InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "I made u an orange but I eated"

Henriette Stillman (not_that_henri) wrote in utr_logs,
@ 2010-05-30 14:46:00

Entry tags:

ezio auditore da firenze, henriette stillman

Who: Henn & Ezio
Where: Guildhall & Old New Orleans
When: Afternoon-time
Warnings: Not likely, but will change if necessary

It had been a while since Henn had taken the Highroad anywhere and she was feeling out of practice, even though she knew she was probably fine. Which was why she'd stopped back at the Guildhall for a few hours, just so that she could make sure she still knew what she was doing. At that particular moment she was limbering up on the roof, one of the few flat spaces, her hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail to keep it out of her face and to keep it from snagging on anything and she was wearing a pair of comfortable jeans and a tank top because it was hot and it was muggy, and there was a chance of rain.

She knew right where the path was, and she knew how to watch out for changes caused by dead limbs or other hazards, tree snakes for instance, though for the most part those were harmless, and she knew that she could get all the way to the city proper without ever touching the ground, which was her plan for the day. She laced her fingers, stretching both arms over her head, shifting her weight from foot to foot, almost anxious, just getting herself ready to bolt.

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assassino
2010-05-30 10:02 pm UTC (link)

Ezio was heading out of the guildhall when he heard a noise above him. He blinked, looking around, wondering if his mind was finally starting to go, but then he spied a flash of black hair. She likely was not intending to hide; it was either Petit or Petit's daughter, and he knew neither of those women could be found when they didn't wish to be.

He chuckled and raised his voice. "Are there really enough buildings in either direction to make a go of that, signorina?"

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	not_that_henri 2010-05-30 10:07 pm UTC (link)
	She blinked at the voice before turning and looking down over the edge of the roof, beaming a moment later, "Nope, but there's more than enough topography for it. Trees mostly, mum hasn't shown you the Highroad yet? Can use it to get from here all the way to the City." She shrugged, "It's how I usually get there, if I'm not going Backstage." (Reply to this)

assassino
2010-05-30 10:11 pm UTC (link)

Ezio raised an eyebrow, looking at the side of the Guildhall and finding a place to begin to climb. It required a bit of swinging, but eventually he'd pulled himself up onto the roof with Henriette. "Are you a free-runner, then? I was unaware that you could do so here." When he practiced free-running he usually portkeyed to the Near East; it was only in the Moslem cities that he could still find enough buildings packed close enough where if he fell it would not damage him beyond repair. "I am not at all used to free-running via trees." It interested and amused him, though. Was it possible for someone with no magical powers?

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not_that_henri
2010-05-30 10:17 pm UTC (link)

She nodded, "Yeah, I picked it up a while ago and just kept with it, good way to stay fit." She shrugged, tightening her ponytail, "And it's fun, and it's the same general idea with trees as it is with buildings, same kinds of foot and handholds. We've got the Road all marked out, if you know where to look for the markers." She toed the one on the edge of the roof, indicating the direction that the closest trail was, "It's sort of like hobo signs. Sometimes it's more subtle than that, like an ivy vine in where there's only honeysuckle."

She grinned then, "C'mon, I'll show you, step where I step and you should be fine." That said she took off along the ridge of the roof, and from there it was a quick jump to the first of the wide branches, wide enough to hold her up, but still narrow enough that she had to keep one foot in front of the other.

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	assassino 2010-05-30 10:20 pm UTC (link)
	Why not. Ezio chuckled, quickly stretching his own arms and neck out to limber up, and sprinted off the roof behind Henriette once she'd left him room. "I tend to go to places like Jerusalem or Cairo to practice this!" He called, amused. (Reply to this)

not_that_henri
2010-05-30 10:26 pm UTC (link)

Closer to the trunks it was easier, more branches to choose from, and climbing vines for hand and toeholds. She swung herself easily up to a higher branch, feet scrabbling just for a moment before she hoisted herself upright again, she was only a little out of practice, which was the point of getting back into it with both feet, "I usually go to London, sometimes Paris, not a lot of American cities have the right architecture." She replied, making sure the path ahead was still clear.

At the end of the branch she dropped off, catching hold with both hands and pendulum-ing herself into the next tree. It was pretty obvious she'd been taking this path, or those similar, since she was young, she knew it as well as she knew the streets of the city.

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	assassino 2010-05-30 10:35 pm UTC (link)
	He did the best he could to follow along, managing for the most part on a route he was unfamiliar with. Ezio grunted as he grabbed the next tree with one hand, swinging his weight in order to keep his balance. "You are right there, at least!" She was fast and fluid, and this was her home; it was impressive how well she could do this. (Reply to this)

not_that_henri
2010-05-30 10:41 pm UTC (link)

Henn was impressed, and amused at how well he was keeping up, but she wasn't surprised. She smiled, pausing at the end of a branch, scanning the route ahead, these trees tended to drop more limbs than others, and no one was really sure why, she shook her head, backtracking, "Bridge is out, have to take the backup." She said, swinging herself higher into the tree.

She had to slow considerably on the narrower, springier branches, moving like a tightrope walker, arms at her sides for balance, when she got to the end of the branch she used it like a diving board, letting the natural spring aid her flip, catching hold of the tangle of vines on the next tree over and swinging herself around to a firmer footing, laughing once she was stable, "Haven't done that in a while."

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	assassino 2010-05-30 10:50 pm UTC (link)
	That, at least, he could do. Ezio got up to the higher branch, trying to think of it like the ledges on the Duomo in Florence. He threw himself forward and down, catching the vine as Henriette had done and landing, soft as a cat, onto the thick limb below her. "That is a fun one." He was breathing a bit hard, but otherwise no worse for wear." (Reply to this)

not_that_henri
2010-05-30 10:55 pm UTC (link)

From this side it was easy to see the broken off end where there had been a limb before, the wood still bright enough that it had probably only been gone a few days, a week at most, Henn pointed it out, "That's where the bridge used to be, reached almost to where we were before, would've just been a little hop instead of a death-defying leap."

She shrugged, smiling brightly, "I kind of like it better the new way." Her own breathing was a little short, but that's what the respite here was for, really. She shook her head, "And I've been breezing right past the markers without pointing them out to you, see if you can find the next one."

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	assassino 2010-05-30 11:09 pm UTC (link)
	Ezio nodded, trying to look around for something that might be a marker. He hadn't been noticing the surroundings as they flew by, which was not intelligent, but one did grow soft when one's life was less often in danger. Eventually he located a clump of stones nestled near a thick tree limb, and pointed. "There?" (Reply to this)

not_that_henri
2010-05-30 11:15 pm UTC (link)

She gave him a thumbs-up, grinning, "Good. You're a natural, oop, hold still." This was followed by leaning forward to catch the little green tree-snake that was dangling itself down from the branch above Ezio's head, not necessarily aiming for him, since she didn't figure snakes were that malicious, but liable to land on him anyway once it let go.

She knew how to handle them thanks to working at the Pit, and it was only a moment before it let go of its branch to curl around her wrist, head resting against her fingers while she caressed the back of its skull with her thumb, smiling crookedly as its tongue flitted out, making sure she wasn't a predator.

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	assassino 2010-05-30 11:25 pm UTC (link)
	Ezio froze, only hearing the moving of some animal above his head. He relaxed once Henriette got a hold of the snake, but only slightly. "How do you know it will not harm you?" He knew next to nothing about snakes or many similar reptiles; Italy simply didn't have them. (Reply to this)

not_that_henri
2010-05-30 11:38 pm UTC (link)

She smiled, shaking her head, "Worst this guy'll do is try and cut off the circulation to my fingers, constrictor, non-venomous." She shrugged, "And it knows I'm not going to try and eat it, probably just confused why we're up in a tree." She shrugged again, gently uncoiling the snake to let it down to a lower branch, "Probably trying to figure out why he's so high up actually, these guys hide in foliage, but usually closer to the ground"

She shook her head, swinging herself down to the next marker to lead the way once more, "He was probably just chasing something and didn't realize everything was getting taller."

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	assassino 2010-05-30 11:41 pm UTC (link)
	He couldn't help chuckling, and in reply to the odd look, he had to smile. "It is very easy for me to see that you and Ronia are related. Even if you technically are not." Ezio would have said more, but he followed instead, glad his arms were still in shape. This was a bit of a work-out, and he would be sore later, but it was a good thing. (Reply to this)

	not_that_henri 2010-05-30 11:44 pm UTC (link)
	She laughed, shaking her head once more, "Yeah, she even lets me call her 'nana', she thinks it's hilarious since I'm older than she is." She shrugged, heading out along the next branch, swinging herself up to the one above once she reached it, moving a little more slowly now, the markers and turns were further apart here and she had to make sure she didn't miss-step. (Reply to this)

	assassino 2010-05-31 12:04 am UTC (link)
	Ezio would have laughed if he had the breath, but this was rough going. He tried resolutely to ignore his pride; taking chances would only injure him, not impress Henriette. He was slower and more careful even than she, but made it eventually across the branches. "How many times," he managed, "do you think you fell upon discovering this route?" (Reply to this)

	not_that_henri 2010-05-31 12:06 am UTC (link)
	"Me personally?" She said, coming to a stop once more, scanning the area ahead again, brow creasing slightly as she did so, debating which fork was the best one to take with the way the weather had been, "Only a couple, falling usually happens when you're afraid you're going to." She shrugged, "I practice Backstage to work through that." (Reply to this)

assassino
2010-05-31 12:16 am UTC (link)

"I had forgotten that." Petit had told him a bit about the Backstage. "Frankly, it sounds like a tool I would love to have. I had to make do with breaking bones falling off the spires in Firenze." He grinned, following her lead when she set off again. "Ronia teased me when she saw -" He would have elaborated, but that would be telling Henriette that Ronia had seen him in an advanced state of undress, and while Henriette wasn't a fool, Ezio somehow didn't want to be that blatant.

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not_that_henri
2010-05-31 12:24 am UTC (link)

She laughed, "Thanks for stopping that one in the tracks, I appreciate it." It was bad enough knowing how often her parents went at it, she was far from a prude, but there were some things that she just didn't need to know about, even if she knew they were happening.

The trees were beginning to thin out, roofs visible here and there between the treetops from higher vantage points, "Headed to the cathedral." She said by way of explanation, "It used to be a seminary school, but it's been abandoned for ages, it's where I usually take Henri to practice."

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	assassino 2010-05-31 12:39 am UTC (link)
	He couldn't help but relax a bit, just feeling better when he saw the roof. It was more his speed. "Can you get to the top, or merely to its lower reaches?" The view, if nothing else, would be spectacular. He didn't bother to speak any further about himself and Ronia; it would only send his mind down the same track it had been running for weeks now. Best not to think about that. (Reply to this)

not_that_henri
2010-05-31 12:46 am UTC (link)

"After a run like this? Probably not, not without a rest first, I've made it there before though, and Henry's faster at it, smaller hands, easier to get ahold of the stonework." She said, shrugging. There was a grin a moment later, "This is the fun part." She said before darting off again.

The path was easy enough to follow, since it was really the only one at that point, the swamp had already started to reclaim the building, and it had been for a while, there was a spot where a tree had toppled during a storm, crushing the top of the outer wall and providing easy access for people like them.

Henn was up along the trunk and to the top of the wall easily, running along it jumping to the low roof of the vestry before diving easily from the roof and landing in a crouch and tumbling into a roll on the ground on the other side, rolling to her feet and dusting herself off even as she made her way to the main building.

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	assassino 2010-05-31 01:24 am UTC (link)
	Ezio followed her path, but he spied a pile of hay at the bottom of the wall. He flipped into it, landing on his feet with a grin when he jumped free. It was probably a good thing no stump or brick had been in the pile, but still, it had worked out. "That's quite enjoyable! I will have to go back through it and find all the markers for myself." (Reply to this)

	not_that_henri 2010-05-31 01:30 am UTC (link)
	Henn was perched on the roof of the main entryway at that point, just sitting on the stonework rain-gutter, feet swinging, "There's other paths, some more direct than others, and different destinations, provided nothing's fallen through you can get all the way to the city itself, we're close now, but we'd have to backtrack and take another fork to get there." (Reply to this)

	assassino 2010-05-31 01:50 am UTC (link)
	He climbed back up toward Henriette, sitting down next to her, smiling. "This is rather pleasant, though. And I'm in your debt for showing me there is a" - what did she call it?- "Highroad in this area at all. If you go to Jerusalem, you can make your way from one side of the Old Quarter to the other without aggravating any patrols, if you are careful, but it is not the same." (Reply to this)

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