"It's nights like this when I need your love, when I need someone that'll read my soul."
// Ciela Luna Borgia //
I whip around to counter a feeble strike of my opponent's sword. My hair, tied back in a braid, slung over my shoulder as my head snapped in the man's direction.
"I see you are still training, figlia," my father's patronizing voice cuts into my concentration. "You just need the improvement."
I brush my braid off my shoulder so it hangs loosely at my back, the blue ribbon holding it in place ever so slightly loosening. I sheathe my sword at my belt and turn to my father, Rodrigo. "Do not act like I am not the best of my peers," I snap back, irritated at his intrusion.
My father steps toward me. "Watch your mouth, Ciela," he warns, "or I will stitch it shut."
I hold his stare, crossing my arms. "You must want something from me. There is no other reason you would interrupt my sparring."
"Can I not survey your progress?" Rodrigo jeers.
It takes all of my willpower not to snap at him. He has been consistently bedeviling me simply because he can. My father is not fond of me, as my birth was accidental and my mother is a prostitute. He only keeps me around because I have unmatched skills in combat. I am an asset to him, and nothing more. He wants to force me into the Templar Order, something I am very much opposed to. I don't want to be forced under some title or rank, especially if it means I have to continue to act as though my father isn't abusive.
"You and I both know you do not care for me," I growl, my voice thick with hostility. I don't even wait for his ill-tempered response before forcing past him into the house I had to live in.
I storm into my room and sift through my clothes until I find my cloak. I threw it over my training gear, pausing briefly to adjust it before throwing the hood over my head and climbing out of my window. I score the wall easily, reaching the building's roof without fault. From there, I begin leaping from rooftop to rooftop, climbing obstacles when necessary.
I stop when my breathing starts to become ragged. I scale the wall before me, hauling my way onto the roof.
I sat on the roof of the building, which I realized was a church, and ran a hand through my now-disheveled hair. The blue ribbon that had previously held my hair in a braid had fallen during my freerun and now my hair was a tangled mess.
I lounge on the roof and recollect my energy until shouts erupt from a nearby bridge. I hop up and spring toward the noise, perching on a ledge that overlooks the bridge. My dark green eyes gloss over the scene.
Two groups of boys stood on opposite sides of the bridge, a clear air of animosity separating them. One size was led by someone I recognized: Vieri de Pazzi. I shake my head disapprovingly and turn my focus to the other side. The leader of the group stood proudly, his arms out as he sneered, "Buona sera, Vieri! We were just talking about you." He was an Auditore.
Something about this one boy caught my attention. I kept my attention on him as Vieri and the Auditore boy went back and forth, the latter of whom dropped a humorous line about Vieri's sister. I smirked as Vieri's face reddened and he turned to his posse, shouting "Uccidetelo! (Kill him!)" He then threw a rock at the Auditore boy, which, upon impact, cut quite deeply into the boy's lip. I wince as the boy does, my sharp movement catching his attention. Auditore looks me directly in the eyes before he turns and pounces into the fight.
I recoil from the piercing stare of the Auditore boy. I'm distracted for a few minutes, long enough for Vieri's posse to get their asses handed to them. Vieri, panicked, calls to fall back and runs off.
The Auditore boy begins to chase them but is stopped by his brother. They argue momentarily, and I listen closely to catch their names. The one with the cut lip is Ezio. His older brother is Frederico. Ezio searches the pockets of the men he knocked out, probably looking for money so that he could find a doctor to treat his lip.
Once again, Ezio looks up at me. I eye him up and down before springing off my ledge and back onto the rooftops. Somehow, my foot slips upon landing, and I cry out as I begin to plummet toward the ground.
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I'm replaying AC2 and am reliving my crush on Ezio. That is all. :3
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