[A/N]: Thanks for reading! Feedback is always welcome! Hopefully the text isn't super weird on this one.

Chapter 35

Rosa, who had not been framed for the murder of a Doge, had no need of a mask, but the one she wore afforded her the opportunity to pickpocket a small fraction of the nobility who attended the festivities. With a smile, Ezio observed her at work from a nearby bench. As she turned her back to his direction, he got off the bench and snuck behind her. Putting a hand on her shoulder and momentarily imitating a guard, he said authoritatively, "Hey! I saw what you did back there!"

Rosa, as one would expect of any skilled thief, was halfway into a sprint before he finished his sentence. In a motion that almost tripped her, she suddenly stopped and turned around, evidently recognizing his voice.

Taking advantage of the temporary speechlessness that accompanied her surprise, Ezio spoke again. "You have an interesting way of celebrating Carnevale," he observed from behind his mask. She had not taken hers off either, so Ezio had no way of deducing from her facial expression how angry she was about the scare he had given her. He motioned to take off his mask in the hopes that she would do the same, but instead she turned away and started her sprint again.

"Aspetti! Where are you going?" he called after her. Realizing his effort was futile, he pushed his way after her.

She took a series of turns through alleyways and around drunken revelers until she turned and ran up the side of a building. He followed close behind as she ran across the rooftops a few more, taking them both far away from the festivities. At last, she stopped and turned to find him out of breath, staggering to catch up to her. It had been some time since he had chased a target.

As torches and fireworks under the moonlight illuminated the city around them, Rosa watched as Ezio bent over to recover from the chase. She courteously allowed him a minute before speaking.

"I know you haven't been here as long as I have," she began as she removed her mask, "but you should still know better than to take off your disguise in the middle of a Carnevale celebration when you're being hunted for the murder of the Doge.

Ezio chuckled at this. "May I take it off now that we are alone?" he asked playfully.

Rosa strode up to him and reached around his neck to access the strings that held his mask in place. "Where did you find this pezzo di merda anyway?" she asked. "It makes you look ridiculous."

"Leonardo gave it to me," he explained.

"Then Leonardo and I are going to have a talk," she decided as she finished getting the strings untied, removed the mask, and tossed it aside. After four months, they were finally able to see each other face to face.

"Your letter mentioned-"

She interrupted him with a kiss, securing him in place by wrapping her arms around his neck, squeezing to the point where she almost cut off his breath. He, in turn, wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close to him and locking her in place as well. Neither of them was particularly eager to move anyway. They would have stayed there all night if a guard had not started patrolling the adjacent rooftop.

Since Ezio had not had a chance to sort his belongings after arriving in the city, he spent the night with Rosa, taking the opportunity to catch up with her.

As she had mentioned in her letter, the last four months hadn't been eventful for her, nor had they been eventful for the other thieves. The death of Doge Mocenigo had placed some suspicion on them, especially after their move on the Palazzo della Seta. Antonio had advised them to stay out of trouble until the political situation stabilized. "With you here again," Rosa said with a laugh, "I don't think that will happen anytime soon."

Ezio informed her that his mother seemed to be improving a bit, but the change was hard won. His sister was becoming increasingly restless behind Mario's desk. She would have preferred to spend her time seeking out a husband, but Mario would not hear such nonsense.

Ezio, who had fallen asleep next to Rosa, awoke the next morning to learn from the thieves that she had left on some business for Antonio, much to his disappointment. He spent the day arranging his belongings back in his quarters, then went back to see Leonardo that night.