Ezio feels it the second Desmond leaves. It's strange, the way he's adjusted so quickly to having someone else share his mind. But it's like losing his balance. Ezio stumbles a little, almost knocking over Claudia, who walks next to him as they head to the tunnel in the sanctuary.
"Are you alright?"
"Fine, yea." Ezio says. "Just a little..."
She nods and gives him a look. "I understand," she says. But she doesn't- or not completely. Because she's losing her home too, but Ezio's world is still shaking from Desmond's sudden arrival. "But the people here are counting on you to lead them out."
"I know," Ezio says, and tries not to limp as he hurries into the tunnel. He glances at the statue of Altair as he hurries past. As he runs away. What would you say? He wonders, and then realizes that maybe someday he can ask him. Or at least ask Desmond to pass the message along. It's a strange world he suddenly finds himself in.
They're maybe halfway through the tunnel, crossing a half fallen apart bridge over a stagnant pool of water that smells like something dead. Most of the villa's people are ahead of him, still alive, which is saying something. And then Ezio hears someone fall into the water below him.
He glances down, ready to jump in after whoever's fallen in- and nearly topples over the edge of the bridge himself. There are two figures below him, only halfway visible. One, a woman, stands at the edge of the water, laughing at the man who's just fallen in. They're ghostly and strange and he knows immediately that he needs to find out more.
"Ezio?" Claudia asks.
"Go on ahead of me," Ezio says, not taking his eyes off the scene below him. There were templars earlier, but he's taken care of them. They'll be alright. "I need to see something."
"Ezio!"
He climbs downward, halfway regretting it already as his injuries throb.
"Why don't you get to take a swim?" the man calls, in English. His voice echoes in the cavern, making it hard to hear, not that Ezio knows the language anyway.
"Because I have you here," the woman says. She uses the same language, so Ezio doesn't know the words, but he can tell by her tone that she's teasing..
"Right." The man clambers out of the water just as Ezio reaches the bottom. There's less than five feet between the two of them, and for a second they stare at each other. Ezio stays tense, not quite sure what to make of this ghost.
"What are you looking at?" the woman calls.
"Um..." the man glances at the woman, then back at Ezio. "Nothing."
"Come on, then," the woman calls, and as he turns back toward her, they both fade away. Ezio's left with a nagging feeling that he knows the voice. He doesn't think he's ever seen the face, but he's heard the voice, less echoy, less... English. Recently.
It's a problem, but not one for right now.
Much later, he makes the connection, and almost slaps himself for not recognizing Desmond earlier. But then again, it's not like he's ever seen his face.
-/-
This chapter is brought to you by the letter F. F for fire alarms. And freezing outside. I think you can guess how my day's going so far.