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[alltenfingers]

[Ezio has been growing restless. Finally over the cold he had been getting, he has opted to spend the day anywhere but indoors. It's like being caged, sometimes, being within Aliunde, and yet being indoors all day while here is even worse. After years, decades, of running, climbing, jumping, battling, killing and fighting, barely surviving, and

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[milesawayfrom]

[ Desmond is perched on top of a higher point of one of the buildings. His hands curled around the molding, staring down into the population below. He's tense, poised, and ready to go whenever needed. While the other recruits are working on their skills, Desmond has taken up his own training. His eyes narrow slightly, focusing in on a mother and child walking on the street below. With his hood up, bill covering his eyes, it'd take someone with a trained eagle sense to notice what he's working on. ]

[alltenfingers]

[Ezio can see him from almost half way across Aliunde. With a smile slightly twitching at the corner of his mouth, he approaches. He doesn't intent to sneak up on him, just join him, and he is climbing up to the roof Desmond is on after only a few moments. He doesn't say anything, he just settles beside him, his own gaze brightening as he spots who Desmond is tracking, the mother and child. He knows it's practice, training, and he notes the path they've walked and where they will proceed to, but Desmond's sight isn't quite as honed as Ezio's, so the older Assassin simply looks to him curiously.]

[milesawayfrom]

[ His gaze strays just a bit to note the oncoming blue mark. Well, there's Ezio. He's seen a few of the assassins crawling over Aliunde today. The city is small, so it's hard to avoid each other. As his ancestor joins him, he looks back at the mother and child. There's a small change in his posture, almost a defeated one, before he shapes back up. This past weekend was Mother's Day back in his time frame, and he realized, for him with his time in Aliunde, it's been a decade - more or less - since he saw his own mother. Maybe it's just natural that he'd track the mother and child.

Desmond doesn't say a word. Instead he just stands and silently moves along the roof's edge to follow them. Watch where they're going. They might walk past something that's new and needs investigating. He hopes so. This place is boring after awhile. ]

[alltenfingers]

[Ezio instead shifts to sit down, against a chimney stack, arms crossing as one knee bends, hood shadowing most of his face. He does, however, have a small smile on his face. He enjoys watching his recruits but Desmond is a bit more than merely another recruit and although he never truly knew who he was until he came to Aliunde, Ezio has fast found a deep care for his great-great-however many greats-grandson.

He knew it was Mother's Day the Sunday passed, and Ezio tended to celebrate that with Maria until her death. When he was young, it was all about getting her flowers, outdoing his siblings, and she was showered in gifts that day, and her birthday too. They were a wealthy family that cared for each other deeply. After the events of 1476, it was more solemn and he brought her feathers, even after collecting so many. When she died, he and Claudia merely shared glances on that day. Now, Ezio ignores the holiday entirely.]

[milesawayfrom]

[ And here he is trying to constantly prove to himself that he really is worth being an Auditore and Altaïr's descendant. The master assassin was right when he pointed out that Desmond really doesn't know who he is. He knows who he's been, and what he's destined to do, but.. maybe that's who he is, as a person. Someone who goes with the flow and does what needs to be done. While fucking his own personal life. It's part of why he's been seen so rarely around the hideout since the older ancestor showed up, save for meetings. He's just been thinking. Avoiding things if he could.

He reaches the edge of the roof and pauses. Once the pair show no sign of stopping, Desmond leaps over to the next roof. Either Ezio will follow or he won't. ]

[alltenfingers]

[Ezio plans to follow at a distance. He is sure Desmond will know he is following, but he lets him go at first, getting up after a few minutes to follow after him. As much as he wants to let Desmond do his own thing, Ezio can't help himself, he wants to keep an eye on him, he wants to do something to help his grandson.

He keeps his distance, tailing Desmond easily enough, though he has no worries about not being spotted by him. Instead, he just keeps his eye on him as he follows casually.]

[milesawayfrom]

[ He's probably the easiest assassin to spot. Even though his robes are black, he doesn't have all the tactics of stealth applied to Aliunde just yet. His teachings come from Italy and the Holy Land, not modern day rooftops. He keeps moving from roof to roof, eventually coming to a stop. He bends down at the edge of the last roof, watching as the mother and child head inside their home. Another frown tugs on his face.

Then he looks up, not searching for another target just yet. Instead he waits for the Mentor to join him again. ]

[alltenfingers]

[Ezio takes a small jump to reach the roof Desmond is on, reaching to grip Desmond's shoulder. For a long moment he simply looks at him, and a frown creases his brow. He's worried, and Desmond will be able to pick that out of his expression easily enough.]

Desmond...? [He isn't sure what to ask. He has his own anxieties and worries and fears, but he doesn't even know how to begin to imagine what Desmond is feeling sometimes. All he hopes to do is try to help.]

[milesawayfrom]

[ Part of him wonders what's up with the grandpas grabbing his shoulder. It must be a family thing.

Desmond looks up at him, face barely peaking out of his own cowl. ]

Yeah?

[alltenfingers]

[It's an old fashioned thing, Desmond. Just get used to it, already.

But Ezio shakes his head with a small sigh. Unless Desmond wants to explain, he will only ask once and leave it at that.] You seem to have a lot on your mind.

[milesawayfrom]

[ Family feels are a strange and foreign thing.

He blinks once. ] ... yeah, I guess I do. [ He looks back down. ] It's this place.

[alltenfingers]

[Ezio looks out at Aliunde, nodding a little bit.] Si, it can be tiring not having a focus here.

[milesawayfrom]

I'm not really sure it's a lack of focus.

[ Desmond lets out a sigh. ]

It's... me. Just, me. And being here.

[alltenfingers]

[Ezio frowns a bit, tilting his head back as if he could examine what's wrong with Desmond. He can never quite figure him out, some days.]

Explain, nipote, do not run me round in cryptic circles. That is Altair's game.

[milesawayfrom]

I've been talking to him. Maybe it's just rubbing off.

[ He makes a small grin before reaching up and rubbing his neck. ]

I'm just not sure who I am. I guess. Something like that.

[alltenfingers]

[Ezio smiles a bit at that, but nods slightly, gesturing for Desmond to follow him as he begins to make his way across rooftops.]

You are too young to have found out who you really are, Desmond. [Well, in his experience, at least. He didn't find himself until well into his forties, and even then he was never really sure. Maybe even now he's not.]