xli λ bambini

[assassino]

[Ezio has been hiding himself away for a variety of reasons.

Perhaps it's because his schedule has been thrown. There are no more late mornings with Lana, pressed up against her despite the warmth and cajoling her to stay just a little bit longer, just five more minutes. There are no more late lunches, no more dinners snuck in between sittings at the restaurant. No more riding out to the fields to picnic and joke and carouse, no more wine in pretty baskets, no more flowers just-because, or any of the other hallmarks of a man starting to get really invested in a woman.

That is because there is no more Lana. She's gone, as if the castle had forgotten how much she was loved –– even with Wesley and Fred and all of those others passing on from this world, Ezio liked to think that he enjoyed Lana enough for her to always matter to the castle.

She'd always been so bothered by the fact that they'd someday leave and forget each other, but she'd always acted like she would be the one to remember while he drifted away. And now here he is, the one left waiting.

But there are only so many weeks he could hide out in Stephanie and Cassandra's apartment, thinly "tolerating" Tim's presence and straddling the line between being heartbroken and maintaining a stoic manliness. With the babies everywhere, it is somewhat easier –– distractions, and all –– but he still needs to get out. There are only so many ways you can stave off loneliness.

So here he is, tentatively dipping his feet back in the world of women. Has it really been six months since he seriously chased another skirt?]

---- Horny Ladies, 18+ ----

[And there's that thick Italian accent, suave as always, but maybe a bit stiffer than he'd usually be.]

Salute.

I'd be much obliged to take you out for dinner and drinks, for whatever pleases you –– whether it is to spirit you away from a nagging infant for an evening, or merely amuse you for a few hours. If you are bold enough to ask, then I am bold enough to satisfy!

- Ezio Auditore

---- Public ----


[And then there's Ezio, whiling away some time in the garden. He's got a thick leather glove on one hand and a colourful eagle-like bird perched at his wrist; that bird is currently wearing a hood, patiently waiting in darkness for Ezio to unhood him for some time in flight.

Come bother a dude and his bird.]

Comments

[assassino]

He joined me at Christmas.

[Ezio follows her in, gesturing her to hang a left. Maximus is not too far down, his fine stall high-walled and barred, as necessary for a stallion of Maximus's size. He's white, finely-built, and clearly spirited.]

He's the best horse I've ever had.

[hellofist]

Good present.

[She smiles when she sees him, not surprised at all to find a horse and his rider so finely paired. She just watches him for a moment, observing and figuring him out before taking a measured step to the left and then going towards him. He'll be able to see her entire approach this way.]

He suits you. Hello, Maximus.

[assassino]

[Good girl, he thinks, as he notes her moving around. Warhorses are great and magnificent creatures, bred and trained to charge at lancers and armed soldiers without hesitation, but even the greatest warhorse is dumb enough to get spooked.]

I think he does, as well.

[Ezio joins her, opening up the stall door and sliding it along its tracks. Inside there is a perch for the eagle, and he sets the bird down on it and busies himself with attaching the little chain from perch to the eagle's legband.]

[hellofist]

[Maximus speaks in body language just as much as she does, from swishes of his tail to the way his ears twitch back and forth. It's fascinating to see in something so large with so much power in it. She offers her hand to him, wondering if horses make friends like dogs do, by scent.]

Think I like horses.

[assassino]

[He smiles.]

You'll like them even better when you're riding.

[hellofist]

[And now that he's brought that up, she's becoming a little more aware of the distance between the horse's back and the ground. She could jump to get up there easily, but would that scare him?]

He's very tall.

[assassino]

He is. Once we have him saddled, I will give you a boost.

[hellofist]

[When he's put it that way, it sounds like he wants her to help. She's a bit preoccupied with the introduction still, running her hand down Maximus' neck to pet him, but as time goes on it's becoming clear he's not exactly a pet. Still a companion she thinks, but maybe not something to be fawned over.

That doesn't stop her from petting him more though.]

Will have to... show me how, then.

[assassino]

[She's right; Maximus is a working animal. A very beloved one, but a worker under his command nonetheless. Ezio doesn't really believe in "pets."]

Of course.

In my time, ladies would just wait for their grooms to prepare a horse, but I know you future ladies prize self-sufficiency.

[hellofist]

[Cass just shrugs.]

Might not always... have help around. Then, would be stuck. Better to know.

[assassino]

Fair enough, I suppose.

Would you prefer to ride Maximus, today, or shall I find you a pony?

[hellofist]

Maximus.

[Go big or go home, right?]

[assassino]

Very well, then.

[Ezio steps out to fetch Maximus' saddle, which he returns with shortly.]

[hellofist]

[Cass is still standing in front of the horse, scratching just behind his right ear now.]

Does Maximus... mean something, in Italian?

[assassino]

[He chuckles.]

It is Latin for "the greatest."

[He hefts the saddle up onto Maximus' back.]

[hellofist]

[She laughs too, but quietly to avoid spooking the horse.]

Subtle.

[assassino]

As is our nature.

[He sets to buckling the cinch and all of the various other bits. He's not bothering with decorative banners today.]

[hellofist]

[She comes over to watch him, but it all seems pretty straightforward.]

What does Ezio mean?

[assassino]

"Eagle."

[He moves to the bridle.]

[hellofist]

[She'd honestly half expected him to make something up about his name translating to being a fantastic lover, so when she gets the real answer she grins at him.]

You're lucky. Don't think Cassandra means anything.

[assassino]

I'm not so sure! Ask Lucrezia. She knows what all names mean.

[hellofist]

She did... tell story, of a Cassandra. Could tell future. Got killed, though.

[Now her grin goes a little crooked. She and the Greek Cassandra have a lot in common.]

[assassino]

Well, that is where the name comes from! I know of no earlier Cassandra.

[He gestures for her to move aside so he can lead Maximus out, taking him by the halter.]

[hellofist]

Guess Cassandras... just have bad luck.

[She goes, waiting out in the open for both of them.]

[assassino]

It is your namesake, I suppose, but then again, I am not an eagle.

[And out he goes with Maximus into the sunshine. There he lets go of the halter and instead kneels to make a stoop with his hands for Cassandra. Ezio the living mounting block :')]