Requiem For A Robe
Altaїr frowned to himself as he felt the tiniest twinge of a sting in his left shoulder blade and wondered if he was getting rusty. He'd been on the road without combat for weeks and the water travel restricted his agile skills since he was meticulous in keeping his body honed in all aspects. He would take a few hours to practice his skills at camp whenever his group stopped for the night but for the past days, he'd done nothing but sleep and Altaїr was not the lazy type. Had he really become lethargic from facing his nemesis, the river? The assassin moved silently through the thin crowd at the entrance/exit facing the Nile and his eyes narrowed at the steady flow of the water, hating that he'd have to make another trip across it.
Giving one last sweep around the area with his eagle vision, he found guards still on duty at the border and easily blended in with a group of merchants leaving towards the dock. At that hour, late after a shift ended, nobody really gave you any attention as exhaustion set in from a day's grueling work and Altaїr found his companions at the edge of the dock. They saved him the task of finding them with his special sense and he strolled up to them casually as he saw them playing a game in the wet dirt of the riverbank as three columns and rows were divided as several squares had a circle and another sign. Well, at least they kept themselves occupied while he gathered information around the city and covertly eliminated a few Templars to prove to himself he hadn't gotten rusty. His search had now pointed him towards the majestic pyramids of Giza and three dead Templars had been hidden throughout the city to be found days after he departed. Standing in front of the two, he crossed his arms to stand imposingly but his voice was anything but as he asked curiously, "What are you two doing?"
"Winning at Ticky-Tacky-Toad" Malik answered proudly as he'd tricked his friend by playing the clueless card to gain the upper hand and Vivian muffled a laugh behind her hand to his pronunciation.
"Tic-Tac-Toe, Malik" she corrected with a friendly smile since it was a miracle they could understand each other at all (she still couldn't find a decent theory for that) and clapped him on the back for the win as he stood up to greet their returning assassin friend. Vivian hoped he'd gotten what he needed and released some homicidal tendencies on the Templars or she'd be receiving PMS-ing symptoms in epic proportions from the man once they returned to camp. She'd no idea why he turned on her to use as a verbal chew toy when she acted calmly without the sarcasm but maybe it was another of the universe's mysteries. Clasping her hands behind her back, Vivian leaned on the balls of her feet as she turned to Altaїr and asked sweetly with a big smile, "So, have a nice stretch climbing Egyptian architecture?"
Hidden meaning: Did you have fun impaling Templars on your hidden blade?
Altaїr mulled it over as he saw her too-innocent smile and returned his own mischievous one with a simple, "Yes."
Malik shook his head as he laughed to his friend's method of releasing stress and the three walked towards the boat as their quick stay in Cairo came to an end. Altaїr gazed at the blue horizon as it showed the first hints of sunset as lavender mixed in into the sky and actually looked forward to sleep today. Without glancing at his female companion, Altaїr scoffed snippily to add in, "I prefer Damascus, however."
"Wait till we hit Morocco" she grinned enthusiastically to the beautiful architecture and mosaic work that withstood through the centuries, swaying her hips as she performed a little jig on the shore. Altaїr wasn't the type of man to strike a woman but Vivian was not considered the innocent bystander or the respectable type as he placed her in a category all by herself which allowed him to do what he did next: trip her. His graceful movement failed to be noticed by the yapping Vivian and a block to her left foot brought the talking woman down onto the soft dirt of the shore, covering her once again in dirt just as she'd fallen in mud hours ago.
"What matters is that we achieve our goal" he reminded simply as he stepped over her fallen form carefully without an ounce of remorse to hop onto the wooden dock. Malik could only stare in pity (and a little amusement) as he helped her stand up while Altaїr untied their boat from the wooden post. Vivian whimpered to the awful condition of her clothes as she wiped her oval face, feeling miserable once more after washing her face clean only a half hour ago.
"Remember, Altaїr, you will hold power that nobody's held in centuries and in a great amount that no human should if you succeed with this journey" Vivian advised carefully with threat as her tone shifted to convey seriousness because nobody knew what crazy things the pieces of Eden could do. Those beings had been powerful and if humans were made to look like them without any of their abilities, it gave humankind the outlook of a child holding a gun. It echoed the myth of Pandora's box and Vivian tried her best to advise him as she wagged a motherly finger (despite he beat her age by five years- almost six), "As my Uncle Ben once said, 'with great power, comes great responsibility'. Heed it, Grand Master."
The assassin nodded silently despite he gave no verbal promise and left the two on the shoreline as he hopped into the boat to leave. He wanted to be across the Nile before nightfall to set up camp inland as the journey to Giza would begin the next morning. Malik turned to the frowning woman just as she'd been ready to flick off Altaїr behind his back for both his 'I'm greater than thou' attitude (not to mention tripping her) and he complimented, "Your uncle is a wise man for saying that."
Her frown immediately turned upside down as a goofy grin spread over her dry lips and Vivian admitted casually, "Oh, I don't have an Uncle Ben. He's just a fictional character from an illustrated paper novel called Spiderman that exists in my realm. I just thought the quote was fitting."
Malik's face twisted into sheer disbelief to her crafty mind as Vivian hopped into the boat while innocently humming Spiderman's theme. However, her peppy tune was cut short when the end of her robes caught onto a protruding nail at the edge of the dock and a sharp rip echoed in the air. Her eyes widened in horror at how many layers of her robes had torn and she stiffened immediately because having it rip further would only worsen the situation. Looking to Altaїr, who had been fixing their travel packs in the middle of the canoe but was now staring with mild shock, she squeaked meekly, "How bad is it?"
"Judging by the look on Malik's face, very bad" the assassin answered with a slow drawl as he watched the woman's beige cheeks turn a rosy shade in embarrassment.
"Very bad is an understatement, the back of her robes are missing entirely" Malik told them softly to keep their conversation private and Vivian's hands instantly shot to her butt to use whatever fabric was left to cover herself. Had she instantly shamed the dai by giving him an eyeful of her frilly gray underwear? It was all she had in stock to make! She wouldn't dare pat her rear to figure out how much fabric had been torn away and stared at the floor of the canoe sullenly to her crappy luck that day. Really, when were the gaming gods going to hand her a freebie? It's not like she was asking to be Cinderella or have the unnatural flawlessness of a Sue!
Altaїr sighed under his breath as he opened his pack to grab a brown linen blanket and handed it to her, feeling sympathetic when her shaking hands grasped it quickly and wrapped it around her waist. Ushering her outside the canoe, Vivian's paranoia feared he would humiliate her in front of the dock but Altaїr looked to Malik to state simply, "Stay with the boat. I'm going to find an affordable tailor to buy Vivian a new robe since I'd forgotten all about that until they ripped."
"Life is indeed a disturbing universe" Vivian muttered flatly under her breath since she certainly hadn't forgotten, especially after being hurled outside 'fancy town' as she called it but pulled herself back onto the wooden dock. The assassin followed after without scratching at the floor with the ferocity of a wet cat like she had with her shabby pulling skills and didn't know whether to feel honored that she managed to drag him to a store or fear for an incident to occur.
"Can't I-"
"Maybe I-"
Vivian and Malik found themselves blinking at each other when they spoke aloud in unison about visiting the store together. There was a reason both hesitated to let the master assassin visit stores, especially tailors, Altaїr stared at the dai to question suspiciously, "Why does nobody want me to shop with them?"
"Well. . ." Vivian faltered since there was always something that the assassin found unfavorable within a store, regardless of what type of goods they sold. The last store they visited was to refill their water canteens and Altaїr had grimaced at the store, saying the people had probably stored it in the hot sun due to the small establishment. Vivian had played it off by telling the owner he wasn't right in the head and left quickly with a modest thank you for selling to them. It was horribly ironic that he fought fiercely to protect the innocent and civilians but he would pick at humble store establishments to suit his tastes.
"You're picky" Malik stated bluntly rather than tiptoeing around it and pointed a finger towards Altaїr's white robes to point out, "You refuse to wear any robes that have the slighest discolorations and choose only cotton fabric that's been left in the sun to fade a pristine white," his voice almost slowed into a dismayed sight as he added in, "Not to mention that you travel away from the city to buy that ridiculous crimson sash that anybody could buy at a third of the price within the village or even cheaper, buy the fabric to create it at home."
Altaїr narrowed his eyes to being called fickle and Vivian's jaw hit the floor when he defended stiffly, "Where else am I going to find this type of silk fabric in Syria? Have you seen the intricate cross-stitching on this?"
He was about to grab the red sash around his waist to prove his point but Vivian pulled him by the forearm to halt any arguing that would undoubtedly had ensued between the men. She towed him towards the city's entrance, leaving Malik behind as the dai shook his head, and she chastised the assassin with disbelief in her voice, "Altaїr, don't be a drama queen. I expect this from snobby elites of your time and useless reality TV stars of my time that belong in the darkest pit of a gutter but not you. Not you."
The assassin had absolutely no idea what she'd just uttered and aimed his eyes to the grip she had on his forearm. Instead of chastising her about personal space and physical touching, he stated matter-of-factly, "That's Damascus metal and white calico from the lands of the Delhi Sultanate."
"I swear, if you tell me you're wearing cotton underwear with your initials sewn on, you will drop down on my awesomeness bar" Vivian threatened with a miserable whine at realizing her deadly assassin was rather finicky about his wardrobe.
Vivian mentally winced at the cheapest robes she could afford at such short notice and although she wasn't picky on clothing (she was a bargain shopper at her college age), the fabric was thinner and flimsier than she would have liked and she was in the past! Time was ticking away as Malik was patiently waiting for them but she couldn't dare herself to buy the thin robes and sat down to sulk on a stool, trying to figure something out. How could she solve her current conundrum with little time? She didn't have anything to sell, except her stolen riq, and the dirham coins she had earned from screeching her parody songs had already been spent on food for the group.
Altaїr wandered the small store with his commanding stride and posture fit for a king as he observed everything in sight with a critical eye. Fabrics met a harsh judge with the assassin as his meticulous eye criticized what was worthy. He'd snorted in disdain through half of the textiles gathered on display in the store and as he approached the cotton fabrics, Vivian sighed exasperatedly, "Altaїr, you'd be more help to me if you weren't scrutinizing everything."
"Hurry up, we have to cross the Nile" he ordered impatiently since he was tired and ready to leave the city, pointing to the robes in front of her for emphasis. Did he really want her to buy that? She sighed once more to his authoritarian attitude because he really wasn't helping matters by stomping around with the aggressiveness of a hippo and yanked the back of his robes to keep him in place. The assassin tried to bat her hand away since he would not be constrained to obey her whims but she didn't budge from his reprimanding slaps. . .hmm, he'd give her points for insistence.
"I can barely afford this and. . .look at it! It looks like the naughty nightwear of your era!" she hissed worriedly with an anxious face as she touched the thin fabric between her fingers. She was rather conservative with her wardrobe and knowing the norms of the archaic age, transparent fabrics were a huge no-no for ladies. Her chances at walking out with a decent wardrobe were slipping away faster than she could catch it with fishing reel and she certainly didn't want to leave with a robe that displayed her undergarments to the world.
The store owner didn't make it better when they piped up cheerfully, "Of course it is, your husband will love it."
Vivian jumped forward to grasp his left wrist before Altaїr charged at the poor merchant for daring to say such a thing since he resembled a monk of all people! He thrashed in her grip with the deadliness of a viper as she kept a firm hold on the enraged assassin and dropped the fabric in her left hand to grasp his wrist for an extra hold. To the merchant, her actions meant an affectionate display between spouses but in reality, Vivian was holding the leash to a rabid wolverine ready to rampage throughout Cairo. She managed a cheerful smile despite the wariness of having Altaїr break free and asked the middle aged merchant politely, "We're a little tight on currency. Is there a nearby shop we could trade at?"
Altaїr's head snapped in her direction at breakneck speed because running around Cairo was not on the itinerary of their travels and he certainly wouldn't be the one to do it. Vivian merely kept the annoyingly innocent smile plastered on her face as she turned to him and piped up with a sickeningly sweet tone to ask him, "You don't mind searching, do you, dear?"
He would've hurled her into the river of death to fight hippos barehanded for being called as such but they both knew he would be faster on his own and narrowed his eyes as he silently sent her a death glare. The woman was more trouble than she was worth already and grit his teeth as he knew her earlier diversion would come at a price; didn't everything in his life twist that way as of late? She averted her gaze to play the oblivious bystander as she sorted through more fabrics and Altaїr grumbled inaudibly under his breath for being saddled with the petite pest called Vivian.
This new predicament led to a wall climbing and gravity defying Altaїr who ran three blocks over Egyptian rooftops without stop, indented his foot in a weak roof that could've sprained his ankle, to find a trading merchant to exchange Vivian's riq for money. He'd scared the merchant into a near heart attack when he popped out of nowhere like a phantom to initiate his business talk immediately without introductions or greetings. After arguing over the pristine value of the instrument and threatening to cut off manly parts, Altaїr left the incensed trader to return to the tailor with his new dirham coins. Of course, luck wasn't with him when he handed his payment to Vivian and she told him the words he dreaded to hear, "This still isn't enough."
"You are lucky our 'friends' left me parting gifts" he had warned her with an incensed hiss as he decided to use the loot and weapons he'd picked off the Templars to sell. It's not like he was going to keep them since the extra weight would lower the boat further into the water so he might as well profit from it to keep fighting his enemies.
Again, this led Altaїr to climb upwards on the same limestone building next to the tailor's shop and run three blocks north, avoiding the indent he'd recently caused on a roof but managed to enrage a mother bird protecting her unborn eggs. The assassin had to bat the furious brown sparrow away while running towards his target zone and hoping the animal hadn't ruined his robes with its little talons. Honestly, he was having more clashes with animals on that day than any other in his life! He eventually found the store without breaking into a sweat (although he was close), slapped down all the weapons he'd found from the dead Templars to sell and after arguing that a friend had given him the dangerous arsenal, threatened to cut off a finger until sealing another deal.
The assassin arrived at Vivian's spot once more with the money in a separate pouch (she wasn't getting any of his money!) and handed it to the woman, who told him they had enough but she wasn't buying the flimsy robes. Their meager fortune might allow her to purchase the thin robes but she would not demean herself by wearing them in public and probably landing in jail within five minutes. Altaїr grabbed one of the robes and passed the gray fabric over the palm of his hand while looking at the current fabric she wore, studying the difference by eye alone. He almost wanted to punch himself when he had to bring himself to agree with her for the first time and reluctantly admitted with a flat tone, "No, we need thicker fabric because you're not a harlot. . .and no wife of mine will wear this in public."
Vivian almost gagged to hearing the humorous words but managed a shaky smile of relief as she agreed, "The next set of robes will be perfect, they're cotton so they'll be comfortable," her voice paused as her tone turned meeker and gentler to add in quickly, "but we still need a few more coins."
Altaїr shot her a look of disdain and desperation that she'd never seen on the strong man because he didn't want to run back to the trade merchant again. He almost collapsed onto his knees for having to run back there for a third time with risk of having his eyes gouged out by a furious mother bird and falling through weak roofs during a free run. . .not to mention the argument that would ensue with the angry threatened merchant. Vivian tried to lighten his mood by smoothing a hand down the slate robes she had her eye on and appealed to his fashionable side with a friendly smile, "Look, durable cotton throughout all layers that fits the shape of one's body comfortably. No fanciness but it has a little soft wool at the cowl to warm up the user when they use it as a hood over their head. Nice, huh?"
His eyes narrowed dangerously as he outright refused to play her bartering game and snapped harshly, "I don't care if it's the crappiest crop of imported cotton or the finest silk from the East, I'm not-"
Altaїr flatly stared at the back of the unaware trade merchant with lifeless eyes that sucked the cheer out of the very air around him as he questioned flatly, "How much for three throwing knives?"
"The store is closed" the man told him gruffly as he finished closing his shop for the evening and turned around to yelp when he saw the same man that had frightened him with the penalty of death two times that day. Did the stranger think he would trade goods with a man that kept threatening him since their first exchange? Instantly, he went on the defense and tried to shoo the Syrian man away with a sharp snap, "You! Get out of here!"
Altaїr's left eye twitched madly as his stoic demeanor threatened to break and he retorted tightly with growing rage in his tone, "Look, I've been here two times! I have a wife that is driving me insane at the tailor's because her clothes ripped at the dock and I'm already behind in our travels. Frankly, I wonder why I married her at this point! I have been attacked by animals, thrown in a river, and run throughout a city whose economy is coming into question when I have to pay so damn much for a pair of CLOTHES!"
Leaning close to the trembling man as the assassin's height towered over him, Altaїr hissed lowly with a lethal tone on his scowling face, "Now, are we going to trade or will I have to knock down your store and sell your goods in the seedier parts of town to get my money?"
Altaїr wouldn't stoop down to such activities but with his threatening aura and strong speech, he expected his bluff to be believed and a second later. . .
"I. . .I think we can trade" the man whimpered weakly as raw fear and self-preservation won over because he wanted to make it home alive for supper. The wicked smile the assassin sent him almost had him running off into the next building for safety but didn't dare risk it as the white clad man pulled him into his own store for the business trade. Nobody noticed the two men disappear into the shadows as Altaїr began his bargaining skills once more and the startled man offered no verbal resistance as they both wanted the business transaction over with.
Altaїr made a fair trade and returned to the rooftops, traversing the same buildings he'd run through, avoiding the same infuriated mama bird that wanted to peck out his eyes, and landed in a cart of hay right outside the tailor's shop. His landing wasn't one of the easiest and he groaned softly when a twinge shot down his spine and cursed his lack of training along with Vivian's existence. He still had pieces of yellow hay falling off his spotless white robes as he staggered into the shop with sloppy steps and shoved the money into Vivian's hands as she'd been waiting patiently for him.
Vivian's green eyes lit up at the little money pouch but she blinked rapidly a second later towards the panting assassin as he used the customer stool to sit and catch his breath. Where had the tireless man disappeared to? When he had a mission drilled into his mind, nothing stopped the deadly assassin but doing this for Vivian had blown away his lung capacity. Her nose could smell the faint distinct scent of hay on his clothes and hoped he hadn't jumped off a building with those fearsome leaps of faith, leaning down to ask worriedly, "Are you all right?"
"Get. . .the. . .robes. . .wench" Altaїr grit out between clenched teeth because he was not going to run all over the city again to find another merchant in case his money wasn't sufficient. This time, he'd make her run the distance herself because his kind nature was done for the day. If anything, it wouldn't see daylight for another two days.
She smiled nervously to his words and brushed her hands over the smooth new cotton robes she now wore as her old ones were gathered in the elbow crook of her left arm (they would prove useful as rags). Depositing the little money sack back into his calloused hands, Vivian informed him slowly and cautiously with a warm smile, "It turns out that I had a few coins stuck inside my pockets since they weren't fully dry yet and I found them after you left. They covered the sale price of the robes so you can save this money instead for future purposes."
Altaїr's first instinct was to throttle her neck until she turned purple for having him run back and forth like a houseboy and embarrassing his assassin skills in such a manner. His sense of honor won over due to her civilian status and his hands halted in midair before he actually choked her in public. Vivian jumped back as she watched his fingers twitch in the air, his face twisting into a madman's expression before he stood up with inaudible mutterings and stomped away from her. She wanted to call him back to point out it wasn't her fault entirely but maybe some time alone was what he needed to cool down his frustrations. Thanking the merchant gratefully for the purchased clothes (she was glad they finally finished their trip), she scampered off after him to catch up before he left her dwindling in the wind and took the boat himself without her. The man's long stride and intimidating posture practically screamed 'ready to rampage' as he cut a straight beeline for the Nile shore and Vivian called out to beckon, "Altaїr, would you slow down? You have those long lean legs and I have these tiny little hooves."
The assassin halted in his steps as he was more than ready to unleash a barrage of insults in the middle of the road where people could hear it but they died on his lips. Only Vivian could say the most idiotic of things and not bring his blade through her throat. Turning around, he glared at the bothersome woman as she stopped in mid-run to catch her breath and watched her hand wave innocently towards him. She'd developed second thoughts on approaching him straightaway due to his danger level but he commanded firmly, "Get over here before I butcher you."
His ego was satiated somewhat when she obeyed and with the loyalty of a puppy, stood next to him with a hopeful smile reminiscent of a dog's yip. He almost laughed at the idea of a puppy named Vivian (he often imagined it to please his dark humor) and pinched the neckline of her robes to study the fabric. Vivian merely blinked to his sudden interest in the cloth but said nothing of it because having him snap her head off would not end her day happily after buying decent robes for the road. She would certainly take care of the new robes after what they had paid for it (and that had been at the cheapest store in Cairo) and hoped they'd last longer than the torn one in her arms. Truly, ancient times were unrelenting and she missed the modern era where you could pick an item off the clothing rack and charge it to credit rather than running everywhere to look for scraps of money.
Altaїr studied the mixed cotton fabric with a keen eye until his curiosity withered and he explained listlessly, "The cowl is made of imported cashmere, not wool, so learn your fabrics as you'll need that knowledge when ordering from tailors. This will make you warm during the early day's humidity so I suggest keeping it at your shoulders."
Vivian's face fell into a deadpan expression for both his opinion and casual suggestion since she mostly expected to be insulted and told how much of a burden she was. She didn't poke the bear hiding within him as they spoke civilly and agreed with his remark to assure, "I'll use the second outer robe I have in my pack as my everyday robe then."
Walking towards the exit of the city to finally continue their journey, she dodged the small rocks in her path and piped up to keep the conversation ongoing, "You'd love the textile stores in my time. We have synthetic manmade fabrics now and can dye a cloth any color imaginable. I can't believe you're finicky over clothing but then again, maybe that explains why you practically glow like a star among the other assassins with your bone white robes. If Ubisoft decides to turn you into Arwen with her blinding brightness in the next game, I might have to choose Ezio as my new favorite. He lets you dye his robes any color-"
Once more, Altaїr had no idea of what she was spouting about and pointed to his left shoulder where fine gray stitching bordered the edge of his most superficial layer. Her left eyebrow rose as he ran a fingertip over the fine binding of the cloth and pointed out haughtily, "Have you seen the marvelous appliqué handwork used here? My private tailor in Damascus always has what I need in stock."
. . . "You have your own tailor? In Damascus?"
"Please?"
"No."
"Please?"
"No."
"Plea-"
"I swear on your life that I will skewer you on my blade if you don't stop asking" Altaїr growled with frustration as he loosened the leather straps from the metal buckles located at the back of his brown boots. After a long exhausting day, he needed to unwind and relax for the night but Vivian's curious rambles quickly jabbed at his irritation with the intensity of a scorching branding rod. The woman sat down on the log with a frown at losing the argument with the assassin but then again, when did she win?
Malik glanced over at the feuding duo from his place at their makeshift fire as he warmed pieces of bread over hot flat rocks that Vivian cleaned at the riverbank. They managed to afford a loaf in the city and had it cut into slices at the bakery to save them the trouble at camp. The trio had been very lucky to find that their food hadn't been spoiled with water from their river rafting earlier in the day and were joyous to add more food to their packs. The dai never failed to find the two bickering over something at that precise hour, wherever they traveled, and had become accustomed to playing arbiter to cease the arguing. At the current moment, Altaїr was trying to make himself comfortable by taking off his boots and weapons while Vivian finished ripping the brown skirt of her old robes into usable strips for sewing or cleaning rags. He knew he'd regret asking the second the words left his lips but if he didn't, the two would blow into an argument, "What are you two arguing about now? So help me if it's something trivial, I will send you straight to bed without supper."
Altaїr threw him a wry look for daring to withhold his meal and his voice dripped with disdain as he explained, "She wanted me to give her a massage-"
"At first, but seeing the cute bunnies made me wonder if the Apple could control them so they could do a little dance" she corrected matter-of-factly to dispel the glare permanently drawn onto his face as she eyed a small brown hare leaping away into the night. She tried not to burst into laughter but a conjured image of Templars recreating Jackson's 'Thriller' video cracked her resolve. Oh, if only she had the power to make them humiliate themselves as fate deemed her its unofficial jester since arriving. Instead, she was left to imagine cute wild animals dancing in perfect unison while her companion found no hilarity in it as he lacked the humor gene in his personality. Ubisoft really created quite the character with this guy. . .then again, he was real in this realm and she might as well be the illusion.
His stone set face told her that he wasn't considering it or budging from his stand and she crossed her arms to lean against the log with a disappointed pout, "We never do anything fun."
"We had enough fun to last a lifetime today" he muttered darkly to the crazy events that were mostly aimed at him and hoped their travel to Giza would fare better. If the Templars at Cairo caught onto their arrival, they would be long gone by tomorrow morning to initiate a fight as they placed a decent distance between them with their campsite.
"My coin from singing helped us buy bread and a few pieces of meat, I think I did good for a girl starting out on her own" Vivian said proudly to her new developing skills as an explorer but the assassin snorted underneath his hood to the catastrophes she caused with said actions. On the other hand, they had been running a little short on bread so maybe her skills weren't all a complete waste.
"Starting? It's never going to lift with your wretched voice" he mocked sardonically with a superior smirk and she snatched the piece of bread he held between his fingers to eat it herself. Vivian grinned evilly as she took the first bite to claim it as her own as he stared with open shock to her audacity and sudden dexterity in reach. How dare she steal his food? A second later wiped it away as he dove for the woman chewing her bite, tackling her to the bare ground as he exclaimed indignantly for being robbed, "You little ragamuffin!"
They began a fight for the coveted piece clasped between her hands as she fell onto the dirt on her back, the assassin trying to wedge her hands open from atop. She squealed like a piglet as the rolled over the ground, his calloused fingers prying her weak digits open with force as he demanded, "Give me that bread!"
"No, it's mine!" she objected with her naturally comedic voice as her feet wiggled in the air in an attempt to knock him off but all it did was leave footprints on his robes. Throughout it all, Malik kept a casual air about him as he watched them fight like alley cats and simply kept on heating their food. Altaїr grit his teeth as he tried to keep a good hold on her before she landed another bite on his dinner bread and practically growled when she exclaimed, "You should learn never to insult a lady."
"I'll do that when I see a true lady" he shot back with a snarl and relished seeing her cheeks puff in rage to the insult of her femininity. Malik ended the fight when they rolled into his area because he wasn't about to unwillingly merge into their dust ball of a quarrel to get struck by flying hands or sacrifice the food warming next to him. He grabbed the scrap of bread between the hands of his friends and ate it himself without a single word as he turned away from them to pull apart a piece of seasoned dry meat.
Altaїr and Vivian halted immediately as the spell for the bread was broken, turning to him in the hopes that the kind dai would share a morsel with the two and Malik stared at them awkwardly for the sad longing eyes they were giving him. He could see Vivian resorting to that behavior due to her personality but Altaїr astonished him because he'd never do so unless he was completely starved. He didn't feel comfortable after a few seconds when their eyes didn't turn away (or blink, for that matter) and with an aggravated groan, he grabbed his own bread to divide it into three pieces. Honestly, the things he did for his friends! Giving them one piece each, he directed a stern expression towards them as he played the leadership role for peace and sighed with aggravation, "Fine, you little whelps, but you better stay put. . .and what do you say after receiving food?"
"Thank you, Malik" they replied in flat unison for being reminded about manners in the isolated campsite and the dai waved his hand to let them be for the night.
They retreated to their corners to nibble on their portions with triumphant smiles for scoring a pity morsel from their friend and Malik shook his head for playing caretaker to the two. Having to reign in Altaїr's impulsiveness back in Syria had been bad enough and when he thought the man finally had his bad habits under control, he received a twin that matched the assassin in craziness. He should've just gotten two dogs, named them after the feuding duo, and set sailed off into the sunset towards Sicily to live his life. Instead, he was traveling with the two as they nursed their broken pride by munching on scraps of bread.
Vivian grabbed a nearby leather canteen that she'd carried as extra because they didn't know where their next stop would be and water was crucial in humid environments as they sweated like little pigs in blankets. Altaїr had nagged about her extra belongings as he brought the bare minimum for the trip but her items came in handy and she'd assured that he wouldn't regret it or have to carry her heavier pack. The words 'don't have to carry' sealed a deal between them at Masyaf and he'd let her be, laughing in his mind when he watched her fall behind with her oversized pack while he strolled easily with his own light bag. She showed the plump canteen to the two and announced proudly with a peppy grin, "I bought a fruit drink to accompany our meal tonight because bland water will only taste good for so long."
"How much did it cost?" Altaїr asked suspiciously as he was the penny-pinching type because if they didn't need it, it shouldn't be bought. Their money would be for bare lodgings in settlements, light meals, and maintaining their weaponry only. Malik shot him a dry expression for the question because they needed food to live, period, and they were lucky to afford it with their small earnings.
"Did I mention it can melt your enemies with a little spritz?" she joked innocently with a cheeky smile as she pointed the drinking tip of the canteen towards him but his eyes narrowed to negate her humor. He would never lend a humorous word, would he? Wincing to his blood freezing stare, Vivian cleared her throat to disperse the tension in the air and placed the canteen to the side as she answered his question with a short clipped sigh, "Jeez, can you ever take a joke? It cost less than the bread since meat's the most expensive and you're the biggest carnivore out of all of us. Just for that, Malik and I will divide your share- eek!"
She dove behind a log as he lunged for her like a lethal leopard to an unexpected impala but Malik waved a hand in the open space between the two to halt the next rumble. Altaїr's head snapped towards him for being denied his prey as Vivian used her feet to nudge him away since she prized the canteen highly above all else and would have her sip of the juice. The assassin calmed but remained tense with rigid shoulders as she clutched the canteen with the neediness of a starving raccoon (he could've ripped it away easily but she believed the false sense of security) and Malik lectured with a firm tone, "Altaїr, be a good boy and thank her for getting us juice. . .it's not orange, is it? I'm allergic."
"He breaks out in pink blotches when he touches the fruit" Altaїr smirked with dark delight since the dai discovered it during their supper meal after initiation, spending his celebration as a new assassin in the infirmary wing. Oh, the jokes Altaїr had bombarded him with the next day were legendary. It was Malik's turn to glare as the assassin verbally poked somebody else and knew it was subtle payback for defending the woman and her canteen since Altaїr wasn't going to be her protector. Of course, the humor he found about someone's allergic reactions didn't interest anybody else and he found himself greeted by silence when Vivian simply dismissed his words.
"No, it's apple" she assured Malik with a sympathetic smile to soothe any worries and filled a small wooden cup with the sweet juice, handing it over to him with a smile. He replied with polite thanks and she filled up the next two cups, almost bursting into laughter when she noticed Altaїr eyeing her suspiciously. Did he think she would drug or poison him in the middle of nowhere? She ignored his paranoia with a soft shake of the head, poking Altaїr in the shoulder where the hippo had bruised it as he hissed in warning and she scooted away with a motherly, "Eat up, eagle boy."
It wasn't the best dinner they'd had but it was the best since they'd started traveling down the Nile and that sufficed. Heroism never brought much perks for the trio, only misadventure and quick changing luck that flew in either direction within seconds. They'd never seek recognition mostly due to their professions, but it would've been nice to have spare coin during their travel rather than resorting to looting dead enemies. On the other hand, Altaїr had Vivian in his midst and he could make her do tricks like a dancing monkey to bring them extra money- she was eager to help, after all.
I am the sly fox, he thought mischievously to his genius since she would do almost anything to prove herself and he could take full advantage of that. Relaxing against a wooden log with a full stomach, the assassin closed his eyes to receive a small moment of peace after a good meal. Of course, a green-eyed kitty cat named Vivian burst that bubble of solitude with her own curiosity and as the saying went 'curiosity killed the cat'.
With their supper finished, Vivian had been wrestling on whether to approach the assassin since dinnertime usually brought lethargy with digesting food. A question that had been burning in her mind for the last few days finally passed through her lips as she asked curiously with a hopeful smile, "Do you trust me now, Altaїr?"
"No."
She balked with fresh irritation and incredulity to his blunt answers since he didn't hesitate or try to mull it over. Even feigning contemplation would've made the strike easier but his straightforward answer plunged the friendship scale down to negative infinity. Was she really a difficult person to trust? Her mind dwelled on it for a second but her emotions reacted faster as she demand curtly, "I've gotten chucked out of cities by Templars, beat one with an instrument, cured your seasickness, saved you from a damn crocodile, not to mention a hippo, and you still refuse? Are you really this stubborn?"
He wasn't affected by her disbelief because no, he would not place his trust in anyone who wasn't from his order or allied to it. Their acquaintance had only lasted three weeks and counting but he was not going to leave himself open to be betrayed again by a confidante. Throughout his life, he'd grown to be a solitary man and despite the recent developments that changed his outlook of the world, he would remain a private man with reservation. He simply poked the makeshift fire to brighten the flames over camp but did nothing to fan the ones spewing from his mouth as he stated coldly, "People can mimic trust and use it easily against others-"
"I'm not Al Mualim, do you really see me as the type to manipulate?" she pointed out sharply to his perceived misconception since she'd done nothing but try to prove her worth throughout the trip. She hadn't tried to run off or stab him behind his back with a manic smile because if anything, she was the fan loyally following to both survive and explore with him. There was nothing deceiving in her behavior or physical appearance as she appeared more as a foreign peasant than anything else and lacked qualities needed for tricking an enemy. She waved her hands over her own body to emphasize her helplessness in his world and blurted shrilly without restraint, "I mean, look at me! I'm more liable to be thrown into an asylum than a top traitor with a pokerface."
"You find it easy to lie and conjure lives in public" he answered easily with a smug cold tone towards her knack to assume different personalities despite she'd stated her inability to lie very well. Vivian sighed exasperatedly as her friendly nature to help others came back to bite her in the butt and could hear Homer Simpson's humorous quote 'the lesson learned is never help anyone'. Maybe if she was a better liar, she could've created a fake assassin identity at their first meeting- after all, fanfiction was full of OC backgrounds she could've used (women loved that damn assassin) and given thanks in a future fanfic of her own. Life liked to kick her in the behind, didn't it?
"I do it for you, you ass" she snapped sourly to his wrongful accusation since she promised to do everything in her power to help him on his quest. Frankly, she was surprised he hadn't slept next to her with open eyes until dawn to make sure she didn't try anything funny. She would keep hearing his suspicious opinions of her if she didn't nip them in the bud and glanced at him with a challenging expression to state sharply, "Why don't you use your fancy little eagle vision to see what color I pop out as?"
Malik turned to Vivian with a curious stare as he nibbled on a hard edge of his dried meat and asked, "You know about that unique ability of his?"
She grinned wittily to the handy knowledge, pointing to her head to answer chirpily, "I know everything. . .Altaїr-wise, anyway," her lips pursed to her chosen words and she added in flatly, "Hmm, that didn't sound right."
Altaїr never considered the idea of using his special sight since he'd been eyeing her daily routine for slip-ups and nodded in agreement to her suggestion. She surprised him by clapping her hands eagerly and he groaned mentally at knowing an enemy wouldn't be smiling like a dolt at the idea of another interrogation. He ordered her to stay in her spot despite her complaints that he could read everyone's motives pretty clearly with or without their movement but he just wanted her to sit and shut up. Unlike the game which displayed nothing above his nose (unless you jiggled with the controller and camera view), Vivian saw the briefest of changes in his pupil dilation as the fire added better lighting to their camp and found that rather intriguing. Ubisoft lacked any further details on the abilities his genealogy inherited and wondered when the adventure game had decided to melt into fantasy with a dash of sci-fi. Her thoughts about the fascinating game franchise were swept into a halt when he murmured with perplexity, "Hmm, that's strange."
This snapped her gaze to his immediately as he continued to stare at her with his impassive expression that would unnerve a few people at that point. Had she fallen astray from one of his categories? There were only four to choose from. Either way, his words didn't fill her with confidence about the 'trusty time traveler' rank she was trying her best to achieve and knew there was more to his words. Vivian remained unfazed on the surface by the intense probing but desired to know what he meant and bluntly asked, "What do you mean by that?"
"You're shifting between white and blue" he explained slowly as a hint of intrigue mixed into his voice because it had never happened to him before. A solid color always matched the individuals he observed but the woman before him had white swirling over her head as blue blended upwards from her neck, merging the two but not quite creating a new color altogether. He had no explanation for the strange phenomena in his ability, it was entirely absurd!
Vivian summarized both of their confused thoughts into a disappointed exclamation, "Ah crap, I'm a mood ring!"
She curled up into a comical ball as the answer she received was not what she'd been expecting (so much for her 'welcome to the friendship boat' wish) and Malik handed her a warm bread roll to draw her out of her invisible shell. By the end of the adventure, he wouldn't be surprised if he ended up being the newest teacher for the order's children after everything he put up with from both Vivian and Altaїr. Her nose sniffed the warm bread that gave off a sweet scent from its freshness and she yanked the bread out of his hands with a giddy 'gimme'. Shaking her head as she sunk her teeth into the sweet slice of bread, she mumbled pitifully between mouthfuls, "I can't 'Hakuna Matata' this, man. Even AC logic seems to have spun beyond its normalcy laws."
Altaїr decided to get himself some air to clear his head after having his special sight backfire horribly because he'd been waiting to accuse her proudly and kick her out of camp but that hope had burst like a soap bubble. Oh, how he'd imagined the exact way he'd tell her to leave: he'd abandon her on the river shore all alone while he would smile the biggest one the world had seen of him as he cackled victoriously and rowed downstream, keeping her belongings to himself to add further humiliation. Of course, that idea went up in smoke and he was left with frustration of having that dream chased away. He wasn't about to declare immediate friendship with her since his eagle vision didn't give him conclusive results and would put her on pending trust. . .carefully being scrutinized at all times. The entire thing gave him something to ponder over but he wouldn't do it with the bumbling woman next to him, informing Malik, "I will be back in a few minutes, keep an eye on her."
"I'm not a dog" she snapped with offense to being watched like a common criminal but watched him leave with a narrowed gaze befitting a tenacious canine on the defense. His footsteps mixed in with the crackle from the warm fire as he left and Malik offered an amicable shrug that told her to ignore the assassin's words.
Location: Across the Nile from Cairo
Time: Beats me but it's nighttime and frogs are chirping
Dear Mom,
I experienced my first day in the ancient Egyptian city of Cairo and witnessed the handmade statues of the pharaohs' right in the heart of the city. It was hard seeing the poverty during those turbulent times, especially when there are so many dangers by human or nature's hands to contend with too. I met my first Templars today and they are crafty at disguising their tracks but their time will come in 1307 when France turns against them and 1312 will bring their disbandment. On the other hand, there's so much historical change here in comparison to what my time has dictated and it worries me that I might not know enough or step on a strand of time and alter it to the point that I can damage time itself or Altaїr's path. He distrusts me like crazy and despite the logical part of me agrees due to the short weeks in each other's company cannot warrant such, my emotional side takes a hit as everything I do seems to push him farther away like one would a leper. I'm not asking that he suddenly declare undying friendship or that we become joined at the hip but a little civility would go far as we venture forth to Giza.
. . . I miss home. I can't say it aloud for fear of sounding childish but I do. There are nights when I truly feel alone in this world and I realize that I am; there's nothing of who I am or my world in this place which is why I hope I find answers soon before my mind's tempted to go off the deep end. The crappy thing is there's no psychiatrist here so I'm screwed.
Vivian closed the personal diary of her adventures, naming it after her dear deceased mother to feel a bond that kept her tied to her own time and placed it inside her travel pack for safekeeping. The entire day had gone rather well, except for Altaїr's crankiness at the river and their recent camp quarrel, but that was normal on a regular basis and she had to grow to accept it. Life alongside the assassin would not be easy to live and was a task all on its own as he judged her with a critical eye. Vivian briefly wondered how many brownie points she'd receive when he saw her stab a Templar (not that she was ready to take a person's life, mind you) since beating one with a tambourine didn't count.
"I wish I could make Altaїr gingerbread men and tear off the limbs to feel better" she mumbled grumpily to her stroke of luck in life as she rubbed a red mosquito bite on her forearm. She'd received a few at the river's edge as they gathered around shallow pools and washing the rocks clean for their dinner had beat the risk of disease .The damn things itched like crazy with the slightest accidental graze and every time she saw one, hoped that it hadn't become infected with a pathogen. She grit her teeth as the ticklish sensation coursed towards her shoulder, beckoning her to surrender to frantic itching and she growled furiously, "Argh, I'm so itchy!"
Movement at the front of her tent paused her frantic rubbing of the bites and her eyes narrowed suspiciously since sunset had not brought in wind to their campsite. The night air had been calm and balmy with lingering humidity so she was right to be on guard, especially after watching so many horror movies and animal planet documentaries. She would've preferred a slasher to a hippo because then, she could warn Altaїr and hope he'd take pity to save her rather than letting them hack her to bits whereas a hippo would devour them all. When a head popped into view, she did the only thing a human driven by sudden adrenaline in their survival instinct would do: kick the unwelcome intruder in the face.
Unfortunately, the silent intruder was Altaїr.
"Argh! F-," a lot of curse words were yelled in an fuming flurry as the assassin held his painfully throbbing face since his nose took most of the damage. Vivian could only stare with wide eyes full of horror and dismay to what she'd done as she struggled on whether to help or let him take the first step in conversation. She was lucky that her footwear was a mere slipper made of cloth rather than tough leather like his boots which would've hurt him worse. Malik, who heard the commotion from his tent, had punched out of his role as babysitter for the day and idly sat on his sleeping blankets as he read a book by candlelight- completely ignoring the ruckus outside. To him, they were just another sound of the Nile River and its wilderness.
When Altaїr finally regained feeling in his face from the unforeseen attack and managed to calm his string of curses, he glared heatedly at Vivian as he punched a fist on the ground of her tent. If she wanted to attack him, he would stab her into resembling a needle cushion with his hidden blade and remarkable reflexes. She scooted a few inches towards the back of her tent as she dealt with a deadly tiger ready to strike and he demanded furiously, "Why would you kick me?"
"What kind of sane person pokes their head through a tent like Jack Nicholson in the Shining?" she shouted back from the sudden fright he'd given her poor heart and noticed his red nose. Jeez, the poor guy resembled Rudolph the reindeer already and felt guilty for reacting too quickly to his sudden appearance into her private abode (despite all she had inside were linen blankets and her travel pack). Her fingers twitched at tending to the bruise that would form on his hooded face and after nursing her little sister's boo-boo's, automatically offered her help, "Let me grab the health kit."
"I'm fine" he enforced grimly with refusal since the last thing he wanted was her touch because it would probably mutilate his face. . .not that he was vain or anything. The woman knew nothing about the medicine of his time and if she'd broken his nose (which he doubted), he'd set it right himself.
"You got kicked, in the face" she drawled slowly to emphasize what occurred and sighed to his stubborn nature to accept her aid. How could a great fighter like Altaїr refuse a lending hand when he needed one? The man had to reassess his 'dangerous/not dangerous' list because Vivian could hardly crush a bug (there were some pretty big ones in the wild in her defense) and she was on his side instead of the enemy's. Giving the fuming man a dry expression, she crossed her arms over her chest and sighed to remark softly, "Sometimes, I think you're deranged with the way you carry yourself. No wonder Desmond has crippling nightmares."
Altaїr didn't understand her futuristic (or just plain insane) gibberish and shouted sternly, "Who the hell is Desmond?"
The sudden raise in his voice marked the rare characteristic of the assassin losing his cool and silence ensued between both as Vivian kept mum on dear old Desmond, taking sudden fascination with a bite on her arm.
"Look, you obviously came for something so unless I foiled your attempt to assassinate me in bed, you better start talking" she spoke firmly since she wasn't in the mood for his brooding sass this late in the night (it was probably eight pm but whatever, the lack of artificial light made it midnight all the time). The possibility that he'd try to stab her during sleep wasn't enthralling either as she was rather keen on living until old age so he'd better have a good explanation for entering her sleeping area.
"I brought you this as a peace offering" he admitted offhandedly as he retrieved a hard treat made of honey from one of his leather pouches and her eyes became transfixed with her. Vivian's fingers itched to grab hold of the golden sweet as she hadn't tasted any kind of confection since arriving in Jerusalem but he pulled it away from her grasp at the last second. Altaїr's physical pain lessened when he watched her face fall at being denied and despite it caused him further twinges of discomfort, he smirked evilly to taunt his nemesis, "But since you kicked me in the face, I'm giving it to myself as medicine."
"You bastard" she muttered with resentment as he squashed her hopes yet again (he really was a good puppet master, wasn't he?) and crawled out of her tent by backtracking, leaving her to close her tent in a huff. Ugh, she could still see his mocking smirk as she closed the cloth flaps and grit her teeth to hold back a screech of curses she wanted to yell at him. Altaїr held his sore nose as he stood up to head to his own tent for the night and use his own medicine to help numb the pain as he could no longer smell very well through the swelling. He nibbled on the treat he'd intended to give to another and enjoyed it with his sense of taste as revenge did indeed taste sweet.
A/N: And we wrap up Cairo as they head closer to the piece of Eden but knowing that it took all of AC2 to find one, I can't make it too easy for the trio who lack decent technology. I offer apologies for the slight lateness but my stories were pushed back for more than a week as my city was hit with a scorching heat wave and my laptop wouldn't stop being a boiling oven so I had to give up. Luckily, this week brought in calm wind and thunderstorms in some areas but next week, we're warned it's going to be hot again so we'll see how that works into my writing schedule. I hate hot weather, it's just awful for writing and studying. Anyway, we'll start in Giza next time as Altaїr is forced to help a town in need and like any valiant hero, has Vivian play target practice for Templars.
Thank you for the continuous story alerts/favs as I appreciate each one and your reviews poke me to keep writing the story as I see that it's enjoyed.
Kookie-douwh: Yeah, Malik and Altaїr are quite patient with the rambunctious Vivian as she tries to backtrack through the centuries to appear normal but maintain her spicy dash of independence. The plot's already underway as they travel to locate and find the pieces of Eden within Africa but the hilarity seems to take the seriousness of that away as adventure lights their way (or ripping robes for Vivian and getting kicked in the face for Altaїr). I went into run-on sentences as I keep trying to be as descriptive as possible to increase my writing skills but did a big no-no in the end. It's been fixed into shorter, straight forward sentences in this one as my brain was knocked into place. And I don't mind rambly reviews, dear reader.
Flyingcrispi: Being a common person like us, we'd be useless in ancient times and Vivian tries her best to find something to prove otherwise. Of course, with her geeky little mind, she'll cook up distractions that don't include life threatening situations. Malik needs his love so as they travel, Vivian will basically try to match him to any beautiful woman she can find. Altaїr's as human as the rest of us, just with a few spiffy abilities that we envy, but he bleeds and feels like everybody- especially when kicked in the face.
Bearybeary: Unfortunately, I don't think there is any hope for that voice of hers.
Foreverafter: Thanks for loving the story, I try my best to come up with unique ideas that bring in humor.
shadowelf144: You're very welcome and poor Vivian does try her best to gain favor with Altaїr like any main character would in an RPG game with neutral followers. Lol.
AnimeWolfAlienRaptor4: Vivian's twenty-one as Malik's the oldest despite sharing the same year with Altaїr. Ubisoft should really use Malik in the game whenever Altaїr's running around doing assassin stuff, I liked seeing him lecture Altaїr.
IpiRayan: Wherever Altaїr roams, Malik will have to tag along to make sure he doesn't get himself killed- especially with Vivian riling him into spats. Vivian can't handle any kind of smoking, choosing to rather hack it in Altaїr's poor face.
Alyssa: I love hearing that my stories don't suck (hehe) and I try to update as much as I can but I tend to write long chapters which is my downfall. Unfortunately, my city's having blistering heat and it's dampened everything relating to my laptop- even my studies took a hit. You're right on building the romance, I don't like it happening too sudden as it's a gradual change filled with bumps just like life and with Altaїr. . .well, the man's a tough nut that needs cracking but Vivian will be the little squirrel that takes her time to cleanly cut it open. Thanks again for the review.
xoxo Lucifer's Daughter: Yeah, little crazy Vivian brings excitement with her subtle ramblings without bordering on Sue-dom.
Next Time:
Late noon had brought the wandering trio deep into the lush wild of Giza's outskirts in the search to find civilization, whether it was a village or the city itself. It wasn't as easy to find as Cairo where the city practically waved to them from afar in welcome and Altaїr had the nagging suspicion that they landed a little south of the location. It was confirmed during morning when Vivian checked the compass as they had hidden their canoe in a safe place not too far from their concealed campsite before walking to find people. Frankly, Vivian didn't know if they'd find the same area of camp since tying a red sash around the trunk of a tree and placing a fallen log near shore didn't exactly give them the pinpointing precision of a GPS navigator.
The empty lush jungle landscape twittered with buzzing insects and singing birds but the sound of grass crunching under heavy feet from the trio joined in. Malik was already drenched in sweat from the high humidity in the area while Altaїr swatted insects that wanted to land on his face as he kept hiking with the unrelenting determination fit for a Terminator. Vivian could only scuttle on behind the men, sometimes forcing herself to waddle to manage balancing her large pack since Altaїr decided to fill all of her canteens and make her carry them all. She assumed this was his way of payback for what occurred between them yesterday night when she kicked his face in. It was a miracle handed by the gaming gods that he didn't unleash his wrath upon the poor woman but Vivian wouldn't complain.
"Oh, I come from a land, from a faraway place
Where the caravan camels roam
Where it's flat and immense
And the heat is intense
It's barbaric, but hey, it's home
When the wind's from the east
And the sun's from the west
And the sand in the glass is right
Come on down
Stop on by
Hop a carpet and fly
To another Arabian night. . ."
Vivian's arms spread wide as she kept singing the rest of the Disney melody with cheer,
"Arabian nights
Like Arabian days
More often than not
Are hotter than hot
In a lot of good ways
Arabian nights
'Neath Arabian moons-"
"What are you singing now?" Altaїr sighed exasperatedly to her annoying out of the blue tunes as the humidity in the air covered him in a blanket of endless heat that had now drenched his face with perspiration.