AC Syndicate: Isolated Files [OS]

Need a Friend

Victoria was at the counter, poisoning her throat with whisky — a drink she didn't like — to take her mind off the pain that was ravaging her heart because of a man. Rosie was a spectator of this sad picture. Unfortunately, her words were not enough to heal her wounds, she had to let time do its work.

The manager of the One Tun Pub was worried about the Assassin who hid his tear-streaked face with his hood. Despite the forty-something's soft, warning voice, Victoria refused to listen and asked for another glass of whisky.

The front door was opened without delicacy and with shouts of joy. The clientele, exclusively Rooks and a few civilians, turned to face the newcomers. A man in a top hat entered the pub with open arms and ordered beer from Rosie for himself and his companions in green jackets.

"The first round is on me!"

The Rooks behind the bearded man in the top hat raised their fists and shouted in chorus for joy. Then they sat down at a table in the corner of the pub while Rosie set to work serving her biggest regulars. Jacob Frye and the Rooks had returned from an important mission and had done justice again. So the round of beer was well deserved for him and his gang.

Victoria looked at the group of men who had just settled in behind her. She could see Jacob remove his hat and place it on the table so he could comb his hair back. As he put his hat back on, he chatted with the Rooks and reminisced about the mission with them. The brunette turned and looked at her half-empty glass before finishing it.

As the discussion went on and the minutes ticked by, Jacob's attention was drawn to the hooded Assassin who hadn't moved from the corner of the counter as Rosie put the second round of beer on the table. Victoria was contemplating her empty glass, which she slowly swirled with her fingertips on the rim. Her thoughts jumbled in her mind, replaying the many times Thomas had played her for a fool. The Frye twin was intrigued by this Assassin whom he barely knew despite his years in the Brotherhood. He then warned the table that he would be back in a few minutes before standing up. Rosie had seen Jacob's interest in Victoria. Walking to the bar at the same time as him, she warned him that the lone brunette wasn't in the mood, that he should take it easy on her.

"Rosie... you know me, right?"

"And that's why I'm warning you, Mr Frye. She had enough of that.

"You're a true mother!" he smiled almost mockingly.

"And you're a scoundrel," she replied, pinching his cheek. "I've got my eye on you."

The manager of the One Tun Pub went back behind the counter to do some washing up and tidying up. Jacob sat down next to Victoria and looked at her for a moment. She kept swirling her glass.

"Would you like something to drink, perhaps?" said the man in the top hat.

Victoria stopped her hand and turned her face towards Evie Frye's brother. The latter smiled shyly, almost sorry to have disturbed the brunette. But he managed to hide his embarrassment by offering her a beer and specifying that it was his treat. The London-born brunette simply shrugged her shoulders and turned her face to look straight ahead. She continued to play with her glass.