Catching At the Wind

"I don't do what I do, to people who are innocent. That goes against everything I was taught, everything that we know as a whole," Alessandro answered back with a huff. He rolled his eyes, looked away with gritted teeth. It was exactly what he had thought. Eva knew very little about the Order, knew so very little about what they did and the why. So many people thought they were nothing more than a group of angry thugs that went around killing with little regard of the consequences when in reality that was the exact opposite of what went on behind closed doors. Yes, they killed but no, not without heavy consideration of anyone that it could potentially affect.

Alessandro gave her the fuel that he needed and he couldn't help the grin that bubbled onto his features. This was almost too easy. "I'm strong, I've been told I'm handsome, too," he paused, glancing over to her out of the corner of his eye, brow raised. Did she agree? Most women that he entertained, even for just a night, seemed to. "Have to be smart to do what I do. I'm successful in what I do, I've likely got a larger collection of coin that Rossi did. So... I guess what you're saying is that you want to go home with me? I wouldn't be opposed, I do have a thing for redheads." Not necessarily any more true that it was untrue but she didn't need to know that.

Stepping into the bakery after Eva, Ales appeared alarmed by her question. He could tell her his name but that would lead to her possibly outing him. If she went to the wrong person, said that the assassin who killed Rossi was named Alessandro... well, it would lead to a less than ideal situation for him. Instead of offering his name, Ales gave a stiff smile. "Perhaps if we get to know each other a bit more, if I can trust that I don't have to worry about your pretty little mouth running, you will," he finally answered, voice lowered so that only Eva would hear him. Many of the walls had ears, both friend and foe. No need for someone to think Eva was a way to get to the order, Ales or another assassin.

"What is your favourite treat?" Ales asked suddenly, eyeing the goods with a longing. Rarely did he ever indulge in food that would have been considered bad, he needed to keep his body in top condition. Breads and starches simply wouldn't do to serve that very well. He would just have to settle with offering to buy her something, even if she declined, Ales would feel less guilty about what she had unfortunately had to witness.

Everything we know as a whole. Eva caught the little 'we'. Of course, she knew there were others. But she had previously thought that maybe they were many small individual organisations, or loner assassins - the type you hired to beat up a rich guy on his way home from a walk. Somehow it felt now that it was a bit more than that. She didn't know how this all worked, she was just a servant. "That's not what I was talking about." She bit her lip, looking up at him, noticing the clench in his jaw but relieved he didn't catch on anyway.

She gave an audible scoff when he started to boast about himself. She couldn't disagree, but she didn't want to audibly agree so that he could boast and enjoy his moment more. Not helping herself, Eva stuck a little of her tongue out at him, "Oh, so that's why you're here? You saw a bit of shoulder and now you're all in?" She flicked her hand and turned away, mainly to hide her self satisfied smile. He liked redheads? She'd have to keep a note on that. Tease him later maybe. "In your dreams."

The bakery smelled so fresh and delicious, and for it was still morning, most of the bread was freshly made and still available. She started from the left, picking up a few loaves. She adjusted her tone to his, keeping her voice just as quiet and low, looking up as she picked up two loaves. "What's my benefit of giving you out? You kill people I don't like without me having to lift a finger. Less fat oafs to be pestered by." She looked at the two loaves in her hands and then at his empty hands and held them out to him, if not pushed them into his hands. She didn't have four hands, and he could make himself useful.

"My favourite treat?" She had picked up another loaf of bread and eyed him. What was this all of a sudden? "It is on the other side of city and hangs in a garden on a few branches of thin bushes. It's pink and it's sweet." A raspberry, but the name of which she did not know, but she had tasted it once, and she had seen in grow in abundance and rich girls pluck them from little bushes and eat them. Surely he would not go racing all the way there just to bring them to her. That'd be silly.

She turned to the seller, and once she caught his eye, she approached, putting the three loaves of bread onto the counter, and puffing her chest a little, leaning forward and batting her eyes, her voice low as if she were telling him quite a whisper. The seller was a young man, foolish for pretty looks. He was all eyes the moment her dress slid a little lower than usual on the chest. Eva tilted her head a tiny bit, exposing more of her neck to him, feeding the imagination. "I was wondering," she cooed, putting a finger to her lips, "If you still have any spares of those pastry rolls."

The man nodded and stumbled away to get them. Free for her. He returned, Eva paid for the three loaves of bread and sorted that all into the basket, turning to leave, glancing about for her mysterious companion.

"Oh? Then what were you talking about, tesoro?" Ales inquired, pursing his lips as he eyed her. He was curious and didn't think that whatever her answer ended up being would harm anything. Later on, when sales retired to the bureau, he would tell himself that it was all in the name of having anothe ear out and about in the city. Should he need information that Eva could potentially have, it would be far easier to gain that if she considered him a friend of some sort.

Alessandro couldn't help the sort of bitter laugh that sounded from his lips. He gave a shake of his head, not bothering to look up to her now. "Hardly, I've much more important things to do than to indulge in physical pleasure. Need I give you coin for simply accompanying you on the errands you're taking care off?"

At the mention of her favourite treat, Alessandro frowned. His mind races with possibilities. A berry of some sort, either a strawberry or a raspberry. He didn't bother to truly acknowledge her answer, only stood back as Eva worked her magic on the poor baker boy. He returned and she paid for the bread before Ales stepped forward. He gave a wave of his hand and produced the coin required for the Danishes he'd picked. One for Eva, one for himself for he was curious as to what a berry filled Danish would taste like. They were small, it wouldn't do too much harm.

With the treats in hand, Alessandro turned to lead the way back out the front door. He held out one while taking a small, tentative bite of the one intended to be his.

"I've got a present for you, if you decide to behave." Ales couldn't help the grin that appeared then, that stretched from ear to ear. "Though I'm sure if you don't want to be, I can find another for the gift to be given to." Peek her curiosity, encourage her to behave so to speak.

"Nothing, don't worry." She said, a little too quickly perhaps and looked away, playing with her bottom lip trapped between her teeth. Better forget and put the night behind them, and that way maybe it won't be so embarrassing to stand in front of him.

At the mention of him paying her for simply accompanying her, she rolled her eyes, running a hand through her hair as they stepped outside. "Oh, you make me sound like a courtesan," she said, giving his arm a little light slap that was not intended to hurt but rather prod and poke. She, by habit, scanned the street for Francesco though he seemed to have vanished, and so she relaxed, stepping out into the crowd.

The offered present was outstretched, and she peered over at it. A Danish pastry? She looked up at him, then down at the little treat in his hand. Why? To behave? She focused her gaze on him, trying to figure out what he meant. Behave had many different meanings to her, be they pronounced in different contexts. The treat looked delicious however, so she was curious for the terms. "On what terms?" She eyed the treat, considered his offer, slowly starting to reach for it without even noticing her hand was moving towards the pastry. "Behave how?"

If he asked her to do anything strange or weird, she would refuse of course. Spilling his details to any guard was out of the question, she didn't have to be paid to do that. She was thankful and that was enough. They moved through the lesser crowded side of the markets, and for it was not a long walk back to the village of her residence, she started to slow down as they neared it. She didn't want to go back in just yet. There was work to do, while here she merely had to put up with a mysterious stranger. Who was somewhat pleasant to look at.

Alessandro rolled his eyes and when Eva started to reach for the pastry, he shoved it into her hands unceremoniously. "Relax. That's not the present I meant," he muttered, sarcasm thick. Following just a step behind her but still to her side, Ales' eyes scanned the crowd as they moved throughout the streets that grew less and less crowded as they walked.

"I simply ask that you treat me with a bit more respect. I don't believe I have done anything to offend you, correct me if I am wrong," Ales answered with a small shrug of his shoulders.

Nearing Eva's home, Ales couldn't help but notice the way she slowed her steps. She was reluctant to return and he couldn't say that he blamed her, he would likely feel the same way if he was in her shoes. Clearing his throat, Ales set his arms behind his back and turned to study her for a moment.

"I know what you saw was unfortunate. It was wrong of I to carry out the act with you laying beside him," Ales spoke, regret sneaking it's way into his tone. He frowned and turned away, his eyes narrowing as he glared at a spot on the ground a few feet away from where they stood. Reaching a hand into a hidden pocket, Ales produced the necklace from the stand earlier and held it out to her.

"Consider it a gift. Please understand that traumatizing you was not ever my intention," Ales said softly, turning back to her with a raised brow.

The pastry was in her hands and in her basket before anyone could even blink. It was not for her own later pleasure that Eva saved this pastry for. But for a friend who didn't get to have such delicious things as often. Besides, it wasn't the present as she had thought it would be, so no need to eat it right before him.

"Respect?" She looked at him, running a hand through her lower hair, combing it into place with her fingers, "Would you like me to call you Signore?" She flashed him a small cheeky smile, teasing out the word. Though she honestly had no idea how she even disrespected him, sort of oblivious as she was. She shut her mouth and looked away, hearing regret. Why was he apologising? She was sour, yes, but she understood. If there had been any other girl, she would have screamed instantly. Eva thought that, for her having remained somewhat level-headed, he should be thankful a little. Not sorry. Nobody cared for the fat man.

Feeling rather guilty for being so harsh with him for he certainly seemed to be nice, Eva looked away, fingers working to braid her hair. "It had to be done." Even if she pretty much all but passed out the moment the lights came on and she saw all the blood coming out of the mans head. Looking down into his hand, her eyes widened at the sight of the necklace and she quickly looked up at his face. How did he know? When? Was this a joke? It wasn't really that expensive for any merchant, quite the average price, but for her it was still quite the savings, and yet she felt no joy in just receiving it. She but her lip, fighting the small fire of excitement and trying to put it out.

"I cant." She shook her head, even stepping a little away. It was an effort. She really wanted it but her own little ways of life were solid and she couldn't break them, not even for this. "In a week, if you... I.,, I'll pay." She fumbled with her words and the little folds of her dress. She was flustered, possibly blushing a bit. He would find this so stupid. She was a fool, in his eyes at the very least!

(Jesus my last post was short I'm sorry I wrote it on my phone and it looked fine.)

"Signore would be a respect afforded to those above me," Alessandro answered, her attempt at humor going over his head. He pursed his lips, eyebrows pulling together. He couldn't quite figure out what she was getting at and it frustrated him. Most of the time, things came so easily that whenever things were hard to piece together, it irked him. As an assassin, Alessandro was supposed to be able to do pretty much anything that came his way without even so much as a moment's hesitation.

"Yes. But you seem to struggle with that fact," Ales spoke, giving a shrug as he watched her. His frown only deepened as Eva stepped away. Why? Had he done something to offend? He took a step forward to close the distance that she had suddenly created.

Alessandro huffed at her response but didn't say a thing. He took a step to the side and shifted around so that he was behind her. He lifted the necklace to her neck and fixed the fastener before stepping back away from her. "Wear it, enjoy it. I'm sure you've done more than enough to deserve it," he answered, letting his hand linger a moment too long on the crook of her neck.

Ales stepped back around to face her front and offered her a small smile. "I don't need you to pay me. It has been payed for, not stolen so don't worry your pretty little head about that, alright?" He couldn't suppress the grin that grew. "At the very most, don't be surprised if I visit a time or two. A pretty girl like you can spare a minute or two every now and then, can't you? Besides I think I served you a purpose with your admirer today. So now you owe me back."

[it was fine!! ]

Eva felt a little awkward and all the more foolish when he didn't react to her poor little joke. To hide it she kept working with the folds of her dress, and toying a little strand of straw coming off from the basket. "Well I," she began, "Do not fancy the sight of blood." She refrained from saying she would faint if there were lots, she didn't want to appear so weak. At least, she was working on trying to come to terms with it but it was quite the challenge. Blood should be inside one person, not out!

She also refrained from mentioning her own state that he found her in. He seemed oblivious to it. Good!

Eva didn't have to catch on to where he was going. She saw him move and when she looked up he was gone, except really he was already behind her and she felt the cool stone and necklace chain touch her skin. Her hand instinctively went to her chest to find the polished little black stone. She wished there were a mirror to admire it. Eva looked up at the stranger.

Another visit? Or two? What nonsense! She thought, to cover the small glimmer of hope of seeing him again. He entertained her otherwise boring trips. She reached into her basket, fumbling around to find the ripest Apple and shoved it into his hands with her other hand giving him a gentle push on the chest, exclaiming, "Hoodlum!" Though her voice was light and the small smile that she struggled and failed to hide danced on her lips. Silly man! The small pink blush on her cheeks was quite evident too, and she felt it's warmth grow.

With a small very girly flick of her hand, she whirled away from him, dress flaring out to the sides a little as she circled away, and hurried to the gate of the residence through which servants entered (for they stopped quite near it) and opened it, hurryin inside and shutting it. Not only two seconds later though she opened it and stuck her head out. "The plaza! At four!" She would be there. If he so wanted to see her again and protect her from Francesco. She hoped he would. She hurriedly shut the gate again and hurried inside to the Madam.

What a peculiar man. Though his chest felt nice.

Alessandro was surprised by the apple that was shoved into his hand. He looked down to it and by the time that he looked back up, Eva was walking away from him. His frown deepened and he went to take a step forward, only to freeze in his spot when he realized just how close they had ended up to Eva's home. It wouldn't do to follow her straight inside, questions would arise and that would do no good.

Beginning to turn away, Alessandro's attention was brought back to the house when he heard a voice shouting at what he presumed to be to him. He glanced behind him and grinned as he caught sight of Eva. He gave a slight nod of his head and turned back to go on his way, lifting the apple to his mouth to take a bite. Ales let out a groan, his eyes fluttering shut as he savored the first bite. He had no time to return back to the market so would have to settle for the fruit that he had been given.

---

He had been hopeful that tomorrow would go the way the past day had - a day off to enjoy himself and yet, the pounding at his door was enough to tell him otherwise. God, he hoped whatever target that he was waking up to would be someone important because waking up so unceremoniously on a day that he shouldn't have, well, Ales was already in a sour mood.

Dressing in his assassin robes, Alessandro left the bureau shortly after receiving the name of his next target. It was all he ever had to work off of, all he ever needed to carry out his work.

The day wore on, Alessandro paid no mind to the time until the clock struck four and he counted them for what was the first time today. His heart skipped a beat as he realized just how late it had gotten without he even realized. Ales turned from the spot he had been using to observe and began to rush through the shadows, toward the market in the center of town. Ducking into the area from a side path, Ales began searching for Eva.

Alessandro sneered at the sight that greeted him once he finally had - Francesco was standing too close to her for him to be comfortable. Stepping through the crowd, he sided up to Eva and slid an arm around her waist without a word. "You should probably go before you get into trouble," Ales spoke to the man, his voice hard as he leaned even closer to Eva. He gave a dismissive wave of his hand, "now."

The night was spent adventurously. Dressed in a young courier's clothes, her hair tied up and hidden under the cap and pinned securely in place, with a small satchel over her shoulder, Eva travelled the streets to the centre of the city, scaling the walls of a nearby cemetery and creeping about until she reached the prisoner cells. Crouching by one small window at ground level, she tapped the bars and passed a piece of loaf, a fruit, and the Danish pastry to the man inside, conversing with him quietly before disappearing into the night. It was a dangerous job, but it was the least she could do for him. She had memorised the guard's positions and time of positions well enough to avoid them.

Little could be said for the morning, but by four she was at the plaza, along with the rest of the crowd, for there would be executions and they had gathered to watch for their entertainment as murderers and other like prisoners would be punished. She came to look out for a face.

Unfortunately, Francesco sought her out before her mysterious companion showed up (would he even?), and continued to pester her with offers of this and that, for the next few minutes.

"No, Francesco," Eva said, politely though, pushing away his hand from her arm, "I'm not interested in your gardens, or your villa. I'm sure its a nice place. I'll be fine if I don't see it, I assure you."

He would have said something else, begged or something, but suddenly the assassin showed up, his arm around her waist. Eva would have also liked to push that away and scold him, (how dare he go all touchy with her!), but she didn't get a chance to even squeak, trapped between two men that glowered at each other. She felt small under their egos.

"Trouble?" Francesco straightened. He was the same height as the assassin, and an excellent swordsman, and perhaps he did look quite alright and most ladies would have liked to be the centre of attention but they all came too easy and he did enjoy a challenge. "I wasn't aware that courting a lady, a young and single lady is so any trouble." He wasn't going to leave anywhere. Especially not when this man's arm was around his person of interest. "Excuse you, sir, I have just as many rights to be here as you do."

Eva didn't say anything, producing a small bun from her little basket (smaller than yesterday's), and biting into it, as if to pretend she didn't hear a thing.

Ales snorted as the man straightened up because he had little fear that if it came right down to it, Alessandro would be able to handle himself. Afraid that if a fight broke out, Eva would be harmed, Alessandro sidestepped and pushed the lady behind him so that now there was nothing more than space between Francesco and he. He glanced behind long enough to offer Eva a simple, mischievous grin but noting that she was trying her best to pay no attention, he turned right back around.

"Perhaps you are right that Eva is single but she has already told you no, multiple times from my understanding. I just witnessed once and I'm sure had I not found her yesterday, she would have been dealt with the same issue," Alessandro explained, head cocked slightly to the side as he studied Francesco. His fingers itched, begging to reach for the throwing knives hidden so neatly within the folds of his robes. Or the hidden blade resting beneath his sleeves. Even if Francesco yielded a weapon, Ales would strike and hopefully flee the scene before he could be caught. Stay under the radar for a long while after.

"Besides. Have you ever had the pleasure of kissing someone like her? Beautiful red hair, luscious lips," Alessandro began to speak, a teasing tone to his voice but it was likely not taken well. He turned, slid his arm back around Eva's waist, and pulled her to him just as she reached for another bite of the bun. Instead he ducked his head down and pressed his lips to the side of her mouth, though it would appear to be a direct kiss.

Alessandro peaked up after a moment of his lips lingering, "find someone who is interested, signore, Eva has already been spoken for."

[TESTOSTERONE LEVELS SOARIN]

Eva didn't say anything as she was moved to the other side and found she was no longer between the two hoodlums, as much as she was thankful for the assassin's intervention, though she made no face, continuing to busy herself with the bun. She was quite aware of the side looks people gave them, and wanted nothing more than the ground to open up and swallow all three, and preferably fall into two divided tunnels. How silly men were, getting all riled up like this!

Francesco scowled as she was moved out of sight, turning his attention back to this scoundrel in front of him. "And what, she said yes to you? Who are you even? I haven't seen your face around, perhaps you are not so important." He smirked, thinking he was so witty and smart, though the smirk quite literally fell off his face the moment the man mentioned kissing her. No. That was too far. That was quite over the line and no, Francesco had not had the pleasure for no matter how much he tried he never quite succeeded and forcing himself on was not in his ways. That would only turn off the lady.

His scowl deepened as the man turned around and gathered Eva in for a kiss. For anyone who was around and watching, there was a collective small gasp. Such boldness.

Eva, on the other hand, did not expect anything for by this time she had quite zoned out and was facing away, only to find herself suddenly looking up at the assassin and pressed quite all up against him and then his lips were on her skin, and not quite her mouth, but the bun was very much forgotten. She, unwillingly, slackened in his grip quite melting at the intimacy, one hand pressing lightly on his chest, the other sitting on his shoulder and weakly holding the bun.

He pulled away, and she, all flustered, caught Francesco's very much displeased face.

"Is a kiss all you can offer her?" Francesco insisted, folding his arms. He wasn't leaving. No. Right now, right here, they would duel it out if it so went. He wasn't going to let some unknown man whisk a girl away right in front of a crowd. "No gold, no jewellery? No money, no house, no safety or support for the children she would bear?"

Alessandro had been worried for a moment that Eva would start beating against his chest, demanding he let her go and then for her to storm away. It would ruin all the fun that he was having at the moment riling up Francesco. The man was so easily flustered, Alessandro knew very well the type of man he was and he wasn't going to let the fun go that easily. Not yet, anyway.

"Jewellery?" He mirrored, raising a hand to flick at the necklace that still hung around Eva's neck. Ales had to admit it suited her well, complimented her skin tone in all the right ways. Maybe it made her appear a bit more pale but God, it did make him yearn to kiss her legitimately and not a hidden one.

Before Alessandro could continue down the list of things Francesco made, Eva tugged at one of his robes. He scowled at the man and turned to view the prisoners that were paraded through the crowd. People began pushing to get closer, a better sight of the soon to be executed, and there were a few that began to shout

Alessandro looked away, gritting his teeth. Public executions had never been something he was a fan of. He tightened an arm around her waist, lowering his lips to hover just by Eva's ear. "How about we venture somewhere a bit less..." He trailed off, face scrunching. What was the right word to use? "These things are never fun to attend," he tried again, letting his arm loosen around her. Alessandro didn't want Eva to feel trapped by any means.

Francesco was quite well and truly pissed, but the crowd's anticipation starting to rile up with the executions was also distracting and as they turned, he turned also, forgetting about the two for a moment. In fact, he disappeared altogether after bidding Eva a lovely good night, and shooting the assassin one more cold glare.

Eva peered through the crowd with big eyes. Four poor souls were being lead up to the stage, the third wearing some loose white pants and a blue shirt. He hung his head low, caked in blood from beatings. Eva felt her heart skip a beat. "No," she whispered to the man beside her, trying to loosen his arm a little to pull away. She heard him urge her away but no, she had to check, had to see. The moment the grip loosened, she slipped out, as if in trance and squeezed her way through the crowd, ducking here and there under waving arms. Only when the four prisoners were up on the stage in full did she finally stop to look. The man reading out their crimes took a good while before he got to the man in the blue shirt with the head hung low and grasped his hair, jerking so that everyone could see his face.

Eva's shoulders dropped. The man was not her friend. She didn't stick around to hear his crimes (some rapist or something), turning and hurrying back to her stranger-friend, and now being the one to urge him on and away from the crowd. She didnt want to see the blood and the head chopping. Nope. Just the tension and sense of looming death in the air made her feel quite sick. There was an alley quite a little while away, close enough to go to, but far enough to not see nor hear the horrible cutting sounds. That was where she rushed to, slowing down in it and leaning by the wall to catch her breath, fumbling for the necklace to make sure it was still there. Somewhere along the way she had lost her delicious bun. Luckily though she did not lose her money pouch. Looking up at the assassin, she gave him a soft pout. "Please don't kill him, Francesco I mean. He's sour and quick to anger but he is fair." She rubbed her arm, unsure of what else to say. Here all alone in some shady alley with a man who had his way with her in front of quite the many people. If mother saw her now, she would be in shock! Though, she had to admit, it was sort of exciting.

Alessandro moved to follow after Eva when she disappeared into the crowd but quickly realized that wouldn't be happening. He straightened up, his eyes searching through the crowd for her. Only once his eyes had landed on the familiar redhead did he relaxed a bit but he still stood tall as to keep his eyes fixated on her.

When Eva turned away from the nearing executions, Alessandro moved through the crowd to intercept her. He was wordless as he followed, figuring that she knew just as well as he did where they could step away. Once in the alley way, Ales had to admit that he'd been thinking of something a bit more charming than the brick that surrounded them.

"I've no intention on harming Francesco," Alessandro answered simply, leaning against the wall that was opposite Eva. "He did nothing horribly wrong. Maybe he doesn't understand the word no but unless he does something to draw the attention of the Creed, then he is in no danger."

Ales cleared his throat before he straightened a bit, studying her. "What was that all about back there? Do you know someone that is to be executed? You were rather interested, if I can say so."

"The Creed?" She repeated, lifting her gaze from the bricks beneath her, to the bricks in front of her and then a little to the side to the man. What was the Creed? She was about to ask, but the realisation came and she uttered a soft 'oh'. The Creed was probably the organisation of assassins in which he worked. The 'we' as he called it. She wondered how many of them there were. What would another assassin have done in his place, that one night?

Did they know everything? She rushed her thoughts to her dear friend, and felt overly protective. She wouldn't dare mention his name, and as long as she spoke nothing that could identify him, nor what he had done, maybe she could - just in case - protect him and maybe these Creed people won't come for him. They got rid of bad people, right? Murder was… bad too.

"Oh, oh no." She shook her head, looking away quickly. "No, just a man, he just looked familiar but it wasn't my friend. Not that it should be. My friend has done nothing wrong," She whispered the last sentence. She wasn't about to admit that she would visit the plaza on days of execution to watch out for that one face that currently sat in jail, the one she fed through bars at night so he wouldn't starve to death. He was not under any death penalty, yet. Yet. But the thought still terrified her.

She took a breath, finally regaining her composure and peeked at him. For a moment, she studied him, then let the words slip past her tongue onto her lips and dance their way across the air. Shyly, but trying to make it come off as simple innocent interest, she asked, "Where did you even want to go?"

"Come," Alessandro spoke, holding his hand out to her but when she faltered, he simply turned to lead the way through the alleys. To take her all the way into the Den was out of the question but he could take her elsewhere that she had never been before, without consequence. It wasn't as if she would be able to climb one of the towers without his aide, he figured it would be safe enough. They wouldn't need to worry about someone happening upon them or anything else unfortunate for that matter.

Once they reached a tower on the outskirts of the city, Alessandro looked to her with a small grin. "I hope you're not afraid of heights, are you?" He asked, raising an eyebrow as he studied her. Ales knew very little about Eva but she seemed to be be fierce, he doubted that even if she was afraid of heights, that she would be willing to admit to it in front of Ales.

Alessandro climbed below her, his eyes trained on her, ready to reach should she miss step. After what felt like forever to him, they reached the middle of the tower where there was a balcony that they could rest on. Lifting Eva over the railing, Alessandro pulled himself over before settled against the wall of the tower.

"Tell me about your friend. You said he did nothing wrong, is he being framed for a crime that he never committed?" Ales inquired, cocking his head to the side. He shook it quickly to bring the hood further over his eyes to block the sun so that he could properly see her.

Come, that being her entire answer and everything in her mind seemed to scream logic - don't go. But she automatically followed, as if on command. Her curiosity only grew more as they walked further from the city and finally stopped by a tower. She eyed it, thought, goodness, that's tall and turned to face him, all ready except then he asked about heights and it clicked.

Sure, she wasn't afraid of heights from a three floor house, just wary, but any higher? She couldn't say. She hadn't been any higher. She couldn't be afraid of something she hadn't seen or done! Biting her lip with uncertainty, she eyed the tower, then reached into her basket and produced a ribbon, tying up her hair so it wouldn't blow about in the wind and get in her face while she tried to climb.

Then she bent down and fixed and tied her skirts so that they now somewhat resembled loose baggy pants. It wasn't so much that it was easier to climb in, but he needed not to look up her skirts! One kiss was quite enough for today. She took off her small heels also, for they were inflexible and impossible to climb in. She started off alright, though the higher they climbed the more uncertain she became. Just, don't look down.

At the top, with her feet finally on some solid ground, she stood, still somewhat trembling both from the physical exertion and the rush. "I'm surprised I made that," she said, rubbing her burning arms and her sore fingers. She wasn't quite sure about a way down. "Is there another way down, or something?"

She let loose her hair and began to feverishly comb it, not wanting the man to see how quite worked up she was over this little adventure. "My friend? Why would he do anything wrong? He's not in jail, I don't know what you're talking about." She blurted out, but seeing that he wasn't buying that, sighed softly. "No, he's not being framed. In fact, quite the opposite. There's not enough evidence to his crime yet so he's not being put on the death sentence. Nice jury, isn't it?" She rubbed her neck to relieve some stiffness. It was just a matter time.

Alessandro hadn't really been expecting for Eva to make it to the top, he had assumed that at some point, he would need to let her climb onto his back but he doubted that possibly all the same. Eva seemed standoffish, like she didn't want him any closer than he absolutely needed to be and he wasn't going to press the matter. Not yet, anyway.

"Another way down?" Ales echoed, brows furrowing as he looked to her. There was but then that would mean her getting quite a bit closer than he already had. More than a simple kiss, she would have to hold onto him. Would she rather that? Looking mildly amused, Ales reached to fix the sleeve that had begun to ride up his left arm. Couldn't have that.

"Sure. But do you trust me enough to jump?" Ales' tone barely contained the laughter that he wanted to let out. Eva had to have known some things, the simple things that everyone seemed to know. Assassins, they used shadows and height to their full advantage and no matter who was looking for one, it was unlikely that someone could catch sight of an Assassin unwillingly. "It's either climbing or you hold while I jump."

Alessandro looked up from his wrist to the girl, his frown only deepening as she attempted to explain her friend's predicament. "So your friend did commit a crime? What exactly happened? You seem to think whatever happened was justified."

"Jump?" Eva echoed, looking alarmed. Jump? Where? From where? To where? "Off this tower?" She asked quietly, as if afraid that was not the answer and she looked stupid, and that actually there was just a ladder nearby and he was pulling her leg. She looked around, but saw nothing that could even suggest what he was on about. "Where are you going to land?" She recalled the height, "You'd break your legs!" She was genuinely concerned now. If he was before mysterious and dangerous, now he was all that but also insane. At least, in her understanding. For she had limited understanding of assassins, only that they crept in shadows and could vanish or appear in the blink of an eye.

She noticed him toying with the sleeve of his wrist, but paid no attention. Probably had some dagger in there, didn't he stab the fat guy with something, although he had nothing in his hands? She wasn't sure. Maybe he was holding something. It was dark, after all.

"If I tell you anymore, you'll find him and do things to him, probably. He's fine where he is, let him be." She was worried now, hoping she didn't speak so much as to give away her friend. Her friend, Giovanni, did commit a murder, he did it in revenge but so well and clean that they couldn't pinpoint him being involved directly. She knew it was wrong, and he knew it was wrong too so he didn't resist. It was 'worth it' in his eyes. Eva was just stubborn and didn't want to see him go. Should this assassin find him... She felt a little cold and meekly peered up at the man, "Please, leave him be."