Chapter 6

When the sun rose, so did Venice's resident artist along with one of his guests. As he came down from his bedroom he was surprised to see Rosetta sitting at one of the work tables, an apple in one hand and with the other she furiously sketched away at a piece of paper.

"Good morning," He greeted her.

She looked up and smiled. "Good morning, Leonardo. Lovino is still sleeping," she pointed behind her, to the lump of blankets on the floor that moved steadily with the other assassins breathing. The top of her dirty blond head could be seen poking out from between two blankets.

"Ah," Leonardo whispered and moved to sit across from Rosetta. Curiously he attempted to see what she was drawing.

Noticing him, she spun the paper around, showing Leonardo a drawing of the back of someone standing on top of a tower with the sun setting over a forest. He smiled. "This is very good," he handed it back.

"Thanks," the assassin blushed, looking at the table.

"You know there is something I have been wondering about," she looked up. "I must confess it kept me up last night. I was wondering," the artist nervously began fiddling with a paint brush. "Ah, but, why are you helping me? Why are you taking part in this ridiculous plan?"

Rosetta grinned. "Because it is what Lovino wants. Not to mention it will be fun,"

"And why does she wish to participate in this plan?" he looked up at the brunettes face.

Rosetta's smile dropped. "Because she lost the person she loved. She does not want that to happen to anyone else... She will do anything to keep others from feeling the pain she feels. She does not care what gender, or religion or," she smiled. "Creeds people have, she just wants them to love and be loved, despite never being loved in return,"

Leonardo's eyes widened. Lovino in love? It seamed like an impossible idea. The artist could not imagine the loud assassin pining after someone. "What happened to him?"

Rosetta shook her head. "It is not my right to tell you. If she trusts you she will tell you the story,"

Nodding the artist went back to messing with the paint brush in his hands. "So, what about you?"

"What about me?" Rosetta pretended not to hear what Leonardo had asked, preferring instead to go back to sketching.

Leonardo ran the soft bristles of the brush over his fingertips. "Are you in love?"

"Oh," with a sigh she put down the charcoal she had been using to sketch and looked up. "To be honest yes, in fact I am engaged,"

"Really?" the blond smiled. "Congratulations!"

She smiled back. "There is only one problem, I have yet to tell Lovino,"

The artist gave her a puzzled look. "Why,"

"Odd things tick her off," she sighed. "I do not want her to get angry with me,"

"Oh, I would think she would be happy for you," he disagreed.

She just shook her head.

The two sat in a pregnant silence for a moment.

Studding Rosetta's drawing from across the table, while still running the brush over his fingertips, Leonardo spoke up, hoping to brake the tension. "I could teach you,"

Rosetta looked up at him with wide eyes. "Huh?"

"To draw, and paint," he smiled encouragingly at her, so she knew he was not joking. "You are already quite skilled, but there are some tricks I could teach you,"

"Really?" she grinned. "Oh, it would be such an honor!"

Behind her Lovino groaned. "Foooooodd!"

At the unexpected demand Leonardo and Rosetta both laughed.

"One moment," Rosetta stood up, and made her way to the kitchen. "Leonardo, would you like anything?"

"Just a piece of bread," he answered. Smiling he turned to Lovino who was sitting up rubbing her eyes, her hair sticking up in all directions. He noticed that she had taken another one of his shirts to sleep in, that was the third time she had taken one.

Once Lovino had eaten she and Rosetta left to go on errands, collecting supplies for what was to come, as Lovino had put it. For the first time in days Leonardo was alone.

Deciding to enjoy his solitude, he picked up his paint brushes, put fresh pait on to a plate, and worked on the commissions that had been neglected over the fast few days.

Soon he lost himself in the motions of painting. The easel seamed to suck him in, all his problems where gone, there was nothing but him and the paint. It was paradise. A paradise that was so rudely interrupted by a knock on his door, followed by the sound of the heavy door opening.

He turned, slightly annoyed, to see who had entered his workshop.

"Ciao!"

Leonardo felt his annoyance quickly slip away. He could never be mad at the handsome assassin who had just entered the workshop.

"Ezio!" he beamed. "What has brought you back so soon?"

"Can I not just visit my friend?" Ezio grinned in return. "Though actually I came to retrieve the codex page I left with you,"

The blond raised an eye brow. "Codex page? Oh!" he began frantically searching through the piled of paper on the work benches. "I am so sorry! I completely forgot! There was so much going on..." he trailed off. "Where on this good earth did I put it?"

"Non ti preoccupare," Ezio waved a hand dismissively. "It is not urgent that I have it,"

Without ceasing his somewhat frantic search, Leonardo replied. "but I meant to have it done. I am sure you have much more important things to be seeing to and here I am holding you up,"

The assassin smirked at his friends rambling and flustered movements. "It is no trouble, I will help you look for it,"

"Grazie," the two men looked through the papers; however it appeared that lady luck was not on their side. The codex page was no where to be found. The two men searched high and low all over the main part of the workshop for the illusive scroll.

After an hour of searching they where both empty handed.

Leonardo sat on one of the workbenches with a sigh, exasperated as to where the paper could have gone. "I am sorry Ezio..."

With a sigh the brunette sat next to his friend. At some point in the search he had abandoned his cape and many of his weapons. "It must be here somewhere..." he ran a tan hand through his hair, tugging out his pony tail as he did so. "Is there anywhere we have not checked?"

It took Leonardo a moment to realize that Ezio had spoken, he as too focused on the other mans loose hair. It looked so soft, he wanted so badly to run his hands through the dark strands. When he noticed that Ezio was staring at him waiting for a reply he quickly shook his head, and turned his face away, ting to hide the blush that spread across his cheeks. "Uh.. well, there are the rooms upstairs,"

"Let us check there, perhaps you curried the codex page to your rooms with out realizing it," Ezio stood.

"Perhaps," Leonardo stood as well, still pointedly looking away from his friend. "You should check the kitchen and I will check my bed room," He definitely did not want the assassin in his room, not that there was anything incriminating inside, but he did not trust himself with the thought of the handsome assassin so near his bed.

Ezio nodded and headed up the stairs followed closely by the blond, before they turned into separate rooms.

An hour later neither of them had found the illusive page.

Leonardo stood in the kitchen next to Ezio looking around in utter confusion. "Merda!"

The assassins brown eyes widened at the curse. "Calmare, Leonardo. It is here some where,"

"I know..." the artist sighed and moved to lean on the counter, his back to Ezio. "I just do not understand where it went!"

"Uh, Leonar-?"

"What?" he snapped, then jumped with a squeek, as he felt something tug tug at the belt around his waist. Face red he turned to glare at the brunette who stood behind him, a wide grin on his face, and a scroll in his hand.

"I found it,"

Still glaring he snatched the codex page out of his friends hand, and stopped out of the room and down the stairs. Ezio followed him and took a seat at the worktable that Leonardo had begun to work at.

"By the way that noise of surprise you made was quite adorable," the charismatic assassin grinned.

Leonardo glanced up at him with a look that said 'You mention that again and I will rip your mouth off your damn adorable face!' well that went off track fast. He quickly focused back on the old parchment before Ezio could read his expression.

"I will have this done shortly, then you can be on your way,"

Ezio made a noise of unconcern. "Take your time." there was a silence between the two for a small length of time, only the sound of Leonardo's quill scratching broke the quiet.

"Where are Rosetta and Lovino?" Ezio asked, casually.

"I haven't the slightest idea," the blond genius did not look up as he answered.