asgardeventide | Secondo Scritto | Backdated to before the NPC post

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Secondo Scritto | Backdated to before the NPC post | Accidental audio/Action;

[For those listening on the network, you might just hear the sound of birds flapping by as a hint of where this assassin currently is. His bracelet banged against one of the surfaces while leaping SO ENJOY THAT. If you can't tell what he's doing, then maybe the sound of air rushing past might give you a better idea. Or perhaps even the sound of the crowded streets below might intrigue you.

Either way, if you decide to investigate, you might just notice a hooded figure running across the rooftops around the city- whether or not you may actually hear him is something left up to your discretion. He's on a mission to find a certain snarky descendant, and really doesn't have time for chatter unless you get his attention. Plus, it's not like Desmond can escape the place, after all. Ezio knows the city better than he does, and isn't going to stop until he has answers.

So feel free to run into him, or just observe. Consider it an open action post, if you will.]

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[And here Alice was leaning outside of a balcony, staring off into space, letting her imagination work for her. You could call it day dreaming, but if Alice lets it go further, she'll lose herself.

That can't be a hallucination of someone jumping on the roofs, coming the way of the Hel house? Could it?

This is Alice.

This is Alice climbing up on the roofs, as quick as possible. Just as she barely gets on the roofs, he's sprinting by and Alice calls out.]

Out for sight-seeing again, Magpie?

[Seeing someone on the rooftops isn't that difficult or unusual for Ezio. Sprinting across them to get to his destination isn't either.

But being called a nickname and then noticing said person is trying to climb to greet him? That's a bit different. Seeing that, Ezio halts, staring back at the girl as she pulls herself up, and grins in response.]

A magpie, bella? Whatever for?

[She's up! It's stranger to do it here, versus Wonderland; it comes back to the fact Alice isn't used to doing such things. Even if it was climbing to higher points in the orphanage to nab the children down from book cases at the request of Bumby. Soon as she's up, she catches her breath. He's hard to catch.]

You were perching on the roofs like a bird and now you're running on them.

[Roxas, you can't say that this is for fun. This is something fishy.]

Yes, a magpie, fluttering about the way you do.

[That's the problem with the world just seeming so unreal. What do you do with something like this?]

Any time now, Rebecca. I would really like to get out of here. [This wasn't some back door to fragmented bits in the Animus' coding. It couldn't be. Usually there was some kind of-- some kind of message. Where was the message?

It's true. Desmond doesn't know the city that well. Not yet. (Yet? Yet?) But he can, as a matter of fact, blend surprisingly well, hood pulled up. Slipping away to a quiet little section of a narrowed pathway between two buildings-- quiet, for now.

Room to think.

Or at least scrub at his face, breathing in and out.

Oh, yeah, this was just going to end so well. But at least the relative silence, barring the passer-byes, let Desmond get some of his bearings. All right, Miles. Next step. Rebecca obviously wasn't going to respond (he knew that, of course, after the ominous sound of voices very much leaving him in this goddamned machine). So...

There was a way out. He just needed to find the right door, was all.

Yup. That's a good start. Somewhere there was a trail. Desmond was going to find it.

It would kind of help, though, if it didn't happen to be a fact that Ezio was very, very real; just like the rest of the city.]

[Well now he knows what a magpie is, some kind of bird. Which, when it comes to assassins, isn't too far off- though they're more birds of prey. Ezio keeps the thought in the back of his mind, but he laughs at her observations.]

Si, I travel them. It is not uncommon back home. Why should I be any different here?

One for sorrow,
Two for joy,
Three for a girl,
Four for a boy,
Five for silver,
Six for gold,
Seven for a secret never to be told.

[The rhyme just as she remembers it, from her childhood. Alice tilts her head, almost with a scornful, yet curious look. The vorpal blade rests in her boot -- not that she needs it yet. Instead, Alice cups her hands behind her back, eyeing him carefully.]

My dear Magpie, I must confess your idea of traveling looks very suspicious. I can't help but wonder if you're up to no good. It's not London, but I doubt residents here would appreciate the unusual patter of feet on their roofs.

[Her rhyme causes him to tilt his head, curious at her. What a strange girl... He can't quite pick out what's so unusual or off, but she definitely helps to pass the time.]

That is what most people believe, yes. And I cannot blame you for it- I would be wary as well.

But I am not alone in my ventures, of course. There are many here who travel the rooftops just as I do. Take that as you will, I am not here to force your opinion.

[Likewise, oh, likewise. It's just curiosity. On any given day, she would have followed him around, if only for a little while. Alice is still, sadly, very tense around him and keeps a distance. At least he seems kind enough?]

Like Roxas? He said he likes to sit on the roof. He didn't mention running about them...

Why don't you use the streets, if I may ask?

[It would help quite a bit, wouldn't it?

Currently Ezio is traveling, eyes open and quiet on where he goes, trying his best to make do without Eagle Vision and find the one he's looking for. He isn't dependent on it- he's a master assassin, after all. One can't be expectant of their abilities, especially if they happen to lose them in battle. Everything must be honed, trained, be ready to use in an instant in order to escape.

It isn't until he sees Desmond's hood break away from the crowd that the maestro realizes he is much better than he first thought. Blending is a talent in and of itself, and while he wasn't expecting the other to know it, now that he's aware, it's going to be much more difficult for Desmond overall.

Which is why now, he's quietly landing on the rooftop next to that narrow alleyway, and perching right above his descendant, eyes curiously watching that hood below. There is no attempt at speaking made, no gesture to indicate he can see him. Let the boy use his senses and discover the assassin on his own. Ezio wants him to prove he's much more than he lets on.]

...Roxas? I cannot say I know him. But si, somewhat. Not all can run.

[To her question, he just grins a little and closes his eyes, before opening them again.]

Ah, but I do. The streets are crowded, however, and if I need to get somewhere quickly, it would not do to barge into others, would it?

[He does have a point there. The streets are infuriatingly crowded and hard to move about. It makes her nervous, she has spent most time ducking away from them, not used to this many people. It's been like this Rutledge.]

No, it wouldn't be.

[And the fact they're so close. One glance to the roofs ahead, Alice can't help but marvel.]

It's impressive... how much skill does that take?

[Only a grin comes at first.]

Many years. Would you like to learn sometime, bambola?

['Bambola.' Doll. The way she moves about, how she presents herself, even the way she keeps a distance... it reminds him of the porcelain dolls some of the more majestic nobles kept in Venice. They were beautiful, pale, delicate to the touch, and he always wondered how people took care of them. Their eyes, however, were what he always remembered most. Sad, longing, lonely.

This is what Alice reminds him of, a doll kept away from prying fingers, only to be stared at through a case of glass.]

Ah-

[It seems absurd to Alice, at first. Just the thought of her moving about through the roofs so swiftly. Though, on the positive side, she doesn't have to worry about people bothering her and getting in her space. The one thing that Alice is bothered by most, the one thing that separates her from normal people after all of these years.

Truth be told, Alice could never integrate back into society, at least, not years from now. And thank goodness she doesn't ask or know what that word means, it could have easily had Alice very angry.]

Truly?

[This makes Alice look down at her dress and shoes. It wasn't an issue in Wonderland but- is this real? How much more will she push herself further from people to feel comfortable? It feels better when she's with strange people, just like her.]

If my attire is not an issue. The most I ever done was climb trees as a child or climb book shelves to remove errant children from them.

[Alice stops, turning away, feeling as if she's talked too much.]

[ she's on her way back to Sigyn, archery gear slung over her shoulder, when she spots a sight that, awhile ago, would have had her surprised. But today, she recognizes it, and cups her hands around her mouth. ]

Hello--!

[Leonardo is meandering. He's been considering this entire place like it's a puzzle, but he's momentarily stuck on putting all the pieces together-- and walking has been known to jog his mind. Perhaps he'll see something, or be reminded of something...

Sometimes, Leonardo thinks that his most brilliant ideas are hidden away from him by virtue of being too obvious for him to even consider. Intelligence is an obstacle as much as a gift, really.

He pauses, glancing up at the rooftops at a familiar sound. On business, he wonders? Well-- there's one way to find out. He raises a hand, when Ezio is in range, and offers a wave.]

[here is a shrewd looking blonde Italian lady, strolling along the streets and enjoy the sites with her parasol open.

And watching someone jump from rooftop to rooftop, of course]

How amusing! Is that how you always get around?

[If there's one thing Desmond knows very well, it's that paranoid feeling-- that someone has their eyes on you, watching and waiting. Nine years of that sensation will kind of make a guy familiar with the way chills will just streak down their back. That's not something anyone needed some freaky second sight for. Or maybe Desmond is just... he doesn't know how to describe it to himself: his mind knows things, subconscious now, ingrained right down to the very fibers of his RNA linking together. Things that seem outside of himself even when he knows otherwise.

Like every predator has prey, so to speak.

There's a sinking sensation on Desmond's gut. Telling him to be alert. To be ready. Drawing his body tight in anticipation. His mind, however, was decidedly not getting with the program. That little flight-or-fight instinct was often, naturally, stuck to flight. Old habits, of course; can't have the same instinct to slink into hiding spots out of sheer need to protect yourself and be an Assassin at the same time. At least, not for him. He'd fall right back into the same old, sad routine if he did.

And it wouldn't help humanity any, either.

Or it could be that long stretch of shadow that hadn't been there, oh, say three seconds ago. Something most people wouldn't notice, but he wasn't most people, as it would turn out. No, Ezio's shadow is distinct. Well. Crap. Sometimes, Desmond hates his luck. It's not that he looks directly at Ezio. Acknowledging too much. But his posture changes. Shoulders tensing and untensing, aware. Just waiting for the next move. And he wasn't taking his hood off, either-- a last measure at trying to be defensive. Last thing he needed was for someone to remember That Guy stand around in alleys.]

You know-- [Great, Desmond, just go ahead and address figments of your own imagination. That's perfectly normal.] I'm pretty sure skulking around and stalking people is grounds for arrest.

Of course.

[It's an instant response, almost spontaneous. Malik would have a fit if he knew- but Ezio is not teaching her anything regarding the Brotherhood, or the Creed. Just the basics of travel. Something he learned from his brother before he was even aware of his father being an Assassin.]

If it becomes a problem, I am certain we can fix it one way or another.

[Ezio recognizes that voice from down below, having met her before on another rooftop adventure. It's good to see her out and about, and especially with a weapon in tow. He stops his running and drops down nearby, smiling as before.]

Buon giorno, Tsukiko.

[Well, isn't that a familiar face?

Ezio drops down and greets Leonardo with a grin, amused to see him out and trying to study so much about a place he doesn't know. If there was one thing he was for sure the scholar would do, it was figure out, or at least try, to place all the pieces together, much like the Codex.]

Leonardo. To what do I owe this pleasure, amico?

[Well hello, bella~

Don't mind Ezio as he grins back at her from atop of the roof, looking extremely interested.]

Most of the time, si. You are a very observant one, bella.

[Alice isn't prone to smiling. If she could, she would be doing exactly that right about now. A memory of her dear sister remarking that she might as well be part frog from the way Alice used to leap as a child. There's nothing wrong with remembering the good things from childhood and wanting to experience them again... right? Without Wonderland, Rutledge, and Bumby, just Alice wanting to try something out of her curiosity.

She nods in response to Ezio's statement.]

If we are to see each other often, magpie, my name is Alice Liddell. May I ask for yours? Or shall I continue on with your nickname.

[Her words are much like a child's, yet still grown up and very capable of handling herself. She is such a curiosity and Ezio is quite interested in how she presents herself and what else there is to know about her.

But his introduction is different from usual- because Alice is different, Ezio has a feeling trying to get closer to her will not have a good effect, so he merely nods and does a partial bow.]

Ezio. Ezio Auditore. Though "magpie" is fine as a name, if you so wish.

[A bow? That's a bit much, isn't it? Is it an Italian thing? It has to be an Italian thing. He's respecting her distance and Alice is able to drop her tense shoulders for once.

That won't mean she'll get any closer to him any than he is right now.

Magpie will do just finely, as it does seem to please you.

[Normally, had this been a target, Desmond would be dead by now. Ezio notes the change in posture, the simple tensing of the body in response to seeing the shadow beneath him, the refusal to back away when confronted. Good. At least a part of this encounter was proving to be promising. But his mind snaps back to attention when the boy speaks, eyes narrowing and voice a bit firm compared to normal.]

Do not play coy.

[It's a reply Desmond might realize that is aimed directly at him, no other person within the vicinity or "hallucinations" for Ezio to talk to. While he may believe that this is all a dream, the master assassin has seen otherwise firsthand, and if this boy is another Brother, he needs to understand the consequences of being here.

For a long moment he stays there, eyes keenly watching the figure below, just as tense as he is. He doesn't know what this brother will do, or what he even can do. Then:]

You know more than you say you do.

[An observation, but also Ezio telling him that he is prepared for anything, come whatever happens next.]

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Secondo Scritto | Backdated to before the NPC post | Accidental audio/Action;

I CAN'T RESIST. a- action? if it's okay?

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