Aerith & Elario

[The Painted Lady]

Valentina carefully settled herself down on the ground, curling into a ball on the ground. Sleep didn't come to her just yet; her mind ran at a million miles an hour. Somewhere on this shipment, Rasputin was walking around, back from the dead...

[Elario Luminus]

When Firenze finally woke up, it was inside a large foyer-looking room. Knowing full well that no-one would ever unload a container in the front foyer, he carefully came to the opening in the large crate. He peeked around and saw that the place was empty. Satisfied, he went back inside and began jostling Valentina to wakefulness.

[The Painted Lady]

Valentina jerked awake, instantly jumping to her feet and unsheathing her blade. She relaxed as her eyes adjusted to the light and she saw Firenze in front of her.
"Sorry..." she mumbled quietly, looking down and putting her sword away again.

[Elario Luminus]

Firenze didn't flinch at Valentina's reaction. In fact, he had a slight mocking smile on his face.
'Don't worry; if I had been an enemy, I wouldn't have been shaking you awake. You probably might have even woke up.' He straightened up and offered a hand to his partner.
'Come on; we have to find something of worth.'
After lifting Valentina to her feet, he carefully took a step outside the box. Through a door that was slightly ajar, Firenze could see a large courtyard. He turned to his partner and pointed at said doorway.

[The Painted Lady]

Valentina rolled her eyes at Firenze as he helped her to her feet, but didn't utter a word in reply. She waited as he moved forward, then nodded as he looked back, joining him slowly as quietly as she made sure her pistol was loaded.

[Elario Luminus]

Firenze walked slowly forward and pressed his back against the wall next to the door. Leaning over slightly, he snuck a peek through the door. Outside was a design he somehow found familiar, but couldn't quite place where he'd seen it before.

The courtyard WAS large, as he'd guessed earlier, but it had a second floor to it, which circled the area as a balcony. Overhead was dark, but Firenze could tell it was heading towards dawn.
We need to hurry...
He looked around a bit faster, and spotted a brigade of guards posted through the courtyard; four on the ground, six patrolling the upper floor, and almost two dozen on the rooftops. Firenze frowned slightly at this. Then he saw one important detail.

The guards on the ground floor all moved together. The Master Assassin smirked. Amateur's mistake.

[The Painted Lady]

Valentina followed closely behind Firenze. Up close, she could see his expression. She looked out to the courtyard, then back to her partner, smiling crookedly up to him. She nodded out to the ground floor, extending her two hidden blades.
All together, then?...

[Elario Luminus]

Firenze shook his head, gently placing an arm on Valentina's arm. He gestured to the rooftops, indicating the guards there. He pointed at the four floor guards, then moved his arm around the wall and pointed to where they stood.
When they reach this spot.
As he watched on, the guards began moving around in the direction that Firenze had pointed out.
'Get on either side of the door, quickly. Swing the door out to cover your position.'

[The Painted Lady]

Valentina sagged her shoulders comically, in a rare gesture of humour. She waited for the opportunity to move before she darted to her position, moving the door as Firenze instructed her. She awaited his next move...

[Elario Luminus]

Firenze chuckled inwardly at Valentina's stab at humour, then moved to his side of the doorway. He quickly unsheathed both hidden blades, and kept an ear out for the passing guards. Hearing them close the distance, Firenze poised for the attack. As he saw the first guards foot outside the door way, Firenze dashed out and struck like a bolt of lightning.

[The Painted Lady]

Valentina made her move the instant after Firenze stepped out from his place. Faced with two guards of her own, she grinned. With both hidden blades extended, she thrust her wrists forward, catching one guard in the throat, the other in the chest. Both dropped instantly, but the guard that bled from the throat started to gag on the ground. Valentina dropped to one knee, silencing him with another thrust of her blade straight through his heart.

[Elario Luminus]

Firenze raised an eyebrow at Valentina's somewhat sloppy work, but didn't waste time by dragging his two dead guards behind the door. He waited for Valentina to do the same.

[The Painted Lady]

Firenze's disapproving look didn't escape Valentina, and it frustrated her. It wasn't as if she had been doing this her whole life like some people...
Feeling a little disgruntled, she copied Firenze's motion, dragging the bodies away, ensuring their blood didn't smear on the floor as they were moved.

[Elario Luminus]

Before the two of them moved out, Firenze gently placed a hand on his partners shoulder reassuringly and gave a small but affectionate squeeze. He looked Valentina in the eye, winked, smiled slightly, and headed out into the courtyard. Dashing for a door maybe forty metres away, he quickly stabbed the lock and forced the door open, sliding through.

[The Painted Lady]

Valentina was taken by surprise for a moment by Firenze's gesture. She paused momentarily, letting him pass her, before sprinting silently after him.