AC Syndicate: Isolated Files [OS]

Come On ! Fight !

[Chapter image by myself]

It was into an empty room, still somewhat steaming from the night before, that Jacob and his new recruit to the Assassins, Victoria Reid, entered. There was still a miasma of perspiration and alcohol. The sun broke through the smoke screen, which looked like a light fog. It illuminated a ring where it was easy to see that hundreds of fights had taken place. Victoria thought it was a strange place. She had always been used to seeing a crowded hall, spectators shouting their support for their favourite, their joy when they won their bet, or their frustration when they lost. Thinking about it, she felt as if she had gone deaf, while she was captivated by the room looking ghostly with the sunlight and the smoke haze.

"Are we really going to train here? Isn't Robert going to say anything?"

"Topping avoids clandestine fights by day. He's probably busy taking horse bets in Lambeth," he surmised, untying the straps of his gauntlet.

Jacob removed his hidden blade, his hat and his coat. He placed them on a table and invited Victoria to do the same. He also removed his jacket and shirt. The brunette turned to him after removing her coat. She gasped when she saw the Assassin's bare back, somewhat scarred from previous fights. A soft warmth rose in her cheeks. He turned to speak to her while putting on his bandages on his hands and wrists. She scratched the back of her neck, looking down at the ground. She was embarrassed by the nakedness of her upper body and the muscularity of her leader. Jacob, seeing her still dressed and about to tell her to remove her shirt to avoid any dirt — including possible blood stains — quickly changed what he was going to say.

"Is everything alright?" he asked as he unrolled the first bandage on her left hand.

Victoria's body tensed slightly, causing her to stand up straight with a small jolt. As he finished bandaging his hand, she stammered and said that everything was fine. Then she swallowed. Trusting her despite her behaviour, he invited her with a wave of his hand to remove her shirt.

"It would be better not to get it dirty."

Having to remove her top embarrassed the brunette, somewhat. She had never shown her body in front of a friend for whom her heart had been beating abnormally for some time. Only Thomas had been able to see her naked, either completely or partially. But Jacob was right. The shirt might not be new, but it was better to avoid getting it dirty. As he bandaged his right hand, she shyly removed her top and placed it on his coat. With her upper body barely covered by her vest-top, she shivered and hunch her shoulders. The coolness of the room was unpleasant, and the fact that her bust was so scantily clad made her uncomfortable.

"I hope you haven't forgotten your bandages."

"Yes, they're in my coat," she said, looking for them.

Jacob looked at her, wanting to make sure she had brought them. It was hard for him not to pay attention to the brunette's lower back, very pleasant to look at. He shook his head to chase away this thought. He looked away, folding his arms, his buttocks resting on the edge of the table behind him, legs crossed. The training had to be serious, and he couldn't be distracted if he wanted to best prepare the brunette to become an Assassin. She already knew how to fight, like the Rook she was. But the type of fighting Jacob's gang was nothing more than the type of brawling in pubs and streets, including Robert Topping's. The Assassins' type of fighting was more like a choreography between precision and anticipation in the face of the opponent.

The dark-haired woman clumsily bandaged her hands because of her trembling. She was so embarrassed to be almost half naked in front of Jacob, despite the vest-top that covered her chest and part of her shoulders. But she had no choice but to ask for his help. She turned to him, slightly tense, and shyly held out her hands.