Catching At the Wind

"Jump?" Alessandro echoed, an amused grin taking over his features. It seemed that Eva truly knew so very little about what he was, what he did, and likely, why. If she didn't understand the technicalities, there was no way that she would be able to understand the more philosophical reasons behind what they did. Alessandro did what he did, along with every other Assassin, because someone needed to speak for those that had no voice and couldn't defend themselves. For the servants of the world, the wives married to abusive men, the children that had been raised wrong. Many of those within the Creed's ranks fell into at least one of the categories.

Moving to his feet, Alessandro made his way toward the edge of the landing, leaned over the railing, and motioned to somewhere below. "Down there somewhere, I would venture a guess." He glanced over to her with a cheeky grin. "I've done it a thousand times before, if there's anyone you can trust to do it, I'm the guy," he explained, gave a shrug with only one shoulder. "It's a family thing, tesoro. I'm not going to dishonor my family name by breaking a leg with such a simple jump."

"If he did something justified, perhaps I can help him," Alessandro answered in return, moving back to the tower so that he could lean against him but didn't lower himself into a sitting position this time. "Let it be what you want, if your friend needs help, and I can provide it, I will. The Creed has homed more than enough trouble causers, he would be no different." An offer to help her friend came with an unsaid clause - if her friend ended up with Alessandro's help, and began this lifestyle, there was little room to stray off of the path laid before him. You either abided by the rules laid out or you became the next target.

Watching him move over and gesture down somewhere made her heart skip a beat. He wasn't joking! A simple jump, he said, a simple jump! As if! Eva stood and peeked over the railing, then edged back away from the danger. She didn't have the strength in her arms to climb down, and there was no other way down apparently, so the jump would have to do. "If I fall climbing down, then it's my fault. If I die jumping with you, it's your fault," she mused quietly, and seeming satisfied that it wouldn't be her own blame (though it still technically would be her own stupidity for trusting such an insane man!). Oh, mother would be so mad if she saw this!

"He does not want help. He is at peace. He is content to die." She replied, but not without a small tone of despair. Selfishly she wanted to save him, but Vanni wanted nothing more in this world. It took away his wife and both his children and he had no will to live. He had no revenge now that he dealt with it, and he simply did not care. It was a terrible, terrible situation but no matter how much Eva pleaded with him, he wouldn't budge. He would enjoy the pastries she brought, thank her and say nothing of escape, nor of his future.

She rummaged in her basket a little more and produced another small bun. "Do you still refuse to tell me your name?" Eva said then, wishing to change the topic, letting a small cheeky smile flash across her lips, "Even after being such a hooligan? Oh, you can't just scare Francesco away you know, I might just have to marry him." Her small grin turned into a light laugh. The thought of it was ridiculous! But it was, unfortunately, true. She would not be a young lady for long, she'd have to settle in and quick. Francesco could provide a decent income and a good home, and sure he was a bit creepy and very touchy, but he was still a possible suitor. Eva was not so stupid as to completely reject him. She kept him around for a reason, put up with his nonsense for a reason. Didn't let him have his way with her but kept her distance, but still occasionally let a hand grab hers or an arm slip around her waist now and then, for that was the way to keep him interested, keep him near. "You can't go around claiming I've been spoken for when you haven't yourself." She took a small bite of her bun, watching him with amusement. For the little while she knew him, she reasoned that with him, it was like playing with a big cat; sometimes he got angry and hissed, sometimes he purred.

"Your friend left no evidence behind or so you say. Perhaps he just needs another reason. There are many out there like him. If you see him again, propose the idea to him. If he accepts, We will meet with him," Alessandro offered though it wasn't a light one. He would not be the only one to meet with her friend, the master of this sector would have to as well considering how old Eva's friend must be. Old enough that he maybe was set in his ways a little too much for the organization to be of any help.

Alessandro saw the humor that Eva was trying to bring to the situation, he certainly did. For once. But the proposition was not something to be made fun of. He shook his head and looked away from her smiling face, to the horizon. "To marry an assassin takes someone that understands the risks, the potential harm that could come to kill their beloved or them self in an attempt to get to their beloved. It is no easy task, there's a reason so many of us don't have children and when we do, we're already too old to see them to their adulthood. The women, well, most of them don't bare children because it would be a slight hindrance to their life."

Fixing his gaze back on Eva, Alessandro had no clue where to go next. It would be easy to simply end the meeting but he had already finished his tasks for the day, what else would he even do?

"Besides, what would you even say to your family? Parents, siblings? They couldn't meet me, it would only put them in danger they did not pick."

"He is no killer," She looked up at the assassin and dropped the braid she made in her hair. Even though her friend did kill someone, he was as sweet and loving and peaceful as a flower, and meant no harm until that incident. "I'll let him know though."

Her smile that had been on her lips twitched uncertainly and dropped, guilty-like. She finished her small bun and wiped her hands on a small handkerchief. "I don't know where you got the idea that I would happily marry you because, believe me," she nervously laughed a little, "Those reasons you gave are exactly why I wouldn't want to." She heard about the women but she saw not how they would even consider a child. They were killing as their job. Did one who killed even know how to love? Could a woman with blood on her hands daily even bear to have a child? What if the target had to be a child? It was all a bit much. She stood, flashed him another lovely smile and shrugged. "Ah, my family is dead, and the dead don't care."

She leaned over the edge of the railing, scanned the area and then started over the side. "I suppose I'll make my own way down. If you cannot trust me with your name, Signor, I do not think I should trust you with my life." Eva grinned, covering much of the fear she currently felt racing in her body. Already her arms felt quite weak. But she couldn't blame someone so... ah, reserved? She did not know what to make of him. Her little attempt to lighten the mood only made things sour and not knowing how to fix it, she wished to hurry away. Even if meant quite literally sliding down the wall. Once sure that nobody was around, she started her way down, clinging to the rocks and ledges quite tightly and dared not think about anything until her feet were quite firm on the ground and she was marching away from the tower least he catch up and see how disappointed she was. Why did she care? Eva had no idea. Just another, just a man, just a guy - he'll be gone tomorrow!

---

The night was pleasant and warm, although the wind was somewhat chilly. All these things Eva felt even as she leaned by the bars of the cell, her heart racing. Vanni shook his head, "No. I am fine here. Content. Happy, if you wish."
"But Vanni," Eva fiddled with a loose string, "They could, maybe, give you another chance at life." But she saw the look in his eyes, full of nothingness and empty.
"I cannot kill another."

"But-" Eva began, breaking off when she heard voices in the distance. She straightened in her crouch like a rabbit on alert and looked towards the source. A light flickered on the ground. Guards! Eva didn't bid Vanni goodbye. She turned, darting away from the lights, and just as she turned the corner, she heard a shout behind her. "Who's there? Oi!"

Eva didn't look back, suddenly feeling quite aware and exposed. Her way in was her way out, sneaky and stealthy and unseen, but now these guards were out of their routine and she had fallen right into their vision. Why? When did this change happen? She ran by the wall, skidding to a halt as another group of guards turned around the corner of the large building at the end. They spotted her. Behind her, she heard the original group of guards running and shouting, demanding she stop. Eva momentarily forgot how to breathe. She glanced to her side. Between her and the fence and then the safety of the city was a good many meters. Already, guards by the gate were attracted to the noise. She only had that stretch to spring. The archers on the roof would surely pin her down.
Her toe dug into the ground and she pushed off, racing towards the high fence. She couldn't outfight these guards, but she could still outrun them. She had no skirts to hold her, only the clothes of this courier. Her identity was safe as long as she was free and far. The stretch of grass seemed to last forever, and she thought she'd never make it. From both sides behind her she heard the guards get closer. She saw guards run in to intersect her and had to turn a little diagonally away from them. And at last she reached the stone pillar of the fence, scrambling up onto it. An arrow whizzed past her head. A chill ran down her spine. She jumped down, hitting the ground harder than she would have liked. Pain flared up in her ankle, but she pressed on. Between her and the guards now was a fence, that would hold them off a while. But between her and the city's shadows was a long stretch, flanked by buildings she knew she couldn't even hope to climb. Another arrow whizzed past. Eva ran faster. The street seemed to go on forever, longer than the grassy yard but at last she turned a corner, and sprinted down the empty street, feet sore and legs burning, and she turned another corner, and made it halfway down the street, when she saw a shadow flash past in front of her, and turned her head a little just in time to feel someone land onto her, bringing her down to the ground. She didn't even get a chance to yell out, finding herself pinned and with the tip of a sharp blade at her throat and a hand on her mouth. A hooded man crouched over her, almost on her. Eva trembled, eyes wide, recalling ever so briefly that same moment so many nights when an assassin broke into the room.

This man was an assassin also, surely, but he was not that assassin, and surely he would kill her now. She whimpered into his hand, thankful only for the cap still attached to her hair (a miracle!), and her face smudged with a little soot and dirt to cover her features best she could, and her chest tightened to make her more boyish. Easily, she passed a young boy, one not having hit puberty just yet.

Alessandro had taken the hint from Eva, or had assumed that she wanted nothing more to do with him once she decided that climbing down the tower was a better option than clinging to his back as he jumped. He didn't linger atop the tower any longer than necessary, once Eva was far enough below that he could have climbed down after her, Alessandro climbed onto the railing and just like a thousand times before, pushed away the fear that clutched at his gut. Any remotely sane person would be afraid of jumping from a building so high up but there was no denying and he wouldn't pretend to even try. The fear was normal, to be expected, you just needed to learn how to overcome it and work through the paralyzing factor.

Nearly two weeks had passed and Alessandro thought that would be the end of it. Once, a few days after the unfortunate tower fiasco, he had gone to the markets in hopes of spotting Eva but had quickly returned to his duties when that had proved to not be possible. He had roamed through the crowds, called out the same whistle that had garnered her attention before, but had turned up with nothing. Alessandro wasn't going to hunt her down in her home, she had already made it very clear how she felt about such things and besides, that was more work than it was worth.

Yet another assignment that he had received just that morning in the leader's office, Alessandro was a little less than pleased to learn that he would be working with Daario, a man who had joined the Order not all that long ago but he still felt that he knew more than his peers. More than Alessandro, more than the mentors, and at times, Alessandro thought the bastard thought he knew more than the leader himself. How Daario had ever managed to end up in the Order, Ales did not, and would never, know. After a stern look from the leader, Alessandro had relented and turned to leave the office to ready himself for the coming night's events. Watch the guards, learn their routine all over again as they could never afford to be too careful. There were stories where assassins just sort of assumed and did not bother to verify facts and so they landed in precarious situations. As much as Daario hadn't wanted to, the man had agrees and shortly after dusk, they set off for the prison.

Each perched high above in opposite towers from the other, to get a good vantage point that could catch as much of the action down below as possible. Alessandro counted the guards, counted their steps, and how often the guards switched out. His eyes caught sight of a shadow darting below and he wondered for a moment if Daario had decided to be truly stupid and step down without so much as a single warning. All that was needed to verify that Daario was still in position was a simple owl's hoot - twice to and one in return. Things were good, just as they should be.

It wasn't until commotion reached him that Alessandro stood from his perch, eyes quickly landing on a small figure that was throwing everything it had into reaching the wall of the prison before they were caught. A small smirk on his lips because he had to admit to being impressed, someone certainly had speed on their side at the very least. When Daario called out to him, Ales only gave a wave of his hand before they were each jumping. Daario forward to intercept the fleeing person and Alessandro to silence the coming guards for if the jobs had been switched, Alessandro was fearful the guards would have been killed and not simply knocked out to visit their dreams.

The moment the last guard stumbled over, Alessandro twisted and rushed through the streets to find Daario, and hopefully the little troublemaker if Daario had been successful. Seeing his ally bent over a body a few streets over, Alessandro let out a quiet 'tsk, tsk' as he neared. Using his boot, Alessandro nudged the person's face to the side. "Put your blade away, Daario," he muttered under his breath, only for the man to protest and so Alessandro spun around, knocking Daario's arm away from Eva's throat while pushing the man back at the same time.

Turning back to the woman on the ground, Alessandro didn't bother to try and hide his smirk, though that was the only thing visible from the combination of the shadows and his hood. Kneeling down, Ales jerked the cap from her head. "Daario doesn't even know a woman when she lays beneath him. Pathetic, don't you think?" Alessandro spoke, careful to keep his voice even, not particularly wanting for Eva to catch onto who he was. Had he been the only one, things would be different but he had company and couldn't quite act the same.

Eva struggled under the man, and hearing footsteps she panicked and struggled all the more. But those footsteps belonged to another assassin, not a guard, and the blade was soon away from her throat. She took a breath, trying to get some feeling into her body and push away the fear that had rendered her motionless. She didn’t get to sit up in time, and the cap was knocked off her head. She scowled, hair falling everywhere and caught the hat, freeing her hair and starting to tie it all back up again once she managed to lift herself into a sitting position. She was still visibly trembling, her heart racing, eyes trained to the end of the street where the guards should have come around. She still waited, what if they did? She wasn’t sure she could run anymore. The rush was out. And her ankle hurt quite a lot.

She didn’t recognise either of the men, but the one named Daario stood scowling a few steps away. She didn’t feel easy around them. Furthermore, she felt slightly annoyed that this unnamed assassin saw right through. In her own defence, her cap was falling off from the fall. Leaving his question unanswered for she didn’t think it was the type that needed an answer, she peered further into the darkness. “The guards…?”

“Who are you?” Daario demanded, and Eva looked over at him. “What were you doing?” He turned to his companion, “Don’t you think running around a prison is a bit suspicious?”
Eva huffed lightly, feeling quite faint, but not wanting to show it, “Don’t you think knocking down a person is a bit rude?”

She turned away from the nearer assassin and tried to get up, visibly struggling but succeeding in standing, shaky as it was. Hopefully, the guards wouldn’t have anything leading back to Vanni. Hopefully. She had made sure to not leave any footprints as always, but one couldn’t be too sure. But she took one step, and the whole ordeal proved a bit much, and Eva fainted, not so gracefully slumping over and falling back.

"Guards?" Alessandro echoed, feigning confusion as he looked behind them before turning back to her. "There are no guards. Why? Should I be worried?" He was almost certain that Eva didn't recognize him and that just made it that much easier to toy with her while he still could, Daario as a witness or not, didn't matter.

"She's a sweet, little servant girl that strayed further than she should have," Alessandro answered Daario's question before either of his companions could speak up. If it hadn't been such a serious situation, he would have laughed about calling Eva sweet because she was anything but. Feisty and cute but sweet wasn't the first word he would have used to describe the girl he had only encountered a handful of times before.

Alessandro stood back as Eva moved to stand, he couldn't deny the wave of mild surprise as she managed to actually reach her feet. That shock was rinsed away the moment that she stumbled forward and her legs began to crumble beneath her. Rushing forward out of mostly instinct (he would never admit to any other reason), Alessandro caught her just as she collapsed to the ground. Leaning down to scoop her into his arms, he stood just as the sounds of approaching footsteps reached him seemingly at the same time as they reached Daario. As much of a bastard as the other assassin was, they both understood how grave a potential capture for any of the three could prove. Daario set off to distract the guards, Alessandro rushed through the shadows to make his way toward the house that Eva called home.

It took longer this time because he was carrying an unconscious girl who could do nothing but lay there, be nothing more than dead weight. How annoying. Alessandro let out a huff as he walked around the outer rim of the home and once he was satisfied everyone must be fast asleep, he set her down against the front door and made quick work of the so-called lock. Stepping through the doorway with Eva in his arms, Alessandro pushed the door shut and locked, careful not to make too much noise. Stealth was what mattered in his life, it led to the ultimate level of safety.

Finding Eva's room seemed to be taking forever but he found a room that was empty and so he hoped he had chosen correctly. He didn't exactly like the idea of someone stumbling inside while they were half awake, only to be faced with a passed out Eva and an unnamed assassin. He could only imagine the uproar that would cause. Setting Eva gently on the bed, Alessandro moved to the far corner of the room and waited, watching her warily. He wouldn't leave until he was sure she was okay though he had no plans to linger.

Slowly, she came to her senses. Eva was quite aware she was lying on something soft, and familiar, and the smell in her room was of a few herbs, and she knew she was in her room before she even opened her eyes to look at the ceiling. The clothes on her were tight, she could barely breathe. A shaky breath and she turned her head, spotting a figure in the room. Who? She peered, then remembered what had happened, and put her hand to her head. Silly! How silly! To faint in such a stressful moment. Father wouldn't be proud at all. How weak. Her ankle was very sore now, but that wasn't the problem. There was a man in her room and not to mention an assassin, and his friend was nowhere in sight.

"I'm so sorry," She said quietly, sitting up, "Your friend... is he...?" She hoped that other guy was okay, even though he did put a blade to her neck. Turning away from the shadow she unbuttoned the top of the white shirt and pulled at the bandages beneath loosening them but not taking them off, and taking a good deep breath. No more tightness. She did the few buttons back up, stood shakily and with the help of the bed to hold onto, made her way to the window, opening its little lock and pushing it open, stepping aside. He clearly would not want to go out via the front door, that was too dangerous. She sat down on the side of the bed and stared at her feet. Her sore feet. The guards had changed their times. That was the only explanation, really. She'd have to wait a while, time them again. She hoped Vanni was okay.

"I... Thank you," she finally stammered out, looking around her room, "Do you, uh, want coin? I don't have much but-" She reached for the drawer to pull out a pouch, but barely grasped the handle for her hand shook so much. All she could think of was Vanni. Sure she ran away, but he didn't have anywhere to run. The guards would surely question him and all those near him, torture maybe. What had she done? A big mistake. A huge mistake.

"Daario is not a friend of mine," Alessandro snapped, his eyes narrowing beneath his hood. How dare she even insinuate such a thing! Daario barely fit into the mold of an assassin while Ales had been born into it, understand what it took to be a true assassin and not just someone who wore the robes and could take a life. There was so much more to it, some just never seemed to understand it all.

Alessandro averted his gaze when Eva turned away from him, wanting to give her as much privacy as he could in the moment. While it would have been more ideal for him to simply leave, he still needed to discuss certain things with her. Like how not to get caught by the city's guards because you fell into a routine you thought would never change. The thought crossed his mind and he scoffed, perfect timing too because just as he did, she finished asking a question about payment.

"I didn't take payment before, tesoro. Why would I start now?" Alessandro countered, knowing full well that if she hadn't realized who he was by now, she certainly would after. He readjusted against the wall and pushed away, raising his hand to push his hood partway back on his head to at least reveal his eyes. "The guards routine has changed by thirteen minutes and forty-five seconds. They don't round the third corner any longer, instead, they go to the fifth block. And for what it's worth, I hope your friend is worth the trouble, Eva." First time he had used her name but it was a serious matter they discussed and he hoped she wouldn't let anything in the past cloud what he could offer her now.

Eva jumped a little as he snapped, glancing at him with both surprise and a small amount of fear. Why was he so angry at the statement? A little assumption, surely it wouldn't hurt anyone? Perhaps she was wrong. Were all assassin's like this? Well, she was a fool for thinking they were anything near human to care enough. The sweet endearments they (or rather a certain someone) poured out of their mouth was meaningless. They were cold, mean and cared nothing but themselves on a personal level. That was her little conclusion and she was very much quite done with all these assassins and men in robes showing up at night in bedrooms with their flashy knives!

Though as he answered her question with that little nickname, she felt a little fire reignite inside. "You!" She turned around to look at him, forcing the word to be a whisper, but still a rather loud one. She recoiled, realising she was being a little loud, but even as he stepped closer and pushed his hood off, she wished he was someone else in that very moment. How embarrassing, passing out like that, especially in front of him. He certainly would think she'd a damned stupid little girl. She'd give him a smack.

She focused on her hands as she kneaded them into her lap. Most of what he said made no sense to her. The numbers were quite large and although she understood he was speaking about time, she had no clue exactly by how much for she had no knowledge of reading the time - only that at a certain time of the day it was a certain time (like lunch time, the numbers were 1 and 2 and the arrow was vertical and up), and so on. But she couldn't quite let him know that. He would think her stupid all the more. In her defense, she never had the chance to learn, and the woman in charge never thought to educate her more than she needed to. So she just made it look like she was listening (occasionally nodding), and understanding, when in reality all she knew was she had to go and time it all herself using her own methods. She flinched at his words, them sounding more like an accusation than anything. "It was my own fault," she replied sternly. "I nearly paid the price. I will amend and learn. My friend has nothing to do with it."

All the same, she felt inferior and suddenly very small. Here he was, all power and knowledge and yet she was struggling to teach herself to read and to write and to time, at her age. She was not alone though, and it made her feel a little less stupid, for some other servant girls in the house and many other houses had even less of an education.

"You should go," she mumbled, "I'm sorry for troubling you."

Alessandro was struggling between the dedication to his work and the building frustration from perhaps the members that didn't belong. Needing a day away from the den, and from the others he worked alongside, Alessandro informed the Leader that he would be gone on personal duties for the day. With a promise for no more days off until the end of time (or the end of the month, depending on who you asked), Alessandro set off for the river that was outside of the city.

What little he was able to still cling to from his childhood was most prominent on days like these, when he was able to escape to nature and not worry about any past or future jobs. Outside of the city's limits, Alessandro didn't bother to keep his hood up for he wasn't wearing anything that could be identifying.

The trail down to the riverbed, where he could cast a line into the water was steep and he didn't feel like taking the long way around. With a head start, Alessandro leapt off of the side of the hill, instead of taking the path down. Landing with a splash that sprayed water everywhere, Alessandro swam toward the edge of the river once he resurfaced. He would dry in little time, no need to worry about getting wet.

It was Signorina's birthday and everyone in the house was planning for it, but having done her part Eva was shooed away as to not get in the way and so Eva took the leisure of escaping outside the walls and sitting herself down by a lovely shady weeping willow by the river. It was not far from a cliff and so shielded on all sides, she had her privacy.

Here she unfolded a small quilt and sat on it, her small basket beside her, a book in her hands, finger to the page and focus written on her face, lips moving lightly to mouth the syllables to form them into words. Beside her lay a piece of paper with nearly printed letters that she had spent more than enough time perfecting.

It was all going quite well until something heavily landed into the water nearby. A man surfaced on her side of the bank, and he was facing away so she could not see his face but he seemed familiar, and all of a sudden she hoped it wasn't him. She quickly looked away as he in turn looked around and put her head down, staring intently at the third page in the book. A book about some short stories but a book nonetheless. To her it was valuable.

His training kicked in as much as he didn't want it to, not out here where things were so peaceful. Once Alessandro reached the side of the river, he began to scan the area for any potential threats. His gaze landed on a pretty little thing sitting beneath a weeping willow. Alessandro would have thought nothing of it and moved a bit further down the shoreline but the hair atop her head was red in colour and as far as he had ever seen, red wasn't a common hair colour.

Alessandro took to climbing right back up the cliff face, pulling himself up and over in no time. He let out the quiet bird call that Eva should be familiar with by now. His lips twisted into a minor smirk at the tensing of her shoulders. It was Eva, certainly.

"I know why I'm all the way out here on my own but why are you? You could get hurt," Alessandro pointed out, his smirk morphing into a frown as he neared her. There was no good reason for a girl like her to be by the river, without anyone to accompany her. If the wrong person somehow stumbled upon her or maybe she fell and hurt herself... There would be no one coming to help her.

"Surely you can read a book at home? Can't be that important that you can only do that so far out of the way."

When she thought he did not see her, and she relaxed, she heard the whistle. She tensed lightly. How unfortunate! She tried to not look at him until he finally spoke and his bolts appeared in her field of vision. She raised her head, focusing her eyes on his in attempt to distract and direct his sight away from the paper she slowly slid under her legs bent out in front of her.

"It is loud at home, there is an event." She replied simply, her hand on the page becoming a small fist to hide her pointing finger. No person read with a finger to their page unless they could not read well at all. She shut her book, reaching up to fix the little braids around the crown of her head. "Please do not come closer," she said softly, "You are awfully wet." And before she could stop herself added, "you could catch a cold." The sun was warm, his clothes would dry easy but faster if they were dried on a branch rather than on him. She tried not to think about what he would look like shirtless and instead lowered her gaze.

"And I like to read in peace, and it is warm and lovely outside." She tried to fill the answer with as much as she could so he would not ask more, least he ask her what she was reading or what about for neither she could answer. She only read the words. To weave them together and conjure a meaning was far beyond her at this moment.

Alessandro's face scrunched at the mention of catching a cold. "You're quite silly, aren't you?" He teased with a gentle grin. "There's no way I'll catch a cold, not with the sun as high in the sky as it is." Alessandro couldn't quite understand how she was even considered about such a thing. The sun's rays were nice and warm, washing over him in waves despite now standing under the tree now. Glancing down to his shirt, Ales felt a frown forming on his lips. It was as if it was the first time he was realizing that he was all but dripping water. He looked back up to Eva with a cheeky grin, "you know if you wanted to see my shirtless, all you had to do was ask, tesoro." Dropping the bag that had previously been slung over his shoulders, onto the ground, Ales reached for the edge of his shirt and slowly peeled it from his body. He tossed it toward the tree and was seemingly satisfied with where it landed despite how scrunched up in the middle that it was.

"Guess it's the perfect time for me to show up, hm? You can continue reading your book and I'll fish, even cook it up nice for you," Alessandro said, his lips twisting up into a smile. He knelt beside his bag, producing an extendable fishing rod. Threading the line through where it belonged, Ales glanced up to Eva.

"What are you reading, anyway? Has to be pretty special if you decided to come all the way out here so that you can enjoy it in peace," Ales commented, tossing a glance over his shoulder to watch her for a moment. "There's not very many people that would bother coming so far out of the city for such a simple task."

Eva pressed her lips together. She sounded too motherly and caring saying such a thing. Only over protective mothers would say something like that. Still, she felt it wouldn't be comfortable to stay in wet clothes. His cheeky grin and his words made her blush lightly. "Believe me, if I wanted to, I would have let you known." She said, watching the shirt fly across the air and gracelessly land on the branch. Her servant instinct itched, and she stood but without rush, making her way over to the shirt and standing on her tippy toes to reach its end (for it had landed quite high), pulling it off, flicking of the the bark and hanging it neatly on a lower branch. Satisfied, she spared the man a small glance, running it down his body to his feet in one go, exerting mass effort to not linger on his well defined muscled. "Will you not take off the shoes as well?" She couldn't imagine those were comfortable when wet.

Sitting back down, she couldn't help but let a small chuckle escape. "You know how to cook? Stabbing and burning doesn't count as cooking," she watched him pull out the rod, briefly questioning where he was going to cook the fish if he intended to cook it here. Would he start a fire?

At his question about the book, she stiffened a little and looked down at its pretty cover, running her finger along its golden letters, softly mouthing the syllables to herself. This took her a while to answer T...h...e....The Epi-c of Gil... Ga... Me... Shh. Eva braced herself, "The Epic of Gilgamesh." She snuck a glance at him, trying to see his face for any hints if she had pronounced it right. Though unknown to her she had mispronounced the '-mesh' part.

Alessandro frowned, glancing down to the shoes that were very much just as soaked as the rest of him. Instinct screamed at him to do the exact opposite because what if a problem arose and he needed to flee quickly? That wouldn't do very well for him. He looked to debate for a minute longer before he relented and leaned down to yank the boots from his feet. They were hard bottomed moccasins, a simple boot that he had used for ages. There was no reason to switch up something that wasn't broke. Laying the boots out in the sun, Alessandro turned back to the rod.

"We don't always get to return home every night. Sometimes duty calls and we have to stay out. Not exactly deadly, no, but horrible tasting food is a death sentence. Don't you think?" Alessandro called back to her, his face scrunching in disgust at the mere thought. Having travelled the world a fair bit, Ales had tasted his fair share of different cuisines, both good and bad, and had decided long ago that he needed to be able to cook. Lest he starve because there was nothing appealing around.

Alessandro didn't pay much mind to the mispronunciation of the name, only glancing up once the rod was fastened and ready to go. "Come with me, I want to show you how to cast a line," he spoke, motioning for her to join him as he led the way over to the small cliff that protruded out over the river. "I promise you won't fall in," he called in a sing song voice, lowering himself to sit with his legs dangling over the little cliff.

She relaxed as he took his boots off, for her own feet were starting to freeze just imaging the water in the shoes. She had taken her little heels off a little while ago, letting her feet bask in the sun for a bit. "Mm," Eva couldn't help but laugh softly again, "You're going to have to prove it. I still have doubts." For her to believe that an assassin was skilled in the use of a knife in anything other than killing was still quite far fetched, she would have to see to believe.

She finished tracing the outline of the book with her fingers and stood at his beckoning, unsure but glad he had not asked more about the book. She edged over to him and peeked over the cliff. It wasn't high. It would do. She seated herself by him but not too close. She didn't question why he wanted to show her, when there were better things to do - like learn to read, but it was still a skill and it could be useful in the future. Eva was eager to learn, so she didn't resist. "If I fall in, I'm going to - in my best efforts - make sure you fall with me." She mumbled, eying the sparkling water beneath. If she fell in, she'd be soaking! And unlike him, she couldn't exactly peel off her dress!

As for swimming, she was pretty mediocre. She could keep herself afloat, and kick a bit to get to where she needed to be, but she couldn't for the life of her cross that river. Her strength wasn't that great! She watched him work with the rod, throwing the line out into the middle of the river and watching the little hook dance in the clear water below. "Why would anything in its right mind bite a hook?" she wondered, then shook her head, "I suppose fish aren't quite smart." She dangled her legs in the air a little, fixing her skirts when they crept up closer to her knee. Oh how nice it would be to let her legs be in the sun for a little while. Too bad there was a man beside her.

Alessandro couldn't help but laugh softly, shaking his head at her throat. "It's simply. If you don't want to fall in, don't jump," he answered, glancing over to her once Eva appeared to be completely situated and comfortable where she was sitting. He turned so that he was more facing her than the water below. Leaning over so that he could lift her hand, he gently pulled it over so that she could grip the bottom of the fishing rod. He explained the various parts to her and even showed her the proper way of casting the line before he leaned away from her. Eva seemed to be enjoying herself, perfect. Then he could enjoy the fact that they were completely and utterly alone, no one around to disturb the peace between them.

"If you manage to catch a fish, any fish. Big or small, I'll cook you the meal of your lifetime," Alessandro said, winking when she glanced his way. "I'll just have to continue to amaze you, hm? That way you don't kick me out of your life. At least you have to use me for my full benefit."

Once Eva had cast a line into the water and Alessandro was satisfied it was well placed and that she would soon catch something, he turned his attention from the water back to her. He offered a small smile, leaning forward so that he could rest his elbows on her knees. "What is your book about? Can't say I really have the time for hobby reading," he said, eyebrows pulling together in slight frustration. There were so many things that Alessandro thoroughly enjoyed but had no time to do.

Eva was quite focused on the water below when she felt him take her hand, and at first she was a little startled, but he meant no harm. Her hand was placed on the rod and he went through the techniques and parts and she felt it was quite a lot to take in, but grasped everything she could. She was a quick learner, perhaps her only strength. But that came with a weakness too. Where she didn't understand, it was difficult. This new thing in her hands was quite exciting though, and she didn't struggle at all. She watched it sail through the air when she tried, laughing at the little hook as it plopped into the water. She gripped the rod then, quite tight, afraid the fish that grabs first might pull it out of her hands.

Hearing his little promise, she looked over at him, seeing that he was quite serious (despite the wink). But she wasn't exactly sure she could make a fish get onto the hook. Surely, that was beyond her abilities. "Use you full your full benefit?" Numerous ideas popped into her head though she quickly pushed them away. Let's not get too carried away, she thought, but couldn't help but jokingly ask, "Is there something else you can offer?" She didn't feel she wanted the answer to that - at least, she was quite afraid of what he might even say. Roof jumping was a definite no-no. Briefly she recalled the plaza, and focused on the rod again, least another blush colour her cheeks. She dangled her legs a little more.

His getting closer was quite the problem, for it invited back those thoughts she had pushed away. She found herself looking slightly down at him, his face quite close to hers. He had lovely eyes, she noticed, not for the first time. She could lean in and for fun, just...

"Oh," She looked away quickly, guilty like, back onto the water, adding quietly, "I don't know. I'm only two pages in." She wasn't good at lying, and in the case that he had read it, lying about what it truly was, was not in her favour. She bit her lip, sneaking a peek back at him.