"Maestro, I do not question your judgement," she said.
"Don't you?" He smiled. "There is no disrespect in a question. I should have met with you sooner, to talk with you about this. But I have had so much to oversee. I can not always give you apprentices the time you deserve."
"Maestro, my rank does not concern me," Annetta assured him. "It is not for status that I fight. But - Maestro, with respect - If you never let me outside of Roma, I cannot gain the experience that my brothers have," she said. "Whatever it is that I am not doing, I will never be able to do it." Then she flushed, looking terrified, as though she'd spoken too freely.
"That's so," Ezio said, and thought for a moment, stroking his beard. He moved pointers on his map. Then he looked up at her and grinned playfully. "Do you want to go to Paris?"
Her eyes gleamed briefly with intrigue, but she hesitated. "Alone, Ser Ezio?"
"Of course not. I will send you with Severino and Bianca. They will take good care of you, and teach you some things besides. Come back to me in the morning - I will give the three of you your orders. You will leave when we receive word from Machiavelli's contact there. It could be days, or a week - so stay ready to leave."
"Yes, Maestro," she said, and bowed. "Thank you, Ser Ezio. I will not disappoint you." She turned to go.
That slump in her shoulders again! It bothered him to see one of his Assassini looking like a frightened mouse. To look at the girl, one would think she had been demoted, not sent on a mission to Paris. At first Ezio had thought the girl merely shy, but he was now sure something else was afoot. Perhaps now was as good a time as any to work out what it was.
"Something troubles you, Annetta," he said, and she froze. "Come back and sit down, if you like."
"But you must be busy, Ser Ezio." Her voice wavered and he saw that she was terrified.
"What is this, Annetta? Sit down." He stopped his work and put his papers away.
Put like that, as a direct order, she could not refuse. Her eyes looked panicked. She sat next to him, perched on the couch like a cat ready to escape.
"Explain to me what bothers you, Recluta," Ezio said bluntly. "It is affecting your work, and thus, the Brotherhood."
"The tower of Pietro da Siena stands near our house," she said, fidgeting with her fingernails. She would not look at him. "Weeks ago, before I came to the Brotherhood, my younger brother and some boys from our neighbourhood made a plan. At night, they would take my grandfather's old crossbow and attack a guard post outside the tower."
She looked at her feet, then back at her hands. Now that she had started, the words came out in a flood. Ezio listened.
"I followed my brother when he left the house. He would not have let me go with them, but I wanted to fight the Borgia, too. I hid in a doorway while the boys climbed onto the roof of a tailor's shop and prepared to shoot at the guard post. I do not think my brother planned very far ahead, for the crossbow was in disrepair. It did not fire, but it made a loud sound, and soon the whole street was swarming with guards. My brother and his friends ran, and got away. I stayed where I was. But the guards kept searching the streets."
Annetta had begun to shake. Ezio could already see where her story was going, but instinct told him it was important for her to finish it. He touched her shoulder and murmured for her to continue.
FILL: Confiding [2/3]
"Don't you?" He smiled. "There is no disrespect in a question. I should have met with you sooner, to talk with you about this. But I have had so much to oversee. I can not always give you apprentices the time you deserve."
"Maestro, my rank does not concern me," Annetta assured him. "It is not for status that I fight. But - Maestro, with respect - If you never let me outside of Roma, I cannot gain the experience that my brothers have," she said. "Whatever it is that I am not doing, I will never be able to do it." Then she flushed, looking terrified, as though she'd spoken too freely.
"That's so," Ezio said, and thought for a moment, stroking his beard. He moved pointers on his map. Then he looked up at her and grinned playfully. "Do you want to go to Paris?"
Her eyes gleamed briefly with intrigue, but she hesitated. "Alone, Ser Ezio?"
"Of course not. I will send you with Severino and Bianca. They will take good care of you, and teach you some things besides. Come back to me in the morning - I will give the three of you your orders. You will leave when we receive word from Machiavelli's contact there. It could be days, or a week - so stay ready to leave."
"Yes, Maestro," she said, and bowed. "Thank you, Ser Ezio. I will not disappoint you." She turned to go.
That slump in her shoulders again! It bothered him to see one of his Assassini looking like a frightened mouse. To look at the girl, one would think she had been demoted, not sent on a mission to Paris. At first Ezio had thought the girl merely shy, but he was now sure something else was afoot. Perhaps now was as good a time as any to work out what it was.
"Something troubles you, Annetta," he said, and she froze. "Come back and sit down, if you like."
"But you must be busy, Ser Ezio." Her voice wavered and he saw that she was terrified.
"What is this, Annetta? Sit down." He stopped his work and put his papers away.
Put like that, as a direct order, she could not refuse. Her eyes looked panicked. She sat next to him, perched on the couch like a cat ready to escape.
"Explain to me what bothers you, Recluta," Ezio said bluntly. "It is affecting your work, and thus, the Brotherhood."
"The tower of Pietro da Siena stands near our house," she said, fidgeting with her fingernails. She would not look at him. "Weeks ago, before I came to the Brotherhood, my younger brother and some boys from our neighbourhood made a plan. At night, they would take my grandfather's old crossbow and attack a guard post outside the tower."
She looked at her feet, then back at her hands. Now that she had started, the words came out in a flood. Ezio listened.
"I followed my brother when he left the house. He would not have let me go with them, but I wanted to fight the Borgia, too. I hid in a doorway while the boys climbed onto the roof of a tailor's shop and prepared to shoot at the guard post. I do not think my brother planned very far ahead, for the crossbow was in disrepair. It did not fire, but it made a loud sound, and soon the whole street was swarming with guards. My brother and his friends ran, and got away. I stayed where I was. But the guards kept searching the streets."
Annetta had begun to shake. Ezio could already see where her story was going, but instinct told him it was important for her to finish it. He touched her shoulder and murmured for her to continue.