Early the next morning, the two of them stood in the Animus with the Abstergo staff prepping them for their session. Once the belts were harnessed on and the epidurals had been performed, a procedure that Devyn seemed to have learned how to zen out during, a few of the staff members returned for an added step to the process. They clasped a set of gauntlets onto each of their wrists. Once they were all securely fastened, the staff quickly backed out of arms reach.
Devyn explained, "These are our Hidden Blades. An assassin is expected to be able to pick up any weapon at their disposal and put it to use, but they should never be without their Hidden Blades." With one quick motion, two blades shot out of her gauntlets, extending out past the bottoms of her wrists before sliding back out of view. "I could show you how to use them now, but you should be able to pick it right up as Altair."
He had passed his first test in the Animus with flying colors, but that was just a sparring session. The next logical step was to raise the stakes a little bit. She raised an authoritative finger, "Just remember that you're in here with somebody. Somebody who's trying not to get stabbed, you got it?"
. . . .
Talon gave her a single head nod and braced his teeth as the epidural was inserted. Within thirty seconds the animus raised him into the air and with a forward thrust he felt his mind going back to that of Altair's and the memory sequence. The scene was different than the one before. He was inside the Assassin fortress in the weapons training room. His arms still had the hidden blade gauntlets and around him was fellow members of the brotherhood. He was certain he caught a glimpse of Esther.
Altair and Esther's fellow comrade, Abbas, asked their combat instructor if the group could pair up and fight with their combat skills and practice with their hidden blades, instead of the wooden practice ones. With permission granted it Abbas and Altair began their fight. Talon felt the movements flow through his body, the tension in his arm as he willed the blades out of the gauntlet at appropriate times. It was as if they had been apart of him for a long time. He felt the blades retract and extend as if they were an extension of his own arm.
It was during the course of their combat that Abbas revealed his hatred of Altaïr. Talon could feel Altair's guilt but wasn't entirely sure why he felt guilty for the brotherhood member who had switched from 'training mode' to killing mode. As the two grappled, Abbas held his knife to Altaïr's throat and yelled that Altaïr had lied about Abbas' father to shame him. The commotion caught the attention of the other Assassins. Trying to quell Abbas' anger, Altaïr falsely admitted that he had lied, and the two were taken to Masyaf's dungeon. There they spent a month in confinement before resuming their training.
Talon felt the memory fragment begin to decrease in synchronization. A voice called out to him to stay with it until the next sequence began. He wasn't sure if it was Devyn or a technician who spoke it but he felt his body relax as mind fragments of incomplete memory of his time spend in confinement for a month was gone. The synchronization increased once more when Altair was released from confinement and was faced to face with Esther outside the Assassin fortress. "Care to join me on a run? Maybe find a quiet place to practice one on one after?" Altair asked of her.
Talon could feel Altair's desire to be free from the eyes of his superiors and other brotherhood members for a short time. A run around the city landscape, roof tops to a high place, and a place to practice his hidden blade skills with her is what he desired. She was talented after all, and if he wanted to become a Master Assassin, he needed to be better than what had happened during his fight with Abbas.
. . . .
Esther smiled up at Altair, "Of course." As they started down the path from the fortress, she grabbed him by the arm just long enough to slow him to a more casual pace. "Can we... walk? Just for a bit?" It felt good to be in his company again. It seemed like a moment worth enjoying before they went right back to training.
Altair's time in the dungeon had been difficult for her, but it was also a time of growth. She had been able to focus on herself and become rededicated to her training. Instead of working to best a rival, she spent her time bettering her skill set. That slight difference in emphasis allowed her to make great strides over the course of that month. She even managed to regain some of Mualim's favor. That being said, when it came time for Altair's release, she was there to meet him.
Knowing that he had been through a lot, she didn't want bother him with unnecessary chatter, so she was content to walk in silence, unless he had something on his mind. As the pair neared the city below the fortress, Esther picked up the pace. The sun had began to fall and the stonework that built Masyaf turned gold in the late afternoon light. Coming to the end of the path, she pulled ahead and they began their run. From here on, she intended to make him work to keep up with her. As she approached one of the buildings at the outskirts of town, she skipped up off of a box and sprang up just high enough to swing herself up onto the roof, breaking out into a sprint.
Esther had always been an elite free-runner. She never seemed to lose forward momentum and her feet always seemed to find the ground. Now, she was more explosive and more nimble than ever. She ran along walls with ease and scaled heights that seemed insurmountable for a person her size. All the while, she gracefully tumbled through the air and rolled out of long drops to the ground. Gradually, she lead him along the rooftops that looked down upon the waters residing below Masyaf, then through the back alleys of the city itself. They hoisted themselves over ledges, launched over gaps, and stayed out of sight. Eventually, they managed to reach the stables, dropping down by the city gates without having alerted a single citizen of their presence.
Without skipping a beat, she swung herself up onto one of the horses. Her eyes were wild with an excitement that had been absent while he was gone. They were only a short ride away from a number of places where they could test their skills against each other.
. . . .
Altair found her request to walk for a bit curious. But none the less he agreed. As their feet found the leisure stride he found the slow action with her to be surprisingly pleasant. Under other circumstances he found walking to be too slow for his liking to accomplish anything but blending in with a crowd when necessary. This walk with her was different than that. Just doing so and feeling the presence of her company made the action worth doing.
All too soon they were ready to run. Scaling the buildings, it was as if their feet had wings. They carried them over ledges, gaps, all the while staying undetected by the citizens of Masyaf. It never ceased to amaze him how graceful Esther could be during this task. He only caught glimpses from the corner of his eyes, but it was enough. To see her eyes, mind, and body so sure of herself. She had a grace that none of the members of the brotherhood had.
He saw the wild in her eyes as she mounted a horse. Another trait about her that was admirable. She wasn't entirely predictable and when in trusted company she allowed her emotions to show in her eyes. She trusted him. It became apparent he trusted her. Instead of mounting a different steed, he landed behind her on the one she had chosen and gave the beast a tap on the rump before making sure she had hold of the reigns.
The beast was startled but after a moment began to move his hooves into a quick trot away from the stables and the city. The beast followed the well traveled dirt pathway until it was guided off the trail onto the vast grassland that surrounded them.
The gentle valley made it easier for the beast to carry the two of them without becoming too labored. They came to a stop when the grassland valley met the beginnings of a mountain and a pond of fresh water formed at the base from the winter snow turned to spring run off.
The steed came to a stop and Altair eased off the beast first and secured the reins to a low hanging tree branch so the beast could drink from the ponds edge if it chose.
"Well chosen, Esther. Let us see how you've done since my absence." Altair remarked, shifting his feet into one on one combat stance.
. . . .
Altair was an amazing man. His strength of character was exuded through his movements as they ran together. He faced each obstacle she put between them head-on with an unyielding determination. In every instance when Esther would have left other men in the dust, he stayed with her. Pushed her even. She was a better version of herself because of him. Feeling him against her as they left Masyaf and the Brotherhood behind, a part of her wished they could just keep riding. When they finally arrived at the pond and Altair tied off the horse, she was slow to dismount, but it was a necessary stop in their journey together.
Esther slid off of the mount and circled away from Altair, creating a bit of space between them. She had expected him to be diminished after his time in the dungeon, but he didn't seem to have missed a step so far. As he took his stance, she could tell that if she took him lightly in any way, he would make her pay.
She made no response as she continued to circle. There wasn't anything left for her to say until after they faced off.
From the time she got off the horse, to when she began her approach, Esther never came to a complete stop. As she rounded towards him, her pace quickened and her path straightened out in his direction. She swept over the ground like a shadow as she kept her body low. Just as she reached striking distance, she decked right, then left before swiping upwards at him with a hidden blade extending out from her wrist.
Her movements were still distinctly her style, but they were different. She was still elusive as all hell and utilized misdirection to her advantage, but there was less flair. Less unnecessary movement. Her attacks were direct and thrown with intention. When she made him miss, she moved to make him pay for it.
Esther's heels kicked dust into the air as she slid away from him. Again, creating space. Panting, the hints of a smirk came to her face. She waved him on.
. . . .
As he expected she kept him at a distance during their combat. Her strikes precise enough to be within contact range to make him instinctively evade. Which followed a real strike that she intended to cause harm with. Her hidden blade nearly contacted the tip of his nose. She had gotten faster. Very likely faster than him now.
They exchanged defensive and offensive strikes, evasive maneuvers were her specialty. He preferred a more direct style of fighting. But such a style would only get someone into trouble. Evasive fighters were like snakes. They defended well and when they got you to move to your most vulnerable. That's when they struck to kill.
His own blades came out and the sound of metal brushing against metal was heard on occasion during their discord. She did well to keep him at a distance. He had yet to find or be able to move in a engage her in closer combat that he knew was her weakness based on sheer strength alone. When that smirk peeked out of the corners of her lips and the tips of her fingers gestured for him to come at her he couldn't help but reveal a grin of his own. She was confident to invite him to charge at her head on. It was an attractive trait and the smirk a minor distraction.
Well since she insisted, he decided to take her invitation. Charging he anticipated her to attempt to strike before he got close. Quite the opposite happened when she allowed him to break through her carefully maneuvered defense. The sound of blades retracting reached his ears before his eyes and in a blink of an eye he was mid air and flat on the ground with the very breathe knocked from his lungs. His arms pinned down beneath the weight of her legs upon them as she secured her position over him. The sound of a blade extending and the touch of its cool tip at his throat, with just enough pressure to feel the blade bite at his skin.
"I knew one of these days your speed was going to claim a victory against me. You've done well, Esther. I concede, you are the victor." He complimented, retracting his blades.
. . . .
Esther pulled her blades away immediately and slid back, freeing his arms. As she looked down at him, bested for the first time, a sense of pride was welling up within her. She'd wanted this for so long. She wanted him so badly. At the same time...
Slowly, she leaned down into him and brought her face to his. Esther gently pressed a kiss to Altair's cheek before she leaned over and rolled onto her back at his side. She let out a quiet sigh, "For the Creed, right?"
As the sun began to slip behind the horizon, stars began to shine through the evening sky. She lay back watching the stars appear, wearing a soft melancholic smile. As much as she had wanted to change the way that he felt about her, his aspirations as an Assassin were no secret. Between his father's legacy, Mualim's mentorship, and expectations from the rest of the Brotherhood, there was a lot of pressure on him to succeed. His life had been dedicated to a cause. Beating him once did not give her the right to ask him to risk all of that.
. . . .
They way she knocked the breath from his lungs during her take down did not compare to the sensation that came over him when she leaned in and her lips brushed against his cheek.
He had been waiting for the day she would be victorious against him. Not because in his mind she was not worthy of the affection he felt for her. But rather if she felt affection for him in the same way, she was too resilient and wouldn't think herself worthy until she did.
But affection beyond that of comrades was a dangerous emotion to display. Especially when they both were equally worthy of a rank advancement.
For a while they enjoyed the silence of each others company, the light of the moon and stars in the sky. When he could no longer enjoy the silence he spoke,
"Mualim will not advance your rank, despite your eligibility, if my affection beyond comradery for you is known. He will not risk the possible compromise, no matter how much we display our loyalty to the Creed over each other." Altair sat up and looked at her, "Esther, I will not take the opportunity you have worked so hard for and deserve away from you. If what we feel now is still present after the decision has been made and advancement ranks are given, then we can explore our affections further without harming one another."
He leaned down and pushed back the brim of her hood a bit to place a gentle kiss upon her brow. The gesture was bittersweet and it didn't feel like enough. He placed his forehead against her own,
"For the Creed..." he agreed, although his words were nearly as reluctant as her own been earlier. For a long moment his eyes stayed closed and he reveled in just feeling close to her in a way they had yet to be. The sound of wind dancing over the valley whispering a whimsical melody. Signaling the on coming drop in night temperature.
He opened his eyes committing the sight to memory before he sat up and then stood, making his way to retrieve the steed. "Best we return before we are missed."
. . . .
Esther was experiencing a gamut of emotions as she lay beside Altair. When he pulled back her hood and moonlight spilled upon her face, her glassy eyes glistened, but they were accompanied by a warm smile. As he kissed her and brought her close, she reached up to wrap her fingers around the nape of his neck and pulled herself upwards, nuzzling against him.
She had achieved her goal, but not the desired outcome. She knew that he had feelings for her, but now was not the time to explore them. She had come a long way, but there was further to go.
It was true, a lot was at stake for her. If they were to be found out, all of the progress she had made in the Brotherhood would have been for naught. To him, that was the worst possible scenario. For her, she would have gladly given it all up for more days like today. But it was precisely for that reason, that everything he said was true.
If she wanted to pursue her feelings for Altair, the Brotherhood had to come first. It was too deeply rooted in who he was and who he aimed to be for it to be any other way. If anything, it seemed that the time that she had spent devoting herself to the Creed in his absence had done more to bring them together than pursuing him ever had.
As he rose, she sat up and watched him return to the horse. Bringing her feet beneath her, she stood and dusted herself off. She turned to the pond. With the night sky reflecting off of the surface of the water, it looked as though a bit of the cosmos had pooled at the bottom of the mountain range before them.
She went to join him at the horse, but hesitated to mount it. She thought about staying, using the excuse that people would get suspicious if they were seen returning together at this hour. But squandering the chance to ride with him seemed unwise, so she pulled herself up onto the beast and offered a hand down to him. "Then let's return."
. . . .
Altair grasped Esther's offered hand and mounted the steed behind her. The beast was spurred into a moderate trot. They had no need to put the animal through a hard gallop and create excessive noise back to the stables.
The ride back Altair was more aware of Esther's form against his own, compared to that of the ride out. Despite her expert skills at handling the horse by the reins, he settled against her a bit more than what was truly necessary. The pleasant memory of her fingers grasping the nape of his neck sent pleasant chills to run down his spine.
Suddenly the world went black and Talon felt like he had received a sudden case of whiplash as he lost involuntarily synchronization from the memory and the animus. Such a sudden involuntary removal from the memory sequence left Talon disoriented with hazy vision. "What...what happened?" He asked and could feel a body in his arms embrace. Probably Est...Devyn's. A moment later he was pulled away and led out by one of the medical staff members.
"Nothing to concern yourself about Mr. Skye. The director needs to speak with Miss Harris alone. You are being led to your room. Your vitals are good. Your vision should return to normal within the hour." He was told and led to his room. He could hear the door slid open and then he was led to sit on the bed. When he heard the door close again he attempted to blink and gain focus. Within thirty minutes his vision got progressively better. He hoped Devyn was okay. Seemed kind if odd to just pull the plug during a memory sequence.
. . . .
At first, when Altair leaned into her, Esther pretended not to notice. Then, just as she started to slide back on the saddle and push back, Devyn was ripped from Masyaf.
She heard Talon's voice, felt his breath on the back of her neck, but she couldn't make out the words. He sounded so far away. Her eyes worked desperately to adjust to the brightness in the room. The staff had turned the lights on early.
Fairly quickly, she was piecing together what was going on. Talon was dragged away as she felt herself being lifted by her arms. She heard metal scrape against the floor behind her and suddenly found herself being dropped into a chair. As she tried to orient herself, a familiar silhouette walked out in front of her. "Doctor?"
Dr. Vidic's voice came back at her, "We're not going through this again, Devyn. There's no time." As her pupils finally dilated to the proper size, the bearded man came into view.
Devyn did her best to focus on the doctor, but said nothing. She knew better than to try and lie to him. "You were supposed to pull him out after the altercation with Abbas. Yes? Romantic walks at sunset and kisses by the lake aren't getting us anywhere. We need to start making progress."
She felt like a child when he was upset with her. Devyn sat up in her chair, straightening her posture in an attempt to seem more credible as she mounted her defense, "I-"
He waved her off immediately and interrupted, "You're stalling. We're not even to Solomon's Temple. We need to bring the Apple into play." Without giving her a chance to respond, he drew near, pointing down at her authoritatively, "Make it happen. You do not want to go down this road again."
. . . .
Talon regained his vision and found his room had the upgrades he requested. Heading to the miniature fridges he found them stocked just like he asked. He was stuck between his desire to stick around and listen for when Devyn arrived to her door or go down to the dining hall to eat. Even if he didn't experience as intense of a memory sequence, it always left him in need of food afterwards.
He felt the nape of his neck tingle and reached back to rub away the memory. He needed to get away and clear his head before Devyn returned. He could still feel Altair's tumult of emotions surrounding Esther. They lingered within Talon and felt directed toward Devyn. He definitely needed to clear his head before he did something stupid and got his ass kicked.