Dame Evie Frye (dontdie) wrote in the100, @ 2016-02-26 08:42:00 |
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It was both lucky and annoying that the Assassins of Mount Weather had such an easy way to find each other. Not that anyone could really hide from them, given the Eagle Sense. But Assassin auras were different, and Ezio’s was as bright as Jacob’s. Since the other day, he hadn’t been avoiding her per say, but the change in demeanor had been noticeable. More reserved. Polite. Evie wasn’t the sort to be bothered by someone being more polite than usual, but in this case it was irksome. What was even more irksome was that her brother was the sort to wear his heart on his sleeve, and he had been doing so to a ridiculous degree over the last short weeks. Not just with Ezio, but Claire and to some extension, Nathan, as well. Nathan had been happening from the start, though that was thankfully padded down by the fact that he was married. For all they fought, for all they bickered, and disagreed, butted heads, attempted to destroy each other.. the twins were inseperable. Evie knew Jacob better than anyone did, and she hated to admit he knew the same of her. Which is what led her to Mr. Auditore’s door, with a kettle of tea and a (stolen) muffin. Eagle Sense told her that he was in the living room of his flat, and thankfully alone so she wouldn’t have to stare awkwardly until his roommates let them alone. Her hands fully, Evie kicked her toe against the edge of the door. “Mr. Auditore.” There had been a specific moment when Ezio had realized he was forgetting himself a little too often. That moment was somewhere around the third ‘smoke’, when he’d been stuffing his face full of muffin and putting entirely too much effort into not thinking about the person who’d given it to him. Not even Bobbi’s excellent company had gotten him out of his own head. At home, Claudia would have no doubt thrown something at him long before that moment of self-realization. But here, he was on his own. No, not exactly on his own. He’d already found himself a little too attached to the Frye twins in a short period of time. Evie had Claudia’s good sense and fierce spirit, and just like with his sister, Ezio did not want to be a disappointment to her. And Jacob...well. Jacob was a different issue. The kind in which denial was buckling under the weight of obnoxious charm and a ridiculous face. Even ignoring the swooping in his gut, Ezio was inappropriately fond and knew it. He needed to sort himself out. At the very least, he needed to resist inserting himself into their lives at every turn Which is why he had put up the professional assassin wall for the time being and was currently cleaning his weapons in the quiet of his living room. It was also why he was especially surprised to find Evie at his door. With a muffin no less. Ezio tried not to roll his eyes towards the ceiling in amused exasperation but failed for the most part. Opening the door wider, he gave a subdued sweep of his hand to welcome her inside. “Dame Frye.” Ezio smiled crookedly. “To what do I owe the pleasure?” Evie responded to his question and smile with an eyebrow raise and a little smile of her own. Sweeping past him, she tossed the muffin into the air lightly, knowing it’d hit it’s mark and go straight into his path to catch easily. She truly had nothing against being called Dame, given it was a title she’d well-earned and it was the sort of thing that made her feel good about what she did. What she was. Continuing forward without glancing back to confirm that he actually caught the muffin, Evie set the balanced tea cups and kettle down on the table in the living area. “The muffin is for you, I couldn’t trust that Jacob would have actually shared. So there you have it.” Settling into an open chair, paying no mind to the weaponry that he was clearly cleaning when she’d interrupted, and also offering no apologies for interrupting, Evie set upon pouring the tea for both of them. “I thought we could have a chat.” Nothing ominous about it at all, when a deadly assassin wanted to chat with you over tea that could very well be poisoned. Catching the muffin with as much nonchalance as Evie threw it, Ezio gave the door a light kick to shut it behind him. There was nothing outwardly threatening here, and yet he had to tell himself that as he crossed to the table and started packing up his gear. Paranoia was an assassin default, after all. But as he hadn’t actually done anything too awful, he had to assume he wasn’t about to be poisoned. Besides, Evie making herself comfortable made him smirk, anyway. “Thank you for the muffin.” Once his weapons were set aside, Ezio leaned back and lifted an eyebrow at her. “I hope it’s not meant to be my last meal,” he joked. “Hope you don’t take sugar and cream in your tea, I didn’t bring any.” Evie replied easily, and held up a cup with a small, little smile still plastered on her face. She didn’t outright answer him, on purpose, of course, but she did pour her own cup and settle back against the chair. Looking across at Ezio, she regarded him carefully - and just as knowingly, she didn’t take a sip while she was doing it. Letting out a breath, Evie leaned forward in the seat. “It’s more that I don’t trust anyone else to make tea for me. Father instilled that in us the hard way.” There was no animosity in her voice, even with the implications laid out in front of them. It was a lesson they had to learn, and she knew it well. “The point being that I don’t trust easily, with good reason, but Jacob…” Evie trailed off and tilted her head, glancing down at her tea while she continued talking. “Jacob trusts. Jacob will try anything you hand him - as you already know - he’ll try any drink once just to see what it does. He’ll jump when you say jump and fall when you fall. And even at times when you don’t, and then he looks up, wondering exactly how he got in that position and I have to help him out of it.” Ezio snorted a quiet laugh at her reply, but took a cup for himself. Manners, and that pesky need to please, wouldn’t let him do otherwise. But the cup did give him something to direct his frown at as Evie implied their father poisoned them. It wasn’t his place to comment, but good God how he wanted to. Instead, he tightened his grip on the cup handle, took a trusting sip, and gave her somber smile until the unnecessary need to protect dimmed back to standard levels. Of course, the moment she got to the point, he wondered if maybe he should’ve waited to take a drink. Too late now. Swallowing past the dryness in his throat, Ezio set the cup down and focused on her. “I had begun to notice that. Possibly a little too late.” He briefly glanced down at his hands and then exhaled. The story about Roth rattled around inside his head, making him grimace. “I meant him no harm, but I know intent does not count for much when the results are the same. I can only promise to take better care in the future.” Ah. Well, that was disappointing, and Evie was never very good at schooling her features, so there was a crease of her brow as she tilted her head to the side, listening. He passed the test of drinking the tea before she did, but then failed it as far as Jacob was concerned. Quietly, and only once that he had tried his own, she allowed herself to take a drink. She believed him when he said he meant no harm, and while Evie was not necessarily angry at Ezio, there was a moment of annoyance at the world in general for it. One of these days she would find someone that was willing to fight her over the topic of Jacob, but apparently today was not that day. Ezio, perhaps, was far too polite to do so. “I love my brother a great deal, Mr. Auditore. I know that I am his harshest critic, and that we constantly bicker and annoy one another. I know that we rarely see eye-to-eye and things often are clouded in misjudgement. But he is the most important person in the world to me. And we know each other very well.” She took a sip of her tea, and leveled a look at him. “You are aware that I am not necessarily warning you off of this path, yes? But I was curious if you were aware of your own … impact, on him. And apparently you are.” Ezio thought he knew what this conversation was about, but now he wasn’t so certain. This didn’t feel as simple as a ‘someone abused my brother’s trust badly enough to leave a mark, so if you do the same, I’ll kill you’ conversation, but it’s not like he’d ever had that conversation. He could read into her word choice all day and probably dig an even bigger hole for himself. As it was, he was paying close enough attention to recognize he’d said something disappointing. But he wasn’t sure what to do about any of it other than narrow a confused squint at her. “Don’t be so sure, Dame Frye. If there’s anything I have learned over the years, it’s that I know nothing as well as I think I do.” Leaning forward, Ezio rested his arms on his knees and held his palms up. “For instance, I thought you were simply annoyed that I encouraged your brother to follow his worst instincts. But now you are talking about paths and impact like I have some great plan here.” Ezio couldn’t help but huff a self-deprecating laugh at that. He lifted a shoulder in a helpless shrug. “I had a moment of selfishness brought on by my own stupid risk...and an appreciation for Jacob’s company. That is what I know.” Evie snorted out a quiet laugh, and took another sip of her tea before finally setting aside the cup to mimic Ezio. This certainly wasn’t the first time her vagueness had been misinterpreted, and if Ezio wasn’t of the mind that he knew exactly how Jacob’s feelings were leaning, it wasn’t shocking. There was, of course, a part of her that wondered if she should just play with this line of thinking, not clarify and leave it at that. Jacob would be none the wiser to her meddling into his business, if she stepped away now. But Evie rarely left things alone, especially not if she still worried it was going to impact her brother negatively. “Jacob always follows his worst instincts. In the end, neither of you hurt anyone and- well. Worse has happened before when he has been under the influence. That isn’t what I was implying at all, Mr. Auditore.” Obviously, leaving things alone was for the birds. “I’m merely worried that you weren’t aware at how easily Jacob can become attached to someone. And how it hasn’t worked well for him in the past.” Well, there was that terrifying swoop again, right through the center of him. Ezio shoved the word attached into the back of his mind where it hopefully couldn’t trip him up and locked eyes with Evie. A humorless smile curled one edge of his mouth. “I have many faults, most of which I will be the first to admit. I am vain. Libidinous. Occasionally reckless. Definitely hardheaded.” He paused, then lifted one eyebrow at her - still serious, but with a noticeable gentler tone of voice. “But I am not the kind of man who would draw your brother in close and then tell him to burn down a house full of children. ...I’m more likely to be the man who follows him into a burning house full of children.” A moment passed and Ezio’s mouth twisted in morbid amusement. “I’m not entirely sure that was a comforting statement. Ah, well.” This time, Evie’s face fully registered her surprise. She’d never once thought to compare Ezio to Maxwell Roth of all people, but it more surprised her that Jacob had opened up to someone else about that situation. Jacob, who wasn’t exactly the most sharing person when it was something that deep, had told Ezio. This was potentially more dire than she expected. Especially if Jacob had gone that far into the story. Maybe while they were both under the influence? Either way, her brow furrowed in deep thought, unsure of exactly what to say to that. “I’ve never thought you were as terrible as that wretched monster, Mr. Auditore. And I apologize if it came across as such. I am surprised that Jacob told you about Roth, however.” Following Jacob into a burning building to rescue children was likely more comforting of a thought than Ezio believed it to be, and she ducked her head down. “I’m fairly certain - I could be wrong, but I rarely am - that my brother likes you, Mr. Auditore. And that you may be leading him on, unintentionally, but with no desire to reciprocate.” In the month he’d known Evie Frye, Ezio couldn’t remember seeing genuine surprise on her face. Not even once. He’d jokingly assumed she knew everything, but at the very least had gotten all the poker face in the family. It worried him for a moment, though, that he’d crossed a line in trying to make a point. But what she said brought his thoughts clattering to stop, anyway. “It’s not that I--” He gaped dumbly at her for a heartbeat while a small, disbelieving smile battled for control of his face. Once he got his mouth mostly under control - including the words bursting out of it without his permission - Ezio sank back into the sofa with a sigh. God help him. How was he supposed to get himself under control if the person who knew Jacob best was putting thoughts in his head? “Evie. If the fact that he told me about Roth is a factor in this...theory, I wouldn’t put too much weight in it. He was drugged at the time and rolling around in the snow.” Well, this time her remarks had gotten to him and she could visibly see that. It was a reaction she wasn’t quite expecting, though it did cause a bit of relief. Evie could say she felt bad for causing distress, but she didn’t, particularly, She did, however, silently regard him as he clearly battled through thoughts and feelings on the ‘theory’. It was nice that there was no outward rejection, and gave her a slight bit of hope that this entire situation wasn’t destined to go down the drain. “Ezio.” She returned, raising an eyebrow at him using her first name again. “Jacob is most often truthful when under the influence of something. Shockingly enough, he’s usually fairly guarded when it comes to matters of the heart.” Reaching forward, she picked her tea back up and took another sip, treating this entire situation with a casual flare that it probably didn’t deserve. “And it’s no theory. I’ve been under this assumption for quite some time, well before he even told you about Roth. However,” her voice was suddenly measured and very firm, as she looked across at the squirming Assassin. “What you plan to do with the information is still currently up in the air. But I know your history, Mr. Auditore. Whispers and rumors still transcended through time, beyond your codex, and I know it’s entirely possible you are not and will never like Jacob the same as he likes you. This isn’t meant to shame, more to… educate.” Ezio wanted to laugh. Not because there was anything funny about this subject, or the fact that his pulse didn't want to even out. He wanted to laugh because Evie was nearly half his age and here she was, talking to him like it was the other way around. It was apparently exactly what he needed to regain his equilibrium. Well, at least some of his equilibrium. Enough to flash half a smile at her and not fidget in his seat. “I’ll be completely honest with you, Dame Frye. I don’t know what I am going to do with this information. I’m not entirely sure there is anything I should do with this information.” Lifting his eyebrows, Ezio toyed with the arm of the sofa, not so much avoiding eye contact as lost in thought. “Even if you are right, it’s for Jacob to decide whether I should know how he feels or not. I respect the fact that you’re trying to protect him and that heart of his. I...respect that very much. But I’m too old and too jaded to make the mistake of assuming I know how anyone feels again.” She knew, realistically, that Ezio had far more experience than either of them in the romantic department. In most departments of life, really. But Evie was the sort of person that was fully grown at eight and practically an old woman about most things by eighteen. It wasn’t a bad thing to her, someone had to be responsible and Evie knew that she had to work twice as hard to be half as respected in a world where men believed they were the be-all-end-all. It had, of course, made her more cynical and jaded on her own violation, years before she should have been. “You aren’t required to do anything with the information, Mr. Auditore.” Except think on it. Because now she’d planted the seed, knowingly, hoping it would get things slightly more aired out than stupid men ever did, because they so often thought only of themselves. Busying herself, Evie stood and snagged the tea kettle from the table and her cup. “But I didn’t want you going in unawares and being caught off-guard around Jacob, as a surprised rejection could make him retreat quickly. At least now, should something happen, you’ll hopefully be able to handle yourself with grace and dignity.” Ezio huffed a laugh through his nose. “You might be giving me too much credit, Dame Frye. But I will do my best.” Truthfully, Jacob caught him off-guard in every conversation they had, and so far grace and dignity had been hit and miss. At this point, he was sure that Evie’s words in his head would inspire some truly embarrassing stupidity, but he was still firm on not letting his own complicated feelings make a mess of everything. Or so he would keep telling himself. Repeatedly. Picking up his cup, Ezio quickly downed the rest his tea and climbed to his feet. “Thank you, though. I think.” He smirked cheekily, holding out the cup. “I thought for sure Jacob would be the more meddlesome twin, honestly. This has been educational.” Evie snagged the cup from Ezio delicately, and smiled her smug little all-knowing smile. “Jacob prefers a far more obnoxious and straight-forward route. He also typically likes ribbing me to my face, rather than going behind my back, because he’s not very good at true threats.” She took a few steps away from him, kettle in one hand, teacups dangling from her fingers in the next. They clinked together lightly as she turned, expression still relaxed and friendly. “Speaking of, if he happens to hear about this little chat of ours, I can promise you that everyone will think you simply disappeared and went home, Mr. Auditore.” If Ezio hadn’t been so charmed by Evie’s goodnatured insults, he might have seen the threat coming. Instead, a surprised laugh burst free of his mouth and his eyes dropped shut with the force of it. Eventually, he halfway bowed, hand over his chest. “I would expect nothing less.” With that, he covered the last few steps and opened the door for her. “Drop by again anytime, Assassin.” |