Bloodlines [Non-Canon]

[Midnight Maiden]

Desmond finished lowering her to the ground, making sure to set her head down as gently as possible. He wasn't trying to hurt her, but he needed his answers. "Our alleged kid," Desmond snipped right back at her. He found the whole kid/future thing pretty unbelievable, but he honestly wasn't sure what to make of it anymore. His life was just crazy enough that something like this could happen. Or maybe the kid was nuts and suffering from the Bleeding Effect. Who knows.

Moving down, he looked uneasily at her. He was about to get massive creep points for this, without a doubt, but covering your back came before feeling creepy. "Rid, Don't reach for your rape whistle. I'm just checking to see if you have your scar."

Pulling her shirt up just the slightest amount he quickly peeked to see that there was infact a scar there, he pulled it back down quickly, maybe a little faster and harder than was necessary.

Embarrassed Desmond is Embarrassed

Then he backed up to a very safe distance, and sat down. The shock he had given her wouldn't last for long, and shouldn't leave any lasting side effects. If he'd had it dialed up to full power it probably would have fried her brain a little, but he almost never used that power setting on his allies :|

"Good. You're my Rid. You wouldn't have been the first impostor I've met." Then he just kind of sat there, just staring at her. He hadn't planned on meeting up with her again. Ever. He'd sent her away to keep her safe, but it had seemed like trouble was intent on seeking out the both of them. Trouble's name was Connor.

"Besides. How would I know if you're an illusionist or not. You haven't exactly been the most forthcoming about stuff." This coming from... the Mentor of the Assassin Order. The secret priestly killers that fought shadow wars with the descendants of Cain.

Totally not hypocritical Desmond :|​

Eugh. The way that Desmond handled setting her down with such care made Ridley sick to her stomach. Dammit, Desmond.. You aren't supposed to care. Please.. stop.. caring... the blonde pleaded mentally, as though the assassin would actually be able to hear. Or, more preferably- so that he wouldn't know just how badly she wanted to protect him from herself -that it would go through to him as a command. That she could just bend him to her will just like everyone else. But as much as she longed to do this... She couldn't. And she hated it.

Any and all of these thoughts left her mind as Desmond hovered over her. She frowned deeply at him, obviously aggravated.. But she couldn't help the bitter laugh that came with his words. "Don't get your hopes up, Hoodie.. I wouldn't let you rape me, even if you wanted to." That edge, though. She hardly seemed to care when the male lifted her shirt.. Though, she was unable to keep from rolling her eyes with a snicker of amusement at the way he abruptly tugged it back down harder than necessary... Which probably was a bad idea, considering that tugged the shirt down a tad further than it should've been. Oops.

Despite the fact that Ridley still couldn't quite move yet, she shot a teasing grin up at Desmond, amusement playing at those golden eyes. The eyes of a Dangerous Creature. "You know, your embarrassment is kind of cute, Hoodie. Ironic that you're older than me, and yet, so much more childish. Hehe." Well.. The jab could've been much worse, in any case.. But her amusement faded as her thoughts began revolving around the scar Desmond spoke of. For once in her life, Ridley's torso was being examined in a way that wasn't.. Well, for lack of better phrasing, in a way that wasn't just sexualizing her. And oddly enough.. The latter was much less embarrassing to Rid than the former.

And of course Desmond had to go and call her 'his Rid'. It felt almost as though her was mocking her, to the blonde. Rubbing salt in the wound, so to speak. "Hmph. I'm not your Rid.. Only person I belong to is myself," she defended, moving her head slightly to face away from Desmond. Feeling was slowly returning.. But Ridley was still jittery, and wasn't quite ready to try to make major movement.

Anddddd.. Then Desmond went and made his next jab, saying she wasn't very forthcoming. Ridley just huffed in annoyance, shaking her head slightly. "Oh, please. I get that you're bitter about what happened, but you don't need to act like that's all there is to me, and that you know everything about me to even start to judge me," she snapped, clearly rubbed up the wrong way. "'Cause let me tell you, Desmond Miles..." Oh no. Not only had she used his name instead of a nickname, but it was his first and last one. "...You don't know jack about me." This was more than likely true. There were people that had known Ridley her entire life and still had never really known her. He doesn't know me.. And he never will.

"Besides.. You know I didn't lie to you even once. I told you that I'm a monster. A villain. The bad guy.. A traitor. You name it and I told you. All of you. The fact that you were too stubborn and blind to see that isn't. My. Fault," she defended, snappily. It was a horrible day for Rid.. And it was getting to be too much. She was stressed, and maybe that was why she was trying so much harder to push him away. "..Look, what do you want, anyways? Why are you here?"​

 

[Thuro 116 Pendragon]

Eugh. The way that Desmond handled setting her down with such care made Ridley sick to her stomach. Dammit, Desmond.. You aren't supposed to care. Please.. stop.. caring... the blonde pleaded mentally, as though the assassin would actually be able to hear. Or, more preferably- so that he wouldn't know just how badly she wanted to protect him from herself -that it would go through to him as a command. That she could just bend him to her will just like everyone else. But as much as she longed to do this... She couldn't. And she hated it.

Any and all of these thoughts left her mind as Desmond hovered over her. She frowned deeply at him, obviously aggravated.. But she couldn't help the bitter laugh that came with his words. "Don't get your hopes up, Hoodie.. I wouldn't let you rape me, even if you wanted to." That edge, though. She hardly seemed to care when the male lifted her shirt.. Though, she was unable to keep from rolling her eyes with a snicker of amusement at the way he abruptly tugged it back down harder than necessary... Which probably was a bad idea, considering that tugged the shirt down a tad further than it should've been. Oops.

Despite the fact that Ridley still couldn't quite move yet, she shot a teasing grin up at Desmond, amusement playing at those golden eyes. The eyes of a Dangerous Creature. "You know, your embarrassment is kind of cute, Hoodie. Ironic that you're older than me, and yet, so much more childish. Hehe." Well.. The jab could've been much worse, in any case.. But her amusement faded as her thoughts began revolving around the scar Desmond spoke of. For once in her life, Ridley's torso was being examined in a way that wasn't.. Well, for lack of better phrasing, in a way that wasn't just sexualizing her. And oddly enough.. The latter was much less embarrassing to Rid than the former.

And of course Desmond had to go and call her 'his Rid'. It felt almost as though her was mocking her, to the blonde. Rubbing salt in the wound, so to speak. "Hmph. I'm not your Rid.. Only person I belong to is myself," she defended, moving her head slightly to face away from Desmond. Feeling was slowly returning.. But Ridley was still jittery, and wasn't quite ready to try to make major movement.

Anddddd.. Then Desmond went and made his next jab, saying she wasn't very forthcoming. Ridley just huffed in annoyance, shaking her head slightly. "Oh, please. I get that you're bitter about what happened, but you don't need to act like that's all there is to me, and that you know everything about me to even start to judge me," she snapped, clearly rubbed up the wrong way. "'Cause let me tell you, Desmond Miles..." Oh no. Not only had she used his name instead of a nickname, but it was his first and last one. "...You don't know jack about me." This was more than likely true. There were people that had known Ridley her entire life and still had never really known her. He doesn't know me.. And he never will.

"Besides.. You know I didn't lie to you even once. I told you that I'm a monster. A villain. The bad guy.. A traitor. You name it and I told you. All of you. The fact that you were too stubborn and blind to see that isn't. My. Fault," she defended, snappily. It was a horrible day for Rid.. And it was getting to be too much. She was stressed, and maybe that was why she was trying so much harder to push him away. "..Look, what do you want, anyways? Why are you here?"​

Desmond snickered when she said to not get his hopes up. While there was no denying that she was pretty, it took more than just a nice... face to make Desmond forget what she'd done in the past. The murders. While he wasn't big on hopping on board her usual 'I'm such a monster I can't be saved' pity party, it was going to take a lot more than just her whining and moaning to get him to forgive her, and even more to forget. Not that she probably wanted it.

"Even if I was playing the Cosby angle, there has to be interest first."

Shut. Down.

Despite that, his eyes kept wanting to drift back downwards from her face as she recovered from the effects of electrocution. Damn. She couldn't have worn a sweatshirt or something? Still, he was an Assassin, and anything could be overcome with willpower.
Moving out of his kneeling position he sat down beside her, facing her crossways, using his knees to block out the image of her chest area.

Willpower.

The flame bait that she was dangling was so obvious, but he couldn't resist taking it. Maybe it was because he was brash, or maybe it was just because it was her, but he wasn't going to use his head and just not answer. "Maybe I'm childish, but at least I'm not a child. What are you? Sixteen? Seventeen at best? Hell. I'm surprised its not your curfew."

"And besides," Desmond added when she continued on. "If you were my Rid like you were thinking, then you wouldn't have died."
There was a moment of silence. Desmond hadn't meant for that to come out so romantic sounding. What he'd meant was... What he'd meant was that... what did he mean? Continuing on, he added, "And I'm not bitter. I never wanted to know the real you. We were partners at best." That's why he'd nearly lost it when she'd died, and nearly done something he'd have never forgiven himself for.
"So yeah." With each word his voice grew slightly, getting angrier as he was talking to her. She could get under his skin like no one else. "I don't know jack about you, and that's the way I like it."

Desmond raised his hood as far as it would go, trying to block most of his face in shadow. He didn't want Ridley seeing what was going on there right now. Then he laid down beside her. A little ways away so they weren't touching, but maybe not as far away as he should just have been.

He just laid there as she went on yet another spiel about how she was a monster and bad and yada yada yada. Desmond had had enough of that in the Murder Game. He kind of sensed she was nearing the end of it, but he wanted to be sure. So he asked her. "You done?" He didn't sound angry this time, but more kind of with a forced resignation. Like he was just sort of done with her attitude, but still putting up with it anyways.

It seemed she was.

Desmond didn't answer her question right away, letting the silence grow between them. To be honest he wasn't sure himself. Sure. The kid had asked him to come, but really, what did that matter? Somebody always wanted something from him. Usually he just turned them down or away. But even though he wouldn't admit it to himself, he'd just wanted to see her again. He hadn't met anyone that he'd cared about like her since he'd... since he'd killed Lucy.

"I don't know." Was all he ended up saying. "Because I chose to be. That'll have to be good enough."​

 

[Midnight Maiden]

What was likely intended to be a jab only made Ridley laugh. Well.. Externally, anyways. Deeper down, it hurt, and only made Ridley want to shut the brunette out even more than before. Because if such small comments hurt, now.. Well, it'd only hurt much worse if she let him closer. Pathetic. Good God, I'm pathetic. I'm not supposed to give a damn about him or anything he says. "Yeah, well, it's good that you haven't got any. Because I don't, either," she retorted, almost defensively. But that couldn't be... Could it? Even so, now, Ridley was much less inclined to even explain the reason she couldn't have had a kid with Desmond. If he doesn't want that.. That's damn fine. He can think I just don't want it, either.

Yeah. That'd teach him, wouldn't it? Her childishly withholding information? Tch. As if. That wouldn't get her anywhere, and Ridley knew it. However, she had no intentions to just up and tell Desmond all nice-like with this much tension between them. Hell, she didn't want to talk about it, period. Maybe that was why she'd never told Link why she'd always avoided sleeping with him. Regardless..

Her aggravated expression was once again briefly replaced with a smug grin. "Kind of funny, that you claim to not be interested.. Because, call me crazy, but it looks like your eyes contradict that," she taunted, with a slightly less harsh tone. It seemed her anger had died down a bit, likely to Desmond's luck. Slowly- and with heavy arms.. looked like the tasing hit her harder than she let on -, Ridley moved to readjust her shirt.. Which was odd, considering she seemed to enjoy making people uncomfortable. "There. Happy, Mr. Coy?" she remarked.

The next jab earned an idle shrug. Ridley hardly seemed to pay it any mind, whatsoever. "Well, if you think I'm under eighteen... Hehe. I'll have to report you for sleeping with someone that's underage, if that's really our kid. Even if he isn't.. I'm sure it wouldn't be hard to convince the authorities otherwise," she said, slyly. Oh damn. She just went there. "..And before you try to say they won't believe me because he's the same age as me; I'll go ahead and tell you that you are sorely mistaken. The mindless Mortals around here wouldn't catch on."

AKA: I can control them and they won't question it.

Albeit, Ridley had no intentions to do this; she was just keeping up the jabs. Not that she was about to tell Desmond that, though.

Desmond's comment about how she wouldn't have died just made Ridley pause. Well... That certainly wasn't what she'd been expecting. Even so, she didn't let the fact she was surprised shine through her features; she just maintained her typical cool facade. "I would've died no matter what you did, Hoodie." The sad part is that I didn't stay that way. Briefly, her eyes flickered down to look at the ring on her finger again.. Though she quickly dragged her eyes away. She didn't want to think about that right now. That she was probably in danger, or if not her, Lena and the others.

Well... That next comment hit a little harder. Ridley's frown returned, and despite the fact she was still jittery, she made the effort to sit up when Desmond laid by her. "Yeah, well.. Good. I don't want you to know anything about me," she responded, hiding the fact she felt a bit hurt. This was just how it should be; them both shutting each other out. It kept them from hurting each other, in Rid's mind.. Though even trying to shut him out and being shut out by him hurt. ..I don't need another Link, she reminded herself, trying to reassure herself that this was how it should be. "..Yeah, I'm done," she responded, aggravation in her tone. With everything.

Yeah, right.

Turning her head away with a roll of her golden eyes, Ridley couldn't help but scoff at his answer. "Yeah, right. I don't buy it," she replied. "Why are you really here? You wouldn't come without a reason," she declared, as though she knew this for sure. "So.. Is it that you wanted to meet my perfect little cousin? Mock me like my sister? Or pull some prank with that kid you brought?"

​

 

[Thuro 116 Pendragon]

What was likely intended to be a jab only made Ridley laugh. Well.. Externally, anyways. Deeper down, it hurt, and only made Ridley want to shut the brunette out even more than before. Because if such small comments hurt, now.. Well, it'd only hurt much worse if she let him closer. Pathetic. Good God, I'm pathetic. I'm not supposed to give a damn about him or anything he says. "Yeah, well, it's good that you haven't got any. Because I don't, either," she retorted, almost defensively. But that couldn't be... Could it? Even so, now, Ridley was much less inclined to even explain the reason she couldn't have had a kid with Desmond. If he doesn't want that.. That's damn fine. He can think I just don't want it, either.

Yeah. That'd teach him, wouldn't it? Her childishly withholding information? Tch. As if. That wouldn't get her anywhere, and Ridley knew it. However, she had no intentions to just up and tell Desmond all nice-like with this much tension between them. Hell, she didn't want to talk about it, period. Maybe that was why she'd never told Link why she'd always avoided sleeping with him. Regardless..

Her aggravated expression was once again briefly replaced with a smug grin. "Kind of funny, that you claim to not be interested.. Because, call me crazy, but it looks like your eyes contradict that," she taunted, with a slightly less harsh tone. It seemed her anger had died down a bit, likely to Desmond's luck. Slowly- and with heavy arms.. looked like the tasing hit her harder than she let on -, Ridley moved to readjust her shirt.. Which was odd, considering she seemed to enjoy making people uncomfortable. "There. Happy, Mr. Coy?" she remarked.

The next jab earned an idle shrug. Ridley hardly seemed to pay it any mind, whatsoever. "Well, if you think I'm under eighteen... Hehe. I'll have to report you for sleeping with someone that's underage, if that's really our kid. Even if he isn't.. I'm sure it wouldn't be hard to convince the authorities otherwise," she said, slyly. Oh damn. She just went there. "..And before you try to say they won't believe me because he's the same age as me; I'll go ahead and tell you that you are sorely mistaken. The mindless Mortals around here wouldn't catch on."

AKA: I can control them and they won't question it.

Albeit, Ridley had no intentions to do this; she was just keeping up the jabs. Not that she was about to tell Desmond that, though.

Desmond's comment about how she wouldn't have died just made Ridley pause. Well... That certainly wasn't what she'd been expecting. Even so, she didn't let the fact she was surprised shine through her features; she just maintained her typical cool facade. "I would've died no matter what you did, Hoodie." The sad part is that I didn't stay that way. Briefly, her eyes flickered down to look at the ring on her finger again.. Though she quickly dragged her eyes away. She didn't want to think about that right now. That she was probably in danger, or if not her, Lena and the others.

Well... That next comment hit a little harder. Ridley's frown returned, and despite the fact she was still jittery, she made the effort to sit up when Desmond laid by her. "Yeah, well.. Good. I don't want you to know anything about me," she responded, hiding the fact she felt a bit hurt. This was just how it should be; them both shutting each other out. It kept them from hurting each other, in Rid's mind.. Though even trying to shut him out and being shut out by him hurt. ..I don't need another Link, she reminded herself, trying to reassure herself that this was how it should be. "..Yeah, I'm done," she responded, aggravation in her tone. With everything.

Yeah, right.

Turning her head away with a roll of her golden eyes, Ridley couldn't help but scoff at his answer. "Yeah, right. I don't buy it," she replied. "Why are you really here? You wouldn't come without a reason," she declared, as though she knew this for sure. "So.. Is it that you wanted to meet my perfect little cousin? Mock me like my sister? Or pull some prank with that kid you brought?"
​

Desmond Miles wasn't the type of person to let anyone in. He hadn't been in a long time. The first Assassin he'd confided in had been a traitor, an ancient goddess demanding her death by Miles own hand for her crimes. The next person he'd confided in had been Clay Kaczmarek, the infamous Subject Sixteen, the poor lost soul that had given his life to save Desmond from the same mental illness that had claimed Sixteen's first chance at life. The very last person that he'd confided to had been himself in a way, talking into a tape recorder, a sort of coping method for himself and a last message for his dad. For all his friends.

Everyone he confided in went away.

So he'd stopped. Locked himself away from the whole world. Even Ezio, the man who's life he'd lived, was nothing more than an adviser in Assassin affairs and occasional meddler in Desmond's mostly non-existent personal life. He'd even taken the steps to guard his mind from River, his second in command, a woman that should have been able to look inside and see the real him.
That was Desmond nightmare. That someone would see the real him and know that he wasn't really the Mentor. That he wasn't really the hero the Assassins needed. That he was just some out of luck bartender that had got swept up into something way, way out of his league and had never had a chance to get off the roller coaster.

So when Ridley asked why he came here, his first thought was to push her away like everyone else. But something inside him stopped him, slowly changing, slowly realizing that he couldn't go on alone forever. Realizing why he'd so readily come with a man that had so readily attacked him in the past. It was because of Ridley. The sides of the war were preparing, and he didn't want to lose his last chance, his last excuse to see her.

"I'm here because..." Desmond looked up at her, his eyes glowing, revealing her shining with an inner golden light, "There's a war coming. GORE. The Coalition. Assassins. Templars. Its going to be worse than the Demon War. Everybody had one enemy then. Now, it'll be family against family. Brother against brother." Father against son.
"I can't run away from it now, and I can't survive it. I'm human. That's all." The pain in his voice was so strong it almost caused it to crack, something that no one in the wide multiverse had ever seen before. No one except his closest friends in the original Brotherhood. The family he hadn't wanted to leave.

Desmond lowered his eyes so she wouldn't see the beginnings of tears in his eyes. No one could ever see the Mentor cry.

When he spoke again, his voice was unnaturally quiet. Ridley would have had to have strained her ears to even hear him.

"I came here because I wanted to see you one last time Jules."

It was like the story of the Red Hood and the Wolf, one life and the other death.
The little girl smiled. "Do you know why people like me and not you?"
[BCOLOR=#ffffff]"Because you are a beautiful lie and I'm the painful truth."[/BCOLOR] Replied the wolf.
The little girl grew silent.

The story of Red and the Wolf was told in a lot of ways. Most stories ignored the fact that they were old friends, and that the wolf had been trying to help her by ending her. The story was too grimm, and most people weren't willing to look at the world like it was. Maybe they were right. Maybe The Truth is why Assassins never had happy endings.​

 

[Midnight Maiden]

Desmond Miles wasn't the type of person to let anyone in. He hadn't been in a long time. The first Assassin he'd confided in had been a traitor, an ancient goddess demanding her death by Miles own hand for her crimes. The next person he'd confided in had been Clay Kaczmarek, the infamous Subject Sixteen, the poor lost soul that had given his life to save Desmond from the same mental illness that had claimed Sixteen's first chance at life. The very last person that he'd confided to had been himself in a way, talking into a tape recorder, a sort of coping method for himself and a last message for his dad. For all his friends.

Everyone he confided in went away.

So he'd stopped. Locked himself away from the whole world. Even Ezio, the man who's life he'd lived, was nothing more than an adviser in Assassin affairs and occasional meddler in Desmond's mostly non-existent personal life. He'd even taken the steps to guard his mind from River, his second in command, a woman that should have been able to look inside and see the real him.
That was Desmond nightmare. That someone would see the real him and know that he wasn't really the Mentor. That he wasn't really the hero the Assassins needed. That he was just some out of luck bartender that had got swept up into something way, way out of his league and had never had a chance to get off the roller coaster.

So when Ridley asked why he came here, his first thought was to push her away like everyone else. But something inside him stopped him, slowly changing, slowly realizing that he couldn't go on alone forever. Realizing why he'd so readily come with a man that had so readily attacked him in the past. It was because of Ridley. The sides of the war were preparing, and he didn't want to lose his last chance, his last excuse to see her.

"I'm here because..." Desmond looked up at her, his eyes glowing, revealing her shining with an inner golden light, "There's a war coming. GORE. The Coalition. Assassins. Templars. Its going to be worse than the Demon War. Everybody had one enemy then. Now, it'll be family against family. Brother against brother." Father against son.
"I can't run away from it now, and I can't survive it. I'm human. That's all." The pain in his voice was so strong it almost caused it to crack, something that no one in the wide multiverse had ever seen before. No one except his closest friends in the original Brotherhood. The family he hadn't wanted to leave.

Desmond lowered his eyes so she wouldn't see the beginnings of tears in his eyes. No one could ever see the Mentor cry.

When he spoke again, his voice was unnaturally quiet. Ridley would have had to have strained her ears to even hear him.

"I came here because I wanted to see you one last time Jules."

It was like the story of the Red Hood and the Wolf, one life and the other death.
The little girl smiled. "Do you know why people like me and not you?"
[BCOLOR=#ffffff]"Because you are a beautiful lie and I'm the painful truth."[/BCOLOR] Replied the wolf.
The little girl grew silent.

The story of Red and the Wolf was told in a lot of ways. Most stories ignored the fact that they were old friends, and that the wolf had been trying to help her by ending her. The story was too grimm, and most people weren't willing to look at the world like it was. Maybe they were right. Maybe The Truth is why Assassins never had happy endings.​

The long pause Desmond took in answering her had made the young blonde quirk a brow. "What is it, Hoodie? I'd ask if a Siren caught your tongue, but I'm clearly not engaging it right now," she remarked, with something akin to either a teasing or sarcastic tone. Probably a bit of both. Despite this, though, Ridley was waiting quite patiently for Desmond to put together his words... Even though she was trying to tell herself that she didn't want to hear them. Because, while she'd rather die than admit it - Ridley was afraid to know why Desmond was here.

It wasn't what you could call a traditional fear. She wasn't afraid that he would say something like 'oh, some crazy tentacled creature was chasing me through the multiverse and so I thought I'd pop by'. Whether she knew Desmond terribly well or not, she knew that things such as that were normal for him. It was his life, with his whole assassin business he'd gone on about. She knew that the male could handle it. No, what Ridley was afraid of him saying was that he came back for her. That he changed his mind. That he wanted to be with her.

That was what terrified the Siren the most.

Don't get her wrong - it wasn't that she didn't want Desmond to be with her, or to like her, or any of that. What inspired this fear that burned with the intensity of the sun that had now set from the sky was that she wanted to be with him, too. And oh, gosh, did she hate it. She wasn't supposed to want people. She was supposed to hate them. To want them to suffer at her hands. To want them dead. That was what Dark Casters were supposed to be, right? Monsters that wanted nothing more than to make everyone suffer?

Tch. If ol' Not-So-Honest Abe and Miss Dark Roast are any example, that's supposed to be the case..

Before Ridley even had the chance to start having further angsty thoughts than those, Desmond finally responded, snapping her out of it. She couldn't help but notice the golden glow to his eyes.. And for a brief, fleeting moment, it hurt. It hurt to look into eyes so similar to her own. It hurt to look at those eyes, and to be reminded by her own reflection in them that this was wrong. Forget being with Desmond in a romantic sense... Just sitting here with him without anyone else around felt wrong. Felt dangerous. She could go off at any second; completely snap with no chance of going back. The thought made her feel sick to her stomach, and suddenly, she wasn't really in the mood to talk anymore.

Despite this, she reluctantly did, after finishing hearing Desmond out. His little speech made the feeling grow worse. A frown spread across her features, and the Siren rubbed her head, as though trying to fight a headache. "..Wow. Way to kill the romantic 'I just tased a Siren so I could check her out' moment," she remarked, trying to keep up her typical cool and flirtatious facade. It just felt especially hard, right now. "..Look, would you just-..." Before Ridley could finish the sentence, Desmond spoke again, ever-so-softly. But even with how quiet he was, Ridley heard him loud and clear - his words practically echoing in her mind.

And they made her freeze up.

For a good minute or two, Ridley simply sat rigid in silence, the emotions in her hypnotic golden eyes unreadable. The assassin's words had caught her completely off guard- and, if she were to be totally honest, absolutely terrified her -, rendering her unable to find her words. This was bad. Ridley couldn't have this. Couldn't risk hurting someone she cared about... Or, being hurt by them. Not that she'd ever share the fact that others could hurt her so deeply. Eventually, she managed to gather her bearings enough to at least utter a few small words, before she could really stop herself.

"You..- You what..?" she finally managed to ask, voice small.​

 

[Thuro 116 Pendragon]

The long pause Desmond took in answering her had made the young blonde quirk a brow. "What is it, Hoodie? I'd ask if a Siren caught your tongue, but I'm clearly not engaging it right now," she remarked, with something akin to either a teasing or sarcastic tone. Probably a bit of both. Despite this, though, Ridley was waiting quite patiently for Desmond to put together his words... Even though she was trying to tell herself that she didn't want to hear them. Because, while she'd rather die than admit it - Ridley was afraid to know why Desmond was here.

It wasn't what you could call a traditional fear. She wasn't afraid that he would say something like 'oh, some crazy tentacled creature was chasing me through the multiverse and so I thought I'd pop by'. Whether she knew Desmond terribly well or not, she knew that things such as that were normal for him. It was his life, with his whole assassin business he'd gone on about. She knew that the male could handle it. No, what Ridley was afraid of him saying was that he came back for her. That he changed his mind. That he wanted to be with her.

That was what terrified the Siren the most.

Don't get her wrong - it wasn't that she didn't want Desmond to be with her, or to like her, or any of that. What inspired this fear that burned with the intensity of the sun that had now set from the sky was that she wanted to be with him, too. And oh, gosh, did she hate it. She wasn't supposed to want people. She was supposed to hate them. To want them to suffer at her hands. To want them dead. That was what Dark Casters were supposed to be, right? Monsters that wanted nothing more than to make everyone suffer?

Tch. If ol' Not-So-Honest Abe and Miss Dark Roast are any example, that's supposed to be the case..

Before Ridley even had the chance to start having further angsty thoughts than those, Desmond finally responded, snapping her out of it. She couldn't help but notice the golden glow to his eyes.. And for a brief, fleeting moment, it hurt. It hurt to look into eyes so similar to her own. It hurt to look at those eyes, and to be reminded by her own reflection in them that this was wrong. Forget being with Desmond in a romantic sense... Just sitting here with him without anyone else around felt wrong. Felt dangerous. She could go off at any second; completely snap with no chance of going back. The thought made her feel sick to her stomach, and suddenly, she wasn't really in the mood to talk anymore.

Despite this, she reluctantly did, after finishing hearing Desmond out. His little speech made the feeling grow worse. A frown spread across her features, and the Siren rubbed her head, as though trying to fight a headache. "..Wow. Way to kill the romantic 'I just tased a Siren so I could check her out' moment," she remarked, trying to keep up her typical facade. It just felt especially hard, right now. "..Look, would you just-..." Before Ridley could finish the sentence, Desmond spoke again, ever-so-softly. But even with how quiet he was, Ridley heard him loud and clear - his words practically echoing in her mind.

And they made her freeze up.

For a good minute or two, Ridley simply sat rigid in silence, the emotions in her hypnotic golden eyes unreadable. The assassin's words had caught her completely off guard- and, if she were to be totally honest, absolutely terrified her -, rendering her unable to find her words. This was bad. Ridley couldn't have this. Couldn't risk hurting someone she cared about... Or, being hurt by them. Not that she'd ever share the fact that others could hurt her so deeply. Eventually, she managed to gather her bearings enough to at least utter a few small words, before she could really stop herself.

"You..- You what..?" she finally managed to ask, voice small.​

When Desmond finally spoke again, his voice was subdued, but no longer a whisper. He'd found his voice. "I pushed you away before, because Ezio gave me a warning. A warning that I had to live through..." Silence, thinking how to not make this confusing. "A bunch of times. I've lived lived a lot more than just my own life, looking back through time, seeing the cause and effects of this Assassin stuff. And a lot of people died Ridley."

Being a bartender had been so much easier. No life or death decisions. No worrying that you might be sending one of your friends to their deaths. No dodging Templar attacks... well, other than that one time that had started this merry go round.
But Desmond wasn't trying to escape into his memories or his past. He'd been there, done that, and it had nearly killed him. He was here, and he was ready for the present. For a future with her? Maayybe?

But he wasn't quite here for Ridley yet. Part of the reason he had so readily pushed her away at Ezio's advice was because he was scared. He was scared of another Lucy, and another death that would be his fault. Or, even not his fault. Ridley had betrayed him once already, and she'd died in his arms while Frank frantically tried to save her. It had been a rare moment of maturity for the young man, letting go. What had come after had done away with that sacrifice on his part, and had showed him that maybe it was better to not hold on in the first place. To be what Ezio had suggested later, an Assassin first and only, until he turned away from the life, gave the Mentorship to Lisa or River. Done all he could do.

But then when he thought he'd lost her in the sickness, he'd discovered something.

He didn't want to live without her.

So when the chance came to come to Gatlin, an excuse really, any excuse to justify it to himself and the order (not that they cared), he'd taken it, unhesitatingly, almost unthinkingly. Heck he'd even put up with Arc's stupid ass travel network to get here. If that wasn't true love nothing was. But now that he was here, he wasn't sure what to do, and he knew he had botched it thoroughly. Hiding behind a partially true veil of anger instead of just straight up coming up and kissing her like he wouldn't admit he'd wanted to, and then sneaking up and tasing her when she probably would have showed him her scar if he'd asked. And his excuse about magic illusions and all that crap didn't hold much weight either. He'd been able to see through that stuff most of the time when there wasn't a murder game involved.

All in all, Desmond massively screwed up.

So when he said that he could see the cause and effect of time and where this might lead, it was just another flimsy smokescreen. An offer of a kind. Something to give her a reason to turn away if she wanted, but he didn't want her to. What he wanted was a couple of kids running around Masayaf someday, and not to have to worry about her wandering into another murder game, or getting herself in the way of a bullet, or committing suicide out of fear of something that he could protect her against. He wanted her to stop living in fear.
Also, he wanted to see the inevitable epic sass battles that would ensue between her and Ezio.

But now, back to his regularly scheduled lie to keep her out while letting her in.

"I was afraid for your life Rid. If I had your permanent death on my hands, I could never live with myself."

It would break him. Lucy's death had almost done it, but this would be the final straw. He wouldn't eat a bullet. Not like Frank. It wasn't his style. But he might make one final Leap of Faith, never to be seen again.

He could never live with himself.​

 

[Midnight Maiden]

When Desmond finally spoke again, his voice was subdued, but no longer a whisper. He'd found his voice. "I pushed you away before, because Ezio gave me a warning. A warning that I had to live through..." Silence, thinking how to not make this confusing. "A bunch of times. I've lived lived a lot more than just my own life, looking back through time, seeing the cause and effects of this Assassin stuff. And a lot of people died Ridley."

Being a bartender had been so much easier. No life or death decisions. No worrying that you might be sending one of your friends to their deaths. No dodging Templar attacks... well, other than that one time that had started this merry go round.
But Desmond wasn't trying to escape into his memories or his past. He'd been there, done that, and it had nearly killed him. He was here, and he was ready for the present. For a future with her? Maayybe?

But he wasn't quite here for Ridley yet. Part of the reason he had so readily pushed her away at Ezio's advice was because he was scared. He was scared of another Lucy, and another death that would be his fault. Or, even not his fault. Ridley had betrayed him once already, and she'd died in his arms while Frank frantically tried to save her. It had been a rare moment of maturity for the young man, letting go. What had come after had done away with that sacrifice on his part, and had showed him that maybe it was better to not hold on in the first place. To be what Ezio had suggested later, an Assassin first and only, until he turned away from the life, gave the Mentorship to Lisa or River. Done all he could do.

But then when he thought he'd lost her in the sickness, he'd discovered something.

He didn't want to live without her.

So when the chance came to come to Gatlin, an excuse really, any excuse to justify it to himself and the order (not that they cared), he'd taken it, unhesitatingly, almost unthinkingly. Heck he'd even put up with Arc's stupid ass travel network to get here. If that wasn't true love nothing was. But now that he was here, he wasn't sure what to do, and he knew he had botched it thoroughly. Hiding behind a partially true veil of anger instead of just straight up coming up and kissing her like he wouldn't admit he'd wanted to, and then sneaking up and tasing her when she probably would have showed him her scar if he'd asked. And his excuse about magic illusions and all that crap didn't hold much weight either. He'd been able to see through that stuff most of the time when there wasn't a murder game involved.

All in all, Desmond massively screwed up.

So when he said that he could see the cause and effect of time and where this might lead, it was just another flimsy smokescreen. An offer of a kind. Something to give her a reason to turn away if she wanted, but he didn't want her to. What he wanted was a couple of kids running around Masayaf someday, and not to have to worry about her wandering into another murder game, or getting herself in the way of a bullet, or committing suicide out of fear of something that he could protect her against. He wanted her to stop living in fear.
Also, he wanted to see the inevitable epic sass battles that would ensue between her and Ezio.

But now, back to his regularly scheduled lie to keep her out while letting her in.

"I was afraid for your life Rid. If I had your permanent death on my hands, I could never live with myself."

It would break him. Lucy's death had almost done it, but this would be the final straw. He wouldn't eat a bullet. Not like Frank. It wasn't his style. But he might make one final Leap of Faith, never to be seen again.

He could never live with himself.​

Huge image

In total honesty, Ridley didn't really know what to say. It was odd, really - that someone who was always as cool and composed as her could be left in such a state. But the things that Desmond was saying to her just..- Somehow managed to worm their way past the shell she'd formed to keep people out. Ugh, why is he doing this to me? Can he not take a hint? After an excessively long pause, Ridley frowned, looking away. "..Yeah, people die. So what?" It was probably blatantly obvious that she was trying hard to just shut Desmond out to her best ability. That was just what she did best: shut people out. Hurt them, probably, too - just like it hurt herself. But even if she wanted to stop doing it, she couldn't, because it was the only thing she knew.

Ridley Duchannes was meant to be alone.

"..Besides, doesn't the word 'Assassin' entail a lot of death? A lot of people being hurt?" she asked, trying to avoid Desmond's mention of pushing her away. She wasn't ready to talk about such things... Hell, she probably never would be. She didn't want to start talking about it and slip up, or end up accidentally revealing that she didn't actually want to push him away, either. No, she couldn't risk that. Wouldn't.

Trying to shake those thoughts from her head, the Siren squeezed her eyes shut tightly, rubbing her temples slightly. He was afraid for my life.. she repeated, mentally, mulling those words over. It was odd to hear that. Nobody had ever been worried about or afraid for Ridley, before. At least, not that she could recall, anyways. If they had, maybe she wouldn't have been at least a little less angsty, even after her family disowned her. But, who knew? "..You should not have been, Hoodie," she finally offered, her golden catlike eyes fluttering back open to finally look at the assassin again. "I can handle anything thrown my way. Even bullets. I have to say, it is a bit surprising that you have not learned that by now," she remarked, a sorry attempt at lightening the mood.

@Thuro The Assassin Potato​

 

[Midnight Maiden]

Meanwhile...

Back at the Manor, things were just.. Awkward. Lena wasn't entirely sure what to say to the odd young man that had been left there with them in front of the Manor. There was something about him that seemed.. Familiar, but Lena couldn't figure it out. It was something about those eyes... But what did it matter? He was still a guest, of sorts - though she had to hope that her family wouldn't bother him, Lisa, or the other man that had been there with Ridley much. So, finally, the hardly eighteen-year-old finally spoke up to both the woman and the boy that were with her and Ethan. "So, you said her name's Lisa... What about you? Surely you've got a name, too," she commented, hands falling to rest at her side.

Way to break the ice.

On the other hand, Ethan seemed to be less sure about present company. He was wary of these people, considering he'd never seen them before and they'd come here with Ridley. But, something occurred to him - being judgemental of people who he hadn't seen around Gatlin before made him no better than Ethan-hating Emily Asher and the prep pack. So, he relaxed a little, though he made sure to stay close enough that he could protect Lena if needed. "Uh, y-" Welp. Before the poor guy could continue, another person joined the bunch, speaking from where she was leaned against the doorway of the Manor. Her arms were folded neatly under her chest, and she wore neat clothes, looking almost like she were a college professor. The neat updo that her blonde hair was in only reinforced this.

Clearing her throat to make her presence known, the young woman(that appeared to be somewhere from nineteen to twenty-one) tapped her foot rhythmically, before speaking up. "Why don't you all continue this conversation inside?" she suggested, patiently. The Sybil had a new interest in both her sister and these strangers that had tagged along with her. And what better way to see what more she could find out about them all than to invite them in? "House has dinner ready, and you know how it feels when food gets cold," she added, maintaining her typical calm and polite tone. "Besides, Uncle Macon loves having guests, you know."

Aww yiss. Reece was f00kin' suave.

Lena, on the other hand, internally groaned. Sure, she loved her uncle, but he always did scare guests away.. "..Er, right. Uh, do you two want to come inside?"

@Thuro The Assassin Potato @BarrenThin​