They moved like shades in the night. The full moon was bright, so to move unnoticed they were cloaked in greys or darker colours. The older were more expierenced in the running of Roma rooftops, but the younger made up for it in speed. Even was even some showing off amongst some of the younger group, tumbling or spinning in the air before landing.
Ezio judged the distance as he ran for the next roof. Too far to land on his feet but plenty to catch the edge with his hands and pull himself up. As so many times before, he judged correctly. However, what he could have never predicted was that the tile under each of his hands decided to give and he found himself falling.
Instinctively his hands fought for purchase as he fell and only his right hand found it. That wasn’t a bad thing, he’d caught his himself one-handed before—
A ripping, blinding pain exploded in his right shoulder and all the way down his arm. It was instinct that saved him when he hit the ground, bending the knees and rolling to prevent more damage. Breath sucked in and out in the effort to silence the screams he wanted to let loose. The pain was massive, perhaps even more than a blade’s cut or a musket’s bullet.
There was a skid of feet on the roof above him. A soft series of whistles sounded next to signal those close enough to hear it to stop and regroup. One assassin’s hood appeared over the edge of the building, then immediately descended the side of the building. “Ezio!” It was Giovanni’s soft voice and Ezio grimaced. If Giovanni (and lesser extent the other assassins) saw him like this, he’d lose face. “What happened!?” More assassins landed silently around them, a sort of protective hiding wall.
He could only talk through gritted teeth, clutching at his elbow. It hurt to move his arm. “My arm or shoulder… Cazzo!” He cursed at another apprentice who in moving his shirt to look at it accidentally bumped his shoulder. “Don’t touch it!”
“Merda, I think you dislocated it. We need to get you to a doctor, I don’t think any of us know how to pop it back in…” One of the older assassins supplied. “Avo, you go up and tell the others that the Maestro is injuried but continue onto the hideout. We’ll get him somewhere.”
The boy nodded and disappeared up the wall. “But there aren’t any doctors in this district and we shouldn’t move him that much…hey!” The speaker suddenly objected when Giovanni snatched off his long cloth belt.
“Shush! We need a sling to limit the movement until we can get Maestro somewhere.” His eyes flashed with worry as he carefully made a temporary sling for his lover’s arm. He’d let the others worry about which doctor to bring him to, all he cared about was doing anything to ease Ezio’s pain.
“Silenzio young ones. Leonardo’s studio is two streets away. Just get me to him…” He struggled to get to his feet until he felt Giovanni’s arm wrap around his back and throw his good arm over his young shoulder’s. Quickly, so quickly it went unseen by the others, he pressed an encouraging kiss to Ezio’s neck.
“Leonardo…?”
“He means Messere da Vinci! Don’t’ you remember anything?” Fortunately the worried bickering quieted as the group escorted their master through the streets. They were doing a rather good job, he noted in the periods he could think past the pain. Some eye were on the rooftops, while others were before and behind them, and still others were ahead to check intersecting roads before crossing them. Fuck! It was just a shoulder injury, but it hurt to even walk at points!
Finally they arrived. It took several moments of knocking on the studio door before Leonardo appeared in a nightshirt. He had taken care of Ezio and other assassins who knew his studio was safe late at night to keep an ear opening for their knocks. “Ezio! What have you done to yourself this time!?”
“It is his shoulder, Messere da Vinci. The shoulder looks popped out, like a dislocation?” Giovanni offered, squeezing Ezio’s hip when the elder sucked into another breath from the pain.
Impervious Fragility 7/?
Ezio judged the distance as he ran for the next roof. Too far to land on his feet but plenty to catch the edge with his hands and pull himself up. As so many times before, he judged correctly. However, what he could have never predicted was that the tile under each of his hands decided to give and he found himself falling.
Instinctively his hands fought for purchase as he fell and only his right hand found it. That wasn’t a bad thing, he’d caught his himself one-handed before—
A ripping, blinding pain exploded in his right shoulder and all the way down his arm. It was instinct that saved him when he hit the ground, bending the knees and rolling to prevent more damage. Breath sucked in and out in the effort to silence the screams he wanted to let loose. The pain was massive, perhaps even more than a blade’s cut or a musket’s bullet.
There was a skid of feet on the roof above him. A soft series of whistles sounded next to signal those close enough to hear it to stop and regroup. One assassin’s hood appeared over the edge of the building, then immediately descended the side of the building. “Ezio!” It was Giovanni’s soft voice and Ezio grimaced. If Giovanni (and lesser extent the other assassins) saw him like this, he’d lose face. “What happened!?” More assassins landed silently around them, a sort of protective hiding wall.
He could only talk through gritted teeth, clutching at his elbow. It hurt to move his arm. “My arm or shoulder… Cazzo!” He cursed at another apprentice who in moving his shirt to look at it accidentally bumped his shoulder. “Don’t touch it!”
“Merda, I think you dislocated it. We need to get you to a doctor, I don’t think any of us know how to pop it back in…” One of the older assassins supplied. “Avo, you go up and tell the others that the Maestro is injuried but continue onto the hideout. We’ll get him somewhere.”
The boy nodded and disappeared up the wall. “But there aren’t any doctors in this district and we shouldn’t move him that much…hey!” The speaker suddenly objected when Giovanni snatched off his long cloth belt.
“Shush! We need a sling to limit the movement until we can get Maestro somewhere.” His eyes flashed with worry as he carefully made a temporary sling for his lover’s arm. He’d let the others worry about which doctor to bring him to, all he cared about was doing anything to ease Ezio’s pain.
“Silenzio young ones. Leonardo’s studio is two streets away. Just get me to him…” He struggled to get to his feet until he felt Giovanni’s arm wrap around his back and throw his good arm over his young shoulder’s. Quickly, so quickly it went unseen by the others, he pressed an encouraging kiss to Ezio’s neck.
“Leonardo…?”
“He means Messere da Vinci! Don’t’ you remember anything?” Fortunately the worried bickering quieted as the group escorted their master through the streets. They were doing a rather good job, he noted in the periods he could think past the pain. Some eye were on the rooftops, while others were before and behind them, and still others were ahead to check intersecting roads before crossing them. Fuck! It was just a shoulder injury, but it hurt to even walk at points!
Finally they arrived. It took several moments of knocking on the studio door before Leonardo appeared in a nightshirt. He had taken care of Ezio and other assassins who knew his studio was safe late at night to keep an ear opening for their knocks. “Ezio! What have you done to yourself this time!?”
“It is his shoulder, Messere da Vinci. The shoulder looks popped out, like a dislocation?” Giovanni offered, squeezing Ezio’s hip when the elder sucked into another breath from the pain.