Catching At the Wind

Cold. Soft. Disgust. These three things Eva felt more than anything at the moment, wished she did not feel the first and the last, and the middle could go away too. The bed was the softest thing she ever slept on, sank into it like into feathers, but it was a privilege she did not want. Not with its catches. The man whose bed she shared this night was snoring away beside her, happy in his dreamy slumber without a care for in the world. He had pulled much of the covers over himself leaving little for Eva to use. One hand rested on his overly hairy chest, the other threatened to drop the bottle of alcohol from its limp fingers.

Eva turned away from the fat slob of a monstrosity but there was nothing she could do about the sound. Only dare to listen to the outside, to the wind as it softly teased the silk curtains of the open balcony and they barely touched the foot of the bed, reaching but failing to grasp. A rich man this guy was, but unfair. In many ways. He was rich because he lied and cheated and stole, took what he wanted when he wanted with no consequence. It was common for him to pick any servant girl and drag her kicking and screaming in to bed (sometimes they came willingly though), and make do with however he pleased. Eva had - with luck on her side - managed to knock him out unconscious with one slap. He was drunk enough to instantly pass out and not wake up. She only hoped he would sleep well into the morning of the next night and that she could leave freely. The guard stationed outside his door would surely not allow her to leave in the middle of the night.

The man choked on something in his sleep and the gurgling of spit brought Eva back to reality. She wrinkled her lip lightly. How disgusting. Clutching her pillow and trying to warm the silk nightdress that barely covered her upper half, she shut her eyes tightly and wished someone would stab the old fat bastard already.

A job. A sordid way to bring justice to those wronged. Alessandro had learned the importance early on in his life, from his father and his relatives. From the assassins that had more or less helped to raise him, to instill in him the very principals the organization had been founded upon. It was something that Ales would forever be grateful for, it had made him into the man that he was today. Stubborn to a fault, proud of his heritage, and ultimately, someone who had learned how to speak up without ever saying a word. Actions spoke louder than words, so the saying went.

Ricardo Rossi. A name that Alessandro had heard a time or two before while on the streets, he happily welcomed the assignment when it had been delivered a few days prior to tonight. A business man that heavily delved into the shady side of things, it was a relatively normal ordeal for him. Dispose of the scum of the Earth, the ones that no one would truly miss. They would be all but forgotten in a matter of months, if not weeks. The same routine as always had been played out over the past few days - find Ricardo, follow him, learn who he is, what his routines are. When he was most vulnerable.

Alessandro sat on the roof of Ricardo's home, his head cocked to the side as he listened intently to the movements just below him. The heavy footsteps that he had reluctantly grown to know belonged to his target were accompanied by lighter ones and for a brief moment, he considered carrying out the assassination another evening. When there wasn't company but every night that he had followed the fat bastard, there had been someone and tonight, it seemed like it would be best. The tell tale signs of their... coupling, didn't follow the way that Ales had expected. A sharp sound pierced the air and then things were quiet, for a few moments at least. Then the snoring came. Alessandro had to fight back a chuckle at that, the man wouldn't be sleeping so soundly if he knew it was his last night on Earth.

When he felt that enough time had passed that surely Ricardo's company would be asleep as well, Alessandro climbed down onto the man's balcony. He stood in the shadows for a moment, eyeing the scene in front of him. Business, this was only business. Alessandro stepped lightly into the room, eyes trained on both Ricardo and his companion. In and out, this would be easy. Until a sudden thought crossed his mind - if Evangelina was alone in the room when the man's death was discovered, she would likely be held accountable.

Fuck.

"Stepping around the bed, Alessandro advanced enough so that he could reached a hand forward and cover the girl's mouth. He held his other hand up to signal that she should be silent, hoping that she would comply because otherwise, it wouldn't just be Ricardo's last night tonight.

(this was the single most painful post of my life, I apologize )

[thank you for trying!! I thought it was pretty neat ]

Eva was almost falling asleep, the soft blowing of the wind like a lullaby to her tired self, when she heard a light footstep. She paused in her breath, listening by making no movement. Was there someone there? Did someone break into the room through the so dangerously open balcony window, raid the chamber of the sleeping? Why? Was it a thief? But the more she listened, she heard less, and decided it was her imagination, certainly. She relaxed, closed her eyes and willed herself to sleep.

Just as she did, something pressed against her mouth, and her eyes snapped open along with a breath to yell - be it curse or whatever, only to find her mouth forced shut and a man's face hover above her with a signal to be quiet. She obeyed, relaxing her mouth but still looking at him wide eyed. Those wide eyes quickly turned to a confused frown. She tried to pry his hand away, at the same time pulling sheets over to cover herself. Beside her Ricardo grunted and mumbled as the sheets moved and turned on his side and put an arm around her.

Eva kept staring at the mysterious hooded white clothed man. She had heard stories but few she believed true. She had seen them executed, heads spiked on pikes or burned alive as warnings. Did someone send one after her? She stopped trying to pry his hand and instead pulled her head away.
"Who?" She managed to mumble out under his hand, still frowning. Who sent? Why? At least, before she died (she was sure it was her, he would have killed Ricardo by now) she wanted to know who hated her. Was it that old guy across the street to persistently tried to let him kiss her legs? Or his jealous wife? What a lousy way to go.

[post-edit this appears shorter on computer than on the phone what]

(it just did not want to be written and I was sitting there going this is what I rp on the daily. come oooon. ps this was far easier.)

If Eva had been his target, Alessandro would have started laughing. Did she truly think he would have her in any position except in the center of the web he had laid down for her? Did she think trying to pry at his fingers would do her any good? It was always the same, whoever he was sent after. They thought if they pleaded with promises of money, woman, and power, that they would be lucky enough to be spared. The brief entertainment at the thought was short lived for when Ricardo rolled over, Alessandro's lip curled in disgust. His eyes shot to the bottle that tumbled to the floor and before either of the two laying down could react, Ales' hand shot forward, his hidden blade being revealed just long enough to embed into the side of the man's skull. Had he not been as intoxicated, perhaps tonight would have proved to be more difficult.

Alessandro stepped backward, wiping the blade off on the sheets before he raised his gaze to Eva. "Who? Who what?" The question was barely loud enough to be considered as he glanced behind his shoulder to look at the door. The guard that was surely stationed outside still seemed to be oblivious. Good.

"The guard outside. Do you think he could identify you?" Alessandro's gaze hardened as he straightened up. His gaze continued to sweep from the girl to the door and back again, waiting and anticipating for the girl to either start shouting or to play along. A smirk tugged at the edge of his lips as his eyes trailed down her scarcely covered body. Pretty. Hopefully it would be the latter - he didn't want to add another to his list without necessity.

Eva thought she was utterly done for the moment that bottle dropped and she saw his eyes flick over. But his hand shot out, she saw the brief flash of blade in the low moonlight lot room, and then a sickening sound of metal trough bone and flesh. Into his hand, she gave a small suppressed yell, gasping at the same time. Her eyes widened and she jerked away, but there wasn't anywhere to go so she just started but remained in place.

Warily watching him wipe the blade, she tugged at the covers, pulling them closer to her body as she caught his sight lingering even if briefly, on her exposed shoulders and the rest. She wasn't sure what made her most uncomfortable. The bloodied dead man beside her, or the stranger in the room that just committed the murder.

Still somewhat frozen in shock, she forced herself to sit up, lookin at the door momentarily confused about what guard he was talking about. But it clicked and she shook her head, growing anxious. "Get out, leave. Thirty seconds." She whispered. Just as long as he didn't kill her. Why did he care what happened to her? Idiot. She was also sure thirty seconds was more than enough fr him to get away.

"One," she whispered, closing her eyes, and covering her face and hunching over a little, starting the count. Thirty seconds and then she would yell. Assassins come in quick and fast and then they leave. Nothing unusual.

Alessandro was, yet again, mildly surprised by Eva's actions. He had expected a response, even if it would have been the former option, and he received neither. He tilted his head to the side, eyeing her with a smirk that only continued to grow. She thought she was in any sort of position to give him orders? Cute. He wanted to linger and reason with her because he had little doubt in whether she would survive or not if he left. If a guard discovered Eva in Ricardo's room with a murdered Ricardo? The girl would have little chance, surely.

Scoffing at the first number that fell from her lips, Alessandro couldn't help but to roll his eyes. "I hope you enjoy explaining this mess, tesoro," he whispered with a wave of his hand. Without so much as another look in her direction, Ales moved over to the window.

"Ciao," Alessandro tossed the farewell over his shoulder before leaping out the window. Tuck and roll. He landed on his feet and raised back to his full height. Using the shadows to his advantage wasn't too terribly difficult, what with it being night time and all.

Arriving back to the villa he had called home for so many years, Alessandro made his way toward the master's chambers with the news that the job had been finished. He would likely receive another the next day but for now it was time to rest, to not worry about much more than what meal he would be rewarding himself with in the next little bit.

What a self absorbed man! She hoped that was the last she had seen of him. Hearing him jump out after saying goodbye - to which she did not respond not acknowledge- she opened her eyes and peered through her fingers. She reached the count of twenty, opened her mouth and let out a piercing shriek, throwing a pillow out the balcony. The guard rushed in to see the curtains waver and the bloodied man and her cry for help, "Assassin!"

The guards were out and about to find the man, and the girls consoled the poor Eva who 'must have lived through such a terrifying moment, poor child to see such a thing' and yet she faked the tears for she was relieved he was gone in the depths of her heart.

The day after was spent in rushed preparations for a burial, and the guards on high alert for they did not find the man. Eva kept inside, to 'get over' the incident, but come second day after and she was back to work.

The morning was bright and sunny, and Eva sat in the courtyard surrounded by hens to which she occasionally threw some seeds to feed them, whilst working with sewing leather pieces together by the main old woman in charge of all the servants. Unwillingly her thoughts drifted back to the assassin two nights ago. Just thinking about him made her feel cross.bunch of nonsense he was. Going around and stabbing people in the night, scaring the living life out of her. She'd give him a piece of her mind!

Two high profile deaths in the span of three days had earned Alessandro a few days to himself and for that, he was grateful. He had no plans other than perhaps walking through town, maybe sit in a pub and people watch. The things that he had learned through simply watching people move about their lives had given him crucial information time and time again. Dressed in normal attire, Alessandro set off, with no real destination in mind.

Passing by the street that would lead back to Ricardo's home, Alessandro's mind couldn't help but drift to the poor girl that had been in his bed. How had she fared? Once he had retired home that evening, Ales had wondered how traumatized she would be. A girl wasn't used to violence and murder, let alone directly beside her. Briefly guilt had settled in his stomach but it had been abandoned just as quickly as it appeared.

Backtracking to the street, Alessandro turned down the cobble road and continued to walk. His eyes trained on the building he had visited just a few days ago and he continued on, avoided it entirely until he circled around to pass behind it. His eyes found the so-called line that he would take to the roof. With a slight start, Alessandro leapt onto the wall and made quick work of getting to the roof. Settling a bit closer to the center of the home where the courtyard was, Ales was mildly relieved to catch sight of the girl from a few nights ago. She was still alive, at the very least.

Pursing his lips, Ales let out a whistle that was not unlike a local bird's - it was often used to communicate between Assassins while on a job and here he was, wondering if Eva would even pick up on the clue that he was laying down.

Brushing off some seeds from her dress, she made quick work of the leather seam, picked up another piece and started to work on that as well. The chickens practically stepped on her feet and now and then she would have to move her foot to let a chicken get at whatever it needed. She was about to toss some more seeds further away so that they would leave her alone when suddenly she heard a birds call. Her eyebrows knit together in small annoyance. The last thing she needed was for some scum of a bird to steal her chicks' food.

She was mid flick of her hand when she heard it, so she grasped the seeds tightly and drew her hand back instead of releasing them, looking around for the pesky thief. It was nowhere nearby, so she released the seeds into the ground and let the chickens scramble. Casting a glance at the sky (was it flying above?) she almost did not see the evident shape that sat just a little out of her line of vision.

Eva caught herself and looked at the figure. A man, surely. Why was he sitting on the roof? What a fool. He could fall and hurt himself and she wasn't going to help him. That was her thought until she recognised his clothing. She looked surprised, then with a quick glance around to make sure nobody wa near, she picked up a small pebble and with a flick of her hand sent it in a straight line at him, watching in satisfaction as it made a sure beeline for his head. Eva didn't stick around to watch, she turned away from him but stayed put sitting and sewing. How annoying! What did he want now? It was rude to throw rocks at anyone, let alone an assassin. Maybe he would kill her quick and she wouldn't have to finish this pathetic leather piece.

The courtyard was empty as ever, and the small place she sat in was positioned so well that she would see people coming before they saw her. Total privacy. Except for this roof-hopper. "Idiot," she mumbled under her breath.

Eyeing the girl, Alessandro jerked backward in surprise as the pebble came flying at his head. Really? A hand came up with little actual thought behind it, catching the pebble and returning it back to Eva with ease. It sailed past her ear, missing by a mere inch before it fell to the ground that was now in front of her. Two could play at that game if she wanted to, she would learn. Her first mistake? Turning her back to him. Didn't she realize what he was capable of?

Dropping off of the rooftop by a hanging arm, Alessandro couched down to take the fall easier. He tiptoed his way toward Eva. His fingers itched to reach forward and wrap into her hair. His blade hidden well beneath his robes... it would be so easy to slit her throat and walk away. She was a witness, he could easily weasel his way out of any trouble that came his way from the master - so long as he gave her rights to her.

"You know, it's not kind to call someone an idiot when they spared you your life not more than a few days ago. In fact, I think it would polite to do the exact opposite. Thank me," Alessandro urged, lingering just a foot or so behind her. Not too close that she should be too alarmed but close enough that he could silence her and get away if the need arose. "Well?"

The pebble sailed past her head and his the ground with a thunk, and only then did Eva realise how close it had come to hitting her. She froze, but only for a little moment before returning to feverishly work on the leather piece. She did not hear him come near, briefly hoped he had vanished off and away, but when he spoke her hope plummeted.

She didn't look up, focused on her leather piece. "It's not kind to creep into rooms at night either but you still do that," she pointed out. Grasping some more seeds she threw them to the chickens that were unnerved by his presence. Eva set down her piece and only then looked over at him over her shoulder. "I'm only thankful for you sparing me of his disgusting presence so there's your gratitude." She picked up the leather, set it aside and picked up another. Pushing her hair back behind her ear, she leaned over lightly and started to take off her shoes.

"At least don't stand there, you bother the chickens. Teppista." She picked up her two sewn leather pieces and placed them into a trough of water, hitched up her skirt to her mid thigh and stepped into the water, starting to tread on them, glancing at the stranger. "Are you worried I'd tell someone?" She teased, as dangerous as it was to tease an assassin. But a lot had happened in the past few days and she was a little on edge. She needed some sort of relief.

Alessandro had to fight hard not to roll his eyes. He drew in a deep breath and pushed away the swell of anger that threatened to bubble over. It wouldn't do to lose his cool on her, especially in the middle of a home that reeked of danger. So he simply snorted and looked away, crossing his arms. "No. What isn't kind is toying with people, uses their weaknesses for your own gains. Abusing those around you," Ales paused, raised a brow as she began to speak again. "You seem to understand at least one of the reasons I first visited. Was that so hard, tesoro?"

Ignoring her direction the move, Ales only raised his foot when a chicken began trying to get at the seeds that had landed too close to him for comfort. Suddenly, Alessandro's head shot up and his eyes narrowed, his attention focused on the redhead that was now standing in a bucket of water.

"Tsk, tsk. Go ahead. Try and scream, I'd just love to hear you since I was robbed of that the other evening," Ales spoke, his voice low and hard. A warning. Eva had given him no real reason to act and so he wouldn't, not yet. "I'm sure you'll drown before anyone can come to your rescue," Alex's comment was made carefully as he motioned with his chin toward the tub that she was now standing in.

"It's not the wisest of decisions to put yourself in a compromising position with an assassin standing not more than a foot away, tesoro. I would think that's simple knowledge, no?"

So righteous and so good. Eva wanted to lightly roll her eyes but refrained from doing so. He wasn't any more innocent than the man he killed. None of them were, in all honesty. Not even the priests that preached their sainthood on the steps of churches. They all cheated and lied at some point, and there was no redeeming. And no use trying to redeem. At least, she didn't think so. You made mistakes, or you said bad things, so what. Live on.

Raising her head, she dared a small smirk, studying his face, "Oh? You'd like to hear me scream?" She gave a small laugh. If it weren't for his current firm tone, she would have thought something else entirely, and she would have teased him about it, but she decided he didn't have a sense of humour and a little joke was not worth her life. Reckless in the mood as she was, she still had some sense. "I think, if you had wanted to kill me, you would have done that a little while ago when I wasn't aware of your presence. Or you know, two nights ago." She continued to knead the leather in the water, looking down, "Is that not how an assassin works?"

Stepping out, Eva pulled out the leather and hung it on a nearby rope that hung across and got about to wiping her legs with a cloth. She threw the cloth to the side and tip toed over to her shoes, still holding her skirt up a little. "I don't care for his death. I don't care to turn you in. If you really want to kill me, assassin as you are, just do it when I'm not looking. I'd rather not know death came." She sighed, dropped her skirts and looked at him, pushing her lips into a small pout. "I wasn't aware assassin's called their victims sweethearts," she permitted herself a small smile, "I didn't hear you say that to Rossi."

"Sure," Alessandro paused, giving a nod of his head as if to confirm what she said. "If I had wanted you dead, you would be. That doesn't mean that things can't change." Shrugging a shoulder, Ales turned his head this way and that, to gauge which direction that he needed to be most wary of. He decided to face Eva, hopeful that should someone walk up behind him that he would either hear them or that Eva would somehow alert him to the impending interruption.

"I don't think you know anything about how I, or any other assassin works, tesoro," Alessandro answered, taking on a condescending tone. There was no way in Hell that a little servant girl had any sort of clue as to how the Creed worked, she had probably heard horror story after horror story that made her fear the shadows as a child. Little truth were in the tales that the children of the world had grown up with.

Closing the distance between the two of them, Alessandro flashed a mischievous smirk, eyes shining with amusement. Eva was already proving to be entertaining, so easy to poke and prod until she was all worked up. Raising a hand, Ales dared to trail his thumb over her bottom lip. "Rossi was anything but a sweetheart. No need to call someone like him anything other than the bastard that he was."

Alessandro perked up at the sudden sound of approaching footsteps, his eyes scanning the rooftops that surrounded the area that they stood in. "Enjoy your day, tesoro," he called, glancing back with the same sort of grin that he wore the first time that he had left her alone. Ales turned, jogging toward the pillar that stood on the outskirts of the clearing. Easy enough to climb.

Change? So in the future, he would want to kill her? Somehow that unsettled her more than if he were to admit he would kill her here and now. Because it meant waiting, and she hated waiting. She huffed lightly, watching him look around, feeling minute satisfaction in that he had to be careful. Not as a much a free life.

"You come, you kill, you go. Simple, something like that?" She blinked at him, feeling a little small and inferior and not liking it one bit. Of course, she assumed that there would be some information finding, but that was the extent of her knowledge. How they worked remained a mystery to her and would remain so for a very long time for she had no intention of finding out how. She simply did not care. No need to stuff her head with useless information.

Her feeling of smallness only increased as he stepped forward. She locked in on his lips, for that was the most she could see, the hood was rather low and covered the rest of him, and she found she could not move. As if the mouth would give her any indication of what to do. Eva jerked her head lightly as his thumb settled on her lip but was too surprised to move away, only enough to furrow her brows and want to stomp a little. How dare he, putting his grimy paw on her. She would cut that hand off! If she could.

His comment about Rossi was something she had to agree with, and would have said more but there were steps and her eyes darted to the sound, and when she looked back, she only saw that pathetic little grin on his face and he was on the pillar and then away. She hoisted the bucket of seeds onto her hip, called him an hooligan and turned to face the madam as she approached to check on Eva's work. All was good. Eva was dismissed, sent to help down in the lower levels of the house, and only the next day, she was sent out again, into the markets, full of people and children, darting in and out. She kept the coins tucked away in a safe spot where little thieves would not get it, and hugged her basket close to her hip, browsing through apples and pears at one stall, picking them up and bringing them to her nose to smell for ripeness. She was friendly with this particular seller, an old lady, lovely fair lady. Provided the best of fruits. Her day was more than going well - no assassin and no dumb kids pulling her dress - when she caught sight of Francesco, a handsome man, but a man who was known to sleep around with every lady there was in town, and currently had his sights on four ladies, one of whom she was.

Eva paid for the fruit, and turned away, hurrying down the stalls to hopefully get away from the pathetic flirt. In doing so, she ended up near an alley, dark and gloomy it was, but the stall beside it sold fresh potatoes and she needed those, stopping by and having a look through, deciding which to buy.

"Something like that, yeah," Alessandro answered, a smile quirking onto his lips as he gave her a nod. Sure, she could believe it was that simple. Most did. Most didn't know the rules that assassins lived by nor did they desire to know because if they did, they would begin to understand that assassins were not the evil monsters within shadows that so many believed them to be.

---

The promise of fresh fruits and not the typical, drab meals that Alessandro was used to had him out in the streets with only one location in mind. The market in the center of the town was filled with various vendors from those that sewed blankets to those that came into town from their farms with the freshest fruit that he could get his hands on.

Alessandro rounded the corner and slowed to a stop when he spotted Eva at the booth he had meant to go to. It truly was a small city. Rolling his shoulders to relax them further, Ales began making his way through the crowds. When he was little more than a few feet away, he let out the same, shrill chirp that he had used to gain her attention the day before. He stepped around to the other side and let it out again before he finally sided up to her. The fruits forgotten, Ales reached forward to pick up a potato, tossing it lightly into the air before he glanced her way. That same smile had returned, he was enjoying playing this cat and mouse game with her. If anything, it provided him some sort of amusement that wasn't regular. While he wasn't actively working, he didn't think it would hurt. Toying with her didn't go against his codes, Ales was simply going to enjoy this as much as he could, while he could, until another job whisked him away.

"You seem to have an admirer who can't take his eyes off of you, tesoro," Ales spoke, shoving his hand into his robes. He pulled his hand free to produce a few bronze coins which he offered to the merchant, to cover whatever Eva desired from him. "Do I have some sort of competition that I need to know about?"

The potato was doing fine, and was looking promising, when the sudden familiar sound caught Eva's ear and she looked up sharply, glancing to where she had heard it come from. Please be a bird, she prayed softly, but seeing none except nearby pigeons, she returned her attention to the potato that she had clutched a little too hard. The merchant looked at her hand, momentarily worried she would squeeze the potato in half, and Eva relaxed it, flashing him a lovely smile. It seemed to calm him and he turned to another customer.

The whistle came again, closer this time, but Eva only gave a small tilt of her head into its direction - instinctively as she picked up the sound, but wished she didn't. She saw a hand appear and pick up a potato and somehow knew whose hand it was before she even had to look over, before she even heard his voice. She greeted him with pressed lips and no words of a good wellbeing. She could see his face now, and didn't hide the brief glance of actually studying his face. There was nothing wrong in looking at a person's face to commit it to memory. He was alright looking, not too bad, at the least. Better than that fat oaf.

She paid for her own few potatoes, packing them away neatly into her basket. It was getting a little heavy, but nothing she wasn't used to. She adjusted its position on her hip.

"Competition?" She echoed. What was that supposed to mean, that he was like this Francesco? "I'd rather you both jumped into a moat. I also happen to have a name other than tesoro, though I fear you hoodlum may already know it." She turned away from the potato stall and made her way to the next one, well aware of his presence, and well aware of Francesco, who seemed to have stopped making his way to her the moment this new man appeared beside her. She wasn't sure, in this moment, who she would rather have pester her. An assassin or a pervert? Or were they both the latter? She'd smack them both twice if she could. "It seems having you around is useful. Francesco suddenly doesn't seem so keen on buying potatoes." She commented, watching the man in the distance hesitate and study this stranger beside her.

Eva stopped at the next stall, although this one did not sell any fruit or vegetable. It had a display of pretty necklaces, and she had her eye on one. For a while now. She found it soon enough, a lovely black polished stone in the shape of a diamond. It was a little expensive, and her savings for the past month were nearing its price. Next week, perhaps, she would have it. She got a little excited, a smile creeping onto her face. She quickly set it down and turned away, least he catch on and tease her about it, or something. Or Francesco sees and comes later with it and trying to persuade her to bed with him and he'd gift her the stone.

(just okay looking, hm? )

"Fortunately for me, I know how to swim," Alessandro answered back, knowing precisely what she wanted and yet, he wasn't going to give her the satisfaction she sought. He lowered his head just enough in farewell to the merchant before he turned to follow after Eva.

"I have many uses outside of my profession," he confessed, eyebrows raising in mild amusement as he glanced toward Francesco. The man seemed a little peeved that Ales had appeared to dampen his day and being who he was, Ales couldn't help but to give a small wave with a cocky sort of grin. If he could help shield Eva from a potential pervert, all while bothering her of course, then he simply saw it as another perk. It wasn't as if he was after her physically, he had to be the better of the two.

Alessandro was quiet as she inspected a necklace not but a stall over. He raised an eyebrow, considering questioning her about the necklace before Eva turned to leave it behind before he could. The little excited smile on Eva's lips was enough to cement his suspicions and so he lingered by the stall even after she stepped away. A hand swept over over the necklace and he pulled away - the necklace was gone, in its place laid the coins that it would have cost. Shoving the necklace into his pocket, Ales followed after Eva.

"Tell me. I did not harm you, I have not, and have no intention to. I rid you of someone that, from my understanding, did not treat you all that well and yet you treat me as if I am somehow the source of your troubles. Why?" Alessandro were already beginning to grow bored walking through the market beside Eva and so, he wanted to press her, to get under her skin, to get osme sort of amusing reaction out of her without causing too much of a scene. It wasn't as if he wore anything that could identify his occupation, even if she yelled about who he was, many would simply look and think she was going mad.

"Unless you prefer bedding sour, old men who smell worse than they look," Ales continued, his face scrunching in disgust at the thought of Ricardo. The man had made even his skin crawl, what a feat. "Then I'm sure I can find someone who wouldn't mind whisking you away."

[Oh it's definitely more and she knows it ]

Eva blinked at him, resisting the urge to express her wishes that he would drown anyway. It's not that she hated him, no, he was quite alright. She just couldn't put her mind to why he would wish to hang around her. Didn't he have more fat oafs to kill? She almost missed some kid trying to clamber for a fruit in her basket. She smacked the hand away and the little boy ran away. Silly hooligan. He'd grow up to be a thief, or a hoodlum like this man in beside her. Behind her. In fact, where was he? Eva looked around, disappointed with herself that she actually cared that he had stepped away for a second, but he was right behind her as if nothing ever happened.

She shifted the basket onto her other hip, examining some more vegetables at the next stall. Some greenery and tomatoes joined the others in her basket. There was only one more stop to go to. The bakery, for some bread and a small treat for herself. At his question, she looked up at him. In the sunlight and up close, she noticed his eyes. A pretty greyish blue, or something close. Crystal clear. "Because you are a scoundrel, busting into people's rooms at night." She tried to keep the idea out of her words, but if one could read through the lines they would see and understand. She was ashamed, embarrassed, that he - a complete stranger - had seen her in such a revealing nightly attire! Fat oaf made her wear something so damn stupid, and now this man who she didn't even bed knows more than she'd like for him to know. It was such a petty small thing, but it got her so riled up. It was like giving a customer a taste of a fruit but they do not buy it and walk away, and now you have a bitten fruit that gave you no gain. What a waste.

"No, I don't," She replied quietly, starting to walk again, headed for the bakery. "I like me a strong, handsome man," she felt a small cheeky smile creep onto her lips, glancing back at him, as if to say that the following were nothing like him, to tease, "Smart and successful, with good coin." Of course, these were dreams and a girl like her would at best marry a merchant, she would not have wealth, but at least there would be some coin. She knew how to haggle and trade, how to sew and wash and do house chores. And she would learn what she needed to help her husband.

Eva turned to look at him, feeling adventurous and reckless once again. "Why do you care so much about whom I bed? Hm? I don't even know your name." She tilted her head, raising her brow, a small smug smile on her lips. They stopped by the bakery.