Adventure Time With Altaïr

by Mystic Blade

Vivian's life takes a turn for the odd when she wakes in 12th century Jerusalem with no logic to explain it all. When she's unwillingly dragged along for Altaïr's new adventure for the pieces of Eden with Malik, she'll travel the world to find her own scientific answers. What mayhem awaits Altaïr's Crusade? Facing deadly enemies and wildlife, the adventure never ends. Post-AC1 AU

35. To Save a Dai and Master in One Day

Music Inspiration: Tom Tykwer- "Prelude: The Atlas March" (for the minor Altaïr/Vivian fluff) and Two Steps from Hell- "Icarus"

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To Save a Dai and Master in One Week

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The first rays of sunlight shed the navy blanket with diamond stars away from the land to shroud the horizon in its lilac-grey of early sunrise. Vivian sat up in her bed as the blankets lay crumpled around her waist and she wiped her dry eyes from the lack of sleep the night before. She had been waiting for Malik to return when he failed to do so after two hours on his walk around the inn and sensed something was wrong. Malik Al-Sayf was a man that was perfectly punctual with everything he did and organized to a point that drove Altaïr mad since he was more of a messy Bessie. Altaïr had gone to bed after the first hour rolled by and she allowed it since he had barely slept at all recently but promised to wake him if anything changed.

When the second hour passed by, she woke the assassin to voice her concerns since Malik always returned on time and wondered what could've happened. Altaïr wasted no time in changing into his robes but Vivian had to call him back in his half-sleepy state so he could switch his slippers for his boots (no assassin could live that embarrassment down). He had searched the dark land for an hour with his eagle vision and had called for Malik in case his friend had fallen somewhere but he found nothing. His friend was a good assassin in leaving no tracks to be followed and Altaïr worried whether his friend had fallen to harm or that he'd gone and done something without alerting them.

It didn't help any that Vivian was worried out of her mind by the time he returned and told her they would have to wait until sunrise to begin a search. Malik had left no tracks to be followed and Altaïr didn't know where to begin to look for him. Clues would be easier to find in the daylight and he could investigate to see whether residents had noticed anything amiss. He had urged Vivian to sleep while he took a shift to keep watch but she refused, prompting him to regain the lost hours of sleep from the past days. Vivian was a hard woman to budge when she was determined and he abided to give his body rest while she'd settled down beside him to sit. While he slept soundly, she would be his eyes in case their friend returned.

With the sky slowly shifting color to bring a new day forth, Vivian gently roused her friend from slumber by shaking his left shoulder. Altaïr had been sleep deprived to the point that he'd snored the entire night away and she moved him by the shoulder as he lay sprawled on his stomach to rip him away from dreamland. If she carried his tracking and investigating skills, she would've headed out on her own but that would've only worried the man further. There was no point in having two lost companions and Vivian waited until he grunted in complaint to being woken since she wanted him to wake peacefully.

Her hand stroked the top of his short brown hair, marveling at how soft it actually was since his calloused hands were the total opposite. His face was void of its stern expression and smooth to show the true youth behind the leader of the assassins and she murmured softly, "I know, I know, but it's the early dawn now."

Altaïr opened his eyes back to reality as his five hour sleep felt more like a nap and shifted to his side to wipe his blurry eyes to sharpen his vision. The previous night flooded back into his mind and he quickly blinked to see whether Malik had returned to their bedroom. If he had, maybe-

Vivian's face held under eye circles and her continuous yawning into her right hand told her that nothing had changed at all. Had she really let him sleep through the entire night without rest for herself? He sighed softly as she deprived herself of sleep on his behalf, grasping her left hand as it rested beside his forearm. The room felt incredibly lonely without their group together as one and he squeezed her hand to ask with a low voice, "Vivian, why didn't you-"

"You needed to sleep . . . and I wanted to be here in case he returned" she murmured softly as her shoulders slumped to give her a meek appearance. Her emotions had been on a roller coaster since the previous day and it wasn't getting any better with this new problem. The usual cheer was gone from her face as the worry and lack of sleep took its toll on her body. She wanted her friend back safe and sound in their small room, whispering sullenly, "We have to find him, Altaïr."

Her crestfallen face and tone only served to pull at his heartstrings since he wanted her face to have that usual dopey smile of hers. He sat up to remove the rest of the lingering sleep away from his mind and with Vivian being in close proximity, imitated an action he'd seen when wandering troubled towns.

He drew her to his shoulder with one arm to provide the same emotional support she'd offered him when he needed it in his weakest of moments. Her green eyes widened with shock since he'd never broken their personal boundaries to this point but she relaxed in his grip to show she trusted him as well. She could feel his faint heartbeat against the back of her hands as they were wedged between them and the curve of her nose fit perfectly against the crook of his bare neck. Body warmth was an immediate soothing effect to her distress and she melted against it as he remained quiet to dissipate her fears. How could she not feel safe against him?

Altaïr wasn't exactly sure if the technique would work since he'd never done so with another person in his life. Normal human interactions that provided sympathy or support were often lost to him due to his upbringing and he found himself studying the behavior of mankind to guide him on how to bring those dynamics into his new life. He hoped the action had brought Vivian a sense of peace as he watched her curled up against him and a faint smile crossed his lips to their close proximity. Did she understand what he meant when words faltered? Did it help? Physical touch was indeed a sense of comfort, especially between trusted individuals, and he began to understand why people performed that action. He'd seen people hug too but it crossed all physical boundaries and Altaïr wasn't ready to do that with anyone just yet.

"Let's find Malik, shall we?" he asked softly after a few moments but Vivian didn't answer at all, causing him to look down with concern. Her shallow breathing tickled his skin as she lay huddled against him but his small companion had fallen asleep against him. It appeared she had been more exhausted than she cared to admit and he murmured fondly, "You are a tenacious little badger."

---

The duo had scoured every inch of the inn and the eastern area of the lake to find no visible leads, even when Altaïr took to the rooftops for a better view. Vivian had used her best androgynous voice to ask residents and merchants about her friend but received no clues to his whereabouts. They had searched the entire area up and down until their only choice was to venture to the west on foot through the populated side but neither was eager to encounter unsavory folk. Altaïr couldn't fathom why Malik had simply left without telling them anything important if he intended to do something they wouldn't have approved of. Hadn't he been trustworthy enough? After rebuilding their friendship, he thought they had put any need for secrecy behind them.

Altaïr had never been faced with the possibility of losing one of his friends but he wouldn't rest until he found him. As he stood on the top of a hill overlooking the west side of the lake, he could only wonder what Malik had in mind when he left. Was he pursuing something or someone? Had he left to prevent the trail leading back to him and Vivian? Each question kept piling up into a figurative mountain and he hated feeling powerless in the situation as he failed to pick up a single clue.

"Should we walk together or do you want to scale the buildings on the way?" Vivian asked softly, breaking into his thoughts as she found her way to him. She'd been preparing provisions for the long walk since they wouldn't use the canoe to avoid losing clues. They had long hours of walking ahead of them but after traveling from Masyaf to Lake Victoria, the distance was minute.

"I'd rather not leave you alone after what's happened" he replied with an exhausted tone that was disbelieving to her ears since he was tireless. The man had unbelievable stamina and could stay awake for hours- yet a friend in need brought that heavy weight to mind. Vivian decided not to compromise that she would be careful and provided that safety buoy for him.

She nodded quietly to follow him onwards but he asked curiously with furrowed brows, "No jokes about setting off into the unknown?"

"Not today, it just doesn't feel the same without him" she murmured sadly with a weak smile since she drew cheer from her loyal friends. It was so much easier to have a fun adventure and walk into danger when everyone was together with the same uniting courage.

He couldn't argue with her there and they headed out in silence.

---

Malik had spent the night in an empty cage all for himself and was honored enough to have personal guards. He didn't know whether to be pleased for the high security or repulsed for being thwarted to free his own species. His attempt to free the slaves had angered the owner and he'd received a few punches to gut for attempting to rectify that horrible practice. Although he sported physical bruises, his resolve to see the slaves freed had not withered and it only increased as daylight provided him with a better view of the camp.

He'd assumed that a few slave merchants lived in the camps but the situation was a lot worse than that. It seemed the ships the merchants owned were separate companies and within each, workers were hired to sell and buy 'merchandise' from the others. It was why so many ruckuses came from the auctions as companies bid their best to buy or sell a good slave or traded one for many. With morning already in full bloom, the slaves were being corralled out of their cages by their shackles to be led on yet another sale as Malik solemnly watched them.

The food, if you could call it that, wasn't very nutritious and the lack of decent commodities was disgusting. Vivian had told him that this practice would continue worldwide for many decades and still would in small parts of the world during her own time. Malik was lucky to have the clothes on his back for warmth but what could people with thin scraps do for warmth? He'd tried to speak with a few when sunrise broke into the land but many were afraid to utter a word without permission, even without their owners walking the area. Why did humans find their own people inferior when they were all the same? The search for power only lead to extinction and humankind failed to grasp that teaching as kingdoms rose and technology increased.

Malik had refused to answer any questions asked by the company owners and for that, received no food or water. It didn't matter to him since assassins were trained to survive and he'd bide his time until he could strike. He had taken notice of each shift of the guards and the surveillance of the area so time was ticking until he could eliminate the guards. He hoped to do so by nightfall since he needed to pocket a small weapon and the darkness would shield his actions, not to mention an escape.

Unfortunately, he didn't count on Altaïr being the ultimate bloodhound and finding him first.

The duo had ventured into the western side of the lake past the merchant shops to where the slave auctions were held. As Altaïr and Vivian played the innocent tourists, the assassin caught the words 'Arabian' and 'new' from potential buyers while he'd been sitting on a bench. Vivian pretended to feed pigeons while Altaïr had closed his eyes to attune his senses to everything around him. It was always a marvel to watch him at work and Vivian was glad for the cloth covering the lower half of her face as she'd smiled to his dedication.

After catching the first clues that could lead him to Malik, he had left with Vivian to find the camp. With the majority off selling slaves, it wasn't hard to ask for directions from them as Altaïr pretended to play a prospective buyer and headed northwest. As Vivian learned tricks from him, he learned the same in the art of acting and she'd been proud to see him play the role splendidly. He no longer tried to catch his words or conjured the least logical ideas for his role so it was definitely a step up from where he'd been a year ago.

When they reached the outskirts of the camps, Altaïr could see people wandering around between the upright tents and knew it wouldn't be easy. He needed someone to focus their attention while he used the nearby buildings as a vantage point to see whether Malik was anywhere nearby. If his friend left a trace of where he'd gone, he needed to find it before it was too late. They needed to make a clear path to search the area but Altaïr couldn't do it all himself when no areas for concealment could be seen. Yes, tents were available but what if they were occupied? There were a few lumps about so maybe they were sacks or hay lying around the area?

Vivian had become accustomed in being the decoy to help Altaïr and although he wanted to do everything himself, she couldn't let him. The man was already spreading himself too thin with each passing day and she needed to find a way to balance that strain. Their friend's life was at stake and that allowed Vivian to face whatever danger might come her way. She wasn't a woman filled with reckless confidence but when somebody needed her, she would bravely venture forth to lend a hand. Malik would do the same for her and she wouldn't let him down by not doing the same for her unofficial brother.

With that in mind, she swallowed whatever fear filled her and ordered Altaïr as he looked to the nearest building overlooking the camp, "You climb that building and when you see me being chased out, you charge in there. Use the tents to conceal yourself and eliminate anyone in your way."

"Vivian-" he objected sharply to her sudden gumption since he wanted to keep her safe but she wasn't having any of it. This was their chance to find a clue or possibly save their friend and she wouldn't let it slip through her grasp.

"You need me and I won't let a bunch of filthy slavers keep us from Malik" she stated firmly without hesitation because it was worth fighting for. Her book smarts were great for talking herself out of a bind but she needed physical skills as well to survive. Altaïr needed a partner by his side he could count on and Vivian wanted to fulfill that role when Malik wasn't available. For once, the fangirl inside her wasn't swooning at the chance to help him since the humor had left her since last night.

She took a deep breath as she turned to leave but he pulled her back by the shoulder in one sharp tug. Her mouth was ready to deflect any arguments from his end but she was pleasantly surprised to hear, "You come back to me safe and sound, all right?"

Vivian nodded once because she'd try her best and headed off as she left him standing with a ball of worry in his stomach. He'd never expected her to make the first move in a plan but Malik was an integral part of the team that needed to be found. He couldn't afford to waste time when Vivian was already on her way and he blended seamlessly into the crowds to scale the two story building overlooking the slaver camp. The alleyways between buildings were mostly empty and he didn't have to wait long before he ascended the wall carefully to find the best view to see Vivian's plan unveil.

The historian was good at three things: acting, historical knowledge, and stealing (why, why was she proud of that one?). She would be implementing all three as the walks around the area had given her a layout of the buildings and she'd paid special attention to windows and hay carts. As she approached the outskirts of the camp, she made it quite obvious that she was tailing a few of them with her calculative steps and Altaïr hoped it was all a farce as he watched her. If something happened to her on his watch, he wouldn't forgive himself.

When she blatantly stole from two of the guards making rounds over the perimeter and was caught in the act, he was almost inclined to believe she'd failed. How could she steal so openly in public during daylight?! He was ready to scale down the building to protect her when he noticed her raise a hand in the futuristic thumbs up sign that distinctly told him everything was going according to plan. From down below, Vivian kept her hand raised to call attention to herself while the other held stolen goods that had gotten her caught. The guards and pretty much everyone around her had turned a furious eye towards her for the disrespectful act.

Vivian decided to let her real gender speak for itself since she still needed to conceal herself as a young man in Lake Victoria. Lowering the hood of her outfit to reveal her feminine face with its French braid in the back, Vivian held the cloth pouches she jiggled them in the air with a roughish grin, "Your donations to the Vivian Foundation are greatly appreciated."

"Wench! Cut off her hands!" the guard declared furiously to being caught off-guard by a woman of all people and Vivian sped off like a speed demon. Her months trekking with the assassins had allowed her stamina to increase and during stays in camp, she had begun running laps to maintain it. She couldn't believe how far she'd come from the scared irritable woman she'd been upon arrival since she couldn't have run for long to save her own life.

With her acting and stealing skills deployed, she used the last lure with her historic knowledge of song. If there was one way to be caught in any real life or gaming scenario, it was noise and she provided plenty of it as she ran. Altaïr wasted no time in utilizing the area she'd cleared as five men chased after her and although he worried with each step away from her, he wouldn't let her opportunity close.

As Altaïr headed into camp to find clues, Vivian used the roads she'd memorized along the way to lead the men into an old abandoned building. She could hear the rabble of numerous slurs behind her as they demanded her head and had begun an off-key tune to keep them enraged.

"One jump ahead of the breadline
One swing ahead of the sword
I steal only what I can't afford
That's everything!

One jump ahead of the slavers
That's all, and that's no joke
These guys don't appreciate I'm broke"

Vivian couldn't have planned it any better when the men called out angrily, "Riffraff! Street rat!"

She ran into the doorway of the large two-story building and leaned against the old wood to lead them in rather than hide. It was all about detection to lead them away from Altaïr since they were pretty mad to begin with. Waving her right hand to anger them further for almost giving them the slip, she grinned impishly with a drawling lyric, "Just a little loot, guys."

When she saw that they were all giving chase, she slipped inside to find the first staircase as she continued loudly,

"I can take a hint, gotta face the facts
In this world, I've only got two friends
I've become a one-woman rise in crime
I'd blame my parents but they're futuristic
Gotta eat to live, gotta steal to eat
Tell you all about it when I got the time!"

She narrowly avoided a flung knife as she ascended the staircase for the second level and saw it embed on the banister before scrambling up,

"One jump ahead of the slowpokes
One skip ahead of my doom
Next time, gonna use a nom de plume

One jump ahead of the hitmen
One hit ahead of the flock
I think I'll take a stroll a-a-around the block"

With that said, she slipped into the second story of the building with pants since running and singing was not easy to maintain. Still, she promised Altaïr that she would return safely to him and she kept her promises. Otherwise, he'd unleash a lecture of monumental proportion and there was no way she was risking sitting three hours just for that. It was bad enough that Malik was lost and adding her into the mix would only worsen his internal stress. Everything she did was for them and she hoped they appreciated her efforts, small as they were.

"One jump ahead of the hoofbeats."

"Vandal!," she could hear them at the top of the stairs now and Vivian ran to find the window she'd spotted on the east side. It would be the escape route, the only one, and she'd planned everything after Altaïr broke into the home to have a small break. This wasn't a random run into an unknown building since she covered all of her corners to ensure her safety. While Altaïr had planned their next sites for investigating, she'd gone off to explore the building and built her plan rather easily as she utilized its natural architecture for her benefit.

"One hop ahead of the hump
One trick ahead of disaster-"

"Scoundrel!", their footsteps echoed over the floor and she saw them meters from her as she found the small window as light filtered over the floor. It beckoned her to safety and Vivian would seize it as she hoped it would all play out well with her living to tell the tale.

"They're quick, but I'm much faster
Here goes, better throw my hand in
Wish me happy landin'
All I gotta do is jump!"

With that in mind, Vivian gave it her all in the last steps to the small window that was just large enough to fit her petite frame (but not theirs) and grasped the dusty windowsill with her fingers. Looking down, she spotted the cart of hay she'd asked Altaïr to move for her (she'd lied about planning it as a getaway for him) and jumped out.

Altaïr was the master that perfected the leap of faith while she'd simply curled into a round ball and hoped for the best. She held her head between her arms to protect the most precious object in her body and felt the tension of the air pulling at her clothes as gravity pulled her downwards. From above, she heard nothing but the faintest groans and hoped the men wouldn't try to squeeze through the small window since they'd undoubtedly become stuck. Also, the ruckus in the old building would be causing a few floorboards to give way when they tried to leave.

She yelped when she landed square in the cart and hay covered her entirely to conceal her perfectly. She was alive! Gravity hadn't made her go splat like an egg on concrete! Hurrah! Her chest rose rapidly as the adrenaline of being faced with death slowly left her body and she lay in the hay to reassure herself that nothing had broken in the jump. A year ago, she had been frightened to ride a horse and now- she'd jumped out of a building!

Life was indeed strange as she traveled alongside Altaïr and her cheeks warmed to the man that tickled her pink with awesomeness. With that in mind, she hoisted herself out of the cart to make a hasty escape down the street to hide at the rendezvous point she made with Altaïr. If AC games taught her anything, it was to never linger after escaping doom against enemies. Otherwise, you'd be a walking target ready to take an arrow in the back.

Meanwhile, in the camp's outskirts, Altaïr was already putting his top skills into play to find their lost friend. Altaïr used his best stealth to sneak past guards that lingered in the camps to watch over slaves that had yet to be presented at the auctions. The majority of the tents had been empty when he needed them to hide and stacked crates full of goods were handy to make a dashing escape from being caught. So far, he had found nothing interesting at all as he used his eagle vision and wondered if wandering inside had been a good idea at all.

What if the clues he'd believed were no clues at all? What if he'd sent Vivian into danger for nothing? As he crouched behind crates of silk fabrics, he wondered where the little badger was after sending her off without a weapon in hand. All he could do was hope for the best and in tribute to the historian, swiped one of the rolls of fabric along the way. Women liked blue, right?

Just as he'd been ready to call everything quits, he saw a familiar navy hue within one of the metal cages placed against the surrounding forest. He remembered Malik had been rather incensed about the treatment of human beings in the area but what could Altaïr do? He couldn't exactly drop the mission to save people that would have numerous enemies breathing down their necks. If so, how could they possibly hope to resume their investigation? It wasn't his choice to be cold but logic demanded that he look to the main mission over all.

As he moved in closer to have a better look to the lonely figure dressed in navy, he could see two people standing watch in front of the cage. Altaïr had never been one to have vision problems so he didn't have to wander close to find where his friend had wound up. He had half a mind to punch the tent he was hiding in but did nothing as he peered out to see how the dai fared. He thanked the fact that he was still wearing yesterday's clothing (well, he pretty much wore the same outfit for the last months since he had spares) since it helped identify him easily in the distance. Still, it didn't make Altaïr feel better at knowing his friend was practically incarcerated and being monitored. This wasn't what he'd wanted to find at all!

When the guards glanced away from his current position, Altaïr made the move to tread closer to the cage. Unfortunately, he couldn't wander closer than twenty feet and stuck behind sacks of goods as he tried to catch Malik's attention. The dai had been biding his time until he could steal a weapon and he blanched at seeing his friend wiggling his fingers behind sacks.

Was he out of his mind coming there?

When the guards were busy talking to themselves, Altaïr took the time to motion that he'd kill them and set him free. Malik was quick to shake his head to that careless move and motioned with his fingers that there was a lock keeping him inside. Altaïr mentally sighed in dismay since his lock picker was ironically locked inside a cage and cursed their luck. He pointed towards the sun and moved his arm in counterclockwise motion to show he could return at sunset to eliminate them. Malik shook his head solemnly since it would jeopardize the mission and pointed to the missing gauntlet that had been removed from his right arm to show the mission came first.

Altaïr was incensed that they dared to remove an assassins' most prized weapon but understood Malik's meaning. Voices grew stronger behind him as the men that had chased after Vivian had breached the perimeter and had drawn the attention of the ones that lingered. Altaïr knew his window of escape was closing fast but he didn't want to leave his friend at the hands of these horrible people. Malik made the tough choice for him by drawing the guards' attention when he spit at the back of one of their heads to incense them.

As he drew their ire, he met Altaïr's gaze to let him know it was fine to be abandoned because he had fallen into that mess himself. This situation was his to bear alone and he wouldn't drag anyone else down with him. With a heavy heart, Altaïr turned away from his friend and crept away into the shadows to return to Vivian. Hopefully, his other companion would be there to meet him since Malik would not be rejoining them.

---

Altaïr returned to the rendezvous point to find Vivian changing inside an empty building and startled her as she slipped into a different colored tunic. After her chase out of the slaver camp, she needed a change in appearance to maintain her boyish look to walk safely in the land. They had picked the small old building to meet at as it stood away from both the slaver camp and trade merchants but she didn't expect him to come back during her wardrobe change.

He hid a smile of amusement as she squeaked and tried to find a place to hide but there was absolutely nothing in the dusty building (except a few cobwebs). The empty sleeves of the tunic fluttered in the wind as she scuttled everywhere and he had to jump forward to grab her by the waist to still her frantic movements. Vivian's cheeks reddened more than they were as the cold gauntlets refreshed her hot skin and his bare fingers didn't help lower the heat striking her face. It was so much easier when they were fighting like territorial lions and wouldn't have dared to touch each other with a ten foot pole.

Her poor heart fluttered wildly when he kept her locked in place against him and leaned down to whisper with humor, "There is nowhere to hide, Vivian. Just finish dressing while I turn around."

With that said, he released her to turn away from her and Vivian quickly complied to set the tunic in place. She wanted the unbearable warmth to leave her face as she brushed back stray pieces of hair and wiped sweat from her brow, breathing deeply to calm herself. It was hard not to when a dangerous assassin, not to mention the man you had the hots for, was standing no less than five feet away. She scuttled off to grab their travel pack so they could continue on the road because she wanted to know what happened and asked softly, "What happened out there?"

"I found Malik" he answered simply but it was enough to cast aside her bashful flustering for the safety of her friend. Was he all right? Had he been injured? Why wasn't he there with them? Altaïr could see the numerous questions forming as her green eyes lit up to their friend but he grasped her shoulders to let her know the news wouldn't bring her cheer. He didn't want her upset after she deprived herself of sleep that day and stated gently, "He was caught by slavers."

"What?! How? When?" she rambled worriedly since the prospect was worse than having him lost in a ditch or beaten up in a random fight. She didn't feel the same without her trusty friend by her side and her face fell at knowing he was enduring such a demeaning position. Her friend- and any other human being- was worth more than that and Vivian wanted to see him freed more than anything else.

Altaïr kept her in place before she sped off to save Malik by herself and explained, "He was caught trying to free slaves yesterday and he's on a careful watch. I couldn't free him without alerting everyone and my window closed soon after you left."

"I hoped to trap them inside the building- I even jumped from. . ." she sighed with irritation since she wanted the men to be hurt along the way to buy him some time. Altaïr's face shifted from disappointment to disbelief when she slipped her daring escape and she winced visibly at the demanding look in his eyes following the word 'jumped'. She chuckled nervously as she tapped her fingers to feign innocence and tried to lie her way out of a jam, "Jumped from a bale of hay into a water trough-"

"Your pants aren't wet and neither are your shoes" he pointed out flatly to blow her lie out of the water and crossed his arms because he wasn't budging. Vivian's shoulders slumped since there was no way anybody could pull the wool over his head and sighed meekly to her snafu. Why was she so incredibly bad at lying as herself but mastered it perfectly with her impersonations? She didn't want him to chastise her for being daring without asking but Altaïr merely reassured calmly, "I won't snap at your recklessness until I know what it was."

"Must I tell you? It would avoid being snapped at" she tried to sway her way out of that bind but the man was not relenting in the slightest. Seeing that she was wasting time that could be put to use on saving Malik, she sighed softly, "I jumped from a two story window to avoid being caught-"

"You jumped from . . . are you . . . how did . . . you little. . ." she literally left him speechless to her sudden rise in bravery since he never expected her to jump out of anything! He was the only one performing death defying leaps of faith while she was to remain grounded where safety was. What had made her do such a thing without him supervising her? Was she out of her mind? She was such a petite woman that he couldn't believe her form could even do such a thing. Her meek demeanor, a rare sight, calmed the short fuse she'd lit since he worried more for her wellbeing and swallowed the worry to ask calmly, "Are you hurt?"

"No, but I never want to do it again" she admitted without hesitation since the drop had caused her poor heart to jackhammer in her rib cage. The assassin was a brave man beyond a doubt since he scaled buildings that would've made her faint by the third story. Her hands shook in remembrance of jumping out the small window and praying she wouldn't become roadkill, murmuring quietly, "I don't know how you do it, Altaïr, but I admire you for it."

"It's an acquired taste" he replied earnestly since he didn't start out wanting to jump out of the tallest building in Damascus. His heart rested easier at knowing she didn't want to repeat the action but he admired the fact she pushed herself to do it. There was bravery in that heart that increased her need to survive and he complimented her crafty plan, "I am proud of you today, Vivian, but never do that again."

She wouldn't argue with him there but her chest puffed with pride at earning the assassin's seal of approval. The 'Altaïr Stamp of Awesomeness' was something she'd sought since landing in his realm and rather than basking in it, she'd press on to keep that momentum. Her green eyes noticed a hint of blue sticking out behind his robes and she squinted to ask curiously, "Is that a fabric roll?"

"Oh- yes, it is" he replied simply as he remembered he'd tucked it in his belt to walk easier and removed the new roll to hand it to her. Vivian's fingers smoothed over the soft, almost silky, fabric since all they wore was linen or a blend of cheap fabrics. Well, except Altaïr, since he was extremely picky about his style. He motioned his right index finger towards her since he'd never given her anything at all- nor any woman- and struggled to explain, "I found it at the slaver camp- well, borrowed- since they don't deserve anything for profiting from others. I thought, I mean, if you'd like it. . .maybe you could keep it. I mean, it's yours but it's not obligatory-"

"Is this a gift from the great Altaïr?" she chided with mirth as she smiled for the first time since it was hard not to at his modesty. She'd never heard him stutter before or emphasize that many words but she appreciated his sentiment. He'd obviously swiped it with his rebellious nature against evildoers and she nodded to thank him sincerely, "Thank you, it probably costs more than what we own. We can cut a few yards and make clothes but sell the rest for money. We're not exactly swimming in riches."

"So . . . you like it?" he asked carefully to make sure his first spur of the moment gift was actually appreciated since he didn't know what women liked. He couldn't exactly afford a book for her and buying her robes back in Giza had almost left them penniless but that had been an emergency. Vivian decided on a simple nod with a thankful smile to prevent entangling herself in a verbal snafu and he returned it with a faint smile of his own, "Good."

Tucking her hair neatly under the hood, she looked towards the closed door that allowed them privacy and stated firmly, "We have to get Malik back. If he's in that camp and we've heard the rumors floating about, we can name our price to nab him."

Altaïr blinked with confusion to what she implied and clarified uncertainly, "You want to buy him?"

---

That's exactly what she did.

Vivian wore her confidence pants as she took the lead to strut into the camp with Altaïr hot on her heels. Quite frankly, he was worried out of his mind she'd fall into trouble the moment she opened her mouth to speak with the 'owner' of Malik. With her male persona of a high-ranking merchant from the Ottoman Empire, Vivian had brought forth the rumors of Malik in their midst. She had all the cards to play in her hand and she was going all in to save her friend from a life of slavery or worse.

The well-dressed man in dark green robes tried to sway her potential as a buyer towards his other stock but Vivian stared him square in the eyes to question sharply, "Do you, or don't you have an Arabian for sale? Being from the golden city, I prefer to have one that can communicate when I demand tasks of him."

"Yes, I have one-" the bearded Moroccan man replied since he wouldn't allow a sale to slide by, even if the man hadn't finished being questioned. The interloper had been quite silent despite numerous interrogations and he was at a wit's end to make him compliant. If he could make decent coin out of him, why not?

"Then I will purchase the Arabian slave" Vivian declared confidently as she strode forward while Altaïr wondered what she was doing. She couldn't possibly think of paying them for Malik? That would just increase the need for a slave trade through Africa and it stood against everything he fought for. Secondly, where would they get enough currency since they were piss poor? He wasn't about to lose the coins he'd picked off the dusty roads since it was embarrassing enough foraging for money.

"How much will you pay? An Arabian is rare in these parts and hasn't been broken yet" the man questioned to make the sale since a profit would benefit better than wasting his time with the silent man. He didn't know if the stranger was a thief or a protester against their business but either way, he would get some coin out of him.

Vivian smiled slyly since bargaining was her game and answered confidently, "I won't be using coin but rather, a trade."

Altaïr and the slaver were surprised to her currency choice because melted ore was the best form of currency to trade. Vivian, however, implemented her crafty knowledge with the ace up her sleeve to save Malik from certain misery. The haughty glitter in her green eyes as her face was covered by the cloth either gender used didn't sit well with the man and he demanded curtly, "Explain."

Vivian dug into her left pocket to reveal a folded paper and opened it to show small round black seeds stored within it. Altaïr blinked with confusion since he hadn't seen those seeds in his life and wondered just what she had planned. It was hard to keep his face straight when she kept surprising him with each passing second. She smiled impishly behind her face cover as the man eyed her suspiciously and Vivian recounted dramatically, "These are magical seeds from the isolated land of Madagascar. For many years, they have been known to yield crops and plants of all kinds to their holders."

The slave owner was not satisfied with her mysterious tale since money spoke volume and questioned incredulously, "And why would I want seeds? Not to mention, why should I believe you?"

"Produce is always in demand in every land and it could help increase your surplus" she pointed out matter-of-factly as she wagged her index finger like a salesman selling the crappiest car on the lot. They needed Malik back on their side where he would be safe and Vivian would lie her pants off to get him there. She pointed to the little black seeds and deliberated her sales pitch further with assurance, "As for believing me, I didn't either when the seeds were given to me by a merchant who couldn't pay for my goods. I tried my hardest to be rid of them when I awoke the following day with plants growing out of my backyard since I'd chucked them out as the last straw. Unfortunately, they always returned to my side because you can only hand them over to another through trade to release their hold. They have been used throughout the world by a select few and have been a hidden secret for two centuries."

The man didn't appear convinced as he stared at her apathetically and she reasoned confidently, "As a show of good faith, I will relinquish three of these nine seeds and I want you to plant them today. You must do so by sunset to allow them to grow to their full capacity and fertile dirt will work best. How do I know, you ask? Because I've made a living out of doing so for five years."

She stood straight with her shoulders squared to exude confidence as a merchant and finished, "By tomorrow morning, if you do not have any plants, I will pay double. If not, I will keep him for free since I am giving away some of my most valuable possessions after making a living from agriculture."

With that said, she handed the man three small round seeds with a quick nod to seal their deal and stated, "I await your response tomorrow."

The man snorted to her claim but glanced at the seeds in his hand curiously as he muttered frankly, "Fine but I doubt any of this is true."

"Don't worry, it will be- that's a guarantee!" she promised perkily with a snap of her fingers and motioned for Altaïr to leave with her. They had arrived under the premise that he was her bodyguard and with his arsenal, the slave owner believed it when the white robed man never took his eyes away from them.

It was tough for the two to leave Malik since they weren't able to catch a single glimpse of him from their position. How could they know if he was well? The heat of the day would've undoubtedly brought thirst and Altaïr doubted they would generously pour him a cup of water. When they were far enough to be out of earshot from any people from the camp, Vivian leaned over to assure, "We won't leave him alone tonight. You need to find a vantage point to keep an eye on him while I. . .I need to find young trees and plant them."

Altaïr stared with confusion to why she needed trees and she explained with a mischievous tone, "I did promise the man plants and crops, didn't I? Vivian Shore doesn't lose a bet."

Her plan sounded insane since she'd handed the man seeds and he could throw them anywhere. Altaïr wasn't sure this plan would work until she added in her final order, "For this, however, I will need you to follow that man until he plants them so then I can move in."

Altaïr couldn't help but be flabbergasted and intrigued to her idea as they walked away to their secret hideaway. He'd never have imagined Vivian to have quite the strategic mind in her creativity and chided sarcastically, "What makes you think I'll be sitting on a hot rooftop for hours just for your crazy plan?"

"Because you promised to do my bidding, remember?" she shot back with an amused chuckle to his promise from last night.

Altaïr cursed uttering those words but this time, he had no problem following her request since Malik's life was at stake. He withheld his hand from ruffling her hooded head as they walked and asked curiously, "What were those seeds?"

"I picked them out of a fruit from the inn" she replied cheekily since she'd filed them to make them tinier so they could be indistinguishable. She couldn't risk her lie being exposed so she'd created an extensive false history on a fictional magical seed. Altaïr couldn't help but smile to the ridiculousness of it all as the woman brought him cheer in his solemn life and she admitted cheerfully, "It's times like this that I wonder if I should ever write a book about all of this."

"Count me as your first reader then" he encouraged with a warm smile that lit up her eyes to the compliment as they walked down the lonely street. For a brief moment, she desired to loop her arm through his to show her affection for his words.

How could she ever hope to nudge him out of her heart?

---

Altaïr made true on his promise as he kept tabs on the man and when he caught him burying the seeds near the forest, he alerted Vivian. By that time, she'd found the small trees she'd sought (through looting means) and he'd watched her dig with a shovel to plant her magical crops. She was a crafty badger indeed as she placed them strategically over the recently broken ground to plant the small young trees- one palm tree and two young pear trees. It was the cheapest steal on her own without his help and Altaïr had to admit he had a little thief on his hands . . . why was he a bit proud of that?

The two had to decide afterwards to either stay or return to the inn for sleep but Vivian stepped up to the plate once more. Since they had set up the old abandoned two-story building as their rendezvous point, she decided to make it their unofficial headquarters of the night. She'd made the second floor into a sleeping area for them so they wouldn't leave Malik and save themselves the travel time in the morning. Altaïr found some rope to tie the front door to prevent unwanted intruders and stolen a candle from a nearby home (which he'd return) to light their temporary home. Vivian promised to stay the whole time while Altaïr would take shifts at the building overlooking the camp to make sure nothing happened to Malik.

Vivian pulled together a small meal of wheat bread with sesame sprinkled over the top, hard cheese, and pieces of dry meat since it was all she'd brought on short notice. It wasn't much but it was better than nothing and she'd tried to keep a cheerful mood by piping up she had fruit juice. Altaïr didn't want to risk upsetting his stomach and had stuck to simple water but thanked her. She had been a bit reluctant to see him go since the night held more dangers than daylight but he'd promised to return safe.

When he did return past midnight, he'd slammed into a closed window since he'd reminded her to keep it open for him to prevent waking her. Thankfully, nobody walked through the dusty street when he'd bounced back like rubber in surprise and he'd banged on the window to be allowed inside. It had been frustrating to say the least because assassins didn't exactly announce their presence.

"Vivian, you're bringing shame to my order" he chastised gently as he nursed his shoulder blade after landing on it outside. His companion apologized profusely for forgetting him entirely since she didn't trust being by herself in a lonely building and had barricaded herself inside. He didn't see why that was her first choice since it blocked off any form of escape and she'd added in using the second story window again. The idea of her jumping from anywhere didn't sit well and he chastised her, "No more jumping, I forbid it."

"Saying that just makes me want to do it more" she replied cheekily as he ushered her up the creaky stairs since he wanted to go sleep. She batted his hands away as she scuttled up the dusty stairs to head to the center of the floor where she'd laid out a simple blanket with loose straw piled underneath to cushion their bodies against the hardwood flooring. Since they'd expected to stay out for the day only, she hadn't brought anything else so they had no blankets to use.

"I have to sleep in my clothes?" he sighed with disappointment since he had numerous layers and they weren't exactly comfortable. The sight of their sleeping arrangements reminded him of a time when he'd lost his travel pack escaping from a gang of Templars and had to sleep in the dirt with nothing but the clothes on his back. He wanted to grumble about the unfairness of it all but Vivian had done the work for him so he'd take a page out of her humble book and be thankful.

He patted the top of her head as he passed by but stopped when she tugged the back of his leather belt to begin unbuckling it. She could only imagine his exhaustion since being perched on top of a building for hours could only be painfully tedious. Altaïr stopped to her breach in personal space since she usually asked to help him remove his boots or other accessories before doing so. He had no problem with it but the fact that her fingers spanned over his covered waist were enough to remind him that he didn't have Malik to keep an eye on him. It was so much easier with him on watch so he could manage his behavior around Vivian in quiet close quarters.

Removing his gauntlets, he focused on the small straps rather than her fingers as they removed the crimson sash from his midsection. It didn't take much for him to feel naked with his reserved nature and as he watched her fold the cloth from his peripheral vision, decided that she wasn't ugly in his view. Her eyes drew him the most and her mop of raven locks brought the same to his hands as he wanted to weave them in her mane to brush it into straight strands. He shook his head to banish that thought since being in close quarters didn't help any and lowered his hood to brush his hands over his face to remove the exhaustion from his eyes. Yes, it was simple exhaustion causing all of his delirious thinking on her being alluring.

When he withdrew his hands to open his eyes, he came close to an uncharacteristic yelp when he saw her standing in front of him with little distance between them. She was right there! His eyes widened slightly as he caught her fingers halfway to the hidden buttons holding his hood in place to his robes and asked carefully, "Vivian, are you trying to undress me while I'm not looking?"

Her face contorted into mortified shock to the serious expression on his own and she yelped immediately, "What?! No! You looked as if you needed air."

"Is that your excuse for being caught?" he asked with a quizzical eye to her behavior since it helped ease the burden of his own. As he spent time with Vivian, he was growing accustomed to using her deflective sarcasm to protect his own thoughts and emotions but in a drier humor. He assumed it was working like a charm when she began to resemble a strawberry and smirked to chide her gently, "It's all right, Vivian-"

"No, it's not! On one hand, I didn't mean it and in the other, I did! That's a huge life altering difference! " she pointed out shrilly to the horrible idea because she never meant to appear as if she were trying to bed him. That was the farthest thing on her mind at the moment with her fluttering emotions and Malik trapped in a forsaken camp. This was why they needed the dai to be their safety glue because otherwise, she'd become goo with every comment from his end. She waved one hand as she stepped away to return to her makeshift bed with no blankets and stated flatly, "Don't flatter yourself."

"So you wouldn't want to sleep with me?" he asked with an indignant tone because although his emotions were in flux, he wanted to appear averagely handsome. What, did she find him monstrously ugly? Was that it? What had happened about being the 'awesomest' assassin ever? The thought hurt slightly since he hoped somebody would find him alluring, even just a little, since he was always shrouded with his hood.

She resisted the urge to claw out her eyes for this turn of events since Altaïr watched himself carefully when the dai was around. He didn't reach for her hand or confess personal opinions when he was in their vicinity and kept their relationship strictly platonic, bordering on business. She couldn't decide what he sought exactly since he was jumping all over the place and questioned frankly, "Are you joking or is this your way of flirting?"

"I. . .don't know anymore- I'm sleep deprived!" he admitted with a miserable groan to the lack of sleep they both had so far and stomped over to sit down on the floor. Vivian was getting ready to warn him about the hard flooring but it was too late as he sat down and groaned with pain seconds later. He massaged his tail bone with one hand while using the other to remove his boot as he mumbled flatly, "This is the worst part of this journey."

Prying off both boots, he flung them aside and plopped down on his back to get some decent sleep before sunrise. Vivian remained sitting up with the candle burning beside her, its cascading wax keeping it in place after she'd jammed it over liquid wax to make a natural holder, since she wanted an update on Malik. Since he'd clearly stated he was tired, she kept silent to avoid irritating (and disturbing) him further and blew out the light to shroud the building in complete darkness.

She wished she could be of more help to him and missed Malik greatly since he kept their group dynamics balanced. Lying down to turn on her side, she curled into a fetal position to keep warm and hoped everything would turn out fine tomorrow.

---

By early morning, they were already at the outskirts of the slaver camp and seeking an audience with the man holding their friend. Again, Vivian had stomped through with exuberant confidence until she stood face-to-face with the taller man decked in luxurious fabrics. She smirked proudly to her handiwork when the man was more eager with questions rather than shooing her away. Apparently, he'd discovered the trees after sunrise just like she'd told him and was surprised anything came from the seeds.

"How is that possible?" he questioned as her magical seeds turned him from a skeptic to a believer overnight. He hadn't told anyone about the area he'd chosen and had made sure nobody was near the vicinity when he planted the seeds.

Vivian merely smiled innocently since she'd had an assassin on her side and explained, "That's the magic of the seeds. When you plant one, vegetation will grow and you'll soon be able to harvest and sell your produce. It's a secret from Madagascar that I was privy to and when I see something I want, I will share it."

"So you want one slave for the seeds? I do have a better variety in stock or in his place- I can give you five strong slaves" he asked carefully to make a fair trade since one man couldn't be worth what she was giving him. He turned around to eye the dai that had been starved since his arrival but Malik refused to speak with anyone. Quite frankly, he would be happy to be rid of him since it would mean his slaves wouldn't be stolen anytime soon.

"Yes, I need him for trading at the docks of the golden city and the lack of an arm will prove him less of a threat for me" she pointed out with assurance but his other options left her with guilt. Could she selfishly save Malik and doom five other innocent people to their life in slavery? Didn't they deserve the same as her friend? She was almost ready to ask about adding in two more people for the price she'd named but the slaver snapped his fingers towards Malik.

"Then our transaction will be complete- the seeds for the slave" he stated with a triumphant grin to his new 'magical' seeds and two of his men pulled Malik out of the cage by the scruff of his neck. It took great willpower for her not to reach out to help him when the men pushed him forward and stayed rooted to the spot as she aimed an apathetic look to him. Oh, how could people do this kind of business? Altaïr took care of it for her when he picked up Malik by the sleeve but maintained an aloof air about it to keep up with their façade.

Vivian quickly handed the man the rest of the seeds she'd promised and withheld from laughing at the gleeful glint in the man's eyes. Boy, would he be in for a nice surprise when he planted the next seeds. Finishing their business, the trio walked away from the slaver camp as Altaïr maintained that security enforcer aura by pulling Malik along with them.

When they were far away from earshot, Malik sighed under his breath, "I really thought I could save a few. Why didn't you take a few of the slaves and left me behind-"

"Malik, it's been bad enough worrying about you for the past forty eight hours" Altaïr intervened since he was ready to unleash one hell of a lecture about informing friends about crazy plans. The dai shot back that this was his cause and wouldn't have dared to risk the mission, even if he had to be left behind. This time, Altaïr didn't act out his role when he shook his friend for his stubbornness and pointed out, "You're a part of our team- of course we'd come back for you!"

"I can see you only had good intentions but this wasn't the way to go about it" Vivian stated gently since they did their missions together to ensure they would succeed. Otherwise, they'd be running around like chickens with their heads chopped off if they went at it separately. Malik frowned because for the first time, they were right and he preferred being the one in the right when arguments happened. If he had to agree with someone, he'd defer to Vivian and she continued, "I'll help you in whatever you need, Malik. We work better as a team because Altaïr and I have been jumping all over the place trying to get you back. I mean, magical seeds? This is what my brain cooks up when we're lost without you."

"I can't believe that idea worked" Malik admitted with astonishment since he'd expected Altaïr to barge into the camp and assassinate them quietly in the night. Their brotherhood was more methodical in their approaches but then again, creativity was encouraged. He couldn't believe his ears when Vivian had marched to declare her purchase on simple seeds but she'd done something to change the man's mind since most would've sent her running.

Altaïr agreed wholeheartedly and clapped Vivian on the back to state with a compliment, "All thanks to our little historian with a very creative mind."

"I just wanted you home safe and sound" she smiled earnestly since she had her big brother back without harm and couldn't wait to get to the inn. She'd be feeding him until he was ready to burst and would tend to her friend to the point of asphyxiation. They would explain the whole story to him once they were back to ensure his safety since one snafu would land all of them back in that desolate camp. They turned to walk down an emptier road to avoid the moving crowds since they would stick to the roads less traveled to return and she smiled with happiness that had been void in the last day, "We missed you."

He looked to Altaïr since the man rarely admitted emotion and the assassin mumbled awkwardly, "All her . . . but I'm glad to have you back."

"Either way, all's well that ends well" Vivian stated with relief at having her friend back safe and sound, hugging him with a wide smile. It's not like anyone would call the norm police to whack her into a gender role. The trio had been reunited so they could continue their mission to find the elusive POE. Hopefully, it would not end up with anyone else being unwillingly jailed but Vivian wouldn't hold her breath. They were a rather unorthodox group: a short tempered assassin with no social skills, a one-armed cartographer/dai/unofficial Nobel peace prize winner, and a lost dimensional traveler with a knack for stealing.

---

It didn't take long for Vivian to return to her perky mood once she was certain Malik wouldn't run off and do something reckless again. Altaïr had wrenched a promise from him that he wouldn't do so until the item was found so they had time to escape if it went to hell. The three decided to head out in their canoe to begin scoping out the lake piece by piece but the lack of decent diving equipment made it impossible. Even having the lungs of pearl divers wouldn't have helped. It was a good thing there weren't any dangerous wildlife either because Altaïr had decided to take a swim . . . once he was certain Vivian would stay in the boat and stop splashing everyone with water. She'd been incredibly upbeat since Malik's return and with it, her songs had returned full blast. . .

"Some women travel for sport,
Others voyage for a home,
Or for a life documenta-a-ary,
The only thing I'm exploring for,
Is a tale that's legendary...

Hear my quest, hear my quest,
I assure you it's the best,
From Syria to Kenya, there's no better
You couldn't read it in a single letter!
See this scar, 'twas a Templar,
I've even nabbed Altaïr to spar,
Yes, my tale is quite biza-a-arre
It even makes Indiana Jones cringe!

These leathers slippers have traveled a hundred miles
Blisters or not, my companions see my nonstop smiles
Tons of fights with Altaïr to share
Numerous advice from Malik with care
Rest assured, Altaïr's blade is not at my throat
If it was, I'd drop him headfirst off the boat
Read my quest!
It's all true, I can attest!

"I'll drop you off the boat if you continue" Altaïr chastised to cease her horrible off-key singing but it fell on deaf ears. After all, she had his promise to let her do as she pleased. Why did he never think logically when she was involved?

"Try my Giza journey,
You'll pay no money
Or the time Altaïr caused a village explosion
Rest assured, it prevented Templar domination
It comes with humor and fear,
Like when Altaïr drank a beer
It sunk the entire assassin nation
Or when he spanked me for humiliation
I tell you, it's been a real treat

Read my quest, read my quest,
Like my songs?
I've got a ton!
But Altaïr's glares will blot the sun
No matter, I love being on the run
AC fans should know I've seen his awesome blade
And no, not the one where you get laid
I'm pretty sure by now, he's offering me for trade
But archaic or not, I'm glad I stayed

It was that or rot in a dungeon,
But I'm a gal that loves a daily luncheon
Plus, who wouldn't love the dai?
He's kept me sane without a misty eye
I've been bitten and 'napped,
This badger can quickly adapt
A book in hand and a blade at the waist
How could it not be best?

So let's prepare for a lengthy read,
I won't mislead!
Read my quest, read my quest,
Oh please, won't you hear my quest!"

"Quiet, you pest" Altaïr chastised hastily since the song was notoriously catchy in rhythm as she kept each line with a matching beat. How did she do that? Her first mission plan had been notoriously brilliant and he could only wonder what else lay in that mind of hers. When he realized that his words matched her lyrics, he growled under his breath and scolded, "Damn it, you've even got me rhyming!"

"Frankly, I'm glad to be back so keep on singing" Malik admitted since he wouldn't wish being locked up on anyone and relaxed against the back of the canoe. This just added fuel for Vivian and Altaïr sulked, reminding them that they were there to investigate- not create a musical. The dai shook his head to his friend's tenacity since they'd only gotten back together for a day and sighed morosely, "You're really going to dive into the lake?"

"I don't see a better option" he pointed out since the land yielded nothing and he wasn't about to do a runaround all over again. Using the items in his possession had done nothing either and he'd only been left with diving into the dark lake. For all he knew, it had fallen into its depths throughout the ages and he could find it.

Vivian wasn't convinced by his confidence since she'd recently taught him to swim and tried to steer him away from the idea by singing,

"The grass is always greener
In somebody else's lake
You dream about up there
But that is a big mistake
Just look at the world around you
Right here on the lake floor
Such wonderful things surround you
What more are you lookin' for?

Under the lake
Under the lake
Darling, it's better
Down where it's wetter
Take it from me
Up on the shore, assassins work all day
Out in the sun, they stab Templars away
While we devotin'
Full time to floatin'
Under the lake

"Did you just call me darling?" he asked with an indignant grimace since he was used to hearing that term towards women and received a light swat to the head. He'd never had a term of endearment shot his way but he'd rather avoid all of them to prevent that annoying little flutter in the center of his chest. Malik couldn't help but laugh at his bewildered face since he'd never seen him interact with the opposite gender when romance was involved. Needless to say, the world fared better with him as an assassin.

"Down here all the fish is happy
As off through the waves they roll
The assassins on the land ain't happy
They sad 'cause their pay is crappy
But the assassin is lucky
Unlike Templars, they have a better fate
Not to mention, they can get a date
But if he's back late, Altaïr will have him on a plate

"That one rings true" Malik chuckled to her spot on lyric about the stern assassin and Altaïr hissed with the fury of a wet cat.

"Under the lake
Under the lake
Nobody will beat us
Kill us and maim us
For Templar f-u-u-u-n
We got no troubles
Life is the bubbles

Under the lake
Under the lake
They'll be no allegations
Just friendly crustaceans
Since life is sweet here
We got the beat here
Naturally
I could begin a happy dance sway
With Malik on a conch shell to play
We got the spirit
You got to hear it

Under the lake
The novices play the flute
The scholars play the harp
The masters play the bass
And they soundin' sharp
The rafiqs play the brass
And Altaïr will be the duke of soul
The dai, he can play
The informants on the strings
The scouts rockin' out
The blacksmith, he sings
The trainers and the teachers
They know where it's at

Under the lake
Under the lake
We'll be a school of sardine
The water will keep us all clean
It's music to me
What does the land have?
A lot of sand
We got a hot underwater assassin band!

Each little clam here
knows how to jam here
Under the lake
Each little slug here
Cuttin' a rug here
Under the lake
Each little snail here
Know how to wail here
That's why it's hotter
Under the water
Ya we in luck here
Down in the muck here
Under the lake!"

"Stop that, you're rubbing my shoulders raw" he hissed to her as she'd begun to idly tap on his shoulders like a bongo drum. She pouted humorously to say that he was naturally filled with wonderful island rhythms and it was almost enough to stir a chuckle from the ridiculous notion. How could he possibly be filled with music? Honestly, the crazy little things she sputtered. Vivian ceased her shoulder tapping since having her friends altogether put her in a good mood and he turned around to compliment, "I must admit, you are rather creative with your songs."

She smiled widely with pride at achieving a thumb's up for her parody songs and was about to offer another but he ordered swiftly, "No."

"But you didn't-"

"Vivian, two are more than enough to drive me clinically insane" he intervened since there was a limit to how much he could bear before trying to claw his ears off. He kept rowing carefully until he found the area he'd decided to search first and handed the oars to Vivian for safekeeping.

"I'm going in, the item won't magically rise to meet us" he explained with a nonnegotiable tone since he needed to find something in that lake. Otherwise, the entire journey would be a waste. Egypt had yielded them the ankh within two weeks while Lake Victoria treaded into the third with no sign. He removed the leather belt around his waist with haste to remove the extra weight from his clothes and handed it to Malik. If he gave it to Vivian, let's just say it would not leave her with all of her fingers since she was one curious beaver. He handed the strap of his crossbow and the weapon also, bringing a light blush to Vivian's face when he removed his hood from his outer robes. Damn it, why couldn't he be ugly like Al Mualim or Abbas?

She shook her head to rid herself of those thoughts as he removed the sleeveless tunic that kept his inner layers in place. Her fangirl love blew its top when he handed her the light fabric with its silver hand-woven edges and she traced her fingertips over the delicate stitching. The fact that it held the beautiful billowing robes made it even more delicate in her eyes. Her petite form could fit in the thin tunic with room to spare and she folded it neatly over her lap as she sighed with worry, "Altaïr."

Plainly put, she was against the idea of him delving underwater and wanted him to reconsider. He'd barely had a month since she declared him finally fit for unsupervised swimming! That didn't mean he could dive underwater because she certainly didn't approve of it. He was an assassin, not a pearl diver! His eyes narrowed at seeing the disapproval clearly on her face and he stated firmly, "Vivian."

In Altaïr talk it meant, 'I'm doing this and you can't stop me'.

"Altaïr" she repeated irritably with a drawling hitch on the 'ï' as it translated into, 'You're risking drowning and swimming with the fishes for eternity.' Did he really not comprehend the dangers water presented? He'd lived for almost a year in fear of water and had created ridiculous names to dub the dangerous element. Had a few swimming lessons granted him the invincible god-mode when he treaded into water?

"Vivian" he reiterated with deathly calmly as he assured nonverbally, 'Everything will be fine, you'll see'.

Malik was completely lost to their name game as the two carried on a private conversation with each other and asked with confusion, "Um, Malik?"

"Sorry, we just warped into Vivian/Altaïr nagging- the next frontier in linguistics" Vivian chuckled softly as their expressions and verbal tones had allowed them to begin creating conversations. Altaïr wasn't quite sure when it happened but they'd often used it at night when his simple grunts or utters of her name spoke for him rather than using words. As for Vivian, her facial expressions were enough to push her meaning across.

"Wait, did you two just hold an entire conversation by names alone?" the dai questioned skeptically to what had just occurred without his knowing and the two simply nodded. What else was he not privy to? He couldn't believe how far they'd come within the year and sighed with dismay, "Just when I thought I figured you two out."

"Yeah, we can't even figure each other out" she grinned cheekily and Altaïr deadpanned since the interpersonal connection was the success to be proud with, not the confusion. Oh well, her lack of coherent logic wasn't the main focus and he handed his hood to Vivian for safekeeping to add it to the bundle. She held the white cloth as if it were the Olympic torch and her lips parted in awe, whispering breathlessly, "The mighty hood of Altaïr, this is the stuff of legends! I have reached the pinnacle of an AC fan-"

He ripped it from her hands and gave it to Malik before she delved further in her fan induced rambles. Why did he have to burst her bubble?! She groaned in disillusion for losing the most prized fan possession of all time but grasped his forearm to state, "Please . . . please be careful."

"I will live to hear another of your horrible songs" he assured simply but appreciated the concern, clearly seeing it on her face. Removing his leather boots, he was certain nothing would weigh him down and jumped over the side of the canoe into the lake. The cold water broke goosebumps over his skin as the drastic temperature change was unexpected but he quickly swam to the surface. He treaded water to make sure he wouldn't sink immediately since that was his main concern and spoke through chattering teeth, "That's a bit colder than I expected."

Vivian's mother alarm went off as she watched his teeth chatter and she grasped the sides of the canoe to order, "Get out before you suffer hypothermia-"

He dove underwater to avoid her fussing and she shook her clenched hands to growl, "D'oh! Curse his dexterity and conveniently placed lake!"

All she could do was remain glued to the side of the canoe is it gently bobbed along the lake's surface and hope her friend wasn't accidentally drowning. She sighed under her breath since stressing over his well-being wouldn't be good for anyone and turned to Malik. The dai was a perfect picture of calmness as he eyed the lake quietly and she asked softly, "Is it just me or is he turning a little obsessive?"

"He's always been obsessive over something- weapons, food, shiny objects" Malik pointed out about the man quirks as Vivian saw every minute of Altaïr and his behavior. Vivian, however, worried about that quality because although it was admirable, it could bend down an ominous road. He was a hero in her eyes and she'd hate to see him turn into a Gollum creature whose obsession was the POE.

"I don't like that aspect of him" she murmured faintly since she didn't like to admit the traits of Altaïr that caused her concern. She'd promised him to never speak ill of him, especially behind his back, and wrung her fingers over her lap. He could turn downright rude when he was focused on completing a task and Vivian watched the calm water to admit, "I liked it when he was grumpy and stomped off without snapping at you."

Malik chuckled to her preference since many would run from that and asked, "You like his grumpy aspect? You are the first in a nonexistent line, Vivian."

"Well, he's never going to be Mr. Giggles or a Casanova" she smiled in return since he held his own allure with his personality and had been drawn to it. He wasn't going to be laughing every day like a normal man but when he did offer a small smile, it lit up her day just to see it. Tapping her fingers against the side of the canoe, she added in, "If he did, I'd seriously worry that he has a concussion or some sort of brain damage."

The two kept their friendly conversation quiet until Altaïr surfaced with a scowl on his face and he breathed deeply to declare, "I can barely see anything down there!"

"You might have to give up on this item, technology isn't advanced enough to-" Vivian pointed out gently to make him see that their search was yielding nothing for the last two weeks. There were no clues and unless they wanted to dig into the center of the earth and destroy the forest around the lake, they would have to admit defeat.

He ignored her logic because he wasn't a quitter and dove under the water once more to avoid it. Vivian gritted her teeth in frustration since diving technology was nonexistent and he'd sooner drown than find the item. Turning to Malik, she jabbed a finger towards the empty spot the assassin had occupied and growled, "You see? He throws the logic he depends on right out the window when a POE is concerned."

"Do you really think we won't find it?" Malik asked for her input on the mission and her shoulders slumped to show nonverbal agreement. She'd never had to admit that Altaïr might be over his head since everything he did was impossible for normal human beings but this was one time he might have to call it quits. They were running in circles and the area was making Altaïr cranky and driving Malik to depression.

"If we were in later centuries, like the 20th, diving equipment would make searches more efficient" she sighed softly since that time frame had good efficiency in comparison to earlier centuries. They were in such an archaic time that not even decent goggles could be used to dive underwater and holding one's breath was the only way to delve into the deep. Altaïr had unbelievable stamina that would aid his lung capacity but he wasn't a mermaid, which worried her.

A few minutes later, her worries cemented into something worse when air bubbles broke the surface. She'd expected Altaïr to follow as it normally did when someone surfaced but nothing followed- only the movement of water. Vivian turned frantic when he didn't surface along with the bubbles as the ten second marker finished and told Malik, "I'm going in."

Tearing off her slippers to toss them aside, she pulled out the top layer of her hooded tunic from her breeches to place it on the seat. Leaving only a thin tunic without sleeves to cover the layers underneath, she dove into the blue lake to descend into the water to find her friend. Altaïr had not been kidding about the water being cold and she suppressed the urge to yelp as she swam deeper to find him. The water gave only a few feet of visibility as she searched the cold water and used her limbs as searching gear as her heart pounded.

Would she find him? Would he be all right? Questions ran rampant through her mind but that didn't deter her from going downwards. The water proved bothersome to her eyes with each passing second they were open but she was adamant to find him. She'd expected to find the man flailing with his limbs as he tried to reach the surface but a few meters down, she found him.

He was slowly sinking downwards and the lack of movement in his limbs stirred her into action. Whether by the force of nature or luck, she managed to swim her way with the speed of a little tugboat on rocket fuel to her friend. Grasping him by the arms, she shook him to see if he could move but his entire body was limp in her hold. She wanted him to open his eyes to show her a weak sign of life but she felt none with the lack of gravity in the water.

Her hands didn't release him as she swam to the surface, struggling with his weight and running out of air at the same time. Why hadn't he listened to her? Why did he always have to be the hero when the odds were heavily stacked against him? Oh, if he wasn't unconscious, she'd knock him over the head. She broke the surface, coughing loudly to clear her nose of water and breathe in large gulps of air. She moved Altaïr towards the canoe since the assassin lacked movement and she pulled herself into the boat with Malik's help. She scrambled to help her friend hoist Altaïr into the boat before she'd even landed inside and both of them pulled the man inside. Her heart beat rapidly as she grabbed his face to lean down to feel whether he was breathing but heard nothing, leading her to put her CPR classes to use.

Her pharmacist father had always required his two oldest daughters to know both emergency resuscitation and first aid in case any of their family members or strangers required aid. He was that much of a helpful person and it passed down to his daughters since Vivian held unbelievable amounts of energy. She and Natalia had grumbled all the way to the class but their father always lectured them the lessons would come in handy. It seemed she owed her father an ice cream cone once she returned and pressed her hands against his sternum.

"One of us has to push air into his mouth . . . with our lips" Vivian informed the dai as she concentrated on counting each push against his chest with the hope that he'd breathe on his own. Malik gaped in shock that she put him up as the option to do so since their society shunned such behavior. Vivian was hoping he'd offer because doing it herself would just send her spiraling down the road to 'I-Love-Altaïr Land' and didn't want that happening.

"No! We are friends but that's where the line is drawn" he stated with fright to the idea because such an event would be horribly glued in his mind for the rest of your life. It sunk all future fanfictions in Vivian's mind as she avoided seeing a lifesaving kiss between the two because hey, they were two hot men and she had no romantic life whatsoever. She'd have to put down 'see a romantic comedy' in her bucket list for when she returned home. The dai flailed his arm in all directions to avoid being pinned with the kiss of life and pointed out swiftly, "You're the woman!"

"So I'm automatically the match for him? That's sexist- well, in my time, but still!" she argued shrilly since she hoped being the one doing the CPR would automatically exempt her from the list. For the first time in his life, Malik was sticking to the norms of gender roles to avoid having to breathe life into his friend inside a canoe. Assassins were not trained for this kind of thing!

The two engaged in a minor staring contest to determine who would deliver that kiss of life. With Altaïr lying prone on the floor and in dire need of aid, Vivian groaned to relent with great regret, "Fine! Maybe our entire hesitance will give him brain damage and he'll become Mr. Congeniality after this."

A few more compresses were given and the moment came to lean down but she sucked down her nerves in order to save his life. She used her hands to part his mouth and pressed her lips over his to mold them against the shape of his mouth. She couldn't risk letting any precious air escaping and exhaled into his lungs as she exhaled every last bit from her own. Releasing him, she breathed deeply to replenish the oxygen in her lungs and returned to the chest compresses as she breathed, "Come on, you're supposed to die an old man, in your bed- wait, that's Titanic. Get up, you cranky assassin! You're meant to kick Templar ass and raise little Altaïr's to unleash into the world."

Please don't die on me, I can't bear that idea, she pleaded frantically as she cradled his head to breathe into his mouth once more. Her teeth grazed his as she added pressure to seal their lips to prevent any air from escaping that could save his life.

The fickle mistress of fate had the last laugh on Vivian by having Altaïr spit up the water in his lungs at that very moment. Malik could easily say that it was an ugly sight and one he was glad to never experience but felt pity for his friend. Vivian fought the urge to hurl as water and saliva dribbled down her chin as she coughed loudly to make sure none of that trailed down her throat. Frantically, she wiped her lower face to be rid of the liquid sensation and gagged nauseously, "Ugh, gross!"

Malik hugged his newly revived friend with joy that he hadn't died in a watery grave while Vivian whimpered over what had just gone into her sullied mouth. Where was mouthwash when she greatly needed it? She could still taste spit! Altaïr didn't even care that he'd almost died, coughing roughly into his hand a few times to clear his throat before telling them, "I couldn't reach it. I saw a faint golden light but it is there- I know it. We don't have to search anymore, it's here."

Coughing to clear his lungs once more, he breathed heavily to inform them with a hoarse voice, "I'm going back-"

"No!" both of them refused immediately, pulling him back fiercely by the shoulders before he drowned himself. They had already worried for his safety since he had barely learned to swim decently and this accident would not have them jumping in agreement. Altaïr growled to being restrained and coughed to continue clearing the bothersome rough feeling in his lower throat from regurgitating water from his lungs. He would take his near death experience into consideration later but for now, he needed to focus on finding the POE.

"You almost drowned and I. . ." Vivian scolded as she almost slipped out the thought of losing him, wiping her mouth instead to stop herself from spilling anything. He was her responsibility but she couldn't lose him (twice in one day) after growing attached to the obstinate man that had pulled her feeble heart into his strong hands. Lowering her gaze, she evaded her emotions to maintain her objectivity and stated distastefully, "I really don't want to keep swapping your water spit again."

"Trust me, having my mouth violated is not an appealing thought" Altaïr muttered curtly with the same bitter tone since he wasn't in the mood for jokes. The fact that his wet clothes were making his skin cold didn't help any and he grumbled, "We need an idea."

"I vote for one that doesn't have us fishing for your corpse" Malik stated wryly and Vivian seconded his choice, leading Altaïr to grumble under his breath. He eyed open spaces that he could dive from but the two weren't relenting in their yielding hold or giving an opening. Malik had become accustomed to his behavior and kept a tight grasp on the neck of his tunic to keep him pinned as he pointed out, "There has to be a way to see underwater and if we can't, the Templars won't fare any better. If your different sight can't penetrate the deep, why should their normal eyes do so?"

Vivian clapped the dai on the back for his good reasoning and complimented, "This is why you're the smart one of the gang. If you weren't around, he'd run smack into a wall like a rabid dog just to fight it."

"Robert de Sable was not a wall" Altaïr shot back since she picked at him about the man and the fact he'd flown right at him like a flying squirrel. She'd even drawn a caricature of the event to rile him and he'd chucked it into the campfire to remove it from existence.

"Of course not . . . he was a gigantic wall" she restated dryly about the tall man and placed a blanket around his shoulders to keep him warm. She'd brought it along so they could sit on it during lunch but it would be best to keep him warm until they returned home. He wasn't ready to be coddled and shrugged her hands off when she tried to adjust the blanket to tuck it closer to his neck. Vivian allowed him his freedom since it was easier to brush a wild bear's fur than tend to him at the moment. There was a lot of care on her end to keep him well but what could she do when he wanted to play a pearl diver? She grabbed the oars to begin rowing away from the spot as she took the lead while Altaïr snuggled into the blanket and Vivian suggested, "We can ask about any new inventions used for diving but if we can't find anything, we . . . might have to rethink our plan."

"Well, I'm not leaving without it" he stated stubbornly and she sighed dismally, wiping the side of her lips when she felt a droplet of water sticking to them. Eww, assassin spit. She was more than ready to brush her mouth to get the taste of lake water and Altaïr out of her mouth, mumbling softly, "Let's go."

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A/N: It is with a heavy heart that I must say that the sequel I planned might not pan out since I write all of my rough drafts on my iPad first out of convenience and during the night one week ago, the app crashed on me. I had (stupidly) decided to rough draft the entire sequel in one document so when I tried to open it again, it wouldn't. I tried my best, even through iCloud, but I couldn't retrieve the sequel so I've lost the entire work in one night after countless hours. Every time I try to download or email it, it won't do so and cites 'document won't open' so I've been forced to abandon all of my work. I really did love the way the sequel was flourishing as I reached a point in the late childhood of Darim and Sef, which I planned to continue when it crashed. I hate the fact that I'll have to half-ass it now because it just won't be the same so I've taken quite a figurative punch. Thankfully, there's plenty of backups for this first story.

Aside from that horrible depressive slump, the trio will soon be ready to depart Lake Victoria since their search is not going as planned at all. Altaïr will have to bear the choice of leaving while Malik will not until he finishes his business and Vivian gets a tough dose of reality when it concerns Altaïr.

Fuzzball: I'm so glad you mentioned Cloud Atlas because that is one movie that actually made me cry (and it takes a lot to do so) because I really liked Sonmi (I loved 'Death Is Only a Door'). I will actually use some of the music for the next chapter since it matches the sad quality as Altaïr finally put the nail in the coffin to drive Vivian away. I really liked Cloud Atlas since it reminded me of the franchise from Altaïr's time to Desmond's as it does the same with the six interrelated characters and reincarnations. Assassins don't always have happy endings and that in itself will drive Altaïr to cherish the time he has now because it won't be the same always.

CookiewMonstuurrr: Thank you for loving it so much, I try my best to make a reasonably logical and hilarious story with a tad of deep human emotion to bind everyone together. The badger image was downright hilarious 'You have angered the badger. I don't know what you did but christf***, its pissed'. I couldn't stop laughing for ten minutes and thinking of Vivian made it even longer. And about Altaïr getting her mad- he's about to poke the badger in the next chapter and piss her off all the way to Mozambique. lol

Tachibana Natsu: I will update as soon as I can because I love this story. Hehe

KrnYong: Vivian is an extroverted person by nature while altaor is a maximum introverted so yes, their ways to express affection run on two different wavelength- leaving Vivian with the tough job. She's always been the type to work to earn Altaïr's approval but it is backfiring when he's doing his best to avoid falling for her but she's a tough little badger. If you think it's hilarious for poor Malik to bear with them now, he'll be in another boat when Altaïr gets a real job in Mozambique to act as a real everyday guy to fit into the town they're staying at for a month or so (Altaïr will be raging quite hard about it). Vivian did indeed move her bedding to lessen her feelings and her own upset about burning her art but she finds it quite hard to say no when he's trying his best to stay grounded from all of his work. Oh, there will definitely be a backlash as this chapter foreshadows it with him rejecting Vivian's aid rather than welcoming it.

Lissa: Thank you so much for loving the story, truly, since I've had quite a joy writing each chapter and am dreading ever saying goodbye to all of the characters since Ubisoft has moved on. Unfortunately, I haven't been reading a lot from the AC fandom (I'm stuck on The Hobbit fics for right now) and when I do, it's usually humor. I'm finicky over grammar and spelling (the latter which I've had a problem visually when spell check can't catch it and I will undergo testing this week, actually) but I love exploring my characters to tie them to real people like my favorite authors have.

David meyer ny: Thank you for enjoying the entire tale (not that it's over- not anytime soon, anyway). I've never been one to follow the storyline already told by franchise owners and I love branching away to continue the story in a new direction. I read so many retellings of the AC game with time travel OC's that I decided to write my own with Altaïr that didn't focus on it at all and took him to another continent entirely while Vivian solves why she's in his world (not time travel exactly since the old beings said it can only go forward). Vivian's songs are definitely the best quality that defines her as a unique person because I've never been one for song fics but she brings a new air to them with parodied humor. Thanks for loving the tale!

Shadoefax: All hail Shadowfax, wherever she is in Masyaf nowadays. I love that the humor leaves everyone in stitches and it will keep coming.

As for my guest reviewers, thank you for the comments and the story will definitely never be abandoned because of your never-ending support. As the subtle theme in this story goes, you're only as strong as the people who stand beside you and support you through thick and thin.

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Next Time: Not One of Us

Whenever he did something that she didn't approve of, she didn't hesitate to voice it and it would often have the two clashing. She didn't have the time for a random argument today and waved her hands to shoo him away, "Forget it. I don't have time to argue with a man that drowned and was idiotic enough to attempt another go-"

"You want to hear me admit I was wrong? Fine!" he hissed irately because he didn't particularly enjoy abandoning a mission but did so to keep them from nagging. Vivian's shoulders squared since she hadn't expected the harsh tone behind his words and merely watched him as he scowled at her with frustration. At times like this, it was hard to see whether he was projecting anger about the mission or irritation of her. Altaïr had quite frankly become a little tired of being questioned about everything he did and pointed out sharply, "I underestimated my goal but I am courageous enough to attempt it in order to keep my brotherhood strong and if I died, my work can be carried on by another."

She clutched her hair as she wanted to yell at his stupidity for risking his life against incredibly low odds of success but the origins of that feeling delved deeper. Yes, another could carry on his work but this was Altaïr, the one who opened an entirely different world of thought to generations. He was supposed to be invincible, flawless, and almost inhuman beacon of strength with his abilities but fear struck her at knowing he was just like her- vulnerable to the world around them. She didn't want to lose him in any way and the thought of never hearing his nagging or seeing him pace around the room filled her with grief. Ashamed of the feelings lurking in her heart, she evaded his gaze to take interest in the nearby sitting stool and her voice could only mumble weakly, "But you're the grand master-"

"And my brotherhood holds the future to carry on what I start and this takes priority over their own life" he reminded since she knew the rules of his brotherhood and she nodded stiffly, crossing her arms defensively. Why did he have to be so heroic and leave her a worried mess? She was fine with it months ago when he was simply her friend but now, she didn't want to have her heart on her sleeve every time he left for danger. He was her leader and she should trust his every judgment. . .but the nagging worry never left. The past months allowed him to jot down each of Vivian's tells and her shifting emotions told him she was hiding like a newborn turtle. After today's excursion, he was ready to fish her out of that figurative shell and asked straightforward, "What is it, Vivian?"

"Why would anything be wrong? Just because you almost died decades before you're supposed to fills me with ecstatic hope for the future" she snapped with sarcasm dripping from her voice as she defended her inner emotions to the max. Her feelings for him delved deeper than she'd cared to admit at this point in the journey and although rationality told her she was acting a little crazy, she couldn't stop! She tried to keep her voice steady as she continued to chastise his recent actions, "I'm certain your descendants won't be scrambling for knowledge like lost ants just because you decided to risk it all in one moment of carelessness to become fish food."

"I decide what to do with my life" he snapped curtly since he was tired of people telling him what he had to do when he wanted to carve his own path. He wasn't arrogant enough to believe he was invincible but he believed his cause was worth dying for if he retrieved what he needed for them. One POE out of Templars hands would give his people an advantage over thwarting their efforts to control humankind.

"It's not about you anymore, you have many depending on you" she stated firmly as she tried to drill it into his head that countless generations needed him. Without him, neither Ezio nor Desmond would be born- neither would dozens of generations branch off from him! She waved a hand towards Malik to emphasize his loyalty to their order and pointed out matter-of-factly, "You just said it, it's about the order and it needs you to stay alive to discover everything you're supposed to. I mean, you have a son at Masyaf, what's Maria supposed to say? 'Sorry, son, but daddy went off and drowned himself for an artifact that should- by all rights- stay underwater'."

"I'm all for peace and resolving this with indoor voices-" Malik spoke up to prevent the firestorm that was spinning out of control. He could only imagine how the two had been during his absence since they appeared ready to yell into the high heavens.

The dai's advice was ignored by the assassin as he aimed a sharp finger at Vivian and snapped briskly, "Don't bring my son into this, he is my child and no concern of yours. You are not the master of my life simply because you know what will be and I make my own decisions. You will play oracle with your suggestions when I ask you to and I expect you to fall in line to my orders-"

"I am not a dog to be led on a leash for your whims" she cut in furiously as this harsher side of the assassin reminded her of the man she'd feared during her first weeks. She didn't want to see this man at all and yearned to have the levelheaded friend that had taken her thoughts into consideration rather than lashing out. True, she said some snarky words a few minutes ago but he could've calmed her down just as she did when he was fussy. This time, however, she couldn't find that stable ground as he kept growing angrier like a volcano ready to burst.

"You're under my command, woman, and you will obey my orders" he commanded firmly and her eyes widened to the elitist remark, blowing the top from the volcano brewing in her mind. They had been clashing repeatedly as he tried to keep his head focused on reason but this was the last straw and Vivian wasn't picking up the pieces this time. She'd accepted his apology over her work due to his honest admission of inadequacy but this felt different on all levels. All she wanted to do was have her concern validated since it came from a good place but it had only headed down a very bad road to cause a monumental collision.

"Go fluff yourself" she snapped with restrained fury and walked away to throw her brush on the table before leaving the room. The resounding slam of the door told him that nothing had been resolved in any way at all.

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Thank you for reading and please, leave a review for Vivian to chew on (I can't believe we're almost at 300!). Have a great day or night across our blue planet!