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tamiisnthere · 5 days

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Crossover Universe/Altami – Meet the Family

Summary: Altaïr arrived for his first visit, Tami introduced him to the TaE Family and gave him a tour of the ranch. Trigger Warnings: Only a few swears and before the end memories of a sad childhood, but it's more a bit of a silly and cheerful fanfic. Also too much yapping + bad English and some grammatical errors. 😅

So… This is my longest oneshot fanfic with 11,579 words! Holy moly! 😭 But I'll admit it won't be as good, since I use the same words and phrases a lot of times in there and a few things were a bit inspired from my life (not exactly btw). But I hope you don't mind and you will enjoy it. Even though I know it's going to flop, I'm stilly happy that is finally finished. 💕

Enjoy! 💗

It was Saturday morning, Tami hadn't stopped thinking about Altaïr and their first kiss from yesterday. She couldn't wait for him to come visit her. She had a lovestruck smile on her face and was lost in her daydreams, ignoring her surroundings.

"Tami? Hello? Tami!" Emma's voice woke her up from her thoughts, sitting next to her on the right side of the dining table. Right now, the TaE Family was having breakfast and they were giving her a puzzled stare.

"Oh! Sorry! What happened?" Tami asked in a dazed tone. "You haven't touched your cereal yet," Tanisa echoed from her left. "Oh! Yeah! Right! I'm eating right now!" Tami nodded her head and started eating her breakfast, but thoughts of her new boyfriend still remained.

Talidea and Taino eyed each other concernedly. It had been six months since Tami had constantly mentioned Altaïr, yet they had never met him once. And yesterday it caught them by surprise when she said they started dating, which none of the family believed her.

"What should we tell her?" Talidea asked whisperingly to her husband, who was pondering as he ate. Then he swallowed and responded: "We have to confront her with it. It's the only way."

"But we're not going to hurt her like that?" Talidea feared. Taino sighed, "It's going to hurt her more if it doesn't get better. Try to get a word with her." "What?" raised her eyebrows. "You're her sister, come on…"

Talidea gained courage and asked her sister: "Hey, Tami?" Tami stopped eating for a moment and gazed at her Night Elf sister. "Yes, Dea?" she asked with a sweet smile. "Well..." Talidea began to speak nervously, trying not to hurt her, "You said yesterday that you started dating that Altaïr guy, right?"

"Yes! And he told me if he doesn't have a mission today, he'll come to visit!" Tami exclaimed excitedly. "And he's really real?" Talar joined the conversation. "Precisely! He's not quite the same exact Altaïr from the game or the legends, but he's still sweet!" Tami blushed, remembering her boyfriend.

Taino was about to say something, but Relante interrupted him, "Do you know where he came from?" "He is from the Island of Eagle, specifically from the town of Accipiteria. He and the other assassins arrived into Havaykia because the Templars attacked them and they had to seek refuge," Tami explained.

"Well, I heard about this attack almost three quarters of a year ago," Tarion chimed in, "But apparently those Templars told that they killed them all." "I wonder how they managed to escape if it's true that the assassins are here," Gavin commented. "Yeah, that had to be terrifying," Takuya added. "And he's supposedly rescued you several times, hasn't he?" Hoody Boy questioned curiously. "Yeah! He's my hero!" Tami sighed happily.

Talidea calmed down and smiled as the family and Tami had a nice chat. "You know what, dear?" Talidea whispered as she leaned toward him, "Maybe that Altaïr is real. After all, we live on a planet full of surprises!" Taino grabbed his nose bridge and sighed with disappointment.

"How is it odd that Altaïr is located in Gepardia?" Emma started talking, "Of all the places on this island and in this world, he chose to live here."

"Like, when I got into Thansuokria, I was in Azerwias at first," Maiev started to speak, "And then I sailed into Havaykia." "You sailed all the way up here since you found out I live here, mother," Elphina rolled her eyes and the rest of the family giggled.

"But you were glad we reunited in the end." "Just I still don't get how you figure out…" Elphina and Maiev were talking to each other, breaking away from the conversation about Tami's boyfriend.

"He can do parkour?" "Like a wallrun?" Northy and Southy questioned her. "Yes and yes! His movements are so delightful!" Tami answered cheerfully.

"And have you kissed yet?" Clara queried with a curious smile. "Yeah, Clara!" Tami chuckled, "We kissed yesterday and that's how we became partners! He's a true gentleman for an assassin!" "Awww!" cooed Clara, Tanisa and Relante like thrilled fangirls.

"Pffft! Are you serious?" Jarrod voiced gruffly, crossing his arms, "We're really gonna let some random assassin come to us just like this?" "And you're a former mercenary," added Cleanth, who was sitting next to him finishing his breakfast. "Nobody asked you!" Scout scowled at him and Purifier just chuckled derisively.

"Are you jealous, cousin?" Lennon smirked. "Absolutely not!" Jarrod declared proudly, but he leaned over to his cousin and whispered: "Maybe a little bit… And hopefully my package would arrive today."

Suddenly, the ranch doorbell rang. Everyone fell silent…

"He's here!" Tami beamed and rushed out of the house. "Wait! Isn't that my package!?" called Jarrod, but she no longer heard him. She was sprinting down the sidewalk at full speed. She passed between Cerato's and Microraptor's enclosures to the gate under the stone archway. She opened the gate door and saw…

"Good morning, I have a delivery for Mr. Fastrunner," the human deliveryman said, "Is he at home?" Tami's smile disappeared from her face and she sighed disappointedly. "Greetings. Yes, he's at home. I'll bring it to him." She took the package into her arms, thanked the deliveryman, and he happily left. Sorrowfully and slowly she was closing the gate, until-

"Safety and peace, Tami." She heard a familiar voice, put the package on the ground and turned behind. Altaïr was standing in front of her and smiled heartily at her, making her gasp. "Altaïr!" She leaped into his arms with pure joy and they embraced each other tightly.

"I missed you…" she whispered into his ear. He chuckled sweetly. "We actually saw each other last night, but honestly: I missed you, too." The two stared into each other's eyes passionately and after a moment they kissed on the lips.

"So, Tami? Did he really arrive?" "Or it was that-" Clara and Lennon gasped as they ran and stopped in surprise when they spotted them kissing. "Oh… My… Goodness…" Clara disbelieved her own eyes and covered her mouth. Lennon's jaw drooped from the shock. "It's going to throw Jarrod off," he commented.

After the kiss, Tami noticed them: "Clara! Lennon! Meet Altaïr, my boyfriend! And Altaïr, meet Clara and Lennon, my friends!" The Assassin glanced at the pair of Scouts and offered his hand for a handshake, "Safety and peace, both of you."

"Oh! Welcome to TaE Family's Ranch, sir!" Clara enthusiastically shook his hand, which bothered Lennon and he fake coughed from jealousy. "Oh! Sorry, darling!" Clara blushed and hugged her husband.

"You two are together? Aren't you two from two rival factions?" Altaïr asked confusedly. "We were once in rival factions against each other," Lennon answered frowning, still holding Clara close. "And once again, yes, Clara is my wife."

"Ah, don't worry about it," Altaïr placed his hand on Tami's waist and pressed her closer to him. "My eyes are fixed only on this magnificent miss," he smirked confidently at Tami and she timidly smiled at her boyfriend. Lennon was relieved, smiled and gave him a handshake: "All right then! Welcome to us!"

From behind the enclosure fence, Cerato appeared, growling and snarling at the stranger. Altaïr startled and stepped back: "What is that?" He questioned slightly frightened, but tried to hide it. "Oh, it's Cerato!" Clara replied, "She's our tame Ceratosaurus that we've been raising since she was a baby! Don't worry, she's friendly!" Clara grinned pridefully, while behind her Lennon trembled his hand in front of the neck and shook head saying no.

"Riiiiggghht…" nervously Altaïr smiled at them. "Okay, Clara and Lennon! Listen, Jarrod's package has already arrived, so you can bring it to him!" Tami spoke up, giving the box into Lennon's arms. "Ufff! Those must be his baseballs," Lennon groaned. "Come on, drahý! I'll introduce you to the others!" Tami delighted as they headed into the house, dragging Altaïr along.

Altaïr was amazed at what he was experiencing around him: the birds singing, the trumpeting of the hadrosaurs from the huge enclosure, and the smells of fresh crops from the garden and the flowers around them. "I didn't expect you to have a ranch so huge and alive," Altaïr said stunned, "It looks like paradise here, except for the trumpeting…"

"Thanks, and you can get used to the hadrosaur's trumpeting as long as you're not near them," Tami giggled, "Then I'll show you around here, but first you'll get to know my family!" He nodded and Tami opened the door of the house. "Guuuyyyysss~" The entire TaE Family looked at her and waited. "Meet… Altaïr!" Tami pulled Altaïr inside, and they all gasped in surprise, their jaws dropping.

"Safety and peace, TaE Family," Altaïr greeted them, bowing politely to them. "Oh my Elune! He's real!?" shouted Talidea in disbelief. "See? I wasn't lying to you at all!" Tami smiled. "I can't believe it…" Gavin held his breath and went to pass out, but Takuya stopped him.

"Oh, Tami! I'm glad you'd rather be with him…" Cleanth said, glancing mockingly at Jarrod, who was shocked that his ex-girlfriend had found a new boyfriend, "…than that imbecile standing next to me." "Go to hell, Cleanth!" Jarrod frowned. "Cleanth! Don't be mean to Jarrod!" Tami scolded him mischievously. "Mon Dieu! I was only joking!"

"Hold on, Tami..." Altaïr said, "Jarrod is your ex-boyfriend?" "Exactly!" Jarrod raised a finger at him angrily, "Listen to me, assassin! I'll give you one advice…"

The atmosphere choked with tension as Assassin and Scout gazed into each other's eyes with murderous stares. Everyone became anxious, and Tami prepared to step in so that her current boyfriend and ex-boyfriend wouldn't kill each other.

Jarrod finally opened his mouth: "Take good care of her and be a better partner than I was!" Altaïr didn't expect these words from him. "So you're not mad that I'm with Tami?" "Well, I do feel a little bit of jealousy, but we're still friends. So be good to her, please."

"Alright then. He just dumped the most beautiful lady in this entire world," Altaïr joked, wrapping his arm around Tami, making her blush with happiness. "But thank you for that, so I can be with her." His response made Cleanth and Hunters laugh and Jarrod grunted a bit in irritation.

"Sorry, Jarrod," Tami apologized to him. "But good for you. I'm really happy for you," Jarrod stated genuinely, which made Tami smile. "Hey, Jarrod!" Lennon walked in with Clara, "Your package has arrived!" "Oh! My baseballs!" Jarrod went to open his package, meanwhile a tall shadow loomed over Tami and Altaïr.

"Ishnu-alah, Altaïr. My name is Talar! Nice to meet you!" Altaïr stiffened. He was impressed by Talar's height, which was over 200 centimeters, easily towering over him. Talar excitedly offered him his large hand, which could perhaps kill with one blow into Altaïr's face. Altaïr eyed Tami insecurely, but soon got over it and they shared a handshake. "I'm pleased to meet you as well," Altaïr retorted.

Soon the rest of TaE Family approached him and gradually got introduced by handshaking. Altaïr didn't feel comfortable about it at first, as he was an introvert, constantly showing respect to her girlfriend's family. He noticed Hunters shaking hands with him, but decided not to deal with them for now. However, not everyone was happy to welcome him: Taino, Maiev and Elphina kept their distance from him. Even Emma looked unsure as she offered a handshake.

"All right, everybody," Taino started, "All of you know Altaïr now, but we've got a lot of work to do today, so get ready!" They all nodded to him and all prepared for their own duties. Only Altaïr, Tami and Talidea remained.

"Taino! Darling!" Dea called him cheerfully, "You haven't introduced to him yet! Come on!" Taino sighed and walked towards the three. "Elune-Adore, Altaïr," Taino greeted him politely, but kept his tone cold. "Peace be upon you, sir," Altaïr greeted him monotonously. They shook their hands anyway.

"You're supposed to be the leader of this ranch, as your wife said?" Altaïr asked. "Correct. Why do you ask?" Taino crossed his arms. "I suspect my presence makes you uncomfortable, but I want to assure you that my brotherhood has no ill plans or interest towards your ranch or your family. I've come to see my beloved Tami." The young assassin looked warmly at Tami, who smiled back.

"Hey, Dea? Taino? May I give Altaïr a tour of the entire ranch and the interior of the house, please?" Tami pleaded with big brown puppy dog eyes on them. "Of course, my dear sister!" Talidea agreed delightedly, "That sounds like an outstanding idea! Right, Taino?" Taino sighed in defeat once again, "You may, but please be careful. Some of our animals are not used to strangers."

"I noticed, sir…" Altaïr added, remembering Cerato uneasy. "Thanks!" Tami impatiently dragged her beloved outside, "Come on, Alty! I'll show you the aviaries first! See you later!" " Have fun, you two!" Talidea waved at them. Taino stared unsurely at the pair as they dashed out the door. "Love?" he addressed his wife. "Yes, darling?" "I don't know about you, but that assassin boy gives me a bad feeling."

"Oh, Taino, don't worry. You felt the same way when Tami started dating Jarrod," Talidea wrapped her arms around her husband's neck. "True, but this is different. Since the Templars are in Gepardia, I fear they may endanger our family." "Listen, honey. If Tami's speaking the truth, that Altaïr is an incredible man, then we can trust them." "If you say so…"

Meanwhile, Tami was leading Altaïr towards the two aviaries, where the singing of some birds Altaïr had never heard before could be heard. The two entered one of them, where they found several trees whose leaves hid the little creatures chirping there.

"Tami, you called me Alty…" Altaïr crossed his arms playfully. "Oops! Sorry…" blushed Tami, shyly looking elsewhere, "I think it's cute." He just chuckled softly, placed his right palm on her cheek and gently caressed it with his thumb. "It's fine. I actually like this nickname from you. Only you can call me that." Tami smiled at him again and kissed his palm, which made Altaïr's face redden. Yet he smirked and then kissed her forehead, making her freeze.

Suddenly, a small Microraptor landed on Tami's right shoulder. Altaïr freaked out, "What is it?" he inquired. "Oh! Hi, Raven!" Tami greeted the little dinosaur and petted his head, "Alty, meet Raven, one of our Microraptors!" "One of yours?" Shortly, the other Microraptors and Archaeopteryxes flew over and sat on them as well. "Oh, hello!" Altaïr greeted them carefully, but smiled at the small feathered dinosaurs. "Those who have no wings on their legs are Archaeopteryxes," Tami said, giving them pellets, which some of them started to eat from her hand.

"The two genera didn't live together at the same time and place on Earth, but they can coexist here," she explained, "Plus, unlike our other animals, they're friendly towards strangers." "They are like birds," said Altaïr, trying to feed them. "Because birds are dinosaurs! Even though Microraptors and Archaeopteryxes are non-avian dinosaurs, yet they share with birds the same ancestors." "Don't say…" "You know, we have two separate aviaries because when it's mating season, sometimes we have to separate the males and females from each other." "May I ask why?" Altaïr asked intently.

"Because they would overpopulate here," Tami continued to explain, "Fortunately, the babies that hatch here, Elphina trains them to be feral and then releases them into the wild in the parts of Havaykia where they're native." "And why don't you release them here?" "Microraptors and Archaeopteryxes are not native to the Cheetah's Valley and additionally wouldn't survive in winter here. Actually these little guys were rescued from an illegal exotic breeder who neglected them. Unfortunately they can't return to the wild because they are attached to people." "Oh goodness… Good that you take care of them."

After the little theropods had eaten, they flew back into the branches of the trees in the aviary. "Oh, so all the dinosaurs were here with you," echoed Elphina, who was cleaning the aviary. "Hey, Elphi!" Tami greeted her. Altaïr just waved at her, Elphina frowned a little at him. "Tami, are you doing a tour of our ranch to your boyfriend right now?" the night elf asked, crossing her arms and softening her gaze.

"That's right!" Tami nodded her head, "And so far he likes it here! Right, Alty?" He nodded his head in agreement. "Alty, huh?" smirked Elphina, as her sister called him, "Do you like any animals?" He nodded his head in agreement. "Alty, huh?" Elphina smirked at what her sister called him, "Do you like any animals?" "I do, ma'am," the assassin answered, "I even own a female golden eagle-" "A golden eagle!?" Elphina gasped, her grumpiness was replaced with delight, "What's her name?" "Caukasa. When I used to live at the Island of Eagle, I found her injured, so I treated her," Altaïr narrated more confidently, "And when she recovered, I released her back into the wild, but Caukasa wouldn't stop following me, so I tamed her."

"Awww! You're a natural falconer! I have a female white falcon named Keeya! I'll admit I didn't have a good feeling about you at first since you're an assassin, but I guess I was wrong!" Elphina smiled. "I don't blame you for that. I understand," Altaïr said. Tami was glad that her oldest sister was starting to respect her boyfriend. "Great! Okay, Alty! Let's go to the veterinary now!" "The veterinary?" Tami grabbed Altaïr's hand again and headed out of the aviary with him. They said goodbye to Elphina and the little theropods. The pair made their way to the building, which was connected to a high fence of a huge enclosure. They went inside and saw several cages with injured and abandoned animals.

"Oh! Put on a mask for sure!" Tami instructed, handing it to him. "A mask?" Altaïr wondered, probably not knowing exactly what it was. Tami showed him how to put it on. "That way either we don't infect the animals here or we don't catch some nasty disease from them." "If you say so, habibti." He listened to her and put the mask over his mouth, but he didn't know how properly to adjust it.

"Put the strings behind your ears," Tami advised with a chuckle. "I know what I'm doing… Ah! See? I did it!" "Okay, congratulations." Altaïr rolled his eyes playfully at her comment. "It's only more difficult to breathe in." "You'll get used to it, drahý." Then they viewed the animals together. They had to be quiet to avoid stressing them. Some of the cages were covered with blankets, which made the little creatures calmer.

"So many of them are here," murmured Altaïr. "Yes, we're not just a ranch, we're also a rescue center," Tami answered lowly, "Injured, sick and abandoned animals come to us here, we treat them and then release them. True, we are supposed to leave it to nature, but most of the time these animals unfortunately get injured or lose their parents to poachers and illegal breeders or the natural elements. In addition, some species are so rare that we have to come to their aid."

"Are poachers the biggest problem in you country? If I'm not misremembering, I've heard that parts from exotic animals are worthless in Havaykia." "Yes, but they are at a high price outside of Havaykia, especially in Cross Island, the Mann Islands and parts of Azerwias." "Horrible…" "But fortunately, there are rangers patrolling all over the island and the other nearby smaller islands fighting them."

Suddenly the door from the surgery opened and out stepped Talidea holding a young male Thylacine, followed by Emma. They both put the medium sized marsupial into the cage and covered it with a blanket so it wouldn't get stressed.

"Well done, Emma!" Dea complimented her, "You're getting better with the medical inspection on the wild animals! I was a little worried Benjo was gonna bite you." "Thanks, sister! Since I need practice for my class-" She didn't finish her sentence when she saw the couple behind Talidea.

"Oh! Hi, Tami! And Altaïr…" "Hi, Emma! Hello again, Dea!" Tami greeted them happily. Altaïr just waved them back. "Oh, we're seeing each other once again," Talidea chuckled, while Emma stared at Altaïr uncertainly. "I'm showing Alty how you two work and Dea, you're so fast already being here."

"We started just a moment ago," the night elf said, "Emma and I checked out this Thylacine named Benjo who was the pet of some human lady. She couldn't take good care of him, so she brought him to us yesterday." "The problem is that Benjo is attached to people, which is not good," Emma joined in the conversation, "Luckily he's still young, so there will be a chance he'll be wild. And if he doesn't, that's okay! So at least he could be an ambassador of Marsupial Isle."

"You love to help animals, I see," Altaïr said. "Yeah, we're trying to help them to survive…" Emma crossed her arms. "Well… I rescued my eagle, Caukasa, but once I find a wounded or abandoned pigeon or dove, I'll take care of them and then release them." "Really?" Emma inquired in surprise, touched, Talidea raising an eyebrow as well.

"Awww, Alty! That's so sweet of you!" Tami was touched and embraced him warmly. "Oh, wow! I wasn't expecting this," Emma scratched the back of her neck, "I feel a little awkward. Now I can see why Tami adores you so much. After all, she keeps saying a lot of kind things about you. Hopefully you'll keep it up."

"I'll do my best," Altaïr nodded with a relaxed smile. "Tami, good for you, sis," Emma grinned at her, "I hope you two will have a wonderful relationship." "Thanks, Emma!" Tami dashed over to her and they hugged. "I hope you and Southy are doing well together too." "Indeed we are. I'll admit we're still working a bit on improving, but we're doing well."

Then Talidea coughed falsely, "I don't like to interrupt, but we need to continue, Emma. We have a lot of work to do today." "Roger that, Dea!" Emma saluted playfully, preparing for the next inspection. "Okay, we will go," Tami announced, grasping Altaïr's hand again.

"Hey, Tami! Try to show Altaïr through the lookout at Hadrosaur's Enclosure! I'm pretty sure he's never seen a truly giant dinosaur with his own eyes!" Talidea playfully pointed a finger at Altaïr, who rolled his eyes sarcastically. "Excellent idea, Dea!" Tami cheered, "Thank you! Bye!" "Bye, Tami and Altaïr!" Emma beamed at them already cheerfully. "See you at lunch! Have fun!" Talidea waved, and the couple walked out of the veterinary building while taking off their masks.

"It shows that your sisters have a lot to do when they have to nurse each animal," Altaïr voiced worriedly. "Oh, don't worry about them, dear," Tami flapped her hand, "We have volunteers and vet students visiting here. Besides, Emma is studying zoology in university, so she must have at least some basic practice when handling any wild animal. Anyway, let's go to that lookout tower!"

Tami excitedly dragged her boyfriend to the lookout tower, which was almost 10 meters high. "Tami! Slow down!" Altaïr shouted softly, "You don't have to drag me everywhere by the hand. I will always follow you." "Sorry, I just can't wait to show you all this," Tami smiled shyly. "I know damn well," he smirked.

The couple reached the top of the lookout tower and saw a huge pasture in front of them, where several animals of other dinosaur species were grazing. In the center of the enclosure was a circle of small forest, with three shelters around it, so that the animals could hide from the bad weather. The entire ranch was surrounded by a forest that blended the colors of the yellow-green savanna and the purple of the enchanted forest.

"Woah…" Altaïr held his breath, "I didn't expect you to have it this huge." "When you're taking care of large dinosaurs, you have to have a huge enclosure." They both leaned against the rail, shortly Altaïr snuggled closer to Tami, rested his head on her shoulder and kissed her on the red cheek. Then they watched the magnificence. The trumpeting from the hadrosaurs could be heard more than a kilometer away.

"I wonder: how do you sleep when those dinosaurs with crests are rumbling all the time?" Altaïr asked. "Well… Our house is soundproof," Tami explained, flipping a lock of hair behind her ear, "It's not quite perfect, but at least you can get some sleep. Also, my older sisters and brothers-in-law have been training them to trumpet more quietly. If there's a danger, they'll make so-called 'bad noise', which can damage your hearing. Fortunately, this rarely happens. They are safe here."

"Will you tell me what kind of dinosaurs you got there, huh?" he whispered against her ear, both passionately and curiously. "Alright, there they are…" she pointed her finger gradually, "Parasaurolophuses… Corythosaurs… Lambeosaurs… Tsintaosaurs… Olorotitans… The smaller ones over there are the Dryosaurs and the smallest ones we have are the Leaellynasauras, but they can only be seen here through binoculars."

Altaïr tried the binoculars and saw the prehistoric animals more clearly. "True, habibti. They look wonderful..." he was stunned. "All the hadrosaurs and dryosaurs are rescued here, and the Leaellynasaurs actually moved here naturally since they found refuge here," Tami said. "Oh, hold on, habibti! You have a lake over there?" "Yes! We call it Lily Lake! We like to go there to fish and swim!"

As Altaïr observed, his gaze locked on one large Parasaurolophus that had been separated from the herd. "Hey, Tami? Who's that lone dinosaur over there?" He pointed his finger at the enclosure that was connected to the veterinary building. "This is Monarch, or is he nicknamed The Bull," Tami spoke in a serious tone, "He came to us two months ago, supposedly he once belonged to the Queen." "Queen? And why he is here?" "Monarch has a bad temper and attacked almost anyone who moved. It was frightening to transfer him here. Elphina said such aggressive animals are usually put down, but Talidea hopes we can calm him down."

Tami glanced at the other hadrosaurs and continued: "You know, a lot of people underestimate herbivores, especially hadrosaurs. They think that they are harmless due to the lack of horns and spikes and are usually easy prey for predators."

"Tch, those people have probably never seen at least a horse in person," Altaïr frowned, "I saw with my own eyes how some fool beat his horse and the horse kicked him hard into the jaw. It was a nasty injury, and if I'm not mistaken, a few days later the man succumbed through infection." "Yikes…" "And I wouldn't mess with anything what your family has here." "Yeah… Okay, you wanna move on, drahý?" "Of course. Let's go."

They both went down from the lookout tower and continued on with the tour. "On our left there's this Recovering Enclosure," Tami talked, "'There we release animals, something like soft-releasing, to prove to us that they are capable of surviving in nature. There's nothing there now so let's move on."

As they walked, they met a warden guarding at a crossroad. Beside her sat a large dark nightsaber.

"Hi, Maiev!" Tami waved at her. "Greetings, Tami... and assassin," she greeted in a cold voice, but softened as she spoke to Tami. "I heard you're giving your boyfriend a tour here." "Exactly! So far, Altaïr is enjoying it here!" Altaïr nodded, except he felt unsafe with the big saber-toothed cat staring at him like prey and growling a bit. Yet he bowed slightly to the older night elf warden.

"Safety and peace, mistress…" "Shadowsong…" Maiev responded coldly, "I see you are carrying weapons constantly. Always alert, right?" "I need to be. If anything, my knives and blades will take care of it," Altaïr answered with pride, but still cautiously noticing that the warden was better armed than he was.

"Impressive," Maiev said while scratching her chin, "You also have a love for blades? Will you show them to me?" "With pleasure, ma'am." Altaïr drew his dagger first and Maiev curiously inspected it. "Hm… Pretty sharp. Most human daggers from Azeroth aren't quite as elegant as this one."

"Thank you. Here is one of my throwing knives," Altaïr picked up one from the sheath on his right shoulder, "They're also sharp, light and with one throw can kill instantly if it hits a critical place on the body."

Maiev nodded her head intrigued, "Nice, except I can throw multiple knives at once while turning," Maiev praised, holding over her armed chest. "Oh, very well then... And what do you say to this?" Altaïr's hidden blade popped out and he performed it in front of the warden.

"Now that's an interesting blade," Maiev was impressed, "I wonder why no Rogue from Azeroth thought of that. I like it. You know what, you have my respect. But always be aware…" Maiev warned him, but he gave her a respectful nod.

"We'd better go," Tami whispered to him and they were ready to move on. "And one more thing before you go," Maiev paused them, "Protect Tami if you really love her so much as she worships you that much." "Count on it, Mrs. Shadowsong." And the couple continued with the tour. "That assassin is our ally after all, Dawnmist," Maiev petted her nightsaber, "You don't have to growl at him anymore."

Tami and Altaïr headed towards Cerato's paddock. Once more they met Lennon and Clara, who were feeding Cerato with chunks of meat. "Hello, hello, you two! We are seeing again!" Lennon waved to them. "Are you enjoying here, Altaïr?" Clara asked him with toothy smile.

"It's going fine," he answered, placing his left hand on Tami's waist and gently pressing her against him. "Tami is an excellent guide." "Alty…" Tami blushed shyly.

"Ah! You two are as cute as Lennon and I were when we fell in love!" Clara pressed her cheeks slightly from fangirling. Cerato, behind the enclosure fence, noticed again at Altaïr, who had frozen out of her. She let out a throaty coo that sounded like the mixed noises of a crocodile and a cassowary. But it didn't sound like a sign of aggression, it was more like a greeting and then she went to drink from the trough.

"I'm not going to lie: I'm impressed that you were able to tame Ceratosaurus," Altaïr complimented the Scout couple. "Almost," Lennon reminded. "But see? At least Cerato tolerates you after all!" Clara gave him a thumbs up. "Yeah, yeah..." nodded Altaïr his head, "Let's keep moving, habibti." "All righty, Alty!" Tami grinned, "See you later, Basecks!" They said goodbye to the Scouts and continued on with the tour.

They walked into a large garden that looked more like a wooden greenhouse. Various fruits and vegetables were grown here. "You grow all this for animals?" Altaïr began to speak. "Yeah and for us too. You know, it's cheaper when you grow your own food at home." "True, true..."

In front of them they saw the young night elves: Tarion, Tanisa, and Relante, who were now taking care of the garden. Tarion was the first to notice the newcomers.

"Hey, Tami! And greetings, Mr. Altaïr," the shy druid greeted them. "Hi, Tami! Ishnu-dal-dieb, Mr. Altaïr!" Tanisa and Relante simultaneously greeted them happily. "Hi, guys!" Tami waved, and they walked up to them. "Safety and peace to you three. You don't have to call me mister," Altaïr said, "My name is enough."

"We've heard a lot of good things about you from Tami," Relante said. "And of course we are fans too! We love your game!" Tanisa added. "What a game…?" wondered Altaïr, but immediately remembered, "Oh! You actually mean the one where I'm in the computer, right?" The two night elves nodded their heads enthusiastically.

"So, Tarion? How's the druidism going?" Tami asked him. "I'm working on it, auntie Tami," the young druid beamed, "It's not perfect, but my teacher praised me that I'm doing better than other druids at my age." "Will you show us some spell, please?" Tami begged him.

He gladly agreed, stood in front of one bush and began to cast a spell. Around his hands, shimmering green glows appeared to surround the bush and blueberries began to grow. "Oh… My… Allah…" Altaïr couldn't believe his eyes, "Now this is a sorcery!" "Thank you very much," Tarion bowed shyly.

Tanisa and Relante tried to taste the berries, nevertheless it was obvious by their faces that something was wrong. "Big bro, I hate to ruin your joy, but those blueberries aren't ripe yet," Tanisa told in disgust, spitting the berry out of her mouth.

"Aw man…" sighed Tarion disappointedly, "Nevertheless, my teacher said it was at least some progress." "Don't worry, cousin. You started druidism a year ago. Doesn't mean you'll immediately become the best," Relante reminded softly, "But you've got a lot of years to learn. After all, the best druids were probably thousands of years old when they conquered druidism."

"Thousands of years?" Altaïr was surprised. "Night elves used to be immortal in Azeroth, but then they sacrificed that to save the planet from the Burning Legion," Tami explained, "Even if they have become mortal, they can still live to be over a thousand years old."

"Hey! For giggles, guess how old Maiev is!" Tanisa challenged Altaïr. "Erm… 1550?" he guessed unsurely. "Over 10, 000 years!" Relante answered, "And she's also my grandmother!" The two night elf girls giggled. "Unbelievable..." Altaïr was stunned. "Actually, Maiev is the only one who is over a thousand years old," Tami added, "Taino, Talar and Elphina are over 300 years old and Talidea is 49 years old." "Exactly! Tarion is 20 years old. And Relante and I are the youngest here, 17!" Tanisa smiled.

"I hate to interrupt, but we promised my mom that we'd check the crops to see if there happened to be weeds growing in some of them so we could remove them," Relante said worriedly.

"Sure, cousin! Let's keep working!" Tanisa bounced with excitement, "The sooner we finish, the sooner your mom starts making lunch!" "Isn't it rather the slower you go, so Aunt Elphina starts cooking, little sis?" Tarion crooked his eyebrows, "And if I'm remember correctly, Cleanth and Jarrod are cooking now." "Whatever!" Tanisa laughed.

Tami and Altaïr decided to continue on with the tour. They said they would see them later and walked out of the garden. Nearby of them stood a smaller building made of wood. "That's where we have a warehouse," Tami spoke, "That's where we store stuff like crops, meat, and other food." "I get it," Altaïr rolled his eyes, "We can skip this one. I doubt there's anything interesting-"

Suddenly, they heard a screeching, but it wasn't dinosaur-like. Altaïr stepped in front of Tami, ready to defend his beloved. They spotted two Hunters running away from the warehouse and leaped on a high fence. They were being chased by two other Hunters, this time Southy and Northy. Tarion, Tanisa and Relante peeked out to see what was going on.

"Get out right now and don't you dare return!" Southy screamed furiously. "And you don't want us to call for backup!" Northy yelled. "Fuck you!" Hunter, in a light blue hoodie, cursed. "Let's go, little bro. Let's get out of here," growled the other Hunter with the torn dark blue hoodie, and they both jumped away.

"Assholes," Northy growled. "Is everything all right?" Maiev echoed, running over when she heard the screeching of the intruders. "Everything is all right!" Southy exclaimed. Maiev nodded and went back to her business. The three younger elves returned to work in the garden too.

In a moment the two brothers registered the couple. "Oh! Ey!" Southy greeted first. "Servus, Tami! And the famous Altaïr!" Northy cheered. Altaïr was still in a defensive stance. "Altaïr, don't worry. Southy and Northy are friends," Tami soothed him and waved at them back.

"That's true! The Great Assassin, Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, is here among us! In Havaykia, in Gepardia, in TaE Family Ranch!" Southy rejoiced. "We're your fans too!" Northy delighted.

"Aren't you Hunters like those two you drove off? Apparently they are dangerous to the residents of Cheetah's Valley," Altaïr scowled. "We're Hunters-mutants, not Hunters-infected like the two idiots who tried to steal our supplies," Northy explained. "What's the difference?" "We were born this way. They used to be humans, then got infected with the Green Flu virus and became cannibalistic monsters," Southy added.

Altaïr was a bit horrified. A virus that deforms people? "And is that virus still around?" "Especially in Fouria, but don't worry, everyone in Havaykia is vaccinated against it and it hasn't spread any further," Northy said. "I actually got some kind of needle into my body when my brotherhood arrived in Gepardia," Altaïr stated.

"It's called an injection and it means you're safe," Tami comforted him. "One more question for you, Southy. Supposedly you're in a relationship with Emma, right?" Altaïr questioned him. "Ah, Emma! The best woman on the whole planet," sighed Southy happily putting his hand on his heart. His younger brother stuck out his tongue annoyedly but in a playful manner. "Actually, what about her? Is there something wrong with her?" he worried about his girlfriend.

"It's okay, Southy," Tami reassured him, "Just Altaïr can't believe that you and Emma are dating, but he has no problem with that, right?" she looked at her boyfriend, who nodded his head. "Okay, Hunters," she continued, "I still want to show Alty the rest of the ranch and inside the home."

"Of course!" "Have fun! And Altaïr, next time show us the parkour tricks." Altaïr nodded playfully at the brothers again. He started to like them, even though they are mutants. Surprisingly so far, he actually liked or at least tolerated every member of Tami's family. Yet in the brotherhood he felt repulsion at some. He felt like he was out of his character. Despite that, it was a good feeling…

"So now where are we going, love?" Altaïr looked at Tami with a warm smile. "Let's go to the stable! You'll see our dinosaurs closer!" "Closer?" Altaïr froze in fright and let himself be dragged by his beloved into the large stable.

Inside there was the chirping of house martins and swallows nesting high up on the stable walls. In front of them, Leaellynasauras roamed, pecking at the hay and seeds on the floor. The couple spotted four sleek theropod dinosaurs in a stall box, watching them with their large orange eyes.

"What are those?" Altaïr asked, pointing a finger at them. "These are Coelophysises, Triassic theropods," Tami answered, "They came to us five days ago. Someone dumped them on the streets in Gepardia and they were stealing food from restaurants. They're definitely domesticated since they're not scared of humans, and luckily they're friendly."

"If they're friendly, why leave them out and abandon them?" Altaïr frowned. "Some people adopt an exotic animal that flexes with them or due to their cuteness," Tami considered, "But when they grow up, there are complications. These people don't know exactly what to do, so they dump the animal somewhere and leave."

"Disgusting. I've seen in my time where so many people dump their dogs or cats and leave them to die… It makes me furious." "I absolutely hate these kind of people. Irresponsible morons… But these little guys were lucky they got to us. Hard to say what could have gone wrong for them if we hadn't arrived to their aid in time…"

"Hello there, lovebirds!" suddenly greeted Talar, who was currently using his pitchfork to put hay into the feeders for the herbivorous dinosaurs. With him were two other Hunters, Hoody Boy and Ryland, who waved to them.

"Hey, fellas!" Tami greeted back with a big grin, Altaïr only waved. "How are you?" Ryland asked amusedly, "Great! Altaïr really loves it here!" Tami replied cheerfully. " We love to hear this! You already seem to be one of us here, Altaïr!" Hoody Boy gloated, hugging Altaïr and Tami at the same time.

"Don't… Touch… Me…" growled Altaïr grimly. Hoody Boy stepped away from him to be safe, "Whoops, apologies for violating your personal space, man," he apologized with a nervous smile, "I'm just happy to meet someone new. You know, most people are rather run away from me or try to kill me."

Altaïr didn't expect this line from Hoody Boy. "Oh… I mean, there was nothing to apologize. I don't like when anyone touches me… Except for Tami, obviously." Altaïr softened his tone and caressed his beloved's cheek, "By the way, aren't you Southy and Northy's brother? You mostly look like Northy."

"Correct. We're triplets, I'm the youngest in fact. You've met them, huh?" Hoody Boy grinned mischievously, "We used to live in Infected's Refuge, specifically one pack of my kind, but I was a weakling to them, and was later banished for saving a human woman and her child from my packmate from killing them. My brothers missed me, so they followed me here."

"But at least our paths have been found!" Ryland smirked embracing Hoody and they both began to purr contentedly. "Those two are… together?" Altaïr murmured into Tami's ear. "Yes. I hope you're not judging them."

"Absolutely not! Good for them!" Tami hugged him with joy and he returned the hug. His face was all red under the hood, which made Talar and Hunter couple laugh. "You two are made for each other!" Talar chuckled, "By the way, Tami. Do you want to introduce Beaky and Kamari to Altaïr?" She got excited. "Oh, yes!" "Who are Beaky and Kamari?" Altaïr arched an eyebrow. "You'll see!"

Ryland went to open one stall box and out ran a cheetah that had stripes instead of dots. When he saw Tami, he started chirping joyously and rubbed up against her and purred. "Hey, big boy! Glad to see you!" Tami petted him. Altaïr had never seen a cheetah that close and watched it in astonishment. He wanted to pet him, except Kamari hissed at him and he pulled his hand away.

"Oh! Kamari doesn't get along much with strangers," Tami said, "But don't worry, drahý. Let him sniff your hand and then he'll be alright with you." Altaïr tried to put his hand in front of Kamari's muzzle and the cheetah sniffed him. Kamari calmed down and licked his fingers. "Hey, hello," Altaïr chuckled.

"Wow! He instantly likes you!" Hoody Boy marveled. "I've never seen a cheetah as a large house kitten. Right, big guy? Who is good boy?" Altaïr jested, scratching Kamari's cheeks, making him purr more.

"Okay, now meet Beaky!" Tami rejoiced and started calling her: "Beaaaakkkky~! Come here, girl~!" Suddenly, a Parasaurolophus with yellow coloring and black stripes down its body entered the stable. She was smaller than other individuals of her kind, probably she was still sub-adult. Altaïr got spooked and hid behind Tami's back. Kamari better ran away from the dinosaur, hopped onto the hay bale and watched them from a safe distance.

Tami, Talar and Hunter couple petted Beaky's head. "Don't worry, Altaïr!" Talar laughed, "Beaky is a herbivore! She won't eat you!" "But herbivores can be more aggressive than carnivores," Altaïr pointed out. "Yeah, but Beaky is really tame, drahý. She's actually our first dinosaur on the ranch! Come on, pet her!" Tami encouraged him. Altaïr carefully reached out and ran his hand over her head down to her beak. This time he didn't feel as confident as he did while petting Kamari, luckily Beaky let herself be petted and patiently stayed still.

"What do you say about Beaky, buddy?" Hoody Boy asked. "Isn't Beaky sweet?" Ryland chimed in. "Well… I'll get used to her," answered Altaïr. Then Beaky turned away and went back outside to her herd. "See, Alty? That wasn't that bad," she smiled at him and took his hand, "Now let's go to the workshop and finally to my house!" "Sounds good to me," Altaïr agreed. "Enjoy yourselves!" Hoody Boy wished them and the couple waved goodbye to Talar, the Hunter pair and the animals.

As the couple exited the stables, they met Takuya and Gavin ahead of them, carrying fishing rods and equipment. "Hey, Tami and Altaïr!" Takuya greeted them as the first. "Hey, guys! Wanna go fishing with us?" Gavin offered.

"What do you say, Altaïr?" Tami asked him. "We could, but I'd like to take a good look inside," the assassin answered, "Besides, I would want to get some rest. But first we'll go see the workshop."

"Okay! Taino went there a moment ago. He's our handyman! Maybe he'll craft something for you!" Takuya joked. Gavin rolled his eyes at his brother's comment, but immediately smiled at the couple, "Well, at least we hope you're enjoying your stay at our house, Altaïr!"

"Thank you," Altaïr politely thanked him. "Thanks, guys! Enjoy your fishing!" Tami wished them and they went on their separate ways. Tami and Altaïr opened the door of the workshop, where Taino was currently working on repairing a small cage.

He looked behind himself as he heard their arrival. "Hello, Tami," he smiled at his sister-in-law, "…and Altaïr…" soon his gaze went cold as he saw the assassin. "Hey, Taino!" Tami greeted him, "I wanted to show Alty our workshop. What are you doing?"

"I'm repairing this cage, since there was a Velociraptor in it recently that surprisingly managed to break through the door and broke the lock." "Try to add more locks next time," Altaïr advised. "I wasn't talking to you, young man," Taino crossed his arms.

Altaïr sensed that the older night elf had something against him, but he tried to be polite so as not to disappoint his beloved. "I only wanted to give you advice," the assassin crossed his arms as well. "I know what I'm doing, assassin…" "I can see it, night elf…" They looked into each other's eyes sternly and coldly. Although Taino was more than two meters tall, Altaïr wasn't intimidated by him, killing enemies taller than him.

Tension started to rise in the workshop… "Guys, guys! We don't need to argue, please!" Tami was trying to calm the situation down. "Listen, sir." Altaïr began to speak genuinely from the heart, "I know you're concerned that I'm an assassin and I seem threatening, but you need to trust me: I truly love Tami. I want to- I mean, I swear I'm going to protect her and make her the happiest woman in the world. I know you are worried that because of me the Templars will show up here and threaten you and your family and friends. Thankfully, my Brotherhood protects all innocent people and if the Templars would attack you, we will help."

Taino was surprised at his words. He realized that Altaïr actually almost resembled himself in his youth. "Alright, alright…" he eventually sighed, "You hit precisely what I was concerned about, but I don't think the TaE Family is defenseless. A bunch of us were fighters, we just want to live a peaceful life, but if those Templars were up to anything wicked, we'd fight back for our freedom and peace."

"That's the spirit!" Altaïr grinned, "I like that!" Taino snickered, "You know what? I was wrong about you, Altaïr. Maybe you're actually as legendarily amazing an assassin as Tami always told me about you. But keep your guard up… If you hurt her…" From Taino's hand, frosty snowflakes emerged, representing a frost spell, "…my wife and I will freeze you to the bone and crush you into teeny tiny pieces."

Altaïr froze and gulped from fear. "Taino! Don't threaten him!" Tami snapped at him. Taino laughed and patted her head, "I'm kidding, don't worry! I just hope he will take good care of you."

Altaïr took courage once more and smiled proudly, "You can count on me, sir!" Taino nodded, the two finally finding some respect between them. "Great, you're cool now! I'm so glad!" Tami enthused, "So, Taino, I'm going to go show Alty our house!"

"Okay! Have fun, kids!" Warmly saying their goodbyes, the couple walked out of the workshop and finally entered the large wooden house. Altaïr whistled from amazement, "I didn't expect you to have such a huge interior of the house as well."

"With 20 people living here, it has to be," Tami giggled. They were standing in a large hallway, they heard voices from the kitchen to their right. They went to where Cleanth and Jarrod were currently cooking lunch.

"Hey, guys!" Tami greeted them. "Bonjour, Tami and Altaïr!" Cleanth waved at them. "Oh, hi," Jarrod spoke up without looking up as he was focused on cooking. "We heard you had a tour of our ranch. Do you like it here, Altaïr?" Cleanth asked him smilingly.

"You have it almost like paradise here," Altaïr nodded, but wondered at Cleanth's appearance. "Cleanth, I notice that you are extremely pale. Pale as snow. Do you have some sort of skin disease?" Altaïr asked worriedly. "Ah! Don't worry, I'm not sick!" Cleanth laughed, "In fact I'm not a human, but a Purifier! I am from the Pure Kingdom, more specifically from the city of Secretairios."

"Purifier? Hmm... I've heard something about your kind, but apparently they never leave their island," Altaïr pointed out. "The only Purifiers who are outside the island are those who were banished due to the curse," Cleanth explained more seriously.

"What curse?" "The curse of the red eyes." "What? For this? This is ridiculous! What were they thinking!?" Altaïr boiled with fury. "It's just… The curse is meant for something completely different than eye color…" "Stop hiding and speak sense!" Cleanth held up his hands and kept his distance from Altaïr, who was being consoled by Tami's nuzzling on his arm.

"Chill, chill! I'll tell you right now! Jeez… I can transform into a dinosaur monster that can't control itself properly. Happy with the answer?" Altaïr lifted his eyebrows, " A dinosaur monster?" "Exactly." "And it's not because of-" Jarrod was about to say something, but Cleanth silenced him.

"Because of what?" Altaïr wondered. "You don't have to deal with it. After all, it was in the past," Cleanth smiled gloomily, "Tami, show him our house while Jarrod and I finish lunch. Afterwards, we'll call you."

"Okay, Cleanth. See you guys later!" Tami held Altaïr's hand and showed him around the house: the living room, the dining room, the bathrooms, the hobby room, and then they headed upstairs to the upper floor where the bedrooms were. On the way, Altaïr noticed a gecko climbing the wall. "Tami, there's some lizard over there," he pointed at the small reptile curiously.

"Ah, it's a Mediterranean house gecko. They live freely in our house," Tami muttered, "They catch insects and stabilize the spider population." "Oh, right. Now I remember I rarely saw similar lizards in my former universe." They watched the gecko for a moment and then moved into the hallway.

"Tami?" He stopped her. "Yes, drahý?" "You know what, we don't have to go into every room. I wouldn't want to stick my nose into the privacy of your family and friends. I'm most interested in how your room looks like." "Sure. Come on."

The couple headed for the end of the hallway. Tami opened the last door on the left and the two walked in. Tami's room was small. The bed with a couple of plushies was in the right hand corner of the room and next to it was a nightstand and a window. There was also a closet and dresser next to the door, a large shelf with figurines, video games and books about dinosaurs and animals, and a desk with a laptop, writing equipment and an office chair. Paintings of either cheetahs, dinosaurs, and pictures of her family from the old days were hung along the light green walls.

"Damn, girl, you live like this?" Altaïr smirked teasingly, "Better than my room." "You don't say," Tami chuckled, "By the way, do you want to take your weapons off? You don't have to wear them all the time." "True, habibti," Altaïr smiled sweetly, putting down his sword, dagger, knives and gloves. He even put his hood down.

"Where can I put these?" "You can put them on that dresser over there," she told him, and he put his weapons and gloves on it. He looked around the room. The first thing he noticed was the Assassin's Creed 1 video game on the shelf. "Is that me?" he asked in surprise, picking it up to take a closer look.

"Yes! That's that video game I mentioned to you a couple of times!" Tami cheerfully replied to him. "I look a little bit different there… Where are my freckles?" "That would be because you're a different Altaïr, like from an another universe." "That makes sense, but I don't look bad. What else have you got, sweetheart?"

Tami gasped in excitement as her boyfriend was fascinated over her collection of him. "Oh! I has a figurine of you, a book about you, posters, cards, fanarts! I even have a plushie of you!" She pointed out to him what all she had. "You really weren't lying about being my biggest fan," Altaïr joked. "Want to see how you look in the game?" Tami offered.

"Can you show it to me later, please, habibti? I'd like to chat with you further." Altaïr caressed her cheek again, lifting her chin up with his fingers. Tami blushed again at his tender gestures. They stared into each other's eyes, their faces getting closer together, they closed their eyes and finally kissed each other on the lips. The kiss was passionate and affectionate. Neither of them wanted to let go of the other. They were making out until they needed to breathe. They leaned their foreheads against each other's and continued to stare into each other's eyes affectionately.

"Do you want to sit on the bed?" Tami whispered into his ear. "Of course." They both sat on Tami's bed, slipped off their shoes and cuddled. "Even your bed is softer than mine in the hideout," Altaïr beamed. "Alty, you don't have to lie, please." Tami gently nudged him playfully with her shoulder.

"Why would I ever lie to you?" Altaïr scoffed, but became serious. "Tami? May I ask something personal about you?" "You're always allowed to ask me anything, drahý. What's on your mind?" She looked into his golden eyes. Altaïr found her brown eyes hypnotic, he couldn't help but smile warmly.

"Why are you being so hard on yourself? Like, you keep underestimating and blaming yourself." Tami's smile disappeared from her face and she looked elsewhere around the room. "Tami?" Altaïr addressed her worriedly. "It's a long story…" she responded evasively. "I don't mind, love. Feel free to shorten it if you can. I'll listen to you all day." Tami let out a heavy sigh and gave him another somber stare.

"Truth be told, drahý… My family and I are outsiders. People don't like us that much." "What? How? I don't understand why they don't like your family while you are helping animals!" "It's better today, but it used to be tougher…" "Why?"

Soon Tami started to tell her story: "You know, for instance, Taino and Talidea are not regular night elves. They are death knights, they used to serve under the Lich King's reign from Azeroth. Society sees death knights as undead heartless monsters that only bring death, but Taino and Dea are completely different. Because of their love, their bodies weren't rotting and they even managed to have Tarion and Tanisa together. But they just couldn't change the public's mind."

Altair kept listening intently and had no intention of stopping her. "Next Maiev didn't have a good reputation in the past," Tami continued, "Supposedly her other self did horrible things like killing innocent Highbornes, which our Maiev never actually committed. Elphina is her biological daughter, so people think she's just as bad as her mom, which is also not true. Talar also didn't avoid being rejected, as he is the husband of the warden's daughter and the younger brother of the death knight. Our Hunters: Southy, Northy, Hoody Boy and Ryland have never seen humans as prey. In fact, they felt more like humans, and because of that, their kind disowned them. That's why they have found a new home and 'pack' here. Cleanth was once a prince, but due to his eyes and a curse, his parents rejected him and he was raised by the cleaners. Years later, he was banished. Jarrod, Lennon and Clara never wanted to become mercenaries. They were forced to join. Their loved ones were murdered. Jarrod's father and ex-girlfriend were his abusers and manipulators. Clara's uncle murdered innocent civilians on orders from his enemies as well. Lennon and Clara fell in love with each other even though they were in opposing factions and had to escape for it. Jarrod ran away with them since they were the only true family for him. Later Cleanth met them and joined them despite him being a Purifier. Then they sailed together to Havaykia and since no one else would take them under their wing, they joined us where they found a new home. Far away from wars and violence... You see, we are actually a small community… A found family…"

"And you don't know what happened to your parents?" Altaïr whispered after a minute of silence. "I never knew them. The nannies found me outside the orphanage as an infant, alone…" Altaïr felt sorry for her and her family and friends. "This is not fair," he frowned, "And that apparently Havaykia is a place where discrimination is forbidden."

"Unfortunately that's not true for most places and people," Tami continued seriously, "My siblings, nephew and I had the hardest time in elementary school, because once upon a time when a night elf adopted a human child, they were both judged by society." "That makes no sense whatsoever! Why?" Altaïr argued furiously, but he calmed himself to avoid frightening Tami and let her keep talking.

"Because that's not how it used to be… Can you imagine when a night elf family adopts four human children…" "You were bullied by the other children," Altaïr finished her sentence. "Not only the children, but also the adults, especially the teachers," Tami added, "Almost nobody wanted to be friends with us, they only insulted and mocked us."

"Wait, you said almost nobody," Altaïr noted. Tami made a small sad smile, "Naya and the Palins siblings, Tilly and Ezekiel, befriended us since they found us fascinating." "And they weren't outcast by society for this, too?" "Yeah, but they didn't mind. We actually formed a little group, which was kind of against the whole world." "How did Relante and Tanisa handle it, since they're a couple younger than you?" "They were lucky to get into a good class in elementary. To be safe, we didn't meet them during school to keep their lives from falling apart because of us."

"But then why do you keep underestimating yourself?" Altaïr demanded, growing concerned, "Don't you remember exactly what happened?" Tami saddened once more, "I don't remember quite accurately. There were a lot of factors that brought my self-esteem down… But the worst I remember was in probably fifth grade in elementary, around the time I was ten or eleven. We had a grammar lesson, taught by a teacher who had something against me. Maybe for the fact that I wasn't the brightest student in her subject. We had to take a dictation test, in which I always got bad grades. I don't remember exactly why, but I told her that why should I do it, since I wasn't good at it and would probably never get better…"

Tami felt uncomfortable as she mentioned it, but continued: "The teacher got mad at me and told me I was a lost cause. That I don't know anything else and will never be able to adapt when I grow up…" In Tami's eyes, tears appeared, but she tried her best not to cry. Altaïr touched her hand and squeezed gently to comfort her.

"After this, I remained quiet and started to cry. I kept apologizing to her. After an hour, all my classmates made fun of me. Even though my siblings, nephew and friends were defending me, I never got over it. From then on, I preferred to be alone, avoiding anyone who wasn't from my family and friends. In my teenage years, I used to act rude and hostile, but after a while, I realized that it wasn't okay, it wasn't real me… That I was hurting my loved ones and myself in this way. Eventually I worked on myself and changed for the better, but I still prefer to take the blame on myself since I'm a lost cause…"

"No…" Altaïr shook his head and hugged her tightly. He was furious inside, but he kept it to himself. "That stupid woman should never say such things to any child. You're not a lost cause, Tami. You are a girl who wants to help others, explore nature, you can see beautiful things that no one else can see, and you are so much more than others think… I 'm really sorry what happened to you. After this incident, how did your family handle it?"

"Yes. I remember Elphina screaming after that teacher, how dare she say those awful words to a child. They were considering putting us in a different class or even a different school. But I was afraid that it would be the same everywhere, and besides, there is only one elementary school in Gepardia. I somehow made it through and got into high school. It was a hundred times better there, but my scars remained... And later after graduation I tried to go to university, but unfortunately I didn't finish the first semester because I was stressed for exams."

Altaïr consoled the sobbing Tami with an embrace and gently caressed her hair and back. "Truth be told, love," Altaïr cooed, "I realize how much the two of us have in common."

"What do you mean?" Tami wondered. "You know..." Altaïr started to tell his story this time, "I never knew my mother in person. She passed away shortly after I was born. My father often traveled on missions, we didn't spend a lot of time together. But whenever we had some time, he would tell me about his travels and adventures, and even tell me what my mother was like. He told me when I grew up, he would train me to become the best assassin and I would make the creed proud. Except at the age of eleven, my father sacrificed himself to the brotherhood and…" He paused and fell into sorrow as he thought of his late father.

"I know about this," Tami spoke in a quiet voice "It was written in the book about you. A man slit his throat in front of you and your best friend became your rival for not wanting to accept the truth you told…" "Correct. It was Abbas and his father…" Altaïr replied while nodding his head, "When you told me about what your teacher did to you, it reminded me of my master, Al Mualim. I remember as a boy I used to play with Malik and Kadar around his office and make a mess. My master wanted to punish me by beating me, but my father stopped him and took me away. He scolded me, but he knew I was just a little boy. Only after my father died, I rarely escaped Al Mualim's fists and slaps."

Tami covered her mouth in horror. Nothing about this was ever written in your book. "Oh my Elune… Altaïr… I'm truly, truly sorry…" Tami wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him gently on his scar. "I didn't expect you to have it worse. No child would ever deserve to be beaten either." They cuddled in an embrace, lying down on the bed. Tami rested her head on Altaïr's chest and heard how his heart was pounding. She felt him gently caressing her curly hair and kissing her forehead.

"Alty?" Tami spoke up after several minutes. "Yes, habibti?" They locked eyes again. "I'm glad that I told you my story," Tami confessed to him with a shy smile, "And thank you for listening and understanding me. It's real relief." Altaïr returned a warm smile and cupped her face tenderly.

"I'm glad to help you, albi," he softly stated, "Actually, now I was wondering if I could give you something." Tami closed her eyes and waited for the surprise. Altaïr chuckled and pulled a gift from his pouch. "Open your eyes, habibti." She opened her eyes and saw a small stuffed dove in his hands. It was old and a little scruffy, but it was noticeable that it had been homemade. "Alty…" blushed Tami.

"This is a little dove my mother made for him before my birth and my father gave it to me," Altaïr smiled tenderly. Tami was surprised, "Alty, I… I can't take it," she shook her head, "We've been together for two days. This is the only thing you have left from your parents. Please keep it, drahý."

"Tami, habibti..." he addressed her affectionately, "We've known each other in person for half a year. Besides, you're the one person in this world my heart trusts the most." Altaïr placed the dove into her palms and cupped them lightly. "I'm just worried I'm going to break it or lose it," Tami whispered nervously. Altaïr kissed her on the lips to comfort his beloved. She returned his kiss and wrapped her arms around him. "I trust you to take good care of my parents' treasure, Tami. You don't need to worry. I won't be mad at you if anything happens to it since you're my the biggest treasure, alright?"

She nodded and snuggled into him. "Ľúbim ťa, Alty," she whispered to him in Slovak. "Was this in your native language?" Altaïr asked with a smirk. "Yeah. It means I love you." "Then... Ana bahebek kmaan, Tami," he whispered into her ear sweetly, gave her a peck on the cheek and they went back to nuzzling.

"Hey, Alty? Shall we go play Assassin's Creed 1?" Tami suggested after a while. "You can show me how you can play it." They both got off the bed, went over to the desk and Tami turned on her laptop. "Good, when it's switched on, I'll bring you a chair," Tami said, quickly leaving the room and returning a minute later with a chair, which she placed next to her office chair. They sat down and Tami turned on the game. Altaïr watched impassively as his girlfriend played the game of him.

The couple had a great time until Cleanth called them in for lunch and they were reunited with the whole family. Together they enjoyed the meal and the others got to know Altaïr even better. After lunch, Tami and Altaïr continued to play AC1 until the evening when Altaïr had to go. "Too bad you don't want to stay with us for the night," Tami sighed, but her smile never left.

"I would love to, but the duties of my brotherhood call," returned Altaïr, "But I will always visit you whenever I have time." "Really? That would be wonderful!" Tami embraced him, which made him chuckle. She escorted him to the gate and opened it.

Before that, Altaïr scooped her up in his arms and they kissed passionately on the lips. Then he caressed her cheek, "But if you want, you can come visit the bureau sometime and meet Malik," Altaïr whispered, "Or I'll take him with me next time here."

"Oh! I'd love to meet Malik one hundred percent!" Altaïr chuckled at her cheerful response, "Hey, Tami, listen…" he blushed and spoke softly while scratching his neck, "I'll be honest with you, at first I was unsure how your family would react towards me, but… Your family ended up being nice. I'm really glad you have people who have your back."

"Thanks. You're always welcome at the TaE Family's Ranch. Good night… habibti." Altaïr's pupils dilated as she addressed him in Arabic and he smiled even more genuinely. "Well, it's more properly 'habibi' to me as a man, you know?" Altaïr corrected her playfully.

"Oh, right," giggled Tami, "And 'láska moja' means my love in Slovak." "You know what, one more time, all right?" Tami nodded, holding gently in his arms.

"Good night, habibi…" Tami whispered sweetly as first. "Good night to you too... láska moja…" Altaïr cooed tenderly.

They eventually kissed each other passionately on the lips one last time for tonight and said goodbye, though they didn't want to separate. On the other hand, they know they will see each other again soon…

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