#from suspicion of being a templar. and the two of them just. try to be a little normal for a minute. with each other. try to say. share

[quietwingsinthesky]

i enjoy fluff best in the context of something really fucked up about the relationship hovering just out of sight and casting a shadow over every time they manage to make each other laugh or turn to each other for comfort. it can’t be ignored forever. but it’s nice to pretend like it can.

[maleyanderecafe]

Dear Villainous Husband , the One to be Obsessed with is Over There (Webcomic)

Created by: Menanic

Genre: Isekai

I wish the translation for this one was a bit better, but I do think that there are a lot of fun things that I haven't seen as much in other isekai such as a tyrant that actually does seem fairly scary, another person besides the main character who has been isekaied into this world and the plot of trying to get back to the original body. The empress can also be sinister as the tyrant, though sadly it's not utilized as much as I would have hoped. As of writing this there are about 40 chapters out right now, and the yandere takes a while for him to kick in (like a long while).

The story starts out with the male lead, Lanius pretty much killing all of his sibling and his father from a young age because he was bored and wanted the title of king. Angelica, or Angie is chosen to be Lanius's empress, with Angie crying as she doesn't want to be killed considering she read the book before she isekaied. She wants to do her best to survive and run away. Angie asks Lanius why he chose to marry her of all people, with Lanius recounting that he had a whole wall of marriage candidates in which (to his eyes) looked the same, so he ended up throwing a knife, which landed in the portrait of Angie's eye. Initially, Angie is kind of bullied by the maids until she decides to bring in one of her own from her old hometown. The head maid, Jacques gets majorly angry after Angie tries to defend herself from the bullying, with us seeing that she's also the mother of the main love interest in the story, Sylvia, who is also being abused by Jacques. Afraid of what Lanius will do if he's too bored, Angie proposes a manhunt to sate Lanius's bloodlust, which works well, however Lanius states he will only do it if Angie participates as well. Angie agrees and starts training. While she prefers a bow and arrow as to not get to close to the opponent, Lanius also trains her on sword fighting as he wants her to survive. On the day of the manhunt, Lanius feeds Angie some sort of drug that makes her much more fearless and ruthless. She is able to finally kill the maid that bullied her thus ending the man hunt once and for all and bring Sylvia to work for her. Angie gets nightmares after about this event.

After a banquet where she flexes her authority as the empress, Angie decides to go to Tunia to find the original male lead, Eden a knight for the Templar. She does find him there and finds that he too is a transgressor, isekaing into the world similar to how she has. The two of them discusses the possibility of trying to go back to their original world before having to disperse as to not cause Lanius suspicions. Lanius does seem to catch on, visibly being more jealous when Angie and Eden talk, which forces to the two to send secret messages with each other. Angie and Eden discuss their escape plans together, with Angie preparing for escaping Lanius while the romance between Angie and Lanius grows stronger to the point where Lanius actually seems to like her instead of having her be just an interesting toy to him, with him bringing her to different places as sort of dates. Angie is starting to waver at the idea of going back home though as she feels there's nothing to go back to and that she is actually falling for Lanius as well. Lanius goes on a mission to kill a bunch of monsters, finding out that feeding the offspring their mother's corpse actually makes them loyal to him, and Eden during the fight also finds a special door that could relate to getting them back to their world, something that it seems only he can see. With Angie, she finds a book that is similar, with details that only she can read. Eden also decides to disguise himself as a butler at Angie's estate to gain more information and be able to communicate with Angie more easily. We learn that Sylvia still has a vendetta against Lanius, that the only way to get back to their old world is that Lanius has to die, something that Angie seems to struggle with coming to terms with. Angie ends up trying to start her escape plan by refusing to go with Lanius to the war and buying up an inn area to live in.

Like I said before, there are a lot of good concepts in this webcomic that are pretty interesting and well utilized (if only the translation weren't so bad). I feel with a lot of isekai plotlines, the villain characters or tyrant characters are not... that evil? They can be of course, and it can serve its purpose in the story, but I feel like with Lanius I can actually see why Angie would be so scared of him. His intro of killing his siblings and his father to attain the crown was really brutal, and the scenes after when trying to explain why he chose Angie in the first place and how he slyly threatens her does make me understand why Angie would be really wary around him. I do wish it continued to show more of it, maybe like killing off some employee he didn't like, but we do see him basically take control of an entire monster army and run like two man hunts, so there is at least something to it. I think it's also interesting that he's not a yandere right away, with him being more like a threatening psychopath instead. While I do like yanderes that are more upfront about their yandereness (just mostly because it's easier for me to write a recommendation on) I do think that waiting for the eventual development of feelings does help with Angie's dilemma of staying with him versus going back home, as his death is what will allow her and Eden to eventually go back. Speaking of Eden, it's very astonishing to me that there is so little isekai that have more than one character isekai into the same world. I feel like that has a lot of potential for good team ups, rivalries and various other arcs that I guess nobody wants to actually write about for isekais. I also think that the premise of Angie actually slowly developing some of Lanius's traits of being intimidating and seemingly heartless in some scenes (namely the witch hunt, the banquet and the inn at the end) were really fun too, even if the first time was induced by drugs. I really wished that it was something that showed up more often since I really do like that side of her and is a good corruption arc type thing when hanging out with Lanius.

Lanius starts out as a typical psychopath who only cares about what sick things entertain him, but it's done pretty well to showcase how terrifying he actually is. Besides the initial backstory of how he was able to rise to the throne, the fact that Angie was pretty much chosen out of chance and the fact that he is basically implies through the fact that he finds them so uninteresting that he can't recognize their faces that if she does something that he considers boring, he could just kill her. I'm not sure why he tries to help her out by feeding her the drug to make her more fearless, or even tries to train her but maybe it's to heighten his enjoyment (?) of watching the manhunt? I have no idea. I do think that Lanius eventually getting pretty possessive over Angie (especially when Eden shows up in the picture) and apparently in the webnovel, Lanius goes pretty yandere stockholm after he finds out that Angie tries to escape and pretty much confines her, which does sound very in character for someone like him. I also think it's a good way to drive tension when Angie does start falling for him and then finds out that the only way to really go back home is to have Lanius die. I feel kind of bad for Eden though since he does actually seem like he wants to go back, so that's going to be an issue for Angie even if she does want to stay.

I do think that this webcomic has a lot of good ideas, and it executes them at least somewhat decently. The only real problem I have with it is that I think Lanius could go even farther with being ruthless to his people and that the translation just isn't that good. If it follow the plot of the webnovel with Angie basically being imprisoned by Lanius, I think that would be really great too.

[herearedragons]

pleaaase give me all that apply for secret i need to see how she would turn out as a companion

Dragon Age Protagonists As Companions

HOOO BOY LET'S GO. I'm going to be real, I WILL be skipping stuff that's like, writing a lot of banter, because there's a lot of questions to get through (<- yes I'm doing both general and da2-specific questions. this is THE Secretpost now)

How would you recruit them?

answered here

What would their personal quest look like?

I think in a world where she's not, you know, Hawke, she's a Fereldan apostate refugee trying to break into Hightown society by accumulating favors from the local elite. She believes that upon achieving high enough status and being well known enough, she can free herself from the suspicion of being a mage forever.

Her quest, which I'm arbitrarily dubbing "All That Glitters", has her ask you to help her complete one last job, after which she should have everything she needs to acquire a nice place in Hightown and a minor nothingburger title. However, as you go about the job, you uncover more details than Secret's employer has originally told her: she was tasked with planting damning evidence in a noblewoman's estate, and, figuring it was the usual petty rivalries of high society, she agreed. It turns out that her target is her employer's ex-wife, who escaped from her husband with her two children due to abuse, and that by following through Secret will probably be sending the children straight back to him.

At this point, Secret will choose to walk away from the job; she'll talk a little about her own life, living as an apostate with her mage father, constantly moving from one place to another, always having to hide a part of who she is and to make sure she's well-liked, that she has the right reputation. She supposes this woman and her children must feel something similar, and she won't hand them over to the very people they're running from.

However, the evidence is in Hawke's inventory, and they can choose to be horrible and plant the evidence anyway when Secret walks out of the room, which will plunge the relationship *deep* into rivalry territory, but will earn her the resources she wanted. Alternatively, you can choose to frame the ex-husband instead, also gaining Secret some favors from the ex-wife's side. If you abandon the job altogether, Secret will give up on her dream, accepting that she might remain a mercenary forever.

How would their approval raise? What would make it drop?

Approval gain: humorous responses, playing both sides, being anti-templar, but, funnily enough, she will also approve of being critical (not outright cruel) towards rebel mages. Strongly approves of pro-Fereldan dialogue options, of supporting the refugees and of looking the other way when encountering petty crime/people cutting corners to make ends meet. In personal conversations, she appreciates "yes, and"-ing and "I trust you/I don't care what you do" answers, though she will tell you to your face that she will lie to you when it suits her.

Approval loss: being bluntly and loudly pro-mage or pro-templar, cruelty on a personal level, "end justifies the means" type rhetoric, pressing her on whether what she says is true/trying to get her to tell you more about herself, being mean to Varric.

Approval Greetings: Low/Medium/High/Romanced

(for DA2 purposes, that's what she says when you click on her in her home location)

Low: "Look what the mabari dragged in." (said in a smiling, jokey manner, but with an underlying bite to it)

Medium: "There you are! As high as the hawk flies."

High approval, purple Hawke: "Hawke! If it isn't my favorite scoundrel."

High approval, red Hawke: "Hawke! If it isn't my favorite menace."

High approval, blue Hawke: "Hawke! If it isn't my personal chaperone."

Romanced: "And what are you doing here, hm?" (said teasingly)

What would their iconic lines be?

Oh man I have so much of these to get through, I'm going to do just a couple.

Killing an enemy: "Oh, that's embarrassing."

Killing an enemy: "They'll be telling stories about this one!"

Hawke at low health: "Come on, Hawke, chin up!"

Low health: "Tell them a dragon did it."

Varric at low health: "Eyes on Varric!"

Hawke down: "So who's in charge now?"

Varric down: (shakily) "Hey, that's not funny."

Are they aligned with mages or templars?

Mages, on account of being one, but also extremely annoyed with mage violence, believing that "people like you is why the Chantry won't leave us alone".

Reaction to Merrill’s blood magic

Weirdly admires it. In one banter with Merrill she claims that she's jealous of Merrill's blood magic, because Merrill is brave enough to seize power at the price of being disliked and Secret herself, in her own words, "wants people to like her". It comes off as a backhanded compliment since she basically goes "oh yeah people are totally justified in hating you but I think it's cool that you did it anyway", but she's being genuine here

Reaction to Anders/Justice

Approves of Anders' clinic and support of Fereldan refugees, strongly disapproves of his approach to the mage-templar conflict. The thing is that while Anders grew up in the reality of the Circle, seeing the absolute worst of that system, Secret has been a hedge mage her entire life, successfully avoiding detection through charm and cunning. She believes that the key to survival is subtlety and seamlessly blending in, and Anders' approach goes against that; meanwhile, from Anders' perspective, Secret chooses to abandon the mages currently locked up in Circles for the sake of her own comfort.

Reaction to Fenris’ past

She thinks he should get to kill Danarius several times if he wants to.

Reaction to Varric’s relationship with Bartrand

Having known Varric for some time before Hawke, she's loosely aware that the situation isn't great, but her and Varric have avoided speaking at length about their past and their families. When confronted with Bartrand's possession and the effect it has on Varric, she's initially lost for words, and then defaults to her coping mechanism of gallows humor to mock Bartrand and try to get Varric to emotionally distance himself from him, which. doesn't really work. but he knows that she means well, and appreciates the gesture for what it is

Reaction to Isabela’s involvement with the stolen tome

Gets over it almost jarringly quickly, not in the "Isabela did nothing wrong" sense but in the "well, can't blame her for putting her own goals first". It's this little slip, but from the way she reacts you get the sense that Secret is basically emotionally prepared for anyone, including you, to randomly turn on her at any time.

Reaction to Sebastian being a prince

If Hawke isn't already involved with him, she'll try to half-jokingly hit on him, saying that she wouldn't mind being a princess. It never goes anywhere.

Reaction regarding Carver becoming a Templar/Grey Warden

If Carver becomes a templar, she'll point out that he might be trying to protect Hawke, and that they should let him. Having a friend in the Order couldn't hurt, after all.

She'll approve both of Carver and Bethany becoming a Warden, being bluntly cheerful about it because, well, they dodged death! That's a good thing! You can be sad about it, she supposes, but being alive enough to feel sad is a good thing of itself.

Reaction regarding Bethany going to the Circle/ becoming a Grey Warden

She's sorry to see Bethany go, going as far as to say she wishes she could have done something; if she wasn't on the expedition, Secret will lament that no one tipped her off when the templars came for Bethany, saying that she would have helped hide her.

Do they have any specific things that would send them into a rivalry?

In addition to the point in her quest, killing Bethany/Carver when you have the option to make them a Warden, handing Fenris over to Danarius or making Varric kill Bartrand will do it. Probably other things also, but those are the ones that come to mind right now.

What does their point system look like (friendship/rivalry)?

Friend!Secret is your loyal wingman, your comic relief bestie, and avid supporter of your bad decisions as long as they're the *right* bad decisions. You accept her as she is, and you're rewarded for it with the same level of acceptance in turn. She might be frustrating to talk to in the sense that she will often dance around topics and layer jokes over serious declarations instead of just being sincere, but still, somehow, you have the sense that she trusts you.

Rival!Secret also trusts you - specifically, she trusts you to make the choice she doesn't want you to make, every time, over and over again. But, in a weird, toxically codependent way, that's why she stays. She doesn't like you, but she understand you. She knows you're going to hurt her, but if she can anticipate it, she can brace for it. She'll leave eventually, but for now, you'll do just fine.

How would they react to Zevran’s offer?

She'll be jokey about it and agree in an "I'll try anything once" kind of way, but going through with it earns rivalry.

How would they comfort the mc during All that Remains?

Kind of like Aveline, she'll talk about her own father's death, and how he told her that she's allowed to tell people whatever she wants about him as long as it's a good story. She makes the point that what is told and what is remembered becomes the truth after a while, and asks Hawke what they're going to tell people about Leandra.

Would their armor change during quest progression or romance?

It does! If she makes it into Hightown, her outfit will become fancier, and if she decides to stay a mercenary, she'll turn towards a more ragged style with more armor. if she romances Hawke, she'll braid a red ribbon into one of her braids.

[in-the-drowning-deep]

WIP Wednesday Thursday! Thanks to @dancing--lights and @maagisterpavus for the tag. Tagging @eiluned and if you're reading this and writing anything you'd like to share, consider yourself tagged too!

Here's Esha being a pest, with no idea what's coming next:

There’s only a few Templars unlucky enough to get put on patrol at an hour like this. And lucky for her, her favourite of those is busy scowling at anything in eyeshot in front of the Wall of Light. Esha jumps up onto the retaining wall of the Chantry garden behind him which, when she sits on it, puts her at a little above his head height. It’s preferable to her head being somewhere around his middle. “Hey. Got you something.” Tarquin eyes her and the amphora with deep suspicion. “Is that wine or vinegar?” “It's alcohol.” Esha shrugs. “If you don't want it, I can keep it to myself.” He snatches it up right quick at that. Esha snickers and settles on the wall next to him, kicking her legs lazily. She gets another laugh out of his face when he takes a swig, though it's short lived when he holds the bottle out to her and she gets a turn. “Urgh. Definitely vinegar.” “The kind that kicks you in the kidneys, yeah.” Tarquin leans back against the wall. “Not that I don't love being poisoned by the most annoying mage in Minrathous, but why are you here?” “Thought that title went to your beau?” Esha asks, eyes flicking up to the rooftops to see if he's about. Tarquin smacks at her leg. “Fine, the titchiest annoying mage in Minrathous. How’s that?” Esha kicks him lightly in the arm. “I can't just want to hang out?” “This time of night? You either had a shit hookup or a visit from your shittier ex. Which is it?” “She's not-”  Tarquin raises an eyebrow as Esha stammers to a stop. The reflex to defend Reva is as strong as it ever was, even now. Fucking embarrassing. She glowers down at him before taking another swig from the amphora and trying not to choke on it, or on the grimace that's as close as Tarquin gets to overt sympathy. “Got a job for you, if you want it,” he offers after a while spent passing the bottle back and forth. “It'd get you out of town for a few weeks.” “Oh?” “Yeah. One of the Templar higher ups wants to go take a look at Nessus. There's rumours of an illegal slaving ring that no one’s doing anything about. Divine’s due to visit in a week or so, so if we can get some evidence on the ring and whichever local Templars it’s got in its pocket…” “…we could kill two birds with one stone,” Esha finishes. A grin tugs at her lips and she leans in to wrap her arms around his bulky shoulder pads. “Aww, Tarquin. You and your big brain! Have I mentioned you’re my favourite lately?” “Get off,” he grumbles, giving her a halfhearted shove. “Changed my mind, I'll send Cassius.” “Cass is no good in a fight and you know it.” “Cass doesn't embarrass me.” “I don't embarrass you on jobs.” She waves a hand. “Just… you know. All the rest of the time.” Tarquin huffs and takes the bottle back off her, raising the bottle to his lips to drain it. “Eh. Could be worse,” he allows. Esha hums and settles in next to him, warmed by the terrible wine and his solid presence. She'll have to head back and pack her things in a bit, but not yet. Minrathous is almost beautiful when the sun first hits the rooftops. Almost the promised city of gold that once drew them both in when she breathes the early morning air. And as close to home as anywhere has ever felt with a friend warm and alive beside her.

[saltyowlets]

mayhaps 9 & 21 from the ship questions for Medea?

❤️❤️❤️❤️ Thank you from sending this ask!!!

9. Is there anyone in their life that disapproves of the relationship?

The only people closest to her that actually disapprove of her and Cullen is actually her sibling Aven and Dorian.

Dorian is like her twin brother and very much protective of her. He is very aware of the past she has and doesn't think Cullen is good for her. There is still that suspicion he has of Cullen as an ex Templar. He knows the South and how Templars are. He knows about Cullen's past, at least for the publicly known stuff. Dorian doubts Cullen's redemption, even with Medea's insistence.

Cullen doesn't even try to get along with Dorian- Tevinter and Fereldan. What are you gonna do? but he knows how important Dorian is in Medea's life so he tolerates it as best as he can. He's not a fan of how Dorian barges in their room to kick him off the bed and cuddle with Medea, tho. Mostly cause Cullen ends up lying on the floor.

Aven doesn't trust any templar, so Cullen being both was definitely not great. Like Dorian, they dont believe that Cullen has turned a new leaf, and if he did, it isn't enough. Aven isn't close enough with Medea as there is a 20-ish year gap of them being separated so they also feel a sense of jealousy that Cullen got to see Medea's different facets. They barely had time with their sister and now they have to let her go? Of course, they can't stop Medea from liking Cullen, but they won't make it easy on him.

Cullen does try to appeal to Aven over time, being more supportive of his wife and sibling-in-law's culture and customs. He also does go hunting with Aven every so often to connect.

Besides those two, everyone else doesn't have a big opinion on their relationship. Cullen and Medea have shown to be very good for each other after dealing their their whole conflict with each other. The only other person who could disapprove is Hawke, who sees Medea as her little sister. Too bad she's...uh...compromised.

21. Would they be able to functionally cook a meal together? What would they make? Would it turn out well?

So I hc that Cullen isn't a bad chef persay but he's Fereldan and they have no taste buds. He will cook things in how he thinks it's cooked.

Now Medea actually knows what's she's doing. She might not be a professional, but she knows how to season and taste.

I think they can definitely work together to make something but I think they would argue for a chunk of it. They might start off trying to compete on who's the better cook. I think Cullen might get a bit stubborn about his way of cooking and would not relent until Medea force feeds him her stuff and makes him admit that she knows what she's doing.

Working together, they are perfectly matched. I've mentioned this a few times, but these two are very insync in what they do and emulate the idea of better together. Cullen is good at following orders and will support Medea. Medea is good at assessing Cullen's abilities, allocating them to what she needs.

They probably start off with an elevated version of a Fereldan stew, something familiar to both of them but with Medea's own twist to get Cullen used to foods out of his taste buds. I like to think that after a few years, Cullen does start to eat with a varied palette, even if he still craves grey goo.

The stew does taste better than any Fereldan dish but pretty sure it's bland for everyone else. Again, baby steps.

They end it with a basque cheesecake, but Cullen probably got upset at himself cause he thought he burnt it and had been lamenting with Medea. I can see him just hugging her with his head on her shoulder into shame. She lets him cause he's adorable, like a dog who gets all guilty- until she feeds him a piece, and then he's happy again.

They make a basque cheesecake every month because of how special it is for them.

[mournmage]

for your hawke!

5. What was Hawke's relationship like with their family prior to Lothering's destruction? Who are they closest to?

22. How does Hawke feel about the whole Anders-Justice situation?

28. Did Hawke initiate a relationship with any of their companions? If so, why were they attracted to that companion? Was it a frienship or a rivalry romance?

40. Who does Hawke side with - Mages or Templars? And why?

5.

Strained is a good word for it tbh. For as much as Merrick loves and cares for his entire family, the fact that he and Malcom had a lot of issues ended up bleeding into how he got along with the rest of the family and so he's not Closer with any one of them than the other prior to being on the run. Once getting to Kirkwall he puts a lot of focus on trying to be there for Leandra specifically but even then he has his own hang ups over how she initially blames him for Bethany's death and he can't let that go easily.

22.

Well the non complicated answer is "he's into it." The longer winded answer is that while he's of course got some healthy suspicion at first just y'know because he doesn't really know what it all entails, he also genuinely tries to engage with Justice whenever the opportunity presents itself and wants to understand why Anders merged with him in the first place. When things start getting more serious between him and Anders he wants to make sure that Justice isn't just pushed to the side and made to feel like he's invisible or worse, unwanted in the whole thing. It takes time but eventually they're all on fairly good terms as a unit together.

28.

Anders. Varric will and does regret ever introducing them because it was basically on site for those two. For Merrick, Anders is the first mage he's ever met outside of his own family and the first to not really condemn him for his own anger over life and who doesn't make him feel guilty for just being himself (not necessarily just the mage thing but also for like. being kinda offputting as a person and very blunt overall most of the time. That's something both Anders and Justice actually appreciate about him as time goes on.) One of the first real conversations they have with each other is talking about how just because Merrick was raised outside of the Circle that didn't mean that he didn't also feel the effects of the Chantry's laws and teachings and that even if he grew up with an apostate family, life was still hard in it's own ways. That alone really helps solidify them as allies on the same side and from there they just naturally grow a lot closer over the years until they finally end up together. (And if that didn't make it obvious it was a friendship romance ~)

40.

Mages. There was never going to be a chance Merrick would side with Templars, he's been pissing them off since day one setting foot in Kirkwall much to Carver's annoyance and that never changed. And aside from y'know being with Anders and supporting him, Merrick was always kinda waiting for the chance to throw all of the abuses back in the face of the people who committed them. This fight was always going to happen in his mind.

[turpisdeus]

She  is  not  one  easily  manipulated,  it  seems.  Though  manipulation  is  hardly  the  tactic  he  would  state  he  uses,  but  he  manipulates  his  truth  to  avoid  exposing  himself.  Gives  just  enough  to  avoid  suspicion  and  to  keep  things  at  a  distance.  And  the  less  they  know,  the  better  off  they  all  will  be,  himself  included.  The  last  thing  that  Solas  would  have  ever  considered  was  changing  the  way  he  walks.

"  Most  people  don't  pay  enough  attention  to  b-body  language,  "

A  fact  that  he  was  keenly  aware  of  and  was  grateful  for  up  until  this  moment.  It  is  the  reason  he  has  done  well  so  far  in  this  environment,  despite  the  dangers  held  within.  But  it  appears  that  she  is  not  most  people.  While  a  fact  he'd  been  aware  of,  he  had  not  been  prepared  for  her  to  be  so  observant  of  him.

Perhaps  it  was  a  matter  of  pride  on  his  part,  but  there's  a  needle  prick  of  anger  at  himself  for  overlooking  this.  He  is  not  one  to  leave  things  to  chance  but  Litriu  has  proven  that  even  he  is  not  infallible.  No  matter  how  much  he  pretends  to  be.

"  Indeed,  I  suppose  I  do  not.  "  He  agrees,  no  use  trying  to  feign  ignorance  of  it  when  it  would  be  an  insult  to  her  intelligence  for  him  to  do  so.  An  insult  she'd  be  just  as  blunt  to  point  out  and  to  further  entrench  her  suspicions  of  him.  She  is  Dalish,  after  all.  Despite  them  being  in  the  company  of  a  human  organization,  she  has  the  teachings  of  the  lost  children  that  could  paint  him  in  a  way  that  could  be  deemed  threatening  if  she  were  to  put  it  together.  He  has  no  reason  to  believe  she'd  be  any  different  from  the  clan  that  had  attempted  to  murder  him  upon  his  waking.

"  Consider,  "  He  begins  as  he  slowly  turns  his  head  to  look  upon  the  fox  that  gazes  up  at  him.  He  can  sense  the  creature,  sense  her  curiosity,  it  wedging  the  gentlest  of  smiles  at  the  corner  of  his  mouth  before  violet  eyes  shift  back  to  the  other  elf,  a  thoughtfulness  taking  hold.  "  A  templar  is  trained  in  the  hunting  of  mages,  typical  of  which  there  are  always  a  set  of  footprints  to  follow.  You  are  a  ranger,  after  all,  "

And  there,  the  manipulation  begins  as  he  looks  Litriu  in  the  eyes,  unwavering.  Dare  it  be  said,  even  challenging  as  there's  a  twinge  at  the  corner  of  his  mouth.

"  you  are  aware  of  how  difficult  it  is  to  track  an  animal  with  a  single-track  gait.  Not  unlike  your  own  companions.  While  templars  are  often  well-trained  in  the  hunting  of  my  kind,  they  are  not  so  difficult  to  throw  off—often  men  who  think  only  in  a  binary  way—two  feet  means  two  footprints.  Which  is  why  I  walk  the  way  I  do.  Keeps  the  templars  confused,  helps  me  hunt  when  I  am  in  need  of  sustenance.  It  has  served  me  well.  "

He does a very good job of making himself very- unassuming. Masking himself as smaller than he is. But his body language is too- unique. The way he speaks too deliberate. There's just more to him than he is content to show to the rest of this group.

She's not sure why she cares as much as she does. She believes him, in that he wants to help stop Corypheus. But there's just something there, something that she isn't entirely sure of.

He walks almost exactly like Ghi'myelan. The black wolf walks his own circuits around the camp, then, as Tracker finishes hers and then slinks closer to both elves around the fire, amber eyes glowing bright in the shadows.

"Most people don't pay enough attention to b-body language," she says, bluntly, watching him as Tracker situates herself in the shadow of the log he's sitting on, watching him in utter fascination. Litriu- she isn't being accusatory- or isn't trying to be, but.

She's trying to understand him. Particularly, why Tracker is so drawn to him, for she can feel the fox's longing curiosity in the back of her own mind, where the bond lays.

So Litriu watches him, cautious, in the misting rain and darkness. His evasion was cautious, and she sees the reluctance to answer properly in him. Can't quite blame him- she knows the question was- abrupt. That she is abrupt.

She's not quite sure how else to be, truly.

"Most apostates have a h-hunted quality in them, as the things currently stand," she says then, finally. "You do not." He, she is very sure- is not the prey. He's the hunter, and he moves like one.

[assassins-and-hidden-blades]

Trust Me -- Part 2

02/06/2021: Wow, uh, wow. This one got me. Almost started crying at the cheesy ending. I will cringe at it in precisely two months from now. Thank you guys SO much for all the positive feedback of PART 1, it really helped me finish this part. Without you guys, this would have been still sitting in my drafts. There's lowkey a bit of pressure in this actually being GOOD, so I'm sitting here with a bit of Imposter SyndromeTM and crossing everything I can cross that you guys like it. I can't tell whether I went overboard or not, though... I guess that's for you guys to tell me lmao.

Also, these commas can be pried from my very cold, extremely dead, fingers.

As always, feedback is greatly appreciated! For the first time in almost ever, I'm a bit very nervous to post this -- I hope you enjoy it!!

Tagging: @marshmallow--3 // @yourlocalfrenchie // @rahdaleigh // @sofiewithat /// @iceboundstar // @mythandmagik // @itseivwhore // @pink-polarfox // @missbenzayb // @ct-5445 // @timbreavery // @dacian-assassin // @thepalaceofmelanie // @asilverraven // @huntheimpossible // @eclectic--assassin // @thehistorynut19 // @ta-ka-shi-ma // @roki3chocoa // @fandomsfanman // @le-nottibianche // @bandit-brunsmeier // @starmoji1 // @spocktheestallion // @salty-thembo // @missingfrye // @xdeimos // If you want to be tagged, let me know!!

Warnings: Lots of swearing, a bit of graphic violence, implicit mention of sexual assault (I hope it's not a spoiler to say that this does not actually happen, but the idea is used as manipulation. It's not done well, but I'm blaming that on the character being a horrible liar, instead of me sucking at write arseholes), implied character death.

Pairing: Edward Kenway x F!Reader

Assassin's Creed Mobile Masterlist

Red Dead Redemption 2 Mobile Masterlist

The neighbouring ship was chaotic. The opponents were drunk on victory, so slipping through unnoticed was easy. The hard part was going to be staying undercover until you could free Edward and the rest of the crew without anyone falling casualty. “Strip them of their weapons and take them to the brig!” You heard the Quartermaster yell. Thinking quickly, you moved to Edward; if you knew where his weapons were, escaping could be much easier. People were already pulling out his pistols and cutlasses, fortunately dumping them in your arms. Looking around, you pulled away to hide them in an inconspicuous barrel for later.

You weren’t planning on staying long.

Quickly rejoining the group, you took hold of one of your crew members -- you recognised him as one named Jonah -- at the back of the crowd, keeping your face covered lest they accidentally reveal your identity. You kept your eye on Edward’s tense shoulders the entire time, heading below deck and to the rows of cells at the end of the ship.

As you gently pushed Jonah into the cell, someone slammed the door shut, chucking the ring of keys your way. “Lock ‘em up.” Swallowing, you nodded, feeling uncomfortable under their gaze while turning the key in the lock. Taking them out of your hands, a mop and bucket was shoved in its place. “You’re on cleaning duty, starting upstairs; let’s go.” With one last glance, your eyes scoured for Edward before they all disappeared from view.

----------

Edward

There was this crushing anxiety he just couldn’t shake. It rendered him almost motionless, crouched in the corner of the cell, picking at his sleeves. There was a commotion heading towards them; he was in for company he was not in the mood for.

Heavy footsteps gave away the visitor. “We searched your boat.” His crew parted to clear a view as Charles Marlowe relaxed against the cell bars. “We found your woman.”

Edward’s eyes snapped to Marlowe’s as he clenched his jaw, almost daring him to say more.

With a chuckle and a disgusting grin, he brought out a small knife to clean. “Don’t you want to know where she is?”

“I expect you’d would tell me regardless.”

“I would advise against winding me up, Kenway. I could always take my anger out on her instead.”

It took a second for Edward’s arms to fly through the bars, constricting around Marlowe’s throat. “What have you done with her?”

Although cold metal pressed against his jaw, he didn’t ease up.

“She’s waiting for me very nicely... in my cabin.”

Edward didn’t have to think very hard to infer his meaning.

“I’ll kill you if you touch her. I’ll kill you.” Growling, he held impossibly tighter, for if he was here, he wasn’t there.

“With your actions come consequences, Kenway. And you might not be the one paying for them.”

A dilemma came to mind: delay him to keep him away from you, or risk the consequences of his revenge?

Somewhat luckily, he didn’t need to choose.

Before Edward could comprehend that he loosened his grip, Marlowe slipped out of his grasp. The distraught Captain pressed himself against the bars, anger drenching his expression as he heaved out breaths. His captor laughed. “You’re very good at empty threats, Kenway.”

“It’s not a threat. It’s a promise.” His cold tone streaked through the crew, setting hairs on end. They had never heard their Captain like this before; so angry, so dangerous.

It terrified them.

“That remains to be seen. In the meantime…” With a mocking whistling tune, Marlowe spun on his heels and began to walk away.

“Come back here, bilge rat!” He pulled harshly against the cell door. “Don’t you dare touch her!”

“Then you better stay in line.”

As he disappeared from view, Edward’s emotions overwhelmed him, frustrated tears coming to his eyes. He turned to a solid wall, slamming the side of his fist against it and yelled.

Fear, anger, guilt, and grief echoed around the brig.

Collapsing against the wood, he hid his face in his hands, aiming to either calm himself or hide his inevitable breakdown.

----------

Y/N

“Finish up downstairs.” Nodding affirmatively, you picked up the mop bucket and eagerly headed beneath deck, having to consciously slow down to avoid suspicion. You were glad you were disguised in the uniform of Marlowe’s crew instead of the rags of the common sailors aboard; it would’ve made the job much harder than it had to be.

Keeping a level head, you walked past the cell holding your family and placed the mop bucket against the wall, scanning the deck.

Empty.

Sighing in relief, you realised that you were alone with your crew at last. As you pulled the covering off of your face, you shushed frantically, the cell almost erupting into cheers. You gestured for them to part, eyeing Edward, almost balled up in the corner of the cell. “Hey, Ed,” you whispered, watching as his head snapped up to you, eyes widening.

Scrambling up, he strode to the bars in a second, reaching through the gaps to hold you. “Thank Christ…” he exhaled in relief, bringing your forehead to his lips between the bars. You pulled away after a few moments, sharing relieved glances. “Are you hurt? Did they do anything to you?” he asked, eyes scanning you for any sign of injuries.

“No, no, I’m okay. Are you alright? Did we lose anyone?”

“I’m... fine; I haven’t done a head count yet.”

You didn’t reply, watching as Jonah came up to tap Edward on the shoulder. “Capt’n?”

He turned around, withdrawing his hands as Ryan came into view. “I can’t find my da’.” His voice was barely stable, cheeks stained with tear tracks. For a second, you both exchanged sorrowful glances.

Edward crouched down, ruffling his hair. “He’ll be around, lad. We just have to find him. Maybe he’s escaped and is planning his own rescue mission for us.”

Ryan nodded, wanting to believe him. Meanwhile, Edward stood and brought Jonah close, leaning to whisper in his ear. He withdrew, a willing but uncertain look on his face. Both retreated back into the small crowd.

“What did you tell him?” you asked.

“...That he has to look after Ryan now.”

You squeezed your eyes shut to stave off tears. “Shit.”

His fingers gently grazed your cheek. “Are you sure you’re alright? Does Marlowe know you’re here?”

Frowning, you shook your head. “I wouldn’t have thought so; if he did, I’d be stuck in there with you.”

His expression was nearly unreadable, but you could sense his anxiety. “I saw him come from here a few moments ago. What was he saying?”

“He…” Pausing for a moment, Edward swallowed. “Just Templar bullshit.”

You scoffed at the notion. “Of course he did. Look, I know how to get out of this.”

“I’ll take anything at this point.” Although his tone was sarcastic, you could tell that for the first time, he didn’t know what to do.

“He needs to die.”

Edward froze, brows narrowing, realising your intention. “No, Y/N, no.”

“‘No’ was an option in Nassau, but we don’t have that choice--”

“No, there must be another way -- “

“There is no other way! This is our only chance--”

“Are you hearing me?! He--”

“Do you understand the situation we’re in?!”

“No, Y/N, please--”

“All it takes is--”

“Just LISTEN to me!” He hissed through gritted teeth, grasping your arm to give it a sharp shake to stop you talking over him. The shock threw you into silence. Lowering his voice, he continued. “If you make so much as one mistake, he won’t just kill you; he’ll make you wish you were dead. Please, please, don’t do this.”

You were stunned. You’ve never seen him so adamant about staying your blade. The desperation in his tone threw you off; you’ve never heard him this serious -- this frantic -- before.

Edward grabbed one of your hands in both of his, bringing your knuckles to rest against his lips. “I love you… with everything I have; I can’t lose you. Not if I can help it,” he murmured, closing his eyes. Your heart broke as you watched a tear escape, trailing down his skin.

“Okay, okay.” You rarely saw Edward cry, and when you did, it was usually due to either drinking or laughing. He took a small, shuddering breath, trying to compose himself.

“We wait for Adé. Then we’ll think about Marlowe.”

“Alright, okay. Hey...” you caressed his jaw. “I’m okay. We’ll be okay. Trust me.”

You heard ruckus above the deck. “Someone’s coming.” Both of you broke away like shrapnel, Edward sitting himself on the floor while you mopped, facing the wall.

And that was how things were.

----------

A couple of weeks had passed since the crew was abducted from the Jackdaw. Everyone had been forced to labour on the deck, doing various jobs, from scrubbing floors to adjusting sails to everything in between. Adé was nowhere to be seen; whether he was hidden on deck and still strategising, or God forbid, something worse, you didn’t know.

A few didn’t make it.

Keeping your identity hidden was becoming increasingly difficult as time went on, of both being a woman and lover of the imprisoned Captain. You had, however, been able to gather intel of Marlowe from the crew that despised him. Each day further validated your belief that this man would be much better off dead; the crew have no loyalty except out of fear, and you could work with that.

You understood Edward’s fear, but it would be selfish of you to stand back and not do anything, watching as almost everyone on the ship suffered; if you did nothing, you would regret it for the rest of your days.

One particular morning was extremely hot, extremely dry, and extremely labour intensive. You were almost halfway through your journey, and you knew you were running out of time. Something had to happen, and soon, or you would never make it to the end of the year.

----------

Edward

After the first week, the crew joined the common sailors around the ship, performing average labour over hours. There was barely time to rest, eat, or drink; he could tell that this was wearing him down more than any form of torture.

The sun’s rays beat down on the nape of his neck as midday approached. Orders were to scrub the floor. He had a brush in his hand the size of a polishing brush, sharing a bucket with four other members of his crew. Each time he made eye contact with one of them, he’d give them a reassuring look; they’d all get out of this, he just needed a plan.

Doors were haphazardly flung open, Marlowe revealing himself from his cabin, followed by an entourage of his closest crew. They clumsily made their way across the ship, bumping into those scrubbing the deck, only to send them a look as if it was their fault in the first place.

One of them knocked over a bucket of water, spilling the liquid across the wood. Edward looked up to observe the situation. It belonged to his crew, including Jonah and Ryan. Marlowe stopped, his stare set on the ones kneeling, completely ignoring the real culprit. “You.” He crooked his finger towards Ryan. “Get up.”

With a petrified look on his face, Ryan stumbled to his feet, shaking like a leaf. “It wasn’t--”

Marlowe put his hand up, a warning to shut up. “It was your bucket, was it not?”

“Y-Yes, but--”

“So it was your responsibility, correct?”

“W-Well--”

“It’s a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ question, boy.”

“... Yes, sir.”

Marlowe turned to call to his second in command. “Get the cat.”

Edward’s heart stopped. By now, the ship had dropped to complete silence. They wouldn’t… he was only a boy. Marlowe was sadistic, but he wouldn’t be that evil, would he?

Before he could stop himself, Edward found himself standing protectively in front of Ryan. The child gripped onto his sleeve as he was pushed behind his Captain by the arm. “Why don’t you give a punishment to someone who deserves it?”

Marlowe held a neutral expression. “You’re right…” With a wave of his hand, arms snaked themselves around Edward’s, pulling him away from the others, restraining his movements.

Edward’s eyes flitted to Ryan for a split second; he was pulled to sit beside Jonah before he gained any more unwanted attention. Marlowe came to stand in front of him, unpinning his cape from around his shoulders. It fell into someone’s arms, who carried it away. Although his limbs were pulled harshly behind him, he held his head high, a hard expression in his eyes.

Undoing his cuffs, Marlowe smirked. “I believe you deserve twenty, in place of that boy…” Without warning, a fist came into contact with Edward’s sternum. If it weren’t for the arms holding him upright, the force would have sent his knees buckling. As he regained his breath, he glared at Marlowe. “Another twenty is in order for disobedience…” Another strike winded him again, this one seemingly worse than before. Keeled over, hair blocking his vision, he almost didn’t notice Marlowe leaning into his ear. “Then, about as many as I deem fit…”

Standing up straight, he shook out his hand. “Get him ready.”

Edward stumbled as he was half-dragged across the deck to the main mast. His chest and face collided with the post, the wood almost burning his skin. His arms were pulled taut above his head, rope quickly entwining itself around his wrists. He gave them an experimental tug, his heart skipping a beat when he found not even an inch of give.

Oh, fuck.

Hands gripped the back of his shirt, swiftly tearing it open. His muscles tensed as the sunlight hit his skin. Closing his eyes, he steeled himself with a breath.

The first strike licked his skin, the force shoving him against the post, ripping open stripes of flesh. Pain shot across his back. Biting a back a groan, Edward clenched his jaw. Sweat trailed down his temples, arms straining against the ropes.

Resting his forehead against the post, he prepared for the next lash.

But the strike never came.

----------

Y/N

Ooh, boy.

You were shocked at yourself for a moment, your hand firmly wrapped around Marlowe’s extended wrist, the cat of nine tails trickling Edward’s blood onto the back of your hand.

“I demand satisfaction.”

Gasps and muttering littered the crowd, and you kept to yourself the true realisation of what you’ve done.

You’ve challenged Marlowe to a duel.

“Don’t…” Edward looked over his shoulder, voice loud enough for only you to hear.

You spared him a side glance, urging him to quiet down.

Instead of the expected anger, Marlowe chuckled. “Alright; who demands it?”

You pulled off your face covering and hat, the sun hitting the skin on your face fully for the first time in two weeks. “Naturally, me.”

He hummed darkly, eyes narrowing with recognition. “Naturally.” He began to unsheathe his sword.

“I thought you were a man of tradition; are pistols not your forte?” You raised an eyebrow, challenging him.

After a prolonged glance, metal clicked back into its leather hold. “You really don’t know what you’re getting into, my dear.”

“Don’t call me that.”

“... Let’s get this over with.”

Your heart pounded. This was such a stupid move.

But it was also your only move.

Hiding your own fear, you held eye contact with Marlowe. With trembling fingers, you drew your own pistol, gifted to you by Edward from your last birthday. It was very much your lucky charm, and you hoped it wouldn’t fail you now.

“Ten paces, on my count.” You had no idea who the voice belonged to, nor did you have the current emotional capacity to care. Pulling the hammer down on your pistol, you turned your back to Marlowe. A blank was fired, the echoing shot a signal to start moving.

1…

2…

3...

It was almost deadly quiet.

4…

5…

6…

This was stupid, this was a bad idea. You won’t make it.

7…

8--

An unexpected shot rang out. You dropped to the floor, a pain beginning to blossom in your side.

“NO!”

Marlowe had cheated. Internally, you scoffed. Of course he did.

Although it stung, you were surprised at how bearable the pain was, given you just got shot.

Or did you?

You lay still, partly in shock and partly to plan what to do next.

“What are you all looking at? Get back to work!”

“Y/N? Y/N/N!” You heard Edward’s voice crack. “You cheating bastard!”

“Now, now, Kenway. Don’t forget the position you’re in.”

Floorboards creaked as someone approached. Pistol miraculously still in hand, you waited for as long as possible. Just a little longer....

A shadow shaded your face from the sun. Without thinking, you turned, aimed, and shot.

Marlowe stared back, glassy eyed, blood trickling down his nose.

A moment later, he collapsed.

No one dared to move, choosing to stare at the body in front of them, not quite believing that he was dead.

The monster of a man was dead.

After the adrenaline ebbed away, you sighed heavily. “Glad that’s over.” A hand came into view, offering assistance to stand up. You locked eyes with someone who should have made himself known a long time ago. “Adé!” Accepting the help, you smirked. “Great timing.”

You quickly moved to Edward to begin untying the knots around his wrists. “What the fuck were you thinking?!” he exclaimed, exertion clear in his eyes.

“I’m sorry for worrying you--”

“Worrying me?” One wrist freed, he deftly moved to the other. “When I saw you lying there, I felt as if I had died!”

You sighed. “I needed to do something, lest you became more bone than back.”

“That was the most stupid plan I’ve ever seen in my life.” His hands free, he paid no heed to his own wounds and immediately tried to inspect yours. “You were so irresponsible--”

Bringing his face to yours, you stopped him talking with a kiss.

He diffused immediately, finally processing that you were in front of him, alive, and Marlowe was the one dead on the floor. Melting into you, the tension in his muscles dissipated, replaced only with relief. He broke apart from you, burying his face in your neck, his arms wrapped around you tightly.

“If the plan worked, it couldn’t have been that stupid,” you remarked.

“I’m so sorry.” His words were mumbled into your shoulder.

“You were looking out for me; I would have done the same if the roles were reversed.” You hugged him back, recoiling when he suddenly flinched in pain. “Oh, God, I’m sorry.”

“Shall we just accept each other’s apologies and call it a day?”

You laughed. “That would be good.”

Turning to the hands on deck, you raised your pistol in the air. “It’s over, lads! We can go home!”

You held your side, the pain greatly subsided under the amount of other emotions you were feeling; joy, relief, but also grief. Not for Marlowe, but for the ones that didn’t see this day.

You made a vow there and then; a vow to live your life the way they would have lived.

With joyful, carefree fun.

With the ability to live in the moment.

With gratitude for what you still have that they lost: For some, love, and for others, life.

[moltensmusings]

I never ramble about junara and Cullen but this is my blog and I'm in the mood to dump about them so more under the cut.

So something I like about inquisition is how you can slightly alter when romances become locked in based on how you play the game.

For me Cullen and Junara are a slow burn "oh no not them" type romance. She hates Cullen when they meet. Humans killed her younger brother when she was a child and gave her the scar on her face. And he's a former templar. She's rude to him but tolerates his existence because work has to be done and she's doing what she has to so she can go home.

Cullen, I figure views her in a similar light of toleration. She's smart and doesn't just make choices because her heart tells her to. She makes tough calls.

When they get to skyhold the dynamic shifts. An understanding starts to build between them, they spend more time together (she spends more time with the advisors in general) as they figure out fortification for Skyhold. Which calls to answer. She's incredibly interested in combat training and how to cover flaws.

The chess game happens and it's the first time both of them are letting their masks slip around each other. And the first time Cullen genuinely smiles, that's when Junara feels a shift. A shift she knows the meaning of and actively wants to clamp down on while also pretending nothing is changing. But her emotional needs outweigh her logical thoughts and all she can do is ask for them to spend more time together. As colleagues, obviously.

It continues that way, each chess match becoming less and less formal. Jokes begin to slip between them, something junara never really did but was learning to do while spending time with the other companions. And each time she feels herself slip a bit more. But each time she slips she pushes aside her emotions.

Bull and Leliana would be the first to notice anything changing about her. Bull doesn't say anything, leliana tries to but all that it results in is Junara lashing out and avoiding her, and in term avoiding Cullen for a few days to try and combat the idea.

The biggest shift comes after Junara and the others fall into the fade. Once back at Skyhold she notices things have shifted between them and after a few days confronts him on it, amidst a small argument there's a confession that he was worried and the implications of that worry caused him to draw back. Fear of those feelings lead to Junara agreeing that him being at a distance is the best so there isn't any potential misunderstanding or rumors. But distance can only exist for so long when your job forces you to interact with people, and trying to redirect suspicion doesn't work well when those people notice that there are a lot of messengers running between two places that didn't used to do that before.

Around this time as well Junara is faced with the knowledge of Cullens Lyrium addiction and the potential of his death. She supports his choice but is once more met with the knowledge that someone she loved could be ripped away at a moments notice. So after a few weeks and journeys outside of skyhold her mind settles. On the battlements, Cullen looking at peace for the first time. She admits her feelings, says she doesn't know what to do but that they exist. There's no big fat kiss, the moment is too fresh for that. Instead he takes her hand and she lets him, physical intimacy being something she always reserved for family. A quiet moment where she fully lets down her guard and leans onto his shoulder.

From there, many things stay the same about how the game would've shown it. A quiet dance alone at the Winter Palace. This being the moment that the inner circle all became fully aware of the status of them. Their first kiss would've been on the dock when Cullen offered her a coin, something she took, and despite how childish, felt secure with.

Junara isn't a showy person when it comes to affection or romance. She likes her privacy too much for that. But that doesn't mean she was good at hiding the looks she'd give or how soft her voice could get when saying his name.

After the inquisition disbands she brings him to meet her Clan. The jokes, teasing, and snark she receives for a "Shem of all people" being her love become endless. Junara Lavellan, the enemy of all Shem being married to one. Cullen doesn't get out of the haggling either. The questions about his feelings and the haggling for him to tell his side of events. The hunters commenting that they could probably take him in a fight. Children asking him every personal question under the sun.

[thatcrazycrowgirl]

I was thinking about a Jacob Frye x reader fluff where reader tells Evie to drop her drill sergant attitute and treat Jacob as who he truly is - her brother,and not some mold to shape to a perfect assassin or a novice under her wing. And Jacob overhears them. Love your stories keep up the good work and don’t be afraid to take a break should you ever get writers block. Sometimes a break is all we need. Stay safe and healthy

Here you are, nonnie. I do hope it's satisfactory. Thank you for your understanding and your patience with me and with this. Enjoy! <3

---------

Lord, could Jacob go for a pint right about that moment.

Sure, London was now at peace, since the death of the Templar Grandmaster, but that didn’t mean things still didn’t stir up between Jacob and Evie Frye from time to time.

While both of them had tried combining their different styles of tackling missions and work together more often, they still occasionally butted heads in regards to how certain things should be done. Jacob was still a bit impulsive and lacked subtlety, and Evie still too overly cautious and borderline controlling at times.

After all, as it’s been said, "old habits die hard".

It was another disagreement over how to handle a special mission from the very Queen of England herself that was now causing the younger Frye twin to grumble softly as he wandered along the sidewalk overlooking the Thames, his hands in his pockets and his eyes glaring towards the ground in front of him.

He didn’t stop until he heard Ben strike the hour.

He looked up. 4 o’clock. Teatime.

“Hmm...maybe I could go for a spot of that, instead,” he mused softly, his gaze falling to the Pier Café that was located on the banks of the river.

But that thought was soon replaced by another, when he spotted you sitting at one of the outdoor tables with none other than his sister.

“And just what are you both up to?” he muttered to himself, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

His curiosity overtaking his need for some sort of drink - alcoholic or otherwise - he made his way towards the small café, keeping the brim of his hat low over his eyes and taking care to blend in with the passing crowds as much as possible, so as not to be detected by his observant twin.

Once he reached his destination, he slipped around the back of the building and crept up to the corner, so he was just within earshot of your current conversation. Peeking around a little, Jacob saw you sitting there, quietly stirring your tea, as Evie quietly ranted to you.

“Had to find someone to complain to about me, didn’t you?” he grumbled under his breath, scowling from under the brim of his hat.

Not wanting to risk being seen, though, he slipped back behind the corner and leaned back against the wall, his hand reaching into his pocket to pull out his pipe. After putting it in his mouth and lighting it, he took a few puffs in an attempt to calm his nerves, before proceeding to listen in some more on the discussion - bracing himself for anything else Evie had to say.

Once she had finished her speech about how infuriating her brother had been during the previous mission, a silence fell between you two, as you tried to figure out just what to say in return.

After another couple seconds, you finally spoke up.

"Miss Frye...Evie...it’s probably not my place to say anything, but don’t you think you’re being a little hard on him?”

Evie raised an eyebrow, clearly not agreeing, before proceeding to make herself a cup of tea.

“I mean- He’s your brother,” you pointed out, stumbling over your words a bit. “You both trained together, did you not? So, it’s not like he’s some “novice” for you to keep a constant eye on and try and train to perfection.” You gained a bit more courage as you spoke, but tried to refrain from sounding too lecturing. “And no, he’s not you, but...that’s why you work so well together.”

The elder Frye twin paused with the sugar tongs, your last statement appearing to strike a cord with her.

You set down your own cup and leaned forward a bit.

"I know how close you two are,” you added gently, ��and I can tell that, even when he complains about you, Jacob cares about you very much...and I think...even though you don’t express it much...you carry that same depth of love for him."

Evie shifted her gaze to meet yours.

You continued, "All I suggesting is that maybe...maybe you might want to let up on him? Just a little? I mean, don't get me wrong, Jacob has done some very dangerous things...but he's also done a lot of good, as well."

The elder Frye didn’t answer right away, a sigh instead escaping her as she stared down into her tea.

“I suppose it’s just that...” she began, but she soon trailed off.

You rested a comforting hand on hers.

“You’re afraid his recklessness will get him killed?” you attempted to fill in, your eyebrows raising in question.

Evie looked back up. She said nothing, but one look in her eyes told you that you had hit the nail right on the head.

You gently squeezed her hand.

“I worry about him too,” you confessed in a quiet voice, your brow knitting and revealing your concern. “Every time he says goodbye before he leaves for another mission...a part of me is scared that...he won’t return.” You then offered a small smile. “But then, to my delight, he does. His cleverness and resourcefulness always brings him back to me...to us.”

After a second, the corners of Evie’s mouth lifted slightly as she digested your words. “Well, he has always been good at getting out of a tight spot,” she admitted, her gaze taking on a faraway look for a moment or two, “even when we were children.”

Your smile grew. “Although, I speculate most of the time, it was him who got you both in those tight situations in the first place?” you suggested.

“Oh, absolutely!”

You both laughed softly at this.

Once it had died down, Evie spoke up once more. “Alright. Perhaps...I can try to trust him a little bit more.”

“I think he would appreciate that,” you nodded in agreement.

She smiled warmly at you for a moment, before quirking her mouth, frowning a little in thought. “Now, if I can just find him - God only knows where on earth he is right now.”

It was then that you noticed something out of the corner of your eye.

“Why don’t you look behind you?” you suggested to the elder Frye twin.

With a look of confusion, Evie turned around to see her brother had finally emerged from his hiding place and was standing not too far away. There was a bit of an awkward silence between them, before Jacob took a few steps forward and spoke up.

“Do my ears deceive me, or was I being sought after?”

Evie stood up.

“Jacob...I...the café is serving your favorite tea today,” she quickly corrected herself, not saying anything about her previous conversation with you or asking how much Jacob heard. “Perhaps you’d like some?”

“I’d love some,” he replied, a glint of hope in his eyes that perhaps his sister wasn’t as angry with him as he first perceived. “That is...if you’ll have me.” He bravely took another step forward, standing right in front of his twin.

There was a pregnant pause. You held your breath.

“It’d be nice to have you,” Evie finally confirmed, gracing her brother with a genuine smile. “Won’t you join us?”

His entire face lighting up, Jacob wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her into a firm hug, not caring who saw.

Fiercely blushing at the sudden display of public familial affection, Evie began to quietly sputter and complain that there were people around; but Jacob ignored her and squeezed even tighter, knowing full well the action would annoy her even more. (It seemed as if some things would never change.)

He was soon distracted by your poor attempts of holding back your giggles, and over his sister’s shoulder, he locked his gaze with yours. The teasing light in his eyes soon melted into a more tender one, as you both smiled at each other - and you knew at that moment, that everything was going to be just fine between Jacob and Evie Frye.

[piratekenway]

everyone is in the “ok we fucked around. uh. now what.” stage: they rescued Desmond! he’s safe and conscious! uh......well, now they figure out what the fuck the plan is now. Abstergo is freaking out, and the Assassins are certainly poking around in the servers there wondering what’s just happened, so in the meantime it’s best for them to lie low and just. go from there. and then they all still have to like, be in the same general space as each other, which includes those two Templars over there currently covered by either “is also Desmond’s ancestor” (Haytham) or “did not turn on them when he had the chance so is being tentatively trusted to not do it again but Shao Jun is keeping a REALLY CLOSE EYE” (Shay). at best it’s awkward. at worst...

yeah, at worst there could well be bloodshed, so everyone is trying their hardest to be on their best behavior. Edward ends up making it very clear that because he’s aware tensions might run high, everyone put their damn non-bracer weapons on those racks over there and keep their blades sheathed.

(Evie: what about if we have improvements to the bracer? like myself and Jacob and Jayadeep, and Arno? Jacob: sister no don’t tell— Edward: give me the bloody ammunition and I’ll stick it in a drawer somewhere.)

Edward is...look, now that he’s had the time to process everything, he really gives a shit for both his adult son and his adult grandson, who’s much keener than Haytham on sailing and has an air to him that honestly reminds him a little bit of Mary Read, may she rest in peace wherever she is. (may she not be wandering around with an existential crisis, he hopes.) so he keeps an eye on Haytham’s drinking and then gently cuts him off after a bit, with a light note of “no more for a gentleman like you, you lot can barely hold your bad liquor anyway”.

but also, this entire weird little patchwork group, after being told Everything, is just like. okay. (unspoken agreement: we’re going to keep this guy safe. holy fuck, this sounds like a mess.) it’s sort of surprising to Ratonhnhaké:ton that his father doesn’t make too much of a fuss over “how far the Brotherhood has fallen” (at least compared to, say, Altair or Ezio), but that might be the drinking.

but let’s say that, at least in the little group of ancestors + Desmond, there’s an understanding going on. they’re not quite family (although it’s clear they all at least consider Desmond family), but there’s a sense that...at least for now Altair and Ezio won’t view Haytham with suspicion.

meanwhile Edward is just like. well! now that’s done, I want to see if this server has Adé running around!

Haytham immediately chokes a little bit.

--

ooooh yes!! I actually kind of like the idea of like. Juno left behind a little bit of her consciousness inside Abstergo’s servers, and then when she died, that bit was still there. with the Assassins kicking Abstergo’s anti-virus firewalls in the face and pulling Desmond out of Templar servers to safety, it was enough to wake her up too. and like. boy she’s pissed none of her plans have gone well. she’s too weak, though, to be able to slip out into the real world yet, but she clocks that the Assassins have been busy little bees and decides to use their research. in the meantime, while she hides in the servers, she decides to slip into Lydia Frye’s simulation and start infecting other simulations from there, using the Assassins’ virus against them.

like, say: 1794 Paris, where Elise is just beginning to wake up. 1735 Port-au-Prince where Adéwalé is grappling with his past as a slave colliding with his present as an Assassin (and with fun memories coming in from beyond 1735, oh boy).

1868 London, where a gang leader named Maxwell Roth is very keen on a mystery woman’s message.

(personally: I haven’t played the JTR DLC! I have no real plans to, bc I’m personally really uncomfy with playing a historical serial killer, which carries over into being uncomfy around writing the Ripper. but Roth’s a fun villainous character to contrast against Jacob and I think it would be fun to continue that.)

Adé is in the same situation as Lydia, where he’s largely unaware of Juno’s presence in the simulation, but he’s more aware than she is that this all is a simulation. Elise and Roth become very, VERY aware of Juno’s presence—Elise bc Juno manipulates how hurt and furious she feels towards Arno for repeating her death over and over again, and Roth bc. look. he just wants to have some fun. mystery woman promised him tons.

so! the twins and Jayadeep pop into Paris on their way back to London with Arno after some time on their base, thinking, hey, it’ll be chill, we’ll just drop Arno off here and then head back to the train, do some cargo hijacks, watch a movie or two. except when they pop into Paris, it’s...much, much glitchier than before, and the server bridges are far more frequent, and Arno swears he can see Elise in the crowds, but that can’t be right because he moved on past that memory.

Juno, somewhere, says, gleefully taunting him: maybe you did, Arno, but did you let her?

--

Ratonhnhaké:ton, back on Great Inagua: and that is how you skin a wild pig. Desmond, muttering: this looked so much easier in the Animus, Christ—

this little hunt-and-bond moment gets very quickly interrupted when something glitches and Evie tumbles through a server bridge (does it look like someone pushed her out? did Jayadeep push her out? what the fuck? says Desmond), frantically seal it closed, and go SO UH. WE HAVE SOME BAD NEWS.

the post is getting Too Long on my blog and it’s breaking my poor phone so. WHEE. new one!

gang sails off into the distance! and by “distance” I mean they’re high-tailing it into the Assassin servers in order to regroup and recuperate and figure out what the fuck to do now since. well. hey, they retrieved Desmond and they’ve kept him safe! uh. now what. if there were other Assassins’ memories in Abstergo, how long until they gain sentience as well? and how the fuck did Desmond and Jacob find a movie projector on the ship?

Desmond is still kind of reeling from everything that’s just happened, and to his surprise, despite the whole awkwardness surrounding Uh Fuckin Everything, the Kenways are willing to take him in, altho Edward somewhat morbidly jokes that their dysfunctional family being an improvement over his is really kind of sad when he thinks about it. then he offers to let him take a turn at the wheel—he needs to go see what they’ve done to the captain’s cabin anyway, he wasn’t able to since the collision and it’s probably messed with a few things.

they do need a base to operate out of for the time being. Davenport Manor is suggested, then somewhat reluctantly shot down bc of the two Templars around who are immediately like yeah uh No. Café Theatre is too cramped, although in a pinch it could do. the Frye twins’ train has little to offer in the way of bedrooms. Monteriggioni is considered and makes it into a top five list, only losing bc an entire town is a little too big and prone to glitches. (Desmond is a little peeved about it.) eventually everyone settles on finding a version of Great Inagua in the Assassin servers and regrouping there so they can figure out their next move. and maybe Edward is a little bit smug over it.

I do like the idea of Desmond teaching the gang how to really break shit in Abstergo, like—Juno is still in there, and there’s a possibility there might be more sentient data representations of dead Assassins (and dead Templars) rolling around now in the servers. Ezio shudders to think of Juno at the same time that Shay does, and they’re both concerned about the idea of Juno being able to simply possess somebody, and if she’s able to do that in the digital realm, there’s the lingering possibility of her being able to do that to an actual flesh and blood person. which nobody wants! so that’s on their priority list. and also all the other possibly-sentient people who might be running around the servers.

Arno and the twins and Henry listen to all of this, then sit in contemplation. then all three of them are like. oh shit we have to check on our simulations bc Lydia and Elise might also be gaining sentience and god KNOWS what they’re doing right now without us. who wants to come with, we’ve got spare clothes for you. (aka: how to justify the legacy outfits lol.)

The “Too Long Post” which was about the playable characters in Abstergo’s games gaining sentience for easy reference. (And considering we ended it after they got away, we can count that as Arc 1 XD)

Honestly, I think the only valid locations for their homebase would be the Great Inagua or Davenport Homestead because they also need to park their ship (depending on who you ask, it’s either called ‘Aquila’ or ‘Jackdaw’) and the Seine river would be hard to navigate while the Thames is chock-full of other ships and boats and the moving train means they can’t always get to the ship quickly. Also, they all try to fit in the mansion that Edward had ‘commandeered’ but it becomes clear that there is a division. Altaïr, Ezio and Ratonhnhaké:ton took the rooms nearest to Desmond. Haytham took the room furthest away from everyone and Shay took the room to his left. Shao Jun took the empty room nearest to Ezio while Aveline took the empty room nearest to Ratonhnhaké:ton. Jacob’s the only one who went ‘whichever room is free’ and Arno took the room furthest away from Shay which sorta put him between Jacob and an empty room that Evie took for herself. Jacob joked of Jayadeep just sharing a room with Evie so he took the room on the other side of Jacob instead, making Jacob roll his eyes. Edward just took his old room (which was the largest room). So… they might be in this together but they’re definitely not exactly the bestest of allies at the moment.  

Desmond taught them what he knew, things he didn’t know when he was alive but he just… knew once he ‘woke up’. He doesn’t even know if these skills came from his memory of Clay or from his memory of Dionysus (holy shit, his Isu ancestor was the god of wine and debauchery? What the fuck???) but he wasn’t going to reject such a boon. He’s quiet about his life though, only sharing a bit if anyone asked about what they saw. 

And the only one who asked was a worried Shao Jun because Shay was keeping his distance and the others either didn’t have such a bad memory to watch (Aveline, Evie and Jayadeep) or didn’t even see any memory (Jacob and Arno).

The ones connected to Desmond though… Desmond told them everything. Even Edward who was just in the room with the three people who had the biggest urge to find Desmond and Haytham who Edward believes had been affected just as much by the time they started to piece Desmond back together. Edward provided the alcohol back then (although Altaïr did not partake) and they finished more than five bottles of Edward’s hardest liquor. He was especially worried for Haytham who grabbed an entire unopened bottle and just started topping his glass with it and ended up finishing it and still requesting his glass to be filled afterward.  

Are we talking about the Juno in Desmond’s dataspace or the real Juno in digital space? Because if it’s the real Juno and this is set after Syndicate BUT before the comics where she died, then Juno is out in the real world (which would give us an excuse to have our sentient Assassins travel into other corners of the internet XD).

However, I do like the idea that they’ve unintentionally created Juno 2.0 from Desmond’s memory of her (and also a bit of Ezio and Ratonhnhaké:ton’s memories). This also gives Ratonhnhaké:ton a reason to want to take her down since she… technically didn’t lie but she absolutely used Ratonhnhaké:ton and gave him the short stick in that deal. (With her past misgivings to Ratonhnhaké:ton, Edward would be on board and maybe even Haytham once he learned how everything had been set into stones because of the path the Isus have chosen the world to walk to, including how the Kenway family ended).

You know what would be fun? If they made the grievous assumption that the data are gaining sentient while they were gone BUT the real reason why they’re slowly gaining sentient is because all sentient data (them) are still connected to the virus that started this all. Now, the virus was fast-acting in Abstergo because it was meant to fuck shit up there but the virus also have a failsafe that makes it dormant when it knows it’s no longer in Abstergo’s servers. But… the virus itself might be dormant but constant exposure to it will still affect data. 

… wanna make Arno have a bad time once more? Élise is slowly waking up and she starts remembering…

The many times Arno repeated her death, together with the pain and rage that consumed her during those days, not knowing Arno repeated that memory over and over again to try and save her.

You gotta wonder… if Élise would even be happy to see Arno once more when her most lived memory was her death.

(Also… Lydia would be fine being sentient since she loves her grandaunt and granddad who raised her but… remember… Jack the Ripper is also in the servers). 

[sonvaillance]

i genuinely question if arno and élise could have had a truly healthy, long-term relationship, or if their relationship really ever was healthy. they love each other, yes. they check all the boxes for the star-crossed lovers. but there’s a disconnect between them. as arno accuses her, it may be the case that he loves her more than she loves him. he has this sort of idealized version of her in his head that puts her onto a pedestal that she isn’t really on. i think it’s very skewed. she’s a flawed person, just like him, but he doesn’t seem to acknowledge any of her flaws until he has no choice but to acknowledge them. and he has this idea of what they could be, what their lives could be, together, but it doesn’t feel to me that any of that is something élise could live with. there’s even a portion of one of the letters arno writes to his father, post-mortem, where he admits,  “ Perhaps I’ll never be able to hold all her heart, it is too filled with many other dreams and deeds and ventures. But she’ll have all of mine. ”  so in a way, he knows from the beginning that there’s some imbalance between them. they are not on level ground, which is kind of a consistent thing : he’s an assassin, she’s a templar. he’s a member of the staff, she’s the boss’s daughter. even after learning she and her family were templars, arno continues to keep believing in this version of her that he knew when he was oblivious to all of her. which is, honestly, an untrue version of her. he didn’t truly know her then, but he hangs onto that. almost desperately. and i have this suspicion that if they really did try to go on together, it just ... would not have lasted. we know arno wants to try, and we know even élise does, given that  “ going forward isn’t necessarily an ending ”  but perhaps that’s all she wanted to do : try. in arno’s mind, hopeful as he is about the two of them, he reads it as a guarantee : they can and will still be together. he once again ignores the part where, just maybe, they aren’t truly meant to be together. also none of this is to villainize élise for  “ not loving arno enough ”  or anything. it just seems that this is the nature of their relationship. élise is a very ambitious person and while arno has his own ambitions, it doesn’t seem that these shared values entirely line up with one another. which creates that disconnect and imbalance. if anything, it’s likely more a discussion of arno and tunnel vision. he puts a lot into this idea of a life with élise, rather than actual discussions being had about it. even if it was years before he fully knew about his history and the de la serre family history, it’s possible arno kind of ignored certain things because he was blinded by these ideas. part of his arc throughout the campaign is gaining a higher sense of understanding regarding life and reality. not becoming blinded by certain things. he has his whole speech about the creed at the end of the game, but i think there’s something there that could play into this idea that, for arno, it was never really the creed. it was élise :  “ Once I thought that meant we were free to do as we would. To pursue our ideals, no matter the cost. ”  considering, for most of the game, arno is fighting less for the brotherhood than he is for personal reasons ... it feels likely.

[sonvaillanceaa]

i genuinely question if arno and élise could have had a truly healthy, long-term relationship. they love each other, yes. they check all the boxes for the star-crossed lovers. but there’s a disconnect between them. as arno accuses her, it may be the case that he loves her more than she loves him. he has this sort of idealized version of her in his head that puts her onto a pedestal that she isn’t really on. i think it’s very skewed. he has this idea of what they could be, what their lives could be, together, but it doesn’t feel to me that any of that is something élise could live with. there’s even a portion of one of the letters arno writes to his father, post-mortem, where he admits,  “ Perhaps I’ll never be able to hold all her heart, it is too filled with many other dreams and deeds and ventures. But she’ll have all of mine. ”  so in a way, he knows from the beginning that there’s some imbalance between them. they are not on level ground. even after learning she and her family were templars, arno continues to keep believing in this version of her that he knew when he was oblivious to all of her. which is, honestly, an untrue version of her. he didn’t truly know her then, but he hangs onto that. almost desperately. and i have this suspicion that if they really did try to go on together, should she not have died, it just ... would not have lasted. we know arno wants to try, and we know even élise does, given that  “ going forward isn’t necessarily an ending ”  but perhaps that’s all she wanted to do : try. in arno’s mind, hopeful as he is about the two of them, he reads it as a guarantee : they can and will still be together. he once again ignores the part where, just maybe, they aren’t truly meant to be together.  also none of this is to villainize élise for  “ not loving arno enough ”  or anything. it just seems that this is the nature of their relationship. élise is a very ambitious person and while arno has his own ambitions, it doesn’t seem that these shared values entirely line up with one another. which creates that disconnect and imbalance. if anything, it’s likely more a discussion of arno and tunnel vision. he puts a lot into this idea of a life with élise, rather than actual discussions being had about it. even if it was years before he fully knew about his history and the de la serre family history, it’s possible arno kind of ignored certain things because he was blinded by these ideas. part of his arc throughout the campaign is gaining a higher sense of understanding regarding life and reality. not becoming blinded by certain things. he has his whole speech about the creed at the end of the game, but i think there’s something there that could play into this idea that, for arno, it was never really the creed. it was élise :  “ Once I thought that meant we were free to do as we would. To pursue our ideals, no matter the cost. ”  considering, for most of the game, arno is fighting less for the brotherhood than he is for personal reasons ... it feels likely. 

[silvysartfulness]

Omg I saw that you used to write for the assassin’s creed fandom and honestly what a throwback 😭 are they on livejournal?

Aahhh, this is the part where I have to admit, I don't think I ever put any of those drabbles online! It was more a fun thing me and wife used to do, writing very very short 5 minute one-shots based on single word-prompts.

Oh, wait! Apparently I actually still have them, in an old folder of mine! Will post under a cut. These are AC 1-3-brotherhood, primarily focused on the latter.

La Volpe/Cesare post the fall of the Borgia was my main rarepair ship in that fandom, so that's the main (if occasionally only implied) focus for a lot of these. (CW some dubcon/non-con under the cut, so be warned.) 😊

1 Unwillingness

It goes against everything he is, a greater challenge than any battlefield taken on. Snarling, eyes blazing his defiance, Cesare submits for now.

2 Memento

”Something to remember me by,��� murmurs Volpe softly against the sensitive skin of his neck, and it's all Cesare can do not to yelp as those vicious teeth leave a bleeding gash in his ear.

3 Baseline

He still doesn't trust Machiavelli, Volpe muses, and it's equally clear Machiavelli doesn't trust him. Perhaps their shared love of secrecy is the one dependent thing about their relationship.

4 Sniper

He has shot guards from rooftops, towers, horseback, beams and the treacherous crumbling tops of ancient stone pillars. So why was it, muses Ezio afterward, that he hadn't even thought of pulling crossbow or gun out as his sworn enemies held their short council in the courtyard a few measly yards below his feet?

5 Birthplace

It is in Masyaf the order of Assassins was born into what it is now. Searching for answers Ezio sets out on the longest journey of his life, back to the beginning of all.

6 Denunciation

It is hard to remember what it was like to have faith, Cesare thinks, but easy to remember when it was lost. What God could ever work through the instrument that was Alexander VI, his father?

7 Distaste

”Volpe, you didn't!” Ezio exclaims, his face a mask of distaste. Volpe smirks.

”Oh, it was not at all bad. Cesare is well trained.”

Ezio shudders. ”That is exactly what bothers me!”

8 Elimination

Constantly, frustratingly one step behind, it is little Cesare can do as his allies are meticulously taken out by the Assassins one by one. And yet it is not until the last of those on his side willingly turn their backs on him that he realizes this battle is lost.

9 Bluntness

”You can do as I say,” says the master thief matter-of-factly, turning the vial of antidote over in his spindly fingers, ”or you can spend the night dying slowly while vomiting your innards all over the floor. The choice is yours.”

Pale with fury Cesare chooses to live.

10 Turf

The Assassins had been myth, legend, bed-time stories to frighten a young boy already afraid of the dark. But as they dealt an all but deadly blow to his father inside the Vatican itself, Cesare grimly declares war. Roma is his city, and all who oppose his rule must be swiftly and mercilessly dealt with.

11 Assassination

He burns for the ideals, fights the fight with passion and utter devotion. But when Shaun's shaking hands lower the suddenly impossibly heavy gun he knows something he'dnever even thought about (Innocence? Compassion? Humanity?) has perished as surely as that very first body at his feet.

12 Apprentice

He remembers a gangly youth skidding across slippery roof tiles, trying so hard to keep up and even harder to hide his inability to do so. La Volpe silently studies Il Mentore and considers he's no longer sure who would lead the way across the rooftops.

13 Debris

Ezio swears as the ceiling collapses over the bed he shared with Caterina until moments ago – his armor and weapons are buried in the rubble and will be hard to replace. He does not yet know they will be the least of his losses this day.

14 Scolding

Altaïr has never been one to accept blame or criticism for his actions, but something about the way Malik's not-there left arm twitches as to shake a not-there fist in his face as the man speaks makes him look away in hidden shame.

15 Torrent

The rain pours down over the city, making roofs and cobblestones alike wet and slippery. Volpe tugs his collar tighter around his shoulders against the biting cold and idly contemplates if a trip to the Castello would be worth the trouble.

16 Anchor

He cheats and steals and tells honeyed lies with the ease of a snake. But his eyes can be oceans and his touch velvet – sometimes Ezio wonders if his always restless, inspiration-ridden friend keeps Salai around just to remember what it's like to be human.

17 Truce

”It would be nice,” says Machiavelli evenly, ”if you would not so readily name yourself judge, jury and executioner the next time you fall victim to unfounded suspicion.”

”Fine,” mutters Volpe, frowning. ”It would be niceif you were not so secretive. And stop trying to steal my spies. Get your own.”

”Fine,” Machiavelli replies with a minute smirk.

Fellowship is knowing just when your brother-in-arms is lying.

18 Nook

There are many unknown and unseen hiding places among the rooftops of Florence. On his back, hair plastered against his face and hot breath against his ear, Giovanni concludes it's very handy that La Volpe always knows to find one when you need it.

19 Orgy

These parties are more to his father's tastes than his his, Cesare firmly tells himself, perhaps letting his eyes linger thoughtfully on the multitude of courtesans a moment longer than intended. Then a familiar slender hand grazes his thigh and he is reminded that the only person even close to matching his own schemes, cunning and skill is the woman on the throne next to his.

20 Scoff

”I spend all my time in the Animus,” Desmond frowns, ”Lucy's keeping an eye on Abstergo and Rebecca... hacks and stuff. What do youdo, really? Anyone could use, what, Google and Wikipedia?”

Shaun grins or at least bares his teeth.

”You mean Templar Central One and Two? No, it's called obtaining knowledge, Desmond - sifted like little gold nuggets of fact from the vast sands of ignorance you're so fond of burying your head in. Google can't help you there, I'm afraid.”

21 Scolding

At the time, Ezio always figured Giovanni's constant nagging and pleading with him to stay out of trouble was only the worrying of an overprotective father. Only later was he taught discretion was part of the ancient Assassin's creed. He never got very good at it, even so.

22 Bonfire

No-one is entirely sure why Julius II has tempered justice with mercy for now and opted for his enemy's imprisonment rather than death sentence. As far as la Volpe is concerned, the way Cesare goes pale whenever the topic is brought up is at least good for entertainment.

23 Nakedness

Being exposed holds no particular shame for him, but the walls and floor are freezing to the touch, draining precious warmth from his aching body. Now would be a prudent time for an accursed thief to show up with a blanket to bargain for.

24 Arbiter

It was funny, Machiavelli drily noted in his notebook, how God and Divine Justice so often were on the side of the biggest army with the sharpest swords.

25 Purgatory

The land burns, smoke choking the sky and tinting the sun a sickly shade of blood. It is with a cold and unfamiliar sense of foreboding Cesare hurries through the flames toward the towering walls of the fortress to escape this hell on earth – one way or another.

26 Fingernail

Ezio has more than his fair share of scars adorning his hardened body, some remembered more fondly than others. He would never dream to ask Caterina to trim her nails, or use them just a touch more carefully.

27 Slavery

The Creed dictates freedom of thought, and in his reckless youth Altaïr would use it as justification for any rash impulse. But the older he grows, the more he comes to realize freedom and all its crushing responsibility can be the harshest master of all.

28 Carnivore

When confronted on his nasty habit of biting, Volpe only grins and quips something about foxes and their nature. Cesare is tempted to snap he's often seen dirty foxes prowling the back streets for garbage, but can see where Volpe would go with that, and so holds his tongue.

29 Bluntness

Ezio is too flustered after his mother's blunt request he find other outlets than vaginas to realize the enthusiastic young artist at his side seems more than eager to offer a few suggestions on the particular subject.

30 Vow

He will live, Cesare vows. He will live, he will regain his freedom, his power and his army. At any cost. And then they will. All. Pay.

31 Blending

It was simply not fair, thought Machiavelli, that no matter how solid your acting, no matter how meticulousyour disguise, Volpe would immediately spot you in a crowd and grin at you. Clearly spying on the sly old fox called for more cunning means, he conceded as he made his way to the Rosa to shamelessly bribe Claudia for information.

32 Misconduct

“Not that we are in any particular hurry to the Castello,” Orsini says, the knuckles of his war-gauntlet quite pleasantly buried in Cesare's face, “but things would just be easier all around if you would stop squirming and came quietly.”

33 Ultimatum

“If you don't stop hogging my mp3-player,” Rebecca whispers softly in Shaun's ear, “I'll tell Lucy exactly whatyou and Desmond used her yoghurts for last night.”

34 Takeover

“Stop!” Lucrezia commands as the soldiers feed the paintings to the fire – already the image of a swan is crackling and fading to black amongst the flames. Such a waste of beauty. She hasn't even realized Cesare is standing behind her, fierce and bloodied after the battle, until he speaks.

“You like them?”

She nods, and he touches her cheek with a smile, careful not to stain her hair.

“Then they are yours. A memento of the day the Assassini fell.”

35 Afterlife

“I blame you for this,” says Cesare flatly as the imps re-heat the lake of boiling tar. Again. “There is no God, you said. No heaven and no hell, you said. Stupid old bastard.”

Rodrigo mutters something about Hell being other people, but will have to concede that in this trifling matter, yes, he was mistaken.

36 Distaste

He would rather be hated than forgotten, Cesare sullenly thinks, rubbing his stiff hands for warmth. Bony, filthy, with the matted long hair of a hermit falling into his face, he has to settle for the guards' contempt. At least it's better than pity.

37 Slavery

He isn't really paid, Leonardo thinks, merely kept alive, yes. Not really compensated as such. And so the construction of the intricate war-machines is really on the consciences of his masters, not his. Sting of guilt quenched he returns to the blueprints with renewed fevered enthusiasm.

38 Probation

“What's the catch”, asks Cesare with deepest suspicion.

“No catch,” Volpe assures, looking innocent. “Just a reward for your recent good behaviour. Keep it up and there may a meal and a hot bath in it for you, too.”

Cesare does not for a moment believe they are just going out 'to stretch their legs', but a meal does sound inviting. He follows.

39 Adversity

Ezio strongly disapproved of the idea of his little sister taking over the Rosa in Fiore, and he frankly can't say whether he is more disappointed or proud when it flourishes under her care.

40 Bluntness

“You are a thief,” Machiavelli growls, piqued into a rare display of anger. “A liar and a cheat and an honourless thief!”

Volpe grins.

“All those things. And I'm still better than you.”

41 Scheming

Ezio gave the Apple to Mario, who had it stolen by Cesare, who gave it to Leonardo, who found it plucked out of his helpless hands by the Pope and his daughter. He ponders life was easier when he was just a painter. The Apple is a thing of awe, but the intrigues in its wake make his head hurt.

42 Favorite

It wasn't that Cesare particularly hated his older brother. It was just that while he no longer childishly sought his father's approval, the position as the Pope's favorite son came with several practical perks. Unfortunately for Juan, that meant he simply had to go.

43 Truce

When things are civilized, they can be bearable, almost even pleasant. The food is good, the wine plentiful, and Volpe's skilled fingers all but gentle. An unspoken truce, no matter how temporary. But neither man ever forgets the truth, which is war.

44 Scour

They answer to no-one, self-proclaimed executioners beyond all law. Too much blood on their hands now. Just before sunrise Cesare gives the command to attack. The cleansing of Monteriggioni has begun.

45 Extrovert

To hold his own council and play his cards close to his heart has always been his way, and he knowshe is a master at his game. And yet, Machiavelli can grudgingly admit to himself, it isn't until the boisterous chaos in human guise that is Ezio bursts in on the Roman scene that he begins to see how they will win this war.

46 Protagonist

“I will avenge the cowardly, treacherous plot against my father,” he thinks. “I will root out all those involved, every single one, and I will kill them and all they stand for.”

No-one ever sets out to be a hero, only to do what is right.

For Cesare, the path ahead is clear.

47 Willpower

It is never easy. Every time Altaïr visits his (his!) bureau in Jerusalem, Malik has to struggle with himself not to slay the man in his sleep. On many a moonlit night, only a lifetime of discipline stays the blade in his white-knuckled hand.

But strangely, it does get easier over time.

48 Esacalation

At first it had been mere proof of his ability to go anywhere in Roma as well he pleased, the taunting and impotent rage in response a given bonus. After some time, forced still-furious intimacy gained through blackmail had appeared a logical step. Then force turned out redundant. As Cesare clings to him, nails biting into his arms and teeth bared with need, Volpe admits to himself he would never have suspected the caged Borgia would so willingly use him to sate his desires – nor the other way around.

49 Torrent

Raw grief fades over time, a broken heart healed into a dull ache. The thing that keeps Claudia from sleeping at night is not all she has lost, but her screaming frustration at not being able to take her fate, and that of those responsible, into her own hands.

50 Danger

The peaceful life he had envisioned just the evening before will have to wait, Ezio grimly decides, pressing a hand to his wounded shoulder and focusing on not falling off his horse. And despite the shock, grief and pain, it somehow feels right. He has lived this life so long, he isn't sure he remembers how not to.

51 Splattering

Leonardo likes to buy birds at the market and set them free, watching with dreaming eyes as they take to the endless sky. Once, Ezio surprises his friend with twenty white doves. Much belatedly he wishes he'd remembered that stressed pigeons prefer to lighten their load before taking off.

52 Ramification

“It is time you take responsibility for your actions,” Rodrigo snarls, and Cesare struggles with the impulse to scream, childishly, “But father, younever did!”

53 Concession

“I'm not sure we should...”

Lover and Thief, silhouettes in the dark, alone. A light touch.

“Come now. It will be good, I promise.”

“But, what if...”

“Ssh. Are we not both Assassins? Everything is permitted.”

His honed thief's nerves tingling with foreboding warnings, La Volpe allows Claudia to persuade him in the end, knowing Ezio will probably kill him, and that it will no doubt be worth it.

54 Leer

You can't even seehis face in the shadows beneath the cowl. And yet, Volpe just standing there outside the bars, nonchalantly leaning one hand against the wall, makes Cesare want to scream. Or punch him hard. Preferably both.

55 Whisper

Ezio reflects that there are few other voices he would instantly recognize by just a short, urgent uttering of his name. His hesitation to turn around stems not from uncertainty, but the childish wish to postpone the trial of his oldest friend's rumored treason just a few moments longer.

56 Absurdity

At first Ezio had felt confused, then worried and finally terrified. But as they've fled Florence and the man introducing himself as uncle Mario tells him that his family belongs to an ancient clan of legendary assassins, relief washes over him. Finally is clear it has all been an insane dream. He can't wait to wake up.

57 Experimentation

Leonardo da Vinci is a true genius, his brilliant mind always seeing the world through a lens of wonder. Nothing escapes his never-sated curiosity – but that a small poseable wooden mannequin could be used like that? Cesare is a man not easily impressed, but will have to admit the artist rarely fails to amaze.

58 Farewell

It is with uncharacteristic kindness Volpe kisses him, between shared gasps for air after their final tryst. A last goodbye before the approaching dawn will see Cesare on his way to exile in Spain.

”Growing sentimental, old fox?” the younger man scoffs at him. ”No need. I shall return soon enough, and repaint the walls of Roma with Assassin blood.”

Volpe just smiles. He has already helped Ezio prepare his own journey and knows with certainty that Cesare will never again return to Rome.

59 Turf

”Maybe Giovanni could get away with doing paperwork all day over in Florence,” Mario says, and his tone clearly states what he thinks about his brother's choice. ”But arround here we train Assassins, not accountants or delivery boys.”

Ezio's body has never ached as much in his life as it does after his first day of training with his uncle.

60 Smoothness

When she smiles her deep red lips are like tantalizing rose petals, framed by sun-ray golden hair. She is smooth, flawless, perfect. But every rose has its thorns, and Lucrezia's are laden with poison.

61 Kneeling

Every fiber of Ezio's body strains desperately to regain control as he jerks like a puppet on golden strings of light.

”You are lucky,” breathes Rodrigo in a low, husky growls, leaning hard on the staff after the battle, ”So verylucky, little Assassin, that I am in a hurry.”

As the dagger sinks into his guts, Ezio briefly thinks that indeed, it could have been so much worse.

62 Purgatory

The imps don't know whether to feel amused or put out that the screaming, flailing argument between father and son has by now escalated to the point they don't even seem to register the lake of boiling tar anymore. A bit of respect for good solid workmanship, is that too much to ask?

63 Lick

It has to be said in favour of Machiavelli's assassin reflexes that the unexpected lick at his ear out of the dark earns Volpe neither a jump or a shriek but a rapid fist to the nose.

Only half an hour later, safely home in his bedroom, does Niccolo allow himself to contemplate what might have otherwise transpired.

64 Bonfire

It is a sad thing, reflects Ezio in hindsight, older, wiser, that compared to all the priceless art and knowledge fed to fire during Savonarola's mad reign of Florence, the mere loss of a human life that ended it is remembered with little sense of loss or revulsion.

65 Last

After Mario's death, Ezio has felt the weight of being the last Auditore Assassin ever heavier on his shoulders. But as he watches Claudia fearlessly take her leap of faith, he wonders how he could ever have been blind enough to think himself alone.

66 Well

The guards in hot pursuit yell and stab at wells, haystacks and dark alleyways. From his perch on a rooftop Ezio smiles. He always did prefer to take to the sky.

67 Wrongdoer

As his support falters and the opposition grows ever bolder, Cesare becomes increasingly frustrated with their attacks and accusations. He would prefer to answer only for his own sins, not those of his dead father.

68 Deliberate

It really is getting unnerving, decides Machiavelli, the way Volpe has taken up the habit of commenting on his every observation with a frosty ”Indeed” or ”Yes, quitethe coincidence”. He wishes he could believe the man isn't doing it on purpose.

69 Counter

When he first arrives in Jerusalem, Altaïr can't quite shake the feeling that the only thing between him and certain death is a rather narrow, map-strewn desk.

70 Bribe

Cesare has always been good at striking a profitable bargain. Unfortunately Borgia as a currency is bitterly deflated, and these days he often have to sell himself too cheap for comfort. Even though it isa warm, snug blanket.

71 Chess

Cesare knows he is a brilliant strategist – not so much because of the expected praise from his subordinates as from the satisfactory number of pins currently adorning his map of Italy. He would like to believe himself modest in this, careful not allow hubris to cheat him of a victory. And yet he never knows whether to frown or laugh helplessly as the absent-minded artist all but appologetically check-mates his king time and time and time again.

72 Feel

Leonardo never knows how to feel when Cesare enters the room. At first he is apprehensive, but as weeks turn into months and he realizes he's not only allowed but encouraged to dream up grander designs than ever before he is thrilled.

In the end, seeing the Assassins' plans put into motion long before Cesare even knows the final battle has begun, he can only avert his eyes in regret.

73 Mister

”Outside the kingdom of God is the realm of men,” Salai says, leaning just an inch too close. ”You worship there, Messere?”

Only years of training his clueless look on Leonardo helps Ezio keep a straight face as he blankly waves for the boy to follow him.

74 Fine

There are simply too many guards around for a discreet kill, so Ezio grudlingly counts the florins and hands them over. How was heto know he wasn't allowed to park his horse there? Time to liberate another stable from its Borgia-tower shadow, he decides. Burning them all down is easier than keeping track of territories anyway.

75 Dog

If La Volpe is the fox and Ezio the bird of prey, Pantasilea ponders, then Bartolomeo reminds her of a large, lumbering dog. Faithful and loyal unto death, but with a booming bark and a vicious bite for those who threaten those dear to him.

76 Forgotten

When Volpe appears he is the first person Cesare has seen in days. He greets the thief with his usual brazen curses, careful not to let any trace of relief shine through. Of all things he is most afraid to be left alone to die; not slain out of hatred or need, but simply ignored and forgotten.

77 Changed

Had Ezio been the kind of man to think upon such things, he might have noticed the Cesare facing him atop the towering walls is not the self-assured young general he met a handful years previous in Roma. Tired-looking and hunched over he looks defeated even before the battle has begun. But Ezio is here for one single purpose alone, and has never been the kind of man to think of such things anyway.

78 Gondola

Antonio assures Leonardo that only from an extensive tour with his private gondola will the artist truly get to know his new home town. As it happens, a rocky two-hour boat ride later, Leonardo still hasn't really seen much of the city. But that's quite alright, as he happily agrees to repeat the endeavour soon again.

79 Casino

It never hurts to try to win Fortuna's favour when gambling is one of your favorite pastimes, Salai knows, but in this particular case divine intervention is quite a bit closer at hand. As long as you have La Volpe's favor, the dice at the Sleeping Fox will never let you down.

80 Soup

The first bowl of watery gruel ends up thrown in the guard's face with enough force to break his nose. The next morning the second splinters against the wall. Nearly a week passes before he forces himself to eat the fifth, to preserve his strength.

Cesare closes his eyes as he quickly raises the bowl to his face to wolf down the hundredth, before the reflection in the dull surface can show him what he has become.

81 Carrot

”Tell you what,” murmurs Volpe in the starving prisoner's ear, dangling the vegetable in front of his face, ”If you give me a good enough show I'll even let you keep it for supper when you're done.”

82 Madame

Volpe has to admit himself impressed – Claudia is shrewd, ruthless and horrifyingly practical, and stillmanages to be praised a good businesswoman rather than cursed a thief.

83 Kilt

Yes, Ezio decides as he flexes his body inside the unfamiliar weight of Romulus' armour, there is definitely a draft around his nether regions. Whatever the old Romans may have thought, a skirt of leather belts does notconstitute proper clothing.

After some swearing and creative arranging of his spare cloak he considers it may well look even moreof a skirt, but at least this cut preserves his manly dignity when he jumps.

84 Theft

He has stolen valuables, information, people and lives. La Volpe draws in a deep breath as he surveys Roma in the first light of morning, then exhales in satisfaction. She is the greatest city in the world, and she is all his for the taking.

[harveywritings92]

DMC BOYS: They find out you're an assassin [Assassin's creed crossover.]

Dante: It was supposed to be a simple bodyguard job, a bunch of old dudes were having some super villain-ish meeting and one of them hired Dante to guard him, the devil was a little vague on the details all he remembered was the guy saying he'll pay upfront! And like that Dante blocked whatever else was said... 

to sum it up someone wants the old guy dead and Dante just there to make sure he doesn't croak, simple enough he can do that... what he couldn't do was kill the assassin who just killed his client...

She was his girlfriend.

Dante's mind replayed the scene over again: one second the old fat geezer is drinking whiskey and being chatted up by a call-girl, Dante gets distracted by one of the strippers, next thing he knows there's a shriek! the half-devil whipped his head in the direction of the commotion and saw his client looking at another old man in a dark suit in shock, his hand was clamp securely around his neck all in a vain attempt to stop the blood from seeping from his slashed throat he fell forwards and his assailant was revealed standing behind him.

They were a woman in a fav/c hooded jacket with some sort of retractable blade attached to her wrist, he could see tiny smirk grace the woman's lips as she stared across the club room at same old man who Dante assumed was the big boss behind this meeting, and another target on this won's list...

Dante grimaced and took a step forwards only to freeze when the familiar scent of his girlfriend's perfume caught his nose through the blood and booze, then he saw those eyes the half-devil knew them well the second they looked through the crowd at him, he was soon snapped out of his shock by the big boss boss bellowing "Get her! tear that dog apart!?" soon the y/ht woman was surrounded by armed men; Y/n took them down like they were nothing and seemed to be having fun with it before making a quick get away, he last saw her run out through one the exits.

He chased her just in time to see her jump off the roof and land in the back of a dump truck filled with leaves waiting in the street before the truck drove off into the night, needless to say Y/n was in for a major what the hell fest when she got home.

--------------------------

Nero: Anger was the first thing that crossed his mind, then betrayal he thought he knew you and that you could trust him with anything, but him finding out you were a killer? that's been fighting a goddam centuries old war, he didn't know what to think! how he found out in the first place was that you had gotten hurt and he was contacted against your wishes.

He demanded to know what happened? you had lied claiming you fell down some stair. "Stairs don't stab peopl-" Nero too a breath "Y/n you better tell me what's going on, or I'm walking out that door and I'm not coming back." you looked at him stunned hoping this was an empty threat but he was dead serious.

You kept your mouth shut but the second he took a step towards the door you sighed "Wait." Nero turned to look at you gestured for him sit down, and like that it was like dam had opened Nero sat and he listened, you told him of the creed, the artifacts of Eden, Abstergo and your involvement the more upset he looked, he silently left you alone claiming he couldn't be here. he had to think, after few hours he came back and paused when he heard a male voice talking to you...

Nero swallowed his inner demon growled hearing an unknown male in your room. "I don't think it's a good idea to be using the animus in your condition." You snapped at the guy the shut up you're gonna be stuck here for a week might as well do something other than mope about destroying the best relationship you've ever had in a while.  "okay, your good go."

Nero silently walked in without either of you noticing him and saw you hooked up to some oculus looking thing and this surfer looking guy looking over a screen, suddenly he jumped back at the sound of a pot shattering. "What the hell?!" you exclaimed as the guy chuckled. " I think ..uh-oh think Amir's wife Esha just found out he's an assassin she not taking it to well" he laughed nervously keeping a hand on his chest as Nero came up behind him to watch the scene, You grumbled something under your breath as a woman angrily shouting in Hindi filled the hospital room as more pottery in thrown.

 "Esha, please calm down, mera Pyaar!*my love*" a man pleaded as the woman snarled. 

"Don't you Mera Pyaar me! Five years we've been married and you kept this from me, How dare you?!"

"Look I didn't want to keep you - [dodges a vase.] please stop throwing things at me!"

"I should've listened to my brother when he said there was off about you! kameene!*Bastard*" *About to throw another vase*

Amir catches her arms  pushes her toward a wall "I was just trying to protect you dammit!" he snapped Esha tried to say she didn't need to be protected because her father but Amir cuts her off. "Can do nothing, these men and their order have been on earth as long as my creed has, they have more power then your family combined and they to destroy free will as we know it..." the door behind them sudden broke down to reveal a British man and few heavily armed guards.

Esha who was still enraged shoved Amir aside, demanding they leave their house did they know who her father was? he'll hear about this- she was cut off by the men laughing at her before dropping the bomb. "On her who do you think told us where to find your husband?" the Indian woman's fell in shock and started shaking her head in disbelief next thing that happened, a cloth was tied around her mouth as the smoke quickly filled the room the sounds of fighting started Amir quickly started dragging his shell shock wife out of their home … 

The sequence ended as you sighed waiting for the next one to load "that is exactly why I didn't want to tell Nero, one slip up, one loose end and the Templars could find him, Kyrie or the kids and use them to hurt me." The y/ht huffed wincing as she tried to pull herself up, and failed nearly falling off the bed luckily a pair a arms caught her and sat her up right.

"urg... Thanks Wally." Y/n's heart sank into her feet when she heard Wally voice on the other side of her room. "uh.. That not me N/n." the ginger man said sheepishly while adjusting his glasses as the familiar scent of Nero's cologne caught her nose, Y/n cautiously lifted up the Animus visor off her eyes to find Nero staring at her.

the y/nat woman's stomach tightened and her face felt hot as a tense silence filled the air, before Nero spoke up pretty saying that her reasons for hiding this life from him were the exact same reasons he keeps her away from Devil hunting to protect her. 

He sighed knowing there was no way talking her out of the creed like he had planned, but Nero urged her not to get killed and not to hide things from him anymore... Y/n promised then Nero sheepishly asked if she'd put the Animus back on? because he kind of wants to see what will happen to Amir and Esha.

-----------------

Vergil: Like Dante he was hired by a shady old man to protect him, what he didn't expect was to be thrown into a special security called alpha squad filled with a bunch of arrogant humans who pointed a laughed at the white haired weirdo and using a sword in this day and age! Vergil ignored them seeing as this was just a temporary gig, and he'll never see them again. 

Of course nothing would prepare him for what happened next, alarms were blaring and the were bodies littering the hallways, Vergil examined as he went along noting that they alpha squad members and they'd been stabbed or had their throats slashed... 

It was Ironic that they died this way the more he thought about it, he snapped out of his thoughts when he heard his employer yelling at someone to back off.

 Vergil looked around the corner to see his employer and a hooded man with a strange blade on his wrist the two were engaged within a conversation while Vergil silently approached.

"I had dream about you Mr. Vesta."

"aww...how sweet, too bad you're not my type!"

"In my dream you never made it out the Paris Catacombs alive..."

"What can I say? I too stubborn to die!"

Vergil was just about to strike when the three were interrupted by an explosion, "Why Hello, Partner!" Vesta happily greeted the woman cautiously walked into the courtyard, Vergil felt a chill go down his spine as a familiar shouted at the man. "Jason, we have to go!" Vesta shook his head keeping eyes on the old man. "We can't let them find the box." 

The woman took a an aggressive stance not liking that answer "Screw that, I killed half of Alpha squad and destroyed the map, let's get out while we can!" footsteps were heard rushing down the alley, her partner growled in frustration finally complied with her. "See ya in your dreams old man.." Vesta jeered then threw a smoke bomb he and his partner ran from the scene being chased by Vergil.

Who caught up to them fairly quickly he knocked out the man and got a hold of the woman pulling her hood off confirming his suspicions. "Y/n what's meaning of this?" he hissed coming face to face with his gobsmacked girlfriend. "Only to be interrupted by remnants of Alpha squad, who ordered him to hold her down! Without a word Vergil used summoned swords on the men causing them to scatter.

before using the Yamato to open a portal; he threw Vesta over his shoulder and he and Y/n rushed through it landing in Nero's garage, the portal closed as Vergil dropped the passed out man none too gently onto the floor then turned his girlfriend who had a lot of explaining to do.  

[thero0ks]

The Courier (Haytham Kenway x Reader)

The leather of her boots slapped together with each stride. She wasn’t trained in the art of stealth. It didn’t matter much when you were galloping through the underbrush. Many of her associates stopped to take a look. She kept her face fixed into a stony mask on her face. The guards didn’t bother to stop her. She’d been past them so many times that they recognized her. They knew any delay in her stride could be detrimental to their order. Her footsteps echoed across the hallway as she made her way to the Grand-Master’s office. She knocked on the door before she heard a muffled voice echo “enter.”

She opened the mahogany door. She didn’t bother glancing at the two men seated in front of the Grand Master’s desk. She held out the sealed letter to the steely eyed man. The male took it, “I assume there were no troubles then?” He inquired.

She shifted a little at the statement, “not exactly...sir.” She said simply.

“You weren’t delayed.” He pointed out.

“Lass you’re bleeding.” A startled Irish brogue caused the woman to look down at the small pool of blood that was forming on the floorboards.

“I was shot.” She said brushing the statement aside.

“For God’s sake! Take yourself to the infirmary at once.” The Grand-master ordered breaking the seal.

“Yes master Kenway.” The woman said with a small bow turning on her heel heading for the door.

“Shay make sure she gets there.” The man ordered.

The woman swayed a little, the Grand-master’s voice seemed distant in the background. Black spots appeared in her vision before everything went black. Shay had reached her in time to catch her before her head hit the floor. The man started shoving aside the layers of her jackets to see where the blood was coming from. “Shite lass, that’s deep.” He muttered as he heard footsteps behind him, and felt arms pushing him out of the way. Haytham picked up the (p/c/l) woman and rushed her to the infirmary.

(Y/N)’s eyes fluttered open. There was a dull ache at her side. She could hear the soft scratching of a quill on parchment. Her (e/c) gaze floated around the room taking in her surroundings. She was surprised to see the Grand-master seated in a chair at her side.

“If you’re trying to kill yourself, could you at least have the decency not to do it in front of me?” The man inquired, his eyes never leaving his paperwork.

“I’m sorry sir.” Her voice came out raspy.

“It’s a good thing Shay was there to catch you, otherwise your head would be aching as well.” The man added. Somehow his stony expression appeared to look even less pleased than it already was.

“I will make sure to give him my thanks.” She said trailing off. The tension was thick, but she knew better then press the Grand-Master about the issue. She wasn’t sure why he was here. It wasn’t a normal thing for the Grand-master to take such interest in a courier.

“As of today you’ve been reassigned.” The man said simply.

“But sir-” she started as the two steely eyes shot up cutting her off instantly. Haytham was the last person she wanted to piss off. She shrunk back into the pillows while muttering a “yes sir.”

The man studied her a moment his flint eyes daring her to argue anymore. Once he was appeased with her silence he went back to his paperwork. An Irish brogue caused her to snap her head up, “ah, lass you’re awake.” He said with a grin pulling up a chair on the other side of her. “These are for you.” He said handing her a bouquet of flowers.

“Thank you Captain Cormac.” The woman said taking them from him.

“Please, just call me Shay.” The man said softly.

“Shay they’re beautiful. Thank you for everything..master Kenway said you caught me when I passed out. Thank you for bringing me to the infirmary.” She said offering him a smile.

“I only caught you lass. Haytham brought you here.” Shay said with a smile.

(Y/N) glanced over at the grand-master with surprise. “Thank you grand-master.” She said softly.

Haytham waved her off as if it were nothing. Shay was staring at the grand-master with a small smirk. “He hasn’t left your side.” Shay added, causing the grand master to shoot a death glare at Shay who was grinning proudly.

(Y/N) looked between the two a little confused. “That isn’t necessary sir. I can take care of myself.”

“Like you did when you got shot?” Haytham snapped. “If I recall you passed out in my office.”

Y/N looked down sheepishly, “I only thought…” Her voice trailed off.

Shay’s cognac eyes flickered between the two. Haytham was fuming, and the courier had the decency to look ashamed. “You only thought the Order comes first.” The Irishman interjected, on the (h/c)’s behalf.

“Yes.”

Tension seemed to leave the Grandmaster’s shoulders, as he took in her deflated figure. “Perhaps it was...brash of me to reassign you.” Haytham glanced over at the Irishman who nodded encouragingly.

Shay could tell the Englishman was harboring feelings for the woman as soon as she stepped through the door. Typically Haytham would dismiss any intruders on their meetings, or simply make them wait outside. The way the man sat at attention when she walked through the door, and the way his grey eyes drank her in confirmed Shay’s suspicions. By the look in his eyes, Haytham knew that Shay knew.

“I’ll wait outside. I think there are some matters ye need to discuss.”

The two were left in silence. “I apologize for any concern I may have caused. It was not my intention.” Y/N started, her fingers played with a loose thread, as he eyes were fixed on her feet. Doing all that she could to avoid his piercing stare.

A sigh escaped Haytham’s lips, as he placed the parchment and quill on a side table. “This is my fault.”

Y/N’s eyes shot up at the Englishman in surprise. “If I had made my feelings known, perhaps you would have taken better care.”

“Your feelings?” Y/N’s heart raced at the meaning. She was only a courier, and he the Grandmaster. He couldn’t possibly mean…

“I love you.” His words hung in the air. His eyes had softened, and she saw sparks of hope in his grey eyes.

She’d entertained thoughts of him on those cold nights. They had always been enough to warm her heart, but they always disappeared with the rising of the sun. She’d never allowed herself to hope he would see her as anything more than a disposable courier.

“I have loved you for so long.” She answered, her heart near bursting. “I never thought...I never dreamed you would feel the same.”

A rare smile crossed his lips, “you have no idea how magnificent you look, do you?” He leaned forward engulfing her hand in his, his gaze following his calloused thumb tracing the back of her palm. “Seeing you astride a galloping horse, in your element.” His eyes flickered up to meet (e/c) eyes. “It would be impossible to not fall in love.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

His mind seemed to wander to the fleeting touches, and the few exchanges of words. “The thought of being rejected by you, scared me.”

“The Grandmaster of the Colonial Templar order scared of rejection?” She teased, soliciting a small smile from him.

“I am still human dear.” He said, placing a small kiss on her hand.

A blush crept across her cheeks at the contact. “Would it be too bold of me to ask for a kiss?”

Mirth filled eyes flickered up at her. “I’ve waited an eternity for you to ask.”