The Hood

Prologue

December, 1476

A festival was held earlier that year in Florence during the carnevale upon the conclusion of the Christian celebration of Lent per year - held by the Doge of Venice, in which guests had to wear masks to enter. Out of all the Auditore kin, the second youngest had suspicions of his father's crusades most nights during dinner or bedtime. 

While the teenage Auditore dreamt of being the best and the richest and the most glamorous among the women of Florence, there was a rival company that spat at the Auditore's feet. The Pazzi - affiliated with the Order of the Knights Templar while Giovanni Auditore remained faithful to the Assassin Brotherhood. 

A young woman being followed by her most faithful and trustworthy companion walked through the streets of their home in Venice. The purpose of their being outdoors was to purchase flowers to decorate the woman's home. Out of all the people the woman was friends with, he had the most keen eye in art, second was her mother.

"What are you talking about, (Y/n)? These will look lovely on the dining table!" The woman protested as she decided which flowers were best to go in the vase at the dining table.

"Are you kidding me, Claudia? I mean no disrespect, but what would your mother know about putting azalea's in a vase? They're special azaleas! Besides, out of you, me and Signora Maria, who knows how to sculpt a hummingbird?" (Y/n) argued as he carried the basket of flowers he found most delicate.

"Fair point, but, sculpting women in the nude has nothing to compare to putting azalea's in a vase, Messer Russo."

"If only you would let me paint you nude, Claudia. What makes you think I approach dashing young women on the street just to lie in their bed? If anyone - out of all the women in Italy - I would rather have you."

"That's a very generous offer, (Y/n), but I just don't think you have what it takes to make me a woman." Claudia said as they arrived in the grove of her home and established places where they could decorate her home.

"Then what, pray tell, do I lack to satisfy you more than a friend?" (Y/n) asked boldly.

Groaning, Claudia spun around and smiled falsely at him as she walked up to him.

"You do not stay out of other people's business. You look and dress like a pig - countless times, I try to have you buy better clothes, yet you persist not to do so while other girls laugh at you behind your back. Everything I do, I do it for you, (Y/n). You never appreciate what I do for you, let alone do you give me the slightest regard."

Shocked at her outburst, (Y/n) remained frozen where he was until he uttered a witty response about his breath. Claudia finally had enough and stormed off, dropping the basket of flowers carelessly on the floor, leaving (Y/n) to tend to the basket as he heard Claudia's footsteps trail off into silence when he heard another pair approach.

Before him, was Claudia's older brother and (Y/n)'s best friend, Ezio. The look plastered on the Italian stallion's face was said to kill a man at ten paces if he was lucky to go against a man without balls. In this case, it was both his, his mother and his sister's best friend so of course he had to go easy on him depending on the situation.

"Not now, Ezio." (Y/n) sighed with a shake of his head.

"Not so fast, compadre. You do realise that Claudia will not leave her room for the next few days, right? I mean, you are after all, her best, best friend. The only person out of her entire family that she trusts to make her feel better. You will go to her, and make up." Ezio advised the (h/c) man who stood erect with a basket of flowers hanging from his wrist.