“A lot farther,” she said, impressed. Shaun nodded to himself. He had been less clear on Assassins, but, well. He was now. Rebecca laughed. “Yep, I’m one of the good guys.”
He stared at her. “Good guys? The Assassins, you mean?”
“Yeah?”
“And you… don’t see anything conflicting about that, at all?”
He blinked away a wince as she looped the gauze the whole way around his arm the first time. There was silence in the bathroom for a while, Rebecca wrapping him up the rest of the way and him trying not to focus on it. “I was listening to their radio on the way over,” she said at last. “They, uh. They found your missing guard.”
It had been luck more than anything, self-preservation and adrenaline spurring him to get away at any cost. But Shaun had only tripped him up. After the guard lost his balance and fell off the bridge, gravity had done most of the work. The oncoming traffic probably helped.
That memory wouldn't be leaving him any time soon.
He stared at the corner, brow furrowed. “I wasn’t bragging about it.”
“I know. If you were, I would’ve handed you back to them. But you’re not that kind of person, Shaun.” She tied the gauze loosely and looked up at him. “That’s good.”
He didn’t quite return her gaze. “Rebecca, why did you help me? Why have you been helping me?”
Rebecca sighed and stood back for a moment, thinking. “Okay. So, there’s an Assassin’s code, a creed. And a maxim, that nothing is true and everything is permitted—
“Is that why your car looks like it’s been rolled down a mountainside?” Shaun said. “The road signs are all lying bastards and the asphalt’s a vague suggestion?”
“Don’t make me kill you, Shaun,” she said seriously. “The point is, when people tell you what to think, you have to think for yourself. You make your own path instead of following the one people put in front of you. You know what I mean? Like there’s something huge and important just out of reach, and if you just knew what it was everything else would make more sense? And that frustration when all the people you know think there isn’t anything missing in the first place?”
God, did he ever. He stared at her and swallowed hard. “You haven’t answered my question,” he said, sliding off the counter in front of her. There was just enough room in the bathroom for them to stand face-to-face with a small gap left over to breathe in. The proximity was favorable for whispering, though.
She shook her head and smiled. Apparently that was a stupid question. “Someone who already does all that? Even when he thinks he’s fighting the war alone?” She held her hands out in a big shrug. “Who wouldn’t want to save that guy’s life?”
It was possible he had never before in his life seen anyone as clearly as he saw Rebecca Crane in that moment. “Well, if you say so,” he managed.
“You should come with me,” she said. “You know Abstergo won’t stop, and I can’t keep saving your ass. But it is your choice. That’s what we got that they don’t. You get to decide for yourself. But man, Shaun, we could really use your help. And you’ll love it, I know you will.”
“So it would be basically what I’ve already been doing,” he mused.
“Except now you don’t have to be alone,” she said. “And we have way cooler toys. You wouldn’t believe.” She held out her hand for a handshake in the tight space between them, typically forward and American. “What do you say?”
Shaun instead raised his hands, slowly, to her face. She stilled, blinking as he removed the horrendous zebra-stripe glasses and set them on the counter behind him. She relaxed, smiling up at him, so Shaun slid his fingers along her face and under the white hair, feeling for an edge. Her real hair was dark, warm, and damp from being bundled under a wig all day. It spiked up in places when he pushed the wig away, back from her face, and the scent of her sweat and perfume rose up, unexpectedly everywhere in the tiny bathroom. It nearly covered up the rust and disinfectant. And still they looked at each other. Shaun smiled.
“Thank all that is merciful,” he said. “That was truly a heinous disguise.”
Tutorial [4/5]
“A lot farther,” she said, impressed. Shaun nodded to himself. He had been less clear on Assassins, but, well. He was now. Rebecca laughed. “Yep, I’m one of the good guys.”
He stared at her. “Good guys? The Assassins, you mean?”
“Yeah?”
“And you… don’t see anything conflicting about that, at all?”
He blinked away a wince as she looped the gauze the whole way around his arm the first time. There was silence in the bathroom for a while, Rebecca wrapping him up the rest of the way and him trying not to focus on it. “I was listening to their radio on the way over,” she said at last. “They, uh. They found your missing guard.”
It had been luck more than anything, self-preservation and adrenaline spurring him to get away at any cost. But Shaun had only tripped him up. After the guard lost his balance and fell off the bridge, gravity had done most of the work. The oncoming traffic probably helped.
That memory wouldn't be leaving him any time soon.
He stared at the corner, brow furrowed. “I wasn’t bragging about it.”
“I know. If you were, I would’ve handed you back to them. But you’re not that kind of person, Shaun.” She tied the gauze loosely and looked up at him. “That’s good.”
He didn’t quite return her gaze. “Rebecca, why did you help me? Why have you been helping me?”
Rebecca sighed and stood back for a moment, thinking. “Okay. So, there’s an Assassin’s code, a creed. And a maxim, that nothing is true and everything is permitted—
“Is that why your car looks like it’s been rolled down a mountainside?” Shaun said. “The road signs are all lying bastards and the asphalt’s a vague suggestion?”
“Don’t make me kill you, Shaun,” she said seriously. “The point is, when people tell you what to think, you have to think for yourself. You make your own path instead of following the one people put in front of you. You know what I mean? Like there’s something huge and important just out of reach, and if you just knew what it was everything else would make more sense? And that frustration when all the people you know think there isn’t anything missing in the first place?”
God, did he ever. He stared at her and swallowed hard. “You haven’t answered my question,” he said, sliding off the counter in front of her. There was just enough room in the bathroom for them to stand face-to-face with a small gap left over to breathe in. The proximity was favorable for whispering, though.
She shook her head and smiled. Apparently that was a stupid question. “Someone who already does all that? Even when he thinks he’s fighting the war alone?” She held her hands out in a big shrug. “Who wouldn’t want to save that guy’s life?”
It was possible he had never before in his life seen anyone as clearly as he saw Rebecca Crane in that moment. “Well, if you say so,” he managed.
“You should come with me,” she said. “You know Abstergo won’t stop, and I can’t keep saving your ass. But it is your choice. That’s what we got that they don’t. You get to decide for yourself. But man, Shaun, we could really use your help. And you’ll love it, I know you will.”
“So it would be basically what I’ve already been doing,” he mused.
“Except now you don’t have to be alone,” she said. “And we have way cooler toys. You wouldn’t believe.” She held out her hand for a handshake in the tight space between them, typically forward and American. “What do you say?”
Shaun instead raised his hands, slowly, to her face. She stilled, blinking as he removed the horrendous zebra-stripe glasses and set them on the counter behind him. She relaxed, smiling up at him, so Shaun slid his fingers along her face and under the white hair, feeling for an edge. Her real hair was dark, warm, and damp from being bundled under a wig all day. It spiked up in places when he pushed the wig away, back from her face, and the scent of her sweat and perfume rose up, unexpectedly everywhere in the tiny bathroom. It nearly covered up the rust and disinfectant. And still they looked at each other. Shaun smiled.
“Thank all that is merciful,” he said. “That was truly a heinous disguise.”