stop drinking to the point of a stupor. To tell the truth, I never really needed to in the past two years. "Or she just likes toying with our curiosity," I continued, glancing over the laptop screen and meeting Ezio's gaze, "Though I never observed that trait in Eve, she could have changed over the years."
"She seems...reasonable enough. I mean, I almost expected thunder and lightning, from your descriptions of her," he arched a doubtful brow.
"As did I," I pressed my lips into a thin line, "Or at least some sort of surprise, or at the very least, you know, care. I was already thinking how the hell we were going to talk her into moving, and then she goes and does a stunt like this. Almost kills the purpose of coming to rescue her, no?"
"Are you okay?" he gently asked, watching as I set up the laptop on the small table. It'd been so long, it took a little bit to remember where everything went.
"I'm just fine." My voice didn't really show it - it was a bit more high pitched and uneven than usual. "Did I at least expect some sort of reaction from her? Yes, but maybe it's better this way. Maybe I was just stupid to think I can still fix anything between us..."
"Come now, she's still family," he quickly said, "I'm sure she'll come to. Maybe she just needs a bit of - what are you doing?" he pointed at laptop as I clacked away on the keys.
"Huh? Oh. This is a computer." The vaguely familiar loading screen finally appeared, and the laptop began to whir. "Remember the T.V.?"
"The soul-box? Si..." He came over to hang over my shoulder, curious, but no longer threatened by the technology.
"Well, it's sort of like that. Except it does a lot more than show stuff. I can use it to play games, write documents, and check the internet-"
"Inter…net?"
"And before you ask," I quickly continued, "The internet is like archives. But you can pick what you want to find, from a distance. It's like a library of sorts, as I can find just about anything there."
"That's… useful."
"Mmm. I thought I'd check a few things out, like what happened in the three weeks that I was missing."
"Wait, so can you find any sort of information?"
"Well, yes, just about. As a fairly new saying goes, if someone out there thought about it, its on the internet," I left the Rule 34 part out, just in case. Delighted to find connection, I loaded up the browser. The laptop was fairly new since I only bought it about six months before I disappeared, so it snapped to attention without problems.
"Hm. The wonders of the human imagination," Ezio mumbled with fascination. "Leonardo would find this astounding," he fleetingly smiled.
"You're friends with him and you're still surprised?" I smirked at him, and he grinned in reply, "But you're right, humans can create really strange stuff sometimes. And yet it becomes just another aspect of our daily lives. Anyway, computers are really Jake's forte - he's very good at getting into places that you're not supposed to be, while I only remember how to do a basic search... Hm."
"And what have you found?" Ezio asked, staring at the screen. He reached out to touch it, withdrawing as though surprised to find his fingers still intact.
I scanned through the dates and news. "Not much has changed, it seems. It's almost strange...just petty crimes, minor bills. But nothing major seems to be happening, in America or the rest of the world. I don't think they've ever gone one week without reporting some sort of terrorists or something about an oil spill."
"Oil?" Ezio asked. "Or perhaps I should just take what you say as true," he grinned at seeing my expression at his constant questions. "That's not good," he nodded to the laptop, understanding my suspicions; there was always something happening, and if there wasn't, we just didn't see it yet.
"It's like the calm before a storm," I chewed on my lip, going back to the search engine. "How about..." I typed in "Abstergo." My father mentioned it in one of the scenes we viewed in the Apple, when he said he was going to go to Europe to "investigate."
"Are you thinking of revenge?" Ezio asked, gaze narrowed. I didn't blame him, considering he'd understandably made such his life's mission. I would have as well, but I shook my head. We had more important things to do, after all. Besides, did I have the desire to hunt down the reason of my father's death? Strangely enough, no. Don't get me wrong, I hated the fact that he was taken away from us and that his departure made everything literally go havoc, but... It's been a long time. What's done is done. I just wanted to focus on the mistakes I could still fix.
"I'm not quite that suicidal. As far as I can tell, it's a huge company with plenty of power and contacts in the right places."
"Si. I'd really rather deal with this mess with Larry and your sister. At least before we go and have someone else coming after us in an attempt to kill us."
The company was a medical research group, with a distinct triangle for a logo. Stationed all over Europe and North America, they developed and tested drugs and chemicals. Almost a completely innocent cause, if you didn't bother to look beneath the surface. Of course they couldn't exactly put up "Templar Central" on the front page. That may arise suspicion, though that was just my thoughts.
"You know, I'm surprised at you, actually," I suddenly turned to him. He raised his eyebrows in question. "I thought for sure you'd ask me if we can search up history and dates."
He chuckled, leaning down to place a kiss on my forehead, amused by my assumption. "That's not really necessary. As Federico liked to say, 'What's life without its surprises?'" he smiled.
"You know, I'm really sorry I didn't get to meet him," I placed a hand over his, "He sounds like someone I'd like," I said before thinking. His smile faltered a bit, and he sighed.
"Oh, he was," he gave my hand a light squeeze, before withdrawing. "At one point I thought you'd like him better than me."
"Why? Is he more charming and handsome than you? How is that even possible?" I quietly chuckled, pressing a hand to his cheek, gently tracing over the scar that crossed it. Taking it, he pressed his lips to my palm. I felt a familiar twinge of warmth in my stomach at the gesture when I realized he kissed the burnt mark of my left ring finger.
"Well, let's not get carried away here," the laugh seemed a bit false, "Of course not, but he was older than me. You know, closer to your age. Not that he showed it, though. A natural lay-about. Couldn't get through a single day of work without disappearing from the bank at odd hours. Guess it's no wonder he finally got removed from the payroll..."
I smiled at the fondness in his voice as he remembered his brother. For the first time in as long as I could remember, he seemed able to talk of his family without the heartrending sorrow that seemed to slash through him every time. I knew he would always bear the scar, but it was healing. Though it brought my mind back to my own sibling, who was still pointedly ignoring me.
"Where are you going?" he raised an eyebrow, surprised as I suddenly stood up, my hand slipping out of his, and headed out the door with determination written on my face.
"To get answers out of Eve," I said darkly.
Oh, there would be blood tonight if I didn't get the answers I wanted.
Eve's room was slightly smaller than ours, and seemed to have been remade from a nursery. The walls were a light, sky-blue color, the curtains white and transparent. Eve was lying on the bed, her arms thrown behind her head and her eyes staring thoughtfully at the ceiling. Biting her frowning lips slightly was her usual sign that she was in deep thought. As I entered, her eyes flickered to me once, and then went back to decoding the apparently invisible messages in the ceiling. She didn't even turn her head, or acknowledge my presence in any other way.
Oh, that's just awesome.
I suddenly wasn't sure how to start. Have you ever tried to get a single pickle out of a jar? Easy, right? Well, what if the jar was full, and they were all trying to get out all at once? My thoughts were exactly like those stubborn pickles, locking sides with each other, and preventing me from asking a coherent question.
After a few moments, she finally snapped. "Is there something you need?"
I scratched my nose, not impressed by the icy tone. "Well, explaining how the hell you knew that we were coming to look for you on this specific date would be nice," I sarcastically replied. I had enough games and shushing. Oh, the shushing...
Her eyes stayed on me for another second, noticing the change in my attitude. Then she let out a humph sound. "Fine," she sniffed, curling her lip with derision, until I snapped her a look of warning. At least I still had the power of being the older sibling.
"The Talisman told me exactly when you get back to this time, ruffle feathers again, and go looking for me for one reason or another. Satisfied?"
How the hell can she be so matter-of-fact about this?
"No! That doesn't answer anything," I waved my hands around in added confusion, "Just adds more questions!"
"It's what you asked," she shrugged. The code on the ceiling was more interesting than my confusion.
I nearly growled with frustration. "Where are we going?"
"A community. I said that before, haven't I?"
"Why are we going there?" God, this was turning out to be like a long, drawn-out, root canal. Except I had to restrain myself from strangling a certain someone. A certain someone with a very annoying attitude.
"Because there's someone who wants to see you."
That made me stop dead, processing. Someone wants to see me? I knew she wasn't lying. And based on my instinct, she was still an ally, so she was hardly taking me to see enemies. But who would want to "Wait, The Talisman? Is that what you call it? That's the pedant I gave to you after-"
"Your first kill? A man by the name Tyler Beck, am I right?" she raised her eyebrows. I frowned. I didn't remember telling her that. Then I recalled the specific memory of my father talking to Tyler, about passing the artifact on and him having to die for it to happen. "You guessed right, it's a Piece of Eden. One of the few that's not used for power over people's minds, but nonetheless important."
"-you know I went back in time?"
"You were never this slow." I was not sure how to take that statement. "Yes, I know everything about that. I know who you and Ezio are, I know about the Apple, and our parents, the Assassins and Templars. Or, more specifically, the Talisman knows, and chooses to share with me. Are you done with the interrogation? I was sort of enjoying the peace and quiet."
I blinked. Now instead of frustration, there was curiosity, though Eve's glare showed that she didn't want to talk to me any longer than she had to.
"Fine, last question." I thought for a moment about which of my very many questions I should pick. Then I sighed. "Who do you work as?"
"Excuse me?" she finally turned her head towards me, a look of bewilderment on her pretty face. I didn't reply, as the question was fairly obvious. "I- I suppose you can say I help people. As a doctor, mostly."
"That's not possible," I automatically said, running the mental calculation. She was only nineteen - there was no way she could have finished the required education to be a doctor. As if she read my mind, she snorted loudly. Turning her head away from me to look out the window at the forest that neighbored the house, she seemed momentarily mesmerized by the thick curtain of rain pouring down.
"The artifact taught me everything I needed to know. Plus, it has healing powers." The last sentence was dropped like a dismissal, and I knew that my "audience" was over. Even though it still made little sense. But I would be getting no further answers.
Spoiled princess. I resisted the urge to slam the door as I left, remembering the nice couple downstairs. How things have changed.
I stood still for a bit in the well-lit and decorated hallway, chewing my lip and trying to get my frustrated thoughts into order. Business, survival. That was all that this was to her. I knew it would do no good to beg her for forgiveness, nor would my pride allow it. And forgiveness for what? Trying to protect a family that was steadily falling apart? I knew that I shouldn't have done what I did, but it's not as if I planned for my mother's death. It's not like I wanted to become a killer for an insane maniac. Survival… wasn't it the most base of human instincts?
After a moment, I let out a silent, calming breath. Even if I didn't mean to do any of it, it still happened. And there was no changing that. Might as well put it away from my mind until we finished - whatever it is that we were trying to accomplish. No matter, though, I trusted her when she said we were safe for the night. Though just sitting around worrying about things was definitely far from healthy.
...and what was that wonderfully mouth-watering smell?
After Eden hadn't come back from her talk with Eve, Ezio began to grow a little concerned that they ended up fighting. Really, he didn't understand very well how two siblings could be so cold towards each other. Especially when he thought about Federico, who he was the closest to in his family. Sure, they all had arguments and fights at one point or another, but none of them ever stuck. His family was his core, and no bitterness or enmity flowed between them. He parents, who loved each other unconditionally. Federico, his dearest friend. Claudia, who he protected and laughed with. And dear Petruccio, always in high spirits, despite his constant illness, in whose memory he continued to collect white feathers. Even Mario, who took him in at his most dire hour, training him and granting him his inheritance where his father could no longer do so. He owed his uncle his life.
But seeing the tense silence between two people who looked so alike? Knowing that they were sisters, yet not having one warm word pass between them? It was utterly bizarre.
He remembered Eden commenting once on how family bonds were a lot more easily ripped apart in the "modern" times than during his own time. But he almost refused to truly believe the concept until now. After all, family were the closest people one could ever have. Secretly, he even hoped that perhaps things were not so bad. That the only reason the two women haven't spoke in so long was because of pride and a grudge. That the bonds still held, frayed, but ultimately undamaged. But looking at the way Eve refused to even look at Eden properly, Eden taking no step to apologize, even if just to be official...his hope became bleak.
Ezio got tired of his own curiosity pretty quickly. The world was extremely different than anything he could have imagined in the most drunken sleep. But there were only so many surprises and shocks, he finally decided that there were too many to really take in all at once. After all, were the curtains not the same as in his time? The bed was a bit more...springy and softer, perhaps, but the pillows and blankets were nothing new. After clicking on the "light switch" as Eden called it, and watching the little sun go on and off like magic, he became used to it. And also bored.
Ezio quickly realized Eden was not coming back to the room just yet, and decided to go explore for a bit. He did not remember her cautioning him against it. Even if she did, he was certain he could take care of himself. And what was there to attack, anyway? The middle aged lady seemed perfectly harmless. Unless she was going to run at him with a knife, which he highly doubted, she seemed hardly the type to harbor ill-feelings or criminals.
"Hey, you," he was called as soon as he stepped out of the door. Stopping mid-step, he twisted towards the voice, tensing slightly. "Damn, you're a jumpy one, aren't you?" the laughing voice echoed around him. Ezio quickly found himself instinctively flicking his wrist, snapping out the phantom hidden blade. Except he wasn't wearing it.
But it was just Jake, the man seemingly sticking his head out into the hallway a split-second after Ezio. Jake looked perfectly at ease, his face completely neutral, though it seemed as if he was concealing curiosity. Ezio noted that aside from quick flashes of fear at the mention of Larry, and surprise when Eden dumped on him the fact that she traveled through time, he showed as much feeling as a statue.
He raised an questioning eyebrow. "I have a name, you realize. And it's not 'Hey you,' amico."
"There you go with that fancy language of yours," Jake parried with a twitch of distaste on his lips, "As for your name? Well, you could have fooled me… now get over here; I have a few questions, now that the girls are not here."
Crossing his arms and leaning against the wall, Ezio refused to move, daring Jake to ask him again with a raised eyebrow. His gaze flickering over him with icy, predatory observation, he smirked as Jake rolled his eyes, breaking eye contact. He'd won that standoff. While he trusted that Eden trusted him, and his intuition didn't give any reason to think otherwise, he had absolutely no reason to give the gang member any sort of upper hand. Especially considering he didn't particularly feel like accommodating anyone at the moment.
"Fine," Jake shrugged, "I was only trying to make nice-"
"What do you want?" Ezio quickly cut him off.
"Like a said, just curious, that's all." Sizing him up again for good measure, Ezio finally relented, though he nearly swaggered over to Jake's room.
He stepped away from the doorway, allowing Ezio inside. "So what exactly are you?" It was a strange question. Not "who," and sort of like questioning the obvious.
"Well, I'm Ezio," he slowly said, as though speaking to a particularly stupid child, "So I believe that makes me a human."
"We already established that," Jake wrinkled his nose, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his pants. His leather jacket was discarded on the bed, leaving him in a simple black shirt and jeans, some sort of wide silver bracelet hugging his wrist. Looking closer, Ezio realized it was a miniature clock, like the ones on churches and towers. Somehow, it miraculously ran on its own. "Where did you come from, I mean. And how do you know Eden?"
Ezio finally realized why the guy was sharper with him now rather than earlier. Obviously, he didn't trust him on his own. For all he knew, Ezio was a random man off the streets, using Eden to...that wasn't clear. But the fact remained, Jake didn't know the part where they knew each other for three years already. Or the part where they were engaged.
"Those aren't really questions I can answer without you thinking I'm completely… insane," Ezio settled, slightly unsure how to proceed. He remembered his own reaction to finding out time-travel was possible. He was skeptically disbelieving until Eden managed to prove it to him.
"I already think you both are nuts, along with her sister. Stop playing games-"
"Stop assuming I am," Ezio grinned, though his voice was low and laced with warning.
"Alright then," Jake grit, "Have it your way-"
"Oh it usually is," Ezio carelessly shrugged. He could see Jake flex his fingers, his expression deepening into a scowl. But after a few deep breathes he seemed a bit calmer. Neither of them were this hostile when Eden was with them, but it was still no surprise. Both were alpha-males, if from completely different aspects and times, so it was no wonder that they seem a bit... discontent with each others presence and arrogance.
"Anyway, you mentioned something about the fifteenth century. What is that, another gang?"
"No, we literally meant the fifteenth century," Ezio smirked, feeling strangely smug about it. "And no offense, but I don't like this place too much. How did you manage to dirty a city up so much? Truly, with such wonders in technology, I expected something a bit more...clean."
There was a long silence. Finally Jake snorted. "Fine, I couldn't care less, really. If you don't want to tell me, I get it. Don't play me for a kid though, that's a sure way to lose a few teeth."
"Speak for yourself," Ezio nearly hissed, shoulders squared. Trust or no, Ezio didn't like the way this man easily threw around a threat like that. In his time, such things could quickly escalate into a duel to the death. He wasn't sure of how the rules went here, but honestly, he didn't give a damn at the moment. Let him attack. He's gladly add another painful scar to that face, should he so be inclined.
Jake shot him a look of disbelief at his quick reaction. Fist balled at his sides, he suddenly remembered that Eden would likely not take kindly to him breaking her guest's nose. That seemed to have some influence, because he relaxed again, holding his hands up in a peace-making gesture. "So, how do you even fit into this story?" he almost completely restated his earlier question from a different perspective.
"Well," he slowly began, previous caution reserved for a bit, "To tell the truth, I'm not sure. All I know is that this figlio di una carne-"
"What?"
"'Son of a bitch'" Ezio smirked, translating. Arching a brow, Jake nearly grinned in reply, waving for him to continue. "All I know is that this Larry character chasing after us is the reason Eden can't sleep properly at night. So of course, I want him dead as much as her."
There was a long silence in which Jake was staring at him, as if trying to figure out what he was thinking. Ezio just crossed his arms again, not bothered in the slightest.
Finally, Jake did the last thing that Ezio expected - he threw his head back and laughed. The braying noise reminded him strangely of a hoarse bark- the man was more used to smirking and chuckling, but not sincerely laughing in good humor. "Well, pretty boy, so you managed to get her cold heart to melt. Amazing, considering the last guy to do that died shortly afterward. I hope you're not going the same way?" There was actual concern for Eden in his voice. Ezio furrowed his eyebrows as he wondered at how protective Jake was acting towards Eden. And then he mused over the words themselves.
Cold heart? She wasn't that bad.
"I really have no intention of dying, if that's what you mean," Ezio rolled his eyes. "I've been through worse, I can assure you."
"Well, then, just the usual speech." Jake cleared his throat, and took menacing stance, his voice nearly booming as he warned, "Hurt her, I'll kick pull your intestines from your ass and feed them to you."
And then, Ezio began to laugh. Leaning onto the wall, his hands clutched his stomach, and he couldn't seem to stop until his lungs began to ache. The combination of the threat, plus his constant alternating wonder and fear at this strange, strange, world Eden inhabited flowed into one, long chuckle that he suddenly found the need to unleash.
"Hey, man, I'm god-gamed serious here!" Jake sharply snapped.
"Oh…oh…I'm sure you are!" Ezio declared, straightening himself and wiping a tear from his eye. "Please, mi disapce, forgive me. I mean no insult," he snorted. "I swear, I really don't," he held up his hands in surrender, "I just assumed that we'd already reached this sort of silent agreement," he nodded, voice more solemn. He was beginning to get a little confused with the man - what started as a questioning of trust now became a brother warning his sister's suitor. He has given almost the same speech to a few of Claudia's boyfriends. "Believe me, I have absolutely no desire or intention to hurt Eden, and not just for the fact that she herself could... how did you say it? Pull my intestines from my ass and feed them to me? I'm fairly sure my other internal and external organs would follow shortly."
Take aback, Jake narrowed his eyes. But then his expression slowly became amused, until he shook his head with agreement, giving a dismissive wave. "She would. You know," he continued, grinning again, his voice back to normal, "I think I like you. But that doesn't mean I trust you."
"I'm honored. Truly."
"I'm surprised you don't question me, though. Are you naive, or do you just not care?"
"I know you're not an enemy," Ezio shrugged, "That's enough for me…for now."
"And you don't think of me as a threat?" Jake asked, swallowing back his surprise. "I know Alex used to get jealous as all get-out when Eden ran off on another job with me. Somehow, he didn't get the part that Eden is nothing but a little sister to me. Besides, I take credit for that kid, I taught her everything she knows, and you likely seen her in action already."
"I thought Larry taught her that," Ezio muttered skeptically.
"Larry..." Jake wrinkled his nose. It seemed the two had reached a truce, at least for the time being. Now, he was thinking more rationally about the situation. Perhaps even saying out loud what he would have never said to anyone from their gang. "Larry doesn't teach his students," he frowned, "He tortures them into obedience. I was the one to pick up on the newbies' skills."
The thought of Larry torturing Eden like that made Ezio's desire of the man's death grow further. His fists clenched instinctively, but he hurried to relax as to not give the wrong ideas to his new... friend.
"And how many of them survived?" Ezio asked even though he didn't really want to know the answer to how many people had died in the blind devotion to a man that thought of them as nothing more than weapons. If he didn't know any better, he'd assume the bastardo was a Templar.
"Only Eden. So you might see where I wouldn't want her to fail because of some guy she's known for only three weeks…so, getting back to my question, aren't you even a bit concerned?"
"About you?" Ezio chuckled with utter self-assurance, "Hardly. You may have taught Eden at first. But then she took a more...independent sort of study. More than that, she was the one that taught me. And you realize that it's been three years and not three weeks, right?"
Jake furrowed his eyebrows, searching Ezio's face for any hint of a lie or an attempt to fool him. Finding none, he muttered, "-fuck, what? Three-" his expression changed to one of shock, the mask of neutrality melting away a bit. He gaped slightly, and the scar crossing his face stretched as his jaw fell open. "How is that even-"
"That's why I have no doubt that she can take care of this pezzo di merda Larry. And you, if you turn on us," he laughed, though the sound seemed to snap with glittering, murderous intent, echoing off the walls. "I wouldn't be standing idly by, either," he nodded, "So I can tell you right now that I am not worried in the slightest. Maybe you two were enchanted by him for a good chunk of your lives, or whatever you wish to call it. But all I see is a man who needs to be taught some serious lessons in general civility. And I think the world would rather see him dead than creating more blindly devoted and bloodthirsty killers."
Eyes widening, Jake found himself taking a step back, despite that Ezio never bothered to move from his spot, where he casually leaned against the wall. "Who the hell are you?" he finally asked hoarsely. Ezio sighed.
I am an Auditore, an Assassin by inheritance and training… and a decent human being.
"Haven't we gone over this?" The conversation was beginning to run in circles, and his patience was starting thin. Finally, he took pity on the man, and changed the subject. "How about you tell me if we're actually not going to be bothered by the pursuers? At least until we figure out a plan, eh?"
"That is...questionable." Jake seemed to be more at ease with a topic he could actually keep up with. "Millie is an excellent tracker, but I don't think there were any tracks for them to follow. They'll realize we took a different turn when they get to the next town, false trail or no. They're human too, so they will likely spend the night there and regroup."
"Millie? I haven't heard of her. There are other women in the gang?" Ezio raised an eyebrow. Eden never talked much about the members, other than Jake and Larry.
"Obviously. If you're really from the Renaissance, then let me teach you a quick lesson in regard to sex discrimination and division: Young girls don't differ from boys all that much and can get into places men can't. Millie joined a year after Eden, but she trained with Larry himself only. She's a bit...worse in terms of determination. I don't think there anything she wouldn't do to please Larry," he curled his lip in disgust.
"And the other girls?"
"Where do you think?" The man got out a package from his pocket, and took a thin roll of paper out of it. The smell of something heavy and acrid hit Ezio's nose as Jake took out a lighter, and walked over to the window, righting the end while putting the other into his mouth. "In the ground."
"Ah," the assassins uncomfortably replied.
"Just keep your knife close tonight, that's all I can say. Don't know how Eve figured everything out, but everyone makes mistakes."
Just in that moment, there was a polite knock on the door. The two men froze, and looked at it with caution, their hands moving towards the closest weapons. But the voice was of the land-lady, calling them down for dinner.
"We'll leave this conversation for later." Jake took his jacket with him, just in case, and headed out the door. Ezio was quite hungry himself, and the smell coming from downstairs was pleasantly tickling his nose.
Eve was already sitting at the large table that was covered in a flower patterned cloth, drumming her fingers lightly on the surface and staring out the window almost dreamily. She looked as if her thoughts were far away, almost as though having an internal conversation with herself. Or the Piece of Eden, Ezio noted. Perhaps that was the case. She showed her acknowledgment to Ezio and Jake with a stiff nod and a forced looking smile, but didn't invite a conversation.
The owner of the house was sitting on the other end of the table, though his reaction to the appearances of guests was a lot more pleasant and enthusiastic.
"Hope you don't mind, since usually we have tables out in the back yard. But it seems as it is going to rain for a while," he informed them as they sat down opposite of each other.
"It's no trouble," Ezio smiled cheerfully, at the same time as searching for Eden. She was not in the room. "Would you know where Eden went?"
"She went outside for a bit, though I can't imagine why she'd want to in this weather," Signora White told him as she set down a large platter of veal right in the middle of the table. Ezio immediately relaxed; Eden was still in the habit of exploring a location before sleeping there.
If she gets a cold, it'll be completely her fault.
"Her loss! This looks delicious!" Jake didn't wait for anyone, beginning to pile food onto his plate eagerly. Eve limited herself with salad, for some reason, still looking far away as she ate.
"So you're leaving tomorrow?" the man asked as he followed suit after the guests began eating. The food tasted good, Ezio noted, though Eden said that much of the food here was chemical and modified. Apparently, people no long found the need to buy it fresh since they figured out how to store it for a longer period of time. But the meat seemed natural enough, as if it was recently hunted, and the vegetables in the salad were fresh. They tasted different, but not necessarily worse than what he was used to.
"We're just passing through." Eve seemed a lot more content with the landlord, her smile actually genuine. It nearly startled Ezio, it was so similar to Eden's. But only superficially, he realized after a moment. Eden's was usually happy, cheerful, and very contagious. Eve's just seemed almost... hurt, somehow, and could be compared to that of a martyr saint's.
"A road trip, then? We mainly get hunters here, and of course, campers that get caught in the rain. Where are you going?"
"Making our way to Philadelphia, visiting relatives." She lied flawlessly, her face not giving away any insincerity. "It's raining pretty badly, so we thought we'd stop here for the night, then continue on after it calmed down."
"Oh, our middle daughter goes to a college there. She visits occasionally-"
At that moment, the front door opened quietly. Ezio's head immediately turned towards the noise to see Eden, slightly wet, coming inside the house. He assumed she hadn't gone far, just staying on the front porch under the protection of the roof, or she'd be a lot wetter.
"Welcome back," the landlady smiled in greeting. Eden fell into the chair beside Ezio, smiling back. She definitely looked more at ease than before, moving back to being her usual self.
"Did you find anything?" Ezio asked the question to make it sound like a joke, when really, he was truthfully asking. But there was no need to scare their hosts.
She shrugged with an easy smile. "I came to the conclusion that it is raining outside."
"Did you figure that out before or after you got wet?"
She swiftly kicked his shin under the table, her smile growing wider as she joined the meal. He noted she glanced at Eve, but only once, enthusiastically taking part in the conversation that Jake was having with the hunter about rifles. Ezio wasn't really sure exactly what they were saying - it was all strange names and numbers, something called recoil, shooting speed and weight. Leonardo would've loved it though…
Eve didn't say a word through dinner, finished first, politely thanked the woman for the food, and retired.
I didn't sleep well that night, but for different reasons than before. The persistent tapping of the rain on the window didn't have any sort of rhythm really, just dropping on different notes at unpredictable times. The trees outside rustled loudly, as if whispering a story to one another, or complaining about the wet weather. Ezio's breathing from beside me was even, showing he was firmly ensconced in deep sleep, though I knew he could wake up at moment's notice and be battle ready in a matter of seconds. It seemed almost a natural gift to him.
Sometime after midnight, I finally gave up, throwing away the blanket and quietly letting my feet down onto the floor. It creaked slightly, but then calmed itself, allowing me to soundlessly walk over to the desk. I was still fully dressed, as were all of us, I'm sure, with knives under the pillows and guns within reach. Just in case Eve made a miscalculation.
My laptop glowed slightly in greeting, and I glanced to the sleeping man on the bed, making sure I didn't bother him. Cracking my knuckles quietly, I went back from the news page that was still open from before the search engine I'd pulled up that afternoon. After a moment of hesitation, I scratched my chin, and then typed in "Ezio Auditore" with the quotations.
Zero results. Even the "I'm Feeling Lucky" button did nothing.
I furrowed my eyebrows. I tried the next name that came to mind- Bartolomeo d'Alviano. Pages of results popped up, including Wikipedia and Italian resource sites. I thought about it for a moment, folding my arms onto the desk.
Machiavelli and Bartolomeo had to be the most famous of the Assassins in the fifteenth century, one as a brilliant politician and the other a talented mercenary leader. I was suddenly sure that if I looked for Paola or Antonio and the others, I would not find many results. Names and traces of connection to the Templar-Assassin war were likely wiped from public. Ezio was completely removed from records after his family was hung for treason. As far as history was concerned, he never existed. I worried my lip as I glanced at the links, and sighed, closing down the browser.
What the hell was I thinking? I had the option to find out about these people, but it would be an irresponsible and stupid thing to do. How could I really look them in the eye knowing exactly what was going to happen to them and the exact date they were going to die?
I glanced out the window, still chewing on my lip in thought. Then I shifted my eyes to Ezio, and realized that he was not asleep any more, but in fact, staring at me with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah, yeah. Curiosity killed a cat and everything, and satisfaction is not a very good method of resurrection," I mumbled, suddenly feeling much more tired as I crawled back into the bed. "I'm sorry."
I heard his quiet sigh as he threw an arm over me, drawing me closer, and mumbling something inaudible and vaguely reproaching into my hair.
But I didn't get the sleep that I really hoped for because at that exact moment, a crash only loud enough to be heard by those awake rang in the night. And it was coming from down the hall, where Jake's bedroom neighbored with Eve's. Ezio and I were on our feet in a flash, sparing a surprised glance at each other. We grabbed our weapons and ran out the door and towards the noise as Jake came out as well, his alarmed expression signaling the crash was not his fault.
"Stop!" I heard Eve's voice before I even managed to get the door open, ignored the command, and stumbled into the room, ready to kill whoever it was that attacked my sister.
But the room was empty. The window was shut tight, no light was on. The only sound was quiet muttering and sobs that came from the foot of the bed. Squinting into the darkness, I felt Ezio and Jake enter the room behind me.
Eve was curled up on the floor, tucked into the corner that her bed made with the wall, gripping her head and chest as if in pain. I approached with caution, scanning her form for any signs of blood, but there was none.
"Eve?" I called softly, wondering what was happening.
"This never happened before..." she hissed, quietly, "Stop talking- I don't understand-"
"Eden, wait-" Jake warned me, but I already crouched beside her. Suddenly, I realized that she was not gripping her chest, but the Talisman, the thin chain tensing in her clutched hand much like a crucifix in a desperate man's prayer. I reached out and touched her shoulder, unsure what else to do, but silently praying it would be enough. At the contact, she didn't jerk away like I expected her, but threw herself into my arms. Shocked, I looked around to the men standing in the doorway, but they seemed just as confused as me. Ezio began to search around the room, opening the window and sticking his head outside, but found nothing, save the rainy night. Jake, on the other hand, just grumbled something, rubbed his head, and headed back to his room.
Eve's entire frame was shaking in my arms, her eyes darting around wildly. She likely didn't even know what was going on at that moment in the real world, trying to sort out this "conversation" with the artifact inside her head, instead.
"Take that thing away from her," Ezio urged, meaning the Piece of Eden. But as I attempted to pry it out of her hands, her wide green eyes turned sharply to me, and her body relaxed.
The situation reminded me of when we were younger, still in a proper family, and Eve saw and heard lightning for the first time. She was terrified of the thunder, and wouldn't calm down until I hugged her and began muttering jokes and teasing her to distract her. Then, it didn't take long for us to begin quietly giggling and chatting, sneaking out to steal something to munch on from the kitchen.
"Let me go!" Her voice was quiet, raspy, but normal this time, the spell she went through gone.
"I'm not holding you," I gently reminded her that she was the one leaning heavily against me. As soon as she figured that out, she shot away from me, scrambling to her feet. I watched her with distant confusion as she opened the window, took the Talisman off her neck, and-
Flung it out the window.
"Eve, did you just totally go insane?" I hissed, jumping to my feet, "What the hell did you just do?"
She glanced at me, her lips pressed into a thin line. I noted that her glare was nowhere near as cold as it was before, but she stubbornly worked on keeping her face irritated. "It's going to come back in the morning. You think I haven't tried doing that before? I've pawned it, I threw it in the garbage, dropped it off a bridge, even attempted to run over it with my car. But every morning I woke up with it around my neck. Right now, I… I just want a good night sleep."
"Would you mind explaining to us what happened just now?" Ezio asked, the last part being garbled and nearly lost by a stifled yawn. It must have been three in the morning or so.
"I don't know," Eve retorted through the teeth, climbing into her bed and pulling her knees up to her chest tightly. "It just... started talking really fast and loud, and I couldn't understand what it was saying.
"Is there danger?"
"No, I know that for sure. It was speaking of about something completely different." Her eyes flashed to me for some reason. "Go get some sleep, we're leaving early," she dismissively said. Once again, her voice shoved me away, its tone slightly mocking, for some reason making me grind my teeth as I almost growled in frustration.
She is impossible! I scowled. Maybe years passed, but she was just as stubborn and proud as ever. And now, there was the added bonus that she was officially determined to hate and infuriate me beyond the point of actually having a civilized conversation.
Ezio quietly groaned for reasons unknown to me, and left through the door. Before I followed him out, I glared at my sister one last time, though it was lost on her, for she had already turned away.
This time, I fell asleep as soon as my cheek touched the pillow.
Morning was quiet. We woke up just after the owners of the house, thanked them for the meal and lodgings, and headed on our way. We only threw a couple words around as we climbed back into the car. Soon we just stared out of the window, bored. Even Ezio seemed comfortable with the "horseless carriage." He didn't fiddle with the seatbelt, roll up and down the window, or tap along the lock, clicking it back and forth. Jake seemed pleased with that, no longer seething and muttering to cut off his fingers. And Ezio no longer continued doing it just to piss him off, smirking all the while.
Well would you look at that, my boys were finally getting along. I thought with some relief and amusement. Let's see how long that lasts.
It was beginning to feel less like a game of tag and more like an actual road trip. I suddenly didn't care where Eve was taking us, or how long it would be until we got there. Mostly because I had a strange feeling that after we got there, I would not see my sister anymore. And no matter how much she irritated me right now, I was not sure I was ready for her to leave again. After all, patching things up was very high on the mental to-do list that I thought up the morning after the Apple forced Ezio and me to pop up back into my apartment.
"So." I jerked out of my thoughts, glancing around to Jake, who put his chin on the shoulder of my seat. "What's Leonardo da'Vinci like?"
I blinked a few times, as if trying to figure out if he actually just asked me that. Then I couldn't help but smile, remembering the adorably-excited and hyper artist.
"Absolutely brilliant. You know the flying machine?"
"Yeah?"
"I helped build it." At Ezio's skeptical stare, I corrected myself, "Fine, I just held it up while he built it, and Ezio tested it out."
"No kidding! For real? And that one," he stole a glance over to Ezio, who flashed him a self-satisfied smile, "Didn't fall down to his death?"
"I almost did," Ezio grumbled. He did not exactly have the fondest memories of that episode. "'Fly towards the fire on a wooden machine, Ezio! It will either lift you in the air or burn you to crisps, and since you don't have a choice...'"
Jake and I laughed at his imitation, and even Eve smiled a bit without turning to us. The situation suddenly felt a lot lighter. It was almost strange, the way that Ezio had the ability to make just about anyone laugh in any situation.
"Wait, how about the tanks and stuff he drew blueprints of? I was always curious about that." I almost forgot the fact that Jake used to be absolutely fascinated by certain aspects of history, da'Vinci's work included. While he wasn't one for dates and battles, he had nearly childish adoration for the wonders of engineering and breakthroughs in science. He loved mechanics, a passion that he got me into as well, even if it was just part-time.
"I've seen most of those plans and sketches, but I don't think he ever made them. His mind usually flies from project to project before he finishes."
"And that stuff from the Da'Vinci Code?"
"I never read the book, Jake," I reminded him. "What in specific?"
"The part with him being part of the Priory of Sion? Worshiping the sacred feminine?" Ezio raised a curious eyebrow at Jake's question.
"That-" I had not heard anything of that. Priory...feminine? Considering the fact that Leo wasn't exactly into women, so somehow, I doubted it. "I don't know, really. Maybe it happens later, he's only about thirty to us, likely even younger."
"Then I won't spoil the ending for you." After a paused, he asked, "You are planning to go back, right?"
"Of course. We still have certain someones to take care of, and I have a student in my care. And, then there is the part that Ezio's remaining family is in the fifteenth century, while I have none here anyway. Well, aside from a very stubborn sister who refuses to even talk to me!"
The mentioned sister didn't react to my pass, and I rolled my eyes, returning to our conversation.
"Sucks. I think I'll actually miss you, kid," Jake tried to poke my forehead, like he used to before, but I was faster, getting my face out of his mini-attack. "I wouldn't want to go back in time though: no computers, no guns, no cars. It's like, half my life wiped out."
"I dunno," I shrugged, "I got sort of used to it." Ezio shot me an amused look, and I couldn't help but return it.
"Are there still whores, at least?" The question was directed to Ezio, who laughed, and nodded, a dreamy look on his eyes. I glared quickly, but then couldn't hold back a smile.
"You men and your fondness for women who have nothing better to do but be used by you," I grumbled. Both men looked at me with reproach, and their synchronized reaction amused me further.
"Eden, you know me. I love every single woman I sleep with." I knew Jake was telling the truth. He had a strong respect for women, even the ones he paid, and I suspected Ezio was the same. Though since Jake's fiancé, Dani, died a few years back, he never really got over it. The whores were just another way of escaping for him, I guessed.
Dani was a sweet, rich girl that accidentally stumbled into one of our regions and drew a few eyes and hands. Thankfully, Jake was close by and saved her from getting robbed and raped. The age-old rule of opposites attracting did its work. They were going to elope behind her parents' backs, but she died in a car crash a week before they planned to do it. It broke him down further, though to those who knew him, he showed little emotion. However, he very nearly killed Garrett when he dared sneer and poke fun at the less-than-funny death.
Jake suddenly remembered what I said earlier. "Wait, Eden, you have a student?"
"Yep," I smiled somewhat proudly at her mention. "Her name is Adel, she nine, but shows a lot of potential."
"What, you're teaching her to spill blood, too?" The atmosphere cooled as the mocking question got past Eve's pursed lips. That was the first time she spoke today.
"Not exactly," I continued as if nothing was out of ordinary. Besides, there was no arguing with the way she said it; blood-spilling was exactly our job. "But since we are her unofficial guardians, we put her into danger. It's best if she knows how to defend herself, or at least hide properly."
"Where are her parents?" Jake raised his eyebrows.
I grimaced. "In a much better place."
"Oh. Well, I suppose it works out, then." At our incredulous stares, Jake corrected himself immediately, "I meant, since you can't have children, and I know you-" He suddenly froze, looking around at Ezio, as if realizing a mistake. But there was no change in either of us, so he calmed down.
"You can't have children? When did this happen?" I noticed Eve's tone melting a bit, likely in pity.
Pity wasn't something I sought. Especially from her.
"Right after you left," I replied with slight accusation, though I knew I was just being immature, "Got a nasty little cut to the stomach, screwed everything up. Wouldn't your Talisman tell you that?" I sniffed. Speaking of the artifact, it was once again glinting around her neck, as if she never threw it out of the window. But honestly, if I hadn't fallen through the space-time continuum, met and fell in love with a 500 year-old, roof-hopping Florentine noble, who inherited membership into a secret cult of supposed killers-for-hire, only to drag him back through to the present, I would've questioned it.
But hell, the rules of reality had been a bit broken as of late. If it can really even be called reality anymore- it just seemed like some novel or video game to me by this point.
"It only tells me what it thinks I need to know," Eve sighed. She likely realized her mistake in joining the conversation, for now the spot light was on her, and she had no way of getting out. "It seems to want me alive, so it tells me when danger is coming. And how to help people who need it."
"I see. So it conveniently forgets to mention details that it considers unimportant?" Jake summed up.
"Yes," she replied shortly. Without warning she twisted the steering wheel sharply to the right all of a sudden, making the entire car jerk and lean on one side. Before any of us understood what she was doing, she did a U-turn off the road, heading straight into a seemingly impassable patch of trees.
"What the hell are you thin-" Jake didn't get to finish the protest, as the car jerked once again. I realized that the forest was not totally solid, it just looked like it from the road. Eve turned onto a track behind it, which was marked only by a gray stone on the right side, and then onto another, leading into the depth of the wood. After a few minutes, she stopped the car and pulled her keys out.
"We're walking from here. It's just another half a mile."
"To where?" I snorted.
"A farm."
"A farm?"
"Jesus, Eden, you're an Assassin. You should know of the hidden communities by now."