Shadows: Whisper | Assassin's Creed

[Dusset]

"Then we look where a human body can't fit." Roberts said Cryptically as he stood up. "Come on." He started to walk up the short beach and dusted himself off the best he could. " To beat as Assassin you have to think like an assassin, which you are. Unfortunately that won't work. So we'll think like pirates. And no offense lass, but I think I rank seniority here." He took a couple minutes to ensure he had all his gear and smiled when he found his Jack. He took a swig and explained, "We hide in plain sight. If they're look everywhere we could hide, we won't hide. Where's this headquarter's of your's? We should get as close as we can. They won't look under their nose. And there we'll be, until we have a solid plan." He strode back to Garrett and crouched by him. "But you need a doctor. And I could use a bandage myself." He offered a hand to help him up. "So first order of business, leech-peddler." That was the doctors' least exciting aspect. Leeches.

[TwilightMoonDragon]

Garrett Hemsworth

 

The sea water made his wound sting like hell, but at least the blood flow had stopped. He still grabbed at it, as if he were afraid of looking at the wound. Yet, he was no coward. He heard what the two were saying, but he didn't pay it any heed. They would lead him to a place and he would happily follow. He never liked to lead, anyway. "What's this about leeches? I rather bleed out than have those things stuck on me." he took Roberts' arm like a good man and pulled himself up. Yet, he couldn't rest his weight on his knee. Grunting, he slumped on the pirate man and huffed. "I think a bandage will do just fine. No leeches. I'll bail if there's leeches." he told their new leader.

"I'm pretty sure that I should still be captain." Ceto said as she walked up to both of them. "Just because you're older than me doesn't mean you're necessarily the better choice as leader."

"I dunno, Ceto. He seems to have the right idea." Garrett smirked. "Maybe you should step down for a bit. Think of it as a vacation!"

Ceto grumbled something under her breath and snarled at the two of the men. "Fine. But I swear, if you overstep your boundaries..."

 

Ambra Neirum

 

It was hell to her. This whole place was hell to her. All she saw was the faces, the faces of betrayal. She sat in her bunk, her face pressed against her hands. The tears streamed down her palms and over the back of her hands. Oh, God, why did this happen? she whispered in her mind, her russet brows furrowing roughly. I should have gone. But if I left, I would leave Robb... and him. the image of Cullen rose up in her mind again, laughing and talking to her. She ground her teeth. What a stupid reason to stay! I shouldn't even be called an assassin. That... there's something fishy, I know it, I should have spoken up! she sobbed loudly this time, and began to weep. The sounds of her crying were like spikes being shoved her ears. She didn't want to cry. She wanted to be strong, like Roberts, like Theresa. And here she was! Weak and wailing like a lost kitten.

[Dusset]

"Here, son, take m'jack. Get some alcohol in your blood. Dull the pain." Roberts said, handing him the flask. He put an arm around Garrett to take his weight and slowly started off. Ceto spoke up and Garrett defended him. "Look, Ceto. You just got kicked off your own ship. You might've been captain but given the situation I'd say you aren't fit to lead. Go, if you want, but I will not follow. Now that you can't pay me my alliance with you is wholly based off my respect for you, and that isn't as iron-clad as coin. Age isn't a sign of intelligence but wisdom measures experience." He said as he helped Garrett off the loose sand and back into solid stone. "I'm willing to help you reclaim your vessel. I just refuse to do so off my own terms. I'd recommend you learn how to follow for a little. Now then. You know Rome, I don't. Point me to a surgeon." Garrett's knee could broken beyond repair if the bullet had split or shattered his kneecap. The old pirate could hardly tell. But a simple doctor wouldn't 'to suffice for that if he needed something serious.

 

Cullen found that he didn't know how he felt about recent events. He didn't know if he cared for the captain enough to be angry with her disappearance. She hadn't exactly done something worthwhile for him. He figured a good chat with his Lord might help him sort things out. If that didn't, then a good chat with his rum would. Bah. Rum. It was cheap liquor, and you could taste why. The ginger man went below deck in search of quiet but he found sobs instead. A quick glance around the barracks revealed a ginger woman. Moving to her, he sat fiend beside her and set an arm on her shoulder. "Ambra. What's wrong? If Ceto was a Templar, then we removed a traitor amidst our ranks. We have to be vigilant on such matters." He found himself speaking properly with Ambra. It felt more natural. When he was with Abigail he spoke more broken English, which was what he grew up with, but not how he was educated. He did like keeping up the accent, though. Ensuring it wasn't lost. It was part of him. But so was his education, and a valuable commodity on top of that.

[TwilightMoonDragon]

Ceto Sylvini

 

The words stung, but she knew that they were true deep inside. Her eyes flicked up to Roberts. He thought he was so cunning with his wisdom... "Whatever." she wasn't going to argue the case anymore. She didn't want to be left alone. Ceto, believe it or not, was very family oriented. She needed to laugh, to breathe, to live with others of her kind. Her eyes wavered over to the streets and she frowned a bit. Hmm, that was strange. There was usually a surgeon there, next to the docks. But... ah! There he was. She looked over at Garrett, who was drinking from Roberts' flask. The face he put on showed that he was not used to the taste or feel of the alcohol. She had seen him drink before, but not to get drunk. The only time she saw him become drunk was a year or two ago. "Here's the surgeon." she said, walking up to the man and speaking to him in Italian. They spoke for a while before she turned back to Roberts. "He says to put him on here." she patted a plank of wood that was attached to his clinic. "He believes it might be the swelling that's causing the most pain, but he can't be sure."

 

Ambra Neirum

 

An arm rested heavy around her shoulders, and she sniffed. The voice of the man that she had forged a strong friendship with sounded in her ears. She leant against him. Even if it was for a little bit, she needed the comfort. "... you don't really believe this whole mess, do you?" she asked, whimpering a bit. "... ... I don't trust Castiel or Poppy more than a fisherman trusts a cat with guarding his latest catch." she didn't believe what they said. The murmurings of how Ceto was a traitor, that she was going to allow the Templars to kill them all. "Oh, Cullen, the guilt... it hurts... and the sleepless hours I spend. What if they found out that I don't support them? What if... what if they feed me to the sharks?" she sniffed. "That was... this is why they sent me here. Why Casio sent me here. ... I'm... useless, aren't I? I only sit and cry, while I can be doing something else." that was a whole other story. Casio had not sent her there to be a scribe. He had told her to say that. But he had sent her there to get rid of her. 'We don't need your services anymore' he said. The words still clawed at her heart. She sobbed harder now, clinging to her friend.

[Dusset]

Roberts followed and set Garrett on the plank. He got the gist of what they said. He spoke Spanish, after all. "Great." He said, rolling his shoulder. "Doc, when you 're done with the poor lad I need you to patch up my leg." He say down and rolled up his pant-leg. Cullen's arrow bit deep and it stung, but at least the arrow had been pulled out. Garrett had to get a bullet removed.

 

((Skip to after they're all done there?))

 

Cullen held Ambra close and said, softly, "You're not useless. I pity the man who thinks you are. You're a spectacularly intelligent woman and a great shot, to boot. You're a good assassin, Ambra. As long as I've known you, you have been, and I'm positive you were before that." He rubbed her shoulder a moment and continued, "As for this mess? I don't know. As an assassin, I can't be unsure. I have to take precautions as long as there's an inkling of possibility. Ceto has her cards stacked against her. But as a person, as a Christian, I don't think this is the whole story. No woman goes from prickly but benevolent to cruel and backstabbing. I want to believe no person could sell the lives of those they're entrusted with, for gold. I want to but I know some can. I can't make a decision that satisfies me."

[Danniphantom]

Aero eyed Ceto from a distance and followed her carefully, being sure that he wasn't noticed. It was easier to hide himself when he was out of his usual clothing and wearing a hood that hid his signature sandy blond hair. He tailed Ceto to the docks where she was helping Garret. He approached her carefully but intentionally set his course to knock into her. As he bumped shoulders with her he turned and apologized, disguising his voice and hiding his face, but his hands did more, as he was trying to keep Ceto's attention at his hidden face he slipped a piece of paper to her where he knew she would be prone to finding it. He then apologized again and continued on his way to the location he had told instructed her to meet him on the note she just received. It was a small hotel on the very edge of Rome, it wasn't well known except by an elite few. He didn't sign the note with any name, but the note was rolled and held by a small metal chain with a pendant attached. The pendant was a bronze arrow.

 

((The message here is that Aero is pronounced "arrow" for anyone who has been pronouncing his name WRONG this entire time...))

[TwilightMoonDragon]

[Okay, it'll be short, though. Bed.]

 

Ceto Sylvini

 

"He'll walk with a slight limp." the doctor said as he finished tying up the bandages around Roberts' wound. He looked toward Garrett as he tested out his leg. "But he should get rest."

Ceto was kind of disappointed that the surgeon couldn't do anything else to help Garrett. But she had to admit, that Poppy had a good shot. She paid the surgeon and walked away. "The Creed is this way." she told the both of them quietly.

Someone bumped into her, but he apologized. His face was shaded and his voice strained, as if forced. Ceto narrowed her eyes and instinctively checked her belongings. There was nothing stolen but there was something else. A note. Asking her to meet someone in a hotel. The pendant swung from her hands as she read, a bronze arrow. "... scratch that. We're going here. We seemed to have gained an ally." she handed Roberts the note.

 

[i pronounced it arrow the whole time, but "Air-oh" which is like the same thing. ]

 

Ambra Neirum

 

Ambra listened to Cullen as he spoke. "Thank you, Cullen." she smiled and hugged him close. Her tears had dried in her eyes, but the ones that had streamed down her cheeks remained. "I was reading a book... before I got thinking. It's a fantasy about unicorns and all of that! My friend wrote it for me years ago when I was little." she told him. "Do you want to read it with me?" she seemed a bit sheepish in asking him, but that was because she was sheepish with everything.

Edited January 21, 2014 by TwilightMoonDragon

[Dusset]

"Or we've been found already." Roberts said, taking the note, skeptically. He didn't like how this sounded. Not one bit. "But in the case we might have a friend, we'll seek it out. But here's how I want this to go. You'll go in alone. I'll be listening, just in case. If you need help, the safe word will be 'dark'. Just comment on the lighting, hotel lighting is anyways." Ceto may have picked up on the bronze arrow clue but Roberts didn't concern himself with the boatswain and assassin master meant nothing to him. The two men had never spoken, and the pirate had never learned the assassin's name.

 

Cullen smiled gently. He pulled out a handkerchief from his shirt and wiped away her tears, finally handing it to her after a moment or two. "Of course. I need something to get my head off of this. What better than a children's story." Ah, children's stories. Good and bad were always so black and white. None of this grey nonsense.

 

((I just realized. Assassins are like ninjas. And there are pirates.

Ninjas vs. Pirates!

Those that are both like Poppy or Ceto are just... The awesome-est.))

[Danniphantom]

Aero walked to the inn and bought a room, instructing the innkeeper about his guests and to inform Ceto to meet him in his room but to come alone. He then placed some coins on the counter for Roberts and Garret so they could have some drinks. He told the barkeep to give them whatever they asked for and the he made his way through the quiet and nearly empty inn to the room that he had purchased. He unlocked his door and stepped inside. He shut the large oak door behind him and locked it again so he could be alone until Ceto arrived, he also didn't want her to just barge right in. He left his hood up and sat down in the chair, putting his feet up on the desk and pouring himself a glass of whiskey. He pulled a pipe from his cloak and filled it with tobacco from a small pouch on his belt. He then lit a small sliver of oak with a candle and proceeded to light the tobacco within the pipe. He didn't often smoke, it was rarer to see him smoke than it was to see him drink. The smoke calmed him and he liked the taste from time to time. He leaned back in the chair, lifting it up on two legs and he waited for Ceto to come knocking.

[TwilightMoonDragon]

Ceto Sylvini

 

Ceto nodded at Roberts. He was always a cautious one but not overly cautious. "Fine. If he attacks me I can handle myself. That scrawny *** was never one for fighting." that's what she thought. She saw Aero as scrawny and light, the perfect build for an assassin. For an assassin was not one for taking hits, but dodging and striking. She sighed and walked away, motioning over her shoulder. She walked to the inn and went inside. "Someone is expecting you." the inkeep said. "He said for the lady to come alone. He also left a few coins for the men. Room Two."

"Can you tell me how he looked like?"

"He was hooded. I couldn't get a good look at his face. But he seemed friendly enough."

Ceto nodded and went up the stairs. She passed the first door and went to the second. The woman knocked on the door. "Aero?" she said, albeit a bit softly. She didn't want anyone to overhear. If they did... she would be in trouble.

 

Ambra Neirum

 

Ambra blushed a bit when Cullen wiped away her tears. He was so sweet and kind with her... she wished that he would hold her as he did with Abe, laugh with her. She took the handkerchief into her hand and tightened her hold on it. "It's not a children's story. It's a fantasy." she told him. She pouted and blushed a bit more. She didn't want to seem like a child to him. She wanted to be seen as a woman. "Look. It's about the last unicorn. It's running away from the hunters that want to kill it and take its horn. It shows how cruel humans could be." she murmured. "I got this in Ireland. My mom would read it to me over and over again because I wouldn't get tired of it." she giggled and flipped open the book. The text was slightly faded but still legible. "The unicorn's name was Henry. I know it's a stupid sounding name for the unicorn, because it's a person's name. But my friend told me it's to show that Henry was just like a person in a different form." she smiled.

[Danniphantom]

Aero heard the knock as he finished the tobacco in the pipe. He knocked it out into an ash tray and set the pipe back into his cloak before standing up. He walked swiftly but quietly to the door. He looked out of the eye hole, making sure it really was Ceto. He turned the bolt and opened the door just enough to quickly pull the woman inside, he quickly shut the door and locked it again all while pushing Ceto against the wall with his hands at her collar. "What the hell is going on?" He asked strictly but quietly, like whispering a shout. He pulled off his hood so they could both see each other clearly. His blue eyes glimmered in the dim light of the inn. "I leave for a couple weeks on a mission for the creed and you've betrayed the creed?! What the hell did you do?!" He seemed very angry, but also concerned and a slight betrayed.

[TwilightMoonDragon]

Ceto Sylvini

 

Suddenly, the door opened a little bit, and a hand snatched her and pulled her inside. The man pushed her up against the wall, and she looked up at him. Fear was starting in her heart again. Had she walked into a trap? Knowing her, she had. "Do you believe everything they tell you, Aero? You're gullible as ." she grunted, grabbing at his wrists. "It's a lie, and you fell for it! You'resupposed to be an assassin master!"

[Danniphantom]

"Tell me what I'm supposed to believe when I've had no contact with you and all I get is a letter saying you betrayed the creed and have been removed from command!" Aero said letting her go and turning away from her, he walked to his desk and grabbed the glass of rum and downed the remainder of it. "!" Aero spat. "Then would you care to tell me what actually happened?" He asked not turning to face her again. He couldn't, not now, not yet.

[Dusset]

Roberts

 

Roberts ignored the innkeeper's given instructions and handed Garrett the coin. "I wouldn't be going up stairs on your leg. Sit tight." He instructed as he followed Ceto. When she went in, he stood to the side of the door with his machete drawn. He could faintly hear them but at least he could. He'd thought he heard a thump against something but at the very least Ceto was alive, or this man was talking to himself, so no reason to blow his own anonymity yet. He'd wait for either the safe word or sufficient sounds of a struggle. He was unsure if he could kick the door in, but he could always shoot the lock off. Bah, he hated to waste the ammunition though. He supposed it would be worth it in the long run. So he waited.

 

Cullen Reid

 

He chuckled at the premise of the book. "Henry sounds like a fine name. I used to know a Henry, you know. He was watch commander, back in Ireland." He said, stuck in memory for a moment. "But it sounds like a good book to get lost in." He began to read when she opened the book and a light smile could be traced over his lips.

Edited January 21, 2014 by Dusset

[TwilightMoonDragon]

Ceto Sylvini

 

She couldn't believe that this was happening. Her sea blue eyes watched him carefully in the dimly lit room. Outside, it was dark, as if it was about to rain or snow, casting its blue-gray drapes over the floor. It almost looked like they were underwater. "Castiel and Poppy backstabbed me. Why, I don't know. For power, to get me out of there?" she looked at the back of his head. "Please, don't shove me away. I lost my crew, Aero. All I'm left with is an old pirate and a limping British assassin. Please tell me that the whole ****ing Creed isn't after us for something we haven't done." she walked to the window and drew the curtains, making it darker than it once was before. "... Aero... I can't. I lost... I lost everything..." she pressed her hand to her face, trying to keep herself from crying. "I lost my family. I lost my loved ones." she sobbed, then, putting both of her hands on her face. It was then that she sobbed. The sound of Ceto crying was an ugly thing to hear. It was cracked, broken, hurt.

 

Ambra Neirum

 

"He was watch commander? I remember when I was back on land and there were watch commanders..." she tipped her head up at him. Then she looked down at the pages. It was a childish story, alright. It was about a unicorn that had been running from men, as she said before, but along the way he made new friends that protected him. Among the friends were a little boy and girl, a small dragon, a mermaid, and an owl. Sounded like pieces of other books put together. "Okay, I think it does sound a bit childish when I read it again. But it's one of the only memories of Ireland for me." she told him, laughing a bit. "... you know, Cullen. I don't remember much of Ireland. I just remember it was all green." she admitted.

[Danniphantom]

Aero sighed rubbing his forehead with his fingers before he rubbed his palm down the side of his face, rubbing his eye slightly as he passed it. He dropped his arm and turned to Ceto, walking to her and embracing her. He pulled her head into his chest, letting her cry. He rubbed her head gently and comforted her. "Aelia and Casio have a responsibility to the creed. There's proof that you have betrayed them." Aero explained. "But I could never forsake you like they had, that's why I'm here, I couldn't believe that you would have betrayed the creed. But the other masters must not know of this meeting, they can't know that I'm with you or that I'm going to help you." He finished resting his cheek on her head.

[TwilightMoonDragon]

Ceto Sylvini

 

The woman choked on her tears, the tears that made her eyes sting and rolled down to her lips. She felt like a wailing child. Aero walked over to her and held her close, almost too close. She listened to what he said but in the end she pulled herself away harshly. Ceto violently wiped away at her tears and flushed in embarrassment. "I've been feeling so sick, Aero..." she coughed, snuffling a bit more. "It's like I'm always tired..." she said. "Maybe... maybe it's because everything that's happening... I'm so stressed." at least he was here. She had missed Aero. She had missed his pure Italian, his soft gaze, and his gentle touch. "I haven't even gone to the doctor yet. I mean, I passed one right now when I took them to the surgeon. Yet..." she didn't know what to say. What would she say? What could she say? She sobbed more, rubbing her eyes. "... Oh, I'm so stupid... I'm no assassin... I'm no captain... I'm nothing..."

[Dusset]

Cullen Reid

 

"Oh? I don't think I could forget it." Cullen said, dreamily. "But yeah, I suppose it is really green in the spring and summer." He laughed heartily. "There's this tree, alright? This oak is probably older than your great-great grandparents. It's wider than the ceiling is tall, taller than a frigate's mast, more leaves than the sky has stars. That's what I remember most about Ireland. That, and the whisky. You know, I've been trying to convince Abe my whisky is better, but she's so stubborn, she's set that her Scottish swill is better." He laughed again and said, "Tell 'ya what. If I go back to Ireland, I'll drag you along. I think you'd appreciate it.""

[TwilightMoonDragon]

Ambra Neirum

 

She gazed at him with wide eyes. She tried to imagine the expanse of green leaves. The branches. The roots of the tree. "Can you tell me more stories from Ireland?"

 

[Dinner]

[Danniphantom]

"What does that say for me then? Recommending you for the second highest rank in the creed?" Aero asked reaching out to her and grabbing her hand. "Ceto, you're an assassin if I ever knew one. Have more faith in yourself. You beating yourself up won't get your ship back. You're going to have to fight for that." He said. He gently stroked her cheek and smiled as he wiped away her tears. "And you won't be alone. I will help you." He said.

[TwilightMoonDragon]

Ceto Sylvini

 

As much as she wanted to swat away his hand, she couldn't. His rough skin against her cheek, his soft voice... She smirked a bit. "I don't need your help." she grinned softly. "But maybe... I do need you... even if it's for a little bit..."

 

[Dunno what else to post. DX]

[Dusset]

"Okay, give me a minute." Cullen said, tapping his chin. "My master, Borris, was a big man. A foot taller than me and twice as wide. One year, he left me I'm the mountains with nothing but a knife and a thin coat. I was told to survive the night and meet him at the nearest tavern the next morning. Of course, I managed to survive, but while I was up there I could see for miles. The miles of grasslands, towns and cities spotting the landscape. The stars were so bright I only needed fire for warmth. I don't think I've ever been closer to the moon. It was so peaceful, after I skinned those wolves, of course." It had been a dangerous mission, but completely worth it. Terror had never been so relieved by calm in his life. "That next morning was the first day I had a drink. I had the worst hang over. But it was nearly ten years ago, so I was still a lightweight." He smiled and chuckled lowly. "What do you remember of Ireland? Gotta be something more than green!"

[TwilightMoonDragon]

Ambra Neirum

 

Ambra sighed as she listened to him. She could listen to that voice for ages. How the muscles in his jaw moved and how his eyes glimmered with the thought of the past. She was especially touched by the scenery on that mountain he was on. "You have to promise me. Promise me that you'll take me to those places." she sighed, gazing at him some more. "I want to take my love there, one day. We would hold each other and put names on the stars, and lay under that oak..." she smiled, almost wistfully. She was only dreaming. Cullen would never love her. The woman smiled softly. "I remember my dad. How he smiled. He looked like you, really, except with brown eyes and freckles all over his body. Sadly, he couldn't stay in the sun for long. He would burn. And... I remember my mom..." she drifted off. "I lost her when I was a wee girl. ... Have you ever lost someone, Cullen?"

[Dusset]

"I think I can promise you that." Cullen said. "I might go back for my birthday." He missed them this past Christmas. Ambra spoke about her plan to bring her lover there one day. That was a fine plan. If he could manage to bring Abigail he would. But she'd make him go to Scotland. Ugh. Haggis. But then Ambra asked him a question that threw him off. "Uhm... Yes. I have. I... I used to have an... Apprentice. Her name was Sarah. But... We were... More." It was still hard to talk about it. She was ripped from him. But he'd healed. "And I lost her on a mission in London." He rubbed his face momentarily and that seemed to snap him out of it. "But you don't want to hear about that, do you? Didn't really think so." He was being a little evasive. He hadn't thought about Sarah in months. In the entirety of his time on the ship. It was... Painful.

[TwilightMoonDragon]

Ambra Neirum

 

She knew that it stung. She could see it in his face, in his eyes. She had struck a nerve that she shouldn't have, and she rested a hand on his shoulder. Her eyes searched for his and she frowned. "I'll pray for her when it comes time to sleep." she told him, a small smile cracking across her lips. Maybe that would make him feel better? "I'll even pray with you, if you want." she sighed, looking back out over the barracks. "... yeah, but my mom... she was very sick. She... constantly got sick. But my dad knew how to take care of her. That time, however, she was really ill. She wouldn't eat and she couldn't sleep. One day we woke up to find her dead." her eyes grew misty, and she ground her teeth. "Sometimes I wonder if she would have been happier if I had stayed a farm girl. I don't think she would have liked if she found out I was an assassin." Ambra looked at him, then, forcing another smile onto her lips after much struggle. "I'll be happy to go with you to Ireland on your birthday. I can't wait till then."