Chapter 3: Brotherhood of Assassins—Washington DC
Review Replies
Yeeter of ligma: SO AWESOME! When he went Punisher mode, I turned on the doom music, which was so cool, please more soon. This is such an awesome story!
ThermalsniperN7: DOOM music? Nice.
Dragon Emperor0: I was kinda thinking of swapping the ax for a little extra brutality, but then I remembered how in every playthrough of AC2 and beyond, the blunt force trauma weapons are regarded as the dumbest ones. Plus it seemed a little too on the nose…
ThermalsniperN7: True. Also, for everyone wondering what the artwork we used as inspiration for Shin's Assassin outfit. We finally have it placed on the top of Chapter 2, so just go back there and look up what's listed.
-The next day, New York City, modern day-
Ororo blinked as she woke up to the sunlight hitting her face. Looking around, she noticed she was in Joshua's room before remembering the date she had with him last night. Speaking of which, she noticed she was laying on top of him, and that he was still asleep. She couldn't help but smile as she looked at his face, seeing how peaceful he looked like this. Deciding that she could afford to relax a bit longer before getting up, she rested her head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat.
As she did this, though, it became very clear to her that both of them were still naked underneath the covers—which made her nipples start to harden with that realization. She could also feel his soft member and, if she was right, he had the appropriate endowment for someone like him. That was something that made her blush as she continued listening to his heartbeat.
'He's definitely above average… even compared to some of the black guys I've met.' She thought idly as she compared her current boyfriend to the guys she's dated in the past. Needless to say, he definitely held up.
However, her thoughts were interrupted by Joshua's leg suddenly moving up in between her legs and raising her up to his face where he looked at her as he woke up.
"Good morning, my ebony skinned goddess." He said with a gentle smile, stroking her hair as an early morning greeting.
"Good morning." Ororo replied as she leaned up and kissed him softly, her round and plump breasts pressing against the man's chest.
"Sleep well?" Joshua asked as they snuggled together.
"Oh yes I did. Better than I have in a long time. Probably because I haven't been around my work, which is kind of stressful." The woman replied before River and Kali hopped onto the bed, getting their attention as they meowed at them. "I think they're hungry." She chuckled.
"Go on in the kitchen, guys, we'll be there in a minute." Their human told the two felines, getting a nod in response as they hopped down. As the two cats left, Joshua kissed Ororo again and then started deepening the kiss, their bodies starting to intertwine as they started getting more into it.
Feeling rather daring, Joshua put his right hand on Ororo's pussy and started rubbing it, causing her to gasp in surprise and slight pleasure as she grinded her nether regions against his hand. He then sat up and positioned her on his lap so he was hugging her from behind while he kept stroking her pussy as his other hand fondled her left breast, causing her to moan as she leaned into him.
"Oh… Ohhh god." The ivory haired woman gasped and moaned as her boyfriend pleasured her. "You—You want to do some foreplay?" She asked, noticing the situation she was in right now.
"Yeah. Sure." The black haired man replied, giving her a kiss on the neck before placing her on the edge of the bed. Getting between her legs, he spread them apart and then started licking her nether regions to give her pleasure, which made the data analyst moan in bliss as she held his face to her waist.
Meanwhile, Joshua was loving the way his new girlfriend tasted as he kept eating her out. As she held him to her womanhood, his tongue reached deeper into her and grazed her clit, getting a loud gasp from her as he kept going. He grazed her clit one more time, and she moaned loudly as she climaxed right into his mouth, prompting him to drink up her juices as they poured out.
"Ohhhh… That, that did it." Ororo sighed as she fell back on the bed.
"Good." Joshua nodded, glad that he satisfied his girlfriend for the time being. "Come on, we should probably get our breakfast and get to work, so we don't keep everyone waiting." He added.
"Right." The woman nodded before getting to her feet with a bit of struggle and proceeded to put her clothes on, as did her boyfriend. After a bit, they were now eating breakfast after feeding the cats as they recapped what happened so far with Shin.
"So, after Shin's hometown got destroyed, Jaren took him to DC. And so far, he's already had one interaction with Dredgen Yor." Joshua surmised as he recalled what he and the others had learned so far as they ate some scrambled eggs.
"Right. Problem is, him going to DC doesn't really give us a lot to go on for where he either found or hid the Last Feather of Quetzalcoatl." Ororo lamented as they continued to eat.
"It's pretty early in his life right now, so we shouldn't expect too much." Joshua stated before becoming silent for a few beats. "Hey, are there any other people in our little group of next gen assassins besides us, Shaun and Rebecca?" He asked.
"Just the Initiate, the Analyst, and someone going by the alias of Grandmistress." The woman shrugged. "She's the current holder of a Precursor artifact that's holding a rift of the fabric of the planet together." She added.
"There's a rift?" The man questioned, getting a nod in response. "Fuck… What caused it?" He asked.
"If I remember correctly, an imbalance between the forces of chaos and order. The Staff of Hermès is keeping everything together, but something is keeping us from closing it—and we don't know what." Ororo replied. Joshua frowned at this as he mulled it over.
'Whatever is keeping it from being closed must be very powerful, so it can't be a human. No… It has to be something Precursor related that's holding it open for some reason.' He deduced mentally. "Do you think it could be some other Precursor force that's holding it open?" He questioned.
"It's not that far fetched, in all honesty." Ororo shrugged. "The Grandmistress said that there's been a few Sages who've been proving rather troublesome with trying to figure out how to close it." She added.
"Sages?" The man questioned.
"Reincarnations of Juno's husband. They've been just as much a thorn in the Second Brotherhood's side as Juno since day one." His girlfriend replied.
"There has to be a way to stop the fucker from coming back again, in that case." Joshua said as the two of them finished up their eggs.
"Trust me, I'm of the same opinion." Ororo told him, making it clear she didn't like the Sages much herself. After dealing with their dishes (and giving the cats the appropriate tithe of chin scritches), the two of them left for work.
(A bit later)
After reaching the usual hideout, the two walked in and saw that Mael, Calvin and Sarah were standing in front of the large monitor on the wall across the Mael's work area and in line of sight from the Animus.
The image on the screen was what looked like a slightly embellished version of the Brotherhood's crest and an audio wavelength sensor.
"Hello Team two, I see all of you have finally decided to come in today." A modulated voice said at the other end of the screen.
"Yeah. We have an update for you that you might like to hear." Calvin said as Joshua and Ororo walked up to them.
"That being…?" Another, slightly more masculine sounding modulated voice questioned.
"We've recently recruited one of Shin Malphur's descendants and have started trying to find out where The Last Feather of Quetzalcoatl is located." Mael replied.
"Ah, that is indeed something we do like to hear." The first voice said, sounding faintly pleased by the news.
"While I share the sentiment, since it will aid our cause greatly, how far along are you?" The masculine voice questioned.
"We just started recently, so there's not much to share at this point in time." Sarah replied.
"That being said, we do have a decent idea of how this may turn out—based on the timeline." Mael added. "If I had to guess, Shin could have hidden the feather somewhere in the south, north or even somewhere in mezzo America. But that's just a hypothesis." He continued.
"Careful, Mael, going off of just a hypothesis is just asking for trouble." The non-modulated voice of Shaun Hastings chimed in.
"But we appreciate your initiative." A third modulated voice said, this one sounding younger and feminine.
"When you have something of significance to report, contact us when you are able." The first voice said before the call ended.
"Who were they?" Joshua asked as he walked over to the animus.
"Those were the other members of the group I mentioned." Ororo explained.
"And unfortunately we don't have time to tell you who they are right now." Mael sighed. "Anyway, you ready to get back into the animus, Josh?" He asked.
"Yeah. Let's get to work." He nodded as he sat down in the device and readied himself for another literal trip down memory lane.
"Genetic data shard set, should pick up where you left off." Calvin said, sliding the disc in.
"Alright. Starting up the synchronization sequence…" Sarah said as Joshua's vision went white.
Animus Active
Searching for the next available memory Cluster…
Memory Cluster found: Brotherhood of Assassins—Washington DC
Finding the best synchronization point…
Synchronization Point found
Synchronizing…
-South Dakota countryside, 1858-
A train sped through the countryside as Shin looked out the window, his parents' deaths still fresh on his mind as he watched the wilderness pass by. Jaren sat across from him, looking over his hand cannon as he spared Shin a few glances, knowing that he was still grieving. He honestly didn't know what to say to lift his spirits up, currently.
"I know it's probably not the best time to ask. But, would you like me to tell you about the Brotherhood, help you get your mind off of well—everything's that's happened?" The man questioned after a pretty awkward silence between the two passed.
"Honestly, I could use the distraction. What is there to know?" Shin sighed, happy for the distraction from his grieving.
"Well, first off—there are two ways you can enter the Brotherhood. That being either by birth like you, or by being recruited by a full fledged Assassin or an initiate who vouches for you, like me." The man explained.
"So I've been in the Brotherhood since I was born, huh?" The young man mused. "Wonder why my parents never said anything…" He continued, more to himself than to Jaren.
"I'm sure they had their reasons, Shin. Anyway, secondly—a newly declared or recruited Assassin will of course have to undergo training in our ways, history and customs for a period of time before they have to complete a rite of passage." The gunslinger assassin explained. "What this rite of passage is varies from person to person and branch to branch, but one thing stays the same—Once it's completed, the person becomes a fully fledged assassin." He added.
"So I won't know what my rite of passage will be? Lovely." Shin sighed sarcastically. "Anything else I should be aware of?" He asked.
"Training is usually done by a designated superior that you'll be put under. In your case it'll most likely be me." Jaren replied.
"Given how familiar we are with each other, I agree with that idea." The Assassin-to-be nodded. "What about the Creed? What is it?" He asked.
"Nothing is true, everything is permitted." The man replied. "The Brotherhood goes by three unbreakable and unalienable rules. Those being 1. Stay your blade from the flesh of an innocent." He continued, counting with his hand. "2. Hide in plain sight, be one with the crowd." He added. "And finally, 3. Never do anything to compromise the Brotherhood." He concluded.
"Sounds simple enough…" He trailed off before frowning. "That's what every other initiate says before the training, isn't it?" He deadpanned.
"Yeah. You swear yourself to live by the creed, and reiterate that you intimately know the rules." The man nodded as the train crawled to a halt. "Well, looks like we're at our stop." He noted as he got up.
"Good. Our horses need to stretch their legs." Shin said as they got their horses out of the train car they were riding in and saddled up before they started riding for DC. "So, what kind of skills am I gonna learn during my training?" He asked.
"Things like free running parkour and crowd blending, for starters." Jaren replied before he looked around. "Though we could get some practice in now, especially with the current settings we have here." He added.
"Uh… Okay." The boy nodded as they stopped, tying their horses a moment later. "Hey, hang on. What about that thing that happened to my vision, what was that?" He asked.
"Huh?" Jaren got out in confusion as he turned to him.
"My vision just turned black and highlighted the Templars in red, with one person in particular being highlighted in gold." Shin explained. "They also had white spots on varying parts of their body, and when I attacked those spots, it hurt like hell for them." He added further. This explanation caused Jaren's eyes to widen in shock. "And when I got angry, everything became red, black and white."
"Holy crap, you've got the Eagle Vision!" He exclaimed.
"Uh, Eagle what?" The boy questioned as they sat on a tree stump.
"It's a special sense that only manifests in certain bloodlines, and it's incredibly invaluable for hunting targets and revealing hidden messages." Jaren explained. "And based on your description, your variant seems to be combat oriented." He added.
"Oh. Does that mean you can't use it?" Shin pressed.
"Well, yes and no. I can use a variant of it, but it's pretty limited. Mainly it only lets me find weak points on various surfaces, good places to enter or climb, etc. and get a feel of my surroundings even in complete darkness." The man replied. "A lot of Assassins can use my variant. It's known as Raven Vision." He explained.
"Not bad." Shin nodded. "I only recently discovered mine, so there's bound to be more that I don't know." He added.
"Of that I'm sure." Jaren nodded. "Now enough of that. It's time for freerunning training. I'm gonna leap from branch to branch in the trees, and I want you to try and keep up with me." He instructed.
"Alright." Shin nodded as his teacher got off to a running start.
Jaren kept running for a second or two before jumping up to the trunk of one tree then used his feet to vault himself off a tree knot that his Raven Vision highlighted into a backflip and then used the same vision to note the ideal position for him to put his hands so he could grab onto a branch he landed on and then swing onto another tree and grab onto it.
"See? Nothing to it." The man called back to his protege. "Now let's see you try." He instructed.
"Alright then!" Shin called back, while silently screaming on the inside. 'How the hell am I gonna replicate that?! I'm just starting out!' He thought to himself. But after deciding to take a deep breath and calm himself, he recalled the times he climbed and jumped along buildings at home. 'Okay… I think I can make that work for me.' He thought, nodding.
He took a good look at the natural obstacle course in front of him before he ran at the same tree his mentor ran at, and when he got close enough, he activated his Eagle Vision with a thought and saw a series of leverage points for him to grab onto. He was quick to run up the tree and climbed up its trunk before he found himself on a branch. Not wanting to lose his momentum, he continued onward across a network of branches toward Jaren, who, unbeknownst to Shin, was watching how he moved. He watched how he ran across the branches and swung across the knots they twisted into naturally. He just went with his instincts, though this wasn't always a good idea.
This was proven when a branch Shin grabbed onto broke, causing him to cry out as he fell to the ground in a heap. This also caused Jaren to wince. 'Okay, that looked like it hurt.' He thought to himself.
"I'm okay! … Kinda." Shin called before groaning in pain.
"You wanna redo that, or call it quits until we get to HQ?" The older Assassin asked.
"Ohhh… Let's call it, I don't wanna get on my horse busted up." The boy sighed as he rubbed his head, his hat floating down next to him as he pulled his beaked hood back on.
"Fair enough. Let's get moving." The older man said as the two walked back to their horses, with Shin having a slight limp due to landing on his leg wrong in his fall. As they got back to their mounts, Shin's horse looked at him in worry upon seeing his limp. "Don't worry, buddy. I'll be alright." He told him.
"That's a good horse you got there." Jaren said as they started riding. "People think they're not all that smart, but they are. A lot more than one would think." He added, patting his horse's neck. "Ain't that right, Ed?" He chuckled.
"Yeah. Nashville and I have been buddies for years, and it's staying that way for the rest of our days." Shin nodded as he patted Nashville's neck, getting a happy whinny in return. "Ed… What kind of name is Ed for a horse?" He asked.
"I dunno, what kind of a name is Shin for a boy?" The man questioned with a chuckle.
"The name of a fighter. That's what." Shin retorted before he sighed. "Oh, just saying that made me miss my folks again…" He said sadly.
"Oh… Sorry." Jaren apologized as they kept riding.
(Later)
Later on, the two stopped to make camp after decreasing their needed distance and time by an entire day. Now they were both sitting around a fire, with Jaren cooking a pot of baked beans with bacon and rabbit. As the food cooked, Shin decided to start up another conversation.
"Anything I should know about the people leading the Brotherhood?" He asked.
"Not much to tell, really." Jaren shrugged as he stirred the food over the fire. "I haven't really talked to a lot of my fellow assassins all that much." He continued. "But, I can try to tell you about those I do know." He amended.
"Really? Like who?" His protege asked.
"First and foremost is Bayonetta Basilisk. She's a transfer from the London branch who's an expert at crowd blending to the point that even her fellow Assassin's can't spot her. I even used my Raven Vision just to find her, and that still failed." The man explained. "She's also a bit of a flirt when she sees someone that catches her fancy… While also being pretty fickle and has a dominatrix-like disposition." He added.
"So, basically a classic fem-fatale." The boy surmised.
"Escentially." Jaren shrugged. "Then there's the granddaughter of the Assassin hero of the American Revolution Connor Kenway, Raven Kenway. She's a member of the Tomahawk tribe." He continued.
"Kenway… That name sounds familiar for some reason." Shin nodded. "Okay, what about the Council? Can you tell me anything about them?" He asked.
"Well, first off, our branch doesn't have a council. Just a Grandmaster who reports to the Congress, Senate and President." Jaren explained. "The current Grandmaster Bowery." He added.
"Oh. What's he like?" The younger of the two asked, causing Jaren to pause thoughtfully.
"He's… I guess one could say exuberant. He sees himself as irreplaceable, but he means it in a way that aims to be a moral booster. It's how so many of us are effective." The man explained before he resumed stirring.
"He sounds like a real character." Shin chuckled. A good few beats passed as they got their food and started eating, before they started talking again.
"I know this is probably poking at an old wound, but… We gotta talk about that judge you assassinated." The older Assassin said. "As assassins, we make it a point to always show respect for the dead." He continued.
"Probably should've guessed as much." Shin sighed as his shoulders slumped. "I have nothing to defend myself with. That man killed my parents, massacred everyone in my home, burned it to ash and acted completely racist in his last moments, that last one being something I hate. It shouldn't be a surprise that I couldn't control myself." He stated.
"I see that you're accepting that you were in the wrong, that's good. It shows that you can learn from it and grow." Jaren nodded in approval.
"Doesn't mean I don't still hate him–or the Templars." The boy retorted as he continued eating.
"And that's fine. As long as you remember what's important." His mentor told him as he too continued his meal.
(The next day)
Jaren and Shin rode into DC on their respective horses as they made their way to the Brotherhood's HQ.
As the latter looked around, he could see various two story buildings and people just going about their day and just enjoying their lives. Their shoes tapping against the even-yet-uneven paving of the road, carriages being pulled by Clydesdale draft horses zipping back and forth on the road.
Children worked the streets as paper boys, street sweepers and other such tedious but necessary tasks. Other children also played with hoops, makeshift toys and played hopscotch as well along the streets as well.
The sight made Shin smile a bit since it reminded him of the good days of home. And what also made him feel good was the smell of fresh baked bread and other goods from bakeries, produce from stands, and meat from restaurants with ovens and smoking chambers.
Other smells and sounds also included the smell of tobacco from people's pipes and cigars, or alcohol from bars, or the sounds of steamboats in the distance. But all those paled in comparison to what layy dead ahead of them.
It was the White House, the very place that housed the President of North America. Its trademark neoclassical dome was still being constructed, however.
"Is that a Neoclassical dome they're trying to put on the White House?" Shin called over the pedestrian noise of the streets around them.
"Yeah. That thing is gonna make the White House look like a great icon." Jaren called back. "Where'd you learn about Neoclassical architecture?" He asked.
"I was homeschooled by my parents as a kid. The classics were pretty much my go to, the Iliad, Odyssey, Pros and Poetic Eddas, the Emblas Saga, the books of Brunelleschi, Michaelangelo, Donatello, Raphael, Leonardo Di Vinci, Machiavelli, The Divine Comedy, the Alexiad, Shakespeare and–of course–the Bible, were all the stuff my parents had me read as a kid." Shin replied. "Nowadays I enjoy reading books written by Charles Dickens and Darwin." He added as they passed by a paperboy who handed them a copy of the paper.
"Well, nice to see how cultured you are. That could help you in some areas." The older man nodded with a smile on his face as they reached their destination. "Here we are." He said as the two stopped at a simple looking building.
Hopping down to the ground and tying their horses to posts, the two started walking towards the Whitehouse–and were soon met by two figures, a man and a woman in a set of blue and white Assassins robes. "Hold it, you two. State your business." The woman ordered.
Jaren then held up his hidden blade, showing the crest of the Brotherhood on its face, while nudging Shin, who showed them his father's watch.
The two figures looked between themselves and the two and their pieces of proof of their identities, before silently nodding and beckoning them to follow them. They then proceeded into the building and into a hidden passageway that Shin noticed was revealed by a keyhole which was turned with the blade of the Hidden blade.
They then proceeded to travel through it, and it was cloaked in darkness so the young man had to use his Eagle Vision to see. He imagined that Jaren was doing the same, too.
As they continued down the hallway, torch-like lights that weren't actually touched started lighting the hallway as they walked by, and this continued for several paces until they reached a large circular room that looked like it was part archive, part library, and part main hall.
All looked to be in a composite of Neoclassical columns and scaffolding, revolutionary American flags and Arabic styled frescoes with some other styles dotted in for added flare. And on top of that, it was all illuminated by the same coiled bulbs of light that Shin had seen in the hall.
Needless to say–it was a pretty cool looking place.
"What is all this?" Shin asked as he looked around.
"This, my young friend, is the headquarters of the Brotherhood." Jaren explained. "Or its main entrance, at least." He amended before he started walking towards a spiral staircase. "Come on, Grandmaster Bowery's office is just upstairs." He said as he gestured for his ward to follow.
As they went up the stairs, Shin saw quite a few people lingering about doing various things or talking. After walking down a hallway to a specific door (since all of them looked virtually the same), Jaren knocked on it, and a strong yet gentle masculine voice called out to them.
"You may enter!" He called, prompting them to enter the room. This then led them into a room with a very minimal furnishing.
That, surprisingly, consisted of a rather simple yet ornate oak desk, a similarly crafted chair, and two bookshelves with scrolls and books stacked in it flanked by bookends in the shape of Atlas.
Lastly, there was a simple metal bird cage where a white pigeon slept with the door open–several perches for it to meander on dotted all around the room as well.
Like we said, the room was simple, but it was in no way dull.
"Hello, Grandmaster Bowery." Jaren said in greeting.
"Ah, Jaren. Welcome back." The man nodded before looking at Shin. "Who is this? A new initiate?" He questioned.
The man that Shin now recognized as Grandmaster Bowery was an African man who he guessed was probably sixty years old at the most. He looked to be about six feet tall with a broad and stout build that made him seem both intimidating–but also like he'd give you a comforting hand on your shoulders if you needed it.
His graying hair was shortened to stubble and beyond that he also had a short graying beard befitting his age, as did his kind but commanding brown eyed gaze.
But what really made the man seem both like a man you'd want to get to know and also a man you didn't want to cross, was his smile. While had an ever so slight gap in his front teeth that made him seem funny to look at, while also still giving the feeling that he'd make your teeth look the same if you mentioned it.
His clothing was very patriotic looking, a blue assassins hooded cloak with a white beak, a pair of brown pants, similarly colored shoes, a red and white vest, and what looked like to be a blue scarf with faded white stars on it. The ensemble was very patriotic looking–as Shin deduced.
And to those watching from the Animus, he reminded them of Laurence Fishburne.
"That's right. This is Samson and Delilah's kid, Shin Malphur." Jaren nodded.
"The Malphur's son?" Bowery said in surprise as he looked at the boy. "Take off that hat and hood, boy. Let me get a good look at ya." He told him.
"Um, okay?" Shin uttered in confusion but still removed his hat and hood so his features would be visible. Bowery got up from his desk and walked up to him, examining his features for a moment before smirking.
"Yeah. You're definitely their boy." He nodded as he clapped the boy on the shoulder. "How are Samson and Delilah doing these days, if I'm allowed to ask?" He inquired, causing Shin's shoulders to slump and his head to hang.
"They're dead. They were killed by the Templars." He replied sadly, causing the Grandmaster's eyes to widen in shock.
"The Templars killed Samson Malphur? Without so much as a fight? Impossible!" The man said in disbelief. "The Samson I knew could take down fifteen Templars by himself with his bare hands! The man damn near had the strength of a full grown Grizzly bear! How could the Templars have taken him down so easily?" He questioned.
"They came at night and took everyone by surprise. They killed everyone and raised Pallamon to ash." Shin replied with a sigh before he registered what was just said about his old man. "Wait, what was that about my dad taking out fifteen Templars with his bare hands?" He asked with a blink.
"It's the truth, your father had the reputation of being immensely strong during his days as an active Assassin." The Grandmaster nodded. "Though I suppose that retirement can dull even the strongest of edges." He lamented before looking at Shin. "Though, I understand if you need time to grieve before your training starts, then say so. I want your head clear before you begin that stuff." He told him gently.
"I think I'll take that offer." The young man sighed before looking at Jaren. "Where's my room gonna be?" He asked.
"In the Initiate quarters just across from the Congress building, someone'll probably be able to show you the way I'm–Sure." The man explained before taking a pause mid sentence when the doors to the office flew open to the sound of click-clacking high heels.
"Hm, well, it seems I'm fashionably late." A woman's voice huffed in a rather seductive British accent. Shin turned in the direction of the voice to see what everyone was looking at–and his jaw nearly hit the floor in response to what his eyes were beholding.
"Ah, perfect timing. Mr. Malphur, meet Cereza Basilisk, or as her fellow assassins prefer to call her…" Bowery began.
"Please, Grandmaster, you know I prefer Bayonetta." The woman cut him off with a playful smirk.
Bayonetta was fucking gorgeous. She had caucasian skin that looked flawless, gray eyes and black hair tied in a beehive-like ponytail by a hair clip with the Brotherhood's insignia on it. Additionally she also had a beauty mark close to her lips on the bottom of her left cheek, and a slender–yet curvy and bewitching figure as well.
Her Assassin robes looked highly customized along with her weapons. Her robes were as black as the night sky, and seemed to have feathers on the sleeves. Unseen to those in front of her, the outfit was backless. Her hidden blades looked the same at first glance, but Shin was able to make out a gun barrel on the braces of each of them upon closer inspection.
And while this goddess of a woman and the Grandmaster continued to converse right in front of him, Shin could only stand slack jawed at the divine beauty that he was seeing. So much so that he didn't even seem to notice Jaren's hand waving in front of him.
"Shin? Shin! Hellooo? Earth to Shin Malphur, you hear me little buddy?" The older man asked his ward, trying to snap him out of his daze.
"Huh?" The younger man got out, shaking his head.
"Got distracted by Bayonetta, didn't you?" The older man asked knowingly, causing the younger of the two to look away to hide his blush.
"No." The young gunslinger assassin trainee deflected as he crossed his arms indignantly.
This behavior didn't go unnoticed by Bayonetta, who turned towards him and Jaren after talking to Bowery for a beat or two.
"Oh leave him be, Jaren. I can actually respect a man who knows a good looking woman when he sees one." She chided as she walked up to the boy, showing that she was taller than him by six inches at least with her heels on. "Come on, Cowboy. Let me show you around." The woman said to him as she took him by the hand, leading him along as the sequence came to a close.
Memory Cluster Complete
No available memory clusters to analyze.
Saving Progress…
Progress saved.
Would you like to desynchronize?
[Yes/No]
[Yes]
Input accepted
Desynchronizing…
-New York City, Modern Day-
Joshua grunted as he came out of the sequence and slowly sat up, accepting a cup of water from Ororo as he sat up and drank it. "Definitely making progress. Felt weird seeing the White House with an incomplete Neoclassical dome, though." He said as he got to his feet.
"Gotta admit, it is weird how a guy with a reputation like Samson's just lost all that strength. I wonder what caused it?" Sarah wondered.
"Yeah, I'm kinda confused about that, too. What happened?" Calvin wondered with a confused frown.
"I agree, that doesn't add up." Joshua nodded with his own frown. If what he heard from Bowery's mouth was true, then it didn't make sense how Samson lost all his strength. It'd take him more than three decades to fully lose it, if he had to guess.
"I'm more concerned with the location of the HQ itself. If it's still there today, we could try going there and seeing if they have some sort of record of where Shin hid the Last Feather of Quetzalcoatl." Calvin stated.
"An interesting idea, but that's only if it's still standing." Mael chimed in.
"If it is still standing, we'll investigate it and see what we can find." Ororo stated. "For now, let's all go home and get some rest for tomorrow." She added.
"Yeah, I'm pretty beat." Sarah yawned as she stretched before she kissed Calvin on the cheek. "See you tomorrow, love." She told him.
"Be safe out there." Her boyfriend said before they both left for their respective homes.
Mael, meanwhile, packed up his stuff and went to the door. "I'll let you guys know if I find anything of interest out about the HQ next time we come in." He told them. "See you later." He added as he left. Joshua and Ororo looked at each other before they embraced one another and shared a kiss.
"See you tomorrow, hon." The man said as they separated.
"Same to you, dear." The woman smiled before they both left for their respective homes.
(Later)
Joshua was standing in front of his apartment door looking through his keychain for his door's key, and was feeling pretty frustrated. Just as he was about to grow full on exasperated, however, his vision went black and his keychain glowed white.
'What the–? My Eagle Vision is active now?!' He thought in shock before he spotted his door key highlighted in gold, prompting him to stick it in the door and unlock it so he could go inside. When he closed the door and locked it, he frowned as he tried to figure out how to deactivate his newly acquired sense. Deciding to think of it deactivating, he tried that and it worked.
"Yeah, I'm definitely bringing this up with the gang tomorrow." He said to himself before he went to make a pizza and unwind with his cats.
As he did this though, his mind drifted towards Shin's reaction to seeing Bayonetta for the first time and his own reaction to seeing Ororo for the first time. Noting how similar they were.
'Guess recognizing beautiful women is something that runs in the family.' The man thought as he continued to cook his dinner of pizza. After it was done, he decided to watch Skinwalker Ranch on HULU as he ate. As he did, however, his thoughts drifted to the Assassin HQ in DC. 'Is that place even still standing after all this time? If it is, can anything be read?' He wondered.
That was definitely worth thinking about.
Dragon Emperor0: And there we go, the second big milestone of the journey for this new Brotherhood is underway… Why do I get that feeling that we already have an idea of who's keeping the rift from being closed?
ThermalsniperN7: Probably just a hunch… one that might hit the nail right on the head. Also, Joshua's Eagle Vision has activated for the first time, apparently. Wonder what that'll lead to?
Dragon Emperor0: Probably something either useful, funny, pervy or all of the above… Speaking of which, Shin's mouth was open long enough for something to fly in and have babies.
ThermalsniperN7: Can you blame him? A goddess was standing in front of him, so it's only natural that he'd be that way.
Dragon Emperor0: True… But yeah guys, that was Bayonetta Basilisk, one of the six potential love interest options that Shin will have to choose from. Each being revealed as the story goes on, developed naturally as you do, and then when each romantic subplot for all of the love interests reaches its climax, we'll put up a pole for everyone to vote on who Shin ends up with. So, keep an eye out.
ThermalsniperN7: Anyway, see you next time.