Assassin's Creed: Chronos (Ezio x OC)

49 - Four Walls

"Who is that woman?"

Catherine somehow managed to not whip her head to stare down whoever had said it. Instead, she only paused to look around at the various tables, as if meaning to buy something. She glanced at the source of the voice, and found a trio of guards. Damn. She hadn't been paying enough attention to her surroundings like an idiot. Mario would have her hide if he knew, but thank God he wasn't here. She kept moving away gradually, not trying to look suspicious, but she could see they were slowly following; whispering and muttering over what to be done with her. Who was she? Why was she here? Why dressed so strange? Had she ever been here before?

Her eyes flicked to the nearby alleyway. She could lose them their easily enough, so she started for it.

"Hey! You!"

She mentally groaned; knowing full well who they were shouting at. Great. Just great. Was it going to potentially turn into a proper chase now? Just what she needed. She mentally prepared herself as she made for the tight corner, waiting for them to start shouting more angrily. However, that was put on hold as a pair of decidedly feminine and gentle hands wound their way around her arms, and she found herself with a pair of courtesans at her side.

"Come; we'll distract them," they spoke softly, though never missed a beat as they lead her down the road. Catherine was able to look back briefly at one point, and three other young ladies were, indeed, distracting the group. They had certainly forgotten all about her, and their little trio safely made it out of sight where the women finally broke free, smiling rather pleased with themselves—as they should be.

"Thank-you. You saved me a rather annoying time," Catherine chuckled, smiling right back.

One of them laughed, "It was our pleasure after you helped one of our own, although we almost didn't recognize you in your new get up."

"Yeah, I guess I do look pretty different in all this," she snickered. "Thank-you, again. I really do appreciate it... and now I need to get back to finding this guy..."

"Who are you after? We may know them—especially if it's a man," the second girl giggled playfully.

"Um... well, I was told he wears ragged clothes, but somewhat nice, and he's supposed to be in this area here," Catherine explained, pointing to the general location on her map. "Looks like a thief or what not. Dark hair—brown eyes. Scar over the bridge of the nose?"

"Hmm... that does sound familiar. We have some girls in that part, and I've worked there before... so the person is probably more likely around here," the first replied, gesturing to a spot just a little to the left on the parchment.

"Okay, good—thanks! That should help a lot," the redhead nodded as she returned the map to her vest.

The second girl nodded back, "No problem, and if the guards bother you again... just give us a wave. We'll be more than happy to help again. And if you're ever tired or just need some... relaxation... our doors are always open."

Catherine had to pause for a second, registering the tone. She looked to the young woman, who gave a playful wink before giggling once more and heading off. Her companion just laughed lightly, bidding a cheerful "farewell", and then she was gone, too; leaving the redhead still somewhat puzzled. Had she meant what she thought she meant? Had the girls offered to "service" her like they did the men? She supposed that wasn't unheard of, but it was certainly the first time for her. So she stood still a bit longer, blinking, and then shook her head with a short laugh. Venezia was certainly proving an interesting place.

'Right, time to find the guy,' she mused as she did a quick glance around for danger, and then headed off once more.

She heeded the courtesans' advice and found the area soon enough. She asked the small group there, but they hadn't seen the target. However, it only took waiting around for about ten minutes before the man came into view. It was him for sure, and she made sure to follow him back to a building just around the corner. With a quick mark on her map, she was done, and breathed a sigh of relief. She'd spent most the day working on this, but now she could finally get back. She imagined Ezio was already done—he had his Vision to help him see, after all—so she made a straight beeline for the Thieves' headquarters. It wasn't far by any means, so she began to recognize things and some faces in a matter of minutes. Her house wouldn't be far from the "entrance", and she considered getting something to eat real quick.