anachronismo | (no subject)

(no subject)

Even if Stephanie had access to all the paper in Rome, she didn't think she'd have enough room to write down all that sucked. Bathing sucked. The weather sucked. The clothing sucked. The Borgia family sucked. Lack of deodorant sucked. Lack of modern convenience sucked. Oh, what else? Getting a cut on your arm sucked, because then you worried about stitches and sterilization, and when you're pretty much the most medically advanced person in the history of ever (so far, and maybe that was probably an annoyed exaggeration), that meant you fixed yourself up as best you could, put your shirt back on, and went on with your day. That really sucked.

It was embarrassing, too. She was eager to help, eager to commit to Ezio and the Assassins, but not so eager to kill. The extra care it took to not spill blood (and not make it totally obvious what she was doing) cost her bumps and bruises. And this time, some skin and blood. She wasn't sure if she was more worried about the scar or Ezio noticing--if he hadn't already. She'd lost track of how many chats about killing they'd had, both in Rome and in Paradisa.

For now, she sat herself down at the desk and tried to look busy. She could work on other embarrassing things to distract herself from her "scratch"--like her understanding of local geography. Ugh. Rome was fucking confusing, even after all this time. It didn't make sense to her like Gotham had.

Maybe she'd just invent satellite imaging.

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"I know you are, but my safety isn't what you need to worry about," she sighed. Stephanie let his hand brush against her skin, but she didn't lean into the touch. She was upset, and this wasn't over yet. But her eyes went to her arm when he mentioned it again.

"It's nothing, just a scratch. I took care of it."

She dropped her hand, and the frown on her face deepened. Bright red polka-dots were staining the material of her shirt where her hand had covered. It quickly resumed its position.

"I just need to wrap it again. I'm fine. If I'm on house arrest I can practice sutures, too."

Oh, the sarcasm.

On the contrary, he thought –– her safety is what he needed to worry about most.

He took her arm in hand, peering at the wound with a growing frown. It didn't look infected, but it didn't look good, either. His free hand went to his belt and he touched his coin purse to check that he had coin on him, and the telltale feel of metal inside confirmed it.

"I do not like how it looks," he replied. "I want to take you to the dottore."

"Oh, no. Keep your freaky doctors away from me. I don't need leeches and dirt rubbed into it, I just need to tighten the bandages."

Renaissance medicine was something she wanted to stay far, far away from. But she doubted he'd just let her go on her merry way with it looking like that.

"It's hard to do that with one hand. You can help me."

Ezio shook his head.

"I have been seeing doctors my entire life, Stephanie," he said. "It is a cut. You need stitches and something to protect it from harm. There will be no dirt nor leeches."

She watched his face, finding it almost funny that it felt like their positions would be reversed, not too long ago. When did he become the concerned, mature one?

"I can do those things," she insisted. "I trust me way more than your doctors. I just need an extra hand. I see you've got two of them."

"I am not doing stitches," Ezio argued, but he wasn't about to forcibly drag her to the doctor, either. He shook his head and sighed, and then relented.

"We will send for another novice girl. She will have a finer stitch than you or I."

Good enough.

"Fine." Attitude, Stephanie. She closed her eyes to reel it in, exhaling slowly. "... sorry. I don't mean to be a pain in the ass. I know you're busy."

She felt bad enough on most days, knowing he had to juggle her on top of everything else. She needed the extra attention, the extra help. She was the one always finding something to argue about. Not that she necessarily felt she was wrong, but she did feel guilty for adding more stress to his plate.

At least on the field, she felt like she was making up for it.

"Sit," he told her, moving away to pull out the chair from behind the desk. Not that there was anything wrong with her legs, but he'd prefer it if they could sit to discuss the matters of business and being a "pain in the ass."

She sat, though with a look of reluctance. It felt like she was about to get lectured by the principal.

"Sitting."

He kneeled down in front of her, one hand on her knee.

"Listen," he said, trying to be both firm and sympathetic at once. "Do you remember what it was like to be teaching me about your time, even when I had been in Paradisa for over a year? What kind of troubles I ran into with people and society because I did not know how to behave amongst another culture? You had a lot of patience for me, and I am trying to show you the same courtesy... but you must trust me when I tell you what the right course of action is."

"I remember." There was no way she'd forget. She thought about those times a lot, missing them. She missed feeling confident and comfortable and knowledgeable.

She put her hand over his.

"It's just difficult. Not the trusting you part, I trust you, but the whole... not belonging, part. At least in Paradisa you had people from your time, or from times like yours. I don't have that, and it really, really sucks sometimes," Stephanie sighed, shaking her head and looking down at their hands. "You remember how restless you felt, right? Not being able to do anything? That's how I feel."

"They could be out there," Ezio reminded her, quietly. "So you need not lose hope on that, yet. But in the mean time, you would fit in better if you did not eschew our culture and customs. If I say you cannot dine with the men, then you should not fuss. If I want you to study as a civilian for a time instead of doing work as an Assassin, then you should study. If I want you to see a dottore, you should go. I am trying to make it easier for you to fit in!"

"So... I just shut up and do as you command. That's my life, now."

She didn't sound thrilled.

"That is not what I said," Ezio replied. "I just would not see you alienate yourself by protesting so vehemently to these things."

She let go of his hand to pinch the bridge of her nose, frustrated. Had he felt like this in Paradisa? Did he feel suffocated? No, probably not, because even with the restlessness he felt, Paradisa was a vacation. There was fun there. Rome? Not so much. Not that she had found, anyway.

A part of her wanted to argue and fight, but the words just weren't forming. So, she just sighed, shaking her head again.

"I'll try."

"Thank you."

He took her hand and kissed it, gently. He was trying not to let the Borgia consume him completely. He still had to care for the people around him.

"I am doing my best to look out for you, Stephanie."

"You're doing a good job, even if I don't always like it," she said, looking at him with a small smile. Upset as she might be, it was hard to be that angry at the man who went out of his way to protect her. He cared, so the least she could do was make an effort to make it easier for him to do that.

"I can't just keep taking, though. I want to do more to help. I know how busy you are, and it feels pretty crappy for you to invest so much time in me and I'm just... studying."

"When you know how to navigate this city with skill, we will put you back on the streets with the others. Until then, the most work I can give you are eavesdropping tasks."

He shook his head.

"And do not worry about me. I take pride in providing for my brotherhood... and it is not as though I cannot afford it. In the long run, all of my investments will pay off."

She could settle for that. Her plan was to learn as quickly as she possibly could--if she was stuck doing it, she'd throw herself into it. She'd know Rome intimately in a week. She'd spend all day on her feet exploring, if she needed.

Stephanie put her hand on his shoulder, leaning over to kiss his cheek in thanks. "They will. You won't have to worry about me, the Borgia will be gone, and Rome will be awesome."

He chuckled under his breath when she leant in to kiss him, and then pulled away to stand up. He still needed to track down one of the girls to stitch up that wound.

"That is the plan. You will make for a fine ally once you get a better handle on how we do things."

"The finest," she nodded, and she honestly didn't doubt that. Fighting was her thing--it was just everything else that she needed to work on.

"Are you going to be around after I get sewn up?"

It was still strange, adjusting to this Ezio. He was sometimes more mentor than friend, and it was a change from their days of just hanging out and doing nothing. There was always something that needed to be done.

"I should be," he replied. "La Volpe and I have work tonight, so I will need to sleep sometime this afternoon... But I will be around to spend time with you. I know that I have been been busy lately..."

"It's alright, as long as you know and feel terrible about it," she joked. "I don't mind you spending time with me and napping at the same time if you don't."

He chuckled.

"Va bene, we can do that. Like old times, hmm?"

"Like old times. So go find me someone to close this gash because I can feel the blood seeping out. I'm leaking." She was much more willing to admit that it wasn't just a scratch when the tone was lighter, like this.

"I can find you once we're done, unless you want to stick around to hear me swear."