Learning to Fly II - Assassin's Creed

Chapter 9 - Training Whilst Off

I lead Alfonso to the big room downstairs, where all the novices get trained, including me. I am not a fully fledged assassin yet, so it makes sense that I train even when I am off. He started to look more and more confused as I dragged him down the staircase.

"I don't understand where you are going with this, where are we going?" he asked, still letting me pull him along by the sleeve.

"You will see in a moment!"

I pushed him in there, and reached into his pocket. He started to look very flustered and tensed up at the sudden intimacy, but I didn't really care. I needed something that I knew he always carried around. I only really hang around with men now anyway, so what is the point in acting ladylike?

"Where is it?" I asked, rummaging around, unable to find what I was looking for.

"Wha- erm- what are you looking for?" he stuttered, struggling to control himself with me awkwardly touching him. Not that he stopped me either.

"That ball."

"My what?!" he cried out.

"The ball! You know, THAT ball! The one you taught me to throw with! I need it!" I said, feeling it for a second. "Ah! Here it is!"

"You know..." Alf tried to retain his composure. "You shouldn't touch a gentleman like that when he doesn't expect it... I don't really know what to do with myself now..."

I pulled it out and walked a few paces, throwing it to him. He caught it very easy with one hand, as he always did, but didn't throw it back as quickly as I expected.

"What do you want me to do with this?" he asked, weighing it in his hands, just like I had done when I had first seen it.

"I want to keep training, AND ask you questions at the same time. This way, I manage to keep my training as an assassin going and learn more about your secret life. I am allowed to do that, right? That way I won't be too weak and defenceless when I get back to being a novice."

"I suppose so. Fine then." he said, throwing me the ball to catch. He then extended his hand out for me to throw at. I grinned, hitting his hand first time, and proceeding to do it over and over. It was completely natural now, I couldn't miss anymore, even if I tried. I was even as good as Alf.

"How did you become so convincing at being Italian?" I asked him. I heard him chuckle. Like a strange inside joke had been said, but I didn't understand it.

"You really want to fire questions at me whilst firing a ball at me?"

"Yes. If you don't answer, I might accidentally hit you somewhere unpleasant." I muttered. "Entirely coincidental of course."

"You have a point; fine. It is easy to be convincing. I moved away from England, and couldn't speak a word of Italian. I had a English accent, which I still have, slightly. I had a friend on the inside who helped me get into places, as a sort of favour. His name was one Mr. Henry Smith, a childhood friend of mine. He taught me the basics of Italian to help me communicate with people, and luckily, the rest was helped by how I was a selective mute. People just thought I was quiet, or shy somewhat. If you spend every moment of every day hearing the same language, you will learn it. You develop an accent over time. That is why not even native Italians could not tell my real place of origin. The only thing that could have possibly made me look suspicious or strange was my vocabulary, and the way I speak. I was brought up in an extremely posh community."

"How posh?"

"The types where etiquette lessons are more important than anything like basic living skills. Tea parties most Sundays after church. That sort of thing; it drove me loopy." he sighed.