Intro and stuff. The Plot thickens! I actually really like how this chapter went.

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Altair POV - Three Days Later

I sprint after Desmond, panting softly as I dart across a balance beam, trying my hardest to keep up. The light of the dying sun throws splashes of orange and red across the sky, lighting up the city below us. "Come on little bird, we have to hurry if we want to make it!" Desmond says as he climbs up the side of a building.

We were headed to another one of the towers he showed me, so I could get a look at the city. But this time we were doing it way later in the day, right before the guards change shifts. Desmond hopped the rail of a roof garden and hid within, an action I copy with much difficulty. I land a bit awkwardly within the enclosed area.

Desmond carefully watched outside, another action I copy as he asks "Okay, why do you want to wait for guard changes?" I think a moment and say "Because it's when they'll be the busiest?" He nods slowly and prompts me by saying "What else?" I think another few minutes as I watch them, before I notice one of the guards, farthest from us, yawn tiredly and shake his head to dispel his tiredness.

"They're all tired!" I say excitedly, barely remembering to keep my voice soft to make sure I didn't give us away. The look of approval I recieve made me grin even more as he nods and says "Exactly. The previous guard are all tired and want this to be over. The newer guards don't want to come and so their distracted and annoyed. Thus this is the best time if you want to slip into an area. Another good time is late at night in the middle of two guard shifts."

I tilt my head to the side and ask "Why the middle?" Desmond looks back to the guards and says "See the third one? Far to the left?" He points the man out, and I look over to see him placing torches with tiny pots of oil in them. He's lighting them from a small lamp he carried, bringing them to bright, flickering life that casted shadows along the stone roofs.

"Those pots in the Torches are filled with oil, as you know. They burn for a while, but at the middle of the guards watch the torches oil starts running low. So the light they emit starts slowly dying down until they are refilled. At the middle of the night guards shift, they are tired, surrounded mostly by darkness, hungry, and slowly falling asleep. So they fall then into two categories.

One, the jumpy. These are the guards that are half awake but vigilant. They look around for things to distract themselves and often see movement in the flickering light. But, they are more prone to dismiss anything they do see as figments of the imagination. The second is the lazy. They half doze during duty, and make random walks to ensure they stay awake. They will actively check anything they see as amiss to keep themselves awake."

I nod after he speaks, watching the guards closely before he suddenly says "Now!" We both jump the side of the garden, darting across the expanse of space between us and the tower and climbing up. He stays above me, but close enough to catch me should I fall. We rush up the tower, finally pulling ourselves over the edge and onto the stone of the towers uppermost area. I pant softly as Desmond stretches, rolling his shoulders a bit before asking "Ready to see why we came here?"

I straighten up then, nodding quickly as he moved over to the beam, which was situated so you could peer over the city. He stopped before climbing on, however, and pulled a folded piece of paper from his robes, gently unfolding it and setting it upon the stone. "Look." He said, motioning me over.

I do as asked, and peer at the paper, stunned to find a beautifully detailed map. It was broken up into three major parts, each building etched out in black ink that contrasted sharply with the pale color of the paper. He motioned to a spot on the upper right of the page. "We're here, this tower is one of the more protected in the poor district, but worth the patience to climb. Look out there." He said, motioning out at the city.

I peer over the edge of the stone, looking down to the bustling streets, filled with people and vendors. Desmond then says "The city is massive, and easy to get lost in, which is why you will start practicing making maps. Because while running from guards or fleeing the area of a kill, we don't have the luxury of gently asking someone where we are. You have to have an escape route chosen, and a backup in place. The more you know, the better prepared you are."

I slowly nod as he pulls another piece of paper from his robes and hands it to me. He folds up his own map and placed it within his robes and said "Hop up onto the beam, and start drawing your own map. Don't worry if it isn't as well done as mine, that comes later. Just get a feel of the area, and draw out a sketch of what you can see."

He passed me a piece of charcoal before letting me climb up and sit on the beam. He lets me be after that, letting me try and etch out the city below me as the sun slowly begins to set. The faint sounds of the city bustling below me as the light fades from the sky. Before it could fully set, though, Desmond ushered us down, quietly slipping by the guards and down into the still-filled streets.

We were slowly making our way back to the Bureau when Desmond suddenly stopped, and made me nearly bump into him. Down a streets alley that looks to be an kind of secluded section is three guards, forming a barrier, and protecting the two guards further in that were pushing someone back and forth, laughing as they struggled. As I watch a second more I see it's a girl, wearing a simple brown dress like many did.

Desmond's mood darkened at the sight, and he gently pulled me through the crowd, but passed the sight and ducked into an Alley across from them. "I am going to draw them away alright? I need you to get her out of there. Once you have her, go down this alley and make a right. Keep going until you reach a building and can't go further. Make a left and you'll begin to enter the Souk Al-Silaah. Keep going and you should see a small garden on the right. Wait for me there, okay?" He says, looking down at me and I shakily nod.

"Repeat the directions to me, and put this in your robes." He said, pulling a throwing knife from the row on his shoulder and passing it to me as I said "This alley to a right, keep going till I can't and make a left. Go further till I find a garden on the right." He nods, a small movement as I tuck the knife into my robe in a way I could grab it quickly.

He turned his gaze from me to them and said "Wait until they all follow me before you make an appearance okay? And whatever you do, don't repeat what I'm about to say here." I nod at him before he exits the alley and wove through the crowd, making me lose sight of him in the sea of people, even with his white robe. So I crouch a bit and look through people's legs, watching the more armored boots of the guards.

Suddenly I see the softer, leather boots that Desmond wore appear, along with the tail of his robes and see him punch one of the guards to the ground. They rush at him, people scattering as I get a clear view. Desmond had drawn that knife he showed me while we traveled, and he held it in a reverse grip as he opened his arms in a mockingly friendly manner. However he suddenly said "Sorry I'm late, I was just fucking your mother and couldn't get here on time."

I feel my face heat at what he said, before more than one guard freezes before shouting things like 'Heretic!' and 'Bastard' before he turns heel and darts away, all of them chasing after him with weapons drawn. I count to three, waiting for them to turn a corner after Desmond before rushing from my hiding spot to the girl. She gives me a terrified look as I say "Come on! He won't be able to distract them for long!"

I offer her a hand, looking to her imploringly as I shake slightly, not wanting to be here when they lose interest or he outruns them. She grabs my hand after only a heartbeat of consideration and I run back to the alley, rushing down it and turning right. We pass two streets before I hear the pounding of feet over us and urge her to the wall, crouching down and peering up.

We barely hide before Desmond runs over us, almost like he flew over the space between the houses and joyfully shouted "YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN HER! SUCH A LOVELY SIGHT ON HER BACK!" A group of guards run after hum, leaping the space with difficulty, but keep on his tail. A few nearly fall on top of us, making us both jump and cling to the other tightly as they are pulled to the roof and they keep chasing Desmond.

Once they pass I grab her hand again and we keep running, turning left when we reach a building and can't keep going. Merchant stalls started popping up, becoming more and more common as I see a garden to our right and dart inside of it. I finally look back at her and find her panting tiredly, and I feel a pang of regret, having forgotten that I had her to worry about.

I urge her to sit on one of the benches in the thankfully empty garden area. She tiredly regained her breath as we waited, the sun finally setting fully and leaving us with only lamp light that dotted the streets. It's another ten minutes before anyone walks inside, and I'm beyond thankful that it's Desmond.

Desmond who appears to have blood spatter on his right arm and shoulder. His eyes get a warm look as he said "You made it, well done." I puff up a bit at that before he turns to her and crouched down before her. "Hey there, are you okay? Nothing torn or broken?" She nods slowly, curling up away from him, something he finds no problem with as he pulls away a bit, giving her more space.

"We're nearby the center of the Souk Al-Silaah, do you know how to get home from here?" He gently asks, calmly waiting for her to respond. She simply shakes her head, keeping silent as Desmond asks "Do you know where they live at all?" She slowly nods and softly said "My father is a scholar in the Middle District… He came here to buy my mother more cloth and I got lost…" Desmond nods and says "Then let's get you to the Middle District, maybe we can find your father there."

He easily led us away from this area and, after a ways of walking, into a grander area. This was filled with sprawling gardens, stunning buildings and large fountains. We walked the area as she started to recognize things, before we heard someone calling "Hafsah! Where are you? Can you hear me?" We hurry down a street and see a man, dressed like many other scholars with their dark robes and more flashy outfits.

"Father!" The recently named Hafsah calls as she runs from us, and into the waiting arms of her father. He snatched her up into a tight hug, holding her close to his chest as we approach, the pair not noticing us for a minute as the man made sure his daughter was alright. "Ah, hello. I'm sorry I didn't greet you imm-" Desmond cuts him off with a wave and said "No need, your daughter is far more important than being polite."

The man nods with a smile and said "I am Tychon El-Amin. I thank you for returning my daughter to me, however I wonder how she acquired two guardians." Desmond shrugs and says "She got cornered by some guards, we intervened. I am simply happy shes home." He nods and they spend a few minutes talking, Tychon inviting us back for dinner and Desmond politely refusing, saying we had to get home ourselves before bidding the man farewell.

I barely contain my yawn as we walk back to the Bureau. The families that were only meant to stay a day ended up staying longer because of the Templars, which meant that the bureau was filled with other children, and in some respects that wasn't a good thing. Like how I was woken up by a crying infant more than once, something that seemed to be getting on everyone's nerves but Desmond's. I hadn't known that a baby was among the children at first, he had apparently been placed on a pillow, bundled in blankets the first night.

Even the rafiq snapped at the baby's mother once, saying that she should know how to quiet a child. The smallest of them also wasn't used to staying in the bureau, and often were upset about having to stay inside after being allowed to run and travel for almost two weeks between their home and Damascus. However as we approach the bureau we heard faint crying again, but this time it was accompanied by the sound of worried Assassins.

"Why won't he stop? Is he hungry?" I hear what sounds like Ophir saying before Tramir snapped "And how would we fix him if he was?" Desmond sighed deeply as we climbed into the Bureau and see what's caused such a ruckus. The two mothers, who had been such prominent figures the last three days were nowhere to be seen, and the others had been left to care for the baby.

Which was screaming at the top of its lungs. The other children had all fallen asleep, showing me just how late we were, as they had piled onto the pillows of the main room and fallen asleep. Even the other apprentices were asleep at this hour, but the adults were panicking over the baby. Desmond approached first and exasperatedly said "What in the name of god is going on?" The others perk up slightly at his voice but deflate as they see it's just us.

The Rafiq, who was holding the little one like it would bite him, looked to Desmond and said "Those two had something to do, I don't remember fully what, but they said they'd be gone for a few hours and that we had to care for the children!" This started a chain reaction of shouting and insults before Desmond snapped "Quiet!" Making all of them jump before he darted forward and scooped up the little one from the Rafiq.

He cradled the little one against his shoulder, the one without any knives thankfully, and swayed on his feet gently and spoke softly. "Shh little one, it's okay. I know you miss your momma, but you need to calm down for me please." After about three minutes the infants screams had died down completely, leaving him to gently clean the babies face, cradling them easily with one arm before looking at the other men.

Everyone, including me, was looking at him like he just performed magic. He looked to all of us and said "Speak softly, if you raise your voice he'll get scared and that'll help no one. Now, is there any food? I'm famished." He gets a few nods as they all, walking with a softness I had never seen before, they even changed the way the stepped slightly, hushing all the sound their footfalls made.

The Rafiq quickly made his way to another room before returning with a tray, urging us both toward the many pillows of the main room. Desmond, however, halted us and gently said "Here, instead of walking like you tend to do, move like this." He slowly showed me how to move my feet, showing that they all stepped toes first and rolled for the rest of the foot. "Step very gently, and get used to the feeling. Eventually, you'll be able to move silently." He said, softly walking to a spot in the main room and sitting down.

I try and copy, but my heel keeps hitting the floor to hard if I move quickly like he did. So I opt for a slower movement that gave me time to gently set my heel on the floor. When I finally sit beside him I let out a sigh of relief, my feet hurting slightly from putting my weight in odd places. He chuckled softly as the Rafiq finally approached and handed us food. It was some kind of rice and pepper dish that was amazing to my famished self.

However I was still slightly in awe of how Desmond was eating, with one hand, while still holding the little one, who was currently half asleep against his chest. I ate rather quickly, nearly inhaling my own food, as I really wanted to get some sleep. But Desmond stopped me from getting up and said "Here, I have no clue when you might use this as a skill, but it's always something good to know."

Then he set the baby into my arms, causing me to nearly panic. I try and copy what he had done, but the little one started to whimper again as my slight worry morphed into full scale panic before Desmond gently adjusted my arms, moving them until the baby was laid against my chest, making him cling to the material of my robe tightly and make a soft cooing sound as he settled.

"See? Not that hard. I'll be right back, I'd rather not care for an infant while coated in blood," He said before standing and leaving me, making me silently panic because I couldn't call after him, not wanting to risk scaring the little one again. So I held them gently, hoping they wouldn't start crying again as they tightened their grip on my robe.

After a few minutes my arms started getting tired, and my hand stung from where I had cut it. But I didn't dare move to much because the baby had finally fallen asleep. However Desmond walked in before my arms fell off and easily took the little one, only for their grip on my robe to become a challenge. But Desmond easily removed the little ones grip and said "Thank you Altair, now off to bed. I bet you're tired." I nod slowly and stand, watching as he moved around the room a bit, before I left.

When I get back to my room I slowly and tiredly go through my stretches, not wanting a repeat of my previous pain, before climbing into my own sleep clothes. I yawn tiredly as I climb into bed, curling up under the warmth of my blankets from the cooler night time air. Grabbing onto the fluffy pillow I have, I burrow into the warm blankets, which fight off the slowly encroaching winter chill.

Yet on this night I couldn't seem to find sleep, despite my own exhaustion. Masyaf castle had been kinda quiet at night, and my home with my father had also been quiet at night. Damascus is an entirely different matter, people still moving and guards walking, carts that roll down the streets. It's so much noise. I never ever wished for silence more than I did right now.

The thing is I never really noticed it before, I was too tired to care about what I was even sleeping on, let alone the noise. Now my mind wouldn't quiet, same as the world around me. Usually I could faintly hear the Rafiq and maybe the guards having soft conversations that could lull me to sleep, but not tonight.

Tonight the noise was from outside and none of it was familiar, none of it comforting. I heard faint shouting, snores from another room, the sharp clip clop of horse hooves on stone, the distant yet constant tramping of boots on stone. My mind raced to identify every sound as I became aware of it, making me curl up tightly as I tried to shut it out, wishing for something to drown out all the excess sound, something I could focus on until I fell asleep.

Then I became aware of someone making sound inside the bureau, but the words I couldn't half understand, the flowed differently from what I usually heard. It took me a minute to realize it was someone singing in another language. I focus on it, listening closely and I was finally able to partially make out the odd words, the voice was deep and comforting as I began humming along to the tune.

"Heave a pawl, O heave away!
Weigh hey, roll and go!
The anchor's on board and the cable's all stored
To be rollicking randy dandy-O!

Soon we'll be warping her out through the locks
Weigh hey, roll and go!
Where the pretty young girls all come down in their frocks
To be rollicking randy dandy-O!

Heave a pawl, O heave away!
Weigh hey, roll and go!
The anchor's on board and the cable's all stored
To be rollicking randy dandy-O!"

It sounded faintly like Desmond, but I couldn't be sure. Yet, with the sound I could at least focus on it, everything else fading to the background as I was lulled to sleep before the song could even finish.

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Desmond POV

I pull a blanket from the small stack in the corner, and with a movement that's eighty percent luck I manage make it flare out in a way that covered the brother and sister pair that cling to the same pillow. I do the same for the others, covering them gently to prevent any colds or sickness as the Rafiq walked into the room.

I nod at him slowly before he asks "Where on earth did you learn to deal with children? All my life that has been seen to my the women of our families." I hum a moment, thinking over how I'm going to word my childhood before saying "Where I grew up their were many children, more then there were adults. My mother's sister had twins before dying from complications of childbirth. Her husband couldn't live without her, and threw himself into the creed with a reckless abandon that got him killed.

So my mother took them both in when I was ten. My father was to preoccupied with the Brotherhood to help her, and the other women were worried with their own children. I had no other option but to help her, because it was that or have her collapse from the strain of raising three children on her own. I was still training, but I helped as much as possible, which gave her a breather and let her keep them both."

A half truth, but true enough. I look down to the little bundle in my arms, clinging to my robe tightly with one hand in his mouth, peering innocently up at me. It occurs to me now that I never even asked for the little ones name, unable to keep a small smile from appearing on my face. He nods at me and says "That makes sense… I shall let you be, you seem to have your hands full."

I chuckle slightly and nod to him before saying "Very well. Safety and Peace Brother." I also need to remember to say that more often. I move back to the spot I sat in earlier, adjusting until I was laid on my back, the little one laying on my chest. I feel my own exhaustion creeping up on my but know I can't sleep until the little one at least falls asleep first. Good idea to leave most of my weapons in my room. I think as he pulled at the leather of my belt, one hand firmly in his mouth.

He chewed on his hand and peered innocently up at me, brown eyes blinking slowly before he reached out and grabbed onto the fabric of my mask and yanked hard. I snort as the fabric comes loose, piling around my neck as he pulled on it, grumbling and trying to get closer to my face.

I smile slightly and help him, move until he's located on the center of my chest and within easy reach of my face. He reached out and grabbed my nose, roughly feeling around the rest of my face. I snicker as I pull away, making him pout at me and reach for my face. Instead I snag a quill out of the pouch around my waist. It's an old one, one I was about to have to get rid of because it has been almost worn down to nothing after sharpening it again and again.

I twirl it within his field of vision, distracting him from my face and where he was grabbing at my scar. He looks to it with wonder as I spin and twirl it around, smiling as he stares at it. He finally pulled his other hand from his mouth and reached out for the object, making a 'Gimme' motion with his hand by opening and closing it repeatedly.

I pinch the slightly ink stained end and use the soft end to dart forward and tickle his cheek, making him shriek with laughter. I vaguely notice the Rafiq dart into the room as I move the feather out of the little ones reach, making him reach for it again, happy with this game. I belatedly realize and am thankful that I still have my hood up, the shade should cover my face enough from his distance.

He slipped away after he saw we were fine, and I pull my mask back up as the baby laughed again as I tickled his left ear. His laughter brought another smile to my face as I think back to my mother. I hadn't lied, really, she had taken in her sister's kids. But she took them in because their mother was killed by Templars somewhere in Asia. Her husband couldn't look at the twins because they reminded him of her.

He died in a shootout with Templars somewhere in Utah, and my mom just took the twins in. Dad wouldn't help because the Brotherhood needed him, and mom couldn't do it on her own while working as an Assassin herself and in our makeshift Hospitals clinic. Which was needed more often than not, with training and roving Assassins.

So I stepped up to help, while getting my ass handed to me on a daily basis by that sadistic fuck of a teacher they thought helped us. The both of them were one of the only sources of joy I had for the next six years. Mia, the elder of the two was like the little one before me, excited and just loving life. Emma was quieter, but adored games and beat my ass at Poker at Six.

I haven't seen them since I left… Dad had them starting training… They were thirteen when I died… I shake my head sharply, dispelling the memory as the he finally snagged the feather, gurgling at the feel of it. "It's called a Quill little one, it's made from the Feather of a bird. You use it to write and draw on paper. It's very soft isn't it?" I say, watching him play with the feather and make another gurgling noise.

He played with it for a few minutes before letting out a tired yawn, letting me pluck the Quill from his hand let him lay down on my chest. I grab the blanket that I brought from the pile and drape it over us, yet it's a bit short and my feet hang out of the bottom. I roll my eyes at it before pulling it up until the little one's covered completely, laying on his belly with his head on my chest.

This brings the blanket up to my knees, but I accept it and gently set my arm on the pillow beside me in a way that I can leave a hand on his back, holding him in place. Once I'm sure I'll wake up at the tiniest movement from him, I yawn tiredly myself. The little one shifted in annoyance on my chest as I hear a rather loud cart approaching.

Memories swam to the surface, first of Haytham singing a song beside his father Edward as a storm raged outside. Then of Haytham singing the same one softly to himself, laying in his bunk while sailing to America. Finally of Connor, dozing off more than once to the song, curled in his own bunk. I found myself singing it, not even really meaning to fully, but the words fell easily from my tongue as I sang, settling the little one on my chest.

(AN: The Songs Called 'Randy Dandy Oh' and it's actually shown in the fourth game.)

"Now we are ready to sail for the Horn
Weigh hey, roll and go!
Our boots and our clothes, boys, are all in the pawn
To be rollicking randy dandy-O!

Heave a pawl, O heave away!
Weigh hey, roll and go!
The anchor's on board and the cable's all stored
To be rollicking randy dandy-O!

Soon we'll be warping her out through the locks
Weigh hey, roll and go!
Where the pretty young girls all come down in their frocks
To be rollicking randy dandy-O!

Heave a pawl, O heave away!
Weigh hey, roll and go!
The anchor's on board and the cable's all stored
To be rollicking randy dandy-O!

Come breast the bars, bullies, heave her away
Weigh hey, roll and go!
Soon we'll be rolling her down through the Bay
To be rollicking randy dandy-O!

Heave a pawl, O heave away!
Weigh hey, roll and go!
The anchor's on board and the cable's all stored
To be rollicking randy dandy-O!"

With the final notes dying in the air around me, the little one upon my chest had fully fallen asleep, and the other children had curled together, in easy and content piles of warmth. I smile softly, finally adjusting my pillow and slowly dozing off myself, memories of ships and shanties echoing around my mind.

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Altair POV - The Next Morning

I wake up slowly with a long yawn, stretching and sighing with delight before standing up. However I freeze and listen intently after I don't hear the usual sound. I blink in shock before shrugging and thinking Maybe he woke up before me? If that was him last night he may have left to work on something. I donned my robes, adjusting everything into place, moving and fixing until everything felt right before exiting the room and walking down toward the Rafiq and the others.

However, instead of finding everyone piled into the other room, soaking in the morning light through the slatted roof, they all seemed to be peaking into it tentatively. I gently stepped to the door and froze once I saw what was within. Desmond was using one of his arms as a pillow, and was sound asleep, soft gray blanket barely reaching his knees as the baby snuggled against his chest.

His hand fanned out across the little ones back, gently holding and comforting them as they slept. My eyes traveled up his form until I finally saw his face, or part of it. His hair was black like mine, cut short but growing out till it hanged about half an inch on his forehead. His hair curled slightly where it came to his mask, which went from under his ears up to the bridge of his nose.

Now that I can see it better, I see the fabric is a pure white like his robes. It's tucked into the neck of them, hiding everything from under his eyes down. He looked younger than I really imagined him being, but maybe the relaxed look he wore helped with that. The small bits of sunlight that gently filtered in through the slatted roof didn't even seem to rouse him at all, nor the little one dozing on his chest.

Even the other kids are awake by this point, peering at Desmond just as I do. That is before someone dropped something in our room. The object, being a ornately painted vase that held water, shattered upon impact with the ground with a large crash. Desmond reacted instantly, going from laying down on his back to crouched, cradling the little one against his chest with his left arm out slightly to his sid, wrist tilted back just enough to make me wary but not enough to make the blade appear.

After maybe two seconds he realizes what woke him and huffed out a soft laugh, adjusting the little one in his arms as they let out a soft whimper at the rude awakening and yanked his hood back up. But this does little to help as our littlest member seems to have decided to voice his anger at his awakening. Loudly. His cries echoed around the room and made all of us, even the smaller children who were far more used to it, wince at the pitch.

After a few minutes they settled down enough to stop screaming, however Desmond asked "When is his mother due back? He's hungry and I can't feed him with what we have here." While he tugged his hood up into place with one easy move, letting my eyes catch the faint stain of ink on his fingers. No one answers and he nodded, adjusting his belt and rolling his shoulders before the front door suddenly opens.

We whirl around, more than one person reaching for a weapon, the guard in my field of vision setting his hand on his sword hilt calmly before the two missing mothers walked inside hurriedly. The first one inside, the mother of the little one, rushed toward her baby and snagged him from Desmond's grip before cradling him close.

"Oh little Qadir, I missed you so." She says softly, finally putting a name to the little one. Desmond nods to her and says "He slept soundly, but I just woke up moments ago so I don't believe hes been changed." She smiles softly at him while another woman stepped forward and gently said "See Thana? He's perfectly fine." She looks a touch embarrassed while cradling Qadir a little closer.

"I know Suraya, but I worried nonetheless…" Thana says, looking to the her friend and teasingly saying "You were just as panicky when Nerissa was but a babe." Suraya nods with a small laugh, gently taking her smallest girl from Nerissa, who giggled happily at the sight of her mother. "Hello Malaika, I hope you and your brother werent too much trouble for your sister." Suraya says, peering fondly at her son, who smiled and nodded, Nerissa nodding as well.

Desmond nods gently at Thana before stepping back to give her space with her baby, rolling his shoulders slightly. "Altair! Give me a moment to get ready and we'll be leaving, be sure you have everything." He suddenly says to me, making me nearly jump at the suddenness of it before nodding. He swept by all of us, easily yet silently making his way down the hall and walking into his room.

"Best make sure you have everything, Novice, he won't wait on you." The Rafiq says, ushering me toward my room. I nod and dart inside, checking over my gear and making sure I had everything before spying the knife I was supposed to keep on my person sitting on my nightstand, instead of tucked into the spot on the center of my belt, where it should be.

I rush over and snatch it up, tucking it carefully into place as fast as I can without stabbing myself. I glance rapidly around my room, making sure I didn't forget anything else before walking out of my room. Desmond stepped out of his a moment later, sliding his bow over his shoulder in one easy move.

He'd moved the knife on his back to make room for his quiver, black feathered arrows visible over his shoulder. He nods to me and we head out of the Bureau, climbing onto the roof before we both go through stretches. Tramir climbs up not to long after, my friends following him. "What shall you do today my friend?" Tramir asks, stretching an arm over his chest.

Desmond grinned and said "Blending, bartering, haggling, the basics of any Apprentice Assassin. With the Templars in the city, it'll be best I teach him to hide in plain sight." I brighten, excited to learn what we'd be doing today. I was having to keep myself from bouncing in place as I waited for Tramir's response, which was actually rater quick.

"I see, I was planning to take them to meet a contact of mine, so I guess we shall split ways." He says easily, motioning toward the Rich District. A portion of this conversation however passes in silence, Desmond and Tramir having a silent battle as Desmond raised an eyebrow and peered over at the Rich District, before back to Tramir.

Tramir raised an eyebrow himself, raising himself up a bit and almost daring Desmond to challenge him, before Desmond took a step back and said "I shall trust your judgement, my friend. Safety and Peace." Tramir calms then, nodding and offering the same words of Peace and Safety before we go our separate ways.

Desmond and I hit the streets, while Tramir and my friends run along the rooftops. In the small abandoned building that we had perched a ladder in Desmond shows me how to stand again. "Blending is always a good way to get information without being noticed. Here, in Damascus and further in Jerusalem, many will mistake us for Scholars, letting us pass without a fight. In Acre, they will believe you to be a simple priest." He says easily, slowly showing me the slow but calm steps he takes.

"Try it yourself, take calm and even steps. Try and match the pace of the Scholars from before." He encouraged, urging me into the crowd. That's how the next two hours went, practicing walking at an incredibly slow pace. My feet were also starting to hurt from walking at such a weird pace and in such an odd way.

We were just outside the Souk Al-Salah, which had people flocking to it for the shade as the sun climbed into the sky, chasing off what little chill had lingered in the air from last night. I was once again caught up in the sights and sounds, looking from one side to the other as I soaked in the people around me, subconsciously reaching up and grabbing onto Desmond's belt as I looked about.

He gently wove us through the crowd, and finally into the shade of the Souk, the temperature lessening greatly in the shade, as I was bombarded by even more things. Some people carried jars upon their heads, workers carry wood and tools, families set up shops, cooks served fresh food to a line of people, guards stalked up and down the paths. There was just so much to see.

I ended up drawing closer to Desmond, not used to so many people rushing by, brushing against you without meaning to. It's then that I feel a gentle arm around my shoulders, pulling me close and keeping others from touching me so that I slowly relax a bit as we move into a small line of people.

"You okay? Do we need to leave?" He asks softly, ruffling my hair gently. I shake my head and say "I'm okay now…" He nods and we go through this line, the scent of the vendors wares becomes rather appetizing as we wait. "You didn't get time to eat, did you?" He suddenly asks, peering down at me and I sheepishly shake my head.

He nods in reply and says "Here they sell one of my favorite foods, we'll grab enough for the both of us and get out of here for a bit, we can haggle with some of the merchants on the streets nearby." I nod and we are pushed up to the vendor next, Desmond easily conversing and getting a decently sized woven platter filled with what looks to be pieces of meat, but smelled faintly of spiced wine and goat cheese.

He paid quickly and pulled us from the area, down two streets before up a building. We sit down at the edge of a roof in the shade of another building and he offers me the platter. I carefully take one of the pieces and look at him in slight confusion. He smiled slightly and said "They pit dates and dry them; once dried they poach them in a spiced wine, then stuff them with goat cheese and wrap them in bacon and bake them. Try it, it's amazing."

I gently bite into mine, smiling at the taste. The bacon was salty, but the date was sweet with hints of wine, then the cheese was creamy and rich. I quickly devoured the other half of it, seeing and hearing Desmond chuckle at me before saying "I guess we'll have to get them more often, huh?" I nod rapidly as I snag another one, the two of us easily clearing the plate.

Once done he stands and stretches slowly, rolling his shoulders and saying "Alright. Now to find a merchant that sells cloth, I have a gift to make for our two guests." He then, with all the confidence in the world, steps off the edge of the building and tumbles to his feet. I try and copy, but end up unable to roll back up to my feet.

"That part comes with practice, you'll get it with time." He says easily as we walk back toward the Souk, however we don't enter it, instead turning right and approaching a fabric stall not to far from the entrance. Desmond walks up to the mostly ignored stall and asks "What kinds of fabric do you have?"

The man, who had previously been organizing something jumped at his words, but brightened and said "Many kinds! I have silks from China, cotton from Egypt, even cotton crafted by French hands if that's what you fancy." Desmond nods and asks "The Egyptian cotton, how much do you have?"

He turned on his heel, spinning around and snagging two bolts of fabric, one a pure white, the other a deep indigo color. My eyes were drawn to the stunning blue, which almost looked like the sky. However Desmond checks the feel of the white bolt, and then says the amount he'll need. Then all of my attention was on them as they began to haggle over the price.

"Two hundred, you got quite the large amount of fabric my friend." The vendor said, watching Desmond with a small smile. "One hundred and fifty, I could buy twice this much of Damascus cotton elsewhere." Desmond replies, a faint smile on his face as well. "True, but this is Egyptian cotton and worth more."

They bounced back and forth, neither changing the price before finally Desmond said "One hundred seventy five, right in the middle. We both win, you get more than I was willing to give, I get it for under two hundred." The man nods and Desmond paid the man and he rolled the amount of fabric we bought upon a small piece of wood and cut it easily, handing us the bolt and bidding us a good day.

We had barely walked away before Desmond grinned in triumph. "Normally, little one, it's rather hard to find Egyptian cotton, so we were rather lucky that we managed to find someone with it. Now to find a seamstress." He says, and we suddenly stop and speak to a woman seated upon a bench.

"Hello Ma'am, do you happen to know where a seamstress may work?" Desmond asks warmly, the woman perking up suddenly and looks us both over. "My sister works not far from here, she does most of the stitching for my family." She motions to the the seams upon her dress, which seem normal to me but Desmond nods and says "She seems very good, could you direct me to her?"

She smiled before giving us a handful of directions to her shop and bids us a good day. Desmond and I walk to the house, where two young boys played in the street in front of the house, but darted inside while calling for their mother. She greeted us at the door with a wary look, mostly pointed at the bow on his shoulder and asked "Hello, what can I do for you two?"

Desmond smiled easily and said "Hello, I was wondering if you are a seamstress? Your sister directed us here… If we followed the directions correctly." She brightens considerably and nods. "I am, how can I help you?" Desmond shows her the fabric and says "I was curious if you could split this in half and hem it for me?"

She takes the fabric, marveling for a moment at the feel of it before nodding and saying "That I can, it should take a day, maybe two if something happens at home. Price will be negotiated when my work is done?" The last bit is said with a soft glare at the both of us, I push down the urge to hide behind Desmond a bit at the look, but he nods easily and says "Perfectly fine with me. May I come by tomorrow an hour before dark?" She nods and we leave, the sun at its height and chasing most people into the shaded areas.

"So what have we learned about haggling?" He suddenly asks and nearly makes me jump. I swallow reflexively and say "Always drop the price drastically, that'll make the vendor lower his price slightly to make it seem better and in the end you pay less and they get goods sold." He nods in approval and I nearly grin, feeling a glimmer of pride at his approval.

I'm excited before Ophir rushed up to us, motioning us quickly over to an alleyway. We rush over, Desmond's strides long and purposeful. I almost jog to keep up as Desmond says "What happened." Ophir shakes his head and says "Tramir was caught, the Templars managed to snag one of his apprentices, Tramir got the boy free but was caught himself. Last I saw, they were dragging him off to their camp."

My blood runs cold, making me shiver as I grab onto Desmond's belt again, a reflex at this point as Desmond nods. "When?" He asks, voice almost snapping at the courier. "Ten minutes ago, those boys managed to find the bureau, I managed to see them dragging him off and came to get you."

Desmond nods and says "Best place to grab him back would be the lowest portion of the Rich District, they'll have to go through there to drag him to their holdings." Then he starts slightly and peers at me before muttering something in a language I didn't know, and apparently Ophir didn't either but it confirmed that Desmond was the one singing last night. The words sounded just like the songs did.

He crossed his arms, pinching the bridge of his nose before Ophir says "I'll take him back to the bureau if you need to go now." However, Desmond looks wary at the thought of that. "I don't like this, but I'll have to agree." He says through obviously clenched teeth, before ruffling my hair and saying "I'll be back soon little bird, stay safe, alright?" I nod before he throws a look at Ophir and climbs the wall and takes off across the rooftops.

We wait long enough for the sound of his footsteps to vanish amongst the sounds of the city before I go to turn to Ophir, only for a sudden, nearly blinding pain the emanate from the back of my head and knock me to the ground. I slam into the ground, darkness consuming my vision as I feel someone grab me from the ground and throw me over what might be a shoulder before I pass out.

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And we shall stop here because Cliffhangers are great places to start the next chapter from!