[A/N]: Thanks for reading! Feedback is always welcome!

Also, sorry for the unexpected delay. I was busier than expected last week so I wasn't able to post a chapter. Next week should be normal again.

Chapter 100

There was no sense in trying to return to Monteriggioni that night, as there wasn't much sunlight left in the day. Ezio and Machiavelli spent the rest of the afternoon and part of the evening moving Lucio's body out of the town so that it wouldn't be discovered by a guard or a curious passerby.

To Ezio's relief, they found Rosa back at the inn when they returned. She was sitting at a table, looking out a window as the townspeople were heading home for the day. They silently joined her, and she was silent in return. They spent a few minutes looking out the window with her before Ezio spoke.

"You don't have to talk about it," he began, "but we are here if you need to."

She shook her head. "I just need some time to think is all," she explained. With that, she got up and began walking away, but she turned for a moment to address Ezio. "Don't worry about me. I'll find someplace quiet where no guards will bother me."

Ezio nodded reluctantly as she disappeared out the door. Then he turned to Machiavelli.

"Do you still think that was a good idea?" he asked rhetorically.

"You have too little faith in her," Machiavelli observed in reply. "She's capable of more than you think, when given the chance."

"Sì, but you didn't give her a chance. You gave her a responsibility she was not expecting to have."

"And yet she fulfilled it. What does that say about her?"

"It says she is strong and brave, but that is something I already knew. We did not need that weight on her conscience to verify it."

"She will bear many more, if she is to become one of us," Machiavelli reminded him. "It is better for her to decide now whether or not she possesses the capacity to lead such a life."

Ezio sighed and cupped his face with his hands, resting his elbows on the table. "It is always frustrating to argue with you, Niccolò."

The other man smiled. "I will take that as a compliment, and it is one I shall return to you. Shall we discuss something else then?"

"Sì, that is probably best. What do you know of the man you mentioned earlier?"

"I assume you are referring to Agostino Chigi?" Machiavelli asked. "What exactly do you want to know?"

"You said he lends money to the Spaniard. Why don't we put a stop to it?"

Machiavelli shook his head. "I'm afraid there isn't much we can do at this time. Chigi is well-protected like his client. We do not have the resources to deal with him, especially while we search for the Apple."

"So we are just supposed to wait?"

"It is not a pleasant feeling, is it?" Machiavelli sympathized with a grim smile. "I would change it too, if I could. But Assassins are men and women of strong virtù, and we will adapt, as we always have, to the challenges before us."

"Perhaps, but there is no use letting someone do it alone," Ezio said, getting up to leave.

"Where are you going?"

"Where do you think? To find Rosa."

"How do you know where she went?"

"I have a few good guesses," Ezio assured him. "I know her better than you think."

Machiavelli nodded. "I suppose you do. I defer to your judgment on the matter."

"Was that so difficult?"

"Yes, terribly," Machiavelli smiled. "I will not make a habit of it."

Ezio decided to cut his losses and count the outcome of that argument as a victory. He stepped outside as Machiavelli watched on.