Aerith & Elario

[Elario Luminus]

The colder months inside the boundaries of Mother Russia were always accompanied with snow. It made things easier, in a way, but also harder. Becoming part of the crowd was always simple; one just simply needed to make themselves seen, but unseen. The snow obscured the vision of targets, and those protecting them. However...the snow also made things difficult when it came to gaining a vantage point. Or at least it did for a few weeks, until the Order's blacksmiths forged vambrances and grieves made for the snow.

This was how Firenze came to be atop the main building in St Peter's Square. He stood over the concrete eve, holding onto the flag pole in the gentle wind that blew his uniform about slightly. Against the black night sky, he would have been unseen from the ground, and he moved too fast for anyone on top of buildings to get a fix on.

For now, however, Firenze was trying to get his own fix on a recent charge; a Templar sergeant making his way to a shipment of weapons and other such items. His task was to shadow the sergeant until he located the shipment, and those responsible for it, then take out all Templars and their associates. He'd been tailing this particular Templar for about half an hour now; the target moved slowly, always going through back alleys and stopping to look around for any followers.

Firenze looked over to his left, at his partner. Dressed in all white, she looked like a beautiful angel.
A beautiful angel of death...
He gestured to her, then to the Templar, then further up the way where he was headed.
'Head further up, tail the target.'

[The Painted Lady]

Valentina nodded once to the darkly clad male right of her. She rose from her crouch fluidly, footfalls silent as she pursued their target. She was conscious of the weight of her sword on her hip and the pistol concealed by her cloak that thudded lightly on her thigh as she moved. Not far along her path though, her pace slowed and she paused, sensing something. She looked skyward with piercing blue eyes visible only briefly from underneath her hood. She had caught a flash of red in her peripheral vision...

They had been tracking the target on some of the lower buildings, in order to maintain visibility. But now, without so much as a warning to her partner, she shot off again, but in search of higher ground, scaling the taller buildings skilfully, finding footholds in the cracks of the brickwork and means of climbing higher in windowsills and the framework of the structures. She had lost vision of her partner by the time she had reached the roof of the building she had seen the light come from, but a reassuring blue glow below told her that he wasn't far.

Her attention was fixed on the sniper across from her, however. He was still unaware of her arrival, perched at the edge of the rooftop, rifle at the ready. Valentina didn't doubt that he had been employed by the Templars to be on watch for anyone like her. In one sense, she was disappointed. Usually a sniper would have heard her and put up a bit of a challenge. On the other hand, the smaller the disturbance she made, all the better. Releasing her hidden blade from within her sleeve, she edged toward him. In a quick, fluid motion, she reached around to cover his mouth to stop any sound he made as she plunged her blade through his back, dragging him away from the edge of the roof. It wouldn't do to let him fall...

When Valentina dropped beside Firenze once more, she tilted her head forward slightly.
'We continue...'

[Elario Luminus]

Firenze watched Valentina skilfully execute a sniper which he hadn't seen, glad he was out of the way. He nodded to his partner and headed after the Templar again, this time dropping down onto one of the eves just metres from the ground. Ahead, Firenze could see the docks. He glanced up at Valentina and gestured quickly towards the target destination, then made a circular movement with his hand.
'Establish a perimeter...'
He then pointed at her, then at his eyes, then back at the docks.
'Watch for snipers.'

That done, Firenze leaped across the gap in the buildings and quickly ascended the structure, then sprinted across the rooftop. He found a sniper there and tackled him off the roof. Before the sniper could yell, for help or out of confusion, Firenze plunged a hidden blade into his neck, then used the now-limp body as a cushion as he hit the ground. The resounding thump caused by the collision with the snow alerted the Templar and some spare snipers, but Firenze had already dashed into the shadows.

[The Painted Lady]

Remaining perched up on the rooftop a moment longer, Valentina fitted her hand-made silencer onto the barrel of her pistol. She observed the scene briefly, before moving around to be perched on the side of the target opposite to Firenze. She could just see his tinge of blue behind the red and gold on the ground below. Ice-blue eyes scanned the rooftops one last time, finding another sniper above Firenze and to his left. Carefully and slowly, Valentina lined up the sight of her pistol. She wasn't quite as good a shot as her partner, but she made sure she would get it right, first shot. She squeezed the trigger...

Bullseye.

Content that she and Firenze were safe from aerial attacks now, Valentina made her descent down the building, her progress much slower... but much more soundless than her partner's. The snow crunched ever so slightly underneath her boots as she reached the ground and she tucked herself into place, ready for a signal from the blueish haze close to the docks.

[Elario Luminus]

Firenze nodded to Valentina slightly as he watched her dispatch of another sniper. He then searched for another spot closer to the action. Finding one in a shaded spot on top of a shipping container, he dashed into it quickly and crouched down, leaning forward slightly to get a better eavesdrop. He could only hear small parts of the conversation, but from he did hear, the shipment was important.
'...wants this shipment to be executed quickly and quietly, you hear me? Do not mess this up.'
'Aye, comrade. You there, get packing!'
As the small meeting was adjourned, Firenze looked up at Valentina. He made his point by a simple movement; the quiet snick of his hidden blades as they were opened.

The Templar Sergeant was anxious; he'd checked again and again that he wasn't followed, but he couldn't shake the feeling he was being watched. He jumped at every small noise, thinking it was the footfall of an Assassin, or the almost-silent release of their trademark weapons. He was supervising the shipment when he thought he saw a shadow move, but when he looked closer, he saw nothing but the black of night. Sighing to try and calm himself down, he turned back to the shipment, and quickly felt a long steel blade penetrate his neck. A gloved hand covered his mouth, and his quickly lifeless corpse was dragged back into the shadows.

The two soldiers that the Sergeant were watching heard nothing of all this, but were quickly dropped when Firenze shot one with his silenced wrist-mounted pistol and downed the other with a quick throwing knife. He looked up at where Valentina was and gestured her down.

[The Painted Lady]

Her body crouched low to the ground, Valentina quickly ran toward the dock and Firenze, quietly scuffing the ground with a leather boot if she ever came across a tell-tale drop of blood in the snow. She spared a glance around her as she paused still momentarily, but upon sensing no threat, continued to be at Firenze's side. She touched her ear in silent communication with him.

'Did you overhear anything?'

Eaves-dropping was a skill she hadn't yet mastered as well as her more senior partner...

[Elario Luminus]

Firenze shook his head, but then pointed at the shipment a couple of times.
'Maybe we should either follow the shipment, or take it in ourselves.'
He gestured lightly to the dead guards, indicating the uniforms. He turned back to Valentina and shrugged slightly.
'What do you wanna do?'

[The Painted Lady]

Valentina wrinkled her nose a little in disgust as she considered her options. She wasn't keen on switching clothes with the guards, no matter how much easier it would make their objective. It would just mean a little extra work... which she never complained about anyway. In the end, she shook her head.
'We more than capable to do without... We'll trail it.'

[Elario Luminus]

Firenze nodded in silent agreement, then gestured to Valentina to follow him. He crept up towards the shipment area and perched up over it, just out of sight of the rest of the guards.

[The Painted Lady]

Valentina followed Firenze silently, remaining only a step behind him at all times. She would wait for his guidance before she made another move...

[Elario Luminus]

The guards had noticed that the Sergeant and two of the soldiers had disappeared, and were getting spooked. Frantically, they were putting things in boxes and looking over their shoulders. When their hands were finally free of holding anything, they drew their swords, now on high alert. In the distance, Firenze heard the pounding of hooves on the snow, and the squeak of a turning wheel. Turning his head to face the new arrival, he tapped Valentina gently and pointed towards them.
'Check it out...'
The carriage came to a stop, the horses snorting loudly. It's occupant stepped out. He had a head full of pitch black hair, and a full beard and moustache that ran to the centre of his chest in a rather unkempt fashion. He was all robed up, but Firenze could see that these robes in question were rather special. Frowning slightly, Firenze watched the newcomer.

Grigori Rasputin had long since been a key member of the Templars, and was Grand Master of the Russian Sect. He exalted his influence over his subjects mercilessly and without question or motive. His recent development of Powers he received from God's Gift held him in a permanent position next to the Tsar, and in total control of his men. He waved his hand once to welcome his soldiers, who were dealing with the shipment.
'Good evening! How goes my shipment? Everything in order?'
The soldiers snapped to attention and nodded in unison, barking out 'Sir, yes, sir!' all at once. Rasputin smiled, happy with the order of things. He hadn't come across any of those accursed Assassins since he'd gotten out of the Monastery, so they must have gone into hiding again. Now even happier, he waved at the soldiers to continue their work.
'That shipment must get to me by the morning! Or there'll be Hell to pay!'
Nodding and saluting their Grand Master, the soldiers got back to it.

Having seen everything that just happened, Firenze looked back at Valentina, an eyebrow raised. He shrugged, then pointed to a space behind a box, which was inside a larger crate.
'Best way to trail it would be to go with it...' he whispered as quietly as he could.

[The Painted Lady]

Valentina paused a moment, pale blue eyes wide, registering her shock. Rasputin... alive?

But she had seen the pictures of his bloodied body pulled from the ice. She had always been wary of him, much unlike the rest of her family. She had always silently agreed with her cousin when he said the Starlets was nothing but trouble for Russia. She remembered her mother's grief so clearly when news spread of his death, and her little brother's fears when he was told the Holy Man wouldn't come any more...

She shook her head, bringing herself back to reality, her eyes finding Firenze once more. She felt ashamed for her hesitation.
"Whatever you believe to be best..." she whispered back in her oddly refined voice.

[Elario Luminus]

Firenze noted the tone in Valentina's voice and mentally packed it up for later. Back to the task at hand, the Master Assassin quietly crept along the top of the container they were on, towards the shadowed section behind that crate. He came to a stop of top of the shipment's container, stealthily watching the guards route between the container and where they were grabbing everything from. Firenze waited till there was a gap in the vision of the guards, then quickly flipped into the container and launched himself inside, rolling to muffle his landing, ending up exactly where he needed to be.

[The Painted Lady]

Valentina paused to wait her turn for a break in the guard's vision again and to see if Firenze's manoeuvre had attracted any attention. Of course, it hadn't and soon she was joining her partner in the container silently. Now they'd just have to wait...
She hated waiting.

[Elario Luminus]

Firenze sat down and began to calm himself down to the point of sleep. He motioned for Valentina to do the same.
'You'll need to sleep so the body can hold enough oxygen for the trip there.'
He bent his knees in front of him, but had them at shoulder width apart so as to stop him from falling over mid-trip. Firenze crossed his arms and hung his head forward, promptly falling asleep silently.