iv λ knowledge

[assassino]

[Ezio is about to bust out the most intense filter work of his life. He has never done a complicated filter before, and he needs to do this right.]


----- Inventors, technology experts, mechanics, but barring those who seek power -----

[he clears his throat, then in that thick Italian accent:]

Hello... my name is Ezio Auditore, and I seek an inventor or mechanic or... esperto of some kind. I have obtained an object of great importance, but I do not know what it does, or what it is capable of.

But I need someone I can trust, someone with the right... sensitivities for this object.





-----Historians and Religious people, barring Lucrezia Borgia -----

[Still more thick Italian accent:]

I seek information about Pope Alexander VI.


-----


[And, with that done, you can find him in the kitchen, contemplating the microwave.]

Comments

[secondchances]

You're just annoyed she left you in suspense, huh.

[assassino]

No, I [slept with another woman that night] am not so easily frustrated.

[Grin]

What about you, then?

[secondchances]

[Oh no.]

What about me?

[assassino]

You pointed out that mistletoe but have not made a move since.

[secondchances]

Ooooh, that! That. I remember that now... [What does she even say?]




I was educating you.

[assassino]

[Laugh]

You would bring another question upon yourself, for something I wouldn't have encountered otherwise?

[secondchances]

I was in the holiday spirit and didn't want you to be surprised if people randomly kissed you. [That's her story. She is sticking to it.]

[assassino]

[Amused.] And you do this for everyone, to make sure they are not surprised?

[secondchances]

Only my newly acquired Italian friends that don't know the tradition.

[assassino]

[Smiiiiiiiiiiiiiile.]

Fickle.

[secondchances]

Fickle: when a girl doesn't immediately outright reject a guy or jump a guy. A definition by Ezio. So you have to put in some critical thinking. Don't people in your time appreciate the thrill of the chase?

Nnnnnot that I'm angling for any chasing on my part, I'm talking about that other one.

[assassino]

Saying "yes" and then not getting in touch is not a chase, bella. This isn't to say a woman ought to rush to conclusions, but a man needs to know that she wants to be chased.

[secondchances]

In that case, be your usual friendly self and write her a filter asking what's up. Casually, of course. Don't be a creep. Make it clear she can say she's not into you without there being hard feelings. If you know her name, that is.

... or you can just let it go. I wouldn't call this being fickle, but it's not an uncommon thing. It's not a crime to be hesitant.

[assassino]

I do not think it's a crime. [shrug] Are you offended?

[secondchances]

Not offended, no. You're from an entirely different time and culture. There's bound to be a lot we don't see eye to eye on.

[assassino]

So what is so different about men and women in your time?

[secondchances]

Don't know if I can answer that without knowing more about your time. The only thing that pops into my mind is divorce. Was that a thing back then? About half of all marriages end in divorce where I'm from. Also, do you do that pre-arranged marriage stuff? That's not too common anymore. People get married later, too.

And if you were asking in a more general sense, men and women are a lot more equal. Women have jobs, lead companies, own businesses on their own, get involved in politics, fight in wars...

[assassino]

There is no divorce, but there are annulments for various reasons. Lucrezia will have one, I am sure. And you do not have pre-arranged marriages? [eyebrow raised] You do not do any planning, you just select a spouse and marry? No wonder you have so many divorces.

[secondchances]

[She shakes her head.] Not that fast. People date. You know, have dinner together, meet family and friends, test the waters. Some people date for years before getting married.

[assassino]

[Confusing.]

In my time, either parents would orchestrate the marriage, or a man would seek permission from a father for his daughter. Girls come with a dowry, to pay for her upkeep when she is married to another family. Often, the girl would not meet her husband until the wedding. To wait years... that is very usual.

[secondchances]

That's all in the past. I guess people still ask for permission, but it's mostly to be polite. Couples often live together before being married as well, so there's... all that.

[assassino]

That would never be allowed in my time. Too many people would wonder about their chastity.

[smiling]

[secondchances]

In my time, some people find it weird if you actually do save it for after marriage.

[assassino]

[He likes that. He's spoiled a lot of marriage beds, and he sometimes feels a little bad when he considers many of those girls could get in trouble for it later.]

Even in my time, I think few women –– and especially few men –– make it to their marriage bed with their virtue in place. As long as there is no suspicion or reason to be charged with fornication, most will turn a blind eye. Why we keep up such pretenses when prostitutes and courtesans freely roam the streets and even the clergy partake, I don't know.

[secondchances]

I guess there's something about being the first to... I mean, it's probably comforting knowing that if your wife or husband hasn't been sleeping around, you're not going to get the itchies in any delicate places, but that's sort of irrelevant now that... there's... protection andthisisaweirdconversationtohaveinthekitchen.