Dall'acqua al Vino

[Lillian Gray]

RP rated 18+ for mature content.


Dall'acqua al Vino
A one x one between Lillian Gray and Sansa Stark

To those I leave behind in my stead, remember the words I have taught you.

Nothing is True. Everything is Permitted.

The Templars are not gone, and so we shall rise against them. I travel to Rome, but will never be far. You know what you must do. Hunt them. Fight them. Destroy them. It is not for honor or glory that we fight, but for the day we are free of the Templar menace.

Remember my teachings.

Never stop.

Some day, we will all be free.

"Laa shay'a waquin moutlag, bale kouloun moumkine. The wisdom of our creed is revealed through these words. We work in the dark, to serve the light. We are assassins. Nothing is true, everything is permitted."

It has been three years since our master has gone to reclaim Rome for the Assassins. We must keep Venice safe, so he can one day return to us all.​

 

[Lillian Gray]

Veleno

Estelle Oliveros
"Donna di Belladonna"
"Donna di Veleno"

The woman is known for her deadly methods of using poison to kill her targets. Half of her body is covered in burns from a mysterious accident. She refuses to talk about it with any of her recruits and allies under her Creed. Within even the Assassin world, others refer to her as Veleno or the Italian word for poison.

Between two innocent men she sat, hidden in plain sight just before the square. Her target was a timid man, hardly anything at all really. She played with the blade on her wrist, a sign of the Creed which she stood for. An Assassin, born and raised.

Just wait.

The blade was anything but her preferred weapon, more of a means of defense. The needle in her gloved hand was more or less her prized obsession. She eyed it carefully, although the poison wouldn't hut her. She was well adjusted to the different poisons she had to deal with.

One more minute.

The man in her sights cautiously approached her as the plan called for. She was dressed a little less humbly as she might have preferred, but it was all for the game. The woman turned her gaze up towards him and smiled so brightly the world may have stopped with the man's beating (or not beating) heart. The Assassin brushed her hand along his knee, jabbing the needle quickly into his skin and retracting just as soon as it had happened. Nothing more than a prick.

"Miss, um, Miss Maria I presume?" He asked.

Again, she beamed at him and giggled girlishly behind her white gloved hand. Dressed as a common whore that day, she wanted to vomit. She felt so exposed in the dainty cloth, so thin, he was sure to notice the lack of a corset beneath it, the burns were just visible on her chest, she was disgusted with her appearance. Being a whore was the least favorite of her disguises. But soon, oh so soon, he would be paralyzed, and the real work would begin.

So long as no one interfered.​

 

[moffnat]

The clench and release of tender muscles around her fingers made her chuckle against the sweet, soft wet spot her tongue was working generously. A free and gentle hand gripped the side of the girl's hip, holding her in place while she hit the peak of her pleasure and was guided into an extended orgasm that she was sure to remember for quite some time. The Baroness's talents were not unknown even throughout her own brothel, a paragon of stamina and feminine excitement that left married ladies in their beds with sinful thoughts regardless of whether or not they would ever pay her a visit. Still, none of them would get what this girl had just received, writhing and moaning under the movement of tongue and fingers alike. The Baroness sat up from her position and kissed her partner on the lips, tasting everything about her before wiping her mouth on her arm.

"Like that," she told her with a motherly grin. "For next time. Try to remember."

"Y...yes, Baroness. I will try."

It wasn't the first time Catelina Allegri had left a poor girl speechless and sopping wet with sweat and pleasure, and it certainly wouldn't be the last. The girl in question had never given another woman what only another woman can give, so the Baroness took it upon herself to teach the teen what to do and what not to do. Had she gone too far? By the smile on the prostitute's face, Catelina had shown her exactly what she was missing in just the right way.

All a job well-done.

The Baroness left the sighing girl swiftly, all the grace and impurity that a goddess of sin such as herself could muster. She slipped on her white dress once again and pulled it over her voluptuous breasts, letting the sleeves hang off her shoulders in a provocative manner; her natural state of being. Catelina couldn't remember the last time she had given pleasure without recieving any in return--any patron who visited the Rosa Promiscua seeking her company knew that to leave the Baroness lacking a smile of ecstasy was a crime, something punishable and utterly feared. Still, the poor thing needed assistance. Catelina was always happy to oblige, even if it meant no return.

Sometimes, it is just as wonderful to give than it is to receive.

"Baroness!" came a voice from behind. The elegant woman turned on her heel, giggling at the happiness of the girl the bounded up to her. Isabella, her name was. This one was still too young to give pleasure or receive any, for she had yet to bleed, but the girl had been abandoned by parents that wanted nothing to do with her. Catelina had only thought it sensible to take the child under her wing and raise her with sense and poise, regardless of where her dreams took her. "Baroness!" she said again. "Miss Valeno is going to be here soon. The main hall is cleared out just for you."

"Thank you, little dove. You're wonderful." Catelina leaned down to kiss the top of the child's head, patting her back with encouragement. "Go on, now. Tell all the girls that aren't in session to go to their rooms, alright? No one needs to see this but Miss Valeno and I."

"Okay." She was gone shortly after, carrying the message that the owner of the establishment had instructed.

It was better to have her girls think something else in the main hall was going to occur, rather than the truth. The bloody, nasty truth.

Catelina pulled a knife from the garter on her thigh and awaited the return of Valeno.​

 

[Lillian Gray]

Valeno led her prey into the Rosa and there was hardly a soul in sight. Women closed their doors at the sight of the dark haired woman, the older ones, the ones who'd managed to have a reputation in the prostitution circle, they knew why the woman was there. Others though, they eyed her curiously along with the new client who shook in his boots.

A frail, mousy looking man with thick spectacles which rested on the tip of his thin nose. His type was typical, but his face was not. He'd never been seen before, not within the Rosa.

"I-I'm feeling r-r-rather..." The man started to speak, his legs tense from the paralytic Valeno had injected him with only moments prior. She walked quickly, her borrowed heels clicking in the empty entrance hall and up the stairs to her private quarters. The red room, some called it. No one was allowed inside and for good reason. No one but Valeno.

"Shh, my sweet." Valeno cooed teasingly to the man, tapping his lip with a thin finger. Inwardly her stomach churned with the sultry behavior. It was all an act, and she knew this, but acting the part of a common whore was never her idea.

Damn it Catelina, never again. I swore, yet here I am in this goddamn...

"Here, let Miss Maria take good care of you." Valeno leaned up on her toes, nipping lightly at his ear. The man flushed red, not used to the seduction of the woman in his company. She led him inside the red room and laid him down on the large mattress, thick with sheets of varying shades of red and black. Beneath it all there were countless stains of patrons before her.

"I really don't feel so w-well." The man stated again.

"Oh, no?" She feigned a sweet face of disappointment. "Please, the Baroness will have something for you, wait just a moment."

Valeno climbed on top of the man, her smile wiped clean off her face. Thick curls of black hair fell about her, her full lips grimaced down at her target. He put up an act she could be proud of. Of course, this particular establishment wasn't his favorite place, but, the crime he committed was punishable indeed by an untimely death. Valeno watched as his face turned to that of horror as the paralytic set in, his eyes stricken with fear.

"Oh, there it is." Her voice was thick and sweet, mocking him now that he understood the dire situation. "Oh Alessio, don't look at me like that."

The assassin removed herself from atop the man, satisfied that the poison had spread. They had ample time to finish the job, her and Catelina.​

 

[moffnat]

The Baroness entered the red room shortly after her dear friend, smiling at the limp man lying upon an unwashed bed. It pleased her, to know he would be surrounded in filth before his final breath was released. It was only what his type deserved, to say the least. If only he were here, Catelina thought somberly to herself, how he would pleasure in this more than I ever could. But such thoughts were poison in a moment that required her utmost attention. She couldn't wonder where her dear brother was or what he was doing, who he was interrogating or helping or assisting in one way or another. The only thing that mattered was the gruesome task at hand.

"Did he give you much trouble, Estelle dear?" Catelina asked, toying with the dagger in her hand as if it were a block of gold to be desired. "Doesn't look like much, this one. It won't take him long to talk."

At least, she hoped not.

"What's happening? Who a-are you?"

"Shhh," came her sultry coo, and the Baroness placed a finger over her lips to gesture his need for silence. "Don't speak. Not yet. Not until we want you to."​

 

[Lillian Gray]

"Don't call me that." Valeno, Estelle, threatened.

She liked to keep it a secret, her identity. It made for less enemies in places she did not need them. The streets of Florence, for example, her new home, but no matter how many times she had to say it, Catelina would always find a moment to slip it in.

"Let me go!" Alessio tried to scream, but Valeno knew. The paralytic was settling into his lungs, his other organs too, but she always noted the effects once it slowed the breathing. His chest rose and fell in a less rhythmical way, only every so often and with an urgency to push harder than the last. Soon, if she had her way, he'd die from suffocation, but she wanted more than an easy death for him.

"You know perfectly well I cannot." Valeno shrugged teasingly, it didn't matter, not his life. "You took part in the murder of my brother!" Not her actual brother, no, but her comrade in arms. An assassin brother. Valeno had no siblings, never had, and never would thanks to a Templar from another time. A different tune she wouldn't sing for Italy's citizens. "Sold his organs like you did whores from other brothels, don't lie to me!"

"I t-truly, don't know."

"Shut up!" Valeno screeched at him. There wasn't much time left now that his chest stopped moving. His lips sucked in air that wasn't there, his limbs begged to move, to have one last grasp for her throat.

"Val-"

Valeno pulled the knife from Catelina's hands and plunged it straight into the man's chest.​

 

[moffnat]

Catelina sighed. Valeno was known to have a foul temper, especially when it came to revenge on those she had lost, as understandable as the need may have been. The Baroness knew the story all too well, as most in the Brotherhood did. Ezio himself had warned her of the vengeance that rested in Estelle's heart and encouraged the prostitute to be a calming force. But as the blood spat from the wound in Alessio's heart, Catelina knew she had her work cut out for her.

"Now you'll never know," she spoke in a sultry voice from where she stood at the foot of the bed. "I could've had him tortured. Much more efficient. Less blood in my facility." The Baroness slipped the blade of her dagger back into the garter around her soft thigh, letting the dress drape to the floor once again. "How do you suppose to clean this up, hm? To hide the evidence? Did you think that through?"

Poor soul, she thought, to be so consumed and so naive.​

 

[Lillian Gray]

"He was a black market trader, best he died before he killed anyone else." Valeno spat.

She moved quickly. Like it or not, it wasn't the first time she'd shed blood inside the brothel, so she was well equipped with dealing for the problem. Valeno pulled the sheets out from under the mattress, revealing a thick cardboard like layer. Undetectable beneath the plush layers and pillows Valeno held so dear. A shame they were constantly soaked in the blood of men and Templar alike, but, no more a pity than swatting at a fly.

The assassin wrapped him skillfully in her own sheets before throwing the body over her shoulder. Later, she'd change back into the robes which made her more comfortable. The garbs of an assassin, the white, red, and black so symbolic of the Creed presence in Italy. Elsewhere, the colors remained the same, but to the man or woman who sported them in Ezio's home? They meant to guard.

"I'll be back later. In my room." While the red room was Valeno's, it wasn't where she slept. Gods no. "Don't worry about this bastardo."​

 

[moffnat]

Catelina could only chuckle.

"I don't worry about the bastard," she told Valeno with a small shake of her head. "I worry about you. Ah, but you are young yet. Perhaps I can speak sense into your hate-filled head before you get yourself killed. Go on then, dispose of the body and return here when it suits you. I don't have any clients tonight. Perhaps we can speak then, yes? While you're gone, a courier is supposed to bring news from Ezio in Roma. I think that is information you would like to hear." The Baroness folded her arms across her chest and perched herself seductively atop the table near the window.

"Go. The sooner you leave, the sooner you can return with one less body and one more inclination to listen."​

 

[Lillian Gray]

"I'll listen when you start making sense." Valeno hissed at the older woman. "Don't talk to me about hate until the Templars come, burn down your brothel and all your lovely daughers die, with nothing left to remind you of home but ash in your mouth and bones at your feet."

She spat on the floor, a kind gesture to show her mood before turning on her heel and strutting down the main stairs. Valeno wasn't stupid enough to walk out the front doors with a body, oh no, but she was angry enough to forget that others could see and the moment she gripped the handle some sense slapped her in the face. Again, she turned quickly to exit in the back. The only one who'd seen her at all was a girl, presumably the daughter of a prostitute, with a small doll in hand. Her painted face a thing of beauty and perfection, so unlike the scars which Valeno hid with thick cloth and wraps.

Her hands alone were a dark scarred mess, the fingers barely felt anything any more. The worst of the burns were on her back from the accident almost fifteen years ago in her youth, when her family was murdered. She didn't like to talk about it, not really. Only Ezio knew, and by extension his close allies. How anyone else had come to learn the story was a mystery to the female assassin.

As soon as the body was discarded of in the river, sinking deep to the sandy bottom, Valeno made her way back inside her half home of a brothel, ever eager to rid herself of the clothes which were supposed to flatter her body. Instead they only made the scars appear in ragged edges along the trim. She ripped the dress off of her body without a word and threw it in the gutter, nearly stark naked in the coming twilight as she reentered the brothel. Her assassin garbs waited, long black pants, a white coat, and the red sash she adored so much, emblazoned with the Creed's symbol, a large silver thing. This was Valeno.​

 

[moffnat]

Catelina was too strong a woman to be effected by the empty threats and pointless banter of young children without a wise thought in their heads. Valeno was one such child. Indeed, she had the skill of an assassin and the mark of their Creed to prove her worth, but there was a temper that would lead her to an early grave. The need for revenge settled deeply in her heart and festered, infecting what was once healthy and warping her into a shadow of her former self. The girl was as stupid as she was fragile, and yet the pain of her past was so overwhelming that Catelina questioned how she had the energy to fuel her bloodthirsty quest. The Baroness herself remembered when she conducted her life in such a manner. And thank the Lord that I now know better.

While Valeno was gone attending to her mess, Catelina poured herself a glass of Roman wine and sat at the table before her books and registries, briefly scanning over the brothel's monthly expenditures and client lists. She liked to keep records of who came and left the brothel on which days and which times. It had proven useful to Ezio and the Assassins on many occasions, and while the clients in question had no clue that their moves were being recorded within the Rosa Promiscua, what they wouldn't hurt couldn't kill them.

But Ezio certainly could.

Closing the logs, Catelina sighed and drank deep from the alcohol that brought her comfort. It was only until she felt a chill that she noticed the window was open, when it had been closed before.​

 

[Lillian Gray]

Valeno kicked the first thing she could find in her room with a heavy boot. Whatever it was, it was sent flying into the wall of her quarters. In the back of the Rosa, her room was kept almost a secret. It was close enough to Catelina's, but the only noticeable entry way was a ladder close to the back of the brothel, or a secret door in a broom closet. She liked her privacy, and thanks to her friend in the business of pleasure, she was able to accommodate the closing off a small room.

Large red drapes hung from one end of the room, going to the next corner, and fully forming as large curtains before the only window. It was the last means of entering the room besides the two hidden doors. Maps lined the walls like decorations, all heavily marked with Valeno's hand. Former targets, etched out with large red smears, had their portraits hanging on the walls with the mix of the maps. Besides that, hoards of gold stayed locked away in chests, every single key was latched on to her belt at all times. Valeno didn't dare leave it behind. The last important feature was a nook just off the room, it used to be a small bathroom, but Valeno had other ideas for it. A poison room. No one was allowed inside.

They'd probably die.

She threw herself onto the large bed in the middle of the room, the only thing which didn't look a mess. The assassin was hardly present enough to keep the sheets wrinkled. Typically, she'd fall asleep in a large red daybed on the opposite side of the room, scouring maps for possible routes and examining documents.

"Mujer estúpida, oh no Valeno! ¡No lo mates! Oh, NO. Valeno no sabe lo que está haciendo." The assassin made a ridiculous face, mocking Catelina. "What does she know."​

 

[moffnat]

He is here.

Catelina closed her books and quickly went to slam the door, locking it tight to ensure no one intruded on their conversation. The woman scoured the room in search of the man who had entered so unceremoniously, leaving not a sound to alert her to his presence, but she knew her twin brother well enough to know when he was there and when he wasn't. She sighed and ran her fingers through her ebony curls, leaning against the wall and waiting for the man in question to show himself.

"I know you're there, fratello."

An audible sigh left a corner which Catelina had sworn was empty only moments ago. Emerging from the cloak of darkness came a man of towering height, wrapped in black robes and a cowl that covered his mouth and nose. Piercing eyes through his mask of choice, one a bright gold that swelled with unnatural light, the other a simple brown. He stepped forward further, and had he been a more compassionate man he would have embraced his sister after being absent from her for so many years.

"You look well, Catelina."

"And you." She bowed her head in acknowledgment. "What are you doing here?"

"Following some sick destiny, I guess. Not in your brothel obviously, but in Firenze. I thought I would stop by and see how your business has treated you, but given the ornate manner of this establishment I'd say you're doing quite well for yourself." The strange man propped himself up on the very desk Catelina had been using for cataloging purposes, picking up an apple and tossing it in the air before catching it and taking a bite. "Mother would be proud."

"Oh, please." Catelina chuckled, leaning against a wall by the locked door and folding her arms across her chest. "She would've disowned me and you know it."

"Perhaps. They must be rolling in their graves, then." The tiny spark of laughter that bubbled from his throat was deep and forced, and ended as soon as it had begun. "I visited him yesterday."

Him. Catelina did not need to ask who. "How did you get in? I heard they were keeping guards posted there at all times, to catch you in case you came around."

He snorted. "Guards are no match for me, Catelina. You should know that by now."

"Ah, right. I often forget how much you've changed."

"Mm."

An awkward silence was drawn between the two of them as The Baroness sipped her wine and her twin brother bit into the ruby apple. So much had changed. Catelina was beginning to wonder if she would ever see him again, if he had forgotten about her or moved to some distant country. Why did I ever doubt him? The twins loved each other more than they would love anyone else, bonded heart and soul. He would never leave forever, she knew. Unless death took him to a place I couldn't follow.

"It's been three years."

He paused, looking to the floor. "I know. I should've visited you sooner. A lot has happened since I last saw you, Cat. Too much for words."

She only had to look at him to see the pain laced in his declaration. How much have you suffered, little brother? The woman desperately wanted to ask him for answers and offer her assistance to the only family she had left, but she knew better than to believe he would ever oblige.

"...Do you need a place to stay for the night? I have extra rooms with fresh beds."

"I don't know. Maybe." He tossed the core of the eaten apple across the room, landing it perfect in the trash bin. "I haven't slept on a real bed in six months."

"It might do you good. We aren't young anymore, fratello. Before you know it we'll be as old as Ezio and--"

"Don't say his name." The bark from the man was sudden and threatening. "Don't do it, Cat. Please."

"...alright." She rubbed her arms, ashamed.​

 

[Lillian Gray]

Hushed voices made their way through the shared wall of both Catelina and Valeno's rooms. Typically, Valeno ignored the tones and murmurs, but this was odd. The voices too low, the tones even, yet different. There was a man in her room. Such wasn't typical of the woman the assassin knew.

I thought...she favored women?

The assassin pressed herself flat against the wall, shutting her eyes to get a better sense through her ears. Even so, it was difficult to make out words. She thought she heard Ezio's name, but, that was common. Was she simply jumping to conclusions? Possibly. Her skin crawled with the possibility her partner in crime did indeed have a man in her room. It was as unnatural as a quiet evening within the brothel for a lack of a better description.

Cautiously, she pushed open her bedroom window and climbed up onto the roof above, inching over until she was just above Catelina's. The girl was careful, as usual, her boots gripping tight to the tiles as she slowly but surely found a perch above her window. With the grace and stealth of the title she called herself by, Assassin, the woman laid flat down on the roof and peered over the edge keeping a hold on her long dark hair. She peered over the edge, hoping to get a glance at the scene inside.​

 

[moffnat]

"Do you hate him so?"

"Don't." The word was a hiss now, much different from the kinder tone he had sported only moments ago. "Please. I only meant to visit with you and have a pleasant conversation, not have it be stained by the likes of him."

Catelina was particularly fond of Ezio, of his leadership and his abilities to bring about change worldwide. She tried to model herself after him on occasion with the way she ran her business, the secret natures of the Rosa Promiscura, the hidden entrances and exits and secret compartments containing all manner of Assassin trinkets and information. But her alliance with Ezio Auditore had brought a rift between her and her twin, one she seemed unable to repair. "I suppose," she surrendered. "Why are you really in Florence, fratello? The truth. I am sick of all these lies."

"The truth?" The man sighed, sliding off the desk to go over her books and catalogs. "I came to ask a favor."

"A favor?" This was certainly a change of events. "What kind?"

"I'll go more into detail when your assassino brat on the roof decides to show herself." He looked to the window, not amused in the slightest.​

 

[Lillian Gray]

Valeno frowned, the edge of her lip pulled down on one corner, a unique look of frustration on her tanned face. It had been a while since she was called out so quickly, and by the likes of a strange man in Catelina's bedroom. A strange situation, no doubt.

She gripped the edge of the roof, flipping quickly from a short handstand on the tiles, until her legs kicked through the window, gracefully landing on the floor inside. The motion took a fraction of a second for her to execute, but to be polite, she ended up shutting the window behind her. Never would she have done this on any other occasion, such a vital exit in case things went sour, but for Catelina's sake she would stay.

"Aww, me atrapaste." She cooed at the strange man. His eye unnerved her, she didn't like the unusual sheen of gold it put off in the dark. Valeno focused on a spot on his forehead instead, not wanting to make eye contact with the stranger. The assassin rolled her eyes towards the baroness. "I heard voices, I only wanted to make sure my hermana mayor encantadora was not in any danger."​

 

[moffnat]

"She is not your big sister," the man stated with forceful anger, a rage that could kill. "She would never relate to the likes of you, assassino. Watch your tongue."

"Fratello, please..."

"No." He shook his head and clenched his hands into fists, releasing them again. "Forget it. I will find somewhere else to rest my head."

"Stop it. She is harmless."

"No one in the service of Ezio is harmless. I thought you would know that by now."

The Baroness sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Valeno, this is my twin brother. Twin brother, Valeno."

"I have no desire to know her."

"Fine. The find a room without any girls in it and keep your mouth quiet. Do you know what the Pope's men would do to me and my daughters if they found you in our home? The same thing that happened to our friends and family long ago, only worse, and I wouldn't wish that fate upon anyone. Especially my daughters." With a stern hand, she pointed to the locked door and gestured him out. "Go. We will speak of your intentions over breakfast."

Flashing Valeno a look of spite, the robed man exited the room in a flurry of frustration and left the two women alone.​

 

[Lillian Gray]

"The charm was all spent on you." Valeno smirked. A rude man, that much was obvious. "But he is right, clearly, I'm so dangerous."

The assassin shook her hips from side to side, arms propped atop them as she repeated the man's words in a much sassier accent. Dangerous man, anyone associated with Ezio, the words rambled on until the fury returned. Who was he to make judgments on alliances alone? He knew nothing.

"Why did you not tell me sooner you had a brother?" Valeno asked angrily. "I feel like that might have been important to know."

She took the last apple from Catelina's desk, chewing it down to the core like the twin had done so much sooner, had she been there to see it at all. Valeno tossed it lazily into the trash before jumping up to sit on the desk with all of her books. Papers crumpled beneath her bottom, but her eyes were intent on keeping their gaze on the madame. Ripped and torn books were the last of her worries

"I've never had a man so unhappy to see me."​

 

[moffnat]

Catelina was never one for violence. But if she were, the woman would have lunged across the room and throttled some sense into the young assassin.

"Never do that again, is that clear?!" she spat from where she stood, her face ridden with frustration and agony unlike any that had been there before. "My brother is not a man to be tested, Valeno. You are lucky he let you escape with your life. You know me, I do not make idle threats or consider myself a liar, but this man...he is dear to me, this is true, but he is a killer nonetheless. A man without a side to fight for is the most dangerous of all."

Impatiently, the Baroness began to pace around the room with her arms folded in thought, trying to crack thy mystery as to why her dear brother thought his presence in Florence was necessary. She appreciated the visit, to be sure. But that did not make it any less strange or uncalled for.​

 

[Lillian Gray]

"Excuse me?" Valeno hopped off the desk and followed after Catelina as she paced. "I am sorry if I've so offended you, oh mother of mine. And when did you become that, hm? I heard voices, no one is ever in your room! What was I supposed to do, to think?"

The assassin placed her hands on her hips and scowled at the baroness. She'd only done her best to keep the woman safe, yet here she was, chiding her on who not to argue with. The man wouldn't have, couldn't have killed the Donni di Valeno. Clearly, the man knew nothing of her poisonous tendencies. Angrily, she moved to the window and unlatched it to force it open.

"If you'd rather have the company of killers under no creed, I can sleep elsewhere, dearest hermana mayor." Valeno perched on the small sill before leaping down, making her way to the ground and stalking off into the night. She was an proud woman, but knew when her presence was no longer appreciated.​