"Where to, signore?"
An older taxi driver, quite experienced in his line of work, eagerly awaited a response from the passenger that just entered his car after a brief negotiation with him. The driver's tone was cheerful in the bright early morning hours, not showing a hint of impatience or disrespect towards his client.
The well-dressed large man who sat in the back seat shared some of the enthusiasm displayed in the vehicle, answering with as much vigour as he could.
"Main airport, per favore."
The driver nodded and they were off.
Despite the state of the slums that the passenger was accustomed to recently, Rome seemed relatively clean when people were sleeping. Even for such a busy city, the best time to do quiet business outside of the night was right now. The passenger grasped his satchel and opened it, seemingly looking for something. The driver paid no mind and continued driving with incredible precision, no doubt the man was in his field of expertise. The ride felt quick due to this, and it came time for the passenger to leave. He tipped well before exiting the vehicle and standing still for a few moments not too far away from the entrance to the airport. With his satchel hanging off of his shoulder, the large man approached the airport after taking in enough of the fresh morning air. He observed the people outside the airport, noticing a handful of people that looked like tourists, and perhaps some locals. Nothing out of the ordinary, he thought. Upon entering the airport, it was relatively empty, a welcome surprise for once. The man looked at his wristwatch, subtly nodding to himself before he began to set one foot in front of the other on his way to one of the terminals. Conveniently, the terminal was rather close to the entrance. Despite this, the man kept walking at a steady pace, ensuring his arrival would be on time. After only a handful of minutes of waiting, the plane arrived at the expected terminal. It only took an additional minute for the passengers to begin entering the airport. The large man's breathing became steady, showing the slightest hint of nervousness. He adjusted his collar and brushed his hair with his massive gloved hand before focusing on each passenger who walked in front of him. His focus did not last very long, considering the person he was looking for was stepping out, carrying a massive hiking bag and a simple briefcase. He looked towards the large man, waved towards him and enthusiastically smiled. A wave was returned as the two men approached one another, only a couple of metres away from each other. The massive height difference was obvious, yet the men stared each other down as if they were neck-to-neck. However, their expressions told a different story to the intense exchange, each smiling happily at the other.
The shorter man placed his available hand on his hip and chuckled, prompting his friend to let out a snorty laugh. He suddenly spoke.
"Should the younger man speak first or what?"
The gentle giant shrugged, gripping his satchel casually. He kept quiet, though, causing the same man to speak again.
"It's good to see you, G."
"You too, Luka."
The wholesome tone that came out of Luka's mouth initiated a firm handshake and a tight hug between the pair as they shared a passionate moment of reunion. They separated and began to walk towards the entrance that Gabriel came through.
"You been well?" A simple question escaped Luka's mouth.
"More or less," Gabriel seemed eager to reply, yet not wanting to reveal too much information. He briefly looked around, noticing that some people did look at him occasionally. "I'll spare you the details until we make it to the sanctuary."
"Careful as always..." Luka kept a happy smile on his face as he replied. "Sounds good, G."
The men stepped outside, casually striding towards the taxi parking spaces. A few cars seemed available for a drive.
"I'll get us a cab, G!" Luka raised his voice slightly, clearly in a cheerful mood.
"Are you alright carrying those bags on your own?" Gabriel let out a question in a concerned tone, no doubt only wanting the best for his friend and comrade.
Luka turned towards him as he slowed down, looking at him with a playful stare. He calmly tossed his heavy hiking bag several metres in the air before catching it perfectly with one arm.
"Your concern's appreciated, big man..." Luka seemed genuine, still speaking with an enthusiastic tone in his voice. "But I'm good."
The somewhat comedic moment was interrupted by a sleek and slim man approaching them along with two larger men in suits standing behind him.
"Excuse me?" The man spoke in a respectful tone, standing upright but hesitating to approach with too quick of a movement. "Signor Auditore?"
Gabriel's expression tensed up a small bit, along with his body. He couldn't quite decipher who he was speaking to, but he knew the man was familiar. Nonetheless, he politely replied.
"Can I help you?"
The man looked towards Luka for a brief moment before speaking.
"Ah, Signor Cvitković is here, too..."
It only took that one sentence for Luka's rather happy expression to turn into a stern one.
"I'm sorry, mister..." Luka intentionally paused, expecting an answer from the man who knew his name.
"Oh, where are my manners?" The man took off his sunglasses and placed them on the top of his head, eagerly smiling at the pair of Assassins.
What was about to come out of the man's mouth was something neither Gabriel nor Luka expected, even though they prepared for many different outcomes of this conversation.
The calm breeze and perfectly bright sunshine of that morning dramatically disappeared for a moment, creating an intense atmosphere, almost choking the air around the five men.
"My name is Dante Giovanni, and I have a message for you from Grandmaster Giovanni."
...
Kane grasped the coffee jug, letting out a brief sigh, his eye passively twitching, perhaps from his lack of sleep. He gazed towards the clock on the wall as he masterfully poured himself some coffee into his favourite mug without looking.
It was 7:54 AM, yet the sunshine poured through the semi-closed curtains, a rare sight to behold in London. Kane pushed the curtains apart, opened the garden door and stepped outside holding his mug, occasionally drinking from it as he took in the morning air. Gazing upon the mighty oak surrounded by beautiful hedge fences, Kane let his thoughts run free. The flashbacks he unintentionally went through last night loomed around in the back of his mind, causing him to move them into his conscience. He couldn't ignore them or run away from them, so he chose to mentally endure them, something that didn't necessarily bother him at the time, and it truly wasn't different this morning. Relaxing his gaze, he took in the thoughts and dismissed them as nothing but flashbacks, casually snapping between memory and reality, a mental technique he seemed to excel at. The sound of a sliding door opening could be heard in the background as Kane took a sip of coffee.
Ashley moved towards him but stopped a few metres behind him.
"Morning!" A cheerful greeting escaped her mouth.
Kane returned the greeting without turning around.
"Morning."
A few seconds of silence between the pair filled with bird chirping occurred. Ashley spoke softly.
"Are you doing okay?"
Kane took his time answering, knowing Ashley would be patient enough to wait for him to talk. Without answering, he nodded towards a bench not too far away from them and began moving towards it. Ashley understood once she noticed the bench. They sat down next to each other and gazed at the oak. Kane spoke.
"Right before you came, I was doing some mental training."
Ashley averted her gaze from the oak and looked at Kane's face as he spoke. He leaned back as he expected an answer that quickly came.
"Is that what that was?"
"Mm."
Kane nodded with a smile on his face and his eyes closed. Ashley noticed Kane was calmer today, even if he only spoke a few words. The way he talked, the way he walked, the way he sat down and leaned back on the bench...she noticed it all and passively took it in.
"Did you sleep well?" Ashley's soft voice came up with a simple question out of pure concern and care.
"I didn't sleep," Kane bluntly replied. Ashley looked at him with a bit of a disappointed expression. "When we came back from the dinner I took a quick shower and went straight to research."
"Research, as always, huh?" Ashley questioned, her voice still as soft as a feather. She curiously asked. "What were you researching?"
Kane sat up and took a sip of coffee. He took his time to answer.
"Germany..." He elongated the end of his speech as if he was going to continue, but he paused for a few moments. Eventually, he came up with a sentence to utter. "Germany's political climate, our recent reports on it, Ryo's, mine and Hugh's contracts we did surrounding it..."
Ashley nodded ever so slightly at each word that came out of Kane's mouth.
"I haven't been doing as much mental training recently, but last night prompted me to remember how to."
"What happened last night?" Ashley curiously questioned again.
"I'll be frank," Kane's tone shifted a small bit, making his voice more firm. "Hugh recognised something that both he and I have been dwelling on. We haven't had a contract together in quite a while, and if I'm honest..." Kane chuckled before he spoke. "I'm so fucking tired of working alone."
Ashley smiled as he chuckled, following the conversation with easy questions. "Do you miss working with him?"
"Oh, yeah..." Kane looked at Ashley's beautiful face and focused on it for a few seconds before looking away and continuing. "Last night, he mentioned our work in Germany...14 years ago."
Ashley's eyes widened a small bit as her tone shifted alongside her surprise.
"It's been that long?"
Kane lightly nodded a few times. "We were there once and haven't been back since, yet Ryo was there multiple times."
Ashley nodded, picturing Ryo's face in the sky. "Every time he is mentioned he is more and more impressive."
Kane switched the conversation topic. "I don't blame Brian, it would have been dangerous to keep us there. Only the most elite of the elite have been to Germany since our failure."
"Your failure?" Ashley's tone and expression entered the realm of shock. "Do you want to talk about it?"
Kane sighed and looked at the oak. He pictured pressing down on a bandage on a woman's stomach for a moment before it disappeared.
"Not right now, Ashley."
Ashley nodded.
"Okay."
Silence occurred again.
"But I am here for you."
Kane sighed once more before subtly smiling.
"I know..." He continued. "I'll tell you one day."
Ashley stood up enthusiastically before raising her voice.
"Now, I have two weeks off, you haven't slept, so why don't we get dressed and grab some brekkie?"
Kane looked at her as he finished his coffee. Upon removing the mug from his face, he wiped his beard, stood up and happily smiled. He chuckled through his sentence.
"Alright, let's go."
...
"Giovanni...?" Luka uttered a word to accompany his shocked expression. "I thought Miss Danielle had no siblings."
The gentle breeze kicked in, cooling the group down physically. Gabriel remained in his tense stance, unsure of where the conversation would go from there. Dante chuckled and spoke, adjusting his collar.
"Well, you are somewhat wrong..." He spoke firmly with a confident expression. Dante continued without showing any signs of hesitation. "She had a brother, but unfortunately he passed away recently...I'm her nephew."
The last part of Dante's sentence prompted a slight pause, given the way he pronounced it more strongly than the rest of his speech.
...
"Not on my watch, fuckface..."
...
"DIE, YOU ASSASSIN SCUM!"
...
"Find her...find the Rogue...Nicole Kaiser..."
...
Something seemed to snap in Luka's eyes, almost like a shockwave rocked his very core. He clenched his available hand into a fist before lowering his gaze, although he immediately lifted it after, staring right through Dante's face. Despite his emotional state, his expression was determined and focused.
"I have a bad track record with nephews."
Dante's smile faded, but he remained calm and professional.
"Yes, I know what happened with Noah. He was a dear friend and a trusted ally, it was a shame the situation ended like that," Dante lowered his gaze, bowing slightly. "My sincerest condolences to you, Signor Cvitković."
This seemed to surprise Luka a small bit, although his expression remained the same. He gazed at Dante's lowered stature before diverting his eyesight towards both of the men accompanying him. Very subtly, Luka shimmied forward ever so slightly, positioning him closer to Dante than Gabriel was. He let out a hefty sigh before speaking in a calmer tone.
"Lift your face, please."
Luka let out a firm command, prompting Dante to look at him directly.
"If I had to do it again, I would, but that doesn't change what happened..." He closed his eyes and nodded. "Accept my condolences, too."
A smile appeared on Dante's face again as he responded with a nod of his own. Gabriel jumped into the conversation.
"You said you had a message, signore."
"Right, of course."
Dante snapped the fingers on his left hand, causing the man from his left side to step forward. He began reaching for the inside of his coat.
"BEFORE..." Luka suddenly raised his voice sharply, gathering the attention of everyone present and temporarily stopping the suited man from moving. "...we start brandishing our abilities to stick our hands into our coats, why don't we get one thing straight..."
The Templars awaited a response, although Dante tilted his head slightly. He seemed a slight bit confused.
"I'm not strapped."
Gabriel let out a tiny sigh and spoke as Luka finished.
"Your concern's appreciated, Luka, but I believe we'll be fine."
Luka stared at Gabriel attempting to read his face. It seemed like he was genuine, both in the way he spoke, his expression and his now slightly more relaxed body. After another glance towards Dante, Luka relaxed as well.
"Alright, I trust G..."
Dante smiled and nodded towards the suited man who reached his hand down the inside of his coat, presenting a letter to Gabriel. Considering Luka was closer, he gazed at it for a second before grabbing it gently.
"Sorry about that."
Dante nodded a few times.
"We understand," Dante cleared his throat before placing his sunglasses back on his face. "Mi amici, it is fortunate for both of our sides that I am simply a messenger today. I do not wish to pick a fight where there isn't one. Our ideologies split us apart, but we do not need to seek war because of that. For now..."
He extended his hand towards Gabriel who shook it after a moment of hesitation. Luka did the same once they were done.
"Farewell, and let us remain on the surviving side of this conflict!"
Dante bowed once more before turning around and heading towards a limousine, where an older man held the door open for him.
"I was wondering whose limo that was..." Luka humorously remarked. "G, did you know about him?"
Gabriel stared at Luka for a moment before turning his head back towards the limousine that was now leaving the parking lot.
"Of his existence? Sure, although..." Gabriel took a hefty pause before continuing. Luka patiently awaited an answer. "I was informed that Dante was in America, but that was a while ago at this point. I never met the man before this."
"Thoughts?" Luka immediately questioned.
"About?" Gabriel instantly replied.
"Him."
Gabriel rocked his head from left to right, debating on how to approach the answer. He lifted his head and focused on the bright blue sky, which seemingly shone more strongly than before.
"I must admit, I like the formality."
The simple answer caused Luka to listen intently.
"It's the same approach I took to writing the note I left for Signora Giovanni. I don't mind the polite tone."
"Seems like a sleazebag to me," Luka firmly stated, crossing his arms in the process. "Although, he is the first Templar that acknowledged Ryo's death...I'll give him credit for that."
"I value your opinion and your consistency in remaining cautious about him, we'll keep vigilant around him," Gabriel looked at the letter Luka was holding. It was sealed with the Templar logo. As Luka handed Gabriel the letter, he caressed the paper before studying the logo. "The material seems to be of high quality."
"And that's a legit seal..." Luka reached into his pocket and took out a tiny piece of chocolate candy. He unwrapped it and ate it in one bite. "You weren't kidding about that whole 'formal' thing."
"Indeed, I was not..." Gabriel's reply was intentionally slowed down as he focused on the letter he was holding. "I would like to open this in the comfort of Il Santuario, I think it's about time we head over there."
Luka began stepping in place, even throwing a few light punches which sliced the air beautifully. He spread his arms out before clapping his hands together vigorously. Full of energy and with a determined glow in his eyes, he shouted.
"Then let's go, G!"
...
Harris marched down the hallway, seemingly investigating a strange noise he heard earlier. It repeated, like a bell chiming over and over again. Upon entering the open gym he noticed an Assassin who was believed to be out of shape, yet he produced such fine sounds simply by cutting the air with the punches of his left hand. Harris deliberately waited until he was noticed. Once he was, he spoke.
"Right, of course, I mean, even I forgot you broke your hand..." Harris chuckled as he paused, garnering the Assassin's attention. He began lightly tapping the floor with his boot. "As far as I can tell, you forgot that little fact too."
Hugh chuckled as he grabbed a towel. He looked Harris up and down before speaking.
"Relax, old man! I can still train my left hand and run..." Hugh got closer to Harris and turned towards his bag. "Fortunately for you, it is now my time for my run, so you won't have to look at me for long."
Hugh walked past Harris who followed him out of the gym. Hugh noticed Harris's walk was unsteady, irregular and plenty strong all at once. This prompted him to poke the bear a small bit.
"You alright, something you wanted to talk about?"
Hugh's voice was powerful but earnest, tempting Harris to open up. Harris looked around the grand hall they were in now. The sanctuary they stood in was nearly entirely repaired within a few days after the Rileys were last there. He sighed as he closed his eyes and turned towards Hugh with a neutral expression.
"It's nothin', just that I've been swamped with work all morning. I was hoping to find someone in here with me..."
"Apologies, Harris, I didn't realise we were the only ones here," Hugh politely answered, putting on a refreshing smile. "You're out of luck, I'm afraid. Ashley and Kane went off together somewhere, Paul's probably in the city and Scott..."
Hugh took an abrupt and noticeably long pause before smacking his lips once and grinning.
"Scott's probably hungover..." Harris sighed again. "Is something up?"
"With Rafael's intel about the fragment in Croatia, these few days or weeks before Luka gets any valuable information from there will be crucial for research," Harris smacked the back of his hand firmly. He continued after a brief pause. "We need to be on top of these mysteries that have been plaguing us: who are Rafael's informants, where in Croatia the fragment is, why's the fragment there, why have the majority of the fragments we've found been there...and something else..."
"I can think of a lot of things that can follow that 'something else', Harris, where's your mind heading?" Hugh chuckled at the start of his sentence, easing into a neutral tone and expression.
Harris eventually finished his statement.
"Who from our Brotherhood blackmailed Diaz and got him killed to help Abate?"
...
"Grazie, signore."
The experienced woman wasted no time in adding sugar to her coffee. The waiter hurried off to tend to the other customers after an appreciative nod.
"No matter how many times we sit down here, Danielle..." A large man sitting across from her garnered her attention. He joyfully lifted his cup of coffee, tasting it carefully. "It is always quite nice."
"Only the best for you, Hans. I must admit, I am a tad nervous..." Danielle began stirring her coffee with a tiny spoon. "I haven't heard from Dante yet..."
Hans finished a sip before gently placing the cup down. "Not to worry, not to worry! I'm sure it'll all turn out alright, he'll bust through those doors anytime now!" He pointed behind him at the doors as he answered cheerfully. A second man sat alongside them. He seemed squeamish and nervous.
"Mr Roth, sir?" A barely audible sound escaped his mouth. Nevertheless, Hans turned towards the trembling man. "Are you sure this is an appropriate place for me to be...? I feel quite...out of place."
"Don't bother yourself with that, Viktor, you're certainly not out of place," Hans clasped his hands together softly as he lowered his voice. "It must have been...difficult to work with a man such as Abate for so long. I'm sure you understand we are not comfortable placing you under anyone else for a little while."
"Yes, of course, sir," Viktor took a sip of water from his glass. He held it as he spoke. "I don't mean to come off disrespectful, Mr Abate was the best employer I could have hoped for, but I'm afraid I'm not built for this line of work anymore..."
"We would be happy to let you go, of course. One can only understand how stressful it can be to involve yourself in the main gears that shift society as a whole. Before that, however..." Hans took another sip from his coffee. Just as Viktor was starting to get comfortable, a negative feeling overcame the little area they surrounded. "We do have a few questions for you."
"Don't trouble yourself too hard, Viktor, we just don't understand a ton about Romeo's work..." Danielle spoke this time. Viktor looked at her across the table. "You and I spoke the day he was assassinated, of course, but we missed a few hazy details. Tell me...what was the plan? Romeo was killed in an elevator with all his belongings, but how did he get them?"
Viktor hesitated to answer as he gazed down towards his cup of hot cocoa. He stared at his reflection for a moment before lifting his face. "It was Mr Abate's plan. We had a code, you see. If he told me to meet him somewhere or return a call or what have you, or vice versa, we'd give each other two extra minutes on top of the time we both agreed on...it just so happened that when the two extra minutes were ticking I called you, Grandmaster Giovanni."
Danielle gazed through him as the conversation halted for a little while. An old man was flicking through a tablet with an occasional cough leaving his mouth. A young couple paid for their table and hastily left the cafe. The waiter hurried to clear the table as a group of teenagers marched through the door, inadvertently announcing themselves with an intense conversation and the doorbell attached to the door. The waiter greeted them as they picked a comfortable spot. Viktor continued.
"Our plan was for Mr Abate to gather his things, check himself out of the hotel and meet me in front of the building in five minutes," Viktor's voice was a tad louder as he spoke, perhaps to rival the teenagers that brought some noise into the cafe. "Of course, I applied the two-minute rule to this, even in this instance of utmost importance. I made it out of the building by the seventh minute, yet he was nowhere to be seen. A few short minutes later Mr Cvitković made it out of the building. One of the men that ambushed him took me to one of our safe locations in Paris..." Viktor took a hefty pause while slowly nodding his head. "That's the extent of it."
Danielle nodded in appreciation. "Thank you, Viktor, we'll bother you a little while longer if that's okay."
Viktor didn't seem to mind. Hans sat up in his chair and whipped out a hefty cigar. Before lighting it he turned to Viktor. The tiny doorbell rang in the busy cafe as a sleek man entered.
"Now, I'd hate to throw pressure on you, Viktor, but let me ask you one thing..."
Viktor gulped with a light nod.
A light shadow was cast over the table the Templars were sitting at.
Hans lit the cigar and dragged some smoke from it.
"Where is Romeo Abate's fragment?"
"Why don't we lay off the old man and focus our attention elsewhere, Grandmaster?"
Hans immediately turned towards the source of the confident voice he was hearing behind him. He stood up viciously, just enough so that the table remained standing, as his vision cut sharply through the young man standing before him.
"Signor Auditore got our invitation."
Danielle stood up as well, her face exploding with happiness at the sight of her nephew in the same room as her.
"But be careful, Signor Roth..."
Hans's face eased up as he sensed no ill intention emerging from Dante. However, alongside Dante's dramatic pause, he prepared himself for troubling news nonetheless.
"Signor Cvitković just landed in Rome."
Hans's eyes widened, but a strong smile slowly crept up on his lips until he held a massive grin. He audibly laughed before relaxing and gently patting one of Dante's shoulders. This seemingly positive interaction prompted a genuine smile from Dante that lasted no more than a few moments as Hans hastily placed a couple of banknotes on the table. He hurried past Dante, yet he remained loud enough to deliver a message before his departure. The cafe residents were starting to notice him at this point.
"He'll be there, you say? Good!"
He gripped the door handle and put on an expression combining his wicked and intimidating nature alongside his genuine happiness at the circumstance before them.
"I cannot wait."
...
"That's what I'm saying!" An enthusiastic remark escaped Luka's mouth as he thanked the taxi driver who dropped them off close to the sanctuary. He waved at the taxi which got smaller and smaller as it hurried down the road. The driver beeped his horn once and squeezed his hand out the semi-open window to return the wave.
Luka turned to Gabriel after picking his luggage up.
"You remember the way, right?" Gabriel's question prompted a smile from Luka.
"Sure I do, G!" He adjusted his shoulder properly so that his hiking bag sat comfortably on his shoulder. "If memory serves me right, it was you and Nicole who took us to the sanctuary originally."
Gabriel let out a chuckle as a smile appeared on his face. He turned his head to the side and began walking down the street. Luka followed along. "Great, for a second I thought you were too busy with her to pay attention to any landmarks at the time."
"You're not wrong, you're not wrong," Luka repeated himself, emphasising the second sentence with a brief pause in between. "We're a few streets down, yeah?"
"We'll be taking a detour..." Gabriel suddenly began walking faster as he turned into an alleyway. He turned back to Luka for a moment as he was in motion. "Follow."
Luka slowed down to properly turn into the alleyway. He stared up at the tall buildings they were passing by. A few old women peered down at the Assassins from their apartment windows, a display common in most of Europe.
"You guys have security camera grannies too?"
Gabriel put on a puzzled expression but he kept facing forward as they continued walking. He repeated Luka's question in an attempt to clarify the situation.
"Security camera grannies?"
"Yeah, old women posted at their windows looking down the street."
"Huh."
Gabriel paused for a few moments. The only sounds that could disrupt his thinking were the heavy footsteps the two men took and a light breeze accompanying them. Eventually, all Luka could see was the back of Gabriel's head entering a nodding motion.
"I guess we do."
The duo of strong men marched down the remaining streets of the alleyway until they were in front of the massive doors of the sanctuary. By far the biggest in Europe, its structure was old and immense, yet long abandoned by the common folk. Reminiscent of ancient Rome, as well as medieval Europe in general, it was made up of a few tall, lookout-like towers, a great church bell and greatly preserved walls, perhaps used as a defensive force for the fort-like structure. Neither of them said a word as they entered through the slightly opened doors which Gabriel sealed shut right after. A small but precise camera scanned the bodies of the two Assassins, allowing them passage and activating some sort of system. As soon as they properly stepped foot inside, a force field engulfed the door and its surrounding walls, along with security cameras and laser-focused alarms that popped up out of nowhere.
Luka spun around while walking, temporarily walking backwards to fully take in the technology behind the room they were walking through. He smirked happily, facing forward again, something that Gabriel noticed, prompting a tiny grin to be planted on his face.
The massive hallway opened up all the way to a spiralling staircase, the main way to the corridors of the sanctuary.
"I've never taken this path before," Luka's voice echoed throughout the empty staircase.
"This is the main entrance, but we prefer to use the underground sewer entrance that you're familiar with," Gabriel nodded in reply. "I think heading up these stairs is appropriate for your first time back in so long."
"Absolutely..." Luka let out a chuckle through his sentence. "This beats the sewers every day of the week."
Gabriel chuckled as they finished the climb in silence.
They marched through one final hallway before they entered the main corridors. The room was much the same as when Luka was last here, doubling as a living space as well as an office and a room for gathering intel. Luka took a deep breath as the two Assassins already in the room looked over at them.
"Lucio Manzo and Ruth Stone!" Luka's voice was loud and strong. He stepped forward proudly. "It's been a while!"
"Luka! You've made it!" Ruth shouted as Lucio hopped up to greet his old rival.
Luka took a good look at Lucio who stood just a few metres away. His face was focused as his smile faded.
"Welcome back!" Lucio cheerfully exclaimed as he put his hand forward.
Luka sighed before speaking up. He was barely looking up at Lucio's face.
"Am I really gonna go down in history as the shortest Assassin besides Nicole?" He laughed after he took a brief pause. "You look great, Lucio."
The two men exchanged a firm handshake as Ruth crept up behind Lucio, subtly moving him out of the way.
"Pleasure, Luka," Ruth also put his hand forward.
Luka shook it vigorously.
"Great to be back, soldier."
"Let me direct you to your quarters!" Lucio patted Luka's upper arm once as he pointed at his bags.
"I appreciate it, but..." Luka nodded towards Gabriel. "Let's sit down and read the letter first."
Gabriel nodded, his expression far from positive. The mood of the greeting shifted, silence taking over for a few moments. Luka leaned to the side a small bit, perhaps to look at something past Ruth and Gabriel who stood in front of him.
"Ruth..." He suddenly spoke. Ruth nodded upwards and raised his eyebrows. "Got any beer?"
Ruth turned around for a moment before audibly laughing. He made his way to the fridge behind them. "So that's what you was looking at?"
Luka laughed as he stepped towards the large couch.
"Guilty as charged."
The men situated themselves around the large table in the middle of the room. Ruth brought out four beers, one for everyone. Gabriel twitched as Ruth offered him a bottle, hesitating to grab it. Ruth shook it slightly, prompting Gabriel to carefully grasp the open bottle. Lucio and Luka took their bottles respectfully as they shared a small toast. Ruth sat down.
"Take it away, G," Ruth spoke as he finished getting comfortable.
Gabriel nodded, took a sip from his beer bottle and carefully put it on the table. He whipped the sealed letter out and opened it gently with one of his hidden blades without damaging the paper at all. Two tickets slipped out and landed on the table, both detailed with the Colosseum. A large sigh escaped his mouth as he unravelled the paper. He began reading out loud.
...
"Dear Signor Auditore...
I have received your message, and I must admit, I am quite intrigued by it.
You and I seem to share the same end goal, though we mean to achieve it by different means.
Certainly, this must not be a reason for disagreement, much less jumping to conflict.
With that said, I am unsure of what you mean to discuss once presented with the opportunity, but I see no logical reason to deny your request at this moment.
You are aware of the Colosseum reopening as a theatre once more this Saturday, yes?
Signor Roth and I shall be attending the play scheduled, you are more than welcome to join us.
I have sent two tickets along with this invitation, feel free to bring a friend along.
I will not mind if you are armed, or if you have ill intentions.
I'll entertain your idea this time, and hopefully we can have a peaceful exchange.
Simply ask for my surname when asked to present your tickets and you will be guided to me.
May this letter find you peacefully,
Danielle Giovanni,
Grandmaster of the Italian Templar Order."
...
Gabriel remained silent as he finished reading the letter. He observed the reactions of his fellow Assassins, noticing only intense focus on everyone's faces...except for Luka's.
Luka's gaze burned through Gabriel's eyes like it was about to make them explode. Gabriel matched Luka's eye contact and kept it as Luka started angrily shaking. Lucio, who sat right next to Luka, stood up and placed his hand on Luka's shoulder.
"Are you okay, Luka? Try to relax, take a few deep breaths."
Instead of disobeying the advice from his ally, Luka closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths before standing up and putting his hands on the table. He spoke firmly.
"Roth is gonna be with her?"
"It appears so..." Gabriel studied the letter once more with a hand on his beard, covering his mouth. He looked at the tickets that were laid down on the table before raising his voice. "We have two days to decide who takes this meeting with me."
"With all due respect, G..." Ruth chimed in from the side. He did not sound confident as Gabriel looked at him while he spoke. "I am not looking to get involved this time."
Gabriel nodded. "That's quite alright, Ruth, you're making my job easier," the two men exchanged a smile before Gabriel directed his gaze towards Lucio and Luka.
"Let me make a few observations before deciding."
Luka nodded, still standing. Lucio waved his hand towards Gabriel, letting him speak without worry. Gabriel stood up, too.
"Luka and Roth have not had an encounter since that day in Zagreb, correct?"
Luka stuck to nodding, not replying verbally. Gabriel sighed before continuing.
"That fact remains, and considering your strong emotions towards Roth, I am hesitant to place you two in the same room..."
Luka and Gabriel shared an intense but short staredown ending in Luka closing his eyes before sitting down and taking a sip from his beer bottle. This prompted Gabriel to look at Lucio.
"And you, fratellino, you've been by my side during these recent times, and you were quite supportive of my initiative to contact Signora Giovanni in the first place," Gabriel relaxed his stance and moved his chair out of the way to remain standing properly. "I think the safest plan is to bring Lucio along for the talk."
Luka stood up, pushed his chair out of the way and began walking towards his bags. He quickly grabbed a towel out of his hiking bag as he headed out of the room towards the gym.
"Fine by me, just be careful..."
Luka stopped speaking abruptly, almost like he wasn't finished. The Assassins seemed slightly confused at where his sentence was heading. He stopped moving, turned his head backwards and increased the intensity and volume of his voice. His eyes glimmered with intensity and fire.
"If something happens, be careful in leaving Roth alive."
...