Thanks to extensive training, Giuseppe's skulking about went unnoticed by anyone. He was at the South gate, being able to tell by a river flowing nearby, having noted that feature of the landscape. The sounds of the flowing water masked any sounds he made as he began climbing, hands grasping at footholds found in the surface of the wall. Climbing walls wasn't his forte, but it was doable. As he climbed, he was careful to be as quiet as possible, to avoid alerting any soldiers patrolling the walls.
After a few moments, he finally reached the top, grabbing hold just below the edge of the wall. He made sure he was in the clear before hoisting himself up, planting his feet on the wall top first. He crouched down, observing his surroundings. There was a lone soldier to his left, looking the opposite way. Foolish soldier, Giuseppe thought. He slowly stretched out his arm, flicking his wrist and pulling a ring, the blade of his hidden blade popping out with a clicking sound. He walked forwards, coming behind the soldier. The soldier turned, but was silenced quickly with a trip of the legs and the blade driven into his chest. Making sure the Confederate was dead, Giuseppe dragged the soldier into a dark corner.
After hiding the body of his first kill this dusk, Giuseppe began a descent through a set of stairs in the stone walls. He slowly descended, trying to sneak by any nearby soldiers. Too many missing, and it would alert the entire fort. Through a stroke of plain luck, the doors leading into the fort's courtyard was unlocked and already open. Slithering past a group of unsuspecting soldiers, Giuseppe found his way into the courtyard. He was in. Now, he just needed to get to the center of the fort, on top of a large building that was most likely where the actual Templars were. A dangerous ordeal, since there were Assassin Hunters here. He would wait for a better opportunity to advance, having made good time already.
Caroline watched out of the corner of her good eye as the figure stalked across the fort walls and down below near the court yard. Her fist tightened around the knife hidden within the folds of her dress.
She strolled closer to the gates entering the courtyard. It was more than foolish if the Assassin came through this way; Caroline had had the doors opened just for her. The Templar watched as the Assassin slipped past the guards.
Incompetent bastards she thought to herself.
Caroline took matters into her own hands. She walked up towards the Assassin, putting on her southern belle mask.
"Excuse me?" Caroline asked in her soft voice. "Would you please help me find the room I'm staying in? My brother is out there fighting the devils in blue and none of these guards are kind enough to lead me back."
The Assassin was handsome. He reminded her a bit of Sydney, except Sydney was of Swedish blood, while this man looked maybe Italian or part savage.
Giuseppe's hand stood at attention, ready to use his hidden blade again as a person walked towards him. Though, seeing it was just a soldier's sister, he eased a little. He didn't fully trust this, especially since she had a scar that ran across her face. "Ah, of course I would. I would be glad to accompany you, a sweetheart such as yourself." He outstretched a hand with the offer of a charming smile. She was gorgeous, he'll give her that.
Caroline smiled sweetly as she took the man's arm, delighted at his response.
"So, what brings you here? Why would such a beauty be out this way at wartime?," he asked, making conversation with the beautiful woman. He was cautious, because he didn't trust that she was fully innocent. In the worst case, she was a Templar. He had yet to see any cruciform marks or the ring that most bear.
"Oh, the usual. Our parents are dead and my brother, Ashley, has been ahead of our plantation, but he didn't trust the slaves with me there all alone, you know how they can get. And I don't have any beaus left, they've all gone to war, so Ashley invited me here to keep an eye on me and help find a husband." Caroline guessed that he was ready and poised to strike at any moment, even if he felt relaxed and gentlemanly.
"Ah, forgive my rudeness. I am Giuseppe Alighieri, a merchant. I came here to trade with the commander and supply foodstuffs and ammunition. And, might I have the pleasure of knowing the name of the bella donna in my company?" Giuseppe smiled a handsome smile towards the woman as he offered his arm to her. His other hand was at the ready, waiting to draw his hidden blade. Cautious as he was, he had to be prepared. He's already been caught by the beautiful Templar. He wasn't daft, he knew he was in deep. He didn't dare show distrust to the woman, though, lest he admit defeat there and then.
Caroline giggled and hid her false smile under her hand, forcing herself to blush for effect. "I am Tora Phillips. Pleased to meet your acquaintance, Mr. Aligheiri."
Caroline clenched her fist around her hidden blade, preparing to be swift and strike him in the chest. It'd be a shame to lose such a pretty face like his. But no loss to the world as an Assassin.
"Tora Phillips," Giuseppe said slowly with a handsome smile, letting it roll off his tongue with his Italian accent. "A beautiful name to compliment a beautiful woman, the bearer." His hand reached behind the woman, resting on her lower back as he walked with her.
Caroline's heart sped up as Giuseppe's hands drifted towards the small of her back.
Nice move, she thinks to herself. A game of cat and mouse, chess, and a battle wrapped with a pretty little bow on top.
And she had to admit, he was good.
He didn't believe her alias, not for a moment. A fake name. Fake backstory. "Ah, and feel free to call me Giuseppe, please. I'd much rather hear my first name from your lovely, soft lips than my last name," he said, fingers brushing the side of her face, near grazing the corner of her mouth.
His hands feel coarse from work, yet soft at the same time.
He could have all the girls in the Confederacy bowing towards his feet. Even if Caroline wasn't a Templar, she might have even called him a beau when Syndey was around.
He then gestured to a group of doors that, obviously, weren't for military use, rather for residence. "Ah, I'm assuming one of these is your room?," he asked, flashing her one of his handsome smiles. As they were not accompanied by anyone else, and they were alone, he leaned close to whisper into her ear. "If you'd like, I would gladly accompany you inside. In a time of war and civil unrest, isn't it best to find comfort in each other? And what better comfort comfort can be offered than intimate company between one another in the warmth of intimate knowing?," Giuseppe persuaded.
Caroline blushed. She didn't expect him to take it that far.
Caroline looked up in the Assassin's face; his face was daringly close to hers.
"Oh, Giuseppe," she started, her smile unabashed. She didn't even blink as her stare turned cold. "Don't take me as a common whore."
Caroline pushed the Assassin back. She ripped off her placebo dress, discarding it on the floor. She unsheathed her Confederate sword.
"I was really surprised how long you'd take it, but I must say, you got all the ladies back in Italy, didn't you? I bet even the prostitutes wanted you."
Giuseppe used the push to get a head start in putting distance between them, drawing his dual Whitney revolvers and pointing them towards the beautiful Templar. "Do not take my advances as labeling you a whore, darling. Take it as a compliment- I tried to sleep with you, knowing you're a Templar," he said. Backing up, he continued, "Granted, I'd probably kill you afterwards, but still."
The Italian cocked back the hammer on both of his pistols, ready to fire at the Templar. "It's such a shame, you know. If only we weren't divided by faction. You would've been a great lover, Templar. Just too bad, you missed out," he taunted. With that, he squeezed both triggers, letting off two shots directed at the beautiful Templar. He then cocked the hammers back again, ready to fire after some of the smoke cleared. He changed positions, moving about, so he was a harder target for the Templar and her blades.
Caroline ducked behind a nearby pillar before the bullets could rip through her chest.
"So, you ask a woman to sleep with you and then you try to kill her when she says no? That's rather rude, Giuseppe," Caroline taunts with short breaths.
The Templar took a dumb move and lunged at the Assassin; whether she was slashing at thin air or thick flesh, she didn't know.
Giuseppe didn't respond, not while Caroline was blind to him and his position. That would just give away his position to her and spell death for him. He took this opportunity of temporary, momentary blindness to gain higher ground, another tactical advantage. He used a nearby flat cart as leverage to leap onto the roof of the barracks. Once stable on the roof, he took a shot at the wheel of the flat cart, making it topple, and rendering it more difficult for Caroline to follow him. By this time, the smoke had cleared.
"Hah, you seduce a man just to attempt on his life. I think we're even, don't you, darling?," he said, cocky about being higher up with firearms, while she was grounded and armed with a saber. He then raised his revolvers at Caroline again. "I hate to do this to such a beauty, I really do. But, you know what they say, looks can kill." After a wink, he fired at Caroline, moving sideways as he fired, to avoid smoke and to be able to continue firing. A reckless move, but a necessary one. She was obviously a veteran Templar, and could track and kill him had he fled.
Caroline sadly slashed at air and bullets. A bullet ricochets off her sword and lands near her feet.
Caroline pushes words of profanity down her throat and looks toward the smoke.
She considers her moves for a moment. The Templar decides to take the dumb but potentially rewarding path.
She ducks behind another pillar, but this time she peeks from behind the fat column.
"Did you sorry bastards really think that you could save him? That man? Our little prisoner?" its a daring taunt. Caroline doesn't expect the Italian to spill his guts, but she hopes for some hints or clues of what they might do next.
Giuseppe switches out his revolvers, now empty and in need of reloading, for his Spencer repeating rifle. Holstering the twin pistols, he drew his rifle and loaded a full cartridge into it, cocking the lever forwards, then backwards. He knew what Caroline was doing. It was obvious from a mile away. "I don't know what you're talking about, darling. I'm the only one here," he answered. He wasn't spilling the plan to her just yet.
He aims the rifle at Caroline's peeking head and fires at her, the shot much faster and more powerful than his revolvers. Caroline would have a hard time dodging these. He then fired at her again, having let off two shots. Three more in the cartridge. As he cocks the lever again, one in the chamber, two in the cartridge. A third shot, two in the cartridge. Cock, and one in the chamber. One left in the cartridge. He waits for some of the smoke from his rifle to clear.
Caroline could almost feel the bullet whiz through a stray hair of hers.
Suddenly she felt a pain sear clean through her shoulder.
I bit back down her scream, clamping her teeth down on her lips so hard her lips start to bleed.
"Oh fuck you," Caroline whispered under her breath before ducking into a room, closing the door as silently as she can.
He has a gun; she has a sword. Caroline needs the dark room to be her advantage, that is if he comes after her or waits her out.
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